カメラ男 - Camera Man

A New Year, A New Me

2012-01-05T12:48:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again... new year resolutions!

Before I get started with my goals for this year, lets take a look back how how I did with last year's goal of losing 30 lbs. Armed with health and lifestyle tips courtesy of "The Four Hour Body" and some motivation I wasn't aware existed within myself; I managed to cross that goal off by July. The downside (if you could call it that) to meeting my goal with plenty of time, is it made me a bit complacent the rest of the year. I lost 30 lbs the first half of the year, and only 5 lbs the latter half of the year. Overall a success, but it could have been an even better success!

That journey to a leaner me not only adjusted my diet, but also expanded my horizons in search of exercise. Snowboarding, lots of hiking, hot yoga, and even a little bit of running thrown in the mix. Overall, it was a very fulfilling year!

This year, I'm looking to do a repeat of last year's goal, to lose 30 lbs by year's end. This will put my body fat percentage right about normal... someplace I haven't been at for a LONG time! To get there, I'll be continuing on with my new lifestyle, making a few adjustments along the way. Last year I started out with a pretty strict Slow Carb Diet (as described in "The Four Hour Body"), slowly modifying it to be less and less strict... probably the reason for the slower weight loss in the latter half of the year. This year, I'll be transitioning that to more of a Primal diet (as described in "The Primal Blueprint").

But, that's not all! I've also made a resolution to cook something new and/or interesting roughly once a week. This goal is bound to fail, as I don't want to make it a S.M.A.R.T. Goal. Circumstances can get in the way, so rather then get down on myself for maybe missing a week, I'd rather just enjoy this culinary journey; and maybe let a few of my friends enjoy it too... some already have :)

The encouragement from friends and family last year certainly helped me to achieve my weight loss goal. If you would like to help me achieve my goal this year; keep the kind words coming, and make your quality time with your's truly spent doing physical activities instead of happy hour and drinking (although, there's always room some happy hour and alcohol consumption here and there:).

Changes - Part II

2011-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Like the seasons, I too change. Sometimes frequently, other times slowly. One of the more dramatic changes in life came after I picked up the book "The 4 Hour Body" by Tim Ferris. While at the core, I'm still the same me. However, something clicked when I started reading that book.

It transformed me, it gave me the will power to do what I had wanted to do for the longest time; but never have. It didn't cause me to decide to lose weight, but it caused me to actually be able to lose weight. It set me on the course to find a new me... which is still the same old me, just a better version :)

I read "The 4 Hour Body" in December of 2010, perfect timing for setting a new years resolution. My New Year's resolution, lose 30 lbs by years end. Being in the 250 lb range pushing slowly up toward 260 lbs, it couldn't have come sooner! I am proud to say, I've met my New Year's resolution with quite a few months to spare; July 1st marked my 30 lbs lost.

While I contribute the majority of my success to diet, exercise in the form of hiking has been a large factor as well. 28 hikes, covering 165 miles and 50,000 vertical feet. One of the great side effects all of this hiking has had is it helped me re-discover a love of nature photography. I'll stop here with a few photos from my recent adventures, enjoy!

Changes

2011-08-22T22:04:00.001-07:00

Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5 Years? 10 years? I must say that I absolutely despise that question; mainly because my answer is "I have no idea."

The me from a year ago never would have thought that I would be where I am now. I wouldn't have said I would take up snowboarding again, diet and exercise, lose 30 pounds, plan to lose 30 more pounds, go running (by choice), hike 24 times the following summer (with plans to do more), forgo biking, and the list goes on and on.

I've come to the conclusion that life is just a constant state of change; some forced, some by choice. The goal isn't to fight change, but to welcome it; soaking in the good, and trying not to get caught up in the bad.

Hiking - Mt. Si

2011-06-14T21:23:00.001-07:00

A year ago I hiked Mt. Si with some friends; horribly out of shape, but somehow, I managed to make it up to the top. But, I felt utterly defeated; and decided that one day in the future I would revisit Mt. Si. Oddly enough, that one day in the future ended up being exactly 1 year to the day.

My hiking companions and myself made it to the top in 1 hour and 55 minutes... a pretty good pace with minimal stops. This time, that feeling of defeat escaped me :)

I have a whole list of hikes in the Snoqualmie Pass area to climb, so far I've knocked off: Poo Poo Point (Tiger Mountain) (x5), Rattlesnake Ledge, and Mt. Si.

Many more to go...

It's hiking time!

2011-06-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

As the weather begins to clear and get more summer like around here, I'm finding myself more and more antsy to get out and enjoy all the wonders of the northwest.

It was a pretty amazing winter as far as snow goes in the mountains this year, which was great for getting back into snowboarding after 7-8 year hiatus. However, it means a longer wait for the higher elevation hiking trails to be free of snow. A little snow isn't bad, but traversing a snow covered trail along a steep mountainside isn't my idea of a good time!

In the mean time though, I've taken to hiking Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain. Those of you in the Issaquah area may know it as the place the paragliders launch themselves off the mountain. I've taken a liking to this hike mainly because it's nearby, relatively short, and provides a good workout (courtesy of the 2000 feet of vertical gain). It makes for a great after-work workout when the weather is nice.

Of course, when the weather gets nicer I have a list of mountains I'd like to summit around the North Bend area... I'll worry about that when the time comes. In the meantime, a few photos from my Poo Poo Point excursions.

Snowboarding again.

2011-03-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

A handful of my friends enjoy hitting the slopes, and had been asking me if I was interested in joining them. I had been before, roughly 6-8 years ago, but was never any good. So I was reluctant to want to go again partially for that reason, but mainly because I didn't have snow gear that fit. So of all the times I've been asked to join last year and the beginning of this season, my answer was always, "I'll pass."

Five plus years of a relatively inactive life style adds up around the waist. However, I did what most people do on the New Year, and made a resolution to lose weight. I've done this before without much success; but something just clicked this time and I found the motivation to succeed. Two months later, my snow gear fit again, and I didn't have a reason anymore to decline the invitation to join my friends on the slopes. I suppose it would have been easier to just buy larger pants, and since starting I've bought all new gear except pants.

I've been following (as best I can), the slow carb diet as mentioned in "The Four Hour Body." Along with a bit of exercise and a lot of drinking. Although, the drinking probably hinders the progress rather than helps it. So far I've lost about 25 pounds, and I am aiming to lose another 30 pounds to get to the weight I want to be at.

Anyways, below are a few photos from my snowboarding adventures. I've boarded 8 days this year; 4 at Steven's Pass, 1 at Crystal Mountain, 1 at Mission Ridge, and 2 at Whistler. Not too bad, considering I didn't start going until February.

Winter Wine Tasting

2011-01-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Last summer I visited a friend in Yakima; it was late afternoon (or early evening), and we decided to go to a winery or two in Zillah for a tasting. However, minimal research beforehand left us discovering after a 30-minute drive that all the wineries had closed up shop for the day (and do so around 5pm). Thus, our wine tasting was thwarted.

Fast forward half a year or so, I have found myself in Yakima again. My friend and I arrived in eastern Washington right around lunch time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in January: clear skies, not too cold. Our first adventure was to find lunch, which proved to be a bit more difficult than expected. It turns out that quite a few restaurants there have limited days/hours of operation. It must just be the slower Yakima pace of life--definitely not the big city!

After walking around the block not having much luck finding open restaurants, the neon glow of an open sign at Russillo's Pizza and Gelato caught our attention, and so it was decided. After lunch, we headed out towards Zillah to begin the wine tastings.

I recall last summer how beautiful it looked while driving through the area with all the wineries with such lush greenery from the vineyards and orchards nestled amongst the Rattlesnake Hills. It probably had something to do with the contrast of irrigation-assisted vegetation in a desert-like area. It's very picturesque, and I definitely recommend checking it out sometime yourself. However, one thing about desert areas in the winter time, when the irrigation ditches run dry and the orchards and vineyards lie leafless in hibernation, the scene is entirely different. It looks so barren and slightly eerie if you time it with the pruning of the fruit trees. I heard it's a rather beautiful scene blanketed in snow, but alas, there was no snow during our visit.

I must admit, I'm a horrible wine connoisseur... I can't pick out all the intricacies in the aromas and flavors. My taste buds just don't seem to be cut out for the challenge. But I do enjoy wines, and I enjoy the time spent with a good friend roaming from winery to winery, stopping in between to snap random photos amongst the orchards. We visited three wineries--Bonair, Paradisos del Sol, and Portteus--all of which I enjoyed for various and differing reasons. Perhaps next time I'll take some more notes and offer up something a little more in depth. Until then...

A new year, a new me... hopefully

2011-01-14T14:22:00.001-08:00

It's a tradition as old as time... New Years resolutions. Some random website claims the first recorded New Years resolutions were made by the Babylonians 4000 years ago; which revolved around returning borrowed farm equipment, as I guess the New Year coincided with the start of their growing season. For whatever reason, we continue this tradition of resolving to improve ourselves every year on the new year... which is really just an arbitrary point in time.

I suppose I will stop pondering why we wait until this specific day to set down a path of self improvement, when we should be doing this every day any time of the year. So anyways, the follower that I am, I too set resolutions on the new year; as can be seen from prior entries on this blog.

This most recent New Years (as with the last one), my friends and I gathered at one of our houses to drink away 2010 and share with each other our goals for 2011. Only, I couldn't drink due to being on antibiotics that doesn't mix well with alochol... but that's another story. My goal is probably one of the most common, if not THE most common among Americans... to lose weight. I enjoy sharing my goals with my friends, as I know they'll be supportive of my endeavor.

Have I started? Actually, I started a week prior to the end of the year. I had been reading "The Four Hour Body" by Timothy Ferris and picked up a few ideas from that with regards to weightloss, the biggest being a change in my diet; which used to be eat and drink anything and everything to a diet plan called the Slow Carb Diet. This diet is summed up as: No white carbohydrates, no fruits, no dairy. This pretty much leaves me with meat, beans, and veggies. It does specify taking a day off once a week to eat whatever your stomach desires. You gotta like that!

Having started this diet, I've become more interested in other health related aspects. I'm thinking 2011 will be a year of experimentation; which will hopefully lead to a new and improved me.

Seattle's Little Saigon

2011-01-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine organized a photography contest as part of her internship at SCIDpda; the focus being Seattle's Little Saigon. It's already done and over with, but here are the photos I submitted... I didn't win anything though :(

A new year, a look back

2011-01-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

The last few years I've done a look back at the photos and events I've covered. I feel a bit overwhelmed though, so rather than pick out the high lights, I thought I'd go tally up and categorize my various photography "outings".

But first a pure count... I ventured out with camera in hand for 61 different photoshoots/events/proposals/weddings/whatever, and took a total of 14,980 photos with my fancy camera... and 2,355 photos with my point and shoot "just for fun" camera... and I'll estimate about 1,000 photos (of food/drink/random stuff) with my iPhone.

All in all, not a bad year. As for the types of stuff I did...

Photoshoots (24)

Ladies (16)
Dudes (4)
Kids (2)
Families (1)
Maternity (1)
Pets (1)

Engagement Ceremonies, Proposals, and Weddings (6)
Events and Volunteering (10)
Personal Photo Walks (3)
Real Estate (2)

Well, there you have it... a blog entry about photography and not even a single photo to accompany it, lol.

Mt. Rainier - Skyscraper Pass to Burroughs Mountains

2010-09-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Having been to the Sunrise side of Mt. Rainier three times in nearly as many weeks; I'm beginning to feel like I know the area like the back of my hand. It's a rather nice feeling actually. The very first time I went to Sunrise yeas ago, I was checking and double checking my map at every trail junction. Now, I just seem to know where all the trails go. There is a vast network of trails I have yet to explore though... in due time.

