Claire Nereim

$58? Grr. Still in love. (Only 16 prints left.)

Edit 10/1: I communicated with Claire and we worked something out. So I ended up getting it after all. Thanks, Claire! You and your designs rule!

Eiffel Chair

After a week of longing, I finally got my hands on an Eames.. replica for $40. I think it's from the same era though. Salmon is not my favorite color for furniture, but it happens to complement my current wall color (sage, which is also not a favorite). Two wrongs can make 1 right! Thank you Craigslist, for helping me not drop $200 on the real thing..

Canon(et) QL19

Today's impulse buy on eBay.

I really dig the boxy metal cameras of the 60s-80s, and this one is no exception. I found a posting for this in CL for $100, and knowing that eBay would provide more of a steal, made one bid on one in better condition, and got it for $10.28. Not bad for something that would look great on a shelf if it's non-functional. That's Plan B, anyway. I'm hoping I'll be inspired to learn more about photographic basics with this around.. also hoping that it works this time around. I held on to 2 Soviet-made Zorki's for a while, but eventually gave them away this year. With a bare-bones understanding of exposure, the rolls I took were greatly disappointing. Hard lesson is that you have to work those old things to squeeze out good photos. I had really hoped it was magic. And really, old cameras have lots of issues and need to be repaired most of the time, but I don't have the patience or knowledge for that. I figure that since people manage to take brilliant photos with POS Holgas and toy cameras, I can handle a few malfunctions on an old camera with an MSRP >$200. The QL19 comes with some sort of light meter (I think, I can't quite understand the specifications, too much math!), but even so, some sites suggest using your P&S digicam to determine shutter speed. Easy as pie!

The only thing that stinks is the 45mm lens size (50mm is standard, close to what the human eye perceives). I think I would prefer to take wide angle photos, and have been drawn towards the Ricoh Caplio GX100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC digicams for their wide angles/shorter focal lengths. If I decide I don't have the guts to use an SLR, I'll probably upgrade from my little consumer Samsung P&S to one of these.

I've also come to find out that cheap old medium format cameras can easily be had! And I'm not talking about Holgas or Dianas. (Although, there exists the Seagull TLR, which is made in China and seems moderately more reliable than a Holga.) Yashica TLRs, for one. You can find them for under $100 on eBay. I have to read up more on them, but they seem perfectly functional, if not a bit tedious to operate. With their old-timey looks, it makes for a more valuable, but also more expensive display object than the Canonet. I will probably force myself to hold off on this venture until I feel more comfortable with film, since medium format is a totally different beast. What a shame it is to purchase something and be ignorant of how to fully utilize it.

Another dilemma: film vs. digital? Film is the much more expensive choice, since I am learning to take decent photos on my P&S and then editing them moderately on Photoshop to create the desired effect. I've come across tutorials on how to lomo-ize or holga-ize your digital photos, but as effective as they are, it makes for a poor substitute. Not that I'm a film purist, but it's definitely more exciting to explore the differences in cameras than to manipulate photos. So all you need are funds and time!

Photography will probably never be more than one of my many interests, because of the money spent on developing film, on the camera itself, lenses, etc. and effort to master the art isn't really worth it to me. I'd rather be good at something a bit less popular and widespread, heh. I love to enjoy other people's good photos, and my various interests have always been so fleeting. Some of my Flickr contacts take such lovely photos that floor me. I wish I knew how they do it. What irks me is that it's the person behind the camera, and not the camera itself. How do I get better? And is it worth it? I figure I have my lifetime to work on my photo skills, so as long as I'm improving, there's no rush.

Credit Crisis!

NYT article about marriage and money It's crucial to find middle ground!

Suze Orman taking questions on the Freakonomics blog!

Economics is fascinating, but I'm way over my head trying to understand exactly what went wrong with these giant failing companies. This author foresees a credit crash and foresaw the subprime mortgage crisis.

Efforts

Trespasser

Yesterday, I went for a warm stroll down the dangerously sidewalk-less and hilly Clawson Road, near my house. There are some wonderfully charming old houses situated along there, and I miss seeing them most of the time because I'm in my fast car. I took some photos with the intention of forcing myself to learn how to edit in Photoshop. Here's my favorite.

