La La Land

Bright & Shiny

I've seen some pretty outrageous outfits here in lala land. There were a couple girls wearing miniskirts that barely covered their behinds. Then on top they were wearing bikini tops. But their legs were more covered up in platform furry boots. Weird

Food Overload

Sushi Platter

I'm skipping dinner today because I've overeaten these past couple of days and not exercised or moved around enough. Let me chronicle my meals:

Friday lunch: Turkey burger

Friday dinner: A little sticky rice and some kim chee

Saturday lunch: Bad Terriyaki bowl from Samurai Sam's

Saturday dinner: Sushi - very tasty

Sunday lunch: Korean BBQ

Sunday dinner: Capellini at Engine Co

Monday lunch: Chicken pho (Vietnamese noodles) > It was quite good and not too expensive unlike most of the previous meals

Monday snack: Too many Milanos and an Eskimo Pie that someone treated us all to

Monday dinner: Nothing, nada, nichts, zip, zilch

Korean BBQ

Bibimbap

This was lunch today - bibimbap, the Korean version of fried rice. I've been eating pretty well this past weekend and need to stop! Too much of a good thing becomes bad. Anyhow, we went to a Korean BBQ place for lunch and this was the first time I had this dish. We had Korean colleagues with us who explained what was good and how to eat the various dishes, which was cool. No, I did not eat the egg raw because it will eventually be cooked in the stone pot after you mix it up.

Paparazzi photography

As I was enroute to an undisclosed location, I saw CNN news personality Richard Quest. He was taking a shuttle to a rental car location. I don't think I would have much success as a paparazzi photographer based on the shot above.

Hidden Beauty

Beauty surrounds us daily. We only need to open our eyes and let it in.
These shadows for example were created by the sunlight being filtered through construction zone materials on Davis Street. The patterns and interplay of light and dark were pleasing to my eye.

TomTom

GO 730

My TomTom came today and it has exactly what I need. When I'm driving to and from the South Bay, I want to avoid Highway 101 because it is notorious for its stop and go traffic. Interstate 280 is much superior in terms of safety and speed. Anyhow, this TomTom can quickly reroute me from 101 to 280 with one click of the button "Alternative Route". My old Garmin Nuvi 650 would always want to route me back to 101.

I have not tested this on the road yet, but I am already smitten with the reroute function. My only complaints so far have to do with the lack of voice variety and the packaging. Right now it's set to "Susan" who is an American woman. If I want other voices such as Ken from Australia, Sean from Ireland or Paul from New Zealand, I would have to install from CD or download from tomtom.com. Regarding the packaging, there was just too much of it and it was unwieldy. After I opened up the box, I had so many awkward flaps and openings in the containers that I did not know how to reassemble the box nicely. I just gave up and threw away most of the packaging!

So, about my mission impossible... I still don't have a flight itinerary, but I think I will be flying Friday, not tomorrow. I hope they put us up at a nice hotel. Hee hee!

Achtung

Attention

I'm supposed to be flying to an undisclosed location Thursday for work, but guess what? As of today, no one has told me when my flight is or where I'm going! I have no clue. The good thing is that I'm not alone. Two other colleagues will be going with me. That means hopefully new and exciting environs to photograph if they don't work us to the bone.

For Love or Money

Reaching for the Light

I am excited because I made my first sale of a print today! My client purchased the photo "Old Blue Eyes", which can be seen on my website under "New Arrivals".

I learned some lessons while preparing this print for her. First of all, it is important to create your own border for the picture so that nothing important on the picture gets cropped. Also, you should confirm, confirm and reconfirm dimensions with your client before ordering the print.

In other matters, I've been thinking about things. Sometimes, I feel like things are stagnant and I need to move forward. It was triggered by one of my old middle school classmates announcing on LinkedIn that she just became an MBA candidate at Wharton. I'm not sure I'm that interested in pursuing that route. However, I am considering pursuing a certificate in visual arts. If I do decide to go ahead with that, it would be one of the few instances in which I'm doing something I really enjoyed, and not just for the sake of duty.

When it comes to jobs, the unfortunate observation I've made is that enjoyable jobs don't pay well and jobs that do pay well don't give you enough time to do things you enjoy. So the question boils down to - are you willing to take the pay cut? If yes, what job can you do if you don't want to be an administrative assistant, but want the 9-5 regularity that will give you the freedom to pursue outside interests? That's a major decision that everyone will have to answer for him/herself and I know a number of people who are grappling with this existential question at the moment.

