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2008-09-26T10:52:00.002+08:00

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2008-09-26T10:52:00.001+08:00

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weeeeee!

2008-05-27T20:51:00.001+08:00

weeeeee!, originally uploaded by ntt.

Yo. Wassup.
Ryan and I both had haircuts on the weekend.
Life is good. Boy has really learned how to throw a tantrum but that doesn't stop him from being cute.

moving blog

2007-11-07T09:30:00.000+09:00

Hey guys

Sorry but I've realized after all this time that I don't really like using blogger. I've moved across to tumblr.com and will be using that to post more frequent mini-blog-entries.

I'll add an RSS feed from tumblr onto this page for those of you who constantly forget to change your bookmarks.

Seeya

i see you

2007-10-30T20:41:00.001+09:00

stand-in, originally uploaded by ntt.

peaceful (-_-)

2007-10-23T20:25:00.001+08:00

peaceful (-_-), originally uploaded by ntt.

Ryan has had very unsettled sleep since his mommy went away for a week last week.

So this morning it was a real treat when he slept in until 8.30am.

Of course, I had been up at 3.30am soothing him back to sleep when he woke up crying. An hour later I made it back into bed.

Here's hoping that he returns to his normal schedule ASAP!!!

posted from iPod touch (borrowed)

2007-10-22T13:06:00.000+08:00

nice. Using boss's iPod touch. Just testing

joy

2007-10-03T21:20:00.001+08:00

joy, originally uploaded by ntt.

Ryan has been so healthy and happy lately. It's so awesome to see him in such a good mood, running around laughing and playing!

I am so incredibly blessed with a great wife and child. Praise God!

^_^

2007-09-17T19:51:00.001+08:00

^_^, originally uploaded by ntt.

Ryan started saying some two syllable words today for the first time, I think. (keeping in mind that he already babbles 'mummum' and 'dada' very well).

His first two syllable word? 'Daddy'.

Yeah, I know, I'm the happiest dad on the earth.

His second? 'Teki'. Yep, the cat.

Speeches and letters of Abraham Lincoln

2007-08-07T22:18:00.000+08:00

here's a link to one of the funniest things I've read recently

A brief quote:

"...but now, when I beheld her, I could not for my life avoid thinking of my mother"

Oh the hilarity!

psp damage?!

2007-07-24T10:04:00.000+08:00

Thought I put a crack in my PSP screen last night when I sat down with it in my back pocket and heard a little 'kree' noise that wasn't biological in origin.

The screen had a small distortion in the middle that looked like the LCD juices oozing around. But the colors were right...

Well, half an hour later it was invisible and I couldn't see any damage. Have I dodged a bullet or is my PSP just biding its time until I really need to play some Lumines (PSP crack)?

iphone iphone

2007-07-02T14:18:00.000+08:00

I'm currently listening to _yet another_ iPhone podcast. This thing is outta control!

Seriously though, it looks sweet.

Enough about the iPhone. I took photos at the church women's ministry event, called 'essence', and the topic was 'shine'. It was a fun evening, full of challenges. I borrowed a ton of gear from my friends Chris and Dave and really must thank them for that contribution!

And... now I'm home sick with a cold. I suspect it was the car ride with my co-workers (one of whom had a cold) on Friday, followed by the busy weekend. Drats.

Darth Vader Screaming

2007-06-19T20:58:00.001+08:00

I now realize that Darth Vader screaming 'Noooooooooo!' was the perfect artistic touch by George Lucas. You get the transition from whiney, immature Anakin into the fearsome Vader by juxtaposing an Anakin whimper into a Vaderian visage.

Or perhaps I'm over-analyzing.

bad influences

2007-06-19T19:48:00.001+08:00

Ryan watching TV, originally uploaded by ntt.

Television... a tool that can be used for evil... or for good. In this case... good! He's watching his educational DVDs and learning to read.

(yes, this blog post is a shallow excuse to post a picture of Ryan... but its my blog and nobody reads it so I'll post what I want to!)

baby battle wound

2007-06-12T22:23:00.001+08:00

baby battle wound, originally uploaded by ntt.

Some kid at play group decided to bite Ryan on the hand today.

Diana comforted him very well. His hand was still a bit puffy and cut when I saw it this evening.

Poor kid.

I hope the other kid didn't have rabies or anything.

5 years

2007-06-09T22:35:00.001+08:00

self-saucing chocolate pudding, originally uploaded by ntt.

Yesterday (Friday) was the 5 year anniversary of my marriage to Diana!

It really doesn't feel like 5 years, although so much has changed in our lives in that time. We've travelled the world, had a child, grown together in so many ways...

My wife is a real blessing from God. A truly generous, kind, wise woman. I'm glad that through her love and honesty I found out about Jesus and his love and truth.

PS. the picture is of a pudding that I made as dessert for the dinner we had last night. And in the background is a cute mini lampshade Diana had made earlier in the day. See, the picture is topical... both Diana and I contributed!

What the heck?!

2007-05-26T00:13:00.000+08:00

Sitting here listening to a podcast with one headphone in and Teki (the cat) just walked up and ate the other headphone!

... or at least the rubber plug covering the headphone.

Firstly, that can't be good for his digestive system (I just spent a minute poking my finger down his throat trying to get it out).

Secondly... where did I put the spare earphone plugs?

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2007-05-12T09:31:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday!, originally uploaded by ntt.

Yesterday was Ryan's first birthday!

It has really been an amazing year. We are so blessed with Ryan as our son. He is the cutest kid ever (in my eyes) and his constant upgrades (6 teeth now! standing! saying 'car'!) make him consistently amazing to me.

Parenting, as a whole, has been just as rewarding as I had hoped, but also harder than I had suspected. Obviously I'm not in a position to recommend it to anyone because it all depends on the couple and the child - and I've had a good time purely because I have a great wife and a great kid. *grin*

And its all so biblical! God is our Father. And the love I have for Ryan - when he has done absolutely nothing to earn or deserve it - is immeasurable... that's fatherly love for you! There's wisdom in that, I reckon.

Congratulations Hui & Colly!

2007-05-09T01:16:00.001+08:00

joyful times, originally uploaded by ntt.

It was my great honour to be asked to take photos at my friends' wedding on Sunday (as one of two 'official' photographers).

It really is a ton of fun shooting weddings for people I consider to be friends and family. And, being photographer is kind of a crafty way of becoming part of the bridal party! I mean, you do get to hang out with the bridal party when everyone else is trying to work out what to do in that limbo time between the ceremony and reception...

Sure, there is also responsibility and work involved - shooting outdoors in bright sunlight is a tricky thing, as are moodily lit restaurants - but ... its a fun responsibility. I'm always learning something new about lighting, composition and bossing people around... and if I wasn't learning something I wouldn't be happy.

In the end, the day is all about the bride and groom and the commitment they are making to eachother. May your marriage be blessed, joyful and protected for the rest of your lives.

other benefits of family time

2007-04-27T20:14:00.001+08:00

bird swarm, originally uploaded by ntt.

Today while walking with Diana and Ryan before dinner time we spotted a little swarm of birds (pigeons?) flying laps around a tree. It was really quite mesmerizing to see so many birds flying together in circles! As they circled close to us each time you could hear the 'whoosh' of their wings as they all flew as fast as they could.

Eventually a couple of birds peeled off to land. I presume they were tired. A handful of laps later and the rest tired out, too.

Nature is awesome. Thanks God!

healthy as a cat

2007-04-24T23:15:00.001+08:00

2 red, originally uploaded by ntt.

Well, praise God for answered prayer because we all seem to be feeling better at last!

In celebration, I encourage you to look at this flickr set of flying cats

gastroenteritis

2007-04-21T20:54:00.000+08:00

(n) An inflammation of the stomach and intestine resulting in diarrhea, with vomiting and cramps when irritation is excessive. When caused by an infectious agent, it is often associated with fever.

Yep, that sounds about right.

Ryan has had vomiting and diarrhea... currently no more vomiting but still the other one, and he's not really keen on solid foods at the moment. Poor kid.

I've had all the symptoms, but thankfully medicine seems to have stopped them for now and I have managed to eat simple foods today. I actually had moments where I thought I was gonna pass out. That's not good.

Unfortunately, Diana is now feeling nauseous and tired. Poor wife! I am praying repeatedly that she might dodge the worst of it. If you are into prayer, please pray for her as well!

OK, this hasn't been a very nice blog post to read/post. Sorry about that but it has been a rough few days here.

i hate being sick

2007-04-13T23:49:00.001+08:00

i hate being sick, originally uploaded by ntt.

Have had to take two days off sick due to a cold/flu. I really hate being sick... I end up lying around the house doing nothing useful and browsing the web. Basically I've had a sore throat, swollen glands, sneezing, gross boogers and headaches... oh, and slight fever. I really hate being sick.

Speaking of boogers though, our neighbour's kitten (whose name is Booger) has been visiting us alot lately. Apparently he's worked out how to escape their backyard and has been visiting us and even coming inside our house. Cute! Except Porscha starts attacking him and he ends up hissing at her. Teki just stares nervously at him alot and sniffs him. In the end I always have to push Porscha away from him and carry him outside so no trouble brews. Cats are such rascals!

Oh, I'm sure everyone who reads this knows, but my brother-in-law got married on Monday and I was one of the photographers. It was a long day, to be sure, but a very happy one too! Had a lot of fun, and I pray for God's blessings on their marriage.

reading time

2007-04-05T19:59:00.001+08:00

reading time, originally uploaded by ntt.

I totally love these two people.

A sign that the weather is cooling off

2007-04-03T09:21:00.000+08:00

This morning Ryan was playing on the floor, wearing diaper and shorts. He reached over and grabbed his t-shirt, held it up to me so I would take it, then sat up and looked at me as if to say "Daddy please put my shirt on".

I was pretty darn impressed! I have no idea what is normal for an 11 month old but to me everything Ryan does is amazing.

PSP RSS feeds, my new fav feature

2007-03-30T00:55:00.000+08:00

I've had the PSP for a long time and considered the RSS feature to be a bit gimmicky. However, today I found a perfect use for it!

I like to listen to podcasts while doing the dishes. Now unfortunately I hate having to sync my podcasts to my phone or ipod before I can go do the dishes. Today, on a whim, I thought I'd try the PSP RSS feature. The first podcast I tried it on was an AAC podcast and unfortunately the PSP didn't accept the file. The second podcast was TWiT MP3 podcast, and it worked!

Yay!

It is actually really cool. I'm listening to it now, watching the ADSL modem flicker away as it downloads the file. Niiiice.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that gem at 1am. Gnight!

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: the mini-review

2007-03-20T20:44:00.000+09:00

Because I am oh-so-qualified to critique software I have used the beta and trial version of:

* click-anywhere to adjust colors/curves? sweet.

* fast!

* Error occurred attempting to switch modules?!?! Take your modules and burn them, mister.

* Stacks? What stacks? Oh _those_ stacks. How am I supposed to know that's a stack? Oh that thin grey line amongst all that other grey? I must be blind!

* Virtual copies. Ah yes, it is, isn't it (a virtual copy of Aperture, that is). Oh I don't like that virtual copy lets delete it. ARGH! Where did all my copies of that photo go?!?! *rips hair out*

* Non-locking export... nice.. but I'm just an amateur so it doesn't affect me so much

* interface? meh.

* raw decode: pretty nice.

* I can hide the top bar? Awesome. Hang on, how do I know when my export has finished? *grumble*

* Is there an option to auto-delete images off my camera after importing? I can't find it (and yes, I do like to use this option)

Conclusion: an excellent piece of software written by hard-working, well-meaning software developers who undoubtedly love photography, post-production and should be proud of what they have done. Yet I am perplexed and disappointed in my inability to love it. Perhaps I was spoilt by my brief affair with the Aperture demo. *sheds a tear*

Hm, maybe if I squint at iPhoto really hard it will start to look like Aperture.

PS. If I am thoroughly introspective... do I really need a digital workflow app like Lightroom or Aperture? No. Do I really need to have nicely keyworded photos so that in 5 years time I can show Ryan the photo of him with the yellow tractor toy? No. But might it come in handy when I take 200+ photos at a family birthday party? Ohhhhh yeah.

extravagant

2007-03-03T15:30:00.000+09:00

I propose that flickr.com cut down on the number of 'massages' that they seem to be having.

Any more massages and flickr.com will turn to jelly.

Late night snack

2007-03-03T08:48:00.001+09:00

Late night snack, originally uploaded by ntt.

You know, I don't even really like white or milk chocolate anymore, but I'll snack on it when there's nothing else. *grin*

wow!

2007-02-26T23:03:00.001+09:00

Sunrise in Perth - 11, originally uploaded by ntt.

So this is what a sunrise looks like!

I went up to King's Park on Sunday with a friend at 6am and we snapped photos of the sun rising over Perth. I can't believe I actually managed to wake up that early.

Anyway, my shots turned out OK. Nothing spectacular, although God certainly did His part! The kit lens that came with the camera showed some of its flaws at landscape: lens distortion causing buildings to look like they were leaning in, slight blurriness even when properly focussed, etc. There was a guy with us who had some rather expensive lenses and I will bet that he experienced no such problems. However I felt it best not to try his lenses out for fear of liking them.

It really was a nice moment though to watch the sun rise. But once it was up I just wanted to get home and see my wife and son. I kinda prefer watching my son rise in the morning. Although I have trouble waking up for that one, too.

Thank you God for my family: my mom, dad, sisters, brother, family-in-law, nephews, wife and son... and all my extended family and friends. We are so blessed.

growing empire

2007-02-16T20:22:00.001+09:00

new recruit, originally uploaded by ntt.

Yesterday our friends Aik & Zan delivered a couple of new additions to the Takayama lego family... the imperial officer and mouse droid!

I now realize that my lego minifig family is heavily skewed to the Dark Side (tm). But hey, nobody's perfect right?!

Otherwise, all is good. Ryan's doing well, and is threatening to crawl. He has gotten sooo much closer to crawling in the last week. It's amazing how much this kid can develop in a short time. I'm so proud of him!

Mental note: need to wash cars.

SPAM: I can't believe it's not butter!

2007-02-12T10:26:00.000+09:00

Usually I ignore spam. In fact, usually it gets filtered out for me by Mail.app

But this one was hilarious. The real message was in an image, but the text that they included to defeat my mail filtering (and succeed) was a random collection of phrases from somewhere. The way some of these sentences string together is hilarious!

It will be a classic statement. There were a huge amountof celebrities there as well. " anytime he detects any increase inspeed while riding in the car, or even the shopping cart at the grocery store. I'm glad this trilogyis over. 5 years later, I'm 32 and I'm experiencingmore happiness than I probably should with pantson.
It's been a bit odd trying to work out of a pristinely cleanenvironment. Men and women use the same facilities, without their clothes, and it's no big deal. Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA First Post on slashdot. I just read a CNet article reporting on a study called "The Digital Family" that was done by Nickelodeon. The hypothesis of the conference: "Skills that emerge in the course of participating in pop culture can become powerful forces when translated into tools of citizen engagement. It may sound strange, but it uses real human bodies that have been preserved using polymers. Lopez recommends The Fold, a band that writes relevant lyrics and songs with a steady drive.
It will be a classic statement.
Building any business can be fun and rewarding, but you need to be realistic about what is involved. This blog has been around for quite some time, andI've held off switching it over for a long timenow. Depending upon your talents for photography and copy writing, a picture from your digital camera and a quick blurb about the product are probably not going to be compelling to shoppers. Recently I attended traffic court inresponse to receiving the ticket. But things may be changing. All of this fixation on the Dukesof Hazzard lead to the natural conclusion of purchasing both seasons 1 and 2 ofthe series on DVD. I'm wearing "MagicalPantalones"Long hours and shortdays can certainly describe the past couple of weeks I've had.
I could always figure it out using a "calendar," of course, but I don't like figuring things out the hard way.
It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!
They say tragedies happen in groups of three.
Then we'd show her the name of the person to verify that she was correct, or to help her recognize who that person was if she didn't remember them.
Click the Shapes button to bring up the Shapes gallery.
If I want the window, I get the window. TriBeCa MedSpa is located at 114 Hudson Street.
All murderous astronaut all the time. I can't believe it's not butter.

Maybe this is a new form of digg.com, where I get all the headlines I need in the form of spam?

coarse grounds

2007-02-01T23:40:00.001+09:00

too coarse, originally uploaded by ntt.

aka New Misadventures in Coffee Making
(for those uninterested in coffee, skip to the last paragraph!)

Purchased some Braziliano grounds from the supermarket a couple days ago to replace the terrible old grounds I had. This was an emergency purchase as is evidenced by the fact that they were bought from a supermarket. *grin*

Anyway, end result is that the coffee tastes better (more smoky taste, no sourness or overly bitter aftertaste) but still isn't as 'rich' as I was hoping and lacks any kind of crema whatsoever.

One day I will save up enough pennies for a grinder. Then I will be able to purchase beans! Crazy.

NON-COFFEE-RELATED NEWS

For other news, Ryan continues to be cute and continues to impress/amaze/surprise us. He is really getting interactive and is starting to think in more complex ways. For example, if he is holding a piece of fruit in his hand and I open my mouth he will put the fruit in my mouth! The most important thing here is that I haven't yet taught him that his dad doesn't really like fruit! hehehe.

coffee misadventures and tomfoolery

2007-01-30T23:49:00.000+09:00

Hooray!

The last parts in my coffee machine conversion arrived today (parts to turn my pod-loving coffee machine into a fully fledged coffee ground brewer)! My lovely wife went and picked them up from the city (thanks hon!) and I was able to attempt to make a real coffee this evening.

Result: better but disappointing simultaneously.

Better? Well, the coffee was stronger and more intense than before, that's for sure! There is an intensity to well-brewed coffee that I haven't ever experienced from instant/drip/steamed/pressed coffee.

Disappointing? Not much crema, sour aftertaste.

