lights of the a80

Where are you headed?

2012-01-25T18:06:00.001-08:00

Where are you headed?, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

A Shimmering Sunset

2012-01-13T10:55:00.001-08:00

A Shimmering Sunset, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

Had a rare photowalk with Jerry, my friend from high school. He's moved down to San Francisco so we don't meet up very often. Jerry is much more avid photographer than I am though and I learned lots from him during this walk.

Jenga

2012-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Not feeling the greatest today so I called in sick at work. On the plus side it gave me time to sleep half the day, do a little cleaning around the house and go through some older photos!

Jenga has always been one of my favorite games. The skill of a steady hand, a bit of guts, and a haunting dare for losing brings for some good times. +/- alcohol as needed of course ;)

Yokohama Tappenyaki

2012-01-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

I spent new years' afternoon with family at Yokohama Tappenyaki in Steveston village. The chef gave us a good show and threw shrimp in my mouth :). The price isn't the greatest but considering they're also one of the few places serving wagyu beef, you can see why. It's a good alternative to Kobe in Vancouver if you don't want to fight thru downtown for tappenyaki!

Gelato: a beautiful thing

2012-01-04T00:35:00.001-08:00

Gelato: a beautiful thing, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

I finally decided on a new background! Here's the full picture I took at Bella Gelateria, one of my favorite ice cream places to go with my better half :)

And Happy New Year!

Hopefully this coming year I'll have more regular posts coming up. I've missed taking lots of pictures but I have to admit, the loneliness and quiet in Nanaimo doesn't exactly help. Nevertheless! Pictures will come and I'll keep trying to expand my photography!

Sweet Girl

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

My co-worker's sweet little girl, Kaitlyn. She loves her mix of pineapple and grapefruit juice I poured for her =)

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T12:58:00.001-08:00

Happy holidays wherever you are! Hohoho from the Santa balloon!

Walk around Westwood Lake

2011-11-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

What could be more comfortable than relaxing by the lake with a cold can watching some ducks waddle by?

A look back

2011-11-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Catching up on some older pictures I took earlier this year from Nanaimo's Neck Point Park.

These were definitely warmer times! I do enjoy playing with my wide-angle lens here.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

No great pumpkin this year but who knows. Maybe I'll still be able to see one. Hope everyone has a great dress up day!

Foggy

2011-10-29T00:05:00.001-07:00

I was just heading home tonight after dropping my friend off and I noticed this lovely foggy scene across the street.

I don't know why, but I've always been a sucker for the wispy dogs rolling through the city. It gives everything a mysterious feeling...

iPhone4s

2011-10-18T20:18:00.001-07:00

So I've made the upgrade to a brand new phone and I'm quite impressed with the camera on this. Blackberrys, as great as they r for messaging, took revolting pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to take more fun pics and update my blog more often! (I also hated how BB did not hv blogger support).

Ciao for now!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my parents posing in front of the Long Beach by Tofino. I had taken them there just in July to show them life around Vancouver Island.A lot has happened in the last month and I'm really thankful for all the love ones I have to support our family. I have a greater sense of appreciation for everything my parents do wish there was more I could do for them.

And another thanks to that special girl in my life, Joanas. She's added so many great moments in my memories, I still wonder how I "caught" such a great girl. I cannot wait to come back from Nanaimo!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. =)

Basking in light

2011-08-23T23:33:00.001-07:00

Basking in light, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

Around the Camp Fire

2011-08-22T23:01:00.001-07:00

Around the Camp Fire, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

Just chilling around the camp fire in good ol' summer fashion.

Brioche

2011-08-19T00:21:00.001-07:00

Brioche, originally uploaded by allenmfwu.

My girlfriend and I love to visit Brunch places. Brioche was offering a groupon-esque deal via TeamTicket several months ago so we decided to try it. The food wasn't bad and it was all very fresh. They have sandwiches and omelettes available along with other delights from the bakery. There's a menu online but I found they had a much larger selection written on the chalkboard in the cafe! My favorite item we ordered was this London Fog though, just so delicious =)

Flowers at Bella Gelateria

2011-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I'm always impressed by the fresh flowers on each of the tables in Bella. It's just a wonderful finishing touch to the delicious Gelato we eat and the warm atmosphere the cafe has been able to portray. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone whether you like ice cream or not! (If any one can convert you non-ice creamers, James will)

And while I'm mentioning my favorite gelato cafe, James is the owner of Bella Gelateria. I see him in his shop every single time I visit. I've gone at noon, before supper, dessert... he's always there! It just shows his dedication to his customers and it shines through in the gelato he produces. (And his twitter account exposes exactly the monstrous hours he spends with his gelato XD) Bravo James, Bravo!

