irasshaimase!

AP Calculus

2012-02-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

It's always the more advanced classes that I really enjoy, and AP Calculus is one of them. It's the more intelligent sense of humour, like Kevin's unnecessary sarcastic comments (picture immediately below); the more intelligent people who understand that having fun in class doesn't mean you have to be a disruptive ass in the process; and the overall pace of the class. It's a perfect environment for me.

On the first day of every year of my high school life, I would always hope that I would have class with the smart kids. You know those kids. The ones who are actually there to learn. The ones who can actually keep up an interesting conversation. The ones who believe there are such things as stupid questions (because trust me, there are). Those kids make class awesome.

I've always secretly hoped I'm one of those kids.

George the Chameleon

2012-02-26T22:19:00.004-08:00

Pretty cool looking thing. I hope you don't get neglected...

Patty's House

2012-02-25T15:38:00.000-08:00

Interesting get-together at Patricia's house. Cut stuff, cooked stuff, ate stuff, drank stuff, and talked about stuff.

Latest Minolta Roll

2012-02-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

The last few photos were taken before the end of the first semester.

Bananagrams

2012-02-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

The innocent pile and its result. Speaking on a deeper level... it's commenting on life and how we start out as innocent, jumbled human beings until we find our way into the world. A world of vulgarity.

But seriously, we were just really bored and it was late. Also, that "z." And I apologize in advance to all you older readers who might be disappointed.

366 Project

2012-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

Don't take this as me making excuses to stop the project, but recently I've been thinking about what real purpose this photography challenge has and have even arrived at the notion that maybe it's doing more damage than help.

I was reading a photography book by Bruce Barnbaum, and he said that he never forces himself to shoot just for the sake of shooting or to break an impasse. Then he mentioned a great point in response to photographers who advocate shooting anything just to get yourself moving: why waste time on useless junk when you know in advance that it's useless junk?

I felt like he was talking directly to me and how I've been feeling about my photos lately. Maybe I should stop. I took some photos in the house again for the project today, and they were terrible (not to say that any of the others are masterpieces). I feel like maybe I'm discouraging myself to not take photos. I feel discouraged by the lack of progress that I'm making, but it's obvious that I should feel this way when I'm forcing myself to take the pictures! Any kind of greater-than-shit art usually comes from some form of inspiration, and lately I haven't had any at all.

So I think I've made my decision: I'm going to stop this ridiculous project. I don't want to take any more photos of my dogs or of the stuff in my room; that's not what I spent all my money for!

42/366, Pittsburg Marina

2012-02-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

Enjoy! I think I did some degree of justice to the camera this time.

41/366

2012-02-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sick! I don't remember the last time I was able to stay home due to being ill, so this is nice.

40/366

2012-02-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

I hope.

39/366

2012-02-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

I feel so cheap when I go with black and white, but hey, I think it's better than taking pictures of stuff in my house.

I'm wasting my camera right now.

2012-02-07T21:34:00.001-08:00

Feels bad, man. I blame lack of inspiration and location, but maybe it's just laziness. Or maybe I'm just terrible. Who knows?

38/366

2012-02-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

Haircut! Too bad I cleaned up before taking a picture.

37/366

2012-02-07T18:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary soon! This picture is just so sad though...

36/366

2012-02-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

Superbowl XLVI.

Spoils of Thrift

2012-02-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Two bags for $13.20, yeah!

Thomas bought two tennis rackets for $4.00 when they go for $250 new. Geez.

Thrift, 35/366

2012-02-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

Day out with Thomas. He took that picture of the chair.

34/36

2012-02-04T17:32:00.001-08:00

Went down to Walnut Creek for dinner and a movie.

33/366

2012-02-02T22:03:00.001-08:00

This isn't anything special. However, tonight was pretty awesome. Shhhh. It's a secret.

32/366

2012-02-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

I must (want to) lead.

31/366

2012-01-31T22:58:00.001-08:00

Lame! Go outside Andre!

30/366

2012-01-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

I must learn how to cook.

Side note: Not really using this camera to its fullest potential.

Canon EOS 7D

29/366

2012-01-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Another self-portrait. I need to go out! I should spend a day out and just take some photos.

