PiNLUX

Vacuum oops

2011-05-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

I accidentally sucked the drawstring from my PJs into the vacuum earlier today and had to take the roller off to get it out. Man there was a lot of hair. Gross, I know.

Don’t forget to clean your vacuum once in a while.

No more food pictures

2011-05-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone and their mother is taking pictures of the food they eat and posting it. I do that. I even spent a year taking pictures of EVERYTHING I ate, down to a French fry I would snag off of someone’s plate. My friends went from being completely embarrassed by it to automatically handing over their plate of food to be photographed. But now it’s time to stop. It’s become so passé.

One of my friends told me, in order to become a better photographer, I needed to shoot more and shoot a lot. I started taking pictures of food I ate as a way to force myself to always have a camera around and to shoot something - anything. I got into photography in order to document my life, not create art. So now it’s time to pick another subject.

A lot of people have 365 projects in which they will do something each day of the year and share it. I’m not about to do that. Once again, that’s passé. I want to share my life in pictures with my friends and family. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I’ll do something.

So here it is, the last picture of food that I’m going to post… at least for a while.

Almost done

2011-05-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

I don’t remember the last time I posted here. It’s this art history class I’m taking that’s been taking up all my time. I’m supposed to be writing a 5-6 page paper on the painting above of King Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud. But I’m not. Uuhhgg.

I’ll be back soon. My final is on May 19 and then it’s free time galore!

Okay, back to fleur de lis, ermine fur, and Maltese crosses.

Rice porridge for the sick

2011-02-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

I walked in the door and saw my poor honey still lying in bed. I’m pretty sure this is the same position he was in when I left the house 6 hours ago. Did he move at all?

He’s been home sick all day. It could be food poisoning or it could be the flu. Either way, his mom said he’s made multiple trips to the bathroom today. I hope it’s not the flu. I can’t afford to catch anything. I have a wedding to shoot in a week!

I was about to crawl into bed with him when he opened his eyes and mumbled, “I’m hungry,” then went right back to sleep. He must be REALLY sick. He never asks me for food when he’s sick. He normally just stumbles into the kitchen and fixes something for himself. I was ecstatic! He never lets me take care of him. I ran in the kitchen to look for something and came up with... nothing.

His mom offered to make some lugao, which is pretty much just boiled rice, but he wanted something with more flavor so we settled on “arroz caldo”. It’s just a different version of rice porridge made with chicken and flavored with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, calamansi, then garnished with fried garlic and scallions.

Generations of Americans have spooned chicken soup to their sick kids; Asians feed them congee (rice porridge). Different countries have different version of course, but it all starts with a base of boiled rice. Thais have “kao tom” or “jok”, but personally, I prefer Randy’s mom’s arroz caldo.

The rest of the family was pretty happy too. It’s the perfect food this cold and rainy night.

Strawberry Farms - location scouting

2011-02-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

I’m shooting a wedding next Friday. Yes, me. I’m just as shocked as you are! Normally, I avoid shooting weddings like the plague, but Colleen asked me and I couldn’t say no.

I’ve pulled together a team of amazing photographers to help me shoot this wedding. Joining me will be Fizzah Raza, Brent Matsuno, and Sam Bowers. Maybe I can even convince John Halligan to take some pictures. Between all of our different styles and the multiple angles of coverage, I’m sure Paige and Alan will get photos they love!

We went to scout the wedding location today, Strawberry Farms Golf Course in Irvine. Near the entrance to the pro shop we saw a table with wedding albums and couldn’t resist taking a peak at what other photographers had done with the location. It turned into an impromptu critique session. Out of the half dozen albums, we found two that we really liked and two that we really didn’t.

Moving on we, looked at the ceremony and reception site. We lamented on how places weren’t designed to be photogenic. Things and places that look good in real life don’t necessarily lend itself to being perfect backdrops. No matter, we’re pros, we’ll work something out. It started raining while we walked around, and we considered what we would do if it rained on the wedding day. Backup plans for this kind of stuff is a must!

Anyhow, I couldn't resist a little Charlie's Angles action and thank goodness my friends are hams. I’m excited. I can’t wait for this wedding. Rumor has it, the bride’s mother is planning on getting me plastered. ☺

Shore House Gang No More?

2011-02-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

For about five years now a certain group of friends and I have been going to Shore House in Long Beach for dinner after the Photo Department closes. It was the only decent place to eat open after 10:00pm. Don’t even go there with Denny’s.

We haven’t been there in about six months because we’ve all either been too busy with our own lives or just too lazy to meet up. We’ve all had some major changes in our lives since then so we decided to meet up. John now has a driver’s license and a car, Chris is having a baby (we didn’t see that one coming), Matt and Kari have decided to split up, Krista got back together with her boyfriend, and I’m getting ready to get rid of my house in Vegas. I guess we aren’t the same people we were six months ago.

When we all arrived at Shore House the place was dark. WTF? We peaked in through the windows. Our usual table was gone, replaced by a row of booths. Were they closed for remodeling? We decided to see if there was a note on the door explaining why it closed. Health code violations. Damn.

What happened to us? Not only have we changed, the place we’ve called our own for years is now gone. When it does reopen it’s not going to be “our” Shore House anymore. We headed over to Harbor house and talked about the changes in our lives and where we are now. We talked about ridiculous things and some sentimental ones. This was us. Even if we weren’t the same person, we were the same group of friends. We still enjoy each other’s company and talk about anything and everything.

I guess this begins a new era in friendship and we’ll have to find a new place to call our own, but I’m looking forward to this. Despite the changes, we are moving forward and that’s a good thing.

Learning New Things

2011-02-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

When I first started using foundation I used my fingers to put it on. It took forever, was hard to get even, and it got my hands dirty. Then, I discovered sponges. It went on faster and it was easier to get even coverage.

This morning I tried using a brush for the first time. I could see the brush strokes. I thought, “This isn’t good,” so I kept trying to blend it figuring I could always use the sponge to even it out later. When the foundation started to dry a little, I found I couldn’t really use a brushing motion anymore because it would just tug and streak more. I started using a patting motion. The lines went away immediately. I ended up with this flawless, glowing skin in less than a few minutes. My makeup has never looked this great. I’m in love! I may never use a sponge again!

It’s occurred to me that certain types of foundation and ways of applying it may work really well on me, but it might not work so well with other people. People have different skin types, textures, and degrees of uneven skin tone. One may need more coverage than another. I also tend to use a lot of pressure when applying makeup, I know what I can take. I may have to be gentler with someone else and that would change the technique.

I’m overwhelmed by this makeup thing and I’m grateful for this feeling. Sometimes I forget what it feels like to have to learn something new. It’s one thing trying to remember the anxiety I felt 10 years ago doing something new verses feeling the anxiety today. It helps me empathize with the students I work with more. I have more patience. I’m better with them because I know how they feel.

Mondays are Great

2011-02-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

Some people hate Mondays. It means the weekend is over and you have to go back to work. As for me, I like Mondays. Mondays feel like a fresh start and I get to go to work and see my friends.

Today was an especially good Monday. John came in shortly after I arrived at work with a big green bag (my favorite color). It was an early birthday gift. He’s been telling me about it for a few weeks now. The only hint I got was that it was something I’ve wanted for a long time, but have forgotten that I wanted it. What the hell was that?

I pulled out two boxes carefully wrapped in teal colored tissue. They were the kind of boxes you put clothing into. I knew what it was before I opened it. He’s been telling me he was going to get this thing for me for my birthday for nearly as long as I’ve known him. I opened the box. A blue lab coat with lots of pockets. It was exactly what I wanted! He even got me a second one as a spare.

I’ve ruined cute outfit after cute outfit for years because of chemical spills on my clothes, so I resorted to wearing nothing but jeans and a plain black t-shit for the last four weeks. He said this was part of his plan to let me wear nice clothes to work again. I’m thrilled!

Around 3pm I started getting hungry. I went down for our usual 4pm drink run and was startled half to death by my friend Colleen who snuck up on me. She told me had Anita made some chocolate chip banana bread. Anita is a fantastic cook and I can’t resist anything she makes. Oh God, it was good. It was sweet and moist and had the perfect balance of banana and chocolate. This was the perfect thing to tide me over until John went out to pick up dinner.

Could this day get any better? Apparently, yes!

Just as John was about to leave Sam showed up with a container full of home made chicken. Delicious!

To top off my day Laura, the Verg, and Randy stopped by to visit me for a while.

Mondays are great.

Shopping

2011-02-06T21:39:00.002-08:00

After class Krista and I went to the mall. She shopped for boots while I played with my cell phone. Then she shopped for more boots while I played with my cell phone some more.

I gotta say, I haven't minded sitting around waiting ever since I got my iPhone. Getting my oil changed? No problem. DMV? No problem. I have Twitter, Facebook, and a multitude of camera apps at my disposal.

Anyhow, we ended up at a Forever 21. As we looked around for accessories it hit me, I'm too old to shop in this store. When did that happen? It used to be one of my favorite stores. Apparently you can't be 21 forever. At some point you do get too old and too fat for certain fashions. I just didn't think it would happen this soon. I did find one top that I liked. A crocheted top with colored stripes. It was so "me", but before I knew it, I felt Krista dragging me away.

"Friends don't let friends buy rainbows. Especially crocheted rainbows." was all she said.

Damn.

Makeup Class: Day 3

2011-02-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning wishing I could go back to sleep. I wanted this class to be over so I could have my Sundays back already. I miss sleepeing in. Unfortunately, skipping class was not an option.

Today we finished our lecture on corrective makeup and contouring, then we got to put makeup on each other. Krista went first and, man, her hands were cold. Very cold. I haven’t had someone put makeup on me since my senior prom and to be honest, it felt a little weird. I had gotten used to my makeup being applied and looking a certain way and it was hard adjusting to seeing it different than how I put it on. It made me feel uncomfortable even though I could tell, objectively, it looked pretty good.

Soon it was my turn to put makeup on Krista. It was hard adjusting to using her makeup, her brushes, and putting things on her face instead of mine. I was nervous and in a constant state of paranoia that I was patting on the foundation too roughly. I was so afraid I was going to poke her in the eye, I glued on the lashes way too far from her lash line. It wasn’t pretty, literally.

I need more practice and thankfully my family and friends are willing to let me practice on them. I’m going to practice on everyone who’s willing to let me. Does anyone else want to volunteer? Please.

Foundation (the makeup kind)

2011-02-04T02:03:00.000-08:00

I’ve spent the last week researching makeup foundation. At this point, I’d consider myself obsessed. I want to know what types of foundation there are, the pros and cons of using each type, as well as the best ways to apply each one.

If you’re makeup illiterate like me foundation is used to smooth out your face and cover up spots or uneven skin tone.

From what I’ve gathered these are the main types of foundation.

1. tinted moisturizers

2. mousses/whipped foundation

3. liquid foundation

4. cream foundation

5. liquid/cream to powder foundation

6. mineral powders

I haven’t figured out what the pros and cons of each are yet. I’ve only used cream and liquid foundations myself. I prefer to use the liquid stuff because it’s easier to apply and feels lighter on my skin than cream, but it doesn’t cover as well as the cream.

It took me years to find the right color for my skin tone. I would go to the store and buy something I thought was the right color, but when I tried it home, it just wasn’t quite right. I gave up after a few tries because I was sick and tired of spending money on something I couldn’t use. Sure, I could have gone to the makeup counter at any department store, but I was just too afraid. I didn’t know what a good brand was and I didn’t want to spend money on something I was afraid wasn’t going to work for me again.

Then, one day, I walked by the makeup aisle and L’Oreal had a line of makeup called True Match. Next to the foundations was this clear plastic card with different colors printed on it. You were supposed to hold it up to your skin and the one that disappeared was the right color for you. Okay, I’ll bite. I’ll give this a shot. Lo and behold, it worked! I could have sworn I heard angels singing. N4, that’s my color.

When I went to buy the Ben Nye makeup for class Beverly Crain of Charisma Costume pulled out pallets and pallets of color. She picked out a few she thought were the right color for me and had me try them. We found my perfect match. I was ecstatic! The stuff covers brilliantly, but I couldn’t wear it every day. It just feels too heavy on my skin. I was far too aware I was wearing makeup.

I also didn’t know how to apply the foundation for a while. I used to use my fingers, but then I saw someone use those little triangle wedge sponges so I decided to try it. I love it. The makeup went on so much quicker and smoother. I recently learned some people use a brush to apply foundation, so I guess I’ll try that tomorrow and see how I like it. I don’t really know what brush works best, but I know you aren’t supposed to use those big fluffy ones. Luckily, one of the brushes in the set I bought actually says “foundation” on it. I guess I’ll start with that one.

My goal is to try all the different types of foundation, try different application methods with each and see which one I like better. I’ll keep you guys posted.

Benjamen Lanning

2010-12-31T19:24:00.001-08:00

My friend Rita gave birth to a baby boy today. Benjamen Hayden Lanning weighed in at 9 lbs. 13 oz.

Last year when Rita gave birth to her third son, Jacob, I asked her if I could take pictures… from the business end. Amazingly she said yes. Unfortunately I missed the birth by minutes.

This time I made sure to get there as early as I could. The epidural was in full effect. She wasn’t screaming in pain like you see on TV or cursing her husband for doing this to her.

She seemed to be just fine and dandy except for the fact the epidural seemed to work a little too well.

We expected she would deliver around noon, but the doctor came in and said she was ready just after 11:00 A.M. Things moved quickly. The baby started crowning at 11:14 and by 11:16 Benjamin was all the way out and crying like a champ. I was ecstatic! I seemed to be more excited than Rita and her husband, but then again, this was my first time.

I’ve got to admit, the clock started ticking a little for me. I thought of running home to Randy and get to baby making, but luckily that feeling wore off by the time I got home. I’m still not ready for a baby of my own, although over the past few year I’ve become less opposed to the idea.

Thank you Rita and Nate for letting me share this experience with you. I’m honored and congratulations! I’ll drop the pictures off soon.

Alone, but not lonely.

2010-12-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

There are two parties going on right now, but I’m sitting at home all alone.

Wait… before you start feeling sorry for me, I want you to know that this is a good thing – a GREAT thing.

I’m not saying I want to be alone all the time, I'm just hardly ever alone.

I can imagine that most people don’t feel the same way I do, they get plenty of time by themselves and can’t imagine why I look forward to time by myself even when I could be spending it with friends and family. Switch places with me and you might understand.

I’ll be editing some images tonight and singing out loud while I do it.

Revamp

2010-12-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I bought SmugMug accounts for my friends Krista and John. I thought it would be a great way to share their pictures and videos online. I love my account so much, I figured they would love it too.

Note: If you want your own SmugMug account, use referral code: t8xH4xVqA0D1k to save $5 on your yearly subscription.

Anyhow, after seeing Krista work with her SmugMug account for a few days, customizing it, and uploading photos, I figured it was time for me to work on my online presence too. I’m revamping EVERYTHING this winter break and hopefully by the new year, you’ll see a new unified look to everything.

Check back to see how things are going.

Blog promise

2010-12-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm giving myself incentive to blog more. I've just made a bet/promise with my friend Joey to post to our blogs at least once a week by 11:59pm on sunday night. The person who doesn't do this must buy the other person lunch during the week. It looks like Joey is going to be buying a lot of meals - aren't ya Joey?

business cards

2010-11-25T03:06:00.001-08:00

i'm obsessed with business cards.

please tell me i'm not the only who feels a burning hatred for moo cards.

Moving Furniture

2010-09-27T01:11:00.001-07:00

I’m a photographer, but you’d hardly know it from looking at my blog. The pictures on it are barely more than snap shots rather than carefully crafted images.

I made the decision a while ago that not everything I shoot has to be something ready to be published in a magazine. Sometimes life’s little moments don’t have the perfect lighting or the perfect background. That’s okay. I’d rather capture the moment no matter how crappy the lighting or the setting than let it slip by undocumented.

Arnold Newman once said, “Photography is 1% inspiration and 99% moving furniture” and I’d rather not move furniture all the time.

It's not supposed to be this hot in September

2010-09-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

It was freakin’ hot today. 106 degrees. That’s hot for any time of year in this area, let alone mid September.

Actually, I spent most of the day in bed. I woke up around 9:00am to use the restroom and decided that more sleep was in order. At 4:00pm I decided I had been in bed for long enough and needed to get my day started. By 4:30pm the temperature had only dropped two degrees. After being outside for less than half an hour, the heat got to me. I felt drained. I decided to go back to bed and wait for the temperature to cool down even more.

By 7:00pm I was out of bed again. Krista called. The photo department at Cal State Fullerton is apparently pretty small. Vergil called. He was in the area and wanted ice cream. YES!

Coldstone or Rite Aid? I hadn’t had Thrifty’s ice cream in decades and the thought of those odd cylinder shaped scoops made me nostalgic for some. Randy decided some ice cream was a good idea too and of to Rite Aid we went.

Three scoops: pistachio, Mint Chip, and Black Cherry. Not only was it cold and refreshing, it was also breakfast.

When we got back, we talked about going to Thailand next year. I pulled out a home movie from when I went back to Thailand in 1999 and forced Vergil to watch it. Evil, I know. One should never impose home videos on friends, at least not on the ones you like.

I know things in Thailand have changed. I have family and friends I haven’t seen in over a decade. Who knows if they’ll want to hang out with someone they haven’t seen in 15 years, even if we occasionally have contact on Facebook. Oh well, it’ll all work out; it’ll all be good.

Race for the Arts - Year 2

2010-09-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Off to the races… again. I had such a good time two years ago; it was time to go back. This time the Millers and the Fultons decided to attend, along with some other friends from the Fine Arts Division. Yes, it was going to be a fun night.

Each fall for the past 15 years, the Cypress College Patrons of the Arts holds a charity event at the Vessels Club at the Los Alamitos Race Course. We dine on good food, have drinks, and put some money down on the ponies. The money raised during the event goes to scholarships for some very deserving students in the Fine Arts Division.

Dinner was served at 6:30. Actually, it was a buffet, so I served myself. Anyhow it was all very good. Chicken, beef, potatoes, salad and rolls - as much as I wanted to eat and all very delicious. I went back for seconds, something I soon regretted. That darn horseradish sauce was just too good. It had just the right amount of kick to it. Dessert: apple cobbler with ice cream.

In addition to dinner there was a "opportunity drawing" for prize baskets.

Randy and I had our eyes on the vodka. Of course. Although Bob here actually won that prize he gave it to Randy. Maybe Randy’s sad face played a small role in scoring the vodka, but I think Bob is just a nice guy, the kind you need to restore your faith in humanity every now and then. People are generous.

Randy won the next drawing, a nice tea set. He gave that to Bob, who seemed more than pleased to receive it. And yes, a friendship was born.

I’m normally not the gambling type, but a dollar or two on each race definitely made things more interesting. Sometimes I would bet on what the experts suggested, other times just because I couldn’t resist the name. How could I pass up on a horse named Pixel Perfect?

I won some, but lost more. I wasn’t the only one. Greg managed to empty his wallet too. I wish I could say I felt bad for him, but I can’t. What can I say? Misery loves company.

Hopefully I’ll see you there next year. It is for a good cause after all.

Nanna's Beach Birthday

2010-09-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

It was my niece Nanna’s birthday so the family decided to spend the afternoon at Seal Beach. Despite living less than half an hour from the ocean and actually seeing it quite often, I rarely spend time on the sand. I think I can count the number of times on one hand. Okay, it’s more than that, but not by much.

I’m a California girl, but not the type that likes to lie out under the sun. The last time I did that I ended up so burnt the tan didn’t fade for nearly a year. And no, that’s not exaggeration for once.

These days a trip to the beach is an ordeal complete with nearly an entire tube of sun block, umbrellas, towels, books, and of course plenty of snacks. Parking is another trail, that is if I could find any. It’s just too much work for a day meant for relaxing.

Since provisions were provided for by the family and parking appeared quite magically as we entered the lot, the afternoon was rather relaxing. Randy’s mom made her famous bacon spaghetti and Jojit brought enough Vietnamese sandwiches for everyone. I ate more than I should have, with no consideration for my weight loss goal at all. It was worth it. I had to leave early, before the birthday cake, but that’s okay. I shouldn’t be eating more anyway.

Nanna, I hope you had a happy birthday and your birthday wish came true.

Sisig Tacos

2010-09-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

By now, if you live anywhere in the Greater Los Angeles area, you’ve heard of the Korean taco truck phenomenon that is Koji. Food trucks, or roach coaches as some prefer, aren’t new, but the last few years have seen the spawn of a new crop of gourmet food trucks. No longer are food trucks selling just tacos and burritos, they now peddle everything from ice cream and cupcakes to Thai food and falafels.

Southern California is said to be a melting pot of culture and it’s evident in the innovative mixing of cuisine. Greg Bumatay and Marc Weisberg, both phenomenal wedding photographers in their own right have now joined forces to bring you sisig tacos, a delightful fusion of Filipino and Mexican fair. Look for it on a truck near you.

Seriously though, neither are thinking of starting a food based business any time soon. This is just dinner at the Cypress College Photography Department. Greg, our Wedding and Event Photography instructor suggested this meal after last week’s discussion of the emergence of Filipino taco trucks.

Now, I’d tell you where we ordered the sisig and hand made tortillas from, however, we’re saving that as our own little secret. All I can tell you is that it’s brilliant and if you want some, you’re going to have to sign up for classes in the Photo Department.

We’re planning on having this for dinner a few more times this semester. If you’re a student in the Photo Department come join us for dinner on Wednesday night. Follow the photo department on Twitter at @cypressphoto or me at @pinlux to find out when our next sisig taco night is. You don’t want to miss this.

P.S. Thanks Brent for picking this stuff up for us.

"About Me"

2010-09-08T03:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve been a business owner since last year. Conventional wisdom dictates that a business should have a web site and web sites, generally, have an “about” section.

I’ve been struggling since the day I registered my domain name to write an “About Me” page. I don’t know what to write. Do I write in the first person or the third? Do I talk about my years (or lack thereof) of experience? How about personal interests?

Jeff Jochum talks about Being Authentic on his site, Startup Strategy and Lawrence Chan talks about promoting transparency in his blog post 7 Ways To Have An Awesome About Page… And Yes, It’s Important. I get what they’re saying, I really do. Because of my personality, it’s something I probably would have done anyway, with or without their advice. The problem is that their advice is so good everyone and their mother is doing it now. It’s no longer unique.

I’ve been perusing the bio pages of prominent photographers and a few of my favorite celebrities to see what they have said. I read the same thing over and over: EVERY photographer is now PASSIONATE about capturing images of YOUR day, nearly every photographer seems to be a foodie, and a darn good number of them loves God and goes to church. Good for them, but how do I compete with that?

What professional in their right mind would say they would do nothing but the best? Of course, that’s a given… I hope. “I’ll do a so-so job on your [insert project here]”. It just doesn’t have the same pizazz.

My philosophy, when it comes to my online presence (personally or professionally), is to be truthful with what I post. Like all human beings, I have skeletons in my closet and I choose not to share them online. My well-meaning friends warn me quite frequently to be cautious about what I choose to share… what if my boss reads it? What if a client does? I’m very aware of what I share online. I self censor what I write so much my posts just end up pathetically mundane.

Conventional wisdom dictates that you should avoid discussing religion and politics like the plague and for the most part, I do. I don’t want to alienate myself from potential friends, business partners, or clients.

Roughly 76% of people living in America are Christians. And here goes nothing… I’m not. There, I said it. Luckily, only about 11 people read my blog (and that number may be pushing it) so I’m not very worried. It’s something I’ve wanted to say for a very long time, but was too afraid to because I didn’t want people to think I was a bad person.

I went to a Christian school for 12 years (pre-school through 8th grade). It was a Quaker school no less. Tack on another 4 years of Catholic school after that and I’d like to think I have a pretty fair understanding of what Christianity is about. I won’t go into the reasons why I’m not a Christian, suffice to say it’s just not for me.

I was a “Christian” until I was in the 10th grade, but not because I believed in God or loved God, although at times I tried to convince myself I did. In hindsight, I know I said I was one because my “friends” told me I was an evil person if I wasn’t one and that I would go to hell. What kind of sick person tells a child that? It wasn’t for the love of God that I became a “Christian”; it was the fear of persecution.

Today, I don’t associate myself with any organized religion. Today, I’m okay with what people will think of me when it comes to this, come what may.

I still don’t know what to write for my about page.

Laboring on Labor Day

2010-09-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Labor Day. No work. No school. I’m still not sure why they call it Labor Day rather than Non-Labor Day.

At least part of my day was spent laboring. I had a list of errands to run and The Verg agreed to do it with me. He was either really bored or a really good friend. Maybe a little of both.

When I was done with all of my errands we went to Sam’s Club to grab some pizza and I decided to do some shopping. It’s amazing how a handful of $7.00 items can still add up to over $130 by the time I walked out the door. I now have a supply of soap to last me for the rest of 2010 and over 21,000 calories worth of candy. For good measure, I bought two bottles of multi-vitamins – gummy multi-vitamins.

I’ve been involved in the photography industry for over 10 years and I’ve seen enough wedding photos, portraits, and pictures of flowers to last me the rest of my life. If I see another picture of a makeup artist applying lipstick on a bride I may cry. After snapping the picture of Verg pushing a shopping cart it occurred to me that we photograph the major moments in our lives - birthdays, weddings, and vacations - but we rarely take time to take pictures of the little things we do from day to day, like grocery shopping. When was the last time you saw a picture of someone doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning out the gutters, or vacuuming? Okay, so I shoot that kind of stuff, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a non-commercial photograph of those everyday chores.

Anyhow, after Randy got home from work (he had some laboring to do too) we went to Chili’s to have dinner with John and Krista. Ever since Krista started school at Cal State Fullerton we haven’t had much time together. A week without Krista is just too long, especially since I’m used to seeing her 6 times a week. There was a point in time I saw her more than I saw Randy.

Krista, John, Verg, and I don’t have much time to socialize anymore. Between work, school, and conflicting schedules we only have a few free hours in our week (month?) to get together.

Speaking of school, I better get back to doing homework. I’ve got a paper to write for my Art History class. This time I’m a time traveling Egyptian. Last week I was a Sumerian traveler. The week before that: a caveman cave painter. Yeah… I know….

Lunch with John - Super Mex

2010-07-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I had no idea where to eat. John suggested Super Mex. I had it once before and thought the food was decent. I did find it novel that the chips they served for their chips and salsa were just whole corn tortillas that were fried rather than cut into chip sized pieces.

Does this look yummy to you or what?

Crack

2010-07-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

I scored me some crack this morning.

I have no idea exactly what's in it, but I'm pretty sure there's some milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, some sort of cookie or cracker base, and enough calories to sustain an adult human for an entire day in one bite. Anyhow, I don't care what's in it, it's DELICIOUS!

Thank you Anita for making it and thank you Colleen for sharing.

Pot Stickers

2010-07-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

I cooked! Okay, technically, I heated. Hey, this is an accomplishment for me!

Randy and I picked up some frozen pot stickers at the asian market and I fried them up. I think I'm going to start bringing these to parties since they are so yummy and easy to make. Why didn't I think of frozen food earlier?

Fish

2010-07-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Randy and I went to Seafood City, a local asian market, on the hunt for mangos. $50 worth of frozen durian, pot stickers, shrimp crackers, and sausages later we finally found our mangos and decided to leave before we did more damage.

On the way out, I ran into this guy. One day, I'll learn how to cook the little suckers.

Denny's - The food is good?

2010-07-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

My insurance agent (great guy) asked me to meet him at Denny's this morning. There were some papers I needed to sign.

I didn't plan on eating breakfast there, but I'm never one to pass up on eating a little something. I decided to order the Santa Fe Skillet.

Oh boy, was it good! I'm serious! What happened? Denny's food never actually tastes GOOD. It's just something you put up with because there is no other place open at 2:00am after the bar closes. This is so good I actually WANT to go back and have it again. I'm just as shocked as you are.

Dinner with Verg - Pho House

2010-07-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

I went out to dinner tonight with Vergil. Apparently I take more pictures of the food I eat than the people I'm with. I've really got to break that habit.

Well, as long as I took them, I might as well share them. Here is mine and Vergil's dinner.

Independence Day

2010-07-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

We didn't intend to have an all out 4th of July BBQ, but it happened anyway.

Randy and I just wanted to make a couple of skewers for dinner. I wanted, well, anything covered in bacon and grilled: Bacon wrapped shrimp, bacon wrapped tomato, bacon wrapped onions, bacon wrapped asparagus, you get the idea.

Randy's brother, Rob, wanted to grill some steak. Rob's wife wanted to make spaghetti. The next thing we knew it was an all out BBQ. I suppose it was appropriate since it was the 4th of july.

The city I live allows us to set off "safe and sane" fireworks, which are fireworks that don't fly or explode: fountains, sparklers, wheels, smoke and snake items, strobes, ground spinners, novelty fireworks that don't travel, snappers, and caps. In short: boring. The fireworks definitely don't have as much pizzaz as when I was a kid.

If it wasn't for us having kids in the house I don't even think it's worth buying anymore. Luckily a few of my neighbors still score some illegal fireworks and every now and then we got to see a nice burst of color in the sky.

Actually, I am happy that our city only allows "safe and sane" fireworks. I'm sure it reduces the number of fires and damage. I remember watching a bottle rocket land in a neighbor's bush and crossing my fingers the bush didn't go up in flames. I also remember the dumb-asses that used to aim roman candles at people. It just makes for a boring show, but I think it's worth it.

We lit a few fireworks out front and gave the kids some sparklers. It was all good. The kids seemed to enjoy it. Maybe by the time they grow up, fireworks will be illegal all together and they'll look back on this with as many fond memories as I did.

Pictures at Weddings

2010-07-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Tisha's Wedding

This morning I read a tweet from @apertura_erwin, a fairly well known photographer in the wedding photography industry, saying:

People who get invited to weddings should just enjoy being guests & not be photographers. The B&G invited you for a reason :) Esp during ceremonies.

and somehow it just rubbed me the wrong way.

I love taking pictures at weddings. I love taking pictures just about anywhere I am, ESPECIALLY during special occasions. It just ticks me off that a photographer is suggesting I shouldn’t be taking pictures during those special times. They should understand how important pictures are and to limit people to only having pictures the “pro” took is just selfish. Is it so wrong to want to have our own pictures and not the photographers? We all have a different eye.

Alyssa's Wedding

The photographer can’t be everywhere at once. They aren’t going to capture every moment from every angle. What if I can get a shot they didn’t? Occasionally film gets ruined and memory cards fail.

Amanda's Wedding

I once retouched an event for a photographer in which some of the pictures were wildly over exposed while others were wildly under exposed. I just thought they were a bad photographer. It turns out the processer chip in the camera was faulty and it wasn’t able to read the exposure settings correctly. I managed to save half of the images, but the others weren’t salvageable. Imagine how the bride felt when she was told half of the pictures from her wedding day were gone. Imagine if no one else took pictures because they were busy being guests.

Kat's Wedding

Okay, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he isn’t saying guests shouldn’t take pictures at all, just not as much as a photographer would. So, what constitutes a guest trying to be a photographer? Is it the camera he or she brings, is it the quantity of images they take? Where is that line?

Summer's Wedding

Yes, the bride and groom invited you to be there for a reason. What’s that reason? I always assumed it was because they wanted me to share in their special day, not to exclude taking a couple of pictures. I’ve NEVER had a bride or groom tell me to stop taking pictures at their wedding. In fact every the bride and groom have THANKED me for taking extra pictures.

Banasorn's Wedding

I do believe that people shouldn’t disrupt the wedding, and especially the ceremony, in pursuit of photography nor should they get in the way of the pro that was hired to document the day. Don’t step in front of the hired photographer to get a shot, don’t stand next to him, don’t direct the couple and their party. The bride and groom hired the photographer because they wanted pictures from them. Do the couple a favor and let that photographer take those pictures.

Rita's Wedding

People bring cameras to a wedding. Most photographers deal with it. I was elbowed – HARD - by a groom’s grandmother as she tried to get me out of the way so she could take a shot. A friend of mine was accidently punched in the face by an enthusiastic dancer at a reception. Stuff like this just comes with the territory.

Seriously, I enjoy a wedding just as much while downing my 5th beer from the open bar as I do when I’m taking a few pictures. Maybe some people don’t know how to enjoy a wedding from behind a camera, but I do. Sorry if I’m cutting into your print sales.

One Million Dollars

2010-06-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

After checking out of our hotel we still had a lot planned before heading home. We wanted to take a picture with a million dollars and Binion's Casino offered us that opportunity.

Black Jack Lesson

2010-06-27T02:17:00.000-07:00

Before heading out for the night Randy gave everyone a quick lesson on how to play craps and black jack.

Yes, we're geeks, we own a craps/black jack felt and we bring it with us when we travel. Let's just not mention this again.

Fremont St. with the Gang

2010-06-27T01:09:00.000-07:00

With our bellies full, we decided to walk off our dinner on the Fremont St. promenade while catching the last Viva Vision show of the night. This year's theme is "Summer of the 70s"

I love Fremont St. I would rather stay here than on the strip any day. It feels almost intimate compared to the strip and I can't get enough of that old Las Vegas feel. I like the live entertainment they have on the promenade and the cheap shrimp cocktails at the Golden Gate, incidentally the oldest hotel in Las Vegas. It feels good to be here with friends.

Chart House - Happy Birthday Krista

2010-06-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Krista decided she wanted to go to Chart House for her birthday dinner. Sure, why not.

After going swimming, Randy went down to make reservations. They asked him if we were celebrating something special and he told them it was for Krista's birthday. When we arrived at the restaurant and got our menus it had a special happy birthday message for Krista printed on it.

I had the Seared Chilean Sea Bass. Hands down, it was the best fish I've ever had. EVER. It was topped with chunks of fresh lobster and crab with a saffron risotto. Actually, the appitizers and everyone's meal was fantastic. It ranked up there in the top ten meals I've had in my life. I'm afraid to go back in case it's not as good as I remember it.

So far this weekend is turning out brilliantly.

Shark Tank

2010-06-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

I can't resist pools, especially ones built around a giant fish tank filled with sharks and a water slide running through it.

Okay, so I was probably the only person who wanted to go to the pool today day, but luckily my friends humored me and agreed to go. I have great friends. *Hugs* to them.

I must have gone down the slide at least half a dozen times and I still wasn't bored of

Note to self: go to Raging Waters.

Anyway, here's some footage of the trip down the slide at The Tank.

7 Drinks in 37 Minutes

2010-06-26T03:15:00.000-07:00

After settling into our rooms Krista, John, Verg, Randy, and I went down to get a few drinks. 37 minutes later we all have about 7 drinks in us. Needless to say we're a little drunk.

So here we are at the cafe. I don't think Krista is going to make it much longer.

We're here

2010-06-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

We're here!

Moon Rise

2010-06-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

The moon is rising just as the sun is setting. I smell an eclipse around the corner.

I can't tell you how beautiful a desert moon rise is, especially when the moon is right on the horizon. Okay, so you can't tell in the picture, but it looks huge!

Del Taco Dinner

2010-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Randy and I are stopping off for dinner at Del Taco. We thought it was appropriate since the first Del Taco was founded somewhere around here (Yermo). I like that they have the sauce packets in a basket on the table. I wish all places did it this way. I take what I want and don't have to throw away the stuff I took "just in case".

Alien cloud

2010-06-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is the one and only cloud in the sky right now. I'm thinking it's a UFO disguised as a cloud. That's my guess.

On the road again

2010-06-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Krista wants to celebrate her birthday in Las Vegas this year so Randy, my uke, and I are headed there now. Krista, John, and The Verg will head there later tonight.

We'll be staying at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. As for our itinerary, that's still up in the air, but I'll be sure to squeeze in some pool time.

Stay tuned for our adventures in Sin City. Not everything that happens in Vegas will stay in Vegas... Especially if we can get John drunk enough to run around the pool naked.

My heart belongs to Apple... sort of

2010-06-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Apple’s iPhone 4 is available for pre-order starting today. Do I want one? Yes! Do I want one BAD? Hell yeah! But I’m not going to do it.

The 32GB iPhone 4 comes with a sticker price of $299 with a two year contract with AT&T. Add tax and the $18 upgrade fee and it’s still not a bad price, but multiply that by 2 (one for me and one for Randy) and the price gets to be a bit much. I have my heart set on a bedroom remodel this summer and a new walk-in closet is in my future.

Walk-in closet? iPhone? Walk-in closet? iPhone? Sorry Apple, the walk-in closet wins this battle. I’ll be saving up for the phones and pick it up by the end of the year. My iPhone 3G is just fine for now.

