Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Thematic Photographic 125: Sepia

I'm not sure I really know what constitutes a sepia photograph. I've looked at all the beautiful images which clever people have posted in response to this theme, and they seem to range from black and white to gold. And I don't have any sepia collection, so this is my sole contribution this week:

A friend's son walks in the harsh salt desert of Uyuni, in Bolivia:


Visit Carmi's Thematic Photographic - click the button on the right.

My Christmas wish list

 
Well holidays are approaching fast and it might be time to consider my Christmas wish list. The list is shorter this time since last year I was able to cross around 80% of theme. The Canon Camera was heaven for me last year...thank you GOD.

  So no pressure on friends and family; the biggest pressure is actually on me and on my willpower to hold out on Christmas splurging! If money is out of the business and control here are my wish list.


1. Shoes are Yummy:)


Any brand will do...I love killer shoes!






2. A bag...is like a drug! I can't live without it! - A trusty bag


Every time I see this Mulberry Bag my mouth starts to salivate!



3. Haruki Murakami books


I love reading...It arouses my passion for learning





 4. Burt's Bees Lip Balm


Formulated to heal, repair and moisturize lips. Perfect for me since I smoke like hell… one thing I need to quit this year!             
     


5. Love Key Chain

 
Remember this key chain? yes! You're right! from the movie Sex in the City and I'm crying out loud to have this! A good luck charm for a loveless..so perfect!





In the spirit of giving please include me in your list...lol...but whatever comes! I'm glad and happy to accept it ....have a merry Christmas!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Sunsets

The Landlady demands a monthly post about the view or the rent goes up.

Yes every single evening.

This is the view when I lift my eyes from the laptop.

the sun slips further south each evening...

All dinner reservations are "after sunset"

A few minutes after this shot the clouds went dark red, the reflection turned the fog layer on the bay light pink for just a few incredible moments. Alas my camera could not capture that light

Even the cloud cover is cool.

San Francisco open your golden gate

Need to break

Things I need to break to welcome 2010... I know this too early but better to start than end up nothing…so here it goes promises to ditch and which ones to keep:)

1. Break:  I will lose weight

 I will think and then believe that I’m already at my ideal weight. Need to stop this delusion and hallucination that beautiful people don’t eat cause I’m not! I’m a monster. Beautiful monster…lol

2. Break: I will find ONE

 Need to break this one because I already find the ONE.  It’s me, I’m the one. I should start celebrating being on my own, not all of us have been assigned a Mcdreamy in this lifetime. We just have to discover within ourselves and take our time. (“ sabi pa nga ng iba ang pagkakaroon ng BF or Beau ngayong pasko ay bonus lang..so what if I’ll be a member of SMB (samahan ng malalamig ang pasko) after all we have our loving friends and family…a true and real love.


3. Break:  I will stop spending so much time on Facebook

I admit it, I always stay late at night to check friend’s status and updates on their lives and it’s more slightly disturbing how I’ll manage to find way to log on and update my status even when I’m on vacation or from hospital bed. Facebook is so addictive, happyland and beautiful world. But let’s admit it; we only present the crème dela crème of our lives. Need to break this...I will widen my horizon and weasel out my FB addiction…little by little and it’s the World Wide Web for Pete’s sake. There are millions of other sites we can devote our time too.

4.  Break: I’m going to call my friends more

The reason why I’m on a guilt trip about not calling my friends more is probably because I have way too many friends in the first place. But I think it’s normal. We seek different friends to serve different purposes: special interest friends, convenience friends, business friends, crisis friends and intimate friends. I’m going to expand my circle of friends. But I’ll safeguard friendship that really matters. So I’ll bond with my BFF who I haven’t seen in a long time.

Obscure rock

How I wish..I could always be happy...
molecules of happiness all over my body!
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons and this
coming year I'll try it with cinnamon or Nutmeg:)
Cheese pimiento Burger and Onion ring such a heaven 
( Burger Avenue)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Love

For me, Love is the most important of all - spending time and being Present with those that I Love in my life.

I remember years ago when my life was so busy and I was always worrying or thinking about work or about relationships that weren't working out, or thinking about the past or worrying about what was out of my control.  And now, right NOW, I feel very relaxed, my mind is clear - I can be totally Present in the NOW.  It is so great to have a quiet mind - I feel that there is space - time to breathe.

I Love that I can enjoy time with My Man - enjoying time out, time at home, time together.  I loved celebrating My Man's birthday recently, it was so great being at a beautiful restaurant together, enjoying a long lunch - I am so happy that I have found Love.  To Love and Be Loved is the greatest gift - my greatest dream come true. 


And I Love spending time with my Mum and Dad.  I am blessed that they have always filled my life with Love.  Just the other day we were shopping and I was ordering lunch for Mum and Dad and I took a few moments to just look over at my Mum and I waved to my Mum - in that moment I just looked over and saw such beauty in my Mum - my Mum waved back - this was a moment of just feeling such Love for my Mum.  I captured this moment in my heart.  Since my Mum has been unwell I have been so conscious of just enjoying time with my Mum, telling my Mum how much I love her and telling my Mum she is beautiful.

And today was a wonderful day - time with the Family, enjoying my Niece's dancing concert.  I Love my Nieces - they bring such Joy and Love into my life.  It was great to just enjoy the day, without thinking about anything else, just being totally Present and also feeling the warmth of Love from being with my Family and my Nieces.   I especially loved seeing my Niece Ashley up on stage smiling and dancing and having a great time - what a great feeling to feel such Love in my heart as I watched Ashley performing her ballet and jazz.  And I Love the hugs from my Nieces and I loved when my Niece Olivia sat on my lap and relaxed into me, so comfortable, so relaxed, moments filled with Love.  Here are some of my favourite photos from today.

 


I Love taking photos and I also Love just capturing moments in my mind's eye.  Today I was sitting next to my Mum and my Niece Olivia who had been sitting on my lap most of the day came over and climbed onto my Mum's lap, her Nana - and it was a beautiful moment, Olivia cuddled into my Mum and I just enjoyed feeling this moment of Love.

For a long time I was searching for My True Love and during this search I was so Grateful to be surrounded in the Love of my Family.  And now I have so much Love in my life - so much Love that I Value above all else - this is Life's Greatest Treasure for me.

I remember at College we enjoyed a Meditation about our Purpose - it was a Meditation based on when your Soul is about to become human form, at the time of conception - and we were asked the question - what will be your Purpose in this lifetime?  The word that came up for me was... Love - so simple - so true for me.  

And with Love as the main Priority in my life, this guides me in my Life Design.  I now choose a job and a career that allows me to enjoy work-life Balance with plenty of time dedicated to the key relationships in my life.  I also ensure that I have time for Self, enjoying one of my favourite books, relaxing in the bath, a walk out in Nature - Self-Love.

My Commitment is to Love - Love of Self, Love of My Man, Love of My Family and Friends, Love of ALL - LOVE.


Saturday, November 27, 2010

Penchant for Penguins

An extremely astute (and possibly OCD) reader noticed several penguin references recently, so I guess I should fess up. In the 70s & 80s I had a penguin thing. I collected penguins of all kinds but I also read a lot about them in both contemporary and scientific literature. Yes, I had a thing for Opus but mostly because Berkeley Breathed endowed him with many characteristics I could relate to, particularly the little feathered fellow's distain for all things scatological.

In the winter of 1980 I even went to Antarctica (it was summer there) saw many different species of penguins and other animals, including a single rookery of over three-quarters of a million brooding penguins. When I moved to San Francisco in 1991, I only unpacked about a quarter of my collection, ten years later when I left the City, I gave away many of my favorite artifacts to friends and shipped the remainder to another collector. It is always heart warming for me to visit friends around the country and see a single piece of my old collection gracing a mantle or acting as a door stop.

These days I collect absolutely nothing of material form or space. Words are my medium and they can exist quite easily in the vacuum of cyber-space. I will be visiting my lonely storage locker in the next several weeks, if I can easily lay my hands on the photo album I will post a thirty year old photograph of me and a gang of Antarctic penguins.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Rockers get it right

 

New Zealand is a small country. 
We don't have many underground mines, and thank God we don't often have 
disasters which kill a number of people at once.  


But this week the whole country is mourning the 29 men who died in a coal-mine calamity 
on the West Coast of the South Island. 
16 miners and 13 contractors became trapped in the mine after a large methane-fuelled 
explosion on November 19. A second bigger explosion on Wednesday of this week 
put an end to any hopes that the men had survived. 
And a third, smaller explosion rocked the mine yesterday, just five minutes 
before the time of the first explosion a week before.

 

Most of the men who died were New Zealanders, but there were also Brits, Australians, 
a South African.  And in a country as small and sparsely populated as this, everybody 
knows someone who has lost a son, a husband, a friend.



Last night, U2 were performing in Auckland, and made a moving tribute to the lost men by 
posting all of their names above the stage as they sang their song One Tree Hill, which was
written to commemorate the death of their Kiwi roadie and Bono's PA, Greg Carroll.


Rest in peace, 
and may those who are left behind find comfort 
in the love of their friends and families, 
and consolation in their memories of you.



Arohanui
Alexia

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Ride - Birdman




01 - Birdman
02 - Rolling Thunder #2
03 - Let's Get Lost
04 - Don't Let it Die


Ride

The Crocketts - James Dean-Esque





01 - James Dean-Esque
02 - Billy The Bunt
03 - Rapid Pulsing Breaths


The Crocketts

Senser - Adrenalin




01 - Adrenalin
02 - Adrenalin (The Lady Boy Remix)
03 - Spunk


Senser

Beautiful Snake Wallpapers And Photos, Pictures

They are generally olive green to brown, although they may be somehwhat yellow or have slight saddle-like splotches off red.Brown tree snakes may be any length from 18 inches as juveniles to over 8 feet long as adults,The saliva of a garter snake may be toxic to amphibians and other small animals. For humans, a bite is not dangerous, though it may cause slight itching, burning, and/or swelling.Juvenile brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) are 15 inches long, and adults may reach 10 feet in length. They are brown, olive green or yellow in color,Shiny blue-black in color. Light brown at tip of snout. Bright red to orange scales along sides. Creamy pink belly. Small, flat head. Small, black eyes. Smooth dorsal scales. Many other poisonous snakes share the abode, including coastal taipans, eastern tiger snakes, black tiger snakes, king brown snakes, red-bellied black snakes.
Snake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake WallpapersSnake Wallpapers

Beautiful Christmas Festival Wallpapers And Image Collections

On the 25th of December, families gather for the Christmas lunch. Of course, children open the presents Father Christmas left under the Christmas tree as soon as they get up in the morning. Santa Claus has been accredited with various names like Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kringle, Kris or simply Santa. But all these names refer to the same person St. Nicholas.On every Christmas Eve Santa Claus brings gift and presents for the children all over the world and places them in the stockings hanged by the kids near the fireplace.It was not until the 1800s that the Santa as we know him today started to emerge. Writers and artist depicted a lovable jolly fellow, small in size with a giving heart. On Christmas eve he would ride in a magnificent sleigh pulled by eight reindeer over the treetops and roofs. He dropped gifts down the chimneys of good boys and girls. Select the following link to view our Old World Santa Father Christmas.

Crismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas FestivalCrismas Festival