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Friday, April 26, 2013

The Lashop:Photography and lighting







Family Portraits Never Looked Better
The gang and I, and by that I mean the wife and my two kids, were out and about on a beautiful Saturday morning not too long ago. We were out shopping. It’s sort of our favorite pastime because I can stroll around and look at my phone and follow my fantasy baseball teams while my wife takes the kids into the box stores to find cheap clothing – we get cheap clothing because they just dirty it up and rip it all up anyway, so don’t judge. Well, we were in the mall, and I was minding my own business, when my wife decides that today would be a perfect day for a family portrait. Now I hadn’t had a hair cut in some time, and I certainly didn’t shower that morning, but when the wife gets a notion in her head there’s no steering away from it. So we went to the photo area of the department store, I couldn’t believe that still existed, and we got set up. There were using an interesting looking lighting kit, and they got the photo backgrounds set up so we could have our choice. I was more interested in the gear they were using than in the photo, which is just fine because my opinion about the photos themselves would surely go unheeded. After the shot, where I tried to look as happy as I could, I asked the employees what kind of equipment they were using. They told me they’d gotten most of their equipment at thelashop.com for relatively inexpensive. Well, the photos came out pretty good, so now it’s my job to find someone who will frame them for us so we can hang them on the walls leading up from the front door up to the second floor of the house. Everyone knows that’s where you’re supposed to hang such photos, so that everyone can see your family.

This is a sponsored post.

weekend reflection: puddle at Pt Chevalier beach.






a house reflected at a puddle at the beach, different angle from last week.
http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com



Thursday, April 25, 2013

La Fotografía Efectista Abstracta. Fotos Abstractas. Abstract Photos.: Abstract Photo 2660 A TO Z "V" Vanity of one gut feeling

La Fotografía Efectista Abstracta. Fotos Abstractas. Abstract Photos.: Abstract Photo 2660 A TO Z "V" Vanity of one gut feeling i like the colourful one, Pure gold would be too much for my gut.

Thursday Challenge:Cycle and ride.


cycle and ride

In Singapore, at the Boon Lay station, people ride their bicycles and park them and take the train to work.

bikes.jpg


"TRANSPORTATION" (Bicycle, Walking, Bus, Rickshaw, Car, Horses,...)
Next Week: NATURE (Rivers, Mountains, Rocks, Trees, Sky,...)
roseThursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning. A theme is announced on this site each week. You may either take a new photograph related in some way to the theme or select one that you have taken previously; Then submit your single permanent link here:
http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

ABC Wednesday O for going overseas, overhead compartment









When I flew over from New Zealand to Australia, I flew with some New Zealand under 15 Softball players. The flight was 3 hours long, but we had to check in at 4 m. These boys were very well behaved. Good jobs boys and their "boss" Craig.

When I went to talk to them, I think I created quite a bit of excitement, except I was an older women.

I passed my card to craig to ask if I could take their photos and write about them. He was very obliging.

Good luck boys, I used to play softball myself.




International Softball Academy,

ISA New Zealand
  • In 2012 the ISA will be sending four teams overseas. 
  • Teams to Tournaments in Australia:
  •  U17/19 Boys July 2012 to the International Youth Series in Softball Australia are yet to finalise the venue, after 15 years in Sydney it is moving. 
  • U14 Boys March 2012 to the International Youth Event including teams from Japan in Sydney Australia and also a one day trip for warm up games in Canberra. 
  • U15 Boys April 2012 to the BOP Academy Tournament Blacktown Olympic Stadium, Sydney and Also a one day series in Canberra
  • Team to Tournament in Los Angeles USA
  •  U16 Girls July 2012 to International Cup, Los Angeles
  • And beyond and 2013 an U21Boys to Saskatoon Canada




Friday, April 19, 2013

Withered


 My brain is withered like my sugar substitute plant. I can't remember the name. It posted before when it was green and lush. It was more withered, luckily I brought it in and remembered to water it.

