Steak

I took pictures of dinner. What can I say... I take pride in my creations!



At least E cleaned up and did the dishes. :)

Tilt shift

I recently discovered tilt-shift photography - wicked!! Funny thing is, the post-processed fakes are more appealing to me than the pictures taken with an actual tilt-shift lens. The latter is simply a really expensive lens that lets you control the perspective, create neat DOF effects, correct distortions, etc. The former, however, is an art and a skill. An image is processed in a photo editor and given the illusion that it is a miniature model. The secret is in getting just the right degree of Gaussian blur and oversaturation, to give the plastic toy look and make subjects look like figurines. Example: Before | After

Here's a bunch of great examples of fake miniatures. Some of them are crazy good.

Mind-blowingly cool. I'll have to play around with Photoshop this weekend...

EDIT:
It was easier than it seemed - check out my first experiment! (Original pic is from our HK trip this summer)


Original


Tilt-shift fake

Saturday

In past blogs, I seemed only capable of chronicling my weekends, and nothing more. Old habits die hard, I guess. I think it stems from a childish desire to tell someone all about my weekend, and since nobody really cares, it gets dumped into a blog. (That's what blogs are for, right? Public trash receptacle for your thoughts.) In my defense though, this was a rather good one, worthy of a lame post at least.

First, it rained. It was a merciful reprieve from the sweltering heat and humidity; the past week had been so hot that I would melt like a candle just walking down the street. Now it's cool and breezy, balance is restored and the world is happy again. E went to his Ultimate tourney despite the rain, won, and came back covered in mud. I sat at the piano for hours, happily, though I wasn't patient enough to work through the rest of the Bach fugue.

Made a hearty lunch - spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette, Gourmandise Kirsch and crackers, shrimp cocktail, and cranberry tuna salad sandwiches. Broke out our new PB pitcher for lemonade. Puttered around the house a bit before deciding to go shopping. E tagged along. Had Chicago-style pizza for dinner (gorgonzola = good), where E revealed himself to be quite a pizza snob. Hauled the shopping home and fixed some lychee martinis. Meant to play BZFlag with E (as DaBlasta and MrsBlasta) but ended up surfing the web. Maybe tonight...


Lunch!


Bountiful harvest - denim jacket, stretchy tube, shirt and cute pumps for work


Lychee martinis with sake and gin


Toasty and stylin' the new merchandise with baby

Steak for din din. Cow yummy. Grocery shopping and more piano lined up for the afternoon. Still not done polyurethaning the futon... gah.

Love is...

This post is dedicated to the little things that make me happy.

* Skyr - I found this new-fangled yogurt-like snack during one of my rounds at Whole Foods. It's the best thing ever! Brilliant idea. I'm a nut for dairy foods, and this Icelandic creation has me hooked. It's thick, rich, creamy, and best of all, nonfat (imagine that! Can anything be more perfect?). Whole Foods sells skyr as a parfait with berries and granola, and I can't get enough of it. More skyr!

* Karrin Allyson's Footprints - Released in April, this kick-butt album shows up all her previous ones. From Paris to Rio had been a favorite of mine, but it's a different style and at risk of sounding like a traitor, I prefer the classic jazz sound of this newest album. It's odd hearing lyrics to well-known jazz classics not intended for song, but I thought it was a classy twist. I remember when I first heard O Baquinho on the classical and jazz station years ago, when she was still an obscure name... now, Karrin is heard almost every night on NPR Jazz. I love every song on this album, and Karrin is definitely one talented scat cat.

(Herbie Hancock was purchased at the same time; my collection grows. Eeeexcellent.)

* My Canon 75-300mm lens - It's a cheap piece of glass, no IS, but it does good work. Took this last week after one of E's Ultimate tournies:



You can see the freakin' craters! Holy smokes! Okay, so it's really grainy... But hey, you gotta admit it's not bad for a low-end basic telephoto and no tripod.

* Mini weekend trips - Our little road adventure to the Finger Lakes has been finalized. We're staying at a bed and breakfast and doing the usual - hiking, hitting the wine trail, exploring the gorges and waterfalls at the state parks... I'm especially excited about visiting the meadery up there, and the possibility of trout/bass fishing. If the insane heat hasn't done them in yet, we might pick strawberries at a farm. This will be a nice getaway; E is psyched too.

* Curious furballs - I made quiche a few nights ago, and E brought baby closer to steal a whiff (smell but no touch - that sadist).



Cutie + pie! Corny, I know :)

Sleepy time. Lots to do this weekend...

The Ex

The Ex visited this weekend. He was in Philly for business, and decided to stop by. Heh, stop by. (I guess when you live on the other side of the country, driving across the state in a company-paid rental car is nothing.) He looked good. He just earned his Masters from Stanford; between that and his degree from our alma mater, he's set to make waves. Still working for the same gov't defense contractor on stuff he can't talk about.

