Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Grounds for Sculpture
This is just a couple of shots that I took at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. It's an awesome 30+ acre land with all different kinds of sculpture and art exhibit. Weather was in the mid 70's so it was a perfect time to wander around and see some of the interesting art. Looking back on the pictures I took though, I realized that in the end I love taking pictures of people way more than inanimate objects. Funny how that ended up so. :P
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Food photography!
Today I visited my friend Pauline who had just finished a fruit tart in her new tart pan! How gorgeous. Here's a small sneak preview. I do not want to ruin the reveal so I will only put up one picture. How yummy :) The long entry that follows the picture can be skipped as it's my personal thoughts on nursing.
Its been awhileeeee. Work has been extremely... tough to say the least the past couple of days. I finally thought that I had a grasp on things after my 2 years working as a nurse but the last month has thrown a lot of new experiences my way. I've learned some valuable lessons albeit they were tough lessons to learn. I've learned to trust my instincts and to continue to advocate for my patients. I've learned that there are people who have a stick up their butt so I should not take things personally. I've learned that a nurse is never done learning and that I should always take every day as an experience to learn from to be a better nurse to my patients. I've learned to adapt to new environments and apply my skills in a setting that I wasn't familiar with.
I do have to say, whoever thinks that being a nurse is easy peasy because they work 3 - 4 days a week... needs to walk a day in a nurses' shoe. There is definitely a reason for that. We work hard mentally and physically for 13 hours a day for the 3 - 4 days and spend the other 3 recuperating to gear up for the next couple of shifts.
Your brain is never off when you're at work and your mind is constantly multitasking. You're thinking about 4 to 5 different patients (more on other units) at a time and wondering what their past medical history is, how it affects their health conditions now and possible complications that my arise in the future.
You think about when the patient's last bowel movement was, if they're moving their bowels, are they having diarrhea from the chemo or C.diff? constipated from pain medications? Risk of perforated bowels?
You worry about their high blood pressure and wonder is this too high? Is this their normal? Or is it too low? Is this a sign of septic infection or is this how they normally are? Do they need fluids? Are they dehydrated?
You wonder about their breathing. Are they fluid overloaded? Do they have a cough? Maybe pneumonia? Will they need more oxygen?
You listen out for bed alarms for high risk patients because if they fall, it can mean life and death for some of these patients. It also means tons of paper work (well computer documentation) for you and a slew of tests patients needs to go for to make sure they're not bleeding in their head.
You administer blood or chemo and cross your fingers they don't react. And if they do react, your mind runs a mile a minute anticipating the interventions the doctors will order so that you can provide the necessary medications quickly to the patients.
You reassure patients during a time when things seem out of control. You try your best to answer their questions when they feel like they don't know enough. Often times, you try to empathize with patients that seems unfathomable to wrap your own mind around.
And it's never just the 4 or 5 patients assigned to you during that day. You also speak with patient's family members. Reassure them the best they can. Answer questions that doctors should be answering. Passing their concerns to the doctors.
You are also the front line members of the hospital. That means if the patient is upset about why it's taking so long for them to go down for a CT scan or if they did not receive the right food for the 10th time in a row, they are yelling at you. They demand things be made right and many times you are powerless to make it better. If you are unable to give pain medications because the doctor hasn't ordered it and then pharmacy did not approve of it fast enough in our medication cart, the patients assume I'm being lazy and ignoring their pain. I have been yelled at, hit at by patients. I've been treated like an idiot by fellow nurses and doctors. My patience has been tested to limits that I didn't know existed.
A nurse is not just giving out medications. Nurses wear many hats and perform tasks that other people do on top of their own. You do the duties cleaning person when patients spill something on the floor. You do the duties of a nurses' aide when you help patients to the bathroom, change their diaper, or give them a bath. You are a nutritionist when patients do not get the right food and you must hunt down what they want to eat.