Oh to have the funds and courage to live in a house with so much character! Nice dream

Holga Hunt

Photo by Angie at Pinkie Style
Been debating whether or not it is really worth the effort to own and take photos with a Holga. They are so warm and instantly loveable. But the process can be a headache. Of course, it's possible to reproduce the effects with Photoshop (or with one click on Flickr Premium Picnik mode), but I don't have the time to fiddle around to find the right settings, and if I ever do, the ersatz copy will never feel as satisfying as the real thing (if I ever figure out how to do this too).

The endlessly charming photo above is 35mm film taken on a "hacked" Holga 120N (medium format film, the regular Holga model). That's why you can see the sprockets, as the entire piece of film is exposed. You have to use rubber bands, coins, cardboard to adapt the camera, and also count the number of clicks (35) to know how far to manually advance the frame after each shot. In addition, you cannot get them developed normally at the pharmacy. After taking out and rewinding the film in a completely dark space, you have to ask for a contact sheet and then scan the negatives into your computer- otherwise, the pharmacy will crop out the sprockets, as they usually do with 35mm film.

Here's the much more vibrant original. (How do they protect their photos from being copied / spaceball.gif?)

Taking sprocketed 35mm photos is my first choice, but it is also a lot of work with too many avenues for failure. And developing medium format film is simply much too expensive, especially using a toy camera that delivers satisfactory results less than half the time. It's not uncommon for an entire precious roll to be ruined because of a giant light leak in the body or from improper film installation. This craft requires a lot of money down the drain to perfect! And, since the plastic camera is so cheaply manufactured, parts can break anytime.

A 35mm version of the Holga recently came out last year, with 2 versions: 135BC - Black Corners, like the original 120N Holga, and 135PC - Pinhole Camera, with no lens. (Pinhole cameras have an infinite depth of vision, so they can make neat shots like this and this. But I think most of them just turn out blurred and hazy. You can make a pinhole camera out of virtually any container.) I toyed (ha!) with getting a 135BC, because it's much cheaper to develop, with the same vignetting, warmth and unpredictability of photos taken by the original, but you can't really modify the camera like you can the original, when you do get bored of the same settings. And there is something undeniably special about a square photo.

So, I don't know if I will get anything Lomo-related. Sure they're cheap, $30-$70 per camera, but you definitely have to make up for it with experimentation, much more money for film, and hard work.

Energy Balls Revisited

In an effort to rediscover the joy of making one's own food, I've revisited old recipes and after a trip to Hobby Lobby, printed and compiled them in a portfolio notebook. Success has been made in regards to natural popcorn after a fiasco with spilled kernels, a giant pan and burnt results. I've been making a lot of and experimenting with the recipe for an "energy mix," as it is a quick and convenient way for Brook to get some food in his belly on the way to work or during his breaks. I've added dried goji berries to the latest batch (Mom brought them to me last time, they are very cheap at Chinese supermarkets). See original recipe I made up from memory below. There aren't any measurements, because I prefer to eyeball it. There isn't really any easy way to mess up this recipe, so it's best to vary it according to what you would eat. The first time I made these was sophomore year, in the Duval house, and while they were a hit, I lost the paper recipe during a move. I think I will try to add some molasses in the next batch so that maybe I can roll them into bite-sized balls. (And tone down the PB, as Brook mentioned that he is getting tired of the taste.) In addition to being an outlet, I am very pleased that I can create something so healthy and tasty for not too much $ and time. I am convinced that the best recipes fall in this category!

No-Bake Energy Balls

Dry:
Steel Cut Oats - this will make up most of the dry ingredients
Seeds: Pumpkin, Sunflower, Flax
Wheat Germ
Nuts
Dried fruit: Cranberries, Cherries, Goji Berries, Raisins, Cherries

Wet:
Peanut Butter
Honey
Molasses

Taste:
Salt
Cinnamon
Vanilla

For easier chewability (think of all the whole grains and seeds in it!), put the oats in a food processor for a bit until they are chopped. Once you reach a desired consistency, roll them into balls and refrigerate to set. Or, press them into a 9x9 baking pan and cut into bars.

