Blooms

Project365 Frame 059 Feb 28, 2013 1400 hrs

Spring is almost here and the flowers starting to bloom. Soon trees will regrow their branches and fresh green leaves will start sprouting out. For the meantime lets settle for this featured photo of a cute flower. I used again my macro lens in taking this picture.

Tulips

Project365 Frame 058 Feb 27, 2013 1400 hrs

I took this picture when I was in the Mirage Resort waiting for the American Idol show. I was just walking around the property and found a series of tulips arrangements. I actually checked them first if they were the real deal and yes indeed they were. In fact the resorts here never display faux plants and flowers as far as I know it. I think this was just a simple flower arrangement, unlike Ikebana the Japanese art of flower arrangement. In Ikebana, it strictly follows three main points that symbolizes heaven, earth and man or in some others sun, moon & earth.

American Idol

Project365 Frame 057 Feb 26, 2013 2240 hrs


A co-worker of mine told me how to get access to a live taping of my favorite reality show on tv, the American Idol. It is their second week of elimination round in Las Vegas in front of a live audience. The tickets are free but you have to wait in line since the tickets were given on a first come first serve basis. Even if I got an access voucher online, it doesn't guarantee you access to the venue. I got to the venue early and the line was long already but fortunately I was given a "hard ticket" for the show. Aside from witnessing first hand one of the eliminations of the show, I wanted to experience and see how a show is being produced for tv audiences. It was not a simple task. It involved a lot of people with specific responsibilities. From stage set up to the talents themselves, everything is on the script. Even the audience were encouraged to participate from applauding to big time vocal reactions. It takes a lot of coordination from the staff, the talents or contestants, the judges, the host & the audience. Cellphones & cameras were strictly prohibited so as to prevent spoiler feeds to the world since it will yet be aired on tv the following day. I tweeted earlier that it literally took a day to produce a 2-hr tv show. The time I spent to have access to the show was well worth the experience I gained.

Beautiful Weeds 2

Project365 Frame 056 Feb 25, 2013 1300 hrs


This is my second installment of highlighting the lowly weeds in our backyard before cutting them off this Spring season. This is one of the two varieties that bears tiny flowers. Tiny that I have to use my macro lens attachment for my iPhone camera.

Beautiful Weeds

Project365 Frame 055 Feb 24, 2013 0830 hrs


Winter is almost over and when Spring season starts, everything seems to grow fast. Trees would grow new leaves and branches. Flowers will start to bloom and even the lowly weeds would grow in the yard and some would bear little flowers. I have noticed this morning that the weeds have already grown in our front yard as well as in the backyard. I think there were three (3) kinds of weeds flourishing in our yard and two (2) of them were flower bearing. The first one is featured today. The other one will be for tomorrow. They were so tiny that I just used a macro lens attached to my iPhone camera to make it appear regular flowers. I cant believe they were pretty, too.

The Planner, The Supervisor & The Technician

Project365 Frame 054 Feb 23, 2013 1030 hrs


These were our former positions while were back in the Philippines working in a semiconductor company. After so many years, we have crossed our paths again. Tita used to be a Production Supervisor, Zaldy was our Technical Engineer supporting the production area that Tita was handling while I was the Production Control Planner in charge of the schedules for a smooth operations in the production floor as well as on time shipments of products to the customers. After all these years, we have moved on to another phase in our lives and I was happy that the three of us have met once again. There were lots of catching up, exchanges of personal stories from the time that we were colleagues up to the latest happenings.

My Dino Pets

Project365 Frame 053 Feb 22, 2013 1308 hrs


These "pets" are just 2 inches in height of plastic dino. I got these two courtesy of Photojojo when I purchased some photo accessories online. Im really not sure why they chose dinosaurs for their giveaways, maybe the owners or their bosses were a gigantic fans of these prehistoric creatures. What I'm pretty sure of is that kids specially school kids are big fans of dinosaurs. That would probably give us a hint that the prime movers of this merchant site are kids by heart. Well, you never know. I actually got three of these dinos because I've purchased from them 3 times already. These two featured are commonly called the tyrannosaurus and the newly arrived one is what we called apatosaurus that resembles a giraffe with its long neck. The reason why apatosaurus is not in the picture because it has a broken leg when it arrived. I still have to fix it and I wonder if there's an existing veterinary clinic that would accept him.

Going Vietnamese

Project365 Frame 052 Feb 21, 2013 1200 hrs



Vietnamese restaurants are gaining popularity nowadays. I have a particular favorite restaurant here in Las Vegas and it is located at the China Town area. Although there are other Pho restaurants popping up but I've been very loyal to this one. Almost all the Vietnamese restaurants carry the name "Pho" with an accent on the letter "o". Pho by the way is a Vietnamese dish that consist of the broth, rice noodles, few herbs and meat. The meat varies to the popular beef or chicken. In my favorite restaurant, they also have the seafood variety which I order more often.

