Back to earth... lovely. Simply beautiful.

So I'm sitting here at home because I had a wisdom tooth pulled and it's still really bothering me a lot, plus I just don't feel very well...

Listening to Daft Punk on my Mac, and it's nice, but nothing to write about...

But then all the Daft Punk songs finish.

.
.
.
.
.

Remember those times? When we sang about the Blower's Daughter and how we couldn't take our eyes off of her?

This is far more touching. And poignant...

"Elephant"

This has got to die
This has got to stop
This has got to lie down
Someone else on top

You can keep me pinned
It's easier to tease
But you can't paint an elephant
Quite as good as she

And she may cry like a baby
And she may drive me Crazy
'Cause I am lately... lonely

So why d'you have to lie?
I take it I'm your crutch
The pillow in your pillow case
It's easier to touch

And when you think you've sinned
Do you fall upon your knees?
And do you sit within your picture?
Do you still forget the breeze?

And she may rise, if I sing you down
And she may wisely cling to the ground
Cause I'm lately... horny
So why would she take me horny?

What's the point of this song? Or even singing?
You've already gone, why am I clinging?
Well I could throw it out, and I could live without
And I could do it all for you
I could be strong
Tell me if you want me to lie
'Cause this has got to die

This has got to stop
This has got to lie down, down
With someone else on top

You can both keep me pinned
'Cause it's easier to tease
But you can't make me happy
Quite as good as me

Well you know that's a lie



Thanks again Damien.

Day Jobs

Well, what is it, April almost? That means I've been working 2 jobs for more than half a year... wow! Ant it's been much more manageable than I thought. I don't have a lot of free time. And I don't get enough sleep... But things are okay, and I enjoy both jobs. Not really ready to give up the teaching yet.

Anyway, here are a few images...

CUBELAND:


And the Kids!

Flower Power!

More Here

Romance: False prophets and empty ideals...

I've just finished a pretty decent (though not great) book, considered to be a classic by one of the most well-respected authors of our time: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

It's a pretty straightforward account of a man (Florentino Ariza) who loves a particular woman (Fermina Daza) for his entire life, even though she doesn't love him. He goes on to live his life from one meaningless sexual encounter to another to divert himself from loneliness, and whenever anyone gets too close, he rebuffs them, because in his mind, he can never love anyone except for Fermina Daza.

How silly.

This is the real world. The idea that there may be "the one" sounds romantic, but it's just plain nutty. Think of it this way... if there really is "the one" for a person, out of 6.6 BILLION people in the world, what would be the chance of ANYONE finding their "the one". There's actually a pretty good chance that if you think someone is "the one", you're wrong, and a decision not to move on when your romance with "the one" can affect you for the rest of your life.

The fact is that there is no such thing as "the one" and holding on to the idea that someone (who might even have been so honest as to say they can never love you) might be "the one", and waiting for them to "come around" can only -- as the book proves -- lead to a very long, loveless life.

And when someone you love no longer loves you, MOVE ON! Let them go. Don't just pass the time with superficial relationships. But look for the next one you truly love, as a new person, not needing to be compared to the target of your unrequited teenagesque idolatry.

In my opinion, when we've lost someone, and then we manage to find someone we can love, and they love you, we really should try our best to make things work, even when imperfections appear! Don't be a quitter. And don't hold on to "the one", who has already told you you weren't for him/her.

When I lost M, who I loved with all of my heart, I tried to fix things for months. But I was still prepared to move on.

That says NOTHING about whether my love for M was true! Only that I think it's idiotic to live a loveless life just because of one rejection.

I guarantee you I loved M every bit as much as Florentino Ariza loved Fermina Daza. I just wasn't as stupid as he was, and knew when I had to move on, instead of filling my time with meaningless sexual relationships and rejecting anyone who gets too close, as Florentino did.

Sigh...

So rare to find someone who shares your interests so closely... and such an utter waste not to be able to share them together, as friends.

Photo Technique

I've been trying out some studio-style techniques lately. Here's a shot with external flash at bright setting, bounced off the ceiling (only one flash):



A little post-processing in Photoshop, of course. But the exposure is straight from the camera, with no color or exposure adjustment.

I'm starting to feel more confident with my skills, but I know it's going to take a lot more practice...

Lighting, Exposure, FILM!

My latest gadget. A camera that was introduced the year I was born. With a lens that is reputed to be one of the best ever made, by anyone... Zeiss... Leica...

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Pentax Spotmatic II SLR Camera with built-in metering and on-camera hotshoe, together with the legendary SMC Takumar 50mm/f1.4 lens.



What a camera.

