.lesson re-learned

the little dutch lady.

my friends and I organized a little day trip to Silvan for the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival last weekend. it was a good trip – good weather, good food, good everything.

there were so many kids around and every single one of them were having a great time, laughing and running around. one of us said, "this is such a happy place!" – and it really felt like one.

before leaving the farm, we spotted a group of people taking photos of this cute little girl in Dutch traditional costume. her grandma and mom (?) were around and they were so nice about us taking photos of her!

-------

well, this photo reminded me of the fact of how little kids are easily satisfied with simple requests, such as a couple of helium-filled balloons.. as humans, the older we get, the more greedy we get, and hence, the more we demand.. and take what we already have for granted.

this little girl have, and always will remind me to appreciate what I already have...

and perhaps we adults should learn from the young ones sometime, just like how they are learning from us as they grow. :)

what are your thoughts?

.updates

tulip fest 2010.

dear flickr-ians, as well as friends who have been catching up on my photostreams,

once again, i'm so sorry for the lack of updates. i don't think i can make any promises as to catching up on everyone's photostreams and stuff anymore, so i'm just gonna say that i'll do my best to update/catch up whenever i can.

my life have changed a lot in the span of 7 months.. really.. sometimes i feel that i've gotten 5 years older in the last few months.. and i'm not saying that it's a bad thing – in fact, i think all these ups and downs that i've gone through have made me a little more sensible than before.

well, shit happens whenever you least expect it to, but i guess it happens for a reason.. everything takes place because of something, right?

anyways, i think i'll leave it here.. i have to get some errands done today. oh and here's another piece of good news – i've got heaps of photos to upload onto Flickr..including the ones taken at the Shanghai Expo in July. i try to get them up asap.. meanwhile... umm.. enjoy your weekend!

.fact of the day

I have the tendency to go on a photo walk by myself when I'm upset over stuff.. And so yea, I was pretty depressed and stressed out for the past couple of days. Instead of staying home that night to work on my essay, which is due Monday, I decided that I wanna go somewhere..alone.

Eureka Skydeck 88 is my favorite place to reflect.. Guess what? I spent 5 hours on the observatory the last time when I was sad.

I decided to buy an annual pass anyway, since the price is reasonable and it's always good to know that there is a favorite spot I can go to whenever I like.

So there.. This is one of my favorite photos from last night's Skydeck session. :)

.hello! :)

I felt like cam-whoring the other night so here are one of the few hundred shots I've taken.
Umm.. I have told quite a number of people about this blog but I don't know how many of them actually read it on a regular basis...

So if you are the few percentage amount of people who reads my blog often, thank you!!! :)

And for those of you who don't really know me, umm.. hi, I'm _pdra. Sorry for the lousy pick up line... continuing on.. I'm currently half way through graduate school and I don't want it to end. Photography is something I do almost everyday, unless I have too much assignments to complete and ummmm... I hope I'll be given the opportunity to live in Melbourne for a long time!

Okay, that's all! :)

.exam2010

Enough said.

.micro four thirds

oops, but i like it.

Before I continue, I'd like to announce that this is my 200th post.. So yay! :D

And umm.. I'd like to welcome the Olympus E-P1 to the family!

So why did I get a new camera all of a sudden?

Well.. The Cyber-shot T2's still reasonably good but it's just not advanced enough for me anymore.. I love the camera, but I can't help getting frustrated with the photo quality.. What looks "reasonably good" on screen doesn't necessarily look as good on the computer..

Don't get me wrong, I still love the fact that it's so small, and easy to carry around, but I reckon I need something a little more advance...

I did think about going back to Canon, getting one of those super zoom powershots.... But, things do change.

I went for a road trip with some old travel buddies last weekend, and one of us had the Olympus E-P1. A point-and-shoot (oh okay, not quite) that allows users to change lenses.. And not to mention, the ability to take RAW images, as well as full manual settings. Perfect.

Sure, it is a little bulky, but I guess I'll have to choose between image quality, and size. Image quality is pretty important to me – it usually determines whether or not I upload the photograph.

Now all I need is one of those leather jackets for the camera body.. As well as a proper case - something small and snug for the camera, which would then allow me to chuck it into my handbag without worrying about scratches.

...

..Actually, I have no idea what micro four thirds mean. Can anyone explain?

edited: I highly recommend the E-P1 for any experienced DSLR users who are looking for something smaller without compromising functions. If you need flash, you could either invest on an external one or get the E-PL1.

.i waited and waited...

Fall 2010 – Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden.

And you have finally arrived!!!!! :)

I missed you, Autumn. Where have you been all these while? And most importantly, how are you???

Summer had been pretty nasty to me.. :( And I've been thinking of you all these time...

