& 10 minutos 35 segundos de La Ciudad de México

a great short visual documentary on México City



with a nice musical selection for soundtrack
thanks to roddelcampo from youtube for this work
and yes México City feels like this many times...
Beto?

I lived there 32 years out of 37, I haven't been back since 2001
this short film style is very similar to the Qatsi Trilogy

• KOYAANISQATSI - life out of balance

• POWAQQATSI - life in transformation

• NAQOYQATSI - life as war

all with music by Philip Glass

life-changing films!
please watch, as mr. monk would say
you'll thank me later...

5'25" of hitchcock & stewart (& 7' 54" of bart)

1. oh I indulge! with pointless watching of a scene of Rear Window click to indulge too!

2. kundalini exercise, standing up, flex your upper body as trying to reach your toes, then start laughing, yes! laughing, from your stomach, when you realize, you are actually laughing! and loud... hold the laugh & position for 3 minutes... relief, ah!

43. I remember another book I read (lately) - The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger

and here another 7'54" of my favorite version of Rear Window, don't miss this one!

rain & fabulous flowers, with a side of banana whole whole wheat bread

today rained the whole day in san diego
around 2.30pm the rain stopped
a little gap with a hidden sun behind heavy clouds
so I went out and took some photos with the nikon
film cheap Kodak Gold ISO 200

while waiting for the film to be develop and put on a CD
I made whole wheat banana bread
here the recipe

INGREDIENTS

* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup mashed bananas
* 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup hot water
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing.

link from allrecipes.com
the bread came out OK, it was a lazy day off, courtesy of President's Day

cardiff by the sea

a beautiful sunny but windy sunday
windy! & then some windsurfing...
at cardiff by the sea, california

windsurfing - w/the same old digital camera (smile here...)

happy chinese new year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

camera: nikkormat EL, film: FujiFilm Reala ISO 100
look closer...

flor at home, I planted this plant back in September 2006
it was doing fine, but in my vacation to Autlan, it became dry
since I came back I have been watering it more often
and added some plant food
the stems still seem dry, but a couple of days ago
it surprised me with a new lovely purple flower
this photo is from last Thursday, by today it has already another 3 flowers
it is still a new year, at least for the plant & the chinese!
hope that the moon brings you wishes to reality soon

café with press pot

while my aunt was here
I got a french press pot for just $7.99!
the jar glass is not very thick but it holds the heat nicely
but the colander/filter is great
a stainless steel mesh
nothing for breakfast as press pot coffee
it just taste 'earthier' than the dripping method

I also found this mexican peaberry,
that trader joe's (the best grocery store in the world!) has
just $5.99 the can, sadly, a limited edition
I usually like darker roasts, especially for espresso
and in the winter... but this mexican peaberry with medium roast
is, as you can read from the can, bright, smooth, and sweet... sweet!

the hope of a new day, comes along with the smell of a nice cup of coffee
no matter how dark some nights can be...
just have to remember, there will always be another day
arriving with a new morning, and if lucky with a nice cup of coffee
the morning coffee is a sign of a fresh start, everyday...

mi amigo: the grasshopper

this grasshopper

lives in my front little patio
for a while now
probably over a month
i see him mostly on the weekends
on that big palm
and when i water the plants, he jumps
by the chair or besides the palm
and waits until i am done watering
as i close the water hose... he jumps right away back
to his house the big green palm
i am sure it is the same grasshopper because
every time i see him
it is a little bigger...
my aunt said she saw him too
a strange & neat keeper to my front door
mi amigo the grasshopper
i must confess , i look forward seeing him on the weekends
he eats parts of the palm
sometimes, when i don't see him
i check the palm, if there's a hole in it
is that mister grasshopper had already his lunch

film

photography: time & light... Life.

ah! after many months of struggle to decide on a new camera
I got, at least for the moment, a new one
I wasn't really get into film these days but I found a beautiful in mint state
Nikon Nikkormat EL, almost new... original case
I couldn't resist... before getting it
I played with my old Zenit a little [photos]
film is tough and requires lots of patience and like all analog
media is moody and impractical
yet... when a film photo comes out nice
is like the melody of pure visual poetry

yeah! here samples of the film moodyness struggle

I embrace photography
I think
because encloses the essence of two magic elements
in nature/universe
2 mysteries that have capture always my heart and mind:
time and light (energy)

roböexotica

thank god for friends over-seas willing to share!
before Jaime & Monki have sent me neat packages
from Spain and Seattle
but a couple of days ago
i got a yellow padded folder from Vienna via mister Magnus!
i requested some stickers but ah! neat surprise
a beautiful screen printed long sleeve t-shirt!
and some very handy stickers (heh heh)...

click here to help the cause of an American Roboexotica
and cheers!
Danke schön Magnus

sparklehorse - it's a wonderful x-mas present!

one of my x-mas presents is
a ticket to see sparklehorse
a very unique alternative band
tonight! in a couple of hours...
at the belly-up, in solana beach, california
a 22 minutes drive from home

sometimes, somedays
it's a wonderful life!
here from their album with same title