Trying to make use of my time test-driving Aperture on some of the other photos that I've taken and I would probably say a few more things from a personal perspective of using it. Aperture is a really good program to use, to those know are comfortable using it. As for me, I prefer to use Lightroom's interface better than Aperture. Specifically, when adjusting tones in the photo. Lightroom has a tone curve that let's you adjust the tones of different sections of the curve and that to me is more intuitive (aka. more visual). Aperture on the other hand still uses sliders to adjusts for tones and I think it is a bit more complex than it should be. While I am still a n00b at post-processing tones, I don't quite fancy this way of doing things. On the bright side, I like the way they implement the dodge and burn function along with many other settings when using stuff like that. Haven't personally seen it on Lightroom but it would be hard to beat that but I do hope it comes on par with Aperture. Maybe I should download Lightroom's trial and compare it side-by-side. But with not much time on my hands, I wonder if I will ever get things done. If I wasn't a student, I'd probably get Aperture as it is much cheaper than Lightroom and just adjust myself to their way of doing things. But since I still am, with Lightroom cheaper than Aperture even after student discounts, I'm leaning towards Lightroom. The only other major thing is to test out handling RAW files which I can now finally do.
Here are some more pictures done up in Aperture...
Guard House.jpg)
Empty
Kat in a signature Toyota ad
Nothing like MJ on a roadtrip
Yee Meng, just being his gross self
CharlesHad another breaking story of another bunch of friends getting engaged. Seriously, this year is really really really strange. Single people are getting attached or heading towards that direction, in-a-relationship-pairs are getting engaged and engaged people are getting married. And all even before the year is up! They are all dropping like flies! But I've got to say that this does wonders to my currently slightly-depressed state, not that I'm "jealous" of not jumping on the bandwagon. Here I am wondering if what I am to friends now is a sovereign island and lo and behold I suddenly hear news of these sorts of things happening. From experience, friends tend to get further apart from me once they get attached or somewhat-getting-close-to. You know, this adds to the depressive state I'm in and it shows no signs of slowing down. While I am happy that these people are together, some till death, I can't help but feel that I'm like Chuck Noland and Wilson in Cast Away except that Wilson has internet connection strapped to itself...somehow. They say that no man is an island, but why is it that I feel like I am? Coupled with the fact that I'm quite a bit behind in the "rat race" (read: still a student in my quarter life stage) means that I am stuck between the new generation and my peers who have long left the scene. I have absolutely no connection between the both of them and oh how hard must that be.
This notion of being an island is also starting to affect me in my position in OCF. I'm still serving as a Bible Study leader, although not in the music team anymore due to a clash with class. Here I am trying to establish a good relationship with my group members while leading Bible studies and what has been presented to me is a double edged sword. On one hand, I have the best group I ever had in terms of group dynamics. I don't have to do much to get my members talking, which any Bible study leader should know the difficulties in getting your members to say something. On the other hand, it is so hard to relate to them other than the level of a Bible study leader or just some mature-age guy who has an opinion about stuff due to the new generation makeup of the group. While we have all fun and games, it barely breaks any grounds. Whether or not I'm not doing enough or not, I don't know. I'd like to think I'm doing enough. Assuming I did, I feel that I may start to question my effectiveness in OCF. If my relationship in OCF is to just lead Bible studies with the occasional small talk and games, is there a point to it? And why stop there? In fact, in OCF in general, I can't connect with majority of the people outside of small talk and fun and games. I've tried. Most end up in this awkward silence and that's the last thing I will hear until next Friday. How can I serve in a body that I can't or find it difficult to connect with people?
It seems that the futility or the viscous cycle of my PhD work has applied for a transfer to my OCF work. And it started right away. Because of this, I was having thoughts that maybe I should go back home instead of studying here. It would have solved many of my problems I face now. I would be working (hopefully) which gives me an avenue to connect with some peers, serving in a church and/or cell group that also relates to my peers and all the big financial fiasco wouldn't exist. Why did God put me here? Time will tell. No, wait, cancel that. God will reveal. I pray that with all these doubts in my mind about serving God's people will not make me drop like a fly on my Christian walk.
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think many people before you have experienced the same thing re:OCF. and you won't be the last..
I do realize that for a long time already. But that hardly answers any questions, let alone attempt at answering them. I need them or at least some attempt at one.