It has been a while since I last updated the blog.
My new sample albums just arrived....and they simply ooze "luxury" and "class".
I have had excellent feedback from people who have seen them so far, and that really was a shot in the arm for me. i welcome all interested parties to come and have a look at them yourselves!

last weekend was busy busy busy.....having shot two weddings back to back.
I am not exactly young anymore, and physically, it's getting a bit demanding. one quick fix was to head down to my favourite sinseh and had a good rubdown on my neck and shoulders to soothe those muscles.

Here are some pictures to share. Enjoy.

Just picked up some new skills on Photoshop, and i am rather excited at the possibilities it offers to my pictures. As my future direction will be geared more towards taking black and white pictures with a timeless feel, I thought these effects blend in very well. Comments and critique welcomed! (honest)

I can see the funny side of it....not sure if she agrees though.
(the screen actually shows the shark breaking into a menacing grin.)

It's difficult to see things from a new angle if I have taken shots at a particular spot countless number of times, but at least I get some pride and consolation out of these two.

There's news report today that says that "the effects of media exposure on children's development are more likely to be adverse before the age of about 30 months than afterwards", according to a study conducted by Uni. of Washington, Seattle.

Which means that babies/children who watch TV regularly, even if the show is "educational", can have negative effect on brain development!

A separate study showed that teenagers who watch even an hour's TV a day have a higher risk of poor school performance.

My goodness! Now you see Yu Wen sitting on the sofa and watching you-know-what, and I have every reason to be worried.


I finally know why my grasp of mathematics is restricted to 1-0, 2-1 or 4-3 after sitting in front of the TV for more than 90 minutes watching football! It gets even worse when the match went into extra-time and penalty kicks.

No TV in my new home. Serious.

Funny how we sometimes do the same thing, have the same reaction or wear the same expression under certain circumstances, totally unplanned? Guess that's why we are of the same species....or because we are of the same species, hence? You tell me. I am only a photograper.

These two gentlemen are definitely NOT the guys getting married here. The groom shouldn't be so relaxed.....


He should be VERY relaxed, by popping the champagne even before the wedding!Lyndsey must be one of the coolest grooms around. He had everything planned nicely the week before and on the actual day, he just have to show up and enjoy! That should be the way.

The groom who is dreading the moment before he says "I do"?


The groom who can't wait for the ceremony to start?


Pictures don't tell the whole story! It's the photo editors!!

I have secretly filed this image away. Even though I like it personally (gives me the feeling that the couple are in nuptial dreamland, flying), I thought it's a bit...."uneventful" (can't see face, don't know what they are doing), may not go down well with most people.....until my wife saw it and said she likes it too. Hmmm....that changes a lot of things. If she says it's ok, then I won't disagree with her.

Many times, when i visited Bali, it was for wedding shoots.
It has been a long time since I visited the island paradise as a tourist.
This time round, to go there with my loved ones and bosom friends was such a joy that we had childishly wished the day of departure would never come.

A few days before we left for Bali, I watched "Wild Hogs" (the comedy) with my friends and somehow, the theme struck a chord in me. Even though it's a Hollywood movie with a not-too-cerebral script, beyond the laughters, i see that friendships, like any other relationships, need to be renewed and maintained, and not be taken for granted.

Although we the guys didn't go skinny-dipping like the characters in the movie, we did spend some time in the pool talking, gossiping, bitching and complaining. I guess after we got married, there are not many chances that friends can spend the night together, under one roof (i know the language sounds kind of weird, but i don't know a better way to phrase it) and wake up in the morning seeing the same faces. it was incredible and invaluable quality time spent together, and i certainly look forward to more of such opportunities.

Maybe a more realistic target will be the upcoming UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and AC Milan. Yes, guys?

Anyway, some pictures to share....quite point and shoot. afterall, it's a holiday!

My shy friends....whom i prefer not to show faces because they haven't signed the model release.


Check out the funny expression Yu Wen has on her face.


My happy family.


Yu Wen in the bathtub.


Yu Wen & Mummy admiring the World Heritage site (so we were told by our butler Dewa), terraced padi fields in Tabanan.


Mummy and daughter enjoying a story book together (eerr...sorry, on closer look, it's a calendar).


Yu Wen in a contemplative mood. She doesn't look like a 15-month-old in this picture.


Horsing around in a small coffee plantation.


A BBQ seafood dinner by the beach, in our own villa. One of the highlights.

Prior to the Bali trip, there were a few assignments which i had shot with much enjoyment. Be they the engaging subjects, the subtle humour that was dying to be discovered or a special moment that deserved to be recorded, all these combined to make photography such a wonderful human activity that I don't see it as a job. Every day, I wake up and pray for such moments. Thank goodness my prayers are most of the time answered.

Notice the bluish "mist" in the background. Actually, it's just smoke and fumes emitted from the chainsaw which was being handled by workers cutting branches at the Botanical Gardens. It's different, and beautiful, and not an everyday occurance definitely.


Wedding or no wedding, when a dog's gotta go, he gotta go....


Looking at the looming rain clouds, the groom is worried.


The parents are worried....


Even the best man is preparing for the worst!


Fortunately, the rain only pours 5 mins after the wedding ceremony.


Cute.

I have this collage as the wallpaper on my notebook.
It's the biggest motivation and inspiration and consolation when I want to shift my attention away from work.
The collage never fails to bring a smile to my face.

We had a really great time in Bali, and I am still sorting out the pictures.

During the few days we spent together as a family from dawn till dusk, my wife and I witnessed a few new words and actions Yu Wen picked up. In the past, she only knew how to say "yes!", albeit with a very strong emphasis on the ssss.... You ask her about everything, she'd say "essss...". now she can shake her head and hands to express "No!", which is not a very good thing when we tried to feed her meals, get her to change, put her in the stroller etc.....

gosh! my little baby who couldn't even lift up her head to drink milk now has a strong will of her own!

time flies.....and just like the futility in trying to hold mercury in your hands, I can only stop and admire the ever changing transformation TIME has on my little girl.

Don't just busy oneself with work, children are like little flowers. We got to stop and squat down to admire their true splendour and beauty.