Beyond 50: Life Needs Something to Look Forward to, Both Short and Long Terms

So, I crossed 50 back in July, which is such a milestone, but nothing really has changed in my life. I continue working full-time and getting completely exhausted at the end of each working day. 😅 It’s hard to keep going like this, but at least there are a few things to look forward to on a weekly basis.

Photographing Cats

On every weekday morning, I go to my son’s school with him (4 stops by bus), then walk back home (I’m working remotely from home on most days). On my way back, I see a few same cats almost daily, so take photos of them using Olympus PEN E-PL10 .

A Local Cat. 45mm, f/1.8, 1/50 sec. This photogenic cutie is my most favourite “cat model”.

Photographing Cityscapes at Blue Hour

My full-time work ends at 5:30pm, and if the sky is clear, I go to Singapore CBD to shoot cityscapes at blue hour (no matter how tired I am, because I don’t want to end a day by just working for someone else 😅). I always go alone, as this is my precious time to slow down and unwind under the beautiful blue hour sky after putting in a hard day’s work.

Singapore Skyline with Merlion. 18mm, f/5.6, 259 secs. Blue hour + long exposure is my niche.

Watching Local Football

I used to watch European football a lot, but somehow lost interest in the past decade. Nowadays, the only football I watch is Singapore national team (ranked 158th in the world 😅) and Singapore Premier League, but in recent years I never attended the local league match in stadiums due to COVID scare and the fact that all matches are broadcast live on YouTube anyway.

It has changed this season, though, as I’ve happened to befriend with one of the players in the league. 😀 I’ve started attending his matches in stadiums, which has re-ignited my interest in football and quickly become something to look forward to!

Riding Folding Bike

I bought a folding bike and started cycling amid the COVID pandemic in 2020, as cycling was still allowed during the lockdown. Three years on, I still enjoy riding weekly (about 30 to 35km on Saturday). Indeed, cycling is a great activity for de-stressing, and I love the sense of freedom while riding!

My Folding Bike. 17mm, f/8, 1/400 sec. Shot with Merlion in Singapore CBD.

These activities are fun and good distractions to my otherwise stressful daily life, but I have to say that all these are still secondaries to my full-time work that takes up most of my time and energy. My life can’t really get started until I retire, I guess. 😅

Retirement is definitely something to look forward to in long-term. Sometimes I wish the time passes quickly so that I can skip all the working years and reach my retirement faster, but that means I age faster, which I don’t want. 😅

In reality, I just need to get through one day at a time, one week at a time by having something to look forward to, both short and long terms.

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About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Home Gallery (30 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography.