Thursday, 31 July 2014
The glass of water
I photographed this glass; one of these images has been enhanced:
The unenhanced picture alone is pretty impressive. Now see it through Snapseed's HDR filter:
It looks amazing! Despite what I said before about not wanting to use enhancements too much, I honestly do love the effects the app generates.
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Relative celebration
I, along with my grandparents, spent the evening celebrating the birthday of one of my relatives; said relative reached a particular age milestone, so there was quite a bit of talk about "getting older". We all went to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner and then went back to my Nottingham aunt and uncle's house for cake. We all had a wonderful time.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Second interview success and the awesome bus driver
I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but the interview went extremely well and I am mostly sure that I will be attending college in Nottingham come this September. There are still some things that I need to sort out but I am working on them and once they're out the way, I'll be at college! I also met someone today who will most likely be one of my classmates.
On a lighter note, I encountered an awesome bus driver today. To start with, he was friendly, which was great by itself because some bus drivers can be either emotionless or needlessly unpleasant. Then, when I had to use a bus again several hours later, it was the same bus and, thus, the same driver; the driver remembered me and uttered an enthusiastic "Hello again!", which enhanced my already-good mood. I've never had a bus driver remember me before!
To go back to the college, sorry to continue to keep everyone hanging but I still think it's too early to celebrate. I should know for certain about my attendance this time next month, but today has definitely been another massive step forward towards my college goal.
On a lighter note, I encountered an awesome bus driver today. To start with, he was friendly, which was great by itself because some bus drivers can be either emotionless or needlessly unpleasant. Then, when I had to use a bus again several hours later, it was the same bus and, thus, the same driver; the driver remembered me and uttered an enthusiastic "Hello again!", which enhanced my already-good mood. I've never had a bus driver remember me before!
To go back to the college, sorry to continue to keep everyone hanging but I still think it's too early to celebrate. I should know for certain about my attendance this time next month, but today has definitely been another massive step forward towards my college goal.
Monday, 28 July 2014
The lovely day
I had a pleasant pre-interview day: I went grocery shopping with my grandfather in the morning and my other Nottingham-based relatives came over in the evening. I took this picture of the wonderful blue-and-cloudy sky:
Honestly, it's meant to be of the sky, not of the power pole! The temperature was warm this morning but it cooled over the course of the day.
On with tomorrow!
On with tomorrow!
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Liveland History: 27 July 2011
On the 27th of July, 2011, I wrote "2012 Summer Olympics in a year", my one-year countdown post to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London:
Back then, I was unsure about the United Kingdom hosting the Olympics: I didn't think that this country had the facilities and proper motivation to hold them. As such, I expected the 2012 Olympics to be riddled with problems and controversy, and to be ridiculed at home and abroad; when the Olympics finally did arrive, they were a massive success and I was delighted to be proved wrong. I even watched some of those Olympics, as I was staying at my grandparents' house and, as I've written before, my grandmother is a sports fan.
Coincidentally, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which are being held in Glasgow, Scotland, are currently underway and since I'm at my grandparents' house, I've been watching some of them!
Back then, I was unsure about the United Kingdom hosting the Olympics: I didn't think that this country had the facilities and proper motivation to hold them. As such, I expected the 2012 Olympics to be riddled with problems and controversy, and to be ridiculed at home and abroad; when the Olympics finally did arrive, they were a massive success and I was delighted to be proved wrong. I even watched some of those Olympics, as I was staying at my grandparents' house and, as I've written before, my grandmother is a sports fan.
Coincidentally, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which are being held in Glasgow, Scotland, are currently underway and since I'm at my grandparents' house, I've been watching some of them!
Saturday, 26 July 2014
Nottingham visit July-August 2014
I am back in Nottingham for another week. My letter for a second interview at the college finally arrived over a week ago and my interview will happen on the 29th. I have everything ready for the interview; until then, I have a couple of days to relax and afterwards, I'll have a few more days of relaxation.
I am neither nervous nor excited; if anything, I am relieved that the interview is taking place at last (I applied back in early May) and I am feeling more optimistic. More to come once the interview has occurred.
I am neither nervous nor excited; if anything, I am relieved that the interview is taking place at last (I applied back in early May) and I am feeling more optimistic. More to come once the interview has occurred.
