I’ve been ill just a few days back. So ill that the doctor decided to admit me into the hospital ward for treatment & observation. While I was in pain & misery early that morning, only 2 major thoughts came to mind. Haley & my clients. Boy oh Boy, was I in a mess! Who’s going to take care of them if I’m like this?

Honestly, I was partially afraid for my life that day. My heart was beating so hard so fast, that doctors were worried about my thyroid situation. I was praying so hard that I do not get a heart attack that day. It was so scary… an event which has left me lots to ponder about… again.

This year has me struggling in keeping a balance between my personal life & my business. I was at the verge of burning out. I was working so hard to achieve so many goals, that I forgot to take a step back & give enough time to myself. Every time I wanted to do that, I started feeling guilty about it. I started telling myself the “Me Time” can wait. Lots more important stuffs need to be done first. And thus, I got caught into a whirlpool of family responsibilities, making sure every one is happy, making sure our monthly income is flowing in steadily, chasing after deadlines & deadlines of editing, and endless other things. I forgot about ME. And that affected my creative self, my self esteem, my happy self. I let a certain people bully me & take advantage of me. And that almost killed my passion & my business.

Lucky thing is that I realized about it before it’s too late. I decided to take a real break. I took the courage to have my first solo trip away from home. The wonderful times with my dear friends Laura & Pau Ling are still fresh in my mind. I got to have some time alone & explore Melbourne all by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love being in a company of people. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a social butterfly. But there’s this special good feeling once a while being alone, especially when traveling in a foreign place. I guess I get the chance to think and not think at the same time. It’s just ME time. And it did wonders. I came back refreshed & strong again.

Laura took time off from work & flew down to Brisbane from Sydney to be with me. She took me around town & even brought me back to her beautiful parent's home. This is her goofing around in the house.

Such fun refreshing time in Melbourne with little Meagan. Mummy Pau Ling is one of my besties. I miss our times chit chatting in bed at night about everything under the stars.

During my exploration of Melbourne city, I visited the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral where I offered a prayer for my late father. I did some private reflection here to find some peace in my heart & soul. And found them I did.

I made new resolutions that includes more of ME this time. My health is one major issue I need to keep in check. My family is another, especially my relationship with dear hubby who’s been much ‘neglected’ since we both became parents. And I was so caught up in building up this photography business while juggling with motherhood & keeping the household in order that I just didn’t have much time for anything else. But I want to change all that. And change has been happening. Slowly but surely. And so far, I think I’m doing quite okay.

Our own version of Winter Sonata at Nami Island, Korea. Hehehe...

My beautiful Haley... my everything.

All these changes will not have been easy if not for the amazing amount of support I have been getting from my dearest friends & clients. For trying to understand that I need this time to re-prioritize. For understanding that I am a mother, a wife and a daughter as well. Most importantly, I’m a person with feelings & needs too. And for that, I want to thank my current & past clients who have been so supportive to me. Your little words of encouragements, your short sms-es & messages to see how I was doing, your small little gifts of food & little pretty things. All these I treasure close to my heart.

My business have finally grown enough this year to let me afford help & I’m really happy to welcome my dear friend Su as well as a new found friend, Kevin, into ALP’s little family. We aim & hope to make more happy hearts amongst our clients so praying that our team still stay strong & bonded in order to do just that. To make more happy memories & more happy hearts.

This little slideshow is dedicated to our 2011 clients. Thank you for your unconditional supports! Thank you for taking my hands & walk through this beautiful journey of photography with me. Love you!

A remembrance of 2011.

Here’s to a better 2012 for everyone the world around.

xoxo,
Asther

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The sun was up pretty early that fine morning but we managed to get some pretty sunlight before it got too hot being outdoor. I looked around their home for some props for the session and then we hopped into my truck & headed to a nearby park. We were pleasantly surprised with the presence of many wild weeds & flowers. Although Little Joey wasn’t in her best mood that day, both Daddy JW and Mommy P did a great job in interacting with their little munchkin. Hence, we’ve got some pretty cute & happy moments during the outing.

Okay… let’s meet Little Joey with her papa and mama. We came by a little spot of pretty wildflowers accompanied with such pretty pretty sunlight!

Pretty!

Bubbles are always my best "attraction weapon".

Then we headed towards the little playground. It was a weekday, hence, we had the whole place to ourselves! Excellent!

Cute!

Joey's first time on a see-saw!

Little Joey loves playing “peek-a-boo” with my camera!

There she goes!

My fav!

Peek-a-boo!

Here are some fun moments with daddy & mommy!

Look at that smile!

With Mommy P!

TOTALLY engrossed with the bubble gun!

Daddy did this little stunt with Joey. He said she normally loves to stand on his palm like this.

Awww... what a sweet family portrait!

MORE bubbles fun!

She's so thirsty after all that fun!

Then the sun got too hot and we headed back to their little home for some indoor moments. Little Joey has a room specially dedicated for her playing time! The sunlight lighted the room just perfectly, so that made me a very happy photographer indeed.

She's sooo happy to be just in her diaper!

Awwww... She love her Winnie the Pooh!

Mommy P decided to dress her up in her new birthday dress & shoes!

Thank you Mommy P for having me over and sharing your little family with me that day. You’ve done a great job with Little Joey and I’m very sure she’ll grow up beautifully!

Mommy P requested for a special slideshow to be done for Joey’s birthday party so I’ve uploaded it here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

(Remember to click on the play button then pause it to give time for the video to fully load so that you can view the show without interruption)

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I met Daddy S & Mommy D during Little Amanda‘s baby fullmoon party. I would like to once again thank Mommy WY for introducing this little family to me.

Mommy D and I had a blast planning for her little girl’s photo session. She was so open for new ideas and made such wonderful preparations that actually brought me into photography heaven during the shoot. I LOVE LOVE LOVE mommies (and daddies of cos!) who are so creative and open to my suggestions

We had her portrait session a month before her birthday party was taking place. For this session, everyone did their part wonderfully and with full dedication. Mommy D prepared all the props and even handmade some of them herself! Daddy S was the “caddy”, carrying (or rather pushing the stroller FULL of props) with such determinations! While Little Chermaine’s grandmother lovingly carried & played with her little grand-girl, making her smile & laugh throughout the session. I was like… Yee Har! Totally loving it all!!!

Would you like to see the result of such detailed planning & execution for this little girl’s portrait session??? OKAY! Hope you like them as much as I LOVE them! It’s soooo hard to pick out a few as favorites cos we had had sooo many brilliant shots from that day!

Meet Baby Chermaine! She is now officially a toddler today!

What a sweety pie!

Can u see her little pearly white? That pink drawer was actually from her clothing cupboard. So pretty!

*heart*

Love that basket! And of cos the baby in it too!

Look at how tiny she is next to those bamboo trees!

Look what I got!

We had a special shot going on that day. It was for her birthday party invitation card. So Mommy D got some pretty yummy cupcakes for her little girl for the shots.

And this photo was used for the front part of the invitation card.

One of the pretty cupcake!

We then brought her to a nearby stream for some water fun!

Sprinklers!

Her little chubby legs! Look at those toes!

All smiles cos she love water!

Now some family photos!

With Daddy S. Love the sunshine from behind them!

And with pretty Mommy D!

"Haiks... What are daddy & mommy doing?"

Awww... What a happy little family!

The morning sun that day was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

And look at what Mommy D made for her little girl!

Pretty Little Baby!

Hmmm... Daddy & Mommy at it again!

Here’s a slideshow with more pretty pics of Little Chermaine and her family. Besides water, she also loves dogs! Hence the first song selection.

Happy Birthday Little Chermaine!

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