- Never Stop Dreaming -
Having cleared off the speeding ticket in April, I was saving up for something pretty massive (hint...strawberry). Then the taxes came for me to file and robbed me of another pile of decent cash. To be upright honest, I wasn't very happy and when I wasn't happy, I needed to ventilate the angst. Somehow music and photoshop seems to work when I take my off days to Starbucks and Delifrance to further enhance my creative talents. There at these cold ventilated venues, I could select the appropriate music to feed them into my ears which will sort of have some sort of reaction to massage my brain. While I lie in ambush observing how people react to the environment around them, a BBC wildlife channel plays inside my head while my fingers input more signals to the mouse and keypad to weave magic.
To a certain extent, when I immerse myself so deeply into the music, a vacuum is form and it is in this hallucinatic trance that I can hear and feel vividly each clatter of the cymbals, each reverberation of the bass. The real world seems to vanish into the silence as I began to hear flaws in the music. Not quite an audiophile yet but this exceptional experience put me on a quest to improve the quality that feeds into my ears.
Now sound by itself is an exquisite form subjective to anyone who hears it and then there are those who dedicate their lives to perfecting it. It is indeed an expensive hobby but I was looking more of a portable form which got me reading up on portable music rigs consisting of the music player, a portable amp and the headphones. Expanding further from the original 3, there are so many other fine details that will come into play with respect to the final vibrations that feeds into my ear canals. Materials, cables, sources and also price are all worth considerations for seeking perfection subjected to the threshold of audiable and monetary limits.
Narrowed down my choice to just one single headphone amp to drive the impedences of any In Ear Monitors (IEMs), Headamp Electronics Pico pre-amp/dac. Though this nifty amp is small, it packs quite a punch and is regarded as one of the best ones around for a whooping USD$499. A lot of great reviews thronged the internet so I shall leave that for you to google.
My criteria of selection which were met were the fact that this is a very well made (in the USA) amp which is small enuff to chug it with my 1st gen Ipod Touch. Subtle and clad in all black was both stealthy and discreet which goes inline with my taste. This amp also has a built in DAC which meant that I could get decent raw sound straight from my Mac via usb to the amp untouched, unedited, unfiltered, uncompressed and into my IEMs which are great for movies and working at home. The last and deciding factor was that Yen was appreciating against the Dollar which makes this purchase all the more worthwhile. The only issue like everyone else was the long wait time (like 3 months) but my ETA was much less. It will soon be dropped at my doorstep before I fly back to SG which was the original plan since I needed the music for travel.
Next were the line out docks (LODs) which happens to be an array of technical indepth materials which ranges greatly in price. These wired gadgets basically feed the source file from the music player into the amp which feeds them to the IEMs. ALO audio and Qables are supposedly the current industry giants with respect to these tiny wired interconnectors (ICs). Apparently the material like copper, silver and gold, cryo-treated, etc seems to play a part in the sound but I was a total noob in these vast technical field with no where to test the ICs, I opted to go for a made in Japan generic LOD that didn't cost me an arm or leg till I get to test the high grade ones in SG.
Still holding on to my Technics headphones until I could find another set of decent cans/IEMs. And that pretty much sums up my portable music rig...
The one other item I was eyeing was the Razer Mamba wireless mouse what will somewhat retire the current Razer Deathadder that had served me well for almost 4 ~ 5 years. I will still keep the current mouse as a spare but wireless was something that I had been eyeing for a while and Razer mices are quite a huge draw for me. Sleek black with blue glowing LEDs...never seem to grow outta them besides the smart plain white Iphone 4, PSP or S15.
Yep these 2 items will keep my geeky spirit healthy for a while...and hopefully I can do a pic pre-view soon.
see you in Aug
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Missing in Action
- Never Stop Dreaming -
For almost 2 whole months, maybe 3...there weren't any updates. I didn't felt the need to, didn't have much too but guilt caught up with me and so here it is.
Since switching to the new job since April, I had been thrown into a cruel mix of skeptical and disgusting but yet subtle and enduring emotional turmoil. The constant discovery of unhealthy industry standards, flaws and corner-cuttings had left me gasping for air while on this filthy trail. In a mere 4 months, I had became a hedious actor adept in the art of deception thru fabrication of certain truths. So many times had I battled against my own conscience but in the end, the devil always triumph.
Besides degrading my potential skill level and underperforming, I am required to put on my best act without overshining the main veteran star. Man that's quite a feat which seems almost impossible to achieve.
Over the years, from a psychological humanely perspection, I have come to respect the special relationship amongst strangers and friends sadly, only to have them robbed in these short months. Despite all these, I am still not ready to let go because I have a bigger cause to worry about and all these will become trivial issues when the main picture is complete.
Luckily for me, I have other alternatives to channel my vested interests all thanks to my angelic choice back then to not screw around with prospective sources. Glad that it worked out as each day, more opportunities are being shoved thru my front door. Though I might just be going thru a mid life crisis, the only thing that will or rather had changed is my attitude towards certain specific stimulus. My passion, my dream and my determination remains unmoved because greater achievements awaits me in this strange journey towards the great unknown.