Random observation: I look like I have a beer belly.

Canon EOS 7D

Self-Development

2012-01-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

I recently found out that the black and white film that I shot on Kairos doesn't develop through the regular C-41 process, so the usual drug stores that I go to can't develop the roll (I should have read the info on the box before buying it...). So instead of going to an actual lab to have the film developed, I'm going to try and develop the film myself using the instructions from chromogenic. But this probably won't happen until later because I need the money to buy the chemicals and equipment.

I'm really excited to try this out.

28/366

2012-01-29T02:13:00.001-08:00

Let's see how long I can go without fast food after this.

27/366

2012-01-27T17:44:00.001-08:00

So bored.

26/366

2012-01-27T17:39:00.001-08:00

Must get out of house.

25/366

2012-01-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

I have nothing to say.

Canon EOS 7D

24/366

2012-01-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

John Muir.

Canon EOS 7D

23/366

2012-01-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Packed the Kindle, it's ready for shipping.

Canon EOS 7D

22/366

2012-01-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Yum.

Canon EOS 7D

Elise's Birthday

2012-01-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

I drove over to Jackie's house after spending most of my day baking the friendship bread. It was Elise's birthday party. Happy birthday, Elise! I probably should've given you a present, so I'm sorry about that. Maybe I'll give you my Yashica MG-1?

Canon EOS 7D

21/366: Amish Friendship Bread

2012-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

I finally baked Jackie's Amish friendship bread! I'd say it turned out pretty well. From the original batter, I made four new starter bags, so Thomas, if you're reading this, I'll be giving you one of the bags because I can trust that you'll actually bake it. I'm not sure how I'll get the bag to you though.

Two others will be given to Kevin and Carlos

Canon EOS 7D

20/366

2012-01-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

Due to traffic caused by an accident on the freeway, I took Concord Ave. to school.

Canon EOS 7D

19/366

2012-01-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

As I said I would yesterday, I did take my camera out with me today. However, I didn't take it around school with me, and since I had to go to work right after school, I had no time to take any shots. I feel like I'm making excuses, haha.

But anyway, here's another shot from home.

Canon EOS 7D

18/366

2012-01-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

I lied. I ended up not taking my camera out today because I was too paranoid. Tomorrow though. Yes, tomorrow.

Just enjoy this picture of my dogs for now, and their faces as my dad walks upstairs with treats.

Canon EOS 7D

17/366

2012-01-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

I'm glad my Nikon speedlight works with the Canon body. I think I'm going to take this camera out with me tomorrow.

Canon EOS 7D

16/366

2012-01-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

Canon EOS 7D

15/366

2012-01-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

It's mine.

Canon EOS 7D

11/366 & 13/366

2012-01-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

I have returned! So here's 11/366 and 13/366. 12 and 14 are on a roll of film, and will be posted as soon as possible.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

I want to talk about Kairos, but it's so hard to put it into words. Let's just go with amazing.

Retreat

2012-01-12T00:11:00.001-08:00

Due to retreat, 366 Project photos will not be posted until I return.

10/366

2012-01-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

After looking at this photo, you might be wondering why I have two Kindles. So let me tell you what happened.

Before I go to bed, I take the time to read for at least twenty minutes. But sometimes when I get so absorbed in the book, I fall asleep with the Kindle next to me... and here's where the problem is. When I wake up, I don't usually remember that I fell asleep with the Kindle, and don't take the necessary precautions to avoid doing any damage to it. The morning I broke the Kindle on the right, I didn't remember that I fell asleep with it, and I unintentionally put my elbow on the fragile thing.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

9/366

2012-01-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

I forgot how huge the viewfinder for this camera was. Damn.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

8/366

2012-01-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Beef steak.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

7/366

2012-01-08T00:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the gas card, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson! They actually gave me this on Christmas Day, but for various reasons, including me leaving it at their house, I wasn't able to get it until today. But who cares, I have it now! Yeah!

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

6/366

2012-01-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

Around noon time John told me that the basketball game was moved to today, so around three o'clock, after walking the dogs, I drove over to John's house. John drove, and after we picked up Sahil, we went to Baldwin Park in Concord. John really needs to clean his windshield.

