An anonymous fan of my photography blog sent an email to me yesterday and i had to tell all of you about it. It was actually a very short message. Wow, after reading that sentence, i felt i was the most appreciated person in the world.

This is what my blog follower had wrote in the email:
"Hi Jennifer, i shared some of your stories in your blog with someone today...You are an inspiration! Thanks so much for your beautiful photos and words."

All i could reply back to that was a simple "Thank you". I am so lucky i have every single of you. I read all of your comments and your emails. I just can't believe that my life can be inspiring to anyone. I honestly don't consider my stories to be that good yet of a story.

I am not a perfect person, neither am i a saint. I do make mistakes and  bad calls sometimes. I try my best at everything and some i fail and some i succeed, but i make sure i give it my all. I guess by now, you all can say that i live my life to the fullest. I give it 110%.

Thanks to that email, it makes my day with a simple sentence. I love that it's such small gestures that melt my heart and keep me going. I love the fact that i can help a few people out there because i sure asked for a lot of help in order to get to where i am today.

We just don't know who's watching, reading or listening to us. Our actions can go a long way towards changing the life of another person. We need to try to live our lives in the most positive way because we are an example to the rest of the world. We can't be perfect but we sure can try our best.

Thank you for that message in your email, YOU really made my day! All i want to say again is THAT's LIFE!  这就是人生 :-)

以下是我昨天傍晚在苏打绿 (台湾当红人气组合) 巡回演唱会新加坡站签名会所拍摄的照片.

很高兴苏打绿即将在来临的十月十九日到新加坡举办他们的 "当我们一起走过" 巡回演唱会. 我最近已经买了他们的演唱会票, 说真的, 我很期待十月的到来, 出席和支持苏打绿, 希望他们能再次地展露出有别以往的风采.

据悉, 此次特别举办的答谢签票会是为了感谢广大歌迷对苏打绿演唱会新加坡站演出的支持, 不仅演出门票售罄, 票房也是一路飘红. 对此, 苏打绿通过镜头向支持他们的歌迷表达了感谢.

苏打绿的音乐, 没有刻意的落笔, 没有虚伪的诉求, 但却极其真诚与善良, 就像飞鸟忘神地跳芭蕾, 很简单地, 想在自己或你和你的脑袋里转个不停, 就像喝下一杯不知名的苏打, 很清淡地, 却在吞入之后让泡泡打不停的嗝. 没有伟大, 没有华丽, 没有艰深, 看穿了轻薄的所有风景, 安静地回到自己的内心, 甚至还能进到更多人的心.

指南针也有失效的时候, 地图也帮不上忙, 瞎混着不知道去哪里, 只有音乐才是唯一的方向. 这个夏天, 没有比听苏打绿更重要的事. 好像只是这样一直保持听着, 听着, 听着的状态, 夏天就要过去了. 苏打绿的音乐就像在炎炎夏日突然喝到一口冰涼的苏打水般, 既畅快又感动, 这也是乐迷们殷殷期盼又原意等待的原因.

苏打绿之所以叫苏打绿, 怪名字并非有什么深沉的涵意, 纯粹只是因为团员觉得 "苏打" 很适合用来形容自己的音乐, 而主唱青峰喜欢绿色, "苏打绿" 的名字就此拍案.

我在之前的博客上提到说我这次去一趟吉隆坡在马西亚, 是为了和一位认识多年的好友, 叶(Yeap) 而叙旧.

我平常很少会去想朋友之间更深层的东西, 给我的感觉舒服的话我就觉得他是好的. 这么多年从读书毕业至今以来, 叶(Yeap) 是一个让我拥有很多回忆的人, 平常的联络并没有太多, 我也不擅长搞各种名堂的维系, 他就是一个让我想起来的时候就自然会认定为是好人之一. 没有很多轰轰烈烈的场景, 大多都是自然的美丽. 彼此之间, 是那种口头上不会说, 但哪一方有需要帮助, 另一方就会尽自己能力去做的那种吧.

我记得叶(Yeap)曾经说过他觉得很多人的悲哀在于大部分的时间浪费在犹豫不决和恐惧上. 这一句话引起了我的共勉. 我在每一次旅程路上遇见的人事物, 让我对生命反思, 反省, 化为启示, 也无形中似乎唤醒我压在心里的最深层那一份生活热诚. 规律这一回事有时候是可怕的, 它会让人的生活变得行尸走肉, 会让人总是提不起力量来改变这一切, 也会让人渐渐的忘记那个最初的自己.

愿大家能永敢于追求人生中的每一份美好, 辛福快乐! :-)

I have another holiday travelogue for all of you! That’s right, i am enjoying one of life's greatest joys - the "vacation". Here goes my short blog post on a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Malaysia, shortly after my Cambodia photography trip, to visit a long-time good friend since my schooldays - Yeap - who is currently based in KL for a 2-year overseas work assignment.

