First semester

I held my breath as I walk into the exam hall. Flash back of memories during poly days all came back at once. Well, I miss school. And once again, I am battling myself with the exams again. Is been a rather fun and fulfilling semester. Having an objective to meet and adding directions to my life again. Is like, having small quest to do and deadlines to be met. I am glad to head back to textbook and studies again.

Meanwhile, during my study period…. I finally got something out of my dream. A perfectly fitting 4 feet tank in my room. A fish tank that I would stare at it every morning when I woke up. Looking at the fauna swimming/ crawling at around is really a relaxing experience. Especially during exams period, looking at my tank is the best way to take a break from the stressful studies.

Now that first semester is over, time to relax and wait for the results. And hopefully I don’t do too badly.

Back to class

I am back to school again. After 6 years, I can’t believe I step in class again. Classes end late and by the time I get home, I barely have an hour before I need to turn in. Yes, its tiring but somehow fulfilling. Despite the busy schedule, I enjoy my classes. I enjoy learning again. This tells how much I miss school.

Art of Balancing

Photo taken at Hortpark on my birthday itself

Birthday is over. Life goes on after that day. It seems that as we grew older, the more responsibility each of us has to carry. Perhaps not just in work, how we want life to proceed is entirely dependent on the choices we made.

I cant believe I am collecting my textbooks again. Reminds me of those secondary school days (even in polytechnics, textbooks are optional to purchase). Well, an impressive huge stack of books. More readings need to be done. But I really am excited for school again.

It took me 4 working years to figure out where to head next. Is not easy to figure out the direction unless you are very certain. But ya, once taken the first steps, just enjoy what’s gonna come ahead. I seems looking forward to it. Hope I would be able to balance social life, work, and studies. And of course, time spent with my nephews.

Bits and pieces

The smell of gunpowder. Sudden flash back of those memories I had in BMT. Time flies thinking all the way back of how I survived. 4 days back for In-camp-training reconnects with people that I met only once a year. Friendship built in camp. Laughing and chatting seems to be the only past time. With duty starting from 8am till 12.30am at night, I chatted almost anything with my buddy. Sleep derived is the motto for this round of ICT. Training end up late, and it seems there are countless task that need to be done this time round. Eventually, the days are over. There are events that open up minds and ponder more. For every people I meet, brief moments, but yet changes my perspective towards all individuals. Its a 4 days, extended to 5 days due to unforeseen issue. But kind of rewarding for what I had experience.

Moments later after my ICT, I packed my stuff for a short trip to Phuket. Having not much of sleep for the past few days, I dragged my body to the airport like a zombie. But the holiday mood set in. Excited and shag at the same time for the break.

The trip went very well. Relaxing moments spent, countless memories to be kept. Pace seems to naturally slow down when aboard. So after almost 2 weeks of non-working life. I am back to where I left off. Work. But well, its Christmas soon. The mood seems relax afterall. Enjoying last bits and pieces of the year before it ends.

The yellow frame

I flipped the pages of the famous yellow frame magazine. Each content it covers seems to always amazed me as well as open my vision towards the world I am living in.

I wasn’t a fan of national geographic magazine. Until some time back, my cousin pass me a box of magazines. In it, contains mainly of photography magazines and a dozen issues of past year nat geo. I started to get addicted with Asian Geographic, and slowly engross into the writings and hunger to feed on the contents it cover. It is an impressive magazine. Journalism of photographers and some authors that give an interesting perspective of the issues cover.

7 billion population, North koreans smuggle out, taboo topics that most of us seldom talk or read about. Is all written and cover intensively. Well, I am in love with the magazine now.

Apart from the magazines aside, I am pretty engross with my new phone. An iPhone 4s. A jump from an old 3G to 4s, is a speedy big difference. Having now a better phone camera allows me to capture photos anywhere I went. Really lovely.

My first shot with my new phone. The apps available for iPhone is just amazing. Love it.

Life now is currently busy with iPhone games and national geographic magazines. Simple pleasure of life.

Travel

Finally, another holiday trip coming. Is the end year, and how depressing is it if I don’t go for a holiday after a year of working.

Once again, I am heading back to phuket. With different friends. Phuket has it interesting and natural charm for me, the blue turquoise color sea is really made the trip worth well. Of course, my camera love it there.

I haven’t been to lots of country yet, but each place I went, I really enjoy snapping the photos of it.

It all started with my lovely compact camera. Learning and exploring new stuff along the way, really cant wait to bring it to an oversea trip. On the other hand, I really want to see how other places are.

So I started my first photo trip, Cambodia. (Hover over the images for captions)

Eye opening experience. Lovely people there. I would really go back 1 day with my DSLR.

Than I get addicited. Started to travel rather alot in a year. Next trip, was Langkawi.

Than I go crazy after that, not long later, I than went for a budget trip to Vietnam!

The next trip, which I couldnt be more than happy, is to go taiwan. My dream country, haha!

From then on, for almost a year I stop traveling. By the time my next trip, I brought my DSLR with me for an oversea trip. Finally an upgrade. The first DSLR trip was Penang.

The latest trip, was Phuket. Yup going back again this Dec. Hopefully will come out with new interesting photos.

Ok, shall not flood my blog entry with too much photos. End of the day, the photos are really to serve as a memories. Which ever country I travel to. I am always glad to have my camera. Improving and learning along the way. Most importantly, is to go out and see life.

What I miss most

Writing again. Finally. There are time, I just want to quiet down and write down my thoughts, being rather lazy, I will tend to have the ‘do it later’ attitude.

August is over. Is a month which I hardly spent my time in Singapore. I have been working in Malaysia Desaru for 3 weeks. Celebrating the country national day over in malaysia. Watching NDP 2011 live on TV while in Desaru is a interesting feeling. I am not a patriotic person, but watching the show live, reminded me of home. What do I really miss home about.

Internet is what we always depend on nowadays. Without it, somehow or rather some part of us is missing. Well, with limited access there in Desaru, connections with the world seems to disappear. The only way for me to know what currently happening is via TV news. Better than nothing right

I miss the laughter of my nephews. Weekend without them seems weird. Working quietly in my hotel room. Their laughter seems to color up the cold air I feel. I miss them, I miss taking their cute funny photos.And having someone to bug me while I change my fish tank water.

My shrimp tank. Without my regular maintaince, every thing seems to go haywire. Algae bloom. Mum overfeed my tank. Water is off balance. It remind me of what happen during my enlistment to the army, which 50% of the livestock wipeout, plants rotting, algae cover most area. I love my tank, and it get depress to see my little colony being in the state. Need time to slowly adjust things back now.

Well, is only when we are in oversea, we realize how convenient we are. Things will be slowly resume to where I left. And enjoy where my home is. Appreciate more for what I been give. Contentedness can be simple, especially with things we been through as we grow.

Genting. David Birthday

I miss a trip weeks ago.

Processing each photos for few nights. Each photos taken at Genting is a memory. Is been a long time since our entire family went our for a holiday trip together. In conjunction with David 4th years old celebration, we decided to bring the kids to a cooling climate of theme parks and rides.

The kids enjoy the trip so much that, they practically deprived of sleep most of the time. Woke up in the morning with their noise of jumping around the bed. Running to each room and disturb everyone (our room is inter-connected).

Everyday, David will tell us what rides he want to try. I think this is the only few chance he and Joseph can really play non-stop for 3 days. Lots of laughter and ya, trying all kinds of rides. Rides I never taken before (those kids ride). The lovely climate there, hardly everyone of us sweat at all.

Is a funny feeling, how Genting use to serve our generation. And now, the kids are playing the rides. Been there, really bring back alot of memories as a kid.

Well, I really miss the weather there.

The Tree Whisperer

When I flip through my own post, I realize how often I was to write.

Recently, had a event at Esplanade Park. Asia pacific tree climbing championship. That kept me busy for the weekend. Snapping photos at every corner. Zooming into faces of people. Trying my best to capture their smiles. Is not easy, and rather tiring. But indeed was a good test of skills and endurance.

Every movement of the climber seems fast, I have only a few seconds to anticipate what gonna happen next. Batteries and memory cards are always in my pocket, ready to be replaced. The fun of shooting an event is tiring but yet rewarding.

The aftermath of taking an event photos, is the intense amount of photos to be processed. Since I am taking my photos in .raw format (a unedited, unprocessed format that allow recovery of light and details. Normal Jpeg format, the process is handled by the camera in build settings), the amount of photos I can squeeze in a 8gb file is limited.

I enjoy processing the photos as much as taking them. The normal looking color photo can be process and tweak abit to make it into a splendid black and white. Any effects could be added, of course not overly pushed, to create the desired emotions.

This event allows public to climb trees with the aid of rock climbing stones tie on the trunk. The kids love it. Watching the expression of kids first time climb trees is just simply adorable. Hopefully, they will be aware how important are these unspoken creature, their impact of our environment, the trees are an important factor that keep the circle of life balance.

So next time, when you think they are just a wooden block of object, think again. There are people who really adores and protect them.

For more photos, check out my flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sevenfins/sets/72157626909387759/

Living in our hearts.

I slowly settle down, and find the mood to write this blog entry. Its been a tough week.

There are moments in our life, that we really ain’t able to control. Those moments that we really leave it to faith of our beliefs.

A few days ago, on a long weekend. I was taking photos as usual, rented a macro lens. Photographing interesting small wonders of life. My sis called, telling me she had just went for a ultra-sound scan, his 3rd child had lost his heartbeat.

I am always close to my sis family. Having to play with her 2 boys most of the time, we developed a strong uncle-nephew bond. Knowing that my sis is gonna have another child is a thrill for me. I couldn’t wait to capture the beautiful moments of this new life.

So it came crashing down. To all of us, is really a painful moment. A small life is lost. The child was unable to develop his brain, the umbilical cord was twisted, causing insufficient oxygen to reach his brain for development. And his heart, eventually fail.

This is the time when we find more helpless. Where things cant be control in the way we humans would want to. Its really the fact, fated. It will take us perhaps a lifetime to heal the wounds. Lesson that we learn to appreciate the preciousness of life. That we don’t take each breath for granted.

Life have to go on. Just that, we learn to live stronger. And in the midst of our busy schedule, we don’t forget the that life didn’t came by easily.

For Caleb. You will be living in all our hearts.