Spending Way Too Much Time Online

If you are like me, spending too much time looking at other photographer's work, wondering how to achieve beautiful shots; perfect composition---staring at that Leica... STOP! I bemoan the lack of time to shoot, yet I trawl the internet looking for a quick for my gear lust. If only I can put my time into shooting, I figured I'll be a damn great photographer by now. This insatiable appetite for gear has to stop. The envy for other photographers' projects has to stop. Need to get out and shoot.

Maybe just one more Leica CL + 40mm Summicron...

Driving Test

Getting a driving license in Singapore is an expensive affair and nerve wrecking experience. There are horror stories of uptight testers, deliberately tricking and failing you.

Thing is: I need the license, FAST. I've been waiting since 24th July for the test. It takes 2 1/2 months to get a test date. October, November and December are usual busy period for wedding professionals. Since my guy left the company, my colleague and I had to truck our gear via cabs---really inconvienent.

If I fail this test, I will have to wait 3 months for another test date---in 2013! This is ridiculous and unacceptable! Crossing my fingers and hope for the best come 10th of October.

Being Happy with Little

"Money doesn't buy happiness". A cliche that people hear almost everytime they lament about their income. Most people I know, whether they are making $20,000 a year or $200,000 a year are unhappy with their income generating abilities. I am one of them at times.

Gibson Blues Master, Keb' Mo' signature series

Here's a recent personal experience: I bought a nice little acoustic guitar for $500, after a month, I started surfing the internet and lusting over that $3,000 Gibson. The characteristic of wanting more, not recognizing that what we have is perfectly capable of giving us happiness does all of us in. I could sign off $3,000 and be unhappy with the Gibson in a month's time. I woke up this morning wondering what the hell I am so unhappy about---my life mostly.

Here's a list of it:

1. I wish I have more disposable income to spend
2. More time to enjoy the things I bought
3. More money in my retirement funds, equals to earlier retirement

After thinking it through, I realized that "Money = Time". If you have not read Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's book: Your Money or Your Life, I suggest you do it ASAP. In order to earn more money, I need to shoot more weddings(I'm a Photographer/Videographer for weddings). Cover one more wedding a month would bring in an addition $2,000 right? WRONG. Photographing is just one part of the job. There are other 'invisible' work required which people don't see like: spending more time marketing to a bigger audience, more time meeting clients, shooting, editing, packaging the product, etc.

So, I could spend 30 hours more per month on making that addition $2,000 or spend that time playing the $500 guitar I already have. I could spend that 30 hours on reading, traveling, shooting a personal project---fulfilling point 2 of the list of things I am unhappy about.

Simple logic, but something we all forget: "Spend less than you earn. Retire early." Frankly, I can do with less stress of  shooting weddings.

Work Hard, Play Later

I was taught to study hard, get a college education, work till retirement before enjoying myself. The more I think about it, the more flawed the logic becomes. There are stuff that you just can't do when you are down with weak bones, riddled with illnesses when you're old---that's especially when it comes to my genes. See, no one in my family lives pass 80---except my great grandmother. Plus the fact that I am a smoker greatly reduces my life on this world.

My father passed away at 60 of pancreatic cancer. Diabetes, heart diseases and cancer runs in the family. I don't expect myself to live pass 70. That leaves me with at most 37 years. On the short side, I might just have another 27 years.

That is why I want to do the things I enjoy, spend a little money traveling while I still can. That's one reason why I picked up playing the harmonica and guitar. Also, I wish to document life around me on the camera---streets, people, my family.

I try and live like today is the last I'll ever see. That's the way life should be lived.

I'd Rather be Shooting

I've set up maybe 5-10 blogs over the years---on topics as varied as finance, poker, trading to photography. The interest waned over time till the blogs were neglected and died a natural death.

I'd rather make photographs than blog about some famous photographer, create a list of 10 things why you should shoot film/digital, etc. There's way too much noise out there from blogger photogs---writing an article a day without much content, other than to market their pointless workshops---on how to hold a damn camera when street shooting.

I'll post when I have something to say. You're welcomed not to subscribe, read or look at my pictures. Better to be true and have 1 reader, than come across as a marketeer that makes mediocre photographs and gives useless workshops.

Just Need a Spot to Rest Me Damn Legs

I looked for a spot to do some reading on my phone after a heavy dinner. It read 9PM on my wrist watch. I got engrossed in reading some photography feeds, all the while looking down. From the top---where my peripheral vision ends, a pair of black leather shoes covered by navy blue pants entered the frame.

I looked up, there stood a police man and his partner, a police woman off to my far right.

"Can I check your ID, Sir?"

Sure, why not? I fish my wallet out and promptly produced my ID and passed it to him without much fuss.

He looked it over for a couple of seconds before radioing in to HQ to verify that I wasn't wanted. After a minute or so, there's no reply from HQ, his partner asked: "Who are you waiting for?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying: "Just reading."

They looked at me like I had something sticking out of my nose, nodded and looked away.

Not that I minded them checking my ID, maybe there's a double homicide or a repeat flasher at the spot I was sitting. Just little befuddled that they assumed I was waiting for someone, well, I might like being alone---reading.

Time to harass the dog and check on the development of my film.