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January 30, 2006
Happy New Year of the dog!
Happy New Year everyone!
Went to Vegas this past weekend with my family to celebrate the New Year... I hadn't gone to Vegas in a few years, but even though there are a lot of new, fancy hotels now it still feels the same. Besides spending time with my family, it was great to relax, sleep in, and be disconnected from email and other responsibilities waiting for me back home. =)
Nothing terribly exciting to write about... saw Ka (while my parents watched a Chinese concert), which was cool but not all that... lost some money playing hold'em (they have this new version where you only play against the dealer)... walked around the strip... and placed a crazy parlay bet on the Super Bowl. Go 'hawks!!! Haha...
I passed by some of the clubs... hearing the music and watching "the scene" kinda made me miss dancing. Well, not really... but I guess enough where if friends asked me to go clubbing one of these weekends, I'd be up for it. =)
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I got constructive comments on some of my pictures! Thanks "romeo whiskey" - if you read this - I completely agree with you and appreciate the feedback. I'm always looking for ways to improve! Who knows... maybe some day I'll even understand how to use the flash properly! ;)
I finally finished reading Real World Camera Raw with Photoshop 2, and picked up some techniques which I hope might come in useful for my next photoshoot (post-processing, that is). At the very least, I understand the settings better now, haha.
Posted by stevelee at 10:12 AM | Comments (1)
January 25, 2006
Rebecca and Orlando's Wedding
I have pictures up from the wedding!
Congratulations and God bless your new life together, Rebecca and Orlando! =)
Time for me to catch up on rest. :)
Posted by stevelee at 01:43 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2006
End of the Spear
I watched End of the Spear tonight and whole-heartedly recommend watching this movie to everyone! Excellent movie and very well done - from many perspectives. I don't think a review from me would do the movie justice, especially since this is one a movie that speaks to each person in a different but powerful way.
I will say that it is a powerful, moving movie which deeply resonated with me. =) I think no matter where you're at in life, this movie will challenge and make you question many more things.
Of all the great scenes, one of the most memorable would be where one of the missionaries was surrounded by the Waodani Indians. He pointed his pistol at them for a brief but powerful moment before pointing his gun straight up and firing into the air as the Waodani speared him to death.
Prior to that scene, one of the missionary's son forebodingly asks his dad if he would defend himself if attacked by the Waodani.
His father's response: "We can't shoot the Waodoni. They're not ready for heaven. We are."
Posted by stevelee at 01:05 AM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2006
Make You Happy Tonight!
OMG, this is the BEST. SONG. EVAR.! ROFLMAO!!!
Ahhh... this brings back memories of when I used to visit an ex for the weekend. LOL.
"Before we get down to love, I just gotta finish this level! You see, I got a high score tonight and I just wanna save my game." =P
Posted by stevelee at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2006
Blah
Ahhh... it's been a long time since I worked out. I'm pretty sore, but that good "pumped" feeling makes it all worth it! I definitely have to take it easier in my older age though - my left knee shakes every time I put heavy weight on it. *sigh* Does that mean I have to start wearing knee braces now?
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Someone suggested that: "going [ballroom] dancing is dangerous, you can meet lots of people." The context/implication here is that social activities like these only encourage cheating and should be avoided (if in a relationship).
[rant]
Excuse me, but that was some of the stupidest crap I ever heard! Dancing doesn't cause cheating, people do.
It's ludicrous to blame an activity - or anything/anyone else - for an individual's own lack of self-control or morals. That's no different from people who blame a female for getting sexually molested or raped because she was wearing something "sexy." BS. Instead, people should focus on teaching their children how to respect others and how to develop an open mind.
[/rant]
Posted by stevelee at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2006
Shaun Alexander: Running (Back) for Jesus
A friend forwarded this very interesting interview with Shaun Alexander; for many reasons, I thought it was a very encouraging read. It's awesome how many NFL players/coaches are so bold and unashamed in professing their faith.
