Pink Posh Class: Beginning Photography
Cost: a minimum pledge of 50 meals or $25
Level: Beginner
Where: Houston, Texas (Galleria Area)
When: Sunday, September 19, 2010
Timeslots: 11am - 1pm (FULL); 2pm-4pm (FULL); 5pm-7pm (FULL)
Registration: email classes@pinkposh.com
Level: Beginner
Where: Houston, Texas (Galleria Area)
When: Sunday, September 19, 2010
Timeslots: 11am - 1pm (FULL); 2pm-4pm (FULL); 5pm-7pm (FULL)
Registration: email classes@pinkposh.com
You must be the change, you wish to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi.
I'm not too proud to admit that I am learning from my 12 year old nephew right now. Alright. Let's rewind. A few months ago, my nephew (who was born and raised and California, and blessed with all the luxuries a 12 year kid could ever want) travelled to Vietnam to learn to live the life of charity for a year while being homeschooled. He has been keeping us updated with his "adventures" through his personal blog. I'm not sure I can write it as well as he can - so I'm copying and pasting his blog entry about the soup kitchen on here:
------N's blog about the Soup Kitchen-------------
Yesterday we went to the soup kitchen. Most of you know that I have posted about the soup kitchen multiple times already. This time, however, I will be writing in-depth about the soup kitchen, the way it works, and I will be adding pictures and videos.
The soup kitchen at Tan Dinh is in operation from 6 AM to 12 PM on Monday through Saturday. From 6 AM through 10 AM, though, it is closed while the workers inside cook the food, distribute them into trays, and set up the various different tables, fans, and chairs. At 6 AM, the charity helpers rise and head to the soup kitchen. Some of them head to the market to buy the food for that day, while the others prepare the kitchen for the huge amount of food ahead of them.
At 7 AM, the shoppers return with all the food necessary to cook enough meals for that day. One serving normally has rice, soup, a salty side, and a protein portion. Sometimes there is a bit of soy sauce or fish sauce on the side. The food is cooked in giant pots that are about 3 feet in diameter and about 12 inches deep. It looks almost like a wok, but the shape is different somehow.
It takes about two hours to cook all the food. During this time, a few helpers watch the food, while others get the trays and Styrofoam containers to pack the food in. By the time 9 AM comes along, they are ready to distribute the food. They take bento style trays and put the food in. The remarkable thing about these trays are that they are about the same size as an ordinary bowl or plate, yet they hold a significantly larger amount of food. It’s just something to think about. If any of you figure out why, please leave me a comment.
At 10 AM, they open the soup kitchen to the public. Everyone come in and pulls up a chair. We all start praying. After the praying, Ba Co gets down to business. Each person who comes to the soup kitchen has a card with a calendar on it. Ba Co starts calling off names on the cards. If the person is there, they raise their hand and call out. One of the helper’s checks off that day on the calendar on that person’s card. That shows that that person already got there meal for that day. Then, I bring over a tray with the meal to that person. This cycle repeats for about thirty minutes, until everybody has been served.
All of the ladies (me excluded from this group) at the soup kitchen work really hard to make sure the elderly and the handicapped get at least one meal daily. They do it without getting paid, and they pay for it out of their own pockets. You saw how grateful they were when I donated ten dollars....
The soup kitchen at Tan Dinh is in operation from 6 AM to 12 PM on Monday through Saturday. From 6 AM through 10 AM, though, it is closed while the workers inside cook the food, distribute them into trays, and set up the various different tables, fans, and chairs. At 6 AM, the charity helpers rise and head to the soup kitchen. Some of them head to the market to buy the food for that day, while the others prepare the kitchen for the huge amount of food ahead of them.
At 7 AM, the shoppers return with all the food necessary to cook enough meals for that day. One serving normally has rice, soup, a salty side, and a protein portion. Sometimes there is a bit of soy sauce or fish sauce on the side. The food is cooked in giant pots that are about 3 feet in diameter and about 12 inches deep. It looks almost like a wok, but the shape is different somehow.
It takes about two hours to cook all the food. During this time, a few helpers watch the food, while others get the trays and Styrofoam containers to pack the food in. By the time 9 AM comes along, they are ready to distribute the food. They take bento style trays and put the food in. The remarkable thing about these trays are that they are about the same size as an ordinary bowl or plate, yet they hold a significantly larger amount of food. It’s just something to think about. If any of you figure out why, please leave me a comment.
At 10 AM, they open the soup kitchen to the public. Everyone come in and pulls up a chair. We all start praying. After the praying, Ba Co gets down to business. Each person who comes to the soup kitchen has a card with a calendar on it. Ba Co starts calling off names on the cards. If the person is there, they raise their hand and call out. One of the helper’s checks off that day on the calendar on that person’s card. That shows that that person already got there meal for that day. Then, I bring over a tray with the meal to that person. This cycle repeats for about thirty minutes, until everybody has been served.
All of the ladies (me excluded from this group) at the soup kitchen work really hard to make sure the elderly and the handicapped get at least one meal daily. They do it without getting paid, and they pay for it out of their own pockets. You saw how grateful they were when I donated ten dollars....
------------end blog-----------------
Now, you're probably wondering what this even have to do about photography? Well, I've been inspired by him and the volunteers at the soup kitchen who donates their own time and their own money to provide 200 meals a day for those who don't have anything. I sat there reading his blog and started wondering what I can do to help my 12 year old nephew HELP THEM!
Now, you're probably wondering what this even have to do about photography? Well, I've been inspired by him and the volunteers at the soup kitchen who donates their own time and their own money to provide 200 meals a day for those who don't have anything. I sat there reading his blog and started wondering what I can do to help my 12 year old nephew HELP THEM!
So dear stalkers...this is where you can join me in helping and giving back. On September 19, 2010 at 2pm-4pm and again at 5pm-7pm, I will be holding a "Learn the Basics to Photography & Feed 50 People" class. You can bring whatever camera you like to the class. DSLR, Point and Shoot, even your Iphone. :oP. We will spend the first hour going over the basics of photography - ISO, Aperture, Fstop, how to shoot in direct sunlight, best time of day to shoot, framing - all that good stuff. Whatever we can pack in an hour. The next hour will be a "free hour" and we will spend the hour shooting each other, chairs, flowers, walls - doesn't matter what we shoot...but how we shoot it right?
I ask that everyone who would like to take this class with me, pledge 50 meals (thats $25) to The Soup Kitchen at Tan Dinh, HCM, Vietnam. I will be donating 100% of the class fee directly to The Soup Kitchen at Tan Dinh.