This KL trip was meant to be just a good friend-reunion get-together, so it's not really my usual full travel photo travelogue on the exploration of a foreign country, i.e. history, culture, way of living, people etc. However, i did snapped a few interestings shots using my compact camera (i did not bring along my DSLR for this trip) when i went around for some yummy food tasting with my friend in KL. 

The Gardens Hotel & Residences is located about 40-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This hotel is strategically located between Kuala Lumpur and Pealing Jaya and is centrally connected to the Gardens Shopping Mall and Mid Valley Mega Mall. The room was very perfect and i had a good stay at this hotel. Therefore, if you would like to stay around Mid Valley area in KL, you may want to seriously consider staying at The Gardens Hotel. You won't regret.

Hope all of you had a happy weekend! As i was out of Singapore for some photography shoot trips recently, i had brought my cute little niece (Rachelle) and witty nephew (Ryan) out for an outing over the recent weekend and told them it was my treat. It was another simplistic moment to be sure, it all goes back to the little things in life. I found myself just happy, relaxed and content with these 2 adorable little kids keeping me company for the day. They posed for pictures during the outing and they turned out really nice which i'll put a couple of the best ones out on my photography blog for sharing.

The outing was good and we all enjoyed it immensely - for me, it was more about the company. It was so simple and  wonderful. And just by watching these two little sunshine is a treat all in itself. Seeing those beautiful little eyes, watching the expressions on their faces and hearing the inflections in their voices as they amused themselves with the things they would say, it was just transcendental to me in its wonderment. These are the simple things that we must think about, especially when we want to go back in our minds to a simpler, more connected times in our lives. 

I must say that my niece is becoming a little too good at posing for the camera. She is a model-to-be and a good poser...she just eats my camera lens up. She started doing all of these little poses and as the adults around her "oohed and awed", she will get even more confident and show us even more looks - she is a little toot!

It had been a wonderful day that i will remember. It was just a simple time that was spent with my niece and nephew having good feelings with one another. :-)

Entering its third year, this regional photography competition hosted by Capitaland in partnership with the National Geographic Channel (NGC) received over 2,000 photo entries from Asia Pacific, including countries from across Asia Pacific and Europe, including countries such as Singapore, China, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei. Breathtaking images of CapitaLand properties in Singapore and overseas were captured stunning stills by photography enthusiasts.

From 17 to 26 August 2012, members of the public will be able to view the winning photographs and a selection of over 200 entries from the Competition at the "Building People" Photography Exhibition which will be held at ION Station, Basement 4 (ION Orchard, Singapore). The exhibition will showcase photographs of vibrant interactions between CapitaLand’s buildings, including homes, offices, shopping malls, serviced residences and mixed developments, and the people living, working or shopping in these properties.

My submitted photo on Capital Tower located right in the heart of Singapore Central Business District is currently on display at the photography exhibition. Photo’s submitted are required to reflect how CapitaLand property in the cities interact with its people. So, particularly for those for those fond of architecture, it’s an exhibition you shouldn’t miss!

Here goes the Part 4 as well as the last of the 4-blog series on my recent trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia - A mystical kingdom of wonder with land of rich history.

Before memory fades in the face of everyday chaos, beautiful nostalgia is usurped by demands of the present and future and before the tide of emotions stirring within me gets tamed with the passing of time, i am writing this last of a series of entries in reverent awe of the temples of Angkor, and the people of Siem Reap. It was a privilege to behold the extravagance of the Kingdom of Angkor and to be at the receiving end of the extreme warmth and sincerity of Cambodians. I feel it is an obligation to share my experience concluded in a series of entries on Siem Reap.

I would be lying if i said i knew all about the Angkor's heydays and its tragic demise and my visit was to bear witness to the architecture and engineering glory of Angkor's resplendent past. In fact after this trip, i don't think i can even begin to understand and appreciate the full significance of all that was, and is, Angkor. But i am a very fortunate girl, to be able to sit here in a comfort zone and have the pleasure to record, bit by bit, chunk by chunk, the flashbacks of Siem Reap which moved me and which meant the most to me.

Siem Reap romanticised me in a way which i thought was forever lost to me. Its subtle charms awakened the poet in me, the poet who has laid dormant for many years, buried under layers and layers of gunk that is growing up and adulthood. The shoe-less kids in the countryside, riding on bicycles too big even for me - they made me want to stop right there and then observe them and write about them, to capture the innocence and purity that are representative of most Cambodians. This is how i see the country children of Siem Reap - beautiful and pure amidst the mire of great poverty and corruption.

Here goes the much-anticipated Part 3 of my recent trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia - The Discovery of Angkor Wat Magnificence.

Things were so bad that the very name 'Cambodia' became synonymous with suffering. Yet it was not always like this. Before becoming a battlefield in the mid-1960s, the country was celebrated as a land of fertile tranquillity where a predominantly Buddhist people continued the artistic and cultural traditions of the old Khmer Empire - the first civilisation in Southeast Asia, still exemplified by the extraordinary temples of Angkor Wat, surely the Eight Wonder of the World. For every traveler it is a dream come true to visit a place that is blessed with classical beauty and a rich historical culture. Angkor Wat is one of the most amazing and truly dazzling places of this world that would really mesmerize your senses. The place has rare beauty and ambience that attracts thousands of tourists all around the year.

For most of the last decades Cambodia, now once again at peace, has striven to rebuild both its economy and its image. Central to this endeavour is tourism, which Phnom Penh government is sparing no effort in promoting. At the heart of this programme is the temple complex at Angkor, which has been cleared of land mines and is continuously undergoing extensive restoration. Angkor has to be seen to be believed. It is, beyond doubt, the major cultural and historic attraction in all of Southeast Asia, and is it is difficult to think of any site of comparable magnificence anywhere else in the world.

The modern name, Angkor Wat actually means "City Temple".

Asked to picture Cambodia, it is Angkor - whether someone knows the name or not - that often comes to mind. The area is teeming with the resplendent temples that encapsulate the country's history, a legacy of Angkor's time as seat of the Khmer Empire, from around the 9th to the 15th centuries. The beauty and importance of the ancient city have earned it a place on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Angkor Wat - the largest and, at the same time, the best perserved temple.

Hi everyone, i must apologise for the delay in the publishing of Part 3 Travelogue of my recent trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Reason being is that I actually just came back from a short getaway at Kuala Lumpur (KL) over the weekend to meet up with a long-time friend who is working there currently. It was not really meant to be a photography shoot trip, though i had taken a few interesting shots in KL to be shared with all of you in due course after i am done with my Cambodia travelogue.

Hi everyone, here goes the much-awaited Part 1 blog post of my recent travel trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia - Picturesque Cambodian Countryside.

Travel is the chance to experience the other, to step into another's culture and experience the wonders of the world around us. I know cultural tourism is a delicate industry, so i strived to enter a local village in Siem Reap in a thoughtful and careful way, so as not disturb their native way of life, while giving myself an inclusive experience i'll never forget.

This trip to Siem Reap was an unforgettable one for that life-changing moment for me. It was at that point in time where i felt inspired to make a difference for the people who needed help. For the people who weren't as fortunate as me. For the people who had moved my heart.

For the Cambodians.

I was instantly captivated by the natural beauty of Siem Reap the moment i looked out of the window as my plane prepared to land on the Siem Reap International Airport. There was just something about the spareseness of its landscape that spread across acres and acres of raw, natural land that projected a charming allure to anyone who laid their eyes on it.

Siem Reap may be more laidback and provincial than Phnom Penh, but it has a unique charm and significant historical identity that makes it a must place to visit in Cambodia. Here goes the Part 2 blog post of my recent travel trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia - Way of life at a floating village, The Tonle Sap Lake.

The ocean may be the body of water that defines many South East Asian nations, but not this one. Cambodia is dominated by another feature, a great lake - The Tonle Sap. The lake serves as the home, livelihood, and source of food for countless Cambodians / refugees. The people living on this lake represent a true "water world" with entire villages needing support.

The Tonle Sap, the Great Lake of Cambodia, is one of the natural wonders of Asia. A trip to Siem Reap would not be complete without a boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake.

Cambodia's Great Lake, Tonle Sap Lake is the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia which is an important commercial resource, providing more than half of the fish consumed in Cambodia. In harmony with the specialised ecosystems, the human occupations at the edges of the lake is similarly distinctive - floating villages, towering stilted houses, huge fish traps and an economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife and the cycles of rising and falling waters.

Hi everyone! It has been a while since my last blog post, i just came back from Cambodia and i certainly can't wait to share my photos taken at this simple living and laid back country, as well as the sharing of this piece of good news with all of you first. 

I received an email from the National Geographic Channel (NGC), notifiying me that my photograph submitted for the recent Capitaland "Building People" 2012 Photography Competition (in collaboration with NGC) has been shortlisted for display in the upcoming exhibition held at the Singapore iconic ION Orchard Mall on next weekend, starting from 17th August, Friday to 21st August, Tuesday! Hooray! :-)

Please feel free to drop by at the mall next weekend to view the exhibited photographs. Thank you very much in advance for your kind support, encouragement and time!

I will be blogging on my first post on my travel trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia very soon. Overall, i must say that it was a very meaningful and fulfilling trip, though i am very dead beat now, after all the sun 'burning' while farm harvesting! So please continue to stay close tuned to my photography blog :-)