After my last visit to Sunrise, I almost immediately felt a desire to return. I expressed that thought on facebook, and my friend who is also an avid hiker said, "let's go Sunday." So, we did!

The weather forecast wasn't looking good, but we took our chances and went anyways. When we arrived, the skies were mostly cloudy with a few sun breaks and the temperature was in the mid 30's (yikes!). But no precipitation... yet. The forecast called for a 40% chance of precipitation, but all we got was a few brief and very light snow flurries... yes, I said snow! As the day went on, the weather got better and better.

Onwards, to the hike. Like all my hikes so far that start at the Sunrise Visitor Center; the first destination is Frozen Lake. A 1.5 mile hike gaining about 400 feet. From here, you get to make a decision as to where you go... as you have 5 options! Today, we took the Wonderland Trail west towards Skyscraper Pass. Our original plan was to hike to Skyscraper Pass, and scurry up to Skyscraper Peak. But the clouds weren't exactly cooperating at the time we summitted the pass, and the peak was completely covered! So we skipped that and continued down the other side of the pass for a quarter mile or so... at which point, our slightly crazy journey began!

We decided to leave the trail here, and planned to trek around and up the west side of the Burroughs Mountains. Cliffs and unstable steep slopes covered in ginormous rocks impeded our path along the ridge, so we cut down into the valley through a little forest. A quarter mile jaunt across the valley floor brought us to a VERY steep (but still safe) hill to climb. My GPS charted this hill as being about 600 feet in a 1/3 of a mile. After that workout and a half, we were too worn out to take on Third Burroughs Mountain, so we continued up another 400 feet to Second Burroughs Mountain.

After a few minutes of taking in the views, we started making our way back to Sunrise via familiar trails... The Burroughs Mountain Trail to Frozen Lake, then back to Sunrise via the Sourdough Ridge Trail. All in all, we covered 8.5 miles (1 mile of which was off trail) in 4 hours and 45 minutes. The weather, while cold, offered up some spectacular views of Mt. Rainier and surrounding peaks and valleys. If you're adventurous, definitely give this route a try!! I can't wait to go back :)

Mt. Rainier - Burroughs Mountain

2010-08-31T23:20:00.001-07:00

On a cloudy Sunday morning, my hiking partner for the day arrived to my house bright and early, still a little bit partied out from the night before. She had a chance to catch up on sleep on the drive there though. I was a little worried the weather would inhibit views of the mountain, which would have put a damper on my friend's first visit to Mt. Rainier. But alas, as we got closer and closer to our destination, the skies slowly opened up revealing the blue sky and sunshine. By the time we finished though, the clouds had moved in... hiking early has it's advantages :)

Anyways, our destination was the Burroughs Mountains; a hike I've done a few times and ranks as one of my favorites in Mt. Rainier National Park. We started out ascending from the parking lot to the Sourdough Ridge Trail and heading towards Frozen Lake. Hiking along this trail offers views of our eventual destination and path back; as well as majestic views of Mt. Rainier, glimpses into the Emmons Morraine, and many surrounding peaks in the Cascade Mountains.

At Frozen Lake, there's a 5 way junction of trails that will take you back to Sunrise via the Wonderland Trail; up to the Mt. Fremont Lookout; to Berkely Park, Skyscraper Pass and beyond via the Wonderland Trail; or the path we took, the Burroughs Mountain Trail up to First Burroughs Mountain. There were still some patches of snow along the trail up First Burroughs Mountain, but the path was well trodden and easy going... much different from when I did this hike about a month prior (which was rather scary!).

One thing about me, I don't have a fear of heights; but I do have a fear of falling. And in the case of last month, a fear of slipping on the very small, hardly beaten snowy path and falling down the very steep hill and bashing my head on the rocks below. Luckily for me, my fear kept me very cautious and I managed to avoid all of that :)

Back to this hike, we made it up First Burroughs Mountain without any incident, and continued on the Burroughs Mountain Trail past the Sunrise Rim Trail junction up to Second Burroughs Mountain. The views atop Second Burroughs Mountain are A-MAZ-ING!! Mt. Rainier is so close it feels like you can reach out and grab it. You have great views of the surrounding area; Inter Glacier and Glacier Basin, the Emmons Glacier and the Emmons Morraine and the White River, and west towards Third Burroughs Mountain. I actually didn't know there was a Third Burroughs Mountain until today; when I overheard a park ranger talking about it. Today though, Second Burroughs was our turn around point; and Third Burroughs will have to wait for another day.

We headed back down towards First Burroughs Mountain, then took the Sunrise Rim Trail. This trail takes you down the other side of First Burroughs Mountain, down to Sunrise Camp, Shadow Lake, and back to the Sunrise parking lot... with plenty of breath-taking views along the way.

Overall, we covered 6.67 miles and 1600 feet of total ascent in 3 hours (2.5 hours moving, 30 minutes of resting and enjoying the views). As I mentioned somewhere in this massive wall of text, this is one of my favorite hikes on Mt. Rainier; and I highly recommend it! Just be careful and check trail conditions to avoid getting caught off guard with potential snow covered trails.

Mt Washington - Owl Hike Spot

2010-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I was setting up a hiking trip with a friend; we were trying to find a destination that was nearby and relatively short, as we had time constraints. After looking around a bit, we decided on doing the Mt. Washington - Owl Hike Spot. It's located within an hour of Seattle, 4 miles round trip, 1600 feet of elevation gain, and promised "grand views" as one description put it. Another description from a hiker's blog also said the destination had "an amazing view". It certainly sounded promising!

When hiking, I enjoy a hike with some sort of destination that inspires your jaw to drop... or at least makes your jaw think about dropping. Something with an amazing view of the lands below, an amazing waterfall, a lake nestled between peaks, etc etc.
So, it sounded like we had our hike. Well, after we did the hike... I must say, it fell a bit more on the lackluster side of things. I'd hardly say the view was "amazing" or "grand". It was so un-inspiring that when we got to the spot, we questioned whether that really was the destination or not... and hiked another half mile up the trail; only to find out that it was, indeed, the destination.

At 1600 feet elevation gain over 2 miles, the grade of the trail is similar to Mt. Si (which is 3200 feet over 4 miles). The hike switches back and forth along the face of Mt. Washington, which offers some interesting rock cliffs and a shallow cave or two... popular with rock climbers. It's close proximity to I-90 means you're constantly hearing the roar of cars and trucks passing down below. The roar of the cars doesn't get drowned out by the trees and distance until after you pass the Owl Hike Spot. It's definitely not an escape into nature. While it was an enjoyable hike, due to the company I had... my recommendation would be to go elsewhere.

Back to my roots, ever so briefly

2010-05-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance for the self reflection, I just got to thinking about why I do what I do, and how it's changed over the past year or so; with regards to photography. All this just because I was trying to come up with something to write about my weekend.

Anyways, in the past I used to almost always have my trusty digital SLR and a lens or two when I went and did stuff... meetups, friend's events, stuff like that. As I was trying to put some words down about my Saturday, I realized that the two events (friend's graduation, and another friend's musical performance) I went to and didn't photograph, are things I probably would have photographed in the past. Perhaps it's due to the slightly overwhelming backlog of photos I have to post process. Which got me to thinking... I really need to stay on top of my post processing. That covers my Saturday.

Sunday consisted of a 20 mile bicycle ride with a little praying that it wouldn't rain during the ride. It did rain a little bit, but nothing too crazy. Afterwards, my bicycling partner in crime wanted to do some flower/garden photography; and invited me (and my lenses, lol) along. Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill became our destination, and the plants/flowers in the Conservatory became our subject. After they kicked us out (closed for the day), we continued snapping away outside. Thinking back, I remember how peaceful it was; just laying in the grass and watching the flowers dance in the wind, through my lens. I need more of that...

A Moving Picture (flowers in the wind)

Photography. Why?

2010-04-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's interesting, that just a few choice words can cause that spark that sets that fire ablaze. I remember growing up having an interest in taking pictures. First with a cheap little 110mm film camera, then I saved up to buy a 35mm film camera (not an slr). I was never heavily into it, just a few snapshots here and there.

Where did my spark come from that sent me down the path I'm on? I'd have to say it was one day after work, my friend and I randomly decided to cruise around Mt. Rainier, and we took a few pictures. This was right around the time digital point and shoots were at 3mp. Anyways, we did that, and upon reviewing our photos, he told me I had an eye for photography. I didn't know any of the "rules" of photography, or how to photoshop, or anything for that matter. But those simple words of encouragement sent me into this downward spiral of spending money, lol. And I must say, I'm happy where it's sent me.

So, I encourage you (my avid reader, singular), to provide that spark for someone you know; give them words of encouragement in whatever it is they're persuing. Or who knows, they may not even know they're persuing it until you put that thought in their head.

Back to my photography...

Current Project: "The Couch" Series

Upcoming Project: Mud

Two-Tone?

2009-10-28T16:45:00.001-07:00

My post processing is, for the most part, true to the original photograph. A little pop here and there and I call it a day. I don't usually venture too far in that regard. But change is good, and sometimes you just need to take a leap off the high dive.

While it's certainly not new, it is to me. I stumbled upon this style accidentally when doing some of my more typical post-processing a while ago. And every once in a while, I like to revisit it. It doesn't work for all images, but for the ones it does it certainly gives it a different feel.

I do find it a bit ironic though, in that I'm taking an image created using very expensive photography equipment, and turning the result into something that easily could have been created using a simple point and shoot camera.

Oh well, what do you think?

An Autumn Sunday - Family Candids

2009-10-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

If you asked me how my Sunday was last weekend, I'd respond with "it was great!" I didn't waste it away watching the Seahawks get slaughtered, or spending the day inside avoiding the beautiful autumn weather we were blessed with. I spent it roaming Seattle with camera in hand while I stalked (I mean photographed) my friend's family just out and about in Seattle.

We roamed about the Pike Place Market area, then stopped by a park to play in the autumn leaves. The kids weren't digging the city part too much, but the smiles came out at the park. Good times!

I really enjoy the candid nature of these relaxed and fun portraits in a dynamic environment. Every family should have photos like this. Holler my way when you are ready for your's ;)

These are just a few photos from the many!

An 'easy' hike - Emmons Morraine

2009-10-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Ever since my hike back in the summer of 2008, I've wanted to find my way into the valley pictured on that blog entry. Well, one year later, I can finally check that off my to-do list.

I recruited a few friends to join me on this nice leisurely stroll in the Emmons Morraine, September 2009. Well, I imagine it was a nice leisurely stroll before the floods in November 2006 took care of the river crossing and a good chunk of the trail (which we never really used).

After a short stroll up the Glacier Basin Trail, we found a way to cross the river and head into the Emmons Morraine. Overall, we hiked about 5 miles, but I'll tell you, that was the longest 5 miles ever! But (for me anyways), it was one of the most enjoyable hikes I've done. Something about bush-whacking your way to the face of the largest glacier in the lower 48 states is exciting. Tough work for sure, but in my opinion, it was worth it!

So, who's up for another hike? lol.

Wedding, Music, and some just for fun

2009-06-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

I seem to be slacking when it comes to writing about my recent endeavors. Since my last entry, I've been keeping rather busy... unfortunately, not so much in the photography department. But I've managed to photograph a variety of subjects...

Starting with some wedding photography. My friend and fellow photographer Eva Huynh invited me to tag along and help out with this shoot; and snap a few photos of my own. Good times, and congrats to Chinh and Vu :)

Next on the list is some music photography. My friend's band, Pin Pon Dash, was playing. A band from Japan, The John's Guerrilla, also performed; so I snapped a few photos of them too. If there's one thing I like better than photography, it's doing photography for friends just for fun. It has all the joys of photography, no stress, and the chance to make someone other than myself happy with my photography.

