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All the best, Shu Wan!

After almost a year of working with Integricity Visuals, our digital artist Shu Wan has decided to move on and explore the world – not necessarily on a plane, but in various aspects of life and career. Shu Wan was the main person who did all the photo touch ups, album designs, animation and video editing for most of the work that you have seen on our blog the past few months. She is a really talented individual and we are sorry to see her leave. I enjoyed having her company as we traveled from shoot to shoot, and just talking about anything in life. Outwardly, she seems like a quiet, unassuming person, but she really is a focused, passionate person – especially about the things that she cares about.

Here’s what Shu Wan has to say…

It’s too soon for me to say goodbye here. I know. I never think it’s coincidence that I was here. From the day I met Grace, my life was changed. I was actually planning to take my step into the animation industry. But then I thought, I wanted to learn different skills, so in the end I decided to join this family.

Time has proven that I made the right choice. Throughout my days with the Stories team, I learnt a lot of new things… ranging from photo editing to video shooting. Grace has been a really good mentor. She taught me patiently and shared her knowledge with me generously. As she hold firmly to her belief in education, I have been given opportunities to attend conferences and training camps so that I can grow better. Looking at what I am today, I must say it’s because of God’s amazing Grace! :)

This was certainly an interesting journey. I am glad to be in this company of awesome people. Really nice meeting all of you who are lovely and kind to me along this road. Thank you for walking together with me and leaving me with tremendous memories! I truly appreciate it. Hereby I end my journey here with this blogpost as I am heading off for a new adventure! There are dreams to be fullfilled before it gets too late. So wish me luck k? =)

Ohyaaa, did I tell you that I love my title very much? :P It’s because I long to be an artist but too bad that I can’t draw very well. Haha. So now I could tell people, “hey I am a artist, digital artist!” :P

Wedding Ideas

Where does a would-be bride go to for some good recommendations on vendors and wedding ideas? Overseas, there are heaps of wedding portals to visit for ideas, but when it comes to finding vendors who would actually make those cute-little-couple-kissing-salt&pepper-shaker wedding favours you’ve been eyeing in Malaysia, it’s hard to find. Here are two recommendations for Wedding portals that you should definitely check out (click on the logo to visit their site). Of course, Stories by Integricity Visuals is in their directory listing! :)

The directory listing in Weddings Malaysia encompasses every aspect of a wedding. From cake vendors, make up artists, where to go to for a spa, decorations, even finding a Master of Ceremony… you can find it under one ‘roof’ or rather, under one website in Weddings Malaysia. The person behind Weddings Malaysia, Kris Wong, is also the man who spearheads That Special Occasion, a boutique that churns out beautiful wedding gowns.

Wedding Guide Asia was started by Stephanie Chai, who decided that hip Malaysian brides needed a space to find good, trustworthy advice and ideas for her wedding. Wedding Guide Asia is a wedding portal catered for the Asian bride who wants something a little more stylish and unique for her wedding. You can find articles ranging from fashion to planning to honeymoons.

Sometime soon, I will be blogging a little about my wedding 4 years ago, and how some ideas started. Alex and I went all out in getting our wedding favours from Bangkok Thailand, and assisted the help of our maids and family members in preparing it! And we partially handmade our wedding invites – all 1000 of it. Yup, we had 3 wedding receptions and there were about 1000 people to invite! Now that I look back at it, it was a crazy decision to do it, but we had fun in the process. I am glad that Alex is the kind of man who is interested in the wedding planning process! But more on that in another post!

Video: Bestman trips, bride falls into the pool

In the spirit of sharing interesting videos that relate to weddings, here’s one that gained a lot of attention some time ago. You may not have seen it, and I hope it puts a smile on your face. For those getting married soon, just make sure your entourage is well-trained so that they don’t trip. If you’re a photographer… be VERY careful.

* By the way, I hear this video was staged.

What does the heart seek?

I’m in one of those reflective moods again. Every now and then, I ponder about life, the meaning of it, and what is my purpose in this world. In the past, I’ve blogged about issues like these on my personal blog, but never on the Stories blog before. It’s always difficult to be open and vulnerable to others, but I do believe in being authentic.

I’m constantly busy. This year was a really hectic year for me, with the launch of Stories as a brand (wow, I can’t believe it’s been 8 months already!). In the midst of running a business, selling my house, traveling, buying a new house, renovating the new house… I hardly had time to breathe. But today, I had to take a moment to reflect. What am I working so hard for?

People say that it’s either one of these things that motivate you in life – money, fame, or a cause greater than yourself. If I am being completely honest with myself, I think I’d like to be well-known. I’d like to know that I am successful in my business. I want to shoot more, be excited about new projects, be a photographer in demand…

But all for… ? What?

What is the level of success?

What am I building?

It brings me great satisfaction to know that the work I produce brings so much joy to others. Part of my job satisfaction comes from knowing that I am building a legacy of images – records of people’s lives and a moment in history. Photography connects people. And I’m so amazed that I have been given this blessed opportunity to bring people together.

I guess I am reminded today that my purpose in life should never be solely about myself. In this quest for success, I must never lose my soul.

Children sharing a meal in Myanmar, taken during my travels in 2007.