A year to remember.

2010. You've come and gone. It's been on helluva year with you. I know most people are recapping this past year but I'm a bit too lazy for that. All I gotta say is that I had a good run this past year and I'm definitely looking forward to 2011. I'm starting the year off with a new job and new goals and dreams. Here's looking at you baby!

Too busy to do any shooting.

I'm getting my last few days of work done. Thursday is my last day at my job. I'm very happy about leaving. But until then, I just gotta suck it up and keep trucking and telling myself:

Two more days... just two. more. days!

I call "success" on Christmas Day

Our first gingerbread house
Christmas came and went. I always get bummed out that Christmas has passed. It means 364 more days until next year. I'm gonna miss all the Christmas music that they play 24/7 on the radio, all the lights hung up every where, and the holiday cheer that everyone seems to adopt. This is definitely my favorite time of year and I'm gonna be looking forward to next year... no matter how far away it is :)

Christmas was great this year. Nice sit down lunch at the father-in-law's house and then dinner at the mom's house. I was actually more stuffed than I was at Thanksgiving. There were lots of presents and family and friends. It was nice to get out. Even though I always complain about having to see the family, it was a treat bonding with everyone.

Now on to New Years!!

wake up, wake up, it's Christmas Eve!!

I got 2 film cameras and loads of film yesterday which means happy shootings to me this weekend :)

is there no decency in the world?

I feel really lost right now. I feel like the world has let me down. I feel betrayed.

It's unbelievable what goes on in the world. Good, hardworking people lose their jobs for nothing, while lazy, hardly hardworking folk are left to soak up the glory. I can't believe that someone who I once respected would go so low to back-stab someone close to me. I feel disgusted. There are no other words.

It's so... wrong. The world is unfair. That is not new information. But when it is disguised in seemingly civilized people, then you know the world is fucked up.

I don't know what to think.

Winter wonderland of "snow"

Korean BBQ - revisited

Here's 2 snapshots of me, in all my glory, enjoying some delicious Korean BBQ that I blogged about here. Check out ALL. THAT. FOOD. I think we only ate about half of the meats and most of the side dishes were only tasted once. I think in the future we need to be less gluttonous when we're ordering the food ;)


I rocked that panda hat :)

I love my Tuesdays!

Hello gorgeous!
One of the great things about working in the healthcare industry are the hours. I work 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week. This means I'm off Tuesdays and Fridays (hello 3 day weekend... every weekend!). Now I'm not gonna lie, working 12 hours is definitely draining, physically and mentally. Usually by the 3rd day I'm a complete and utter wreck. It also kinda sucks that I go to and from work when it's pitch black outside. My whole day is spent indoors. But hey, in the end, I love that I have 2 extra days off to do whatever I please. Like last night, when I stayed up until 2am and didn't wake up until 10am this morning. Sleeping in rocks my socks.

So today I was planning on going out to Hermann Park to take some pictures... but after realizing I slept in a little too late, I decided against it. I had too much shit to do and I already spent the better part of the morning sleeping. I had to run a few errands, including picking up a few plants for my aquarium. I wanted Mr. and Mrs. Bubbles to have a nice home so there's a few new additions to the tank today. Hopefully the plants will do well and start growing nicely in the tank.

Craving fulfilled :)

The hubby took me to eat some Korean BBQ for the first time a few weeks ago. I wasn't expecting too much except how awesome it was to cook our own meats at the table (hell yea!). Little did I know that that night would alter my cravings into a whole new system. It was that night that got me hooked on Korean BBQ. I can't believe I'd gone 25 years without EVER having eaten Korean BBQ. The food was amazing, life changing. It was since then that I've had a constant craving for some Korean BBQ. And tonight, I was definitely satisfied.

We ordered the variety platter. There was 4 different types of meat that we cooked and they were all delicious. There's this dip that's to die for. It has a nutty flavor and it goes great with the beef. I wish I knew what it was because that was heaven on earth. But unfortunately, there aren't too many pictures because I was too busy being a pig :/

I've found a new food obsession. Thanks a lot Korea.

It's the little things in life...

One of the best thing to come out of winter is drinking hot chocolate with loads and loads of marshmallows :) I'm one of those freaks who constantly add more marshmallows when the others in my drink have melted. I think one time I gave myself such a huge sugar rush from adding like half a bag of marshmallows into my hot cocoa. It was great!

So last night I made some hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls to go along with the relaxing I was about to do. It definitely felt great being able to kick my legs up on the couch, pig out on cinnamon rolls, and watch tv. Nothing beats it.



