Photography

I’ve never been into photography, I don’t know the difference between DSLR and DSL, and I know that ISO has something to do with light setting. I think the main reason I never got into was that it seemed like an bottomless money pit; on the other hand, cellphones is more like a one time thing and doesn’t require a lot of accessories.

That aside, I do appreciate great works of photography that I can sit and admire for a long time.

First off, here is a picture I took 3 years ago at Green Island, Taiwan. It was just a crappy camera but the scenery was amazing. This is the one photo that I am quite proud of. (I don’t know who the guy in the picture is, he just happened to be there)

I started this post because this morning I saw an article National Geographic’s Photography Contest 2010 and couldn’t stop looking at the pictures, I pulled a couple of my favorites here but definitely check out the site for all the pictures.

This looks like Lion King

Thunderstorm: I love pictures of natural phenomenons, makes me more amazed at the wonders of where we live

Liquid Planet: composure of all blue is relaxing. It also shows a whole different perspective

Silhouette pictures are always cool. But a well-composed one is especially beautiful

Reminds me of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam

I’ve always been really interested in Tibet and Nepal. This picture shows how isolated they are in the mountains, and how they survive.

Cities usually aren’t the main topic of photography, but this B/W captures the feeling of both an old and new city.

Again, a picture of natural wonders

What are some of your favorite photos?


Adding this Church to the list of places I’m def gonna visit.

Click the image for more images you won’t believe aren’t photoshopped.


And I’ll be like banelings banelings banelings lol!


just wooooooow


McRib Diaries (UPDATED 11/22)

mcrib

This probably will become my first controversial post, as I have received both negative and positive comments about my craving for the infamous McRib.

Two weeks ago, I was browsing my usual Gizmodo, Engadget and Kotaku tech blogs when all of a sudden I saw this article The McRib Is Now Available at Every Single McDonald’s I was so happy when I saw this I couldn’t concentrate in class. The last time I had one of these was in Taiwan, which comes in a different package

Whole grain bread with lots of vegetables… healthy McDonald’s whaaaaaat?

Commercial from Taiwan starring Jolin Tsai

As soon as I saw the post, I changed my Gchat status to “anyone wanna get McRib(s)?” and I got an unbelievable amount of reaction. (It was really hard to excite people… only Kenneth L. would be willing to destroy his body with me by snorting McRibs)

There were plenty of newcomers that right after seeing this:
mcrib
wanted one.

There were also a couple of people that did not approve of my unhealthy diets:

While I do understand that it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, I like it. My justification is that last time the McRib was available nationwide was in 1994, which is 16 years ago. On the other hand, Starcraft 1 came out in March, 1998, which is only 12 years ago. The McRib is rarer than a Starcraft sequel, this says something.

In the past the McRib was so rare that a programmer wrote this website: (McRib Locater)
I’ve never used it myself, but I admire the effort

The dumbest thing I’ve read online is that “it’s a rib sandwich that has no bones” DUDE it’s a fastfood chain, how would you like picking out bones while you’re enjoying a slobbery goodness? Which brings me to my next point: take out the onions and pickles when you enjoy your McRib, those two just weird.

The McRib Log
Week 1:
11/2 Nick took us on a ride and I got two
11/4 While on the way to Costco, I convinced YJ to take Brian and I. Two.
11/7 Hien was nice enough to deliver one to my Formal meeting. He still owes me 6
Week 2:
11/13 Though being concerned about my health, Percy offered to take us to McDonald’s on the next trip.
11/20 After the Yule Ball, Belinda drove Hien’s car cuz he was drunk to Mickey D’s and I got another TWO McRibs
11/21 Aditya bugged Nick to go on a McD run. One McRib and 10 nuggets.
11/22 After returning media equipment, Haoran and I went to McD to pop his McRib Cheery. two for me. one for him cuz I overhyped it 😦

For a break while I wait for my (and your) next McRib, check out this clip that also made the McRib famous.

