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Myrtleville is fast becoming one of the most popular swim locations for open water sea swimmers, triathletes and casual swimmers in Ireland.  It’s easy to see why, with a fantastic array of swims for all levels which can be completed safely in a beautiful location.  Safely, is the key word.  On this point, here are a few important observations and some feedback from very experienced seamen like Cpt Tom McCarthy, who regularly swims in Myrtleville:

On a swim to the Dutchman Rocks and back, it is much safer to swim in a direct line from the beach to the rock (parallel to shore) or towards Fennell’s Bay and on to the rock (weather permitting), than swimming out to sea and then heading back in to the rock.

Two main reasons.

1.            Out past the line of the Rock, pleasure craft and smaller commercial vessels regularly use this space and you probably will not be visible to them.  They will not expect to encounter swimmers that far out and may not be watching.   There is no good reason for swimmers to be 300mts to 500mts offshore in Myrtleville.

2.            The likelihood of not being able to deal with the unexpected – i.e. currents which can be strong, cramp, cold –  is much more likely at these distances offshore.

Last week the skipper of a small local trawler had a near miss with two swimmers approx 350 mts offshore in Myrtleville.  He did not see them until very late and was lucky to do so. He got an unpleasant fright, but it could have been a very serious accident.

Tom McCarthy observes:  “I would say that getting hit by a boat is the greatest danger that an open water swimmer can face. We have heard many stories in recent days of near misses. One of the primary rules of the sea is to maintain a proper lookout by both sight and sound. Alas, all too often a proper lookout is not maintained.  Added to this is the poor “target” that a swimmer gives to others, with only part of the head and arms showing. This then can also be hidden by even a small wave. High visibility swim cap and especially towing an inflatable buoy give a far better chance of being sighted. Worn properly, these will not interfere with your swimming in any way. It is also a duty of the swimmer to be aware of the other activity going on around and wearing ear plugs will diminish your ability to hear an oncoming boat. Keep a good lookout yourself.”

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Swimmers & Boats at Myrtleville – stay closer to shore for safety.

With suitable weather conditions, Myrtleville provides great swimming options, ranging from a paddle to 8km swims.  Just remember that you are sharing the open water with a variety of boats and they may not be watching for you – especially if you are too far offshore and outside the line between the Dutchman and Bunny Connellan.

Know your limits –  stay safe, swim safe.

Bernard Lynch

Cpt. Tom McCarthy

Damian O’Neill

More sun, sea & rainbows

I thought that a few more of Siobhan Russells’ pictures deserved a posting rather than just a link to them in Picasa, so here we go.

Open water swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville under a double rainbow

The Crosshaven girls continue to put in the OW swims – although their lack of entries for the Myrtleville to Church Bay swim is duly noted…

Open Water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Fiona Gough, Rosaleen McKeown, Caroline Fagen, Michelle Glossop-Smyth, Ruth McSweeney, Siobhan Russell

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville to Roches Point with rain coming….

Daithi Reilly is getting to be a regular, coming over from Cobh Tri club to prepare for the Church Bay swim..

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Daithi Reilly getting ready to go.

Not sure what the camera person was doing to get these smiles…

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Rainbows make you smile: Tim & Michelle Smyth, Sam Russell & Tamara ni hIci

View all the pictures from Siobhan Russell here or visit her Facebook page.  See you all in Myrtleville soon – swim safely, swim in groups and watch for other water users.

Sunshine, Rain & Rainbows

Thanks again to Siobhan Russell for all pictures from Sunday and Monday swims this week.

Carol “The Soothsayer” Cashell had predicted a rise in temperatures in this week and with a range of 11.6°c to 12.3°c, she was proven correct.  Definitely should be hired by Met Eireann.  Of course, we got a proper Irish mix of “sunshine and showers”, hence the range..

Open water swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville – Rainbow Warrior

Kayleigh Collins was down with mum, Carmel, to ditch the wetsuit and get ready for her Garnish 1km swim and then on to the Lee Swim.

Open water swimming in Cork, Ireland

Kayleigh & Carmel Collins

There may have been the odd white lie to encourage her….

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Come on Kayleigh – it’s not cold!

I think this picture is amazing..

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville cloudburst

Carol was modelling her MIMS 2013 suit for her New York swim on June 8:

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Eleanor Courtney, Bernard Lynch, Ronan McCarthy & Carol Cashell

Well over thirty swimmers in stages over the evening.  Great to see so many people back in the sea and the temperatures on the rise, even in the rain.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville Monday May 27

June swim times

Planned swim times for Myrtleville Beach. These are the times most likely that a group will assemble.  However as with everything, it’s not guaranteed.  Email if you’re interested any day.  Or tweet @Berlyn1966.  Times starting Monday, May 27.

Swim at your own risk. Don’t swim alone. Always swim in groups.  These times can vary earlier or later, so definitely check in advance if you’re coming on your own.

  • Monday: 18:00
  • Tuesday: 16:00
  • Wednesday: 06:30
  • Friday: 16:00
  • Saturday: 08:15

Summer’s here: make a plan

From Ned Denison:
The cold Spring is OVER. Many are off to their first 2013 triathlon NEXT weekend and needed a dip first, so they’re in the sea this weekend.
Time to get a 2013 PLAN….how about setting your goal for one of these?  Wetsuit swimmers VERY WELCOME at all.
Swim Ireland membership is required ONLY for the Fermoy swim…two of the events are free and one of these is swim optional (so no excuses):
2013 Race Distance Location Fee (€) Web
Sat 8-Jun Garnish Island 1, 3 & 5km Glengariff 23
Sun 9-Jun Sandycove  “M” Club Swim 1.7km Sandycove Island 0
Fri 14-Jun Martin Duggan  Memorial 2km Fermoy 15 – 25
Sun 16-Jun Myrtleville to Church  Bay 2km Myrtleville 15
Fri 21-Jun Paraic Casey –  Celebratory Sandycove Island 0
Sat 6-Jul Vibes & Scribes’  Lee Swim 2km Cork City 25 – 35
Garnish – one of the nicest places in West Cork.  You can chose your distance – so no excuse to miss it.
Sandycove M – come swim with the swimmers who have completed 1,000+ laps in their lifetime!   Get into it…as later in the summer the D Club for 500+ will be run and the M club for 100+ lifetime laps.   Special caps available.  Are you going to be in one of these clubs?  Getting close?
Fermoy – 1 km up the river and enjoy the current on the way back.  A festive atmosphere and well attended by all ages from 12 to 75!
Myrtleville – a straight swim along the coast and if you want to race you’ll find somebody just a % or so slower to beat!   Great view of the lighthouse.
Paraic Casey Celebratory (on summer solstice) – this is the annual event following the tragic loss of Paraic in the Channel last summer.  Come with food, a smile and ready to chat into the late evening.  Swimming?  Well, certainly not after a few burgers!
‘Vibes & Scribes’ Lee Swim 2013 – the classic through the city and under so many bridges.  A great day out and the party continues in town until the early hours.
Dream:   pick one or more of the events
Prepare:   get in the open water soon and get ready
Succeed:  complete the swim, maybe set a new personal best and beat your brother-in-law!
Ned Denison
Cork Ireland – Open Water Swimmer  (Phone:  +353 87 987 1573)

Monday night in Myrtleville

Siobhan Russell got some great pictures last night.  There was a good crowd swimming – even as the sea refused to co-operate and stuck at 9.5c.

Open Water Sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Michelle Glossop-Smyth & Ultan Kelleher

As usual, our safety boat was in place.  It’s big, but we spare no expense in Myrtleville. It was positioned to catch James Slowey on his normal line past Roches Point, but nobody told them he was still in Lanzarote after his fantastic 11hrs 22 min Ironman last Saturday.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Safety Boat at Myrtleville

As a back-up, we had the Navy available also.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Naval support for Myrtleville swimmers

Some of the speed merchants were in the open water last night – probably discussing how to avoid clashing outfits next week..

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

John Russell & Sham Riordan working out who was fastest and advertising Blue Seventy.

Carol Cashell was in for her second Myrtleville swim of the day – 6.30am and 6.00pm – well prepared for the Manhattan Island Marathon in June and her Crosoige Mara Channel Relay in July.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Carol Cashell, Rebeca Power & Maeve Mulcahy

View all of the pictures here.  Forecast is a bit better this week so hopefully we’ll see the temps continue to rise to encourage everyone back into the open water – where we should be!

He’s back, baby!

This post was going to be titled, “Have you seen this man?”, referring to inter-county man of mystery, Alan Craughwell.

Last seen chasing a turkey in Myrtleville in December, he disappeared from the sea since then. Some said he had emigrated, or moved back to the town named after him in Galway. Others suspected hibernation – he’d be out when he got hungry, or found flashier togs.

Whatever the reason, today was the day. Coaxed from his den by Riana Parsons, his only comment was, “Yep, it’s cold outside”.

Welcome back, big man.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Riana Parsons & Alan Craughwell – he’s back!


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HOP Under 5's Disco!

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  • Date:
  • Location: Nambour Civic Centre, Nambour 4560 Queensland
HOP Under 5's Disco

Kids on the Coast Magazine presents HOP. A disco for Under 5's! HOP along to all your favourite songs!
A jam-packed hour of singing and dancing for 0-5 year olds. $5 per child and parents free!

The J Noosa - Wed 7 August
Nambour Civic Centre  - Thurs 8 August
Lake Kawana Community Centre - Fri 9 August
Doors open 9.45am - Disco 10am to 11am.

Hop Under 5's Disco
Nambour Civic Centre, Nambour
Thursday 10th of October
10am to 11am
$5 at the door

Nambour Civic Centre : View Full Profile
Centenary Square, Currie Street, Nambour
07 5475 7777
07 5475 7766
Nambour Civic Centre

Map Location ( get directions )

Nambour Civic Centre, Nambour

All Sunshine Coast events, gigs, functions etc... onsite are correct as per information provided at time of uploading, please always verify times or dates directly with the venues to avoid disappointment.

