Between-the-Lens

Currently @ the HK International Airport...

2009-01-11T22:14:00.003-06:00

Currently still pretty much depressed with the fact that I'm not going to be able to see my family for a while. I called my mom this morning just to tell her that I'm leaving for the airport soon and I can't believe that I actually cried when I heard her voice from the other end (She, of course, didn't know that I was crying because my nose has been pretty congested due to the cold I have). I miss my family so much. I guess I'm just very home sick right now. Though I'm sure that I'll get over it soon enough, I still feel kinda ashamed that I would still be so home sick at this age (I'm almost 24 for God sake!!!).

My few last memorable memories before I left:

Dad
He quite unexpectedly cried so much at the church at my sister's wedding. He didn't cry at first, but when it was finally time for my sister to kneel in front of my parents to say thank you for everything, he cried so hard that everybody actually noticed. It was so obvious that one of the wedding organizers ran all the way from the door to my dad's side to offer him some tissues. Hahahahaha. The most funny thing about this is that my dad didn't even hear what my sister said to him. He already started crying by the time my sister kneeled in front of him. My sister actually said something quite funny to my dad just so that there wouldn't be any emotional scene. But when my dad started crying, then my mom started crying as well and therefore my sister started crying as well. Even one of my aunts who was sitting right behind me was crying. A funny moment that my sister was trying to create was turned into an emotional moment because of my dad. Hahahahaha. Both of my parents believed that my sister said something like "Pa, aku ngga pulang malam ini" when my sister actually said "Pa, uangnya aku ga balikin ya." See how different those two sentences are? I guess my dad was already too emotional from the very beginning. Whenever we brought up this topic, he would just laugh and start running away from us to avoid any further questions. Hahahahaha.

Mom
My mom cried for quite a long time. Well, all of us already expected this to happen. My mom is the type of person who is easily feel so touched by someone else's sincerity. Although everybody already expected her to cry, she actually tried so hard not to cry no matter what. She actually told my sister to say something funny instead so that she would laugh rather than crying, but I guess it was kind of inevitable from the moment that my dad started crying. But unfortunately, my dad could stop crying pretty quickly while it was quite hard for her to stop crying. So during the church procession, her tears kept on dropping on her cheek. She blamed it all on my dad who started crying just like that. Hahahahahahahaha.

My Oldest Sister
This is what I would like to call an R-rated moment for my family. Hahahaha. After the reception was over, most of my family members were still in the ballroom to hang around for a few minutes longer. In this scene, there was me, my sister, and two of my cousins.

Cousin 1: Sherly, kamu pasti cape ya?
S: Cape banget. Rasanya pengen tidur aja langsung.
Cousin 1: Iya koko dulu juga cape banget. Sherly...kamu nanti malam jangan langsung. Besok pagi aja tunggu energy kamu ada dulu. Koko waktu itu langsung tidur abis resepsi trus besok paginya baru deh seger baru.
Me: Buset. PG-13 banget nih conversation.
Cousin 2: Ini mah bukan PG-13 lagi. R-rated!!!
Cousin 1: Eh beneran. Kalo malam ini lagi cape2 kan loyo. Pasti kan ga bisa enjoy juga. Mending besok pagi aja tunggu kalian berdua uda seger dulu baru deh nanti lebih enak.
S: ... (so speechless or so exhausted that she couldn't even reply).

My second sister
A day before the wedding, we hanged out together. We went to MOI to find some clothes to buy (though at the end we didn't buy anything). But we did stop at this nail shop and got a mani-pedi. Hahahahahahaha. We both got a quite cheap mani-pedi while watching some movies on the flat screen TV they have. They even let us pick the movie we wanted to watch. Hahahhahaha. The work done was not the best, but it was just for fun for us. The most enjoyable part to watch is the part when my sister got her pedicure. She's a very ticklish person. So, she couldn't stop laughing when the manicurist/pedicurist was touching the botton of her foot. She's definitely not someone who's meant to get a pedicure. Hahahahaha. Well, this is still quite memorable for me because I haven't had the chance to hang out with a lot for a while now. Also, during the reception, when we all had to walk in front of the bride and groom when we entered the main ballroom, my sister was like flashing her smile here and there. Hahahahaha. It was quite funny seeing her doing that. She even practiced that smile during the rehearsal. Hahahahahaha.

My Little Sister
We had to do a retouch both on our make-up and hair before the reception. My little sister's hair was brought quite high for the reception that she called it the "lohan" hair. Hahahahahahaha. She hated it so much. I personally think it looked good, but she hated how high it was. My last memory of her was that she almost forgot to give me my jacket back at the airport. She couldn't stand the cold that much. Although we were at Indo, the air-con could get pretty cold for her. But then again none of us was in the best condition. We had been pretty tired for days that we all got sick. Most of us had the same thing: the evil cold with stuffy nose and sore throat. Even my oldest sister was very sick on her wedding day. The last thing my little sister said to me was that she would try to come to visit me in Madison this year. Maybe sometime in November or December. It would be pretty cold for her, but I'll provide her with all the cold-weather attire she would need if she ever decides to come.

Well, it's almost boarding time. I needed to go to the bathroom first to clear my nose. I could hardly breathe right now. Well, goodbye HK and my beloved home and see you soon Madison...

In HK...

