Memories of Singapore
It's been over a year since I was lucky enough to visit Singapore. I realized that I never posted anything from that trip, save for two photos on flickr. Check out my Singapore flickr set for my favourite shots - mostly from the Singapore Botanical Gardens.
Flashback: Elora
It's fitting that my next installment of images from the archives is from the Elora Gorge in 2005. Sadly, I was still shooting JPGs back then (instead of the digital-darkroom-friendly RAW files), and on top of that, I wasn't very good. Or rather, I was consistently poor. I have two shots of interest from the hike we took 4 years ago, and the remaining shots are from later in April of 2005. This post represents almost 5% of my photos from April 2005, so that's not a bad ratio. Hopefully we see that increase to 10% over time.
A simple cropped snapshot, near the entrance to the Conservation Area.
My wife (girlfriend at the time) creating curtains for our apartment. Look how keen we were back then! ;)
These next two photos have been posted before. Meet Orange and Orange II. Which versions do you prefer?
Elora Photoroam
Another photoroam, this one with Richard last weekend while Carolyn was at a scrapbooking retreat. We had originally intended to visit Elmira and partake in the annual Maple Syrup Festival but the chill in the air was not enough to drive the hoards away; thus, we gave up on a parking spot and headed towards the great beyond. Halfway to the great beyond we realized it was closed for renovations, so we turned around and headed to Elora. Click here for some shots from the trip:
For fun I took a series of shots to see how well they would stitch together into a panoramic image. Here is the result. The second image is simply a cropped version of the first.
The man with the plan...
Caught unaware
Ok, just try to tell me that - at first glance - this doesn't look like a Klingon Bird of Prey. Be honest.
For fun I took a series of shots to see how well they would stitch together into a panoramic image. Here is the result. The second image is simply a cropped version of the first.
The man with the plan...
Caught unaware
Ok, just try to tell me that - at first glance - this doesn't look like a Klingon Bird of Prey. Be honest.
Kitchener photoroam
I haven't been able to concentrate for too long on the computer, but I've managed to post some photos from a photoroam I took with Ryan a couple weeks ago. We walked around downtown Kitchener one evening after work.
Ugh
Let me paint you a picture: imagine taking Q-tips, and wrapping them in gauze or cotton balls... and then shoving them as far up your nose as possible, and then some. Spray them with water so that they expand to fill your nose (which is now twice the size it used to be), and for good measure, stick a straw up one of your nostrils too. Oh, and then wrap some gauze around your head so it keeps a good steady pressure on the stuff in your nose. That would be a pretty good simulation of my life right now.
I suppose it's time for a recap. My surgery was scheduled for Monday at 10:30am at St. Mary's Hospital. We needed to be there at 7:30am for registration, so you can imagine that neither Carolyn or I were happy about that. I must admit though, the OR waiting room process is much more expedient than the ER process. I don't think we were waiting more than 2 minutes in any place before being taken care of and escorted to the next location. By 8am I was in my scandalous hospital gown, lying down on my bed in my semi-private "room". Really I just had a wall of curtains, but that is more than I expected. And I had Carolyn waiting with me, so that was awesome.
By 10:30am I was strapped onto the operating table as the anesthetic percolated through my system. I awoke 5 minutes later (although I was told surgery took about an hour) in the recovery room, feeling surprisingly not nauseous! I had mentioned my previous unhappy experience with anesthetic when I had my molars removed and they were able to pump in some anti-nausea medication into my system. I can't tell you how delighted I was about that.
Before long they wheeled me back to my semi-private area. (Side note: getting wheeled around in your bed is a lot of fun. I think somebody should incorporate the activity into a video game: The Fast and the Furious - Hospital Bed Drift). Normally patients hang around for another hour or two to make sure they are stabilized after surgery, but it was during this time that I found out I'm a bleeder. My surgeon came around to check out the problem and she ended up redoing the packing in my nose (see first paragraph). Now, I'm all for sticking things up one's nose, but even I have my limits; unfortunately my surgeon has no such bounds. But I must admit it worked: the surgeon got her kicks and my bleeding reduced substantially. Shortly after 6pm I got a wheelchair ride down to the car and we went home.
The rest of the story goes like this: George preoccupies himself for 4 hours, takes his Tylenol 3 meds, and repeats. Today I finally get to take the packing out of my nose, which will be glorious but likely very bloody. I can see why they stress the need to be at home for the week following surgery. Anyway, this blog post has left me exhausted.
