All Things But None

Haven't really been thinking doing much lately... Just reading, playing, eating, etc. One night Alec and I went to our local Chinese restaurant and I got the above fortune. Hrm... I think it's telling me to get off my ass?!? Anyway, nothing like this other fortune which I so blessedly received 5 years ago. I think I still have it somewhere.

I think I'm a pretty lucky person regardless. Well, hopefully I'll have more to share next time around. Have a great day!

Something experienced is its own explanation.

Text: Abraham Maslow

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I supposed not everything needs an explanation, but I still find the above quote very moving... to me anyway. I guess it derives from the fact being that oftentimes, I have difficulties describing my own thoughts and feelings... I think I'll head out and take more pictures this weekend.

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday. xoxo

A MOTTO OF THE HUMAN RACE
Let me do what I like, and give me approval as well.

Text: Idries Shah

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Agreed? Seems like we're always seeking approvals from others... no matter how minute. Do we not? Do we not secretly just want to be liked? Even loved? Simply to have some kind of validation... Something to prove to others and to ourselves.

Like a silly little game we play.

...and also to all my fellow blogger friends, much much luff from me to you today. xoxo

P.S. My friend Bridie took this particular picture. I simply love it.

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Currently listening:
Cat Power - Sea Of Love

Got home yesterday and played with my camera for a good half hour. Who said I'm camera-shy? But I am. I used to hate being skinny when I was in school, but now I only wish if my body was once were! [Wait, I don't think that's proper English, but who said I'm ever proper!] But it's quite alright since I've learned to like my body these days, no matter how I look.

And what better model than myself, yeah? I can tell me what to do - go this way, do it that way, play dead... and I'm dirt cheap, more like fur-reee! :-) But I ain't no narcissist cuz I don't like myself that much! This one is a plain black n' white and it's centered [isn't that a big no-no in photography?]... but I like it. Nothing fancy, it's just me.

BTW, thanks to my good friend Bridie, next week we're going to this Captured By The Light seminar on photography lighting. Check it out, they might be in your neck of the woods! And if you put in discount code WHCC when registering, you get über savings! My complete registration is a whoppin' $19. Can't beat eh?

Well, that's it for now! Have a great Tuesday everyone! xoxo

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Currently listening:
Ulrich Schnauss - Gone Forever [Robin Guthrie version]

Yesterday after spending 3 hours at my local bookstore, I must've browsed through most, if not all, of the books [and magazines] on Photography... including manual and digital photography, books on Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, Camera Raw and workflow and everything else in between...

I extracted the above quote from one of the books, and this book on Photography happened to have more words than photos. Now the book is on my nightstand.

TGIM everyone! :-)

Before a person studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters;

After a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are not waters;

After enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters once again waters.

Text: Dogen

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I posted the above last April, and again this morning I was thinking about what Dogen said. It's so pure and beautiful.

In life, we go through different stages... Some day, if we're lucky, we'll lie in our deathbeds while still conscious, and ponder about what has happened in all the years. Life is nothing but happenings from one event to another and we ask ourselves: "What have we learned?" We go through each day from here to there and there and back... Have you been paying attention? I'm trying.

I believe that enlightenment [or whatever you would like to call it] is here, in each and every day. We can learn from every situation, if we want it. It's very near, but only if we look closely. Don't let your doubts and worries cloud your day. Someone reminded me recently that we should live each day like there's no tomorrow... I said I'd rather live each day like there's always a tomorrow!

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Currently listening:
佛光山 Buddhist Choir - Wu Sian Song II

My first attempt to do more self-portraits! Woke up Saturday morning and started playing with my camera. I like how the photo turned out. And thank you everyone for the encouragement.

Reading the camera manual can be quite daunting... 400+ pages in that little big book, sort of like a mini novella. Also seeing some of the brilliant photographs being showcased on Flickr and how much these people know about photography, makes me feel like a tortoise... but I don't mind, I like taking my time! Oh and my 'puter doesn't have enough juice when it comes to processing 'em raw files... a tortoise that I am - I am! :-)

It's Sunday afternoon and it's been raining on and off since last night. mmm... I hope you're enjoying your Sunday!

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Currently listening:
Colder - Crazy Love [Luke Innes Mix]

Work's been keeping me busy this past week. Not that I have much wonderful news to share here on my blog! Funny how 2 little slides from a presentation could keep me busy for hours on end... 3D pie charts and 'animated' workflow, oh joy! Therefore, I had little time reading the manual of my camera. It seems really complicated, these days, dSLR are like hi-tech computers. I guess it all boils down to knowing exactly which combination of buttons to press, where and when to press, what gadget to use and, well, having a good eye wouldn't hurt either. But hasn't everything been done before?

Maybe I'm jaded. I look on Flickr and I see so many good photos, and yet there are so so many of them... They make my eyes and brain hurt like a mutha! I also look at photo books and magazines and I get overwhelmed. Everything's been done, hasn't it? Is photography still art I wonder? I go to bookstores and they're categorized separately, it makes me chuckle. Is art/photography more about the idea on how the piece came about? The process behind it? The actual making of the piece or the final product itself? Or maybe it's all in the mind. Your mind makes the art - complete.

I've only been shooting a few shots in my room late at night, right before I go to sleep. Shooting my alarm clock, water bottles on my night stand, and the door knob! bleh! See, everything has been done! :-) I've come to realized that these days, photography isn't quite what it used to be. These days, does anyone put up 'unretouched' photographs anymore I wonder? Seems like every picture these days have been enhanced one way or another... photochop'd. I work with Photoshop everyday at work and it's a fantastic application, but when I go to a gallery and see photos being displayed, I wonder if they were ever slightly or even heavily manipulated by these photo editing programs. Have we grown too reliant? It sure is a step up, way up, from the old days when I had to develop my own prints in the darkroom. These days, you can print your archival prints right in your own home! Su-weet innit?

At any rate, this weekend I'll attempt to spend more time with the camera rather than the manual. I really dislike shooting self-portraits yet I think that's one really great reason why I should start doing it more intensively. Does that make any sense?

Happy Friday everyone. May you all have a glorious weekend! Now go out and make something 'beautiful'! :-)

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Currently listening:
Pale Saints - A Thousand Stars Burst Open