In just less than a week I will be making the annual pilgrimage back home to feel the nostalgic charm of my birth place. Though there are certain people which I will not be able to meet, there will be new people waiting to meet me instead. Each year when I make my trip back, the anxiety seems to be somewhat different. This year, I am quite glad to be able to head home though only for a short 1 week instead of the usual 3 weeks. Because of the fact that it will be a very very short 1 week, it makes everything even more worthwhile besides the fact that I want to escape this hectic hell hole for a while.
A wedding to grace, friends to meet, new family members to greet, local mind fuel and lots of new places to see plus the irritating exit permit renewal.
For the 1st time, I am actually looking to fly home.
Then when I am back here, winter is all that I look forward to.
For almost 2 whole months, maybe 3...there weren't any updates. I didn't felt the need to, didn't have much too but guilt caught up with me and so here it is.
Since switching to the new job since April, I had been thrown into a cruel mix of skeptical and disgusting but yet subtle and enduring emotional turmoil. The constant discovery of unhealthy industry standards, flaws and corner-cuttings had left me gasping for air while on this filthy trail. In a mere 4 months, I had became a hedious actor adept in the art of deception thru fabrication of certain truths. So many times had I battled against my own conscience but in the end, the devil always triumph.
Besides degrading my potential skill level and underperforming, I am required to put on my best act without overshining the main veteran star. Man that's quite a feat which seems almost impossible to achieve.
Over the years, from a psychological humanely perspection, I have come to respect the special relationship amongst strangers and friends sadly, only to have them robbed in these short months. Despite all these, I am still not ready to let go because I have a bigger cause to worry about and all these will become trivial issues when the main picture is complete.
Luckily for me, I have other alternatives to channel my vested interests all thanks to my angelic choice back then to not screw around with prospective sources. Glad that it worked out as each day, more opportunities are being shoved thru my front door. Though I might just be going thru a mid life crisis, the only thing that will or rather had changed is my attitude towards certain specific stimulus. My passion, my dream and my determination remains unmoved because greater achievements awaits me in this strange journey towards the great unknown.
In just less than a week I will be making the annual pilgrimage back home to feel the nostalgic charm of my birth place. Though there are certain people which I will not be able to meet, there will be new people waiting to meet me instead. Each year when I make my trip back, the anxiety seems to be somewhat different. This year, I am quite glad to be able to head home though only for a short 1 week instead of the usual 3 weeks. Because of the fact that it will be a very very short 1 week, it makes everything even more worthwhile besides the fact that I want to escape this hectic hell hole for a while.
A wedding to grace, friends to meet, new family members to greet, local mind fuel and lots of new places to see plus the irritating exit permit renewal.
For the 1st time, I am actually looking to fly home.
Then when I am back here, winter is all that I look forward to.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Under Exposure
- Never Stop Dreaming -
As I began to find more meaning to keep my daily job as interesting as possible, including the required task to view beautiful photos of people...I find myself seemingly discovering my hidden desire to collect beautiful people. This is of couse against the crude practise of digging out the filth in the company like people who truly deserve to be put down for good.
While in the midst of all these spectacular action, I managed to snag a couple of film like shots to feed my silent photo folders and sites for a change. Weather here is still good with average highs creeping no more than 20 degrees and lows going somewhere to around 8 degrees when it rains.
And yesterday, the second day of my off day, I spent a cold lonely afternoon in Delifrance clearing up some old RAW files to free up space on my Mac. It was raining and there weren't really a lot of people around so it was just me, the rain and the cold tame weather.
So here are some works...
And all that aside, my skills, I mean my photography and photoshop wizardry has seriously been undermined since I am expected to underperform here using outdated over spec equipment. Welcome to the insider story of the industry...
As I began to find more meaning to keep my daily job as interesting as possible, including the required task to view beautiful photos of people...I find myself seemingly discovering my hidden desire to collect beautiful people. This is of couse against the crude practise of digging out the filth in the company like people who truly deserve to be put down for good.
While in the midst of all these spectacular action, I managed to snag a couple of film like shots to feed my silent photo folders and sites for a change. Weather here is still good with average highs creeping no more than 20 degrees and lows going somewhere to around 8 degrees when it rains.
And yesterday, the second day of my off day, I spent a cold lonely afternoon in Delifrance clearing up some old RAW files to free up space on my Mac. It was raining and there weren't really a lot of people around so it was just me, the rain and the cold tame weather.
So here are some works...
And all that aside, my skills, I mean my photography and photoshop wizardry has seriously been undermined since I am expected to underperform here using outdated over spec equipment. Welcome to the insider story of the industry...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Recipe for April
- Never Stop Dreaming -
A string of events hit April of 2010 with my parents coming over, and then my friends. It was a much anticipated event which had started the hype since late last year although my parents coming over was more of a late decision early this year. While it has definitely been a great start to the new year with a new job, new place, etc. I guess too much of goodness might just bring in sudden misfortunes as the cycle of fate rotates.
Damn I was right on although caught without preparation which left me learning each lesson as it was being served. By now everyone would have probably know how I swear by Made in Japan products but a speeding ticket was NOT anywhere even close to my daily consciousness. FUCK!
Here in Japan, I mean rural Japan, speeding traps (ネズミ捕りnezumi tori) aka Mousetraps are done in a dangerous and mindless fashion. A speed radar is strategically camouflaged by the road side connected via a long wire to a distant blue police bus parked by a slip road some distance ahead. Usually these traps are found on long stretch of back roads without much bends. After the radar records the speed breach, some distance ahead along the same direction some old, one-foot-in-the-grave policeman would spring out onto the road with a red flag to guide you into the slip road where the bus would be parked. This is where you punched the air and scream "FUCKED!" Somehow the distance between where the radar is placed and the spot where the "OJISAN" policeman would jump out is probably calculated "theoretically" for the speeding car to brake safely without hitting the soon-to-be-dead "OJISAN".
You see the "OJISAN" would jump out as soon as the radar detects the breach so you HAVE TO BRAKE hard even if it means emergency braking, that is if you are really flying down more than 100km/h on that stretch of 40km/h road. Then again if you fail to break in time, be prepared for a nice red clumpy smear, dents and a shattered windscreen which will guarantee you a spot in the local jail, tons of fines and a lot more shit! The speed trap is manned by one daredevil Ojisan to stop the speeding cars, some oven-fresh police cadet to record you details and to prove to you how fast you are going inside the bus where you agree to everything they say and seal the long slip of speeding ticket with your fingerprint and there will be another police officer to fiddle with the radar equipment.
I scraped 35km/h in excess of the limit of 40km/h which carried 6 demerit points and a fine between ¥60,000 to ¥100,000.
After a couple of weeks a post card will come from the prefecture police department to tell you that you HAVE to go to the prefectural driving centre to attend a traffic lecture to rob you a further ¥13,000 ++ . Depending on how much in excess you went over the speed limit, your driver's license will either be suspended for a short term period of 30 days or mid term period of 60 days or a long term period of 90 days. The date is FIXED but it's is possible to change the date where you attend a silly basic driving lecture given by some un-professional OJISAN (AGAIN!) who will tell you everything you (already know) need to know to pass the test at the end of the lecture. It's a 1 day lecture that starts from 0845 in the morning to 1630 in the afternoon. When you arrive in the morning, you will go thru the reception where some policeman will tell you that "beginning today, your license will be suspended for XX number of days so please proceed upstairs for the traffic lecture." and he will hand you a very nicely designed form to document your suspension and confiscate your license. So it's advisable NOT to drive on THAT very day...(reason later in the post!)
Here you pay a hefty ¥13,000 ++ and attend the crappy lecture in Japanese (if you don't understand, then too bad) where you PAY ATTENTION each time the lecturer says, "これは大事な所です! (This is where it's important!) because that's the answer to the questions". You will be given a "how to drive safely" or some other crappy book in Japanese where you can take notes because he will usually repeats several times on important parts. If your Japanese language ability is not good enuff, you will find yourself struggling but you can always ask for an ENGLISH book and test which I did. There will be other staffs to aid you in understanding in Japanese if you are in doubt.
After that you go for lunch.
After lunch, play some simulator to test you reaction time against erratic changes and a driving simulator to test how safe you are as a driver. Then back to the lecture room with no preparation time, the test begins. If you have been listening to the lecture, you can clear the 40 questions with ease. I did the English version which was generally understandable English consisting of common sense questions so if you couldn't clear it, then you would be better off playing GT4 at home. The duration of the test was like 15 or 20 minutes, I couldn't really remember but whatever.
The test consist of 38 true of false questions which carry 1 point each and 2 questions at the end which is sub divided to a further 3 true of false questions. The last 2 questions each describes a scenario where you have to answer 3 true of false questions per scenario. You have to get all 3 answers correct to score 2 point for each scenario, so 38 points plus 2 points plus 2 points equates 42 points which is the full score. If you get between 36 to 42, your 30 day suspension will be reduced to a 1 day suspension which is effective on the day you attend the stupid lecture and take the test, that is why I mentioned earlier NOT to drive there. Scoring 30 to 35 will reduce your 30 day suspension to 5 days and scoring 25 to 34 will reduce your 30 day suspension to 10 days.
Before getting your test scores you will receive the result of your simulation test which mine said, "I had lightning fast reaction time (0.44 seconds) to sudden changes in both pedal control and steering wheel turning!" scoring a 4 out 5 in the overall result. Though I screwed up some initial tests since the ambiguous instructions given by the UNPROFESSIONAL Ojisans varied with the instructions on the screen...damn those idiots, otherwise I would have aced the crappy simulation game given my perfectionist nature. Then again if you are an avid gamer, these simulation will seem like kindergarden amusement.
There...a stupid ¥13,000 ++ to feed those nothing-better-to-do unprofessional lecturers, waste my day at traffic school, play some silly simulation games to re-discover my Jedi reflexes and then a yet unknown lump sum donation, a 1st in 3 years to the rural traffic department, hopefully to fund someone's funeral all on a fine gloomy rainy day.
A string of events hit April of 2010 with my parents coming over, and then my friends. It was a much anticipated event which had started the hype since late last year although my parents coming over was more of a late decision early this year. While it has definitely been a great start to the new year with a new job, new place, etc. I guess too much of goodness might just bring in sudden misfortunes as the cycle of fate rotates.
Damn I was right on although caught without preparation which left me learning each lesson as it was being served. By now everyone would have probably know how I swear by Made in Japan products but a speeding ticket was NOT anywhere even close to my daily consciousness. FUCK!
Here in Japan, I mean rural Japan, speeding traps (ネズミ捕りnezumi tori) aka Mousetraps are done in a dangerous and mindless fashion. A speed radar is strategically camouflaged by the road side connected via a long wire to a distant blue police bus parked by a slip road some distance ahead. Usually these traps are found on long stretch of back roads without much bends. After the radar records the speed breach, some distance ahead along the same direction some old, one-foot-in-the-grave policeman would spring out onto the road with a red flag to guide you into the slip road where the bus would be parked. This is where you punched the air and scream "FUCKED!" Somehow the distance between where the radar is placed and the spot where the "OJISAN" policeman would jump out is probably calculated "theoretically" for the speeding car to brake safely without hitting the soon-to-be-dead "OJISAN".
You see the "OJISAN" would jump out as soon as the radar detects the breach so you HAVE TO BRAKE hard even if it means emergency braking, that is if you are really flying down more than 100km/h on that stretch of 40km/h road. Then again if you fail to break in time, be prepared for a nice red clumpy smear, dents and a shattered windscreen which will guarantee you a spot in the local jail, tons of fines and a lot more shit! The speed trap is manned by one daredevil Ojisan to stop the speeding cars, some oven-fresh police cadet to record you details and to prove to you how fast you are going inside the bus where you agree to everything they say and seal the long slip of speeding ticket with your fingerprint and there will be another police officer to fiddle with the radar equipment.
I scraped 35km/h in excess of the limit of 40km/h which carried 6 demerit points and a fine between ¥60,000 to ¥100,000.
After a couple of weeks a post card will come from the prefecture police department to tell you that you HAVE to go to the prefectural driving centre to attend a traffic lecture to rob you a further ¥13,000 ++ . Depending on how much in excess you went over the speed limit, your driver's license will either be suspended for a short term period of 30 days or mid term period of 60 days or a long term period of 90 days. The date is FIXED but it's is possible to change the date where you attend a silly basic driving lecture given by some un-professional OJISAN (AGAIN!) who will tell you everything you (already know) need to know to pass the test at the end of the lecture. It's a 1 day lecture that starts from 0845 in the morning to 1630 in the afternoon. When you arrive in the morning, you will go thru the reception where some policeman will tell you that "beginning today, your license will be suspended for XX number of days so please proceed upstairs for the traffic lecture." and he will hand you a very nicely designed form to document your suspension and confiscate your license. So it's advisable NOT to drive on THAT very day...(reason later in the post!)
Here you pay a hefty ¥13,000 ++ and attend the crappy lecture in Japanese (if you don't understand, then too bad) where you PAY ATTENTION each time the lecturer says, "これは大事な所です! (This is where it's important!) because that's the answer to the questions". You will be given a "how to drive safely" or some other crappy book in Japanese where you can take notes because he will usually repeats several times on important parts. If your Japanese language ability is not good enuff, you will find yourself struggling but you can always ask for an ENGLISH book and test which I did. There will be other staffs to aid you in understanding in Japanese if you are in doubt.
After that you go for lunch.
After lunch, play some simulator to test you reaction time against erratic changes and a driving simulator to test how safe you are as a driver. Then back to the lecture room with no preparation time, the test begins. If you have been listening to the lecture, you can clear the 40 questions with ease. I did the English version which was generally understandable English consisting of common sense questions so if you couldn't clear it, then you would be better off playing GT4 at home. The duration of the test was like 15 or 20 minutes, I couldn't really remember but whatever.
The test consist of 38 true of false questions which carry 1 point each and 2 questions at the end which is sub divided to a further 3 true of false questions. The last 2 questions each describes a scenario where you have to answer 3 true of false questions per scenario. You have to get all 3 answers correct to score 2 point for each scenario, so 38 points plus 2 points plus 2 points equates 42 points which is the full score. If you get between 36 to 42, your 30 day suspension will be reduced to a 1 day suspension which is effective on the day you attend the stupid lecture and take the test, that is why I mentioned earlier NOT to drive there. Scoring 30 to 35 will reduce your 30 day suspension to 5 days and scoring 25 to 34 will reduce your 30 day suspension to 10 days.
Before getting your test scores you will receive the result of your simulation test which mine said, "I had lightning fast reaction time (0.44 seconds) to sudden changes in both pedal control and steering wheel turning!" scoring a 4 out 5 in the overall result. Though I screwed up some initial tests since the ambiguous instructions given by the UNPROFESSIONAL Ojisans varied with the instructions on the screen...damn those idiots, otherwise I would have aced the crappy simulation game given my perfectionist nature. Then again if you are an avid gamer, these simulation will seem like kindergarden amusement.