Good hangout with Brian, Kevin, Patrick, John, Sahil, David, and Scott. Also, thank you three random players for the pick-up game.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

5/366

2012-01-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Now that the D40 has shipped, I have to make do with my video camera that's not meant for taking stills. So... here's a picture of the receipt for the D40 shipment.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK

4/366

2012-01-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

So I finally managed to sell my camera equipment; just waiting to receive the payment now. It's now on to bigger and better things.

Goodbye Nikon D40. Hello Canon EOS 7D... soon.

Nikon D7000

3/366

2012-01-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Words with Friends. You can tell which words might be mine, haha.

2/366

2012-01-03T00:22:00.000-08:00

The future is closer than you think.

Nikon D40

And so it begins... 1/366

2012-01-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

We'll see how far I can make it this (leap) year. I'm confident... but that's what they all think up until the second or third month when they withdraw from the project. So for the sake of not getting disappointed, let's just say I don't expect to complete it this (leap) year.

Nikon D40

Photography/ New Year General

2011-12-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm selling my old (really old) Nikon D40 to upgrade to a Canon EOS 7D. It feels so satisfying to finally be able to upgrade. Although I don't quite have the money to do it yet. Hopefully the D40 will sell soon.

I plan to complete a 365 project this year, but we'll see how that goes. I also want to try to start writing more. I read in an article about New Year's Rules. They're like resolutions, except they're not resolutions. They're rules. So they go like this:

I will not eat fast food more than once a week and I will not spend more than $20 a month on food.
I will post/take at least one picture a day for the 365 project. It doesn't have to be an artistic masterpiece. Just take a damn picture. Don't get lazy though.
I will write at least once a week in a designated composition book/journal.
I will drink at least four glasses of water a day.
I will run for 15-20 minutes at least twice a week.
I will read and complete at least one book every month.

I'll probably add more later when I think of them. Anyways, Happy New Year!

Yui's Window

2011-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Nikon D40

Burger

2011-12-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Procrastinate even more.

Nikon D40

Procrastination

2011-12-10T21:38:00.001-08:00

I should start studying for finals now.

Nikon D40

Break

2011-11-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, has it already been nearly three weeks since my last post? I feel like time keeps moving faster and faster. Senior year is already almost half over, and I can really feel the gravity of that statement as I write this because I'm taking a break from writing the personal supplements that are needed for the last few college applications I'll be sending in soon. I really should have done these earlier, but oh well, it's too late for that.

Hopefully the next roll on my Minolta will be done soon so I can post up more photos.

After School

2011-11-06T01:53:00.000-07:00

Yashica GSN, Expired Kodak MAX 200

Study

2011-11-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

Studying at John's house is becoming a thing for us.

Yashica GSN, Expired Kodak MAX 200

Fresh & Easy

2011-11-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

I forgot what night this was, but I know that this was on a Friday. Geez, film is so much fun.

Yashica GSN, Expired Kodak MAX 200

Chemistry Reunion

2011-10-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

For some reason this group of high school seniors from a junior year honors chemistry class has still kept in touch. Honestly I'm not sure what it really is, but I guess it doesn't really matter since we always seem to have a good time. Last last Sunday a chemistry reunion was set up and I brought my camera. It was a great stress reliever from the homework and college panic (although, we did end up talking about colleges anyway; it always seems to find its way into all of your conversations).

I have a feeling there will be more of these.

Nikon D40

Homecoming

2011-10-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

I might upload Oregon photos later, but with life being so busy lately don't expect that until later. Anyways, just thought I should post this photo. Homecoming was fun, but it could have been better if the DJ wasn't so terrible.

Nikon D40

Smith Rock

2011-09-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

First post of the Oregon Trip. Expect more. Enjoy this panorama for the time being. Click the picture for a larger version. The stitching job is poor, I know.

Nikon D40

Minolta Roll

2011-08-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

I'm tired and I have school tomorrow, so here's all of the photos from the recent film roll from the Minolta.

I'm happy that all of the photos came out; my theory that the shutter sticks halfway at 1/500 and 1/1000 turned out to be true.

