Man’s Bestfriend February 28, 2010

This evening, Tyson and Noel came over. It was meant for me to take photos for Tyson, but he was really shy. I think he doesn't like getting his picture taken. So I tried to take some candid shots for him but it didn't turn out very well, there were a couple times where he let me take photos of him, I had to do it quick. 

Boy, that kid really liked dogs. He played with Lola quite a lot at the start.

See now why they call it man's best friend?

Not only did he like the real dog, he loved the fake stuffed animal dog even more!

His sister, my best friend, Noel-

Then we played with some weird toys that was in the basement-

Boys will be boys, Tyson trying to wear the stethoscope but fail…

And the funny glasses-

Last but not least, we went out for a walk- me, Lola, Noel, and Tyson. The weather was great- there was sun, light blue sky, and mild wind. 

It was a pretty great day after all.

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens February 28, 2010

I finally saved up enough to get it today. I wanted to get the f/1.4 but that was too expensive, so I'm going to save up some more. I also wanted to buy the SB-800 but I think I'll just wait and save up a little more, and plus I prefer natural lighting. 

It's great, I love it.

So here it is-

What I love about this lens is that it's really soft and it creates a great bokeh effect. It is also very light. It's great for low light situations and it's great for portraits, which is what I love taking the most. 

It's softness really stands out.

A few photos taken with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D-

 

 

I absolutely do not regret buying this lens for a second at all!

Awesome investment.

Connections February 27, 2010

The connection between humans and dogs.- 
 The hand on the left is my sister, Winnie's hand and the one on the right is Lola's paw.

I was in my studio and couldn't really think of anything else, so this is what I came up with at last. 

Flyers February 27, 2010

Julie and I went to put up the flyers for baby sitting and car wash to help raise money for the Relay for Life event this year. We only had 50 of each at that time, so we ran out pretty quickly and only managed to put it in half to number of SRC apartments. We'll have to do this again.

This was just the baby sitting flyer, there was a car wash flyer too but I wasn't in charge of it so I didn't have a hard copy of it. 

Hopefully my phone won't stop ringing, but unfortunately that hasn't happened.  

The Good and the Bad of the Day February 24, 2010

The good thing that happened today is……

My Mini Moo cards finally arrived, it finally came!

It took them long enough.

And I love it a lot! I'll definitely be getting more.

Okay, I guess we can't run away from the bad after all..

The bad of the day is-

She got a booboo. While I was at school, she must've scratched her nose and now I can see her flesh.

So then, this is what I did to prevent it from happening again-

And of course, this is where it ended up-

 

Some where on the floor of the house. Why am I not surprised?

Oh well, it'll heal. 

I guess the good beats the bad for today. Not a bad day after all.

 

Awesome Welcome Gift From Shanghai February 21, 2010

I arrived at around 10:30 PM ish last night. It was late. I reached home at around 12 AM, this morning. 

I was watching the movie The Notebook halfway on the plane so I thought I'd continue watching it online at home. I continued watching it until around 2 AM.

Started unpacking, and then showering myself and Lola.

It's weird but I always feel like she's really dirty when I come back from vacation, the first thing I do after coming back each time, is shower Lola.

Finished that around 3 AM, and finally went to bed.

I woke up this morning and the weather was awesome, it was great.

 The sky was actually blue, there was sun, amazing sun light. It was still a little chilly, but because of the sun, it was warm.

 It was such a beautiful day. My sister, Winnie and I decided to take Lola out for a walk to the video game store nearby and then to the DVD shop nearby. It was definitely relaxing. 

Then I took Lola out to our backyard to run around a little.

The first thing she does is run out that backdoor, and go find her friend Google, that lives right next door to us. Google is a beautiful golden retriever. Looks like Google wasn't in today.

It was such an awesome day today, right before Lola went back in, she was enjoying the sun and sniffing around a little bit for one last time, enjoying the moment, because you can never know what's going to happen to the weather with Shanghai. 

