Emonome

Vacation and the Choices

2008-08-20T04:13:42Z

I’m technically on vacation, starting today. I go back to work next Monday, therefore, it’s a glorified long weekend. I’d planned to visit California originally; never been to Los Angeles. I have friends there who I’ve met in NY a few years ago as well as friends who live in nearby cities.

Never mind all that. I had to make a choice between air fare + hotels + going places in CA versus buying accessories for my Canon XTi, camera backpack, 1TB External Hard Drive, extra mics for my camcorder, mini-DV tapes, accessories as well as line up couple of more video interviews for my guitar blog - that I’m unleashing in September with tons of original content. That blog is up already, btw.

The purpose of vacation is to take a break from routine and recharge. Looks like that is still not in the menu for me this year. Again. But who am I to complain. I couldn’t afford to be in a position to weigh in those same choices until this year. Add to that, unexpected expenses that had popped up right when I was contemplating both travel and equipment purchase. Those expenses knocked me down and counted to 10. I had to make my choice fast. Well, not really. I kind of fell into this choice.

So here I am. I live in a city I’m in love with. I haven’t had a chance to be in the city, during the day on a weekday, for a long time. Unless it involved a visit from my work in NJ. Last time I checked - yesterday - the sky was bluer than ever. Only if it keeps its promise to stay that blue for a few more days.

Can I even call this change of plans a sacrifice? I can still do what I’d do if I’d traveled to different state: sleep late, pick up and go wherever, meet people I’ve been meaning to. So many things going on in the city I had to employ the services of Google Calendar. If you’re reading this at 11am - I’m at B&H, shopping and…taking a free class on portrait photography with Dave Piazza. I’m not big on classes but this one just called out to me. I’ll find out why. Wanna see if I can catch this balloon ride over Central Park. I’m scared of heights but maybe I can put that on hold for a bit? I don’t know.

If I had enough money, I’d have gone somewhere new and explored unfamiliarity. But I’m building something for me; my career.

Genius, Obviously!

2008-08-18T04:07:18Z

When you’ve made it and are being touted a genius, everyone says, “It’s so obvious (s)he made it, (s)he is after all a genius!” But you’ll remember the same fuckers said something completely different when you were busting your ass, putting in time and sweat, sacrificing social life, making sleepless nights a habit, showing up on time (hat tip to Woody Allen), or practicing your craft.

When you’ve made it and are being touted a genius, you remember the moments before you achieved the status of a ‘genius’ as filled with nightmarish moments of self-doubt, insecurities eating at your toes, self-consciousness gnawing at your stomach. And they thought you were a fucking idiot for thinking you could make it with your own vision and not their version of it.

When you’ve made it and are being branded a success, they all circle around you with that look, smiling like whores. When they clap for you, say ‘congrats’ to you, or say ‘good job’ as if you’re a lap dog who successfully learned his first trick with the tennis ball, or say “I knew you had it in you, buddy”….sigh….you know how badly you want to slap their happy-spiced faces. You just want to get up and yell…’Fuck you, you fucking motherfuckers!’

Point is, my friends: If the voice inside you is aching to come out and say it like it is, like you’d like it to, like it makes sense to you, like it feels good to you…you have to believe, believe, believe in yourself and be that person. At every corner there’s someone to reject your voice. The difference between a genius and a mental (to others) is recognition by success. So don’t go for that success first because it’s someone else’s success framed and hung on the wall. They always hang the second frame a little lower than the first one.

Genius, obviously, is not what you’d like to be branded as. Because they almost make it sound like you’ve achieved something you don’t deserve.

And they do it for obvious reasons; they’ll never have what you have.

Orchestra via Single Piano

2008-08-18T04:03:11Z

Another great find via Tim’s The Music of Sound blog.

Wooshes and More

2008-08-18T04:01:09Z

Tim has couple of great posts on sound design starting with SD101: Wooshes, then 102.

