appliance warmers?

there are kettle cozies, but what about tv cozies?

just read about these "tv cozies" which people can buy to put over their boob tubes. supposedly if the tv set is out of sight, then you're less likely to watch it. hmmm ... one person tried it and he said he and his wife found they were watching less.
the article made some interesting points about how the tv is basically the centre piece of most living rooms.

even if the tv is off, the way the room is set up so the focus of the room still is on the set. that is very true ... so even if someone wanted to reduce their intake of television, it's nearly impossible to ignore the allure reverting to a coach potatoe -- thanks to the way the room is set up.

now that i'm living without a tv, i find i'm *relatively* more focused than before. yes, i still have the internet and msn as distractions. however, tv is this black box that sucks time! at first, it seemed odd not having a tv. i felt out of the loop. thankfully, i have a friend who lives nearby who shares the love of the weekly saskatchewan sitcom "corner gas". so, at least i get half an hour to an hour a week.

if i ever do get a tv ... i think i'll stick to watching a few shows i do enjoy. there are other things that are more worthwhile exploring or pursuing. like focusing on photography.

montreal horse and buggy
Originally uploaded by shutter_grl.

here's a pic i took of old montreal. it was such a nice day to walk around ... a bit cloudy, but still warm. it felt like i've entered another century.

one of life's mysteries solved

and deep throat is ...
a former fbi official (second in command) W. Bob Felt.
deep throat is such integral part of shaping investigative journalism ... bernstein and woodward originally vowed not to disclose the identity of their valuable source until his death. wow. what a secret to keep!

it's been one year since deep throat was revealed, but i already forgot the guy's real name. i'll still remember the source as "deep throat" ... it has a more intriguing ring to it.

international beauty

canada won the miss universe competition!

natalie glebova captured the 2005 crown in Thailand. the 23-year-old ryerson student edged out miss puerto rico cynthia olavarria. she moved to canada with her parents when she was 12.

apparently this is only the second time canada has won this title. karen dianne baldwin, 18, of london, ont. was the first canadian to win this honour (apprently she was one of the youngest too). 1982 would have also been the same year natalie glebova was born ... an interesting observation made by my dad (the mathematician)!

whenever these pageants surface, i'm not sure what to think about these age-old rituals. while the panel of judges are looking for beauty on the inside and outside, i can't help but wonder how the other young women feel about not being chosen ... it really depends on each woman's perspective, expectations and experiences of the crazy, pressure-filled event.

even so ... whenever any ambassador from canada wins such a prestigious title, whether it be in athletics or other arenas, the success does bring the nation together. after my dad found out natalie was a graduate of ryerson, my alma matar, he called me up to share the good news.

my cousin christal and i happened to catch bits and pieces of the event. when canada made the final five, we got really excited ... we actually had a shot of winning ... and this became an even bigger reality when it was just down to two! we were totally shocked and excited to find out canada won ... it was almost like canada winning the double gold at salt lake city in 2002 (for men and women's hockey).

in any case, it's great to celebrate the accomplishments of our fellow canadians ...

admiring mother nature's artistic side

scenic tulips
Originally uploaded by shutter_grl.

ottawa's tulip festival at dow's lake. may 15, 2005.

flip side of being in love

orchids
Originally uploaded by shutter_grl.

just caught a documentary on ctv tonight about how people deal with breakup.

at least five people interviewed about their breakup experiences and one medical doctor.

one girl's breakup caused her to feel guity because the guy killed himself she ended the relationship. she ended up starting a business selling handbags. another girl was looking to get her wedding dress altered so it wouldn't look like a wedding dress. her story was that fiance broke off the relationship a week or two before the wedding. ouch. but, she drew on her experiences and wrote a book ... i think it's called "there goes the bride." i might look it up out of curiosity.

on the guys side, they interviewed guys who were dumped. one was depressed and got his doctor to prescribe some anti-depressants. he was a musician and eventually found another girlfriend. another guy turned to his faith for support and consulation.

anyhow, it was interesting how the doctor described physical manifestations of being heartbroken ... not being able to concentrate, not being able to eat, etc. she also noted the difference in how men and women deal with breakups ... but she also remarked how amazingly resilent humans are ... "like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes," as she says.

on a side note, there's a cartoon character called "break-up girl". sounds interesting... essentially this woman (creator) found some humour (not demeaning or anything) about break-ups ... i guess a lot of stand-up comics base their material on break-ups too...

kinda refreshing to see a documentary about a "less popular" topic in a realistic, yet humanistic light.

signs of spring

buds
Originally uploaded by shutter_grl.

this weekend was relaxing.

finally made it to the ottawa public library ... took out a few books ... explored their library. indulged in reading "real simple" magazine -- my fave publication (practical yet picturesque!) took out "confessions of a shopaholic" for some light reading, "the missing manual for Mac OS X" for practical purposes, "the swashbucklers" by knowlton nash for nostalgic reasons and "paper shadows" by wayson choy for cultural enrichment and insight.

