Hey everyone! I have an evening "off" tonight so I thought I would update all of you with what is going on with my life at the moment. I've been contemplating and evaluating a few things - a few big things and so it'll definitely be interesting to track the progress of the things I will mention in this blog! Here it goes:
1. Paramedic Academy. This past Wednesday I went to the Justice Institute of British Columbia to attend an information session for the Paramedic Academy Program. This combined with an interview with a paramedic, was extremely helpful. There are some definite anxieties about where I will end up working and the amount of time I will spend away from home and community but I think if the commitment is there, I will eventually find that I will get to work where I want and when I want - which is important because to me, the Saint James Music Academy is a higher priority! For more information, visit this site.
2. Saint James Music Academy. This past week I've been a staff member, helping run the summer music daycamp with UGM. It was been so amazing! Yesterday and today I spent most of my time in choir lessons, encouraging kids to sing. We practiced Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" over and over again, and split it up so we had a 3-part harmony going on too! I love singing, I love encouraging kids - what could be better!? Today I looked around and thought to myself: "this is so awesome! I am so blessed to be here!" - and so I think that if I was financially able to commit most of my time to this organization, that is what I would be doing! So expect the Academy to be an on-going part of my life for the next few years! For more information, visit this site.
3. Refugee Sponsorship. I bet very few people know about this one! The past 2 weeks I've really been challenged to spend my time pursuing people/things that Jesus would go after - especially stuff that I have had a negative effect with, in my past. So after some prayer and thought, it just came to me! Get involved with getting refugees out of refugee camps! It wasn't COMPLETELY my idea - a roomate of mine brought it up awhile ago... I just decided to put it off/not take it seriously (to pursue other things, of course!). But now I really want to get my hands involved with it - whether it be financially, or with my time and giftings in administration and photography. I'm there! So I, along with several others in the community. will be spending a lot of time and energy filling out paperwork and making arrangements to sponsor an Iraqi family of 9 (currently living in a refugee camp in... Syria I believe...) in re-locating to Canada. I think it's perfect because of the fact that I have a history with war, previously being in Afghanistan with the Canadian military. For more information on refugee sponsorship, visit this site.
4. Photography. Last but not least... the thing that you usually check out this website for! I am going to be more rigid with how much I work - how much photography I do. I really, really have to guard myself against burn-out. If you take on too much, you end up resenting it and getting tired of it. And the business side of the job can really suck the life and creativity out of the art! So as a result, the above 3 items listed will be taking up more time, and I will be spending less time on photography. I'm writing this as a normal guy, not a salesman or photographer! Burn-out happens - we all just have to admit that sometimes we need to mix-it-up to maintain our passions! So I will be limiting myself to 11 weddings next year (which isn't a huge change because I'm only doing 12-13 this year). I have 3 weddings already confirmed, which means that only 8 more spots remain... so no need to rush or feel pressured. If you are a prospective wedding-photography client with a set-wedding-date, just express your interest early and I will make a note of it in my calendar!
Apologies
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Labels:
saint james music academy
Hi everyone!
Just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and well! I am just busy and pre-occupied with life at the moment.
This week I am working pretty much full time at the Saint James Music Academy as we conduct our Summer Music Camp in partnership with Union Gospel Mission (UGM).
Monday went really well as we had 2 hours of music lessons followed by a trip out to Nat Bailey Stadium to watch the Vancouver Canadians play baseball. We also got a tour of the stadium and had players sign autographs. I'm not sure if this link will work, or for how long it will work but here's some background on our day, as covered by CTV news.
Today we had music lessons again, followed by a trip out to Locarno Beach in Point Grey. I just have to say... it's all very very tiring! It's definitely enjoyable at the same time :)
So that's what I've been doing the past few days and will continue to do for the rest of the week!
Just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and well! I am just busy and pre-occupied with life at the moment.
This week I am working pretty much full time at the Saint James Music Academy as we conduct our Summer Music Camp in partnership with Union Gospel Mission (UGM).
Monday went really well as we had 2 hours of music lessons followed by a trip out to Nat Bailey Stadium to watch the Vancouver Canadians play baseball. We also got a tour of the stadium and had players sign autographs. I'm not sure if this link will work, or for how long it will work but here's some background on our day, as covered by CTV news.
Today we had music lessons again, followed by a trip out to Locarno Beach in Point Grey. I just have to say... it's all very very tiring! It's definitely enjoyable at the same time :)
So that's what I've been doing the past few days and will continue to do for the rest of the week!
Wedding #12: CHALEX (Cherie and Alexander)
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Labels:
Furry Creek,
Squamish,
wedding photography
If you were traveling the Sea-to-Sky highway this weekend you might have felt a little electricity in the air. Why? Because it was the weekend that Alex and Cherie had their beautiful Furry Creek wedding!
The Sunday wedding was a beautiful mountain-top experience in overcast skies amongst a small crowd of friends and family.
Here are photos from the event:
It all started at the Executive Suites hotel in North Squamish where I had stayed overnight with all of the family and out-of-towners. The wedding day started at 8am when the ladies woke up to get their hair and make-up done.
By noon the bride-to-be was ready for bed!
At the end of it all everyone had a blast! We scuffed up the floor doing line-dancing and the bride and groom were covered in a sticky film from all the bubbles being blown.
The Sunday wedding was a beautiful mountain-top experience in overcast skies amongst a small crowd of friends and family.
Here are photos from the event:
It all started at the Executive Suites hotel in North Squamish where I had stayed overnight with all of the family and out-of-towners. The wedding day started at 8am when the ladies woke up to get their hair and make-up done.
By noon the bride-to-be was ready for bed!
Alex, posing for some artistic shots in his room
The ceremony:
The ceremony was followed by portraits:
And portraits were followed by the reception. The lovely cake made by the maid-of-honour and sister of the bride:
A good excuse to get out of the non-air-conditioned reception hall: More portraits!
The break didn't last long!
I know them as the Delblanc twins... the bride's family has labeled them "The Terror Squad"
Some wedding reception games:
And the first dance...
Laurel (mother of the bride) leading the conga line!
The pastor and wedding singer... not what you'd expect!
At the end of it all everyone had a blast! We scuffed up the floor doing line-dancing and the bride and groom were covered in a sticky film from all the bubbles being blown.
Samson + Rosanna
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Labels:
Downtown Vancouver,
engagement,
portraits
It was a sunny warm Thursday evening. Samson and Rosanna dropped by to hang out and have a few photos taken. We walked around. It was beautiful!!!! That's pretty much the evening in a nutshell. Look out for these two fantastic beautiful faces in May 2010 when they get married and I photograph their wedding!
