Breaking Bad Habits and Taking on New Ones

New Site!

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:58:00 +0000

I bought a domain. Nothing new. Just a domain.

Visit me at www.aileensecord.com.

Toodles!

i'm next in command: my first wedding

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:27:00 +0000

I had the awesome opportunity to shoot next to Greg Bumatay last Saturday for a wedding at The Mission Inn in Riverside. I had such a fabulouso time. I learned tons and even got some great shots! I won't brag, but Greg did say I did an "excellent job". ;) Not bad for a first timer. I can't wait to do it again!

Check it out here on my photography blog:

http://aileensecordphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/i-do-christa-justin/

Follow Up to My PSA - Craigslist ... And... 2009 Won't Be So Bad

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:36:00 +0000

In my last post I was a little peeved that Craigslist scams would find their way into my inbox. At least I didn't fall for them. I did get an email from someone willing to trade in their Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit for my old camera. I was so tempted; I've been wanting a Wii for some time since I found out I have mad skills in the ski jump. Mr. S put a kabosh on my future trade. He wants to keep our old camera so he can practice on it (What? Is he trying to steal my thunder in photography?). Craigslist isn't bad if you know how to weed out the con artists, crazies, and weirdos. When you've mastered the buy & sell aspect of Craigslist, you can certainly score a brand-spanking new Canon 50D for a decent price! The price was so good that Mr. S finally caved and let me purchase my new camera I've been wanting for oh-so looooong.

Me & the new 50. Mr. S hates this picture of me. I can't see why.

With my ~~late Christmas gift~~ toy in hand, 2009 is starting out pretty good. It's a little materialistic to say that because I have a new toy that 2009 will be the bomb, but maybe this new toy will open up some opportunities for me to come into my craft and to find a way to be artistic. But, I think the real reason why 2009 won't be so bad is that I survived my company's layoffs last week (which is why I've been MIA on the blogs - I've been too worried and stressed about losing a job that pays for my bad habits/hobbies). At the end of the week, I'm fortunate to say that I was one of the spared. I'm happy. I'm alive. I'm healthy. And I have a job in this poor economic climate. THANK YOU GOD and MY LUCKY STARS!

Public Service Announcement: Craigslist is Not for the Naive

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Craigslist has been around for quite some time. At some point, Craigslist was better than eBay at least when dealing locally for quick and cash-only transactions. I've had a few successful transactions myself on items I've bought and sold through Craigslist and only 1 weird outcome (the crazy roommates I found when I moved to NYC).

Craigslist is not for the weak heart. It's not for the technically challenged. It's not for the naive.

I posted an ad on Craigslist to sell my current DSLR in hopes of earning some extra money to afford a newer camera. I was excited to see 2 new emails in my inbox the next morning asking if my camera was still available. Yes, it's still available and it's in GREAT condition. After my response letting them know the camera is still up for grabs I get the following responses (from 2 different buyers):

I can smell this scam coming all the way from Nigeria!

These scammers were willing to pay $200 over asking price. I can't believe this scam is still around since it's the oldest scam on the web! But never doubt the ignorant who probably would fall for this trick (I continually remind myself to never underestimate the predictability of stupidity). A few hundred over asking price is very tempting, but seller beware. Anyone asking you to deal overseas instead of face-to-face are international thieves. These scammers will wire you some form of payment. You'll ship your expensive item to find out weeks later that you cashed a fake money order or got scammed into a fake PayPal site. You're out your sold items and a withdrawal from your bank. BE CAREFUL!

And this concludes Aileen's public service announcement. Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Runyun Canyon

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:00am

Scott, Maggie, and I decided to take a much early hike at Runyun Canyon before starting the day with procrastinated errands. Our good friend (and groomsman), Jeff, decided to join us with his Golden Retriever, Sierra. Sierra and Maggie are like BFFs. Except Maggie is the aggressive, younger, and feisty one; whereas Sierra seems to be the calm and sophisticated one (i.e. an oldie). I think we need to enroll Maggie in obedience training.

Living in constant traffic and smog we sometimes forget how beautiful LA can truly be. With pleasant weather about 300 days a year how can you argue living in this beautiful city. It's calm. It's peaceful. With the economy at its worst and with my job at risk of being outsourced (grrrr) I will still choose to live in this (expensive) beautiful town. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Our good friend, Jeff - www.jprugh.com
Sorry, ladies, I think he's taken

Sierra and Maggie - BFFs
Maggie likes to jump on other dogs. Even big, ferocious dogs.
She thinks every dog is her friend. Such the social butterfly.

Momma and baby huskies
This is the cutest puppy husky I have ever encountered!
I wouldn't be surprised if our next pup is one of these.

City of Angels
Mr. S and Jeff walking down the trail

Reading: Twilight

noreply@blogger.com (: : aileen : :) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:27:00 +0000

I have shamelessly been reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I am addicted to the story as much as any 13 year-old teeny bopper ogling and drooling over Edward Cullen. I was skeptical at first. Why should a grown woman read a book meant for 13 year olds? Why should a mature and sophisticated lady, like myself, subject herself to such elementary reading? I suppose it's no different than picking up any of the Harry Potter books. Needless to say, I finished 3 books in the span of 4 days. No sleep. No puppy time. No hubby time. Just me and my books. It's been a while since I picked up a good book (did I say "good"... geeze). I missed the feeling of holding a newly bound book, fresh from the printer. How I long for the smell of fresh pages and hearing the crack of the binding as you flip through the first few pages.

Alongside photography, reading is where I find my peace...

"If writers stopped writing about what happened to them,
then there would be a lot of empty pages."
Quote by Elaine Liner

"There are no words for this." - Ch. 18 of Breaking Dawn
Ironic...

I've Been Published

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Yes, I have!!! Yipee!!!

Good Bye to Yesteryear, Hello New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:45:00 +0000

2008 was a very successful year for Mr. S and I. We had jobs. We had some money. We had each other. I only hope 2009 will bring the same kind of joy, love, and success (if not, more) to our lives.

What I'm leaving behind:

The day Mr. S and I got married!!
The day Mr. S and I fell in love with Maggie and added her to our budding family
The day Mr. S and I signed a mortgage for our first home (and it's a REAL house, not a condo - we never thought we could afford property in LA)
A visit to Hamburg, Germany (on the company dime)
New friends I've bonded quickly with
The discovery of a new talent in photography with room to grow on

What I hope to gain in 2009:

A growing talent in photography
Time to travel for FUN (and not necessarily for work)
Breaking free of my CrackBerry (there's no need to work at all hours of the night)
A stable job (with the economy the way it is - I'm terrified)
A better diet (say NO to post-wedding weight!)

I hope everyone has had few more successes and joys than failures and regrets. And even if there were more failures than successes, there's always the new year.

I'm staying positive that life will work out for me joyfully in the New Year.
Here's to wishing many of us much joy and success!! Cheers to 2009!

Food/Dining: Sushi Roku = Date Night

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:45:00 +0000

Mr. S and I had date night on Friday at our favorite restaurant in LA. Sushi Roku = Yum. Yum. Yum. No matter how many times we've been there we always order the same thing:

- himachi sashimi (x2)
- salmon sushi (x2)
- spicy scallop hand roll
- toro & jalapeno cut rolls
- Chilean sea bass
- baked pink scallops

This may not seem like a lot but it does fill you up. We have never been to any other sushi place where the himachi and the salmon and the Chilean sea bass melt in your mouth. Grrrgle... I'm salivating just thinking about it. If you plan to visit this place (in Hollywood), be sure to order the Chilean sea bass and the baked pink scallops. I promise you'll never have these any where else much better. I could live off this stuff 365 days a year.

Now, what kind of blog would I have if I didn't have a few sneak peaks. My macro lens came in handy and I was quite embarrassed taking photos of my food like a true Filipino. :)

Baked pink scallops.
60mm macro f/2.8; ISO 1200

Chilean sea bass.
60mm macro f/2.8; ISO 1200

:: Don't forget to add my photography blog to your readers and update your bookmarks! Cheers!
:: http://aileensecordphotography.wordpress.com/

New Photography Blog

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:17:00 +0000

I've decided to separate my personal ramblings from my personal hobby. I'm hoping that a separate blog dedicated to my photography work will help me grow into my own.

Bookmark my new photography blog: http://aileensecordphotography.wordpress.com.

Aileen Secord Photography is open!

Photography is my hobby and a passion. My view on photos is that it should capture fleeting moments and ageless memories. A photo gives these moments and memories a voice that speaks to the heart of things. This voice should be heard every day. Memories are not lived once, but should be lived everyday. My work in photography is bringing memories to everyday life.

Sugar Bug Designs

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

I was asked to photoshoot baby blankets for Sugar Bug Designs and I had a great time doing it, not to mention it was great practice in a controlled setting with good lighting. I'm glad I bought my flash just in time for this shoot. Their website is in (desperate) need of a makeover and this photoshoot was the first step to making their blankets more marketable. After a few hours of post-processing, I think I have a winner.

"America is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, one cloth." -Jesse Jackson

Christmas Wishlist (edit)

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:50:00 +0000

Dear Santa,

I've been good. Real good. So please come down one of my fake chimneys (we have 2 fake chimneys in our home so not sure how this'll work for you) and gift me with one or some of the following (in order of importance):

1. Canon 5D Mark III (if that's not realistic, then a used older version of the Canon 5D would suffice - I need full frame capability because I'm getting better at this photography thing!)
2. 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens (last minute add. must. have. this.)
3. 50mm f/1.4 USM lens
4. Deep tissue massage from Burke Williams (I really need one)
5. More True Religion jeans
6. The will to get back in shape (and lose the post-wedding 5-lb gain)
7. A friend for Maggie
8. A new couch
9. An incredibly generous promotion (you can do this, right? With emphasis on GENEROUS=$$$)
10. Snow (I kind of miss NY snow, but not its longevity)

I hope it's not a lot to ask for. I promise to be real good next year. Promise.

Love,
Sweet Me

Watching Sports + Saving = Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:21:00 +0000

During singledom, I was never really into sports. The only sports I ever loved was anything related to my alma mater's football team - the Trojans. I will spend my Saturday afternoon, on the couch, watching the Trojans buck the Fruins. And we'll be doing it in our home jersies, no less, causing us to lose 2 timeouts. Cockiness at its best. Gosh, I love our team.

After college football, it's a night in front of the tube watching the De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao fight. Guess who I'm for???? I wasn't really into boxing till the hubby started becoming a fan. He's supporting the pinoys (he better since he's married to one!). Pacquiao may be the better figher (IMO), but De La Hoya is def the cuter one.

Photo from Time Warner Cable website.

Who'd have thought after marriage I would allow myself to sit on the couch and watch sports (all day) with the hubby. This will also continue into Sunday since he refuses to do anything with me during his Sunday football games. I'll sit there on the couch with him, root with him when his team wins, and cry with him when his team loses. I'll continue to do this so long as he keeps 1st place in his fantasy football league. I will support anything that adds money to our bank account. ;)

Speaking of money.

Bloomingdale's is having a huge sale online. 40% off $400. I'm buying mass amounts of True Religion jeans to stock up (since mine are all worn out already). They are my most favoritist jeans in the whole world! The perfect fit for my petite self. So much for not spending and saving some money for the holidays. But a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do... I mean, you'd spend money on a good pair of jeans (or several pairs of jeans), especially (hypothetically speaking) if one day you showed up at work and noticed a big gaping hole in your crotch and when you rushed home to throw on another pair of jeans to later realize that the new pair had a hole in your ass (hypothetically speaking)...

Photo from Bloomingdales.com.
My favorite "Joey" jeans by True Religion.

Forget Black Friday. Forget Cyber Monday. I have till Sunday to order my jeans on Bloomies website. Though I'm spending, I'm still saving on items I otherwise would have paid full price for on any given Sunday.

So I say this...

Dear Hubby,

While you watch your Any Given Sunday football games, I will do my Only Until Sunday shopping online. You will be proud to know that I will be saving 40% on jeans that I would have paid full price for had I gone shopping last week. And since (hypothetically speaking) it's possible that my old jeans could have ripped themselves a few holes in inappropriate places, I think it's time for new jeans which will last another 2 years especially if they're worn at least once a week.

Good luck this Sunday with your fantasy league because you'll need to win to help pay for my shopping. :)

Love you much,
Mrs. S

I love. Love. Love. Being married.

Photography: Weekly Assignment Results & More Practice

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:05:00 +0000

Are you tired of my photography habit yet? I hope not. Now that I'm over the Gocco I'm planning on selling it and all the supplies so I can get another lens to add to my arsenal. Any takers?

My Weekly Assignment on Fred Miranda's earned me 9th place out of 35 submissions. I got 7 whole votes!! Yay!! Seriously. It's better than none since forum members can only vote for one picture. The winner of the weekly assignment got 35 votes. Her photo was alright. Well, I guess it was pretty stellar.

Here are more practice photos adjusted for color. I'm finding I like vibrant colors for the winter season since everything looks so drab behind the lens.

"Daddy's Little Girl"
This is a crop of the SOOC (straight out of camera) photo.
Increased the contrast and saturation. To see the SOOC
click here.

"Three's Company"
Same contrast and saturation changes as the photo above.
To see the SOOC, click here.

Photography: Practice

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:37:00 +0000

I spent Thanksgiving up north in Danville with Mr. S and my sister-in-law's family. It was nice to get away from LA and enjoy some fresh air. My sister-in-law's neighborhood is gorgeous with tons of trees full of autumn colors. I'm a bit sad I didn't get a photo of this amazing tree down her street that had many different colors of leaves (full of bright reds and oranges).

After the long ride back home and working from 6pm Saturday to 2am Sunday I was only able to upload these few sneekpeeks. I hope you enjoyed your holiday feast. I know I did, but I'm regretting I ever did.

*Please adjust your browser to full size if the pictures are cut off.

"Hannah" - Hannah.
The latest addition to my sister-in-law's family.
I don't think I've ever met a family like hers that was so beautiful.

"Reaching" - Ava on her Dad's shoulders.
We took a stroll down a 26-mile bike path. The weather was nice.
I truly do miss having some seasonal weather when the
temperature drops to at least 60 degrees during the day. It felt
great to bundle up under sweaters after a gluttonous feast the day before.

"Returning home" - the whole family.
The street they live on was covered with leaves. I couldn't resist this shot
that is so reminiscent of one my bridal photos taken by Greg Bumatay.
Although I couldn't get them to pose, a walking shot is just as nice.

I'm So Thankful!..

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:27:00 +0000

... that my new toy arrived in time to photoshoot a Thanksgiving feast!!

As geeky as this is going to sound but I received my external flash (Canon Speedlite 430 EX) in the mail. I'm uber excited. There's no way now that I can take photos inconspicuously. The thing sits large on top of my camera. Who cares. Maybe people will think I'm a professional.

To understand the importance of a mounted flash I provide you with examples of a photo taken with a built-in flash vs. photos taken with a mounted flash angled at different degrees. What you'll notice are the shadows caused with the built-in flash and the ability to fill in those shadows with a mounted flash. The ability to fill in those shadows is popularly known as the fill flash technique. A fill-flash photo will have ambient light in the background that is properly exposed and visible in the picture as well as illuminating the subject when the flash is fired. The practice of fill-flash is best used in indoor, low-light, or very sunny situations.

