20 June 2013
My Spartan
Ed signed up for the Spartan Race held in North Vancouver earlier this month. Here are a few photos that show him all smiley and clean at the beginning of the race and then all serious and dirty toward the end of the race. Go, Ed, go!
17 June 2013
Camping at Whidbey Island, WA
We went to South Whidbey State Park in WA for our first camping trip in 2013. We fared better than our camping trip last summer (our first ever with Sophia), mainly because we kept the menu much simpler this time around. Plus, Sophia is more flexible when it comes to meal times and nap times now that she is a little bit older. I, too, am more relaxed (or less neurotic!) about meals, naps, and bedtime. Lunch not yet ready? Here, have Clif bar for lunch, Sophia. We'll balance it out with some fruit. haha
Three families came out and it was a lot of fun hanging out at the campsite, the beach, and around the campfire. Sophia was ecstatic to have her friends with her, and hiked to and from the beach while holding hands with Gabi. Super cute!
There is so much to explore around the campground and the beach nearby. We also visited a quaint little town called Langley, about a 20 min drive away. Definitely would like to go back to South Whidbey for future camping trips.
Lessons learned from this trip:
Some photos from South Whidbey:
Three families came out and it was a lot of fun hanging out at the campsite, the beach, and around the campfire. Sophia was ecstatic to have her friends with her, and hiked to and from the beach while holding hands with Gabi. Super cute!
There is so much to explore around the campground and the beach nearby. We also visited a quaint little town called Langley, about a 20 min drive away. Definitely would like to go back to South Whidbey for future camping trips.
Lessons learned from this trip:
- simple menu definitely works better
- we need a tent that doesn't require three people for the set up
- always bring lots of warm clothing; it just might be chillier than you expected
- Sophia is ready for her own sleeping bag
Some photos from South Whidbey:
Whidbey Island, WA June 2013, a set on Flickr.
15 June 2013
Our little ballerina
Sophia loves wearing her ballet dress. After we get home from daycare, she would ask to change into her ballet dress and she would wear it while eating dinner. She prances around the house with a big smile on her face, being so delighted with her ballet dress.
A week ago, we were able to complete the ensemble with a pair of leotards and ballet slippers. She put on the whole outfit the moment we got home. She smiled from ear to ear and bounced happily around the house. It made my heart melt to see how happy she was. I still remember how envious I was of the girls in my class in elementary who took ballet classes. I really, really wanted to be in ballet class, too, but my parents didn’t have money or time for extracurricular activities, not with five kids to send to private school. At some point, I begged my mom for ballet slippers but she said it would be a waste of money since I was not going to ballet class anyway. I remember feeling so dejected.
Now, I can give something to Sophia that I couldn’t have myself. She’s signed up for ballet class beginning in July. She has the ballet slippers I couldn’t have when I was a kid. It makes me so happy that I can make it possible for her to do stuff like ballet. To see that smile of her face gives me such joy. I love it!
A week ago, we were able to complete the ensemble with a pair of leotards and ballet slippers. She put on the whole outfit the moment we got home. She smiled from ear to ear and bounced happily around the house. It made my heart melt to see how happy she was. I still remember how envious I was of the girls in my class in elementary who took ballet classes. I really, really wanted to be in ballet class, too, but my parents didn’t have money or time for extracurricular activities, not with five kids to send to private school. At some point, I begged my mom for ballet slippers but she said it would be a waste of money since I was not going to ballet class anyway. I remember feeling so dejected.
Now, I can give something to Sophia that I couldn’t have myself. She’s signed up for ballet class beginning in July. She has the ballet slippers I couldn’t have when I was a kid. It makes me so happy that I can make it possible for her to do stuff like ballet. To see that smile of her face gives me such joy. I love it!
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| Doing the tree pose! |
17 May 2013
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens
I consider this a gift from my dad, who left me a small amount of money when he passed away. I put most of it into my savings account and used a little bit of it to splurge on a new lens for my DSLR. I’ve been wanting a better quality lens for a while but the cost has always stopped me from buying one. So, I would like to say thank you to Papa. I now have a fancy lens to enjoy taking photos with.
I seeked advice from friends who are more knowledgeable about photography than I am. The main subject of my photos is Sophia and we usually shoot indoors. I needed a lens that would perform well shooting a moving target in low light. I needed a lens with a fast aperture!
The main lens I was using was a Canon EF-S 50mm f/1.8. This is a fixed focal length lens, which means I have to physically move closer to or farther away from my subject to zoom in or out. However, with an aperture of 1.8, it’s great for low light situations. But I couldn’t always fit my subject sufficiently into the frame since there is usually a wall that’s stopping me from backing up more (our house isn’t that big!). And by the time I move to where I need to be to take the photo, Sophia has wandered off to another room.
The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 lens is a fixed aperture lens, which means I can maintain an aperture of 2.8 while changing my focal length (my zoom) from 17mm to 55mm. Most lenses that zoom in and out change aperture from 3.5 to 5.6, depending on the focal length. It is a big lens (77mm diameter) and is on the heavier side. That’s the price I pay for the fixed 2.8 aperture.
