Life is so good. Thank God!
October 01, 2007 - 20:10
I am extremely amazed at how wonderful life is turning out to be.
at the age of 23, i am married (in fact, i was married by 22), own a house, drives our own car, owner of a productions and studios, runs my own photography business, works as an occupational therapist....
of course, I am busy, i am so busy that i haven't visited my mother-in-law in 2 months or more, my dad since june, both of us forgotten our 4th year dating anniversary cum proposal anniversary cum buy house anniversary (he proposed and we bought our house last year on sep 20th -our third yr together). That was a amazing one, i even threw a tantrum last night when i remembered that we forgot! hahaha. dyl did buy me something but i seriously forgotten. =p
The puppy is somewhat neglected and getting very naughty in an attempt to self-entertain.
but life is good and i can't imagine doing any other things.
perhaps, i need to figure out how to help mend this relationship between my mum and i. i don't talk about it here a lot, but it is bad, very very bad.
sigh.. and life is going to change drastically for us next year, but i shall not talk about family affairs here.
on a brighter note, i received the deposit payment for the lovely wedding i am engaged to shoot in nov. =) thank you very much.
dust!
September 29, 2007 - 15:33
i never knew the power of a speck of dust.
till this moment that i am here, spending hours photoshopping away that speck of damage on the photos from a sep wedding.
i never had much dust trouble when i was using the d70s and d200. but the s5pro is quite a dust sucker.
sigh, i am putting in so much hard work, but it is still not enough. i need to feel again.... feel joy, feel pain... but yet, not feel bad about my patients and their pathetic state...
i just hope he doesn't give up on me yet.
a very challenging journey
September 26, 2007 - 21:49
I am trying to stay sane by blogging here.
Today i really feel very bad... physically bad and mentally tortured.
I hope that next year this time I will be happily working part-time, caring for my family, and resting more.
What is the meaning of "the feeling"? Sigh, i don't know if all these therapy in an acute hospital has driven me kinda lack of emotions... just work and repeat the same thing the next day. =(
I want to feel again, so that I can use this feeling to enhance my life, my marriage and my photography.
It's a very challenging road working with my current mentor. a high expectation indeed. sometimes i just feel like digging a hole and hide. but i know i need to face it and improve improve and improve.
on the bright side of things, thank you to a very sweet couple who entrusted me to capture their beautiful wedding day in nov. =)
QQ had a fall....
September 24, 2007 - 17:00
I never really thought QQ was a good puppy since i never own a bad one.
but looking around, i realised how extremely friendly and happy she is.
she loves people and is friendly to children... such a cutie pie.
she fell the other day and knocked her head, i have been worried since then.
dyl had been so concerned that everytime she did sth different like sleeping in a new pattern, dyl thinks she had head injury.
but really, if QQ is injured, how much can we afford to pay in order to save her?
Part time work
September 20, 2007 - 17:00
I gave up the climb of the coporate ladder.
I gave up without much of a fight, but plenty of internal struggle.
Because time is wealth, family is success, I gave up on career.
Looking at my patients around me, i think to myself "many years from now, when i am sick and old, will i remember what a career woman i am or a loving mother, loving wife, happy family? Who will be holding my hands? my collegues or family?"
The answer is obvious. Thank God that financially things are working out and I don't have to worry so much.
I.am.going.part.time.
Working part-time!
September 15, 2007 - 14:38
I think life is always so unpredictable.
A lot of career issues took place for both of us... and it is very unsettling to opt to do something different.
I had the feeling that i just ended my chances of big promotion etc (as if there is, it's all about seniority and waiting for your turn) cos i submitted a request to work part-time.
Yes, part-time.
Will have to really discuss this with my work place about it but part-time is no kidding. it's half the pay, half the bonus, half the leave.
The fact is, i seriously need to consider working part-time so that my family life can get back in order.
And all the thoughts of having a baby...
I know that after having a baby, when we do have one, I will be happy off working part-time.
