Through the Lenses

How to Create Your Own Panoramic Photo

Published on 2010-03-14 22:29:00

Throughout my limited travels, I often take lots of nice scenic photos that eventually end up in the digital storage. From time to time, I look through them, wishing that I had an ultra wide angle capturing the beautiful scene in front of my eyes. Maybe it's time to invest in a fisheye lens. However, an economic solution is to create my own panoramic photo without spending a dime.I recently read an article from Photo Life, a high quality photo magazine, on photo merging technique from its Feb

Olympus Stylus Tough-8000

Published on 2009-10-27 22:12:00

Tough-8000 is a brand new model from Olympus this year with a shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, crushproof, and shakeproof body. I was quite impressed by the review, and got one in Akihabara, the electronic world in Tokyo. It's always convenient to have a digital camera with a smaller body. I like the fact that I can drop it, take it 10 meters under the water, or even accidentally step on it. Having a toddler who's always curious what I do with my camera, I'm not afraid to let her play wi

By the Stained Glass Door

Published on 2009-10-25 22:48:00

I took this photo of my little girl at Ishiya Chocolate Factory in Sapporo. She was drawn to this beautiful stained glass door situated near the entrance, and stood there for quite a long time. Perfect photo opportunity for me. I took a couple of them with flash. Flash kills the natural light coming through the glass. It was difficult to take photos without flash under the low light setting, but because she didn't move much, I was able to snap a few without flash. This one turned out to be

Ramen Noodle Bar in Sapporo

Published on 2009-10-19 23:19:00

Becoming a favourite place for us to get a bite on the run during this trip, the numerous Ramen noodle places dotting the Sapporo city center offer not only convenience but more importantly a variety of mouth watering selection of the local noodle dishes that have become world famous.Anyone traveling with a toddler knows the best place to eat on the go is somewhere that’s spacious, noisy, and informal. While this Ramen noodle joint we came upon when strolling around in Sapporo lack the former

First Day in Japan

Published on 2009-10-18 13:53:00

First day in Japan was a bit rough. JAL lost one of our suitcases with all of Nick's and my clothes in it. Jet lagged, we were up about, hoping to find a department store to buy a few essential things. We came upon this big intersection in downtown core without a single soul on the street. Hum...where are all the people? Oh...we were away too early. Two hours later, this same intersection was full of traffic and pedestrians coming and going all directions.We were told ESTA was a big depart

Booking Hotels for Japan

Published on 2009-09-18 13:38:00

When Nick and I decided that Japan would be our next travel destination, I was excited about all the planning ahead of me. Little did I know what the real challenge would be. I had a difficult time finding the right hotels for my family. There are very few good English online reservation engines for Japanese hotels out there. The one I would recommend to most people is Rakuten. It's easy to use, and the search results are comprehensive. Not only can you sort the results by price (most peopl

My Little Precious

Published on 2009-09-16 23:50:00

Here's what's kept me busy in the last little while. Evania, 16 months, enjoys summer and loves the water park. There she was in her pink bikini, soaking up the sun.

What's new?

Published on 2009-09-15 11:30:00

I have not written anything for a while, but instead have focused on caring for my little girl. I am, however, excited to be back blogging on my other two passions in life, travel and photography. I have been taking photos mostly of my daughter, as you can imagine. I will share some ideas and experiences on that subject in some upcoming posts. I am going on a trip to Japan with my family, through the region of Sapporo and Tokyo area. This poses both as an enormous opportunity and challenge from

Circular Polarizer Filter for Landscape Photos

Published on 2007-08-08 17:48:00

I always look for ways to improve my photographic skills, and recently I came across Travel to the Edge with Art Wolf. It's an excellent site for travel photographers at all levels. I spent hours on it just going through the tips and techniques section. There's so much information to absorb. I felt like a little girl in a candy store :p.One of the tips from Art is to use circular polarizer filter when taking landscape shots on a sunny day. Here are two photos I took of post Gay Pride Parade

Roadside Surprise

Published on 2007-06-25 11:13:00

Having lived on Vancouver Island for nearly a decade, I have seen a lot of live animals off the road. Deers and bald eagles are common sighting, but I had never seen a black bear on the side of the road before our trip to Tofino.We spotted this black bear just outside of Ucluelet, a small town south of Tofino. The bear probably just came out of hibernation, hungry and determined, causing a scene on the only through road to Port Alberni. A few cars stopped including us, hoping to catch his pro

A Little African House on the Coast

Published on 2007-06-23 10:50:00

I've been absent from blogging for a little while due to personal commitment. It feels good to be back to my normal routine. Let's pick up where it was left off.What you see here is African Beach House Nick and I stayed at in Tofino. I searched for Tofino accommodations online, and very few nice accommodations came up within our price range. At the very last minute, I booked a cabin from African Beach House after obtaining the details from the owner over the phone. The owner sounded very fr

Finding Waves on the West Coast - Part 2

Published on 2007-05-24 01:54:00

It was a sunny but rather windy day when we woke up in our little log cabin Bed and Breakfast, and Nick was more than ready to do some surfing. He signed up a surf lesson by himself (I was still recovering from a shoulder injury) with Surf Sister, a well-known local surf school, and they were kind enough to take on a few "brothers" among their students for the day.Once suit up and hitting the sand with their boards, they were taught the basics techniques and moves. Everything seemed easy enough

Finding Waves on the West Coast - Part 1

Published on 2007-05-16 01:00:00

Having lived on the west coast of BC for years, it is a bit surprising that Nick has never been to the west coastal side of Vancouver Island, the very tip of Pacific Rim National Park. It had been years since I went there, so I was just as excited when we set out for a weekend trip to Tofino.It was a glorious day for highway driving, and we took full advantage of such a nice break in weather as we drove through lovely Parksville and pass the town of Port Alberni. Upon arriving Tofino sometime in

Tips for Shooting Better Action Photos

Published on 2007-05-15 12:16:00

I recently contributed an article to Brave New Traveler on tips for shooting better action photos. It's a brief guideline I use when taking action shots. Be sure to check it out as you may find some of the tips come in handy at the urgent moment.

