I've been scratching my head with this week's topic, "First stage of a new product." I do two things which falls under 'product' - publish a magazine (the more serious of the two) and photography (in a more hobby-amateur-ish scale, which I then offer prints of on Etsy). So how do I show the first stage of either of those, and which one? Both involves work on the computer pretty much until they go to print, and showing screenshots of my processes isn't that much fun to look at, darling. :)
Then somehow the stars align. (Don't they always? :) ) The sun came out on Saturday, Jirka had already made plans for flying with the boys, and it struck me that the first stage of photography is to actually take the photo... (duh!)
So that's what I did. I took the train to Prague, beautiful city (if you've watched The Illusionist, you'll see why). I'm showing you only some of the pictures, and pretty much as they are, with only straightening and minor light adjustments. I'm at the beginning of my photography career, so be nice. :)
One thing about travel photography is that what's in your own backyard may be someone else's dream destination. I've been in Czech for a year now and have only been to Prague for two days, on two separate occasions. I've also wanted to go and see several of the other major European cities like Paris, Rome, Vienna, Madrid.. Though I've been to camp in Italy and Slovenia, doing cities is definitely a different experience ya know, and I think it would be a shame if I do not get my butt to these places when they are just a short and relatively inexpensive plane or train ride away.
So, one minor goal I have for this year is to go to at least one of the major cities (in warmer nicer weather, of course). Maybe I'll start with Vienna 'cos it's near. Nothing extravagant, just go, enjoy the experience, and bring home many, many photographs of the place.
What about you? Where would be your dream destination and if you've already been there, what was the experience like?
I have spent the last two years learning. After all these information that I have absorbed, and the trials and errors made, I feel that it is now time that I step up and play a bigger game. No more second-guessing myself, my abilities or my intentions. As it dawned on me that this is the new year of a new decade, I thought that the timing just couldn't have been more perfect. Where do I see myself at 10 years from now? After a reflection, I have chosen my word mantra for this year, to get my gears started and going. That word is ACTION. To take action in the parts of my life that will propel me to be where I see myself at 10 years from now.
I want to have a family and live in a beautiful and loving home. To be working on Styl full time, having built it up to the mini empire it has the potential to become. To have the freedom of time and the energy to play and create, explore and experience.
So, this blog will serve as a journal where I will share some of what will come out of taking action, particularly in the areas of my business and my craft. As I tweeted earlier, I was just reading 52 Weeks Of Blogging Your Passion by Tara Gentile, and it will be a great accompaniment to the year ahead. I hope that these stories may also be an inspiration to you in your own quest to reach your goals. I also hope to share with my customers the person and processes behind the craft.
To start off, these are three key things I have started taking action for:
1. Preparing for self-employment. I've already read and understood what I need to give the bureau and printed out the necessary papers. Now I have to understand what's written on the form, fill it out, and get the other necessary documents ready. They say it's a tedious and lengthy process here in Czech. Well, I'll just see it as something that's necessary that I have to go through. I hope by June I'd be all set. In the meantime, I'm saving the cash to see me through at least 3 months of not having a steady income. What I'm really looking forward to is to finally have the time to give full focus on my business. I'm sure that my clients and customers will be happier too, that I will be able to fully serve my purpose.
2. To have balance between food and exercise. Growing up I hated Phys Ed. I credit my ability to stay in shape over the last 12 years to a well-balanced Asian food diet and youth. Now that I live in a country where big-portioned fat-laden food are the norm, and I am none the younger, my body has taken a toll. I'm dealing with this in two ways. First is consciously knowing what goes into my body. Second is to step up on the exercise. I'm beginning to like it too.
3. Keeping good home. I'm living in rented rooms at the moment with housemates, not really the arrangement that I'd like to be in. I wanted to at least have an apartment of our own. But when I come to think of it, my dwelling is home after all, and Jirka is family. Sometimes all it needs is a simple mindset change.
I will finish this off with a quote. I can't remember where I heard it from, but here it is..
"To start you don't have to be good, but to be good you have to start."
As a kid, I used to wonder how it's like behind the freezer doors when it closed in on you. Well I got my answers now.
Last weekend it was snowing continuously, with snowfall of about 50cm here in Pardubice. My colleague said that it has never snowed this much in the last 10 years since she's lived here. '09 has been rather odd though. It was cold and rainy in summer, and there was a day or two when the snow fell in October. So I am not too surprised of the current conditions.
Well, I like the snow, as long as it's still snow. Now the temperature is just about 0°C, the snow is melting and freezing again, turning into ice. That's when walking gets tricky.
Well I went out to take some photos anyway, just to let you see. (And to test out my new DSLR. :)) Snow is pretty when viewed in a photograph, in the comfort of a warm couch. Being out there while I was taking these pics was a slightly different story. :)
As my sis puts it, "When something new is bought, something old has to go." As I set to declutter my space, I will put up some of my loved things for sale here. I hope that they will find a nice new home. Do drop by and see what's for sale today.
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