2009-01-11T08:33:00.004-06:00

Staying overnight at the Novotel Citygate hotel in HK tonite. This hotel is so gorgeous (with a quite gorgeous price/night as well...thank God my dad is paying for it...). Even the room is so gorgeous. I like it a lot. Unfortunately, I'm staying here for one night only.

Current mood: quite gloomy and very exhausted

As usual, I feel quite sad to be away from my family once again. I cried this morning, but successfully kept a calm composure in front of everyone. It's always so hard to be away from my family. I love them so much. I'm actually already quite homesick right now. I want to go back so bad but I know that I have to go back to work soon. There's so many things to be done because I've been away for so long. As a matter of fact, I have received quite a long list of tasks to do from one of my bosses and I have several e-mails from the contractors that I need to reply one by one. *sigh*.

Anyways...I should probably stop being so gloomy. I should probably write something about the wedding instead, but I'm quite tired today and my mood is not exactly at its best. So, I'll write about it once I feel much better. My sore throat is not quite helping as well. Gotta remember to buy some cough drops tmr.

Post from the Home Land Part III...

2009-01-06T19:19:00.002-06:00

Current status: VERY EXHAUSTED

Countdown status: 3 days to D-Day

Just one month ago, my status was just one of the family members attending the wedding. I wasn't assigned any special role because I couldn't be a part of much of the preparations. And yesterday, I was handed quite a big role. I'm now the "unofficial" maid of honor. You see...in Indo, there's no such thing as maid of honor. There's only one bridesmaid who only needs to take care of the bride's gown at the church when she's walking down the aisle. I'm not that bridesmaid because that role has been given to the groom's brother's girlfriend since long time ago. Here's the list of tasks that I was given to:

A few days ago - went with my sister to the fitting. Helping her to choose the accessories for the wedding.

Yesterday - in the morning, looked at the venue and met up with the wedding organizer and decorator to finalize the layouts. In the afternoon, went to find all the necessary things (red flowers, red napkins and all red stuffs) for the teh pai (a Chinese tradition). At night, looked at and studied the finalized schedule to make sure everything will go smoothly according to the schedule on D-day.

Tomorrow - lunch meeting with the crew that my dad assembled for the wedding (mostly some office boys and ladies) and the event organizers (a total of 8 people) at the hotel. Making sure my dad's crew understand their roles in the wedding. Explaining the final layout of the venue so that they know where their stations are. And making sure all of their questions are answered.

Friday - Picking up guests at the airport in the morning. And have a small family dinner (Widodari) with the groom's family to introduce each other's family officially.

D-day - In the morning, has to make sure that everyone's getting their make-up done by 7 AM. During the teh pai procession at 8 AM, I would be working closely with the wedding and event organizers to make sure the teh pai procession go smoothly. Making sure we all leave to go to the church by 11:15 AM. At the church, making sure that all of the "persembahan" are well-placed and making sure there will be people standing on guard at the gift-slash-ang bao desk at all time. I will be one of the persons bringing the "persembahan" up front during the mass. After church, we all leave to go straight to the hotel. Soon after arriving at the hotel, I will immediately need to call the event organizers to stand on guard at the lobby to give room keys to distribute to several guests that we're providing rooms for. And then, I will immediately go to my hotel room to have my make-up redone. Everything has to be done by 4:50 PM. At 5 PM, everyone (all family members from both sides, including cousins, aunts, grandma, etc) is expected to come down to the grand dining room to have dinner together before the reception. Family pictures will be taken at 6:30 PM followed by a short rehearsal for the reception. At 7 PM, everyone should already be in their station at the venue. After the bride and groom have make their entrance to the ballroom, I would be working closely with the wedding and event organizers once again to make sure the reception desk will always be guarded by the people assigned to be there. Family members would also be expected to sit at the tables provided for family in the VIP section and not at the tables provided for my dad's guests. I would be standing with my cousins and several other people at 8 PM to greet guests for one hour. After the final wedding picture, my role as the "unofficial" maid of honor ends. I might probably sleep very soundly that night (unfortunately, I couldn't sleep for too long since I have to be at the airport by 12 PM to go back to the states. *sigh*...I hope I won't fall ill because of exhaustion.)

A wedding for 3000 people is definitely a little too big. If only we could just have one of those weddings where we all have tables for everyone so that it wouldn't be so hectic and it just would be much simpler.

Post from the Home Land Part II...

2009-01-05T18:34:00.002-06:00

We were packing my oldest sister's stuffs yesterday (well, it's more like my mom who's packing everything while we all just sit around on the bed watching...hehehe...). My sister don't really have so many stuffs to be packed since she'll be leaving many of her clothes here. She's planning to stay in this house in the case that her soon-to-be husband has to be away for work. Hahahaha. She sure has thought of everything.

I went to her soon-to-be home (the apartment) a few days ago. Honestly, if I had to stay there for a long time, I wouldn't like it very much unless that apartment is remodeled. Since everything in that apartment uses the standard design and materials, you could just tell that they are going with the idea of "let's not spend so much money in each of the models." The floor is using those tiles that you can find in public restrooms (those white medium size tiles that have matte textures). My dad wanted to remodel the apartment for my sister, but she refused to have it remodeled (not because she likes it but because it's just a temporary home for her until she finds her own house to buy). The layout of the apartment is terrible. The living room is so dark because not enough light can get into the apartment with the current layout. The bedroom is probably the only room that I truly like. The bathroom is the worst. Honestly, I think my maids' bathroom is probably much better than that bathroom. There is absolutely no space to hang dry clothes (my sister is planning to bring her clothes home every week to be washed. Hahahaha.). And the kitchen...oohhh don't make me start on the kitchen. That gotta be the worst kitchen I've ever seen. THERE'S NO STOVE INSTALLED!!!! She has to buy her own table-top stove and install it herself. Ck ck ck...that's such a major turn-off. She also needs to buy her own fridge. Ck ck ck...Well, maybe I'm so used to the standards in the states that I'm just so surprised with what they provide you in the apartments here in Indo.

Anyways...gotta go now to help my mom re-dye her hair to cover all of the highlights.

A Post from the Home Land Part I...

2009-01-04T19:17:00.004-06:00

I don't particularly blog anymore, but since everyone (my sisters and dad are working today), I'm kind of left alone at home with nothing to do (I already finished giving bath to both of my dogs, too!!). And because I'm in Indo right now, some of the expressions will be in Indo because it's sometimes hard to express "Jakartan" words or phrases into English...

DISCLAIMER: If you are to pass this point, you are assumed to have agreed to bear with the length of it no matter how boring or nonsense it is. No financial charges will be applied to the readers (Hihi ngejayus dikit).

I've been at home for exactly 2 weeks now and here are the things that I have noted:

HOUSE
My new house feels a little too big for me (maybe because I have been living in a tiny-teeny-little apt back in the states). It has been upgraded in terms of technology, too!! All the TVs are LCD HD TVs (except for my maid's) that are at least 37" (again, except for my maid's). There are 4 TVs "installed" in total, including my maid's (there is another one that's still in the box and another one in my room that is not connected to cable or even plugged in for that matter). But we're only using 3. The phone system is now an intercom system so that my maids don't need to scream for our names whenever someone call. They only need to press the transfer button followed by the transfer code for the room they are transferring the call to. Too "High-tech" for my taste. Skarang kalo mau manggil bokap yg lagi di kamar, tinggal pake telp buat ngomong. Alhasil jarang banget ke lantai 2 since kamar gue di lantai satu. Ck Ck Ck...jadi males semua...

DAD
Nothing much has changed from my dad, except for his age of course. He's still short-tempered at times but still loves to give some lame jokes or to make any intelligent conversation with any of his daughters. He said that he had retired (since he had received his pension) but he refused to stop working. Confusing, isn't it? He still goes to work (with or without pay). Apparently, the person who's supposed to be his replacement wants my dad to stay working because he doesn't think he's ready to be my dad's replacement. My dad's boss(es) also hasn't settled with the contract to prolong my dad's stay to work. They want my dad to stay but hasn't settled with the amount of pay or work to give to my dad to be written in the contract. All of my dad's underlings are so stressed out with the fact that my dad might stop being their boss. Therefore, my dad decided to keep going to work until there's a good time for everybody to finally let him go and be independent of him. My dad now calls himself as "chairman" because he's the man who sits on his chair and do nothing but observe. Hahaha...

MOM
Mom is still the same. Easily stressed out especially because of the wedding (therefore, barked and nagged a lot when it got too stressful), but still lovable and huggable. She still hates the fact that I'm much taller, which makes her look so short whenever I walk side-by-side with her. She now likes to throw some lame jokes here and there. Here's an example:

Me: Lis, kamu kalo ke Madison nanti cici bawa kamu makan sushi di Chicago (my lil' sis loves sushi more than anything). Itu ada appetizernya kalo kamu makan rasanya meleleh di mulut.
Mom: Meleleh???!!! Ngga bisa makan donk kalo mulut kamu meleleh (while giving the trademark grin).
Me: Ma...LAMEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Dunno blajar dari mana bisa ampe sejayus itu. She now refused to pay for the stuffs I buy (except for food) because she has created an account at an Indo bank for me. Therefore, I have to use the money from that bank if I want to buy stuffs. *sigh*. In summary, still love her very much because cuman nyokap yg bersedia meminjamkan bahu dan pahanya buat gue tidur (especially pahanya buat tidur siang kalo lagi pengen lengket ama nyokap...hihihi...). She's now a little regretful about her hair. She went to the salon yesterday to have her hair colored. The hair stylist convinced her to get it highlighted, so she did. Hahahaha. And now she's very regretful and wanted to re-dye her hair to cover all the highlights. Hahahahaha.

OLDEST SIS
She's getting married this Saturday. She's more frustrated than excited in my opinion. Too many things to do and there's too many changes in the original plan all because of the incompetent-slash-greedy-money-making hotel's organizer. I have been accompanying her to places to help here and there and it was very exhausting (although I have a very small part in all of the activities). She sure can't wait to get it over with so that she can finally relax. She's no longer playing a "mister-nice-guy" role when she's facing all the vendors. I guess the term "crazy brides" actually doesn't mean that they are acting crazy and controlling, but simply because they just had enough with all the planning that they tend to bark a lot. Well, her misery almost ends (it will end this saturday or this sunday to be exact). Well, I got the chance to spend so many time with her. From chatting in the afternoon or at night to going to dinners with her and her future spouse. My future brother-in-law is now as chatty as ever. My sister has warned me so many times before that he's a very chatty person. Hahahaha. It's a good thing that I now get to see most of his sides. He sure can eat a lot although he's very skinny. Once we ate dinner together at a seafood restaurant (me, my lil' sis, my oldest sis and him). All of us ate just one small bowl of rice that my oldest sis and I can't even finish. He ate THREE bowls of rice. Ck ck ck...men...they can eat and eat without gaining any weight. He and my sis have been paying for my lil sis' and my miscellaneous expenses (dinners, movies, and karaoke nights). I guess I should buy them better presents for next year.

