im counting down..

its only the first day of work. but im counting down alr. hahaha. but i need $$$$ man. my dslr funds. zomg. hahaha. kinda regret working. well, maybe a bit. cos i wont have the time t learn more about my camera. and i also have t wake up early at 545!!! :(( raaah. okayy la. its late alr. need t sleep. nights.

think i may be selfish. but whateverr.

a camera is a piece of equipment that captures pictures and Memories

hahaha. i like this definition of camera i came across best! :D

i'll like t learn how t take pics like this man. need t learn how t control ISO, exposure and shutter speed. :S saw a friend's pics. His camera is just a semi-DSLR. its far away from 18 megapixels and the quality of images cannot be compared to 550D. but his pictures are really nice in a way that he captured pics at the correct timings (e.g. fireworks). yeah. the message that he wants t bring across is clear. makes me want to master the basics of DSLR asap. ((:

i want t do sth t my room's switch too!

i'll want t do a symposium like this sometime too ((:

when i hurt, when i break, you're my band aid. (:

horror movie of the year

i got sth removed from my lower inner left eyelid this afternoon. minor op. in the doctor's office somemore wts!! i was really freaked out and scared la. its like the doctor took out the injection syringe okayy. URGH. damn scary la. and i saw everything throughout the whole process. :SSSSSSSSS so gross man. wts. argh. and the video they recorded can be made into a horror film la. blood :SSSSSSSSS

and i just planned out outline for the project. didnt know its difficult t think of all the small small possible details.

im missing cambodian food. heh. rice spring rolls. fried flour balls. yumyummm. hahaha. and im addicted t taking food shots. (:

funny how i suddenly have different priorities and interests in life now. ((: which i think is a good change. yeps. and im definitely doing more housework too. hahaha. and theres a pile of clothes waiting for me. SIGHZ. hahaha!!

okayy man. have t clear my room. gotta meet jerina tmr t buy bomb's bday present. thurs go out w kenneth. friday w jer and bomb. sat pool w chris and daryl. busy busy. whoo~

i shall stop here and start ironing clothes. ciao!

holidays~

im beginning t think that maybe i shouldnt get a job afterall. hahaha. not that im lazy or what. just that i would like t focus on photography and think of a long term plan/proposal for ************** HAHAHA. yeah man. ;)

im starting t enjoy quieter hobbies. hahaha. starting t read books on travel and photography. ((: jer says should just camp in some cafe and read books the whole day. i think its perfect man. ((: thats how a perfect day should be. hahaha. lost in time. with no worries.

okayy. by mid july, i must complete DPP and PSE. ((: hahaha. and come up w a concrete proposal. and prepare for next sem man.

some pics ive enjoyed taking.

who can resist crystal jade's xiaolongbaos!!!!

yumyummm

radish pastry is equally good!!!

like one of those american store signs

chilli powder, anyone? ;)

cold soba w chili chicken claws

sapporo ramen

i love tompeiyaki deep deep!! lots of bbq and mayo please!!

can you guess where this is? ;)

cakes......

hazelnut crunch. layers of cake perfectly baked.

walnut cheesecake.

hahaha!! i love taking food shots. (: love the f/1.8 50mm lens. (prime lens) heh.

anw just came back from 22/07 bbq. hahaha. havent seen some of my classmates for quite some time alr. still the same old ppl man. hahaha. and i enjoy kite flying at night!!! the place is so much windier. whoo~

starting t read "Approaching Photography by Paul Hill.
"Photography is not about focal lengths, film speeds and f-stops, it is about images: what you point your camera at, what you include within its viewfinder, what image you make into a print, and what context you place that photograph in."
"Most camera owners rely on the possession of easily valued equiment for their reputation as photographers, rather than making difficult judgements on their ability to produce pictures."

i think its rather true. photography is not just about the techniques. its about bringing across the message you want t convey. thats when you make the most impact. (: hahaha. okayy man. i should go sleep now. want t run tmr evening!! (: tata~

oh yes. i want t bake as well. :D

菊花台

你的淚光柔弱中帶傷
慘白的月彎彎勾住過往
夜太漫長凝結成了霜
是誰在閣樓上冰冷地絕望

雨輕輕彈朱紅色的窗
我一生在紙上被風吹亂
夢在遠方化成一縷香
隨風飄散你的模樣

菊花殘滿地傷
你的笑容已泛黃
花落人斷腸我心事靜靜躺
北風亂夜未央
你的影子剪不斷
徒留我孤單在湖面成雙

花已向晚飄落了燦爛
凋謝的世道上命遠不堪
愁莫渡江秋心拆兩半
怕你上不了岸一輩子搖晃

誰的江山馬蹄聲狂亂
我一身的戎裝呼嘯滄桑
天微微亮你輕聲的嘆
一夜惆悵如此委婉

菊花殘滿地傷
你的笑容已泛黃
花落人斷腸我心事靜靜躺
北風亂夜未央
你的影子剪不斷
徒留我孤單在湖面成雙

菊花殘滿地傷
你的笑容已泛黃
花落人斷腸我心事靜靜躺
北風亂夜未央
你的影子剪不斷
徒留我孤單在湖面成雙

摄影

是一种魔法
能把瞬间变成永远

k'nyom ch'mooh chanda. k'nyom chol-chet CAMBODIA

its only one week since im back from cambodia and i want t get back there again. (: hahaha. its definitely not like any japan, hong kong, europe trip where you get t pamper yourself. but its definitely an unforgetable experience. ((: r&r wasn't the best part of this trip. the best part of it was the 10 days straight we spent at the orphanage. hahaha. yeps. and i feel weird using a com now. :S

