Pages of INK

I’m now typing this post from the room of our hotel in Christchurch where Internet access is going for $10 for 2 hours. In this day and age, I’d thought that free wireless Internet was almost a given in “branded” hotels or tourist hot spots but I guess some things still take time.

Anyway, we’re now a third through our holiday in New Zealand and having loads of fun so far. More than half of the time has been spent on the road driving from town to town so it’ll be an understatement to say that we’re pretty tired. E.g. the drive yesterday from Queenstown to Christchurch took almost 8 hours! And tomorrow, it’ll be another 4 hour drive from Christchurch to Blenheim. Better get some much needed rest tonight!

Here’s one picture from our trip so far that pretty much summarizes Project New Zealand. Been getting many lovely shots so far of all the 3 girls in the family (wifey, Ashley and Alicia) though I must say, the real star has been none other than my long suffering wife who agreed to model a stunning wedding gown for this particular shoot.

As to how I managed to haul this humongous gown all the way from Singapore, drive hundreds of kilometers with it together with 5 suitcases and other bags, convince my wife to model for pictures in between taking care of 9 month old Alicia, find a make up artist and hair stylist on Christmas Day and end up at this picturesque location is quite another story! Now just praying that the weather continues to stay on my side…

16 Aug 2009 – 2009 has been a really eventful and rewarding year for me photographically. I started the year from where I left off in 2008 – doing test shoots for models, the odd paid portrait shoot and numerous paid and pro-bono wedding gigs. I also made massive investments in gear, lighting and education, with the hope of further honing my craft to a level where I have the confidence to execute my vision without worrying too much about the technicalities. And, of course, to also further enhance the revenue generating capabilities of my passion.

Speaking of revenue, one thing that surprised me this year was that I managed to sell a few canvas prints of some fine art street photographs I took in Shanghai. As a people photographer, I earn from photographing portraits, events and weddings, so this reaffirmed the fact that to be a good photographer, one must really stretch himself to go beyond his comfort zone and train his eye in other photographic disciplines.

Anyway, that aside, I think the biggest highlight for me this year was being invited by Lance Lee, a prominent local fashion and commercial photographer, to participate in a joint fashion photography exhibition with a few other local professional photographers. The T-Show was the brainchild of Luke Elijah, a prominent local stylist, featuring wardrobe from his boutique and shot on location at The Cathay. The experience of shooting for the exhibition can only be described as gruelling and I must admit, there were times I did feel that I was in way over my head. Nonetheless, the experience really thought me how to work under pressure, solve problems on the spot and take control of a shoot.

I’m proud to say that not only did I survive (want to see my scar? ), but I also managed to contribute 6 out of the 15 photos on exhibit. The exhibition is now headed to Hong Kong and the pool of photos has since grown to about 20. Really hope I get the chance to do something again like this next year!

The first group of colleagues – Jowena, Fendy and Hendrik – coming to see my exhibition.

Hendrik trying to look cool like the photo whereas Jowena is tickled by the topless twins!

My long suffering and ever patient wife and daughters finally seeing the fruits of my labour.

Click here for a link to all the photos I took for the exhibition.

A few months ago, Ashley’s school had organised a trip to the zoo, and this was soon followed by a trip to McDonald’s as a way of making sure children learnt where everything falls into place on the food chain. Not that Ashley really cared as all that mattered to her were the French fries. No surprises if she chooses to major in languages over science when she grows up.

The day started with all of us gathering at her school, and while waiting for roll call, I had a chance to photograph Ashley in her classroom. I also got to know some of her friends and put faces to some of the names she usually mentions over the dinner table.

It then dawned upon me that in no time, she would be inviting friends over for study groups and Wii sessions.

A bit too young for this though…

And so, we waited some more. And got a little bored…

But, finally, we were underway!

Upon arriving at the largest McDonald’s outlet in Singapore at King Albert Park, we proceeded to occupy the most strategic seats in the joint.

There’s just something about munching on a Happy Meal on a Monday. A brief burst of joy to drown away the blues. A mix of melancholy and fond nostalgia as the taste buds are suddenly reminded of a time not too long ago. A feeling that the weekend isn’t really over, though the lingering realisation that 4 days of school remain before the next one.

Unfortunately, there was to be no pictures of the kitchen tour as McDonald’s staff are highly trained to detect any form of industrial espionage. As they quite rightly sensed upon me pulling out my camera, I was really planning to use the pictures of my kid looking around their kitchen as research material for the next McCurry outlet opening in town.

Hamburglar would have been proud had I got away with it.

Nonetheless, it was still all smiles as we wrapped up the trip with a customary pose with the red afro clown himself.

Mummy has been complaining lately about being sucked dry all the time. And if you didn’t know that we have a constantly hungry 5 month old baby, you would think that we are living with a vampire. So, the time had come for us to supplement her liquid-only diet with some good ol’ solid food, albeit of the bland and tasteless kind. At this stage, we didn’t want to give her anything too tasty for fear of her becoming fussy and not wanting to drink mummy’s milk anymore.