I stumbled upon this Larabar recipe, and it looks good and much more economical. Just need a food processor now. Larabars impressed me from the start, as they only have 4-5 ingredients, all natural and either fruit or nut. Plus, they taste great. (They also seem to be quite popular in the Raw Food Movement Community.)

Eating out and buying fancy health food is exciting at times, but not really sustainable at my current economic level. I say this just as Brook and I have made reservations to 3 fancy restaurants during Austin Restaurant Week, each meal costing $25/$35 per person...

Eames love

Everyone loves Eames.. and I can't help but give in to this furniture porn. How can I not? They're so iconic. Drool. Furniture has rarely been so inspiring to such a wide audience. Sure, it may be exorbitant to own these items, but I believe that beauty is still worth striving for in well-designed material objects.

Flickr search

I'm so tempted to buy a set of these japanese toy replicas, cause I'll never be able to afford the real things. Come on, paycheck! (Ooh, here's a nice green one /"eiffel" chair on eBay!)

Bonus! Philippe Starck for Kartell Louis Ghost Chair. I've loved these ever since they came out. Playful mash of old and new.



Bonus 2! Mini family on mini Eames chairs.

Bummer.

From Anne Enright's Yesterday's Weather:

"Rubber", she says, “provides us all with an elastic amnesty . . . to pick up dead things, to engage in sexual practices...”

“Nothing is incomprehensible,” she writes, “when you know that life is sad.”

NYT Review

Bonus! Vonnegut quote:

"All great literature is about what a bummer it is to be a human being."

Well XXZCUZX ME

“We just like to use sounds that annoy people,” [Ethan of Crystal Castles] admits with delight. “Especially in the earlier songs, like ‘Xxzcuzx Me’ — that was just to annoy everyone. It’s really strange when people tell us it’s their favourite song.” Article.

Ha!

I can't even find the song online, it's so displeasing.

Crystal Castles // Good Time
Sea and Cake // Coconut
Blitzen Trapper // Furr
(album)

Your Money or Your Life

As you may have guessed, I've been on a real finance management kick. I recently sent out a long-ish email to my peers about the urgency and importance of opening up a retirement account right now. I hope that I can contribute to my 401k and IRA each year as I enter through life's more challenging stages. Reading about individuals or couples who have resurfaced after handling unspeakable amounts of debt (think $50k and up!) is encouraging, because it means that you can dig yourself out of nearly any financial situation if you take control. That's what every financial book says- it's just a matter of having a doable plan, time and diligence. I don't ever plan to get into "bad debt" via credit cards (mortgages or student loans do not count) and I hope that my future spouse won't think this is OK in any situation either.

I keep hearing that finances is the #1 cause of divorce, and I am now starting to understand why. I'm not miserly, nor do I have a problem with overspending, but I do have concerns about being with someone who has a more liberal attitude towards spending and debt. I do NOT want to be the person in the relationship always being the "strict" one by curbing spending, and being in charge of all finances because my spouse isn't interested or responsible enough to manage them. Absolutely unacceptable. I can probably do it, but a burden like that takes a real toll on relationships. Learning finances even in a stable marriage is a good idea, not just in case of divorce or being widowed. Typically, from my limited experience, Asians are much more frugal and save a lot more than any other ethnicities. Yeah, it's a more boring way to live (safe is boring sometimes), but how wonderful it is to never experience the weight and worry of huge debt over the majority of your life. That freedom is definitely worth stretching pennies over and resisting rabid consumerism for me. I look at my parents and see that they live simple lives, but have been able to put their kids through college and travel and live comfortably. Of course, they were very poor right after they graduated, and worked odd and low-paid jobs for a while before landing high-paying jobs at booming tech companies. Still, because of excellent planning, I am quite sure they are set for retirement, and even though my Mom is no longer employed and is in school again, they will probably never be in want of money. Even if they did somehow run low on funds, they have an amazing ability to live with few needs and nearly nonexistent wants.