Apple Stuff

I have an iBook 3G (which is too slow to run anything except it’s operating system), a 3rd generation 40GB iPod (which can’t hold a charge to save it’s life, but is serving out it’s time as an external hard drive), one Power Mac G5 (hooked up to my TV), one Power Mac G5 Quad (right before the change to the Intel chip), and of course, my beloved iPhone 3G. Somewhere in the depths of my storage area lives an ancient Power Book. I can’t remember the model, but let’s just say it’s old enough to sport a monochrome screen.

I love my Apple products, but I won’t go as far as saying I’m a fan girl. I don’t love EVERY Apple product. Mac Book Air? What’s up with that? I don’t stand in line to get the latest and greatest from Apple. iPad, you can wait… until you come with a built in camera, at least.

There are a lot of Apple haters out there. The two arguments against it I hear the most are the price and the software availability, both valid arguments. I, for one, am willing to shell out that kind of money and the convenience the products give me is worth every penny. I haven’t had a virus in over 10 years. As for software, I can’t think of a single thing I want that I can’t get – granted, all I want is Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and World of Warcraft.

If you want a PC, go for it. I don’t blame you. It is cheaper (sort of, but that’s another story) and there is more software available. I just don’t want to or know how to deal with the problems that come with using a PC.

AT&T vs. Verizon

As for the iPhone, I hear more complaints about AT&T than the phone itself. Sure I get a lot of dropped calls (A LOT), but the pros outweigh the cons. I didn’t think a phone could change my life, but this one did. For one thing, my purse is a lot lighter. I no longer carry around a phone, MP3 player, camera, and PDA. I just carry around one device that does it all. I’m far more productive and connected to my friends than ever before and I don’t get lost nearly as often (thank you GPS feature).

Okay, I haven’t used other smart phones, but I have no desire to. I haven’t heard of any feature available on any of them that makes me think “Oooo! I want that!” and it isn’t available on the iPhone.

I used to have Verizon as my cell phone carrier… a long, long time ago. I got signal when other people didn’t. I love it. I LOVED it… until the bill came. Back when I had Verizon, cell phone companies offered a local calling plan and a national calling plan. A national plan on any carrier was outrageously expensive, so I went with the local calling plan.

The problem with Verizon’s home calling area was that it was limited to the Greater Los Angeles area – and not all of it. I would get roaming charges up the wazoo even if I didn’t leave the LA/OC area. Back then I traveled to San Francisco and Las Vegas frequently. I couldn’t turn on my phone in fear of getting a calling and having to pay roaming charges. Did I mention customer service at the time sucked too? Then along came Pac Bell (which later became Cingular and is now AT&T). They wooed me with their local calling plan: practically the entire state of California and Las Vegas AND it was cheaper than Verizon’s plan. Okay, sign me up!

AT&T and Apple’s exclusivity agreement is scheduled to end in 2012. There are rumors that it may end sooner, but I’m not holding my breath. When that happens I’ll explore the options between AT&T and whoever else is carrying the iPhone. Until then, I don’t mind hitting redial.

P.S. I don’t want to jail break my phone.

P.P.S. Roll over minutes has saved my ass twice. Thank you.

Twins

2010-06-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Meet my twin sister, Heather. We’re identical. Can you tell?

I’m Heather’s Siamese twin (since I’m Thai) and she’s my Iowanese twin (since she’s from Iowa), get it? Heather is basically… me, but with light golden brown hair. She’d kill me if I ever called her blond. We both love wearing flip flops, beer, cigarettes, and Bon Jovi - but not necessarily in that order. Is there more to life is than that?

We both worked the graveyard shift at Pictage along with Michelle (another soul mate of mine). It was nice having people around who understood what life was like working when everyone else was sleeping and sleeping while everyone was at work. There wasn’t much of a social life for people like us, so we stuck together.

When Randy and I lived in Las Vegas Heather would come stay with us at least once a month, sometimes more. She stayed with us so much she had her own room in our house. When we moved back to LA, she helped us do it. You know it’s love when someone helps you move.

Heather lives in Oregon now. She tells me the skies are blue and there are these green pointy things called trees. Amazing. She came down to visit this weekend so we met up for dinner. Even though we hardly talk anymore it’s amazing to sink right back into a conversation like we never left each other. I guess that’s what it’s like for twins.

My favorite iPhone camera apps

2010-06-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Lately, I’ve been taking more pictures with my iPhone than my DSLR since I picked up a few new camera apps. The pictures just come out looking so groovy.

The new apps are: Night Shot, TiltShift Generator, Hipstamatic, and TouchOfColor. My go to app used to be Photoshop.com Mobile, but I haven’t touched it since I got the other four.

Here are some samples from each app:

PS Mobile: Crop, straighten, rotate, and flip shots. You can also control exposure, saturation, tint, and contrast. If you’re feeling really artsy you can also add a sketch, soft focus, or just plain old sharpen effect. Last but not least there are several preload actions and boarders you can apply to your images. For this shot I applied the Vignette Blur and added a sepia tint.

Night Shot: This app is the best app for taking pictures at night or low light situations and comes with 5 effects (negative, color, B&W, sepia, and night vision) which can be applied with a low, medium, or high setting. You can use existing images or take a picture directly from the app. It seems to enhance the detail in shadow areas that would have otherwise been lost and does it really well.

TiltShiftGen: This app helps you simulate images taken with tilt shift lenses. It lets you apply either a circular or liner blur, adjust saturation, brightness, and contrast, and apply vingnetting.

Hipstamatic ($1.99): This has got to be my favorite app so far. Hipstamatic brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras. You can change “films”, “flashes”, and “lenses” to create different looks or just shake the phone and the app randomly selects each for you. Awesome! The most boring pictures seem to turn into works of art. The downside of this app is you can only use pictures taken from within the app, but that’s okay by me. I’m always excited to see what I get. For this shot I used the Ina’s 1969 film, John S lens, and no flash.

TouchOfColor: This app lets you select multiple color in your picture using the eye dropper tool and keeps the colors you choose while the rest of the image is converted to black and white. Randy has had a lot more success with this app than I have, but I do look forward to playing with it more.

Tonight I’ll be shopping around for a few new apps. I’ll be checking out Pano, Best Camera, Camera+, Camera Plus Pro (yes, it’s different than Camera+), and whatever else I might run into. I’ll let you know if I find anything worthwhile.

BONUS: I don’t actually use this app myself, but it’s one of Randy’s favorites.

OldBooth Premium: This app puts pictures of you or your friends into 20s – 60s era photos. Practically anyone that gets near Randy has been OldBoothed and everyone always gets a good laugh out of it.

Blog Templates

2010-06-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm in the market for a new blog template. My site may look odd for a few days while I experiment with new layouts to include the removal of those dreaded ads. Please bare with me during this time of change.

Blogger

2010-06-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

Let me just say, I really dislike blogger's current post editor. Aaaaaaarrrrgggg!!!

Aspen's Graduation Party

2010-06-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Randy’s goddaughter (and by default, my god-daughter), Aspen, graduated from high school today. I’ve known Aspen since she was about 5 or 6 years old and it’s a little bit shocking for me to realize how much she’s grown up. It’s all good though. I feel more comfortable talking with her now. I don’t have to censor myself as much since she’s an adult.

She’ll be starting college this summer and studying biology. I love science and I’m glad to hear she loves it too.

Randy’s niece, Josephine, was also at the party. She’s in college now too. When did that happen? Once again, it’s all good, I don’t have to censor myself with her now either. And did I mention that Josephine is into photography? Score!

I’m sometimes afraid parents will think of me as a bad influence on their kids. I really don’t know. On the one hand, I drink and smoke. On the other, since I wasn’t exactly an angel growing up (we’ll leave it at that), I can spot a lot of things teenagers will do behind their parent’s backs anyway.

Let’s face it, teenagers are going to do certain things no matter what their parents may say or think. They may drink, do drugs, and they may have sex before marriage. I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I’ve screwed up a lot and I’ve learned from it.

There is something to having a person learn from his or her own experience, but I think it would be nice to have someone with experience be there to say if you do “A” then “B” might happen. It’s better to have someone there to guide them and make sure they don’t get arrested, maimed, or die.

On a lighter note, I did get a new bathing suit today so I could go swimming.

Note to self: eat less, work out more.

Anyway, congratulations Aspen! Good luck in college! I know you’ll have a great time.

Bangkok Burning

2010-05-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Remember a few days ago when I said, for the most part, Bangkok is fine… well, that was a few days ago. Most of the pictures that have come in over the past few days have been of the city burning.

In case you’re wondering, my family and friends are okay, concerned about the situation over there, but okay.

I’m not sure why the Red Shirts are claiming they are peaceful when so much of the city is a charred mess. I seriously doubt the government was the one burning down the buildings.

I miss the Thailand I knew.

Bangkok Normal

2010-05-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

I had plans to go to Bangkok this summer. It would have been Randy’s first trip to Thailand, but I’ve decided to cancel my trip because of the Red Shirt political protests that have been going on there.

I honestly think I would be perfectly safe going there, but traveling to the places I would want to go would be inconvenient. I thought about going to Thailand without Randy. It would be interesting to see for myself what’s been going on there and I would still get to see my friends and family, but I might as well wait until things calm down again.

My friend Matt wrote, “for friends not in Bangkok: Just so you know exactly what's happening. points in the city are becoming chaotic. the situation is serious but I am safe at my home and schools are closed so I have no reason to put myself in a dangerous situation. Don't worry for me. Pray for an end to the madness.”

Other friends post about normal things: going to work; having dinner out with a significant other; attending a friend’s child’s birthday party; baking carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, praline chocolate cake and coffee French butter cream chocolate cake; etc. Yes, they all want to see an end to the fighting, but when they mention the protests it seems more like an inconvenience rather than an actual threat.

Another thing I’ve noted is that not a single one of my friends sympathize with the Red Shirts. Most people I’ve heard from believe former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is just paying people to protest and cause chaos.

While reports from CNN makes Bangkok seem like a war zone right now (and parts of it probably are), reports from my friends in Bangkok via Facebook seem to indicate, for the most part, the city is fine.

It’s important to see the other side. Here are some pictures my friends in Bangkok have posted over the past few days.

Paranormal Orbs

2010-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

I just caught three ghosts on my camera! Notice the two orbs on the right side of the frame as well as the smoke like form on the left.

There are many people who believe that orbs are ghosts. One theory suggests that ghosts prefer the form of an orb because it takes less energy to form. Another states that, according to the laws of physics, energy being transferring would assume its natural shape of a sphere.

My brother has been showing me orb photographs for years and is utterly convinced that these are pictures of spirits.

WHATEVER!

It’s just dust people. It’s the light from the flash reflecting off dust (or rain, or snow, or whatever happens to be there) and back into the camera lens. It happens even more frequently with ultra compact cameras where the short distance between the lens and the built-in flash decreases the angle of light reflection to the lens.

As for that smoke like form in the image, it’s just that: smoke. I happened to be smoking a cigarette while taking that picture and the flash reflected off that too.

Give it up people. It’s not a ghost.

Home Sick

2010-05-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

I’m at home sick today. I called in sick yesterday too. Is it possible for me to have cabin fever after in just 24 hours?

To keep myself entertained I’ve been catching up on my social media. It’s better than TV! There is just as much drama and I can interact with the characters.

One friend is apparently going through a break-up, another is talking about a country in the throws of a rebellion.

One person is talking about God and how she’s in love with him – oh yes, he is her “lover”, one more buddy is posting pictures of what life is like as an MTV VJ.

Some friends post about births in the family, others post about the passing of a loved one.

Though I haven’t seen many of these people for years, I still feel connected. I sometimes know more about their lives than of those that I actually live with.

Okay, I'm off to down my favorite drug. Mmmmmm.... NyQuil....

I'm Still Alive

2010-04-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I haven't fallen off the blogosphere.

I will be back to posting regularly soon enough, but for now I want to give a shout out to a certain scrap booking maven who's been waiting patiently for me to update this thingy.

I can't wait to catch you guys up on everything.

Gripes about _______.

2010-04-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I used to work for _______. I used to LOVE working there. I worked at night and the other people on the night crew were great. Since there were only 6 or 7 of us working at night we would play music – LOUDLY - and just work. It was so perfect.

Then things changed. They moved me to the day crew. Most of the people were great, but I was I was beginning to find out that certain members of the management staff were less than stellar. Have you watched Office Space? Yup, it was like that.