Lessons learnt:

1. when a real tamper cannot be found (where did I put it?! besides, the missing tamper is the wrong size) improvizing with a nesquik lid and a spoon is a poor substitute

2. overfilling the basket with coffee makes it hard to put the basket in the machine

3. old coffee grounds that have been sitting around for months are a Bad Idea (tm)

4. don't forget to heat up the basket and the machine

5. enthusiasm does not make up for preparation and technique

hehehe

Well, now that THAT is over with... time to buy some fresh grounds and make some real coffee. Or time to make some more mistakes!

C'est la vie! Carpe coffee!

things that brighten up your day

2007-01-20T08:22:00.001+09:00

that just aint right, originally uploaded by ntt.

I've been sick lately (just a cold but have had to take some days off work) and have found a few things that have kept my mood up:

* Ryan and Diana (thanks to God!)

* cat shenanigans (as per picture)

* coffee.

All I can say is thank God for the first two, cause I just ran out of coffee! Eek!

My boy is so smart!

2007-01-17T22:01:00.000+09:00

I gave little 8 month old Ryan a pop quiz today, and he did brilliantly! Here is an excerpt:

Me: 'Ryan, what is the 5th letter of the alphabet?'

Ryan: 'eeeeeee!'

Me: 'Yay! So what letter comes after D?'

Ryan: 'eeeeee!'

Me: 'Correct! And what letter comes before F?'

Ryan: 'Dad! eeeee!'

Me: *beaming with pride*

(filed under 'my child has a limited vocabulary')

Crazy morning

2007-01-17T07:00:00.000+09:00

For some reason, little Ryan decided to wake up at 4am crying his head off.
*puzzled look*
While I couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed, Diana went to soothe him. After a while, he was still crying, so I went to comfort him as well. Eventually, around 5am we had him calm, collected, and were able to leave him to his own devices. Thank God!
Of course, last time I peeked (7am) he was sideways at the foot of the cot with one foot sticking out from between the bars. haha. Cute.
Gotta go wake everyone up now!

Precious Fatherhood Moment #9991213123

2007-01-07T20:23:00.000+09:00

When your 7.5 month old son screams instead of sleeping because he wants you to supervise/assist him in getting out a poo before he goes to sleep.

happy bday wifesy!

2006-12-31T12:12:00.001+09:00

happy bday wifesy!, originally uploaded by ntt.

well, this blog post is a couple of days late, but i just want to blog a very happy birthday to my beautiful wife, Diana!

Happy birthday! May you have MANY more happy birthdays with myself, Ryan, and the kitties!

I thank God for blessing me with such an awesome wife.

Oh, and by counting the candles it looks like you're 5 years old? Congratulations!

pancake breakfast

2006-12-11T22:50:00.001+09:00

pancake breakfast, originally uploaded by ntt.

you know, one of the quirky little benefits of having a child is the new lack of choice in waking hours. If little Ryan has a schedule of waking up at 6am, so do we.

How is this a benefit? Well I'm sure the picture gives it away... more time to make breakfast if I choose to! Pancakes are one of those yummy luxury breakfasts that I like making every now and then.

If only it was possible to get maple essence in Australia then I could make some really good maple syrup like my mom used to make (with brown sugar). Mmmmmmmmmm.

Life Imitating Simpsons?

2006-12-04T22:24:00.000+09:00

Ryan and I had a Simpsons moment today... kind of.

I'd just finished drying and dressing Ryan after his evening shower, and he was sucking his hand quite happily. I was just lying next to him watching him. Quite spontaneously, he popped his hand out of his mouth, turned his head to look at me and said:

"Nick!".

OK. He actually said something more like 'ni!' but you can see how that sounded awfully close to me (the keen father)! Reminded me instantly of the episode of the Simpsons where Homer is trying to train Bart to say 'Daddy' and Bart chooses instead to call him 'Homer'. hehe

There's the obligatory reference to Monty Python and the 'Knights Who Say Ni!' skit as well, but I won't mention that.

Bad Feeling...

2006-12-03T15:11:00.001+09:00

Bad Feeling..., originally uploaded by ntt.

Porscha brought this mouse to our side door today. I think she wanted to share the fun with Teki but he was stuck inside.
In the end... the mouse got away with no injuries. Porscha is a big softy sometimes.

honestly

2006-12-01T19:41:00.001+08:00

how could you not love a kid this cute!!?!

Photo taken with the help of my new Nikon SB-600 flash for my camera. It does wonders adding detail to areas that would normally be in shadow... like most of this shot. Gosh this kid is cute!

Old MacDonald had a...

2006-11-20T10:43:00.001+08:00

Arghhh!

Sitting here at work with OldMcDonald Had A Farm running through my
head constantly! Why don't they warn you about these things when you
sign up to become a parent?!

E - I - E - I - OOoooohhhhhh!

roll over...

2006-11-09T23:19:00.000+08:00

so they all rolled over and one fell out...

Gosh, so many milestones in such a short time. A couple weeks ago we started Ryan on solids (if you can call oatmeal gruel a solid) and he's been happily wolfing that down with his milk meals. Then a few days ago we moved him to just 4 feeds a day, and he is pretty much sleeping 11 hours straight at night now. And... today... he started rolling over! Diana said he did it a few days ago, but I wasn't around, so as the official record keeper (aka blogger) I had to be around to see it. It certainly looks difficult, but the little man makes it around from his back to his belly and then smiles his head off. Rolling from front to back has only been seen once, but now we know he can do it, anyway.

Well, this pretty much means the change table is a dangerous thing now so we're gonna pack it away. Also, he's been rolling onto his belly in his sleep which he doesn't like and ends up crying. Life's tough when you're getting mobile.

As for the rest of my life: well, work is going great (love the environment and the people are fun to work with)... Diana is still a wonderful wife... and everything else seems to be on pause. By this I am referring to the fact that the lens I ordered for my camera 3 months ago still has no arrival date and my work laptop which was meant to be returned to me last Friday still hasn't been repaired/returned... which I guess means that my patience is being matured.

sweet dreams

2006-10-23T21:44:00.000+08:00

sleeping son, so cute //
we try to awaken you //
and you sweetly smile \\
-- takayama-haiku, 2006

(yes, i know, there's no seasonal word so its not strict haiku, and i'm using the fake formal 5-7-5... forgive me literary puritans!)

