My First Prime Lens =)

Just gotten my first set of prime lens, Sony 50mm/f1.4 yesterday from MS Colors at Ang Mo Kio for my camera. Tried a couple of shots with it and that f1.4 lens is really fast at its widest aperture, producing very good bokeh.

Can't wait to get out to the streets the next weekend to try out the new lens. No doubt it's a fixed lens and i will probably miss the freedom of zoom that comes with my 18-200mm/f3.5-6.3 lens but it will be a new experience for me. Learning to move around with the cam than to shift the zoom for the shots i like.

Every set of cameras and lens has its pros and cons, its really about how well we know and make use of our equipment's strengths and downplaying its limits that matters.

Haha, not that i'm a very good photographer but its always been a joy for me to stroll the streets for shots. Yup, even way back then more than 3 years ago when i only had a pocket sized compact 3.2meg camera to stroll with.

Heehee, so anyone interested in joining me for a little photogaphic stroll?

Where's the Sunshine?

As an old Tibetan saying goes, "Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north."

How often have we forgotten that our happiness do not lie outside of us but rather it has always been within ourselves. Just like how the saying remind us ~ look in the wrong direction and happiness like sunshine will continue to elude us.

More than often, we will find things less than satisfactory to us and there might even be times that things people do seem to be in total contra to what we believe is dear and important to us.

These are external, material and above all, our own perceptions. It is important that we recognise that and learn to let go of such perceptions and try to look at the whole picture. Only when we do that, we will realise what truly deserves our attention, our own inner happiness.

How can we be innerly happy? Learning to realise the nature of impermanence. Once we do so, we will naturally know what is important to us and they are things like our spiritual, physical and mental health and our loved ones who showered true love on us and definitely not material things like our jobs, houses and monetary success (not that they are not important but how important do they compare to our health and loved ones? You decide for yourself).

Once we know what deserves our immediate attention and with a mindset to better our lives, we will naturally prioritise and do what is best to make the lives of our loved ones and ourselves happier.

Shall we come out of our cave that is facing north and face the sunrise or sunset that has long awaited us? May happiness always be with you, my loved ones. =)

Rumour Has It - Be Present

Watched the DVD starring Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner about a week ago. Nice enough DVD with its little funny and touching moments. What i remembered most vividly from the film was a qoute from Kevin Costner.

In the show, he mentioned that the most powerful two words that someone had mentioned to him and transformed his life are "BE PRESENT". By being present, are we only able to cherish what we have at the very moment itself. What we have at the moment is all displayed in front of us. It is not some far-off dream destination that we have, or a dream partner that may never materialise but the very people that surround us on the very piece of ground we stand on in this very moment.

Maybe that the reason sometimes when sitting beside people who are close (like my family, qin, ling, mark and more..) to me, i'm always able to look inwards for a quiet moment and feel truly blessed.

Let's all BE PRESENT! =)

Hammie's Gone...

Hammie passed on last nite. During dinner time tonight, i turned around as usual to look but the tank's no longer there. Somewhat a little sad to see her go after staying with our family for the last 1 year 4 months.

She's an abandoned hamster (prob 2 - 3 mths old back then) that my bro saved from the viod deck before a cat managed to pry open the cage and have her for dinner. Bro always had a soft spot for little animals, its a point i admired him for. =)

As a dwarf campbell hamster, their lifespan is usually ard 1.5 to 2 years. So she's considered to be in her old age by hamster standards as she's already past 1.5 years old. Got a very bad infection in the stomach and did not recover from it despite the antibiotics that Bro gotten from the Vet.

She had a ruff life so i hope she's in a better place now. Hammie, may u always be well and happy from this point on. =)