Okay, okay, I admit it, I bought more camera gear. This time it was a flash, an umbrella, and a combination stand to hold the two. The flash is a Canon 580EX II, the most important features being:

• Can act as master flash to trigger my 420EX in slave mode
• Can turn off the flash to use better autofocus assist beams
• Easy-to-use control dial and set button
• Maximum guide number of 58
• Sweeeeet lock shoe stand

I was able to test it out the rig on Andrew and Alex, who happened to be in town that weekend. Out of all my friends and acquaintances, I’ve known Andrew and Alex the longest, since elementary school. We got to hang out for a night and catch up before they had to take off. I can still tell them apart from face and voice, although it got quite a bit harder.

It was a good practice in doing portraits of two people, and figuring out how varied the same scene can look with the main light source at different positions. Overall, I’m very pleased with how they turned out.

He doesn’t listen to me. He’ll ask me a question, then cut me off. He trivializes my symptoms.

Next thing I know, I’m rushed out of office.

He’s a nice guy, but nice doesn’t get you healthy.

I just had a day without contact in the office. So I called every single person I regularly talk to on the phone, and not one of them picked up. These aren’t just single people, they’re families and couples, which means that everyone in the house was out. I even called my cell phone to make sure my land line was working.

It’s like I’m the only surviving member of an apocalypse. I’d half expect to see a mushroom cloud in the distance, houses on fire, bodies in the streets if I looked out the window.

I’ve never felt so alone.

Both my Tai Chi teachers eschew the title of “Master”, and prefer to be called by their first names. As I’ve had it explained to me, even the true masters feel like they need a couple extra lifetimes to completely master Tai Chi. This is what my teachers compare themselves to, so I suspect they feel it erroneous to use the same title, even though they’ve been teaching for decades.

I find it very awkward. In Chinese, the word “Master” or “Sifu” implies a teacher, not necessarily a level of skill.

When I was young, I called my cousin by his Chinese name, because I thought it was insulting to address him by his relational title of biu dai for “maternal younger male cousin” (or “mother’s siblings’ son who is younger than me”). I thought the “dai” part referred to someone as “under”, the way “junior” could be used pejoratively in English. The thing I didn’t understand was that it was appropriate, perhaps even more appropriate than addressing him by name. I’ve since become privy to the complex rules of Chinese names and titles, especially relational family ones.

People continue this tradition though, and even as parents, they’ll address their elders the same way. It’s a way of recognizing and respecting the roles in the family. Even though my Tai Chi teacher is Occidental, I feel compelled to address my teacher as “Master”, instead of “Mike”.

And it’s hard habit for me to break.

I always thought I’d meet you at a concert. One of those moody, bass-heavy shows as if Robert Smith was fronting Portishead telling us to dance, dance, dance through the fire. The music’s good but too loud, and the lights are warm orange and reds.

But you’re too Suicide and I’m too xXx.