the Sony Experia Experience

I must admit that I use only a few features in a smartphone. I'm not really into tech gadgets per se but I do use them for convenience. So when the old Sony was struggling with memory issues (planned obsolescense - damn you, tech companies!  :-) ), it was time to change.

As usual, Dream handled the changeover with tech gadgets. As for me, my main criteria for buying a smartphone is the camera. And since the latest technology was not a priority, the Sony Experia Z1 was one I had my eye on. Lovely camera and ooohh ...... underwater photo capabilities. Limited underwater capabilities notwithstanding, I was keen to see what I could get out of it. Methinks the results have been worth it.

the kids' gear was bought with an eye to facilitate photographs 

 

I love the fact that even with all that colour, the photos can be pretty good in B&W

 this photo was the one I loved the most from our fumblings in the 1st pool photo session

inspired by snow angels 

Catriona in the float again; even though she can swim

And this last one is rather self indulgent. The only editing I do for my photographs is cropping, B&W and a rare straightening. I'm not too keen on the wonders of Photoshop; not that it's not a wonderful product but there's a thin line where a photograph is edited until it's more digital art than photograph. I choose to keep my photo editing basic for documentation purposes - but that's a personal choice.

Using a red filter effect. I thought that the original photo was okay .... but not good nor great. It looked a lot better through a red filter. Hence why I think that most anybody can make a great photo with enough PS editing. The only question is whether it's a photograph any more ? Think photoshop of stars in magazine shoots - is that what their face and body really looks like ? To each their own.

the Ego has Landed ...

It should make for an interesting season. Certainly a better one than under the unfortunate Moyes.

I'm looking forward to it.

Germany ...... Finally !!

Following the German national team has been a frustrating experience for the past few years. There has been talk of a golden generation but after repeated failures to breach the Spanish tiki-taka, many were beginning to wonder whether this particular batch had the mental fortitude to win a major trophy. Well, the Spanish in this World Cup were van Gaaled and never recovered, and Joachim Loew switched and rediscovered his winning formation in the quarterfinal against France. And then this German team made history.

So, wonder no more. This batch HAS the team spirit and mentality to win a World Cup. And they're young enough to be favourites for the next European Championships and World Cup. Talk of a golden generation has been justified. I'll just chuck in a few photos to mark the occasion.

Didn't matter where the goalkeeper was. Gotze was always going for the far post.

Having said that, the technique was perfect.

How many Germans can you fit into a Mini ?

given Brazil's construction problems for this World Cup,

I kinda wondered whether the stage would collapse

Manuel Neuer : the latest in a long line of world class German goalkeepers

They say Germany's 12th man is a woman.

It's been a long journey. Lahm and Scgweinsteiger have graduated

 from young guns to mainstays and elder statesmen. 

Both were outstanding in the final against Argentina.

the Best way to get a Puppy is to Beg for a Baby Brother ....

Unfortunately, our apartment doesn't allow us to keep pets.

Years from now, decades even, maybe brother and sister will realize that the time they spent together was rather special. That all this playing together wasn't necessarily a given. That a five year age gap is pretty large when the younger one is not even three years of age yet.

And yet, play together they do. Getting along like a house on fire most of the time. Save for the occasional argument which doesn't last long.

The sister will bully the brother - taking advantage of the fact that she has five years more experience. While he will innocently drink more of the juice - mainly out of exuberance/greed. She's protective of him and he will imitate her words/actions. And they've learnt that collectively they have more leverage over the parents than if they were to act/ask alone.

I don't know how much longer this can go on. I'm just glad that they so obviously enjoy each other's company.

NBA Draft 2014 - a Celtic perspective

It’s NBA Draft night and hope springs eternal. All Things are Possible and none of the draftees have had time to screw things up yet.

Oops ! My bad. #3 pick Joel Embiid is already injured with a broken foot that will keep him out for the next 4-6 months. This on top of the back injury that kept him out of part of his college year as well. But hey ! He’ll recover and be the next Olajuwon – and we won’t whisper the names of Oden, Bowie and Walton. Even though foot and back injuries have a particularly bad history for 7-foot centers in the NBA.

My personal interest in NBA Draft 2014 is focused on Trader Danny Ainge – the head of the Celtics brain trust. The man who’s done it before and the man entrusted with doing it again – bringing the glory days back to the Celtics. The man who would trade his own grandmother if it could improve the Celtics.

It’s not personal, it’s just business. But Danny will be nice about it. And he may not like trading you – in fact, it may even be breaking his heart. But he’ll put his arm around you and commiserate with you and assure you that it wasn’t personal even as he’s ushering you out the door. But Danny’s a nice guy, really ! And classy too.

Anyways, with picks #6 and #17, the Celtics draft ………… Smart & Young !

this is Smart

One transition season after Danny blew the whole thing up with the Pierce and Garnett trade, Danny cashes in his first chip. Probably after trying his very best to trade away the self same draft picks. But time expired and Danny was still holding his goodie bag, so he drafted Marcus Smart and James Young. And he’ll ask Brad Stevens to develop them and find a way for Smart & Bradley & Rondo to co-exist in the backcourt.

And rumours will abound about Rondo trades now that Danny’s drafted a point guard. Just as rumours about Rondo trades have abounded for the past few years. And Danny will deny it all.

But then again, this is the guy who hired college basketball’s hottest young coach without any reporters suspecting it. Not even a Twit ! In this day and age when everybody’s got a smartphone and camera ..……

It’s NBA Draft night. Hope springs eternal and the Celtics look to Smart & Young.

as Questions go ...

It creeps up on you, the years.

The passage of time.
The slow drip, drip of water.
The tick, tock of a grandfather clock.
The shrill ring that marks the end of another school day.

And all of a sudden it's in front of you, asking "Is it pretty ?"

What do you say to that ? What do you say when in your heart of hearts, your little girl is just exactly that ? Still your little girl.

I said "Yes".

The Luckiest

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning on a weekend or a holiday, I spend the first few minutes looking around and wonder how I ever got here. With fluffy bears and toy cars on the bed - fluffy towels and milk bottles lying around - hands and feet everywhere, just waiting for the first stirrings of life, or the first wail to break the peace of the early morn ......

With toys strewn all over the floor - and paint brushes and paintings on a table - with dishes in the kitchen sink and piles of laundry waiting to be done - with garbage waiting to be disposed of and poo in plastic bags by the front door.

And all I see is this.

And I wonder how I lucked out. With all the missteps and blind alleys and travails of the dating world and relationships, I wonder how I ever ended up with the woman who gave me these three beautiful children.



Truth is, I do feel like the geeky, dorky red-haired guy who ended up with Rachel McAdams ...

NB. Ben Folds' 'The Luckiest' explained. And Richard Curtis is the one writer whose movies we look forward to.

Postscript : This post may perhaps be ever so slightly rose tinged, but then it's early morn and I've just woken up....
Reality is disruptions, distractions and sometimes just outright distress. But the song tells what I'm feeling and .... you get the idea, don't you ?

the Inside story on Llewyn Davis

The Coen Brothers, for me, have been a consistent source in introducing new (read 'old') musicians. The latest coming from their recent movie Inside Llweyn Davis.

And while the star character, Llewyn Davis, doesn't incorporate everything - you can clearly see that a major part of the role is based on Dave Van Ronk.The Coen Brothers have used Van Ronk's character, his story, his songs, even his album cover - or maybe that was their tribute to him.

As for the movie itself - it was good. I'd recommend it. It's just a week in the life of one particular folk singer in New York in the 60's. Before Bob Dylan emerged, after Elvis Presley did. As always with the Coen Brothers, the music is outstanding.



There is a brief scene, at the end of the movie where you can see the silhouette of Bob Dylan playing at the Gaslight Cafe. Apparently Dylan was a friend of Dave Van Ronk and had been musically influenced by him.

