May 28, 2008

Today was a chock full of picture taking. Today's collection was not centered around one theme. I took a picture of a Pilsbury doughboy in a convertible. I thought it was a giant doll until he waved at me. The collection also includes flowers, a penthouse, and a set for a production called "The Rebound". It's a movie featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones. Click here for more information.

May 27, 2008

The morning started off with some rain and then it was hot and humid during the day. In the evening (around 5:30pm) the clouds were starting to gather and the skies looking dangerously gray. It rained and from the looks of it, it was a pretty big rain storm. Luckily, I was underground riding the "E" train home. When I got home, birds were looking for food and the snails and slugs were crawling about. Check out the pictures and videos, especially of the snails. They're not as slow as you think...



Videos of birds after a serious rain fall when all the creepy crawly come out...





Here are some videos of some snails in action. That's right ACTION.

May 26, 2008

Memorial Day is the mark of the beginning of summer! I was in the city to meet a friend for brunch and then head over to a nail salon for a manicure for me and a pedicure for her. Afterwards, I walked up to Union Square for a little light shopping. The Market was open and people wandering about looking at the fresh produce. Strawberries were being sold at various stalls. They looked really tasty! Check out the slide show for some juicy strawberries and other sites of the Union Square Green Market.


Aren't those dachshund puppies so cute!?

May 23, 2008

We went to the Museum of Modern Art this evening. If you didn't already know, it's always free admission Friday evenings from 4pm to 8pm. We were going there to check out an exhibit but realized when we got there that the show was over so we just went around to look at the current exhibit and permanent collection. The thing I noticed is that MoMA is one of the few museums to let people take pictures of the collection. Everyone had their cameras and snapping pictures. Nobody used flash which is good for the art collection. Anyway, take a look at the what I saw today at MoMA.

May 20, 2008

Today was another wet and rainy day in NYC. Umbrellas abound and snails comin' out.



I hope I didn't blind the snails with my flash.

May 18, 2008

Today we went to the Jacob Javit Center for the ICFF, International Contemporary Furniture Fair. We go every year, and I have to say, that this year was not impressive with interesting furniture. Only three things caught my attention. One was a couch designed by Jean Nouvel's SKiN sofa manufactured by Molteni & C. The second was a chair manufactured by Kartell called "Mr. Impossible" by Phillipe Stark. The third was a giant chair at the School of Visual Arts booth.

May 17, 2008

The day was gorgeous, the evening apparently had a bit of rain. We have snails in our front yard and they would come out at night especially after it rains. I took these pictures of the snails as I was stepping up to the front door. I think these are the babies I had taken the photos of last year.

May 16, 2008

It was rainy and cold - not very May weather. I was catching the "E" train at 14th Street and noticed some empty bottles collected on the tracks.

May 15, 2008

I was walking home when I heard this loud screechy chirp. It was really loud and really close. My eyes darted to the origins of the chirp. As I was approaching home, I spotted this bird just hanging out on top of a fence post.

This fence was not high at all and in fact, I was rather surprised to see the bird so close to the ground. There are cats around and that bird could have been a meal for any of the cats that hang out on this street.

The bird saw me but did not fly away. It just continued to chirp loudly as if calling out to another bird. Seeing as the bird didn't not fly away with my presence, I took the opportunity to whip out my camera and take a few pictures. It was getting dark but there was still a bit of sunlight left. I took a few unfocused pictures mainly because I had the camera setting on smart ISO. Then it occurred to me to take a video and capture this bird's chirp. Well, I turned the dial to video, waited for the camera to focus. And as quickly as I tried to get the camera to record video, it stopped because I ran out of disk space and the bird flew off. But despite my slow reflexes and lack of memory, I am posting what I captured. This is a very very short clip. That's when I ran out of space on the memory card.

I think I might get into bird watching. I find myself kind of doing it out of instinct to follow the birds if I see something interesting. Also, there is something about being able to spot a bird and watch it interact al natural because birds tend to fly away. Sort of like a magic trick. Now you see them, now you don't. So, I'm always pleased whenever I am able to capture a bird on digital film and/or video.

May 11, 2008

I have always said that there is always something going on in Union Square. It's pretty amazing. I don't know of any other place in NYC where various events are always taking place almost all the time, especially during the weekend. And the reason I am pointing this out is because of an event that I just happened upon.

On Sunday May 11, 2008 there was an event to recognize the Universal Fulan Dafa Day. A couple of weeks ago, there were Tibetan protesting against China and the 2008 Olympics. I just think it's just amazing how Union Square is used. And it's fitting as it is historically been a location for people to gather and protest some issue of the time. For more information on Union Square, NYC, click here.

Politics aside, I always enjoy watching the dragon and lion dances. I captured them on video and hope you enjoy them.

May 10, 2008

I was busy taking pictures on Saturday. It was a very nice day with sun and a bit of warmth even though I was in a sweater. It rained the night before and even though it was sunny on Saturday, I knew it was not going to be a warm.
My walk started near Union Square. I turned down one of the tween streets and noticed one of the apartments had some colorful window treatments. And their fire escape had some lawn furniture set up for relaxation. I was within the NYU Village campus. I just adore the building along Washington Mews. It looks so European. I feel like I am in France somewhere. I wasn't too far from Union Square when I heard some jazz music playing nearby. I found a set of jazz musicians playing their instruments for a seated crowded. They were pretty good. I didn't stick around to watch them play. I continued down LaGuardia Place where I often pass by the community garden. The people who have access to the garden plant such colorful flowers. It's so lush in there. I love taking pictures of flowers...
I then made my way across the Hudson River to Jersey City. I was at Exchange Place waiting for Thomas. They were erecting a new residential building not too far from the Exchange Place Light Rail station. It's one of the more interesting looking residential towers rising around Jersey City. While I was waiting, I took a few more picture of flowers and captured this adorable little bird I've not seen in an urban setting. I followed it around before I was able to take a few pictures. As you can see, I had quite a busy day of site seeing...

May 7, 2008

More filming in the city, particularly in Soho. I noticed some trailers parked on Broome Street and eventually found the "NO PARKING" sign. It explained that they were filming for Law & Order: Criminal Intent! I was hoping to maybe see VIncent D'Onofrio or Crhis Noth, but I would prefer Vincent. No such luck, just trailers...

May 4, 2008

Sunday was an adventure into Brooklyn where we went to the Botanical Garden to check out the cherry blossom festival. It was a warm and sunny day and lots of people enjoying the festivities. Check out the pictures.


I also took a brief video of a girl playing traditional Japanese instrument that is similar to a guitar or harp.

And you can always check out the photo album.

May 2, 2008

I took the "F" train home this evening. I was waiting for the train on the 14th Street station and there was a black man playing his guitar. I normally don't pay attention to transit performers but his guitar playing was really nice. I can't really describe it other then that it kind of spoke to me. The music felt personal and played from the heart and soul.
I shot video footage capturing his music which doesn't do justice live. I gave him a dollar.

May 1, 2008

I didn't think I was going to have anything to post because I was in the office all day, working through lunch. When I left the office, I saw these two girls with balloons on their heads. I had to capture this. Unfortunately, the pictures were fuzzy but you can still see them. \