I actually thought you weren't coming to visit this year, because we are already approaching the winter months.. But here you are!!! You came!!!!!!!! :D

Could you stay a little longer? How about negotiating with Winter for a bit and see how things go?

Please stay, because you are, and will always be, my favorite season of the year.

.lecture hall

HB.36

Guess what? I spent 2 bucks on a lomo camera application for my iPhone yesterday... And for those of you who know me well enough, I wouldn't normally spend all my money on applications – 95% of my apps are free. :P

The image above was taken in digital media authoring lecture yesterday. For some reason, not many students showed up that's why it looks pretty empty.

I won't want to skip any of the lectures, since this is actually my very last semester in a lecture hall, since multimedia students often spend their class hours doing studio work..

.avatar?

GWK Cultural Center, Bali, Indonesia.

Have you watched Avatar and like it so much, that you would watch it again/have watched it again? What about this - do you have a friend who had not watched it and kept asking you what the movie's about?

What did you answer? Could you explain the movie thoroughly?
Because I couldn't - it's either that I am not good in explaining stuff or I just don't know how to start... And this was all I could say to those who had not watched the movie: "..You have to watch it.. Just watch it and you'll understand!"

...

Okay, this blog is NOT dead.. I've been too busy with assignments and homework so I haven't been visiting here (and not to mention, Flickr) as often as I used to. :(

I miss photography.. I do make the effort to take my camera out with me to uni but I am just too stressed out, tired and worried for any inspirations...

And no, this does NOT mean I'm giving up photography! I'll get back to it...as soon as I can... :(

:(

Alright, time to stop typing and get ready for another day at uni. TGIF? Nope... Not after this whole LDR thing started.

.some day

.love is..

being loved.

...when someone patiently assures you at least a million times a day that everything is going to be fine. after months of tears and whining, it has finally arrived.. and i am glad it came so soon.

.double joy

dual celebration.

Here's a fact for those of you who don't already know – Lunar New Year and St. Valentines Day happened to be on the same day this year. Yup, 14/02/2010.

For Chinese families, Lunar New Year is one of the biggest celebration of the year.. It's definitely a lot more important than Christmas, at least for my family, since we don't really do anything on 25th December every year.

It is mandatory for everyone to get together on Lunar New Year eve for a reunion dinner – no excuses.

My dad likes to have an open house party every year on the first day of Lunar New Year.. So instead of us going out to visit friends/relatives, people would come over instead.. And one of the chores my sister and I were given is to prepare the red envelopes – RM10 in each one.

red envelope preparation.

As for Valentines Day, it doesn't really effect SF and myself since we don't really do Vday stuff (I wouldn't mind if we do though).. And for the others, I guess they would have to celebrate sometime before or after Lunar New Year.

Sooo.. Happy Lunar New Year everyone, and for those of you who managed to celebrate Vday, hope you guys had a great time!

Feel free to check out more Lunar New Year photos over the next couple of weeks on my Flickr!

.adding colors to my life

#1

#2

#3

Believe it or not, I took these shots while I felt really emotional – it was our last night together for a God-knows-how-long time. But that's not the purpose of this entry – I just wanted to share something colorful with you guys. :)

.hoping for more

A part of me.

Autumn, or more commonly known as "Fall" in the northern hemisphere, is my favorite season of the year.

But sad to say, I have a bittersweet relationship with Autumn almost every year. It is usually the time when I fall sick for a whole month. What a waste, considering that this is the season for the nicest photographs.

So here's hoping that I won't fall sick this coming Fall and that I will be able to spend more time with the camera this year. ...

P/S Just so you guys know, I have officially moved to my new place and I do not have internet connection at home at the moment – Telstra is best when it comes to procrastinating stuff. ..

.merry belated xmas

.the baby with good eyesight

spotted!

I was queuing up for the bathroom onboard SQ217 (Singapore to Melbourne) last Wednesday and spotted this baby, who stared at me, and then my camera at random intervals.
Now, the question is, how did the baby spot my camera from 8 meters/26 feet away? It wasn't as if the camera was in primary colors.

I had to pretend I was browsing through images from the camera while pressing the shuttle real quick.. But umm I think the baby's mom noticed something. :P

.off

Going back.

This should have been updated like, 10 days ago.. But I was too excited about my brother's wedding to do anything online.

I guess I don't have any more excuses not to update since we are all settled down. It's great to have a new family member in this house – sis-in-law. Once again, welcome to the family! :D

And so you ask.. What have I been doing over the past 1.5 week here? Well, let's see.. I've been catching up on food, resting, catching up on TV shows, talking to my family members. My dad missed me loads and he kept saying "Haven't seen you in so long [9 months]!"

I'll be back in Melbourne next Wednesday..For another 2 months, before coming back home again for the Lunar New Year.

Hmmm...... *silent*

Will update again real soon!

.hs for life

The symbol of love.

Congratulations bro! And welcome to the family, sister-in-law!

.the one about waking up early

Doomsday.

I was talking to my dad on the phone the other night and told him all about my schedule for the semester when he asked.

Dad: So what time are your classes normally?
Me: Hmmm sometimes morning, sometimes afternoon.
Dad: Morning? How early??
Me: Like, early. I have to get up 7.30am on Tuesdays.
Dad: (knowing that I don't normally get up before 11am) SO EARLY??? You can get up that early??? *there was a tinge of humor in his voice - I could tell he was grinning*
Me: Haha of course I can, no choice right?

LOLLLL!!!

Anyways, yes, I have been waking up early twice every week. It's not easy to be honest, but knowing that this is the very final time I am a student, I'd have to cherish every moment of the chapter.. And I won't be skipping classes for reasons like "Oh-I'm-so-tired-today" or "I-need-to-finish-up-assignment-for-this-other-unit" like I did back in the undergraduate days...

Hmm.. Does it mean that I've matured a little bit over the past six months? :P

I can never wake up early on most days because it's hard for me to fall asleep before 2.30am every night. I'm nocturnal, I am more motivated to work on stuff during the early hours of the morning when the streets* are quiet and that everyone's off to slumberland. I don't know why, but that's just me... Although I do envy a friend who works better in the morning than any other time of the day.

Waking up early means I get to see the sun rise from my east-facing apartment unit. I guess that means I'll be taking loads of morning photos so don't be surprised to see a bunch of them on Flickr in the next couple of months! ;)

--end.

*I live in the CBD area in Melbourne where traffic is everywhere.

.how i started photography

The Sony.

Having started graduate school nearly a fortnight ago gives me the opportunity to take my camera out on a daily basis. I have been making the effort to take my heavy duty DSLR camera out on days when I would catch the train, just so I could start snapping away with the camera when something catches my attention.

Majority of you may not know how I started photography so I thought I'd blog while I'm at it.

It was March 2006 when I decided to go on to Canon Australia's website to look at DSLR cameras. I don't remember what made me interested in a DSLR all of a sudden. I knew nothing about DSLR's back then and the first model I was on the website was the 30D and then I said, "Okay, I might get this one."

Everything I bought depended on portability and size (lighter/smaller the better). SF and I finally dropped JB Hi-Fi along Elizabeth Street two months later. That was the first time I saw the 30D in real life and I immediately thought that it's a little too big for me. A couple of friends recommended the 350D and Nikon D40 so I thought I'd have a look at them too. I decided to go for the 350D because.. uhh.. because it's smaller than the 30D. *sheepish*

Since the 350D doesn't come with the body kit lens (I have no idea why) I had to buy a lens separately. So next day, SF and I went in to Camera House to have a look at lenses. Again, I had no idea what 18-55mm or 70-200mm or 35mm meant.. But I knew I wanted an all-rounder lens, something that I can use for pretty much any occasion... And so it goes on and on, and I left the shop with an ultra-wide lens – the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM.. The very lens that has been giving me all these amazing HDR results over the past year.

As a noob who knew nothing about photography, I didn't enjoy the Sigma 10-20mm very much... I actually swopped the lens for a body kit (18-55mm) with my brother in January 2007*!

And finally, in May 2007, I got myself a Flickr Pro account. I have been on Flickr since April 2005, when I thought I'd sign up for fun and post up photos of random daily stuff, like food and things. That was when I started taking photography seriously.

In November 2008, I bought my first prime lens, the very affordable and light-weight EF 50mm f/1.8 II. I love that lens and I probably should have bought that for a first lens rather than the 10-20mm.

I took the 10-20mm back to Melbourne with me in February 2008 and started enjoying it heaps – It's a lens that must be taken along for road trips!

In April 2008, I bought my first and only "L" lens – the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. It makes a good all-rounder lens and I have been using it for everything since. Today, I am using it primarily with the full-frame 5D Mark II. For my next "L" lens, I would like an EF 16-35mm, an ultra-wide suitable for the 5D.

I must have taken well over 10,000 photos in 2008 alone and posted 1,900+ on Flickr that year. I am hoping to post well over 2000 shots by end of this year and so far, I've only posted approximately 800 photos in the year 2009 set.

I do have to admit that I am not putting in as much effort with photography as I did last year, due to other commitments, so I guess the only way to continue photography is for me to take the camera everywhere I go and make the effort to take at least 5 photos a day.

--

I shall take the prime lens and 350D with me to uni tomorrow and see what I can come up with. :)