The only thing I would say is to try to take it a day at a time and always be hopeful and reach for the light. Somehow, we'll muddle through and be on the path we were meant to be on.

Groundhog Day

Peek-a-boo

I spied this cute little guy peeping out of his hole today in Golden Gate Park near the Bison Paddock. He was playing hide and seek as I walked by. It's exactly like those old "whack a mole" arcade games they used to have. They stick their heads out once you pass by.

Wandering on the Way

Summer Cocktails

I'm really trying to limit the time I spend hunched over my laptop on the weekends. It's bad for me, I know, but there is so much that I need to research. Instead of transforming myself slowly into the Hunchback of San Francisco, I need to get out more and do some physical exercise. I know a friend, who takes salsa dancing lessons after work. That is commendable. Usually, I just want to rest after work and withdraw, not put myself in another social situation.

By the way, star power is in San Francisco this weekend - Michelle Obama. She's here to promote volunteerism. I haven't seen her in person though. All I've seen today are Safeway and Costco shoppers in their weekend wear. Oh yes, I did get something I've needed and wanted for the longest time ...... a shoe rack! I feel so much more organized now.

In addition, I thought this NYT article was interesting. It confirms what I already knew - hot temperatures mean bad news! Long live the temperate climate!

Yum Yum

Olive Bread

This loaf of olive bread was simply delicious! I was strolling in the Ferry Building and decided to stop by the Acme Bread Company stand. I eyed the olive bread because I had some before at a Greek restaurant and liked the taste. On a whim, I decided to purchase a loaf. Generally I don't splurge, but once in a while it is okay, in my opinion. I had a couple slices for dinner and am still full. I highly recommend it if you're ever around the Ferry Building. The only drawback is that they only accept cash. What's up with that?!

Live and Learn

Infinity

Today is a topic rich day. I have three things I want to blog about. The first is about this billboard in downtown SF, the second about making decisions and the third about a great New York Times article.

Check out this billboard. It is for a luxury condominium building called the Infinity, which offers breathtaking views of the SF Bay. The billboard shows a woman dressed up in a fancy dress sitting in a pristine white room and staring out at the view of the Bay Bridge. She is surrounded by varying sizes and assortment of cakes. What's wrong with this picture? It seems to portray the misconception that the more trinkets and "things" you have, the happier you'll be. Why cakes? I don't get it and it's sending the wrong message.

Secondly, I can't stand it when I'm up against moral dilemmas because they are usually ambiguous, very challenging and I usually end up regretting my actions. However, I need to move past it and focus on trying to be good person the next time such a situation arises. Self flagellation does not help.

Thirdly, the New York Times wrote a very interesting article on how many unemployed older people (i.e. in their 30's) are turning to the US Army as an employer. The following is my favorite quote -"It’s a guaranteed job, as long as you go to work every day,” said Capt. Jared Auchey, company commander of the Army Experience Center in Philadelphia, who estimates that one in 10 of the enlistments at his high-tech marketing office are over 35. 'There are no layoffs in the Army.' "

Yes, there are no layoffs in the Army ... just the specter of death constantly lurking nearby and nipping at your heels!

Anyhow, I just found this story so fascinating because of the weird dynamics of older people being trained by youngsters half their age. Your pride definitely takes a huge hit when your supervisor is younger than you. In any case, having older recruits will make the situation quite interesting in the US Army.

The Swat Heard Around the World

Cafe Culture

Why does Obama swatting a fly make the news? But admittedly, that was a very big bugger of a fly he killed with one swat. Good job commander in chief, although I hope he washed his hands afterwards.

The Cost of Being a Social Butterfly

Parking, Dinner & a Movie

I really don't know how people do it.
They go out so often to enjoy themselves.
They pay rent.
They own a car.
They buy fancy coffee drinks every day.

I was considering accepting a Facebook invitation to an event tomorrow because it is so convenient and I should socialize more. The movie theater is near where I work and the restaurant is in the same place.
However, transportation is always an issue. If I want to do stuff after work, I would have to drive myself and I don't like driving. Furthermore, it's not my car. When I need a car, I borrow the family car. On top of that is the cost of attending events. Here's the breakdown:

Parking for a day: $18
Dinner: Approx. $15 (including tax & tip)
Movie ticket: $9
Total cost of a night out = $42 approximately

That is expensive. That's one of the reasons I decided not to go tomorrow. Plus, the movie did not sound that compelling, which is the stronger reason not to go. People who do this on a regular basis must be living paycheck to paycheck. However, you could argue they have a wider circle of "friends", whatever the term means these days.

