Today was a major blur. Presentation was weird. I was relating something halfway and poof! my mind went completely blank. I searched in vain for the words to form but all i could master was, "okay nevermind... forget it." Sometimes people look like monsters.

Photojournalism is still a mess because Teochew Porridge is tough to shoot. It didn't help when i almost dropped the camera into the soup. Anyway today i wrote to the Singapore Prison.

Hello Serena,
My name is Stephanie and I am a student from Temasek Polytechnic. I am currently on a school photography assignment and I am interested in covering a photo story on convicts for my project. I would like to talk to some of them, photograph their lives in prison and listen to their thoughts. I am very inspired by the untold stories in the website. However, I do feel that they would have a stronger impact if they were accompanied with visuals.

Majority of the public still have a very narrow concept about convicts. I believe that through photographs, we can convince the public better that they are people like us, except that they have made some mistakes in their lives. Everybody deserves a second chance and through the medium of photography, perhaps we can relate stories better. I am hoping that you'd provide me with a ground to photograph and I would grant complete excess of the images free of charge, should you find them appropriate for your campaigns.

On a sideline, part of the reason why i chose this is because my youngest uncle is an ex-convict and he has problems looking for a proper job. My eldest uncle is about to be charged in court for thief and i understand public stereotyping because my parents shun my uncles too. I am committed to making a difference.

It would be fantastic if you can get back to me asap (whether or not this is possible) because i only have a time span of the next 2-3 weeks to work on this project. You can contact me at 90101667. Thank you very much for your kind attention!

Regards,
Stephanie

I'm pretty numb to failures in school. My brother got caned in school for punching an indian boy he called blackie and its true, nobody bailed my uncle from jail. Human relations creep me out sometimes.

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