Cooling down...

The weekend passed pretty fast... Gone out to shoot with few frens and managed to cool down. Went down for the heats for Singapore Dragon Boat Festival on Sat. After that went home and had a chat with a colleague who is in Oman for work. He shared a lot of his experiences and provided some advice to me too.

I realized that all the while I may have been caring and concern but yet she mentioned that there is no improvement and dunno what she wants. I initially thought it was juz her. But thinking back, I think i do play a part in this also. I thought that by making the effort to meet every week, I am actually sustaining the relationship, but not realizing that things have become too routine and stagnant. I do know that at times and I tried to arrange for something but everytime I thought that she would be busy with work on weekends or need to rest, I would simply cancel my plans. I know this may not be the main reason but a lot of factors are involved in a relationship. I do not want to speculate or deduce the reasons behind, but this few days I was thinking about what was not done well, where can be improved etc.
No matter how much I think, they are already history. If she decided to be back with me, I would definitely work on the missing links and maintain this relationship. If not, it would be a learning experience which I will bring it along in my life. I told myself that I will pick myself up and I believe I can do it. These things are just part and parcel of life, whereby there are ups and downs.

Sat night I was feeling down so I called Yong Way out for a midnight show at TM. Watched Wanted… I have to apologise to him for accompanying me till so late and losing his sleep coz after I hit my bed I fell asleep while he told me next morning he only managed to sleep at 4 after all the excitement in the show… haha… sorry bro!

Sunday also passed very fast. Went 2nd Uncle house to set up his wireless modem and then met Yong Way and another fellow Tangshooter to go explore Chinatown again. Yes Chinatown again… But quite satisfied with my shots that day coz managed to capture some nice moments as well as found a high rise that oversees the sub court side of Chinatown to peoples park. Nice Views! I decided to share some of the shots here… So enjoy…

Day 6 without Ting

Put quite some focus in work today. But mind still swirling. Lack of sleep i suppose coz worked till 2 last nite. I woke up with the usual feel of loss.

My colleague, who is in Oman now, msn me some words. They were very meaningful. He personally lost his gf to illness a yr and half back. I can feel that his loss. He shared with me some of his experiences.

The day passed pretty fast. Evening came and I was at SLS meeting some frens. I tried to pack my time with frens and chatting so that I can free my mind a bit. But now, here I am back home again. I try to hold myself back from calling her. I cant. She never picked up, coz i think she's bz at work. I pull myself and told myself to take a deep breath. I need to give her time and space. I stopped calling her.

I wanted to pull out my TVB serials and watch wat i have not been watching for the past weeks. But the moment I load the disc, it was a love story. I stopped the show. Its was really a tough night tonight...

Day 5 without Ting - The Reply and I Call

I replied the message after some struggle. And I called. Yes I called. I really cant control myself. Call me stupid call me dumb, u can say i dun have patience but yes indeed i called. Y? I cant control myself. My heart is telling me to call. I held back once but I did call. I juz ask her to take care and dun overwork.

A lot of things on my mind but i decided to hold back my words. I dun wan to force her to think so much while she is at work. I wan her to relax and be happy and slowly think abt what she wants. I will wait... All these i never say coz i noe she may feel stressed.

Its Friday and a week has almost passed... I think i really need sleep. I think i really lacking in sleep these week. Its another long day when i wake up again. I juz hope I can wake up without tears soon. I really hope so.

Day 4 without Ting

She messaged me... I dunno how to interpret the message. In the past, I would probably its was concern as a gf but now, I would think she is juz trying to sympathize me or juz as a fren asking if i am ok. I really dunno how to reply this message. I thought about it for sometime... I had managed to cool down a bit today. I decided to give her time to think about it since she asked a month. I decided not to reply this message not becoz i dont want but its becoz i cant and i dunno how to reply.

Evening, I went for a discussion with some frens from Tangshooters. I temporarily regained my own self but back home the loneliness encompassed me again. i tried engaging myself in things but things doesnt seem to flow right. To me, deep inside I am trying not to reply the message, I am trying to give myself the chance to pick up again and be strong to face what is to happen the next and every day. Its tough... but i know i have to do it.

She may be waiting for my reply but based on my understanding of her in the past, she would not bother. But can i apply what is in the past to now. I really cant determine and i dun dare to think so much. I went to sleep... I juz hope as each day pass, i will pick myself up to live my life again.