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text:
Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

no one will ever control it… - Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5) by Rebecca Zanetti

18++ "Demons and vampires. Bear couldn’t breathe. “There are witches on my perimeter. Now demons and vampires close in. Oh God. It’s purgatory. I’m in fucking purgatory. I have to move. There must be property in Antarctica you haven’t found.” His head spun."

Release Date: August 1st, 2017

As she hunts for a drug lord killing her fellow witches, all Tessa Lansa’s instincts point to the Grizzly motorcycle club. That might be because their leader, Bear, is the strong, silent shifter type: warm brown eyes and more muscle and alpha male than any woman can ignore. Which makes Tessa’s plan to seduce and betray him all the more dangerous…

Bear doesn’t trust the curvy, blue-eyed witch. But Tessa can heal the injuries that sap his strength. And since he can’t stop thinking of her lush body and teasing smile, her plan to mate him to reclaim her own power is highly tempting. Just one problem. Once a desire this wild is loose, no one will ever control it…

" It is a standalone full length paranormal romance. Another action packed, sizzling romance by Rebecca Zanetti filled with witches, shifters, demons and vampires. An incredible addition to her Realm Enforcers series! Told from both points of view and has a happy ending." - Dali, Goodreads

Somebody was in his cabin. Beauregard McDunphy lumbered around the side of the modest wood structure, his fur rippling in the wind, his big paws leaving tracks in the wet dirt. At one point, not too long ago, he’d been bigger than any bear in the area—shifter or animal. Now he was merely normal size. Yet he could still take a human trespasser without much effort. He lifted his snout, and the fur rose down his broad back.

He was a loner, and he liked his privacy, so anybody who even remotely knew him understood to stay the hell out of his space. What was that smell?

Irish roses and something . . . female. The scent of woman. He growled, the sound hollow.

Who the hell was in his cabin? He stalked toward the front door, which remained open. Oh, he was going to scare this interloper. He sucked in air to snarl, rolling his neck so he could fully flash his canines.

A woman came into view, turning around, skirt rustling. “There you are.”

He paused and studied her. Thick black hair piled on her head, violet-blue eyes, smooth features. Delicate. Something stirred inside him, and he shook his head, trying to focus. Why wasn’t she scream- ing? Most people freaked out when faced with a grizzly bear. Wait a minute. He knew her. Didn’t he know her?

She pressed her hands to her hips. Her green houndstooth de- signer suit looked like something out of the fifties. Somehow, it worked on her. “Do you mind shifting back to human form? We need ta talk.

The brogue. Irish brogue. Pretty eyes. Small stature. Sparks of power all around her.

It hit him then. A witch. There was a witch in his home. He growled again and set his bones to transforming into his human shape. The process took longer than it should have, considering he’d mainly been in bear form for nearly three months. Three useless months that hadn’t changed a damn thing about his failing health.

Pain lanced down his spine and through his arms. His bones broke and reformed, hurting much more than they should. The fur receded on his arms and then the rest of his body. Agony flared through his face, reshaping it, nearly making him black out. Finally, he straight- ened, his body elongating. He kept his expression stoic and tried to banish the ache.

“That looked painful,” she whispered, her gaze soft on his face. “It was,” he responded before he could think. Then reality crashed

back. “Why is there a Coven Nine witch in my fucking cabin?” His safe cabin in the Seattle wilderness where witches and the Coven Nine couldn’t get to him. What was her name? He couldn’t place it. Everything was cloudy. Yet he remembered seeing her in Ireland at witch headquarters—she was a council member. When was that? Months ago.

She hummed and looked around, her gaze high and a light pink dusting her cheekbones.

He settled his stance. His human brain kicked back in. “As a member of the Coven Nine, what are you doing here?” She was on the ruling council of witches, and she should have security all around her. His back stiffened, and he turned to scan for threats.

“I’m alone,” she said.

That was impossible. Yet even with his senses returning, he couldn’t find any other people near, much less any witches. “Why?” he barked. His voice was rough and hoarse from disuse.

She blew out air, her pretty lips pursing. Her gaze rose nearly to the rough wooden ceiling. If she craned her neck up any more, she might fall backward.

Bear frowned. “What the hell?”

She cleared her throat. “Do you, ah, do you mind?” Her hand swept out, even the small movement graceful.

“Mind what?” he snapped, glancing over his shoulder again. Trees and silence met his gaze. Thunder ripped above, and an angry autumn rain began to slap the ground. Summer had given up the fight, and the oncoming winter scented the breeze. He stepped inside the cabin.

She backed up so quickly her butt hit the ancient stove, and she gave a startled eep. “Please, Mr. McDunphy.”

What in the world was wrong with the woman? “Please, what?” Was this some kind of trap?

“Put some clothes on,” she said through pearly-white teeth.

He started and looked down at his naked body. “Oh.” Clothes were such a damn annoyance. “Uh, okay.” A small dresser sat by the bed, on the north wall. He moved past the raggedy sofa and modest fireplace to yank out a pair of faded jeans. He struggled into them, wincing as he engaged the zipper.

Life was so much easier as a bear.

About the author:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner - only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes contemporary romances, dark paranormal romances, and romantic suspense novels.

Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day—or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.

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Back to the Drawing Board

NaomiCakes – my blog – has been a labour of love for the past number of years that’s never really reached its full potential. I started my blog in 2012 as “Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice” on Blogger with the hope of making something great out of it. Or at least, with the hope of creating a springboard for greatness. Today, I’ve decided to resurrect it on WordPress, with the hope of reviving a sleeping dream, and making old hopes come alive again.

You see, it’s been my dream for a lot of years now to write a cookbook, sharing some practical, how-to recipes for people like myself: People who love all things kitchen, but are still learning some of the ins and outs of what it means to be a great chef at home. My aim was to first bless you with whatever I could come up with on my blog, while working to improve my skills, and (hopefully) gain a little following on the internet… After all, it would be depressing (I thought) to publish a book that no one knew about or cared to buy.

So, 4 years later, here I am: back at the beginning again, with a dream, a camera, and a lot of old content. My plan is to re-invent and re-post my old work onto this new site, with of course, the hope of bringing in some new content in between.

I’m committed to some time in Germany this coming fall and into next spring – So while the “New” stuff will be slow in coming (I won’t be able to blog much over there), perhaps you can follow my adventures on Instagram, and by the time I come back I’ll be back in the kitchen again, dreaming, baking, and trying to be your friend. 😉

I hope you’ll visit often and enjoy my re-posts of old joys. May these recipes and their silly comments bring you smiles; and please, consider yourself invited to stay with me as I reach for the stars and try to make this whole book thing happen… I’d love to say you were there from the start.

I’ll be around!

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text:
Wow. Where did the time go?

So things have changed for me and my family. But first I would like to apologize for the months of radio silence. I didn’t intend on it, but it happened.

You see, we have moved. Down south, on an island. Near the ocean. My family and I have moved from the cold north of central BC to Vancouver Island. To Nanaimo to be exact. Why you may ask?

Blame my wife. She applied and got accepted into VIU and is now a university student. Her instagram account and her wonderful art can be seen at the link below.

My kids are going to elementary school. Here is a pick of them on picture day. I have to get them ready all by myself. That was the best that I could do…

Me, I am still writing. I am currently prepping for NaNoWriMo this year. If you are doing it, add me as a buddy. My name is N A Pedde. Just mention that you saw my blog.

Here is another pic. This one is my book board.

Book Board.jpg

Each card is a novel or novella or a short story that I am working on. Each column is the different series that I am working on. The line on the right are all of my story ideas.

There you go. In a nutshell. Well, not really. There is more to tell. But that will have to wait on a future blog post.

Hopefully it won’t be as long as this one was.

Until next time.

New ideas.

So I hate my brain. In the dark, cold recesses of the night. When I should be doing something important like sleeping, my brain is at work.

Some people think about work, or the money troubles that we all seem to be in. But for me, I am thinking about a story idea. Not an old story idea, but it is usually a new story idea.

This time, I thought of a new story centered around the idea of writing a story in the early bronze age.

That was the catalyst of the story. I have talked more about that concept in previous blog posts.

So, then I created a character. Arn. He is a 16 year old son of a tribal Chief. His tribe has been enslaved and killed at the beginning of the story. He is the last of his people and now he must find some way to move forward when all he feels is despair and anger.

The world is a land of mythical beasts, God’s demon’s and demi-gods. They all walk on the earth and meddle in the affairs of the puny mortal humans.

I have created a mythos of the gods. I have created a break down on the land and the different peoples. Magic has been created. I have written the first chapter.

The worst part is that I am excited to write this story. My mind is plotting out the story even now as I type this. I want to write it and get in onto paper.

But I have so many different projects to do.

Why brain? Why!

A short one today.

Until next time.

Futurism: Part Two

In part one, I talked about how the first colonists got off of the Earth and some of the reason’s behind it. In this post, I am going to talk about more specifics on how a corporation could make money sending people to space.

The first question the inevitably comes up is the extraordinary cost of getting anything into space. I’ll leave the politics out, but that basics of it is that it will cost approximately $10,000 per kg to send anything into Low Earth Orbit and approximately $30,000 per kg to send anything into Geosynchronous Orbit. Please note that LEO is anything around 160km to 2000km above the surface of the earth, while Geosynchronous Orbit is 35,786km above the surface of the earth. That means that it currently costs $75,000 to send an average human into LEO and 2.25 million to send one to Geosynchronous Orbit.

That price tag is huge. Impossibly huge. It is a huge barrier to human space exploration that it is what is holding everything back. It is not the risks to humans or the technologies that have to be devolved in order to make it work. It is money alone that is the barrier to space exploration and if anyone says otherwise, they are lying.

The biggest part of the cost to space exploration is the insane amount of fuel and material that it takes to get the cargo out of the gravity well of earth. The cost of moving cargo around the solar system is far cheaper. I am sure that you noticed the difference of moving cargo to Geosynchronous is only three times the cost for 17 times the distance.

A company can make a huge amount of profit by mining ice asteroids and providing the clean drinking water to the ISS. And that is only the tip of the iceberg for the amount of opportunities out there.

There are asteroids out there that are comprised of a large amount of rare earth metals. These metals are what make computers and modern life possible. But they are called rare earth metals because they are rare on earth. Out in space, however, they are not as rare as they are on earth. There is a nearby asteroid that has more platinum on it that has been mined from the earth since we knew of its existence.

That can be done by robots up to a point. At some point it becomes essential for humans to go and live in space. Only certain experiments can be done in a micro gravity and then there is the entire question of the asteroid of death issue that a multi-planet species will fix.

Once they get to space, human’s have a wide range of different needs that will need industries to meet. The best way to do that is to produce those goods in space. Where they don’t have to pay for the goods to be shipped out of the earth’s gravity well.

That means that the best way to develop long term space colony’s before we are able to build a space elevator is to cut the earth out of the equation for as many things as possible. No high prices of goods from Earth brings down the cost of living in space.

In my fictional world, that is what the corporations fight for and get. The ability to go space and the ability to ship materials back to Earth and to expect to make a profit of goods and services.

These corporations start by mining asteroids and building space stations in space. The develop Mars as a Space Colony and it is the private industry moving forward that prompts NASA to send a space mission cause heaven forbid a private industry getting to space before NASA.

That brings up a rather large amount of different issues as well, which will be talked about in a later blog post. Most of which aren’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things as the the story takes place in 2500 CE and not 2025 CE.

The story world changes from the time of the first explorers and settlers to the time of Des and the Jovian Empire. Just look at how life was like at 1525 CE to now in 2017 CE.

Next time I will go into more detail on what I think that brief history of what happens to each of the planets. Well, maybe one planet. We’ll see how it goes.

Rambling: Encouraging others to write.

In many ways I am an enabler. I enjoy having others find enjoyment in things that I find enjoyment in. That I have passion in. I enjoy it so much that I don’t shut up about it.

I have been criticized for obsessing about my passions and my interests.

Is that criticism justified? Warranted?

I know that I obsess over things. It is how I am able to write about my books. Fix my house. Go to work or get out of bed. By obsessing over things, I am able to focus on something long enough to see results in that avenue.

Even if I wish that I can hit the snooze button again and go back to sleep.

My obsessions is what gets me into trouble and out of trouble. (Like watching 18 hours of a game on Let’s play and then buying it for way too much money.) I obsess with keeping a roof over my kids heads, which makes me go to work and take Overtime hours. I obsess with my half completed house renovation so that I can keep getting things done in it. Maybe one day I will finish it. I also obsess about my writing.

My writing is my passion in life. They say follow your passion and this is it.

Writing novels, writing for my kids, writing for the complete stranger so he gets a kick out of my work. Every day I spend most of the hours thinking about some story. How to fix it, how to make it better, where to go with it. Or a new story idea that will distract me from my current work in progresses.

At the beginning, I said that I am an enabler.

What does that mean? Most people think of it as a bad thing. That I am a bad guy for encouraging someone to do something. And it can be. If I was a drug addict or a drunk.

But I am not. I cannot afford to do those things. I am a writer after all…

I enable people to follow there passions. Follow there enjoyments even if it is just as a hobby and part-time. Even if they only dabble and are not serious about completing it. I do, however, mainly encourage people to write books. Read above about my obsession.

And you may ask why? Why enable people to write books?

The answer to that question is selfish. I do it cause it is lonely over here in writing land by myself. Writing is considered a solitary affair. You sit in a room by yourself writing about make-believe people in make-believe lands doing impossible and crazy things. With no one to talk to but the people in your head…

I just realized how crazy that makes me sound…

Anyways, writing is mostly solitary. But there are times when a writer must talk to other people. Other writers. It gives encouragement and it can make you responsible for getting the work done. (Like trying to explain why your word count hasn’t moved in two weeks, but look at what you have done in that game you play.) It also helps you grow as a writer as you can learn from other people. Learn from there failures as well as there successes.

I encourage people to write as there is a lack of a strong writing community where I live and the only writers that I talk is through a Facebook group. Most are from the U.S. and I will probably never meet in person. I hope that by encouraging people to write that I can build a small writing community of my own.

Or I am a crazy obsessive compulsive who can’t stop shutting up about my make-believe characters in my make-believe world who all live in my head. You decide.

The Horror! The Torture! The College Students!

Well. It’s been a while since I talked to you all. Today I am going to talk to you about perspective and beginner writers.

There are many different people that will have there own opinion and knowledge on the subject. Many of whom are much smarter than I am and are much better writers as well.

But today I am going to give my opinion on the subject as I am an opinionated S.O.B. and I feel like standing on the soap box.

You see, yesterday I wrote the majority of this blog post in a tiny note book as I was being tortured by an unspeakable horror. I was taken captive by my wife to go to listen to her college creative writing class read portions of there ‘manuscripts’. (Please note that I did find about four of the story exerts enjoyable. My wife’s was included in that number.)

I use the term manuscript lightly.

In there defense, they are all mostly beginners and they don’t know any better. They don’t know about show, don’t tell (unless you want to). They don’t know about proper dialogue techniques. Or plotting methods to make a story easier to plot out. They don’t know about a lot of things that only experience gets you.

But all of that is okay. I can usually ignore those mistakes and enjoy the moment. I can usually try and turn off that critical part of my brain. To simply enjoy listening to these passionate new writers enjoy the beginnings of their journeys as writers. But I couldn’t. Not that night.

Which is why I wrote this blog post on a tiny note book at the back of the crowded room.

The reason for my lack of enjoyment was the fact that most of the writers wrote their pieces in First Person Perspective. Author after author did it. Like herpes, it spread to most of the class and wouldn’t go away.

So as I sat there, I wondered why did they do it? The first answer to jump into my mind was that it is a college setting and it is all ‘Literary’ fiction. And that theory is possible. But there was a fantasy novel and a historical one. There was a Horror and a couple comedies. Maybe the fact that colleges push the notion of ‘Literary’ fiction isn’t the case.

Maybe the teacher gave them permission and encouragement to do First Person? And that theory is also possible. The teacher is trying to get them to put pen to paper and if a student was going to write in first, who is he to stop him. She is writing, right? Right?

Or maybe the students were all lazy and thought that writing it in First Person was the easier way to go? They are college kids after all and most of them don’t have fine arts majors. This class was supposed to be an easy elective to break up the hardship of their major. A reprise.

My theory is that it is a mix between the second and the third theories. The teacher gave permission and encouragement. And the students were just being lazy. The students took what looked like the easy road.

But is First Person Perspective the easier way to go. Is it easier than Third Person Limited?

My opinion is no. It is not easier. It seems like it at first glance. Like that flat straight farming road. No turns or curves as far as the eye can see. But just beyond sight are dangers. by taking this road for it can quickly turn into a mud pit if you don’t tread carefully.

First Person is more restrictive than Third Person Limited.

In First Person you can’t see or hear anything outside of the range of your main character’s sight and hearing. If the main character can’t see it or hear it, they don’t know about it.

That leads to situations where it is impossible to move the plot forward. Or the plot moves forward but the writer has no way to tell the reader what is going on as the main character doesn’t know. It is also very hard to hide anything from the reader without coming off as cheating.

It is very hard to jump back and forth in time and forget about showing a different characters Point-of-View as writing a book with multiple First Person Point-of-View’s is not something anyone should try. Too many ‘I’s’ to keep track of. There is no ‘I’ in team.

In Third Person Limited, you are inside the Point-of-View of one specific character. You can hear the thoughts of that character when you want to. Or not as you see fit. You can’t, however, hear the thoughts of other characters around the Point-of-View character.

That is Third Person Omniscient and different than Third Person Limited. Also not apart of this blog post.

In Third Person Limited, you can run into similar problems as First Person. It is limited as the reader is only experiencing what the Point-of-View character experiences. He has no knowledge of what is happening on the other floor, etc. But with Third Person Limited, you can always jump into the Point-of-View of another character to let the reader know what was happening. If is easy to hide things from the reader without coming off as cheating.

Like First Person, you are still describing the setting, etc from the Point-of-View’s perspective. The intimacy that comes from a First Person Perspective story is still in a Third Person Limited, but just less of it and only at the authors discretion. However, with Third Person Limited a standard pitfall is the characterization coming off as hollow or only skin deep.

So does First Person have a time and place to be used?

Simple answer. It does.

On the other side of an airlock.

I have a dream. (Enter rest of song from Tangled here.)

Anyways. My 5 year goal consists of me making my living from writing novels and other creative pursuits. To do that I have a plan. And you have to have a plan. There is no way to get a to a goal other than to have a plan.

So what is my plan.

Well. Kinda.

It is to be able to write six novels a year. That means writing everyday. No stopping. No days off. No fun.

Kidding. Kinda. Days off are fine. As long as the work gets done. As long as the projects get completed and published.

The way to do that is to vary the length of the projects. I have ideas for longer works as well as shorter works. By varying lengths I am able to complete more publishable works than if  I did one long work. Writing a 500k word novel is good if your last name is Sanderson and have huge advances to keep fed.

Me, however, I don’t get huge advances. I don’t have the capability of writing those long works. I also feel that the market for indie books is not for the doorstops. The people that buy indie books want smaller fiction that costs less and that they are able to get through faster.

So that means pulling back the scope of the books from 150k novels to 70k novels and making two novels. I also want to write even shorter length works. I like writing my 6 yr old middle grade sci fi book.

What does this mean?

That means that I must be writing for half the year. I must be be editing novels for the other half of the year. I must be writing between 1ooo to 3000 words a day. This is assuming that my editing takes half the time. If I can get my editing time down that means that I can spread the writing out between other days.

How do you do that?

Cleaner first drafts. Do I mean less spelling mistakes? Kinda. I mean less developmental edits. I mean that I am going to have to do more outlining. I have to plan my stories. Plan the work better. Get the story right the first time.

But this is not an over night thing. It will take time to build up to that. It will take time to get the productivity up to a point where I am writing enough. I do, however, have planned projects to get me to that part.

That is 4 projects under development. The 4 projects is translated into multiple planned novels. I have one current stand alone being beta read. One trilogy with the first novel being edited. My middle grade has the first book out of six being edited. The last project is a pair of novels. I might change it to a trilogy by cutting the same length of book into three parts.

But I will have to figure out how to add a projected 50k words into the ‘first’ part of the project. My wife says that I need to take a page out of the TV version of game of thrones. Add more sex scenes. I am not sure if she is joking or not…

That means that if I get the current projects completed that I will have thirteen novels. If I can get that done it will be amazing.

But this brings up the question of the night. How can writing and publishing works regularly mean that I can eventually quit my day job and write novels for a job?

By writing and publishing work, on Amazon, builds up a library of work that people can buy. As more books are published, means that more people will see the books and buy the books. They may go back and buy other books in your library. People do that.

Well. I rambled enough. More later.

Nathan Pedde

So tonight I am going to talk about something completely different than normal. I am going to talk to you guys about keeping healthy while doing a sedentary job like writing a novel.

I spend my days sitting at a computer hacking away at work. Essentially I fly a desk. No field work for me. Which was how I kept in shape before I got out of field work.

I am 6 ft tall. According to the infamous Body Mass Index, I need to weigh in at 183 lbs. I normally weighed in on average 225lbs when I was in the field. It fluctuated wildly depending on what I was doing that week.

When I started flying desk at work I quickly went from the average 225lbs and then in two years I topped out at 275lbs. Ouch. Stretch marks and a big gut.

I started exercising and played around with my diet. But not much. I dropped to 269lbs in 4 months time. I eventually gave up and stopped going to the gym. My diet went back to what it was before.

So Feb. 1st of this year, my wife and I started what is called a Paleo Diet. Which, in a nut shell is cutting gluten, dairy, and additional sugar. We did it as a 28 day challenge.

That essentially means that we became vegetable loving carnivores for the month of February.

No sugar moved a lot of our staple foods out of our diet. Gluten did the same. Dairy was the easiest as I didn’t drink much milk before hand. I went a month without going to a fast food joint.

The results was amazing. I am now under 250lbs. Today I weighed in at 248 lbs. That is a change of 21lbs in a month. I look trimmer, have more energy than I did before. And I now drink my coffee black. That’s right. I have joined the crazy insane club of black coffee drinkers. A month of no sugar has essentially turned off my sweet tooth. I don’t crave pop or candy anymore. I may indulge one day, but it is one candy. I don’t pig out and drink an entire 2L of pop in a single sitting.

I added no exercise to my daily routine. The only thing that changed was my diet. That is it.

Am I a health professional? No. Far from it. This is just my experience. I got results. You may not. If you experience changes to your body as you write, you may have to make a lifestyle change. I did. I am happy for it.


text:
A maze.
The heat,
The jungle.

A maze.
Lost thoughts,
Lost memories.
Found sorrows,
Found memories.

A maze.
Lost, Lost,
And never seen.
My own:
This labyrinth of memories.
This hunger,
And a fear for evermore.

By a form, a shape,
A voice.
What are you?
Yes, you
Your color:
This pale melancholy
And these calls
Your white sounds
Of sorrow, of joy
Of a being.
My ruin, my future
Haunted now
Where are you?
You are nowhere
But a feeling.
What happens now?
Your presence,
Your breath
The spells
And your gravity
Your strentgh,
Your fragility.
What –
What are you?
Always you

When in Prague, visit Eska

Serendipity: some concept with an argument on reality. Yet, a fortunate set of circumstances made me believe in it for a moment. The time of a meal, the time to digest it, the time to travel through it.

When in Prague, and by accident in Karlin – the coming up neighborhood of the Czech Republic’s capital – and by chance hungry, and by some sort of crazy thought looking for a restaurant on Tripadvisor… Where “serendipity” is the title of a recent review of Eska.

Eska - Entrance

Lodged in a masterfully repurposed factory, high from its 6 months of age, the entrance shies away from view. Paradox: an outlet with a reimagined Flash logo, bright in red neon, and not a chance to stumble upon it by mistake.

Eska - Beef Tartar

The menu is as efficient as a group tour: 6 appetizers, 6 mains, 1 cheese and 2 desserts. Options are 5 or 8 courses tasting menu. All is inspired by what is available in the surroundings of Prague, with hints here and there of a chef who likes traveling and open wide his eyes and mouth. The bus driver takes you for a ride.

Eska - Chicken

He has a risk-taking attitude. Raw beef, chicken hearts, fermented cheese – not the obvious choices for a tasting menu and enough to put off the least adventurous.

Eska is not a restaurant, it’s a tour guide, it’s taking a bus through the countryside, through hills and fields, down a path made of soil, farms, grass. And they are all to be eaten.

Eska - Celeriac

Where can you go, travelling, and be inviting to eat the country itself – its hearts (chicken), its root (celeriac), its forest and pastures (mushrooms, garlic flowers, grass)?

Eska - Cheese

You cannot. Paradox: it’s in the renewed part of the city, the modern hotspot, that the old country is there to grasp.

As if you could bite the landscape through the train’s windows. I know I did.

Address: Pernerova 49, 186 00 Praha 8-Karlín, Czech Republic
Website: http://eska.ambi.cz/

Little World I

Little World is a series of photographs I take, which use Preiser characters at the Ho (1:87) scale. The “worlds” are other built with food and sometimes with other props.

The series is long due for expansion. Stay tuned for Little World II.

Today, my grandmother would have been 91. She passed at 85.

Mamie and I always had a strange relationship. Perhaps because of the distance – we lived over a thousand kilometers away. This was a time when the Internet was not quite simple enough for our elders to handle. Besides, she probably had never used a computer, even if those were widely available in the 90’s. We did not call much either, although I cannot really explain why. We would see each other according to my parents holiday’s schedule, which was directly linked to their bank account gauge turning green: not so often. Once grown up, I visited when I was passing nearby, only once I made an effort to take a very long detour to see my family in that area.

I valued the few times I had with her. I listened. When we were young, my sister and I would make a little fun of her Northern idioms and onomatopoeias. There was this man-mère that kept coming back. Textually, it is the Ch’Ti word for mother; literally, it means “My God” or “Holy Cow”. We liked her for these moments: the links to our roots and the folklore we knew nothing of.

She was the only person willing to talk about two important persons: my dad and his father (he passed in 1979, before I was born). Little stories of a teenager, of a husband – who would doubled up as the postman, of a family. Somehow no one else, certainly not my dad, spoke of those times. She had a sort of exclusive right to the family’s collective memory.

After her husband passed, things changed. Her children were adults, and she was nearly alone, living on a little allowance from the postal services. No easy times. She had eight grandchildren, of which I am the 5th. I like to think that her grandchildren made her proud too.

This picture is about to be 10 years old. I looked young and dumb then. She hated photographic flashes, in the same way that she hated only very few things: they passed and get ignored or forgotten. She has some grudges but new to overcome them. Somehow, on every picture I can find of her, she looks the same. As if her smooth cruising attitude to life and her forged ideas about the world had made a physical imprint on her.

She comes from a time of faith – Christian faith that is, of loyalty, including to her late husband, of principles and values, of introspection. She would not miss a weekly visit to the cemetery, and the traditional Toussaint.

Now in a time of stress, of lack of faith – in the world, in the future, if not in a God – a time also of constant anticipation, I can look back; see her in my memories. In many ways, she gives me strength.

Memories and a few pictures are not the only things I have to help me remembering her. There are the mugs, and they have their little stories. One of those things that as a kid seems odd or awkward. We made fun of these mugs, but when we visited her apartment, this was the one thing I asked the family if I could keep. There are memories in those two mugs. There is a little of her in them. They are well over 30 years old now, still being used, the prints still in good shape (she did not use a dishwasher – our mom had the same mugs, the prints passed out long before their 30th anniversary).

There are the mugs, and they have their little stories. One of those things that as a kid seems odd or awkward. We made fun of these mugs, but when we visited her apartment, all of us together, after her funeral, this was the one thing I asked the family if I could keep. There are memories in those two mugs. There is a little of her in them. They are well over 30 years old now, still being used, the prints still in good shape (she did not use a dishwasher – our mom had the same mugs, the prints passed out long before their 30th anniversary). Somehow it seems right that the company that made them is still around.

It took my grandmother’s passing for me to realize the force she was for the family, for me and for my future. It is strange to think that we need our ancestors to think better about our future. Strange, but reassuring. It took her to go, and a few years of insouciance, for me to stop being stupid. And now it feels egoistic.

I am very fond of my grandparents. They all passed now. There are the memories, and there are the regrets of not having built more of these memories, stories, anecdotes, all those little things that make me, in parts, who I am and where I am headed.

No matter the years I got since that picture, the kilos gained and the extra hair, no matter how much I change, grow, do or not do from here, one thing will remain:

Mamie, I miss you.

Frites Central (Restaurant Review Series)

New to the Restaurant Reviews Series? Have a look at the ReReM first.

What: Belgian
Where: 1/F The Wellington, Wellington St, Central, Hong Kong
Verdict: 10/20
Damages: HK$ 520.– per pax (mains and desserts as described below, 1 glass of wine).

Would I go back? While there is a lot to like about Frites’ ambiance and concept, the plates tend to leave an after-taste of missed opportunities. I might go back to it to catch up with friends and have Western mussels (not so evident to find in HK), but I would not make the trip solely for the food.