We chatted about his impending Southeast Asian tour - Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur. When he moved out to Silicon Valley after college, I gave him the contact information for my aunt and uncle, so he won't be all alone. My family can show him around and help him settle in, until he gets acquainted with the area and finds his niche. It was a favor my aunt was doing, because she knew I cared a lot for him even though she didn't care for my ang moh (ex-)boyfriend. Gradually, however, the ice melted and he became the babysitter, the English translator, the incontestable 4th mahjong partner, the surrogate son. Now, 3 years later and after countless subtle attempts to persuade me he'd make a good husband (despite earlier doubts), they're taking him to the places near and dear to their hearts. I think it will be a great trip for him. My mum thinks it's downright disturbing. E is a little jealous, but he 'won' as far as he's concerned, so it doesn't matter.

We reminisced, of course, and laughed about all the stupid things we did. Fraternity stories, spring break at a beach house in Jersey with our posse of 8, timeless quotes and moments, etc. We didn't talk about other things, the memories between us that we remember vividly but know are moot to bring up. E held his own, despite not being in on a lot of the jokes and "remember when"s.

The strangest moment of the weekend must've been when the 3 of us - hubby, myself, and the Ex - were sitting around the dining table, sipping on mojitos, E surgically transplanting one of our plants into another pot, dirt everywhere, the Ex talking about work, cat sitting contentedly on his lap. I had a moment of "whoa", like in the movies where everything suddenly moved like molasses, as I looked at the two men and thought about the choices I made. The well-built, charismatic engineer, who held my hand through college and whom I trusted with my life, and the slender, quiet programmer, my emotional anchor who I promised to love and cherish, till death do us part. They are so similar, yet so different, in too many ways. I couldn't be more glad that our lives crossed paths, but some memories and people are better left in the past. I was so proud of E for being the bigger man and taking everything in stride, and happy that the Ex and I are still great friends in spite of the odds.

He left before dinner to head to the airport, joking about what a bore his first-class trip back to California would be. We said our goodbyes, and as soon as the door closed, I soothed hubby's ego a little before letting the weekend return to normal.

(E rox my sox.)

How now, Mr. Brown?

It all began with a regular Friday Mr Brown column...
Alarm goes off for govt bureaucrats; scathing response from the press secretary to the Minister of Information, Communications, and the Arts
Mr Brown suspended from newspaper column - the masses react
Article on BoingBoing
Article on Slashdot
A whole bunch of people write about it
Reporters sans frontieres (RSF) are up in arms
What some commenters find this whole situation seeming like
Singapore ranks 140th in worldwide freedom of press survey conducted by RSF

This is disturbing, unsurprising, and heartening all at once. Disturbing that the government's (over)reaction was compared to communist China; that the newspaper may as well be owned by the government (imagine the propagandistic chow that local minds get fed everyday); that the debate brings out the worst in some people, and it's scary to know what they are really thinking.

But I wasn't/am not shocked; nobody should be. While the ministry's response wasn't the most sensible, I can understand why there is a low tolerance for any opposition to the government. (It's one of many unusual strategies in a handbook that might be titled How To Rule A Small, Young, Densely Populated and Incredibly Diverse Country.) If the people are unhappy, the government might honestly not realize this (huge disconnect common of any government), or choose to sweep it under the rug and dress it up with optimism and fancy statistics for the above reason. **Who knows why Singapore's government is so famously stuffy; I'm taking a generous stance here, though it's hard not to appear either ignorant/docile or a conspiracy theorist.** Anyway - so naturally, if someone were to write about the government/our way of life with even a hint of criticism, they will be on you. (Personally, I find it a little humorous that the ministry's defense was calling Mr Brown a liar and a coward - the article a "polemic" and "distortion of truth" while the author "hides behind a pseudonym". His article rings true for many; the letter and the effective shutting up of any further dissent won't help their case.) Unhappy is as unhappy does and of course, the S'porean blogosphere is shaken up and there is a tremendous outpouring of concern, show of support, etc. for the 'fallen hero'. It must not be easy being Mr Brown right now.

Finally, it's heartening that there is such a furor over this. At the very least, it means that people care. Many responses are the run-of-the-mill "this sucks" whining and echoes from lemmings, but a good number also offer constructive solutions and proposed actions. The people are not dormant; they are aware, and want something better. A few provided insightful comments that were a comforting sign that there is hope yet.

Model 21st century state or 3rd world authoritarian rule? Perhaps both, but we are still young and will need to work through more strife before the perfect balance can be struck.

Spud Wars

OMG. Leave it to ThinkGeek to come up with this.


Artoo Potatoo

Also: Darth Tater, Spud Trooper. No Luke Frywalker.

I love how Spud Trooper is holding a potato masher. :) Hahahaha!

Futon on the Fourth

July 4th was a gloomy wet mess in Pittsburgh. Too bad for all the BBQ parties and picnics that never happened (*hint of schadenfreude*). I was happy as a clam inside, with the iPod on shuffle as I stained the new futon a deep dark ebony.

