i looked up to the heavens, but i wasn't looking for god

Selamat birthday, Iman!

supplies! shout out to the birthday girl, Iman Hayat, who has been really hardworking for the past few weeks and deserves a supplies birthday party!

it has become apparent that i haven't been taking as many photos as i would like. as much as i would like to put the blame on the monsoon season, or the fact that everyone i know is really busy with real life, i can't think of any reason not to. until last Tuesday, i had solely used the latter excuse for not finishing my current rolls of film in the T2 and EOS 500N. it was on Monday when i nearly blew off the lid of my skull from work that i finally decided to take that photowalk, whether i was alone or not. stoic, and determined, i drove around town on Tuesday trying to find a suitable place to unwind and let my work problems percolate in the deepest recesses of my mind. the weather in the morning seemed promising enough, and while waiting for my car to be washed (which was way past its due washing date) i took a couple of photos - trying to set the mood for the day. after a quick lunch with the lads, i headed alone to Putrajaya but the sky started to dim and to my despair it started to rain. it wasn't just any normal rain, it was one of those types of rain that doesn't seem to feel like rain because it was partly soft and demure like a drizzle, yet the intensity was strong enough to make loud noises on the roof of my car. it was as if the universe couldn't make up its mind on whether to ruin my day or let me have this one moment of peace and leisure to myself. distraught, and ultimately no longer in the mood for anything, i drove home and as i parked my derriere in front of the PC, it stopped raining.

George Harrison: Living In the Material World

3.5/5

Norwegian Wood

2/5

exit through the door

the argument

CM's Nikon FM2

i've always reminded myself how i should pick up different kinds of cameras should the opportunity arise. medium format cameras, TLRs, rangefinders, digital compacts, polaroids - all the myriad of cameras my curious hands have always been itching to own. there's only so much an unpaid graduate student can afford, especially when he has such a huge ambition of owning, say a Rolleiflex or a Voigtlander Bessa R. the dream is to finally get my hands on a TLR of substantial reputation (read: Rolleiflex), but lo and behold they don't come cheap. hence, yours truly defaults himself to trying to own something within normal graduate student's means (ie. hand-me-downs, the rare "very lucky to have found this cheap" auctions, or the more conventional "may i use your camera for a month?" routine).

within the pretense of all these cameras i must own, the underlying factor still remains unresolved - what am i doing with all these cameras if i don't take 'em out and take any pictures? even with my current rig, i've only taken four rolls of film with it. come another camera, and i'll probably set it aside and play with the new one until another new camera comes and the cycle keeps repeating itself ad nauseum. ever since my project 365 ended, i have significantly taken less pictures. it's disappointing, and this "emptiness" of wanting something new isn't going to help.

so stop pining for that medium format camera and go out and shoot 'til your camera breaks (knock on wood), then get a new one.

but i'm still gonna look out for that Pentacon Six TL auction. that camera, hnnngh!

the sorrow of losing the object of one's dependence

the birds

channeling my inner Patrick Tsai. you must check out his blog. it's fucking awesome.

the kids, what were the kids doing?

one in a hundred million

i disappear