I Also Take Photograhs, Sometimes!

It has come to my attention that I have spent too long recently thinking about food, and looking through previous posts, its blatantly obvious, even if it does seem to be only Asian food. I love food, I really do and it's a majorly important feature of my life, for one thing, it's the only thing that stops me from keeling over with starvation. But it's hardly the only thing that I care about, even if lately I have been reading food blogs a ridiculous amount and been wanting to experiment more (by-the-by I've made Mochi/Mochiko twice now with the recipe I found on Instructables.com and its been more of a success than a failure). But at the end of the day, I didn't, and still don't want this blog to become all about food (even if it did start about me being bored, and I do eat when I'm bored, I don't think it's a logical step). That's why it's time for my semi-regular feature of just posting some pictures I'd forgotten I had even taken, or that I just wanted to share in more places than Flickr (or felt that Flickr was not the place for it).  

'Camera Phones are to Photography what Two Minute Noodles are to Cooking'

I don't care for the camera on my phone, what mega pixel it is, or its exposure controls. Not because I necessarily agree with the above sentiment but I had/have a camera, specifically designed to take pictures, my phone isn't so why would I use my phone and get shakey images when I am guaranteed to get somewhat respectable pictures using my camera? The answer, of course being that I was caught off guard, and didn't have my camera with me! These few pictures here were all taken using the camera phones and are surprisingly good, considering that and the fact that these were all taken before I had any clue about photography whatsoever.The Windmills were photographed using a Nokia E63 and the snowy images with my now lost (but still loved) Sony Ericsson K800i.

Somethings Just Need to be Photographed!

I don't think the following images need to be explained, but just in case they do: These are quite simply just things I have come across, or (in one or two cases) been wholly responsible and took photos as proof of their existence or just because it made me happy to do.

 

The Ministry of Silly Walks

This I do believe is the best example of graffiti that I have ever seen in my life. I spotted this while wandering around King's Island, Limerick, Ireland one day and bust out laughing to myself. I honestly do believe that graffiti can be a  legitimate art form and this definitely expresses something particularly strong when you think about the state of this state currently. Also its just funny!

Food - I cannot escape it!

This is a triple chocolate krispie, chewy, chrunchie Rice Krispie cake I made not too long ago. It contains Scotsbar cooking chocolate, Wedel milk chocolate, Wedel dark chocolate, Chrunchie bars, marshmallows  and some sugar sprinkles. Oddly enough, it turned out a little too chocolaty, but that didn't stop my drunken cousin eating it all when he crashed at our house that night!

 More Chocolaty Goodness

Deep Fried Mars Bars, also known as Battered Mars Bars are largely mistaken to be a myth, but despite looking like frozen feces are fantastically delicious, even if painfully artery clogging. I make these every so often but the people in my life still refuse to believe it so whenever I do I make sure to get a few pictures in. Evidence for the non-believers and to frighten health freaks!

 

Funky Fungi!

This is a mushroom. I am not sure why but when I saw this mushroom I felt obligated to photograph it. It's weird I don't even like mushrooms. It's a shame about the camera shake, I was using a hug lens!

I Really Just Wanted to Share These Ones

 You're Not a Flower

There is something I don't like about this picture, but I don't know what, and that is why I did not post it to my Flickr account. But I do still like it and that is why you get to see it. It is of course a pine cone masquerading as a flower with some nice bokeh sort of stuff going on there in the back.

 Everything is Better if it's Purple!

Hydrangeas are one of the few flowers that aren't prettier when seen closeup or in Macro. There definitely is something nicer about the big bushy blossoms then the simple individual flowers. In saying that I like how this photograph turned out!

 

Vertical Lines and Lupins

This was the first picture I took, successfully with my Nikon D3000 in Manual Mode and have since been shooting in Manual with a good deal of success. I also took heed of certain rules of composition and photography and I do believe, at least personally, that this is my best image. I took it to enter into the weekly assignment of DPS but for some reason, after I submitted it, it would not accept it. The theme was vertical lines, which I'm sure are obvious in this image. Plus it has Lupins in it, which are beyond doubt my favourite Flower to photograph, probably because they are so accessible, being that they are all over our garden at home.

 

 

To our left, a couple on a beach at sunset. A complete cliche I know but I like it. Though I would prefer thatthe woman was more in a silhouette and not visible in such detail but I guess that's a good reason to finally learn how to use Photoshop or Gimp. 

And finally, a makeshift pinhole camera using my mother's old 35mm film camera. And look there's lupins in it. Whoohoo!

All these pictures are my own so please feel free to comment and critique as all feedback helps, and remember to check out my flickr page for more of this sort of thing and some stuff completely different!

Officially, Am I An Adult Yet?!

I've been trying to be more grown up lately, and this has manifested itself in many different ways. For one thing I'm drinking an Iced Coffee that I prepared myself this morning instead of hitting up Costa or that mermaid place with the expensively good coffee. But I'm not going to get in over my head with the coffee, I've drank coffee since I was eight so I really doubt that is the criteria in which one becomes an adult, especially as I know several actual adults who don't drink coffee. Though in saying that I've started drinking proper fancy tea and I'm looking into purchasing a kitchen thermometer (buying fancy kitchen implements is a job usually reserved for my Mammy, and she's an adult!)

Anyway, what has spurred this one on is, in one week I begin my final year in collage and I'm suddenly feeling that maybe its time to take things into stock and figure out how the hell am I going to get a job?! Also the University posted out to all the soon to be Fourth Years a package filled with all sorts of goodies marked GET A JOB!!! in big ass writing. It was like a twisted copy of the Hitch Hiker's Guide and to be honest it sort of scared me, no 'Don't Panic' in big friendly writing it was exactly the exact opposite!