Unfortunately I did not took a picture of my seafood Pho the last time I went. Instead I took a picture from part of the restaurant's interior or dining area. It was morning at that time and there was not much people yet. Lunch time, dinner time and up to the wee hours of the morning, this place is quite crowded.

Rain Clouds

Project365 Frame 051 Feb 20, 2013 1350 hrs

Here comes the rain again!
As I opened our garage door this morning to go to my gym, I observed that there was not much sunlight outside. There was much rain clouds covering the morning sun. Checking the weather forecast for today using my phone, there was like 40% chance of rain in the morning. While driving towards the gym, I saw that rain showers already started.

Stratosphere

Project365 Frame 050 Feb 19, 2013 2150 hrs

Stratosphere tower is already a part of the Las Vegas skyline, but its more than just a tower. Upstairs you can find a high-end restaurant, a bar and in their observation deck there are thrill rides like a roller coaster and 3 other rides that play around with the height factor. The observation deck offers a ver good birds eye view of the Las Vegas Boulevard commonly known as The Strip. One can also see the whole 360 deg view of the Las Vegas valley.

I usually recommend to my visiting friends to go to this tower first before taking the rounds in the casinos, restaurants and shopping.

Dancing in the Lights

Project365 Frame 049 Feb 18, 2013 1700 hrs

When I attended a party over the weekend I happened to take a picture of a boy dancing under this colored light streaks. They had some dancing complete with light probes that you see in a dance club. I think it looks cool. If only I was not moving while holding the camera it could come out better.

Birdman

Project365 Frame 048 Feb 17, 2013 1600 hrs


When I visited the house of my friend and his family, I ended up playing with their pet birds. These birds are actually what we call Lovebirds. We had Lovebirds as pets back in the Philippines but I never thought they can be tamed that much. They cut the tip of their wing's feathers so that they can't fly that far. These birds can interact with humans very well. They were not afraid of me or with anybody touching them. They even ate chips from my hand, they did not try to fly away from me. They just walked or should I say strut over my hands, arms, shoulders and even on my head. You just have to be careful that they won't pick your eyes.

Sweet Tomatoes

Project365 Frame 047 Feb 16, 2013 1000 hrs

I'm always fascinated by pictures decorating the walls of restaurants. I was most impressed by pictures of the food that they are serving. One particular restaurant is Sweet Tomatoes specializing in salads & soups. Inside the restaurant you can see panoramic pictures of vegetable plantations, and macro or close-up shots of their various ingredients that they use in their menu. I have blogged about this before so going back to that fascination, I have tried to take a macro shot of a ripe red tomato. I only used my macro lens for iPhone to achieve this and I think its not that bad at all. What do you think?

Nature's Bounty

Project365 Frame 046 Feb 15, 2013 1100 hrs

The last time I went to a grocery store, I was impressed by the way they set up their displays particularly at the fresh produce section. Their arrangements would really attract the attention of the shoppers. Just take a look of these lemons in today's photo feature.

Candy Heart

Project365 Frame 045 Feb 14, 2013 0700 hrs


Its Valentine's Day today and for this year I'm not planning for anything special since I'm working up to this weekend. I was surprised though that a coworker of mine who reported for work early this morning gave me this heart-shaped cherry flavored candy. Actually she gave everyone of us these candies. I remembered sometime ago when I was still in the Philippines working in a semiconductor company that every Valentine's Day we gave each lady in our department a red rose. Just a little and simple gesture of thoughtfulness goes a long way indeed. I remembered that all the ladies in our department were happy and cheerful the whole day until our shifts were done. One thing that I remembered also, they tried to preserve the roses that they received to last longer. They made their way of finding a small vase or container to put the rose in with water so that they can still have the rose fresh on their desks the following day.

The same thing happened to me this morning after I received this candy. Its been in my pocket the whole time until I arrived home. And then the inevitable happened, I just cant resist not to taste my little valentine, so there you go, I ate the candy up right after I got its picture. They said that "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach". I truly believe that.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Architectural

Project365 Frame 044 Feb 13, 2013 0900 hrs


This is one unique building among high rise casinos and condos in Las Vegas. Located in Downtown Las Vegas and owned by Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health was designed by Architect Frank Gehry.

I took this photo while driving past this building so I didn't got the chance to get all its details.