I have yet to develop a balanced attitude about finances, because I am successfully thrifty for a spell, then I go out and splurge on nice things because my bank balance looks healthy. Hopefully I will be able to stick to a budget and also not try to gain so much satisfaction from purchasing things. For all my life up until now, I haven't worried much about money, because I've always had enough and my parents provided for me. One thing I've learned since graduation is that you shouldn't wait for things to happen to you, because they never might, especially when it comes to healthy finances. Instead, actively work towards personal goals. I don't make a ton of money right now, but if I save, tuck away funds for retirement, start an emergency fund, and spend wisely, I will be in a financially secure situation in no time, especially since I have NO debt to my name. Ideally, my future spouse will be in a similar situation before seriously discussing marriage.

Suze Orman article about Marriage and Money
Pertinent when you are not on the same page financially as your significant other:

"In fact, there should be no "I do's" until you and your sweetie both appreciate the importance of living a financially responsible life. If your partner can't see the value in that, then you need to seriously question how this will play out in a marriage.

If you do find you are poles apart, it's time to dig in and work together to resolve any important differences. Don't attack. Help each other grow and learn, through calm conversations and a lot of listening. Quite often, people are financially irresponsible because they grew up watching their parents make all the wrong moves. So they simply never learned how to do things the right way. That's something you can be compassionate about, and help your honey to overcome."

As I was raised in a Christian family, I was warned against putting my security in money (or other things, people), and advised to trust God for everything. I realize that I have to be careful in learning shrewd financial decision-making not to rely on my knowledge to propel myself higher in life. I just think it's a shame that so many of my peers have bad money habits and debt because of their parents; they either didn't support them or modeled bad handling of finances. In this way, my parents gave me a significant head start. They always paid off all their bills in full on time, taught me to never spend money I didn't have, tithe, start off investing low-risk (low-return), and save. I'm still working on the saving part, as it's so tempting to take advantage of being employed and single and young. These days I'm not so big on going out and buying overpriced drinks or paying covers, but it would be nice to own some modern furniture, more artwork, nicer bike parts, nicer kitchen supplies, and lots of books on my to-read list. But with the serious thought of possible debt incurred through marriage to someone in debt plus the wish of wanting to own a nice home and raise kids eventually, my random spending habits seem immature and irresponsible. Everyone else my age who is single is living this sort of good life, so it's difficult to reign myself in, but I'd rather have a head-start than be on the same sad page as everyone else in a few years.

Another part of me is sick of all this money business and not looking forward to the increased complexity of managing finances with a mortgage, family, increased spending, more investments, debt repayment, more paperwork, etc. Can I juggle these matters successfully based on sheer effort and a little research? Maturity seems really difficult, and I hope that I will embrace all the responsibility it entails and not just survive, but thrive.

----- Mom's Response ------

Dear Frances,

Thanks for sharing the blog with us! Now I know more about what you think of us.

Daddy and I don't worry about retirement because
1. we saved
2. we can live real simply
3. as a pastor, daddy can never retire as long as people needs him to teach/preach
4. we trust that as we do our part (#1), God will take care of the rest

It is really a good feeling when we have extra and can share with others, like what some people do to us from time to time. You know what I mean?

Remember the 10/10/80 rule? Tithe 10%, save 10%, spend the rest.

Love, mom

My titles used to be better

I've finally upgraded to the new layout and customization setting on blogspot, after seeing the updated blog feed gadget on Rachel's blog. I've formatted the side links and am in the process of labeling all my posts. I couldn't help but reread most of them and light upon dusty subjects I'd never revisited.. until now.

Findings:
- Contrary to what it seemed, I actually did a lot in Japan and Hong Kong. Nothing to complain about!
- I was a very fiery sociology major. It makes me a little sad that I didn't take it further immediately after graduation, when I still had the zest and academic rigor.
- I used to write a lot, lot more about music. But these days, it's not as present in my life.
- My writing isn't that interesting or inventive. At least in school, when I was forced to read more complex texts, my writing improved and vocabulary expanded. Sadface.
- Every once in a while, I become more aware of the state of the world around me and am convicted. They seem to be happening more these days. Sign of growth?

