How did I end up 8,525 kilometres from home??

If I were to condense my life prior to stepping foot in New Zealand into a few sentences, it would resemble something like this. Born and raised in Singapore.. served mandatory National Service when I was 18 years old.. entered university after two and a half years in the Army.. majored in Mechanical Engineering.. graduated with a degree.. found a desk job as an Engineer.. felt empty and lost despite the generous remuneration and benefits provided by the company.. took a short trip to Melbourne, Australia.. enjoyed the trip so much that I really really really wanted to live (or at least work) overseas.. made a decision that caused my peers to scratch their heads and look at me all weird.. left so many things that felt significant (comfort of my own home, financial security, friends, food that I grew up loving, and more..) behind and flew 8,525 kilometres away from home..

Wow that must have been a bother to read, if you stayed with me thus far you definitely deserve a reward.. hmm and I reward you with a picture, and… more reading!

Lake Tekapo

So back then the ignorant version of myself constantly linked NZ to lord of the rings, kiwi fruit and the colour green. I have always had the impression that NZ enjoys a similar climate to Australia, with friendly and approachable locals, yet without the hustle and bustle of a fast paced urban lifestyle. I decided to do a quick scout of the country with the few months that I had, and determine if this is to be my place of settlement. I WAS SO GLAD I PICKED NZ (well technically NZ was the only country that allowed Singaporeans to apply for working holidays, but I did make the final choice to purchase air tickets!).

Friendly locals, check.

Temperate climate with low humidity levels, check.

Affordable car ownership, check.

Fish & chips that actually had more fish than batter, super check.

Magnificent landscapes that are photogenic regardless of the season, super duper check.

I do miss home, I do miss my friends, and I definitely miss the delicacies back home.. but at this very moment, I firmly believe that I am meant to stay here..

Till next time 🙂

“Wow, where do you start when you have got so many amazing comments to give one person!? The first day I met up with Lionel I really couldn’t give him a lot of information as my emotions from struggling to find a photographer got the better of me (it was only 4 and a half weeks till our wedding!!!). We couldn’t have asked for anyone better to capture the special moments of the start of our new life together. With not a lot to work with Lionel gave us the best wedding album a bride could ever ask for, he went well out of his way to make every photo and every little detail perfect. Thank you Lionel for all the work and effort that went into our photos, we truly are very lucky.”

– Zandrie & Dean

“Lionel was amazing, from our first meeting until the big day he was on hand to answer any queries.

What first struck us about Lionel was his genuineness. He was sincere and extremely easy to get along with. Taking a real interest in us and our story.

On the big day Lionel was outstanding. He had asked us how we would like the day to go which for us was unobtrusive but there to capture all the movements of the day. Lionel worked tirelessly and he stayed way into the night. His pictures are fantastic and we couldn’t be happier with what he did for us!!

Thank you Lionel for helping to capture our perfect day.”

– Rachel & Heath

“A simply amazing photographer with such attention to detail and constantly looking for clever ways to enhance each photo. We began dealing with Lionel a year ago, he was prompt coming back to us to confirm availability for our chosen day and from that point on was so friendly and accommodating. He was awesome on the day and clearly knew what he was doing (we’d never done a photo shoot before so we needed direction lol!) he was amazing with our guests (book him and see for yourself!) and today we received our sneak peeks – couldn’t be happier with his work, the photos brought a few tears to the eyes as I relived some of the moments and there were moments I didn’t know he captured. Pleasure working with you!!! If I do it all again, I know who I’ll ask!!”

– Beverley & Jason

“Lionel shot both our engagement shoot and our wonderful wedding day. We were both quite nervous about having our wedding photos done so he suggested having the engagement shoot, I’m so glad we did it. It was good to have the practice and to know what to expect. Lionel put us at ease.

Lionel was present for our wedding from very early morning up until it was dark and no more photos could be done. He captured the essence of the day, many friends and family have commented that our photos show how much we love one another! He got some great shots with our very active young son too, which I was extremely excited about. We also received so many photos to choose from and look back on.

Thank you again Lionel!”

– Elesha & Goran

“Our experience was an absolute blast! Lionel was extremely professional, but also very humble and easy to get along with. Not only did he show interest in what we wanted, he also gave great ideas and went out of his way to insure we were comfortable and at ease. The engagement photos turned out better than we could have ever expected and we cannot wait for our wedding day. Definitely a 10/10 from us!”

– Julianne & Mike

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How did I end up 8,525 kilometres from home??

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