Playing Around

Spidey's back

Selections of my puny garde

My hand, thankfully, got better after a good night's sleep.
After I gave up typing last night, I manage to play around a bit more with the photo-editing site, and got some more of my photos watermarked. 

The first photo here is again of Spidey 1, my current favourite subject, but from the top, showing those gorgeous stripes on its back instead of its stomach.

Thanks to the way Spidey 1 positioned its web, this photo was not so easy to take as there were lots of tall grass on this side of the web. But I managed. 

Even managed to overcome the wind problem (wind blows, web shakes a lot thanks to the considerable weight of Spidey right in the middle of the web).

The other photo is of my garden.
Well... not quite all of it, just a tiny portion of my garden. These are my herbs collection.
Top left is actually a plant to get mosquitoes to go away. It emits a certain smell that mosquitoes do not like. I actually brought it all the way from my parents' house. That was when the plants were somewhat smaller, though.

Top and bottom right are my peppermint. I bought the seed from the supermarket. It took quite a while, but they do grow. Unlike the rest of the seeds. I did buy also thyme and another type of mint. Those two died after a while, though.

The last one is my basil. It's grown so much. But I did not buy them from seed. The supermarket did sell some young plants, usually some herbs, at times. That was how I got my basil. They used to fit in the small pot like the one my peppermint is in. I moved them to a bigger pot, then later to the ground as they grew bigger, and they managed to grow even bigger, making me very happy.
I have now ever fresh supply of basil, lots of them. Sometime, they are even so fresh, the bunch that I take into the kitchen also got a jumping grasshopper among the leaves. (that usually happen when I pick my basil when it's dark, haha)

Flowers picked by the Little One on the shoe rack outside

The last photo, as the caption said, is just done for fun. The Little One now has an obsession for flowers, and she LOVES to pick these flowers. I think she's picking the neighbour's shrub bald. Hmm...

I love how the color stands out against the wooden and stone background.

All these photos and their outlines here (like the collage presentation of my garden) are the result of me playing around with various photo editing tools. Well.. not so many of them, actually, but I did play around. And I'm very happy to feel that there is something nice to show out of my playing around.
Upon reflection, I guess we do achieve good things when we play around with things that we enjoy playing around with. I suppose that's why Google set up their offices the way they do. Have you seen any footage of Google office? You should. Just google it up. They do put emphasis on people having fun because I think they do believe that people who have fun in their work achieve better result.

As for me, I am still learning. One day, I might have to go back to the working place, and this is my way of equipping myself with yet more tradable skills. I do enjoy doing all these things, and hopefully I would eventually be able to earn myself a living through things that I really do enjoy.

In addition, this post shall also be my reminder to provide a good environment for playing around for others, especially my Little One, in the hope that they will grow and challenge their comfort zone, and become a better person out of it.

How about you? What do you play around with today?

New Love

Wild flowers, in Macro

My right hand is going numb.
I think I managed to get some nasty insect bite earlier today
Not because of the spider photo that I took the other day, mind you
Although I have to admit that yellow spider intrigues me still,
There is actually another almost identical spider setting up a web a few grass blades away, if you could believe it.
And that new spider just appeared out of nowhere a day after I took my first picture of the Spidey 1
As if it were spawned whole within a day by Spidey 1!

But back to my hand, no, it wasn't because of Spidey 1 and 2,
Do note that, given my still strong aversion against insects in general, I did keep my distance from both Spideys when I took their photos,
Hey, that's what zoom function is for ya!

But when gardening.....
I wanted to get a certain flower shrub from the neighbour,
I think I got bitten while I was pulling some of the plants. Dang.
I'll go and have it checked tomorrow, but in the meantime, I believe I can still type pretty well
Or click the mouse
There's a lot I want to write, but if this post end up with more pictures than words, you all know why...

New Love: Life, in Macro


After taking the picture of Spidey 1 featured in the previous blog entry to participate in the DPS forum weekly assignment, I kind of fall in love with looking at the world through the macro lens.
It is amazing how different the world look when viewed through macro!
And how beautiful!
To think that I used to wonder why so many people with cameras love to take flower photograph,
Ha! Now I am one of them.