The management staff and I had our differences. Let’s just say a certain member of upper management tried to do something illegal and didn’t like it when I called them out on it. Human Resources was there to protect the company, not the employees. I went to speak to the owner/CEO. This person told me, “We don’t want people with ambition to work here.” That was it. I handed in my letter of resignation 3 minutes later.

Ever since then I’ve harbored resentment for _______, both their management and their service/product. Let’s face it, if you’ve ever used _______, you know how expensive their service/product is and if you’ve ever worked there, you know where to get the same product much cheaper.

After attending a certain industry conference I heard that _______ had a change in command. New Management. Yippy. I heard the prices were more reasonable as well. Okay, I’ll give them another shot.

_______ FAIL!

I tried signing up for an account, and after filling out my info and clicking “submit” I received a message that read, "The field, Business State, is not valid." WTF _______, is CALIFORNIA not a state?

I also filled out a form asking for more info and pricing. One question read, “Do you have a studio website/blog?” The pull down menu gave two options: “Yes – I do” and “No – I do not.” I selected “No” only to receive an e-mail an hour later stating that my web site information was incomplete. The email goes on to say: If you… do not have a web site yet that's OK, just let us know.” I did you morons, when I selected “No – I do not.”

The e-mail then says, “Please email your web site or Blog information to website@_______.com for review. How the heck am I supposed to do that? I just said I don’t have one. I should just send them a link to this blog and post.

I went on to twitter to gripe about the situation and @_______michael offered to help. I suppose he tried and I appreciate it. Maybe, perhaps I’ll give them another chance. Maybe. Just maybe.

On the bright side, I made few good friends when I worked at _______, some of whom still work there. They still rock my world.

Note to _______. I actually was trying to set up a legitimate account for my business. So, I don’t have a site yet. Quit asking me for my pro website or blog already. There are other ways to prove I’m legit.

Swatch and Jellies

2010-03-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was only 2 when 1980 rolled around, but it’s still the decade that I identify with the most. I was a Toys R Us kid, owned a Lite Brite, a large collection of My Little Ponies, and a Pogo Ball (no one I know seems to remember what those were). I thought Cabbage Patch Kids were creepy, but loved the smell of my Strawberry Shortcake doll. I watched Rainbow Bright (which might explain my affinity towards rainbows), She-Ra, Care Bears, and Transformers.

Thanks to having older siblings I was exposed to a lot of 80s fashion. Yes, I had far too much Lacoste clothing, had permed hair (which looked awful), wore Doc Martens, and loved my LA Gears - with 3 different colored shoelaces, of course.

This year I was feeling nostalgic so I asked Randy for a Swatch watch and some jelly bracelets for my birthday. To my surprise, he bought me three!

Unless you were a complete loser, you had at least two or three swatch watches in the 80s. If you were really cool you wore them at the same time. Swatch watches weren’t just watches – they were a culture. Swatches were so cool, they had their own accessories: Swatch Guards. Oh yes, you needed at least one of those as well. The ultimate in cool was if you took two Swatch Guards of different colors and twisted them together across the watch face.

Jelly bracelets were also a thing in the 80’s thanks to Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. This was before Avril brought them back or before they became known as sex bracelets. Then again, I suppose they never fully went away.

Don’t worry, I’m not planning to go full retro. I will not be crimping my hair or wearing any Flashdance inspired clothing any time soon. I’ll stick to only one Swatch watch and a couple of jelly bracelets at a time for now.

By the way, I can still sing you the theme song to the Greatest American Hero if you want me to. “Believe it or not I’m walkin’ on air, I never thought I could feel so free…. Believe it or not, it’s just me!”

It's Just a Number...

2010-03-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me! It’s my birthday today and I have no shame in telling the world that.

I think I may be breaking some female code telling people my age, but I’m 32 today. I don’t really understand why some women feel so ashamed to tell others how old they are or why the they feel the need to lie about their age, at least not in this day and age. I relish getting older. Don’t get me wrong, I still wish I had the body I had when I was 22, but I don’t see how lying about my age is going to get me that. Maybe a few more sit-ups would get me closer though.

I’m going to work today and I’m regretting not asking for the day off. I would spend most of the morning on the computer on twitter and FB, and then go shopping for some new jeans (most of my jeans now have holes in them where my thighs rub together).

I hate shopping for new jeans. First of all, I hate they way manufacturers label sizes. I’m a 9 with some brands and a 17 with others. Why can’t those people just standardize on one sizing convention? I wouldn’t care if it said I was a size 23 if it would just remain constant. Okay, I get why. I know some women do care about what size they are; they want to be able to tell people they are a size 6, even if that means the waist size is actually 40 inches.

While we’re on the topic of numbers, I’m 168 pounds right now. Lying or not telling people how much I weigh is not going to make me look any different either. Sure, I don’t like the way I look and I want to loose weight, but that’s not going to stop me from telling people how much I weigh. It’s just a number. I just have to eat less junk food and exercise more.

Okay, maybe when it comes to exercise the number does matter. Doing 10 push ups is probably better than doing 1.

The Book I'm Reading

2010-03-16T02:43:00.001-07:00

For the past few weeks I’ve started writing at least a dozen blog posts, but I’ve deleted them all because I thought they were pointless. Then I thought, “Why does it have to have a point?”

I might as well just tell you about the book I’m currently reading. It’s called “Pour Your Heart Into It” by Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. It’s a story about how Starbucks came to be.

I never thought I would like non-fiction books. I’m more of a Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter kind of girl, but here I am. Lately, I’ve been reading books about large corporations and how they got started, always written by the people that founded them. I want to start my own company one day so I figured this was a good way to find out how other people did it.

It turns out that I'm just as enthralled by these stories as much as the ones about lions, hobbits and wizards. I want to find out what happens next to the main characters and how they overcome the obstacles they face. I get irritated when I have to go to work because I have to put the book down.

The next two books I’m going to read arrived in the mail this week. One is called “Built from Scratch” by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, founders of The Home Depot and the other is “Dave’s Way” by Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s.

I get most of my books from Amazon.com and almost always used. They’re usually in pretty good condition; some are as good as new. I picked up the Dave Thomas book for a paltry 42 cents. Heck, the shipping ($3.99) cost more than the book.

See, there’s no point at all to this post and I’m fine with it.

Family Dinner

2010-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

My dad recently got a job in South Carolina and is leaving on Tuesday. He could have retired a long time ago, but I think he gets bored staying at home. It must be nice to work because you want to rather than because you have to.

My sister wanted to have dinner as a family before he left so Randy and I went over to the house. As usual, she and Chatchi prepared a mini feast: steak, crab, and clams.

I’m still not used to eating together as a family. We never did that sort of thing when I was growing up. The fact that my dad and I are still estranged just added to awkwardness.

My sister has been trying for 10 years to get my dad and me to get along again. She has made some progress. She’s gotten me to say hi to my dad when I go to the house and he actually acknowledges my existence these days.

Last month he spoke to me for the first time in 13 years. I had gone to the house without Randy for the first time in a long time. My dad walked up to me and asked where Randy was. I was so caught off guard by the question it took me a couple of seconds to realize he was actually talking to me. I told him that Randy was still at work and he would be by later. We stood next to each other in silence for a moment while I tried to think of something else to say to him. I was drawing a blank. After a few more seconds of the awkward silence he walked away and we haven’t spoken since.

After dinner my dad went about the process of opening up a durian for us to eat. I was still in the documenting mood so I got up to take pictures of my dad prying open the spiky fruit. It was the first time I’ve ever taken a picture of my dad. He never said a word or looked at me while I snapped away, but it still felt like the most intimate moment we've shared in 25 years.

I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to the way we were, but I am content with where we are.

NOTE: all photos were shot and edited on my iPhone with the Photoshop ap.

It IS the camera

2010-02-28T01:33:00.001-08:00

As photographers we talk about gear A LOT. We throw out combinations of letters and numbers that sound like gibberish to the untrained ear. “I just picked up a 28-300 3.5-5.6L,” or “Is that an EF or EF-S?” and “Are you getting the D3x or the 1Ds Mark III?”

Inevitably someone always says, “It’s not about the camera, it’s about the photographer.” Every time I hear that, I cringe (and I occasionally want to whack that person upside the head). It’s just not that simple.

My nephew, a rather successful photojournalist, said the dreaded, “It’s not about the camera, it’s about the photographer,” line to me once after hearing me rant about wanting a better camera. Okay, sure, he could out-shoot me any day of the week no matter what camera we each had, but I still think gear plays a very important role in image making. It’s not like you see all the pros on the sidelines at a Super Bowl with a pink Sony ultra-slim Cyber-Shot or a Nikon Coolpix.

I’ve seen beautiful pictures shot with a cell phone camera and I’ve seen horrible images taken with expensive SLRs, even with all the nice lenses. Sure the photographer’s eye plays a huge roll in picture making, but having the right gear in the right hands offers a large degree of control over the outcome of the photograph. There are some photos that would be downright difficult to shoot without the option to choose your focal length, your f-stop and shutter speed. Even the glass inside the lens gives a noticeable difference in image quality.

Okay, even I think that 45 autofocus points are overkill, but I could use camera that had an ISO range of 50 – 25600. I may never fully utilize the 63-zone TTL full aperture metering, but I’d be pleased as punch to have up to 5 custom white balance settings. So please, please, don’t tell me it’s not about the camera anymore, because sometimes it is.

JP's visit

2010-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend my friend JP came to visit from New York. He wanted to get away from the cold weather for a while.

We already did the touristy thing the last time he came to visit. This time I wanted to do something a little bit more ‘local.’ I struggled for a few weeks to figure out where I could take him. What did SoCal have to offer that New York didn’t? In the end I decided to take him to one of my favorite spots, Ports O’ Call in San Pedro.

My parents used to take the family to Ports O’ Call when I was little. We would buy some seafood and head up the coast to White Point Beach for lunch. The Port of Los Angeles is the largest working port in the United States. Often, cargo ships would go in and out of the harbor as I ate my lunch. Sometimes I would even wave to passengers on the cruise liners as they went by (usually when Randy wasn’t around because he gets embarrassed when I do that).

My first order of business was to choose a live Dungeness crab for lunch. Vendors around the market place will cook up any of the seafood you buy there. The next stop was for, what I like to call, “tray o’ shrimp”. I can never resist getting it! The shrimp fajitas come with corn tortillas, several lemons, and salsa, but I usually get a side of garlic bread too. To top off the meal JP and I got some Coronas while Randy had a strawberry smoothie served in a pineapple.

After lunch I mentioned that I normally have a frozen banana for dessert. To my horror JP said he never heard of it before. I had to remedy that situation right away! For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a frozen banana on a stick, hand dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped peanuts. Yup, he seemed to enjoy it.

After San Pedro we went up to LA for some Thai desserts at Baan Kanom Thai. They have all types of sweets like “kanom buang” and “sai mai”, stuff you normally have a hard time finding outside of Thailand.

Since we were so close, we decided to go to Grauman’s Chinese Theater. I’ve only been there twice, even though I grew up here; the last time was when my friend Kat was visiting. We looked at the footprints in the cement and walked down the Hollywood Walk of Fame to see the Kodak Theater where the Academy Awards are now held. Shortly after that it was time to say goodbye.

I can’t believe we’ve known each other for almost 20 years now.

I already miss JP.

Glue Gun Fun

2010-02-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

I bought my first glue gun last week. It’s not the first time I’ve wielded one, it’s merely the first one I’ve ever owned.

I’ve been wanting to “bling” out my camera strap and camera bag for sometime. My friend Craig calls it my "need to bedazzle." My friends know I'm a sucker anything shiny. Heck, I'd hot glue rhinestones to my car if I had enough money to do it. If it's good enough for Liberace, it's good enough for me. Sure it's gaudy, but luckily I stopped caring what people thought about this part of my personality a while ago. I like a little flare in my life.

I’m not done yet, but I wanted to show you what I’ve done so far. So excited!

I am a photographer by default

2010-02-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

I am a photographer. The problem with telling people that is that they seem to think that I take pictures for a living. I don’t.

Sure, photography is what I’m trained to do. Every job I’ve had and the past 12 years of my education has revolved around photography. I honestly don’t know how to do anything else. I doubt I have the skills to get a clerical job and I think they would even fire me for being incompetent at McDonalds. Photography is my life – by default.