Visited & Reviewed: December 2015

I first met with Frites in 2010, when they still had the restaurant in Central near Crawford House (H&M at the time, now Zara) and at which a life-size plastic Trappist monk welcomed the dinners. Then there was (and still is) the Quarry Bay outlet. Now, Frites has four restaurants: in Quarry Bay as mentioned, in Wan Chai, the latest in Causeway Bay and in Central/Sheung Wan – the subject of this review.

Frites Central – Picture from the restaurant official website

Our order was: a 1/2 kg serving of Frites House Mussels, the duck à l’orange, finishing off with a Bailey’s Crème Brulée and a waffle.

The mussels were nice, cooked through and the sauce – a little bitter – called for saucing it with the (provided) garlic bread. Some of them molluscs were not cleaned enough or selected well, giving a taste and texture of sand from time to time. The Frites, after all, the eponym dish of the place, were good and served with homemade mayo. Each table had a little basket/cart with a choice of sauces: ketchup, Worcestershire, mustards, tabasco, etc.

The duck was confit overcooked and not crispy. The piece itself is certainly good duck, adding minutes to the cook does not help and made the meat chewy. The orange sauce was sweet and well done but its over-presence made the skin soaked and not so enjoyable. The dish remained edible and was not sent back.

Desserts were announced to take a little time, probably owing to the waffle being prepared on demand. Which is sort of disappointing because the waffle was spongy and warmish instead of crispy and hot as a Belgian waffle should be.

Throughout our meal the service was ok, nothing too bad worth mentioning. Re-orders of drinks were offered.

Frites failed to send me away to Belgium for the duration of the meal by un-exciting my taste buds. It remains a valuable option for gatherings and catch-up with friends owing to its ambiance. But not for the food and not at that price point.

New Year, New Napo

Today is the first year of the Lunar New Year. Gone with the Goat and in with the Monkey. The Fire Monkey, that is. Gone with the old and in with the new.

In many Asian countries, the Lunar New Year is seen as a fresh start, a new beginning. In very pragmatic fashion, this leads many to cleaning their home, decluttering, buying new clothes, getting flowers, etc.

Later this year, it will be 10 years that I live in Asia, and I cannot help but to take on some of the traditions on my own. Thus arrives a new Napo: the design of the blog has changed, the address is no longer on WordPress – yet WordPress still powers the whole site, and I am posting stuff with words again!

Stay tuned, and Happy New Year of the Monkey to everyone!

merriment gaiety, fun, or mirth

This is a little fun word that I found in this Aeon article. Obviously it comes from the word merry which (less transparently) itself derives from agreeable.

Why fun? Perhaps because it is not so used, it is passé (according to Google Ngram, it is 5 times less common than early 19th Century) and there is an attraction for things of the past, even words.

So let’s add some merriment in our lives, some well-deserve joy and gaiety, and if we can, a little frivolity – another of these words from the past.

Many of us were shocked by the terrorists attacks on Paris a few days ago.

Reading an article in a French publication (this one), I then realized that this word does not deserve more than 3 words in the French dictionary (here), and is non-existent in English. Why not adding it in good form to the English dictionary, this global language, so that future generation, can associate positive things with the word?

bataclan n 1 a place for freedom, liberty and enjoyment, exempt from censorship. Associated with youth. Concert hall, theater. 2 a large assortment of unexpected objects, also: bits and pieces, bric-a-brac, bits and bobs, miscellanea.

Etymology: from contemporary French bataclan: ‘grand attirail insolite’ – odds and ends.

The Collins website has a “submit a word”, and with your help, we can refine the definition proposed above and I shall submit it.

pain n the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc 2 emotional suffering of mental distress on pain of: subject to the penalty of pain in the neck, or (taboo) pain in the arse (informal) a person or thing that is a nuisance

v (transitive) 5 to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc(informal) to annoy; irritate

Etymology: C13: from Old French peine, from Latin poena punishment, grief, from Greek poinē penalty

When the notion of pain comes to my mind and I seriously think about it, I cannot help to wonder if the source of our humanity does not always link back to what aches us; further, pain is perhaps the most direct way to express what is it to being human. Under this interpretation, I propose a new definition of the sensation – the feeling, the expectation, the exaltation perhaps – of pain; reaching further than the Collins’ definition transcribed above.

Are we special because we can feel and interpret pain?
Are we special because we can feel and interpret pain?

Since mankind has taught itself the art of drawing and writing, we have hints and indications that pain was already a central issue for our ancestors – and I argue it continues up to modern days. Ancient Greeks created tragedies to record and replay painful moments. They also pioneered the emergence of great thinkers, who quickly moved away from questions of cosmogony (how the world as we know it was created) to asking this question about our humanity: what makes us different from the animal world? Although sentience and intelligence are what physiologically place humans on top of the food chain, these attributes must be used, else we would be intelligent primates and probably be living up on trees.

I mentioned the Ancient Greeks and their theatrical tragedies, a way of introducing the idea that the arts originate in the notion of pain, of its interpretations by audiences or its impacts on people’s (character’s) lives. But isn’t this equally true of religions? From the ‘old’ religions (in Ancient Egypt, the pre-Christian Roman Empire, paganism, etc.) to the religions of the holy ‘books’, the concept of salvation and of a godly judgement directly emerge from the idea of dealing with the pain encountered during our earthly existences. And what to say of Buddhism, which founding teachings revolve almost entirely on the notions of pain and suffering, and how to deal with these?

Therefore I wonder, is life is a miracle (in the pragmatic sense) as we intelligently walk the Earth, or is life such that elevating (exalting) ourselves above any pain the only true miracle?

MACM – Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins

Perhaps the motto of the MACM should say something about quality over size.

Niched in Mougins, a few minutes drive from the French Riviera town of Cannes, in itself a rather small village, the museum does not impress by its volume or square-footage. Instead, it inhabits a large house, and collection are presented on 3 levels.

The main attractions at the MACM are the classic collections and the bridges built with modern art from and to the classic era. In practice, this means that Roman Emperors busts can be acting in the same way as a modern day drawing of the same emperor.

Across the rooms of the museum, these connections are set in motion to provoke a discussion and link us to our past. Here with a Picasso print, there with a Yves Klein sculpture, we are told that art builds on the shoulders of previous artists, in the way usually attributed to scientists. IMG_2982

The discussion continues with a number of conferences the MACM organizes, with archaeologists and collectors initiating a lecture or a debate.

The MACM also owns a large collection of Roman and Greek eras war artifacts: shields, swords and the like. But its impressive display of warrior’s helmets steal the show on the floor and are given an excellent place, where the visitor is placed face-to-helmet. A great way to stimulate the imagination, perhaps even more than the relations to newer objects presented along these.IMG_5210

Other troves are pro-eminent fertility ‘stones’, mosaics, everyday life objects and coins.IMG_5211

Read more about the coin collection here.

Lastly, you can get the very well made book/catalogue of the museum (from which the above pages are excerpts) on Amazon or by paying a visit to the museum.

Luxury Toys: Classic Cars

CoverEditor teNeues knows a thing or two about coffee table books, and the series ‘Luxury Toys’ never fails to trigger dreams and object-lust.

One such book was on the coffee table of a place I recently stayed at. It is difficult to resist browsing, even if one is not an aficionado of the subjects. In this case, classic cars. I would love to have a classic car: a Mercedes-Benz coupé from the 60’s or the 70’s – but by no measure I am fond enough of these to become a geek about it.

Through its pages, the ‘Classic Cars’ book explores a variety models: sports cars, limousine, racing machines, etc. –with a strong emphasis on Italian manufacturers. Models are given the spotlight, very little text and large pictures, often spread over 2 or 3 double pages.

Intermittently, essays try to transcribe on paper what it is like to be a collector or a driver of such machines. While of quality, the casual browser seating on the long side of a coffee table will continue to do one thing: marvel at the pictures.

And one day, maybe…

Get a copy here.

Chez Patrick Deli (Restaurant Reviews Series)

New to the Restaurant Reviews Series? Have a look at the ReReM first.

What: French Café & Déli
Where: 3 Star Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Verdict: 13/20
Damages: HK$ 624.– for two pax (2 entrées, 1 main course, 2 soft drink and a large mineral water)

Would I go back? Definitely. It’s good food and good service, it’s casual but respectful of diners’ time. Perhaps a little pricey for dishes on the menus that are standards and not overly creative.

Visited & Reviewed: September 2015

One can describe Star Street in Wan Chai and its neighbor alleys and dead ends as the upmarket cousin of Sai Ying Pun: out with the vegan-cum-hipsters cookeries and artisans, in with top of the range furniture shops, a L’occitane Spa, super-hip fragrances store Le Labo and the Odd One Out gallery; the whole with something of a boutiquey feeling. Which of course comes with its lot of eateries of all sort: italian café, spanish restaurant, the odd Pizza Express, etc.

Among them is Chez Patrick Déli, one of the several venues in HK under the Patrick label. The Star Street Déli is more casual and approachable than its older brother in Sheung Wan. Designed to create a market food court feeling, the first sight being offered to diners is the long presentation of cheeses behind glass, all available for purchase, like any delicatessen (hence the name). The decorum is further enhanced by a very large – and tall! – array of shelves which serve as wine cellar. There are no doubts you are in French territory.

The menu would achieve to convince anyone who doubts of the French presence, with mussels, duck confit, foie gras and of course, cheese platters. We opted for an asparagus salad and a chef’s salad for starters, followed by a duck confit to share. Drinks chosen were as casual as possible: an Orangina and a Bitter Lime Soda. To our defence, the following day was an early workday.

Chez Patrick Deli 2

While the asparagus salad (above) was sophisticated, very fresh and tiny, the chef’s salad (below) was on the heavy side, lacked substance and is just a patchwork of good ingredients. While some of the tastes were match, this salad lacks a lot of cohesion – hence the patchwork.

Chez Patrick Deli 1

An invader made his way to the salad: there was a hair in it, and it was very obvious that it did not come from either of the diners. We pointed it to our waitress, who promptly reacted. Although she suddenly had a surprised face, she promptly took the plate away, apologizing. I felt she was sincere. A few minutes later she presented us with another plate, and a possible explication for the invader’s presence. All the way it was professionally dealt with.