And finally, I met up with my wonderful friend Helen and snapped a few photos... in the forest. The forest location wasn't quite what I had in envisioned (I need to search more), and the original concept wasn't ready; but as always, it was a good time and I managed to get a few photos that we both liked. (Big props to Helen for laying down on the bacteria/bug infested bed of foresty stuff :). One thing I've realized lately though, is the photos that I like the most usually aren't the same ones my beautiful models like the most :o

And it won't end there... I have a few shoots planned for the near future, and a handful of people interested in doing a photoshoot... just need to schedule that. And summer is nearly here, which hopefully puts me out and about wandering around aimlessly getting my fix for nature and landscape photographs.

Will photograph for food

2009-05-14T18:05:00.001-07:00

My friend was in need of some portraits; so naturally she went to the best photographer to do the job... or maybe the only one she knew? Anyways, I've never been much of a fan of taking money from friends; so when the topic of payment comes up, I always suggest treating me out to dinner.

Seeing as how I've so far only done photos for friends, my wallet hasn't gotten fatter; but perhaps my belly has :o Anyways, my most recent 'payment' was at one of my favorite sushi restaurants, Chiso.

Which got me thinking about this post that I wrote almost a year ago to this day. One year later, have I been able to visit the 6 restaurants I listed in that blog entry? Nope! Not even half! I blame this on Chiso. Once I discovered them, I haven't had any reason to go anywhere else for my sushi cravings. I know what I'll get at Chiso time and time again; delicious and fresh food, great service, and a friendly sushi chef to chat with.

But, I still want to try the other places... sometime. Anyone want to join me?

Book - "Infrared Japan"

2009-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

"Infrared Japan" is my first self published book of photographs taken by yours truly. It isn't my first time creating a book, I've been involved in an on-going photography community book making project for 3 years, working on our 3rd book. I'm rather familiar with what it takes to make everything come together. But I'm not a graphic designer, so I enlisted the help of my friend, Yoeun Pen, to help tweak my preliminary design. And tweak it he did! The end result is, in my opinion, an amazing book!

Just what exactly is "Infrared Japan"? Well, exactly what the title says; infrared photos from Japan. Specifically, infrared photographs that were taken during my recent vacation in Japan. All of the photographs in the book are available to view/buy on my website; but I know you need a nice coffee table book of my infrared photos as well! Keep an eye out for my next book, "Colour Japan", in the near future :)

"Infrared Japan" - $44.95 (hardcover, 40 pages)
45 Infrared Black & White Photographs
Self published through Blurb.com

You can preview some of the book here: "Infrared Japan" book preview.

Seattle Restaurant Speed Reviews

2009-01-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

With the exception of holidays and the time during my trip to Japan, I've been keeping busy enjoying a variety of Seattle restaurants with the Japanese Meetup group. Every week for as long as I've been going (July '08), we've been to a different restaurant. I imagine one of these days we'll have to revisit restaurants; but so far Jason is doing a superb job finding tasty and interesting places to eat.

For these reviews, I'll following along with the same format as a prior post, "A few more Restaurant Reviews... quick and short." Short, to the point blurbs about my impression of the food and service. Keep in mind that these are with groups anywhere from 10-40 people, so may not be the best description for what a typical group of 2-4 people would experience. But for the most part, I continue to be amazed at how well all the places are able to handle very large groups.

Lalibela - Central District
~ 30 people. First time eating Ethiopian food, but not the first time eating with my hands. Friendly service, tasty food.

Rosita's Mexican Grill - Greenlake
~15 people. American Mexican food. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either. Small menu... I'd rather go an an Azteca or something.

Mulleady's - Magnolia
~25 people. Irish pub, pretty good pub grub. If you're in Magnolia with a craving for some Guiness and Irish pub food, it's a good place to stop by.

Issian - Wallingford
~20 people. Fairly new Japanese izakaya type place. Sushi bar too. Tasty food, friendly service. Check it out!

663 Bistro - International District
~38 people. Quick, cheap... typical International District Chinese food. Nothing special, but it hit the spot.

La Casa del Mojito - Lake City
~24 people. Great Cuban food. First time I've had 'Cuban food', but it was good. It's small, but good stuff. Great drinks too.

Rocking Wok - Wallingford
~21 people. Chinese place tucked away a few blocks off 45th. Some good food and pretty cheap.

Pomodoro - East Lake
~18 people. Spanish food in a nice romantic (?) atmosphere. Not really the best for a large group, but they were very accomodating and the food was tasty. A little expensive, but worth it.

The Himalayan Kitchen - Ravenna
~27 people. Mostly Indian, but they feature some dishes from other cuisines that come from countries around the Himalayan Mountains. Good stuff, and very accomodating to our group that slowly trickled in...

Yanni's Greek Restaurant - Greenwood
~8 people. The snow made for a lighter than normal turnout. Good food, friendly service, decent prices.

Chinoise - Madison Valley
~16 people. My appetite was satisfied as were my taste buds, but my wallet was a bit lighter than expected afterwards. If I can't decide what kind of Asian food I want, chances are this fusion restaurant will fit the bill... but if I have a specific craving, there's better places to go to fulfill it.

Kallaloo - Columbia City
~17 people. Delicious food, nice clean restaurant in a part of town I've never really been before. Definitely would enjoy going back. The sign over the urinal seems a little odd though (pictured).

Well, that closes out 2008 and opens up the first two dinners for 2009. I'm looking forward to visiting many more new (to me) places... and maybe even revisiting some older ones. Really just writing this so I can keep track of where I've been; but all the better if you find some sort of use out of it too.

The New Year

2009-01-02T08:37:00.001-08:00

Last year I didn't explicitly set any New Years resolutions, probably because I failed miserably at keeping the ones I set for myself in 2007. Not having any resolutions for 2008 wasn't a bad thing though, I accomplished quite a bit last year; with the bonus of not feeling guilty about not being able to 100% stay true to some arbitrary list.

However, seeing my friend's list of 22 goals for 2009 gave me a little inspiration to come up with a handful of my own. Perhaps if I don't call them resolutions or goals, I'll feel better at the end of the year if they don't all come true. So, without further ado...

My 2009 ~~Resolutions~~ ~~Goals~~ Suggestions

1. Save money. Whether this comes from getting a raise or spending less... either way works. If it weren't for my trip to Japan, I actually would have done alright in this regard last year. But I figure I need to save up so I can go to Japan again :)

2. More more more photography. I kept myself fairly busy in 2008 pursuing photographic nirvana, and want to keep that up for the coming year. What form that will take, I have no idea. I'll just have to see how it evolves. Having helped a great deal putting together 2 photo books (working on a 3rd) for the photography-on-the.net community; I'm planning to start out 2009 by self publishing 2 photo books of my own to chronicle my vacation to Japan. More for a personal record, but if anyone finds it interesting enough to buy, all the better.

3. Exercise. It seems like this is something everybody lists, and many people probably fail at it. I'm not going to quantify it by saying I'll exercise X times every week, just that I will exercise whenever the mood strikes. Actually, I lost about 10 pounds during my trip to Japan; not due to a lack of eating (or eating healthier), simply because I walked a LOT. Maybe I should just move to Tokyo...

4. Move... not to a foreign country, although if I could somehow work that out, that would be amazing. I'm thinking something a bit more local. Currently I live in Maple Valley and spend the majority of time in Bellevue for work, and in Seattle for socializing. I don't really do anything in Maple Valley besides reside here. It only makes sense to live closer to where my life seems to be happening. I'll have to see if this economy and housing market makes it possible to move.

2008 - My Year in Review

2008-12-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

It seems as I get older, the years go by faster and faster. The weirdest thing though is the months seem to go by slow; well not the month, but my credit card billing cycle. I'd really like to rack up smaller balances on my credit card each billing cycle, but somehow one or two expensive items always seems to find their way onto my bill. Not a big deal since I always pay my balance in full, but it really hasn't helped my savings account. Something to work on for 2009 I guess :)

Anyways, 2008 has been a rather fulfilling year for myself; and since a lot of my life revolves around photography or going places to take photos, it's mostly related to that.

Certificate in Photography - I started taking this 3 quarter series at the University of Washington in the Autumn of 2007, and finished up the final 2 quarters in 2008. I didn't take it to learn photography (I already had a good understanding), but I came away with a few tidbits here and there that I feel had/have a positive impact on the images I create. I also met some good people (and photographers) through that class. Hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch in the years to come.

Infrared Photography - I bought a used Canon 20D and had it converted to take infrared photos. I really love the look of infrared photos for certain subjects, and look forward to taking many more infrared photos. I did struggle a bit with deciding how I wanted to post-process these photos, but finally decided on a split tone for the shadows and highlights.

Seattle Flickr Meetups - Perhaps the best photography related group in the world! Thanks to this group, I've improved my flash photography... particularly when my camera is aimed at people. I haven't been as active in the later half of the year, partly because I've become busy with another social group which prevents me from attending the regular monthly events... but my eyes are always open for one off events that don't conflict with my schedule.

Seattle Japanese Meetup - On the topic of social groups, this is the one taking up my time. Sometime around the middle of the year I decided I was going to go to Japan; and wanted more exposure to Japanese, so I joined this group to get it. I still don't speak Japanese very well, and understand very little... but joining this group has been great; I've made good friends, eaten at lots of restaurants (where we meetup) in Seattle, and even snapped a few photos. Food, friends, and photography; all wrapped around Japanese language and culture... I'm not sure what else I need in life.

Vacations - Unfortunately, I didn't make it out to the Yellowstone area in 2008. I'll keep my fingers crossed for 2009, I really want to get out there and take some more photos and try out some new techniques. However, by not going there, I was able to go to Japan! Which was an amazing trip, one I hope to make again when the stars align and make it possible. Besides Japan, I went to California... not once, not twice, but three times. They were short trips, but it's nice to get away from things every once in a while... as well as visit my friend.

That about rounds out the big noteworthy items of my 2008. Photographically, I kept pretty busy throughout the year. My camera and I went to quite a few of my nieces' and nephew's baseball and soccer games, a few events in and around Seattle, and some nature expeditions out to Mt. Rainier.

All in all, a good year. Hopefully 2009 will be as fulfilling!

5 Years of Photography

2008-12-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Not exactly, but it has been 5 years since I wrapped my hands around my first digital SLR. My wish list for Christmas 2003 included 2 cameras; an affordable Canon point and shoot (which is what I expected to receive), and the recently (in 2003) released Canon Digital Rebel SLR (which was a bit of a dream, but on my wish list just in case someone was feeling extra generous). Luckily, dad was feeling extra generous :)

So I started out my leap into Digital Photography with some serious gear; a SLR camera and an 18-55mm lens. Well, that was 5 years ago and this is now. I currently have 2 camera bodies, more lenses than I can count on one hand, various accessories, and more camera bags than I know what to do with. Oh, and I can't forget... dreams of owning yet one more camera body. Depending on how long I have to dream; that new camera I'm longing for is currently the Canon 5D mk II.

I started out doing mostly landscape and nature photography. Nothing beats lugging tons of photography equipment out into the wilderness to be surrounded by natural beauty and capturing a few photographs while out there (I need to get out more often though).

My interests have evolved to cover a wide variety of photographic subjects since then. Besides nature and landscapes, I've also taken a liking to event photography. Particularly events that take place in difficult lighting. I'm not sure if it's because I like taking photos of people, or just because I enjoy the challenge of a difficult situation. Either way, I find that kind of photography enjoyable and am always on the look out for opportunities to get more practice.

I always find something new to learn or to improve on. For the past year, thanks to strobist.com and the Seattle Flickr Meetups; I've found myself working on improving my flash photography. Oddly enough, selling my two studio strobes (I still have two speedlights) has actually been a big help in advancing my flash photography. I've already learned and improved a lot using flash in the past year, and am excited to see what another year brings.

On a side note, I just realized the two photos (one from 2004 and one from 2008) I chose for this article are Japanese related. The first one was taken at the Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum, and the other one was taken at Kinkakuji in Kyoto, Japan.

Snoqualmie Falls

2008-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Something possessed me to wake up at 6am on Saturday and wander around in the freezing cold to take a few photos. My adventure took me to Snoqualmie Falls. Actually I was there just a few days ago, but didn't have my fancy camera so I decided to go back.

Snow and ice brought to you by the recent cold spell that has hit the Seattle area.

Holiday Photos

2008-12-15T18:42:00.001-08:00

My sister was wanting some holiday photos taken so she would have a family photo to send out with Christmas cards... so she invited my camera equipment and myself over for dinner last night.

I ended up taking a few family photos and a few random photos of her kids. Posing people, yet along groups of people isn't my forte; but I managed to get a decent family photo and a few fun photos of the kids that turned out nice as well. Not too shabby for a quick photoshoot with one light and an umbrella.

Japan Vacation

2008-11-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

Three weeks to the day after I have returned, I finally found the time to get through all of my photos from the trip and get them online. So, that's the purpose of this blog entry. Perhaps I'll write a bit more about the various parts of my trip and how much I enjoyed it another time.

During my two and a half week vacation, I managed to hit that shutter button about 1500 times! Don't worry, I'm not putting 1500 photos online. I managed to narrow it down to about 175 photos... a little bit more manageable.

I spent a lot of time and energy seeking out photogenic things, I should almost call this my 'Japan Photo Vacation'. Next time around (and I hope there is a next time), I'll limit myself to one camera and one lens... or perhaps I'll buy a good compact camera and forgo the Digital SLR thing altogether... it certainly is heavy to lug around!

Despite my photography heavy agenda, I did manage some socializing on the side as well. I was able to hang out with Tamami and Kazu for a weekend, and then they treated me to shabu shabu and introduced me to their friend Sachiko; which was great because she was available to hang out and show me around Tokyo. I also met up with some friends from the Seattle Japanese meetup group.

Enjoy!

Mini California Vacation #2, part 1

2008-10-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

It seems like I'm constantly behind in my photo editing. I guess I've been a bit busy, with a touch of laziness. The bad news is, it's not going to get any better with me taking a vacation... which I expect to come back with thousands of photos!

I recently added a handful of photos to the processing queue... 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure what's taking me so long, perhaps it's my lack of interest in using Lightroom 2. Going off on a tangent, I haven't found Lightroom 2 to speed up my processing at all... actually it's made it slower. Perhaps my computer isn't quite up to par to use Lightroom 2... there's a constant second or so lag between when changes are made and when they actually update. It really drives me crazy. So, I've decided to toss Lightroom 2 aside and go back to my tried and true Adobe Bridge/Photoshop workflow.

Now that I got that off my chest, back to 2 weeks ago. My buddies and I made a weekend trip down to San Diego to catch the Miramar Airshow. Unfortunately, it was a trip riddled with bad luck... but still fun. It started with the car rental. The first one we got, the cigarette lighter didn't have power so we couldn't plug in Rob's TomTom GPS... so we switched cars and got on our way to our hotel. The hotel wasn't bad... just in a bit of a seedy location. After we dropped stuff off there, we headed out for some Mexican food; and found ourselves in Old Town and a supposedly good restaurant called Old Town Mexican Cafe. And indeed, it was delicious.

I'll leave the rest of the story for when I actually go through and edit the photos (probably be about a month from now :o). However, the image above should give a good idea of how things went. The main reason I wanted to go was to see the F-22 fly... I did see it fly, but as you can see, it was from a distance :( I'll have to keep my fingers crossed and hope it does a demo in 2009 closer to home. I still got some great photos of other planes though... keep an eye out in the distant future for them :)

Catching up... Part 2 - Mini California Vacation #1

2008-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

The other weekend, I made a surprise visit with my friend for his birthday. His wife's idea, and with round trip tickets from Jet Blue costing $175, I couldn't say no.

So, I arrived Friday night; surprised my friend... thankfully he wasn't sprawled out naked on the couch or floor when I walked in. We wandered over to Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach, stumbling distance from my friend's house... which is perfect, because not only do they have some tasty BBQ, they have a nice selection of beers to choose from, which is ever changing and can be tracked on their HOPCAM (that my friend set up for them).

Afterwards we wandered back to their apartment to try and figure out the Saturday and Sunday plans. We had originally planned and scheduled and reserved and everything else to go to the Channel Islands for camping. Unfortunately Mother Nature didn't like that idea and kicked up the winds, which caused the kayak renter to tell us we can't take the kayaks out. Thankfully he told us that the day before we were going to go, so we changed our plans and settled on camping up near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernarndino National Forest.

Anyways, to shorten this up... we managed to get some kayaking in on Big Bear Lake, camping was done, good times were had, and we headed back to Seal Beach on Sunday. After we got cleaned up, we took off for some dinner at Shin Sen Gumi, a mini chain of restaurants in California and even Tokyo. Ramen was eaten, and my desire for a good ramen place in Seattle was heightened.

That brought my trip to an end departing from the very small Long Beach airport Monday morning. All in all, a great time was had; and it was great to see my friend. Mini California Vacation #2 will happen next weekend, when me and a few buddies go down to San Diego to catch the Miramar Air Show.

I'm actually not all caught up with these photos, this is just the infrared photos I took, I still have some color photos to sort through. Perhaps I'll update this in the future once those are up...

Catching up... Part 1 - Hiking the Glacier Basin Trail

2008-09-24T16:05:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I last updated this blog and I've been a bit busy, so I'll play a little catch up, starting with a recent hike in the Mt. Rainier National Park. From my last outing to Mt. Rainier, I spotted an area I wanted to explore, so I set out to do just that. This time my friend from my photography class joined me.

It was a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors. Although I'm not sure if putting oneself through the pain of hiking is enjoyment or not. I didn't help myself by carrying two camera bodies with two heavy lenses either! One of these days I'll be in shape and really be able to enjoy it!

Anyways, comparing a photo from my previous hike of the area I wanted to explore and a park map, I decided the Glacier Basin Trail would take me just where I wanted to go! Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the correct trail to use... only partially. I mistakenly thought the area I was viewing was the Glacier Basin, but it was really the Emmons glacier and moraine... which happens to be a (shorter) spur trail off the Glacier Basin Trail.

So, I didn't make it to the destination I had wanted, but all in all the hike was very enjoyable. The first 1.5 miles of the trail received a face lift from the November 2006 storm that caused major damage to the park. What was once a pleasant stroll a long a river and through a forest has become a bit of a balancing act making your way through flood damaged area. The park staff has done a good job of marking the way with yellow caution flags though.

While a bit slow going navigating around debris and rocks, I found it to be a quite enjoyable hike. It makes you use your head a bit... something I found on the way down I don't do too well when I'm tired and worn out! I literally stood on one side of a stream looking directly at the way across and didn't see it until my hiking friend pointed it out, lol. I guess it's a good thing I didn't go alone, otherwise I might have ended up with wet feet :o

After about 1.5 miles, you're out of the flood damaged area and back to a pleasant stroll along a nice forest path. However, that pleasant stroll gradually gets harder and harder as the path gradually gets steeper.

Somehow I managed to make it to the meadow in glacier basin and take a few photos. 7.5 miles later we were back at the car and headed home. All in all a pleasant hike.

A few more Restaurant Reviews... quick and short.

2008-09-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in the blog writing mood, I'll continue along the foody path. I've been keeping busy going out to various restaurants in the Seattle area with a group of people from meetup.com.

Anyways, these are some short and quick reviews of the places I've been since I began attending the meetup group. Keep in mind this is as a group of anywhere from 10-50 people! So it really puts the restaurant to the test as far as service and food preperation goes. To make it shorter and quicker, I'll go for twitter style blurbs of 140 characters or less (or as close to that as possible).

Miyabi - Southcenter
~10 people. Good food, good service. Food came out a little staggered though.

Taste of India - U District
~35 people. Tight fit! Two thumbs up for food and service.

Bills Off Broadway - Capital Hill
~25 people. Plenty of room. Interesting pizza options, but delicious!

Chiang's Gourmet - Lake City
~30 people. Plenty of room. Quick and accomodating. Great food!

Hawaiian Breeze - Wallingford
~40 people. Tight fit! Food was good, service was slow but they were trying their best to accomodate our large group.

Thaiku - Ballard
~45 people. Tight fit! Not enough room for everyone, so people ate in intervals

Pig & Whistle - Greenwood
~35 people. Typically don't take reservations? But they did for us! Good service. Food is a little interesting, seems like they're trying to be too fancy... but still good.

Mirak - Federal Way
~10 people. Service a little iffy, often someone had to get up to get a waitress. But what's not to love about Korean BBQ? mmmmmm!!

Third Place Books/Pub - Ravenna
~20 people. Originally planned for the coffee shop, but it was being renovated, so spent time in the pub. Cool atmosphere, enough room, good drink selection, but very few food options (food wasn't the reason for going though).

Ephesus - West Seattle
~25 people. Had our own private area upstairs to ourselves. Service was prompt, food was great!

Szechuan Chef - Bellevue
~25 people. Lots of room. Good service, and accomodating of our slowly trickling in people. Super spicy (good) food! Planning on going here for lunch (since I work not too far from the location).

Apparently, I'm easy to please. I have liked every place we've been too so far... That could also be that the organizer does a superb job of finding places that not only have good food but can accommodate our large group. I can't comment too much on the prices of these places, since more often than not we split the cost amongst the entire group. It varies from place to place, but usually works out to anywhere between $15 and $25 a person (including tax and tip).

I'm definately looking forward to some more adventures in gastronomy. Lalibela, Rosita's Mexican Grill, and Boka are next on the hit list.

Sunrise during the day -- Mt. Rainier

2008-08-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Having just purchased a National Parks Pass, I decided to put it to use and made a visit to Sunrise, Mt. Rainier. I almost didn't go because the weather wasn't looking like it would cooperate, but by noon the sun was breaking through the clouds so I hopped in my car and headed out.

I didn't have any real plan of attack, but ended up taking a nice hike to places I haven't been before. And I discovered the next place I want to go... that little turquoise lake pictured. Might as well hit up the foot of that glacier while I'm at it. I'm not sure exactly how to get there, but the Glacier Basin trail should do the trick. I'll have to check it out a bit more, it just may be on my agenda for next weekend if the weather is nice.

Anyways, armed with my two cameras and two lenses, and not quite enough fluids I embarked on a hike up to Frozen Lake (6760 ft) from Sunrise (6385 ft). It's a pleasant hike with just a bit of elevation gain... something even my out of shape self can do without too much hassle. From there, I decided to take the Burroughs Mountain trail to First Burroughs Mountain (7300 ft); then looping back towards Sunrise via the Sunrise Rim Trail down to Shadow Lake (6300 ft) and back to Sunrise. All in all I covered 5.5 miles with 1600 feet of total ascent (data courtesy of my Garmin GPS).

Olympics

2008-08-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

The Olympics are here and in full swing. Honestly, I thought I wouldn't spend much time watching them on TV; but that seems to be false so far. In fact, with the Olympics being on TV now, I've become just a bit lazier than before.

I think a lot of what contributes to that is following the whole Michael Phelps goal of 8 Olympic Gold Medals. So far so good. I must say, it's exciting watching him compete on TV. And it was really exciting watching the Mens 4x100 freestyle relay; with Lezak coming from behind to put those trash talking frenchies in their place.