Yes, Ryan fell asleep during his feed a few days ago (nothing new) and when we tried to wake him up he just gave us this cute little smile and stayed asleep! What a cute little kid!

chillin' and strollin'

2006-10-14T18:54:00.000+08:00

This morning Diana and I went stroller shopping again to look for a new 3-wheel stroller for Ryan. Diana did an awesome job negotiating and we walked away with a good deal! We got a Quinny Speedi SX, which will make my mom proud. Why? Because Quinny is a Dutch brand! Awesome. Of course, we would have been respecting Ryan's heritage with any other brand... cause every other brand is made in China (and he _is_ half Chinese!)!

Anyway, the Quinny looks like a good compromise in a lot of ways. It is semi-jogging capable, and yet also has some carrying capabilities and is ... um, reasonably light enough for Diana to put it in the back of the Civic... it looks cool and it was reasonably priced... if by reasonably priced you accept the fact that anything to do with children is insanely ridiculously overpriced.

I think the reason for this pricing issue is because people know that you secretly want the best of the best for your kid but often decide just to get the best you can afford that doesn't look like it is going to cause injury, death or bad morals in your kid. Perhaps the solution is for all parents to start acting like they really don't mind if their kid drinks from discarded tin cans and wears garbage bags for nappies... shops will suddenly begin to think that their market is gone and start lowering prices accordingly!

Oh, and last night I got a chance to hang out with my friends, Sam and Dave. Was good to hang out with 'the guys', eat pizza, drink coke, watch DVDs and emit gas. Not sure what the other guys did. haha haha ... hm, my 'delete' key isn't working... oops. Guys, if you read this... I'm joking about the gas! (or am I?)

pretty but annoying

2006-10-07T17:29:00.000+08:00

This time of year the wildflowers are blooming, the grass is growing and being mown, the trees are mating and ... the allergies are going nuts.

Plus, CALM is doing those burn-offs or whatever, and as a result the whole city is covered in smog. I hate smog. It stuffs me up just as bad as pollen. Stupid CALM... can't we prevent bushfires in a more smoke-free way? *sigh*

Beauty in the Light

2006-09-26T00:29:00.000+08:00

In a moment of interesting serendipity, a post in the Utata group, a flickr group that I am a member of, directed me to a section from a book by C.S. Lewis (whose book, Miracles, I am currently reading) called The Great Divorce.

In this passage, a painter has found himself in Heaven, and confronted by its great beauty is wishing he could paint it:

'...I should like to paint this.'

'I shouldn't bother about that just at present if I were you.'

'Look here; isn't one going to be allowed to go on painting?'

'Looking comes first.'

'But I've had my look. I've seen just what I want to do. God!--I wish I'd thought of bringing my things with me!'

The Spirit shook his head, scattering light from his hair as he did so. 'That sort of thing's no good here,' he said.

'What do you mean?' said the Ghost.

'When you painted on earth--at least in your earlier days--it was because you caught glimpses of Heaven in the earthly landscape.The success of your painting was that it enabled others to see the glimpses too. But here you are having the thing itself. It is from here that the messages came. There is no good telling us about this country, for we see it already. In fact we see it better than you do.'

...

'Why, if you are interested in the country only for the sake of painting it, you'll never learn to see the country.'

'But that's just how a real artist is interested in the country.'

'No. You're forgetting,' said the Spirit. 'That was not how you began. Light itself was your first love: you loved paint only as a means of telling about light.'

What a poignant reminder that the beauty we see around us is just a fragment of what there really is... and that it is merely a reflection of a greater beauty. Now I love photography and I see beautiful things all around me (and rarely capture a portion of that in my photos) ... so I can relate to, and understand this passage so well!

DIY Photography

2006-09-21T18:15:00.000+08:00

Here's a link all us 'thrifty' photographers can appreciate:

http://www.diyphotography.net/

Tweaking RAW

2006-09-18T22:12:00.000+08:00

Just for giggles, I thought I'd post up my settings for processing RAW photos in Adobe Lightroom when I import them from the camera (cause plain RAW is very flat, dull and boring out of my camera):

* white balance: auto (i tweak every photo for white balance later)
* saturation: +20 (percent, I guess)
* exposure: tweak manually until histogram touches the right-side
* contrast: +10 (percent, I suppose)
* sharpen: 25%
* noise reduction: 25

These settings seem to work best for me, and I then only need to tweak the white balance and exposure... then export to JPEG!

Note: Most of my shots are done indoors, with a bounced on-board flash, at ISO 800. Slightly different settings might work better for outdoor ISO 100/200 shots, but I take so few of them!

pressure on self

2006-09-17T21:48:00.000+08:00

Today was my nephew, Carter's 4th birthday party. He had a great little party, with tons of kids and happy parents milling around... lots of fun had by all. And happy birthday to Carter! You're a really cute kid, with an awesome smile!

I took my camera, of course, and soon found myself roaming around taking pictures. And I realized that I actually put a fair amount of pressure on myself at family events... a pressure to produce good photos that capture the moment... every moment! Well, I'm not a good enough photographer to capture every moment with its inherent beauty, but I try and sometimes I capture moments with some of their beauty. Big gatherings are tough because, well, with so many people around it can be tempting to take pictures of the whole scene (wide angle)... which tends to lead to 'documentary' shots that do nothing (for me) except show who was there. A couple of these shots are great, but I find myself looking for more personal, emotive shots. Shots with just two or three people at most, with smiles, some kind of interaction, and an emotional attachment.

Well, looking for those kinds of photos you can sometimes be happy to just grab 1 or 2 from a whole day's shooting. Fortunately I managed a few more than that today. I really hope that the parents and friends enjoy looking at the photos. The kids were so cute, and I just had to be patient and pick my shots amidst the mayhem!