met with a fellow co-op student for coffee. she and i will be staying in the nation's capital for a second term.

we discussed the student evaluations. we talked about how politeness in some cultures can be seen as not being assertive enough, or possibly even passive. my friend, being a caucasian, noted that Canadians are pretty polite, too. women, are still, to some degree, socialized to be submissive. so, we agreed that assertiveness or passiveness could be measured by varying degrees ... depending on the person ... maybe librarians are also a bit "timid" because they don't want to offend patrons ... hmmm ...

as we had this discourse, we sat by the rideau canal and soaked in the sun. we also observed the sad state of debris leftover which the snow once concealed. the national spelling bee tour bus was parked on the other side of the canal. kids were out taking advantage of the balmy weather (we think). kids. sign of new life. the two seem to go well together.

when another season starts, particularly spring, it's a time to plan for the summer ... for relaxation. sowing the seed for the warm weather to grow something or other, as gardeners and farmers do. summer slips by so swiftly, if not scrutinized. so many plans, potential ... but unless there is intention and purpose and some goals established early in the season, fall comes more quickly than we wish.

more photos?

if you want to see more photos ... check this page

motives

Today, i was just reflecting on what makes people tick.

I guess the story about Terri Schiavo dying after the 13th day of not having a feeding tube kinda brought up this train of thought. What was going on in the head of Terri's husband during her last hours? Why didn't he let his in-laws see their daughter alive during those critical moments? It's be a tough call to make a decision for a family member whether or not s/he should stay alive even though s/he was in a vegetative state. Living wills are something that may be a viable option to consider for that "just in case" scenario.

The fact that anyone's life could just be instantly changed ... for better or worse ... brings up the question, what are we living for?

decisions, decisions, decisions

lately, i've been pondering whether or not i should go digital ... in terms of cameras ...

there are several factors when considering changing from film to digital photography ...
what type of photography will be done? what type of quality is desired? is most work done for black and white and colour or just colour? is this for fun? for professional work?

a friend of mine is looking to sell his fancy digital manual camera ... very tempting offer...
but, i can't justify spending a lot of money on a camera when i'm still trying to finance my education. the only way i could justify, or rationalize, this major purpose is to view it as an investment ... to do freelance work. however, with the crazy student load, i'm not sure if this freelance option is honestly that viable.

sigh. well, i guess i'll have to sleep on it. again.

photo page

finally got the photos of the make-over developed ...

adaptability

some days i feel like a chameleon.

chameleons are associated with adaptability, due to their ability to change their pigment on cue (which is actually a misconception ... while they can change colour, it's actually triggered by light, temperature and emotion.)

i was a painfully shy kid. in a way, i assumed the form of a chameleon to cope with the constantly changing world, thanks to a nomadic lifestyle, migrating from one school to the next. the irony is that even though i was quiet, i still couldn't truly "blend in" due to my ethnicity since i was usually the only asian (or one of the few) in a small class of mostly ukrainian catholic kids.

yet i yearned to be noticed. not for being a minority, but for talent or some outstanding achievement. perhaps this search for the spotlight propelled the journey to becoming a journalist. becoming published fulfilled recognition ... even though it was on a smaller scale.

soon, the realization hit me that with being known, privacy, to some degree, must be sacrificed. now, i'm heading into a profession that promises some annonymity ... as a librarian or researcher.

tongue-twister thought-du-jour:
"perspective and paradigm predisposes people's patterns, prose and pace"

make-over

christal and jo gave aunt freda a make-over! i'll post the photos once they're developed ... make up can do wonders. it transforms can transform an already pretty face into something stunning.

just for fun, i decided to do a "photo-essay" of this transformation process. christal did the make up while jo curled hair. definitely brought back memories of working as a reporter.

meanwhile, uncle julian was constructing a carriage (chinese-style) for a couple who was celebrating their silver anniversary. didn't realize he was quite the carpenter ... got a few action shots of him working.

speaking of taking pictures, jo asked me to photograph her school's cultural concert this thursday. should be interesting and a challenge. it's been too long since i've photographed stuff. maybe that's a good sign ... the passion for photography is finally coming back ...

longevity

Today, I read on the CBC website that a geneticist thinks it's possible for humans to live up to 1,000 years -- with the help of biotechnology and various therapies.

Before anyone starts lining up for these treatments, they'll have to wait at least another 25 years before tests are done on humans. There's a catch ... it'll cost quite a bit of coin .. the geneticist's team is hoping to raise $100 million each year to fund its research.

But before you pull out your checkbook, consider some issues that are raised with such an extended life expentancy ...

* quality of life: living a longer life doesn't necessarily mean the quality of life increases. with the habitable space on earth shrinking, does that mean humankind will have to colonise a nearby planet, such as mars, or even the moon?