EXCEPT for one thing, ~~NBC~~ (for God knows what reason) refuses to broadcast the Olympics LIVE for those of us who aren't on the East Coast. That might make some sense if the time difference between here and China meant having to watch tv in the middle of the night to see it live. But that isn't the case... the daily events starting at 8 or 9am in China corresponds to 8 or 9pm Eastern Time, or 5 or 6pm Pacific Time.

Watching things on TV when you already know what is going to happen just isn't the same as watching it happen at the same time it is happening. Apparently ~~NBC~~ has a monopoly on the Olympic broadcasting for some time to come in the US...

Which is unfortunate, because now I'm watching the Olympics on Canadian TV, CBC. Not only do I get to watch the events live, but I also don't have to hear Bob Costas or get inundated with an obscene amount of commercials. Did I mention I get to watch the Olympics live in Pacific Standard Time? Thank you ~~NBC~~, for turning a viewer away from your network.

I can only hope the sponsors pumping advertising dollars into ~~NBC~~ realize that what NBC is doing is turning people away from the network (and their precious commercials).

/end rant... back to watching the Olympics on Canadian TV.

Banana Bread

2008-07-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I had some ultra ripe bananas just waiting to be used. So I did just that, and used them to make some banana bread. Easy enough, mix a few ingredients and pop it in the oven for a bit, and bam! banana bread.

By the time the banana bread was done, it was dinner time. So rather than eat just banana bread for dinner, I decided to turn it into french toast. I had previously had banana bread french toast at Cafe Flora for brunch. They topped it with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Unfortunately, I didn't have whipped cream... and didn't want to buy a can to use it once and waste the rest, so I went the yogurt route. Yogurt doesn't quite have the presentation as whipped cream, but it was equally tasty.

Holiday Weekend in Review

2008-07-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

It's always great when the 4th of July lands on a Friday making for an extra long weekend. Unfortunately, my birthday, the 3rd of July, is not a National Holiday... maybe someday after I become famous and die it will be.

Just what did this extra long weekend have in store for myself? Quite a bit actually. I started it on the night of the 2nd by picking up my friend at the airport; then promptly heading to Seattle for some late night sushi. There aren't too many options available for sushi after 10pm, but thankfully the one we went to (Umi Sake House) was absolutely delishish. I'll have to write a review on that soon. The bonus for the night was the absolutely amazing lightning storm that rolled through the area (pictured). It was estimated to have something like 2500 lightning strikes!

The 3rd, my birthday, was pretty uneventful. Just work, although I did get some dim sum for lunch. Afterwards I had dinner at my mom's with some of the family. I brought over some juiced up pop-its (from the indian reservation), and let my neices and nephew play with those. It was a blast! lol. Like I said, a pretty uneventful day, but a very satisfying birthday. I even received a handmade card from my crafty and talented older sister.

The 4th brought forth a quick stop at the Seattle International Beer Festival, then heading up to Semiahmoo for my friend's wedding, which took place on the 5th. The beer at the festival was good, the wedding rehearsal (I was a groomsman) at Semiahmoo was quick, and the rehearsal dinner was delicious. Afterwards we lit off a few fireworks. Rob and Dave managed to disperse the crowd a bit, but everyone managed to keep their fingers and heads... somehow.

The 5th was pretty much all wedding stuff. Another rehearsal, some hanging out, I ventured into the bridal suite and snapped a few photos of the beautiful bride getting her hair and makeup done. The ceremony went off without any problems. The only thing that may have been a problem was the officiant got a phone call or two! His phone was on vibrate or silent or something, but it caused some interference with his mic. Phones off next time, thanks. The reception afterwards was quite enjoyable, but I drank entirely too much...

... which didn't help when I received a phone call from my ride back home at 7:30am the following morning saying they're leaving in an hour. ugh. That ended up being ok though, I got back home around 11am and still had a good chunk of Sunday left to clean up and do laundry... and fall asleep at 6:30pm! It was a nice sleep, except I woke up the following day at 4am!

And that wraps up my extra long birthday and 4th of July holiday weekend. All in all, a very memorable time.

Restaurant: Chiso, Fremont, Seattle

2008-06-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

I can cross Chiso off my short list of Japanese restaurants on my "want to dine at" list. There's still a bit of work to be done to whittle that list away; and it just got a bit harder after eating at Chiso. Why? Because Chiso was delicious! And I'll want to go back sooner rather than later.

Chiso is located at the Center of the Universe (aka Fremont, Seattle, WA); on Fremont Ave N between 35th and 36th. It's a bit easy to miss because it's tucked away in the corner of a building half underground. That's neither a good or bad thing. One good thing about Chiso though is the decor and ambiance. The decor has a modern feel, and the ambiance is both dim and bright at the same time... if that makes any sense?

None of that matters though if the food sucks. Thankfully though, the food at Chiso is great! Our itamae (sushi chef), Shawn, was very personable and enjoyable; making the sushi eating experience that much more enjoyable. Maybe I'm just weird, but for me, eating sushi isn't just about the sushi, but it is also about the person who makes it. I've had average sushi that was memorable, and I've had good sushi that wasn't; the difference being the itamae. Sure it doesn't change the taste of the food, but it certainly can change the overall experience; and when the experience is a good one, the food is that much more enjoyable. There's a huge difference when the itamae is enjoying themselves and taking care making your food; compared to when they seem like they're part of a production line mindlessly making sushi. At least for me anyways.

I got off on a tangent there. To recap... Chiso: nice location, great decor and ambiance, delicious food, and enthusiastic staff. It was a memorable experience, one I plan on making again in the near future.

As I was leaving, I learned where Chiso got it's name. ごちそさまでした。(gochisosamadeshita) Which means "It was a feast" and is said at the end of a meal to express thanks. After I said that, Shawn mentioned that's where Chiso's name came from. The chiso in gochisosamadeshita. I hope he wasn't just pulling my leg :o

POTN Book v2... finally coming together

2008-06-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

I posted a few months ago about this photo book I'm helping create for the Photography-on-the.net forum community. Unfortunately, we (the volunteers) have hit a few bumps in the road causing the project to take longer than expected. We were hoping to have it completed last month! Oh well, as Forrest Gump says, "Shit Happens."

The good news, the end of the book project is within sight! The individual pages are coming together, and things are getting exciting again. Here's a sneak peak of a few of the book pages. (Note: these aren't my images. I do have 2 or 3 photos (of the approximately 300) that will be in the book though.)

An End, or a New Beginning?

2008-06-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the last day of class in the photography certificate program at the University of Washington that I enrolled in last Autumn. I'm unsure what's harder to believe, that I used the word 'last' three times in one sentence or that it's already been 9 months since I started taking the class.

Over the 9 months, not a whole lot in terms of photography was learned; maybe just a few tidbits here and there. So was the class worth it? Seeing as how my employer footed the bill, it sure was! My original intention for taking the class wasn't to learn photography, I already had a pretty good understanding of the subject going into the class, but it was to add something new to my day to day life... hopefully for the better. And in the end, I had succeeded in meeting my expectations for taking the class. So much, that now I'm a bit sad it's over. I won't necessarily miss the going to class part, but I will miss my fellow classmates and teachers. Hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch.

It's not completely over just yet though, we have two photo shows this month and in July. My photos (3) will be hanging in the 2nd show. More info about the shows can be found here: UW Photo Show 2008

SIFF: Seattle International Film Festival

2008-05-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not too intune with events going on around the Seattle area; but through the wonderful world of blogging and the Google Reader, I'm able to keep up-to-date a little bit more. And just in time too.

It turns out the Seattle International Film Festival is beginning today. I hadn't gone in the past, but I do enjoy international films of the Japanese and Korean variety; so I'm excited to have the to chance see some on the big screen.

I still need to see the schedule and what's playing; but I definately hope to get out to see Takashi Miike's "Sukiyaki Western Django". I've already seen it before, but I'd love to see it on the big screen... as odd of a movie as it is.

Sushi Craving

2008-05-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

I was reading some sushi recommendations on the Seattle Network page in Facebook (apparently Network pages are going away for some reason? but that's unrelated). It didn't help that I started reading this 100+ reply thread at midnight just as I was beginning to get hungry! I was thoroughly hungry by the time I finished reading all the recommendations.

I was delighted to see that some of my favorites had a lot of positive mentions. Nishino's in Madison Park, and I Love Sushi (which I have yet to write about). But it was also apparent that there were still a lot of highly recommended sushi restaurants in Seattle that I have yet to dine at. I guess I've always known it, Seattle is overrun with quality sushi establishments; but I've never really thought about it until just now.

So I've come up with a short list of places I really want to try out in the near future.
Shiro (Bell Town)
Wasabi Bistro (Bell Town)
Umi Sake House (Bell Town)
~~Chiso (Fremont)~~
Ototo (Queen Anne)
Akasaka (Federal Way)

I'm not really all that interested in Akasaka, but I've heard it's good, and I list it just in the off chance my friend Jared who lives in the area wants to enjoy a nice sushi meal with me ;)

Spring

2008-04-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's here... even though it snowed at my house 4 or 5 days in a row the other week; but it's definately here. And what a great time to get out to photograph with all the trees blossoming and leaves beginning to sprout. And thanks to my photography class, which just started the third and final quarter of the certificate program, I'm finding myself out and about a bit more... just because I have 3 hours to kill between work and the start of class.

And what better way to kill that time than at The Quad at the University of Washington? The weather was beautiful last week, and that alone brings people out to The Quad; but throw in about 30 Yoshino Flowering Cherry trees in full bloom and The Quad really bursts with activity. So not only do photographer types have a beautiful scene to photograph, but heaps of people doing all sorts of various activities. I still need to go through and put these photos on my website... so keep an eye out for them :)

There is some sad news to go along with all of this though, apparently the trees in The Quad are nearing the end of their lifespan. The good news though is that they already have a plan for replacement ready to go; and in fact a few of the trees have already been replaced in the past. Although, it's kind of hard to imagine The Quad without it's mature Yoshino Cherry Trees... I guess I've taken them for granted.

POTN Book Vol. 2

2008-03-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day. I've been working on a photo (coffee table) book with some like minded people over on Photography-on-the.net; and today we finalized the images that will be published in the book... about 6 months after formally starting work on the book. It's not something that you'll find at Barnes & Noble or anything; and even though it's been a bit of a bumpy road, it's been a really fun project to work on. And now the hard part of making book will begin >.< POTN Photo Book last year through Blurb.com. I had 3 photos in the POTN Photo Book Vol 1; this time around I only have 2 photos that made the cut... but the overall quality of entries has increased, so I'm still quite happy with that.

I still find it amazing that we've published one book already, and number two is moving right along... especially when the 'we' are people who live all around the world and have never met face to face. And the real amazing thing is that it's all being done at zero profit (well, Blurb.com is making money for printing, but none of us are)!

Japanese Garden, Infrared

2008-03-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, the sun came out, and I headed outside... with my newly converted IR camera in hand. Considering we ('we' meaning humans) can't see infrared, it will be a learning experience taking IR photographs. But so far, so good!

I was meeting up with a friend for some delicious sushi at Nishino's for dinner, so with some time to kill before I paid a visit to the Japanese Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum. The rhododendrons at the garden were in full bloom, and a just a handful of other plants had flowers too, but the majority of them were still in winter mode. A few more weeks and the garden will probably come alive!

Speaking of coming alive, the flowering cherry trees at the UW Quad look to be getting close to their peak. Hopefully it will happen right as I head back to school for Spring quarter in about a week.

What a great way to spend a Friday... playing with a newly acquired camera, delicious sushi, and good company. I need to do that more often.

Snow? Nope... Infrared

2008-03-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

In an effort to continue spending my hard earned money, I bought my co-worker's used Canon 20D digital SLR and shipped it off to LifePixel.com to have it converted to IR. Cameras typically have a filter over the digital sensor that blocks UV and IR light, and capturing only those colors of light that we can actually see. The people (person?) over at LifePixel.com disassembles your camera, removes that filter, and replaces it with one that blocks all light except IR. They do offer to sell you just the filter so you can do it yourself (directions are free on their website), but it's definately not for the faint of heart! Anyways, enough free praise for LifePixel.com in this post...

I just received my newly converted camera yesterday... after waiting all day (and I do mean ALL day) for UPS. I got an automated phone call from UPS around 8am telling me that they will be delivering a package that requires a signature... between 8am and 7pm; UPS finally arrived around 7:45pm. *sigh*

The above photo is my first photograph taken with the IR converted camera. Nothing too stellar, but it certainly makes me want to get out and photograph some more with it. I don't think drizzly overcast days make for the best IR photographs; so I'll need to wait for some sun breaks to really put it to the test.

In other news, and continuing with the spending of my hard earned money... I bought a new bicycle (Trek 7.5 FX) for myself. I just picked it up today, and am excited to get some decent weather to put it to good use... maybe I'll take an IR photo of it :D

It's a small world...

2008-03-11T18:58:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, Saturday to be exact, I met up with a few fellow photographers at the Redmond Library to engage in the wonderful world of macro photography.

Not only was it fun hanging out with like minded people, I also learned a few things... and saw a few camera goodies with the potential to put big dents in my pocketbook :o The organizer of the gathering rented a few goodies through lensrental.com; so those without macro lenses could join in on the fun, and also to let those who own a macro lens to try out some of the other available macro lenses.

I fall in that second group of people, and it certainly was fun playing with some of the other lenses. The Sigma 150mm macro lens is quite nice, and if I didn't already own a macro lens I'd be very tempted to go that route; unless I had money burning a hole in my pocket, because the Canon 180L macro lens is just a work of art... and an expensive one at $1400! The photo above was taken with that very lens.

There was also another interesting lens available to try out, the Canon MP-E65mm macro lens. It's quite different from your typical macro lens; in that it doesn't have the ability to focus (the entire camera needs to be moved to focus) and it goes up to 5x magnification (most macro lenses do 1x magnification)! That makes it quite unique, but also quite difficult to use too! The photo below (which is part of a blueberry) was taken with the MP-E65mm macro.

Photography and Flowers

2008-02-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Photography class this quarter has one assignment, and that assignment is there is no assignment; just that 6 theme related photos are to be produced by the end of the quarter. The theme can be anything, and can be loosely interpreted. I do much better with assignments that have a specific task, but this one has been fun so far.

At first, I had a grand idea for my theme. At least I thought it was great until the lack luster response from the teacher told me otherwise. So I dropped that idea for something much easier and much more accessible to myself this quarter... macro photography. Even though the teacher didn't seem to fond of my idea, some of my classmates had asked why I changed topics; I guess they liked my original idea... so I may revisit that idea next quarter.

What does all of this have to do with flowers? Well, they make a great macro subject, that's what! Being the middle of winter, the good old outdoors is severely lacking in floral subjects. So I looked up some florists in my area and came across Bee's Florist & Decor in Covington, WA. I thought I'd go there and walk out with $20 or $30 worth of flowers to photograph to my hearts content. But to my pleasant surprise, I walked out of Bee's with flowers to photograph to my hearts content without having to spend a dime! The florist at Bee's was really nice and gave me a few flowers for free! They were a little bit past their prime to be sold, but they were perfect for something to be photographed that day!

To return the kindness; on my next visit I gave them a 7"x7" matted photo of one of the flowers... and of course I picked up a few more flowers to photograph. I'm certainly not a flower expert so I can't comment on that aspect of their business, but I certainly can recommend Bee's Florist for their friendly customer service. So if you're in need of flowers and in the Covington area, check them out.

Photography and a little bit of Taxes

2008-02-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Between the last post and this one... actually last weekend, I went on a little bit of a shooting spree and fired off close to 1000 photos! That's always fun, until I have to sort through them all. With the exception of some quick processing to put some up on Facebook, I stil have a bit to go through. The photos I took from Tet in Seattle on Saturday, February 2nd are up though. Be sure to heck them out. And keep an eye out for the rest of the photos I took that day, from the Lunar New Year show the UW CSA put on.

In other photographic news, it seems I've been getting complimented on my work lately. Be careful how much you dish out to hobbyist photographers like myself... too much and we might quit our day job! Well, I still have mine... I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just saying it's nice to hear compliments :)

And a little bit of taxes... my refund check from filing my federal taxes came last week... so I quickly went out and spent half of it >.< I'm just doing my share to stimulate the economy!

Taxes, and a little bit of photography

2008-01-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love taxes? You get taxed when you earn money, you get taxed when someone gives you (a lot of) money, you get taxed when you spend money, and you may even get taxed when you die. We sure seem to be a society obsessed with tax... sometimes I wonder what that whole Boston Tea Party was all about.

Anyways, it's the new year and I've always looked forward to tax season... as I've always gotten a refund back. I was a little worried this year though. Since my refund last year was ginormous, I increased the exemptions on my W-4 to lessen the amount of tax withheld from my paycheck. But was it too much? So far it's looking good, and unless I messed something up; I'll be getting a refund again this year :)

And on a totally unrelated topic, I scanned some of my negatives from Autumn quarter and put them online. Check them out in my photo gallery. These are the photos I used as my final prints. One thing about scanning negatives... it's not fun! Especially when they're scratched up like a lot of mine were :( I spent a lot of time re-touching these to get rid of scratches and tiny little dust/dirt specs. Digital for me from now on! Although I'm tempted to buy a Holga just for fun.

I'm on YouTube!

2008-01-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in this post there was an event hosted by Chase Jarvis organized through the Seattle Flickr group. A few videos were put together of the event, showcasing a little bit about how it all went down.

The first video was put together by a fellow flickrite, Number95. You can see me hiding behind a reflector around the 4:30 mark, and one of the photos I took appears around the 8:50 mark.

The other video was put together by Chase Jarvis' crew, and features some cool time lapse! There aren't any photos displayed, but it really does a great job of showing just how big this event was. I'm in this one too... You can see me looking dumb around the 0:30-0:45 mark (way in the background taking a random photo), and also around the 3:05 mark just standing around.

It really is amazing to have access not only to a very successful commercial photographer, but also to the whole photography community that makes up the Seattle Flickr group. It has put Seattle in the spotlight for hobbyist/enthusiast photographers. I'm excited to see how things evolve :)

Here's a few better written blogs about the event, just in case you can't get enough like me.

Chase Jarvis RAW: Seattle Flickr Roundup
Strobist: Seattle Strikes Again - Hangar Meetup
Strobist: More Fun in Seattle - Full Write-up
Seattle Photography Scene Rocks!
Seattle Flickrites Start Moving into Bigger Events
Seattle Flickr Strobists and Aircraft Hangars?!

And I can't forget to share the photos that I took!

Hangar Shoot

2008-01-21T16:50:00.001-08:00

Just as I had finished unpacking my bag from my trip to southern California, I was packing up my camera bag to get ready for the Seattle flickr group's hangar shoot, courtesy of Chase Jarvis.

Chase was kind enough to rent out Hanger #30 at Magnuson Park in Seattle. 30,000 sq ft of wide open space! Through a little magic and cooperation, we put that space to use with about 10 models and 50 photographers... and tons of off camera lighting equipment!

It was a great event; lots of shooting, lots of learning, and lots of networking. We even had a surprise guest, David Hobby, the guy behind strobist.com. Afterwards, Chase invited us all back to his studio for drinks and snacks. Many thanks to everyone involved in making this a possibility. I'm definately looking forward to the next one!

Mmmmm... beer

2008-01-14T19:15:00.001-08:00

What's new? Well, pretty much just the two lenses I received the other week. Last Saturday while brewing beer at my friend's house, I just had to snap a few photos with the new toys. While I did take a few photos with the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L, all of these were taken with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro. So far I'm really enjoying that lens and I'm wondering why I waited so long to buy it!

I'm really not using it to the best of it's (or maybe my) abilities, all of these were shot hand holding the camera in one hand and a flash in the other. Needless to say, my hands aren't that steady like that! But I think the use of flash took care of any camera shake.

The great thing about the 100mm macro lens, is it doubles as a portrait lens; as you can see form the kitty portrait I took with it. But being a macro lens, jibber-jabbering about it wouldn't be complete without a 100% crop of something actually small. So I present to you, the grains used in the beer making. Maybe not the best photo, but under the circumstances I'm quite happy with it!

Mmmmm... beef

2008-01-05T18:05:00.001-08:00

What better way to spend the Seahawks playoff game than with a prime piece of beef on the bbq? Well, it would have been better with some friends, but I guess they have better things to do. Anyways, this post is brought to you by a few things.

First off, you can't talk about bbq and beef without some meat. My brother gave me a few pieces of prime beef for Christmas. I know, sort of a weird Christmas gift; but I'll tell you this, it's the most delicious Christmas gift I've ever received! I cooked up the rib eye medallions for New Years Eve. This was the hanger steak, and now all I have left is a big rib eye just waiting to be eaten.

The other thing that made this post possible is my new toy. I ordered a few new Canon lenses for my camera. I used the 100mm macro lens on these photos. It's looking like this lens will prove to be a lot of fun; I'll probably find myself out chasing after bugs and spiders :o

And to top all of that off, the Seahawks won!

Wedding Invites/Response Cards - Part II

2008-01-04T09:17:00.001-08:00

No more than 1 week after I commented on that lone 'M' that seems to appear on any and all wedding invitation response cards, did I receive an invite to another wedding. But this one was just a little different. To my pleasant surprise, there was no 'M'!!

やった！

2007, A year in review

2008-01-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, but 2007 is gone already! Time just goes by so fast, maybe that's why this entry is a few days late. Anyways, it's been a year since I put together these New Year Resolutions for 2007... and how did I do? I wouldn't say I failed miserably, but I definately didn't succeed on all points either :o

I never did buy a bicycle; but I certainly did spend, spend, and spend some more. Despite raises and bonuses, I managed to keep my bank account pretty flat. I'm not sure how I'll do on this front in 2008 as I have a few things planned; but it's still on my radar. Actually, I'm already starting the year $2000 down :( But I have some new toys to show for it :)

The point I feel I really succeeded on is photography. I really kicked it up a level; and while I could have done so much more than I did, I'm quite happy with all that I've accomplished this past year. Up until 2007, I had the Canon 300D (Digital Rebel) for 3 years. In those 3 years I took about 8500 photos with it. In 2007 with my new Canon 30D, in just 1 year, I've taken close to 9000 photos (that's just a drop in the bucket for a pro, so I still have a long ways to go)!

So 9000 photos later and 1 year, where have my travels taken me? With a few exceptions, not very far! I have bigger dreams for this year though, hopefully those will come true. In no particular order...

OMNI Concerts (2, 3)- My buddy has a band, actually he's had it for many years in various incarnations, but it was in 2007 when I started going to their shows. I made it to 3 of their shows, then they took a break from performing to work on a new CD. I'm anxiously awaiting their CD release show, camera in hand of course!

Hoa Khoi - I've made a habit of going to this fund raising pageant put on by the VSA of UW ever since my first in 2004. I took Vietnamese to fulfill my language requirement; and luckily for me, my classmate Lan kindly helped me outside of class. It was she who suggested I go in 2004; and I'm glad I did. Thinking back, my times in Vietnamese class were some of the happiest times during university :o Anyways, I've been to all of the pageants since. I'm anxiously awaiting the next one!