Also, I rationalize my decision by thinking, in order to be successful, I need to focus my limited resources (time & money). So that's what I need to do tomorrow since I'm not being social - focus on goals that are important to me.

Special Update on Photobooks - Mpix Review

Lunch*

Returning to the topic of photo books, I was planning to try out Mpix. I even went as far as to download the software and test it out. However, I decided against it.

First of all, there are limited book templates and those that they offer are quite crude. For example, there's one for "that special little boy", and then one for that "special little girl", and travels, wedding etc. This is very limited!

Furthermore, I could not figure out how to preview my book. The book making software is not intuitive.

Finally, the page layouts did not allow for much text. So let's say I really wanted to fully explain why there is a Pope's palace in Avignon, it would not be possible because the page layouts only allow for limited captions.

My quest for the perfect photobook maker continues.

*About the picture:

This will be my lunch for tomorrow. It's a mixture of Prego tomato sauce, sausage, corn, celery and mushrooms. This will be the sauce over some al dente linguini. It's my way of saving some dollars because eating out in the Financial District adds up. Assume each lunch costs on average $8, I would be spending $40 a week on lunch alone! This is not including little snacks like chai lattes, etc.

Suppenkueche

Breaking Bread

Today I went to Suppenkueche in San Francisco's Hayes Valley for brunch and invited a mix of friends and work colleagues. It was a nice gathering. We broke bread together and sat at a communal table. There was no linking of arms and swaying though. That would have been too weird and not enough beer was flowing. Hee hee!

I ordered geroestete Maultaschen, but they put too much egg in there. (See picture above) As a result, it tasted more like omlette than Maultaschen. Afterwards I headed over to the North Beach Festival and had a capuccino and cannoli. That might explain why I'm still full as I type this.

GPS for sale

Garmin Nuvi 650

I'm selling my Garmin Nuvi 650 GPS device.

It's been a trusty companion on many a drive down to the South Bay for work. Also, I only purchased this last year, so it is in very good condition. In addition to the GPS device, I am including the friction stand for holding the GSP on your dashboard.

All this for only $350. On Amazon, this is a $550 value.

BTW, I was a good Samaritan yesterday by helping confused looking tourists in the Financial District. They were studying a map intensely when I asked if I could help them. They were looking for a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge they told me - the F-line to be specific. Since they were very close to the Embarcadero, I pointed them in the right direction. I hope my karma account went up by a bit. Since I often play the role of confused tourist in other cities, I am particularly sensitive to tourists in need.

Happy Friday!

Snapped this picture today as I was walking back to the office after a dentist visit. I love the juxtaposition because the guy looks like he fights aliens.

Secrets revealed

Okay, not really. I just wanted to make the title provocative and sensational!

I got a technical question about how I executed some of my shots for the conference. Essentially I was shooting with a 70-300 mm telephoto for the nice portrait shots. Then if I needed the capture large groups, I used a wide angle. ISO was set all the way up to 1600 in dimly lit rooms and 100 when the light was sufficient.

I like the photo above because the woman on the left looks like she's laughing at something very funny.

Then I got a question about companies that make photobooks. Here's a list:

1. My Publisher
2. Blurb
3. Adoramapix
4. Asukabook
5. Bangor Photo
6. Mpix
7. Lulu

I have used only My Publisher and blurb. My Publisher is more expensive, but the paper quality is higher and glossier. Blurb is more affordable (read cheaper), but the paper is not as good. However, Blurb makes nice book jackets. I've never tried the rest of the companies.

Asians Wine Tasting

Cheers!

The pictures during the wine tasting are more engaging perhaps because alcohol tends to loosen tongues. However, Asians are infamous for their intolerance to alcohol. Just a little and many Asians will turn red in the face. Not sure whether these guys in the picture actually imbibed. In any case, the lighting improved significantly in the room where they did the wine tasting, which helped with the picture quality as well.

BTW, one thing I've noticed is that Canon seems to do colors better than Nikon cameras. Someone else was taking pictures with a Nikon D40, while I had a Canon EOS 5D. I may be partial, but I think my colors were more vivid. Her pictures looked somewhat flat in the color department.

Mind Like a Steel Trap

I thought I'd share this helpful info with you on how to improve your brain. I found a link to it in one of the electronic newsletters I subscribe to.