The thought of getting a proper job doesn't actually scare me, nor does doing interviews. I'm not really sure what part of it is getting to me. But thinking about it I realise my CV is pretty bare when it comes to the references section, and well actually the whole of the other sections too. So its time to fill it up and get lots of experience and other stuff on there too! I'm doing some volunteer work. This includes buddying up with some international students doing a semester/year here at UL and collecting/fundraising for depression and suicide awareness for Aware.ie as part of their Daisy Days. At this point I should probably point out that I'm not just doing this for a reference, but its a nice little perk seeing as no one wants to employ me!

I also want to be able talk about the things I've listed as my interests. This has always been an issue for me, even though I'm really interested in a lot of things - music, photography, politics, art, philosophy, cooking, baking - I really don't know enough about any of it to talk to anyone who has any clue about any of these things. That's why I've changed my preferences on StumbleUpon and joined Twitter. I know this mightn't seem like that big a deal but seeing as every blog I look at these days is cooking and art and I'm reading them, means it's surly doing something for me. And then twitter is really helping me keep up to date on what the hell is going on in the world at the moment. So yeah, that's pretty cool.

The thing is though, I still don't feel as though I can consider myself an adult. I mean I have always thought that there is several criteria and even though I have met them all I still feel that in my life experiences I'm still just a kid! And really that just makes me sad!

Ok so those criteria were:

• Physical: You are officially an adult in a physical sense when you get through puberty and most people have that done well before they get to twenty (unless they are a ballerina that is).

• Legally: On you're eighteenth birthday you become an adult in the eyes of the law. You can drink, smoke, play the lottery, gamble, get married, live on your own and all that jazz or at least some combination of it all depending where you live.

• Coming Of Age: This one really depends on the individual, their upbringing, nationality, customs and traditions. For me this meant learning to drive, going out, taking full responsibility for yourself, getting a job, having had sex, being in a proper relationship, smoking, drinking, having got so drunk to stop drinking (at least for a while), having your own money, having people rely on you, cooking your own dinner, paying rent, caring about the price of petrol, actually reading the newspaper not just flicking through it, having deadlines...and you surely get my drift.

I'm sure when I was growing up there was more criteria but for now these are the major ones that seem to be niggling at me. I've met all of this, so why am I still not mature enough to be an adult? Or is it that I'm just scared of the true adult world and just want to chill out in a perpetual state of inbetweeness for at least the time being?!

Anyway, its not like its even that big a deal. It would seem that I'm unemployable and my future is likely to include more letters after my name other than BA, even though that thought scares me too. I guess ultimately every person reaches a point where they are forced to look back and look forward and it will always be more comforting looking back then it will be looking forward. And that's probably why I want to get a disposable camera instead of a tripod; watching repeats of shows from when I was younger instead of indulging in the great new things available to me; and why for the fear of criticism I am not going to post this blog but save it for a rainy day.

And I guess that means that I'm not yet truly an adult

When in Doubt - Go Classy!

For the last while I've been on a bit of a trip about trying new things. I won't say that I've gotten a bee in my bonnet or anything because it's really not an intense thing but I have recently been thinking a lot more along the lines of 'I could really be missing out on something just because I haven't tried it before'. If you've read the recent posts about cooking and whatnot then you might see where it is I'm coming from. I'm not going to go into much detail, because honestly it's not terribly interesting or anything. The point is for the last few weeks I've been asking nearly everyone I speak to if they have ever had mussels, oysters or tofu. Now it turns out I've had plenty of fried tofu, in Chinese food and that sort, and I have decided that I love it (I haven't had it prepared any other way so if anyone has suggestions let me know). However I have never, knowingly or otherwise, had mussels or oysters. The reasons for this is simple: 

• I don't do seafood, or at least I haven't until now.
• It's usually the texture of a food that puts me off rather than the taste, and looking at mussels and oysters I can't imagine they feel all nice and lovely and pleasant in my mouth.
• I try to avoid ordering food in restaurants that I'm likely not to eat. Obvious I think.

But if I try them just once then I won't have to again. Unless of course they turn out to be utterly amazing like everyone claims them to be. So this evening when I was meeting himself for food I decided today was the day! O' Connell's Pub formally and better known as Synott's in Castletroy do Galway Bay Oysters (Oysters from Galway, Galway Bay that is). I felt so classy ordering them as they do seem to have an air of sophistication about them but the moment the bartender put the plate in front of me I exploded into laughter. I have no idea why. Himself looked disgusted by them and was thanking God it wasn't him eating the things. 

I didn't shoot them back. I picked up the least weird looking one, which also happened to be the biggest and I poked with the fork and nibbled it. It tasted like a fishmonger's smells, which really is just slightly fishy with a strong smell of ice and parsley. I didn't really think that it tasted of anything. But as I said its the texture of food that turns me off not the taste. The next three looked absolutely disgusting, all blackened and squiggley and wet looking. I didn't want to eat them! But they did taste fine, just didn't look it. I picked up the smallest one next...it was also the ugliest so I put it back down. I really couldn't do it, but I wasn't going to leave them there, like I said they tasted fine (who am I trying to convince?!). So what else could I have done...

When in doubt - swallow whole!

Taken with the crappy camcorder I keep in my bag and will be replaced

All in all I'm glad I tried something new and now I have some shiny new ornaments, but lemon isn't enough to make those things look nice or have a stronger taste. I definitely think lots and lots of melted butter is the way to go so once I find somewhere that does mussels I'll try those too.

Therefore in conclusion: Oysters look gross and unfortunately they serioulsy don't make you classy, not when you're laughing like a jackass and are terrified by your dinner.