SECOND SIS
This one sure doesn't know how to change. Although she's not as cranky as before, she's still not too communicative with us (and by "us", I mean her own family). I still don't spend too much time with her, especially with her being in her room most of the time playing game. She lives on the second floor, too. Her room is right next to my parents' room while the rest of us has room on the first floor. She doesn't join us whenever we hang around together in my lil sis's room. We only spent time together when we're playing with the doggies (go figure!). Well, we (her and I) did play a little prank on my lil sis yesterday. So, the doggies are allowed to play inside the house but not in any of the bedrooms. Pupu was hanging around in the living room yesterday. It was quite warm as usual so my lil sis turned on the air-con in her room. My second sis decided to go inside her room to cool herself down, but Pupu tends to follow us around whenever we go somewhere. So, my sis and I just kinda made this evil telephatic plan to take Pupu inside my lil sis's room. We both go into my lil sis's room with Pupu following us from behind and we let him enter the room.

L: Jangan!! Nanti papa marah kalo tau Pupu masuk kamar. Kamar gue lagi!!!
Me and C: Hihihihi. Makanya masuknya kamar kamu jadi kamu yg kena marah. Hihihihi.
L: Ih, jahat!! (while she starts hugging Pupu)
C: Kalo papa nanya kenapa Pupu di sini, cici tinggal jawab: "ini kan kamar Lisa therefore dia yg bawa masuk" Hihihihi.
Me: Lagipula melihat dari segala evidencenya (sambil ngeliat si Lisa lagi gendong Pupu in her own room), sepertinya semua evidence pointing ke kamu. Hahahahaha.
L: Oh, no!!
And then I went out of the room because I heard my dad's steps getting closer to the room.
Dad: Kalian abis ngapaen? Ngumpul di kamar Lisa? (Setelah mencari2 anak2nya ilang semua. Ga ada yg di living room.)
Me: Iya, lagi maen2 di kamar Lisa. Hehehe.
L: Manda!!! (Keluar kamar buru2 tanpa memegang Pupu tapi ga lama kemudian Pupu keluar).
Dad: Kok Pupu masuk kamar kamu!!!!!!!!
Me and C: (KABURRRRRRRRRRR tinggalin Lisa...)

My poor lil' sis. It's a good thing my dad wasn't in a bad mood. Hihihihi. I, so far, only dined out with my second sis for several time. This one time we dined out for lunch with my mom. We went to the mall to have lunch. My mom told my sis to pay for our lunch because she hasn't officially treated me to any lunch or dinner for that matter. The both of them kept going back and forth trying to convince each other to pay for the lunch. It was quite funny and entertaining to see them do that for minutes. So, we went to eat at the food court. The total cost for our lunch was approximately Rp 133.000,-. After lunch, my sis dragged my mom to the body shop because she needed to buy a lip gloss. While she was picking out the lip gloss she wanted to buy, my mom was picking out the eyebrow pencil that she wanted to buy. When my mom was ready to pay for the pencil she was buying, my sis hurried up giving my mom the lip gloss she wanted so that my mom would be the one paying for it. After paying for it, my mom checked the receipt as usual. Then she realized that the lip gloss costed Rp. 129.000,-. "Ini mah sama aja mama yg bayar lunchnya donk???" (while half laughing when she realized that she was just fooled by her own daughter). My sister just gave her a victory sign and grinned even wider.

LIL' SIS
My lil' sis is still the same. I can't say that she's more mature because she always acted like a child in front of me. Maybe because it's kind of an automatic response kind of thing. We go everywhere together. I spent most of my time here with her. She's a little bummed that I'm leaving soon (especially with the fact that the only sister left at home would be my second sis...hahaha...). Whenever we went out together, our hands were always locked together. If I let go of her hand, sooner or later dia bakalan gandeng tangan gue lagi. She said she kind of got used to it. Hahahahaha. So adorable. She's been quite drawn to chinese language lately (probably because she's been watching taiwanese dramas). Unfortunately, her tones are all wrong so she's been quite an entertainer for all us. She likes to say things that doesn't even make sense in Chinese. The only person who could understand what she's saying is me (probably because I spent too much time with her already). Alhasil slalu jadi translator deh. I also found out that she lovessssssss brownies. Hahahaha. She simply can't get enough of it. Alhasil di rumah selalu ada satu kotak brownies tersedia khusus buat dia. She still drinks her milk every morning just like when she's a little kid. Still pretty picky with her food. She doesn't like eating fish but the fish for sushi or sashimi is totally acceptable for her. Isn't she just weird? She prefers raw fish rather than the cooked one. She likes watching japanese dramas just like me and likes to say things in some Japanese words or phrases that she knows of. She eats quite a lot for a super skinny girl. She finished one whole loyang of martabak manis tipis with keju all by herself. Can you believe that??? I can only eat 2 small pieces. She ate setengah porsi kerang bakar all by herself while the other half was eaten by my soon-to-be brother-in-law. Ck ck ck...not to mention that my dad told me that she ate setengah bebek for dinner in Australia. And by stengah, I meant bener2 one whole bebek dipotong jadi dua. Satu keluarga ampe shock dengernya. Mana bebek di Aussie kan gede and gendut. Ck ck ck... In summary, my lil' sis is sure as cute as ever. Always joking around with me. I can be my "error" self whenever I'm with her.