I haven’t had much time to play with it in low light to see how it fares compared to my 50mm lens. Some photos have turned out really crisp, some have been blurry. I'll have to play around with the settings more. The photos we've taken outdoors, I've been very pleased with. The images are sharp! Definitely makes shooting photos a lot more fun.
I seeked advice from friends who are more knowledgeable about photography than I am. The main subject of my photos is Sophia and we usually shoot indoors. I needed a lens that would perform well shooting a moving target in low light. I needed a lens with a fast aperture!
The main lens I was using was a Canon EF-S 50mm f/1.8. This is a fixed focal length lens, which means I have to physically move closer to or farther away from my subject to zoom in or out. However, with an aperture of 1.8, it’s great for low light situations. But I couldn’t always fit my subject sufficiently into the frame since there is usually a wall that’s stopping me from backing up more (our house isn’t that big!). And by the time I move to where I need to be to take the photo, Sophia has wandered off to another room.
The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 lens is a fixed aperture lens, which means I can maintain an aperture of 2.8 while changing my focal length (my zoom) from 17mm to 55mm. Most lenses that zoom in and out change aperture from 3.5 to 5.6, depending on the focal length. It is a big lens (77mm diameter) and is on the heavier side. That’s the price I pay for the fixed 2.8 aperture.
I haven’t had much time to play with it in low light to see how it fares compared to my 50mm lens. Some photos have turned out really crisp, some have been blurry. I'll have to play around with the settings more. The photos we've taken outdoors, I've been very pleased with. The images are sharp! Definitely makes shooting photos a lot more fun.
 |
| Low light (tungsten); ISO 800, 33mm, f/2.8, 1/6 |
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| Low light (tungsten); ISO 800, 55mm, f/2.8, 1/30 |
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| Daytime natural light; ISO 800, 55mm, f/2.8, 1/40 |
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| Outdoor; ISO 400, 37mm, f/2.8, 1/4,000 |
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| Outdoor; ISO 400, 17mm, f/4.5, 1/1,000 |
16 May 2013
Choices, choices
Life is what you choose to make it, so I am told. It is all about the choices you make. Last month, I chose more time with my family over time at work.
Last October, I joined Dell Services in a Product Owner/Product Manager role. It was a good move for my career and for me personally. I had been with Navarik for a long time and was looking for a change in scenery. The job at Dell was challenging and learning so much new stuff was quite fun. I enjoyed getting to know the other team members and finding my place in the mix. As with any new thing, it was also stressful. I put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver high quality work, which is good, but it didn't help with the stress level. After a few weeks, I found a good groove and felt comfortable in my new environment.
The main downside, though, was the 5-days-a-week work schedule and the very corporate American leave policy at Dell. I was on a 4-days-a-week schedule at Navarik and I felt I was ready to go back to full-time. And I was okay with it for a few months but after we returned from our Caribbean vacation, where I spent so much time with Sophia, I just knew I was missing out on too much.
The planets aligned and it turned out that Navarik wanted me back. I thought long and hard about it and finally decided to take up Navarik on their offer. It's not the best move for my career and it certainly won't look so good on my resume, but the flexibility that Navarik offers is the ideal set up for me and my family at this point in time. I can retain a senior position, do work that I enjoy and am good at, and keep my skills relevant while working 30 hours a week spread over four days. I also have one day of working from home per week. And I get an Apple product as a gift, once in a while!
Striking a balance between work and family is really like the holy grail for a lot of families. Can moms really have it all? I guess it all depends on what your definition of "all" is and how you define success for yourself. I feel I have found is a fair balance for me and my family. And for now, that's good enough.
Last October, I joined Dell Services in a Product Owner/Product Manager role. It was a good move for my career and for me personally. I had been with Navarik for a long time and was looking for a change in scenery. The job at Dell was challenging and learning so much new stuff was quite fun. I enjoyed getting to know the other team members and finding my place in the mix. As with any new thing, it was also stressful. I put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver high quality work, which is good, but it didn't help with the stress level. After a few weeks, I found a good groove and felt comfortable in my new environment.
The main downside, though, was the 5-days-a-week work schedule and the very corporate American leave policy at Dell. I was on a 4-days-a-week schedule at Navarik and I felt I was ready to go back to full-time. And I was okay with it for a few months but after we returned from our Caribbean vacation, where I spent so much time with Sophia, I just knew I was missing out on too much.
The planets aligned and it turned out that Navarik wanted me back. I thought long and hard about it and finally decided to take up Navarik on their offer. It's not the best move for my career and it certainly won't look so good on my resume, but the flexibility that Navarik offers is the ideal set up for me and my family at this point in time. I can retain a senior position, do work that I enjoy and am good at, and keep my skills relevant while working 30 hours a week spread over four days. I also have one day of working from home per week. And I get an Apple product as a gift, once in a while!
Striking a balance between work and family is really like the holy grail for a lot of families. Can moms really have it all? I guess it all depends on what your definition of "all" is and how you define success for yourself. I feel I have found is a fair balance for me and my family. And for now, that's good enough.
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