Minolta SR-T 101, Expired Kodak GOLD 200

Dog

2011-07-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

I want a human model. I've been feeling inspired.

Nikon D40

Read

2011-07-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

Nikon D40

For the first time ever the summer reading assignments just feel like reading in the summer. Before summer "vacation" began, I promised myself I would read at least ten books by the time school started. Obviously I implied each book would be finished, but word for word says nothing about actually finishing the book. So to make myself feel better: I read ten books this summer.

Yes Jon, I'm in your room.

20th Birthday

2011-07-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

Japan Town in San Francisco is always a place of inspiration and delight for me. Every time I visit I get a renewed sense of obligation to learn the language and the culture behind it. On July 7th, some friends and I decided to go down to San Francisco for Patricia's birthday, and after we spent most of our day walking around Japan Town I feel inspired once again. My dream of visiting and possibly living in Japan has started to sift around in my head.

After Japan Town, we wandered around the city looking for a store that sold Mild Sevens. With no luck, we headed toward Westfield Mall and walked around before we decided it was time to go home.

Nikon D40

17th Birthday

2011-07-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jackie's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory yesterday, and although we were short on guests, when we sang "Happy Birthday" it certainly didn't feel like it. It wasn't as surprising for her as I had wanted it to be, but I'm pretty sure she still had a good time. Thank you to all who were able to make it despite the suddenness of the invitation!

Nikon D40

Modern Day Sleepover

2011-06-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Had some good old friends from Saint Peter Martyr sleep over. It was a halcyon summer hangout involving video games, computers, 4chan, and random spurts of laughter which made me intermittently pause the game and scoot over to check out what caused the giggles. Hopefully more nights like this can happen before the school year starts. I want my last summer as a high school student to be more than dreading college and the anxiety related to the word.

Nikon D40

Heather Farms

2011-06-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Drove over to Heather Farms for Aleesa, Liliana, and Nicholla's birthday party. It was a little odd that Jackie and I arrived earlier than the hosts themselves, but we ended up chasing geese anyway. It was a fun little gathering with people I normally don't hang out with. Hopefully, if ever this happens again, somebody will remember to bring a frisbee, or Cranium at the least.

Nikon D40

Saint Peter Martyr's Class of 2011 Graduation

2011-06-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

I was overcome by a wave of nostalgia when I saw those 8th graders sitting up there. Mr. Enea's familiar voice and his attempts to make the crowd laugh; the cheers coming from the church pews as awards were distributed; the uncoordinated rising and falling of the graduates from their chairs despite the few days taken to perfect it; and the cameras held by proud parents to record it all as it happened: memories of a simpler time.

But here we are now at the end of our junior year, and damn are we glad to say it's over. With new memories and new events to look forward to, we welcome senior year and whatever it has to offer, and we think about how close we are to being the center of attention of a similar event. How close we are to being the Graduating Class of 2012.

Nikon D40

Brentwood Biking

2011-05-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Finally! Rode with Sahil on our first bike ride after a short hiatus due to issues with his bike. I was able to use up some more of the film in my Vivitar toy camera too. I can't wait to see how the photos will turn out!

Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2

Anniversary

2011-05-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Photos from the adventure that was the celebration of my parents' 25th anniversary.

Nikon D40

More photos here.

Dorothy's Seven(teen)th Birthday

2011-05-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

After going to the mall to buy a present for Dorothy, Jackie and I drove over to SF Creamery for Dorothy's birthday. It was an awesome night filled with brain freezes, camera flashes, and embarrassing birthday singing. Happy birthday, Dorothy! I patiently wait for the day people will start perceiving you for the actual age you are.

Nikon D40

That money is actually for a portion of the bill.

LA Visit

2011-05-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Shots from the LA visit from the recently developed roll.

Minolta SR-T 101, Expired Kodak B&W 400

Summer

2011-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Summer is closing in and I've been desperately searching for a job. The job search started late October of last year and has since been unfruitful. Well, today I decided to lower my standards and applied to more realistic prospective jobs. What was I expecting anyway? I have no paid job experience.

I just want an income.

Lazy Sunday

2011-05-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Nikon D40

Dogs

2011-04-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

So carefree.

