10:55 :
On my way to work. This was an exciting meeting.
jeudi 25 septembre 2008
mercredi 24 septembre 2008
11:57 : 365 #033: Corrections
So I hated the first version of this one, but after a crop, two blurs, a white balance, a lens correction to avoid giving an even bigger nose than I already have, I kinda accept to see me on it. I like the fact that it looks almost like a drawing, or an Illustrator file.
11:57 : 365 #032: Pools of Sorrow Waves of Joy
It's probably because I'm alone in this room, this flat, this country, but a harmless, plastic-feeling romantic musical like Across the Universe got me in tears. However bad the acting, the accents, or the plot, the music is still powerful enough to bring me to my knees.
Well, it was like Hair (shameless theft), but with good music. All in all, I liked it anyway.
And as much as I don't like my face in close up, I like this shot, the light in the background. Now you can see me up close, "warts and all", as they say here, including grey hairs, bad pores, etc. Couldn't retouch everything.
Well, it was like Hair (shameless theft), but with good music. All in all, I liked it anyway.
And as much as I don't like my face in close up, I like this shot, the light in the background. Now you can see me up close, "warts and all", as they say here, including grey hairs, bad pores, etc. Couldn't retouch everything.
11:57 : Battersea Power Station
About an hour walk to find a crack in a wall where I could take this
photo. Now I can go home and rest.
photo. Now I can go home and rest.
11:55 : 365 #031: Buddhist Temple
A pagoda in London. Could have been a place of peace without the people climbing running on it, drinking around, you know, like a London park.
11:54 : 365 #030: Fading Out
Today meeting with my boss's boss.
I wanted to tell him I was leaving, he starts before I can, tells me he knows, asks what my plans are. Then he tells me that if I'm not happy/enthusiastic/well paid enough at my next job, he can hook me up with a company in Paris. Actually books me an interview, during my working hours, tells me who to talk to or not. Again it is so unexpectedly good... They tell me they knew I would go, and prepared themselves. It seems they know myself more than I do, which would be weird, but it's not, because they also like me more than I do.
I wanted to tell him I was leaving, he starts before I can, tells me he knows, asks what my plans are. Then he tells me that if I'm not happy/enthusiastic/well paid enough at my next job, he can hook me up with a company in Paris. Actually books me an interview, during my working hours, tells me who to talk to or not. Again it is so unexpectedly good... They tell me they knew I would go, and prepared themselves. It seems they know myself more than I do, which would be weird, but it's not, because they also like me more than I do.
samedi 20 septembre 2008
vendredi 19 septembre 2008
13:20 : 365 #029: Syon Lane Panorama
Today I told my boss my last day will be after MacLive Expo, at the end of October. His answer was so nice, I'm relieved and can work serenely for the time left here. Now I want to take a lot of photos of the things I leave behind.
Like this one, I think it's the first time I make a panorama with myself on it.
Like this one, I think it's the first time I make a panorama with myself on it.
jeudi 18 septembre 2008
10:42 : 365 #028: My Twin Takes Photos Too
There a lot of me in this photo, and I am disappointed by the result. I might replace it again before I'm happy with it. or I might never be.
A few days before Imhara left we watched the first episode of The Tudors. I liked it, she a little less, and one part struck a chord in us: King Henry was writing a letter to François 1er and told him he wouldn't shave before they could meet to sign their treaty of universal peace.
She jokingly proposed, I jokingly accepted, but forgot or didn't have time to do it before she left. So tonight I shaved, and I took the photo on the right.
I was feeling really down before that, updating the computers was just a way to try to think about something else, and for a bit, it worked. Being alone in London while my love is in France conjured some very bad memories of a vaguely similar situation, in another life, with somebody else, that scarred me deeply. That person and I were living in Ireland at the time, it was almost four years ago. I flew to Normandy for three days to celebrate my sister's eighteenth birthday. We spent all the time on the phone, as you do, promising to never leave each other, this sort of thing. The day I flew back to Ireland, she dumped me even before reaching the apartment.