Reflection

Project365 Frame 043 Feb 12, 2013 1000 hrs

Getting out from the gym this morning, the sun was up but still with some cloud cover. I noticed the image of the sun was reflected in a car's windshield. This is a good way to take a picture of the sun without looking at it directly. I took this shot in the parking lot and you can still see the clouds covering the morning sun.

Details

Project365 Frame 042 Feb 11, 2013 1600 hrs


Taken in our front yard. Details of the leaves are clearly shown.

Chilly Mornings

Project365 Frame 041 Feb 10, 2013 0800 hrs

Chilly mornings are still here. For the past days massive snowstorms hit the North east as well as the Northwest parts of the country. Whenever there are storms in the California side, Nevada is always affected with strong winds. Since it is still winter time these winds are particularly cold. Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert that is why there is not much cloud cover here. The sun is always shining brightly during the day, we can only experience the coldness in the morning and towards the evening.

The photo feature for today is an example of one of these chilly mornings. I was driving from work along the free way and I took this picture while the car is still moving. The sun is already up but it is covered with rainclouds.

Nature's Design

Project365 Frame 040 Feb 9, 2013 1320 hrs



Everything on earth and everything out there in space is part of a "Grand Design". We humans, plants and animals are part of it. If you look at the big picture, you can see how beautiful it is but we tend to take for granted the little minute things that composed the big picture. Just like if you look at a photograph you appreciate the whole photograph itself, the color, the composition, the subject, but we're missing the fact that the image we are looking on this piece of paper is composed of tiny colored dots grouped together to form the images. When you look at a living tree, you appreciate its beauty, how green its leaves are, how red or yellow their fruits, or how pink their flowers are. Looking at a tree closely to its individual parts and you still can find beauty that you can't see or notice if you see it as a whole. Just like the featured photo for today, can you guess what it is? Its part of a bark of a tree, a pine tree in particular. Looking closely you can see the contoured lines along its surface. It is like being sculpted by nature into a graphic maze or an abstract design by nature. How amazing this Great Designer really is.

Candles to Blow & Cakes to Slice

Project365 Frame 039 Feb 8, 2013 1200 hrs

My birthday this year came and went with not much fanfare. I had dinner with my friends and my parents over the weekend. I went to see a show courtesy of tickets given to me as a birthday gift by a good friend. I really did not plan on anything to drum beat my birthday celebration this year because my natal day falls on a working day and besides if I plan on some party, I was doubtful if those that I invited could attend because its in the middle of the week. Nevertheless, I can still say that my birthday week was still memorable, thanks whole heartedly to my parents and to my close friends.

Birthdays should be a special day in a person's life no matter how you celebrate it. It serves as a reminder to be thankful to God for giving us life up to this day and an opportunity for us to ask Him for His blessings so that we still can go on living. As we go through this journey called LIFE, we get to know people along the way. Some of them probably we knew for just a short period of time, some may also stick with us for a lifetime. These people serves as our inspiration to go on with this journey because we know that no matter what the circumstances may be, they are there ready to support us. These are our family and true good friends.

I would like to take this opportunity now to thank first of all my God for giving me good health and a means to keep on living. My parents, they are always there supporting me. I may not be a perfect son for them but they are there to accept me as what I am with open arms. There was a time in my life that I get to know who my real friends are and truly they are still there with me up to this time. Thank you my dear friends, you know who you are.

Now, let me blow my candles and eat my cake.....

Another Lighting Fixture

Project365 Frame 038 Feb 7, 2013 0900 hrs


When me and a friend went to Panera Bread for breakfast this morning after work, I took this picture of a row of lighting fixture inside the restaurant. These are another set of fixtures which are different from the other parts of the restaurant.

Lamp Shade

Project365 Frame 037 Feb 6, 2013 1330 hrs


I'm always fascinated with light and shadows playing in a photograph that's why I always want to take pictures of any light sources. I've been posting a lot of light fixtures in houses, restaurants and other buildings. Another one light fixture is this lampshade that I saw in a restaurant over the weekend. Since the place is brightly lit, I have to use some filters to darken it up a little bit to define the source of light. There will be more postings to come similar to this.

Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil

I have watched the newest Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas the other night. The tickets was given to me as a birthday gift from my best friend. The show was staged at Aria Resort replacing the Viva Elvis show also by the same production. To tell you the truth, I didn't get the plot or storyline of the whole show but I found it awesome, from the acts, music, lights and staging. The show followed the traditional circus format led by the Ringmaster named Zar. They showed various death defying and dangerous acrobatics as if coming from a magical world. The musical accompaniment as well as the singers were superb in providing the magical feel of the show while performing live as what you expect in a Cirque production. The Cirque clowns were also there always starting and ending the show. The staging was also excellent, from the serpent scene to the giant spider webs and other magical scenes in between. Their stage designers have done an incredible job with the video backdrop that blended well to the whole scene. Some other Cirque du Soleil shows that I have seen were too overwhelming for me because there were so much going on inside the theater, not only on the stage area but all over within the theater. This time around, all the action were performed within the compunds of the stage.