DOGGIES
Dee-Dee has sure matured up a bit. She's not as playful and as selfish as she was in the past. I guess having puppies changed her a bit. She's more responsible and very protective of her puppies. She's a pretty good disciplinarian, too!! I didn't get to see 3 of her other puppies, but from the stories I heard, she was looking for her puppies for days when they were taken away from her. Poor Dee-Dee. She now only have one puppy left. I guess she's pretty thrilled to have other dog to play with. We, humans, can't provide the same game she would like to play with other dogs. She likes to wrestle with her puppy (but the wrestling always involves biting and that's why we can't play that game with her. I don't think any of us want to bite her. Hahahaha...). Dee-Dee still follows us everywhere we go. When we go out for a stroll outside, she would follow us and stop and wait if she's getting a little too far ahead of us. She unfortunately forgets about her puppy when she's out on a stroll. Although she would immediately run towards her puppy when he calls for her, she would not wait and stop for her puppy when she's on a stroll (Pupu likes to make several stop when he's out on a stroll. And what I meant with a "stop" is not marking territories and all, but simply setting his butt down on the street and taking a rest.)

Pupu, although he's very energetic when playing with his tennis ball or with his mom, is one very lazy and spoilt dog. Hahahahahaha. The way he would make himself lie down is by pushing his butt backward so that he would slide into the position. Hahahahahaha. His butt sure loves the ground so much. His rear feet doesn't like to make him sit properly. It's always on a split position so that he could slide down easier. Hahahahaha. Such a lazy dog. We like to carry him around since he's still small. Dee-Dee is already a little too heavy for us to carry around (I should know since I'm the only who still carry her around occassionaly). Pupu is like the baby in the family. Everyone pampers him so much. We do baby talks with him. My dad always thinks that Pupu is just like a human baby. Soalnya kalo digendong trus banyak org around dia ngomong, dia kaya suka liat sana liat sini ngikutin suaranya just like a human baby. Bedanya dia bisa jalan sendiri walaupun sering digendong. He always follows his mom everywhere. Dipisahin dikit dari Dee-Dee langsung nangis and manggil2 mamanya. Bener2 kaya bayi. I bought him a tennis ball last week and it became his favorite toy. He still doesn't understand the concept fetch but he's still better than his mom. Kalo Dee-Dee dibawa balik aja uda mujizat trus kalo mau diambil malah dibawa lari, Pupu at least masih bawa balik once in a while dan kalo diambil gampang. One thing about Pupu yg masih cukup troublesome itu adalah dia itu masih suka pipis sembarangan. He still pees inside the house unlike Dee-Dee yg uda house-trained. Uda gitu Pupu galak and spoilt. Kalo dia mau apa and kita ga kasih, langsung deh gonggong marah2. Trus kalo dibiarinin, langsung sulking di bawah kursi ato meja ato ngga sulking di blakang kursi. Trus ngambek aja terus sampe dikasih bola ato apa gitu. Ck ck ck...bener2 gampang ngambek. Hari jum'at ini bakalan dibawa ke vet to get his first immunisasi. Hahahahaha. Kita liat dia nangis ga disuntik. Dulu Dee-Dee ga nangis sih cuman takut ama dokternya aja. Hahahahaha. I already gave him a bath twice so far (Punya anjing 2 lebih gampang bau). Setiap kali mandi nangis and minta dipeluk. Alhasil selalu basah satu badan deh gue kalo mandiin. Uda gitu nangis minta tolong mamanya, Dee-Dee cuman bisa ngeliatin doank and jilat snoutnya in that case. Hahaha. Trus kalo Dee-Dee dimandiin dan dia liat, dia juga nangis ngeliat mamanya dimandiin. Hahahahaha. Luucccuuuunyaaaaaaa...

Well, my stomach is growling already. I'll continue my post tomorrow. If you read this post 'til this point, I applaude you. Hahahahahahaha...

Bought New Lenses

2008-11-23T11:42:00.003-06:00

Ok...I think went a little nuts this morning (I believe it's because of an accumulating stress from work). I decided to buy two lenses that went on sale. Not one of those great lenses though since I thought I'm still an amateur anyways. Why would I need those L-slash-super-expensive lenses if I can't use them properly anyways?

So, here's what I bought:

Canon EF 28-90mm F/4-5.6 III

(Original price = $190. I bought it for $49.95. Not bad right? And according to the review, this lens is not so bad for its price. It might not be a great professional lens, but I believe it'll be enough for me. But I guess I won't really know until I get my hands on it, will I?)

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens

(Original price = $149. I bought it for $132. Well, there's not much difference in the price, but the lens can still be considered cheap. So far my experience using Sigma lenses has been pretty good. So, I have no problem in using another sigma lenses. Again, the price pretty much says it all. It's not one of those great lenses but might still be a good lens. According to the review that I read, it's a not-so-bad lens for amateur photographer such as myself.)