So now during walkies, my mind would just wonder with my eyes, trying to imagine the macro view of the things that we walk pass
It's really fun, and I found the truth in how participating in themed photo assignment does help to expand one's horizon
As it is, I am still working on my portrait and pet photography

The Dog

Aaah... I think my hand is really getting numb.
I shall let the pictures speak my thousand words on my behalf,
Which include the fact that I am again experimenting with watermarks

I have problems accessing the Picmark website ever since I posted that post on Picmark
But I have yet to give up,
So I'm currently trying to use sticker and layer feature on various online photo-editing sites, namely FotoFlexer and Picnik. You should try them as well.
I shall leave my comparative comments for another day.

G e t t i n g  r e a l l y  n u m b . . . . . . .

This is where I took the spider photos

Filling time....

Getting to know the local 'creepy crawlies' better

Having fun at the swimming pool

Despite all evidence to the contrary, I have not forgotten this blog. In fact, I seem to be constantly thinking of what I should write next. It is just unfortunate that my opportunities to write do not seem to coincide with my more lucid moments.

In addition, there also times, when I was all poised to write and post, but the internet connection did not co-operate. It was really frustrating. The pictures are not getting uploaded, let alone edited as I want, pages are not loading, and the best part was that the internet breakdown should happen when the Little One is fast asleep extra early. AAaaaa! Such a waste of a good opportunity.

These snapshots featured here are but a few of the things I have done lately.

I don't know if you can tell, but I am into photography lately. I think I might have mentioned before that I stumbled on a very good website the other day on learning photography. There are numerous tips about learning various types of photography, there is even a forum with a weekly challenge.

The BBC Viewfinder (the picture editor's blog) does have such weekly challenge as well, which I followed occasionally, but never participated. I actually find it a bit more difficult given the huge allowance for interpretation. They only pick 10 best submission to be showcased, and they are usually very inspirational, if not intimidating.

In any case, some time last week, I also turned my attention to my little big box of photos, and came up with quite a stack of ID photos. Not as many as I would have liked, but plenty enough. Having a good, dependable, nicely sized Ikea frame on hand, I got to work to create a small collage using those ID photos.  It was fun, and I think it turned out quite well, but I think there are many ID photos still scattered in the house that I would like to include as well.

I also made one for the Husband, but that one is not going to be featured here without his express permission. Haha... tough luck. In any case, I do not have that many ID photos of him dating before his Uni days. Maybe I should still his old report cards and start my scanner. kekekkee... what an evil idea!

PhotoID collage

 Right in the footstep of that ID photo collage, I remembered that the Husband and I would soon celebrate 11th anniversary of us going out as a couple. Not wedding anniversary, mind you. I don't think we will ever remember our wedding anniversary. So I made another collage, this time of photos of the 2 of us. It's cool. 

Again, THAT collage is not going here without express permission. So... maybe just as an inspiration for all of you out there racking your brain for anniversary gifts to your special one.

The Dog getting to know a new friend

This last photo of the Dog is still part of my photography obsession, how to take better photos of pets. She's such a lovely subject.

In addition to improving my photos, I am also working to get a workable profile pic of all the family members to do a profile silhouette. There was a tutorial on how to it yourself. Getting the Little One's profile is especially challenging. I have not even started on mine or the Husband.

Ah well.... that's it for this current update. So many projects, so many things to do, so many pictures to edit, so many post to write.....

How about you, what are you doing today?

Jump-breaks

I suppose people blog to have an outlet for their creativity, as a personal expression.
I also suppose that there are many of us who are essentially teachers, even if we don't quite teach in the classroom.
There are so many blogs out there that provide with with all kinds of instructions, if you just but look for them.

I am not a teacher, but as a person who is currently enjoying what I do, I can understand that 'want' to share.
Or should I say need?

