yesterday's bud
60mm_lens_test2_f+spider
Originally uploaded by monster-ru.Yes, I am keeping a close eye on the flowers of this potted plant. Today a spider rested on it, and boy, was it hard to get a clear shot of it with a macro lens when the wind is blowing!
"homo-moslims"
Picked up this pamphlet somewhere in Amsterdam just cos' i guess if anyone tried to circulate this back in S'pore, there would probably be some amount of
beh songness generated.
today's thoughts & TDL
These flowers were still well and alive when i saw them yesterday. Today, they are dying. It made me sad. Perhaps there was too much rain, or maybe their time had come and gone. But its nice to see that new buds have taken their place.
"All of last year's blooms have gone and died,
Time doesn't give a reason."
- CC, "High Life", TDL.
photo taken with NAB's new 60mm macro lens. Yes, he's got himself the new 350D XT Rebel! (it has taken, er, 6 years or so? but yes, he has finally joined the rest of us who takes photos!) keep telling him to post his photos (he's got some really cool ones), but i guess he hasn't had the time...And this is for K -
"For all the things you're losing,
you might as well resign yourself to try and make a change."
- CC, "i wish i was a girl", TDL.
yes,
change change change!now out for possibly more VDC.
Rummaging around in old shelves of LP's is one of few things that makes life worth living, as far as I'm concerned. (- H. Murakami, "Chance Traveller" in July's issue of Harper's.)
my friends, what makes your life worth living?
We are Trash
Saw this trash bin in Rotterdam, and found it quite amusing. What is it trying to say? That we are trash? That we should throw our nasty friends into the rubbish bin after a fight? That this bin is meant for the disposal of fellow human beings? (Strange, given the size of the bin, it can't even fit a child, much less a grown person.)
the sticker that someone stuck on it doesn't even generate as much interest. (It says "WE LOVE AEROSOL LIKE SEX! F.T." or some initial like that.)
and the answer is...
purple potatoes!
as you can see, i left a lot of them on the plate (ok - 2 mouthfuls). i mean - the scallops were delicious, but there were only 3 of them. well, 3 is a lot better than the time at the Lighthouse (Fullerton) when all i got was
one scallop. now that was quite cruel because it was just too nice and it was a real tease because they only gave you one.
the salad was really quite tasty, with a light vinegarette dressing. but the idea of eating something purple (besides candy or yam ice cream) just seemed too weird. besides, it didn't taste of anything besides starch.
tonight's starter
lovely grilled scallops. but i was surprised something
that purple appeared on the plate. guess what that was.
U2 Tickets (at rip-off prices), any idiots, oops sorry, i meant any takers?
so all the tickets for the 3 nights have apparently been sold out. but there are bastards out there selling tickets, for - yes - US$500 each. fuck them.
ow. i can feel my lungs hurting.
i should stop smoking.
the problem with the ear
there is fluid in my left ear. it hurts.
the doctor said that it is more than 50% filled. she has prohibited me from going swimming. she has given me meds.
i have left the meds in singapore. my ear is hurting like hell.
if i don't take the meds, the fluid remains, the pain stays, but my hearing goes.
Saturday's lunch
excellent Italian food. even though i wasn't hungry, and already had some Japanese noodles for breakfast, i still finished all the pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese, in a lovely rosé sauce.
"Pavement Tit(s)"
spotted this outside the old church, Oude Kerk, in the middle of the red light district, where the World Press Photos exhibition was held.
the wrong continent
i woke up this morning to "Round Here". this is one of my favourite CC songs, but also one that i am most
afraid of listening to without warning.
when i arrived in Amsterdam yesterday, i was feeling really tired, but i was rather glad because on the plane, i found out that i might be able to catch REM, U2, and a couple of other bands i wouldn't mind seeing whilst i'm out here. Coldplay played on the 7th, REM's concert today at Hyde Park is postponed to next Sat due to the bomb blasts (DAMN YOU, fucking terrorists!), and U2 has 3 concerts in Amsterdam next week. Moreover, the North Sea Jazz Festival is happening this weekend, Fri - Sun, and i think we are going tonight.
Last night, as i was thinking about whether i was going to be able to make all these concerts, i remembered -
Fuck! the Counting Crows is playing tonight! in Atlantic City! this is one of the very few concerts they are doing this year, and one that i could have made. but as with a lot of things in life, you can make plans and there is no way to tell for sure that you can carry them out. it really hit me because there are so many bands playing in this area, but the one concert that i really really wanted to go to, i can't.
So when i woke up this morning and was reminded of time already passed, i was saddened.
...
Irving Penn's exhibition in the National Gallery, Washington. "Platinum Prints" - one that i will again, probably miss!
dark side of the moon
bought this yesterday.
cool psychedelic stuff.
Pink Floyd
i have recently been introduced to Pink Floyd. i guess "introduced" is the wrong word to use, because surely everyone has heard of them. but i am currently listening to this album quite a bit. i really quite like it.
it grows on you. and its rather trippy stuff. =)
The Post Office trip
i had to go and collect this package from the post office today. it annoyed me because the first time they delivered the package to the door, i was actually at home. then i arranged for them to deliver it again, on a Saturday, and i waited. From 8 am to 2pm. no show!
so i rang them again and the girl on the line didn't know where the fucking bag was. she said she'd get back to me,
on the same day, but i didn't hear from her at all. when they finally found the bag and delivered it again on the Wednesday, i was not home. i surprised myself because i didn't give them much grief and instead, said that i would pick it up from the post office.
i had expected this from Amazon, but i didn't think it would be that big a package for 3 items! i mean, WTF?! couldn't they have used a smaller box? or even a smaller bag for that matter?
it is no fun trying to lug a bag this big (with the top coming up to nearly my waist!) across the road, up a bus and home. this made worse by the fact that i was tortured by my PT yesterday at the gym, who made me exercise every single muscle in my body. boy, was that tough!
still, i am happy to get my Salgado book. the other 2 items are not for me. for anyone interested, it is an excellent book!
also noticed a funny Western Union ad at the post office. Unfortunately, i don't have a camera phone, nor a camera with me at the time. but the ad read "Now send home your love for just $6!*" Hmm. what does it mean to be able to "send" love cheaply?