The examples below of Mr. S (my 2nd muse; Maggie first) show subtle differences in light, but I hope you can see them. The 2 bottom photos with the external flash were bounced off a white ceiling to get rid of shadows or off a brown (or is it eggshell???) wall to provide more ambient lighting against Mr. S's dome. ;)

What a difference a flash makes!

****
In case I don't get to update this blog until after the holidays...

I'm wishing everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

To my family and friends - Thank you for just being a part of my life. I Love You!!

Maggie's Most Terrifying Puppy Habit - Exposed

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:35:00 +0000

Are we good puppy parents or are we bad puppy parents?

I like to think we're good puppy parents and had a good judgment call last night, which only cost us a few hundred dollars (well, $150 after pet insurance - thank goodness!).

Maggie did the most dogful thing. The most terrifying puppy habit. She chewed up her pillow that sits in her crate and swallowed 2 of the 5 buttons on the damn thing. Mr. S tried to grab one of the buttons from her, but as he was approaching her she swallowed it. Whole. Stubborn pup. She knew he was coming for it. As for the 2nd button, well, she chewed it and ate it 5 hours before we noticed buttons were even missing.

We surveyed the other buttons she chewed up and noticed there was aluminum with sharp edges. Crap. Double crap. We rushed her to the 24-hour vet hospital recommended by our normal vet and were greeted with the most friendly and accommodating staff! This totally beat the emergency room at Cedars Sinai when Mr. S had an emergency of his own.

The doctor gave Maggie an x-ray to see how far along the 2 buttons were in her system. The 5-hour-partially-chewed button was making its way through her system "unobstructively". The newly-swallowed-whole button was still in her stomach. The doctor recommended induced vomiting to retrieve the whole button in her stomach... or we could wait to see if she passes it but the risk of obstruction was far worse as this would require surgery. We opted for induced vomiting. Stat.

Dr. Christopher Tsai is our hero and the technicians at McClave Animal Hospital in Reseda were all gracious (they took real good care of her especially when they noticed Maggie's 'SC Trojan collar!).

Now, what kind of blog would I have if I didn't have proof with photos. :)

*If the photo is cut, please expand your browser to the full size window

Maggie's x-ray.

The vomited button. Whole. The size of a quarter.

The darling puppy. She's our Helen of Troy.
How could we ever be angry with a face like hers!
Looks like she'll be sleeping with us in our bed for another month...

Photography: Weekly Assignment "Pets"

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:50:00 +0000

So, here's my entry for Fred Miranda's Weekly Assignment #320 titled "pets".

I hope I get some votes. :)

Exposure: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 60mm
ISO Speed: 800

Photography: Self Lessons & Weekly Assignments

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:00:00 +0000

I'm too cheap to register for photography classes. I'm not talking about classes on how to work a DSLR because I know how to do that. I'm talking about creative, fine art type of classes. And since I'm pretty resourceful and love to do my own research I recently stumbled upon Fred Miranda's forum on weekly assignments (WA). It's a forum moderated by some guy who puts up weekly assignments using one word themes and members post their best photo. You can learn a lot from these people. This week's assignment is "pets". Piece. Of. Cake. But this is my chance to get creative and not throw up more pictures of my beautiful Mag Pie. This is challenging because (actually) I'm tired of taking pictures of Maggie.

Stay tuned to see what I come up with. I hope to not disappoint.

5 Pounds of What Now??

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:15:00 +0000

My best friend sent me this link. She knows me well. Quickest way to my heart - gummi bears!!

What's funny is this guy has a desk made out of gummi bears!!! Wow... Can I have one for Xmas?

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Photography: Photoshop CS3 Lesson - HDR

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:59:00 +0000

HDR.

A technique to editing I discovered on Flickr and it doesn't stand for Hi-Definition Resolution (as I thought it did). HDR stands for High Dynamic Range imaging. To paraphrase what I found on wikipedia, it's a technique that allows for a greater range of exposures when combined to bring out the luminance or the radiance for a single shot. Some of the HDR images I've seen on Flickr range from bringing out the contrast and details of photos as well as making them gritty like a scene from Leo's new movie Body of Lies. The gritty aspect of HDR, especially on BW photos, almost makes photos look journalistic.

In this lesson, I attempted the gritty HDR technique I found here. Of course, with my own little tweaks. I first used my leaf photo to play around with since you're probably familiar with the photo by now. Then I attempted the gritty HDR technique with a photo of my sister-in-law and her 2 kids. I think if you have a good photo, you can manipulate it in many different ways to give it its own voice.

I will never know if I really accomplished the HDR effect. I'm sure there are specific techniques or technicalities such as toning, exposure levels, etc. that I'm not getting right. What ever I did, I created my own work and I'm rather pleased. :)

Gritty HDR applied to the 'First Sign of Autumn' photograph you're all probably familiar with now.
The HDR effect is applied on a colored photograph. Notice how the green on the
bottom of the photo is bright and almost seems like the grass is alive in the photo (a la Harry Potter)
and will keep growing like an ivy.

The next few photographs show the before and after images when attemptng the gritty HDR technique on people. I liked my end result.

The original image of my sister-in-law and her 2 children.

I turn the original into a BW photo (though I did this step last after applying
the gritty HDR effects) to show you what a plain BW photo would look like.

The final piece. This photograph sort of reminds me of those
timeless journalistic photos of JFK with JFK Jr.

Photography: I Re-Teach Myself Photoshop CS3

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:14:00 +0000

I first learned about Adobe Photoshop back in highschool when I was designing my very first web page. It was a time in the 90s when you had to code most everything in HTML (WSIYWIG editors weren't really invented back then) and you had to create sliced background images for faster load times. Perhaps that's where my first IT geekiness shined through. My experience with Photoshop followed me through college when I had an assignment to create a school webpage, but once I entered Corporate life my creativity went along with my youthfulness. K, I'm not that old, but technology sure does change quick.

I downloaded a trial version of the new Photoshop CS3. Wow. Tons of new things to play with. Lucky for me, the functionality hasn't changed at all so I was able to easily navigate my way around the different menus and pallettes. There are so many possibilities when editing photographs.

The first photo (below) is an enhanced photograph of what I like to call "The First Sign of Fall". I adjusted the level of brightness so the grass in the background would pop. I also adjusted the level of contrast so the brown in the leaves would provide more detail and texture. If you saw my original photograph, you would have noticed it was a bit dark.

Here, I add a feathering technique to create a dark vignette, which puts focus on the subject of the photograph.

The next photo I got to playing with layers. I love seeing photos with (tastefully done) effects. I wanted to experiment with making something vintage. So I found a photo that looked like scratched/scuffed copper and applied the photo as a layer on to my original photograph. Tweak the opacity, contrast, and fullness by just a little - and voila! - a vintage looking photo.

Photography: My Passion

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I have this passion for photography. More than that darn Gocco that's collecting dust. When I hear good feedback or gracious comments about some of my photos, it helps keep my passion alive (as with any other intense relationship). I am in love with my camera and the possibilities for creativity.

I've posted some of my photos (not many) on Flickr to see what kind of traffic I'll get by posting them in 'group pools' (e.g. the Bokeh pool, the 60mm macro lens pool, etc.). I'm obviously fishing for comments on Flickr to see if my abilities truly measure up. Today is historical! It's a simple comment really, but one that isn't just "lovely", or "nice", or "pretty", or from the hubby. A stranger took the time to see the photo for what it really is and commented on exactly why I liked the photo in the first place.

And yes. The photo was taken with the Canon Rebel XT (I'm amateurish) and the photo was unedited (yay for natural photos!). I don't play with the big boys yet, but I will soon. I have the potential and I know it. My eyes are set on the brand-spanking-new Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
Yum.

Food & Dining: Nic's Martini Lounge, Beverly Hills

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:40:00 +0000

There's really nothing special about Nic's Martini Lounge. At least in my opinion. It has a pretty funky atmosphere, sort of good food (and pricey), and really expensive drinks. The only thing cool about this place was the Vodbox, which is a big walk-in freezer decked out with hundreds of different vodkas to taste (unbeknownst to us, at $20-$35 a shot).

My friends and I arrived at Nic's for an 8 o'clock reservation, but since all of us weren't present we decided to wait at the bar. Every 5 minutes the hostess kept coming by to ask us if we were ready for the Vodbox tour. We thought this was annoying because we kept telling her we were waiting for the rest of our party. When the last of our group arrived we decided to have dinner before taking the Vodbox tour (I was famished!). Dinner was OK. Nothing gastronomically amazing, but the portions were rather large. I took my medium rare prime rib home in a doggie bag and Mr. S was happy to have a 16 oz. steak for dinner the next night.

As soon as the check arrived at our table, the hostess came back asking if we were ready for the Vodbox tour. Sure, why not (even though most of us weren't feeling like we wanted to stand in an ice box). The hostess gave each of us a fur coat and hat. This didn't keep us warm at all. It's just for show. The hostess wasn't really versed in the different vodkas - only that she knew which were popular and which ones were fruity (by request of the ladies). My favorite vodka was the lychee flavored one at $200 a bottle (Bevmo=$20). At the end of the night, I spent $80 (appetizer, dinner, one skinny jack, and 2 shots from the Vodbox). No wonder this place is in Beverly Hills. I just helped keep their lease. I don't think I'll be going back.

Ambience: A+
Food: B (I have high standards)
Service: B (for the annoying hostess luring us to spend more money by going in the Vodbox and the double charge I have on my credit card which they haven't corrected yet)
Superficial good-looks of the staff: A (everyone here was pretty to look at)

The Vodbox.
Photo courtesy of Nic's Martini Lounge.

Tammie and I in the tacky and cheap faux-fur. Peace!
Photo courtesy of Jerms.

The gang.
Photo courtesy of Jerms.

An Aileen sandwich.
(L-R: Jeremy, me, Tammie).
Photo courtesy of Jerms (aka Jeremy).

I Vote Yay for More Money in the Bank (My Bank)...

noreply@blogger.com (: : Aileen : :) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:33:00 +0000

After the elections on Tuesday night, I felt great to be an American but sad to be a Californian. I was happy the Obama camp won, but saddened that Prop 8 passed (banning same-sex marriages). I thought California was a progressive state and the majority of Californians weren't prejudiced or weren't against basic fundamental rights. To add insult to injury, more Californians voted 'yes' on Prop 2 mandating confined animals to lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs. Yet, Californians wouldn't allow the marriage of same-sex couples??? I'm all for animal rights, but seriously? Clearly, as a nation, we have learned nothing. There are people in this world I will never understand and I hope I never meet.

Other propositions that passed are those related to new tax measures in Los Angeles. As if the cost of living in LA couldn't get any higher. I hope my next merit increase compensates for the new taxes and fees required when living and owning a home in LA. Ugh. At least one thing is getting cheaper. Gas, for instance.

When was the last time Californian's saw gas this low? I filled up on a full tank of gas this morning and it was under $30 (just when I was getting used to paying $45)!! Granted, my car has a small tank (Honda S2000) and doesn't take much to fill up, but still... money is money and money less spent is more money saved or used to buy things I "need". Yay for more money in the bank!

I was happy to walk in to the office and not worry about what other expenses are draining my bank account. Not a moment sooner, my card was charged twice this morning from Wednesday's night at Nic's Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills. I can't wait to call them to give them an ear-full to credit my card back. But the Vodbox tour was fun (pictures to come). :)