Tea Time at Mackenzie-Childs

This reminds me of a scene from Alice in Wonderland when they were having tea.  In chapter seven of the novel, Alice becomes a guest at a "mad" tea party along with the March Hare, the Hatter, and a very tired Dormouse who falls asleep frequently, only to be violently awakened moments later by the March Hare and the Hatter. The characters give Alice many riddles and stories.  The Hatter reveals that they have tea all day because Time has punished him by eternally standing still at 6 pm (tea time). Alice becomes insulted and tired of being bombarded with riddles and she leaves claiming that it was the stupidest tea party that she had ever been to.

Hope you enjoy.

Eclectic Eccentricity

Eclectic Eccentricity is what I would describe the interior decors at Mackenzie-Childs.  I didn't bother to find out how much the items were sold.  I suspect they would be expensive.  Something like this light bulb assembly were probably made up from junk lamp shades and discarded Nipa mat.  People in the Philippines make these things from indigenous sources.  I think Mackenzie-Childs would buy these junks on cheap and market them here in the States as High Art.  Brilliant marketing.

Channeling My Feminine Side

MacKenzie-Childs is a manufacturer of ceramics and retailer of hand painted imported furniture based in Aurora, New York founded by Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs. 

While in upstate New York, our host wanted to take the women in our group to visit the farm house at MacKenzie-Childs.  She didn't think the men in our group would be interested in interior decor and fancy stuff.  But I was - to her surprise.  I told her I wanted to join them because I needed to channel my feminine side.  Hah.

A Day at the Amish Market

Two worlds.  One secular.  One Amish.  But the market is owned by the Amish community.

Bob and His Imaginary Workers

He is the twin brother of the former President Jimmy Carter.  He doesn’t know they are related because they were separated when they were only two years old.  Mama Carter could not afford to raise the twins so he put Bob for adoption.  He was eventually adopted by a rich building contractor whose wife could not bear a child.  Bob would later on inherit his father’s construction business, which he would advance by hiring imaginary workers.  The image is a fine example of how Bob puts these imaginary laborers to work.  Obviously, we can't see them because they are imaginary.

It could be Noho

I am almost positive that this was in Noho, New York.  But then the strangeness of the Rose flower with dancer's legs doing the Michael Jackson moonwalk, the blurred artworks hanging on steel door, and the stark reflections on the sidewalk - all seem to suggest it was somewhere else.  I tried to ask the Asian looking guy who seems to be lost in admiration of his own artworks.  He ignored me.  Or maybe he didn't know I was there.

Nancy on the Run (ii)

After her yoga class, Nancy rushes out.  She gets obsessive about what she wants:

"I need to hurry - the mall is going to close in about half an hour.  That organic cashmere on the one day sale is a must-have.  Darn, I need to find a new laundry shop.  The last one botched my purple shirt and washed it with my blue jeans.  That’s why I now wear only black jeans.  I wonder if they use Dihydrogen Oxide? They should just use water instead.  Note to self - stop by the Vegan store - get a bundle of kiwi and make 'em into ice cream later.  Later.  Oh, and I need to tell Fred to stop feeding the cat with Nepeta Cataria.  She needs to wean herself from that.  I wonder if they have AA for cats..."

Nature Fiesta

I hate weeds that grow on my backyard. Except that some of them can be great photo subjects.  My cousin who studied Forestry told me this weed is edible. You may eat at your own risk.

Ancient Selfie

Or how the Women's Rights Movement began.

Blogging is hard.  I'm an artist not a writer.  I always think that if one doesn't have anything worthwhile to say don't say it.

I started this blog I believe in 2008 to showcase my artwork (mostly photographic, although there are some other mediums I have also used). The intent was for friends and family to see what I was up to concerning new art projects.  And then something along the way changed.  I began to have a desire to reach out to more people -- maybe artists like me. Like myself, they are frustrated, disappointed, sometimes manic, other times depressed, fascinated about the arts, happy and sad, sometimes encouraged, but always looking forward for better days.  

The extent I wanted is to blog ideas. Not just techniques.  Ten years later, I'm looking at myself and I wonder.  I suppose I missed the mark.

Indian summer and how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

Two precious people.  I can't imagine how I would live without them.

Have a safe weekend.

How I Lose Weight Real Quick

Corning Glass Museum, New York.  Quick, somebody give him a biscuit before he passes out.

Delft Artist at Work

He was by the window on a bright day.  So by compensating for the exposure I was able to get a high key look.

I love the process of making pictures.  The challenge of the lighting and how to frame the moment.  This would have been a failure if not for using the “bad” lighting to ones advantage.  Framing the image can be afterthought.  I had to crop the left side of this image.  In the end, I think there is no right or wrong.  Photography is both art and science.  That is what makes it very interesting.

Hope you enjoy.

If you can read our minds

Woman 1: You are creepy.  Stop taking our pictures.

Woman 2:  Let’s see.  The square root of a negative number is undetermined.  Why did I even go to MIT to get my PhD?

Man:  I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.

This land is Our land

Give it back!

The highland peoples inhabit all the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province, as well as the adjacent province of Nueva Viscaya. Their culture is well-preserved because they have defended their land against the Spaniards who already captured the places in the low lands such as Manila and others, this people from the cordillera never gave up in defending their land for 333 years that those who tried to go there never came back out or few only survived.  But it may not last long.

Lovers Dispute Caught on a Train

He was upset because she forgot it was his dog’s birthday.

But that’s beside the point on why this image is even meaningful.  I often wonder why I even indulge in street photography.  It’s too much work and one risks getting in trouble.  Most people are averse to having their picture taken.  This is understandable as our privacy is mostly nil nowadays.  Yet there is something about taking pictures of life no matter how transient in a split second.  By the time it’s done, everything is already in the past.  

What makes street photography work?  One is the conflict of the moment.  Such as this one.  I am not saying this image appears successful to the viewers.  Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter.  I try  to be content in what I do.  I don’t want to be preoccupied by what people think of my work.  If it works, that’s great and I am grateful for them.  If not, cest la vie.

Back from Upstate New York

Sorry.  My English teacher always told us not to start a sentence with the word "sorry."  I can see a lot of merits to his advice.  I have been away for so long that it actually felt good - being relieved from the stress of thinking what it is I need to post for my next blog.  And yet, I can't be lazy.  I need to do something to stimulate the mind.  It's mostly reading and writing.  Both of which have fallen to the way side.  So, I'm stepping in to connect back to the free world through the magic of the internet.  Well, unless you are living in a tyrannical country that controls all the internet feeds that go around.  Quite frankly, it is beginning to feel that way here where I live.  Google+, which host this blog,  has lately been compromised.  So I'm not even sure if people can read this post. Well, perhaps eventually they will.

This was shot using the iPhone 7 plus over a month ago when we were at the Cayuga Lake in upstate New York.  A rather lazy town that would be ideal for retirement.  Our host have this two acre lot that was by the lake.  The point of staying there was for a mini high school reunion that Rose participated.  I was having a stomach upset at that time when I took this picture.  Everybody else in our group went for a boat ride across the lake.  But Rose and I decided to stay behind.  The benefit was we get to experience this gorgeous sunset - and a glimpse of a bald eagle flying over us and a water snake sneaking up from the shore.  Pretty cool, I think.  But when I told our host about the water snake she freaked out.  She had been swimming in the lake but have never seen one.  Well, no worries.  Later on, we asked one of the locals and he said that there are no poisonous snake in the area.  

Hope you are having a great weekend.  Cheers.