The thought of building a distance relationship after that is difficult, to say the least, I didn't have a lot of self confidence before that, and it didn't help. It took Imhara to feel right and complete again, and she could tell you the job is not done. It took Imhara to feel better about all this.
The photo on the left was taken at my sister's birthday party, with the same shirt.
So the shot is a composite of photo taken in 2005 in Normandy (left), another one today (right), the Parisian underground (background), which is midway between Normandy and London, shot midway between 2005 and 2008, and a photo of my hands joining in the middle. Took about two hours in Photoshop to get the first version I posted (with a graded purple as a background) and another five (yes, five) minutes this morning to find the Paris shot and replace it.
A few days before Imhara left we watched the first episode of The Tudors. I liked it, she a little less, and one part struck a chord in us: King Henry was writing a letter to François 1er and told him he wouldn't shave before they could meet to sign their treaty of universal peace.
She jokingly proposed, I jokingly accepted, but forgot or didn't have time to do it before she left. So tonight I shaved, and I took the photo on the right.
I was feeling really down before that, updating the computers was just a way to try to think about something else, and for a bit, it worked. Being alone in London while my love is in France conjured some very bad memories of a vaguely similar situation, in another life, with somebody else, that scarred me deeply. That person and I were living in Ireland at the time, it was almost four years ago. I flew to Normandy for three days to celebrate my sister's eighteenth birthday. We spent all the time on the phone, as you do, promising to never leave each other, this sort of thing. The day I flew back to Ireland, she dumped me even before reaching the apartment.
The thought of building a distance relationship after that is difficult, to say the least, I didn't have a lot of self confidence before that, and it didn't help. It took Imhara to feel right and complete again, and she could tell you the job is not done. It took Imhara to feel better about all this.
The photo on the left was taken at my sister's birthday party, with the same shirt.
So the shot is a composite of photo taken in 2005 in Normandy (left), another one today (right), the Parisian underground (background), which is midway between Normandy and London, shot midway between 2005 and 2008, and a photo of my hands joining in the middle. Took about two hours in Photoshop to get the first version I posted (with a graded purple as a background) and another five (yes, five) minutes this morning to find the Paris shot and replace it.
10:05 : not 365 #028: Time to update
This is so frustrating, I had typed this long description of my day job, compared to what I do at night, and Klick, the iPhone app I use to upload photos to Flickr while we don't have an Internet access at home crashed pitifully. So maybe I'll type that tomorrow at work, if I can remember it.
Now I can focus on my "real" photo.
Here is what I can remember from my description from yesterday night:
Today at work I was given full access to the demo computers for the first time. We have a showroom, you've seen part of it already, and the computers in there are locked so customers don't mess up everything. It also prevents us to change, add or amend anything on them; if there are some stuff we need to change, we have to ask someone, and it takes about a month. So I've been campaigning to to be able to do it myself, because I spend a lot of time in there; showing things to people, wowing customers with a couple of clicks, solving issues even before the finish their question, is the best part of the job, and it had become increasingly frustrating to not be able to do it completely.
So today for the first time I was able to instal updates, add photos and music with album art, setup iChat between computers, screen savers and scheduled shut down on two iMacs 20" and 24", a MacBook, a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro. All is not finished, but I feel much better. OCD, me?
Anyway tonight I came home with a couple of installers and the need to continue tinkering with computers, so I got my MacBook Pro, PowerBook, iBook and Mac mini side to side and got to town on then, so they're all up to date, backed up and shiny. I think this is the job for me, what do you think?
Now I can focus on my "real" photo.
Here is what I can remember from my description from yesterday night:
Today at work I was given full access to the demo computers for the first time. We have a showroom, you've seen part of it already, and the computers in there are locked so customers don't mess up everything. It also prevents us to change, add or amend anything on them; if there are some stuff we need to change, we have to ask someone, and it takes about a month. So I've been campaigning to to be able to do it myself, because I spend a lot of time in there; showing things to people, wowing customers with a couple of clicks, solving issues even before the finish their question, is the best part of the job, and it had become increasingly frustrating to not be able to do it completely.
So today for the first time I was able to instal updates, add photos and music with album art, setup iChat between computers, screen savers and scheduled shut down on two iMacs 20" and 24", a MacBook, a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro. All is not finished, but I feel much better. OCD, me?
Anyway tonight I came home with a couple of installers and the need to continue tinkering with computers, so I got my MacBook Pro, PowerBook, iBook and Mac mini side to side and got to town on then, so they're all up to date, backed up and shiny. I think this is the job for me, what do you think?
10:03 : 365 #027: Last Minutes Together
Taking half a day to bring her to St Pancras so she can take a train to Paris with her very heavy suitcases. I don't like doing this. She should leave together or not at all.
mercredi 17 septembre 2008
mardi 16 septembre 2008
15:05 : 365 #026: Train Syon Lane-Queenstown Road
Twenty minutes train home and I want to immortalise every moment I spend here... I wonder why.
15:04 : 365 #025: More Pretty Colours
Another session in Photo Booth with my beautiful Imhara. One of our last days together before she leaves for Paris, we are making the most of it.
15:03 : 365 #024: Last Minutes in Meadowside
Today there was sort of a picnic at our former place, and I was looking forward to it, but it turned out to be very painful. Each of us cried at one point, we met "our" cat, the neighbours we've never met, the garden we haven't enjoyed enough...
This photo is a composite of three shots, to get the space on our left and right, and the sign completely right. A lot of work in Photoshop, that I had to do twice, because at first I chose the one with no smile, and it was really too sad.
This photo is a composite of three shots, to get the space on our left and right, and the sign completely right. A lot of work in Photoshop, that I had to do twice, because at first I chose the one with no smile, and it was really too sad.
15:01 : 365 #023: Hinhinhin
Really no reason for the title and the stupid face, this is the kind of things that fall onto me when I'm pressed by time don't know what to shoot for you people.
A lot of work to put my Imhara in the dark in the background, at her request (she wasn't wearing much, sorry you don't get to see her, it was haaawt).
A lot of work to put my Imhara in the dark in the background, at her request (she wasn't wearing much, sorry you don't get to see her, it was haaawt).
15:00 : 365 #022: Magic in the Bathroom
There are some things that could be helped a lot with magic, like tiling a bathroom wall... Since I don't have a magic wand/tile, I spent four hours on this, and I still have to grout tomorrow.
Hihihi, I said "grout". I just learned a new word.
See the timelapse of my hard work here.
Hihihi, I said "grout". I just learned a new word.
See the timelapse of my hard work here.
15:00 : 365 #021: Red 1
Another last minute improvisation, the boxes happened to be there, and, oh, my shirt is red too, let's do a selective colour in 5 minutes. Next time, an original idea.
mercredi 10 septembre 2008
15:42 : 365 #020: Grim Outlook
Technically it's still summer, but look at that. Makes you wonder if the grass might be greener where the sun still shines.
Santorini, anyone?
Santorini, anyone?
15:40 : 365 #019: At Work
Part of my work is on the phone, and the other half is talking to customers in the showroom.
All in all, I'm talking all day.
All in all, I'm talking all day.
15:39 : 365 #018: Focus on the Bathroom
Just testing before a proper shot, but I was happy with how big the lense looked like that. It is the size that counts, sometimes.
Too bad it's a bit blurry if you go large, so maybe I'll shoot it again sometime.
Too bad it's a bit blurry if you go large, so maybe I'll shoot it again sometime.
lundi 8 septembre 2008
14:37 : 365 #017: Reunited
Imhara is back in London for 10 days, and I feel complete again. I spent the last week not sleeping enough and putting away the content of our boxes, to get the grim apartment she left to feel like a home when she comes back.
And it worked! One day here and she tells me she prefers this place to the Richmond apartment. Couldn't believe my ears. It's great that we adapted to this place, it feels good to feel good in her arms.