My Facebook friend reminded me.

Stevia rebaudiana: Sweet Leaf Plant

My friend told me about this plant Stevia which is used a a sugar substitute. I have not tried using my plant, and it looks like a beautiful pot plant. The girl at the garden centre told me I have to bring it indoors in winter. 

Same as this lily plant. It will spring up in spring.

he PhotoHunt for this weekend is 'Wither'~ Wither ~


http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz

weekend reflection at the beach





a house reflected at a puddle at the beach,
http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com



Monday, April 15, 2013

ABC Wednesday: Letter N for Ngajat dance and noodles



The Ngajat dance, I don't think you need to be taught the steps, as my Kai Sister Magdeline says, the agung gong is mesmorising, and others suspect that it is the the fire water the duak that threw any inhibition our of the window. As for me, this was the first and probably the only chance I get to do this dance. I wanted my New Zealand students to share in the fun. The dance is very elegant as you can see our dance leader Awa. I just twirled my fingers. Wearing my Nyonya Kebaya set the mood.

You can see from the face of Da Mei and Ling Kie King that we had a great time.
The beautiful Iban/Sea Dayak orange costume of Awa.

Our own Real McCoy, Awa our Iban beauty.

Siblings Benson and Mag ah Lee, full of fun. That is why I love them.





These are traditional dance and noodles, for my save the world meme, it is so very important to maintain our tradition.





http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Mum's the best by Emily Chan




I am a very proud aunty. This is Emily Chan, my brother Charles and sis-in-law Karen's baby daughter. Yes, no matter whether you are 23 , or you are 2, you are always your parents' baby, especially if you are the youngest child in the family.

Emily plays the guitar, piano and sings. She writes all her own songs and had recorded her music. Her music style is alternative/indie rock. Here she sings this aged old Chinese song for her Dad this father's day. She performed in Canada.
Download Emily Chan - Mum's The Best .

This is Emily's song: Mum's the best. Click on the link to listen to her lovely voice.

When I was little, my mom used to sing it to us, we tried to sing, but because e didn't know the lyrics and enough Chinese, we couldn't really sing it well. I was privileged that Emily asked me to teach her the song as a tribute to her Dad, my brother.

Almost twenty three years ago, on a Saturday morning, I was singing in this song,
I was "without a mom you are like a stalk of weed", I really needed my mum.
I needed my mum because my new born baby was dying, and I wanted my mum, but my mum had died eighteen months earlier.

It was Easter when I did the post of Mum and her chicks, I stuck these two chicks on my monitor. They remind me of Mum.

http://annkitsuet-chinchan.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/mum-and-her-chicks.html

Mum's the best by Emily Chan
Shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
you ma de hai zi xiang ge bao.
tou jin ma ma de huai bao
xin fu xiang bu liao

世上只有妈妈好
有妈的孩子像个宝
投进了妈妈的怀抱
幸福享不了

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
Those with mums are like treasures
Run to mum's bosom
you will be so happy

shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
Mei ma de hai zi xiang ge cao
li kai ma ma de huai bao
xin fu na li zhao.
世上只有妈妈好
没妈的孩子像根草
离开妈妈的怀抱
幸福哪里找

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
without a mom you are like a stalk of weed
away from mom's bosom,
where will you find happiness?

Shi shang zhi you ma ma hao
you ma de hai zi bu zhi dou.
Yaw shi ta men zhi dou
mon li yie hui siao.

世上只有媽媽好
有媽的孩子不知道
要是他知道
夢裡也會笑

Mommy's the only dearest in the world
Those with mums don't know
If only they know,
They will smile even in their dreams

Mei yu mama zui ku now
Motherless kids have most worries.

I posting this early for Mother's day. I will be traveling  to visit Emily and the rest of the Chans in Australia.



  
Stay mellow with yellow!

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Scrumptious food and memories of Kai Chung School. 开 中学校


Last year, in July I went to a reunion of the students I taught for 20 months some 40 years ago.

