Pot Luck @ my place...theme : "Singapore Food"

Seriously, who says there is no good Singapore Food in Michigan! Can't be! 


I think where there are hungry Singaporeans (& Prima Taste) there will be GREAT Singapore Food! 


Menu for the Night:
1. Hainanese Chicken Rice (plus chicken soup)
2. Oyster Omelette
3. Lor Bak
4. Agar Agar

(by the way all photos were taken using my new NEX 7)

The chefs for the night! 

First look at my NEX 7

I was so excited when I received my Sony NEX7 in the mail yesterday. This is a camera that I have spent the past 2 months researching on... truly I must have spent over 20 hours reading reviews & looking at photos taken with this camera before I decided to take the plunge.


When I woke up this morning, I decided to bring it with me to work. Took a few photos - absolutely no photo editing done other than re-sizing the photos smaller for convenience of download on website.


This mirrorless camera is reputed to be one of the best in the market now. Here's my one day review:


1. Size of the camera - for the first time I am holding something that is slightly heavier than a paper-weight to take photos. For someone who is used to lugging a DSLR camera around, the size and weight of the Sony NEX 7 is a welcome fresh-breath.


2. Dynamic range - it's got a very good dynamic range for a camera this size - I am truly surprised. I have intentionally took the photos below to demonstrate its dynamic range handling abilities... items in the shadow still shows up very clearly. impressive!


3. Auto-focus - this is a downsize to the camera especially in low light condition. I am not sure what is the name of the focusing technology used here - but it is evidently slower than a DSLR like the 7D (which by the way is super!) 


4. Electronic viewfinder - while many applaud the EVF of the NEX 7, I think it is only average. Maybe I am comparing to the optical viewfinder quality I get on a 5D. The colour rendition in the EVF is not very accurate. Also I don't think one can use the EVF to perform manual focusing - it does not offer sufficient image details for manual focusing. I was originally thinking of buying an adapter so that I could use my Canon lens on this machine... now I think can save some $$. I seriously don't see how I can work with manual focusing on this camera.


5. Handling - maybe it is the size of the camera... holding it in my hands actually feels a bit weird... somewhat too light. IT doesn't feel very "balanced" well... I guess I cannot complain, this is a compact szie camera after all.

What is life if full of cares...

What is life if full of cares...when we have no time to stand and stare.


I was walking in Toronto... the lamp-post caught my eyes and caused me to take a shot. Almost immediately, I forgot that I took this shot (and what inspired me to take this shot). 


Three weeks later - I was looking for some photos to post on my blog & this photo jumped out at me. As I took a closer look, I remembered why I took this shot... the messages on the lamp post - quirky words like "Rain... cloud... farts... love... y gen"


Sometimes its like that... the everyday cares & distractions can make you lose sight of life's every detail... I am reminded that I need to slow down & take the time to appreciate the details. Appreciate the beautiful messages, words, people, things around me! ... Lest I fail to notice... fail to appreciate & fail to learn!


"The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.
And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change.
Until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds ~ RD Laing."

I have the choice - I will set the course!

Today, I read a quote by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Truly inspiring! When my strength starts to ebb, I realise that it is up to me to find the way, make the decision and steer the course. 


No one can travel the same course as me... and I will take the one less travelled and it will make all the difference.


Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote 


"One ship drives east and another drives west
With the self same winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails,
And not the gales,
That tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate;
As we voyage along through life,
Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm, or the strife."

Faces at Coamerica Park

Just wanted to show some interesting painted faces I saw at Coamerica Park this afternoon. 

Tigers vs Rangers in Coamerica Park

Ever seen the movie Moneyball? Yes, it's a story about baseball... today that story came to life for me as I sat to watch the Detroit Tigers play against the Texas Rangers. 


The atmosphere was electrifying especially when at the 9th innings both teams were tied. For a moment, Detroit looks as if they have the odds to emerge with victory for the night (yes - the heart ruled over the head). Ranger broke the tie at the 11th innings... and when it was the Tigers' turn to bat... Prince Fielder took the bat... yes, with Jacksons already at the first base - all we need is a home-run! Altho' home runs don't come easy :)


The crowd went silent as Prince prepares to bat. "This is it..." a lady in  front of me whispered ... (you could almost hear the pin drop). The pitcher fling the ball straight into Prince's direction & he hit it... the ball went high, too high. The rest were history - my team lost!


Sigh! To think that I bought a Tigers baseball cap just to support the team! Well... better luck next time!

Something quirky about Kensington Market, Toronto

Has anyone been to Kensington Market in Toronto. When I was there there was a small street market happening in that place... a lot of culture, people sitting around sipping coffee and waiting for time to pass... Saw this little clown at the corner of my eye... 

Toronto Train Station

I was just walking around Toronto to see what this city has to offer... Great food and a wide variety of them is definitely one especially if you are into good quality Asian (including Japanese) food. I just simply don't have enough of these in Michigan. Anyway... back to the topic of "walking around", I chance into this building. Thankfully its weekend and the place wasn't too busy, I hastily took a few shot and got on my way:)

Are you living the moment or just trying to describe it?

I am not sure if this has occurred to any photographer before, when you are busy clicking away trying to compose... re-compose. Shoot... change the aperture, tripod, multiple exposures for HDR processing... it does begin to feel very busy. Strangely in the midst of all those activities, trying to capture a shot that will last forever (technically if I don't delete it), sometimes I feel that I have forgotten to breathe in the moment or just simply missed that "MOMENT". 


Yes, it's true that a picture speaks a thousand words but... sometimes those thousand words do not allow you to "experience" or "re-live" the moment. These days, I always try to remind myself... it is more important to live the moment than describing or capturing it.

Niagara at dawn

I went to bed late the night before (had dinner at an Italian restaurant) ... so it took a lot of effort for me to wake up at Ouch-o’clock the next morning just to see the sunrise in the Niagara. I guess that's the way it works - waking up before the sun rise when you are on "holiday" is always painful. 

It’s always been worth it… listening to music, moving around, taking a fast walk to the waterfront ... some of my best photos have been taken at the most undesirable hours - at the waterfront I was pretty much totally alone except for a few joggers doing their morning runs.

Somewhere over the rainbow @ Niagara Falls

Just when I thought that my day couldn't get any better, a rainbow suddenly appeared at the Falls. It was beautiful ... honestly, I have never been so close to a rainbow before. I can finally clearly see the 7 colours that make up the rainbow and not to mention, it almost felt like I could stretch out my hands and touch it. 


Somewhere beneath the buzz of the waterfall ... was a serenity of a beauty awesome to behold.


There you go... I found my pot of gold.

Sunrise at Niagara Falls

Here's a little secret, if you are visiting Niagara Falls & would like to avoid the crowd (yes, it gets very very very crowded during weekends & public holidays)... ... set your clock to wake up at 530am. At sunrise, there was virtually no one around the Falls - use this time to take as many photos as possible. Yeah!


This photo serves as evidence!

Night time in Niagara - the magic of the fall!

Well, the Niagara Falls is indeed magical... by day it stands firm & unwavering as the Everest of Waterfalls, by night it unleashes it's magical effect through a stunning display of lights and colours. Truly worthy of the accolade as a wonder of the natural world! Unfortunately, I don't think my photography skills (or lack of) does it justice.


Standing in front of the falls, I was dumbfounded ... after breathing in the sight and sound of the Niagara Falls, I finally uttered "spectacular". 


That, is my experience of the Niagara Falls!