Well, whatever it is, you have been warned.
For today, I am sharing with you about 'how to use jump-breaks'.
I am pretty sure that, since it's a Blogger feature, Blogger would have its own tutorial or something about it.
But hey, it's all about personal expression, OK?
Besides, some people might never bother with instructions anyway.
So.
If you are interested, scroll on.
If not, I'm sure there are other things that can occupy your attention.

For Blogger user, the partial screenshot above should be quite familiar.
The circled icon is the one I shall refer to as the jump-break icon.
What it will do is basically cut your post at some point, like soon below, AND..... (click on the link to read more, ya)

Place the rest of the post in some other mysterious place which can be reached by clicking on the link that you just clicked.
Isn't that cool?

The usage should be pretty obvious. Basically you write to a certain point (usually to get the main point of  the post across), and then you click on the jump-break icon.
A mysterious line would appear on your editing screen, with your cursor suddenly below the line.
Whatever you write below the line would then be hidden in that mysterious place instead of the main page of your blog. This is usually where you write the rest of your post, with all the detailed explanation, and whatever embellishments that you want to provide.

Should you post pictures in the post, you might want to put some, if not all, before the break so that your reader would be able to see them and be interested in reading more. But that's really up to you as the editor of the blog.

As for me, I do find this feature COOL as it does reduce the amount that I need to scroll down in order to read the blog. After all, I may or may not find the whole content interesting. Maybe I am only interested in one or two posts, but scrolling down miles of ..... uninteresting (to me) content is quite... putting off. I love those blogs that use this feature. They made for a more economical use of my time online, which is important for me in managing my me-time. I am sure it's important to you too.

All jesting aside, I am posting this also as part of my 'learning something new everyday' motto.
I do hope that bloggers would always try to learn something new, or even come up with something new in order to improve the whole blogging experience.

So, do you like jump-breaks in the blogs you read? Would you use them yourself?

Pet photography

Ahem, no, I am not a professional photographer.
I have to admit, however, that it is indeed one of my wish list, to be able to become one, OR, at the very least, to be able to take pretty good photograph.

So, in my me-time last night, I actually browsed articles from Digital Photography School website, and found a few useful tips on taking pet photos. This is the article itself.
After letting the tips stew in my brain while I slept, I chanced on the Dog taking a seat near the backdoor, beautiful pose. Hmmm... What do you know, there was also a cushion on the floor nearby! (The Little One must have used it as her own trampoline earlier) so prostrate I went in front of the Dog with my trusty old KonicaMinolta (emphasis on the word OLD. And pretty abused too, by the hand of the Little One).

The tip that I used here was actually for the photographer to go on the pet's level when taking the photo, rather than taking it from a human-centric point of view. The other photo, as a comparison, was taken before I read the tip. Content-wise, the second photo is not bad, it was the Dog shivering on the couch because there was thunder outside. But taken with that human-centric point of view (not to mention an equally loved-hated camera phone).... the photo totally lose out from the first one.

I am now eager to take more photos of the Dog. I guess I am totally biased, but don't you also think that she's a beautiful dog?
Well... OK, I need to take better photograph with decent camera to prove the point. Got it. Will post them once I got them, OK?

In the mean time, what have you learnt today?

This is taken with the tip in mind; I was prostrate in front of the dog (with cushion, of course).
The expression came about thanks to a fly buzzing around the Dog. Needless to say, she Did.Not. Like. flies.
Photo taken with my KonicaMinolta Dimage X50

Not knowing any better, this was taken nary a day before, the Dog shivering on the sofa.
So many wrong things: lighting was no good, camera was bad, angle was totally wrong. HHhh.... such a wasted opportunity. But hey, with typhoon season coming, I'm sure there will be many more chances.
Photo taken using my Nokia E63 camera.

Market day!

A good helper (housekeeper/maid/whichever term you might want to use) is always a treasure
They keep the house clean, they help you with taking care of the kids,
And you can get your me-time.
Well... or you can go for your full time work in peace, something that I might do in the future
But in the mean time, it's me-time for me

My housekeeper makes 5 visits for every 2 weeks. That's 2 weekdays every week and 1 Sat every fortnight, just in case the Husband and I wants to do some activities that precludes the Little One. That was indeed our main initial reason for hiring a housekeeper. We wanted to go kayaking sometime then. Can't possibly bring the Little One, hmm?