Bonus: Also check out this - holy shit - sound illusion video.

The Need To Talk

2008-08-17T17:00:16Z

The need to talk when something is on my mind is excruciating, this need to share and express, especially when something bothers me a great deal. Sometimes I’ll use that urge creatively and sometimes I can’t find a reason other than gab to someone.

Unfortunately, not all ears are prepared to hear your thoughts. Not everyone will get that ’song’ you’re trying to write. The biggest fear is to share what bothers me and have someone give me the ‘You’re crazy for thinking that’ look or the silence over the phone that is louder than a truck running over me. So you long for that pair of ears that gets you. But that ear is not always there for you. Because the person attached to those ears has a life his/her own to deal with.

Or you’re glad you have a blog like this and write a post just like this and hope someone knows what the fuck you’re babbling about. The urge to share dissolves eventually and you become like them and laugh at the importance you gave that ‘ridiculous’ thought that ate you away the previous night and the following morn.

I find how people behave very confusing sometimes. At the same time I understand why they do things they do. Ain’t that a bit fucked up? Two things happened yesterday and today - one directed towards me that was confusing as hell - and bordering on bizarre - and the other about a couple I read in a magazine whose behavior were tearing them apart, alienating others but…made complete sense to me. Maybe this internal tug of war is good for what I do.

Which is what, exactly?

Nude

2008-08-17T07:54:23Z

Another one, is it? This makes me feel like I’m floating off in outer space and the earth is slowly becoming smaller and smaller. Damn this album, can’t pick a favorite any more.

The Room with the View

2008-08-17T06:31:32Z

I was given a room to stay at Jersey City Hyatt after the All Points Fest, courtesy of WOM World. It’s worth mentioning because they picked a room with the best view of Manhattan skyline I’ve seen through a window. If you ever rent a room there, go for either 602 or 603 (I’m pretty sure 703 or 803 would have the same view, but I don’t know…I stayed in 603) and check it out. It’s not cheap. The oddest thing in the room was, however, the TV! A Panasonic box TV like the one in my friggin apartment. Flat screen…hello!

Anyway, who needs TV when you get to take a gander at that view. On my right I could see as far as Gov’s Island and GW Bridge on my left, although with a little squinting. That’s a helluva span! The midtown skyline at night…ooooh! Obviously my cell phone didn’t pick up shit from the night shots so I only have the morning shots to share.

I don’t want to be a billboard for Hyatt but I can’t talk about that view and not mention the name. The two hotels I’ve found worth staying in for the view is Westin on 42nd Street, and this. I’m sure the 360 view from Four Seasons is much better but I’d rather flick my balls with a pencil than spend $30,000 a night there. — What’s with the ‘violence’ in my post these days?

Using Still Photos To Enhance Video

2008-08-17T04:01:42Z

This falls in the holy shit category. I can almost see Photoshop doing this in a year or two - within Photoshop. The HDR and stabilizer part falls in the ‘fucking insane’ category.

Imagine my Panasonic GS-180 and Canon Rebel Xti producing hi-res videos with this system. Ooooh! [via CrunchGear]

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

Filming with N95 #3: Times Square, Mon Amour

2008-08-16T05:29:48Z

Had just finished watching The Dark Knight down at 34th and 8th Ave. Decided to take a walk over to TSquare and then to Bombay Express. Had the N95 on me, which I’d used the night before.

I should have noted the band’s name. I’ll try and find out when I’m there again.

Happy Weekend!!

Times Square, Mon Amour

Emon: The Star Wars Guy

2008-08-15T17:31:58Z

Emon, the ‘quicktempered son of Tomaas Azzameen,’ as described by his sister Aeron:

“Trouble clings to Emon like iron filings to a magnet, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.“

Aeron Azzameen

Heh heh. Not even close to who I am, but what made me laugh out was:

Emon Azzameen’s Irish accent, unique among his family, is as yet unexplained.