* redefining "retirement": if life expectancy shoots from about 85 years to 1,000 years, then it retirement should logically be delayed. how else can people live off a pension for 700 years or more?

* why would one want to live THAT long? It's one thing to live a long and full life, but totally another to survive for a millenium.

It's kind of like bicentennial man, the movie starring robin williams. Williams plays an android that isn't capable of dying because it is a machine. In his quest to become more human, he adopts more human elements, such as limbs, skin, organs. Becoming human, although it means he can experience emotions and life, means he will eventually wear out and die. The sad thing is that while Williams still lives on, his family and friends eventually pass on.

From a historic point of view, a person living through hundreds of years would be interesting to observe the changes of a city, nation, world and universe.

When humans look to extend life, or delay death, is this a yearning for us to become immortal?

valentine's eve

it’s feb. 13.

that means it’s the eve of ... feb. 14 ... valentine’s day.

technically, this holiday is just a marketing-driven event to suck more money from consumers. usually the men have the most pressure to purchase a magnificent gift or book a table at some amazing eating establishment. and the women are almost trained to expect something great. so men are scrambling now to get something organized or ordered in time for the big day.

lately, though i have noticed my female friends who are either married or in a commited relationship want to splurge or get something meaningful (whether it’s practical or for entertainment) for their significant others.

that’s encouraging to see because men and women should be able to show their appreciation of each other.

and who says valentine’s day is the only day love can be shown?

shaping up ...

huff .... huff ... huff ....
gasp ... gasp ....... gasp
cough, cough, cough, cough ...
that's the sound of me recovering from a half-kilometre dash to catch the number 71 express bus at about 7:40 a.m.
i was looking for a nearby fire station because my lungs felt like they needed to be extinguished.
i'm quite shocked at how out-of-breath i was, considering i am going to the gym more frequently than before. mind you, building up cardio takes a long time.

something to crow about

Happy Chinese New Year!
Or as the animal of the year would say, cock-a-doodle-doo!

Yes, it's the year of the rooster (or chicken).

Yes, my family ate chicken for dinner (amongst other yummy foodstuffs). We eat chicken most nights it seems. Anyhow, it was a nice dinner (although I ate later than the rest of the family).
Every dish has significance. Usually I can't remember their meanings. Suddenly, I feel very malnourished in terms of culture. Even though my parents and chinese school teachers taught me these rituals and festivals, it doesn't stick in my memory too well.

Christal, the elder of my two cousins, was saying she felt like she was having an identity crises in terms of her heritage. Was she Canadian? or Chinese? Most Canadian-born Chinese feel pulled by this dilemma of wanting to fit in with their Canadian friends, but also wanting to honour their parents and culture.

Meanwhile, my younger cousin, Jo (short for Johanna) is preparing a traditional fan dance for some talent night or something of that nature. And recently, she wrote a paper about chinese gangs. She was studying the norms and values of this particular group. It's encouraging to see the younger generation take such interest in their heritage.

the heart of the matter

this evening was small group and andrew and lisa's house.

we're studying "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. good book, so far.

this week, we studied the "heart of the matter." having passion, putting one's heart into life and work is an ideal. but is it realistic?

passion can come and go. however, i think, combined with commitment, putting heart into something is worth it -- especially working with like-minded people who share a common vision and values.

working in the newspaper biz was all about competition (against the local radio station) and heart. every day, you tackle whatever is out there ... whether it's a fuzzy feature about a kid who won some contest, or a hard news story about a sudden blaze that left dozens of people homeless.

the amazing thing, sometimes, is that the paper's role in communicating the need of a person or group can spark a response in the community. a red cross representative began asking her parent organization how she could help with these displaced residents.

having heart gives courage to face any type of situation.

where did all the heart go?

connecting the dots

while i was reading up on some work-related documents about taxonomy (hierarchy) of information systems, i had a flashback to my Grade 7 science class.

Mrs. Morrell was our teacher. she was so excited to talk about science to her students. and she always had great memory tricks. to this day, I can recite the order of taxonomy for the biology world: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. (The memory trick was: Kelly Plays Cards on Friday Generally Speaking).

although i loved learning about science, particularly biology, in elementary and high school, i couldn't quite grasp chemistry and physics as well. so, off to the other extreme, arts -- writing -- i went.

now, it seems i'm swinging back on the pendulum ... to library science, this time.

strangely, though, i have worked in some "library"-type positions ... with a non-profit organization to classify and re-order their resource centre ... with government agencies to file materials ... storing articles and photographs for a newspaper ...

mind you, the career choice of becoming a "librarian" wasn't highly promoted (nor still is) in society.

maybe our profession should be raising its profile more in light of this growing information age ...


maybe that's why i had to go through a journalism degree prior to this training ... hmm...