day 1, 9 may
i swear i have a phobia of taking budget airlines. hahaha. cos the planes are smaller. i think they never pressurised the cabin enough man. cos my right eardrum was hurting like mad. anyhowsssss!!!! i survived!!! wahahaha. okayy. rice soup programme was freaking tiring. basically, we had t entertain kids from this village and i thought they were cute. hahaha. even took lots of photos w them until i reached UNACAS. *beams* hahaha. so im not gonna put up pics of the kids there. they'll climb onto you for attention and stuff la. not as disciplined as the kids in UNACAS. yeah. so its like after 3 hours of entertaining them, you'll be zapped out of energy man. Dinner was :D:D:D we had a buffet style dinner at this restaurant. yeps. love the fried spring rolls with vermicilli noodles inside. :D yumyum. and the never ending refill of soya bean. hahaha!! and this was what jer and i did when we were in hotel.

jer looking totally tired man

hahaha. beat it!!!! hahahaha! XD
it was the EPL finals and chelsea trashed wigan 8-0. hehe. damn happy. :D

day 2, 10 may
visited angkor wat. wow. the weather was unbearable. took pics w my lomo cam. i shld blog more about it when i get those pics. :D

day 3, 11 may
left for unacas!! :D the six hr journey to phnom penh was kinda amusing??? hahaha. the way the driver drove the bus was like kinda scary man. zig zag here and there. anws we stopped over at this sg girls brigade house for those cambodians who want to be business entrepreneurs. the meal there was very heartwarming. v home-cooked style.

carrot+potato+veg+meat soup. what my late grandma used t cook. (:
they also had fried mushrooms which are really yumyumyummmmmm!!!
and......

COCONUT!!!!! heh.
okayy. anws, i had toilet-shock when i was there. erm. cos its the scooping kind. and there were lizards, huge beetles(one ended on my fourth finger. i didnt know. it felt rubbery okayy. so gross right. hahaha.), baby cockroaches, spiders and occasionally some frogs!!! hahaha. yeps. thats what i bathed w in my stay here. HAHAHA. XD but after a while, you'll get used to it. *beams* DAMN PROUD OF MYSELF TO SURVIVE 12 TOILET TRIPS!!!!

day 6, 14 may
visited cheoung ek memorial and toul sleng. learnt more about pol-pot period 1975-1979. didnt take any pics cos i thought since its the killing fields, should just respect the victims. yeps. had dinner at soria shopping centre. woots. me jer tianbo feiya huijun debbie and alyssa!!! hahaha. went t eat at some pizza place. yeps. love the pizza and cheese man. yumyummmm. ((:

love the iced chocolate even though it was a bit too sweet

my new watch!! hahaha. i have this thing for squarish watches idk why. ((:
hmmms, actualy when we were at the shopping centre, really can see the poor-rich divide. yeps. hard t put it in words but initially i was happy t be back t be in the urban area for that two days. but after spending those 10 days in unacas, i'm v sure i would prefer village life, getting lost in time, having no expectations, always contented w what you have.

day 8, 16 may
the day i had heat exhaustion!!!! no joke. it was horrible. started of w me having gastritis at night. i was like telling jer "eh. gastric pain leh. how?" her reply: "talk tomorrow" (cos she was half asleep). HAHAHA i wanted t bash her up but she was like "sorry sorry!!!!" the next day. okayy damn funny. hahaha. anyways cos it was a sunday, the kids went t church (our resting area) for service. i had t sleep at the corridors on the rattan bed. hahaha. but it was more windy. yeps. cos jer and i were at the wooden pavillion, two and david joined us. felt so bad when david treated us to coconut ice cream. :S i told him i couldnt eat cos i was sick but he was understanding la. ((: after a while, went t watch fast&furious in their room. hahaha!! jer was v funny "wah s good. sick also can watch movie" wth man! hahaha. then it was lunch time but we didnt know until DY came to tell david&two. DY was like "take my bike" MOTORBIKE HOR!!! i was like "okayy!!!" but jer was like pulling me away. hahaha. damn funny. david & two were like laughing at us la. anws!! i managed t drag jer onto the bike and DY fetched us from the church to the orphanage without wearing helmuts!! WOOTS!!! one of the craziest things i want t do before i turn 20 DOWN!!! oh so freaking fun!!!! i swear it cured my heat exhaustion for that moment. HAHAHA. i think it was seriously damn cool la. shall try it again. next time around the village. HAHAHA. hahaha. and that night, i was really sick. after bathing i laid on the rattan bed, unable t move okayy. like seriously no energy. the guys had t stretcher me back t the hall. damn paiseh but yeah. hahaha. i was really sick that night. then the girls covered me w wet towels cos i was having fever. yeah. THANKS A LOT FOR TAKING CARE OF ME TEAM SABAAY!!! YOU GUYS ROCK! THANKS MAN!!! ((:

day 9, 17 may
felt a looooooooooot better. anw that afternoon the maks cooked porridge for me and joyce knowing that we were sick. so sweet la. ((: and i wasnt allowed t work that day too. yeps. was talking t elizabeth after lunch. went up to her room. she was telling me her secrets and we were listening t the songs in her phone and lying on mattress. hahaha. reminds me of some girls' secret htht. hahaha. yeah man.