I definitely saw spring coming.

What a great start after returning back to Shanghai with this awesome weather and day.  

Wrapping Up Singapore February 21, 2010

The purpose for Singapore this trip was for Chinese New Year. 

So of course, there are red packets and a lot of visiting and catching up to do. 

 That is my last name (Lee) in Chinese characters. I thought it was cool how they had it printed on the red packet, I got it from my Dad's side. I guess it's Lee pride?

I counted how much money I got in total, which I have already forgotten by now. Then gave it to my Dad to deposit in the bank… So much for collecting money and then not being able to keep it myself. 

 For the whole 8 days we basically did lots of visiting, gathering, catching up and doing stuff that we always do in Singapore. 

I got to go watch Valentine's Day with my friend, it was a great movie. 

Going back to Shanghai… It was about time, I missed home…

 

At the Changi Airport in Singapore.

Right before we boarded the plane.   

I kinda miss Singapore now.

I Miss the Girl February 16, 2010

I miss her soooo much. 

Dinners, Old People and Bear’s World February 14, 2010

For the second day in Singapore, the first thing we did in the morning was go to see my other grandma (my dad's side).

 Next, we went to Parkway mall and I went to borders looking for wifi since there "used" to be a Coffee Bean there, but unfortunately it became some kind of weird cafe now that does not have wifi.

this was taken with my iphone, so the resolution sucks. 

After that we had lunch, we ate at Crystal Jade with my other grandma and then went to the food court and drank coconut, one of my favorites.

My sister was like dying to go to build a bear, since they don't have them in China. So we went to the one at the Plaza Singapura mall. 

 Chinese New Year decorations were hung everywhere, after all, it is Chinese Yew Year.

 

I love how the colors of the build a bear shop stand out so much

took this one with iphone:

 A few pieces of clothes that Winnie bought for Gerald-

 

Finally went back to grandma's house (dad's side) for reunion dinner. 

 

 This was after, I was trying for a long exposure with the car lights again, didn't work out at all. 

Hopefully more tomorrow if I get to go online for long-term wise. Otherwise, hopefully in a few days at the most.

Finally in Singapore February 14, 2010

 After 5 long hours on the plane (considering the fact that there were noisy babies and children running around and crying their heads off). 

We finally arrived in Singapore. When we arrived it was like 7:30 PM ish and when we were done with all the security and luggage it was about 8:10 PM ish.

 

This was on our way rushing for reunion dinner with my Mom's family. We were already late, so we were pretty much in a rush. 

 The more I look at my photos the more I knew I should've brought my tripod. 

When I was packing back at home, I was hesitating whether to take my tripod along or not. And now I really regretted not taking it along. Because I've always been wanting to try to take a long exposure shot of long streaks of car lights going down the high way. 

I might be getting a new tripod here, because my old one back home is basically crap, it's like about 15 bucks. 

Ooooh, and I finally got internet, which is right now. The internet at the hotel is $30 for 24 hours…

In conclusion, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY TRIPOD and I'M FINALLY IN SINGAPORE. (a getaway from the freaking cold weather)

 

Singapore Here I Come February 11, 2010

Going back to Singapore today, reunion dinner right after I arrive. What a tight schedule. Oh well, I guess it's good to be home. 

But my poor little girl, she has to stay here alone (with the maid, but still):

Anyways, I woke up at about 7:45 AM to pack, because I haven't started yet and we have gotta leave the house at about 10:45 AM. 

I pretty much have everything laid out right now, just need to fit it in the suitcase. 

 

 

 I'm thinking that after I'm done packing, and if there's some time left I can go shoot around at the court, if it's not wet. But I think it'll not be very likely that I'll finish packing and have extra time to shoot around then shower for myself and Lola. 

Well, I'll be on here again when I arrive in Singapore.

I'm going to miss you sooooooo much Lola. 
 