In any case, I usually have roughly to spend without the Little One.
(Don't be angry, Little One. It's not that I do not want to spend time with you, but Mummy needs some time away so that Mummy can remain sane. Besides, Mummy needs to buy groceries)
So I use the chance to go shopping.

Buying veggies, the main reason for the trip

Soya bean curd in a puny plastic cup.
Puny, but pretty convenient when you're holding on plastic bags, and cheap.

If you're thirsty, there's this soyabean curd seller

My transport from market to the freeport gate

And of course, there are snacks. Banana coated in sugar, anyone?

I love going to the market, and I do visit the market like at least once a week.

The main point is to get vegs and fruits, as these items I find are of better quality than those I can usually find in the supermarket. 

Bright red tomatoes, huge fresh carrots, fragrant herbs, friendly sellers who help you to pick the best fruit according to when you want to eat them.... Hmmmm... these are all things that you don't really find in the supermarket, I tell you.

And so I go to supermarket for my dry goods. They are within a freeport zone, so stuff are somewhat cheaper without the taxes. But for these... I go to the local market.

Of course, as you can probably tell from the pictures, the fruits and the vegs are not the only reason I go to the market. Haha... No indeed, siree. I love going to the market also because of the experience, and the market food!

The local market is the only place so far that I know where I can get the soyabean curd. It used to be everywhere in Singapore, but within the freeport? Hmmm... NONE.

And even if I do go to the market, sometime the seller can be quite an elusive thing. So... have to kind of depend on my luck for that.

And then there's those banana stuff. The canteen ... (no pictures for the time being, sorry)... the various traditional food... 

Nyam nyam.....

There are usually specialty stores that sell those type of food, both in Singapore and Indonesia, but here, I am afraid I only know the market. So the market it is.

I am an earthy kind of gal. I can go pretty native, or local. So I do use local means of transport as well. One, because I still haven't gotten my driving licence (still haven't learnt to drive, actually, the lazy me). Besides, two, we don't really have our own car. Three, taxis are WAY more expensive and I'm pretty stingy kind of gal. Anyway, it's really quite fun. There are usually young children in the market, eager to help me with my shopping bags for some money, so I don't really have to struggle a lot with my shopping, which is usually pretty heavy.

I do enjoy my market day. How about you?

Learning something new everyday...

When I was working, we often welcome new batches of trainees, and sometimes full time employees, aboard. The onus is, of course, on us 'long-timers' to bring them up to date with how things are done etc etc etc. Other times, there will be on-hand training to introduce new duties or even some new way of doing things.

Not to be boastful, but I think I was usually one of those who manage to catch up quickly. Combined later on with my responsibility as the supervisor in charge, I do get to 'teach' people quite a bit, and I often quote 'learning something new everyday'. I think it's a good motto to live by. Hopefully it will prevent you from becoming stuck in the past, never growing, never improving.

Well, today I learn about watermarking.
I notice that the blogs I love often would put watermark on their photos.
Concerns regarding copyrights issue aside, I think it really make the blogs look professional.
As I might have mention before, I do have hopes for this blog. Also, I do like to think I take pretty good pictures at times, and I do not want them to be used without my permission. So I suppose it's a good idea to watermark my pictures.



I found this free watermarking service from Google, PicMarkr.
Well, I suppose there are more out there, as you can see from the google search page. However, I just happen to choose PicMarkr and find it pretty easy to use as well.
If you happen to have Picasa, Facebook or Flickr, you can even simply connect to your photos via the website and then replace the original photos with the watermarked ones.

I have been using Picasa for sharing my photos, especially the Little Ones', with my family.
I was really happy to see that the free photo editing software Picnik is now integrated in the Picasa photo viewer. It made my life very much easier the other day when I had to tell a story about the Dog (maybe will share it with you one of these days).

