August 7, 2005, 5:16pm

Pine trees! Pine trees here are bigger and taller than those in CUHK. But hey, Chinese people are tough in the bones. Not in the muscles.

I have set my mind to study the course and credit requirements. So just let me write quickly about what happend today. I decided to write about my digital camera when I was trying to capture the clear blue sky and the pine trees outside the New Hope Church.

Digital cameras are one of the most ridiculous inventions that human beings create so far, I think. When I was outdoor in the sunshine, I simply can't see the picture in the LCD screen clearly to get to know actualy what I will capture. When it's dark or in the shade, the colours of the pictures captured are strange. Then the flash is just not sufficient to let me take a photo not shaking when I'm indoor.

Now, compare this picture I took when we came back for lunch before going to the Bible Broadcasting Network party, and the one I put here yesterday. That one was taken when it's rainning. Clearly, the camera works well only with sunshine but I simply can't see the dim picture in the LCD under the sun.

Perhaps this is why digital cameras need LCD screens. To let you know what you get after pressing the shutter. But come on, I know what I have taken with my film camera, before the photos are developed. I can see clearly what will be captured in the viewfinder and know exactly what exposure I set for that particular photo. And what's more important, I can have complete control of the zoom lens. The build-in zoom lens of my digital camera is just not as adjustable as the zoom lens of my film camera. How frustrating! I actually need to step back and forth to get what I really want to capture.

OK, enough complaints. If it's not that handy and simple to make my blog, I'll just consider this Samsung i5 the most worthless photography investment I made so far.

New Hope Church. I wanted to take a close-up of the dragonflies outside the church. Obviously, I failed or I'd put a photo here. Need more patience and time.

I went to the Gainesville Chinese Church for the Bible study with Shirley and Larry this morning (Don't be mistaken. I'm not a Christian/Baptist/Protestant). I just think, OK, see what I will get when they asked me to go. After this, we went to the New Hope Baptist Church for worship or something. I don't actually know what they call that kind of services.

In the afternoon, we went to a party to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Bible Broadcasting Network, for which Larry helped to set up (www.bbnradio.org). All church stuff today.

I begin to feel, the Baptist churches here are so much similar to those fellowship meetings in my secondary school. I barely remember some of the songs they sang today. Everything is so simple, even austere.

Isn't it interesting that I was in an Anglican church kindergarten then I went to London and "discovered" the origin of the Anglican church that ran (I guess, it's still running) the kindergarten I went to. And now, I'm here to find out that the Baptist churches here are also so familiar.

Don't be fooled by this picture. I didn't frame the lake with the black clouds overhead. The lake just didn't look so blue and it's just the camera's will to make it this way. It was thundering and I was there for only three minutes.

On the way back from the BBN, we went to the Keystone Heights Beach. It's a lake, probably with alligators in it but I didn't see any. Then it poured (just like everyday) after a day of churches.