BTW, what a great name for a cafe ! I'm just waiting for somebody around here to open up a cafe in that name. The concept and the story is already there. Damn, even the music is ready made. What are they waiting for ?

The take away from all this is that it's time to explore the music of Dave Van Ronk. It's off to a promising start.

the Class of '92 ReUnited on familiar ground ..

It just had to happen, didn't it ? Sir Alex Ferguson has been working so hard on bringing back United alumni to the club in various capacities that it was just a matter of time before the most famous of his Fledgelings flocked together at Old Trafford and Carrington. It's just that most of us had not figured that it would happen quite so soon. Or in such sad circumstances.

 Still, the sight of these guys puts a wide smile on my face; with Phil having survived the cull of Moyes' staff due to his Class of '92 ties.

It's time to bring my United back - Attack! Pace! Power! Attitude! Fergie Time!
Have these elements in place, and most United fans can live with defeat (just not too often!)

For the first time in a couple months, I'm actually eagerly looking forward to United's next match. What will a Giggs team look like ? How will he set them up ? Who will he select ? Will he play himself ? Will the team actually be happy and play like the United team I know they are capable of ?
What I do know is that Giggs has asked for a return to the United way of playing. It has been greatly missed.

Finding the unexpected ....

Many, many things could count as unexpected pleasures. In this case, I heard this particular Carpenters song for the first time tonight -  it was a Pleasure.

as Bad as it Gets ... only it gets Worse ..

I'm not talking about results or performances on the field. The time for that has long past. And anyway, Moyes has proven that he can extract one terrible performance after another out of this squad. I've pretty much given up and the latest performance against Everton was just another in a long, long ..... long ... list.

It's this photo doing the rounds which draws the ire

Losing 0-2 against Everton - and really, it could have been much worse - and Steve Round responds by whipping out a booklet of set plays. Powerpoint slides and clip art with bells and whistles, no doubt. Is this part of the much ballyhoed improvements behind the scenes that I keep hearing about ? Is putting in a few iPads enough to convince the Glazers that Moyes deserves more time ?

Not that the set plays booklet made much difference anyway, as United didn't change their pattern of play at all. Nor did Moyes respond when Seamus Coleman was steaming through the inside left channel causing havoc. That Martinez had targeted that area was obvious within the first 10 minutes of the game. And boy, did it look potentially damaging. But Moyes didn't respond - and potential became reality.

It is beyond doubt now - and has been for some time - that Moyes is making Man United a much, much lousier team than they actually are. It is also becoming apparent that the United job is turning Moyes into a lousier manager than he was at Everton. The guy's been found out. He's out of his depth. Please put him out of his Moyesery.

Why The Journey is Worth It .....

I admit that my interest was only piqued because the show seemed to be generating a lot of box office in Malaysia. And it's iconic cold air balloon popped up in several locations on billboards and even the concourse of a shopping complex.

Checked out the trailer - no big deal, but the plot seemed relevant in a Malaysian Chinese context. Fair enough in itself but it was a draw for a banana like myself. And to be frank, I was hoping that it would be a close enough facsimile of a Yasmin Ahmad movie - goodness knows, I've missed her movies. So when the chance came to watch The Journey .....



No regrets. Ended up with all four of us watching the movie and a little lady pottering around on the mat. It was really good. And rather unusually The Journey seems to have gained a sizable Malay audience even though a huge chunk of the movie is voiced in multiple Chinese dialects. Crossing racial boundaries was rather a speciality of Yasmin Ahmad's ..

Quite apart from the plot - simple yet effective - watching the movie was like a huge product placement for Malaysian tourism. The scenery ... the landscape shots ... it made me want to visit Malaysia. It made me want to grab the DSLR and go out in all hours of day, in varied locations of splendour and gaiety and isolation .... and snap. It's been tooo long .....

And even though there weren't many songs in the show, this one spoke loudly in hushed tones.