I don’t mix my food much now, but I will do that once I’m alone or something. People usually stare and watch me whenever I eat weird stuff XD

If I’m not wrong, you’re using a Nikon camera, aren’t you? I’m not very familiar with the pricing for Nikon lenses but I think they’re more or less around the range of Canon, perhaps a little more expensive but definitely cheaper than the Sony lenses that I’m eyeing – they’re always so highly priced (one reason why I get second-hand lenses instead). My best guess is that a 50mm f/1.8 lens (specifially, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D lens) will suit you the most, since you’re a huge fan of portrait photos. Of course, the lens can be used for non-portraiture purposes too :) there’s even a Flickr group for photos taken using the lens – Nikon 50mm f1.8.

I’m believe most of the mails today travel by air, since yours took around three weeks to arrive, it would most probably have travelled via that route. A land mail would take at least a month or more to arrive I believe, heheh! Most of the mails delivered today seems to travel by air – I checked with my local post office last time when I mailed your card over and the receptionist told me that I’ll have to specifically choose land mail if I want it, because they’ll mail them by air by default.

Yea, if it wasn’t for the ridiculous cost of flying! If airplane tickets are tad bit cheaper I would have left my mark in many places – I don’t mind bunking out in a rundown backpacker’s hotel or someone else’s couch (see couchsurfing). I’m not a frequent flyer so I don’t know how the flier miles work – one will probably need to fly a lot to get a complimentary plant ticket, haha! I prefer to travel by train because it’s so nostalgic and got that really country, rural feel that I love – sucks that we are not connected by land in any way, or I would have happily embarked on a month-long trip on the train.

Wow, it’s a mere 7C out there? That’s insane. It’s as warm as hell over here, especially this weekend. I guess I asked for too much rain – remember I was ranting about how much rain we were getting, so much so that all of us were having problem drying our laundry the past week? When Friday came and go, the weather suddenly turned into a warm, arid and dry one – my Saturday load dried in less than 4 hours under the sun. Whew!

I can’t wait for the autum and winter photos of you (and Chris, and Alana plus all your other family and friends). I love looking at people’s family photos especially during autumn and winter photos because the scenery is so great. And I absolutely love the autumn and winter wardrobes of you people :) the scarves, boots and all. Sweet!

And I would LOVE your help for my lens hunt. I really don’t know what I want exactly. I’m going to look around and see what lens does what and then I’ll definitely get back to you on that! :) Thanks, Teddy!

Oh wow, I am surprised to know the post card didn’t get smeared or torn up. And I’m guessing it went by air, silly. Since we have a huge ocean separating us. :P Unless they have boats that deliver mail? Hmm. I think next time I’ll ask the mail lady if I can somehow get it there faster. I just made a dollar for the stamp and stuck it in the postal bin. :)

Oh man, if it wasn’t for the ridiculous cost of a flying, I would be traveling all the time. It’s horrid how much it costs to fly now a days. :| Even if you by in advance it’s still pretty high! I would love to get one of those credit cards that rewards you with flier miles.. that would be cool! Maybe I should look into that, hmm.

Hehe, I can’t wait until Christmas time either. I am really looking forward to getting out there and taking more photos. It’s such a wonderful hobby.. I hate for my camera to sit there and collect dust. :| Especially when it’s so beautiful outside. — well, not right now.. but it will be soon! It’s COLD as hell though. The weather dropped so quickly, it’s crazy! It’s about 45F (7C) out side now. Brrrr.. but I enjoy it. :) It’s nice after the hellish hot summer we have had! Now I get to wear boots, coats & scarves, hehe.

I will definitely share my photos of this winter with you. And you can beat Alana will be in most of them! Haha, I actually just uploaded one of her to my Photoblog. :P

Don’t mention about that card – it’s something that Chris and you deserve and I feel bad for not being able to help out or do anything for both of you when you got married. I would have immediately volunteered my service if I’m in the US :)

Now you’re making me itching for your autumn/winter photos! I believe the scenery there will only get better by the day for autumn – for it being such a lovely season of the year filled with firey and earthy tones. I’d love to be there to see it for myself, but I think looking at your photos will stave off that craving for the moment being until I save up enough for a flight to and back from the US, haha!

Actually it won’t be prohibitively expensive if you visit Singapore – and there are plenty of friendly backpacker’s hotels around the tiny little island here; or Malaysia, where I can actually host both of you! The only problematic part of it will be the flight tickets, since it’s going to cost a bomb and make up around 60% of your travelling budget. Sucks that it costs so much to fly.

Ah, the lens! I think you’ll love the 50mm portriature lens – they’re a joy to use and let you discover the essence of taking photos that are out of focus. Everything looks lovely with a huge aperture :) if you need help when it comes to getting lenses, feel free to ask me because I’ll be more than happy too! I wouldn’t say that I know everything about lenses but at least I will try my best to tell you what cool stuff to look out for, heh.

Your grandma’s story made me chuckle! It’s cute that she enjoys some meat from time to time, just like you. Oh, so you love beef and pork! Both have rather similar texture although they have distinct, unique tastes. Chicken feels different! My grandma dislikes fish for the same reason as you do – she isn’t a big fan of the ‘weird’ taste in fish. And she’s horrified when being served with undercooked fishballs / fishcakes.

I’m envious of the neighbourhood spirit you have over there! Never have I heard in my community or among my friends that neighbours help each other out for the Christmas decorations – usually we mind our own businesses, a sad way of life in my country :(

Speaking of which, I can’t wait for Christmas when I believe you’ll be posting all the lovely Christmas photos, especially those with Alana inside :)

Enjoy your weekend too, Trina!

And you’re most welcome! I immediately thought of you when I thought up the goal in the first place. Not only did I OWE you something from the lovely card you sent Chris and I, but you’re and awesome friend and I think you deserved it. I’m glad you liked it! :) I just love sending cards to people, it makes me so happy! So I’m glad you enjoyed it & it surprised you as well, hehe. I’m sneaky like that.

Ohh, I actually got my camera out last night to snap a few photos. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to strike that excitement in me again! I have no doubt that I’ll be out a lot this fall/winter taking photos. It’s my favorite time of year. I wish I could fly you over here so you could witness the wonderful weather we’re having. It’s been raining a lot lately — BUT! It’s gotten a lot cooler and the air smells so great. You’d love it!

Although, I would definitely love to travel to your side of the world too. It’s always been a dream of mine to travel — to learn new cultures, to witness new things, and meet new people! Such fun. :D

I’m not sure what type of lens I want just yet! I originally wanted a 50mm lens. But now I just don’t know! There’s so many out there.. I wish I could afford a few of them, hehe. But I don’t want to completely spoil myself. I need to work towards something, right? :) I’m excited though! I think it’s going to the only thing on my Christmas list this year, hehe.

Hehe, you’re grandmother reminds me of my grandmother! My Gma has always been a vegetarian but every now and again, she’ll try a little meat. VERY rarely but she still enjoys sausage or bacon.. stuff like that. She’s even eaten fish before, many years ago, and I about freaked out lol. I’ve tried fish three times (actually tried a bite last night!) but I don’t like it much. It just has this certain taste to it that I’m not familiar with. :| I really enjoy beef & pork the most. And chicken is a new one that I’m loving as well. :) I’ve been trying to get use to turkey but it’s been hard! I have tried turkey sausage though — and it was delicious & tasted so much more healthier!

But yes, I’m not a strict vegetarian at all.. I do enjoy meat every once in awhile. Like last night, I had the yummiest bacon hamburger at my favorite restaurant called Outback. Was so yummy! :)

Wow. I have learned so much about Singapore from you. I’m sad to hear that the neighbors aren’t as friendly as they are back home for you. That’s terrible! I love friendly neighborhoods. There’s some out here that even get together to have block parties, or a huge neighborhood yard sales. Fun stuff! There’s even whole neighborhoods out here that come together to decorate their homes for Christmas. It’s definitely a great sight seeing ALL the houses decked out in lights. So wonderful! I’ll have to take photos for you this winter when I go. :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Teddy! :)

I will write more about the post card. I was jumping with joy and was bouncing off the wall when I saw your postcard in the letterbox, awww thank you so much, Trina! Thanks for picking me as the person whom you sent the postcard too, teehee!