My Camera is Gone!
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Labels:
travel
(if you're in a rush and want to cut out the background and details - just skip to the 10th paragraph! The photos in this blog were taken with the camera that wasn't stolen!)
It still feels like a dream... or should I say a nightmare? I just can't believe it happened!
It all started on Saturday morning. My planned-out, much anticipated solo trip to Santo Domingo was to happen. Up 90 minutes later than I wanted, I made my way from the resort to the Bavaro bus station. Due to waking up late I missed the express bus to Santo Domingo by an hour and so the next one would be in 3 hours. Too long! Instead I chose to take a bus to Higuey, then on to Santo Domingo... apparently buses to Santo Domingo were more frequent there.
A bus to Higuey left almost immediately. I got on and noticed all the stickers up at the front of the bus. I can't remember the exact spanish wording but the stickers said things like "If Jesus is with me then who is against me?" and "Jesus is love" ... some comforting thoughts to meditate on as I made my way away from the order of the exclusive resort into the chaos of the city.
And so an hour later I got nervous as I got off at Higuey. Where was the bus station for Santo Domingo!? A slight moment of panic gave way to relief as I looked across the street and saw some large buses. Shoot! A Santo Domingo-bound bus just left! But thirty seconds later another bus pulled in - wow! These things do come frequently hey?? 10 minutes later we left Higuey for Santo Domingo. It turns out that almost every bus has religious stickers all over them. So either all bus drivers are strong Catholic/Christians or they have those stickers there to comfort passengers during the trip. With all of my trips there was intense bus driving! Multiple times we were due for a head-on collision as drivers passed slower vehicles by crossing into the on-coming lane.
Three hours after leaving the resort I arrived in Santo Domingo. It was NOTHING of what I expected from a national capital city. It really looked more like a slum to be honest... jus with more traffic... more dangerous, life-threatening traffic! I had a faint idea of my orientation but I decided to let a motorcycle-taxi take me to my destination: Zona Colonial - the old historic part of Santo Domingo. 5 minutes later, slightly shaken but safe, I arrived and walked around, taking photos along the way - this time with my Canon 5D - the professional camera. I saw the oldest church in the new world and a whole bunch of other neat buildings. This combined with a search for souvenirs made the majority of my trip.
At the last souvenir ship I asked the lady in the store where the bus to Higey was. She pointed me in a direction and said a long string of Spanish which I didn't know and I nodded and walked off. As I walked away she said in broken english "put this in here", pointing to my camera and then to my backpack. So that's what I did, putting away my Canon 5D but taking out my Canon G10 as a replacement.
Using a map I copied by hang from Google Maps, I headed in what I thought was the right direction. I walked past buildings with political party banners hung across them, slowly noticing my surroundings becoming more suburban. I decided I wasn't going the right way and so I turned and 2 blocks later, found myself at what looked like a national capital building. It looked like... the legislature at Victoria... but with palm trees! Beside it was the Dominican equivalent to the FBI or RCMP, guarded by armed soldiers.
I wandered and wandered and wandered more, hoping to find a familiar street name. 20 minutes later I realized i walked a complete circle and was back at Independence Park. At that point I realized that I had a small compass hanging on my backpack that was going unused! Using it, I headed Northeast to the bus station. And in the distance, I saw a cluster of large tour buses and knew I was headed in the right direction.
I proceeded across one of the city's major roads, Av de Mexico and continued uphill. I saw all these buses, parked on the side of the street... but no passengers or drivers. I turned a corner and kept on walking. Had I not been interrupted, I would have very very shortly made my way to the right bus back to Higuey.....
It's still hard for me to think about and write about... this incident. It is all a blur and all in slow-motion at the same time: A young man got up from sitting on the sidewalk (lots of people were sitting), and asked where I was going. I told him where I was going, and seeming confident, he walked me in another direction. He said something in Spanish that I couldn't understand. I asked him to say it again. He pointed at my camera and said something about holding it to be safe. So he reached for it and held it - taking me off guard. I said in english, "no that's okay... give it back" and he pulled back. I repeated myself, and reached again... he pulled back. I reached again, he pulled back again and in a flash he bolted. What happened next is reminiscent of a scene from "The Bourne Ultimatum" - I took pursuit in full sprint. Not gaining ground, nor losing it, I chased him, running my absolute fastest for 50-80 meters. This guy was fast... I wonder if he expected me to keep up with him! At one point, having felt I was close enough, I reached out to grab his grey t-shirt. I touched it, swiped it, but didn't get a grasp of it! He darted through a patch of grass and jumped between those cables that hold up telephone polls. I followed close behind. AYUDAME! AYUDAME! - help me! help me! I shouted. Hoping someone would get in his way or do something. No one did. An old man in front of us jumped out of the way. No one was going to stop this guy as we turned a corner and ran down a wide sidewalk: We were back on Av. de Mexico. He quickly ran between two vehicles parallel parked on the side of the busy road and went into traffic. Calculating the dangers of running into traffic and the risk of what this guy might do to defend himself, I gave up pursuit. It was over. My camera was gone.
A cluster of uniformed "guards" (private security I think?) approached. They asked me what happened in Spanish. Out of breath, my feet burning, I gasped "camera" and they all knew. I panted and gasped and made out a sentence in spanish as they all stood around me:It was something like "hay personas ayudame buscar un autobus a Higuey!?" Is there anyone to help me find a bus to Higuey!?" They all paused... some blurted out spanish and I looked puzzled... not understanding their rapid speech. One man stepped forward and got me to walk with him and 5 minutes later there it was: the bus station for Higuey. I thanked him profusely - shaking his hand and saying "Muchos gracias" over and over again. I was glad to be starting the conclusion of the day.
I sat in the cool air of the air conditioned bus thinking about the events of the last 20 minutes. How could I have been so gullable? What in the world was I thinking!? Why was I so trusting? It's just a material possession, it could have been worse. What if I had taken a leap to try to tackle him? Or swept is leg to trip him? I could've gotten him! All these thoughts swirling in my mind. "What's done is done" I told myself. "You can't let this consume you... it sucks but it could have been worse... breathe in, breathe out, breathe in... breathe out..." I closed my eyes and just accepted the days events and what had happened.
I decided I would pick-up my novel and finish the last few chapters of Angels and Demons. In the midst of it all I failed to realize that there was a woman standing up front, speaking, eyes closed - with most passengers eyes closed as well. She was saying a prayer. Through the fast speaking of spanish I could recognize the words 'Dios', 'Cristo' and 'Espirito Santo' and felt comfort and calm amidst the chaos.