Nurses lift, pull, push, bend, lower, reach and stretch their bodies in ways they really shouldn't. We go home with achy knees, achy backs, swollen feet. We eat when we have any 15 minutes when patients do not need something and those 15 minutes are not necessarily in succession. We pee when we have time. (Usually we don't) We drink when we remember to. (It's not until our lips are chapped from dehydration that we remember) We chug our coffees in the morning and sometimes will walk in and have to dive into a situation. We don't have the luxury of taking it slow in the morning if we had a rough night before. We can't afford to go to work on 3 hours of sleep because our job requires constant mental alertness.
Despite all this, I keep going back. I realize any work situation has its ups and downs and I acknowledge that working isn't easy. That's why it's called WORK! I go home feeling that despite all that, I have made a small difference in hopefully one person's life and given them care that I would want to receive. I sincerely hope that I do not feel any different 10 years down the line. I know that if that time ever comes when I do not take pride in my work, will be my cue to quit or change to a different position.
I have something awesome to look forward to!! Next week I will be going to Korea!! Yay and then visiting my friend in Beijing. I'm looking forward to 3 weeks of rest, food and fun. There will be many friends who will be in Korea at the same time and seeing them in a new setting will be awesome. I hope to come back with renewed energy and a new vigor to dive into my work again!!
Its been awhileeeee. Work has been extremely... tough to say the least the past couple of days. I finally thought that I had a grasp on things after my 2 years working as a nurse but the last month has thrown a lot of new experiences my way. I've learned some valuable lessons albeit they were tough lessons to learn. I've learned to trust my instincts and to continue to advocate for my patients. I've learned that there are people who have a stick up their butt so I should not take things personally. I've learned that a nurse is never done learning and that I should always take every day as an experience to learn from to be a better nurse to my patients. I've learned to adapt to new environments and apply my skills in a setting that I wasn't familiar with.
I do have to say, whoever thinks that being a nurse is easy peasy because they work 3 - 4 days a week... needs to walk a day in a nurses' shoe. There is definitely a reason for that. We work hard mentally and physically for 13 hours a day for the 3 - 4 days and spend the other 3 recuperating to gear up for the next couple of shifts.
Your brain is never off when you're at work and your mind is constantly multitasking. You're thinking about 4 to 5 different patients (more on other units) at a time and wondering what their past medical history is, how it affects their health conditions now and possible complications that my arise in the future.
You think about when the patient's last bowel movement was, if they're moving their bowels, are they having diarrhea from the chemo or C.diff? constipated from pain medications? Risk of perforated bowels?
You worry about their high blood pressure and wonder is this too high? Is this their normal? Or is it too low? Is this a sign of septic infection or is this how they normally are? Do they need fluids? Are they dehydrated?
You wonder about their breathing. Are they fluid overloaded? Do they have a cough? Maybe pneumonia? Will they need more oxygen?
You listen out for bed alarms for high risk patients because if they fall, it can mean life and death for some of these patients. It also means tons of paper work (well computer documentation) for you and a slew of tests patients needs to go for to make sure they're not bleeding in their head.
You administer blood or chemo and cross your fingers they don't react. And if they do react, your mind runs a mile a minute anticipating the interventions the doctors will order so that you can provide the necessary medications quickly to the patients.
You reassure patients during a time when things seem out of control. You try your best to answer their questions when they feel like they don't know enough. Often times, you try to empathize with patients that seems unfathomable to wrap your own mind around.
And it's never just the 4 or 5 patients assigned to you during that day. You also speak with patient's family members. Reassure them the best they can. Answer questions that doctors should be answering. Passing their concerns to the doctors.
You are also the front line members of the hospital. That means if the patient is upset about why it's taking so long for them to go down for a CT scan or if they did not receive the right food for the 10th time in a row, they are yelling at you. They demand things be made right and many times you are powerless to make it better. If you are unable to give pain medications because the doctor hasn't ordered it and then pharmacy did not approve of it fast enough in our medication cart, the patients assume I'm being lazy and ignoring their pain. I have been yelled at, hit at by patients. I've been treated like an idiot by fellow nurses and doctors. My patience has been tested to limits that I didn't know existed.
A nurse is not just giving out medications. Nurses wear many hats and perform tasks that other people do on top of their own. You do the duties cleaning person when patients spill something on the floor. You do the duties of a nurses' aide when you help patients to the bathroom, change their diaper, or give them a bath. You are a nutritionist when patients do not get the right food and you must hunt down what they want to eat.