And it worked! One day here and she tells me she prefers this place to the Richmond apartment. Couldn't believe my ears. It's great that we adapted to this place, it feels good to feel good in her arms.
14:33 : 365 #016: God I'm Tired
Can't sleep well if she's not around, always stuff to do, to watch, to read, or just wasting time not doing anything productive, or on the other hand cleaning and preparing the flat before she comes, because I want her to feel at home here, I want her to feel ok with me here, or just ok with me.
I know she left for good, sensible, school reasons, but what if I wasn't good enough to keep her close to me? Difficult to keep that out of my mind, alone in this apartment.
I know she left for good, sensible, school reasons, but what if I wasn't good enough to keep her close to me? Difficult to keep that out of my mind, alone in this apartment.
dimanche 7 septembre 2008
16:52 : 365 #015: The Bad Side of the New Flat
I'm beginning to like the place, at least the living room. The light in the kitchen had died (not the bulb, the actual socket) so I can eat until sundown. If I wait too much I can't be bothered. So I'm really hungry now.
And there is the bathroom. It's like a tiny nightmare, with tiles falling from the wall (one fell during my shower yesterday). I've waited 4 days before having a shower here because I was afraid, but I was starting to feel dirty and that's never good.
Bottom left, that's a shot of the ball of hair I've removed from the drain. There were some of mine, I now I lose some, then I started pulling on some more, nice colour, dark red, a fist full of them. I had to wash my hands three times to feel better.
And there is the bathroom. It's like a tiny nightmare, with tiles falling from the wall (one fell during my shower yesterday). I've waited 4 days before having a shower here because I was afraid, but I was starting to feel dirty and that's never good.
Bottom left, that's a shot of the ball of hair I've removed from the drain. There were some of mine, I now I lose some, then I started pulling on some more, nice colour, dark red, a fist full of them. I had to wash my hands three times to feel better.
jeudi 4 septembre 2008
15:21 : 365 #14: MacBook Pro logicboard repair
Two logicboards, one of them is failing, the graphics card shows as Intel GMA X3100 instead of NVidia. Annoying isn't it? Apparently thousands of people on the Apple Discussions board are sharing this issue.
It's been a long time since I replaced logicboard, and the first time on the MacBook Pro, a lot of components are different from the previous model (see the rest of the set to compare).
It's been a long time since I replaced logicboard, and the first time on the MacBook Pro, a lot of components are different from the previous model (see the rest of the set to compare).
mercredi 3 septembre 2008
10:27 : 365 #013: Sleeping Alone
This big place by myself, it's full of boxes and it's empty. I'm tired, but won't sleep without her.
I close my eyes, try to aim with the iPhone, after ten tries I get it right. I email it the Flickr to upload, and while waiting for it to arrive, I fall asleep.
Come back soon.
I close my eyes, try to aim with the iPhone, after ten tries I get it right. I email it the Flickr to upload, and while waiting for it to arrive, I fall asleep.
Come back soon.
10:24 : 365 #012: A Shot in the Dark
Rushed by my self-imposed rule of shooting every day's photo before midnight, I'm out of ideas, and hope for the best before going to bed, next to an ikea lamp covered by a pink scarf I found in a train station a couple of months ago.
I think I'm not dark enough yet, I'll replace it tomorrow at work (we don't have Internet at home, I'm bringing my photos at work, upload them, and edit the descriptions back home on my iPhone).
I think I'm not dark enough yet, I'll replace it tomorrow at work (we don't have Internet at home, I'm bringing my photos at work, upload them, and edit the descriptions back home on my iPhone).
10:22 : 365 #011: First Day in Battersea
We just arrived in our London one-room appartment (not a studio because there is a separate kitchen). I'm relieved to get there, moving all our stuff from the Richmond flat into the small green van was epic and tiring. All I see is this big white space, where I will spend a lot of time alone in the next couple of months. Imhara sees the rest, the dirty kitchen, the ugly bathroom, and the simple fact that I'm going to be here and not her. She's leaving for Paris. I hate it. She does, too.