The rest of the evening went well, relative to everything else that had happened. I arrived in Higuey and almost got off at the wrong stop. I asked/told the driver that I wanted to go to Bavaro and him and the woman who was praying earlier stopped me from getting off early, saying in spanish that the bus to Bavaro was at "la pare ultima" - the last stop. The remainder of my bus time was spent staring out the window listening to the calming sounds of Matt Wertz, Matt Costa, Anna Vandas and Brooke Fraser on my iPod.
And so my trip to "the big city' had ended in some misfortune, but I know it could have been worse. My professional camera could have been stolen. I could have been attacked in the process. I could have lost my passport. So I am reminding myself that things could have been worse and that I should take this as an expensive life lesson and travel experience!
It still feels like a dream... or should I say a nightmare? I just can't believe it happened!
It all started on Saturday morning. My planned-out, much anticipated solo trip to Santo Domingo was to happen. Up 90 minutes later than I wanted, I made my way from the resort to the Bavaro bus station. Due to waking up late I missed the express bus to Santo Domingo by an hour and so the next one would be in 3 hours. Too long! Instead I chose to take a bus to Higuey, then on to Santo Domingo... apparently buses to Santo Domingo were more frequent there.
A bus to Higuey left almost immediately. I got on and noticed all the stickers up at the front of the bus. I can't remember the exact spanish wording but the stickers said things like "If Jesus is with me then who is against me?" and "Jesus is love" ... some comforting thoughts to meditate on as I made my way away from the order of the exclusive resort into the chaos of the city.
And so an hour later I got nervous as I got off at Higuey. Where was the bus station for Santo Domingo!? A slight moment of panic gave way to relief as I looked across the street and saw some large buses. Shoot! A Santo Domingo-bound bus just left! But thirty seconds later another bus pulled in - wow! These things do come frequently hey?? 10 minutes later we left Higuey for Santo Domingo. It turns out that almost every bus has religious stickers all over them. So either all bus drivers are strong Catholic/Christians or they have those stickers there to comfort passengers during the trip. With all of my trips there was intense bus driving! Multiple times we were due for a head-on collision as drivers passed slower vehicles by crossing into the on-coming lane.
Three hours after leaving the resort I arrived in Santo Domingo. It was NOTHING of what I expected from a national capital city. It really looked more like a slum to be honest... jus with more traffic... more dangerous, life-threatening traffic! I had a faint idea of my orientation but I decided to let a motorcycle-taxi take me to my destination: Zona Colonial - the old historic part of Santo Domingo. 5 minutes later, slightly shaken but safe, I arrived and walked around, taking photos along the way - this time with my Canon 5D - the professional camera. I saw the oldest church in the new world and a whole bunch of other neat buildings. This combined with a search for souvenirs made the majority of my trip.
At the last souvenir ship I asked the lady in the store where the bus to Higey was. She pointed me in a direction and said a long string of Spanish which I didn't know and I nodded and walked off. As I walked away she said in broken english "put this in here", pointing to my camera and then to my backpack. So that's what I did, putting away my Canon 5D but taking out my Canon G10 as a replacement.
Using a map I copied by hang from Google Maps, I headed in what I thought was the right direction. I walked past buildings with political party banners hung across them, slowly noticing my surroundings becoming more suburban. I decided I wasn't going the right way and so I turned and 2 blocks later, found myself at what looked like a national capital building. It looked like... the legislature at Victoria... but with palm trees! Beside it was the Dominican equivalent to the FBI or RCMP, guarded by armed soldiers.
I wandered and wandered and wandered more, hoping to find a familiar street name. 20 minutes later I realized i walked a complete circle and was back at Independence Park. At that point I realized that I had a small compass hanging on my backpack that was going unused! Using it, I headed Northeast to the bus station. And in the distance, I saw a cluster of large tour buses and knew I was headed in the right direction.
I proceeded across one of the city's major roads, Av de Mexico and continued uphill. I saw all these buses, parked on the side of the street... but no passengers or drivers. I turned a corner and kept on walking. Had I not been interrupted, I would have very very shortly made my way to the right bus back to Higuey.....
It's still hard for me to think about and write about... this incident. It is all a blur and all in slow-motion at the same time: A young man got up from sitting on the sidewalk (lots of people were sitting), and asked where I was going. I told him where I was going, and seeming confident, he walked me in another direction. He said something in Spanish that I couldn't understand. I asked him to say it again. He pointed at my camera and said something about holding it to be safe. So he reached for it and held it - taking me off guard. I said in english, "no that's okay... give it back" and he pulled back. I repeated myself, and reached again... he pulled back. I reached again, he pulled back again and in a flash he bolted. What happened next is reminiscent of a scene from "The Bourne Ultimatum" - I took pursuit in full sprint. Not gaining ground, nor losing it, I chased him, running my absolute fastest for 50-80 meters. This guy was fast... I wonder if he expected me to keep up with him! At one point, having felt I was close enough, I reached out to grab his grey t-shirt. I touched it, swiped it, but didn't get a grasp of it! He darted through a patch of grass and jumped between those cables that hold up telephone polls. I followed close behind. AYUDAME! AYUDAME! - help me! help me! I shouted. Hoping someone would get in his way or do something. No one did. An old man in front of us jumped out of the way. No one was going to stop this guy as we turned a corner and ran down a wide sidewalk: We were back on Av. de Mexico. He quickly ran between two vehicles parallel parked on the side of the busy road and went into traffic. Calculating the dangers of running into traffic and the risk of what this guy might do to defend himself, I gave up pursuit. It was over. My camera was gone.
A cluster of uniformed "guards" (private security I think?) approached. They asked me what happened in Spanish. Out of breath, my feet burning, I gasped "camera" and they all knew. I panted and gasped and made out a sentence in spanish as they all stood around me:It was something like "hay personas ayudame buscar un autobus a Higuey!?" Is there anyone to help me find a bus to Higuey!?" They all paused... some blurted out spanish and I looked puzzled... not understanding their rapid speech. One man stepped forward and got me to walk with him and 5 minutes later there it was: the bus station for Higuey. I thanked him profusely - shaking his hand and saying "Muchos gracias" over and over again. I was glad to be starting the conclusion of the day.
