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australia

Wedding at Quat Quatta, Melbourne: Benny & Esther

I am always really honored whenever a couple decides to fly my team and I to another country to photograph their wedding. It really is a big deal, because it meant that they chose you over every other vendor they found in that city. I was also really excited when I found out their wedding location – a beautiful Victorian mansion named Quat Quatta. I love the classic interior and exteriors! What was special about this wedding were all the loving, detailed planning that Benny and Esther did for their wedding. I love the turquoise colour theme, the Volkswagen Kombi that was so chic, and also how they incorporated their love of coffee into the wedding with a coffee mixing ceremony! Even their wedding ring ‘pillow’ was a unique book!

The dinner decorations at the Sandringham Yacht Club were beautiful with the huge arch above the main table (it had mandarin oranges in it!). We were also blown away at the delicious looking wedding cakes, not one, but three! Thank you, Benny and Esther, for bringing us all the way to Melbourne, Australia. Wishing you years of marriage bliss and may the honeymoon continue years and years from now!

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Family Portraits in Melbourne, Australia: Lawrence & Grace


When Grace spoke to me about taking their family portraits in her daughter’s school and their house backyard, I thought it was a great idea! Naturally, Australian schools look much more interesting than Malaysian schools! These locations hold so much sentimental value for this family especially for Amber. Their backyard has a gorgeous, colourful cubby house assembled by Amber’s dad. When I showed the photo of this cubby house to my daughter Krysta, she immediately asked for one too! (Over to you, Alex).

Lawrence and Grace are going to be renovating this house in Melbourne sometime soon, so this photo session marks a season in their life. One day, they will look back at these images and remember how much fun they had together as a family in this backyard. Continue Reading

Family Portraits in Melbourne: Andrew, Jessey & Maddie

I got to know Andrew through his sister, Amy Yeoh, who is a friend from my church, DUMC. Well, thanks to Facebook, we could get connected through the years, even if it was a random viewing on a status message! After I delivered my little Krysta, Jessey connected with me on Facebook when I posted that I had some sleep issues with Krysta. She was a very helpful source of information and gave me some valuable tips to assist sleeping babies… well, sleep!

It was great that I managed to photograph their cute little family in Melbourne during my holiday there recently. They chose to have their family portraits taken at the University of Melbourne since it was where they had studied in the past. It was a gorgeous day, and we had some lovely moments together, though Maddie was adamant on demonstrating how good she was at running away from the camera!

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Family Portraits, Melbourne, Australia: Stewart, Georgina & Patrick

Two years ago, I photographed Georgina’s family portraits in Malacca, the town where both of us grew up in. It was a lovely time with her immediate family (and nieces & nephews) – it was cuteness overload! Fast forward to 2 years later, and now, Georgina and Stewart have their own little bundle of cuteness to raise. At the time of the shoot, Patrick was just 6 months old, and learning to suck on lamb chops as I was told, most Australian kids do! (apparently the Asian side of Patrick rejected the porridge that was offered to him, much to Georgina’s disappointment).

Anyhow, I didn’t get to witness any lamb sucking activities (though that would have been epic!) but the 4 of us headed to a little park near their home in Melbourne for some family portraits. It was a beautiful day, though the week before, Melbourne was pouring! Patrick stole my heart and I ended up photographing so many images of this little one…

Enjoy the photos!

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Reconnecting: New Zealand and Australia

I recently took 2 weeks off and headed south to the beautiful land where orcs, hobbits and dragons reside (if only in movies). It was a good time spent with my husband Alex, daughter Krysta and my 2 elderly aunts, Yan (from Melbourne) and Choo (from Malacca). Our main purpose in traveling to Australia was my aunt Yan’s 70th birthday celebration in Melbourne. But before that, we had a little road trip of our own.

I had a marvellous time driving past scenic mountains, quaint villages and lots and lots of sheep. It was a good time reconnecting with family members and just making time for each other. I spent hours playing with Krysta, moving stickers from the sheet to the floor, to my face… lots of time walking and having long conversations about life and family, jumping on the trampoline with a friend’s 6 year old in Auckland, and playing charades in a picnic with all my relatives in Melbourne (age group ranging from 16 months to 70+). What a blast!

It reminded me that we need to take time off to smell the roses and connect with people around us in the midst of our busy schedules. I read this article recently about 50 reasons why you may be unhappy in life, and one of the many listed were neglecting personal relationships. I believe that with all my heart. There’s this desire in every one of us to connect on a deeper level with other people around us, and if that connection is broken, our lives feel a little empty. Perhaps it is from a hurt or unforgiveness from the past. Maybe it is time to let go, and find out way back again, and reconnect.

OnthewaytoMilford

On another note, I often get comments on how easy Krysta is as a little traveler. Here are some of my thoughts on how to make life easier while traveling with a baby.

1. Pack light, wash clothes and only bring what is absolutely necessary! (Leave that flask behind… including all sorts of ‘nice to haves’ at home. You can probably make do without some of your usual comforts. We only packed these items for Krysta – some clothes, 2 milk bottles, milk powder, diapers, pacifiers, 2 pairs of shoes, a pack of stickers, a small amount of dishwashing liquid to clean the bottles, stroller, Baby Bjorn, no toys)

2. Find creative ways to keep the child entertained – This includes letting her play with everyday items like clothes pegs found at the apartment where we stayed at.

3. Train the child to sleep anywhere – Ok I guess not every family is like ours, but Krysta has been traveling since she was 2 months old, so she is used to sleeping anywhere and everywhere, including on top of a table at a street hawker stall in Bangkok while she was 2 months old! (I might get some bad rep here for doing things like these by other parents!)

4. Be flexible – Well, don’t be too stressed about planning every little detail for your trip. If it doesn’t work out, or baby is cranky, just take it in stride and be flexible enough to change plans at the last minute.

Hope that helps! Here’s a little smattering of photos from my trip.

The beautiful and most photographed church in Lake Tekapo – The Church of the Good Shepherd.

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