Photography services for hire

Started a new blog of photos that I took beginning of this year.

I am looking to step into the world of photography and I like to gain more opporunities and exposure to brush up my photo taking skills.

http://eleanorchew.wordpress.com

There’s no denial that the high-end DSLRs and lens do make a difference in the quality of the photo. Yet I am also a believer that what counts the most is the content of the picture, capturing the essence of the moment.

I currently use a Canon EOS 500D with EF-S 18-55mm and EF-S55-250mm lens, coupled with Speedlite Di466.

If you like my photos and like to hire me for assignments (events, parties, celebrations, portraits), contact me at terrabox.management@gmail.com and we can discuss further.

Overdue videos

These videos are way overdue. Rosli Mansor in action, confining himself to the purple walls of a recording studio tucked away close to the borders of Singapore.

It is not just him in action, he has rounded up his band of merry-making musicians and brought them on an epic journey.

John Mayer’s Augmented Reality in Battle Studies

A new album calls for some newfound interactivity on the web.

That’s what John Mayer has on his official website http://www.johnmayer.com. A Flash page that requires those who bother (like myself) to print out (or simply take a photo of it with your cell phone) the Battle Studies icon, show it to your webcam and some pretty interesting Flash interaction takes place (or as the website has it, it is an augmented reality).

(Strangely, the Flash wasn’t able to finish loading in Firefox but it works fine in IE.)

I never knew one can do such interactivity with Flash. And what I truly want to say is John Mayer’s new album is finally coming out. The single “Who Says” is available for viewing on YouTube and it does seem like Mr Mayer’s stripping down his music more and more (imo).

Lucky fans in countries where you can purchase songs off iTunes, you can now pre-order the album. Hey Apple, when are you going to include Singapore on the list of countries able to purchase songs off iTunes? *scowl*

Will just have to wait for the physical CD to hit the local stores.

American Gods

I never thought I have the time to read of late, what more if it’s Neil Gaiman’s works (author of the popular Sandman series & books such as Stardust). A writing assignment had me deciding to pick up a non-fiction book to brush up a bit of my writing skill.

The first few pages of American God made me curious if it was going to be an-all out fantasy story. And I’m only half-right. With the modern times and society as the backdrop, Gaiman did a good job of very subtly balancing the power of the new and old worlds. Unconsciously, as the protagonist Shadow made his way through a journey he never understood until much later, I felt a kind of heaviness the character felt in the story.

It has been a long time since I was that enthralled by a fiction work. Reading the expanded version made me impatiently, thumbing through some of the pages quickly just so I can read on what is going to happen to Shadow.

At the end of the reading journey, I found myself applauding quietly in my mind to Mr Gaiman for writing such an interesting work, and making my mind question of the ‘gods’ of the old and new. It’s hard to disagree that the gods of the new world have taken over us all: internet, television, media, etc. And that the ‘gods’ of the old have been conveniently side-stepped by man to make way for the new gods.

I concluded at the end of the reading that both ’gods’ are relevant to the modern people. The ‘old’ gods reminds us of our culture and heritage and the ’new’ gods enables us to progress forward in the modern time. There are some black sheep among these ‘gods’ that should be forgotten, like greed, money, pollution, etc.

If anyone out there who has time to kill and enjoys reading, go pick up a copy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.

The world has no beauty

The ugly heads are beginning to multiply, rearing its equally ugly character as well.

When you are not of the ‘mainstream’ and trying hard to find equal footing with your peers, the ugly heads, stares and characters all start to shove their ugliness into you, trying to pull you down and preventing you from coming up.

Is it because we are of no value to you? Is it because we are not of the likes of you?

The ugliness is here to stay in life, from adolescence all the way to adulthood. Even with the efforts and sincerity, no notice was taken of. Instead you are being shut into a box of cold, unending darkness.

Do you fear us? Do you fear change that disrupts your complacency and comfort?

The first offensive

Who took the offensive first, me or you?

If I did take the first offensive, was I in anyway rude? If not, then your being rude is uncalled for. I may have (out of the blue) intruded some of your little private space in cyber la-la land but the reaction is by any standard, rude.

Thanks for the reaction. It only serves to cement the belief that people primarily driven by money/fame/status (I am assuming here but do I give a care if that is a right or wrong assumption of you?) or have their head in the clouds simply because they think they are superior are stupidly obnoxious and down to the core, uneducated.

Another night rambling

Fear.

We face in everyday.

Fear manifests itself in different ways, with different masks and degrees.

Everyone fears. Something or someone.

When fear strikes, we may find ourselves paralysed.

When fear strikes, we fight to keep ourselves safe from harm.

In danger, it saves your life. In everyday life, it may ruin your life.

Life is such that we have to face pain, and it’ll come to you no matter how hard you try to avoid or deflect it. Rather, the more one tries to do so, the more one actually inflicts upon themselves.

The hollowness of life, the coldness of the space within the heart, the jaded-ness towards humanity. Don’t let it eat you. If you do, before you know it, life may just be reduced to our lonely selves.

Know that life and humanity itself is good in nature. Everyone is made unique and unpleasant brushes are unavoidable. Be tolerant of others just as others are tolerant of us.

We are all but borrowing a fragment of time and space to live our lives here. The sun shows us what darkness is like and now that we know both day and night, warm and cold, do we not want to spend our lives in warmth?

The world is not grey or bleak. There is always that sliver of hope and humanity. Turn around, open ourselves to others and learn to trust and love.

No one, not you or me, has to live our lives in sadness, anger or loneliness.

Phuket with Shir O’Fish

It was officially our third overseas trip together, beyond Malaysia this time.

We were on tight budgets. Late flight in, early flight out. Cheap hotel (but a super decent and very nice one) and better still, cheap food!

Shir was excited over sun tanning (she wants to turn into a minah. lol!) and massage. I have to say, Thai body massages aren’t exactly the most sleep-inducing thing ever. They step, pull, flex and knead me so much that I thought I can officially do gymnastics.

Weather was atrocious. Raining heavily one moment and minutes later, the bright sun shone mercilessly (at least to me) but much to the delight of Shir and countless Caucasians there.

Singapore may be a food haven but nothing beats the quality of the food in Phuket (at least in Karon). Food is fresh, tastes good and relatively cheap. From splendid local food like Phad Thai, Tom Yum Soup and Fried Beef to Swedish beef steak and patties, it was very very mouth-watering and much kinder to the pocket.

 

Despite the beautiful white sandy beaches and blue skies, the trauma of the tsunami and the global credit crunch linger on. Tsunami escape route signs are everywhere and almost every building looks newly built (after the destruction from the tsunami). Lots of tourists around but businesses there are feeling the toil of the global recession.

 

The people may be poor and live a hard life but nothing can take away the twinkle of life away from them. I am sure they think of having a better life everyday, for the betterment of themselves and their loved ones. And here we are in wasteful Singapore complaining of the stuff we don’t have when we actually don’t lack anything.

I think I’ve returned slightly rejuvenated and looking forward to trips that truly allows me to experience the culture deeply.

And as with every trip, I’ve learnt a bit more about myself and my co-traveller. I hope to work on my bad points as a traveller and bring a much more pleasant experience to my fellow trip mates. (I’m not that horrible! Just want to sweat on the small stuff…I can’t help it that I am that sensitive. :p)