I never intended to enter this field. I just liked to take pictures – with no intent to make money from it. It was only after being immersed in it for a while that it occurred to me that I could make money from it.

Seriously, the thought of taking pictures for a living makes me nauseous. Don’t take this to mean that I think of myself as an artist – far from it. Calling myself an artist feels just as wrong as calling myself a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist.

I don’t know what I am. I just know that I’m not that easily labeled. I like to write, but I don’t want to be a writer; I like to create. Then, of course, it occurs to me that I don’t need to be labeled as anything at all. I’ll just do the things I like to do and that’s enough.

Cypress College Bookstore Food

2010-02-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

OK, OK. I get it, you’re tired of looking at that blog post of Randy’s finger. I’ve heard from 4 people already that I need to update my blog. Frankly, I’m surprised that there are even four people reading my blog!

Let’s talk about food then – it’s always one of my favorite topics.

Lately, I’ve been buying my food from the Cypress College Bookstore (they’ve been making a small fortune from me) rather than the food service place in the Student Center or places off campus. Yes, it’s pre-packaged food, but I’m telling you that the food from the bookstore tastes better than the stuff they prepare at the food service place, it’s less expensive, and the people in the bookstore are way nicer! My peeps in the bookstore take very good care of me.

I’d like to give a shout out to my homies, The Bookstore Crew! Holla! (I know, I know, I’m not supposed say “Holla!” ever again, but I couldn’t resist.)

Breakfast: Lisa’s Natural Gourmet blueberry and peach yogurt parfait with crunchy granola toppings.

Lunch: Cajun Chicken Sandwich on Pita Bread with aioli sauce, a bag of sour cream and onion Lay’s, and a cherry Dr. Pepper. Oh Yum!

Afternoon Snack: Kosher Couscous Salad with green onions, parsley, bell peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, marinara sauce, and some spices (that is if I can beat a certain buddy of mine to it first).

***An honorable mention goes out to the chicken salad sandwich. It’s also very good.

Randy's Hand Surgery

2010-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Good news, the surgery on Randy’s hand went well. He still has all 5 fingers.

Part of the pinky on Randy’s right hand was swollen. He’s not sure what caused it, but thinks a splinter he got in his finger at work a while back might have caused it. After living with it for some time Randy finally asked his doctor about it and his doctor recommended the surgery after seeing an x-ray of the hand. There was no splinter, but something was definitely there that shouldn’t be.

I went with him to Kaiser in case he wouldn’t be able to drive home. I was thoroughly impressed; it was unlike any doctor’s visit I’ve ever been to. It reminded me of checking into a hotel more than anything. Their system seemed to be organized and efficient. We were in and out so quickly I barely had time to enjoy their oh so comfortable waiting room. I even brought two books and a fully charged iPhone in case it took a while. I’m not sure why I had such a bad impression of Kaiser before. It was great!

Anyway, Randy’s hand is out of commission for a few weeks so he’ll be staying home from work until at least the end of the month. He’s doing quite well despite not being able to use his right hand. The anesthesia wore off around 8pm and he started experiencing some pain, but his spirits are pretty high with the thought of getting to take two weeks off of work.

We’ll see how things go over the next few days when he has to take a shower or do just about anything he normally does with his right hand. Somehow, I have a feeling he’ll be able to use the remote control just fine with his left hand.

Beyond Chubby

2010-01-17T23:46:00.000-08:00

I’m in shape. Round is a shape.

Over the past 3 or 4 years my metabolism has decided that it’s worked hard enough and it’s going into retirement. I’m now 175 pounds (down from my high of 180).

Needless to say, I’d like to be in better shape than I am now, ideally about 130 lbs. A major part of the reason I want to get in better shape is vanity. I just don’t like the way I look. My belly shouldn’t stick out farther than my boobs, I’m just sayin’.

The other part is because I’m sick and tired of not being able to move the way I used to. I have a hard time tying my shoelaces or clipping my toenails. They’re hard for me to reach because every time I bend over my belly prevents me from going to far.

For those of you that don’t know me that well, I hate shopping for clothes. I’m still wearing some of the clothes I wore back in high school (much to the disapproval of some of my friends). I hardly have clothes that fit me anymore and if I don’t lose weight, I’ll have to go shopping soon. Eeek!

I’m going back to Thailand this June to visit family and friends and I just don’t want them to see me fat. I want to look good. The last time I saw my mom 10 years ago (too long, I know) she said I looked like a water buffalo – and I was only 130 pounds at the time!

Anyhow, this is me now. Luckily, I don’t have issues sharing unflattering pictures of me on the Internet for the entire world to see. It’ll just make the before and after pictures more dramatic. My goal is to loose two pounds a week until the end of June. If I do, that’ll put me at my goal weight of 130 pounds. Wish me luck.

Yet Another Party

2010-01-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

My sister is having a birthday party for Chatchi at the house tomorrow and the food prep begins tonight. Chatchi and my sister are cooking machines! I’m not sure how many people are invited, but by the looks of it there should be enough to feed about 200 people. Knowing that, I’m guessing there are going to be about 30 people or so showing up.

Grammar, pronunciation, and style! Oh my!

2010-01-13T00:12:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was initiated into a group of people who write to each other in order to gripe about the pet peeves they harbor about grammatical, pronunciation, and spelling errors that others make. This happened after I tweeted about how one of my pet peeves is when people pronounce the word “accurate” as “ak-red” instead of “ak-yur-it.” I find it ironic that someone who talks about accuracy can’t pronounce the word accurately.

Ever since I joined the group I’ve been afraid to write anything in fear of publicly committing some (or many) grammatical faux pas; I feel the need to reference dictionaries and style guides before I send out an e-mail, let alone post something on my blog.

There are socially accepted conventions to how we should write and we begin learning these formal standards in elementary school. We’re inundated with rules such as: avoid run-on sentences, avoid dangling participles, and never split an infinitive. What was an infinitive again? Or, for that matter, what the heck is a dangling participle? Yes, my mind just went into the gutter with that last question.

I still don’t know when to use “who” and when to use “whom” or if I’m using a dash, en-dash, and em-dash correctly. I may never figure out when to use a semi-colon instead of a comma. Do I overuse quotation marks? William Faulkner and James Joyce got away with using run-on sentences, why can’t I? Can fragmented sentences be used for rhetorical effect?

There are a few blogs I read from time to time because I know the people that write them. Their writing style makes me cringe. I’ve grown accustomed to those rules for how we should write and deviation from those norms makes their writing tedious to read.

My two favorite blogs are by Max Gerber and Anthony Bourdain. Neither strictly follow the formal rules of writing, but there’s something about the way they write that gives me a sense of pleasure. I can see, hear, and taste the things they write about. I feel what they feel.

Where is that line between bad English and an effective writing style?

Wasn’t one of those aforementioned rules to not have a paragraph consist of only one sentence?

Yes, I make judgments about a person’s credibility by the way they write and I don’t think I’m alone. An article released by The Latimer Group, states, “We all want to be thought of as intelligent. We all want credibility. We all want to be taken seriously. And one of the best ways to do that is to express ourselves clearly and articulately…. The importance of verbal expression, and the way it affects public perception, is crucial for success and has never been more important than it is today.”

I can’t always pinpoint what criteria I use to judge what bad writing is, I just know that I wince when I read it. I expect people to make mistakes from time to time and that’s okay with me, but when someone deviates from the norms of communication that I’ve come to expect, I question what other knowledge they lack – what else do they not know how to do, I question their credibility and ultimately their intelligence.

I strive to avoid those communication fumbles, but I know I still have a long way to go before I can communicate effectively. I toy with different styles and the manner in which I write depends not only on the context of the writing but also my mood. Sometimes I’m feeling serious so I’ll write in a more formal style; sometimes I’m feeling playful so I’ll use more colloquial phrases. Anyhow, please, please, please be patient with me as I try to figure all this stuff out. Correct me when I’m wrong and suggest (as delicately as possible – my ego is easily bruised) how I can improve my writing. Please.

Happy Birthday Andrea

2010-01-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I got a message on Facebook inviting me to a surprise birthday party for my friend Andrea. Of course I was going to go!

As the day of the party drew near, I realized that Randy wouldn’t be able to go with me because of work. I knew I was going to the party no matter what, but there was a part of me that didn’t want to go to a party alone. Well, yes, I would know Andrea, but I knew she would be busy talking to all the other guests, and I didn’t know if I was going to be stuck alone in a corner for most of the party. In a last ditch effort, I called up my friend Tanin, someone I knew from RIS (the high school I went to) and invited him to be my date, my wingman, at the party.

Tanin and I hadn’t seen each other since he graduated RIS back in 1995, but thanks to Facebook, we reconnected a few months back. I figured this party was a great excuse to see him again AND I wouldn’t have to be alone.

So, this was my first surprise party. All the guests arrived sometime before 6:00pm, when Andrea and her husband Michael were due back home. The text message came telling us they were on their way back. The lights went off and we all got into position. For the next 7 minutes all I heard was “sssssshhhhhh……ssssssshhhhhhh!” Everyone tried to get everyone else to be quiet. Oh damn! Her dogs were outside and barking! Were her dogs supposed to be outside? Would she notice? Nope! SURPRISE!!!! Success! She didn’t suspect a thing.

I met Carol, Andrea’s best from RIS at the party. She remembered me, but I didn’t remember her. That’s always an awkward situation, but it quickly passed as we chatted about our days back at RIS. Yes, we both loved going to school and we both loved the cafeteria food.

As Andrea greeted her other guests Tanin and I snuck out to the back yard (where the smokers were). We caught each other up on our lives since RIS and it was great remembering old times.

I also met Michael’s grandmother. Normally, I feel the need to be prim and proper around anyone’s grandmother in general, but something about this woman who sat outside chain smoking with us made me feel… comfortable. I could be my semi-crude self and she would just chuckle along with us. I could never imagine either of my grandmothers ever being like that. For a moment, I was envious.

I met all of Andrea’s friends and family and I have to say, everyone was, well… cool. Normally there is the one weird person in every group. Since I couldn’t spot one among them, deduction meant the strange one was me.

Cake time came and oh, it was it beautiful! Andrea beamed at the cake her husband picked out and her friends singing happy birthday to her. Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw how happy she was. It was a perfect moment.

After Andrea opened her gifts we all helped clean up the house and got to know each other even more. Michael told me how they loved photography and talked to me about art. Andrea danced for us in her living room. Yup, she still has her moves. The night ended and I didn’t want it to. I loved these people. I hugged Andrea and Michael gave me a parting bottle of wine. I loved these people even more. We agreed we would have to see each other more and hugged again. Fantastic night with old friends.

Happy Birthday Andrea!

New Year's Dinner

2010-01-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

My sister invited Randy and me over to the house to have a New Year’s dinner. As always it was a fabulous meal. I was stuffed silly.

Lobster, steak, and Dungeness crab, oh my!

Normally I avoid the whole Dungeness crab because it’s a pain in the butt to get the meat out, but I was feeling daring today and dug in, ripping off legs and breaking them open. It was my first time. Normally I give my sister or Randy puppy dog eyes until they dig out the meat for me. I don’t know why, but crab always tastes better when you have to get the meat out yourself.

Thanks to my sis and Chatchi for making a fab dinner as always.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Welcome to a new year as well as a new decade!

Truth be told, I wasn’t all that into celebrating the New Year this time. I would have rather sat home in front of the computer with my headphones on, sifting through images from 2009. But off to celebrate I did.

The family partied at the A Boys’ newly remolded house this year. As usual, there was a ton of people and nearly as much food. In the end, I’m glad I went. It was nice to be with family and friends.

I have high hopes for 2010. 2009 was a difficult year as learned to balance a social and family life with work, school, and dealing with the death of two very close friends.

I’m not making any resolutions this year. I was never a big fan of them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan on some changes in my life. As some of you may know, I’m nearly obsessive about cleaning and organizing. I’m a happy camper if I could just have my pine sol and pledge. A lot of my frustration in 2009 came from disorganization, which is why I spent so much time cleaning. I plan on being more organized so that I can have more time to do the things I want to do.

I hope that 2010 will bring you whatever makes you happy, be it an organized life, or just one in which you find contentment with the things you have.

Here’s to a new year and a fresh start… again! May friendships and days of auld lang syne be remembered. Surely you’ll buy your pint and surely I’ll buy mine.

Note to self: drink less beer, shoot at a higher ISO, and squeeze the shutter.