Zarkana was a good show worth watching and I would highly recommend this to my friends. The pictures were taken from their gift shop adjacent to the theater and featuring the Zarkana fashion worn by the circus characters.

Carpet

Project365 Frame 036 Feb 5, 2013 1200 hrs


When I went to Red Rock Casino Resort with my parents for lunch, I've been appreciating the abstract design of their carpeting in the casino area. I also noticed that the wall decor on their restrooms matched to their carpeting. I got a video of their carpeting while walking and posted it on Vine, a new social networking. I realized that it would be a great wall decor because of its abstract design so I took a picture of it and posted it here. I also posted this picture in my Instacanvas account so if you want a printed copy of this for framing you can buy it from there.

Antenna Ball Topper

Project365 Frame 035 Feb 4, 2013 0900 hrs


I have found my antenna ball topper that I bought long time ago from Disneyland. What prompted me to look for it was I saw a car at LVAC parking lot with a smiley ball topper. I blogged about it a few days back. Call it jealousy but I remembered that I had one like it so I decided to look for it. My ball topper is a pirate from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. I guess I have to put him to the proper place where he should belong.

Food Art - Sandwich Spread

Project365 Frame 034 Feb 3, 2013 0800 hrs

Arriving home this morning from work I immediately went to the kitchen to get something for breakfast. I found some sliced bread so I have them toasted and got some hot tea to go with it. Checking the fridge for some sandwich spread, I noticed an unopened jar of peanut butter jelly stripe. Upon opening I was impressed with the appearance of the peanut butter - jelly - peanut butter arrangement inside. Just look at the featured photo for today.

Mexican Food

Project365 Frame 033 Jan 2, 2013 1000 hrs


The best thing to have a Mexican friend is you got to eat authentic Mexican food. What can I say, they are the experts and they know what is real Mexican or some Americanized versions of their food. My friend always introduced me to authentic Mexican food either in restaurants like our favorite taco shops or home-made food prepared by his sisters or mother. He and his family knows that I could eat almost anything (I think) except spicy hot food which are very common in Mexican cuisine. Fortunately he himself disliked spicy hot food (how unMexican of him) so I'm quite safe in terms of gobbling up unfamiliar food into my mouth as long as I stay in the safe zone, that is, I only eat whatever he eats. I specially loved the soft tacos, not the crispy shells since it could be messy eating them. Nachos are very good too, that's why in today's breakfast we went to a taco shop where we got nachos with steak (they have a specific Mexican name for it). I promised myself not to take pictures on things that I'm about to eat but this time I made an exemption.

Fragrance on a Stick

Project365 Frame 032 Feb 1, 2013 1100 hrs


Fragrance on a stick or most commonly called reed diffuser is for me the safest that you can use to deodorize or add fragrance in your room. Compared to time lapse fragrances that tend to lose the scent in between sprays, aerosol sprays that are not healthy and tend to leave residues on fabrics or even scented candles that are not supposed to be lighted while you're away, reed diffusers are just the perfect way to make your room fresh and smell good all the time. The vases too are very decorative that would compliment the color or style of your room. The reeds served as the wick for the fragrance oil inside the vase container so that it could travel up along the length of the reed and release its fragrance to the surrounding air.

Reed diffusers are quite expensive when you buy the whole set in the stores but you can always make your own so that you can also customize the fragrance you want.
The basic starting materials are:
1. A vase or container with small neck. Glass vases are preferable so that you an easily see if the oil inside is ready for refills.
2. Wooden reeds. You can use rattan reeds which are very porous or thin bamboo skewers or sticks.
3. Essential oils. You can buy these locally like in candle stores or craft stores.
4. Carrier oils like mineral oil and
5. A splash of vodka. The alcohol in vodka would act as an emulsifier so that the mixtures would bind together and would travel more efficiently through the reeds.
Essential oils are scented oils so add as many drops of these oils into the carrier oil depending on what fragrance you want to achieve. Put the mixture inside the container and dip one end of the reeds to the liquid and then flip the reed and insert the dry end into the container and into the liquid. Wait a few minutes for the liquid to soak up the reeds and then you can smell the burst of fragrance in your room. If you have scented bath oils, you can use these too. You can even make your own scented oil. A good example is mixing some apple peels and cinnamon with baby oil or pure lemon juice mix with baby oil for a lighter scent. More detailed information are available online, just "Google" them.

The featured photo for today is our reed diffuser that my mom received as a gift.