two steps behind

First of all, I am blogging this via “internet tethering” because apparently, we (at home) forgot to pay our Internet BILL… and I thought the Internet was out due to the storm!!

So… what am I gonna do? Really I don’t know! But anyway I start typing on the MS Word (yea we do have that on Mac as well) then I remember that… my iPhone can do this thing all “Internet Tethering” that I saw my co-worker used at work. Basically sync the iPhone up with the MacBook… then turn on Internet Tethering function on the iPhone…

VIOLA!!! Here I am!

Anyway… the speed is super duper SLOW because I am in the 2G area, unlike the 3G area in the city.
Umm. Another problem… how long would this take to upload my photo up to flickr and back down to TwoStepsBehind? I’ll let u know once this is posted.

updated!

Today…
Got a forwarded email with the topic “Thinking about having a Siberian Husky”

Many who have a husky (or huskies!) would know… that pretty much owning a husky bring you a lot of troubles!!! TONS of troubles!
Really, when we come to think about it… what is so good about having a husky?
I can’t really answer for the other, but for me… despite all the troubles

Missha, she loves going out for a walk either in the rain, in the sun, in the fog, HOT or COLD, 8am, Noon, 5pm, 10pm… or even 2am in the morning… she will always walk with me (or she walks me LOL).
And when she got tired, she would just slam on to the grass and just roll on it… so I would have to wait. And when I got tired, I rest… and she would just wait patiently until we both are ready again. Then we just walk on, together.
She loved listening to me talking (oh yes she does listen and making that “what are you saying” face! Yup. Yet… I just keep talking nonsense to her about this and that, about her mess, about my mess, ETC ETC ETC…

Despite… all the troubles, all that matter is…
Missha was always there for me…
I wish that she is here with me now… so I’ll be talking nonsense to her… and go take a walk in neighborhood or just drive away to Santa Monica beach at 1am… and just walk till the sunrise….

***update: finally server is up and running!!! yes!!

Today… the dreamhost server seemed to have problems, hence I couldn’t blog normally on my website. However, my alternative is… HERE! I am at flickr blogging. Haha!!!

I wouldn’t want to try too much time fixing the problem on the server as it was stated that the error was cause by the server itself, not by me. So I’ll just wait for the server to get back up and just not stress over it!

It has been awhile since I’ve gotten to just sit by the sea, watch the sunset and do nothing but just watch the SUN set! This was taken in San Diego, I don’t remember the name of the island at this location, but it is well hidden. The sunset was amazing, but I couldn’t stay outside for long because it was getting chilly and I wasn’t wearing proper clothing. C’mon I was wearing beachwear, so I wasn’t prepared for a cold night! San Diego… it’s the one place I love to go, except Santa Monica, California. San Diego has everything from beaches to mountains, zoos to amusement parks, street vendors to high luxury restaurants and … onnn and onnnnnnn.

Oh well, it a great place to visit, but to live there? I don’t know… a lot of my friend would still prefer Los Angeles over San Diego. But I just prefer somewhere calm and quiet to relax and enjoy the day.

Seriously… must everything going in circle, be it spinning, swirling, twisting or just BOUNCING at the county fair, Los Angeles? When was this, let me look up the info… (moment later) It was September 29, about a year ago and I have already forgotten about it. I guess this is the main reason why I love taking photos, because I love to remember everything and every place.

The noise, the crowds, the vivid light and the smell of food were everywhere! However, the smell of food WON as I went directly to have… (before even starting to take picture) A SMOKED TURKEY LEG!!! It was HUGE! The biggest I have ever had and yup… I finished it all. Not only that… I finished my meal with a funnel cake topped with strawberries and sugar icing! Well, that was a lot of food!!! So I walked it off and just spent my night in the county at the last day for the event. Normally, we must pay to enter the fair… however, lucky me, I got free ticket ^_^

So, why must everything go in circles, spinning, swirling, twisting or just BOUNCING.
I don’t know… but it was a really fun night!

Going back about a year ago… around mid September 2008. It was months before I learn about HDR photography or even know how to use RAW format! Yup, that was the time when I was just point and shoot at every single things that move or doesn’t! Because of that, my battery went out quickly… and NO! I didn’t have any backup battery, I still don’t! Lately, my battery last for days or even weeks because I only get to go out during the weekend and become more aware of what to take before just snap snap snapping away!