Today I did something I never do... I went out and bought fresh flowers. I was in a "domesticated wife" mood, I guess. I wanted some baby's breath but the store didn't have any. So I settled on some flowers that were actually used in my wedding a few months back. I wish there was a farmer's market or something by the house so that I can keep buying flowers from local florists and not have to pay out my butt at some franchise store. Oh well, having the flowers sitting on my desk makes me happy. I feel good about life every time I look at them. It's the little things in life that brings a smile to my face. Thank god for weekends ;)

Well, I did it!!

I spent the better part of yesterday using the Nikon EM. I was trying to get as comfortable as possible with it using some cheap film that I bought. I wanted to do all my trial and errors before I started using the more expensive films that I have lying around. So how was my experience? It was pretty fun actually. I had a great time shooting manual and getting back to basics with photography. Film definitely makes you think twice about your composition and the subject. I like that challenge... it brought me back to the good old days of shooting manual metering and focus with my D40.

I got my film developed this morning and was so excited to come back an hour later to check on the results. The pictures turned out... different than I thought it would. I'm not sure if it's because of the low light, the film, or the camera (maybe even ME, gasp!) but I wasn't too pleased with the results. Most of the pictures were slightly out of focus. I'm not sure if I was to blame but I gotta say that focusing on this camera is a major challenge. There's a part of the viewfinder that is shaded gray which makes it really hard to see where exactly you're focusing. Maybe I'm jut not used to it. Either way, here are the not so great pics. I'm definitely learning from my mistakes and moving on :)

Busy days of winter

It's so hard to keep up with blogging when I work full time. I don't see how people do it, it's EXHAUSTING. This week at work has been so hectic and crazy. I had a miserable day at work yesterday. I was beyond tired from lack of sleep and I had a throbbing headache all day. To make matters worse, it was a ridiculously busy day at work. I did not have a good day. No sir.

I'm super excited though. My 35mm film came in last night so today I'm gonna be testing out my Nikon EM. This will be the first time I shoot film so I'm pretty excited. I'm gonna try and just do some simple shots with the first roll so that I can get a hang of things before I do anything too serious. I'm excited!!

Here's to trying new things and trying to enjoy my days off :)

Relaxing with my babe

Leaving the city life behind

I spent the better part of yesterday hanging out at the hubby's work. Did I mention that he works in the middle of nowhere? Well, he does. The town's called Hockley, it's about 40 minutes northwest of Houston with about 300 people residing in its city limits. There are sprawling, acre wide properties with cows and horses grazing every mile or so. A small one car dirt road takes us to the barn-like building where Michael works. The property itself is on a huge piece of land that Junie loves to run around in. Of course, she has to be watched or else she crawls under a fence trying to follow a cow's scent. Regardless, it's refreshing being out of the city and into the carefree environment of the country.

Field trip to see some fuzzy friends

I decided a few days ago to pay a visit to the local zoo. It's been awhile since I'd visited, mostly because Houston summers are blindingly hot so I stay as far away from outdoor activities as possible. But with the recent cold fronts that have been moving in, it was the perfect time to check out the Houston Zoo. Fortunately, it seemed like the animals hate the heat as much as I do so they were all out in full force that day. I managed to get more pictures than I usually do, yay! Be prepared for an onslaught of pictures.

PS- don't mind the repetition of some of the pictures. I was SUPER tired when I made them. Mistakes were bound to happen :)

Home is where the heart is

It's been awhile since I've last made my appearance. I'm not gonna lie, it's because of the lack of photos that I have. I keep telling myself to take more pictures but it's pretty hard. In a city like Houston, the environment is pretty unforgiving to a photographer. There isn't a lot to photograph besides the usual stuff that all the other Houstonian photographers have captured. It's moments like those that make me wish I lived in a more exciting, stimulating city. I'm itching to take photos but I feel too limited in this town. Also, since the hubby is basically on call 24/7, I don't go out as much. I've spent the last few weekends bored to tears sitting at home. So, to make the best out of things, I took a few pictures of home sweet home. I'm gonna try and get a few more but it's kinda hard getting back in the groove of things. I feel like I've lost my photographer's touch.

Inspirational

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”
- Ernst Haas

Fashionista

Shorts: F21, Shirt/dress: F21, sweater: Urban Outfitters, jewelry: claire's

Not to stroke my own ego but I'm totally digging my outfit today. I recently went out and bought some high waisted shorts (yea, they're back in style again!) and decided that with the warming weather, it was time to bust them out. Pairing them with a loose dress and men's cardigan totally put the look together. Add some jewelry and side bun, and voila!!