Perhaps, God willing, I will get better at this skill as I grow older. Maybe in 20 years I'll be ready to take photos at Ryan's wedding! Whoa!

world's biggest telephoto lens

2006-09-13T18:29:00.000+08:00

Zeiss 1700m f/4 lens that weighs a mere 256kg!

desktop metaphor

2006-09-11T11:08:00.000+08:00

This is a cool demo video of the computer desktop metaphor taken to a new level. It looks very cool... but I'm not sure how well it will work with hundreds of source code files, or thousands of images. Looks like fun though. :)

that's a BIG screen

2006-09-06T23:05:00.000+08:00

This picture is of the massive video wall that we just installed at my work. The wall is basically a big projector screen lit from behind by 9 high-def projectors driven by 3 dual opteron servers acting as one big computer. The image on the screen is 7 web browsers displaying the full height of the google news webpage, side-by-side. A very cool way to read the news (7 times!)!

Anyway, I thought it was incredibly cool and thought I'd share.

fathers day

2006-09-03T18:15:00.000+08:00

Apparently I'm the world's greatest daddy. At least that is what the mug says! It must be true!
I actually got the mug for my birthday, but today it is just that little bit more meaningful.

So happy fathers day to my dad, who is a great man in his own right, and happy fathers day to all those other dads out there in Australia celebrating today as well.

And thanks to Our Father above, who thought of the idea in the first place.

he aint heavy, he's my son

2006-08-23T21:23:00.000+08:00

what to report?

my new job is going very well. I enjoy it!

my little boy is growing rounder every day! he's very cute, although he has been a little quiet the past few days (not much 'talking').

my work macbook pro has been crashing frequently. i suspect either memory or motherboard. but it could be software, so I'm playing with different applications just to be sure.

um, that's it for now. I just wanted to share this great picture that Diana took!

30 in pictures

2006-08-21T21:40:00.000+08:00

Pictures from my 30th birthday party are here

embracing 30

2006-08-20T22:38:00.000+08:00

So I turned 30 today, and for a change to mark the occasion I had a big party with a whole bunch of friends and family. Firstly, let me just say a HUGE thank you to Diana and her family and my family for their contributions in making this an AWESOME day. I had a great time, and I really enjoyed spending my birthday with so many friends and family, enjoying great food and conversation!

Everyone wanted to see Ryan, of course, and he got handed around as much as possible. He is a really popular kid! And, as I told everyone, he is a big kid too! 7.70kg - which, for his age is in the 94th percentile!!! Should I be disappointed that there are 6% of kids his age who are even bigger than he is?

Anyway, I'm a very happy guy, truly blessed (by God) and grateful for everything. Thanks to everyone for their awesome gifts (both useful and cool!).

Peace out. :)

30!!!

2006-08-20T00:05:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to me!

Yay, I'm 30 today. Its a pretty big milestone, kinda like 27 and 28. hehe

I won't say anything more unless I'm forced to make a speech and need to keep all my good lines for that. However, I will say that I thank God for these 30 years... and I thank my parents for doing such a great job. Love you guys!

Time for old people to go to bed. Peace out.

All about lenses, bokeh and stuff

2006-08-19T11:24:00.000+08:00

This website:

http://www.vanwalree.com/optics.html

Has some very good descriptions about camera optics, ranging from bokeh to vignetting to lens hood shapes!

Very interesting stuff. Thought I'd share.

the atheists creed

2006-08-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

I figure since most of today's Western society is pantheistic, and I am a theist, that I can safely post this brilliant 'creed' written by British journalist Steve Turner:

The Atheists Creed

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before during
and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy's OK
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in horoscopes,
UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha Mohammed and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher although we think
his good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same,
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation sin heaven hell God and salvation.

We believe that after death comes The Nothing
because when you ask the dead what happens
they say Nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Genghis Khan.

We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between
warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behaviour that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust. History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds.

"Chance" a post-script

If chance be the Father of all flesh,
disaster is his rainbow in the sky,
and when you hear

State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Youths go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man worshiping his maker.

amusing comic

2006-08-12T15:33:00.000+08:00

Found this amusing photography based comic...

(click the image to go view more)

growth

2006-08-02T22:13:00.000+08:00

what you looking at?
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Well, little Ryan is growing up before our eyes.

Today I think he hit his rebellious teens. He has been crying and unsettled. I think I'll pretend it was something Diana ate. haha

So right now he's in his room sleeping to the sweet sounds of a simulated womb, while I sit outside with a headache and a brain that is pulsating to the beat of the same simulated womb.

But its all good, right? The kid is immeasurably cute (I can verify this... I tried measuring it and failed)... and... well, he's a gift from God.

I'm just going to quietly pretend that I'm not turning 30 in 18 days.

baby sox

2006-07-19T23:13:00.000+08:00

baby sox
Originally uploaded by ntt.

my co-worker's fiance bought these for Ryan. I've never even met her, and she's never met Ryan!

My kid must be so cute that strangers want to bring him gifts. haha!

Oops, time for his next feed.

I Quit!

2006-07-13T10:47:00.000+08:00

peaceful baby boy
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Yes, that's right, I quit my job at **Tel.

Moving on to a new job at a university producing webapps for genetics research. Yay! Start the new job on Aug 9.

Praise God for new opportunities! I'm grateful for the ones I've had here as well. I've had a good time working here, despite the occasional struggle... and the people I have worked with have been great. None of them read this and I'm still complementing them! Nice, huh?

It'll be awesome to be working so close to home, and with a group of talented people.

So now to find some humorous exploits to enact before I depart...

new things

2006-07-10T23:08:00.000+08:00

free foot
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Ryan's cute little foot, completely free, hanging in the air... it hasn't yet had to carry any weight or run any distances. It hasn't endured painful shoes, long walks, blisters, smelly foot smell, or broken toenails. It has no hairy toes, no pains, no hard skin areas.

*sigh*

This little foot is part of my boy. Untainted, pure, soft and beautiful.

Wow, lucky I'm not an overly sentimental dad. Hah!

softpaws

2006-06-28T23:19:00.000+08:00

argh, get them off!
Originally uploaded by ntt.

A week ago I ordered some softpaws for Teki. They arrived today and I quickly applied them to Teki's nails. The instructions say that some cats resist having these acrylic caps on their nails and will try hard to remove them... indeed that is true. Teki managed to bite off two of them (basically I didn't glue them on well enough) on his 'thumbs'... but the rest are still on.

