Ethan, David, Dora and Jack: Family Session ~ February 14, 2009

Today was awesome! I spent the afternoon with Ethan, David, Jack, Dora and my wonderful husband at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. Valentine's Day just doesn't get any better than having a camera in my hand with the love of my life shooting beside me!

With the weather working for us, we seized the afternoon sun while Ethan and David gave us a tour of the garden. Our first stop was the sandbox and they couldn't get their shoes off fast enough. Before I knew it they were out of sight. But it didn't take me long to find their giddy faces enjoying the soft sand between their toes.

Soon enough Brian and I were off to the next attraction, the maze. Ethan was the first one to enter, but when David got wind of what was going on, he jolted in to find his big brother with no reservations. And when they found each other, Ethan took David's hand to bring him to the exit as though they had just journeyed through a dark forest.

Eventually the session had to come to an end, but not without a splash! Showered by surging water, Ethan and David showed us the best way to end a hot, humid day in Singapore.

Thaipusam ~ February 8, 2009

If you don't like needles puncturing the skin then you don't want to look at the pictures for this post; they are really intense. I struggled to even look at them for a couple days, but nonetheless I got through them.

First you need to know more about Thaipusam to really understand what is going on here. It is a Hindu festival celebrated by people native to the Tamil Nadu state of India. You might be more familiar with the state's largest city and capital, Chennai. But the largest celebrations of Thaipusam take place in Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia.

The people you see carrying the large canopies of metal and colorful decorations, or the pots of milk are the devotees. The canopy they burden is a kavadi and it is often attached to the devotee's skin with hooks or is pierced by metal spears. In order to prepare for this celebration the devotees cleanse themselves through prayer and fasting. And the devotees bearing the kavadi practice celibacy and eat food that is healthy, nutritious and clean.

So why do they perform these celebrations? Usually, Hindus take a vow to offer a kavadi to beseech help from the God Murugan for avoiding a big tragedy. For example, if you were a devotee and your son had a terminal illness, then you would pray to surrender your son's life in exchange for a vow to dedicate a kavadi to Murugan.

The small spears through the tongue and cheek remind the devotees of Lord Murugan and it prevents them from speaking, which relinquishes the power of endurance. The more pain the devotee endures, the greater the benefit.

This celebration wasn't easy to photograph so I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a devotee and burden a kavadi. To all the devotees that take this vow each year: I respect you for your great strength, courage and faith.

Chingay Parade Singapore 2009 ~ January 31, 2009

Culture, bright colors, floats, costumes and performances arrested our eyes the minute the parade began; it was like Disneyland materialized on the street in front of us.

It wasn't easy to decide on the highlights of the fanfare, but my vote goes to the fire-throwers and the dancing dragons! Here are some of the acts that caught my eye.