From the photos, you can clearly see that she’s lovin’ it!

Slowly enjoying her first taste.

It feels gooey!

Smacking her lips. Now give me more!

In addition to that, Alicia had also learnt how to lie on her tummy quite recently. Don’t know exactly when it started, but looked like she had been practicing for quite a bit already. She can keep her neck up for a full minute before plonking her head down on the bed in exhaustion. I’m now just waiting for the day I turn around and see her tap dancing behind me, giving me that you-should-spend-more-time-looking-at-me-rather-than-the-computer look.

My hand, the makeshift pacifier

Reach out!

Hmmmm…

Happy

At the park

Sisters

24 April 2009 – Time flies! From the teeny weeny baby that we saw one month ago, Alicia is now 5kg+! If anyone still needs convincing that breast milk is the way to go, just look at little ASK (Alicia Sage Kwok).

Here are some pictures of nice cupcakes that were ordered by Zhiyi to celebrate Alicia being one month old. They were all handmade and such beautiful works of art. Felt sad having to eat them because they were so nice to look at.

Nonetheless, we really want to take this chance to say thank you to everyone who had visited Alicia and showered her with attention and gifts, as well as to God for keeping her healthy and safe.

This was taken right outside our room at the Pemberton Best Western Motel.

The most notable thing about our trip home to Singapore was how we were stranded at Perth International Airport for close to 10 hours, after 2 delays. The delays caused many passengers to cancel their New Year Eve plans, but what made it worse was that no one who had already entered the check-in area of the airport was allowed to leave until a few hours later in line with "immigration clearance laws". Needless to say, there were many many irate passengers that day.

See this calm and serene picture of a lone tree on top of a hill? Everyone was feeling the exact opposite!

According to the captain, who was very transparent about the whole thing, there was damage on the valve of an oxygen tank that supplies the masks that drop down from the overhead compartments in the event of cabin depressurization. As they didn’t have spare parts on hand, they had to fly one in from Sydney. After a few hours of waiting, to our dismay, we were told that the initial fix had failed, so they had to try again with another spare part that was to be flown in from Melbourne. Another few hours of waiting, and much to our relief, the fix worked and we were on our way back.

When bored at the airport, spend the time taking long exposure shots of planes landing, while practicing holding your breath at the same time…

We counted down to the new year over the Indian Ocean.

Pemberton, a few hours drive south east of Margaret River, is home to the majestic karri tree, the 3rd largest hardwood tree in the world. Not for the feint of heart, there are 3 climbable kerri trees that are over 60m tall which were formerly used as fire lookout posts. Only 20% of visitors ever make it to the top, with a majority turning back after reaching the halfway point. I tried climbing 5m, looked at the huge gaps between the makeshift steps made out of metal pikes and decided that I wasn’t so brave after all…

The tallest of the 3 remaining climbable kerri trees, the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree is 71m tall.

I was really really really worried when taking this shot… Look at how much space there is between steps and nothing to catch you if you were to slip.

Pemberton is a very small town and it is possible to drive from one end to the other in less than 5 minutes. It is a pretty popular tourist destination for Western Australians due to the fact that it is surrounded by 5 national parks. Unfortunately, due to Zhiyi’s size, any thoughts of trekking were quickly put on hold!

One of four remaining V Class 2-8-2 Mikado type Steam Locomotives left in service. This one operates from Easter to the end of October on tourist trains to Eastbrook Siding on Saturdays, and to Lyall Siding on Sundays.

Waiting at the Pemberton Station

Dunsborough is a small seaside town about a 2 hours drive from Margaret River and is one of the more popular holiday destinations for Perthites due to its beautiful surrounding beaches that face north towards the Indian Ocean.

Along the way, there is this “must-visit” place for ice cream lovers called Simmo’s Ice Creamery. It’s got ice cream flavours that can rival Ben and Jerry’s like Swiss Choc, Whisky Prune and Orange Choc Chip. There’s also a large lawn at the store where families can have picnics and a small playground nearby with an antique carousel. Good fun for the kids!

It was here that I also bumped into an old friend from Kuching. I must admit, I was slightly envious to learn that she migrated there not so long ago. Sun and surf, what’s not to like?

Just south of Dunsborough lies the town of Yallingup, which has bred many of the regions best surfers. We would have spent more time here but not for the fact that it was getting dark and we wanted to avoid driving after sundown.

Before Alicia was born, we were a bit worried about whether Ashley would suffer from jealousy. Jealousy because the new baby was getting all the attention. Jealousy because all new blog posts would be on the new baby. Ha!

Peekaboo – now you see me, now you don’t!

Much to our relief, Ashley has taken really well to Alicia. And, as parents, we have to be conscious not to neglect Ashley too and to always reassure her when she makes a deliberate effort to be nice to Alicia such as touching Alicia’s hand and kissing her on the head. Now, to get her to also change her diapers…

Aww… she’s smiling

~*Chu*~ !