It's a right step, but I am so scared sometimes.
We will see how it goes.
Feeling accomplished
September 12, 2007 - 18:09
Glad to be home and done with dinner by this time.
That's one of the many good things about owning our car!
Luckily i came home early without picking dyl up, cos our qq was locked in the kitchen! she locked herself in with the baby gate by accident and couldn't get out... so she was quite sad by the time i got home!
anyway, i will be shooting a wedding this weekend.
And i kinda start to understand that this is not easy in the sense that I am missing a lot of time spent with my family, my friends, my puppy, most importantly, my husband.
Now i understand why a person with a busy but successful career sometimes have poor success in marriage and relationship with children.
There's just no time and energy left.
In fact, with the begining of my road to hopefully full-time wedding photography business, I have to push back great plans for having a baby for at least 5 years. in fact, i shiver at the thought of having one... how to manage????
It does affect my marriage in some sense. Weekends will be burn shooting others' joy and happiness, special occasion like christmas will be spent shooting more weddings...Eg. wanted to join dyl on his taiwan trip in nov but I took on a wedding assignment in the midst of his trip, so I had to simply wish him bon voyage.
The good thing is, i feel very accomplished! In fact, i really loved wedding photography over being a clinician because I feel wanted and respected and treasured and appreciated. Couples will pay high price of $100 per hour to hire me, they loved my works and would recommend others to me. Whereas as a clinician, i have to "force" many of my patients to do therapy and in the end, they complain about the $30-40 spent in therapy.
That's why, no matter how difficult this road is, I am going to hold on tight.
So much so for the many years of education threw into moulding me into an OT. hahaha. Perhaps, those stuff do come in useful here too, like PR skills.
Constant exposure
September 10, 2007 - 21:13
I cannot count how lucky i am to be hired by my current "boss" and mentor.
Of course, i sometimes feel inadequate and have been trying to learn learn, learn as much as possible.
Re-processing the wedding day album AGAIN, after being given some constructive comments.
Sadly, i am sick AGAIN today. With flu and a bad sneezing nose. Dyl promptly left to buy me a hot soupy dinner. i know he is doing all he can to make my photography a success.It's tough on him having to face a wife who is grumpy when she cannot find inspiration and no time to spend with him.. just a little cuddle now and then... and for even greater intimacy in life, let's just say- forget it. Sleep is more important now.
The roads to a budding photography career is basically shoot and shoot and review and study and learn.
My first meeting with my customer sucks, and i learned from there. i am still learning how to sell my photography better instead of the "take it if you admire it" attitude.
Now my whole head is filled with thoughts like "f1.8, 1/60 ISO 400 etc" all the time when i look at something, i will think -"what exposure will be idea?"
To think after 2 years of photography, i only started truly mastering manual mode of photography this year. And the learning curve has been steep but it is going well!
Of course, i can't tell you how satisfied i am at baby photography... will upload it here when i am free- sounds like never then.
At my peak!
September 09, 2007 - 14:59
My stress level is still all time high, set to peak next week after the wedding i will be shooting- due to all the post processing works.
I am still not sleeping enough, not resting enough, holding 4 jobs - as an OT, as a wedding photographer, as a student at SIM, as a housewife.
Dyl is starting to take on more household chores in an attempt to reduce my chores... that, i am very grateful, thank you!!
I realised that as i get more busy and stressed, i blog more often! haha, it's a good way to disperse stress.
The baby photography i took some weeks ago turned out to be very good, i can start advertising agressively.. but that's not the top priority first...
For now, i will concentrate on improving the wedding day photography and glad to announce that my rates are now at $980 per day (12h).
It was a tough journey travelling here but it's all worth it! =) The last wedding i will be shooting on my own (under Regina Lim Photography) will be in Nov 24th and from now on, it will fall under another bigger established company - will reveal later. =)
I love photography, especially weddings and babies...Thank God for sending me the best chance to excel in this!
Every women look beautiful on their wedding day.