Nurses lift, pull, push, bend, lower, reach and stretch their bodies in ways they really shouldn't. We go home with achy knees, achy backs, swollen feet. We eat when we have any 15 minutes when patients do not need something and those 15 minutes are not necessarily in succession. We pee when we have time. (Usually we don't) We drink when we remember to. (It's not until our lips are chapped from dehydration that we remember) We chug our coffees in the morning and sometimes will walk in and have to dive into a situation. We don't have the luxury of taking it slow in the morning if we had a rough night before. We can't afford to go to work on 3 hours of sleep because our job requires constant mental alertness.
Despite all this, I keep going back. I realize any work situation has its ups and downs and I acknowledge that working isn't easy. That's why it's called WORK! I go home feeling that despite all that, I have made a small difference in hopefully one person's life and given them care that I would want to receive. I sincerely hope that I do not feel any different 10 years down the line. I know that if that time ever comes when I do not take pride in my work, will be my cue to quit or change to a different position.
I have something awesome to look forward to!! Next week I will be going to Korea!! Yay and then visiting my friend in Beijing. I'm looking forward to 3 weeks of rest, food and fun. There will be many friends who will be in Korea at the same time and seeing them in a new setting will be awesome. I hope to come back with renewed energy and a new vigor to dive into my work again!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
olive loves youuuu
After this post, I promise to lay off of the fujifilm related pictures! I am having too much fun with these.
I gotta sleep to work through the weekend but I'm excited because next week I get to go to Boston and see all the boston folks! w000t.. and really by that I mean eat Boston foooood :)
I gotta sleep to work through the weekend but I'm excited because next week I get to go to Boston and see all the boston folks! w000t.. and really by that I mean eat Boston foooood :)
Colors of spring!
Now that the weather here is starting to show hints of warming up, the outside has gotten just a teeny bit brighter... or should I say colorful! I had originally wanted to show the new blooms of the spring season, but I missed my opportunity as the plants outside seem to grow so quickly!
Its amazing how a weather that doesn't require 5 layers of clothing plus hats and uggs can put you in a good mood. As I took Olive out for a walk, I snapped some of the colors I saw that showed spring is here :)
FYI: taking focused pictures with a dog tugging the leash you're holding is EXTREMELY challenging.... go figure!
Its amazing how a weather that doesn't require 5 layers of clothing plus hats and uggs can put you in a good mood. As I took Olive out for a walk, I snapped some of the colors I saw that showed spring is here :)
FYI: taking focused pictures with a dog tugging the leash you're holding is EXTREMELY challenging.... go figure!
photo template is courtesy of Pugly Pixel.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Trying out some photography actions :)
I go through phases where I really put myself into a certain hobby. Right now, I'm on a photography kick and I've been playing around with photo editing. I've finally come to one that I love! This is my coworker's newborn son. Definitely a handsome lil fella :)
Shake it like a Polaroid picture
Ever since my friend H brought out her Polaroid camera to our birthday party, I've been on a Polaroid kick!. Unfortunately, the last time H had bought the films for a Polaroid was the last time Polaroid made the films. They've discontinued the films and are now rare on the market and exorbitantly overpriced!
In the end, I settled on Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 by Fuji. It retails for about $150 (at Urban Outfitter stores) but of course, anything electronic can be found cheaper online and can be found for $99 on Amazon. Films for the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 averages out to about 75cents per piece which is affordable compared to the overpriced expired film by Polaroids. I'm still waiting for this camera to arrive from Amazon and when I do, I can't wait to debut the pictures from my blog. I love the quality of instant films and find that they somehow create a flattering look of the people you take pictures of. The camera only comes in white but they do offer a limited Hello Kitty version of the camera. It does cost about $50 more and isn't really that much cuter!
If the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 is a little too pricey, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S may be a good choice for you at $69.99. While it lacks some minor features, it uses the same film and will ultimately satisfy your craving for instant film. It also comes in a pink or blue trim if you dare to be different.