Stawamus Chief

2011-07-17T00:29:00.000-07:00

Stawamus Chief is a giant granite rock poking out of the Howe Sound area just north of West Vancouver. It's been an attraction for rock climbers, mountain bikers and hikers alike. I've been wanting to go for a couple years now and finally conquered this beast with a few good friends.

MAP: We started off from Shannon Falls parking lot, hiked to 3rd Peak of Stawamus Chief from the back trail (undeveloped), then hiked to 2nd Peak, then the 1st peak, then made our way back down to Shannon Falls parking lot.

Start time: 10:54 am
Finish time: 6:21 pm
Total Duration: 7 hours 27 minutes
I'm guessing we spent a good 2 hours on lunch and photo breaks though... But that was tiring!

BONUS: we found a cliff described to us as "Peak 2.5" It's half way between 2nd peak and 3rd Peak (but just north of the gully between these 2 peaks) and was the most terrifying of the 4 to look down.

Project 365

2011-06-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

PROJECT 365 - Feb 2010 to Feb 2011

Well I'm 3 months behind in posting photo's but I finally finished!
My project ran from February 2010 to February 2011. It was fun while it lasted but I gotta admit, I became quite frustrated with post-processing daily photos along with my extra activities.

This is my favorite picture from this project:

What I learned: I grew a lot with my camera and all my lenses as I found more creative ways to shoot around boring Nanaimo. I also pushed my creativity to find different angles and settings with both my 5DmkII and LX5. They didn't always work out and as you can see, most of the pictures are not the most spectacular but oh well!

I also simplified my processing and found shortcuts to speed the upload process from my computer to flickr. I first made use of some of programing macros in photoshop but in the end, I learned how to use Lightroom a lot more efficiently and have eliminated using photoshop altogether.

Lastly I wish I had a cellphone that can take and publish photos a lot better. I am very spoiled with the quality of a full frame SLR and I can't stand any photos from my cellphone (Blackberry Torch, 5MP). I even find most of my LX5 photos pretty bad... oy!

_________________________________________________________

I'm still catching up a bit but hopefully I'll be able to post a little more regularly now without feeling so overwhelmed with keeping up to Project 365!

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2011-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

I spilled coke all over my laptop when someone called me... I spent a good part of the night taking the keys off my keyboard and cleaning each piece!

Anyways, it gave me this awesome opportunity to get this message out =)

245/365: Token to Happiness

2010-10-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

244/365: Locked

2010-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Locked in Nanaimo!

243/365: Bee Clean

2010-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Random van I passed by on my way to work...

242/365: On the Sea Wall

2010-10-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

241/365: Spicy Salmon Cone

2010-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love going out to the Japanese "village" just outside of River Rock Casino. It's a line of 3 trailers cooking up food for ppl to purchase as they wait for the bus or who've driven in to their lonely parking lot. Their Takoyaki's and Sushi Cones are just delicious! Next to try is the Ramen stand!

240/365: LX5 Sunset

2010-09-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

Sunset hue over downtown Vancouver

239/365: Nanaimo Harbour Walk

2010-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous colors from this little LX5

238/365: Thanks to Inmates

2010-09-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or is it funny we're thanking inmates for their manual labour?

237/365: LX5

2010-09-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

My new compact camera: the Panasonic LX5!

I actually snuck this little guy a few posts earlier while I was still testing it out, finally decided I wanted to keep it.

236/365: Esther at Piper's

2010-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Esther is an aspiring model who asked me to take a few photos of her while she was in Nanaimo.

235/365: Hitching a Ferry Ride

2010-09-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

234/365: Ajisai

2010-09-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ajisai (Kerrisdale, Vancouver) has some of the YUMMIEST onion+toro rolls I've ever had! Again, I'm getting Sooooooooo Hungry

233/365: Peek-a-Boo

2010-09-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

232/365: Shrimp Tempura Fried Rice

2010-09-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Looking at this is making me Sooooooooo hungry

231/365: Olympics Medic Bag

2010-09-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is the free bag they gave all the health professionals involved in 2010 Winter Olympics. It's quite pretty and nice except anywhere I go with it, most people will think I'm a doctor......