Overall its a cute look, and his nails are now safely hidden away for the next 4 to 6 weeks. He tried scratching the scratching post and slid right off! I feel safer letting him near Ryan now.

Maybe next time we'll buy him some pink or orange softpaws. haha

rainy day blues

2006-06-27T21:13:00.000+08:00

teeth?
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Well, not really. I was sick today so I stayed home to look after my family.

What a joy. Truly. It's so nice to be able to spend time with your wife and child (my wife and child, not yours, sorry).

So even though it was rainy and stormy outside, everything inside was fine and beautiful.

Praise God for the gift of Love. Let us not focus on the gift but the giver, eh?

Incredible Joy

2006-06-13T22:54:00.000+08:00

Mother of All Zooms 1200f5.6-1700f8
Originally uploaded by Uncle A..

On Sunday my little boy smiled at me for the first time in response to my silly attempts to get him to smile at me.

Words cannot express the intense joy I felt in my heart.

Thank you, God, for this little boy you have given to us to love, teach, protect, discipline, comfort and cherish.

(if you're wondering how the image relates to this topic... I wanted a zoom lens this big in order to capture the detail of that first smile)

Snakes on a Plane?!?!

2006-05-31T11:35:00.000+08:00

Um, seriously, the weirdest movie coming out this summer:

Snakes on a plane

And the internet is awash with buzz over this movie due to the extreme camp fun to be had on the title, subject and the fact that Samuel L Jackson signed on BECAUSE of the title.

What an ... interesting... world we live in.

The FinnBounce

2006-05-27T15:49:00.000+08:00

Actually, I found that others have reached the same bounce flash conclusions and ghetto mods as I have:

The FinnBounce

It is somewhat validating. I knew for sure I wasn't the first to have done this. Good to have evidence.

Bounce Flash: Photographic Experimentation

2006-05-26T21:15:00.000+08:00

Bounce flash, +5EV, ISO 800, Aperture Priority f 4.5
Originally uploaded by ntt.

It is truly amazing what a piece of cardboard, some aluminum foil and a rubber band will do to make your photos better.

Proof is here. CLICK!

I hope my photographic friends get something out of this. I'm no expert, but I just wanted to share what I have learnt.

Nothing?

2006-05-23T11:57:00.000+08:00

Don't let the cat out of the bag
Originally uploaded by ntt.

I'm not gonna say nuffink.
But here's a cute pic.

Ryan blogs better than me, doesn't he?

sleepless in perth

2006-05-19T09:33:00.000+08:00

!!!?!??!?!
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Not exactly sleepless, but when your baby is crying at 3.45am and you can't settle him... and you want to give your wife a few extra minutes of sleep... what can a man do?

Otherwise things are going well in the Takayama household (a member of the Takayama Household conglomerate). Ryan does sleep for 1.5hrs at a time quite well unless he has something bottled up... feedings are going OK, and the little kid is nearly back to his birth weight after only a week.

And, being a parent makes me realize how much we rely on God for even the little things. Thank God for our little baby and every moment we have with him!

poo!

2006-05-17T16:39:00.000+08:00

desire to shine
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Ryan's last poo was nearly this yellow.
OK, maybe it was more mustardy.
OK, maybe Diana secretly put mustard in his diapers.

But anyway, it is a good sign! Apparently this is normal for milk-fed babies. Yay.

Just thought I'd share.

Home, time to rest

2006-05-17T14:18:00.000+08:00

Home, time to rest
Originally uploaded by ntt.

We finally brought Ryan home this morning, and both he and Diana are glad to be here! The hospital was nice, but it is relatively noisy, and it seems both mother and child are glad to be able to nap now.

I'm happy just to have the whole family under one roof.

Now to go read Ryan's blog.

Ryan has his own website!

2006-05-16T23:09:00.000+08:00

Click here to see Ryan's website. He's been working pretty hard on it between feeds, diapers and naps, so I hope you all like it.
Bookmark it and if you know what RSS is, bookmark his RSS feed: feed://bestbits.ii.net/Ryan/Blog/rss.xml

can we go home yet?

2006-05-16T20:42:00.000+08:00

can we go home yet?
Originally uploaded by ntt.

It is Ryan's last day in hospital today.
Tomorrow he gets to go home with Diana and myself!

Of course, he won't have midwives tending him 24/7, and he won't have the nice climate controlled room... but at least he'll be home!

We're very excited. And a little scared. But it's all normal.

It's all good

2006-05-15T21:24:00.000+08:00

Father & son, sleepy
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Thank you, God, for blessing me with a beautiful wife and son.

Ryan Day 3

2006-05-13T20:01:00.000+08:00

What time is it?
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Another day has passed, and little Ryan is doing well. The pediatrician will monitor a slight (normal) case of jaundice and make sure it goes away, but otherwise all is well.

The morning went by quite smoothly. The afternoon became hectic, and now the evening is another chance to feed, cry and relax. And Ryan may do the same.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering if we might have Ryan circumcised... no, we are Saving Ryan's Privates.

That was for the people who said I made bad jokes.

Ryan Nicolas Takayama is born!

2006-05-12T14:10:00.000+08:00

Ryan Nicolas Takayama is born!
Originally uploaded by ntt.

At 5.26pm on the 11th of May, 2006, Ryan Nicolas Takayama was born, weighing 7lbs 5oz.

His mother and father are recovering but absolutely ecstatic over their new family member.

PRAISE GOD!

1 day to go...

2006-05-09T19:42:00.000+08:00

waiting... still!
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Well, if everything goes to plan, anyway. Our baby is due tomorrow.

I'm pretty excited... and anxious... and also wondering what's taking the bub so long. He's been in there 9 months and the suspense is palpable!!!

Congratulations though to Matt & Suzy, who welcomed their new boy into the world today. Thank God for your great blessing. Look after the little lad.

waiting sucks

2006-05-07T21:25:00.000+08:00

waiting sucks
Originally uploaded by ntt.

i am impatient. i must learn.