There...a stupid ¥13,000 ++ to feed those nothing-better-to-do unprofessional lecturers, waste my day at traffic school, play some silly simulation games to re-discover my Jedi reflexes and then a yet unknown lump sum donation, a 1st in 3 years to the rural traffic department, hopefully to fund someone's funeral all on a fine gloomy rainy day.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Industry
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Photography is a vast world with boundaries only defined by the limits of Man's perspective and the most challenging genre at least for me, is wedding photography. Factor this genre with influence of cultures and a whole new world is opened to me. Typical Chinese-themed wedding styles are all too familiar to me but here in Japan, everything that I presumed I knew would soon be thrown out and I find myself taking those essential baby steps.
Typical Japanese weddings are done more or less with respect to their age old customs and cultures, silent, solemn and very very ritual like. Speaking to a couple of rather experienced Japanese wedding photogs, I soon learnt that wedding ceremonies are done to honor and respect the guests present (done FOR the guests), somewhat different from the Chinese ones which are done for the couples themselves or for customs. Even the layout is a little different since the parents are placed furthest away from the couple (themselves being at the most bottom) while the Chinese ones have the families closest to the couple.
Ritual ceremonies will differ accordingly to religion but the solemn, silent and no-nonsense aura is pretty much the same in almost all ceremonies. Church weddings will only allow the white gown and suit style and the other Asian religion will usually see Kimonos in assorted colors according to each respective religion.
Wedding photographer is yet another very misunderstood profession here in Japan. Typical wedding photographers belong to a larger organization like a hotel, resort, restaurant, etc and are not "a la carte" like in SG to be chosen by the marrying couple. Instead, couples pick the place to have the wedding and select the style they want their pictures to be done in albums via the "Reception" staffs. Then the staffs forward the info to the respective departments and wedding photographers are assigned randomly according to a monthly schedule chart. Photographers have no prior communication to the couple other than on the actual wedding day. To overcome certain photographers from growing exponentially, every SINGLE photographer in the team of wedding photographers have to produce the very same pictures that the couple had chosen from the limited range of samples. In other words, as a wedding photographer, it's not really necessary to have any prior photographer skills, gear, passion, etc. Photographers are hired with respect to how capable they are to produce the same stuffs in the albums after they go thru a 3 month training.
Once the pictures required for making the album are completed, then the individual photographer can explore his / her individual taste by infusing their own style into the rest of the pictures, although there is a high chance that most of these artistic pictures would not make it to the final album.
Japanese couples in general want what they see in the album without much variation so as a photographer, all one need to do is to replicate the same consistency in the fixed location, architecture and place. The only variation that can be explored are unforeseen weather changes and lighting and that is pretty much everything. I was astonished and almost beyond amazement when I found out all these facts but of course there are other companies that offer couples a chance to choose the style they want according to each photographer's portfolio. In general, from a company's perspective, this is to reduce any internal friction where one member of a certain department may out shine others which coincides to the general norm in a Japanese society that is, "If a nail sticks out, HAMMER THAT BITCH down!" It's in their culture, history that have spanned a long time which everyone else is not suppose to be indifferent from the rest, better to blend in than to realize your potential.
I was indeed passionate about this job because I could see myself exploring my own style like liquid taking the form of what ever that would be thrown at me...I was wrong. I have became a staff, a part of a team to a larger part of an organization where my duties is to replicate so that the company can make more money to pay my salary and hire more people. Passion, skills, experience or style are NOT even a requirement to become a wedding photographer. It's just about any other job in the boring sector...
Unless of course I get foreigners from outside Japan, I play the boring role of a xerox machine.
Photography is a vast world with boundaries only defined by the limits of Man's perspective and the most challenging genre at least for me, is wedding photography. Factor this genre with influence of cultures and a whole new world is opened to me. Typical Chinese-themed wedding styles are all too familiar to me but here in Japan, everything that I presumed I knew would soon be thrown out and I find myself taking those essential baby steps.
Typical Japanese weddings are done more or less with respect to their age old customs and cultures, silent, solemn and very very ritual like. Speaking to a couple of rather experienced Japanese wedding photogs, I soon learnt that wedding ceremonies are done to honor and respect the guests present (done FOR the guests), somewhat different from the Chinese ones which are done for the couples themselves or for customs. Even the layout is a little different since the parents are placed furthest away from the couple (themselves being at the most bottom) while the Chinese ones have the families closest to the couple.
Ritual ceremonies will differ accordingly to religion but the solemn, silent and no-nonsense aura is pretty much the same in almost all ceremonies. Church weddings will only allow the white gown and suit style and the other Asian religion will usually see Kimonos in assorted colors according to each respective religion.