If people knew exactly how excited this futon makes me, they might be a little scared. It's exciting for several reasons - it's a brand new piece of furniture, NOT a cheap dorm futon from IKEA, and we could afford it with our very own money without putting a dent in our wallets. What can be more exciting than that? Almost everything else in the house is second-hand, from college, or both - the dining table, office desk, pantry shelves, bed, dressers... Which makes this our first *real* homebuilding piece. When we move to a *real* place, it can have a special place in the guest room or study, and when we've little tykes napping on it, we can reminisce about how we bought it when we were still renting a place with crooked walls and creaking floorboards.

Speaking in the not-so-distant future, I'm ecstatic that I will finally be able to un-train myself from sitting the way I did on the old couch, for fear of it collapsing. The thought of being able to throw myself on the futon after a hard day's work, lean back during a movie, cuddle up with my laptop... mind-boggling!

It was a beautiful feeling, lathering the unfinished wood with TLC. Lying in a corner is the mattress, which we splurged on an upgrade for; picked out cream covers to go with it. *does a little dance* So far I've finished staining.. well, everything, and all that's left is the polyurethane. 'Before' and 'after' pics are in order - coming soon...

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I ran out of stain halfway through, and E, who was blasting marauders on EV Nova, made a run to Lowe's to get more. The poor guys there worked till 8pm (on the 4th!) because Home Depot was open that late. Tough. E swung by the fireworks tent along the way and picked up a bag full of goodies. No outdoor grilling for us, but dinner was satisfying all the same - buffalo wings, mac 'n cheese, hot dogs, corn on the cob. :) We snuck up to Schenley Golf Club's green and watched the fireworks in a distance, before setting off some of our own. Some kids in the neighborhood wandered over when we set off the whistling rockets and sparks, and a few guys opened up their windows and cheered... our own little fireworks show on the street corner.

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Muddled some mojitos tonight. Best drinks ever.

Kibbles 'n bits of randomness

I love warm summer nights. Sitting in bed with my laptop, the A/C humming, jazz playing, hubby typing away on his laptop...

* Been hooked on Firefly lately. Borrowed the DVD set from a friend, and we've been pacing ourselves with the episodes - only 2 or 3 a night, save the rest for the next day. We're down to the last 4 episodes now... sad. It's hard to understand why it only had one season - I mean, look at Stargate SG-1. Corny, plots are predictably about mind control or alternate dimensions, yet it's going on its 10th freakin' season. Firefly is so cool; the cast is great, the script is clever, the plots are fairly original, fun to watch, and I get a kick out of the random Chinese mutterings. Why no Firefly? :(

* E was on a business trip to VA, and as usual, his boss flew them in that little puddle-jumper of his. I've always been skeptical and a little disapproving (it's so small! looks unsafe). What's wrong with taking a commercial flight, like everybody else?

I arrived early when I went to the county airport to pick E up. Wandered around the parking lot, which was separated from the tarmac only by a low fence. The sun was setting, there was a gentle breeze, and the horizon was so... uncluttered. There were little planes parked nearby, but my view was mostly sky. Standing there, I felt so small, and it was such an amazingly refreshing and tranquil feeling. I would spot a light in a distance, and a few minutes later, a little jet would touch down gracefully on the runway. The powerful roar of the engine and the smell of jet fuel with that peaceful backdrop left quite an impression; no glass panes between me and the planes, like at big airports... just the sky, mini servings of brilliant engineering, and me. So damn cool.

Now, I guess I don't mind it as much when E flies on his boss' plane. And I totally understand why girls dig pilots.

* We bought a futon today! Finally. It's been a long time coming, and we're sick of patching up the sad, old, second-hand, cheap Ikea couch that's broken in 10 different places, with metal braces to hold it together. The metal braces look like bandaids. We've been hemming and hawing about getting a futon for months, and at last, even though we had no intention of buying or even hauling it back today, we did it. As we carried the 130 lb mattress to the car, people at al fresco cafes stared on like we'd just returned from a fishing expedition with a baby whale. The mattress and frame took a little brain-wracking (and sheer brute force) to stuff in the modest car. Afterwards, we celebrated with a little Italian ice from a place down the street. While we were getting gelati, I can't believe I actually worried that somebody would break in and grab the futon from the car, which was a block away, in broad daylight.

E: "I don't know who would be masochistic enough to steal a futon. I mean, he can't get very far... just look for the guy with a mattress on his back, hobbling down the street."

Ha! Picture that. And our futon was indeed safe.

* Not that this is news, but I love Pepper.


Furry ball of mischief and infinite cuteness


Baby and me

We recently put her on a weight management diet cos she's getting puffy. Still shedding like crazy. Since we came back from S'pore, even though she was in a friend's care, she would purr like a motorboat every time we came near her. It makes me fuzzy knowing that she missed us.