Gong xi, gong xi

Happy and auspicious Chinese New Year, everyone!

Let him go

Every year, when Christmas and New Year roll round, I feel mildly stressed by the idea of having to brave crowds and get stranded in inaccessible public places.  Invariably, New Year's Eve sees me standing on a road divider in Marina Bay or Orchard Road, desperately sweating and trying to work out the quickest way home as cars whizz dustily around me.

In the transition from last year to this one, I decided to keep things quiet and was lucky enough to be able to spend the time with much cherished friends in quiet, intimate settings.

My family doesn't celebrate Christmas, but since we were all together on Christmas morning, my brother, HS, decided to get a little fancy and make a delicious batch of banana pancakes.  For the second year running, Retno put a "Christmas fern" together and we ate while admiring her handiwork.  She even cut out and coloured little gingerbread men!

Mel invited me to her grandmother's place for Christmas Day lunch with her family, boyfriend, Nic, and their playful puppy, Kaiser.  I chased Kaiser round with my camera until he capitulated; thankfully, Mel and Nic weren't quite so evasive.

Mel bought me a heart-shaped Pandora charm for my bracelet, which I loved.  (I have yet to return the favour!)

After stuffing myself with shepherd's pie and devil curry, I met Jia Min in Orchard Road.  I would have ordinarily balked at the idea of going somewhere so central, but once I found out they had closed the main road to traffic, I was more than happy to dance back and forth across the five lanes.  We kept looking at each other in disbelief and saying, "We're walking on the road.  We're walking on THE ROAD."

Throw in overenthusiastic carol singers, earring shopping and Vietnamese food, and it was more or less the perfect day.

New Year was equally cosy; friends came over and we spent the evening doing nothing but eating junk food, making fun of Twilight and hugging each other over wine when the clock struck twelve.  Students texted me just after midnight, thanking and me and wishing me good cheer. 

We laughed.  A lot.  And just then, life felt easy.  

Now, of course, things occasionally get busy or stressful.  But twenty six days later, I can reach for the same feeling of peace and well-being when I close my eyes and I will hold on to it for as long as I can. 

I hope you are all having a happy year.

OOTD #1

Rebecca has been teasing me so much about my "OOTD" poses that I started wondering if I could post them again without actually having to appear in front of the camera.  I got to some silly scribbling and...

Voila! 

Amanda and Ben, Part 1

Amanda and Ben got engaged late last year and when we suggested a test pre-wedding shoot, they were totally up for it.

I think I can speak for Rebecca when I say that both of us enjoyed shooting them very much, simply because we're so comfortable with them, and they're so natural with us.  They clearly love each other's company and they're so sporting that it was an absolute breeze.  Every time I called out instructions, they relaxed willingly into the poses and they're naturally playful so getting candid shots was pretty easy.  Even when they were resting, we just captured them leaning on each other and talking and they were completely unfazed.  

And because they're both equally adventurous, they didn't mind us dragging them all the way out to Punggol before sunrise.

Amanda got bouquets made from her friend at Central Flowers, Ben made us egg and sausage sandwiches and we piled into his car together and ate and talked on the way.

Unfortunately, even though we had lots of fun and they proved themselves to be consummate models, it had been raining since five in the morning and the air stayed grey and soggy the whole time.  Even though we found a field filled with beautiful, gold-furred lalang stems, the light of the morning sun never quite showed.

Knowing Amanda, this won't be the last practice shoot we do, so I'm looking forward to actually getting them in much better light.  Till then, these must suffice.  

Rebecca and I have been teasing Amanda by not showing her the photos for the last couple of months, so I hope she likes these.  (And don't worry if you're reading this, bff, there are many other chances!)

Darren and Jess, Part I

On Monday, Rebecca and I got a chance to practice shooting with a couple of Amanda's friends for their pre-wedding pictures.  We agreed to meet Darren and Jess at Bishan Park at seven in the morning and thankfully, for once, the sun rose in a cloudless sky.  The result?  The most beautiful golden tint.

I learned a whole new set of lessons in the strong sunlight; my beloved 35mm proceeded to give me trouble by producing massive purple fringing and flare at certain angles.  There were some problems with sharpness and I now realise I have to pay even more attention to where I shoot from in the hazy morning (my lens gets completely confounded by backlight and focus goes haywire).  

On the whole, I thought I could've done a better job with many of the shots, but there are also some that I'm absolutely thrilled with.  

Anyroad, I thought I'd share the first batch of pictures because I can't get over how beautiful the photogenic couple and the golden morning look. 

Plus, Darren and Jess do yoga together and they were happy to do some pretty cool poses for us. 

I can't wait to edit and upload the rest!