Friday, October 26, 2007

It's Frivilous Friday!

That's why it's perfectly fine to buy a $300 lens with only one focal length and bid on a $250 flash on eBay (which could eventually go up even more). Nevermind that I recently put myself on a monthly budget. These two things have been on my radar for a while, so it's not really that impulsive like most of my other large purchases. I wanted the lens for its HUGE 1.4 f-stop. I'll be taking a lot more perfectly lit flashless photos. If you're reading this, you're probably my friend. And if you're my friend, you're probably narcissistic, so you'll love the fact the Canon f/1.4 50mm lens is one of the best portrait lenses. And if I win the flash, I'll be able to take your portrait even in pitch dark.






UPDATE(!!!!): It's here! I was going to bring my camera to work just in case it comes, but in my haste this morning I forgot. Looks like my ginkgo supplements aren't really doing their job.

it's here!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Monday, October 22, 2007

Corn mazes and pumpkin patches

I'll admit...I love the holiday season. It's a time of year filled with lots of indulgent foods. Halloween is the gateway holiday. It starts with candies and pumpkin related food (pies, seeds, bread, etc.) to get you ready for the larger meals later in the year. What better way to kick off the holiday season than to spend a night at a pumpkin patch with a 30+ acre corn maze?

I prepared for the long journey by eating a tri-tip sandwich and a polish dog in 5 minutes flat. I didn't have a soda, I'm watching what I eat. Who needs sugar when you're pumped on adrenaline? The first 15 minutes in the maze were filled with confidence and excitement. I knew where I was going and would hit the first bridge in the maze soon and get an idea of how long it would take to finish the maze. Another 15 minutes go by and I'm getting hungry and cold. I was Jon Krakauer, a modern adventurer, enduring hunger and pain for the greater good. Eventually we found one of the bridges and the exit shortly after that. I celebrated our journey with a churro and strawberry banana "smoothie" which was more of a slushee. It was a bad choice for a cold October night.

I managed to get some good photos despite being famished.

pumpkins
The patch.

wagon
Posing for photos.

tritip: good
Alexis enjoys a sandwich.

entourage
The rest of the crew.

audrey eating inedible corn
Trying to survive on corn.

crushed
No love for pumpkin.

pumpkin hill
Pumpkin hill.

whatcha gonna do, ya know?
Me and Frank, shootin' the shit.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Project Runway is almost here, or Where is Andrae?




It feels like a few years since Project Runway's season finale aired. I've waited and waited for the new season to start, and guess what? I'm still waiting! What the hell??! Another month? That shouldn't be right.

Since I don't have cable and rely on Audrey for all my Bravo needs, I haven't really had a chance to watch Tim Gunn's show. In my heart of hearts, though, I know even that wouldn't quench my thirst for PR.

For fans of Season 2 (the best!), here's a gem I found on YouTube:

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I need to be somewhere like this

I really need to be where the leaves change colors. So, so pretty. I'm tired of green and brown all the time. Every now and then city living misses big time.

Apple swag

I finally booked a time slot to see an Apple specialist (aka "Genius") about my laptop. For the last couple months, it would charge to 100%, only to completely shut off 15 minutes later without warning. This was strange considering that my battery only had about 115 cycles (a normal battery goes through 300-500 cycles before totally losing its charge). I also brought in my Airport Extreme, which I use with an external drive as server for my computers. It was having trouble showing the disk and pissing me off regularly.

It paid off to book a time because my wait was about 10 minutes, instead of the usual 30+ minutes. The guy was really understanding and after making sure that my battery was a dud, gave me a brand new one. Then I whipped out the Airport and without even testing it, he went and got me another. I was pretty shocked, but nonchalantly said "Oh, cool." I'm sure he saw through my facade, though. My jumping up and down while clapping my hands probably gave it away.

Free stuff from the Apple store
Brand new Airport Extreme and battery.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

I love New York, but I still love SF more

Every time I make a visit to NY, I love it a little more. It's the city that doesn't know how to be boring (though I can't say that for myself when I'm there). The 4am bar closing time kicks my ass every time.

The best part about New York is hangin' with my main bitch, Uyen. She was nice enough to let me stay with her the whole week I was there. "Ban, ma," she would say. Thanks to her I now know how to make eggrolls (why didn't I take pictures of them??!).

Thanks, also, to my other friends who were nice enough to meet up with me while I was there: Ryan, Caitlin and Jeff, Alicia, Jarron and Ben, Joey, and Ellie, who showed me around Philly.

Though my time in NY was well spent, the heat and humidity got to me. I was so glad to be home and walk out into crisp, cold, dry air. Hello, San Francisco!

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When When on the rooftop.

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Fun building across from Uyen's apartment in Brooklyn.

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Stairway to a hot, sweaty hell.

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Young City Fish Balls

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Alleyway that looks like other NY alleyways I've been down.

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Guilty! (In Philadelphia)

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Hangin' by the Delaware River.

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FroYo and Andrew's ass (I think).

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Lookin' good, feelin' good.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Halloween is near

A festive neighbor's door. I feel like I should dress up this year. But what?

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

They took my water away

Airport security took away my water but left my lighter, which was hanging out right next to the water.

Look Around You

Every so often I come across something worth watching on YouTube. That something is called "Look Around You." It's a BBC comedy clip (of about 10 minutes each) that parodies science shows from the 70's and 80's. The beginning is similar to something you'd remember from 3-2-1 Contact. The narrator is reminiscent of (Sir) David Attenborough. The show tackles such scientific topics as water, the brain, germs, and ghosts.

Here's a clip about sulfur (or sulphur, as it is spelled in the UK). The best part of this episode is how they go about disproving sulfur's magnetism. Time is well wasted with this one.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Fruits and veggies

Recently I decided that my diet is not what you'd call "good." In addition to the sheer quantity of food a day, the quality of what I eat doesn't help (read: pastries with frosting/icing, candy, anything fried, etc.). After this realization (and the fact that I couldn't fit into my slim 29" shorts anymore), a change in diet was needed. This means that, yes, I will have to cut out all but three meals (with little snacks between each). For the first week, I felt hungry all the time (I know, I know. You're thinking I'm hungry all the way regardless...screw you!).

I started reading The Man Who Ate Everything by food critic Jeffrey Steingarten and at the very beginning of the book, he lists all the food that he wouldn't ever touch. These things included kimchi, Greek food (!!!), anchovies, clams, okra, and coffee ice cream. I thought: I would happily eat all these things, and quickly so. Then I realized my problem: I have no food aversions...at all. I'll eat anything. It's a great survival mechanism, but it also makes it very easy for me to over eat.

My game plan? Start eating more veggies and fruits. Fruits are easy because they're sweet and don't need much preparation. Also, work provides fruits, so all I have to do is go to the kitchen and pick out something that isn't rotten yet. I've also been doing pretty well with the veggies. I snack on cherry tomatoes and baby carrots. A favorite of mine has been kale, with some lemon juice and pepper. So far so good. Keep your chubby fingers crossed for me.

fruit 2
Kiwis, plums, and grapes.

fruit 1
Banana, apple, pear.