340.49

340.49
Originally uploaded by kay v.

sigh, yes, the last day of january and it is freezing and colorless out. it helps to have some life and color at home. great contrast to the whites and grays outside. can't believe this month is over already.

340.48

340.48
Originally uploaded by kay v.

to be honest, this was taken so i can finish my roll of film. this is becki's hallway..look how shiny her floor is!

340.47

340.47
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i feel bad for my bike. it needs some love. when it gets a little warmer and when i have a little bit more money, it well get some major lovin. i promise, Cita...you will receive a major makeover.

340.46

340.46
Originally uploaded by kay v.

meet tina june and her cat, baka. this was taken in her home in wicker park. she is the first person i shot for a new set of photographs i wish to collect of people and their environments. i loved her home. it was colorful and cozy with trinkets from exotic places. when i first met tina, i thought she had a very exotic look to her and i loved her hair. when i found out she spoke japanese and farsi..i thought that was such an interesting combination of languages to know how to speak. i think we immediately got along and i'm glad we became friends.

340.45

340.45
Originally uploaded by kay v.

precision imaging, the lab i've been using for many years, has shut down. =( luckily, i found a lab only three blocks away from work. its called moto photo. i met the owners (theyre korean) and we became instant friends. they said people dont bring in 120s much anymore and they were happy to work with them again. i'm relieved to find a new lab to work with and it is so conveniently located.

i think my hasselblad and i have finally "bonded" a la Avatar style...lol.

340.44

340.44
Originally uploaded by kay v.

one of my fave things to do...

these are kat's wedding invitations, in working progress.

340.43

340.43
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i'm usually running late in the mornings so i'm usually in a rush. so my daily morning routine of trying to have a decent breakfast consists of heating up water & pouring coffee into my thermostat and stuffing a bagel in my pocket. then i dont usually get to eat or drink until after a half hour commute to work, when i sit at my desk to read & respond to emails and check the daily schedule. i find myself doing this almost everyday...and when i dont, its very hard to get on the right track to start the day.

340.42

340.42
Originally uploaded by kay v.

my bike, her name is Cita, will be souped-up come spring. i can't wait! not sure what i want done yet but i need a new brake system and a new rear tire...maybe switch out the handlebars but i kind of like them already. i also want faster gears! can't wait for her makeover..i'm itching to ride!

340.41

340.41
Originally uploaded by kay v.

this here, the schefflera, is my biggest plant so far. i bought a huge pot for it at ikea the other day in hopes for it to grow and hover over its surroundings. i'm afraid that it will die on me so i constantly check up on it and talk to it...yea, i'm crazy.

340.40

340.40
Originally uploaded by kay v.

this plant, according to my mother, has "died and risen again". thanks to me, supposedly. my mom has been impressed at my plant-rearing abilities. she said all of her plants wither. i told her all they need is love and good vibes (and water and sun, of course..fertilizer here and there).
i hope that i really have a green thumb.

340.39

340.39
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i'm 26 today. wow. i had to go to the dmv to renew my license. can't believe i've been driving for ten years now. that's a lot of mileage! i didn't do much today..i actually kind of forgot it was my birthday until the massive text message greetings rolled in and a cute phone call from my goddaughter. i worked in the morning, sat around and watched tv for a couple hours, stocked up on pastries from la baguette bakery, ordered pizza and chicken wings, and drank some wine. oh! and of course, ate some cake..and not just any cake..tres leches with flan, baby. yum yum. hmm i guess i did do a lot today.

it was a good birthday. in the end, i still feel the same.

340.38

340.38
Originally uploaded by kay v.

my trip is coming up. sometimes i forget these things are about to happen and it kicks in at the very last minute. this march, i'm going to switzerland and amsterdam. i dont think about my trips too much. i like to just dive and submerge myself into whatever presents itself when i land somewhere. i never have a schedule but i somehow end up in these crazy adventures..and these are stories i have yet to write down to remember the details.

anyways..my passport needs some new stamps!

340.37

340.37
Originally uploaded by kay v.

it was soo nice out today! incredibly nice for a winter day. i sat out in the back at work for a little bit to enjoy the sun. i wish i was able to stay out and play for longer than ten mins. i miss summer.

340.36

340.36
Originally uploaded by kay v.

one of my most recent acquisitions..now a fixture in my living room.

340.35

340.35
Originally uploaded by kay v.

tea, tea, tea!!!!!

340.34

340.34
Originally uploaded by kay v.

it was a bad (and of course, good) idea to go to marshalls..there were so many things i wanted to buy..so many good finds! i am a sucker for clearance prices. there's already tons of things i wanna get for when i move..including this mirror!

340.33

340.33
Originally uploaded by kay v.

toguri!!! one of my fave stores to go to in the city. i think i've seen the same products over and over but i still love the feeling and warmth i receive when i go there.

340.32

340.32
Originally uploaded by kay v.

ive been worried about my plants lately. its been so gray and the sun hasnt made an appearance in the last four days. but today..FINALLY! i may be overdoing it with the plant pics lately but recently i'm learning more about taking care of them so i've been studying them more closely. i bought three new cute pots from ikea yesterday to transfer them into.

this is probably my fave of the bunch i have so far...one of my exotic angel ivy's.