So, we'll see how these two lenses work in a few days. So happy to have new lenses. Not that I really need it that much, but I have always been an impulse buyer, which is obviously not a good thing when I have such an expensive hobby.

Well, that's all the update I have for now. I have a set of photos of my friend that I need to edit/play with. But probably it won't be ready for a while with all the work I have in my hands right now. It's kinda hard being a photographer on the side when you have such a demanding job as an engineer.

A Little Crazy with Black and White...

2008-07-18T23:41:00.008-05:00

Haven't been updating my blog for a while now. It's not that I haven't been taking pictures, but everything in my life has been a little hectic lately. Mostly exhausted all the time. But finally, here are some pictures that I just finished editing. Let's start with some pictures of the Capitol that I took a few weeks ago.

And here are some black and white pictures. Have been a little crazy with these colors to tell you the truth. I just love it. As you scroll down, you will find one of the pictures has a very high noise disturbance. I just want to let you know beforehand that the effect is intentional. I actually increased the noise for a certain effect that I'm looking for. Not sure whether it's working or not. I hope it does though.

Around Madison: Can you identify them?

2008-06-22T01:31:00.003-05:00

Let's play a game. Can you identify each of these pictures and tell me where they are located and what is the name of the building/place? If you can't even identify the last one, you seriously have failed as a Madisonians. Answers can be found in the comment page. Good luck!

Testing...

2008-06-20T00:03:00.003-05:00

Finally got the chance to test and play with my photo studio kit. Unfortunately, can't find anyone to be the object to take a picture of. But fortunately, I'm a narcisist. Haha =P. So, I made myself the object although it's proven to be really tough. But here are some of the results...

Hating the Weather...

2008-06-12T20:33:00.003-05:00

Rain...rain...rain...

Urggghhhhh...hating the weather right now. Can't really do anything when it's always raining outside. My plan for this weekend is simply ruined. I guess I'll be spending my weekend trying out my photo studio kit. Haven't really played with it until now. So, I guess it's time to seriously learn how to do the correct lighting. Already bought a book to teach me how. Haven't read it though, but hopefully it would be pretty straightforward.

Getting There...

2008-06-11T22:50:00.002-05:00

Healing bit by bit...

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Slow Me Down

~Emmy Rossum~

Rushing and racing and running in circles

Moving so fast I'm forgetting my purpose

Blur of the traffic is sending me spinning

Getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding chaotic

Pace of the world I just wish I could stop it

Try to appear like I've got it together

I'm falling apart

Save me

Somebody take my hand and lead me

Slow me down

Don't let love pass me by

Just show me how

Cause I'm ready to fall

Slow me down

Don't let me live a lie

Before my life flies by

I need you to slow me down

Sometimes I fear that I might disappear

In the blur of fast forward I falter again

Forgetting to breathe

I need to sleep

I'm getting nowhere

All that I've missed I see in the reflection

Pass me while I wasn't paying attention

Tired of rushing, racing and running

I'm falling apart

Tell me

Oh won't you take my hand and lead me

Slow me down

Don't let love pass me by

Just show me how

Cause I'm ready to fall

Slow me down

Don't let me live a lie

Before my life flies by

I need you to slow me down

Just show me

I need you to slow me down

Slow me down

The noise of the world is getting me caught up

Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it

Just need to breathe

Somebody please

Slow me down

Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day and Arboretum...

2008-06-04T23:18:00.006-05:00

Pictures from the Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day and a walk at the UW-Madison Arboretum...

Anyways, my toys are here!!! The photo studio kit that I ordered just arrived today. Haven't played with it just yet, but soon.

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Brave

~Idina Menzel~

I don't know just where I'm going

And tomorrow is a little overwhelming

And the air is cold and I'm not the same anymore

I've been running in your direction for too long now

Lost my own reflection and I can't look down

If you're not there to catch me when I fall

If this is the moment I stand here on my own

If this is my right of passage that somehow leads me home

I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave

If this is the last chance before we say goodbye

At least it's the first day of the rest of my life

I can't be afraid cause it's my turn to be brave

All along, all I ever wanted was to be the light

When your life was daunting but I can't see mine

When I feel as though you're pushing me away

Well who's to blame? Are we making the right choices?

'Cause we can't be sure, if we're hearing our own voices

As we close the door, even though we are so desperate to stay

If this is the moment I stand here on my own

If this is my right of passage that somehow leads me home

I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave

If this is the last chance before we say goodbye

At least it's the first day of the rest of my life

I can't be afraid 'cause it's my turn to be brave

And I might still cry

And I might still bleed

These thorns in my side

This heart on my sleeve

And lightning my strike

This ground at my feet

And I might still crash

But I still believe...

This is the moment I stand here all alone

With everything I have inside, everything I own

I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave

If this is the last time before we say goodbye

At least it's the first day of the rest of my life

I can't be afraid it's my turn to be brave

Just Bought...

2008-05-29T19:28:00.004-05:00

Finally bought my photo studio kit. It's a kit for amateur but that's enough for me since I don't think I will ever become a professional photographer who would actually get paid for taking pictures. Still so excited though. Can't wait to test on it and to learn how to do the correct lighting, etc etc...