Gonna be heading out to see the latest Harry Potter tonight. Totally stoked. Except for the ending part, it's obviously gonna be a cliff hanger... I DESPISE cliff hangers! Oh well, I plan on getting lots of popcorn, jalapenos, pickles, and nachos to grub on. You can never go wrong with that :)

Fresh new world

There's been a palpable change in the air here in Houston. I think this last cold front will be here to stay. This is definitely my favorite time of the year. Not only does the ridiculous heat leave, but it's the holiday season that so strongly draws me to autumn. There's a certain calmness that comes with the season change. I can feel it in my core. It's exciting!

In fact, I went out and bought a whole bunch of Christmas decorations a few days ago. A little premature, sure, but I was in the holiday spirit :) I can't wait for scarves, hats, boots, turkey, holiday cheer, and Christmas Christmas Christmas!


My only complaint, and it's a small one, is that I wish we had a TRUE fall. A fall where the leaves change from bright green to dashing reds and yellows. I wish we could experience the breathtaking scenery that fall can offer.

Adventures in the backyard

Today started off with a cold front and dreary weather. I went to walk Junie this morning and was hit with a surprising cool gust of wind. Usually this is no big deal (I mean, we welcome the cold here in Houston), but I was totally unaware of this when I got dressed this morning so I was shivering in my short shorts and t-shirt as I was walking her around. NOt cool. But as the day progressed, the clouds parted and we saw some gorgeous sunshine peek through. This is what we Houstonians call perfection. A nice cool day along with Mr. Sunshine shining our way :)

My mom has been nagging at me to come home for the past month (what can I say? I'm a busy girl) so I finally went home today. It's funny... it doesn't feel like home. I was reminded of a quote from "Garden State" (my all time favorite movie!). Zack Braff's character talks to his love interest about the meaning of "home":

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house you grew up in isn’t really your home anymore…all of the sudden even though you have some place to put your shit, that idea of home is gone…or maybe it's like this rite of passage…you will never have that feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, for your kids, for the family you start. It’s like a cycle or something. Maybe that’s all family really is: a group of people that miss the same imaginary place."

It's exactly how I felt as I walked into my old room and looked through all my old belongings. There's a lot of memories in that place. I spent all my high school years in that room and now it felt like a lifetime ago. In a way, so insignificant. It was definitely an odd feeling. Regardless, I got to spend some quality time in the backyard. The backyard that had fostered so many inspirations for pictures. It felt good to be back.

Restless

It's been an emotional roller coaster these last few days. There's been a few issues at work and I've been wrestling with a life changing decision because of it. I'll start at the beginning:

I work in an OR (aka operating room for those of you who aren't into the medical "lingo") and a few months ago our OR was shut down. No worries, it wasn't because of something bad, it was just the hospital reorganizing. We merged with another group from another OR, forming an orthopedic OR. The other group came from the self-proclaimed "main" OR of the hospital. I had a fear from the moment we found out about this change that they would try to take over the OR... and boy was I right. It was a slow process, during which I had hoped my fears were unwarranted and premature. But boy have things changed in the last months. I feel like they don't respect us because we come from a smaller OR. They came into this believing that we didn't do "real" work. That none of us really knew how to do orthopedic surgery. Truth is, we know MORE than them. All they do is "totals" (ie total hip and knee replacements). We do hands and feet and arthroscopic surgeries ON TOP of doing totals. To break it down, we OWN. But either way, the respect is lacking and the dictatorship has taken over. They've phased out our charge nurse and demoted her, they've changed our calls and vacation requests to match THEIR needs. We're being ignored, bullied. We're Cinderella. I'm tired of feeling like the stepchild.

Fast forward, I've been offered another job. A great opportunity to expand my experience and knowledge base. I would learn different types of surgeries besides orthopedic, I would be working with pediatric patients (challenge alert!), and I would also get trained in admission as well as immediate post-op recovery. I'd be working in a smaller hospital that's closer to my house. This means less travel time as well as a closer knit workplace due to its size. So what's my problem? I feel like I haven't stayed at my current position long enough. I've only worked as a nurse for a year and a half. I have less than 2 years experience in orthopedics. I feel like that isn't enough. I feel like I would be leaving too soon. I feel like I don't know as much as I should about orthopedics.

Dilemma. Should I tough it out for another year and feel unappreciated or should I take the plunge and broaden my horizons...?

