Zen of Tofu

As the regular readers may already know, I acquired a Canon dSLR recently. I’ve been putting it to good use with the family vehicles and the backyard garden lately, and I just got a new bag and higher capacity Compact Flash card.

I’m still using my simple Canon 50mm F/1.8 II lens, and it has definitely not made me lazy on my feet for composing my shots. Several times I found myself either flat on the ground or wishing I was a few inches taller so I can peek through the viewfinder to take a shot that I thought would be interesting.

The new bag I got for my dSLR was a LowePro top-loading bag with room for a body with lens attached, a spare lens and room for charger and extra cards. These all-weather bags are great. Every photographer in the field swears by them. They keep your gear dry, fire proof, and cushioned from bumps or bangs. These bags are worth every penny and it’s even more motivation to get out in the field and fill up my new Flash Card.

I’ve been trying to use my inspiration and motivation for photography to get out in the field and take shots. The biggest problem is I’m a bit shy behind the lens still, and I’m trying to give myself no excuse to not take a shot. I need to develop the charisma to be more inclined to take shots as soon as I see the shot compose, but at the same time I need to be careful of what and who I photograph. I think it should be a photographer’s motto to delete shots that could offend the subject upon their request, and especially to offer to let the subject(s) see the shots after taking them.

I’ll be continuing to take my shots and putting this dSLR to good use. Wish me luck!

written by tofu

With emails, online chatgroups, facebook and all other methods of communication, letter writing, aka snail mail, has become a lost form of art.  When I was younger, my mom introduced me to the wonderful hobby of stamp collection.  For a year or so, I was addicted to this past time.  I would eagerly wait for special occasions where oversea relatives send their greeting cards.  The contents in those cards were never important…as the stamps took center stage.

Soon, stamp collecting became a thing of the past.  Packed in a box and stored under the bed, I paid no attention to it.  However, while cleaning the basement this summer, I came across a huge box of unsoaked stamps, wonderfully preserved through all these years.  There must have been thousands of them, from different parts of the world!  It so happens that this was my parents’ collection from 20-30 years ago.  Instantly, my interest in stamps has returned.

Now, soaked and organized into albums, the stamps act as little representation of its country’s history and identity.  Each tells of wonderful stories, of historic figures, sport events, local flowers and animals, artworks and architectures.  Through stamps, I feel a connection to the people who live in these respective locations.  It’s like traveling around the world, but at much lower cost!

I hope to research more deeply into my collection and perhaps start collecting stamps by theme. 

written by tlc

Coming this Sunday is the final race of the Formula 1 season and the championship is up for grabs between three very good drivers. The driver with the highest chance of success is Lewis Hamilton who is leading by four points over his competing teammate, Fernando Alonso. The third driver who can clinch the title is Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen, who has raced his way past his teammate Felipe Massa in pursuit of the 2007 F1 Championship title.

Personally, I think Lewis Hamilton will continue to demonstrate his consistency and win the championship if he manages to stay out of the gravel pits, and if the weather conditions are decent. Fernando Alonso does have a chance, but I think his risky driving technique, especially at the start of the race, might leave him out of the running early on. Kimi Raikkonen however has his whole team on his side, and if Massa is in front, most likely Ferrari will put all their efforts to get Kimi placed as high as possible — even if it means Massa should let Kimi pass or even try to slow down the McLarens if he is a lap down.

I think the bulk of the race will come down to how well each of the three contenders does in qualifying, and who gets the pole position. Hopefully, there won’t be any rain in the forecast so the start of the race can dictate the starting positions a bit better. Hamilton has done well in qualifying and he has been pretty solid through almost all race starts by not giving up position. McLaren better be on the top of their game this weekend if they want to see either of their racers win the championship.

All I can say for sure, is that it will be one exciting weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil and spectators will be piling in to get a glimpse of their favourite drivers, even if they can only see them in the qualifying sessions.

written by tofu

For years, I collected special quarters from change.  I would go through all the coins in my wallet, take out the pretty and fancy ones, and put them inside a piggy bank.  This summer, I found a need to sort them out, as I wanted to display them in an organized manner.  

Off I went to the postal office, seaching for collector cards.  After much searching and debating, I finally got cards for Vancouver Olympic Winter Games (2010), Millenium Quarters (1999, 2000) and Canada 125 Years Quarters (1992).  The Vancouver Olympic ones are the easiest to collect, as they have only been in circulation for the past few months.  I have great difficulty with the rest of them though!  Of the Millenium Collection, I only have 4 of 12 for each set.  The ones missing from the Canada 125 series are quarters that I have never even seen before!

The difference I see in myself now that I know which coins I am missing! Everytime I receive change from purchases, I would quickly flip the quarters and see if I can add them to my collection.  The interesting thing is, I actually started getting more varieties of quarters!  In just the past several weeks, I got at least 4 different ones.  Now I tell all my friends to keep an eye on their change for me.

Though it is more difficult, I would rather come upon these rare coins rather than buy them.  I know that if I purchased the collection, I wouldn’t treasure it as much because I have placed a static value on it.  However, the whole process of looking through change, remembering what I still need and anticipating the moment when I come upon it makes it all the more worthwhile when the moment arrives.

Ever wondered why food tastes especially good when you are extremely hungry?  The process of waiting heightens the reward of achieving the desired end result.

written by tlc

This is post #100 for ZenofTofu.com! It has been less than a year and I’m glad to have finally reached this milestone with fellow writer, tlc. The past months and posts leading up to the milestone have been full of moments of inspiration and creativity, while trying to balance a busy lifestyle and still finding time for myself.

Here’s a cup of java to say “Cheers!” to all the readers and people who have made this milestone possible. I look forward to finding more inspiration and motivation to write more before reaching 200 posts, and I hope that milestone will be reached before Summer if all goes well! I’m in my third year in university now, so it’s getting much more difficult to find time to write, but with hard work and some help from tlc, I’m sure we can continue to bring you good content.

Thanks again to all the readers, and CHEERS!

written by tofu