I sat in the cool air of the air conditioned bus thinking about the events of the last 20 minutes. How could I have been so gullable? What in the world was I thinking!? Why was I so trusting? It's just a material possession, it could have been worse. What if I had taken a leap to try to tackle him? Or swept is leg to trip him? I could've gotten him! All these thoughts swirling in my mind. "What's done is done" I told myself. "You can't let this consume you... it sucks but it could have been worse... breathe in, breathe out, breathe in... breathe out..." I closed my eyes and just accepted the days events and what had happened.
I decided I would pick-up my novel and finish the last few chapters of Angels and Demons. In the midst of it all I failed to realize that there was a woman standing up front, speaking, eyes closed - with most passengers eyes closed as well. She was saying a prayer. Through the fast speaking of spanish I could recognize the words 'Dios', 'Cristo' and 'Espirito Santo' and felt comfort and calm amidst the chaos.
The rest of the evening went well, relative to everything else that had happened. I arrived in Higuey and almost got off at the wrong stop. I asked/told the driver that I wanted to go to Bavaro and him and the woman who was praying earlier stopped me from getting off early, saying in spanish that the bus to Bavaro was at "la pare ultima" - the last stop. The remainder of my bus time was spent staring out the window listening to the calming sounds of Matt Wertz, Matt Costa, Anna Vandas and Brooke Fraser on my iPod.
And so my trip to "the big city' had ended in some misfortune, but I know it could have been worse. My professional camera could have been stolen. I could have been attacked in the process. I could have lost my passport. So I am reminding myself that things could have been worse and that I should take this as an expensive life lesson and travel experience!
Wedding #11: SLINA (Sam & Lina)
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Labels:
travel,
wedding photography
As most of you faithful blog readers know, I have been in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for the past week, covering the wedding of Sam and Lina. Well it finally happened on Thursday evening - and might I add that it was AMAZING! So at the moment I'm in Toronto waiting for my transfer to home sweet home - Vancouver! So I'm taking these 2 hours to blog and post photos. Here it goes!
The sky was blue, the sand was white, the breeze was cooling! It was an incredibly long day for me and the morning after, I felt SO SORE! Strange hey? I must have gotten a good workout running around and crouching to get those odd angles - but it all paid off in the form of some really great images. Here are just a small small handful of the 1500 photos taken that day:
Thank you Sam & Lina for the amazing opportunity and experience! It's been awesome getting to know the two of you and your hilarious personalities!
The sky was blue, the sand was white, the breeze was cooling! It was an incredibly long day for me and the morning after, I felt SO SORE! Strange hey? I must have gotten a good workout running around and crouching to get those odd angles - but it all paid off in the form of some really great images. Here are just a small small handful of the 1500 photos taken that day:
Getting ready: Bridesmaids doing their hair and make-up
The men: Only needing 10 minutes to get ready!
The beautiful venue:
While waiting for the last trickle of guests, we headed into the lounge for some beautiful indoor photos:
And then the ceremony started!
And it was short... but very sweet!
We spent the next 2 hours taking photos
And then came the reception under the stars...
And people had fun!
Thank you Sam & Lina for the amazing opportunity and experience! It's been awesome getting to know the two of you and your hilarious personalities!
Professional Camera... Punta Cana
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Labels:
travel,
wedding photography
So I paid $15US for 24 hours of wireless internet access. That means that I only have tonight and tomorrow morning to post some photos and hop on facebook! Some of you are thinking "what are you doing in the Dominican Republic using the internet!?" - well I just have to say that I'm not completely on vacation here! And when I checked my emails this morning there were definitely a few that needed attending to! So there!
So today I spent most of my time indoors. I worked on photos from my professional camera and spent the majority of time reading my book. I decided that I need to read my book less because I might finish it too soon and then I'll have nothing to read at the airport and on the airplane! Or maybe I could just buy a new book? I also spent a good portion of the day napping - catching up on a few weeks worth of sleep!
Anyways here are photos from the past few days:
And then this afternoon Lina called me up and we met at the beach and I took some photos of her and the gang. Here are a few photos... out of the hundred or so:
Tonight is another big get-together dinner and then the wedding is tomorrow! We've been seeing weddings along the beach all week and so I'm pretty excited with how beautiful it will all look! I'll probably post some of those photos on Friday. Talk to you all later!
So today I spent most of my time indoors. I worked on photos from my professional camera and spent the majority of time reading my book. I decided that I need to read my book less because I might finish it too soon and then I'll have nothing to read at the airport and on the airplane! Or maybe I could just buy a new book? I also spent a good portion of the day napping - catching up on a few weeks worth of sleep!
Anyways here are photos from the past few days:
Monday: The first full day on the ground
Waiting for dinner to happen... we took advantage of the time!
Monday night: Dinner at the Chinese restaurant
A mini-photo session Tuesday night
Sam taking his position at the ceremony rehearsal...
Giju practicing walking down the aisle... kind of...
Practicing the first photo at the end of the ceremony
Sam looks ready to go swimming... I don't think Donna wants to see any more!
Woohoo! Rehearsal is over!
And then this afternoon Lina called me up and we met at the beach and I took some photos of her and the gang. Here are a few photos... out of the hundred or so:
Tonight is another big get-together dinner and then the wedding is tomorrow! We've been seeing weddings along the beach all week and so I'm pretty excited with how beautiful it will all look! I'll probably post some of those photos on Friday. Talk to you all later!
Dominican Republic: Days 1-3
Note: The images below are not representative of my professional work and are purely used to document the day-to-day events of my life, taken with a digital-compact, non-professional camera. Please check out other blog postings (by scrolling down or searching the menu) to find more of my professional work!
Okay so I'm not completely sure if it's Days 1-3... because I can't remember how long I've been here. The hours and days have just all blurred together and one day doesn't really seem very different from the next - especially after that long delay at Toronto!
I've taken quite a few photos on the resort but they're on my professional camera... and those are on the external hard drive that I brought along! So those photos will have to wait. I took my G10 to Higuey yesterday.
Higuey is the closest city/town away from the resort area of Punta Cana. It's somewhat removed from the touristy-ness of the beach. I did some research before flying off and decided that I wanted to check out this area! So on Tuesday I headed out and made it my mission to visit the town of Higuey!
It all started with a guy on a motorcycle... wearing an official-looking vest. He asked if I needed a ride and where I was going. Now, I'm not a nieve tourist - I noticed there were motorcycle-taxis all around and so this was one of them! So I hopped on the back... neither of us wearing helmets! We zoomed down the streets of Bavaro, around trucks and potholes. After the scooter crash I saw firsthand 2 weeks ago I started to think this was a bad idea and flashed through all the worst-case scenarios that could unfold. But not to worry, I made it to the bus depot safely.