230/365: Generous Offering

2010-09-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

My co-worker read my facebook status of having instant noodles everyday and decided to drop by and leave me some of his delicious home made sause! It's not curry, I don't remember what it's called but it was quite yummy. Almost like a beef stew sauce XD

229/365: Hanging

2010-09-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

This is the ethernet cable ingeniously hung on to ceiling so my roommate has faster Internet in his room. He now never leaves his room.

228/365: Planning for Naught

2010-09-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Vacation schedules are usually done up much earlier in the year. Some people push their weight with special events like a family wedding... and leaving for 3 weeks... then going to the Caribbeans instead...

227/365: Nesquik Goodness

2010-09-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's sooooo good, even the Wii fit balance board likes it ;)

226/365: Mooned via Card

2010-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

225/365: Aspire

2010-09-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

New Laptop: Acer Aspire 3820TG-3022
Core i5 (2.26GHz)
4GB DDR3 RAM
500GB HDD
ATI Radeon HD 5470 (2138MB Hyper Memory; 512MB dedicated)
13.3" HD LED LCD

224/365: Sunny Date

2010-09-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

223/365: Canon Coffee Mug with IS

2010-09-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Which one is real?

222/365: Finger Puppets

2010-09-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

221/365: Happiness

2010-09-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

220/365: Just Roof

2010-09-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

This roof is part of a historical tower at Nanaimo Harbor. They needed to rebuild parts of the building in order to upgrade the structural integrity of it and allow it to be used by the city. This is just the roof of the tower sitting on the edge of a park waiting to be remounted.

219/365: NEWS

2010-09-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

False Trivia: the word "news" is from the 4 directions North, East, West and South.

218/365: Lights

2010-09-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

It has a bit of a disco fever kind of feel to it?

217/365: Feet Up

2010-09-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Feet up and relaxing on my new couch!

I also noticed that I should not be a foot model XD

216/365: Moon Cake

2010-09-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Moon Cake devouring everyone! (4 months later....)

215/365: Outside Couch

2010-09-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Our mysteriously diseased couch finally gets the boot and goes outside. So long, and thanks for all the itch.

214/365: Gentleman's Jack

2010-09-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

213/365: Only Love

2010-09-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

212/365: Swatch2010

2010-09-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

The free watch given to volunteers of the Vancouver Olympics 2010.

Funny how OMEGA is a sponser, yet our free watches yet our watches came from Swatch. 1+1=K?

211/365: StarCraft2

2010-08-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't played a computer game for almost 3 years... but there's no way I would miss this one. I grew up with StarCraft in high school, my friends and I would play all night... after school... during school...

Too bad I can't play during work now XD

210/365: Big Smile

2010-08-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

This is what you get a guy with two hands who loves to smile XD

209/365: Brunch

2010-08-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

208/365: Warmth of a Smile

2010-08-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

207/365: Lilies for Her

2010-08-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

206/365: Pimpin' Pru

2010-08-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

205/365: Melting!

2010-08-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it started out as a lovely cake! We also used these trick candles that could not be blown out normally, or else they will re-light themselves a few seconds after...

Lesson learned: do not use trick candles close to pieces that melt!

204/365: Balancing

2010-08-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

It was such a relaxing and peaceful day, I could watch her do that all day long!

203/365: Bro Code

2010-08-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Bro Code: the book all guys are required to read and memorize upon entering this world. Following it on the other hand...

202/365: My Cube

2010-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

So I searched high and low but I couldn't find a picture from Aug 22nd. Nothing on my cellphone, cameras or anything else. =( I guess it was bound to happen.... but here's something that made my LOL from another day.

201/365: Zombie Take-Over

2010-08-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

This was part of the annual Zombie Parade in downtown Vancouver. There was an exciting array of zombies and zombie killers calling a truce for a day while they marched through Robson Street in an effort to share their awareness for the undead.

200/365: Bang Bang

2010-08-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

199/365: Caged

2010-08-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel in Nanaimo XD

198/365: Bleach

2010-08-18T23:28:00.000-07:00

Funny story: we got this couch for free from a neighbour. We don't have much furnishing at the moment so we were pretty estatic about this couch! Finally a place to just sit back after a long day's work and watch some TV. However, when my roommate tried it, he started getting spots and rashes on his bare skin. He came up with an interesting strategy of spraying it down with bleach and hopefully destroying whatever is causing his rash.

Result: It didn't work. He tried it again and got the rash still. Out goes the couch!

197/365: Frozen Blueberries

2010-08-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

The Perfect Dessert!

... for the lazy...

196/365: Who's Runners

2010-08-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

A rare appearance made by the a80! This lone shoe was left out on Nanaimo's harbour front. What a lonely shoe...