Now, I know that I have been dropping names. I am not paid to be an advertiser. You notice that I mainly share about free stuff. The point here is more to share about my progress in getting the hang of good blogging as I see it. As I learn, you can expect more entries in the same vein, on things I learn in order to be a better blogger, and hopefully, a better person. These might or may not be useful to you, but, hey, we need to learn something new everyday, right? Well... so...

This is one of the pics that I watermark today. There are more, but maybe they are more useful for other posts I plan to write in the future.

So, what have learnt today?

This is my own watercolor painting. It was my something new learnt some other day.

Setting up

I realize that the term 'me-time' is mainly used by the women-kind.
Should that be weird? After all, one would think that guys, and not just gals, do need their 'me-time' as well. But I suppose maybe they do not quite juggle their time they way most gals do.
Especially Moms.

Hhh... when I got this opportunity to quite my job and become a stay-at-home Mom, I thought I would have time to do ALL the things I've been wanting but had no opportunity to do. Little did I know that taking care of a house and a little baby (and later one, also a dog), would leave me with not so much energy and time after all. So much so that when I got my share of me-time at the end of the day, I have barely enough energy to check my mails, maybe read my book or blogs that I enjoy, do a bit of craft, or sleep.

When I got a helper (we have one on part time basis, that is she makes 5 visits in 2 weeks), I really 'use' her. I left the baby with her, go out, enjoy my coffee, do some work out (not anymore, though), shop at the market, read, eat out, go for massage... hmmm... that was good. As I mention in the previous entry, however, I feel that I need to show something for my time not working. So... this shall be the plan starting from today, to manage my me-time properly:

- I shall first get the daily blog done (should I have any idea for a post) BEFORE I do my other stuff (like checking my mails, recipe, google reader, facebook etc etc etc)
- keep the notebook with me to jot down any ideas for the post, so that I would not stare at the blank page and drawing a blank as well
- strictly parenting when it's not me-time

Well, that's all for now. Just for your info, though, I was soo serious about this that on the day I first write for this blog (it was the helper's day to come), I got back from my shopping trip, and instead of having lunch downstairs, I simply grab a bread for 'working lunch', to be had while I hide from the Little One upstairs and started setting up.

I do hope it will pay off.

Anyway, there are still a lot of things to learn and do. I would still like to have a proper profile page, with photos and all. It will be slightly complicated as I would like to keep the privacy option, which means that I would have to either choose my pictures carefully or edit them heavily.

I also hope to keep the blog organized with proper labels and links and what nots. And then I will have to take the Dog and the LIttle one for daily walkies, cook dinner, etc etc. OOooo.... running out of me-time soon.

So, what are you going to do with your 'me-time'?

Prelude...

The month of September this year would mark many things
It would mark 1 year that we had stayed here in the Philippines as a family
It would be the Little One's 2nd birthday
It would mark the 1 year period when I decided to quit my full time job to take a break, be a full time Mom for the Little One, and hopefully decide what I want to do with myself.

That last mark is the spurring factor.
I need to look back into the year and see what I have achieved so far.
For a long time now, I had wanted to have a proper blog.
One that I update regularly, one that is really a creative outlet for myself, one that hopefully people would read and enjoy,
And I really thought that being a full time Mom would give me a better chance of doing it as compared to the time when I was still working
But the intention was never realized until now

I have been wondering around the blogosphere (the world of blogs? Is there such a word? Not too sure) and there are SO MANY fantastic blogs out there
I suppose my reading list is kind of skewed by my own interest, so I have been finding (and reading) LOTS of crafting blogs, blogs which are usually written by Moms like me.
I do believe the Husband actually have his own list of blogs and forums he visits according to his interest (WAY different from mine, that I can tell)

But in any case, here goes.
Today I might be bursting with ideas to write and things to do with this blog
But only time would tell if I will really be able to maintain it the way I want it to be maintained.
I would like to thank in advance for all those who had provided the inspiration for this blog.
I would definitely try to add your links as I move along as a tribute
Wish me luck!

Me getting ready to set up