The Elgin Theatre

Such a pretty theatre - it reminds of an opera house! The workers there all had these maroon-coloured uniform vests on and they would guide you to your seat with a flashlight. I LOVE the 40s 50s feeling.

Rediscovering U of T part I

I can't believe I never explored these places... Definitely coming back here many more times! The campus actually makes me feel like I'm in a university and not in the middle of nowhere (York!).

This is what I do Part II

More pics from that night:

The Reader

Okay, not really. I used to read a lot of books, but ever since university, my leisure reading radar has dropped to nearly zero. Recently though, I read several books--all were pretty enlightening, might I add. This probably is just another excuse for me to procrastinate, but much more than that, I felt the need to get in touch with "life" and those words of wisdom. I have picked out some quotes that spoke to me.

From Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

“The only true influence you have on anyone else is by your own life, how you act, what you do.”

“It is very important to observe the other members of the group, most especially the person sitting directly opposite you. That person is a spirit reflection of yourself. The things you see in that individual that you admire are the qualities within yourself that you wish to make more dominant. The actions, appearances, and behaviour that you do not like are things about yourself that need working on. You cannot recognize what you deem to be good or bad in others unless you yourself have the same strengths and weaknesses at some level of your being.”

And from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch:

"Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove how much we want something. They are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."

"Luck is where preparation meets opportunity."

And lastly I'm sure you've all heard of the book the five people you meet in heaven--it really is a great book so go read it! :)

I really am a quotes junkie...

this reminds me of pixar... ;)

Someday

...I want to open up a coffee shop.

It would play soft lounge music, have magazines and books on the shelves, a chalkboard menu, fresh flower centre-pieces, art work hung on the walls, with people talking, reading or on the internet; and ideally the shop would be on a slightly elevated level overlooking the street.

Someday.

Hiatus

Sorry for the 2 week hiatus from my beloved Mind Speak! I was studying for exams, writing exams, and then going to work everyday and going out a lot. Haha. :) I just really wanted to make a post tonight so I didn't even bother editing any of my pictures. They are as is! I will be starting next semester this week, so the next post might be another little while. I will try my best to push myself to take more pictures and post! Thanks for following this pblog, it means a lot to me.

Experimenting my new lens, the 50mm.

The people that I have known for all my life in Canada <3>

prettiest tea pot I've ever seen

I LOVED that restaurant. It's so chic. :D

Traditions

This past weekend was Chinese New Year and as part of family tradition, we always buy sweets/snacks, make cakes, and bow to the Buddha Gods (no, I'm not religious). Just thought I would share with you some photos that reflect the biggest Chinese cultural celebration of the year.

The pot where we place the incense after praying.

You've probably seen this somewhere before - the lucky cat that brings in the cash.

I found this to be super cool - who knew that they'd get creative and have a word embossed on an apple! It means "get rich". (Yes, Chinese people like money.)

My lovely mother. :)

And if you notice that the tone of my pictures are a lot cooler and not as vibrant, that's because I'm playing around with photoshop a bit. (Trying to learn how to use it!)

Sorry for the lack of updates again; I want to post more frequently too! Thanks for visiting.

Still Life

Here is the second post as promised - just more macro pictures taken at home. Can't wait till I venture outdoors. (Just wish it wasn't so cold outside). I hope these pics don't get too boring for you! :)

I think this picture gives off a romantic feeling. :)

Wilderness in the middle of my living room.

Pine trail

Purity

Lost and found!

My New Love <3

First of all, sorry for the lack of updates! I haven't posted in 11 days. What has happened during this time? Well, I have finally purchased my first dSLR!!! =D My baby is the Canon Rebel XS and I am super happy and excited about it. I just opened it yesterday and have been meticulously searching for online tutorials and reading the manual on how to use it. I have very limited technical knowledge of cameras, so there's a lot for me to learn. I know I will need more motivation to keep on going but because I like taking pictures so much, it shouldn't be a problem! So for now, I'll show you a few of my test shots using the manual mode. Please comment - I welcome constructive criticisms and of course, compliments. ;) Thanks!

My baby ~ Canon Rebel XS
this picture is not edited at all (just resized) to show you the true quality of the camera

Playing around with the aperture

Indoor lighting

And this is my little puppet show... :)

Monkey

the Seal family

Mickey.

There are more pictures to come so stay tuned! :D