Personally speaking, I know I need to improve my brain power. My mind's like a sieve and I'm terrible with spatial orientation. Ha ha

1. Take up video-gaming. Action video games improve eye-hand coordination, improve spatial visualization skills, and increase the number of things that you can visually attend to simultaneously.
   
2. Strengthen your memory. Memory is our most vital mental faculty. Strengthening memory is an important component in lessening the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Learn a new word every day. Learning new words not only enriches one’s understanding of the world, but also enhances the brain’s language centers and the prefrontal lobes where judgement and executive function are mediated.
   
4. Engage in spelling exercises. Spelling forces you to mentally “see” the word prior to speaking it or writing it down. This exercises several language-related brain areas and circuits.
   
5. Monitor your moods, fantasies, and self-talk. If you find yourself immersed in upsetting or stressful scenarios, change your brain activity by switching to something that doesn’t involve just your own concerns.
6. Work off stress with increased physical activity. A healthy brain requires good general health. You can decrease the harmful effects of stress on general health by exercising daily, but you should choose an exercise that appeals to you and that won’t be considered a tiresome chore. Even just walking is fine. Walking four miles per week cuts down on the chances of later developing dementia by fifty percent.
7. Take a twenty-minute nap every afternoon that you can manage it. A daytime nap will produce nearly as much skill-memory enhancement as a whole night of sleep. So after you have taken a class or engaged in some other learning situation in the morning, consolidate that information by napping for a brief time in the afternoon after lunch when you’re most likely to feel tired and fall asleep easier.
8. Solve puzzles. Different parts of the brain will be exercised depending on what kind of puzzle you choose. Crossword puzzles challenge the language and memory areas while jigsaw puzzles provide exercise for the parietal lobes. When you get proficient do the crossword puzzles in your mind without writing anything down and do the jigsaw puzzles with the picture side turned over so that you’re working with shape and form alone.
9. Work with your hands. Few people other than musicians and surgeons are skilled in fine finger control. Whenever you perform an activity requiring finger dexterity you enhance your brain. Knitting, model-ship or model-train building are fine—taking up a musical instrument is even bettter.
10. Pay more attention to your sensory experiences. One of the most common causes of forgetting and poor memory relates to failures to register what is going on during the original experience. Practice sharpening your senses by identifying by name all of the herbs and essences you encounter in everything you eat. Challenges are as readily available as the nearest garden, spice-rack, and wine-tasting group.

Braggart

All Eyes on Me

At the conference, I also overheard some valuable tidbits for me to keep in mind. It's really nothing earth-shattering, but still important.

I was assigned to take photos during the Chief Executive Initiative, a forum for Asian executives in the Bay Area. One of the interesting points I heard was that Asians generally do not have swagger and do not know how to brag. This is so true and has to do with the fact that we are brought up as children not to show off, not to stick out, etc. I think this characteristic is one reason Asians as a group generally do not make it far in corporate America, where the braggart gets ahead. A "do-er" will not get ahead, it's those people to talk about doing stuff and talk to the right people in power who move up the ladder.

This is not the first time I've heard this mind you. However, I find it a huge shame that we have to brag in order to get ahead. I dislike bragging and swaggering for the following reason:

1. If I brag about something, and then something bad happens, I would look really stupid and people will be snickering behind my back about how I failed. This is something I really dislike and try to avoid at all costs. It's very embarrassing because you lose face and the respect of your team. I prefer to be conservative and not celebrate prematurely. This is why I may come across as unemotional even when good things happen, but this strategy keeps me sane. I don't like emotional rollercoasters! Stability is good and safe.

Look where bragging and swagger got George W. Bush - into a huge mess! He turned into the laughing stock of the world with his "Mission Accomplished" fiasco. Remember how shortly after the invasion of Iraq, he was wearing a leather bomber jacket and posed with the a banner stating "Mission Accomplished" on a aircraft carrier? Little did he know that the war would drag on and prove to be very unpopular amongst Americans. Maybe if Americans tried being more modest the world would be a better place.

Just a thought.

Self Reflection

Networking

I learned so much from doing yesterday's volunteer work as a photographer. Let me see if I can distill everything here that I learned or observed.

1. I now know why professional photographers have two camera bodies - so they can switch between wide-angle and telephoto views without having to mount a new lens. Each time you remove and mount a lens, dust has a chance to slip onto the sensor. I hate dust specks.

2. It's very hard to take pictures at events because the lighting is so poor. I want to learn how to expose correctly so that a powerpoint screen is visible and the people in front of it too. Here's an example.

