I’ve known Amin for YEARS during my scuba teaching days. But I’ve never met his lovely wife, Shareen, until last year when I was engaged by Amin to do their FIRST ever photography session with a professional photographer. (not that am calling myself one! )

One fine day in November 2009, I received a call from an unknown cellphone number. Turned out it was Amin, calling from his personal line! He asked me if I’m free to document his moments with his wife as a wedding anniversary gift to her. They were going to celebrate their 14th Anniversary together as husband & wife come December 2009 and they had never had an official photography session even on their wedding day! Well… it’s never too late! Even if it’s already 14 years down the road.

To make it even more meaningful & memorable, Shareen was diagnosed with TWO types of cancer in within 13 months period! Thanks to God the Almighty, she survived them, having to go through series of surgeries & chemo & what-not. So Amin thought this special portrait session might cheer her up.

I was thrilled! So we communicated via emails to plan the photo session. From make-up service to a tiny surprise of a beautiful hand-bouquet for Shareen. I asked Amin what’s her favorite flower and it happened to be an ornate yellow Oncidium orchid, also commonly known as the “Dancing Lady Orchid”. I did a research on the internet and found a few gorgeous samples of hand-bouquet with the said orchid, then I forwarded them to the florist to order.

Hand-bouquet by Summer Pots Florist

Totally Gorgeous!

After her make-up session at their home, we headed over to Bukit Gita Bayu Clubhouse for some intimate portraits.

Shareen's beautiful shoes!

Make-up by Julie of Manja Brides

Amin preparing for the session.

The love birds were all smiles accompanied by such pretty morning sun that day.

I totally can feel that they're communicating with each other with just by looking at each other!

Sun flare surrounding them with love!

Sigh...

Happiness!

Lovely!

Gorgeous couple, aren't they?

They're so at ease infront of my camera!

One of my fav!

I'm so lucky to have such gorgeous clients!

Smooch!

Shareen had had a surgery JUST one month ago prior to this photo session! Yet she showed such strength & beauty during our time together. You Go GIRL! *salute*

Wow!

Natural Beauty!

She's such a natural infront of the camera too!

Amin and Shareen are proud parents of FIVE children. Yup! FIVE gorgeous children! Shareen was so thrilled over the portrait session that she brought her girls for a shopping spree! She did such a wonderful job in coordinating the attires for her family. Such exquisite taste! Come see for yourself.

Gorgeous family!

The girls!

And the boys!

One big happy family!

Their eldest daughter, Afiqah.

Their second daughter, Amira

Their eldest son, Aiman

Their youngest daughter, Aisyah

And their youngest son, Adam!

Shareen is a stay-at-home mom and I gotta say she’s done such a brilliant job being a wife & mother to her family. So I’m going to dedicate this post to her as a Belated Happy Mother’s Day celebration. Thank you Amin & Shareen for sharing a little part of your family with me. And thank you Shareen for the new friendship bond. May it grow as the time goes by… Take good care of yourself & your family. Hope to see you all again soon! *hugs*

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What’s even more wonderful is that they’re one of my closest friends I ever had. And they’re one of the brainiest friends I’ve ever had too!  Cos one’s a Geologist while the other one is a Gynecologist! Awesome eh! In fact, Aini was the one who guided & took care of us throughout my pregnancy journey. She’s the first person to touch my Little Haley as she helped bring her out into this world.

Ghaz & Aini celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last year (I know… this is a VERY LATE entry! ) and I offered to document their little moments together as a memory to be treasured for endless time. They hesitated at first but I’m really glad they accepted and we had a blast of a time filled with lots of laughter & giggles all the way. How can we not with Ghaz around! Hahaha…

Here are a few of my favorites!

Awww... Ghaz was about to crack another joke.

So pure is her smile!

They're really funny!

Some Bollywood fun!

Something mushy for a change.

They had 3 wonderful sons of which two of them were my youngest scuba diving student. Their eldest is currently studying in Australia, hence he’s not able to make it for this family photography session with us. But we’re planning to have another one the next time he’s back! Now let’s meet the two youngest ones.

Zharif loves cars & his guitar.

Azhry is the baby of the family and he's got such a warm heart! His ambition is to be a neurosurgeon!

I think this family portrait totally rocks! Literally!

This one makes me all warm inside!

Thank you for your friendship and trust, my dear friends! You’ll always have a special spot in my heart. *hugs*

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"Reminiscing"

Location: Bukit Gita Bayu Clubhouse

When: During Amin and Shareen’s wedding anniversary photo session.

Note: Valentine’s Day is near and this photo reminds me of it. It’s been years since hubby and I celebrated Valentine’s Day. Sigh…

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"Beautiful Feature"

Location: Gita Bayu Clubhouse

When: Amin & Shareen’s wedding anniversary portrait session

Note: Shareen has a wonderful feature which requires very minimal make-up coverage!

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2. Maybe I should…
… stop worrying. Que sera sera?

3. I love…
… scuba diving and definitely photography! Books, movies & music too. Not forgetting good & considerate people.

4. People would say that I am…
… bubbly & helpful but can be a control freak at times.

5. I don’t understand…
… why people like to demand inconsiderately.

6. When I wake up in the morning…
… I look for my Little Haley.

7. I trust…
… but carefully.

8. Life is…
… full of cross-roads and we must choose always to go forward & face what’s beyond.

9. My past has taught me…
… to be a better person.

10. I get annoyed when…
… I’m being pushed even though I’m trying my very best.

11. Parties are…
… for kids, young people and those young at-hearts.

12. I wish…
… miracles happen to us everyday!

13. Dogs…
… are fun & bouncy.

14. Cats…
… are soft and cuddly.

15. Tomorrow is…
… another day and praying it’s gona be a beautiful one!

16. If I had a million dollars…
… I will buy a bigger house & have another baby. Build a home studio & maybe then darling Francis can work for me!

17. I’m totally terrified of…
… failure but I’m learning to embrace it & learn from it. See it as an opportunity.

18. When I look at the night sky, I think…
… there is too much light pollution here in Petaling Jaya. I wish I’m back on an island where I can see the stars vivid & clear!

That’s all for now… Have a good week ahead, everyone!

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I’ve come up with a New Year Specials for YOU this 2010! Check it out!

Having a baby this 2010? These are for YOU!

♥

The First Year
[Portraiture Package for Infants below 1-yr old] = RM800

• Capturing baby’s growing moments from birth to first birthday
• FOUR (4) x 2-hrs portraiture sessions in an interval of 3 months each
• 1 location (within Klang Valley) for each session

♣

Bump to Pop!
[Portraiture Package for Pregnant Family] = RM888

• Capturing your beautiful glowing moments and your newborn’s new moments*
• 1 x 2-hr portraiture session for pregnancy moments and 1 x 2-hr portraiture session for newborn moments
• 1 location (within Klang Valley) for each session

* Newborn has to be within 2-week old from birth date.

Looking for something different or getting married this 2010?

♦

Underwater Dream
[Portraiture Package for Casual/Engagement/Pre-Wedding] = RM2010

• Capturing your underwater portraits the ALP style!
• 3-hr session
• Location: Petaling Jaya, Selangor or recommended island retreat *
• Make-up service inclusive
• Support divers inclusive (for safety purposes)

* island retreat logistic cost is not inclusive

STANDARD DELIVERABLES = High resolution digital files [post-processed with a mixture of special treatments (whenever I see fit) on DVD] at least 1 month after shoot date.

So what are you waiting for?!?!?! Go ahead and Contact Me NOW!

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… 2009…

This is the year I became a mother. And my life started to change beyond what I could have imagined or anticipated. It was God’s grace for giving us our little girl. She’s such a joy to me when I’m down, albeit sometimes a little annoying when she throws her tantrum. Our Little Haley has been a handful and I’m really thankful that my own mother is still young & capable enough to help care for my little girl when I had to return to work. Darling Francis has been a wonderful daddy and husband, ever supportive & patience when it comes to dealing with the various situations in our little chaotic life. I am ever so thankful cos I just wouldn’t know how I’d manage without him!

These are just a few of the changes (ones I’ve felt the impact most) since Haley’s arrival into our life.

• The house is a lot merrier (and did I mention chaotic too? ) with her coos & aahs, her laughter & screams, and very recently her endless baby chatters.
• In contrast, our social life has gotten a lot quieter. Darling & I are very sociable people, especially amongst our scuba diving society. Not that we do not like to socialize anymore. It’s just that our priorities have changed. We used to host various get-together with our friends and family but not anymore. We also seem to turn down friends’ invitations to hang-out pretty often nowadays.
  • First is SLEEP. As most parents will agree with me, having a new baby in the house means less sleep for everyone else. So, we find ourselves pretty tired by midnight and the bed seems all too inviting all the time!
  • Second is WORK. Family time is really rare considering that darling leaves the house early in the morning & only comes back after 8pm generally 5 days a week, where as my working schedule often falls on weekends and public holidays.
  • Third is FAMILY. We try to spend as much time together as a family when we’re not working. Which means, the whole evening will be spent in the bedroom with Haley for her bedtime. We also try to have at least 3 to 4 times family holiday a year, away from home.
• Darling & I go on a date (mostly on movie dates) a lot more often nowadays. Once again, we’re lucky to have my mum around to babysit at nites when we are going on a date. Initially, it was hard for me to concentrate during our dates as my mind & heart will be back at home with Haley, but eventually I got used to it. I now look forward to our future dates all the time!
• We’ve been getting home-cooked meals almost everyday. Bless my mother for that! She’s been staying with us more often nowadays (due to me having more photography bookings lately) to help out with Haley, hence, she also does the cooking and laundry for us! Yes! I am indeed lucky!