Wild Life - I've taken a liking to snapping photos of people, but sometimes I feel my shyness gets the better of me and keeps me from really getting into the mix of things with people photography. And, that's when I'm really greatful for wild life :) Especially after I bought the Canon EF 100-400mm L! I've taken it to NW Trek, Woodland Park Zoo and a few places with real wild animals. It's been a joy exploring this genre of photography and I hope to get a lot more of it under my belt in the coming years.

Redwoods - I had the pleasure of camping with my friends in the Redwoods last summer. In this day; years after we've all graduated and are working in different parts of the country, it really was something special to be able to spend that time with my high school buddies. Camp fires; hot links; turning what we thought was a 3-4 mile hike into 8; and the amazing Redwoods themselves... I couldn't have asked for a better trip!

Island Park (Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP) - Speaking of good trips. It's started to become an annual (or bi-annual actually) trip going to my friend's cabin in Island Park, Idaho (near West Yellowstone). Some of my favorite photographs were taken during these trips. I'm grateful and truly blessed to have such opportunities to do what I love with my friends.

Las Vegas (wedding)- My second time going, this time it was to attend my buddy's wedding. He's stationed in Texas now, but his parents live in Las Vegas; and what a great place to have a wedding! Well, I guess any place is good for a wedding, but what a great place to gather your friends together?

カズと　タマミ - You may or may not know, but I pretty much love everything Japan. Lately I've been doing some self learning of Japanese using books and mp3s. I had the pleasure of meeting two Japanese exchange students and spending some time with them, showing them around places they normally probably wouldn't have had the chance to see (Puyallup Fair, Paradise on Mt. Rainier, Snoqualmie Falls). Meeting them has been one of the highlights of my 2007. I'm looking forward to having them show me around Japan whenever I find myself there (I'm hoping for fall of this year!).

Flickr - Not really photos, but photography related. At the very end of the year I came across a local Flickr group in Seattle. They do all kinds of events and what not. Being that I found out just recently, I've only attended one of the gatherings; but I'm definately looking forward to attending more!

Photography Class - Boeing is kind and has the great benefit of paying for continuing education, regardless of what it is. So years after graduating college, I finally put that benefit back to use and enrolled in a photography certificate course through the University of Washington Extensions program. So far it's been a blast, and I'm definately looking forward to the winter and spring quarters!

And I also did plenty of photography locally in and around Seattle.

That basically sums up my 2007. How will my 2008 turn out? I have high hopes! Not only in photography but in life as well. There's been a few disappointments of course, but hopefully I can fix that this coming year. My motto for this year will be this quote from a TV show I just finished watching.

"The important thing is not lamenting about the past now, but rather to change the present for the future."

Wedding Invites/Response Cards

2007-12-28T21:33:00.001-08:00

What's the deal with that 'M' on the invitation response cards that come with wedding invitations? Melissa told me it's the start of 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.'; but you know what? I don't want to be a 'Mr.' or a 'Mrs.', so I've decided it will just be the start of my name! Simple enough :)

One Fine Day

2007-12-09T21:23:00.001-08:00

Saturday's weather in Seattle was great, so I put it to good use! All of that good use racked up 230 miles on my odometer! It started out with meeting my Japanese friend's at Uwajimaya. Last time I saw them was about 3 months ago, so it was great meeting up with them again. They also bought me some Umeshu; which was great. It's almost like candy, I could drink that all day long!

Anyways, from there we headed over to West Seattle and wandered around Alki Beach. After our fill of the cold, we hopped back in the car and headed to Snoqualmie Falls. I was hoping it would be raging from all the rain from 5 days before, but it was pretty calm compared to photos I saw of it a few days before. Then we went back to Seattle... not the best planning; driving 30 miles away from Seattle then going right back! Anyways, back in Seattle; we stopped by Bruce Lee's grave then wandered around Broadway to the Jimi Hendrix statue and back. And that wrapped up the sight seeing! And of course I brought my camera so I could photograph anything and everything, and practice my photography.

Back at my house, I cooked tonkatsu. "Katsu" also means "win" in Japanese, so I figured it's a great meal to have before finals or whatever. I learned that from a Japanese TV show, corny, but I like it! Tonkatsu, sunomono, rice, and umeshu to drink; it was a very Japanese meal, and very delicious... if the chef is allowed to compliment themselves >.>

Speaking of Japanese, we watched a few episodes of Heroes; and they told me that the parts that take place in Japan are NOTHING like Japan in real life. I feel so lied to! Thanks a lot Tim Kring! I've always wanted to go to Japan; maybe next autumn I'll have enough vacation time saved up to go and find out what Japan is really like for myself!

Early Christmas

2007-12-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Right now it feels like an early Christmas for me. Perhaps it's the dash of snow we got yesterday, or that I'm getting inundated with deliveries of stuff I've ordered last week. Maybe it's more like Hanukkah, as they're coming on different days. It'd be even more exciting, but I already know what I'm getting, haha. I guess I'll have to wait until the real holiday to be surprised with real gifts. In the mean time, I'll just have to enjoy the little splurge on myfelf :D

In other news, I had my last photography class of this quarter last week. And this weekend was our last chance in the darkroom for this quarter. All that is left is the final critique this coming Friday. One of the students works at Adobe, so we're having it there. Unfortunately, no alcohol... but it should be fun. I'm a bit torn though, because I had planned to go to Whistler, BC that day and then class got pushed back a week to that day. It's cheaper for me not going to Whistler... but it would have been lots of fun and I was looking forward to it :( Next time I guess...

That's it for now.

Halloween

2007-11-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

My Halloween began with a trip to the dentist for a filling... how fitting! Apparently I need to work on my teeth brushing skills... I went from no fillings to 2 in the same number of years :(

Afterwards, I headed up to Seattle to meet up with Vi to snap a few photos for my photography class. She was late... and late again; so I had some time to kill, and kill it I did. I went to Volunteer Park and wandered around. What a great park!! I spent my time taking photos at the dahlia garden (which was in full bloom!), and the conservatory (with some more exotic plants/flowers).

With more time to kill, I headed to Uwajimaya and Kinokuniya bookstore. I have been watching a Japanese TV show called 'The Professional'; the premise of the show is they follow around a different professional in a field of work each episode and tell their story. It doesn't sound too exciting, but I find it interesting. One of the shows was about a Japanese dessert chef named Sugino Hidemi. The desserts he made looked absolutely amazing, and he happens to have a few cookbooks. One of which, The Dessert Book, I heard is in both Japanese and English... I hope it's also in English, because I ordered it while at Kinokuniya. I guess I'll find out when it arrives :o

Now all the time was killed, and I met up with Vi and her friends at UW. They were all decked out in full costume as various characters from anime/manga and Final Fantasy; it was quite the sight! Unfortunately though, Vi's costume was a bit restricting; making it a bit interesting to do the 'motion' part of my photo assignment. I have a feeling the photos I took for that will be a blurry mess; I'll find out this weekend probably.I think I'm good for the 'depth-of-field' part of the assignment though.

After that, I followed them around a bit and snapped some photos for them. From having no plans for the day to doing all that I did, it ended up being a good day!

I drink my veggies

2007-10-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Jan Shim said you can blog about anything if you have good photos to go along with it. So I'm giving that a shot... although I'm not sure my photos are quite up to the task.

Anyways, I've never been a fan of V8 vegetable juice until just recently. A few weeks ago I donated blood at the Puget Sound Blood Center's mobile donation station when it came to my place of work. It was there, that I got my first dose of V8. Actually, first I opted for some apple juice. But shortly afterwards, as my world began to turn dark I made my way back to the bed to lay down. My second time around with the juice selection, I went with the V8... and I was a bit disgusted with the taste at first. But like beer, it seems it's an acquired taste. By the time I finished my cup, I was starting to think I might have enjoyed it.

Fast forward a little later, and I came across a little six pack of V8 while shopping, so I bought it on impulse; figuring I'd give it a second try. 18 cans later, I rather enjoy drinking my veggies! A full serving of veggies in one little can, you can't beat that!!

On the topic of food, I still enjoy chewing my fruit though. Especially this time of year, when the satsuma mandarins are in abundance at the grocery store. I eat those things like candy... I'm on my third box in two weeks :o

Darkroom

2007-10-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday in photography class, we learned how to make contact sheets and prints. It was pretty much a crash course in it... the teacher was trying to cram as much info into our brains as possible since he's going to miss class next week.

We have open lab time on the weekends, so having been told how to do all that stuff... I just had to try it out for myself. And try I did! I was there for 6 hours on Saturday and 3 hours today :o The time today was just messing around making some prints... and a lot of helping people out.

I still have lots to learn... like how to get rid of scratches and what not. And even though I cleaned my negative with air and cleaner, I still managed to get some dust spots :( Or maybe that's what makes these prints so special... that they're not perfect... I'm no god afterall.

It was a lot of fun though, and a good way to spend the weekend. :)

School...

2007-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 years and a few months since I graduated from UW... and well, I just couldn't take it any longer. So I went back! This time for fun :) I enrolled in the UW Extensions Photography Certificate course this year, and yesterday was the first class.

With everyone I know getting married and living their own life lately... it's a welcome change shaking things up a bit by going back to school. With the start of the class, my day to day life will be changing quite a bit. The 4x10 work schedule I've become accustomed to has turned into 5x8 to accommodate my going to class after work. Also the days I work in the office and at home changed too!

And perhaps the biggest change, I'll be shooting film rather than digital! Well, for the first quarter anyways. The teacher says there's always a few students who don't like that idea, but I'm actually quite excited about it. I've never developed my own film before. It will be a new experience... and hopefully a fun one! When we can though, I'm sure I'll be back to digital for the class. And maybe some film here and there just for fun... after all, I'll have use of the UW darkroom, so why not right? I even bought a nice 35mm film camera, a Canon EOS 3.

Why am I taking this course? I think mainly to introduce a bit of change into my life. It is a bit of an expensive route to take just to add some excitement to my life, but thankfully my employer is footing most of the bill :)

So anyways, is there anyone I know out there that is currently going to UW... the two days a week I have class I have about 2 hours of time to kill between work and the start of class...

Oh Summer, Where Art Thou?

2007-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, one of the local weather forecasters did some analysis on this years summer to see why it seemed less than summer like. It turns out, this summer has been a typically summer in the northwest with regards to the number of sunny days, dry days, cloudy days, and temperature. So what gives? Well, they dug a little deeper and found that the more of the good weather days this summer fell on Tuesday and Wednesday... while the most bad weather days fell on the weekends!

So while I was working inside, the weather was beautiful... and while I was at home wanting to get out and about, the weather was terrible. Now that the nights are chilly and the days are noticeably shorter; I'm left wondering what I did all summer. Not nearly as much as I wanted to!

As summer officially winds down this weekend, it appears like we've been blessed with some good weather. Yesterday I went to Mt. Rainier, but saw yet another sign of summer's end... Autumn colors are starting to show up! The weather was great though, and it was absolutely beautiful up there. A great way to end the summer... even though the rest of the summer was lacking.

I also took my two Japanese friends (that I went to the Fair with) along to Mt. Rainier. I think it would suck to travel so far only to be limited to going places the bus will go. I'm glad they're able to experience things a bit off the beaten track... because the Northwest is so much more than just the cities. I also enjoy the company :) ... especially on trips like Mt. Rainier that take the whole day.

Nishino, Madison Park, Seattle

2007-09-17T09:02:00.001-07:00

Many moons ago, I had the pleasure of eating at Nishino's restaurant in Seattle. Actually, that's the first place I had o-toro at, and so far it has been the best o-toro I've ever had. I've actually sort of given up on o-toro, because ever since then I've just been disappointed with it from other places.

Well, that was 2 or 3 years ago, and last Friday I had the opportunity to go again. I didn't get o-toro, but the sushi was great! Until this day, there were two kinds of sushi I wasn't really fond of... uni and tako. We each ordered the sushi combination dinner, and to my surprise it came with both uni and tako! ugh x_x

But after eating the offerings from Nishino's, I've had a change of heart about uni and tako. Both of them were excellent! They still aren't something I really look forward to when eating sushi, but now I'm not hesitent about eating them.