Actually, I’m about the same as you – out of a week I usually spend less than a day on average in serious photography act. I don’t carry my camera to school unlike the time when I first got my camera. For some reason, the novelty wears off in awhile.

From time to time I’ll get this photographer’s creativity block and I understand how sad that feels. Sometimes you’ll just stare at your camera and think – why did I spent hundreds/thousands of bucks of this junk just for me to stare at?

But that doesn’t spell the death of the hobby :) occasionally I force myself to pick up my camera and go outside. I engage in this silly act of making myself take a picture every 100 steps – that doesn’t only jog my creativity but also to get myself in the mood of it, hah. It sounds really stupid but sometimes, it just works like magic!

Wow, a new lens this fall! That’s really exciting – I’m starting to wonder what kind of lens will you be getting – wide angle, portrait, fisheye? I can’t help but imagine you with a spanking new lens when the surrounding scenery is so perfect for photography! Yea, it’s kind of sad that we’re in perpetual summer 365 days a year – the environment lacks the dynamics of the ones you have in temperate regions. We only have monsoon seasons when there’ll be huge amounts of rainfall, which is just about time now.

Oh, so you’re not a strict vegetarian. It’s nice that you give yourself the chance to try meat out from time to time :) I know friends who are strict vegetarians and sometimes I feel sad for them because they won’t know how meat tastes like. Self-made vegetarians like you, I have my respects for them. You help the environment for eating less meat but also knows how to treat, pamper yourselves one in a while, heheh!

You reminds me of my grandma who refuses to eat any fish products because she doesn’t like the texture of fish. What she eats is the handmade fishballs of a noodle stall near my house – other than that, she doesn’t touch fish products at all, haha! And in some cases when she has to eat fish, she’ll drown the fish in lots of ketchup, just like you!

Sorry to hear about the high crime rates in the downtown area – it must be a terribly unsafe place to go when night falls. You have to take care when you visit town – you’ve probably heard this a million times before but having Chris to accompany you to town will make you feel a lot safer :)

One thing I love about the neighbourhood overseas is that there’s this neighbourhood spirit. In Singapore, most of the families here are nuclear in nature (i.e. reduced to the very basic components, usually the parents and one/two kid(s), and that’s all). The concrete jungle of government build apartments only help to further straitfy and segregate the society even more, something that I feel very sorrowful about. Neighbours here don’t really talk to each other, unlike in my hometown Malaysia where at least there’s communication and gatherings of the neighbours, invitation to parties and etc. It’s almost non-existent here.

I can’t wait for your to blog about your new interior of your revamped unit! I believe Chris and you have an impeccable taste when it comes to art and design. Woots! I hope the assembly of your new dining set went well, heheh! I think Alana will be so thrilled to see you having a whole new interior when she drops by next time.

We just entered Saturday an hour and a half ago :) haha! Have a great Friday and weekend, Trina!

Anyways.. I’ve been thinking about how much fun it would be to plan a photography outing with my sister (the one who’s 3-4 hours away) She has a new passion for photography as well and we’ve always talked about going out someday and snapping random photos of things. I think I’ll surprise by planning an excellent outing for whenever she gets back home! It’ll be deep in to autumn by then so I think that’ll produce some really amazing photos. I love all the fall colors! (Something you guys probably don’t witness there.. right?) :(

Eeek. Steak! I’ve actually tried it once. Chris’s mom prepared it for me and I actually liked it — I felt guilty, but I ate most of it! I had to cover it in ketchup though, hehe. I do like some meat products.. although I cringe every time I’m at the market and see all those uncooked meats.. eek! And yes, medium rare is something I could never try, lol. My hamburgers are always WELL done! Almost burnt, teehee.