One thing that I need to do though...Clean my apartment. Haha. Been delaying it for a while. Been thinking of throwing away my futon frame. I think I'll do it this weekend to create some space. This is pretty much the challenge of setting up a home photo studio in such a small apartment, but if it's still possible, why not right?

EXCITED!!!!

Anyways, plan for this weekend...Going to the Chinese Culture Celebration and Italian Fest. I think that's all the events that I'm attending. I should probably check back the list that I made weeks ago. Can't really remember everything, but definitely have something to do this weekend.

Devil's Lake State Park...

2008-05-25T20:25:00.007-05:00

Went to Devil's Lake State Park yesterday just to get out of my stressful life and to take a few pictures. It felt really good to be able to be so far away from the city for once. It's really calming to be able to sit on top of the mountain and just to look at the view for a long time. Went hiking for 4 hours. Surprisingly, I wasn't that tired when I got home. I actually wanted to stay and hike for a few more hours, but I got bitten by bugs too many times already that I decided to give up. Definitely wanna do this again in the near future though.

Anyways, here are some of the pictures that I took...

This is the trail way towards the Panfrey's Glen...

One of the bridges I encountered on my way towards the Panfrey's Glen...

One of the landmark of Devil's Lake State Park: The Prospect Point...

Looked like someone misread the schedule...

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I wanna go somewhere, but dunno where yet. Probably gonna wander around by myself again. I actually found that to be very relaxing. I guess my head is just filled with too many things lately.

Anyways, my next project is to build my own photo studio at home. Already started researching all the equipments that I might need. Probably gonna start buying sometime this week. So excited!!! New things to try and new things to learn.

Photo from Today...

2008-05-16T23:29:00.003-05:00

This is the only picture that I have edited so far. I know that I said I was going to this Irish Heritage Celebration thing and it might be a little confusing to you guys that the only picture I'm posting here is actually a Chinese Dragon mask. No, don't worry. I still can tell the difference between Irish and Chinese since I'm Chinese. But basically it turned out the Irish cultural event starts tomorrow. So, I don't have any picture of it. A little sad truthfully that I'm going to miss it, but there's still an Italian Festival to look forward to. So, I guess it's ok.

Well, I don't have a lot of pictures for this event since it's a carnival and I think a carnival looks better at night in a picture. Unfortunately, I was there only until 6 PM when basically the sun was not even close to being a sunset. So, maybe next time then. It's almost summer anyways. I'm sure there's going to be another carnival.

Plan for This Weekend and Upcoming Weekends...

2008-05-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is finally Friday. Yeay!! After a week not taking any photographs, I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to take good pictures for the graduation ceremony this Saturday. Well, crossing my finger here. Let's just hope everything will turn out well. I'm going to practice again tomorrow anyways.

So, the plan for this weekend...

1. Irish Heritage Celebration in Fitchburg, WI tomorrow. Going there with Elka right after work. There are going to be carnivals and fireworks. So excited!

2. On Saturday, the graduation ceremony and banquet would probably occupy me for the whole day. So, no other plan other than taking pictures at the commencement and banquet.

3. Sunday...Unfortunately, I'm dedicating this day for my spring cleaning. My apartment seriously needs a really good tidying up. Probably gonna spend the rest of the day studying photoshop.

Upcoming events I'll be attending in the near future...

1. Brat Fest next weekend.

2. Terrace Fest on May 31st, 2008.

3. Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day on May 31st, 2008.

4. Italian Fest in Fitchburg, WI on May 30th - June 1st.

Well, check back here tomorrow. Pictures of the Irish Heritage celebration will be posted here tomorrow.

Unwanted and Trapped Behind the Bars...

2008-05-11T19:22:00.003-05:00

The beautiful dogs of DCHS. Please adopt when possible.

Improved Little by Little...

2008-05-11T00:01:00.011-05:00

Went to a lot of places today to practice taking pictures. I think I'm starting to improve little by little. Although I would definitely still call myself as an amateur (just because that's the fact), I'm quite happy with the small improvement I had today. Here are some of the pictures that I took today. None of the pictures are edited. Enjoy!

This picture is taken at the Rotunda Theatre at the Overture Center during the Kids in the Rotunda.

I saw this kid posing for his father at the antique car exhibition at the State St. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

One of the most antique car at the antique car exhibition.

The cutest dog who just likes to bark and pose. It's just so cute that he travels in the basket with his owner.

One of my friends who I always ask to model (or more like to become my photography victim) for me during my practice. Haha.

Just one of those great candid moments.

My other friend who has becomes my photography victim. Haha.

Well, that's all for now. I think I need to set up a flickr account or something like that to post the other pictures up. I guess I'll do that when I have the time. A little exhausted right now.

More Experimental Pictures...

2008-05-07T20:55:00.005-05:00

Went to Lake Mendota to practice taking some pictures yesterday, the first two pictures posted below are two of the many bad results I got...hahahahaha...This proves that I still need a LOT of practice...

This one is for Elka...hahahaha...

This is something I tried out today. I miss Christmas. *Sigh*

My First Experimental Photo...