The sculpture, reminded me of my own architectural models that I made for my thesis (you can check it out at www.NattMuangsiri.com opse, that reminded to renew the subscription for the web address!) The sculpture, if I remember correctly, is made of old aircraft scraps that are tied together with cables. That was literally my last shot of the night because the camera just shut itself off after the shot! The other picture, the reflecting pool was taken just a few shots earlier.

Everything out of focus, shakily and blurry but that’s how things are at the beginning, isn’t it?
Just have to keep going ^_^ like Energizer bunnies! LOL

After 1 year.. I guess she must have known it; she is now 1 year old (human year) as she ran away from home today, only to be found later by a boy. Thank you, whoever that is! Thank you! I was dreaming of her today that we were running and then took a rest somewhere, just like in this picture. Relaxing in the sun, getting ready to run… again.

Happy Birthday, my little blue eyed, Missha!

And couldn’t have her today if Qi wasn’t taking care of her… but opse… Missha ran away! What the -BEEP- ! The point is she is back.

I was high… physically in the air!!! NOT! MENTALLY. okay? So this was taken back in Los Angeles, during the LA county fair 2008. The funny thing is that, I have been living in LA since 2000 but this visit is actually the first time that I went to the LA county fair which is only 10 minutes away from my place. This seems to be normal because we don’t normally travel in the city you live in, do we? The only reason I went there is because I got a… FREE ADMISSION TICKET that I got from my photographer friend, Lily. Actually she is the first person that introduced me to the HDR techniques that lead me to semi-obsession with HDR.

The view from the top were pretty cool, yet the view from the bottom was… AMAZING!

Midterm is finally over, most of the exams went really well but one… accounting!!! In my opinion, I needed more time to finish the work. Oh well the point is, it is over and to keep thinking about it will not change the fact that I only finished “half” of the exercise for the accounting. After the exam, I went to relax with my classmates at their place across from the school. The weather is perfect; sunny and warm, so much so that I jumped into the swimming pool thinking that the water would be nice and warm as well. Not! Freezing cold, and soaking wet.

So we spent some time by the pool just sitting in the sun, warming and drying myself before walking back to my room. That experience reminded me of Christmas day in 2008 when I went for an evening walk in the rain, cold and wet just an hour before sunset at Angel point, Los Angeles.

Love, is in the air…
call out my name,
and I will be there.

The picture below, also from Angel point. You can read more about that day at “Angel Point(ing) at Los Angeles” page

Beauty… Luxury… Temptation… Speed… Adrenaline rushing… Blood pressure rising… Breathless!

It was at the Los Angeles Auto Show, last November that I got to see this beauty presented in one of the galleries. I took a few angles of this Lamborghini, however, I believe that this view, this angle, this moment is just right. It is not about more is less… but it is about Less is More. The design, from an architecture point of view, is so basic with the cause of simple shape elements that creates the elegance of the design. The speed of the car is unquestionable as everyone must know how fast it is. The color of the car, white, black and touch of red/orange to bring out its characteristics.

The selection of the picture today is because I have seen a few of this Lambos here in Marbella already in typical red and yellow paint. I think it would have been much nicer in white just because white is not a color and it represents neutrality, which in my opinion, is also Richard Meier’s reason for choosing all of this architectural design in white is one of the most fact that I must agree with.

Below is the Pritzker Acceptance Speech by Meier:

—

I would like to share with you, tonight, the ongoing conversation that I have with my children, Joseph and Ana. It revolves around the question “What is your favorite color?” Joseph, who is four and three-quarters, always replies green, and states when asked why, that “green is the color of grass, the trees are green, green is all around us, it’s the color of spring and dollar bills.”

Ana, who is three and doesn’t like to be outdone by Joseph, replies that her favorite color is blue, and that, “the sky is blue, the pools and ponds and lakes are blue.”

And then they turn to me and ask, “Daddy, what is your favorite color?” And every time we play this gave, my response is the same: “White is my favorite color.”

“But Daddy,” Joseph says, “You can’t have white. White is not a color; white isn’t in the rainbow; you have to take a color that is in the rainbow, like red or green, or blue or yellow.”