In typical French fashion, the starters arrived at the same time, and only once cleared, the main course arrived. Good and right rhythm. The duck confit was excellent: cooked through, crispy skin, a sauce well done. The accompanying potatoes were excellent.

Chez Patrick Deli 2b

While we had not ordered it, we were each offered a dessert, an apology token for the hair found in the salad. It was a good dessert: a chocolate mousse topped with a (thick) whipped cream, it seemed homemade and felt fresh. The presentation is nice, in Le Parfait pots, but not really convenient.

We appreciate the gesture, even more so since we had not shown any sign of nervousness about the hair.

Chez Patrick Deli 3

Upon departure, (presumably) the manager greet us and engaged in conversation with us, he was nice and genuine, in line with the overall impression of confidence in what the food service is.

Việt (Restaurant Reviews Series)

New to the Restaurant Reviews Series? Have a look at the ReReM first.

What: Casual Vietnamese
Where: , Hong Kong (map below)
Verdict: 11/20
Damages: HK$ 120 + Service Charge for one person – set lunch one starter and one main course, plus optional drink.

Would I go back? Maybe. This is a difficult one. I know a fair bit of Vietnamese food and while Việt ticks all the ingredients points, there is still work to recreate what a bún or a phở really is, but perhaps that’s not the point. Extra point for the price. Because of the service, there are a few of points lost on service.

Visited & Reviewed: September 2015

Viet's Lunch Menu

The starter was rice paper rolls, 3 pieces per serving. They were nicely made and I can bet the rice paper is Made in Vietnam, however without a lot of sauce they were lacking taste.

The main course however could be described as ‘over tasty’. This may sound a little weird. Vietnamese food is generally very flavourful and scented, rarely one ingredients takes over the entire dish. The rice vermicelli with caramelized pork was good if you like pork. Its sweetness placed a lot of imbalance into a dish that is commonly mixed up altogether and topped with fish sauce and herbs. Here the pork took over the whole thing.

Throughout the meal, the waiting staff was rushing us out, not explicitly of course but expect to get the bill at the very moment you rest your chopsticks after the last bite in your plate. Sure enough there is a queue at the front and the restaurant needs to make money, and rents are high. Feeling rush and pushed out does not make me want to go back, so the investment in time-saving practices may not pay off.

Linguini Fini (Restaurant Reviews Series)

New to the Restaurant Reviews Series? Have a look at the ReReM first.

What: Italian – Homemade Pasta & Pizza
Where: 49, Elgin St, Central, Hong Kong (map below)
Verdict: 12/20
Damages: HK$ 690.– for two pax (antipasti and pizza as described, 1 beer, 1 cocktail). All prices on the menu include the service charge.

Would I go back? Sure, why not: Liguini Fini is casual, easy, its patchy service is made up for by massive and well-made pizzas. People smile and everyone’s happy with an 18-incher. While I was not transported into a surreal emotional state of mind brought forth by the flavours, all was good and well and pairings of dish was easy because well-balanced.

Visited & Reviewed: September 2015

Linguini Fini is making history (sic): the first of a hopefully long series of restaurant reviews on my little website. No pictures in this review, future reviews may or may not feature any.

The restaurant enjoys a great location, and a sort of reputation on its own. First, it is sitting right in front of your feet when you start believing you are done with the world’s longest (really?) escalator – second, a number of friends mentioned it to me recently. 1.5 good reasons to check it out.

Liguini Fini Location

It was a Thursday evening, no reservations, we walked in at about 8pm and were promptly delivered to a rather good table. Drinks ordered (a cocktail and a beer). Beer came first, then came two glasses and a bottle of still water.

We ordered 2 antipasti and 1 pizza, the first of which –a Caprese salad – arrived faster than a TaoBao delivery. Decent, easy to share, correct tomatoes which is nice and a good serving of basile, also nice. A little extra olive oil, perhaps on the side? There are extra virgin fanatics out there who have to fulfill their needs (yes, we are still talking about oil…)

Buddy: “Would you have some salt and pepper please?”
Waiter: “Sure, here it is” (delivering at the instant the pepper mill)
Buddy: “Thanks, could I also have salt?”
Waiter: “Hold on, I’ll find one.”
(delivered within a minute)

Then came the cocktail, and wait – where’s that bottle of water now? Someone sneaked it away to make room for the HUGE pizza. 18” worth of dough, cheese, tomato sauce, meatball, etc. Meet the “Bronx”, announced for 30 minutes of foreplay before consumption, delivered in 14. Later the waitress would nicely comment that the oven is not very busy tonight so they could make it a little prompter than announced.

The pizza was really good. With so much meat on it I had anticipated that it will be super salty. It turned out to be well balanced. Dough was thin enough and tasty, especially these slightly burned crusts that everyone seems to love. Tomato sauce was of quality and although the meat was overcooked, the sauce got the balance in check again. Really nothing wrong with that pizza; yet, nothing transcending either.

Buddy: (referring to the second antipasti) “Where’s my sausage?”
Me: “Let’s see, they might have forgot it.”
Buddy: “Yeah, someone did that before.”
Me: “We’re not talking about the same sausage I hope.”

Count 4 minutes and 6 slices of a giant pizza later, then here comes the homemade spicy sausage. And spicy it was, which I love but that may not be for everyone, the menu was not very clear on the spiciness level (in fairness it does say ‘spicy’) so watch out for it if you are sensitive. Either way, it came on a nice serving of fried bell peppers – which levelled the spiciness – and was cooked through, consistent and tasty.

A word on the cocktail: it was well prepared. The beer hardly needs a mention and there was no complaints there.

Apartamento #14

A few quotes found in volume 14 – Autumn/Winter 2014-15 – of the magazine Apartamento (available via the official website).

I always want to live elsewhere, wherever I am, it’s like a sickness. I’m always missing a country that doesn’t exist, and every night, I dream of exotic cities invaded by the jungle, of endless towers, and of the ruins of the future.

– Interview with Koudlam, page 88

‘You have to be sensitive to everything around you. You have to be sensitive to the sun, to the light, to the shadows, to the water, the wind. Today, we are ignore these elements, we are inhuman, we violate nature. This worries me…’

– Quoted by designer Michael Anastassiades in his text on Cypriot architect Neoptolemos Michaelides, page 136

Lastly, from a short autobiographic essay from Kenneth Perdigón:

I’m attracted to city life and and civilisation, and I understand the vision of contemporary life. But after all this time, I have begun to miss nature: its values, its laws, the outdoors, the stars, and the sea. It would be great to be able to combine both worlds.

– Kenneth Perdigón, page 270

Food for thought.

Curtis Harding’s Soul Power

Perhaps this is not novel, because he is not novel, plus Napo’s long tradition of delaying things, this post arrives a little later than it should have. But perhaps you do not know of Curtis Harding, whose album ‘Soul Power’ loops again and again in my ears.

Strong of very serious accolades (YSL produced a video – here – as part of its ‘Saint Laurent Music Project‘ and Jack White picked him as an opening act this summer), a peerless combination of voice and groove in today’s dull musical landscape, he is making waves and relentlessly tours the gospel – his gospel.

Made of soul and funk, of warmth and controlled frenesy, tunes such as ‘Freedom’ or ‘Heaven’s on the Other Side’ send us back to the 70’s. He may have described his style as sloppin’ soul he is nonetheless paying high respect to his elders.

This is his most likable feature: while original in sound and character, Curtis Harding is also a worthy heir to these days, when the blues and soul were king and queen, an era we look back to with admiration.

Bonus link: an acoustic version of ‘Castaway’ found on a French blog.

A saber toothed tiger skull, cenozoic era

The web is full of weird stuff and weirdos. In this way the Web just merely reflects humanity. Quirks and foibles are just more visible and more public online.

I am an advocate of our imperfections. Perhaps an extension of this semi-militant perception of what we ought to be doing, against common currents, leads me to maintain a level of curiosity for curiosités.

And so it happens is my curiosity is further picked when Sotheby’s announced a sale for a whole cabinet of curiosités. Among them a XVIII AD crucifix, a rhino coral sculpture, this book of caricatured casino players, a piece of meteorite, or a cane sculpted in a narwhal’s tooth – yet Diego‘s skull stood out.

Unfortunately, it was not the clou of the sale, which honor goes to a full skeleton of fossilized dinosaurClou or not, with its estimate price of € 150,000 it found no acquirer.

Tiger Skull
Lot no. 75 at the 3/14 Sotheby’s “Curiosité: un regard moderne” sale

Diego’s skull is dated to be over 5 millions years old. This puts a few things in perspective. It appears to be one of the first animal species to be exterminated by mankind, when the tiger’s main prey aka the mammoth were also driven out of existence. The skull offered for sale has “two canine teeth well in place”.

The skull went to its new home at the hammer price of € 18,750 – one day perhaps…

More on the official page.

exalt v (transitive) to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc 2 to praise highly; glorify; extol 3 to stimulate the mind or imagination of; excite to increase the intensity of (a colour, etc) 5 to fill with joy or delight; elate 6 (obsolete) to lift up physically

Etymology: C15: from Latin exaltāre to raise, from altus high

I came to this word while researching sublimation. For my purpose, exalt is a much better fit. In sublimation I was looking for a word that express an idea like elevation: the feeling, aspiration or drive to reach high above the crowds. For example, some philosophers hold that for Plato, the objective of the soul, and its role in our lives, is to sublimate itself above the earthly needs and impulses of the bodies. I will not discuss the existence of the soul, of its possible roles, or anything related to it in this short text. Instead, I am openly wondering if a certain sense of exaltation is not something we all ought to aim for: an ethical idea.

First of all the definition itself. In condensing the above 6 definitions we can arrive at a lingo of exaltation: a willingful increase of psychological, social, physical, artistic status. The notion expressed thus potentially affect our identities in broad terms.