Friday, 25 July 2014
"Decode" - Paramore
This is "Decode":
It's by Paramore and is from the international edition of the band's third studio album, Brand New Eyes. It is also from Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, as the song features on the soundtrack to the first Twilight film. The song and movie were both released in 2008.
I first heard "Decode" on the Open House Party on KIFS (107.5 Kiss FM). I already knew about Paramore from their song "Misery Business" but "Decode" was when I first became aware of Twilight. I didn't think much of Twilight back then but I have since read all of the books and seen all of the films; in fact, I know far more about Twilight than I do about Paramore! As strange as this may sound, I actually enjoyed the series.
I should really listen to some more of Paramore's discography; I like the songs of theirs that I have heard so far and I do want to hear more.
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Red roses July 2014
In my last post about roses, I mentioned that it would be a while before I posted any more pictures of them. It's fortunate that more than two months have passed since I wrote that because these three pretty flowers appeared almost overnight in our front yard:
While the flower on the right appears shabby, it looks as pretty as the other two when viewed from its front. Honestly, these three were more like fungi than flowers: one moment, there are no roses; in the next, there are three!
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
GIF creator
When my father got his new phone last year, one aspect of the device of which I was particularly envious was its camera, as it was far more advanced in its hardware and software than the camera I had on mine. The software feature that fascinated me the most was its ability create GIFs.
Last night, inspired by the Snapseed app that my uncle recommended, I decided to have a look for a GIF-generating app and after less than a minute spent searching, I found one. I created a couple of GIFs of my brother and mother just to test the app out; they worked! I can now create my own GIFs.
I don't need a GIF-generating app but it's one of those things that's nice to have. An app or camera feature that would be incredibly useful is one that lets you know when you're about to take a slanted picture and can straighten it for you...
On a related note, I've always pronounced GIF with a hard G, like the word grass, rather than with a soft G like the word gym. I was surprised when I heard that there is a significant minority of people who pronounce it as "jif", which has caused a dispute over the pronunciation. Of all the things to argue about!
Last night, inspired by the Snapseed app that my uncle recommended, I decided to have a look for a GIF-generating app and after less than a minute spent searching, I found one. I created a couple of GIFs of my brother and mother just to test the app out; they worked! I can now create my own GIFs.
I don't need a GIF-generating app but it's one of those things that's nice to have. An app or camera feature that would be incredibly useful is one that lets you know when you're about to take a slanted picture and can straighten it for you...
On a related note, I've always pronounced GIF with a hard G, like the word grass, rather than with a soft G like the word gym. I was surprised when I heard that there is a significant minority of people who pronounce it as "jif", which has caused a dispute over the pronunciation. Of all the things to argue about!
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
The spider in the tub
I thought I'd take some pictures of the spider that currently lives in the bathtub:
Whoa...it's large and scary! Now for some perspective...
Here is the spider next to a disconnected shower head. As you can see, the spider isn't that big once the camera is no longer zoomed onto it. I used my main camera because I didn't want to annoy the spider by putting my phone close to it and because my camera takes higher quality zoomed shots.
As you can also see, the bathtub is dusty from disuse. I think it'll need to be cleaned once the spider has moved on or been evicted.
As you can also see, the bathtub is dusty from disuse. I think it'll need to be cleaned once the spider has moved on or been evicted.
Monday, 21 July 2014
Sheep run
My family and I visited Rutland Water a few days ago. This was a sight to behold:
It's a group of sheep running back to their field after spending some time by the water. This paved path here crosses the dam segment of Rutland Water; the sheep climb over the dam's rocks to reach the water. The trails the sheep have made on the rocks reminded me of deer trails in Southern Oregon.
A few minutes after I took this picture, another group of four sheep crossed the dam, except this time they were going from the field to the water. The one who went up onto the rocks first had to wait for several minutes before her three followers joined her.
A few minutes after I took this picture, another group of four sheep crossed the dam, except this time they were going from the field to the water. The one who went up onto the rocks first had to wait for several minutes before her three followers joined her.
Sunday, 20 July 2014
"Boom Clap" - Charli XCX
This song, which has been out in the United States since mid-June, was released in the United Kingdom today:
It's "Boom Clap" by Charli XCX and it's the first single from The Fault in Our Stars (Music from the Motion Picture), the soundtrack for the film The Fault in Our Stars. Charli XCX is more known for her features on the singles of other artists, in particular Icona Pop's "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy", rather than for her own work; I think it's great that she's now receiving solo recognition.
I first covered Charli XCX in October 2013 when I wrote about her song "SuperLove". Unfortunately, that song got voted off the radio station I listen to, which is another reason why I'm glad for her recent success.
It's "Boom Clap" by Charli XCX and it's the first single from The Fault in Our Stars (Music from the Motion Picture), the soundtrack for the film The Fault in Our Stars. Charli XCX is more known for her features on the singles of other artists, in particular Icona Pop's "I Love It" and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy", rather than for her own work; I think it's great that she's now receiving solo recognition.
I first covered Charli XCX in October 2013 when I wrote about her song "SuperLove". Unfortunately, that song got voted off the radio station I listen to, which is another reason why I'm glad for her recent success.
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Moth vs. Spider
There is a spider that lives in the bathtub; last night, that spider was disturbed by a large moth that had flown into the bathroom. For some bizarre reason, the moth thought it would be a great idea to fly around and land on the spider's home in the tub, which annoyed the spider and caused it to attack the moth.
It was an interesting fight: until last night, I had never observed a spider engage in combat with another creature. The spider appeared to be defending itself rather than trying to eat the moth; in the end, I assume that the moth flew away from the spider and out of the bathroom, as there was no evidence of the moth in the morning.
As for why there is a spider living in the bathtub, we prefer to shower and there is no shower in the tub. The spider is not at risk of being washed away.
It was an interesting fight: until last night, I had never observed a spider engage in combat with another creature. The spider appeared to be defending itself rather than trying to eat the moth; in the end, I assume that the moth flew away from the spider and out of the bathroom, as there was no evidence of the moth in the morning.
As for why there is a spider living in the bathtub, we prefer to shower and there is no shower in the tub. The spider is not at risk of being washed away.
Friday, 18 July 2014
High heat and humidity
Yesterday's hot weather was cooled by a nighttime arrival of a thunderstorm, which lasted throughout the night and into today's morning. The cool morning was a refreshing change from a few days of hot weather; however, it wasn't to last.
By midday, the thunderstorm had vamoosed and the heat had re-emerged; worse yet, the thunderstorm left behind its humidity. As a result, today was not only incredibly hot, but humid, too. On the bright side, it has just started to rain again, which is cooling the temperature and means that we won't have an uncomfortable night. I just hope that we won't have a second day of heat and humidity tomorrow!
By midday, the thunderstorm had vamoosed and the heat had re-emerged; worse yet, the thunderstorm left behind its humidity. As a result, today was not only incredibly hot, but humid, too. On the bright side, it has just started to rain again, which is cooling the temperature and means that we won't have an uncomfortable night. I just hope that we won't have a second day of heat and humidity tomorrow!
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Photo enhancement clarification
In yesterday's post, I included a picture that had been enhanced with an HDR filter; as a result, the image looked fantastic. However, I want to state right now that up until that point, none of the pictures I had posted had been retouched, save for cropping or the occasional blurring out of a plate on a vehicle.
While I now have the ability to enhance pictures and post them, I will only do so rarely; I prefer to post untouched photographs taken with my phone and main camera. I think I would be cheating if I constantly posted heavily modified images rather than made the effort to take decent pictures. Imagine if this blog contained recordings of me singing, but I Auto-Tuned myself: it wouldn't be right. Better to make it impressive in the first place.
So that's my position on enhanced images. They look amazing, but I prefer natural pictures; touched images will be rare here. My phone and camera don't produce HDR photographs and I should not give the illusion that they do.
While I now have the ability to enhance pictures and post them, I will only do so rarely; I prefer to post untouched photographs taken with my phone and main camera. I think I would be cheating if I constantly posted heavily modified images rather than made the effort to take decent pictures. Imagine if this blog contained recordings of me singing, but I Auto-Tuned myself: it wouldn't be right. Better to make it impressive in the first place.
So that's my position on enhanced images. They look amazing, but I prefer natural pictures; touched images will be rare here. My phone and camera don't produce HDR photographs and I should not give the illusion that they do.
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