And I have to explain that for me, white is the most wonderful color because within it you can see all the colors of the rainbow. For me, in fact, it is the color which in natural light, reflects and intensifies the perception of all of the shades of the rainbow, the colors which re constantly changing in nature, for the whiteness of white is never just white; it is almost always transformed by light and that which is changing; the sky, the clouds, the sun and the moon.

White conventionally has always been seen as a symbol of perfection, of purity and clarity. If we ask why this is the case, we realize that where other colors have relative-values dependent upon their context, white retains its absoluteness. At the same time, it may function as a color itself. It is against a white surface that one best appreciates the play of light and shadow, solids and voids. Goethe said “color is the pain of light.” Whiteness is perhaps the memory and the anticipation of color. For me, the contrast becomes the definition — that which is natural, organic, changing, contains at different times, all of the colors of the rainbow. And that which is man-made should help to focus and intensify one’s perception of all that is around us.

It appears that he has found a successful formula and he’s sticking with it, a eventually it becomes his trademark as an architect, pretty much like Frank Gehry has his dynamic architecture, and Tadao Ando and his minimalist architecture.

—

Beauty within Neutrality

Life… is a roller coaster ride. A Friday night, a typical night that us class/school mates are out to just chill… However, tonight I put my observation glass on and paid close attention to what was happening around me. All the conversations, body language, arguments between friends and couples. It is amazing when we are really paying close attention to our surrounding as I have noticed that there are so many things that happened and I have never noticed before, it could be good or bad but the point is I just never really noticed it until today.

If we were to make a metaphor of our “life journey” from a roller coaster ride, then we would understand that… there are times that we are so excited to get on the journey, times that we are having so much fun, times that we are afraid of happening, moments that you are scared, moments that you wish you never took the journey, moments that you wish to share this experience with someone, moments that you just enjoy the ride and are not thinking about anythings… all those moments in a roller coaster only last a few minutes.

I think that, our journey in life is very similar to that of roller coaster ride as we have all those moments mentioned earlier but at the point we step on to the journey, there is no going back. To get thru the journey, we must then be able and capable of handling all the moments in our journey knowing that, just like the roller coaster, it will end shortly. In real life, we don’t really know exactly what is going to happen but with hope and faith… we will endure those moments, remember all the moments, and anticipate the end of the journey, whenever it is.

Photo info: Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, California.

Nisei Week Japanese Festival, an annual festival celebrating Japanese American (JA) culture and history in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Nisei means 2nd generation in Japanese, describing the first American born Japanese, a group which the seven day festival was originally meant to attract. Though named for the Nisei generation, Nisei Week is no longer targeted at Niseis, nor is the festival still contained within a week. Nisei Week Foundation president for 2006, Michelle Suzuki, described the festival as “the opportunity for people of all backgrounds to celebrate Japanese heritage and culture”. (from wikipedia)

The 68th Annual Nisei Week took place on August 16-24th, 2008 and I was there to capture most of the activities of the event. The event also served as a costume party where 90% of the people who came to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles would wear all sort of Japanese tradition or comic costumes.

However, after looking thru all the pictures that I took that day, I believe that this picture captured the heart of the event.

I took this picture during the LA Auto Show in November 2008. I happened to get free tickets after attending one of the private events held by Porsche at the LA Auto Show for the pre-opening. Porsche is always great, especially the Cayman!!! However I feel that… this AUDI R8 has changed my mind. The style is very very very attractive!!! So much that, I have it on my wish list (when I can afford one) haha. I have never driven this one, but I did drive an Audi TT… and it was fun especially when I reached 125 MPH, or 201 KMH (on a legal stretch of road, of course!)… The adrenaline rush was just awesome. I didn’t feel like I was driving the car anymore at the point, but more of piloting a jet on the freeway.

And in Spain… it must have been fun to feel the speed here with all the round-abouts to drift around to long stretches where I can press that gas pedal and driving to the beach to just cruise day til night. >.< I miss my “coche”

Talk about speeding… I never get pulled over when I speed up to 110 MPH, but ironically I got pull over twice for speeding at 75 MPH (65 MPH is the limit) and that was the traffic speed. These cops really had nothing to do or what? They tailed me for 10 minutes before they fire up the sirens and pull me over. The worse thing is, it happened 3 days before I left to Spain.

But hey, we got to be responsible for our actions, at least that is what I believe.

After getting short-listed with the photo of Los Angeles City Hall, finally they emailed me with the confirmation that the photo got selected and included in their…. well read more of the detail on the email below  ^_^

You can read more on the day that I received the email notified about the short listed at this link.

Woo!!!, my picture got SHOT-LISTED on FLICKR !!! look look at Los Angeles

It is the first time that I can officially call myself a “Photographer”. One step at a time, even thought I am and always will be just twostepsbehind, with hope… dream will come true, impossible will be possible.

Never have, and never will… give up

Okay, I will go finish the movie now. I was watching “breaking and entering” when I received the email but I had to stop just to write about this exiting news!!!

Originally, I had another picture earlier today for the post however the week has been so busy, too busy. There are so many things to be done for the event next week. Well, now I just want that peacefulness… a peaceful place where I can just sit somewhere and absolutely do nothing. I’d like to think about something else beside work.

And that is how I remembered of a place where I have peace. Right here… Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles.

“I am for peace,” said David, “but when I speak, they are for war.” [Psa. 120:7] Why speak then? Why not exercise love, and charity, and forbearance, and avoid giving offence by disagreeable truths? “I tried,” he says, “to refrain even from good words, but it was pain and grief to me; as I mused the fire kindled, and at the last I spake with my lips.” Jeremiah found the same thing; [Psa. 39:2-3]

After I was reading the email, I was confused for a while… because I forgot that I had flickr account set up a while back. I think I should link it to this blog (after I figure out how). About this picture, it was taken in Los Angeles one weekend, that I was bored. Me and my other photographer buddy decided to go for a walk in LA and just start point and shooting at everything. We spent the entire day until night time; way too cold to take any more pictures, ran out of memory, then ran out of battery too. Oh well it was a fun day to take pictures.

So yea!!!!!!!!! I finally made it to some “short-list” which I don’t really know what it means… a final list? Oh well, whatever it is… I am really pleased that my photo caught the eye of the public and that people appreciate the work… The more I miss Los Angeles, the more I get remind by all these Los Angeles things.

Humm… now I get to figure out how to link Flickr here.

During the Food and Beverage class we discussed about vinification, the wine making process and viticulture, the vine growing process. The discussion lead the class to talk about vineyards, which then lead to California’s vineyards. Ever since I drank wine, I never really like any of them but one, the Stella Rosa 1917 IL CONTE D’ALBA. I was introduced to this wine by David… It has a transparent pink color with a very smooth texture, no residue, a scent of wild fruit, tastes lightly sweet (just right!) and very bubbly. I LOVE THIS WINE…!!! I couldn’t find one here in Spain. Oh well, we should discuss more about wine on later date.

Talking about the wine and where to get the Stella Rosa reminded me of the photo I took of Hollywood. After searching into my photo archive for about an hour, I finally found it!!!

Welcome to Hollywood’s Beauty!!!.

Today, I spent 40 minutes walking to Puerto Banus, Marbella… and on the way to the Puerto (port) Banus, it remind me of the feeling that I had on Christmas 2008 because of the short-cut that I took while walking to the Port was very JUNGLE ‘s like. It was damp, wet and full of branches. The feeling brought me back to Christmas afternoon. Sunny and nice until I get to Angel Point, Los Angeles which is when it started raining. I continued on, walking there for about an hour or so, in the rain, looking for locations to snap pictures but it was so gloomy. Right before sunset, the sun shown below the clouds, allowing me to capture this scene. This moment only lasted about 10 minutes before it is gone.

It was one evening that I would never forget. A Christmas to remember.

About the picture, to the left, is the U.S. Bank building in Los Angeles and to the right is the famous Dodger Stadium!!!

No, it is not that kind of shooting. Sorry to disappoint you. ^_^

This photo was taken on a morning that I was trying to apply for my Spanish visa. In one week, I have been down this street for more than 10 times and I have noticed the churches on Wilshire blvd. I then kept telling myself to bring my camera the next time I went to the consulate, but it wasn’t until the last day as I kept forgetting to bring my camera along with me.

Finally, I brought the camera but I didn’t have time to stop the car… solution??? I only got one shot! … The result is what is posted here today.

*We can always plan as much as we want, but there are always unseen obstacles… so we must improvise and do our best. In our life, we pretty much only have one shot!