If you are a baller, you can always opt up for Fujifilm Instax 50S! In it's sleek piano black look, it costs about 30 to 50 dollars more depending on where you buy it from. All 3 products take the same film. I do have to say personally that the fun toy-like quality of the 7S and 25 is lost with the 50S.
Anywho, a blog post is nothing without pictures, so here are some polaroid generated pictures :)
In the end, I settled on Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 by Fuji. It retails for about $150 (at Urban Outfitter stores) but of course, anything electronic can be found cheaper online and can be found for $99 on Amazon. Films for the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 averages out to about 75cents per piece which is affordable compared to the overpriced expired film by Polaroids. I'm still waiting for this camera to arrive from Amazon and when I do, I can't wait to debut the pictures from my blog. I love the quality of instant films and find that they somehow create a flattering look of the people you take pictures of. The camera only comes in white but they do offer a limited Hello Kitty version of the camera. It does cost about $50 more and isn't really that much cuter!
If the Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 is a little too pricey, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S may be a good choice for you at $69.99. While it lacks some minor features, it uses the same film and will ultimately satisfy your craving for instant film. It also comes in a pink or blue trim if you dare to be different.
If you are a baller, you can always opt up for Fujifilm Instax 50S! In it's sleek piano black look, it costs about 30 to 50 dollars more depending on where you buy it from. All 3 products take the same film. I do have to say personally that the fun toy-like quality of the 7S and 25 is lost with the 50S.
Anywho, a blog post is nothing without pictures, so here are some polaroid generated pictures :)
p.s. noticed the new look on blog? With many thanks to Powered by Pastries the blog got a new look. Check out Powered by Pastries for free blog goodies, tips and tutorials!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Crepe Paper Roses
I was browsing some DIY and stumbled upon these. Gorgeous! and so easy/cheap to make. So with the help of some of my slaves... erm I mean friends ^____^ I attempted these little beauties for a bday celebration. So this will be a sneak preview of an upcoming project!
Disclaimer: the smell of glue gun will give you a headache... ugh
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Food Photography
One crafty hobby I never got into was baking. I've dabbled in the past but unfortunately sweets is not my thing. Therefore, I've nixed it out. But, my talented friend P.C. is excellent with baking delectable sweet goods! She's petitioned me to take some photographs for her blog. I wanted to showcase some of her goods. See her blog for more yummy goodness :)
This is my first attempt at food photography and PC and I spent some fun times trying out different plates! Let me know what you guys think :)
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| Carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting |
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| Cranberry granola cookie |
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| Chocolate cupcake |
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| Double decker carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting |
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| Chocolate cookie with white chocolate chips |
This is my first attempt at food photography and PC and I spent some fun times trying out different plates! Let me know what you guys think :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cupcakes and friends
For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to dabble into making some real cupcakes. Red velvet is J and my favorite type of cupcake so I ventured to make it from scratch. Following this recipe, I went to my local supermarket to find all the ingredients. Baking/cooking is not my thing so I did have to buy nearly everything on the ingredient list.
The recipe is fairly simple to follow and even if it doesn't taste good, it did present well! J said the cupcake was good but as the bf, he kind of has to say that. In my opinion, the cupcake did come out fairly tasty. It's not very sweet (which is good for me cause I don't like sweet things) but it did feel a little dense. Not as fluffy as I would have liked. The cream cheese frosting is yummy too and its my fave topping for red velvet!
The recipe is fairly simple to follow and even if it doesn't taste good, it did present well! J said the cupcake was good but as the bf, he kind of has to say that. In my opinion, the cupcake did come out fairly tasty. It's not very sweet (which is good for me cause I don't like sweet things) but it did feel a little dense. Not as fluffy as I would have liked. The cream cheese frosting is yummy too and its my fave topping for red velvet!
This is my friend who served as my hand model! :D She was very nice about taking my directions and humoring me. ;D
And this is J, who in return for my cupcakes, took me to a very nice Japanese restaurant ^_^
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Yummy yummy
A photography entry ...
Lunch with these two lovely ladies
and a free dessert (homemade brownie a la mode!)
Lunch with these two lovely ladies
with this delicious tuna fish sandwich with sweet potato fries
and a free dessert (homemade brownie a la mode!)
equals a pretty decent day!
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