Requiem for a Homer ( Simpsons )

Sorry this was the only clip version I can find, everything else is a weird remix.

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Fun Reads
7 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE MCRIB
McRib’s brief return has fans buzzing
The McRib Returns


Local Foods

Since I have been traveling quite a lot these couple of weeks, I’ve decided to blog about local food places that I have visited and that are worth mentioning.  I will try to do this for everyplace I visit from now on.

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So I visited Purdue about two weeks back, and the one place that stood out to me from there was this little burger diner called triple x root beers.  When we drove by it at first I only saw the triple x part of the name and thought it was some adult entertainment store…

At first I was kind of skeptical of the place, but every student that I talked to there recommended it, so Ryan and I decided to check it out.  The diner itself wasn’t very visually appealing; it just looked like a typical burger joint.  items on the menu at a first glance seemed pretty straight forward.  They served breakfast items, burgers and of course root beer among other beverages.  The price of the burgers ranged from roughly $7-$8 dollars, not too cheap nor too pricey.  As I glanced down the menu, one item caught my eye right away:  the peanut butter burger.  That’s right, it’s a burger that has peanut butter on it.  I was skeptical of the burger and didn’t want to waste my money so on our first visit I decided not to get it, and instead got one of the more traditional burgers (it had three patties and onions, and it was quite good).  However, that burger stayed in the back of my mind and I decided to ask some of the locals about that burger.  Apparently it’s quite popular and delicious, and it has been featured on the food network.  I was determined to get that burger the second time we went back to triple xxx, but then backed out last minute.  I kind of regret that decision and will definitely be getting that burger the next time I’m in Purdue.  Also according to Ryan the root beer is nothing special.

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So this past weekend we visited Cincinnati for a Jam.  For lunch we stopped by this Pizza place called Mio’s.  Both John and Justen had raved about it on the car ride there.

The Pizza we got was a thin crust pizza that had I believe onions, green peppers, sausage and I want to say pepperoni on it.  The seasoning was great, and it was a pretty good pizza.  However, the best part of the pizza was the crust:  it had sesame seeds on it.  That’s right, sesame seeds on the pizza crust…now how genius is that??  Normally  I don’t really enjoy the crust; I’ll eat it if I have garlic sauce and am hungry, but I’m not dying to eat the crust.  However, this crust was just amazing, and I didn’t mind eating it at all, in fact I couldn’t get enough of it.  I would definitely recommend Mio’s if you are ever in the Cincinnati area.  PS they taste great cold as well.

I also heard about this chili place called skyline?  But it was closed when we got there, hopefully I will get to try that place next time I’m in Cinci.


Night Trip

As fatigue sets in from lack of sleep, the smell of the steak’n shake burger, the touch of the steering wheel, the hum from the wheels on asphalt and the taste of the redbull you just chugged, all begin to meld away.  The only sense your brain is focused on is perception; even then the oncoming traffic begin to look like blurs of light.  All of this adds up to a very unfamiliar experience, something otherworldly.

So next time you are going on a trip, make it a road trip… or even better, one in the middle of the night.  Just make sure not to fall asleep at the wheel.


Crying

Friends that I have met after high school probably can’t tell, but I used to cry a lot. Over every small thing I could make a big deal out of. Now I probably seem apathetic to everything.

This clip really broke everything down and I could feel exactly what he was saying. Watch the whole clip if you can.

Dane Cook- Crying

After coming to the US for college, I have been more and more exposed to American culture. One of the first things I learned were the comedians. Russell Peters, Chappelle, Dane Cook and recently I dug out some Lewis Black stand-ups. I just love to have something to listen to that can make me smile or even laugh out loud and relieve some stress from daily life.

I really want to find clips of Russell Brand’s stand-ups.


Another amazing mashup.  This one features Drake and Coldplay.


Hilarious propaganda poster (click the picture for more)