-=-=-=-

Mighty Leaf tea "Sale"
Getting back into fine tea. This stuff is pricey, but the superior quality is obvious. At least with the woven bags and distinguishably large tea leaves, buds, fruit pieces, etc. Nice, especially for tea in bags.

I'm tempted to get the hojicha, since I enjoyed it so much in Japan.

Frantown

I am still in a phase where I am not collecting any more junk, as cute as it may be. Having too many things is hard to keep track of and a big pain to move. Although other people's crowded rooms often seem more cozy to me due to their clutter, having a room like that would probably annoy more than comfort me. However, I think it's ok to be selective in what you collect, since things, especially art, are made to be enjoyed and/or used. One thing I am considering collecting is art tiles. I have one so far, a Rob Ryan one-color tile. It was expensive, with shipping from the UK, like $45! (But sheesh, he has since upped the price $14.40!) I have my eye on this one (see above) by Hazel Nicholls, who also has her prints up for sale at Keep Calm. Who knows, if/when I can buy a house, and depending on how much it needs to be redone, I can incorporate these tiles into a floor or bathroom wall. Creative customization that is distinctly me at not much cost. Just a little foresight!

I don't want to fall into the trap of fantasizing about my future/ dream house, but here are some other things I'd like to have:
- A bookshelf of Penguin books
- Stained concrete floors
- Natural ventilation
- Most of Brook's ideas (like incorporating the natural landscape into the house) :)

Of course, the level of customization totally depends on income level (and maybe if I know someone in the business), so hopefully this isn't all a pipe dream. I'd hate to have to settle for a cookie-cutter suburban David Weekly house. Blech.

Design*sponge has eyeball overload as it regards to interior design and beautifully crafted homes. They make a great photo, but my goal is not to have my house look like a piece of art one day. Houses are for living in, not for keeping immaculate. Even if you do pour all that money and time into making your house full of lovely things, you'll only get to live in it for a lifetime. Houses should be comfortable, but I think they should look a certain way from aging gracefully, not from an inordinate expenditure of resources early on. My cheap two cents!

A super cute from Rob Ryan, but I'm not sure I'd want to look at this forever (would I break it after I get married?).

quit yr blubberin

i can be anything i want to be. t/f?

half-assedly trying = automatic false, idiot

how to embrace risk?

31knots

Sad + Happy = Sappy?

Le sigh. Break me out of this melancholy reverie!

Cute boy outfit painting

Link

Let go

Photograph: Christina by Lieutenant-Colonel Mervyn O'Gorman

Vetiver - Maureen

David Pearson for Penguin

David Pearson makes me wanna puke all over myself because he is TOO GOOD. I share all of his design aesthetics.. except that I'll never be that good, EVER. Instantly classic, beautifully printed book cover designs. Penguin probably pays him a pretty penny to make them look so sharp today. Ever since the "Great Ideas" Series I and II came out, I've been halfheartedly trying to collect them, halfheartedly because it is no cheap task. These are books that I would read because of their cover. I cannot heap enough praise onto David Pearson, designer hero!!


Popular Classics - cheap and cleanly designed


Great Loves


Pocket Penguins - almost shelled out ~$200 to get these short stories


Sheesh take a look for yourself here: Website

Dan McCarthy's dinos

No thanks to Google Reader, I have too much new/ interesting information and eye candy to process. The only way to remember them is to star posts, but it's not often that I go back and review what I've starred. So I tend to forget about a lot of really cool artists. Using this blog may be a good way to showcase them.

First up is Dan McCarthy. Dan's posters stand out because dinosaurs + very dark paints + glow-in-the-dark paint = awesometown. You may have to adjust your screen to see this. Most screenprints are colorful and filled with contrast, trying to pop-out at the viewer, since there are sooo many posters out there these days, most of them pretty decent. But his are really subtle night/ frosty scenes, and make you take a longer and closer look to get the fine details. I almost paypal-ed for one (see above image) the moment I saw it, but sadly realized that a glow-in-the-dark poster would probably drive me mad at night. (Even the little sleep button on my laptop will keep me up if it's close enough to my bed.)


Paintings



Ink drawings (so detailed!)