Second, consider the following conditional: if by seeking for exaltation in a wide range of domains – and what is more interconnected than layers upon layers of human psychology concepts? – we can place ourselves above the commons, then aren’t we obliged to aim for such exaltation? By aiming to transform ourselves into better persons, we actively participate in the betterment (sic) of humanity. This is assuming that being elated (happy), extolled (recognized), stimulated (engaged) is good for us and makes us better beings, but I imagine this is not as controversial as to require expansion.

Therefore – third and last – we can draw a natural link between our own exaltation and the ethical framework we want to elaborate for ourselves. A personal model of ethics can be based on a constant and unending drive to be better.

In my view of ethics, we are responsible for developing our own system of oughts and oughts not. By using an attempt to exalt ourselves, we are indeed aiming for a higher level of personal ethics. As I strongly link ethics with happiness, perhaps we have a way to reach a higher level of happiness by continually reach higher levels in society.

There is an association with the physicality of the human being. If exaltation has a physical dimension, then the view I develop is also tending towards hedonism. Although it is often seen with a critical eye, physical intensity that hedonism imply is arguably a good thing: a healthy mind in a healthy body. As therefore along with a responsibility to be striving for social and psychological, an ethical outlook should include a physical element. So much for Socrates.

This is of course a very raw and approximate view, it needs refining. This is also something I am more and more inclined to believe: our responsibility to improve in every area possible, and hence our responsibility to derive rightness and happiness from it.

Two Months

The last post on this blog is dated for the 6th April: update is due.

Simply stated, the last 2 months have been heavy, busy, hectic, a little wild, somehow out of control and genuinely enriching. As I recall: I quit my job, sent my cat abroad, passed some exams (this and that), played quite a few hours of pool, move out of my apartment, lived in hotels, traveled to Cheng Du (to post postcards), relocated to France, and tried camping (bivouacking). More significant, I got my hands on two “Siu” – the first makes beautiful noises (meet her here) while the second makes life beautiful (glimpse of her here).

I feel that I have the hang of it – it being my life – again now.

And so I am back.


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If you get caught filming police brutality in Chicago you are going to jail! More cities and states to follow.

An amendment to a Senate bill in Chicago (actually the whole state of Illinois) has been passed to ensure that recording police officers and government officials is now a felony. This law would have made the Rodney King video and Eric Garner videos illegal.

The US Department of Justice reports that an average of 400-500 innocent civilians are murdered by police every year.

The Amendment to Senate Bill 1342 was stealthily introduced on the back of an unrelated piece of legislation last week. It essentially reestablishes a completely unconstitutional eavesdropping law that was previously overturned by The Supreme Court in March for being too draconian.

The amendment has stripped away safeguards to free speech rights from the original legislation and instituted a blanket ban on recording officials in public. It was passed by both the Illinois House and the Senate, with huge majorities, within two days of its introduction.

A post at watchdog website IllinoisPolicy.org notes that the bill is designed to prevent people from documenting interactions with cops on their cell phones by making it a class 3 felony to “eavesdrop” on city and state officials including police officers, police, an attorney general, an assistant attorney general, a state’s attorney, an assistant state’s attorney or a judge.

The new amendment legislates its way around the ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’ standard in law by refraining from defining it, and merely states that recording any “oral communication between 2 or more persons” is now illegal.

A class 3 felony is punishable by a prison sentence of two to four years. The bill also outlines that it is now a class 4 felony to record a private citizen in such circumstances. The crime is punishable by one to three years in prison.

The vaguely worded legislation states:

(a) Eavesdropping, for a first offense, is a Class 4 felony (from Ch. 38, par. 14-4) and, for a second or subsequent offense, is a Class 3 felony.

(b) The eavesdropping of an oral conversation or an electronic communication of any
law enforcement officer, State’s Attorney, Assistant State’s Attorney, the Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, or a judge, while in the performance of his or her official duties, if not authorized by this Article or proper court order, is a Class 3 felony, and for a second or subsequent offenses, is a Class 2 felony

Jacob Huebert, Senior Attorney at Liberty Justice Center, notes “There’s only one apparent reason for imposing a higher penalty on people who record police in particular: to make people especially afraid to record police.”

3 thoughts on “If you get caught filming police brutality in Chicago you are going to jail! More cities and states to follow.

  1. Charles Ice says:

    This bill/law should be challenged. It is unconstitutional to deny a US citizen the freedom of speech or any public information. Police doing there job is a public event, that can be seen by any one who is near said occurrence. Therefore, should not be considered a violation of someone’s privacy. The Urban League, or other watchdog organisation should sue the state for this clearly unjust law.

  2. Terri says:

    Because it’s not a white man beating up a pregnant white women gutting her alive in the streets and running away from the Sean then they’d be looking hopefully finding a video camera may it be on a light pole or a cell phone !!!

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urban jewel

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Manhattan, New York City, surprised me. There was so much to do – Broadway, bright lights, billboards. But the greatest surprise was the urban gem that is Central Park: an underrated respite from the sheer hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.

On my last day in New York City, a crisp winter’s day, I sat on a park bench in Central Park by myself and watched ducks feeding and wading in a Pond not quite frozen over.

The heterogeneity of the urban environment (and of my experiences) intrigued me.

snow prints

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My first snow…

Snow-covered landscapes are one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in all my life (not that it excuses the cold though.)

It made me think about many things. (Assuming there’s a God,) Did God create beauty, or did God just give us the capability to see and appreciate beauty…in things that would otherwise be completely ordinary?

I’m just beginning to appreciate the unique kind of frigid beauty that only a frozen world has.


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Nearly Native Drinks: TailGate Beer

In a city that embraces all things locally sourced and supported, the demand for brewed beer direct from native (or nearly native) Nashvillians is growing. Judging by the number of breweries that have popped up in recent years, this is a city that can certainly sustain a beer culture that’s rich in new and innovative concoctions by brewers that love local as much as we all do.  A day well-spent sipping on beer flights and casually kicking back with friends is even more convenient at TailGate Brewery’s Taproom that’s now open at the Music Row roundabout just minutes away from downtown.

Although Tailgate opened it’s newly minted location just months ago, this brewery has actually been slinging beers in the Music City since 2014 at its original location off of Charlotte Avenue. While the original locale is much bigger, perfect for creating their 50+ small batch beer flavors, their spot on Music Row and Demonbreun features a familiar outdoor patio (once the home of the now closed Dan McGuinness and Harp & Fiddle) and open concept indoor layout is perfect for those Nashvillians who want to stay close to downtown. TailGate’s second location is perfect for starting your day with one of their many beers then wandering your way down the Demonbreun barstrip towards Broadway. It’s also just far enough away from the commotion of downtown that a casual Sunday Funday can be achieved without an overload of tourist traffic.

Unlike your typical brewery that focuses on a handful of key brews, TailGate focuses on creating new and different experimental flavors (2 per week!) for their patrons to test out. Of course, you’ll find a few safe options, like an Amber Lager or German Pilsner, but you’ll also have the chance to try flavors that strikingly embody their out-of-the-box descriptions. The Vanilla Coffee Porter tastes exactly like it says. Want a sour beer? I can speak from experience that the Sweet Tart Sour seems like it’s straight from the candy factory!

TailGate satisfies the traditional beer drinker, plus those that aren’t quite convinced that beer is best (shoutout to all you wine and liquor lovers). Not ready to commit to just one? Build your own flight instead! For beer lovers, game watchers, sweet cravers, coffee fiends, and even hungry drunks, (check out their yummy bar food-based menu!) TailGate manages to universally appeal to Nashvillians looking to get their brewery fix.

Check out their website on the Drink Like a Native page!

NOTE: Check their Facebook page for fun events. They’ve got everything from bluegrass nights to yoga to painting to movie screenings!

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I have some interesting stuff to say in this post. First, i got a new reader! But they have only left one comment then disappeared into thin air. Come bcak! I need more readers. So far i think i only have maybe five, six readers. That’s not many. So to everyone reading this…if you read this blog, please leave your comment! I would love some feedback from some new people sometime soon. Let me know how rubbish this is, how boring you found it or how amazingly amazing you think it is. And if you like this blog, check out my mates blogs; Phil and Katrina and Freya. They are in my list of followers and a lot of my comments…actually, the majority of comments…are from them. Thanks!

Second interesting thing…ANDY BIERSACK WORKING ON A SOLO PROJECT! I realize i can’t just leave it at that so i will go into a bit more detail for you lovely readers…:-D Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides is currently working on a solo project, in which he calls himself Andy Black. In his solo project he is going for a goth synth sound, sort of inspired by 80’s goth synth music such as Depeche Mode and Sisters of Mercy. He assures everyone that his main priority is definitely Black Veil Brides, and it obviously is, isn’t it?! Because the band are now in the studio working on BVB 4! He said it is a “total passion project”, and that he has been interested in making different sorts of music for a while. It would be very difficult for them to work that sort of synth sound into a Black Veil Brides album, because of the style, and as a fan of BVB i don’t know whether i would want to hear that in a BVB song. But i honestly can’t wait for when his first Andy Black song comes out! It will be out on the 26th of May, anyone will be able to download it free and it will be titled They Don’t Need To Understand

More news? There probably was but i cannot remember it. Hmmm. Oh! Maybe it was this…i found this awesome band (this bit is targeted at Phil, Kandy/Kat-Chan/Morticians Daughter and Freya-San/DJ Dave’s Biggest Fan…check out Heavens Basement! DO IT NOW! Bye x

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December 18, 2008 Following last week's look at some of the coolest gear you definitely won't find under the tree this year, here's a selection of our favorite items from 2008 that just might. From sleek TVs to home surveillance robots and self-tuning guitars, consider yourself lucky if you find yourself unwrapping one of the following items this holiday season... and if you're still looking for that elusive gift for the person who seems to have everything, there's always the cheeseburger in a can.