3. I need a photography assistant to help put the powerpoint slideshows together. That was the most stressful part of the photography because my "client" expected a slideshow at 5 PM. Plus, I had to manage some other volunteer photographers I have never met before. If I ever do this again, I need a tried and true team that I can trust.

4. Lighting is so difficult at conferences! I wonder how the pros handle that. I already brought my external flash unit.

5. I need to learn how to use my flash better

6. I need to learn how to take consistenly good pictures. Right now it's still hit or miss.

7. I should take more classes.

8. Lightroom saved the day because I was quickly able to resize over 100 pictures for the slideshow. If I didn't resize them, they would have made the ppt too unwieldy.

9. Use the grey card to get a correct white balance. Many of my pics were too yellow because of tungsten lighting I think. This is maybe one reason I should have shot RAW, which would have enabled me to change WB more easily.

There must be some more takeaways. They'll probably come to me when I'm about to fall asleep.

Asians Everywhere

I survived my first gig! I'm exhausted now, but I learned so much about what it feels like to be a real photographer. There is much to tell and you will be the first to hear about it here exclusively. This is one of the better photos I took of audience members. I like how the guy is ignoring my camera and looking natural.

Arbeit

Kein Eintrag heute, denn ich habe zu viel Arbeit und nicht genug Zeit. Ich bin heute Abend sehr muede und muss am Wochenende auch noch arbeiten. Wir lesen gerade Mails von privaten Personen im Rahmen einer Untersuchung. Heute musste ich extra nach Sunnyvale fahren, um eine externe Festplatte mit den Mails abzuholen. Wahnsinnig!

Morgen bekommt ihr einige Fotos von der Konferenz zu sehen. Hoffentlich werden sie gut sein. Bis morgen!

Elitists

People

New York Times is the paper to read if you want to appear educated and cultured. The Wall Street Journal is for business types. My paper subscription to the WSJ ended recently and I haven't renewed it since. In some ways I feel that I'm a bit out of it because I don't read the WSJ daily, but on the other hand, I do subscribe to many online newsletters, so I hope to make up for it that way.

About the picture: This was taken in Commercial Street in the Financial District. I'm trying to take more shots of people so that I can get some practice for Saturday, my big debut. I am going to try very hard not to embarrass myself. Hehe

There hasn't been any really interesting news for me to comment now that Obama's taken over. He's doing a good job I think. His speech at the Cairo University seemed pretty measured and reflect what a lot of people think. I've read some comments from everyday Joe's regarding Obama's speech and many people are proud to have such a well spoken President.

Social commentary

This is my social commentary picture. It shows an old man, looking down and out alongside bright and shiny yuppies enjoying lunch outdoors. The lamp post just happens to dissect the picture between the two groups thereby emphasizing the vast divide which separates their two worlds.

Photographically speaking, the picture is too contrasty because it was taking around noon. It also could have been a stronger picture if I captured the face of the old man. Sometimes you just have no time to compose your pictures perfectly, so I just snapped as fast as I could.

Redhead

Sitting

I wandered around the Embarcadero Center to search for interesting people to photograph. I don't know how other people do street photography. Whenever I pull out my camera it's like people suddenly notice me and decide to cover their face or turn away. That's why I like architectural photography better because they are inanimate and will not turn away from me.

One thing I like about this picture is that her orange hair really contrasted with all the green around her - her clothes, the furniture, the trees.

CD recommendation

I was originally going to take some street scenery, but when I whipped out my camera, I found out that there was no memory card in the camera. So today, instead, we will talk about John Legend's new CD "Evolver." It has 13 tracks and my comments are as follows:

1. Good Morning Intro (Good morning is an annoying song. How many times can you repeat good morning?)

2. Green Light featuring Andre 3000 (Funny lyrics, good beats, fast song)

3. It's Over featuring Kanye West

4. Everybody Knows

5. Quickly featuring Brandy

6. Cross the Line

7. No Other Love featuring Estelle

8. This Time (good)

9. Satisfaction (good beats, you can really head bob to this one!)

10. Take Me Away (slower song, but lovely lyrics)
"Take me away from here/Take me somewhere where love is like breathing/I don't care where we go/Long as I'm there with you Baby"

11. Good Morning (See above)

12. I Love, You Love

13. If You're Out There (inspirational)

The next CD I'm waiting for is Roger Cicero's "Maennersachen", which should arrive mid-June. It's an old CD, but the songs on this one are catchy. Cicero is like a German Michael Buble. Plus, he enunciates, so that people can actually learn from him.