2008-05-05T21:51:00.007-05:00

Of course, it's not perfect (It's actually a little out of focus) since I took this pictures just like that without reading through the manuals first. Haha. I guess I was way too excited. Gonna start studying tomorrow (A little too exhausted right now) and hopefully, I will get a hang of the camera by this weekend. I wonder if I would be able to get some sleep tonight. Haha.

Everything is Postponed to Next Week...

2008-05-03T10:12:00.004-05:00

Yes...Unfortunately, my camera didn't come yesterday. It was shipped yesterday though. So, I will be expecting it to come on Monday. The one thing that I regret the most is that I just lost one weekend of practice, which leaves me with only one weekend to practice before the graduation. *Sigh* This just doesn't lead to a good ending. *Sigh*...

Well, since I can't practice this weekend, all plans have been changed to next weekend. So, here is a new list of the places or events that I want to visit next week.

1. Circus Day at the Chazen Museum on Saturday. It's a free family event.

2. The Ivory Room Piano Bar on Saturday. Just in case we don't have a chance to go tonight.

3. Kids in the Rotunda at the Overture Center on Saturday since I won't be going to this week's performance. The theme is supposed to be 40's and 50's blues music.

4. Farmers Market at the Capitol Square on Saturday.

5. Northside Farmers Market on Sunday just in case I can't go to the one on Saturday or could also be an additional practice.

Some upcoming events that I might be interested in...

1. Brat Fest. May 23rd - 26th. Well, this is not exactly for photography related purposes. It's simply a tradition.

2. Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day on May 31st. Don't even know what this is, but might be worth checking out.

3. Isthmus Jazz Festival on the Terrace. June 5th - 8th.

4. Madison Feis on June 7th.

5. Mounds Dog Fest on June 8th. This is a MUST!!!

6. Rhythm and Booms at Warner Park on June 28th.

7. Dane County Fair on July 16th - 20th.

8. Maxwell Street Days on July 18t - 20th. Again not for photography related purposes but to satisfy my appetite as a Shopaholic.

9. Opera in the Park on July 26th.

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure there will so many other events that I can attend in the future. For now, I will only look forward to the events for next weekend, which I don't think I can attend all on the same weekend. *Sigh*.

Friday Please Come Soon...

2008-04-29T21:31:00.007-05:00

It turned out what I feared the most came true. Adorama sent me an e-mail this morning telling me that my order was backordered. *sigh* But not to worry, it turned out US1Photo still had stocks of the Canon Rebel XSi. So, I immediately made the purchase and picked the 2 day shipping so that it would be here by Friday. I simply couldn't stop being restless until I get my hands on the camera. So, I'm crossing my finger now hoping that nothing goes wrong with the order.

So, assuming that the camera is really going to arrive this Friday, here's what I'm planning to attend this weekend:

1. If the plan to try out the new Brazillian restaurant, Samba, is a go, I can practice taking pictures of my friends there.

2. The Ivory Room Piano Bar if I can find someone to go with me though. Don't think it would be fun to be all alone in a piano bar. Can practice taking pictures while enjoying live music entertainment (Ka, ayo yuk!!! Hari Sabtu ada live entertainment.)

3. The Overture Center featuring Kids in the Rotunda on Saturday. A free performance at the Overture Center by kids. I believe they're performing "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

4. Farmer's Market on Saturday. Maybe before going to Overture since it's pretty closeby.

Hmmm...it looks like almost all of the events fall on Saturday. I guess Saturday is going to be a pretty productive day then. Teeheee!!! So excited!!!

Another Step Closer...

2008-04-28T21:14:00.008-05:00

Spent hours at Borders yesterday looking through hundreds of photography related books. Ended up buying two of them. Starting to understand how to take good photographs bit by bit. Unfortunately, I can't really practice what I learned until I get my camera. I can't wait 'til my camera finally comes so that I can finally experiment with it.

Hopefully, nothing goes wrong with my order. I'm so worried that I'll be getting e-mail from Adorama one of these days that my order has to be delayed due to availability issue. I seriously can't stop feeling anxious at least until I finally see the shipping confirmation code.

I guess I just have to keep on waiting. *sigh*...

One Step Closer to Being a Photographer...

2008-04-25T22:40:00.006-05:00

Finally purchased my first SLR Cameras...Yeay!!! I actually ALMOST didn't get it since it's out of stock like EVERYWHERE!!! Thank you to Adorama, I can finally get my hands on my XSi in a few days. Can't wait!!!

So, I guess my next post here would be my first picture taken using my new camera. Yeay!!!! For now, I guess really need to finalize this blog design. Maybe I'll do it this weekend (most likely on Sunday since I'm going to be out of town this Saturday).

Hmmm...I wonder where I should go to take my first few pictures. I'm thinking of maybe going to Milwaukee Art Museum on Friday after work. The museum is pretty close by from my work place. I think I might be able to take a lot of good pictures there (of course assuming if I could actually operate the camera...hahaha...). Never mind...I just found out that the Museum is closed at 5 PM. Hiks...Gotta find another place to go...

So, check back here again maybe sometime next week. You might see some pictures!!!

A New Blog for My Photography...

2008-04-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

This blog is not finalized yet I'm afraid. I can only spend a few minutes every day to make all the changes needed. And for today, this is all I could do. Well, I guess I'm not in much of a hurry to finalize this blog anyways since my camera is not going to reach my hands until early next month. So...I guess that's all for tonight. Check back here again for more updates and changes. NiteZ.