Wedding photographer is yet another very misunderstood profession here in Japan. Typical wedding photographers belong to a larger organization like a hotel, resort, restaurant, etc and are not "a la carte" like in SG to be chosen by the marrying couple. Instead, couples pick the place to have the wedding and select the style they want their pictures to be done in albums via the "Reception" staffs. Then the staffs forward the info to the respective departments and wedding photographers are assigned randomly according to a monthly schedule chart. Photographers have no prior communication to the couple other than on the actual wedding day. To overcome certain photographers from growing exponentially, every SINGLE photographer in the team of wedding photographers have to produce the very same pictures that the couple had chosen from the limited range of samples. In other words, as a wedding photographer, it's not really necessary to have any prior photographer skills, gear, passion, etc. Photographers are hired with respect to how capable they are to produce the same stuffs in the albums after they go thru a 3 month training.
Once the pictures required for making the album are completed, then the individual photographer can explore his / her individual taste by infusing their own style into the rest of the pictures, although there is a high chance that most of these artistic pictures would not make it to the final album.
Japanese couples in general want what they see in the album without much variation so as a photographer, all one need to do is to replicate the same consistency in the fixed location, architecture and place. The only variation that can be explored are unforeseen weather changes and lighting and that is pretty much everything. I was astonished and almost beyond amazement when I found out all these facts but of course there are other companies that offer couples a chance to choose the style they want according to each photographer's portfolio. In general, from a company's perspective, this is to reduce any internal friction where one member of a certain department may out shine others which coincides to the general norm in a Japanese society that is, "If a nail sticks out, HAMMER THAT BITCH down!" It's in their culture, history that have spanned a long time which everyone else is not suppose to be indifferent from the rest, better to blend in than to realize your potential.
I was indeed passionate about this job because I could see myself exploring my own style like liquid taking the form of what ever that would be thrown at me...I was wrong. I have became a staff, a part of a team to a larger part of an organization where my duties is to replicate so that the company can make more money to pay my salary and hire more people. Passion, skills, experience or style are NOT even a requirement to become a wedding photographer. It's just about any other job in the boring sector...
Unless of course I get foreigners from outside Japan, I play the boring role of a xerox machine.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Good times bad times nostalgic times
- Never Stop Dreaming -
I guessed to achieve certain dreams if not all dreams, sacrifices no matter how minor or grave are necessary and so this was how I paid mine. The path which I had decided back then is now half completed and slowly I thought I had it all until the all so familiar faces, the smiles, the giggles, the hugs and memories started to surface from the vivid lake of the forgotten.
Mummy has more grey streaks now and she walks more slowly, daddy has aged more and was no longer the man I knew who lifted huge slabs of stones. Mummy has less aspirations for herself because she just wants to spend more time with me and daddy just wants me to get married soon. Little brother is all grown up now and has become more of a man than I am, well I am still a kid as usual. He dresses pretty smartly and has the charisma to shine...but still I pull some strings on his style and head gear of course.
Certain visions has become much clearer but there are some issues that I felt compelled to accomplish. Indeed I had not provided anything for my parents for a while so mummy's complains about borrowing cameras and a backpack came across to me as a form of responsibility to fulfill. In the end, I bought the Canon S90 and a Japanese design bag for Mummy because her smile was my satisfaction for a long long time to come. Daddy on the other hand just wanted to enjoy so food was something that he always liked and I tried to clear the bill for each meal. Then of course the fact that I was entering into the professional realm of photography was an opportunity to fulfill my duty as a son. Though I cannot provide perishable wealth, photography became a medium to preserve the beautiful memories that I shared with my family. An element so strong and untainted by time or nature. I tried but still in the end, I was only half satisfied because nostalgic memories brought tears to me eyes.
Then my good friend brought his troops whom I knew little more than their names and a couple of friendly chats back then. I was most impressed with getting a little closer to them and slowing understanding them more as a personal friend. We shared good times and I missed their giggles, smiles and laughters.
When everyone left, I knew I was back where I had started, alone and spinning a web of illusion to every local here. I was sad because good times fly past and I meant really really GOD DAMN fast. But still there isn't the slightest hesitation to deny a retry and live my life in SG. Just not something that I can do or forgive myself for doing.
Then I started to speak, I have spoken to a few lucky people of my interpretations but sadly some people are simply too proud of themselves to listen to anyone and it's here I realized that those around me who used to be and still are my inspirations are still in their own exclusive league above average man in the street. They are the ones who listen and they are the ones who are very talented with recognition without self promotion.
Before that I defined how the casual chat actually contained a deeper meaning to people like me and likes around me. It was my way of luring out the a friend or foe of my level from the usual nonsense sprouting trash who never fails to amuse me each day with their stupidity. It's hard not to bite the bait when ego is at stake so a very well orchestrated master piece that worked once again was laid out without much effort and the Law saw it thru right from the start.
Talking is a 2 way conversation while a speech is a 1 way conversation. Most, in fact everyone don't think much of talking especially casual conversation but I see it very differently. Talking is merely a medium of conversation and a conversation is merely a medium of exchanging information. A mastery of the art of conversation is to collect as much information from the other party without being detected with the intention to facilitate any of the followings,
1. To aid and to cut down the learning curve but leeching on the experience of others.
2. To fish out more information pertaining to certain issues.
3. To force the other party into a pre-determined situation without being detected.
4. To ridicule or to amuse others like minded around.
5. To put oneself in a favorable position.
Speech basically is made when the speaker is of a certain calibre where everyone else LISTENS to gain as much as possible.