Not only that, but my Japanese guests whom I was dining with said everything there (that we had: miso soup, sushi, pickled ginger) was authentic tasting. Two big thumbs up to Nishino's.

The only things I don't like about Nishino's is it was rather loud (but that's just due to the popularity of the restaurant), the decor was a bit odd (they have an art deco thing going on there, but it's still a nice atmosphere), and the wait staff were non-Japanese. I would have preferred a Japanese wait staff, but the chefs were and that's where it counts.

Did the Puyallup

2007-09-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

Puyallup Fair... done.

Fridays being my off days, I figured it would be a great day to get down to the Fair during a day and time that it wouldn't be crazy busy. Rob was planning on going there today, so I wish him luck with that.

I saw lots of bacon, beef, and poultry... and a few other animals that would probably make a good home on the dinner plate :D Besides the animals, there were kids riding sheep! That's a must see, so if you go make sure to stop by the Muttin Bustin'. I must be getting old, the only ride I went on was the ferris wheel... or maybe that's the only ride the people I was with wanted to ride, lol.

I've been (slowly) learning Japanese in my spare time, and met someone through a language exchange web site to help facilitate that learning... and also to help her with English. She's taking courses at Edmonds CC, so living up there and being at the mercy of our great (cough) mass transit, she doesn't have much of an opportunity to venture far from home. Me being the nice person that I am, offered to take her out and about. Her friend also came and we had quite the long day... I left my house at 8:30am to pick them up, and didn't get home until 1am :o

It was lots of fun though... すげえ　たのしかった。The Fair, showed off some photos (I love showing my photos!), sushi at Nishino's, then hung out with Rob, Chris, and Tim a bit at Chris' new house and at Shari's Restaurant :o. So, after all of that, I got a lot of exposure to Japanese, and maybe learned a little to.

Long Beach

2007-09-11T19:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I took a short vacation to visit my grandma in Long Beach, WA. It was nice getting away and relaxing a bit... actually, I think I do more than my fair share of relaxing, but it was still nice. It also gave me a chance to get caught up with grandma and help her out with the few things she needed done.

The downside, but also upside, of the trip was that weekend was the weekend Long Beach, WA has their annual hot rod car show. The downside being it was a lot busier than I would have liked, but the upside was there were beautiful old cars all over the place. I scheduled my photography time for some nature photos, so I didn't bother with going to the car show.

Happy Birthday!

2007-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

A few days late, but Happy Birthday bro! At 31 now, he's getting a bit old :o But he celebrates in style, and invited me to go to dinner with him and two other people to Le Gourmand. Not only did my brother choose a 5 star restaurant for dinner, but he went all out with the wine selection as well.

I never knew this, but restaurants will let you bring your own wine and charge you a per bottle flat fee to drink it there... which works out great for special occasions when you're wanting to drink special and unique wines. We had 3 bottles from 1976, my brother's birth year; white burgundy, red burgundy, and Alsace riesling. My brother's friend brought a 1990 champagne, but unfortunately it had gone a bit bad; so they bought a 1990 Bruno Paillard champagne to replace it. And we had a 1953 Royal Oporto to finish things off.

I'm not a wine connoisseur like my brother is, so I'll just say they were all very good wines and they paired very well with the 7 course meal. Pictures to follow, but in order of appearance.

1. Cherry soup made with leeks, onions, shallots, and a duck stock.
2. Blintzes filled with sheep's milk cheese with a chive butter sauce.
3. Chanterelle mushrooms in a very tasty sauce (I don't remember more about the name of this dish, but it was probably my favorite! Which is quite amazing as I don't usually enjoy mushrooms all that much.)
4. A seafood dish (don't remember what it was called)
5. Apricot sorbet.
6. Duck wrapped in homemade bacon.
7. Salad

And Dessert, a tartelette with fresh local fruits. Absolutely delicious! Then we finished off the night with a plate of cheeses. I'm still in awe with how good the food was, definately the fanciest meal I've ever had... maybe the fanciest meal I'll ever have :o The atmosphere at Le Gourmand is very nice, and the service is slow... in a good way. Don't come here looking for a fast meal. I didn't keep track of time, but I think we were there for about 4 hours!!... 4 hours of pure dining bliss!

On with the photos... I don't have photos of the duck or salad dish, and excuse the low quality photos... I don't bring my SLR with me everywhere I go ;)

Failure

2007-08-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Somehow I managed to turn my chicken with rice soup into a rice porridge with chicken, celery, carrots, onions, and spices :( I've never made it before, so I guess that explains why I messed it up. Actually, I didn't follow a recipe either... which further explains why I messed it up :o Besides that though, it was good :)

In other news, I made a short trip to Paradise at Mt. Rainier over the weekend. The mountain was shrouded by clouds though so I didn't get too many photos, but I did get a few so look forward to those in the not too distant future. :)

Nine Months in the Making

2007-08-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

It started out as an individual's idea posted on the POTN forum, and turned into a project of grand proportions. This project being the first photography-on-the.net user community photo book. And when I say grand proportions, it really did turn out to be quite the large project! The idea started October 26th, 2006; image submissions began around the first of the year; and the book has just been published.

All in all... 1354 photos were submitted for consideration by 300 photographers throughout the world. Of those; 272 photos from 172 photographers made it into the book! What's more amazing though, is a group of people donated their time and expertise into making this idea into a reality. The collaboration occuring online via the POTN forums, totaled 200+ threads with more than 7750 posts amongst the volunteers.

So why am I so happy about it? Two fold!! Not 1, but 3 of my photographs made it into the book. But more importantly, I am one of the volunteers who poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this thing. It's great to see the fruits of your labor pay off. Well, the only payment I get is thanks; but it has really been an enjoyable project to be a part of. I can't wait for volume 2 to get under way... in a few months ;)

Buy your copy from Blurb here: Photography-on-the.net Photo Book volume 1.

A Memorial Day Weekend in the Redwoods

2007-06-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

My buddy Chris had the great idea to go camping over Memorial Day Weekend. He lives in LA, our other buddy Zach lives in Arizona (but he bitched out on us), and the rest of us live in the Seattle area... so Chris picked a place inbetween us all, that place being Jedediah Smith State Park in Northern California... Just a short 8 hour drive down I-5.
A cynic may read sarcasm in that, but it really was a blast (minus the long drive). It's amazing wandering around amongst those Redwoods... some around 300 feet tall and 1000+ years old!! It's a bit humbling just thinking about it.
The original intent of the trip was to try out hand at some surfing in the Northern California surf... not sure if it's good or not, but we never got a chance to because the weather wasn't what I would call surfing friendly... a bit chilly and overcast. So instead we did the next best thing... hike.
The best hike though, is the one only Chris and I went on... everyone else was lazy!!
Looking at Chris' map, he guestimated it to be about 2 miles each way, so 4 miles round trip. When we got there, we decided to do a little more at the beginning, so that immediately threw off the 2 miles each way thing. After all was said and done, it was 5.2 miles to our destination according to my GPS... and we took a short route along a dirt road back to his car... that was another 3.1 miles. So when all was said and done, our 4 mile hike turned into 8.3 miles!! Needless to say, I was beat!! The Google Earth image above shows the tracks that we took. We started in the bottom left of the map and followed the blue line and returned on the red line. Even though it was twice as long as we expected, that was the best hike of the weekend.

I have a fever...

2007-04-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

... and the only cure is more L. My latest attempt for a cure is this baby. We'll have to see if the sickness goes away or grows stronger :o
Unfortunately, I fear this sickness is contageous. I caught it from my friend -- one ordinary day out at the Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Garden. Kevin let me try out his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM... it was love at first sight.
Before that fateful day, I was a happy camper with my EF-s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens and my EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. But after that day.. that day being about four years ago, this L fever has driven me to be the proud owner of not 1, not 2, but now 3 L lenses.
My only advice, if you're a photographer using Canon equipment and haven't yet experienced an L lens, avoid at all costs those superbly built Canon lenses sporting that thin red stripe that encircles the lens. Your back will ache and your pocketbook will suffer if you catch the disease :D

A trip to the alps...

2007-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Issaquah Alps that is. They're the mountains just south of Issaquah; Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, and Taylor Mountain. Today I took a trip to Cougar Mountain and did a short loop hike from the Red-Town Trailhead to the Coal Creek Falls and back. While it wasn't necessary at all, it gave me a chance to test out my new GPS. Some stats from the GPS: the distance covered was 4.16 miles, starting/ending elevation was 641 feet (+/- a few), and a maximum elevation of 1156 feet (+/- a few).

With the exception of Tiger Mountain a long time ago, I haven't stepped foot on any of these mountains. Which is quite unfortunate, as they're a nice gem to have so close to the hustle and bustle of the city. Well, I am planning on stepping foot on them again in the future, many times in fact. A little goal for myself to get me back into hiking shape so I can embark on bigger and better feats is to summit Cougar, Squak, and Tiger Mountain... and maybe Rattlesnake Ridge and Taylor Mountain as well. Keep in mind, these aren't big mountains compared to what Washington has to offer; they range in size from 1500 feet to 3500 feet.

Discovery

2007-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

"Just pick a place, and go!" A line from a Discovery HD TV contest for their Planet Earth series... which by the way is amazing; if you have Discovery HD and an HD TV, don't miss it!! Well, don't miss it if you don't, it's airing on regular Discovery too I think. Anyways, that's exactly what I'm planning to do this spring/summer/fall. Just pick a place and go... although on a local scale, unlike Discovery's global scale.

Where am I going? Well, not too far from home. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I'm blessed with many many places to "go". For now, most of my expeditions will hover around the I-90 corridor, also known as the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway... more specifically between Issaquah and Snoqualmie Pass. Also when Mt. Rainier re-opens from repairs after the November 2006 flooding, I'll have to make a few trips there too.

I'm horribly out of shape though... working an office job and not doing much else besides that over the past 3 years haven't been very benefitial to that. Starting out with some easier hikes and hauling around 10 pounds of camera gear should help remedy that though.

Look forward to some new photos in the near future as I start to "just pick a place, and go"... and if you find yourself in the area on Fridays and wanting to do the same, let me know, company is always welcome :)

Cancelled...

2007-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

It seems a little counter intuitive, but in the pursuit of my resolutions, I've cancelled my membership to the gym!! Wierd. It works though; saves me money, and one doesn't need a gym membership to get in shape. Getting in shape just requires aerobic activity, and I'd rather get that actually doing something. What fun is walking/running in place, or 'climbing' stairs but never actually going up? I find those things rather boring myself.

New Year Resolutions

2006-12-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

What is a New Year without making some resolutions? Whether they're kept or not is another story though... Anyways, these are mine in no particular order.

Exercise and eating right.

Money. Not making it, but saving it... or rather curb my spending. I've been spending more than I probably should have for the past few months. One good thing about that though is now I have a few toys to keep me busy for a while ;) My goal is to not make any other big purchases until around the first of March. When that time comes around, I plan on buying a bicycle... which will help me out with my first resolution :) After that I'll try to come up with a monthly allowance and not spend more than that month to month. We'll see how that goes :o

Photography. I actually have a few goals here. I've picked up quite a bit of equipment in the past few months and I want to put it all to use in as many ways as I can. I've been pursuing the people side of things and plan on continuing down that road. Once late spring and summer roles around, I want to make more outdoor excursions this year than last... and not only put my photography to the test but my body also... brings me back to resolution 1 again :)

Well, that's about it. Too many goals and I'm bound to not make them, but these seem managable... wish me luck, and may your New Year's resolutions come true as well :)