Monday, May 31, 2010
Mmm .. one of the last public holidays for a long time to come. It was pretty fun-filled, however. We spent Thursday going through 2 bars together with Yx's brother and his girlfriend, but both were too shy to dance at the first bar so we headed for the next. I do hate taking cabs. Both drivers that day were fortunately not the chatty type, but I end up still having to talk to them to give them directions, at least nearer my place. Ever noticed that cab drivers tend to drive like they so totally own the road? The number of times I wanted to yell at them to look out ...
This was followed by another night of dancing at a birthday banquet. Yes, people do throw banquets costing $1000+ per table for BIRTHDAYS. This is a tad excessive, is it not? But at least this is for a 60th birthday; my parents have attended something even more ludicrous - a banquet held for some baby's 1st month. HUH. Seriously, even the 1st month thing is moot by today's standards. In the past when babies frequently died in the perinatal period, yes. But if you need to celebrate a baby surviving past 30 days nowadays, then you seriously need to consider sacking our whole load of neonatologists. We should, in keeping with the times, have a big celebration only at 16 or 18 years old. A 'My-Kid-Didn't-Turn-Out-To-Be-A-Brat" party. Now
that is worth celebrating.
I finally managed to bring myself to haul all that equipment down to do a decent photoshoot. It started out as a photograph of Valda's would-be 姐妹 dress, but subsequently my other sister and my mom joined in the throng as well. Not too shabby, considering I'm really still just working with the same equipment that I had a year ago. (Yx, if you're reading this, I think 2 more strobes will produce even nicer pictures. Yes, like Vogue magazine covers. And those extra strobes can raise cheekbones, make busts plumper, waists more slender, tone hips, produce double eyelids, succulent lips, silky hair etc etc etc ... Oh, and have I mentioned what new lenses could do? )
Ha, enough crapping. Going away on a short break this weekend, but it'll be with my in-laws.
Wenky
8:41 AM
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Happy Vesak Day!
Now this, I think, is the first time I'm every posting anything Vesak-related. I do celebrate Vesak, albeit in a lay-follower's kind of way, and unfortunately also not with the best I can do usually. There's a monastery just a stroll away, but since her renovation I have hardly been there. I really loved the old, rustic feel when it was a run-down monastery years ago.
I'm writing today in remembrance of a certain person who's had an important impact on my life, although hardly anyone knows about him. I call him 阿伯. I really can't put a name/role to him - he's a holy man, not exactly a monk, perhaps more of a reverend status. He used to come down to Singapore from Thailand almost every Vesak, and bring a host of monks along. There'd be a Vesak celebration at his premises, and he and his monks would bless us. He in his completely white raiment, with the monks in their saffron robes. We've had a special connection even before I was born; he met my mom in Thailand whilst she was pregnant with me, apparently. And there were some stories about this chance meeting that probably would have garnered a page in the Book of Urban Legends. There's just something about him and his monks that was special - you'd feel completely at ease, as if you've come back home after a long, long journey; and yet you'd feel a peaceful sort of unease, if it they could read right into you and knew exactly what's going on.
阿伯passed away some time ago in Thailand, and I was unable to go. I'd love to visit this remote place of Thailand where he was laid to rest some day, and see again the temple that was built in conjunction with that beforementioned chance meeting. And for now, I think Vesak is a fitting day to remember 阿伯 by.
Wenky
11:04 AM
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Monday, May 24, 2010
I'm finally seeing the dermatologist tomorrow. He'll either tick me off for making a fuss over something seemingly stupid, or tell me that I've contracted some horrid chronic skin disease. Trying not to dwell over this tonight.
Things have changed somewhat at work, after my boss made a (rather shocking) announcement about him leaving the place. Now that the initial surprise is over, we're all wondering who's coming to take his place. I'm hoping NOT a psychiatrist, so that I can refer people to IMH for once, ha. My current boss prefers to see these cases with me, rather than refer them out. Oh well.
Time's really ticking, it's now the END of May and November's looking a lot closer from this side of the year. I have this feeling that loads of things need to be done, but perhaps I'm being obsessive-compulsive once again, and I really need to tone it down. But objectively, doesn't proper planning need to be done at this point in time? Or have we already done most of it? It feels odd.
I've got a few more thoughts that I think I'll keep to myself for now, and maybe pen them down when they have taken a more solid form (ie after I've figured myself out).
Wenky
10:41 PM
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Monday, May 10, 2010
Hah, got myself a good deal over the weekend. I chanced by this studio which was ?folding and bought some accessories at a steal. So now I have a new snoot, a barndoor set with 3 colour gels, plus 2 muslin backdrops! I'm waiting for him to let go of his beauty dish reflector at the end of the month.
Which really goes to show that you can't quite eke out a living locally as a studio photographer. The really awfully good ones spend a lot of time, effort and $ to make it to shoot for fashion magazines, while the more-than-decent ones with good technical skills get shunned aside by undiscerning customers, and unfortunately the mediocre ones end up "impressing" unknowing people by working in bridal boutiques and churning out -blah photographs for exorbitant prices. No, it's better left as a hobby.
Wenky
8:28 AM
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Monday, May 03, 2010
When I get older, will I look back at this blog? It's an intruiging thought. Or maybe, my kids will find this blog. It's interesting how diary-keeping has now become somewhat public - even though the stuff people write are geared towards having an audience in mind, or at the very least their entries become more guarded as they are aware of public scrutiny. Still, it might be a great avenue to gain insight into what people are thinking about. To me it sort of becomes a warped form of letter-writing, where I pen down my life and yet never expect a reply in return.
Got into a fit of studiousness all of a sudden, and ordered a textbook over Amazon, plus I also just got myself a large standard text. OK, I said "standard text", but this is but a synopsis of the real deal, a large tome consisting of 2 hardback volumes. Absolutely fetching.
Now for some thoughts which have been bugging me for the last week. I starting to experience a certain degree of avolition, and it gets alarming when you perceive your peers being all fired up and hard-ramming at what they want. Is it age, or just me? Note that I use the word "perceive". And perception is tricky. What most people perceive of me, for example, is usually woefully and sometimes thankfully wrong. Yes, I like the privacy, thank you. Anyway, back to the topic. I'm kinda drifting towards the right direction in general, but I just feel that it isn't enough. I should, in accordance to what I perceive of my friends, be gearing towards various academic achievements (exams, papers, presentations, conferences) or otherwise spending every other night hard at work and getting an attractive renumeration for my trouble. But no. I'm now a filter-feeder, sieving through whatever is brought my way by the current, and my nights are spent rather on frivolous hobbies and activities - all of which I am unable to excel in. Sounds like a semi-retirement to me.
Chances are, I'm probably reading too much into things. I'm probably motivated in my own petty, planktonic way (hell, I just bought 2 more textbooks! And I just finished one!) and doing all right after all. Maybe - just maybe - this fit of feeling inadequate is but another manifestation of motivation.
Chances are, too, that in a matter of days or weeks I'll get caught up by something else that needs my unwavering attention, and this matter will once again be pushed to the back of my head. C'est la vie? =)
Wenky
5:16 PM
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