1. Sony's XEL-1 OLED Television It's only an 11-inch, but Sony's XEL-1 gets our vote as the slickest audio visual entry onto the market this year. The industry’s first Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television and the world’s first commercially available OLED screen, the XEL-1 is about 3 millimeters thin and offers picture quality with extremely high contrast (1,000,000:1 contrast ratio), outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, rapid response time and low-power consumption. The price - USD$2500.

2. The canned cheeseburger

What to get the adventure buff who already has all the gear? Try this. Swiss-based company Katadyn has produced the world’s first cheeseburger in a can. The high tech hamburger has been developed for trekkers and the non-traditional metal wrapping reflects the Trekking-Mahlzeiten company ethos that its speciality meals should be easy to prepare and require only water to do so - simply throw the can into a water container over a fire, give it a minute or two, fish it out, open the lid, and eat. With a shelf life of twelve months without requiring refrigeration, the lightweight snack is the ideal fast food treat for the wilderness.

3. The Nikon D90 – the first DSLR with HD video

In another big year for digital photography, many leading prosumer models made the leap into 20MP+ territory and some, like Nikon and Canon, added HD movie recording. Nikon's new D90 Digital SLR includes a movie shooting function that delivers quality HD 720p (1,280 x 720 pixels) video. Thanks to the large image sensor, D-Movie images exhibit less noise than those of a typical camcorder, most notably in low-light situations. This is a landmark camera and will be the first of many remarkable all-in-one imaging devices using quality lenses and technology suitable for both modes.

4. The music video game

This little juggernaut has continued throughout 2008 with a broadening appeal that extends beyond just would-be guitarists and levels of sophistication that are attracting the interest of even the most talented musos. We've recently reviewed two of the stalwarts - Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. Wii music arrived this year as did some high-end accessories. With interest in these games reportedly translating into more sales of real musical instruments, there could be hope for the future of popular music.

5. WowWee's Rovio

Have you every wondered exactly what your cat or dog gets up to when you’re not home? WowWee Robotics, the pioneering company behind Robosapien, has unveiled its new WiFi -enabled, remotely-controlled robotic webcam platform. Known as Rovio - the 3-wheeled telepresence allows you to interact with its environment, surveying the home or office remotely through streaming video and audio transmitted via the Internet to your cell phone, PC or video game console. Video is captured through a built-in camera and NorthStar smart navigation boosts the units ability to act autonomously. Rovio retails for USD$299.

6. TAG HEUER Night Vision eyeglasses for safer driving

Driving at night is far more dangerous than driving in daylight according to the statistics. That’s primarily because at night our pupils dilate, and we become short-sighted, though glare, halos, and reduced peripheral vision all contribute to ocular tiredness. TAG Heuer has released a set of ophthalmic Night Vision glasses specifically designed to correct dark-induced myopia, reduce glare, contrast the dark blue surroundings without changing colour perception and ultimately offer safer driving after dark. The US$400 night driving glasses were originally developed specifically for the Peugeot race team’s Le Mans 24 hour racing efforts, through TAG Heuer’s long involvement with motor racing, but they have now surfaced as a mainstream product with a very compelling feature set.

7. Build your own three-wheel 225MPG plug-in-Hybrid

Here's one for the dedicated back-yard mechanic. Arizona based Robert Q. Riley Enterprises has now released construction plans based on the completed prototype of its do-it-yourself, two-passenger, XR3 plug-in hybrid, a vehicle that's capable of up to 225 miles per gallon , has a top speed of 80 mph and acceleration comparable to a conventional small car. The USD$200 instructional package for the modular, three-wheeled sportscar includes printed drawings, electronic 3D virtual models, computer files that enable vendors to make parts plus a DVD that outlines the building of the car.

8. Go Solar: Solio portable solar charger

Solio's ruggedized Magnesium Edition builds on the features of the original (now branded Solio Classic) with greater output (8W), expanded compatibility, a higher-capacity lithium ion battery (3.7v, 1800mAh compared with 3.6v, 1600mAh) and a stronger magnesium alloy shell to cope with the rigors of the road. Retaining the same footprint and fan blade design as the original, the Magnesium Edition is compatible with the universal iGo Tip System and includes a female USB cable for iPod, digital cameras digital cameras and other compatible gadgetry. It can be charged in around 8-10 hours of direct sunlight or in approximately four hours via a wall outlet and can store energy for up to one year. The Magnesium Edition is priced around the USD$200 mark.

9. Laser-guided all-in-one helmet videocam

Online video sharing has absolutely exploded in the last few years – and the cresting wave of extreme sports we use to wrench ourselves out of the risk-free banality of modern life is showing no signs of slowing down. Helmet-cam technology provides a natural and easy means for the average rockclimber or motorcosser to record and distribute the action and excitement of their weekend – and latest-gen all-in one units like the VholdR push the state of the art further forward with MicroSD MicroSD memory, laser dot aiming and leveling, and nearly an hour's worth of 640x480, 30fps capture out of a tiny, featherweight, helmet-mount device.

10. Talk it up: the iPhone 3G

We can't round-out the list without mentioning one of the arrival of the iPhone 3G, the much anticipated new incarnation of the popular gadget which arrived in June, followed not long after by the arrival of the the first Android powered phone, the T-Mobile G1.

11. It's just so hard to stop at 10! Gibson's self tuning guitar

Gibson has recently become the first company to release a ready-made axe with the ability to adjust itself perfectly to a number of common tunings at the touch of a button. The Gibson Robot Guitar, which just received the NEWSTIPS "Best of Show" award at CES, also makes replacing strings and setting your intonation an absolute breeze. At US$2499, this intelligent Les Paul deserves to be a huge hit.

And of course there's many more clever and drool-worthy products that made the shortlist of things we'd love to see under our tree in 2008. Among those we can't resist mentioning are: the Sony Bravia ZX1, the Zuumer electric scooter, Wolverine's F2D film Scanner, Realtime video goggles for R/C planes, transparent speakers, EyeClops Night Vision Infrared stealth goggles, the Waboba Ball, Remington ShortCut Clipper and (sneaking one in for coffee nuts) the real coffee maker for camping.

If you feel that we've missed something huge that's on your wishlist - let us know about it in the comments section below. Or if you are still in need of some last minute gift ideas for the younger generation, our Childsplay section is worth a browse.

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Unfamiliar Again: Talk & Reception

September 6 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Join the Newcomb Art Museum in celebrating Unfamiliar Again: Contemporary Women Abstractionists. The evening will begin with a public discussion in the Freeman Auditorium between museum director Monica Ramirez-Montagut and exhibition artists Amy Ellingson, Anne Vieux, and Brittany Nelson. Sculptor Dee Briggs, whose Three Rings 6’ Diameter is currently installed in the Newcomb Pottery Garden in front of the Woldenberg Art Center, will also join the conversation.

A reception will immediately follow in the Woodward Way Breezeway.

Both events are free and open to the public.

The Newcomb Pottery Garden is dedicated in memory of Judith Henkin.

September 6
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Event Category:

Newcomb Art Museum
Woldenberg Art Center
New Orleans, LA 70118 United States
(504) 865-5328


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12th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival Schedule is online

Last Updated: December 5, 2015 11:59 pm GMT
(Los Angeles, California--December 5, 2015) 3-D SPACE is pleased to announce the dates for the 12th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival, to be held on Saturday December 12th and Sunday, December 13th, 2015, at the Downtown Independent Theater. The festival will showcase a selection of new international 3-D shorts in competition, 3-D feature films, special presentations, the 56th Hollywood International Exhibition of Stereo Photography. Top award winning entries will receive prizes and the coveted LA 3-D Movie Festival ‘Ro-Man’ trophies.

This year’s festival marks the 12th time that 3-D SPACE and the LA 3-D Club have brought the best new independent and rare historical 3-D motion pictures to audiences in Los Angeles. The group held their first competitive festival of 3-D short films in March 1997, and subsequent festivals were held over the next decade. The LA 3-D Movie Festival became an annual event in May 2009, when the 7th version of the fest found it’s home at the Downtown Independent theater. Throughout the year, the organization presents regular monthly curated 3-D screenings, presentations and events, culminating with the LA 3-D Movie Festival, now held every December.

Festival passes are available and the complete festival program is online. Individual tickets are also on sale. All festival events will be held at the Downtown Independent Theater, 251 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. Check the festival website for further information www.LA3DFest.com

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS 3-D SPACE: The Center For Stereoscopic Photography, Art, Cinema, and Education is intended to be a museum, gallery, theater, library and classroom dedicated to both the preservation of the history of stereoscopic imaging, and the advancement of current and future 3-D arts and sciences. www.3-DSPACE.org

The LA 3-D Club was established in the Greater Los Angeles area in 1955 by a dedicated group of 3-D stereo photographers to further the art and science of stereoscopic photography. For six decades members have been meeting monthly to share images created through stereoscopic photography, computer generated imagery, and film and video. For more info, visitwww.LA3DClub.com

Stereo Sisters is a point of convergence for Women who work, live & love in 3-D! Our focus is synergy among Women in 3-D via mentorship, education & community. We are directors, stereographers, editors, producers, writers, photographers, and artists – and we welcome all women who have a passion for exploring this new dimension of entertainment!www.StereoSisters.com

The 3-D Film Archive, LLC has been preserving our Stereoscopic Film Heritage since 1990, visit http://www.3dfilmarchive.com

ABOUT THE VENUE The Downtown Independent Theater is downtown Los Angeles’ premiere venue for screening independent film and video. The modern facility features 236 Stadium style seats including 16 reclining sofa seats, digital and 35mm projection, a lobby art gallery, and a rooftop reception space. The LA 3-D Club outfitted the theater with a dual projector, polarized 3-D projection system and silver screen, specifically for the screening of independent 3-D content. For more info, visit www.downtownindependent.com

The website for the 12th Annual LA 3-D Movie Festival has been updated with the schedule and event guide. Passes can also now be purchased:
see http://www.la3dfest.com/

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