5 Things I Can't Live Without...

1. My Cat - He knows when I am sad. He cheers me up when I am sad. He loves me unconditionally.
2. My family/friends - My parents are my rock and my pillar. I cannot even imagine how different my life would have been without there love and support. They do not judge me, they have never hurt me & they are always there for me
    
3. One Direction - Oh snigger away. These guys are more than a boy band with a fun rock/pop melody. They are wildly famous, yet down to earth. They make me happy. I could watch hours of interviews with them for their quirky sense of humour. I even had my parents watching them for a few hours (without complaining) 
   Watch their new documentary This is Us (Directed by Morgan Spurlock of SuperSize Me fame) and then tell me you don't like them. 
   The only thing they have in common with Justin Bieber is their age. Otherwise the have manners and are not spoilt brats.
   Apart from 1D, I just can't do without music in my life. I have to listen to music - whether it is angry rock, or calming soothing songs, or something light and happy - there is hardly ever a time when you will find me sitting in silence.
   
   
4. My camera - These photos I take today will be the memories of my tomorrow and the memories for my future generations. A legacy of who I was and where they came from. I want my nephew to look back at all my travels and adventures and be proud of who I was and remember me for what I was regardless of who I may become.
   It is also important for me to remember my life should anything ever happen to me (Alzheimers, demetia etc)
5. My cellphone - I could not go very long without my link to the world. Whatsapp conversations with my friends. Instagram - to keep in touch with the world through pictures. Facebook and Twitter. Google (how else would I know how to boil the perfect egg?) Also a handy backup to take photos when my camera is at home. A music player when the radio is being boring. My constant companion!

What can you not live without?

Getting the Hang of it

I bought my new camera last week.
Best decision I made!

I have already been able to take photos I never was able to before.
I just have to practice and get used to the various Aperture and exposure settings and I will be fine. My favourite is being able to choose various focal points instead of all 9 at the same time. Gives me so much more freedom!

I am looking forward to using the orange tones to capture a sunset as well as some beautiful landscapes.

For now I have focused (no pun intended) on my close ups and various focal points.

One problem having such a nice camera: I now have so many choices for 1 photo! (Warm, Vivid, Vibrant, romantic soft tones etc etc etc)

I went easy on the girls over the weekend, but I really need a model for portrait practising, I have some nice ideas for poses and want to try them out. The cat has been more than patient with me, but now I need a human!

I do ask forgiveness for the next couple of weeks, I hope I wont bore you too much with Photography talk!

For now, I will shut up and let you have a look at some of my test shots as well as a really nice photo of my girls.

New Avenues of Pursuit

Recently I have been feeling rather depressed and a teeny bit lonely.
I miss the company of someone to snuggle with in front of the TV, someone to talk to about all sorts and someone to take little weekend getaways with without huge planning. And someone to kiss.
I miss kissing even more than I miss sex at the moment!

Besides the fact that all I do is work, I am not the happiest person at the moment.
I feel bored with life and long for something interesting to come along.

Which stands to reason, that even if I do meet somebody now, I am not in the right frame of mind to contemplate anything long term.
I have always believed that you need to make yourself happy, not let somebody else make you happy.

So I need to do something to shake it up a bit...
I have decided on 2 things:

1. Buy myself a fancy camera and take a photography class - this has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember, but the cost of the camera and my doubts of my advanced photographic abilities have always stopped me.
   Seeing as I am single, I can be lucky that my expenses can be manipulated, ie: I can eat toast for dinner in order to afford expensive things like cameras.
   Again, because I AM single, I need to get out there and meet new people. I can do this at photography class
2. Go SpeedDating - I have tried internet dating a few years back, so now I need to try something else. I have heard that there are a few events in my area.

After I have decided on my camera purchase, I will investigate option 2.

My camera purchase has taken up the better part of 4 hours of my day and I have decided on a Canon SLR camera.
I am leaning towards the Canon EOS 600D (TI3i) because it has been getting the best reviews. It is slightly more than I wanted to spend and there it something in my budget - the Canon 1100D. (A third of the price less)

What do you camera fundies out there suggest? Surely if I am going to spend this much money on a camera I should go for the slightly better option?
I invest in a gadget and I keep it for as long as possible - generally until it breaks - so this is a long term investment for me.
Both cameras state that they are perfect for beginners, but the 600D claims that you can grow more into it as your skills develop whereas the 1100D claims you might need to upgrade.

Help me! I need some clarity!