Then I started to go deeper and defined why fashion is a very crucial part of our existence. There are 5 mortal senses and the sense of sight is possibly without a doubt the only sense that allows an evaluation of a total stranger. Here is where fashion plays a TREMENDOUS part in making an average person stand out to be noticed. Once that ambiguous barrier is broken, speech is the next optimum weapon to use since we can paint who ever we want to be to the other person. Here is where genuine conversation shines and bragging, let's just say it's not always efficient around talented people who KNOW their stuffs. Continuing from above, if one is adept in the mastery of speech, following up on the relationship of the 2 strangers would be of relative ease.
The point is that if you set too high a bench mark from the start, you better make sure you can keep up because falling from high places usually results in fatalities. Moving on to the internet...
These days, the power of the internet have indeed brought people closer and surprisingly, stores an immerse collection of virtual information readily available for free. Sadly all these technological marvel seems to make most of us lazier and to a certain extent, more stupid.
Take for example how those unsolicited emails get around faster than we blink our eyes simply because people these days just abuse the "forward" button. Those spams, pity some poor mofo crap, FB charging people, help some S.O.B. Tsunami/Earthquake victims, etc, the list goes on like a bottomless pit and many of use simply forward these emails to our vulnerable friends without even questioning the credibility of it.
From the way I see it, I began to question how these people have their lives written out like a 3 year old kid's story book which I could read with little or no effort. So does forwarding these emails satify your inner insecurity that your friends would be better informed and appreciate your actions? Or the fact that you felt like you did a good think and really think that some Haitians would benefit from your actions? No doubt that we all have different reasons to use the internet, to use it wisely is perhaps the hardest concept to put across to the common folks around us. Google and other major search engines are not surprisingly available 24/7 and yet these names become unknown then the "forward" button appears. A simple check with google while still seating on the same seat, staring in front of a screen and a few simple clicks of the mouse have become a hassle for some. Like a chain reaction, our little compassionate actions to inform our friends would simply lead them to their immenient end.
I am sad, I miss everyone back home and everything back home but still I have found my path and that sadness usually only last for a transitory period of time.
I guessed to achieve certain dreams if not all dreams, sacrifices no matter how minor or grave are necessary and so this was how I paid mine. The path which I had decided back then is now half completed and slowly I thought I had it all until the all so familiar faces, the smiles, the giggles, the hugs and memories started to surface from the vivid lake of the forgotten.
Mummy has more grey streaks now and she walks more slowly, daddy has aged more and was no longer the man I knew who lifted huge slabs of stones. Mummy has less aspirations for herself because she just wants to spend more time with me and daddy just wants me to get married soon. Little brother is all grown up now and has become more of a man than I am, well I am still a kid as usual. He dresses pretty smartly and has the charisma to shine...but still I pull some strings on his style and head gear of course.
Certain visions has become much clearer but there are some issues that I felt compelled to accomplish. Indeed I had not provided anything for my parents for a while so mummy's complains about borrowing cameras and a backpack came across to me as a form of responsibility to fulfill. In the end, I bought the Canon S90 and a Japanese design bag for Mummy because her smile was my satisfaction for a long long time to come. Daddy on the other hand just wanted to enjoy so food was something that he always liked and I tried to clear the bill for each meal. Then of course the fact that I was entering into the professional realm of photography was an opportunity to fulfill my duty as a son. Though I cannot provide perishable wealth, photography became a medium to preserve the beautiful memories that I shared with my family. An element so strong and untainted by time or nature. I tried but still in the end, I was only half satisfied because nostalgic memories brought tears to me eyes.
Then my good friend brought his troops whom I knew little more than their names and a couple of friendly chats back then. I was most impressed with getting a little closer to them and slowing understanding them more as a personal friend. We shared good times and I missed their giggles, smiles and laughters.
When everyone left, I knew I was back where I had started, alone and spinning a web of illusion to every local here. I was sad because good times fly past and I meant really really GOD DAMN fast. But still there isn't the slightest hesitation to deny a retry and live my life in SG. Just not something that I can do or forgive myself for doing.
Then I started to speak, I have spoken to a few lucky people of my interpretations but sadly some people are simply too proud of themselves to listen to anyone and it's here I realized that those around me who used to be and still are my inspirations are still in their own exclusive league above average man in the street. They are the ones who listen and they are the ones who are very talented with recognition without self promotion.
Before that I defined how the casual chat actually contained a deeper meaning to people like me and likes around me. It was my way of luring out the a friend or foe of my level from the usual nonsense sprouting trash who never fails to amuse me each day with their stupidity. It's hard not to bite the bait when ego is at stake so a very well orchestrated master piece that worked once again was laid out without much effort and the Law saw it thru right from the start.