Ohh.. I would love to live in a beautiful city that was safe enough to walk around. But then again, I’d probably be too scared to even if it was pretty safe. Because there is always some crime — every where. I guess I’m pretty paranoid when it comes to things like that.. but I suppose growing up in a place like I did, it’s understandable. According to Forbes Magazine, Memphis, Tennessee (where I’ve lived for 13 years) is now ranked #2 of the most dangerous cities in America. Almost beating out Detroit. There’s conseversity over Memphis being that high on the list but others will tell you it’s at least in the top 10. It’s horrid! And sad.. Memphis use to be a place my mom would take us occasionally for the circus, for city walks, and local concerts & shows. Now I, along with so many others, refuse to even drive through the city. :|

And since Memphis is so close to where I live now, we’re all worried that the crime will eventually reach us. It’s scary. Memphis really is a great place and with the right sort of people.. it could be revived. They just had their election for major so I’m interested to see how that turned out!

On a much better note! hehe Apartments are wonderful. The ones I live at are pretty safe & well kept up. It’s nice being surrounded by so many neighbors.. it makes you feel safe! I don’t even feel alone really when Chris isn’t home. There’s people below me, above me, and across the hall from me. So it’s quite a neat living space. :)

Oh! I’m not sure if I have any photos of the children’s drawings that were on display at the zoo — I wouldn’t doubt that I did! I’ll have to dig through my hard drive and check. :) And I agree! Children’s art is so wonderful.. My little niece loves to draw & color so I’m always watching her as her little hand grasps a color pencil and draws random lines on the piece of paper. I so badly wish I could get in side her head and see exactly what SHE sees she’s drawing. :) It’s wonderful how innocent & free they are! I absolutely love my niece’s art work — I have a few samples of her work on my fridge even, hehe.

Happy friday, Teddy! Or.. is it Saturday there? Hmm. It’s so confusing. :P By the way.. have you received anything in the mail from me lately? :P

@Natalija: It was a day well spent! I never regretted spending most of the day in town although I had a big-ass presentation the next morning – it just feels good to hang out with a college classmate, have good food and go on a photo-hunting trip in town. Sorry to hear of the lack of chocolate bars in Greater Sudbury, but you can always make your own – and it saves you a lot of money too! Teehee!

@Jamaipanese: Thank you so much! I’m flattered to hear that my photos are inspirational – although I’m very well aware that my photography skills are not up to the standard yet :)

I never liked rainy weather because it forces me to stay in the room, but sometimes it makes a good opportunities for you to shoot rain and water droplets without the need of sophisticated timing (since one can simply do the trial and error with so many millions of raindrops around). I know Ember has a fondness for water droplets and his shots will definitely be a source of inspiration for me when the rainy weather hits!

Ah, the florist shop. I had a hard time taking the photo because I wasn’t sure what the florist will do if she sees me taking photo from the outside – although from a legal point-of-view it is not illegal to do so, I always hate confrontations with over-protective business owners especially when it comes to photographing their display cabinet items. So I quickly took the photo while she tends to the other flowers in the shop, just in time before she returns to the bouquet she’s working on.

I didn’t get a chance to check out whether the books on the shelves in Max Brenner’s is for real or not! I only know that in IKEA, they use fake books for their display shelves haha!

Oh, the steak! Yea I think you’ll find it hard to swallow because you aren’t very accustomed to the taste of meat, especially when it’s prepared medium rare (means there’s still some degree of rawness in it). It’s slightly pinkish on the inside… which might turn you off :P I regretted not getting their salad sidedish because the table next to us had salad and their brocolli looked so divine!

Sorry to hear that your city centers are so riddled with crimes. It’s sad that the police force is unable to do much because of manpower contraints, bribery and all. It’s such a dangerous out there. When you visit Singapore one day you’ll realize that people like me actually don’t mind walking in the city at 1am in the morning – although there is a low crime rate, there’s still crime so we are still cautious but we aren’t too afraid to head out.

I think the apartment complexes in the US are nice! I have a fondness towards low density residential structures – townhouses, terraces, bungalows, semi-detached homes, apartments and etc. Some of them can look really nice, or simple (which totally suits my minimalist taste, heh).

Wow, do you have a photo of the children’s art at your local school? I’m curious how it looks like, heh! Genuine children drawings never fail to evoke a sense of emotional attachment in me – every single stroke and line has so much feeling, freedom, innocence, joy and creaitivity in it.