I suppose it's time for a recap. My surgery was scheduled for Monday at 10:30am at St. Mary's Hospital. We needed to be there at 7:30am for registration, so you can imagine that neither Carolyn or I were happy about that. I must admit though, the OR waiting room process is much more expedient than the ER process. I don't think we were waiting more than 2 minutes in any place before being taken care of and escorted to the next location. By 8am I was in my scandalous hospital gown, lying down on my bed in my semi-private "room". Really I just had a wall of curtains, but that is more than I expected. And I had Carolyn waiting with me, so that was awesome.
By 10:30am I was strapped onto the operating table as the anesthetic percolated through my system. I awoke 5 minutes later (although I was told surgery took about an hour) in the recovery room, feeling surprisingly not nauseous! I had mentioned my previous unhappy experience with anesthetic when I had my molars removed and they were able to pump in some anti-nausea medication into my system. I can't tell you how delighted I was about that.
Before long they wheeled me back to my semi-private area. (Side note: getting wheeled around in your bed is a lot of fun. I think somebody should incorporate the activity into a video game: The Fast and the Furious - Hospital Bed Drift). Normally patients hang around for another hour or two to make sure they are stabilized after surgery, but it was during this time that I found out I'm a bleeder. My surgeon came around to check out the problem and she ended up redoing the packing in my nose (see first paragraph). Now, I'm all for sticking things up one's nose, but even I have my limits; unfortunately my surgeon has no such bounds. But I must admit it worked: the surgeon got her kicks and my bleeding reduced substantially. Shortly after 6pm I got a wheelchair ride down to the car and we went home.
The rest of the story goes like this: George preoccupies himself for 4 hours, takes his Tylenol 3 meds, and repeats. Today I finally get to take the packing out of my nose, which will be glorious but likely very bloody. I can see why they stress the need to be at home for the week following surgery. Anyway, this blog post has left me exhausted.
Set septoblasters to stun!
In roughly 24 hours, I will be going under the knife at St. Mary's hospital for a surgical procedure called 'septoplasty' - or, by my more ruthless friends, a nose job. But it's not the kind of nose job you're thinking of. It's an entirely non-cosmetic procedure (yes, I've learned to love my big schnoz) designed to straighten my nasal septum so that the nasal passages are of equal size, thus allowing me to breathe "normally". It's taken me a couple decades to realize that having a permanent cold is not normal.
The surgery is out-patient, and it should only take an hour or so. It's a relatively risk-free surgery, so I'm not worried about that, but I'm not looking forward to the excess bleeding that should subside after a few days, nor the tremendous pain that comes along with cutting out bits of your nose. I've taken the week off work to recover, although I said I would work from home for most of the week... we'll see how well that goes.
I'll let you know how surgery goes, although it will be a few weeks until I can get the splints out to find out if I can breathe better. Here's hoping.
For more information about septoplasty and how it affects you, click here!
The surgery is out-patient, and it should only take an hour or so. It's a relatively risk-free surgery, so I'm not worried about that, but I'm not looking forward to the excess bleeding that should subside after a few days, nor the tremendous pain that comes along with cutting out bits of your nose. I've taken the week off work to recover, although I said I would work from home for most of the week... we'll see how well that goes.
I'll let you know how surgery goes, although it will be a few weeks until I can get the splints out to find out if I can breathe better. Here's hoping.
For more information about septoplasty and how it affects you, click here!
Everyone is super awesome!
I just want to thank everyone who celebrated my birthday with me last weekend, or who sent me birthday wishes. I've gotten to the point in my life where I don't get excited about my birthday anymore, but I truly had a fantastic time partying with everyone. Thank you for coming, and thank you for all the wonderful and unexpected gifts. I got a few bottles of sumptuous wine, several more thirst-quenching beers, some home-made jam, a "manly" satchel, a cd, booze tickets (which will be turned into more wine), some creme liqueur, ice wine (wow, you think I've got a reputation or something!?!), a circular saw, gift cards to Henry's (enough that I have a new lens!), and last, but certainly not least, a new-ish foosball table! Phew! I'm not going to name everyone individually (you know who you are... most of you don't read my blog anyway), but Carolyn gets the grand prize for the foosball table, which was totally unexpected. And bonus points for getting a great deal on it!
Here's a photo of my foosball table taken with my new nearly favourite lens, a 50mm 1.8f prime. This one is auto-focus, so I have half a chance of decent photos now. Although clearly I don't have the hang of yet, as evidenced by the photo above. But I love the shallow depth-of-field... it opens up many creative avenues.
That's all I wanted to say. Life is good right now.
Here's a photo of my foosball table taken with my new nearly favourite lens, a 50mm 1.8f prime. This one is auto-focus, so I have half a chance of decent photos now. Although clearly I don't have the hang of yet, as evidenced by the photo above. But I love the shallow depth-of-field... it opens up many creative avenues.