My friend Daniel wants to start shooting Black and White on film, and this is the perfect camera with which to perfect my technique. I told him we should start a Sunday photography club. Maybe we'll get it off the ground. If anyone's interested, send me an email!

I haven't shot any film with this camera yet, but when I do I'll post something here.

In addition to the SMC Takumar 50/1.4, I've got a S-M-C Takumar 55/1.8 (which is pretty much redundant by the far superior 1.4), as well as the two Zeiss lenses mentioned in a prior blog entry, and a very decent Aetna Rokunar 28mm/2.8 MC. I've got two other throw-away lenses back in California, for a total of 7 lenses I can use with this camera! Plus I've got a pretty good flash unit (Sunpak Auto 144) to complete the kit.

I've also got B&W filters and even infrared filters... so I can't wait to give it all a real effort.

Here's a shot of the camera and lenses...



Now the best thing of course about these lenses is that not only can I use them with my Spotmatic, I can also use them with my Sony DSLR, with amazing results!

Life is good. :)

Tips for the inspired amateur photographer...

As most of my friends will know, I've been diving headlong into this photography business, at some expense (though not too much - my debt hasn't increased at all) and at the expense of a bit of my time and attention.

While I'm an inspired amateur myself, with my first digital SLR, I do have experience with film SLR photography.

So I'd like to offer some advice for anyone interested with the idea of starting out in this consuming hobby.

1. Go with the system you're already invested in.

If you have Nikon Lenses, buy a Nikon body (but not the Nikon D40). If you have Canon lenses, but Canon (but not the 400D or Digital Rebel). If you have Minolta lenses, go Sony, and if you have Pentax lenses (Manual or K-Mount) go Pentax. That should be your first priority.

2. Resist the big boys.

Far too many "know-it-alls" and even pros will insist that you should go Nikon or Canon and ignore everybody else. that's very bad advice.

If you have Nikon Lenses, go Nikon. If you have a lot of money and don't shoot a lot of sports, go Nikon. Nikon has some of the best lenses, the best flash system, and very good camera bodies. But at the entry level, Nikon is weak, especially with the "toy camera" D40 or the new D40X and very weak "kit lenses". To get good performance you'll need to spend quite a bit of cash on good lenses and a good camera body (D80). Don't go in unless you have at least HK $20000 to invest, and are willing to invest even more when the time comes.

If you have Canon lenses, go Canon. If money is no object and you shoot sports a lot, go Canon. If you're paparazzi and sell shots of Becks and Posh to the tabloids and can afford US$6000 for a camera and US$10000 for a lens, go Canon. Or if you are really really really anal about image quality, go Canon.

But if you don't have any lenses, there are only two cameras you should consider: Pentax and Sony. There are three main reasons for this recommendation.

First: great consumer glass. The entry level Pentax and Sony lenses, like the lenses that are included with entry-level DSLRs are far superior to the entry level glass from Nikon and especially Canon, whose "kit lens" is as poor image quality-wise as any other lens in the world. I'm calling an "entry level" lens any lens that costs less than HK$2000 or comes with an entry-level system system.

Second: In-camera image-stabilization. That means you can much more easily shoot low-light handheld images or shots with telephoto lenses, without needing a tripod or worrying about blurry images.

Third: Better consumer bodies (under HK$8000). Sony and Pentax have fantastic feature sets in the A100 and K10D that cannot be matched by entry level Nikon and Canon bodies. More pixels. More controls. Better layout. Faster performance. Better build quality.

So there you have it. If you buy in, don't listen to the "know it alls" and resist Canon and Nikon. Especially avoid the toy cameras mentioned above.

Concert musings...

What a fantastic show! Everything was great. My good friend Daniel and I arrived early enough and didn't miss a single thing. I stuffed my face with two Carlsbergs as we waited in line, so that I could get that "perfect concert buzz", and I bought one of each item at the concession stand (except the black t-shirt which was only available in small size by the time I got there).

When it started, I began the process of sqeezing toward the front, knowing I'd be separated from the more reserved Daniel. That's okay... I just wanted the MUSIC.

And it came.

Now I'm kind of a veteran of concerts, as I not only used to live in LA, being a music fan, but I also managed to work as an intern at a record label for about half a year. I paid for my share of shows, and got into more for free. I even managed to meet a few bands, notably Phish, the Inspiral Carpets, New Fast Automatic Daffodils and The Tragically Hip. Those were indeed some of the best days of my life.

So this concert by the band with so many accolades for live performance didn't quite live up to my "hopes and expectations"... or maybe I'm just getting older.

Still the show was brilliant.

And I scored bigtime from the staff at the sound/lighting boards. Here's the official setlist, a little worse for wear due to an infuriating accident at McDonalds:


Muse, Hong Kong, 3 March 2007, Official Setlist