Chasing dragonflies

I took a stroll around the lake near the engineering building and saw a couple of dragonflies hovering above the grass... luckily I have a camera on hand so here you go... more pictures of bugs... this time, dragonflies.

So it started out with noticing a dragonfly perched on a blade of grass... (see below)

So I went in closer for a better shot...

Closer...

This was as close as I could get before it flew away. Next thing I knew there were a couple of these beautiful creatures hovering around me. I guess they got accustomed to my presence already.

A shot of another dragonfly, I think I used the camera's flash and -2 ev for this one.

Screwed around some more with the camera's settings for this shot. I like how the colors came out.

There were countless failed attempts at snapping these insects in flight, the most you would ever be able to see is a brown blur in the middle of the photo, so I'm not including those. If only I have in my arsenal a camera fast enough to capture these flying arthropods in flight...

Resolutions progress

Back in early January I made some resolutions, as did most people everywhere that time of the year.

So far only one is achieved. I am in graduate school doing a master's degree, albeit by research and thesis and not coursework.

The third one seems unfeasible by now. The fourth one is partially achieved... the first one is not out of reach yet but I haven't made significant number of steps in that direction.

So this is my latest resolution. To resolve to fulfill at least the first and fourth resolution (since I think the third one is unfeasible, financially at least).

Some ways to achieve this:

1. Go swimming in the pool in the mornings. Yes I the apartment I live at has a nice big swimming pool. Only dipped in there 3 times if I could remember. Very underutilized.

2. Regular evening jogs. Next to the engineering building at the university is a lake with a jogging track around it. Less than half a minute away from my office. I can actuall see it out the window. I've only jogged there once. Again, very underutilized.

3. Reduce the consumption of rice. This I have done with considerable success. I eat much less rice these days, and I don't seem to crave for it too much either. Thank you 4.5 years in the States.

4. Regular workout sessions, either in the morning or evening. There's a gym near the university that charges only RM2 per entry (that's USD0.61, $0.84 Singaporean). Very cheap. I should utilize this to attempt that 'six pack abs in six months' challenge (yeah right).

5. Martial arts training twice weekly. I have been doing this regularly. If only the training place is much closer to where I live...

Now, on to the first step. That is, to believe I can do all this. I CAN.

:)

I went to help a few of the ladies in our martial arts team with their training the other afternoon after some random photosnaps, so I had to put down my camera and all my other stuff underneath a nearby tree (along with other people's stuff) so I could move freely without hindrance.

A couple of kicks and swipes and punches and grapples later we decided to call it a day and picked our stuff up from underneath the tree. I got my camera back and this is what I found amongst all the other photos in the camera:

Made my day.