That's all I wanted to say. Life is good right now.
Gone fishin'
Hi, you've reached the skull of George Vnoucek. George's brain isn't in right now, so please leave a message after the beep.
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
Happy Valentine's Day!
And, for the second year in a row, I'll be alone for the proclaimed 'most romantic' day of the year. Yes, again, Girl Guides has abducted my wife for the weekend. But I didn't mope. I did what any single manly man would do in these circumstances... I went antiquing with my good friend Richard! I had heard about antiquing before, but I only found out today that it's a professional sport (just watch for it in Vancouver 2010!). But let me back up a bit.
Richard and I had been discussing tilt-shift lenses. These are specialty lenses that allow you to - get ready for this - tilt and shift the lens with respect to the camera body, thereby changing the focal plane. These lenses are most commonly used in architecture photography to ensure the focal plane is parallel to the film/sensor, in order to prevent the keystone effect. But, you can also use these lenses for selective focus, and creating some neat effects.
Unfortunately these lenses typically cost over $1000.
Now, there is a special lens called a Lensbaby that is a low-quality tilt-shift lens, but it still runs $100+.
So, Richard and I decided it would be fun to try and build a tilt-shift lens for ourselves. There are many other frugal (cheap) photographers out there, so we found out how to do it. The first and most difficult step would be to find a lens for a medium-format camera. To buy a new medium format lens could cost $500+. And thus, the antiquing.
I'm not sure how long we spent in that 30,000 sq. foot warehouse, but I've never seen so many small tins, gaudy light fixtures, and nearly matching tea sets. Having said that, there were lots of cool things too, like old wooden radios. There was a small selection of antique cameras too, but no medium format ones. However, I did find a new (well, actually quite old) tripod, for $14.50! It's nice and sturdy (meaning heavy).
So, dejected but not defeated, we ate lunch (fancy mac & cheese!), grabbed our cameras, and took a stroll along the Grand River in the Galty part of Cambridge.
Majestic.
Richard admiring the Central Presbyterian Church.
Now that's a real photographer!
There are a lot of churches in Galt.
A lovely couple getting their photo taken.
It was cold.
Happy Valentine's Day! Amazingly enough, there was a heart-shaped depression in the rock beside the Grand River, and some water had frozen in it.
Richard tells me that this character is from the Space Invaders arcade game. I've seen similar icons all over the globe. (I recall seeing the slime character from Dragon Warrior in Spain). Is this a global movement, or random acts of nostalgic graffiti?
Apparently Richard's wife was good enough to stay in town for this special day, so I had to drop him off in the afternoon. Unable to find any used medium format lenses at Henry's in Waterloo, I went home and decided to play with my infrared filter instead. My awesome wife bought some tulips before she left, so I took the liberty of taking some photos (using my new tripod). It's an interesting effect, and I'm curious to see what kind of results I'll get in the spring when there is foliage everywhere.
Richard and I had been discussing tilt-shift lenses. These are specialty lenses that allow you to - get ready for this - tilt and shift the lens with respect to the camera body, thereby changing the focal plane. These lenses are most commonly used in architecture photography to ensure the focal plane is parallel to the film/sensor, in order to prevent the keystone effect. But, you can also use these lenses for selective focus, and creating some neat effects.
Unfortunately these lenses typically cost over $1000.
Now, there is a special lens called a Lensbaby that is a low-quality tilt-shift lens, but it still runs $100+.
So, Richard and I decided it would be fun to try and build a tilt-shift lens for ourselves. There are many other frugal (cheap) photographers out there, so we found out how to do it. The first and most difficult step would be to find a lens for a medium-format camera. To buy a new medium format lens could cost $500+. And thus, the antiquing.
I'm not sure how long we spent in that 30,000 sq. foot warehouse, but I've never seen so many small tins, gaudy light fixtures, and nearly matching tea sets. Having said that, there were lots of cool things too, like old wooden radios. There was a small selection of antique cameras too, but no medium format ones. However, I did find a new (well, actually quite old) tripod, for $14.50! It's nice and sturdy (meaning heavy).
So, dejected but not defeated, we ate lunch (fancy mac & cheese!), grabbed our cameras, and took a stroll along the Grand River in the Galty part of Cambridge.
Majestic.
Richard admiring the Central Presbyterian Church.
Now that's a real photographer!
There are a lot of churches in Galt.
A lovely couple getting their photo taken.
It was cold.
