Another incredibly inspiring person!

Finally!! I had almost given up this year…

I was so happy when I woke up this morning and saw the snow! Real snow! :-)
I grabbed my camera & the wide angle lens, and run out for a stroll in midtown near Central Park, as the city was waking up. Here are some random shots…

Something is always smoking on the streets of Manhattan… Makes it look like the Apocalypse or something.

*

I discovered completely by accident (while trying the settings on my camera) that if I use the Flash I can capture the snowflakes. I was so ecstatic about it!

No snowflakes here :-(

Snowflakes here :-D Big sis was protecting her younger brother while crossing the street. So cute!

Some corner on Park Avenue. I liked the architectural symmetry.

A beautiful flower shop. It was too early and the store was still closed. I wished I could have a SP shoot there! It was so beautifully decorated!

I also peeked into a wine shop. It was so tidy :-)
I hate wine by the way. A recent attempt to start liking it failed miserably.

The NY Academy of Science. I like the sound of it!

Some house.

Snowwwwflakes!! :-D

I never saw this bird until I opened the pictures on my computer. It was a funny surprise :-) The picture otherwise was useless!

… is my latest addiction!!

And here is one little secret to make this or any other tea even more exquisite… If you like to add honey, try also adding freshly squeezed orange juice (you just need half an orange). Do that after you finish brewing the tea just before drinking… I tell ya… you get a cup full of antioxidants, vitamins and yummyness.

And by the way, check out the following text from the website describing this tea (doesn’t it just make you want to paint the trees in purple swirls and sparkles?):

“Clasp your cup in both hands and inhale deeply. Sweet and indulgent, Lipton® Bavarian Wild Berry Tea tantalizes the senses with its vibrant flavour and robust aroma. Lipton® long-leaf black tea is made from just the two top leaves and the bud. These are carefully blended with real pieces of blueberry, blackberry and blackcurrant. Our unique pyramid-shaped transparent bags then allow fruity flavour and fragrance to flow freely for a warm, luxurious infusion.”

Aaah, the seductive power of words… now on to my teacup!

Wow… I wish I could have tea with whoever wrote these lyrics. The song itself is addictive, hear it here.

———-

what you thinking of
man what you do and what you think you can do
what you are
what you do
looking out, it ripples on the dance floor
what you mean is what you get
did you forget to know what the end is?
to begin clearing
looking out, it ripples on the dance floor

dream machine
did you get everything you asked for?
dream machine
rattlesnake charmed on the dance floor

love’s rage
broken page
electric lights and glass bone nights
electric lines run through your minds
distractions with radio contraptions
pipe ashes
night glasses
tick-tock
hear the wind lick the window
ignited
you’re invited
grow wings sprouting from the backbone

dream machine
mister jones you don’t know what you came for
dream machine
rattlesnake charmed on the dance floor

we are like those two mirrors steaming in the rain
oh, we are those two lovers holding each other’s hands
dream with me
dream with me
rattlesnake charmed on the dance floor

Our minimalist x-mas tree :-)

I had a nice (albeit quite freezing) trip to Bear Mountain a couple of weeks ago. Just look at how amazing nature can be! There is no retouching on the first two shots - except for a border, and a crop. But that’s it.

The third pic was taken at the beautiful carousel there. This mirror is just a part of it and you can also see the saddle of a horse or two behind me :-) Yes, we did take a ride on the carousel and I pledged to do this at least twice a year!

I am stunned… To me, this is ART in its purest form… it has the power to lift us up, and leave us a little better of a person than it found us.

What a spirit they have! When you see people like them who express themselves with so much heart, and then push the limits even further… to me it’s like seeing God. And I am not talking about a religious experience. But about the reminder of all the possibilities that lie out there, waiting for us to reach into.

I read in a book once something that I will never forget… That instead of asking myself “What is the meaning of my life?” I could ask “How can I give my life a meaning?”…

It is truly humbling to see people like these two dancers (Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei), who have taken one of the worst things that could possibly happen to someone (and especially to a dancer) and USED it to give their lives so much meaning, and to touch in such an inspiring way millions of hearts and minds.

Click here to see the video on YouTube and read the incredibly touching story behind this.

Gosh, I have been waiting for so long for someone to finally release a product like AmazonKindle. And here it is!

*clapping, overwhelmed with joy*

I can’t wait to eliminate all the paper books from my life. Despite their retro charm, I actually passionately despise them for being so heavy and occupying an obscene amount of space. Not to mention all the wasted trees.

Yet, I might wait.

First of all, I think that a big part of the $400 cost is pumped by the novelty factor. Moreover, there is no serious competition on the market just yet. Not to mention the marketing expenses? Which, unfortunately, are not even generating quite enough buzz… let’s just say that people will not be eager to drastically change so quickly habits that took millenniums to build. Especially for $400.

And second, I actually secretly wish that Apple will marry Google and strike back with a KindleTouch soon enough :-) In color! Touch-screen scroll, flipping pages, and finger zoom, baby!!! Just imagine the possibilities…

It is undeniable that iPhone has set a new standard out there. For $400 unit price Amazon might as well have made the toy sleek-looking and spoiled the user a little more?

So, my site is fiiiiiinally up!

Still might need to do some more ironing up on the code but I couldn’t wait any longer!

I have been so busy with so many other things, and will continue to be; yet having a place to post updates and keep in touch with friends was long overdue. I hear quite a few people often complain from wondering if I am still alive… I think they will appreciate this website the most ;-)

For those of you who know me from Flickr - I will continue to post my artistic work there; here you might see more “by-the-way” kind of pictures, outtakes and mostly snapshots. At least for now I plan to keep this site simple.

Soo anyway… welcome all, and hopefully I’ll see you around :-)