I was directed to a bus which was going to Higuey, paid the fare and hopped on. I didn't too A LOT of research and so I was nervous... wondering what I'd be doing, what would happen if I got lost or got robbed, how I was going to get back! It was an hour-long bus ride and so I felt an entire world away from anything familiar.
I hopped off the bus at the landmark I had seen online: The basilicca. I can't remember the name of it but it is the main attraction in the town and so I headed straight for it and spent a little bit of time there.
And here is where it gets weird! I was walking out the back of the church and this young woman makes eye contact with me and asks if I speak english. I did and I asked what she was doing here and she said she was here with her friend - who promptly joined us as I sat down on the bench.
I can't remember how he pronounced his name... Wilvensan or something... I will just call him Will, and his friend Michelange ... who I'll just refer to as Michelle. Anyways, Will and Michelle are originally from Haiti. Will was in town visiting Michelle from Orlando. We talked for a bit and I showed them a few photos of my own home (on my G10) and then asked if they wanted to join me for a walk around town and maybe some lunch! They were caught off guard but thought it was a great idea and so we headed off.
We arrived at a little corner restaurant and I had my first taste of local food. It was good! Coming from Haiti, both Will and Michelle are native French speakers and so we struggled to make conversation and meet in the middle with our languages! It was tough!
After lunch we walked around a block or two and then I asked them if they would help me find the bus station. I think if it weren't for their help I would have been in serious trouble, because the bus station was a good 10 blocks away from the basilicca! And so we walked and walked and walked....
And we walked some more and finally I got to the bus station. I am extremely grateful that I was able to meet two random and kind strangers that I was able to get to know and hang out with! We exchanged emails and went our separate ways. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience something outside of the exclusive, gated resort - and to see life in the Dominican more accurately!
I think I've caught the travel bug again... I want to walk around foriegn and unknown cities and (safely) get lost among the streets and alleyways and take photos along the way! There's a strange thrill that comes with being semi-helpless and not in complete control of your surroundings that I really enjoy!
Anyways, I have taken a good 700 photos of Sam and Lina and their fellow guests as they've enjoyed the sand, sun and food here at the resort and I will post those soon! While I'm at the resort and have my own time, I find myself eagerly trying to finish Angels and Demons (such a good book!) and swimming in the ocean... it's hard when you have glasses! :( Thanks for checking in, and I will post more stuff soon!
Okay so I'm not completely sure if it's Days 1-3... because I can't remember how long I've been here. The hours and days have just all blurred together and one day doesn't really seem very different from the next - especially after that long delay at Toronto!
10 hours after our original flight time: Our plane! It went to Cuba and back
Getting ever-closer to the Dominican... the in-flight movies were Hancock and Quantum of Solace. I chose to read Angels and Demons instead
You know how some times clouds look like things? But only one person can see it and no one else quite gets it? Well this one is TOTALLY an elephant cloud!
We arrived on the tarmac and walked into the terminal. Of course, it was hot and humid!
I've taken quite a few photos on the resort but they're on my professional camera... and those are on the external hard drive that I brought along! So those photos will have to wait. I took my G10 to Higuey yesterday.
Higuey is the closest city/town away from the resort area of Punta Cana. It's somewhat removed from the touristy-ness of the beach. I did some research before flying off and decided that I wanted to check out this area! So on Tuesday I headed out and made it my mission to visit the town of Higuey!
It all started with a guy on a motorcycle... wearing an official-looking vest. He asked if I needed a ride and where I was going. Now, I'm not a nieve tourist - I noticed there were motorcycle-taxis all around and so this was one of them! So I hopped on the back... neither of us wearing helmets! We zoomed down the streets of Bavaro, around trucks and potholes. After the scooter crash I saw firsthand 2 weeks ago I started to think this was a bad idea and flashed through all the worst-case scenarios that could unfold. But not to worry, I made it to the bus depot safely.
I was directed to a bus which was going to Higuey, paid the fare and hopped on. I didn't too A LOT of research and so I was nervous... wondering what I'd be doing, what would happen if I got lost or got robbed, how I was going to get back! It was an hour-long bus ride and so I felt an entire world away from anything familiar.
I hopped off the bus at the landmark I had seen online: The basilicca. I can't remember the name of it but it is the main attraction in the town and so I headed straight for it and spent a little bit of time there.
While it's not the traditional architecture I've experienced with cathedrals... the exterior and interior are quite amazing!
And here is where it gets weird! I was walking out the back of the church and this young woman makes eye contact with me and asks if I speak english. I did and I asked what she was doing here and she said she was here with her friend - who promptly joined us as I sat down on the bench.
I can't remember how he pronounced his name... Wilvensan or something... I will just call him Will, and his friend Michelange ... who I'll just refer to as Michelle. Anyways, Will and Michelle are originally from Haiti. Will was in town visiting Michelle from Orlando. We talked for a bit and I showed them a few photos of my own home (on my G10) and then asked if they wanted to join me for a walk around town and maybe some lunch! They were caught off guard but thought it was a great idea and so we headed off.
We arrived at a little corner restaurant and I had my first taste of local food. It was good! Coming from Haiti, both Will and Michelle are native French speakers and so we struggled to make conversation and meet in the middle with our languages! It was tough!
After lunch we walked around a block or two and then I asked them if they would help me find the bus station. I think if it weren't for their help I would have been in serious trouble, because the bus station was a good 10 blocks away from the basilicca! And so we walked and walked and walked....
And then I took a photo!
And we walked some more and finally I got to the bus station. I am extremely grateful that I was able to meet two random and kind strangers that I was able to get to know and hang out with! We exchanged emails and went our separate ways. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience something outside of the exclusive, gated resort - and to see life in the Dominican more accurately!
I think I've caught the travel bug again... I want to walk around foriegn and unknown cities and (safely) get lost among the streets and alleyways and take photos along the way! There's a strange thrill that comes with being semi-helpless and not in complete control of your surroundings that I really enjoy!
Anyways, I have taken a good 700 photos of Sam and Lina and their fellow guests as they've enjoyed the sand, sun and food here at the resort and I will post those soon! While I'm at the resort and have my own time, I find myself eagerly trying to finish Angels and Demons (such a good book!) and swimming in the ocean... it's hard when you have glasses! :( Thanks for checking in, and I will post more stuff soon!
The Longest Day... and it's not over yet!
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Labels:
travel
Okay so here I am at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. I've been here for over 12 hours! I've actually been up for 24 hours and my head is starting to hurt! Note to any potential travelers: Don't fly with CanJet!!!