195/365: Sunrise

2010-08-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

I took the ferry back to Nanaimo today. I tend to sleep in the car during these early morning voyages but today, something made me wake up mid-trip. I'm glad I woke up because I caught this gorgeous sunrise just glowing over the mountains!

194/365: 3D Smile

2010-08-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

193/365: Stuffed

2010-08-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

My dad has started renovations in the house and so much of our possessions have been placed from storage to the middle of this room. We have a lot of stuff...

192/365: BC Ferries

2010-08-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

Night ferry coming in to Departure Bay

191/365: Free Sandwich

2010-08-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

Don't say no to free food

190/365: Lead me off this Island

2010-08-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

189/365: On Hold for Rogers

2010-08-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

30 minutes out of 1 hour's worth of waiting on hold while Rogers figured out what happened to the new phone I ordered a month ago.

...All they sent me was a SIM card...

188/365: Ferry Line Up

2010-08-08T00:43:00.000-07:00

Waiting on the ferry...

187/365: Ultramen

2010-08-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

An army of Ultramen in my room. They're so crowded they've evolved to stand on the walls!

186/365: Lily

2010-08-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

185/365: Backyard Deer

2010-08-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

I woke up...
Looked outside...
...and saw a deer with it's fawn.

I guess Nanaimo isn't ALL bad.

184/365: Another Resident Kitty

2010-08-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

As you can see, there are quite a few cats living around my place. This one has enough fur to double it's body weight. But it's the fur that makes it look so interesting... It reminds me of a Lion with a puffy mane and lounging around like he's king of the world!

183/365: Free Couch

2010-08-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is..."

We had this couch donated to us by a neighbour in our townhouse complex. We were pretty happy as our place didn't have much furnishing and a couch went well with the lonely TV I have. If only we knew this couch had a curse.... to be told at a later entry!

182/365: Mystery Ring

2010-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

I was taking random pictures outside with my wide-angle lens and noticed this... Ah the curse of a full frame camera.

181/365: Symphony Splash

2010-08-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Symphony Splash is an orchestral concert performed by Victoria Symphony every year in Victoria's inner harbour. The highlight for me is the Royal Canandian Sea Cadet's role during 1812 Overature, the firing of the naval field guns!

Keep the the women and children back... the shock-wave is not for the light of heart ;)

180/365: Special

2010-07-31T00:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a long journey but I'm happy with how everything finally fit together. =)

179/365: Lucky

2010-07-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

"Lucky to be coming home... again~~"

This was made by a pile of 'lucky' pennies I have accumulated from pocket change I don't use. Yes this is why I keep giving you my pocket change or else my room will be a life-sized piggy bank!

178/365: Vitasoy

2010-07-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite drinks of all time.

177/365: Time

2010-07-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

I don't have an analogue clock but this will have to do... It's the digital dash on my car.

Sometimes I just want time to fast forward through all the rough patches... Then savor through the best parts. I guess it's too much to ask for? But then, going through the unpleasant times definitely make me appreciate good times much more.

176/365: Ultimate

2010-07-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

I used to be on the Ultimate team back in highschool. Just a bunch of friends started the team and I joined for some laughs. Never got particularly good at it but I loved playing it. I still enjoy hucking a disc around during picnics and barbecues =)

A few of my friends are still quite active in the sport and join local leagues to play so I joined them for a game and helped them shoot a few pictures with my new 70-200mm lens!

175/365: Wings @ Malones

2010-07-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

Malones has been a favorite hang out spot for my highschool friends and I. There's cheap wings on Mondays and we all gather to catch up and pass around some verbal abuse all for each othere's entertainment. I can't go nearly as often anymore since I'm in Nanaimo... Probably a healthy thing since I've decreased my beer consumption as well but none the less, I miss it.

174/365: Clean Up

2010-07-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

You see this mess in the corner? I had to clear all of it out because my dad wanted to renovate the house... Oh boy...

173/365: Spain Celebration of Lights

2010-07-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

172/365: Bunny in Minoru Park

2010-07-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

I think I'm just starting to realize how many rabbits are around Richmond....

171/365: Grouse Bears

2010-07-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

Those poor bears will never be able to diet!

170/365: USA Celebration of Lights

2010-07-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

169/365: Bunny in AutoMall

2010-07-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

168/365: Joffre Lakes

2010-07-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

167/365: Olympic Park in Seattle

2010-07-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

166/365: Malahat Revue

2010-07-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Fisher performing at the Malahat Revue. Who knew a concert in Nanaimo would be so much fun?