November 2025
November 29th
Sorry it’s been a while. Did some xmas shopping. Lowering the budget as I overdid the gifting last year. Also yesterday I did something really stupid but won’t tell the story until it’s been completely resolved. Going back to my one-meal-a-day diet. My usual pants are a real struggle to put on in the morning. Been snacking too much.
November 21st
Went to see Wicked: For Good. Not as good as the first but enjoyed it. The theatre was packed.
November 19th
Family problems. Drove on the highway in rage. Screamed in the car at the top of my lungs. It felt so exaggerated like a scene from a movie. Think I will skip thanksgiving this year. Would rather be walking around photographing the city than to sit around with people who never wanted the best out of me.
Saw a video of a just newborn elephant dying immediately from the extreme heat in Africa. The mother kept trying to move her dying calf back and forth with her trunk but it was still on its side trying here and there to get up but the heat was too strong and it passed away.
November 16th
Getting a little bit of a runny nose and sore throat. Need to layer up a little bit more.
I hate the weather but this time of year is my favorite scenery. The way the sun hits the fall leaves. Sometimes the leaves fly in the air like birds.
Early in the afternoon I decided to watch this Iranian film It was just an accident. It had a perfect ending.
First public upload shot with the OM-5 Mark II
November 12th
Keep a notebook on you at all times or keep a notes app to never miss any kind of idea.
[x] buy ingredients
[] tidy up room
Edited one photo today using the Generic Fuji Velvia 100 on DxO Photolab 9:
November 11th
Went to watch Die My Love featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson after work last night. I was deciding between this and Bugonia and thought Die My Love would be the better choice. A little more than halfway through, I stood up and left. The movie is loud throughout: crying baby, non-stop barking dog, loud music blasting throughout the couple’s house. One funny comment I saw on Letterboxd.com was that it was a 2-hour long anti-pregnancy campaign. The chemistry and dynamic between the two actors was there, it just wasn’t my kind of film.
This morning as I was making coffee I was thinking about what to do this upcoming winter. There’s going to be a lot of free time in my schedule so that means I have the time to do more street photography and find more work for myself.
One of the things that came to my mind was to a guide for new people on how to use DxO photolab as an alternative to Adobe Lightroom. It’s been almost four something years since un-installing Adobe from my computer(s) and have been happy with DxO ever since.
A lot of people are stuck in the Adobe suite because they think it’s the only thing out there. So with this possible tutorial I’m going to work on, it might help people realize that alternatives are not inferior to what’s considered the industry standard. I also fell into the trap of using Adobe Ps + Lr thinking I won’t be taken seriously if I don’t use it.
My written DxO guide won’t be free. If this sounds of interest to you, be on the lookout and I will announce it on Flickr and X.
There’s also a huge learning curve to learn the ins and outs of the Adobe suite. For me, I want to take as many pictures as possible and the last thing I want to do is spend several hours inside learning a software. I do my best to get the composition and the decisive moment aligned and when you have those two, you need very little computer editing.
11:32pm
Was working in Maryland and stuck on 495 for an hour and a half (it was supposed to be a 40-minute drive). All four lanes merged into one lane. I was getting lightheaded with all the diesel fumes coming out of the cargo trucks. Went to the supermarket to get some spicy tuna sushi and a cold beverage.
I’m using squarespace to write all of this and it got me thinking about how long squarespace will be around. It might not be the biggest platform like it is now and there will be better things. I like what it has to offer but it has its limits and to access certain things, you have to purchase the next tier which requires spending more money.
It got me thinking since building my website is a long term process of trial and error and experimenting, I might as well build it from the ground up and learn how to code myself to have complete control.
Again, squarespace is just renting an apartment for my portfolio and ideas. Right now, I’m working on a behind the scenes project of creating the future website that will be the next and final place for my art and ideas to roam free.
I want my ideas and my photographs to stay relevant and if you do it on a company’s territory, once you leave this world and when the company shuts down for good, your website is done for good. I did some research and found that you need a way to offline your work so they have the highest chance of surviving after you die.
I think it’s going to be a fun project to work on this winter.
November 10th
Haven’t posted here in a couple of days. But I’m feeling a little more consistent writing on my blog than before. Usually it would be a week or more in between writing.
Just came back from Charlotte, NC 1AM last to visit some friends over the weekend. That was the first weekend trying out the OM-5 Mark II. Still trying to learn the new menu system. I turned off AF assist, sound and the auto noise reduction off.
I uploaded the ORF (Olympus’ RAW file system) onto Photolab but they are not compatible with PL Version 7 and had to upgrade to Version 9…
While I was in Charlotte, we went to the IKEA there and bought myself the BILLY bookshelf (small version) and a new night lamp. Finally I was able to put all the books that were scattered everywhere around my room.
Also one thing that I’m deciding on is the blog format. Do I want every topic to be its own individual post or every blog post represent the month we’re currently in and write small posts every day on it like journal entries.
I kind of like it like this now. It’s low stress and by the end of the week I feel like I’m writing more cause I’m not tethered to one topic. You can see I have several blog posts that are uncomplete because I have lost interest or don’t have the time.
I’m editing some photos from the previous month with PhotoLabs Version 9 and it is a lot faster. On version 7 when I wanted to make even the tiniest adjustment there would be a slight delay and the loading icon would always pop up in the bottom right corner. With version 9, the adjustments are immediate as soon as I move the slider.
Last night I watched the first episode of this mini series called The Trip on criterionchannel.com. That was the first time in a while laughing that hard. I don’t want to spoil it but you’ll know it when you watch this particular scene.
Aside from this blog, the best places to follow me are in this order:
If you click on those links, the direct you to my page. Yes, instagram is last on my list. How long will IG last. The algorithm and their focus on video-based content has screwed over many creative people.
I was surprised by how much I use X. If you share a photo from Flickr.com, X will show the preview of the photo which will re-direct anyone to my Flickr page to see the rest of my street photography work.
People refuse to see what’s on X because it’s associated with right-wing stuff, Elon but it’s all about how you curate your feed. I’ve become a movie fanatic recently and there’s a great film community where I discover new facts about a film and able to meet users who have seen a film I thought many disliked.
At least on X I can find great ideas and I stay on X because I feel like I’m always learning something new. Whereas on Instagram, I spend time there to kill time and my brain feels fried and I feel guilty when I see how much time I spent on it.