Phillip Stewart Charis

2009-12-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember my parents have had these two portraits of themselves hanging in our house. My father kept them lit under spotlights in our living room. Over the years I’ve watch them slowly fade the way old photographs do. Faded as they were, there was something that had timeless, elegant, and yes, a certain dignity about them. I figured the portraits were at least 25 years old and there was little to suggest that those photographs were shot in the 70s or 80s, except for my father’s glasses that may have hinted at the decade. There was something about them that looked liked they could have been created yesterday.

It occurred to me a few years ago that I should try to figure out who took the shots to see if I could get reprints. I had hoped there might be a label on the back indicating who the photographer was. This Christmas I noticed that they had been moved from their usual location to a place I could actually get to. I looked at the back... nothing. I was a little disappointed, but that was pretty much what I thought I would find anyway.

The pictures had faded so much that it became obvious where the image had been retouched since the pigments they used hadn't faded nearly as much as the photographs themselves. Back in the day, before I discovered Photoshop, I did my retouching with paints and pigments too, but that was almost 10 years ago. I stood there and noticed where some of the pigments were applied with a paint brush and saw the areas where an air brush was used. I was studying the technique. The area around the sleeves of my father's jacket and the area around my mother's hair had been painted in with a brush. An air brush was used to darken the right side of the image. I imagine it was a vignetting technique. My eyes followed the line made by the airbrush all the way to bottom right-side of the portrait and it was there that I noticed a faint signature. "Charis ©1979". I looked closer. Event fainter: "Phillip". I couldn't make out the middle name, but I hoped I had enough.

I grabbed my iPhone and typed it in. The first entry on the list: "Charis Portraiture - Phillip Stewart Charis". Wow, that was easy. Had I thought about it longer I would have had little hope that a photographer working 30 years ago would still be working today and have a web site, but there it was.

Today, I called the number listed on the site. I told them that I believed that Mr. Charis had photographed my parents back in 1979 and asked if they might still have the negatives and if it was possible to get reprints. The person on the phone, a very kind sounding woman, said that it was very likely that they still had the negatives and should the negatives be found, it’s still possible to get reprints. She also told me that at 92, Mr. Charis is still alive and working.

Charis’s site described him as a master of photography. Was it true or was it just another photographer tooting his own horn? I decided to google Mr. Charis. Perhaps he wasn’t tooting his own horn after all. He was given a five-minute standing ovation as he stood to speak at the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) annual convention, Imaging USA in 2006, Epson features Mr. Charis’s work on their site, and he was written about in the Los Angeles Times. Some of the people he’s photographed include Nancy Reagan, Joan Collins, Henry Mancini, Michael Landon, and Engelbert Humperdinck

I wonder what kind of photographer he was back in 1979. Was he as renowned then as he is now? How did my parents who had only immigrated from Thailand a few years before find him.

I called his studio again, this time to ask how much a commissioned shot would cost. Prints start at 16x20 and cost upwards of a thousand dollars. Somehow I wasn’t surprised. Maybe, one day, I’ll sit for him too.

Dancing Christmas Robots

2009-11-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Ever want to see a bunch of tiny robots synchronized to dance to Christmas music? Yeah? Me neither. Here it is anyway.

Synchronized Robot Christmas Dance - Watch more Funny Videos

Soju Bombs

2009-11-28T14:00:00.001-08:00

My buddy Kenny is mighty fine photographer and the videos he shoots are pretty amusing too. Here is a video of the boys drinking Soju Bombs. Pretty impressive.

Thank You!

2009-11-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

I am blessed to have not one, but two Thanksgivings: one with my Thai family and one with my Filipino family. One of these days I’ll have to work out a way to have a third one with my photo family.

The first stop for the evening was my sister’s place for some deep fried turkey, a sinfully delicious cut of prime rib, and a table full of Thai food.

Manny and Debbie even came over before heading over to the Filipino Thanksgiving after tempting her with a chance to meet up with her friend Diana and a plate full of my sister’s oh so spicy raw shrimp.

The next stop was back home, where, I swear, there must have been 30 people in the living room. There is a tradition where we all stand around the table together, hold hands and say a prayer of thanks and one I didn’t want to miss.

I want to let you know what I’m thankful for this year. I’m thankful for my families: the Thai family, the Filipino family, and my photo family. Yeah, sometimes we’re a bit dysfunctional, but it keeps things interesting. No matter what, we love each other. I’m thankful for my friends who are just as much family to me as the ones connected through blood, who are there for me when I laugh and never leave my side when I cry.

A special thanks goes out to my best friend, the love of my life, Randy. Thank you for all the years we’ve had together. Thank you for letting me follow my dreams and supporting me without question. Thank you for all the little things you do for me. I know that bringing me home a Slurpee on a hot summer day means I love you. Thank you for knowing I’m not the flowers and jewelry kind of girl and new desk chair for my birthday will make me smile. Thank you for putting up with my constant, horrible singing in the car, thank you for buying the NyQuil when I’m sick, thank you for giving me the good jacket on cold winter nights, and most of all, thank you for loving me.

Downtown Disney with Andrea

2009-11-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

Andrea and I have known each other since high school, but we lost touch for almost 10 years. Although I’m not sure how, we found each other again a few years back.

Truth be told, Andrea and I hardly knew each other in high school. I was a year (or maybe two) ahead of her so we never really had class together. She also had a signing career back then (see video below), so I don’t remember her being around too much. We would occasionally pass each other in the halls and say hi. The only meaningful conversation I remember having with her was when I got out of math class one day and she sat in the hallway trying to pull out the braids she had in her hair. I sat down beside her and helped her pull them out and we went our separate ways. That was the last time I remember seeing her. Over dinner a few years back she told me that she had moved from Thailand back the U.S that year.

I don’t know why I feel so close to her now. Perhaps it’s that common background of having gone to RIS, having someone else around that knows about that surreal life we had back Thailand. I suppose if we told the stories about what life was like going to RIS, and living in Bangkok, most people wouldn’t believe us. We went to school kids who had more money than most people here would make in a lifetime. Having drivers and maids were the norm. At 14, going out for drinks at the clubs or the bars along Patpong, the red light district, was socially acceptable.

Every time Andrea and I see each other we say that we should meet up more than twice a year, but so far, that’s a pattern that we have yet to break.

Our biannual get together led us to a late lunch at Dave and Busters and then a photo excursion at Downtown Disney. I handed my camera to Andrea and she was the photographer that night. We walked along the shops at Downtown Disney, stopping at a store that sold nothing but mismatched socks – yes, my friends, such a place really does exist.

A quick stop at the candy store to watch some cast members make chocolate treats and to pick up Randy’s favorite sour apple candy.

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a thing for the Disney Channel. Okay, so I watch Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and the occasional episode of Jonas. How could I not try rockin' the Hannah Montana guitar purse?

Last but not least was a stop at Sephora. How can a girl resist?

These days Andrea works as an attorney. Yup, she’s beautiful and smart. Hopefully we can find more time than twice a year to hang out. Hey Andrea! How about another dinner date after my finals are over?

Note: all photos from this post are courtesy of Andrea. ☺

Broken Window

2009-11-04T09:15:00.001-08:00

We had a little bit of excitement in the Photo Department at Cypress College last night. When Jonathan Fletcher and I walked into Studio 2 to put some frames away I noticed a few pieces of “something” on the floor next to the window. As I moved closer I noticed that it looked like glass and not from the frames that were nearby. Hey! That glass looks suspiciously like the kind in the window!

Jonathan and I open the blinds to find that the window was cracked from floor to ceiling. I quickly called security to let them know about the window and then raced downstairs to let the automotive instructor and students working directly below the window know about the situation.

After a few phone calls to and from the powers that be, it was determined that the window needed to be broken out completely since it could fall at any moment. The area directly below the window was blocked off with caution tape while students and staff were cleared from the area while the window was being broken out. John shot photos from below while I remained in the studio.

Serendipity saved the day. If Jonathan had not needed the cart which the frames were on, I probably wouldn’t have walked into the studio that night and discovered the window. Luckily the pieces of glass that had fallen out of the window fell inside the studio and not out onto any students or staff working below.

I’m glad the situation was quickly resolved and action was taken quickly by all parties involved. Thank you to the security staff, the evening Dean, and the automotive instructors who worked quickly to make sure everyone was safe.

Flick War

2009-11-02T10:53:00.001-08:00

Oh yes, that's right, it's flickr war time again. John is still winning, but that's only because I'm letting him.

Miller Halloween Party

2009-11-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

This year the Millers decided to throw a Halloween party. I knew I couldn’t miss it. There is nothing like a Miller party and this one was no exception.

Since it was Randy’s birthday, Lynette graciously baked a chocolate cake for Randy. A guest at the party helped to handcuff Randy to a chair as the entire party sang something that I assume was supposed to be Happy Birthday to Randy, but came out as a jumbled mess – which made it even more hilarious! Okay, you just had to be there.

The night went on with many beers and many shots to be had by all. Unfortunately, most of the photos taken that night were far too incriminating to post and so, I share with you the few tame ones.

Randy's Birthday Dinner

2009-10-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a special to me not only because I like playing dress up, but because it’s Randy’s birthday.

Before heading off to the Miller Halloween party tonight my sister made Randy a special birthday dinner consisting of squid larb, BBQ ribs, and som tum, all quite yummy. Thank you again sis!

Making the Costume

2009-10-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

This year I’ve decided to be a BEER BELLY DANCER for Halloween (I would have been just a regular belly dancer, but I don’t quite have the figure for that, so I figured I would just work with the beer belly I’ve got). It was also the perfect compliment to Randy’s sheik costume.

My sister has been making my Halloween costumes for me since I was a little kid. No, none of that store bought stuff for me. Tonight she’s putting on the final touches to the skirt. I drove to her house for a final fitting after a frantic phone call from her saying that she might have measured me wrong for the skirt, “It’s so big! I think I measure you wrong.”

It turns out that she didn’t measure me incorrectly, I am just that big – 39 inch waist. I like my food, but don’t like exercise quite as much.

My sister is wonderful, not only did she make the costume for me (and insinuate that I was fat) she also made sure that I had something to eat. I love you sis! I really do.

Gone too Soon

2009-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

This morning I awoke to a voice mail from Ron. He didn’t say much, only for me to call him back. There was something about the way he said it, something in his voice. I knew something had happened to someone close to us… but what? and who? A few scenarios flashed in mind as I dialed Ron’s number, preparing to hear the worst.

It was Damon. “What?!?!” I was already sitting down, but I’m sure I would have fallen over if I wasn’t. Was it a heart attack? Did he slip in the shower? No. His death was suspicious was all they said. There was a flood of phone calls for the rest of the morning and early afternoon as I called people to find out what happened and other people called me. I found myself glued to the social networks hoping to find any news on what had happened.

A few hours later I got a phone call from Paula, the person who was responsible for introducing Damon and I in the first place all those years ago. She was frantic. The police were calling it a homicide. A coworker had found him at his home in Laguna Beach after he didn't show up for work on Friday. More phone calls.

By the afternoon I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was still dealing with the loss of Jerry, and now another wonderful member of our photo family is gone, and both too soon.

For more information please read this article by Rachanee Srisavasdi and Deepa Bharth at The Orange County Register.

***Update from Paula Martin (10/24/09 @ 10:07pm): I talked with the LB Police. They found Damon around 12 noon on Friday. The window of the last known contact with anyone was Thrs evening/early Friday am. Anyone knowing or has any information please contact the Laguna Beach Police at 949-497-0371/Detective Kelso. Any information no matter how small it may seem to you will help them. I spoke to the investigator Tim Kleiser at LBPD who said pass on this information to anyone who can help them. Damon was so special.

Krista's Beard

2009-10-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

This semester Krista is taking a Stage Makeup class at Cypress College taught by Barbara Meyer. Each week she’s been working on various makeup techniques such as making someone look old or blocking eyebrows. This week she had to put on a fake beard.

I asked her to come back to the Photography Department with the beard on so that I could see it and needless to say it was HILARIOUS! She said that as she walked back people would look at her strangely - looking at the beard, then at her breast, then back at the beard. Even in person the fake beard looks pretty convincing so I can understand how people would get confused.

Krista made a joke about how she’s now “part of the club.” As I looked around, everyone in the stockroom at the moment did have some sort of facial hair. Naturally, it was time for a group photo. I feel a little left out, but I’m perfectly happy without facial hair. I’m sure Randy is too.

Jerry Burchfield

2009-10-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

i stood with my feet in the pacific ocean and watched the sun drift below the horizon as i said my silent thank you and farewell to jerry.

jerry burchfield died september 11, 2009. since his passing i’ve read numerous articles describing him as an artist, educator, and a dedicated family man. they also listed his many accolades, the projects he worked on, and the multitudes of books he authored. to me he was a friend, colleague, mentor, and a member of my extended family.

i took my first class with jerry in the spring of 1998. it was his conceptual photography class at cypress college. i was just beginning my photographic education at that point and was pretty proficient in the technical aspects, but had no clue about developing concepts and executing them. i struggled with that class. heck, i only got a “d” the first time i took it. it took me years to figure out what he was trying to teach.

jerry was an artist and i had no desire to be one. his methods were more abstract than i was comfortable with. he pushed me to develop my photographic style and learn how to use my photography to communicate a specific message. what style? i had no style. he told me that if i kept taking enough pictures a pattern would emerge and sure enough one did.

i was a slacker in school. i would do projects at the last minute. after a few classes with jerry i had learned what kind of pictures to turn in. i would bullshit my way through it after my friend mick told me the key was to say, “i meant to do that.” one year i decided to not do that anymore, not to put off projects until the last minute and really work on something meaningful to me. i turned this project into jerry and for the first time, he didn’t like what i did. i was frustrated. wtf? i can half-ass a project and he loves it and when i work on something really hard he doesn’t? i stopped taking pictures for nearly 4 years after that. i focused on my job, on the postproduction side of photography. i resented jerry and photography for those years. i finally told him how i felt and he just said that perhaps working on things at last minute forced me to work more instinctively and for me to trust my instincts. i did just that and my photography been better ever since.

jerry worked on these grand projects that i’m still not sure how me managed to pull off: creating “the tell”, photographing the entire length of laguna canyon road with an elaborate lighting rig, and taking part in creating the world’s largest photograph to name a few, all the while finding the time to raise a family, teach, write books, and produce art. it was through watching him that i learn that the things i once thought were impossible were possible especially with the help of friends who are just as crazy and enthusiastic and a little bit of tenacity.

he had more patience than anyone i knew. he took the time to help those who other people might have gotten frustrated with and given up on with the same care and attention he would give his dearest friends and loved ones.

i was stressed one day at work and it brought me to tears. he had been diagnosed with cancer by then. my problem was miniscule by comparison, but he still took the time to take me out to lunch and talk about it. he still took the time to care for me when he bigger things going in his own life.

jerry worked hard to expose his students to experiences that would enrich their lives. he would have his students learn how to publish their own books, be part of real exhibits, make clothing out photographs, visit galleries and museums to see the work of others – maybe they would inspire us in our own work, get access to photograph an abandoned air force base, and get them involved with projects that called for mass participation.

i can see him sitting at his desk and eating his lunch. he would offer me bites of his food if he thought i would enjoy it. he would do silly things like stand in front of class with a gag holding a sign that read “will work for art”. his performance pieces were strange yet somehow entertaining. he spit chewed up leaves at me for one. he did manhole rubbings with his “man hole” for another. it’s the little moments that i remember most.

these experiences and more i’ve had a chance to have because of jerry. his influence has shaped part of my life, my outlook on life, and the possibilities that exist. for these things i’ll always be grateful.

his friends stood on the patio of the hotel laguna and watched the sunset with me. i know he touched their lives the same way he did mine.

Flickr War

2009-10-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

okay, so i'm a little late with this flickr war post. john is still ahead, but i still think i can overtake him - nay, i KNOW i can overtake him. i have mad skills. just watch.

Flickr War

2009-09-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

i'm catching up to john on flickr.

mission

2009-08-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

during our visit to solvang we passes by a fair and decided to stop and check it out. It was a fiesta held at the mission. i didn't even know there was a mission here.

2009-08-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

spending a couple hours at the beach at UC Santa Barbara. it's pretty chilly here, but not too bad.

Steak for lunch

2009-08-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

even though we're camping, it doesn't mean we don't eat well. steak for lunch people!

The view from my tent

2009-08-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my tent. Everyone is up except me. I'm happily lying in my oh so warm sleeping bag.

The site

2009-08-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dang! My iPhone map is so accurate!! The blue dot is exactly where I'm at. I'm lying in a tent under that very tree.

On out way

2009-08-15T23:55:00.001-07:00

it's nearly midnight and we're on the road on our way to the campground at cachuma lake. we got a late start and yes, it's my fault. i had stuff to do before we left and I didn't get done until it was pretty late. we ended up leaving the house at 9:45pm, but it's okay. some of our family members are already at the site.

this was a rather impromptu trip for us. I didn't even know we were going until thursday night. The family often does things at the last minute. every now and then you just have to get up and go. it keeps life interesting.

honestly, i was hoping for a relaxing weekend at home, but i'll still have fun. i always do.

David Pouge

2009-08-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

one day while searching for people to follow on twitter i came across david pouge, the personal technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS news. he's also one of the world's bestselling how-to authors, with titles in the for dummies series and his own line of "missing manual" books. i first saw david in a video on the TED web site and thought he would be interesting to follow (his TED videos cracked me up).

david was in the middle of collecting responses for his new book "the world according to twitter." every day he would post a question such as "what’s your greatest regret?" or "what’s the best toast you ever heard?" and his followers would respond. well, it turns out that a few of my responses actually made it into the book. david is current in the middle of signing 1500 hundred books to send out to people who contributed to the book. the last i heard (through twitter) he had signed about 750 of them. i can't imagine what that would be like. and i though signing my mortgage papers was a lot of writing! one of those books in the picture above is mine! i get a free signed copy! i'm so excited!

thanks @pouge! you rock!

Albertson's Beer Room

2009-08-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

while grocery shopping for the photo house meeting vergil and i came across the beer room at the supermarket. how kick ass is this? a walk in refrigerator full of beer!

Pat Thai

2009-08-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

nong nang made me some pat thai for me tonight. she even showed me how to cook it. it always kicks ass to watch your food being prepared, although i doubt i'll be able to make it taste as good as hers... yet.

thanks so much for dinner!

Max Gerber's History of Photography

2009-08-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

max s. gerber's take on photographic history:

camera obscura - niepce - talbot - daguerrotypes - stereoscopes, man - matthew brady - muybridge wins a bet - kodak beings - stieglitz - f64 - man ray invents photoshop/practice of having hot female assistants - lee miller (see previous) - kertesz figures out that if he uses funhouse mirrors girls will pose naked for him (see two items prior) - fuji comes late to the party - farm security administration run by a guy with the most macho name ever (roy stryker) - bresson - hasselblad comes late to the party - steichen/family of man - winogrand - irving penn - avedon kicks everyone's ass - wegman jumpstarts greeting card industry - C41 jumpstarts cancer - mary ellen mark begins a 35 year ass-kicking career -- cindy sherman jumpstarts narcissism - avedon kicks everyone's ass in the american west - sally man jumpstarts exploiting your kids for art (in a good way) - canon EOS comes late to the party - adobe releases photoshop, bull in the china shop - digital cameras ruin life for everyone - flickr (see prior) - digital cameras slowly make life better for everyone - polaroid goes bankrupt - twice - annie leibovitz goes bankrupt - publishing industry goes bankrupt - everyone becomes wedding photographers - economic collapse - everyone becomes divorce photographers.

there's your photo history. i just saved you all six weeks of homework. you're welcome.

Kate Reid at Steamers

2009-07-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

last night i went to see my friend kate reid play at steamers jazz club (and have a few caramel apple martinis while i was at it).

kate is not only a great jazz singer and pianist, she's also the head of the jazz program and chair of the music department at cypress college teaching the jazz vocal ensemble, jazz improvisation, jazz history, and music theory.

kate performs regularly in jazz clubs around southern california so go check her out and buy her CD (she'll even sign it for you).

Flickr War - July

2009-07-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

ahh yes, it's that time again... the flickr war. i almost forgot about it until john tweeted me. here it is.

i got a nice spike a while back thanks to my friends ron and lynette.

i'm on vacation starting from today. i don't have to go back to work until august 10. during this time i plan to do nothing but catch up on my picture stuff and cleaning my room. i'll win this war. oh yes i will. you'll see!

How to Eat Cheese

2009-07-22T18:43:00.001-07:00

The first time I saw this picture I wondered what it was and why my cousin Marvin posted this on his facebook. I saw the the caption "How to eat cheese." I'm seriously hoping it was Alexa, his daughter, that did this, but I suppose it would be even funnier if Marvin was the one who did it.

Harry Potter Spoilers

2009-07-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

my friend james, who hasn't watched the harry potter movies before, is currently on a mission to watch ALL of the previous harry potter movies (one each day) this week before seeing harry potter and the half-blood prince on friday. when he started on monday, he posted a status update on his facebook that lead to a hilarious thread as his friends tried to spoil the movie for him. it's too good not to share, so here it is:

James (Mon at 8:49pm) is watching the first Harry Potter, and someone might have already spoiled a major plot point for him. Ryan D. FAIL if it turns out true.

Kevin (at 9:06pm July 13) Harry Potter dies. There are no sequels. The End.

Abhishek (at 9:07pm July 13) It was really sad when Harry Potter died. But Kevin's lying. He actually comes back from the dead as a zombie in the second film and as a race car driver in the third. oops... have I said too much?

Jason (at 9:12pm July 13) He comes back as a zombie, but not just any zombie, The Zombie General! Leading an army of undead versus the Orcs he marches them against Al Qaeda, who promptly blows up a Vanegon and sends Harry straight back to Hell.
Keith Rhee (at 9:14pm July 13) The oxygen bomb kills Godzilla. King Kong falls to his doom. The Titanic sinks. ;)

Kevin (at 9:19pm July 13) Well since we're all spoiling the sequels for James anyway... Harry gets one chance to escape from Hell, but he has to retrieve the golden compass which can only be found in a place called Narnia.

Jen (at 9:20pm July 13) GASP the titanic sinks?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Keith (at 9:24pm July 13) Harry Potter duels Snape and has his hand cut off by Snape. Snape reveals that he is Harry's father. Oh wait...

David (at 9:30pm July 13) actually what kevin means is his soul is dead. he sold it and is forever damned, but with the help of hades he forged the blades of chaos and was able to escape from hell. now with the help of the titans, he plans to climb up mount olympus and seek revenge against his father, zeus.

Keith (at 9:31pm July 13) Now Harry has to spend 30 hours outside of the main quest line to go on a side quest, get an extra-rare item that only 5% of fanboys get, to forge the ultimate weapon. Oh wait, that's right out of Square-Enix's playbook.

Abhishek (at 9:32pm July 13) LOL. I am proud to have contributed to this thread.

James (Mon at 10:14pm) is now watching the second Harry Potter film.

Kevin (at 10:32pm July 13) Harry Potter dies. There are no more sequels after the second film. The end.

Andy (at 10:52pm July 13) Harry potter comes back in the Thriller video

Jen (at 11:21pm July 13) Next year Harry Potter is gonna drop an album with MJ, TuPac and Elvis.

James (at 11:42pm July 13) Andreas: I've never seen any of them, so I'm watching them all this week.

James (Tue at 8:09pm) is now watching "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".

Kevin (at 10:39pm July 14) Harry Potter dies. There are no more sequels after this. The End.

James (Tue at 10:36pm) The third in the series of films feels like the darkest, most mature, and most well-acted. David Thewils as Prof. Lupin and Gary Oldman as Sirius Black are so fantastic in their roles. This one is easily my favorite so far. Mischief managed.

James (Tue at 10:37pm) Three down, two to go.

Kevin (at 10:40pm July 14) What's the point? Harry Potter dies!!

James (at 10:45pm July 14) Kevin has the best synopsis. After every film, Harry Potter dies and there are no sequels. The end.

Kevin (at 10:47pm July 14) The end. = P

Belly Before and After

2009-07-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

i L.O.V.E. my food, but i tend to develop a bit of a belly after a large meal. so, when i stood next to my 7½-month pregnant cousin rubbing my stomach, my friend couldn’t resist taking a picture of the both of us. hilarious! just for kicks, i also had her take a picture with me sucking in my stomach. what a difference! there may be a great ad for a diet pill somewhere.

i promise there is no photoshop/retouching in either image (i’m not that good).

before

after

P.S. i am in shape! ROUND is a shape.