Talking is a 2 way conversation while a speech is a 1 way conversation. Most, in fact everyone don't think much of talking especially casual conversation but I see it very differently. Talking is merely a medium of conversation and a conversation is merely a medium of exchanging information. A mastery of the art of conversation is to collect as much information from the other party without being detected with the intention to facilitate any of the followings,
1. To aid and to cut down the learning curve but leeching on the experience of others.
2. To fish out more information pertaining to certain issues.
3. To force the other party into a pre-determined situation without being detected.
4. To ridicule or to amuse others like minded around.
5. To put oneself in a favorable position.
Speech basically is made when the speaker is of a certain calibre where everyone else LISTENS to gain as much as possible.
Then I started to go deeper and defined why fashion is a very crucial part of our existence. There are 5 mortal senses and the sense of sight is possibly without a doubt the only sense that allows an evaluation of a total stranger. Here is where fashion plays a TREMENDOUS part in making an average person stand out to be noticed. Once that ambiguous barrier is broken, speech is the next optimum weapon to use since we can paint who ever we want to be to the other person. Here is where genuine conversation shines and bragging, let's just say it's not always efficient around talented people who KNOW their stuffs. Continuing from above, if one is adept in the mastery of speech, following up on the relationship of the 2 strangers would be of relative ease.
The point is that if you set too high a bench mark from the start, you better make sure you can keep up because falling from high places usually results in fatalities. Moving on to the internet...
These days, the power of the internet have indeed brought people closer and surprisingly, stores an immerse collection of virtual information readily available for free. Sadly all these technological marvel seems to make most of us lazier and to a certain extent, more stupid.
Take for example how those unsolicited emails get around faster than we blink our eyes simply because people these days just abuse the "forward" button. Those spams, pity some poor mofo crap, FB charging people, help some S.O.B. Tsunami/Earthquake victims, etc, the list goes on like a bottomless pit and many of use simply forward these emails to our vulnerable friends without even questioning the credibility of it.
From the way I see it, I began to question how these people have their lives written out like a 3 year old kid's story book which I could read with little or no effort. So does forwarding these emails satify your inner insecurity that your friends would be better informed and appreciate your actions? Or the fact that you felt like you did a good think and really think that some Haitians would benefit from your actions? No doubt that we all have different reasons to use the internet, to use it wisely is perhaps the hardest concept to put across to the common folks around us. Google and other major search engines are not surprisingly available 24/7 and yet these names become unknown then the "forward" button appears. A simple check with google while still seating on the same seat, staring in front of a screen and a few simple clicks of the mouse have become a hassle for some. Like a chain reaction, our little compassionate actions to inform our friends would simply lead them to their immenient end.
I am sad, I miss everyone back home and everything back home but still I have found my path and that sadness usually only last for a transitory period of time.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ashley Wood X Threezero = 3A
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Recently while screwing around the net due to too much free time, I found that the old Threezero company based in Hong Kong which had collaborations with Michael Lau that made awesome 1/6 toys had now partnered with an iconic artist, Ashley Wood. If you do not have any idea who this Ashley dude is, WIKI HERE will help you out.
This dude here has got some amazing talent and his paintings are really appealing to me because they are gritty, dark and mysterious. But too bad I found out about this piece of info a bit too late. The partnership bewteen Ashley and Threezero formed a new toy company named 3A which puts out Ashley's concepts and paintings into playthings.
I have a soft spot for gas mask, especially the German M38 series of WWII gas masks or the American "dough boy" ones. Then Ash created the "de Plume" series of 1/6 figures which are all handmade and weathered nicely and they ALL don the iconic gas mask resembling the M38(s). I can only say drooling is what I can do because these figures are released world wide to either 50 or 75 pieces from the Bambaland store. While the store sells them for less than US$250, they were snapped up like withing 2 minutes or sometimes even less. Occasionally, you can find them on Ebay at US$850 or US$1000. I really dig these "de Plume" figures but no way will I fork out that kinda moo neh.
Damn these figures are giving me sleepless nights...
Recently while screwing around the net due to too much free time, I found that the old Threezero company based in Hong Kong which had collaborations with Michael Lau that made awesome 1/6 toys had now partnered with an iconic artist, Ashley Wood. If you do not have any idea who this Ashley dude is, WIKI HERE will help you out.
This dude here has got some amazing talent and his paintings are really appealing to me because they are gritty, dark and mysterious. But too bad I found out about this piece of info a bit too late. The partnership bewteen Ashley and Threezero formed a new toy company named 3A which puts out Ashley's concepts and paintings into playthings.
I have a soft spot for gas mask, especially the German M38 series of WWII gas masks or the American "dough boy" ones. Then Ash created the "de Plume" series of 1/6 figures which are all handmade and weathered nicely and they ALL don the iconic gas mask resembling the M38(s). I can only say drooling is what I can do because these figures are released world wide to either 50 or 75 pieces from the Bambaland store. While the store sells them for less than US$250, they were snapped up like withing 2 minutes or sometimes even less. Occasionally, you can find them on Ebay at US$850 or US$1000. I really dig these "de Plume" figures but no way will I fork out that kinda moo neh.
Damn these figures are giving me sleepless nights...
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