 

Snow, Tragedy & the Mighty February 11, 2010

My wrist is much better now. So I'm back to typing normal.

 Well, today was a very very long day for me. 

First of all today was supposedly the last day of school before new year break, it was just a half day until 11:30. We went to school but we left at 10, skipped.

Then I hung out with Julie at SRC then went to her house and watch a movie, House Bunny, that was a hilarious movie. That was fun. She then had tennis then went to Thailand for vacation. Julie is on the plane right now as I am typing this blog post. So I left at around three. I had to come back anyways because I had to attend my Dad's company new year dinner party. 

I came back and went to take a crap, while I was doing that my sister gave me a shocking yet horrifying news. At that moment, so much I wished it was April Fools day. I really wanted to believe that she was just joking around, but she wasn't. I contacted my Dad to confirm the news and ask more about it. He told me not to worry but it was hard not to. 

Just as I was trying to find something to do to get my mind off this thing, I noticed that it was snowing but it was just a little bit, just like a so-called blizzard. Well, of course, I pulled out of camera and wanted to try a long exposure shot on this but tried and tried and it wasn't dark enough so it didn't work. 

And I ended up with this.

 

It was nice. And luckily I pulled my camera out immediately after noticing the snow. Just a few seconds after this shot, the blizzard stopped. I just got lucky

So then I dressed up and left for the party that was about one and half hour ride away. 

For most of the trip I listened to some pretty fast music that would make me happy and want to dance, so that definitely took my mind off things for a bit.

Then… The dinner party.

I finally faced the truth. The truth can be hard, terrible sometimes, but it's reality. It's a tragedy. It was something that I never expected to happen. It just happened all sooooooo fast. 

John Steinbeck once wrote: Change comes like a wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass. 

I was amazed of how strong he was. Even when such a terrible thing happened to him. The both of them, still showed up at the dinner, bring happiness and laughter along with them. He was sooooooooo strong and tough, so was she. Words cannot describe it. But if it were to be me, that is something that I most likely cannot do. I saw him and her enjoying each moment during that dinner party. 

Ida Scott Taylor once wrote: Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about he future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering. 

That is what he and she reminded me of. I have always loved this quote and tried to follow it, but it can be hard. Just can't help it but worry about the future. And yet I saw what Ida Scott Taylor wrote, alive in the both of them. Unlike them, I don't think I would have the courage, the strength to be like them. 

I've watched a man facing the same news with nothing but complete and utter fear. But today, I witnessed a man and wife facing the same news, but with courage, strength, dignity, and gracefulness. I wish I was able to do that. 

He's a good guy, a very good one. Without him, I'm sure we'll be doing fine, but, it'll be much more different. He gave my father an opportunity to prove himself to the world and to be great. Even though my father's hard work and knowledge paid off for where and what he is right now, I still thank him a lot for being so good to my father and us, and I also respect him a lot for showing me/us that it's not the end of the world, for showing us how powerful, how strong, mankind can be, we just need to never be afraid and remind ourselves of the great times we had.

On the way back home I thought about his actions tonight and part of me felt bad for him, part of me was still amazed, part of me was praying for him and his family, part of me was praying for my father, part of me was worried and scared and fearful of what might be coming. I never, never, saw this coming. It just struck me like the lightning. 

I came home and thought about it and thought about what Ida Scott Taylor wrote and I thought, yeah, she's right. 

Then I thought about what Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: You cannot run away from a weakness; you must fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?

My weakness was being fearful. So right now I'm trying, I'm trying my very best to not worry about it. I want to fight it out, and not let it get to me. 

I'm mighty. 

I used to lose faith in myself easily, but now, I know I can do this. I know it, I just have to believe in it.

 To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. 