340.31

340.31
Originally uploaded by kay v.

my boss, scott, and i took food and space pics for a restaurant called Corner Cooks in Winnetka, IL last month. we shot the chefs preparing the dishes... a dash of this and that and final touches to make each dish look perfect. it's all about the presentation...(and the deliciousness of course!)

i shot with the 5d mark ii. i love that camera! we set up shots with the window light (trying to beat the sun as it went down fast) and shot the same dish again with strobes. we also did environmental portraits of each employee. it went by fast, i learned a lot, and it was tons of fun!

the day after the shoot, we had our company christmas party at the same restaurant.

340.30

340.30
Originally uploaded by kay v.

tina june made spaghetti pasta with asparagus, zucchini, and mushrooms with some spicy jamaican sauce. it was so good! i love her place and her things. i'm always curious to see other people's homes and its always interesting to see how the design and space suits the owner's personality. her home truly defined her..things were colorful, calm, and "practical" as she calls them. practical but pretty.

i started my other project of environmental portraits with tina and her cat, shot with my hassie. i hope they turn out good!

340.29

340.29
Originally uploaded by kay v.

tea is such a great companion. it saves my lonely nights and apathetic afternoons. (coffee will always be my best friend in the mornings though.) i got this new echinacea tea that has little sayings on the labels. i didnt know they came like that so it was a nice surprise!

340.28

340.28
Originally uploaded by kay v.

ohhhhh man!

karaoke night = tons of fun!

too much fun sometimes.

i think that's all i can say about tonight.
everything else needs to be left unsaid
(for my own benefit)

;)

340.27

340.27
Originally uploaded by kay v.

ive been craving 554 for the longest time so i took my parents to seven treasures. i can't believe tony still works there. its been over ten years. man, theres nothing like feasting in china town! we got fried won ton, spare ribs with green peppers, watercress with garlic, and of course..the classic 554! if you dont know what 554 is, i dont know if i can be your friend...hah. brings such good memories.

340.26

340.26
Originally uploaded by kay v.

it was becki's (unofficial) last day today in the office. =( we had lunch at royin with the crew, which was nice. i'm glad jamie (in the reflection) decided to come along. ;) i think last season, we also got royin for her "last day." hah.

here's to becki, last day lunches, and royin lunch specials! 

340.25

340.25
Originally uploaded by kay v.

gotta love china town! all the colors..lights..products..the randomness..and of course, the food! today i had the craving for 554 at seven treasures...but i didnt end up going. this craving must be fulfilled another day. who wants to come with me?

i wanna learn how to make these parasols!!

340.24

340.24
Originally uploaded by kay v.

everything is photographic in my mind. sometimes i go out there without any desire or inspiration or previous mental image of what i want to capture..but somehow it just happens. and when they do, its perfect. and you feel it..it draws you, it pulls you..makes you stop at your tracks and look at things differently. that moment happens when that time is yours..between you and your subject. that nth of a second..just yours. and you have to grab it before its gone or its forever lost.

340.23

340.23
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i somehow ended up at cb2 tonight, only to find their lease is up and is closing soon! (lincoln store). i may be late on this news but anyway, there were some great things i wanted to take home but still could not afford or had no way in transporting them home. however, i found these painted branches laying on the floor and asked if they were for sale. they werent. but i told them they were too pretty to not be in my home or be thrown in the garbage once everything was ton3. so they sold them to me for 50 cents. probably one of the best buys in a long time.

340.22

340.22
Originally uploaded by kay v.

my mom has about six pairs (possibly more) of eyeglasses laying around the house. she never knows where she last put them and always manages to lose a pair. i tried collecting all of them for this photo..but she only found four.

i'm realizing more and more these days how alike we are. but it seems as i'm getting older and feeling it, she's getting younger and livelier. its nice to see her this way.

340.21

340.21
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i woke up real early for a sunday. i was hypnotized by the sun..it was so warm and strong-a nice contrast to the frigid and bitter weather outside. my plants havent been getting any sun lately. today was a treat for them. this was taken against a frosty window..worked well as a background, i think. almost looks underwater. it reminds me of this video game called flow.

340.20

340.20
Originally uploaded by kay v.

i own more pairs of earrings than any other pieces of jewelry. that's all.


on another note, i'm really liking flash bounced at a 90 degree angle. i think that light falls pretty nicely, dont you?

340.19

340.19
Originally uploaded by kay v.

once again, we ring in a new year. last night my cousin joe and i talked about things that happened 10 years ago. it seems a lot of significant things happened then and appropriately, the year turned 2010.

10 years ago, i got my drivers license and first car. i had a sweet 16 birthday party with a whole lot of my friends and more than half of those people are no longer a part of my life now. 10 years ago, a good friend and youth pastor at that time got into a car accident which left him with a metal rod in his leg and killed his two cousins. it was ten years ago when people were freaking out about y2k...

i can't believe its 2010!!! by now we all thought cars would be flying and everything will be ruled by robots and machines. well..we're not too far from that.

340.18

340.18
Originally uploaded by kay v.

james is so handsome and i think he knows it. there's so many kids around these days but ive realized, growing up, i've always been surrounded by so many babies and little children. our families and family friends seem to always have an addition to their groups. and nowadays, its my friends and peers who are married and already having their own families.. leading up to questions i'm recently being asked like: when will you get married? when will you have your own family?

is this the only goal in life?