So here is how my longest day went:
1. Irene was wondering if I was game for one of her 11km runs on Saturday morning. Well... not one to shy away from a challenge and competition, I ran that distance with Irene and arrived back to the house with 45 minutes to get ready for...
2. Lesleys wedding. One of my closest friends, I was one of the witnesses that signed the certificate/contract thing. I'm proud to say my name was first in the ceremony program! I guess before actually doing the ceremony stuff, I should mention that I followed the Walker family to Lesleys family photos so that I could get a photo or two taken with the happy bride! Here are some photos of the gang getting ready:
3. Then, of course, the big special part! The ceremony! I wore my new dark grey suit and thought I looked pretty darn good! I wanted to leave the top button undone, as I usually do. And Kathy gave me a stern talking to - saying that I wasn't making a statement and wearing my hi-tops (refering to my graduation ceremony) - it was actually fairly amusing! I'm looking forward to the official photos that Jamie took. I am extremely confident that they'll look amazing!
4. And then after the ceremony I headed straight to the airport to catch a plane to Toronto. On the plane I ended up watching a little bit of the new Street Fighter movie... purely out of interest in seeing how they turned the video game into a movie. Then I got bored of the movie and watched "He's Just Not that Into You" - yeah I know! It's a girly movie. Someone was telling me about it and so I had to check it out for myself! The 4 hour flight meant that I arrived in Toronto just after 1am, giving me a bit of time before catching my "6am" flight to Punta Cana....
5. At about 520am the lady at the gate announces there are some technical difficulties and that it's being worked on. 6am rolled around and they announced that it would be delayed to 630am. ... and shortly thereafter they announced that due to serious technical difficulties, the flight would be delayed to 1pm and that the new gate would be on the other side of the terminal. Oh yeah, and this is Toronto time we're talking about! Oh and a little bit of foreshadowing here: A flight to Veradero, Cuba (operated by the same airline) left at the same time that our flight was supposed to leave.
6. We are all at the other side of the terminal and... then they announce that we're being moved back to the other side of the terminal! And when we get there the screen says that our flight time is now 3pm! Wow! And shortly after that an announcement comes on saying that the reason for this extra delay is that we are getting a plane in from Cuba instead of repairing the plane we were supposed to be on. So in actuality what happened was that a plane was able to fly to Cuba and BACK during the time we had to wait.
But it's not all about me. There are hundreds of others sitting through this too. Some are on their honeymoon... some are getting married... and so I am extremely glad that the wedding that I have to photograph is on the 25th! I bought the book "Angels and Demons" to read... but my head hurts too much to read it... and the environment is too uncomfortable to sleep. So I am in a rough spot. I finally caved in and paid for the wireless internet here in the terminal (I can't believe you have to pay! In Edmonton and Vancouver you don't have to! What a rip-off!!!!).
So if any of you guys out there are reading this today - say a little prayer for me, that I can make it to my destination safely and in-time to do my job and photograph a wedding! That's all that matters to me. Having fun is an added bonus :)
So here is how my longest day went:
1. Irene was wondering if I was game for one of her 11km runs on Saturday morning. Well... not one to shy away from a challenge and competition, I ran that distance with Irene and arrived back to the house with 45 minutes to get ready for...
2. Lesleys wedding. One of my closest friends, I was one of the witnesses that signed the certificate/contract thing. I'm proud to say my name was first in the ceremony program! I guess before actually doing the ceremony stuff, I should mention that I followed the Walker family to Lesleys family photos so that I could get a photo or two taken with the happy bride! Here are some photos of the gang getting ready:
3. Then, of course, the big special part! The ceremony! I wore my new dark grey suit and thought I looked pretty darn good! I wanted to leave the top button undone, as I usually do. And Kathy gave me a stern talking to - saying that I wasn't making a statement and wearing my hi-tops (refering to my graduation ceremony) - it was actually fairly amusing! I'm looking forward to the official photos that Jamie took. I am extremely confident that they'll look amazing!
4. And then after the ceremony I headed straight to the airport to catch a plane to Toronto. On the plane I ended up watching a little bit of the new Street Fighter movie... purely out of interest in seeing how they turned the video game into a movie. Then I got bored of the movie and watched "He's Just Not that Into You" - yeah I know! It's a girly movie. Someone was telling me about it and so I had to check it out for myself! The 4 hour flight meant that I arrived in Toronto just after 1am, giving me a bit of time before catching my "6am" flight to Punta Cana....
I waited in the terminal....
And waited some more....
5. At about 520am the lady at the gate announces there are some technical difficulties and that it's being worked on. 6am rolled around and they announced that it would be delayed to 630am. ... and shortly thereafter they announced that due to serious technical difficulties, the flight would be delayed to 1pm and that the new gate would be on the other side of the terminal. Oh yeah, and this is Toronto time we're talking about! Oh and a little bit of foreshadowing here: A flight to Veradero, Cuba (operated by the same airline) left at the same time that our flight was supposed to leave.
6. We are all at the other side of the terminal and... then they announce that we're being moved back to the other side of the terminal! And when we get there the screen says that our flight time is now 3pm! Wow! And shortly after that an announcement comes on saying that the reason for this extra delay is that we are getting a plane in from Cuba instead of repairing the plane we were supposed to be on. So in actuality what happened was that a plane was able to fly to Cuba and BACK during the time we had to wait.
But it's not all about me. There are hundreds of others sitting through this too. Some are on their honeymoon... some are getting married... and so I am extremely glad that the wedding that I have to photograph is on the 25th! I bought the book "Angels and Demons" to read... but my head hurts too much to read it... and the environment is too uncomfortable to sleep. So I am in a rough spot. I finally caved in and paid for the wireless internet here in the terminal (I can't believe you have to pay! In Edmonton and Vancouver you don't have to! What a rip-off!!!!).
So if any of you guys out there are reading this today - say a little prayer for me, that I can make it to my destination safely and in-time to do my job and photograph a wedding! That's all that matters to me. Having fun is an added bonus :)
Flying Away
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Labels:
travel
So this Saturday I will be flying away to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to photograph a wedding. I will be away from June 20th to June 28th. I am very excited!
So I think while I'm at it, if any of you European blog readers out there (U.K., Germany, etc.) are getting married, or have friends getting married, or have friends of friends of friends getting married, and like my work and want me as a wedding photographer, I would be more than happy to fly out and capture your special day (and any special days leading up to it)!
Pass it on! I am offering extremely competitive rates for international weddings :) Just fire an email over to me!