How to Buy a Digital Camera

Published on 2007-05-04 11:34:00

My brother has been shopping for a digital camera for a while and still hasn't bought one yet. I asked him what type of digital camera he's looking for. "Well...a quality one" he replied. Well, I guess he doesn't really know what exactly he's looking for. So, I thought this would be a good topic to talk about - how to buy a digital camera based on your own needs.Everyone has different needs when purchasing a digital camera. You have to prioritize them before you start looking. Here's how I

Guest Contributor on Travel Happy

Published on 2007-04-27 13:36:00

I've written about Travel Happy in my previous post. It's a very informative personal travel guide to South East Asia. I was asked by Chris Mitchell, the author of Travel Happy to contribute a piece of article. I was gladly obliged. It was quite flattering to be a guest contributor on such a well established site. I wrote a piece on tips of booking tours in Phuket based on my personal experience, and it was published today. You may find them useful if you are traveling to Phuket and plann

5 Reasons Why I Travel

Published on 2007-04-26 13:32:00

Dave from Go Backpacking tagged me in his post, 5 Reasons Why I Travel. Thanks Dave. I have plenty of reasons and excuses when it comes to travel. Here are my top five:1. Travel PartnerI have the best travel partner one could ask for, my husband Nick. We've been together for almost eight years, and have traveled to a lot of places. He's fun, energetic, adventurous, and terrible with directions (sorry Nick). I'm detail oriented and just can't go anywhere without my camera and a map. But we

A Night with the Four Course

Published on 2007-04-24 10:50:00

In my previous post, I talked about the Cedar Room and its unique wood structure exterior and interior characteristics on our little excursion to Tigh Na Mara Resort on Vancouver Island. It is however the fabulous seafood that attracted people from all over the world.It was the Sunday night during the Easter long weekend. We just came from a wedding in Victoria, and were rather looking forward to having a nice quiet meal. The menu was simple, just a couple pages. I have always preferred dining e

The Cedar Room

Published on 2007-04-19 12:12:00

When thinking of a refreshing getaway at a resort, Parksville is usually not the place that pops to mind. Make no mistake though; this little town located in the middle of Vancouver Island, just north of Victoria, has captured the imagination of the many pleasantly surprised visitors, much like yours truly. This time we made a weekend trip to Tigh-Na-Mara Resort, a well known spa resort on Vancouver Island.It was a typical west coast April evening, rainy and cool. After we checked in late afte

Lunch at Bengal Lounge

Published on 2007-04-18 13:03:00

I've mentioned the Fairmont Empress Hotel in my previous posts. It's classified as 5-star hotel; however, there's been a mixed review on tripAdvisor.com. Based on individual travelers' reviews from TripAdvirsor, the 5-star Fairmont Empress is more like an average hotel, rated 3.5 out of 5 taking into consideration of room, service, value, cleanness, and pool. While some were very happy with their stays, others weren't very enthusiastic about it.I've never had the opportunity to stay there,

Spring Visit to the City of Garden

Published on 2007-04-15 02:27:00

I lived in Victoria for almost seven years. I live in Vancouver now, but I go back to Victoria once in a while just for a visit. Now I appreciate the city and the people more, and am discovering it from a different perspective. Victoria is known as a city for "the nearly dead and the newly wed". It's true that it's retirees' heaven, and young couples' new world. It attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. I'm lucky that I live still considerably close to it. Just

Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Empress

Published on 2007-04-13 02:03:00

Fairmont Empress in Victoria often dominates travelers' photo composition, but it's most known for its British style afternoon tea. It is a tradition that has lasted almost a century, and is popular among the locals. It'll be an unique experience for you to take home.This year they're featuring once-in-a-lifetime package, Dine & Discover - The Titanic Exhibition. The whole package includes one night accommodation at the Empress and two tickets to the special exhibition at Royal BC Museum. I

BC Parliament Buildings

Published on 2007-04-12 10:10:00

I spent my Easter long weekend in Victoria, BC, and will share my mini vacation with you in the next few posts. What you see here is British Columbia Parliament Buildings, where BC government body assembles and makes legislative decisions. The buildings were constructed more than 100 years ago, and are full of history. I highly recommend the public tour provided by the Legislative Tour Office. The guided tour, FREE of charge, runs approximately one hour, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. It

Happy Faces in Phuket Town

Published on 2007-04-04 14:22:00

One of my favorite things to do in Phuket Town is exploring street vendors in the market. These two boys are waiting for Thai Glass Noodle Salad. I couldn't help noticing the expression on their faces, and joined in, ordered a Thai Papaya Salad. For an instance, I was brought back to my own childhood, and might have had the similar thrill on my own face too.

Thai & European Food & What?

Published on 2007-04-01 17:56:00

Here's a sign you may find amusing. While waiting around at Chalong Bay to take the speed boat to get to Racha Island, Nick spotted this sign off the road. At the first look, I didn't really notice anything different until I looked at it closely, thinking if it was a mis usage. Guess not.