Photo Field Trip #2: The Zoo

Hubby, Sophia, Jona and I headed to the zoo. My objective was to shoot (with a camera) the animals together with the photo group and the family's was to try to enjoy and have fun (without me, of course).

This Saturday it was speed priority setting, what with trying to shoot animals. I still don't think I have it down pat but oh well, trial and error, as they say.

The tigers were sleepy at nine in the morning. It was as if they knew we'd be there and chose to showcase their backs to us. We spent 30 mins there and, failing to get any good head on shots, decided to try our luck with the baboons.

We got stuck at the baboon enclosure and never moved on. Let's just say there's much to glean from their behaviour and antics. I managed a couple of good shots out of the myriad I took. We'll see what the rest of the class thinks.

Two and a half hours can only get you so far at the zoo, which is a pity since it was a nice shady day. It was muggy though and by the time I met up with the rest of the family at the Splash Safar show, which was right after leaving the baboon enclosure, Sophie was already hot, sticky and sweaty. She apparently did not want to step into the water play area, opting for the playground instead. And to pacify her, daddy had bought her a Sesame Street ABC bus.

At least we got a picture together with Philip the sea lion, star of the Splash Safari show.

Air Sex? Here's One For The Bold!

I knew about Air Guitar competitions. But Air Sex competitions? Check this out.

Photo Field Trip #1: Bukit Batok Nature Reserve

Objective: to shoot using Aperture priority setting.

Result: lots of cursing from me. Why?

1. The biggest culprit: my damn flimsy tripod. Now I know why the pros use tripods that cost into the thousands. Sigh. At least the rest of the newbies had tripods as flimsy as mine.
2. Because of said tripod, most shots turned out blurry thus prompting more curses.
3. Said tripod also took loads of manouvering to get the right angles and height.
4. Being short sucks! Especially if most of your subjects are situated rather high (the low-lying flowers were being hogged).
5. After 9am, it was so hot that I was burning up from standing in the sun trying to shoot leaves.

I managed a few good shots among the many I took. Could have been better, though.

Library Haul

1. Being Nikki - Meg Cabot
2. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare
3. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare
4. Ghostgirl - Tonya Hurley
5. The Black Sheep - Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Demands

"Sophia want prata!"

"Sophia don't like this."

"Sophia see mau-mau dain (again)!"

"Sophia go outside."

Mommy kia-ti (carry)."

"Mommy read!"

"Sophia go outside!"

School Holidays = New Books, Stuff For Sophia

It's the end of term. Classes are out. Sophia's stuck at home instead of heading out to playgroup twice a week. It's too hot out to go anywhere without us both swimming in sweat or going at least two shades darker, even with the sunblock.

So over the weekend, we stopped by the Singapore Bookfest twice and got her a stash of activity and sticker books - for cheap!! We started off with a bunch of Teletubbies books (stickers, activity - only $2 each!!) and then went back the next day for more. I feel we still haven't got enough. The monster can go through stickers like a hurricane. I may go back there this weekend.

In the past couple of days, I've gone out running errands but have come back home with stamps and ink pads, glitter glue, more stamps and two art kits. When she saw me coming through the front door today, she went, "OOOOOOOHHHH! Mommy buy new book!" while pointing at my bags. Close enough, she didn't know I'd swept up a bunch of stamps for her. She attacked her art kits but lost interest when she saw her stamps.

Thereafter ensued a very messy stamp affair over the living room floor which then proceeded to her little table by the coffee table.

Her stickers seem to have been forgotten. For now.

Grateful, Not Complaining But Still Lazy

So here it is: I've been thrown somewhat of a lifeline in regards to writing 'work'. A friend is farming out some writing and I'm to churn out two features for this first issue. It should be a regular gig; at least one feature every issue, maybe more if I can handle it.

The pay's not half bad. At least I'll be supplementing my account somewhat back in KL. (It sucks not having my own account here but I figure, why bother since I'm not even contributing to the cashflow here other than to make sure it flows out?)

The problem is, I'm lazy. Very much so. So lazy that I've been sitting at my laptop doing 'research' for the last 5 days or so for two lousy features which are at max 1,200 words long each. The deadline's not till July 1 but I'm trying not to overextend myself here and put myself out on a limb; this is no last minute college assignment that I can just turn in at the 11th hour.

Still, my ass is frozen to the chair and my eyeballs are going over not just what I'm supposed to be reading but also checking my emails, looking up Amazon, reading my fave blogs, and of course, updating here and tweeting. Oh, and working when the girl's awake is almost impossible because when she sees me seated at my laptop these days, she knows she can get her daily share of Maruneko.

"Sophia see mau-mau."

"Only mau-mau pom-pom."

"Sophia climb up. Sophia sit here. Sophia see mau-mau."

Spineless as I am, of course I let her run all over me and allow her her share of that dang cute fat cat. Beats trying to start a piece. Or do more 'research'.

25 days left. I'd better get my ass unfrozen and my eyeballs keyed in to what I'm supposed to do.

Early Riser

She's back to her pre-7am waking schedule. The closed windows don't seem to help. All they seem to do is stuff up the room. They worked for a total of two days. She woke up a little past 7am those mornings.

Methinks the culprit is the open bathroom door. Which emits sounds and light from the laundry area and the kitchen. But I'm not about to sleep in a room with all windows and doors closed. With or without the air-cond off. So for now, light sleeper that she is, Sophie's up with the early morning risers: the train drivers, the two brown cows, the early morning commuters and Jona, our helper.

No matter, she'll get her mornings in when we head back to KL every month or so.

Tweet Tweet

OK, I admit. I'm somewhat addicted to Twitter.

I like that what I write gets limited to 140 characters. I like receiving news streams, heck, I'm finding out so much more about what's happening in the world through short and varied headlines than I ever could with shitty local newspapers. Plus, I don't have to pay to get the news tweeted and I don't need to worry about storage and recycling when I'm done.

Did I mention that I really, really like the 140 character cap on whatever I write?

Melting Days

It's too hot to move, think, write or post.

I'm melting, melting, meeeeellllttttiiiiiingggggg....