Stay tuned...

alive & kicking

It's definitely been awhile since I've last updated on here. Lots of things have changed. For one, it's cold outside now. Thank god for that because I was getting worried that this heat wave was gonna stick around for most of winter. Thankfully, a cold front came through a few days ago, bringing with it crispier, cooler weather. I've been frequenting the dog park more often now that I won't instantly burn the second I step foot outside. Junie sure does appreciate it :)

Speaking of Junie, a few weekends ago was Pet Fest. There's sort of a tradition to head out to this annual event with little Junie (even though this is only the second year we've participated). It's so much fun to see all the booths and rescue groups there. We try to go see Junie's foster mom at the Lone Star Boxer Rescue booth so that we can show off how gorgeous Junie has become :D Vicki fostered Junie when she was rescued from the pound a year ago. She gave Junie a loving home and helped train her to be the perfect companion. It was definitely nice to see them bond again. I made sure to spoil Junie rotten while we were there. I got her a few doggie treats as well as a banging pair of goggles that she totally rocked out.


So recently I've had a humongous craving for some crab. I don't usually eat a lot of seafood (mostly because beef is my calling) but this time, for some reason, I just HAD to get me some crab. There's something about cracking open the shell to reveal succulent, juicy meat that'll be dipped in butter that I couldn't steer clear of. I can't come close to describing how satisfying it was to eat my Crab Daddy Feast (that's right, the big man's crab platter). Now if only crawfish season would hurry up and get here. Then I'd be in HEAVEN.

What I would do for you...

It's no secret. I have a love affair with dogs. Especially my baby, Junie. I rescued her from Lone Star Boxer Rescue about a year ago and since then she has been my world. At the time, she was in pretty bad condition. She was all skin and bones and heavy heartworm positive. We went through 2 months of grueling heartworm treatment that required her to be on a strict "no activity" regimen. She ended the treatment around December 2009 and since then has been on monthly heartworm medications. Recently she had her checkup and they discovered that she was still light positive :( The vet recommended another round of treatment to hopefully "cure" her. The problem is that I don't want her to go through that again. She's been through so much in her short life and her health issues seem to never end. Of course I want nothing but the best for her. I want her to live a long, healthy life. No matter what the cost... oh, did I mention the cost? $950. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!! It's making me dizzy just thinking about it. On one hand, it's the right thing to do, on the other hand, that's a lot of money.

I'm going to try and get a second opinion but if they say the same thing then I'd be willing to fork over the money. I'd do anything for her. She means more than the world to me. She's family.

A little different.

Even though I've been doing photography for almost 5 years now, I've never done it professionally. I had a very brief stint as a secondary photographer at a wedding once that confirmed my dislike towards professional photography. There was something about the pressures and volatile nature of it that I couldn't stand. It was because of that wedding that I swore to myself to never try turning my hobby into something professional. My controlling nature and fear of disappointment keeps that promise alive today. Besides, I like photographing inanimate objects. They always do exactly what I tell them :)

So this morning I had the pleasure of being a human tripod for an engagement shoot. I was summoned to help hold the off-camera flash so it was a nice opportunity to see what goes on during a shoot like that. It was pretty interesting. It took me about 2 hours before I loosened up enough to bust out my own camera and take a few pictures here and there. And I guess because the pressure wasn't on me, I was able to comfortably snap a few pics. I am still by no means dipping my feet into this field but it was pretty fun. Until my arms started killing me from holding that darn flash for 3 hours.



After the long, and HOT, morning of shooting and sweating, we made our way to Barnaby's Cafe. A friend introduced me to it a few years ago and I've been hooked ever since. They have, in my opinion, the best burgers and fries in Houston. They sprinkle this awesome cajun seasoning on their fries that make them to die for! I always ask for a little extra on the side :) It's such a cute, adorable restaurant with loads of personality. They even let you bring your dogs with you (only on the patio, of course). I always find time for their food.



It's exciting getting back into photography again. It's been a good year and a half since I last did serious photography. I lost my drive and ambition somewhere along the way and went into a long slump so it's totally awesome that I feel that bug bite again. I'm excited for what's to come. Excited for what I'll come up with and what I'll create.

It's been too long. It's good to be back :)

Refresh...

Yes boys and girls, for the 32583857920th time, I'm restarting my blog. I don't know why I do it but it's like a compulsion. I can't stand to stick to one style or one look. I'm never happy. Hopefully this new layout will stick around for awhile because I kind of like it ;)

Since we're on the note of starting over, I started a new chapter in my life this past weekend. I'll hopefully have pictures to show for it sometime soon but I'm not sure when. Here's a sneak preview:



Time for some beauty rest. I, unfortunately have an early morning tomorrow. Blergh.