Rachel in Words

That's me on a computer posing for a promotion campaign.  Like many people in this field, it was a no-brainer. I knew before I was supposed to know. Also like many others, I started somewhat young. But unlike many others, I didn't come from a family of 'computer people' - or even technical people at all. My parents had very limited knowledge/experience in computers.  My interest in computer science began when I was a teenager. It all started when my best friend, another friend of ours and I decided to skip school one morning to travel to Sydney to see the band Hanson, as they were making a television appearance at  Channel V Studios . You guys remember Hanson, right? Three brothers from Oklahoma, long blonde hair? MMMBop? Hanson circa 1997. They don't look like this any more. We got there really early and lined up with all our fellow Hanson fans. Hanson weren't due to appear for another five hours (yes you read that right) but we were there anyway....

In 2012 I participated in a global photography project called 'A Day'. The idea was that on the 15th May 2012, people were encouraged to pick up their cameras and photograph their day. Then in the end all these photos would be collated together and we could see how different the same day is for people from all walks of life. The website for A Day is now no longer online but I still have my photos. I uploaded them to my Flickr account . Feel free to check them out. I decided to do it again on the 15th of May of this year, just to really see how different my life is now compared to back then. There were some obvious changes. For instance: Then: I was working full time and running a business. I was running myself to the ground trying to juggle the both of them. But that was the only way I could survive back then. Now: for the most part, I'm self-employed. Then: Sydney. Now: Wollongong. Then: single. Now: ... still single. Then: 90kg Now: 75kg But wi...

I went to the Vivid Sydney winter lights festival the other night after I had finished up with a meeting in Sydney. It was a bit shit, to be honest. Granted, I went during high-peak hour - a Sunday evening during a long weekend. Couple that with the fact that Circular Quay really isn't a great place for big crowds despite the high-profile events that take place there and I was in for a Bad Time. The crowds were massive and crowd control marshals couldn't control the crowd, believe it or not. The vibe was just off. It's supposed to be an event that would bring the tourists from all over the world, but afterwards I said to myself, "I would not recommend tourists come here. At all." I thought maybe it was just the wrong time, but I was told it's just as bad on a weeknight. I didn't go to the inaugural festival in 2009 but I did go in 2010. It was very much different. On Saturday evening, I could just stroll around the harbour and take some shot...

Five years ago, having just returned to Australia after spending a long period of time in Europe, I needed a place to show off all the photos I had taken with my shiny new DSLR purchased in London. Jet-lagged, broke, unemployed, bored and living on my mum's living room floor, I hopped on Tumblr and created From Another Angle - a travel blog. Great Russell St, London UK. One of my personal favourites. When I travel, I like to submerge myself in the place and absorb everything I possibly can. I would also do my research. Along with my photos I would write in the caption a random fact about the place that other people (other than locals) may not have known. For example, did you know that the Eiffel Tower was considered an eyesore by France's leading artists and designers? I would also add little funny anecdotes to accompany my pictures. Did you know that once I wanted to practice my Spanish, so I stumbled into the men's Prada store in Madrid and asked the sales assis...

As you would have seen in my previous post  I've done a bit of travelling in my years on Earth - both as a child, being a Third Culture Kid  and all and as a typical twenty-something adult eager to check off items on my bucket list. In early 2012 I found myself in the United States. The biggest trend amongst teenagers in the US at the time were toy film cameras, in particular the Diana . With the rising popularity of Instagram (whose filters are designed to replicate the style and square format of these old toy cameras) it came as no surprise. I found Dianas for sale throughout NYC in places such as American Apparel or similar retail stores. Needless to say, I bought one. Here's a picture of me taking a mirror selfie with the camera: SoHo, New York City, USA | February 2012 For those who are not familiar with the Diana, it is a toy film camera originating from Hong Kong in the 1960's. It was originally intended to be an inexpensive gift option for kids but you shoul...

These days I don't really do a lot of travelling, apart from a two-week holiday or weekend getaway here and there. Of course, if I had it my way I would never have stopped. I still have the desire to travel and see more the world but sadly it's no longer a top priority. We all have to settle down eventually, I suppose. But when I was younger, particularly in my early 20's, I travelled a LOT. I also moved around a lot. I couldn't stay in one place at one time. I'd seen a lot of places I only ever dreamed of seeing - Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania. The only place I have not conquered yet is Africa (perhaps some day). Naturally, I took pictures of all these places. "Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs" - Susan Sontag. Barcelona, Spain - November 2009 Mirror Lakes, New Zealand - June 2010 Venice, Italy - November 2009 St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City - November 2009 Arc de Triomphe, ...