The students did a display of Chinese Wu Shu aka Tai Chi.

The man is pink, was one of the few I taught with. He is Mr. Ngu.

Scrumptious food was offered for refreshment. This green fruit is the famous local orange.

Ex students who have now become my friends, Lau Peng Yew in Chinese. I remember Dennis Hii because he was the sports captain, and I was a very involved sports mistress.

More scrumptious food.
Two roads meet,
I chose the one less traveled by,
That has made all the different.

Robert Frost,


 Kai Chung will always have a special place in my heart. That was why I came back for the reunion, despite my husband telling me that it wasn't my reunion, why did I go. In deed, I was the only ex teacher who traveled afar across the ocean, across the sea.

Most people did not know, I did not want to come to Kai Chung. I wanted to go to St Antony. Kai Chung was a Chinese school, and I came from an English medium school. My Dad was the divisional officer,  he could put me in any school I wanted. He put me to Kai Chung. 

Twenty months in Kai Chung, I loved it. The staff were good, The students were polite.

Most of all, Kai Chung was the place where I started to have the Chineseness in me. Before, I would not speak Chinese. In Kai Chung, I spoke Chinese with Mr. Pau, Mr Ngu, Hwang Tai Tai and Liew Ping. Mr. Ngu taught me my favourite Chinese song, "This little blue island." Someone please ask Mr. Ngu. Now I am going to blog about it. Thanks Mr. Ngu.


 綠島小夜曲  I still sing it and is the only Chinese song I can sing in completion.



http://youtu.be/TgOwpbuigeQ



这绿岛歌曲


http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz  scrumptious

Friday, April 12, 2013

Mt Albert Baptist Community Weekend.


excuse my grass and earth stained T-Shirt. It attracted the attention of a stranger asking me why I was wearing this T-shirt.

We had an  opportunity to make our community a better place 

by some simple acts of service. 

Project Specific: Info

# Oakley Creek: If you have them bring your own garden 

gloves and/or a spade. But most things will be provided

# Community Garden: Garden gloves if you have them 
& sturdy shoes. Any named Garden tools are 

appreciated:   2-3 wheel barrows, 4 shovels, 4 spad

es, 4 garden forks, trowels, some buckets.  Other stuff 

welcome:  lots of thick cardboard and newspaper

# Wesley Primary Gardens: Weeding appropriate tools and 

gloves.  Wheelbarrrows, shovels (for some mulch)

# Wesley Primary Painting: Brushes, rollers, paint tins/containers, drop cloths! Ladders. 

Jeff Orr in charge.


Weekend reflection: stairs in a puddle




http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com



Thursday, April 11, 2013

Pink mascot at Jurong Bird Park.



Yhis pink mascot pf the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.
Thursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning. This week, Pink

I found myself





After writing my book, and researching into my roots, I found myself. Though I have never been to China, I have Chinese blood in my veins. I am a Chinese.

This is my Chinese blog to share with my fellow Chinese in China.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/3270690843


在写这本书
在研究我的祖先
我找到我自己
我是一个的中国人
我是 陈洁雪


请访问

 我的博客


ann洁雪的博客[编辑]


Monday, April 8, 2013

ABC Wed: M for Macaque Monkeys

The monkey on the tree and dropping mango stones unto Christopher's head.
This monkey snatched a packet of biscuits from the children. The monkey held the packet firmly under one arm and with his 3 other limbs zigzagged his way through us and and quick like a flash, was up the tree. I was within reach of his tail but wasn't sure if I still wanted the biscuits.

The monkey came very near to Christopher and Olivia waiting to pounce on the goodies the children were having for their picnic.

.
The monkey is eyeing Olivia's ice cold drink. ignoring Chris.

scaffolding when my apartment was painted. You can see the vertical stainless railing that the monkeys climbed on.

There were rainforest trees just outside my balcony. The upside, I see lots of exotic birds and monkey jumping on the branches. The downside, monkeys come into the house and steal our food.

I took these from my balcony.


We were the first household in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to have a brush with wild monkeys. When you see our apartment and the tall trees, you will understand why. The University was built on the edge of the city and encroached on the jungles. As more and more land were cleared for housing, the monkeys had no where to go.

It was about 15 years ago, I had just returned with Sam from a shopping trip, and Sam had left his french fries on the coffee table. I was at the corner of my dining room at the computer. Our dining room and lounge opened to the balcony where the trees were just outside us at the 4th storey.

An adult monkey climbed on to the railing of my balcony. Next, he was sitting on the chair barely a metre away from me. I was quietly calling to the children who were upstairs to come downstairs to watch. At the same time, I was afraid that it would attack me as it bared its fangs at me. It then walked to the lounge, sat at the couch and started eating the french fries. After he had finished eating the french fries, it grabbed hold of a canister of roasted peanuts under his arms.

At this time, three little monkeys climbed along the railings. The adult monkey very cleverly balanced on 3 limbs and climbed up the roof of my neighbour's apartment and cracked open the canister.

More monkeys came to join him, and all in all there were eight. I peeped from my stairway watching them enjoying a feast from my peanuts.

I had a nature journal with the university resident's website. Soon everyone knew about the monkeys. This was very interesting to the expatriot community. My neighbours came from all over the world. Unfortunately after the initial curiousity, the residents treated the Macaque monkeys as pest. We couldn't leave food outside on the tables. These monkeys created havoc by stealing our food and tearing orchid flowers apart.

I invited A/P Dr. Vilma for the Nature Society and the university to talk about these Macaque monkeys. The ladies had an enlightened afternoon. Vilma explained the plight of the monkeys and how men had rob them of their natural habitat. The best thing was to ignore them.

The university however, did not ignore them. They trapped and darted them. Oh, how sad, we could not exist with them.

My nieces and nephews went to visit a nature reserve. They went to the MacRitchie Reservior. There the monkeys are no longer living the way they were meant to be. They have become very aggressive.

Here's what my sister Grace wrote of their experience.

"someone had opened a packet of biscuits, before I know it, a monkey had taken the whole packet right under our noses. While the kids yelled, gave chase and Lincoln clapped his hands in the monkeys face, the monkey held the packet firmly under one arm and with his 3 other limbs zigzagged his way through us and ran up a tree. I was within reach of his tail but wasn't sure if I still wanted the biscuits.

Michael was very frightened and tightly held the other packet of biscuits while trying to drink. Angelina with a piece of biscuit in one hand and a cup in the other was fiercely protecting her cap by tucking it under her arm. Thomas got the long drink bottle and told us that if the other monkeys came nearer, he would use it to push the monkeys' heads away. By then, many monkeys came running towards us from far away.

A monkey came up to our feet to pick up the biscuit crumbs. Some watched us at shoulder height from a nearby tree. It was eerie because the monkeys were camouflaged in the tree trunks but we could see their eyes watching us. There were about 5 lining up on the ground 3 feet away from us.

Helen decided to keep the biscuits inside the box but started on the pomelo fruit with Olivia. Helen told Olivia to be careful. I didn't even realise that the pomelo sacs were dropped on the floor until the monkeys rushed over to pick them up. There were lots of shouting and shooing from the kids, Michael started crying............next thing I heard, Olivia's pomelo was snatched from her hand.

I couldn't believe it, here we were lecturing about our food, Jessie verbally abusing the monkey which was enjoying our packet of biscuits. Olivia said it was like a tug and war, and it felt strange when the monkey's fingers touched hers.

It just got really scary because lots and lots of monkeys had turned up and we had to leave.

It was an experience. I couldn't take any photoes of the monkeys lining up in front of us because Michael was crying and Angelina kept holding onto my leg.

A week later when we were deciding where to go for a picnic, Olivia jokingly suggested the monkey park. Thomas said we can't go there, the monkeys will steal all our food again."





http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz