To remind me to keep my chin up.

To remind me not to sweat the small stuff.

To remind me to live in accordance with the nature of things.

To remind me to stay balanced.

To remind me to decrease my wants.

To remind me to indulge myself every now and then.

To remind me that everything is as it should be.

To remind me to stop comparing myself to others.

To remind me not to use force against the world, and embrace the way of the universe.

To remind me to follow my own nature, and not the trappings of life.

To remind me that nothing really matters.

To remind me to have no claims to life.

To remind me to be spontaneous, deliberate, watchful, reverent, humble, pure, and accepting.

To remind me that heaven is found on earth.

The Tao Tattoo Series

1. The Meaning
2. The Experience
3. The Background
4. Tattwo

Okay, okay, I admit it, I bought more camera gear. This time it was a flash, an umbrella, and a combination stand to hold the two. The flash is a Canon 580EX II, the most important features being:

• Can act as master flash to trigger my 420EX in slave mode
• Can turn off the flash to use better autofocus assist beams
• Easy-to-use control dial and set button
• Maximum guide number of 58
• Sweeeeet lock shoe stand

I was able to test it out the rig on Andrew and Alex, who happened to be in town that weekend. Out of all my friends and acquaintances, I’ve known Andrew and Alex the longest, since elementary school. We got to hang out for a night and catch up before they had to take off. I can still tell them apart from face and voice, although it got quite a bit harder.

It was a good practice in doing portraits of two people, and figuring out how varied the same scene can look with the main light source at different positions. Overall, I’m very pleased with how they turned out.

It’s 28°C outside. It’s hot, but there isn’t a touch of humidity in the air. I can’t help but take my time. I’m supposed to be thinking of where I’m going, what I’m doing, but it’s too nice out. Another beautiful summer day.

And no one to share it with.

“One or separate bills?”, the waitress asks us. She has a slight Japanese accent, but aside from her raven hair, her features are distinctly Occidental.

“One please”.

“We’re treating, Jeff”.

“Nope. You guys are in my town.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”, they ask, and threaten to leave if I pay. It does nothing to convince me or change my conviction.

“You guys are a lot more behaved than when I was your age”, says the man sitting next to us.

When the bill comes around, we wrench the tray from each others hands.

“Must be odd”, the man whispers to his wife, who’s laughing at us.

But it’s not odd to me. It’s the Chinese way. Like having too much food when you’re hosting a party because to run out is the ultimate embarrassment.

The same way it’s odd to hear North American people complain about their jobs. To the Chinese, a job is how you take care of your family. It doesn’t matter that it’s mindless, stressful, or hard physical labour. You’re just happy to have that opportunity. All my Canadian Chinese friends feel the same¹.

This is how we were raised. It wasn’t a rule that was spoken. We learned it by watching our parents, who would clip coupons for groceries, only buy clothes on sale, re-use paper by writing over again with different coloured inks, but go out to feast with ten people then fight to pay the bill. Sometimes, they’d even get up to find the server to make a preemptive, surreptitious payment. Occasionally there were spilled drinks and soiled clothes, as the fight became physical². I think it’s nice part of the culture to be so adamant about friendship and company.

And I’m glad to be a part of it.

1. Aaron is probably one of the few people I know who understands. He’ll fight with me, not just over a bill when eating out, but for movies, groceries, and other sundries. [↑]
2. I remember a child crying once, a relative of a relative, thinking the parents were arguing with anger. [↑]

Puddles was the sole survivor of a litter of puppies left in the cold of Canadian winter, because the owner didn’t want to keep them. He stayed alive by burying himself under his mothers body to stay warm. At a couple weeks old he was taken to his new and permanent home, where he’s lived for over 13 years.

Puddles is currently suffering from allergies (he’s chewed through his fur), arthritis, and severe diabetes. He can’t even make it up the front steps without the momentum of a run. Once a healthy 110 pound dog, he now weighs 88lbs.

I was commissioned to take some pictures of him with the kids before he passes.

In return, I was offered dinner; a savoury pasta with tiger shrimp and lemon zest, along with apple crisp for dessert. All made from scratch.

This was a small exercise in shooting RAW (used for about half the shots). It’s great to not worry about white balance and to have an extra stop exposure adjustment, but I still find that getting the processing right is a bit tricky.