Nikon D40

New Mecca Cafe

2011-04-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

After the Passion Play premier some friends and I went to Mecca, now called New Mecca Cafe. I've never eaten any of Mecca's meals, but apparently they're supposed to be the bee's knees. I didn't feel like spending any money so I didn't order anything. I guess I'll never know how delicious the food is.

Minolta SR-T 101, Expired Kodak GOLD 200

Thrifting

2011-04-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

When I picked up another Yashica Electro 35 GSN at Goodwill this weekend, I wasn't sure what I was thinking. When I saw that it was only $10 and still in pretty good condition I guess I felt obligated to buy it. I probably thought I would regret leaving it there, but now I'm not really sure what to do with it.

I tested a roll on it a few days ago; I used up an entire roll in one day because I wanted to see if the meter was functioning correctly. When I got the negatives back, I was surprised to find out that meter worked for some of the shots. Of the shots I had taken inside and outside, only three of them were under-exposed.

Yashica Electro 35 GSN2

Hanasaku Iroha

2011-04-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hanasaku Iroha will probably be my favorite anime series for the Spring 2011 season. I've only watched two other series from the spring season and only three episodes of this show, but Hanasaku Iroha gives me a different feeling. It's probably because the producer of the show is Progressive Animation Works, the same studio that brought us True Tears and Angel Beats!, two shows with awesome voice acting and even better visuals.

This slice-of-life dramedy revolves around a 16-year-old girl, Matsumae Ohana, and her life working at her grandmother's hot spring inn. Since she was young, Ohana had always been an independent girl who learned from her carefree and selfish single mom to "never rely on others." When Ohana's mom moves away with her boyfriend, Ohana is left to work for her grandmother. Now part of a new family, Ohana must learn that she can't do everything by herself and that relying on others will be essential if she intends to make things work.

When I started watching I was immediately reminded of Spirited Away, so if you've seen that then that's kind of what the show feels like. I really like Ohana's character. She reminds me of Chihiro a little in the sense that they were both struggling to adjust to their new lives in the beginning. The other main characters have some subtle cliché attitudes like the tsundere and the shy girl, but those aren't a problem because they're not too extreme to the point that they're annoying. The music didn't strike a chord with me; the OP and ED themes aren't memorable (at least not yet?) and I can't really recall what any of the tracks throughout the show sounded like. Maybe I just need to pay a little more attention to that, haha.

Otherwise, if you're unsure of what to watch this season or if you're just looking for a new show to pickup, give Hanasaku Iroha a try: chances are you'll like it.

Cameras

2011-04-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have more cameras than I actually need, but for some reason I like collecting them. It's either their aesthetic appeal, the fact that I can find them for pretty cheap, or both. I decided to give them some fresh air and sunlight.

Nikon D40

My Pentax ME Super especially needs this because there's fungus in the lens; good thing it's the only camera with this issue.

Dinner

2011-04-17T20:57:00.001-07:00

I recently paid for my Chinese food dinner. It tasted good, but for the price I paid, I'm not sure if it was worth it or not. I really do take it for granted when my parents buy me food.

Nikon D40

Sweet

2011-04-10T23:02:00.001-07:00

Minolta SR-T 101, Expired Kodak MAX 400

Plays

2011-04-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the premier of the Passion Play at my parish, and after rehearsing and working behind the scenes for approximately three months, I can proudly say that I'm glad we've finally started the real performances! Seeing the success of our first performance gave me an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. I can safely say we're all glad the tension and anxiety of the first showing is over with. Let's just make the next six performances even better.

And speaking of plays, I finally saw a company production for the first time! My school's production of "The Wizard of Oz" was more entertaining than I expected. Actually, I didn't even know what to expect. But either way, it was an awesome night and I definitely feel inspired to watch some performances next year!

Minolta SR-T 101, Expired Kodak MAX 400

Another Blog?

2011-04-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, another blog. This should be the final time I create a new blog. I can't guarantee it though. Why exactly did I create another blog? Well, to put it simply: the picture quality on Wordpress sucked.

So to kick off the beginning of this blog, here's the test roll from my Yashica MG-1.

Yashica MG-1, Expired Kodak MAX 400