In an increasingly pluralistic society where so many Christians (including myself) can feel reluctant - almost ashamed - about professing their faith for fear of offending others, it's refreshing to hear people like Shaun Alexander give all props to God or Colts head coach Tony Dungy share how he prays to God for wisdom before making any big decision on TV.
Posted by stevelee at 03:57 AM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2006
NYE party pics
A few pics from the party/get-together Jenny organized.
I had a great time (too great... ugh) hanging out with friends - both old and new - playing spoons and just plain socializing. =) It also was fun catching up with my lil sis(^3) Joanne, whom I hadn't seen in a few years!
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These pics really point out (besides how much I suck) the limitation of a consumer lens; the 28-135mm f3.5-5.6/IS is a good lens and all, but having been spoiled by the 70-200mm f2.8/L IS, I'm dissatisfied with the saturation, quality and focusing of the 28-135. I guess that means my next camera-related purchase should be a new walk-around lens... probably the 24-70mm f2.8/L? *sigh*
I'm shooting a friend's wedding next weekend, which would be a great time to debut and get hands-on experience with the new lens... =)
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After like a 2 year "hiatus," I've started running and working out again. I'm determined to get back into hockey/soccer shape, especially after being inspired by VH1's "100 Sexiest Bodies!" Hahaha, j/k! ;) (not about getting back in shape though)
It's sad how I start huffing and puffing after walking a few blocks now. Weak.
Posted by stevelee at 02:13 AM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2006
Morton's Steakhouse
Some buddies and I decided to try Morton's Steakhouse tonight.
You'd think that for a place as expensive as this, that they'd have some fancy restroom with the ubiquitous restroom attendant and diamond-encrusted toilet paper or something! Maybe it's just me.
We chatted about relationships and munched on some warm onion bread (good, but nothing special) while waiting for our orders. L and A started off with lobster bisque, while I had a Morton's Cosmopolitan. The cosmo was really smooth and sweet - the type of drink where you hardly taste any alcohol... until it comes back to kick your ass later in the evening. Needless to say, I was having a great time by the time our entrees arrived, haha. =P
The lobster bisque looked really rich and my buddies seemed to enjoy it... but once again, didn't sound like it was anything special.
We ordered the porterhouse steak, Chicago style bone-in ribeye steak and NY strip steak which arrived on 3 plain white oval platters... the type that you would find in standard Chinese restaurants minus the dragons and such. Seriously, it was pretty strange seeing 3 huge chunks of meat on a platter without anything else on it, save a few sprigs of parsley for decoration!
We also shared a side of the au Poivre sauce (a creamy cognac and pepper sauce) for our steaks, along with Lyonnaise potatoes and creamed spinach.
The steaks were excellent in quality and perfectly cooked to specifications, as expected. I'm not a big fan of straight-up beef (the standard steaks are marinated with pepper and salt), so I found myself using the au Poivre sauce quite often. The Lyonnaise potatoes and creamed spinach were good and not as unhealthy as I feared... but like everything else, nothing extraordinary.
Being the fools manly men that we were, we forced ourselves to finish all the meat. No wimpy leftovers here, thankyouverymuch!
Figuring that we wouldn't be coming back any time soon - if ever - we decided to go all the way and top things off with dessert: a raspberry souffle and hot chocolate cake (with a wonderfully decadent melted chocolate center). Both were good, but I preferred the chocolate cake - the scoop of French vanilla ice cream made a perfect complement!
All in all, we had an enjoyable dining experience: the food was good, and the company even better. =)
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to roll myself over to my bed. ;)
Posted by stevelee at 10:23 PM | Comments (2)
January 04, 2006
Dine about Town
Foodies, rejoice! For the month of January, you can have specially prepared 3-course lunches and/or dinners at some really nice restaurants!
The menu for The Terrace at the Ritz-Carlton and The Washington Square Bar and Grill sound particularly yummy! =D
Posted by stevelee at 08:42 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR11!!!!!
OK, I'm pretty not sober right now, but I am sober enough to wish all of you a freaking happy new year! I love you all! Especially the 2 people who actually read my blog - mare and mare! ;)
Posted by stevelee at 04:05 AM | Comments (3)