I wish him and his family the all the best, and hopefully all things go well for us as well. 

les miserables February 7, 2010

following up from yesterday my wrist is still hurting really badly and i still have my cast on. so i cant type well. no capitals of good punctuation until i get better. my wrist got a lot worse today. i woke up and it was hurting really badly, way worse than yesterday. and my wounds on my knees started bleeding again.

 title of this post is les miserables huh. why? cuz right now i just cant stop thinking about that book. im having a really miserable day today. my whole body is aching muscles and injuries, the weather is awful, and i have a shit load of homework to finish and my emetophobia came again today and this time is was bad. i wanted to play go out and play basketball to get my mind off the emetophobia but guess what it's freaking raining. 

trust me if you were in my situation right now you would feel really miserable. 

by the way today's photos are all unedited because i am so not in the mood to do that and i want you to see how the weather really is.

look at the friggin weather. 

 like the sky? i bet not. its gray or miserable white. its like total pollution. and the weather is freakin cold. and its raining. its unbelievably miserable. plus winter was never my strong suit. 

and along with this is have to finish a shit load of homework i have. a project on samurai's tale….

 

you can see that the lighting and composition and everything about today's photos sucks. yeah cuz i didnt even give a shit. 

you know luckily there's only 3 and a half more days of school until holiday. because if that isn't the case and the this is the amount of work i keep having to do with this crappy weather im telling you im going to collapse. im on the verge already. im like hanging in there. i have a last breath left in me. hopefully these three days pass quicker than it would be. 

eff this shit. 

i hate the weather here and how hard and intense my school is. 

sorry if todays post is on the dark side but i really couldnt take it anymore. 

but i feel better after writing this post. 

im praying for spring to come quicker. 

and my attitude is obviously crappy. getting agitated easily. not like i can control it though. eff this shit.

sorry again. ignore this post if you want. 

 

Awards Ceremony Followed by Two Loses and One Win Accompanied by a bunch of Injuries February 6, 2010

yesterday we had out awards ceremony and the mvps and stuff were announced. i got a participation certificate…

 
 

then today we had our sisac tournament and it was the last day we're ever going to play together as a team. i was too busy playing basketball i didnt take any photos. 

we lost our first game which was against dulwich then we won our next game which was against shanghai singapore international school then we won them for the third time. awesomeness. they were so so easy. 

then i ate hot dog and ate a bunch of crap and we then played our last game with shanghai american school pudong. and we lost, i kinda expected it. they mostly do outside shots and had great defense and offense.

well that was fun.. or not because we lost.

wondering why my typing is so bad today? here it is. i got injured and have a cast right now and cant type well dont even talk about my capital letters and punctuation.

but what's even not fun is getting injured. through these three games i got injured. i sprained my wrist and ankle. but my ankle wasnt that bad it was just a few minutes of pain but my wrist is still hurting really badly. then i fell like 15 times on that rubbery court and got burns and bruises on my knees. it was so bad i couldnt bend my knees or else it'll be like instant pain.

well i fell asleep on the bus and after i woke up it was hurting like hell. im telling u i could barely walk without any strong pain in me. and worst, i couldnt bend my wrist or else it would like hurt so bad. 

i came home and couldnt help it but to put a cast on my wrist and thought that bandaging my knees wouldnt be a bad idea either. 

 

 

lola was smelling my cast. she had to no idea what on earth was on my hand. she was exploring around with it and looking at me with those "i love you get better" eyes. it just sooooo cute and lovely. 

 

my poor ruined knees.

after all it was a pretty fun day.

end of bball this year. cant wait to go to bball camp and improve.

 
 
 

Winter Sunbathing February 4, 2010

There was barely any sun. But she still did it. Lying on the cushion, facing the huge window and just enjoying the imaginary sun. 

 What a comfortable little girl. 

This little girl also wet the bed last night. She was having a nightmare and just peed. She didn't even know she peed. Until I woke her up. Bad little girl, I yelled at her and gave her a little pat on the butt. But now she's good again. I must remember to let her go do her business right before we go to bed every night, that way there won't be any more possible accidents.   

We're hoping to have some real sun soon.