Was he asking me to leave? ~ March 5, 2009 ~ Personal

I woke up to another beautiful day in Cambridge, England and was in search of some coffee and food. If you have not been to Cambridge then let me tell you there is an endless supply of coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs so picking one is simply by random.

After a few minutes my hunger and caffeine addiction was getting the better of me so I walked into the closest cafe with food and a cappuccino maker. Empty and quaint, the cafe bore hard wood floors, a few black and white pictures on a congested wall, a cluster of tall tables and chairs and just three comfortable chairs in the corner. I wanted to read and enjoy the atmosphere so I planted myself in one of the comfortable chairs.

As time went on people entered and departed, some stayed to enjoy a latte or a cappuccino, and some took their jolt for "take away" along with a sandwich or pastry. I kept reading.

Eventually lunch time struck the day and the people coming and going became more persistent. That's when one of the cafe's employees approached me, and with a proper English accent spoke into my left ear, "Could you share the table? It's our busiest time of day and a few customers have walked out because the table wasn't available for them to use."

His comment caught me off guard and I wanted to walk out. It wasn't my table; anyone could have shared it with me if they just asked. I had my bags and camera sitting in the chair next to me and I would have gladly put them on the floor to let someone sit there. It wasn't my space to hoard for myself; I just wanted to sit in a comfortable chair, drink some coffee and read. Why did he feel the need to tell me that his customers were walking out?

Thinking about leaving I gathered my bags, put them on the floor and moved to the chair directly in the corner so people wouldn't have to step over me to sit down. Soon enough young lady sat down in the chair next to me to enjoy her bowl of soup and baguette. I read some more.

When I looked up to scan the cafe in search of people looking for a spot to attack lunch I noticed that the cafe was getting crowded and I didn't want to deprive anyone else of their mid-day meal. I left immediately.

As I walked back to my hotel I couldn't help but analyze the situation. Was I being rude for getting comfortable? Was it my fault that his customers walked out? Was he out of line, after all I was a customer too? There is no right answer here, but one thing is for sure; I will never go back.

Here are a few images that I took on the way back to the hotel. It made me stop analyzing what just happened.

Our first pint ~ personal February 27, 2009

There is nothing better than a pint to cure jet lag. So that is exactly what Brian and I did after we checked into Grange City Hotel. Luckily for us we were staying down the street from the Cheshire Cheese, the perfect place to get our first pint in London!

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.