A photo walk

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I had not gone for a photo walk for a long time. My photography style has evolved over the years, and these days I photograph Angel a lot. So when Jing Wen asked me if I wanted to join him and Shuzhen to walk around Outram, Tanjong Pagar, and Chinatown, I said yes. I wanted to see, with my current style, what I would capture.

When we first set out, my mind was on "street photography" mode - capturing strangers in action. But it didn't feel right, I struggled and I didn't like what I was capturing. I was trying to copy others.

Slowly, I settled down. I decided to switch back to my own style. I was now taking more time to "see" and compose to my own liking. Are my shots close to my vision, my goal? Not quite, but I'm happy with the direction I'm in, and I'm very much enjoying myself.

As a bonus, Angel and mama came looked for me at Chinatown for lunch. And of course, more shots of her :)

Routine but boring never

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Everyday I come home, go strolling with Angel for an hour, bath her, then spend another hour with her before she goes to sleep. It's pretty much the same routine.

But it's never boring, ever.

Everyday I discover new things from Angel. I see her learn a bit more, talk a bit more, and understand me a bit more.

So much can change in such a short time. I realized Angel did so many things tonight that she wouldn't have done just a few months ago.

Angel used to just follow wherever I bring her to, now she's starting to make her own decision. I asked her if she wanted to go to the playground, her answer was "No" as she was still playing her jigsaw puzzles.

I thought "Ok no strolling tonight", so I lied down on her play mat and closed my eyes to rest. Suddenly she stood up and said "You wanna go playground? Ok?". She had completed her puzzles.

I said ok, she ran excitedly to her bedroom because she knew it was time to put on diaper and change to shorts. Before this I had to chase her around just to put on her pants, and oh, she no longer grabs her shoes and throws them in the bedroom just for fun.

Angel now knows which lift button to press in order to go down, go up, close the door, and open the door.

She now talks literally for the entire strolling session. She says out the things that she sees and waits for my acknowledgement. She tells me what she's about to do, eg. "Jump!". She instructs me of what to do, eg. "Daddy spin!", "Daddy climb the purple one", "No! No go there". She sings many songs. And sometimes she talks to herself as though she's an adventurer, eg. "Go this way or this way?".

It used to be mission impossible to get Angel to go home. Now I just tell her "It's late already, let's go home", she would hesitate a little and say "Ohhhhh sky dark dark, go home. People oh-oh" (sleeping), and open up her arms asking me to carry her.

Now she drags my hand to the bathroom instead of me begging her to go take bath.

And instead of forcing her like we used to, Angel now knows when it's time to sleep. She would come give me a kiss, telling me "Goodnight, sweet dreams" before going to bed.

Everyday I see Angel grow up a little.

I love spending time with her everyday.

A little time with Angel

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We went to the movie tonight. That means it's a day I don't get to see Angel at all because by the time we get home, she would be asleep. Sure enough, when we reached home at 10:30pm, all the lights in the house were turned off.

A part of me felt relieved as now I was able to relax and do my own things, but another part of me was missing her badly. So after unpacking, I decided to go to her bedroom to give her a kiss.

What I saw when I reached her bed side were two eyes looking at me and a big big grin.

Angel immediately touched my face, smiled at me, and started playing with me by making various shapes with her fingers. We played and laughed at her bed side for a while, I asked if she wanted to sleep, the answer was no. So I carried her outside and she started to run, jump, and dance around. A while later she picked up the iPad by herself and started watching Dora the Explorer.

After one episode, it was getting really late. She let me hold her hand to our bedroom, and she slept with mama.

I love this girl.