P.S. I know this is highly improbable but hey... it couldn't hurt to put it out there!
So I think while I'm at it, if any of you European blog readers out there (U.K., Germany, etc.) are getting married, or have friends getting married, or have friends of friends of friends getting married, and like my work and want me as a wedding photographer, I would be more than happy to fly out and capture your special day (and any special days leading up to it)!
Pass it on! I am offering extremely competitive rates for international weddings :) Just fire an email over to me!
P.S. I know this is highly improbable but hey... it couldn't hurt to put it out there!
Saint James Music Academy - Year-end Recital
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Labels:
Downtown Vancouver,
saint james music academy
Wow it's already been one full year of work at the Saint James Music Academy! It's amazing! We have come so far since last year's recital, where I was just a volunteer and helping out with small and odd jobs. This year I found myself lock and un-locking doors, ordering food, printing out the program (and re-printing it several times), taking photos, and herding children.
Yesterday was an immensely long day. Kathy and I started work early - getting program information together and then moving on to food prep and space set-up. I helped to pick up all 50 Monday AND Wednesday Music School children from Strathcona Elementary. It was quite the site to see all these children walking down the block!
Rehearsals went so smoothly and the children got a nice surprise - they got beautiful polo shirts donated to them by American Apparel! And so by 6pm we were all ready to go and so the doors opened and guests flooded in.
When the singing started, my heart was instantly warmed. I felt like a proud parent at that moment, having put so much work into making music lessons run smoothly and seeing the results in such an amazing way! The orchestra followed the first choir song and it was an amazing sight to see all these children playing together. The orchestra is really only 3 months old but our teachers really pulled it together!
This was MY FAVORITE moment of the night! Bernadette, Maya and Marlaina singing "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie. Their faces beaming, their arms stretched out, it was magic!
The last choir song was "Change the World" by Eric Clapton. I heard it for the first time when I was about.... 12? Which would be about the age of some of the older students. It's always been a favorite of mine and so to hear the kids singing it with such beauty and energy was a real treat!
Clean-up and closing went very well but at the end of things we staff were very very exhausted. I have mixed feelings about Music School ending for this year. It's become a regular part of my week. The last few weeks have been stressful and hectic and so in that context I am glad it's all finally over. But I think in about 2 weeks I will feel the void of Music Academy. I won't be there to walk to kids, I won't see their happy faces and I will feel like there is a missing component of my life. But come September we will be back and better than ever! Just wait and see!
Yesterday was an immensely long day. Kathy and I started work early - getting program information together and then moving on to food prep and space set-up. I helped to pick up all 50 Monday AND Wednesday Music School children from Strathcona Elementary. It was quite the site to see all these children walking down the block!
Rehearsals went so smoothly and the children got a nice surprise - they got beautiful polo shirts donated to them by American Apparel! And so by 6pm we were all ready to go and so the doors opened and guests flooded in.
When the singing started, my heart was instantly warmed. I felt like a proud parent at that moment, having put so much work into making music lessons run smoothly and seeing the results in such an amazing way! The orchestra followed the first choir song and it was an amazing sight to see all these children playing together. The orchestra is really only 3 months old but our teachers really pulled it together!
This was MY FAVORITE moment of the night! Bernadette, Maya and Marlaina singing "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie. Their faces beaming, their arms stretched out, it was magic!
The last choir song was "Change the World" by Eric Clapton. I heard it for the first time when I was about.... 12? Which would be about the age of some of the older students. It's always been a favorite of mine and so to hear the kids singing it with such beauty and energy was a real treat!
Clean-up and closing went very well but at the end of things we staff were very very exhausted. I have mixed feelings about Music School ending for this year. It's become a regular part of my week. The last few weeks have been stressful and hectic and so in that context I am glad it's all finally over. But I think in about 2 weeks I will feel the void of Music Academy. I won't be there to walk to kids, I won't see their happy faces and I will feel like there is a missing component of my life. But come September we will be back and better than ever! Just wait and see!
Tuesdays - oh how I love my Tuesdays!
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Labels:
G10,
langley,
motorcycle,
Saint Chiara
Note: The images below are not representative of my professional work and are purely used to document the day-to-day events of my life, taken with a digital-compact, non-professional camera. Please check out other blog postings (by scrolling down or searching the menu) to find more of my professional work!
Mondays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Wednesdays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Wednesdays I'm at Saint James Music Academy. Thursdays I have a regular afternoon meeting. Fridays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Saturdays and Sundays... well you know how those days are spent! Doing what I love to do and earning a living while doing it! :)
But Tuesdays I am pretty much free to do what I want! Some days it ends up being work on the Music Academy, or work on photos taken over the weekend. But for the past 3 weeks I've been taking a mini-vacation... a little getaway to a quiet little cul-de-sac in Langley where Irene babysits her niece (Maya) and nephew (Matthew) from time to time.
The first Tuesday I picked up Maya from school on my motorcycle and we all headed to Fort Langley for some gelato. The second Tuesday it changed slightly, Fort Langley turned into Dairy Queen instead! And today, the third Tuesday, we hit Fort Langley again. This time, though, we sat and had our gelato at the old historic train station and the kids got to play around the old trains. I love my Tuesdays!
This week I brought my camera... to their house.. and left it there! I forgot it and couldn't take it with me to Fort Langley!!! Irene was happy because she hates having photos taken and therefore didn't want to turn back to get my camera. When we got to the train station and hung out there, the kids were running along the out-of-service train tracks and playing with the out-of-service cart..thingy. I pulled out my cell phone, being the only photographic device I had, and snapped a few shots!
They were moments that would have made absolutely amazing photos! Moment after moment passed by and I just had to let Irene know my frustration... and then she rubbed it in and so I promised that I'd terrorize her with my camera when I got the chance... so the photos below were taken when we got back to the house for dinner!
After I terrorized Irene with my camera I rode around the neighborhood about 5 times on one of those little skateboard-type-scooters, while Matthew rode his training-wheel-bound-bike. And then that was followed up with....
I love Tuesdays!
Mondays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Wednesdays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Wednesdays I'm at Saint James Music Academy. Thursdays I have a regular afternoon meeting. Fridays I'm at the Saint James Music Academy. Saturdays and Sundays... well you know how those days are spent! Doing what I love to do and earning a living while doing it! :)
But Tuesdays I am pretty much free to do what I want! Some days it ends up being work on the Music Academy, or work on photos taken over the weekend. But for the past 3 weeks I've been taking a mini-vacation... a little getaway to a quiet little cul-de-sac in Langley where Irene babysits her niece (Maya) and nephew (Matthew) from time to time.