Happy Valentine's Day! Amazingly enough, there was a heart-shaped depression in the rock beside the Grand River, and some water had frozen in it.
Richard tells me that this character is from the Space Invaders arcade game. I've seen similar icons all over the globe. (I recall seeing the slime character from Dragon Warrior in Spain). Is this a global movement, or random acts of nostalgic graffiti?
Apparently Richard's wife was good enough to stay in town for this special day, so I had to drop him off in the afternoon. Unable to find any used medium format lenses at Henry's in Waterloo, I went home and decided to play with my infrared filter instead. My awesome wife bought some tulips before she left, so I took the liberty of taking some photos (using my new tripod). It's an interesting effect, and I'm curious to see what kind of results I'll get in the spring when there is foliage everywhere.
Wightenburg Wedding
Nearly 1 month ago my two friends Ryan and Joy got married.
Here are some photos that I took while getting ready for the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgevnoucek//sets/72157613299173748
And here are some photos that Carolyn took while getting ready with the bride: http://flickr.com/photos/carolyn_welch/sets/72157613267588165/
Here are some photos that I took while getting ready for the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgevnoucek//sets/72157613299173748
And here are some photos that Carolyn took while getting ready with the bride: http://flickr.com/photos/carolyn_welch/sets/72157613267588165/
Flashback: West Montrose
Another round of organization has been done, and I'm up to 317 archived photos (i.e. photos that I've tagged and "developed") now. I just finished March of 2005, which saw Carolyn and I journey from Richmond, VA back to Kitchener. I was still getting the hang of the camera back then (and still am) so the photos of Shenandoah National Park are nothing to write home about. When we got back, Carolyn took me to Elora and to the West Montrose Bridge, otherwise known as the Kissing Bridge. For a comparison, check out the photos we took when we went back in 2007.
Flashback: Washington DC
Lest you think I have neglected my promise to organize and upload my photos, I present to you my first update:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgevnoucek/sets/72157612914551057/
Waaaay back in 2005, Carolyn and I were stationed in Richmond, VA. In preparation for our first road trip, I had bought my precious Nikon D70. My first subject was the United States capital: Washington, DC. Click here to view my original blog posts about the trip, including original versions of the photos I've touched-up.
I suppose the timing is fitting, considering Obama-rama.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgevnoucek/sets/72157612914551057/
Waaaay back in 2005, Carolyn and I were stationed in Richmond, VA. In preparation for our first road trip, I had bought my precious Nikon D70. My first subject was the United States capital: Washington, DC. Click here to view my original blog posts about the trip, including original versions of the photos I've touched-up.
I suppose the timing is fitting, considering Obama-rama.
Blowing Bubbles
Four-score and half a lifetime ago, I failed my Maroon level swimming lessons... for the second time. I can't recall ever being a water baby, but I certainly wasn't during those years. I can still recall the feeling of impending doom as I waited for the lessons to start, made no more enjoyable by the irrepressable shivering caused by showers that spewed not only frigid water but inspired hate as well.
Perhaps it wasn't quite that bad, but I certainly didn't enjoy it, and I certainly wasn't very good at it.
So that begs the question: why am I taking adult swimming lessons?
My first lesson was two nights ago. If I didn't know this by the calendar, I would know because my legs are killing me. The pain is reminding me of more reasons why I chose the life of a landlubber. But the truth is, just because something is hard or uncomfortable doesn't mean it's not good for you. Carolyn and I plan on doing a canoe trip in Algonquin this summer, and we thought it would be good for me to be more comfortable in the water.
I'm signed up for AquaAdult II at the Waterloo Rec Centre. It's great because I've already learned something: when doing front crawl, you're supposed to breathe out underwater. I had always thought that you held your breath while underwater and then do a full breath above. Not that I was any good with the first technique, but this new technique added a whole new dimension of panic I hadn't experienced before. So while other students were practicing their front and back crawl, I stood at the end of the pool, face partially submerged, trying not to choke as I blew bubbles in the water.
So my question to you, the loyal reader, is: how do you breathe when you're swimming? Do you breathe out your mouth, or out your nose? Do you count to 3 before taking a breath? I am curious to how other people do this, as it is a foundation of swimming properly. If you have suggestions on how I might get more comfortable with my face underwater please pass them along.
In the meantime, you may find me at home in my bathroom, playing with my rubber ducky and blowing bubbles.
Perhaps it wasn't quite that bad, but I certainly didn't enjoy it, and I certainly wasn't very good at it.
So that begs the question: why am I taking adult swimming lessons?
My first lesson was two nights ago. If I didn't know this by the calendar, I would know because my legs are killing me. The pain is reminding me of more reasons why I chose the life of a landlubber. But the truth is, just because something is hard or uncomfortable doesn't mean it's not good for you. Carolyn and I plan on doing a canoe trip in Algonquin this summer, and we thought it would be good for me to be more comfortable in the water.
I'm signed up for AquaAdult II at the Waterloo Rec Centre. It's great because I've already learned something: when doing front crawl, you're supposed to breathe out underwater. I had always thought that you held your breath while underwater and then do a full breath above. Not that I was any good with the first technique, but this new technique added a whole new dimension of panic I hadn't experienced before. So while other students were practicing their front and back crawl, I stood at the end of the pool, face partially submerged, trying not to choke as I blew bubbles in the water.
So my question to you, the loyal reader, is: how do you breathe when you're swimming? Do you breathe out your mouth, or out your nose? Do you count to 3 before taking a breath? I am curious to how other people do this, as it is a foundation of swimming properly. If you have suggestions on how I might get more comfortable with my face underwater please pass them along.
In the meantime, you may find me at home in my bathroom, playing with my rubber ducky and blowing bubbles.
Brand new year
So it is a brand new year (2009 for those not paying attention), and this time of year is often used as an opportunity for people to reinvent themselves... or at least wholeheartedly make plans to nix those bad habits and get back on the track to being a happy and successful human being. Now of course there are naysayers that claim that people who really want to change could do it anytime of the year, if they really put their mind to it. And to be honest, they're probably right.
But I say nuts to them.
I'm the type of guy that only likes cooking when the counter-top is clean. The transition from one year to the next, as arbitrary as our calendar system may be in the universal scheme of things, lifts the cloud of problems, tasks, and details that was last year and shines a light on all the possibilities ahead. Tabula rasa.
Having said all that, I'm also a pragmatist, so I don't plan on achieving unreasonable goals, or even trying to set goals with rigid timelines. Life is too unpredictable to adhere to tight schedules. But, I do believe in the importance of goals, and that keeping track of progress towards a goal can help you stay on track.
To that end, I'm going to try to use this blog to help achieve some of my goals this year. Hopefully it will keep me honest. [And if not, it's my blog so I can lie and nobody will be the wiser ;)]
If it's not obvious by now, organization of my photos has been a gargantuan monkey (would that be a gorilla?) on my back. I would love to have all my photos tagged and archived by the end of this year. But there are over 18,000 photos right now (with more coming), so that's not exactly realistic. I will be happy if I can come up with a system that lets me chip away at the pile faster than it grows. My plan is to tackle one month at a time, starting with my 2005 photos (when I got my D70!). After I've tagged and archived (meaning, backed up on DVD, and maybe stored at Ryan's house?) that month, I'll upload the best to flickr. I'm hoping that will give me incentive to continue. I have also added a progress bar to my sidebar; I suspect it may become discouraging at some point, but right now it's pretty.
Do I have other goals for this year? Sure, but I'll keep them to myself for now until I'm successful enough to admit them.
Good luck to everyone with their own goals, private or otherwise.
But I say nuts to them.
I'm the type of guy that only likes cooking when the counter-top is clean. The transition from one year to the next, as arbitrary as our calendar system may be in the universal scheme of things, lifts the cloud of problems, tasks, and details that was last year and shines a light on all the possibilities ahead. Tabula rasa.
Having said all that, I'm also a pragmatist, so I don't plan on achieving unreasonable goals, or even trying to set goals with rigid timelines. Life is too unpredictable to adhere to tight schedules. But, I do believe in the importance of goals, and that keeping track of progress towards a goal can help you stay on track.
To that end, I'm going to try to use this blog to help achieve some of my goals this year. Hopefully it will keep me honest. [And if not, it's my blog so I can lie and nobody will be the wiser ;)]
If it's not obvious by now, organization of my photos has been a gargantuan monkey (would that be a gorilla?) on my back. I would love to have all my photos tagged and archived by the end of this year. But there are over 18,000 photos right now (with more coming), so that's not exactly realistic. I will be happy if I can come up with a system that lets me chip away at the pile faster than it grows. My plan is to tackle one month at a time, starting with my 2005 photos (when I got my D70!). After I've tagged and archived (meaning, backed up on DVD, and maybe stored at Ryan's house?) that month, I'll upload the best to flickr. I'm hoping that will give me incentive to continue. I have also added a progress bar to my sidebar; I suspect it may become discouraging at some point, but right now it's pretty.
Do I have other goals for this year? Sure, but I'll keep them to myself for now until I'm successful enough to admit them.
Good luck to everyone with their own goals, private or otherwise.
