Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is one of the most beautiful Architecture I have seen, and it boasts of the world's largest pool at its height!

Taken during the soft opening of SkyPark when they still allowed you to get into the pool area.

Changi Boardwalk: My Piece of Haven in Singapore

I love places that gives me some peace and quiet. It gives me that chance to reflect on my life. Maybe somehow, I'm a bit of a loner that way. But we all need to be alone sometimes. That still water comforts me. The sunset tells me, it is okay. The day is done, tomorrow is another day. 

Yes, this is my piece of haven in Singapore.

Photo taken at Changi Boardwalk, Singapore

Glorious Sunrise in Toronto before the Extreme Cold Weather Alert

Ever wondered what Sunrise looked like this morning before the warnings and alert for the extreme cold weather today in Toronto?

It is glorious! It is for this reason why I always love waking up early to catch a glimpse of this beautiful sunrise.

The Calm before the Storm

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Toronto

For 8 years, I have lived eagerly anticipating for the Chinese New Year. In Singapore, this is the major celebration of the year. If Philippines has Christmas, Singapore has the Chinese New Year. It's the time of year when bonuses are given, parties are celebrated, Stores are on Sale. It is just the most wonderful time of the year!

This year however, I will be missing the grand celebration of welcoming the Lunar New Year, the fireworks, elaborate Chinese Lanterns on the streets, the festivities, Lion Dances, etc. 

I had to celebrate. For the life of me, I cannot not celebrate. So yesterday-Sunday, my family headed to Toronto's Chinatown to celebrate it in a simple way. 

How To Photograph Children

Photographing kids is always a challenge. One thing that you must have is, PATIENCE. Remember, children will always be in playful mode. So be prepared to run around yourself and never expect them to pose for you like adults can.

Before any shoot, you must plan on how you want it, without disregarding their age. Yes, that matters! 1 yr old kids generally are easier to photograph as they don't run like 2 yr old or 3 yr old kids. You can put them in one corner, dress them up and start shooting. I always get down to their eye level to get a nice front view. But this depends on how you want it. Be artistic. You can shoot them from the top, or any angle you wish. There are no strict rules to it. So get it on, and experiment.

Before I tell you the tips and tricks on photographing toddlers, let me tell you the settings I always use.  I am an Aperture photographer. Basically, that would be the setting for my camera, unless I shoot landscape which is totally a different story altogether.

When shooting toddlers, I like to use my 85mm 1.4 or 70-200 2.8. I normally use the widest aperture. I like those depth of field in my pictures. Make sure that you focus on the eyes, the rule for photographing portraits. Now, if you don't have those fixed lenses, always zoom out to get the best results for your depth of field. Let's say, you have 18-200 or 70-200 attached to your camera - make sure you zoom in to 200.

For my ISO, I would turn it to ISO-AUTO. Why? Because I will constantly be on the move. Unless of course I am shooting with a slave flash.

So now, let's talk about tricks on how to get them to smile for you or at least stand at the location where you want them to. Remember: You have to be very fast, as kids will be out of that location in a second. Believe me.

TRICK No. 1
It is always best to get somebody help you out to bring out the natural emotion from the kids. I normally would ask my husband to stand behind me, so he could try to make him laugh and get a nice natural smile or laugh.