Galatians 5:22
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Congratulations David & Julia!!!

2006-05-07T17:41:00.000+08:00

141255450_8e5928077c_o
Originally uploaded by Digital Davo.

We had the honor of being able to see David & Julia's new baby, Elliot, on Saturday afternoon, one day after he was born. He is a beautiful little bub, and it sounds like he was immensely agreeable to being born quickly and without complication!

We praise God for his amazing blessing on their family, and pray for Him to always smile on them.

In turn, we eagerly await the arrival of our little child. Please pray for our baby!

Wii?

2006-04-29T09:44:00.000+08:00

I must say, even though I understand their marketing explanation for the new name of the Nintendo Revolution, I just don't think it is a good choice...

Nintendo renames Revolution to 'Wii'

The funniest comment I've heard is that one guy will buy one when it comes out and then go 'wii, wii, wii all the way home'. lol. rofl. hahaha

I'm still waiting to see what the PS3 is like when it comes out. Maybe it will even have a method for stopping time so I have time to play it, what with a newborn baby around at the time! hehe

Obstetrics and gumboots

2006-04-26T13:43:00.000+08:00

Went to the obstetrician with Diana again today. Everything is fine, healthy etc.

More importantly, I asked if the obstetrician wore gumboots when delivering babies. His answer: "For caesarians, yes. Otherwise it depends...". Fascinating, yes? As long as he doesn't also use barbecue tongs and a Dyson vacuum I'll accept pretty much anything I think. ☺ In other news, aren't banks annoying?

Me: "I want to collect a bond in my name"
Bank: "You need the letter"
Me: "I gave you the letter weeks ago, you told me to come back"
Bank: "Oh, well you could have done this from any branch"
Me: "I want to do it from _this_ branch _now_"
Bank: "Oh, OK I think I know how to do this..."
Me: "*argh*"

wow, only 2 and a bit weeks to go!

2006-04-24T18:20:00.000+08:00

Wow, only 2 and a bit weeks to go!
How exciting!

I wonder what the bub will be like? Will it have my jagged teeth? Will it have Diana's splendid jawline? :)
Who knows? God does! teehee

how to put on a bandaid so it stays on all day

2006-04-23T16:41:00.000+08:00

Nutrigrain makes you feel Crazy

2006-04-23T10:34:00.000+08:00

2.5 weeks to go!

2006-04-22T09:44:00.000+08:00

Come to the Dark Side
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Not long before I'm a dad. wow

Childbirth Explained

2006-04-08T17:48:00.000+08:00

Childbirth Explained
Originally uploaded by ntt.

We went to an intensive all-day course at the hospital today to prepare us for childbirth and show us the hospital procedures and facilities. It was great. I learned so much and so I thought I would summarize it in this educational comic strip.

Yes, I drew this in the class. I was paying FULL attention.

bubbleshare

2006-04-07T20:44:00.000+08:00

BubbleShare... very Web2.0... but worth switching? I don't think it is ready yet. The uploader insists on uploading the full-size image which can be rather slow, and has almost no options. My flickr image uploader is much better featured...

However, the animations and captions on BubbleShare are kinda cute:

This album is powered by
BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Furniture Lego

2006-04-06T22:39:00.000+08:00

Furniture Lego
Originally uploaded by ntt.

I really think that Ikea is just the furniture arm of Lego. I mean, the instructions look similar, the parts bags take just as long to search through, and you sometimes have to stare at the diagram for hours just to work out if you are using the right piece! (tip: turn the piece around once and it all makes sense)

vader

2006-04-06T10:05:00.000+08:00

Two funny videos (courtesy of my big bro):

Darth Vader versus the Japanese police

Darth Vader vs Police part 2

Pregnant Pause

2006-04-05T20:52:00.000+08:00

Praise God all is still well! We went to the obstetrician this morning and he told us everything is good. We're at the 35 week mark, leaving approximately 5 weeks to go before the baby is due. The baby appears to be healthy, Diana is healthy, and the baby's head is in a downward position which is good!

Spent the latter half of the day shopping for a chest of drawers to put the baby's clothes etc in and finally settled on one from Sam's favourite place... Ikea. :) Whilst there we almost bought a floor lamp (one of these cool dimmer ones with various colour filters for various moods), a wall light in the shape of a flower, some picture frames, a small table, a miscellaneous container and some other stuff. Man, that place has so many things that it is so easy to get distracted!

Latest meme

2006-03-28T18:00:00.000+08:00

I saw this entry on prk's blog, so I thought I'd give it a shot:

(ok, I didn't actually do the same quiz as prk, but I don't need to! I KNOW with confidence. Ain't it grand?)

Happy birthday Yen!

2006-03-18T11:28:00.000+08:00

Yen's birthday
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Had dinner at Hog's Breath Café a couple days ago with or friends Yen, Andy, Aik and Zan... what a great time out! Was good to catch up with Yen and Andy, and of course its always a pleasure to hang out with the newly married Zan and Aik.

Oh, and the steaks were good. Diana loved it. In fact, I think she wants to go back! I had steak and ribs... I preferred the ribs. I've decided I must be some weird fast eater as I had finished my meal and everyone else was only half done. Of course, maybe I should talk more. Or maybe not. Oh, the decisions!

I think the food wins.

Good luck in the new job, Yen!

Bokeh

2006-03-13T22:20:00.000+08:00

Okay Bokeh
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Things I've learnt about photography, #1...

BOKEH (n)
the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens : a quick, visual survey of the foreground and background bokeh of a variety of lenses.
Origin: Japanese

Attached photo is a weak sample. Very weak sample. View it larger to work out what I'm talking about. I have better samples somewhere, but this one was recent.

Mandurah Crab Festival

2006-03-12T21:11:00.000+08:00

Mandurah Crab Festival
Originally uploaded by ntt.

Went to the Mandurah Crab Festival today with Diana, Andrew and Val... was a nice afternoon out, but not as many crabs as you would imagine. Odd!

Didn't manage to take many good photos. A couple missed focus, a couple of odd facial expressions, and some boring crowd/scenery shots. I guess its like golf. Some days are good, others bad.