The first Tuesday I picked up Maya from school on my motorcycle and we all headed to Fort Langley for some gelato. The second Tuesday it changed slightly, Fort Langley turned into Dairy Queen instead! And today, the third Tuesday, we hit Fort Langley again. This time, though, we sat and had our gelato at the old historic train station and the kids got to play around the old trains. I love my Tuesdays!
This week I brought my camera... to their house.. and left it there! I forgot it and couldn't take it with me to Fort Langley!!! Irene was happy because she hates having photos taken and therefore didn't want to turn back to get my camera. When we got to the train station and hung out there, the kids were running along the out-of-service train tracks and playing with the out-of-service cart..thingy. I pulled out my cell phone, being the only photographic device I had, and snapped a few shots!
They were moments that would have made absolutely amazing photos! Moment after moment passed by and I just had to let Irene know my frustration... and then she rubbed it in and so I promised that I'd terrorize her with my camera when I got the chance... so the photos below were taken when we got back to the house for dinner!
After I terrorized Irene with my camera I rode around the neighborhood about 5 times on one of those little skateboard-type-scooters, while Matthew rode his training-wheel-bound-bike. And then that was followed up with....
Matthew taking a crack at "driving the motorcycle"
Mayas turn. Matthew being the passenger.
Or as they put it "Maya is Chris and Matthew is Maya"
Or as they put it "Maya is Chris and Matthew is Maya"
The evening came to an end with a partial viewing of Shrek2 with Matthew. He started the thumb-sucking thing and I joined along (... I think he started it....)
I love Tuesdays!
Filling in the Blanks - Saturday to Monday
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Labels:
Downtown Vancouver,
G10,
Saint Chiara,
saint james music academy
Note: The images below are not representative of my professional work and are purely used to document the day-to-day events of my life, taken with a digital-compact, non-professional camera. Please check out other blog postings (by scrolling down or searching the menu) to find more of my professional work!
So the weekend was quite busy with professional work. But you missed out on all the little day-to-day things that happened! And there were definitely some noteworthy things!
Saturday: Tony & Julie leave for their home on the East Coast. I stopped by to say my goodbyes and take some photos!
On Saturday afternoon I joined some friends as they rented scooters to ride around. I followed them on my motorcycle. We got halfway around Stanley Park when one of our friends crashed... it wasn't pretty, but she's alright! And, later Saturday night I photographed George and Loraine's engagement party...
Sunday: Before Miranda and Jesse's portrait shoot, Ronnie had a birthday party for her daughter Ramona...
Monday morning: I had to go inspect a hall where I will be photographing a party on July 17th. But before that I hung out on the front steps of the houses with a few community members...
Monday Afternoon: Picking-up and walking the kids to Music School!
Percussion class with Matthew
Monday night: Another end to another gorgeous day! Took a photo of the street and the kids playing below...
A little birthday celebration for Darren's birthday!
I walked the girls to a gelato place...
And caught up with some of the teenagers...
And got side-tracked by the waterpark!
Who needs gelato when you can take photos this unique all evening!
In the end we went for gelato. But because I had an 8pm meeting back at the houses I had to leave early and run home. But I'm glad I went because of those beautiful waterpark photos!
Hope everyone's Monday went well!
Saturday & Sunday
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Labels:
Downtown Vancouver,
engagement,
party,
portraits
Well it's been another photo-filled weekend for me! And again, tiredness has gotten to me and so I am short on words but abundant with photos! Here goes!
Saturday night: Engagement Party for George and Loraine. It was beautiful! With Georges' Greek heritage, there was an engagement ceremony component to it as well.
Sunday afternoon: Portrait session for Miranda and her husband Jessie. Already married, they were looking for some fun fresh and fantastic portraits - the ones they didn't really have yet! And so Miranda dragged Jessie out to get some photos taken. We met up in Yaletown and walked around and hung out. Thanks for coming along Jessie!
Saturday night: Engagement Party for George and Loraine. It was beautiful! With Georges' Greek heritage, there was an engagement ceremony component to it as well.
Dimitri: Family friend of the groom-to-be and ex-army-co-worker of mine!
I think this caption SHOULD read "huh? You're not my fiancee!"
And then this one would be "oh! There you are!"
There was a lot of fantastic Greek dancing!
Sunday afternoon: Portrait session for Miranda and her husband Jessie. Already married, they were looking for some fun fresh and fantastic portraits - the ones they didn't really have yet! And so Miranda dragged Jessie out to get some photos taken. We met up in Yaletown and walked around and hung out. Thanks for coming along Jessie!
Thursday/Friday
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Labels:
Downtown Vancouver,
G10,
Saint Chiara,
ucm
It's late Friday night. I'm really tired. I'll be brief with my descriptions - and you can just enjoy the photos!
Friday: After a hard days work at the Music School, I come home to unwind and hang out. Here are the dogs!
AND THEN I went for a 55-minute, 12km run with Irene.... and kept up for 95% of the run! Pretty good hey? She usually runs on her own but because a whole bunch of us planned to run at the same time I thought I would through out the request/challenge. (FYI Irene runs this distance several times a week and I haven't run anywhere near this distance in over 2 months!). So about 800m from the "finish line" she asked if she could go ahead without me, and I agreed... and arrived shortly thereafter. The moral of the story? I will be extremely sore when I wake up tomorrow morning!!!
The evening was concluded with watching the Bourne Ultimatum with some housemates. Good movie!
Thursday morning @ 8am: Meeting up for breakfast at IHOP to say goodbye to Daniel as he makes his way back to Singapore this Saturday!
Friday: After a hard days work at the Music School, I come home to unwind and hang out. Here are the dogs!
Spent most of the afternoon sitting on the steps with some of the community members as they watched the kids...
Kathy's phone wasn't working all day. I love these shots because its a before-after capture of the moment she "enables her 3G" and gets her phone to work again!
AND THEN I went for a 55-minute, 12km run with Irene.... and kept up for 95% of the run! Pretty good hey? She usually runs on her own but because a whole bunch of us planned to run at the same time I thought I would through out the request/challenge. (FYI Irene runs this distance several times a week and I haven't run anywhere near this distance in over 2 months!). So about 800m from the "finish line" she asked if she could go ahead without me, and I agreed... and arrived shortly thereafter. The moral of the story? I will be extremely sore when I wake up tomorrow morning!!!
The evening was concluded with watching the Bourne Ultimatum with some housemates. Good movie!
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