okayy. i shall stopped recapping acc t what ive written in my notebook. shall start talking about friends ive made there. ((:


elizabeth!
hahaha. she wouldnt tell me her khmer name the first time we talked. hahaha. i guessed it in the end! ((: hahaha. wanted to accompany her to sch but i fell sick those days. felt really really bad. :(( and i think she's damn cool la. the tough girl image. heh. v vain also. likes fashion. hahaha! but she's sa'at nah. ((: my mum thinks so too. and she's damn protective of the ones she loves. ((:


chout!
hahaha. his name is monichout. damn cute name!! anw his english is not bad ah. hahaha. yeah. i think he's got potential. he may seem quiet but he's actually v cheeky la. hahaha. my favourite student! his brothers are also v cute. hahaha. i know cheng yoke likes the second bro! hahaha. kept calling him song-ha (handsome in khmer).

the youngest bro!!!
whoo~ my hair's flying all over my face la. anw the youngest is damn cute. everytime he sees me, he'll am-chio and run away. hahaha. wa lauu. im not a monster lor. but he's v shy la. he talks softly. hahaha. and he has a dimple on his left cheek. ((:


PEAREN!
hahaha. i've never seen an older bro doting his younger bros more than him. he really takes good care of his younger siblings. its really heartwarming to see him being so close to his younger bros, esp narong. hahaha. narong is damn cute. i still remembered the first level 0 lesson, i almost puked teaching narong. hahaha. super active.

heh. so cute right. hahaha. and during english lessons, chout always likes t give long answers, then pearen will write down till damn sian. hahaha. damn cute la the two of them. i still remember he wrote his name on this worksheet thats to be handed up. he wrote "pearen" and drew a heart next t it. i asked him "why the heart?" he said "when we write letters, we always ut a heart. it means 'love, pearen'" hahaha. so cute right! (:

the two brothers tgt. so sweet. hahaha


david! hahaha. elizabeth's bro. i was shocked when i first knew. hahaha. he's a music genius la. cheng yoke's totally mesmerised when he sang qing fei de yi in khmer. hahaha! he's so quiet. but nice to talk to. and friendly. though he looks really fierce when i first saw him.

DX!!!! hahaha. the first person there t share w me his background. okayy. i cried when he told me his story la. and i think it scared him a bit. hahaha. felt so bad. but yeah. :S and he wants t be an engineer too even though his relatives are all teachers! hahaha. jiayou man!!!


coca!
hahaha. must thank him man. he found that music score for "That Thing You Do". hahaha. yeps. we sang that at the party. which was really fun. cos everyone was high. hahaha. aly!!! my singing partner ;)

shall just post pics from here on. hahaha. tired of typing le.

hahaha. kah weng!! the kids are like terrified of him cos he's so big sized. hahaha!! i love his lady gaga specs man. so diva.

and this is how the church looks like:

audrey aly and i love the tuk tuk man. for the tai tais! woots! ((:

on the way back to church from orphanage:

church compound:


these are the toilets!!! and one ive survived using for 10 days!!!! woots! IMMA SURVIVOR!!!

the table i sat w for almost every meals


((: guys are very cheeky.


level 3 class!
hahaha. love the students man. damn enthu. really, the thing i look forward to everyday was english lessons. (: the smiles of the students just wash off any tired-ness i may feel. yeps. and i love level 3 teachers too! love working w you guys. hahaha. and our funny meetings. and leader bong heng always asking "should we have meetings? is it necessary?"
the 4 students im in charge of for L3 class.

the girls in their dorm


sopheak2 and sinoun! i love sinoun's dog. always accompanies him to the church and to orphanage. so cute!


not near the village. but its the stream we visited. it rained before that so it was freaking muddy. there was like mud cakes beneath my slippers afterwards la. horrible!! nightmare sia!! ARGH.

the night five of us squeezed inside kah weng's tent! hahaha!! nice htht! (:

awesome entertain team for party night! woots!

what we wore on ur last day! SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT! damn cute shirts! ((:

when i went there, i went there feeling sad for them. but now, i felt inadequate. like i've lots t learn from them. they may not have material wealth but they're definitely happy. i've a lot t learn from them man. thanks for waking me up man. ((:

im definitely inspired by them t do my best in whatever i do. yep. that includes studies. i feel like we've been taking everything we have for granted while they, who do not have everything they want, fight for it. i think thats really admirable cos they put in their bestest efforts. can tell that from english lessons. yeah.

oh yeah. and i got a khmer name. chanda! it means "heart". ((: