Can I Take Your Picture?

This will be me and Andrew's third Christmas since being married and somehow I always manage to get a gift early. I think he just gets really excited for me to have it (or maybe I ask too much) but I'm not complaining.

Some may know that my camera broke in October. We've both always hated the camera. The stabilization (or lack thereof) made it difficult to get any decent pictures. When I told Andrew that I wanted a "real" camera and that a point and shoot camera just wouldn't cut it anymore all he saw were dollar bills. It took a lot of persuasion and research to prove to him it was a good investment. Here we are two months later. 

I have been eyeing the Canon Powershot sx50 hs for quite some time and knew it was the one I wanted. The image quality was great, it had a rotating LCD, a massive zoom, and top notch image stabilization. I had to have it! Plus, it's not a massive DSLR camera it's more like a little DSLR baby so I wouldn't be lugging around a huge piece of equipment. The camera really has it all. 

When you buy anything on the internet in China that is over your bank limit then you have to go to the bank and ask for a what looks like a mini calculator but it generates codes for you to put into the computer upon purchasing. I think it's supposed to make it safer to buy stuff online. It was really confusing to use and after going to the bank two days in a row this week trying to figure out how to use it we finally got it working on Thursday. Little did I know that Andrew would buy my beloved camera for me that night and then make up some excuse on Friday as to why I couldn't order it yet after all these months of waiting and dealing with the bank. I had a hard time believing that he really thought it was best that we wait until after Christmas.

Lo and behold the package arrived Friday night all the way from Hong Kong. The sellers gave him free express shipping which was really nice of them. I was amazed how fast it got here. I don't think express shipping in America is even that express unless you pay an insane amount. I think for express it was like $4 USD. I'm pretty sure I will return home and think everything is way over priced and not want to buy anything. Maybe then Andrew won't feel so bad for spending extra 钱 qian on a camera. 

When Andrew excitedly handed me the package I was eager to find out if my suspicions were true and preparing myself to not look disappointed if they weren't. I was all smiles. Preparation was unnecessary. I was eager to open the box, examine the specs, and start taking pictures. This was the cherry on top of a miserably cold week missing my family. 

I'm learning how to use it and wanted to post some random pictures from my weekend in Suzhou and Zhangjiagang. I didn't use any editing software, just the features that came with the camera.

THANK YOU ANDREW!

Will I be a total nerd if I just carry my camera everywhere I go?