If she calls me and want a get together again, its a blessing but things would have changed. I would never take things for granted. I will have to learn how to love all over again. Does it mean I have be always the active one doing all things? I dunno... All i can say now i am taking one small step at a time.

If she never calls again, I have to brace myself up. Its always easy to say but tough to carry out in action. Slowly but gradually I will eventually pick up again.

Day 3 without Ting

My mind is flooded with her. Everything I have all is connected to her. The watch I wear was a gift from her, the clothes i wear to work are picked by her. My spectacles also. Everything is so related to her.

Last night I tried to sleep. The moment I closed my eyes, memories flow back. I woke up today morning crying. My tears keep flowing and they just cant stop.

I want to pick myself up... But life will never be the same now without her. Its day 3 only, and I am counting down. Like my colleague say, maybe its a good time for both of us to cool down and have a break to think of what we want. Its not easy but I am really trying... my heart is virtually bleeding everytime I try to stop thinking.

Heartbroken...

I lost my love. My gf told me she needs a break. She needs one month to think abt what she wants and whether I am the one for her.

I felt lost. I was devastated. All these while I put all my heart into loving her but she say that she had minimal feelings for me.

How can this be? 4 years we have been together. Memories of us flooding my mind. How much fun moments we had... How I entertained u and make u laugh... How u enjoyed my companionship... All these are just a dream? I am all the while living in a dream...

I close my eyes I recall these moments. These are moments I cherished... So much memories.

I feel sad... tired... no amount of words can describe my feelings now. I cried and cried, yes, a man's tears, but how can i control them when they naturally came. These are true feelings, I cant make it go away as I like.

What can I do now? Give her one month to think... This month may seem short but feels like eternity to me. To me, she is everything and everyday I would think about her. She was the one for me. No matter what things I do, I would always put her as priority.

My life circles around her, without her, I really lost my meaning in life. I have lost my father since young. I have lost my mum 4.5 years ago. Now I am losing my love of my life. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with my life? I have lost all my beloved. I used to share my worries and happiness with her but now who am I to share this with? I am lost, totally lost.

People tell me to wait, cool down and think. Easier said than done. I know they r nice people but to put words to actions are really tough.

I really love you, Hwee Ting. You do know this, and I am willing to wait for one month. I really dun wan to lose you.

I LOVE U, HWEE TING

Tangshooters @ Photoaid 2008

Photoaid 2008 was set up to help raise funds for the Myanmar Cyclone Victims. We gathered about 10 Tangshooters for week 2 and 8 Tangshooters for week 3. Some of them went ad hoc in pairs on other weekends. Well done TSers and the rest of the photoaid core team and members. The efforts and amount raised will definitely mean a lot to the victims.

Some shots to share from the 2 weekends.

Sunrise on Sat 24th May. Before Photoaid.

Busy busy volunteers...


Hot hot day... The phototaking booth


Hmm... Mulan and Tupi_Guy (Charles). Dun be mistaken. Nothin ok...


Weekend 2 Tangshooters


Final Weekend Tangshooters with 2 special guests -> Vivian and Jacelyn

TFCD - Sindy & Loren

Did this shoot a couple of weeks back. Thanks to naka for the invite. Too bad never took much of Tsz Man who was with us tat day. Only sharing Sindy's and Loren's here. More can be viewed on my flickr.

Loren

Sindy

Well the 3 ladies are really great. Another 2 regulars (Sindy and Tsz Man) are now "contracted" to Tangshooters. Funny rite... no contract lar, just joking. They are fun to have around!

Macritchie Trail Macro

Had a macro shoot with few bros a couple of weeks back. Never noe that there is this trail present. Its a trail with full of macro opportunities. There are a lot of insects and even came across a hammerhead slimy creature the size of a palm. Juz sharing 2 of the nicer captures of the day...

This ant happened to be isolated from the rest of the ants which are all bz. The feel of it looking into the sky gave me a sense of wanting feeling. Does it give u the same feel too?

This is one of the best captures. Its no insect. Its a dew droplet. I saw the morning sun shining thru and casting a glow into the droplet. It gave a glimmer of hope feel... Felt that this pic has the potential of being a masterpc... haha... juz kidding...

Romancing Redang

Went with a few buddies to Pulau Redang on the 9th May - 11th May. Found some time now to post some pics in blog.

Went there arnd 4 yrs back but back then do not have a dslr. Weather was on our side. It was sunny and skies were blue with the water crystal clear.

Just share a few shots here. More can be found on my flickr.

TFCD for Music Mocha Music School Teachers

So tied up with work... Not say I dun like my work but too much work is getting on my nerves... Argh...

Did a TFCD for some teachers few weeks back from Music Mocha Music School. The photos will be used for their portfolio for use of publicity. Its a new startup and I can see this school has a lot of potential. Me and other few Tangshooters were in charge of the outdoor shooting portion. It was actually a last min decision that Kevin roped me in coz short of photogs.

Weather was harsh and shooting at that time was really challenging. Managed to get some good shots out of the shoot so still not so bad. I am getting lazy to post pics... I embed the slideshow instead... :P


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Lower Seletar Reservoir Sunrise

Impromptu outing suggested by phoa... Haiz... tot can finally rest on a PH but gana psycho into waking up at 5 am to go shoot sunrise...

Was pretty disappointed as the skies were quite cloudy... But managed to see the egg yolk eventually which brighten up the day. Shagged from lack of sleep but satisfied with the shots...

Some nicer captures here...

My favorite capture for the day. HDR using photomatix with 5 exposures and tone mapped before using CS3 calculations to convert to Black and White...

HDR and Moods

Recently going into HDR, at the same time brushing up on shooting moods. Feel fresh after a month of model shoots to go back to landscapes and scenery.

Some random HDRs processed from past and present photos...

Some mood shots...

TFCD - Angel

Help James and Glan out for a TFCD shoot for their frens a week ago. Supposed to have 3 ladies but end up only with Ms Angel through a 4 hr shoot. Its been hard on her coz she's a first timer... But I have to say she did really well...

More can be seen on my flickr... Juz sharing 2 here...

Singapore Flyer

Had a brief outing to Singapore Flyer 2 weeks back. Really hard to find angles to shoot this thingy... Some angles make it look like falling off... May attempt one more time if have the chance.

Some shots to share here... Quite like this series...

Babyfairy C+D+E Model Shootout

This shoot was done 2 weeks back. Tied down with work and managed to squeeze time to blog abt it... More photos can be viewed at my flickr.

Sharing some shots here. First up, Channelle.

Tall and slim, this model definitely has the height.

Next up, Danielle. Sexy and sensual. Really has character...

Elaine, full of poses and sweet and fun loving gal.

Ubin Relived!

Went Pulau Ubin last Sat for a slimming trek... Been sometime since I walk so much... Around 5 hrs we walked and took photos along the way. Got sunburnt in the process... But with Tangshooters around, there's never a boring day... Love the skies, the sceneries and nature around us...

Some photos taken along the way...

In between... A hut on the waters in between 2 coconut trees, peaceful and simple way of life... Tats the way life should be...

Well what can I say... Doggies sleep and eat and bark while we work and work and complain...

Lone ranger... Outstanding from the rest... Standing tall and strong... Everything has a meaning in life. Its the way u interpret it...

HDR of boat at bridge...

HDR of top of quarry view...

Antidote to Stress = More Stress

Well... this is one post without photos... I am so bz @ work that I cant edit my photos... Work, deadlines, multitasking... I am learning along e way. Politics... Well I try not to dwell into it...

Sometimes I asked myself y did I take up this job though there can be better opportunities awaiting me. One reason I am not leaving this job yet is that I can learn alot but at the same time I can get burned out too... I have to learn to manage and relax when I can. Another reason is the people. The pay here is definitely not attractive coz i have received better offers. Its the people that are holding me back. I wan to fight this war to the end with my teammates and my managers.

Ultimately, its juz a matter of time I decided to venture out for greener pastures but for another year to go, I will be in this warzone... Sad but the truth, this is the working world and I still have a good 30 years at least to go...

Queenie - East Meets West

A paid shoot with full detailed planning, involving MUA (MakeUp Artist) and Stylist with costumes rented.

Model: Queenie (Qian Qian)
MUA: May Puah (makeup for Andy Lau before)
Stylist: Pierce Teo
Photoassistant: Dolphin

Location was arnd Bukit Pasoh where there are these shophouses and old back alleys. Theme was East meets West. Weather was temperamental with heavy sunshine and sudden drizzles. Shoot was delayed due to extension of make up hours. It started at 1230pm instead of 9am. Well the wait was well worth it.

Sharing some of the shots here.

The East:

The West: