Browsing archives for 'Misc'
03 Jul 09

Tatiana's Gift Basket

Posted in: Photo,Misc, Random | Tags:

Gift basket

More people need to give me presents like this.

21 Jun 09

Where everything ugly in this world is sadly beautiful

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Julie face

Thumbnail: right turn
Thumbnail: belt
Thumbnail: Julie profile
Thumbnail: Julie side
Thumbnail: lips

Left turn

11 Jun 09

The Tao Character

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Tao character 5

Thumbnail: Tao character 1
Thumbnail: Tao character 2
Thumbnail: Tao character 3
Thumbnail: Tao character 4
Thumbnail: Tao character 6
Thumbnail: Tao character 7
Thumbnail: Tao character 8

A few spottings of the “Tao” character while I was in Hong Kong. The word is somewhat ubiquitous, since it can mean “road”, “path”, or “way”, and so marks road signs everywhere. This is the same character that I got tattooed on my right wrist.

It’s interesting to see how different Chinese characters can look, whether they’re engraved, painted, written, or stamped.

07 Jun 09

Saying Goodbye to Frederic and Misun

Posted in: Daily Life, Photo,Misc | Tags:

Akio punches

Thumbnail: Dad
Thumbnail: Akio in the garbage
Thumbnail: Boys in trouble
Thumbnail: Akio in the garbage
Thumbnail: Miric on lap

They’re in France now, and I feel like a part of me is missing. I know they aren’t gone forever, but they’re so far away that I can’t just drive over to their house on a whim to talk anymore. They were people who really understood me, who introduced me to so much of the world, who inspired me, who gave me confidence.

Before getting on the bus to Montreal, Frédéric told me that we’ll go on lots of adventures together. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

04 Jun 09

Feather Fountain Pen

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Feather fountain pen

Pat and Jen bought me this feather fountain pen set from their honeymoon to Europe. It comes from an Italian sculpture store, Fabris Giuliana in Venice, Italy.

Feather fountain pen writing

The nib is super fine; I don’t think I’ve ever owned a fountain pen with such a small nib, which is perfect, because I tend to have small handwriting. You can’t even tell which direction the stroke is going. So far it writes a little rough and scratchy, but with enough use, the nib will break in to my writing style.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. Not just the concept of putting ideas into more a tangible medium, but the act of writing itself, whether it’s on a keyboard by night, or flowing lines on a sheet of paper.

27 May 09

Given the chance, I'd stay in this chorus forever

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Ordering menu

Thumbnail: Pint glass
Thumbnail: salad
Thumbnail: Steak
Thumbnail: Jeff
Thumbnail: Withdrawal
21 May 09

The Itanis

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Headlocks

Thumbnail: Rana, Al
Thumbnail: Tamara 2
Thumbnail: Al, Abdallah, Omar
Thumbnail: Tamara 3
Thumbnail: Abdallah, Al

Taking portraits of families is a lot harder than I expected. It’s not so much the amount of light and large depth-of-field required (although that does play a part), but the fact that there are so many things going on at once. Getting everyone to co-ordinate what they’re doing becomes exponentially difficult with every extra person. And if only one person blinks, the photo is ruined.

Thumbnail: Tamara laughing 1
Thumbnail: Tamara laughing 2
Thumbnail: Tamara laughing 3
Thumbnail: Tamara laughing 4
Thumbnail: Tamara laughing 5

One of the biggest assets a photographer can have is a sense of humour. If you can make your model laugh, you lower their apprehensiveness, which brings down their guard and provides you with much more natural expressions. Not to mention the fact that it’s a pleasure to see someone smiling or laughing.

12 May 09

Little Hong Kong Differences

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I’ve been back from my trip to Hong Kong for a little over a month now. Here are some little differences I’ve noticed between there and here.

Parking

Space is at a premium in Hong Kong, so parking spots are tiny. Most cars have folding side-mirrors, and proximity sensors that beep faster the closer you are to something when backing up. Vans and SUVs have mirrors on the back windows that lets a driver see the back bumper through the rear-view mirror. That way, you can squeeze into a space without any guess work, although it takes about three or four turns, Austin Powers style.

Parking sensors

Some parking lots also have these lights above the spots that let people know if a car is parked in the space — green means it’s available. That way, you can see what spots are free with a quick glance, instead of driving around and hunting.

Taking care of the elderly

Workout area

In the parks, there are workout areas for the elderly. They include things like Gazelles, bench steppers, and wheels you can rotate for flexibility. This is so awesome. Canada should have something like this. My grandma used come to this park to work out before she had colon cancer.

Bench stepper station

Fitness guide

How cool is it that the symbol they use is the silhouette of someone doing single whip. I found this symbol in many parks actually, and I think it means that it’s a public park.

There are also speakers that beep at the traffic lights to let blind people know when to cross, and subway escalators that click constantly, so they know where to get on.

Continue reading

08 May 09

Photographing Wildlife

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Chipmunk

Snail

Bird

I generally don’t take photos of wildlife, because I don’t have the right equipment; the most telephoto lens I have is a 100mm macro, where I’d say at least 200mm is needed. Wildlife also tends to be difficult to capture, since the variables are so hard to control (especially with models that don’t understand verbal commands), and the chances fleeting. Every now and then, an opportunity presents itself though.

04 May 09

Boxer Briefs

Boxer briefs

She bought me these boxer briefs. Calvin Klein, body cut, lightweight cotton construction.

Until then, all the underwear I had were plaid XS boxers from The Gap that I could only find online, or XXL from Gap Kids, decorated with rockets, and basketballs, and skiers. I didn’t think she’d find anything else that would work on my small frame.

So this is my first pair of boxer briefs, and they fit. My sexy underwear, she would call them. I guess it’s hard to find my other underwear sexy when it’s meant for those 7–14.

27 Apr 09

Restless Night

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Starbucks Coffee

On nights like this, when I’ve been in the house by myself all day, I have a craving for something. Not just for a taste, but an experience, among the lights and the shadows.

A while ago, I found the right place with the right ambiance. A place without the distractions of my house. Where I can write without thinking of what other work I should be doing.

I always tell myself that I’ll go tomorrow. It’s always tomorrow (the same day that most diets start). So I force myself to get in the car and drive.

When I walk in, I have to remember the nomenclature. Tall means small, grande means medium, venti means large.

Along with this craving comes a thirst for something sweet and warm to drink, harking to the days I lived unemployed, and my favourite thing to do was drink all sorts of strong coffees and teas. My stomach will pay for this later.

The cups always feel nice in the hand. Maybe I’m a sucker for good design — the pure white, the clean lines, the textured insulating sleeve with prominent corporate logo.

Sometimes, I need to go out to be alone. A warm drink is company enough.

15 Apr 09

Large Print

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Large print

Large print

I finally got a large print made for myself, of the frozen lake from my trip to New Hampshire. You really need to see the original from the entry (on black) to get an idea of what the picture looks like, because the shot I took above doesn’t do it justice as I was exposing for the general area in my living room, losing much of the detail of the picture. At over 48″ wide and 32″ tall, it cost me a pretty penny, but it was oh so worth it.

After some extra tweaking on my end to bring out the contrast, my awesome printer brought out the trunks of the white birch trees in the left forest using Photoshop, adding a touch of contrast and detail. The picture was laminated with a matte finish, so there’s no glass to reflect (and hence distract), from he windows. Then my framer used one of her new framing techniques where she takes textured fabric and stretches it over an inside border (instead of a mat board), then adds a frame that’s smooth but not flat1. The colours fit right in with the walls, while the border and frame matches the couch.

It’s the first picture I’ve used to decorate the main floor of my house, because I’m really picky about the stuff I put up on my walls. This one was chosen because the sky, the sunset, the ice and the patterns in it, all speak emotion to me, which is what I try to achieve in my pictures, and something I enjoy looking at.

  1. This means I sign, stamp, and number the picture on the picture itself, since there’s no mat board to write on. []
08 Apr 09

Goodbye, Hong Kong

Posted in: Photo,Misc, Random | Tags: ,

Boats in harbour

Thumbnail: Cell phone message
Thumbnail: Alley walk
Thumbnail: City Hall construction
Thumbnail: Bakery goods
Thumbnail: Abalone
 

Drinking tong sui

Thumbnail: Door shrine
Thumbnail: Barista
Thumbnail: Billboards
Thumbnail: Candy stand in mall
Thumbnail: Chinese checkers stone
 

Street and people

Thumbnail: More City Hall construction
Thumbnail: Dessert booth
Thumbnail: Expensive shoes
Thumbnail: Flower vendor
Thumbnail: Grandmas holding hands
 

Abalone

Thumbnail: Mirror self portrait
Thumbnail: Murray House
Thumbnail: Music listener
Thumbnail: Neon sign
Thumbnail: Open area
 

Street person

Thumbnail: Pacific Coffee Company
Thumbnail: Roadside snack
Thumbnail: Seaside properties
Thumbnail: Smokers
Thumbnail: Soccer against mountain
 

Chestnut stand

Thumbnail: Temple doorway
Thumbnail: Apartment view
Thumbnail: Holding hands
Thumbnail: Water shipper
Thumbnail: Wedding photos
 

Cracked turtle shells

Thumbnail: Stanley Market
Thumbnail: Stanley waterfront
Thumbnail: Sundries stand
Thumbnail: Taking blood pressure
Thumbnail: Tea machines
 

Airport waiting

I’ll miss the way you comfort me with crowds. I’ll miss the smells of your streets. I’ll miss your alleys and their stories. I’ll miss your mix of classical and contemporary. I’ll miss the diversity of your food.

You made me feel comfortable, like I belonged somewhere, and with all your rich and somewhat mysterious culture, renewed my pride in being Chinese.

It’ll be a long time before I see you again.

Goodbye, you beautiful city. I miss you already.

05 Apr 09

Cat Street

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Jewellery stall

Thumbnail: Upper Lascar Row
Thumbnail: Stairway entrance
Thumbnail: Decoration shop
Thumbnail: Examining goods
Thumbnail: Food stand
Thumbnail: Rainy alleyway
Thumbnail: Stair alleyway
Thumbnail: Stalls
 

Upper Lascar Row, also known as Cat Street, is a narrow alleyway market that sells decorations, trinkets, and antiques. It’s not quite like other Hong Kong markets because it’s less commercialized (i.e. doesn’t sell as many touristy things), even though the most common buyers there seem to be foreign.

The name comes from a joke in Chinese: it’s said that if you have something stolen, you’re likely to find it for sale on Cat Street. Thieves are known as “rats” in Cantonese slang, and people who purchase goods from rats are called “cats”.

04 Apr 09

Hong Kong Food Diary: Week 3

Posted in: Photo,Misc, Random | Tags: ,

Buffet plate

Thumbnail: Buffet plate
Thumbnail: Buffet plate 3
Thumbnail: Dessert plate
Thumbnail: Asparagus with beef
Thumbnail: Baby bak choi
Thumbnail: Baked spare ribs
Thumbnail: Barley tea
Thumbnail: BBQ pork buns
Thumbnail: Beef tripe
Thumbnail: Beef tripe noodles
Thumbnail: Beet sweet corn
Thumbnail: Birds nest soup
Thumbnail: Chicken sweet corn
Thumbnail: Chiffon cake
Thumbnail: Chinese doughnut
Thumbnail: Chinese grapefruit
Thumbnail: Chinese greens
Thumbnail: Crabs black bean
Thumbnail: Almond tofu flower
Thumbnail: Cream of garlic
Thumbnail: Curry chicken
Thumbnail: Deep fried fish
Thumbnail: Lotus leaf chicken
Thumbnail: Drunken chicken
Thumbnail: Egg fried rice
Thumbnail: Egg white and milk
Thumbnail: Fish black bean
Thumbnail: Fish Chinese onions
Thumbnail: Fish mixed vegetables
Thumbnail: Steamed red coat
Thumbnail: Four seasons beans
Thumbnail: French hot dog
Thumbnail: Fried egg whites
Thumbnail: Fried onion biscuit
Thumbnail: Fried sesame dessert
Thumbnail: Green beens beef
Thumbnail: Ham egg bread
Thumbnail: Stewed egg
Thumbnail: King soya chicken
Thumbnail: Kiwifruit juice
Thumbnail: Lotus seed paste bun
Thumbnail: Milk buns
Thumbnail: Minced pork
Thumbnail: Stuffed cabbage
Thumbnail: Mushroom chicken
Thumbnail: Ox tail
Thumbnail: Won ton with spicy sauce
Thumbnail: Shrimp cocktail
Thumbnail: Packaged biscuits
Thumbnail: Lotus paste tart
Thumbnail: Phoenix talons
Thumbnail: Pork cold cuts
Thumbnail: Polk rice bowl
Thumbnail: Pork rice noodles
Thumbnail: Rice balls in mango
Thumbnail: Rice spare ribs
Thumbnail: Roasted pigeon
Thumbnail: Sea coconut fruit
Thumbnail: Shanghai dumplings
Thumbnail: Shredded chicken
Thumbnail: Shrimp celery cashews
Thumbnail: Shrimp dumplings
Thumbnail: Sichuan noodles
Thumbnail: Snack platter
Thumbnail: Snake soup fungi
Thumbnail: Lemongrass
Thumbnail: Soya chicken wings
Thumbnail: Spare ribs
Thumbnail: Spare ribs black bean
Thumbnail: Sponge cake
Thumbnail: Steamed beef balls
Thumbnail: Steamed white buns
Thumbnail: Stuffed mushrooms
Thumbnail: Sui mai
Thumbnail: Sweet and sour pork
Thumbnail: Tiramisu
Thumbnail: Tofu shrimp mushrooms
Thumbnail: Tossed noodles
Thumbnail: Won ton soup
Thumbnail: Yakult
 

The final week of my Hong Kong food diary. It’s safe to say that I gained a few pounds, as I would continue eating even after full. The weight is mostly in my face (good) and midsection (bad). Yes, my cheeks have filled out, but now I have a muffin top. It was totally worth it though, as I don’t know when I’ll have a chance to eat many of these dishes again.

Other weeks in my Hong Kong Food Diary

Food decisions