I started losing weight immediately after delivery and an annual full-body check-up revealed a hyperthyroidism in me. I find myself having  rapid heart palpitation constantly, resulting in insomnia & a constant rise in body temperature. I also had a massive increase of appetite  altho I kept losing weight. Due to the possible unwanted effect on my heart, I was put on a series of medications which resulted in a sudden (unwanted) weight gain! Oh those terrible fats!!! It is sooo demoralizing so I gotta do something bout that soon!

This is also the year when I decided to re-brand my photography business. I would like to thank my friend & mentor, Jenny Sun, for opening my mind & heart when it comes to building my new photography business. I was struggling really hard to find my own identity and to gain clientele but she was always there (albeit her super busy schedule), always willing to share her thoughts and advice, always lending an ear to my never ending rantings. Thank you, girl, for your friendship & trust in me! I owe you one! And I’m looking forward to more shooting & sharing moments with you.

Here are some of the photos I shot when I was assisting Jenny during her wedding assignments. Thank you for the opportunities, Jen!

Ju Liang & Mui Kit's Wedding Day

Ju Liang & his mother

The pretty Mui Kit

Ju Liang & Mui Kit

Tjin & Christine's Wedding Day

Tjin & buddies with their cars

Christine's wedding dress

Tjin & Christine, the happy newlyweds

Hanther & Christine Wedding Day

Hanther & Christine - Blissfully married

… 2010…

So another new year is coming! Only God knows what is planned out for me and all I can do is plan, execute, hope and pray for a smooth sailing journey throughout this new year.

Here’s a list of my new year resolution:

1. Lose 8kg by May 2010 by eating healthier (less carbo, less ice cream, less cakes), plan & follow an exercise regime and drink more water daily!
2. Be a better mother, wife & daughter. Being more patience with Haley & teach her new things as day passes by, spend more time listening & doing things for darling, and give my mother more time of her own.
3. Be a better photographer. Continue learning to improve my skills, as well as increase my editing capabilities in order to deliver my clients’ photos as early possible!
4. Keep in touch more with our dearest friends whom we’ve somehow been neglecting lately.
5. Go to church more often with Haley & mum (and hopefully darling will join us one day ). I’m not too sure how I can do this as most of my weekends have been booked up by clients unless I make it a point to not accept too many bookings on Sundays. God will somehow show me the way soon.
6. Travel and/or dive more. Well… if $ and time permits, of course!
7. Attend a photography workshop or two locally. Definitely looking forward to ShootFest (if any for 2010).
8. Contribute more towards environment conservation. Plant more greens, promote underwater awareness through my underwater photos, etc.

Alrite… that’s all that I can think of at the moment. Let’s see how much of my new year resolution comes true but I hope majority will. Here’s wishing you, my clients, my friends and family a promising New Year 2010! My heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful journey we’ve done together this 2009!

Little Aidan & Family

Little Tiffany & Family

Little Kiera & Family

Little Ethan & Family

Little Aden & Family

Little Gabrielle & Family

Little Shuen & Family

Little Mikhail & Family

Little Hayden & Family

Little Tanveer & Family

Little Venus & Family

Little Sophia & Family

Sherlyn Koh & her dance academy

Jeremy & Jane

Albert & Faye

Amin & Shareen + Family

Pauline & Furry Friends

Mark + Azween

The Nichols

Little Azura & Family

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”  ~ Hal Borland

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]]> http://astherlau.com/2009/12/31/one-for-the-road-before-2010/feed/ 0 http://astherlau.com/2009/12/28/happy-anniversary-amin-shareen/ http://astherlau.com/2009/12/28/happy-anniversary-amin-shareen/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:28:14 +0000 Asther http://astherlau.com/?p=1622 Today’s their 14th wedding anniversary. Here’s a sneak peak to their recent anniversary photo session with me.

“An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow.” ~ Anonymous

I’ll write another blog post on their intimate session once I’ve done editing this set! I’d love to hear from you so do drop some comments over, yah! And don’t forget to wish this couple a Happy Wedding Anniversary!

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