Starting February

20120131-0022

Got some good light from the 2 windows up the stairs and grabbed this picture of Alfie. Heh, he’s always keen to play ball so it’s not an uncommon sight to see the ball just wedged in his mouth.

* * *

So I decided to go for a run yesterday. The weather was good and I didn’t wait for my brain to conjure up any excuses not to go. Got into gear and walked out the door. The whole run lasted 5 minutes. Heh, it was a good speed, 0.99km in 5 minutes but probably something unsustainable over the course of a full run. I have signed up for the 2012 Run for the Kids and I don’t know what my expectations are this year and have a little under 2 months to get in shape. Heh, as long as I finish it around the 1 hour 40 minute mark I’m happy.

* * *

Booked a trip to Canberra sometime this month. My passport is expiring and the only Malaysian consulate that will do this is about 700km away. Was originally planning to go back to Malaysia as I baulked at the cost of going to Canberra which was nearly 2/3 the price of going back to KL. Managed to sort out a day trip there with car hire (based on recommendations as it’s difficult to get around in Canberra) for about $300. Heh, apparently there isn’t much in Canberra to see other than museums. I might have 3 or 4 hours after fixing up my passport to go look around a bit. Will plan this closer to the trip.

Heh, also need to get some passport photos out. Inkjet printers have improved so much over the last 10 years that you could pretty much do it yourself if you have the right lighting conditions. For me, a visit to the local craft shop to get a large coloured paper for the background is all I need to fix up a quick photo portrait.

* * *

Also got a link from a friend regarding the prices that wedding photographers charge. Will just note it here for future reference. Heh.

* * *

Had a thought about behavioural changes over the last few weeks. Heh, just trying to shake off prejudices I’ve had over certain issues about spending/budgeting etc. It’s just things I’ve grown up with and grown used to, but if you set a rational mind to it, you put out the pros and cons of such to work out what should work best for you. Finances were tight growing up, so I have an adverse reaction to spending money on things I don’t ‘need’. However, there have been times when I’ve purchased ‘want’ items and have found them to be beneficial to how I get on with daily life.

I’ve been seeking guidance on many things throughout life, and sometimes suffer from paralysis and indecision because I’m afraid to make mistakes. It’s a basic concept that requires a reminder to myself as I keep going back to old habits. Heh, it’s time to make positive new ones that will help me progress.

Starting January – 2012

zinc cows

Was out at Heide Museum in Heidelberg for the new year. The cows were kind of cool, even if the weather was not.

* * *

Heh, it has been a scorching few days and I have enough time with my computer now to bang out a quick post before it gets too hot to stay upstairs in the study.

* * *

Managed to catch a glimpse of the fireworks while at a friend’s place for new year’s eve. Maybe I feel jaded and I can’t recall the last time I was excited about year end celebrations. Maybe life is in transition for me. Heh, have clients for the new year, so things are moving forward, albeit a bit slowly.

I’m just needing to live by two words at the moment, patience and perseverance. You sort of need one for the other to work together to pull it off. I need to be a little more focused in prioritising stuff for the new year. Always fun revisiting what I wrote for the years gone by, and 2011 was a little melancholic. I just want to make things right for 2012 and hopefully keep things good.

* * *

Heh, I think we have plans for travel and other stuff. Nothing concrete at the moment. Like I said, focus on priorities. Time to do some proper planning and stick to it.

Starting December

tomatoes

Lots of different tomatoes at the Borough Market in London. It’s supposed to be the first day of summer so a picture to represent as much, even if the weather isn’t quite cooperating at the moment.

* * *

Just fixed up a quick photo gallery for my first wedding shoot online. Heh, had to resort to using Adobe Flash for getting it to work as I wanted something quick that looked good. I’ve probably mentioned my website a few times now but haven’t actually linked to it, so you can visit it here.

It took a while to put it together, but it’s up and running. I’m slowly adding stuff to it as I go along, and as much as I like tweaking stuff in the design and functionality, ultimately it’s the content that counts. So just looking for photo opportunities down the road.

* * *

Things to look forward to in December…

CPA results, cherry picking, Christmas lunch. Life as per normal maybe? I’ve had many new ideas on things to do, but they mainly involve spending money. Stuff like a tiny, low powered HTPC for the living room, plus a centre speaker for better dialogue, and maybe hooking up my speakers at the back since I’ve sort of inherited an extra pair. These things appeal to my inner geek, but maybe they seem a little inconsequential now.

Heh, just need to live by this quote I read earlier this afternoon. It rings true these days.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.