Just some photos of tonight’s blizzard from my balcony! Yikes!
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Update! OF COURSE I had to go out and roll around in the snow the next morning and make me some snow angels!! =)
Posts in the ‘Personal’ Category
February 1st, 2011
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Update! OF COURSE I had to go out and roll around in the snow the next morning and make me some snow angels!! =)
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February 1st, 2011
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When I travel, I absolutely LOVE watching the locals. I spend more time walking around town and simply observing my new surroundings, than visiting museums, famous landmarks, or tourist spots. For my trip to Cambodia’s floating village, we booked a day tour through Tara River Boat Tours. Our tour guide picked us up from the hotel in the morning and drove us to the pier where we hopped onto a small boat that then took us through the floating village. Along the way, we made several stops, including at the home of a family who makes fish sauce for a living, a lady who slays snakes and dries the flesh on her roof (they’re for sale, to be eaten; and we bought a piece!), a crocodile farm/restaurant (yeah, odd combination, I know) where we had the restaurant cook the piece of sun dried snake for us. Our last stop was lunch on the giant Tara Boat.
Oddly enough, prior to arriving, friends have told me that the floating village was nothing to shout about, and that it wasn’t worth the trip there. I really beg to differ. I think it really has to do with your tour guide. Firstly, always get a private tour. This way, you can make as many or as few stops as you like, and ask anything anytime. Secondly, rather than having to follow a set schedule of a group tour, we were able to take our own sweet time at every spot, even hanging out doing nothing on the boat after lunch, enjoying the riverview from a hammock.
We stopped by the home of a local family who made fish sauce. It all starts in this big well filled with tiny little fishes, which gets fermented, boiled in high heat and strained. (I’ll talk about how the fish sauce is made in next week’s post)
We took one of these boats to the floating village.
On our way there. We had the whole boat to ourselves. Our guide invited us to go sit by the edge to enjoy the view. My legs were trembling. I can’t swim, you see!
Firewood is still used for everyday life.
Another leg trembling moment. We went to visit the snake lady, who makes a living selling dried snake meat. She chops off the heads and tails, then slays them, before drying them on her roof, to be sold for consumption. The snakes are all caught in the area.
Snakes drying on her roof. We bought one to go!
This is typical in this part of the world. It’s very sad.
Floating basketball court!
Need clean plates? Just wash them in the river!
Kids in school uniform, probably on their way home from school
Snakes seem to be the thing here. We got to the restaurant, and there’s a little girl with a giant snake around her neck – inviting us to hold her “pet”
The restaurant deep fried our snake meat for us. It tasted like beef jerky.
The view overlooking our restaurant. All these are individual homes and businesses.
Kids having fun in their floating village
Fruit lady selling coconuts and bananas
Paul enjoying the view from a hammock on the boat after our lunch.
Our wonderful tour guide!! If you go to Cambodia and need a local tour guide for Tonle Sap, you must check out Tara River Boat
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February 24th, 2010
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Tags: Chinese wedding, destination wedding, Malaysia, wedding photography discount
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Posted in: Personal, Weddings |
TWO pieces of news today..
First, some of you may know that I was born and grew up in Malaysia. Being the only one in my family to live here in the US is difficult sometimes, because I miss out on family connections. I only see my mom, dad, brothers and all my aunts and uncles once a year. In the last year, I missed my brother’s wedding, and am missing Chinese New Year celebrations right now. So as you can imagine, I’m feeling a little homesick. So as of right this very moment, I am announcing that I will be going to Malaysia in December this year – December 2010. sshhh..my husband doesn’t know about this yet.. =p
Second, while I’m back there, I’d love to be be able to fit in one or two wedding photography assignments. Why? Because I LOVE Asian weddings. Having grown up in Malaysian, and knowing the culture, I know how much FUN a wedding in a cultural wedding can be. As someone with Chinese descendant, I value and appreciate the strong emphasis on family, culture, religion and our ancestors. I value all the little rituals, practices, prayers and ceremonies and it would be a privilege for me to have the opportunity to capture these moments during my short visit to Asia this December.
SO, if anyone reading this is planning a wedding or has a friend who’s having their wedding anywhere in Malaysia or South East Asia, and are looking for a wedding photographer, please give me a call! I would love to shoot your wedding! I want to shoot it so much, that I’m willing to offer my photography services at a deep discount. Contact me for more info!!
*hugs*
Wen
Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio
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February 12th, 2010
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I’m excited about Valentine’s this year, and its unlike me to be excited over a holiday. Except, this year we will be spending the weekend in Lake Geneva, IL, which is where Paul and I spent the weekend after he proposed to me back in May 2007. He surprised me with a *very* makeshift candlelight dinner, which secretly he set up in my backyard before I came home from work. After he proposed (and of course, I said yes), I just HAD to take pictures of the ring and the table. Yeah, how unromantic, right? I know, I know. I just can’t get away from my habit – had to capture everything in an image.
Goofy me admiring my new bling in beautiful Lake Geneva.
So off we go, back to Lake Geneva this weekend. It will be nice to reconnect with my best friend again. Being married has its disadvantages – you forget to appreciate each other because you’re now permanently part of each others lives. And like everything else, the grass looks less green when its in your backyard!
And here’s a little something for cupid day – Paul and I had a dumb argument, and didn’t talk for 2 days. He came home with this on the 3rd day and apologized. Not that he was in the wrong in the first place. That’s it — he IS the bigger person in this relationship! So lesson to self this week – life is too short to sweat the small stuff and appreciate what you have, and learn to apologize. *hugs*
Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio
