Lunar Eclipse June 2011

That's the best shot out of my amateur efforts last week. Used my Olympus DSLR with telephoto lens.  All photos are cropped from the original.

Below was when it became red/orange courtesy of an erupting volcano in Chile.

And here are the views from afar.

How to Train Your Dragon...and then Some

*Sigh*   Would have been really great to have attended this were it at my own backyard so to speak.  Such a talented person, how do they get this ability?  Composing music is abstract to me..  Makes one wish to have an exceptional and distinctive talent of one's own.  Lol.  And if there's one reason I'd visit London, it's to watch and listen to the Royal Philaharmonic Orchestra perform in their turf if anyplace else isn't possible.

Below is someone's youtube post of music composer John Powell conducting the Royal Philharmonic with selected music of his creation for the animated film How to Train Your Dragon.

From 03:25 is my favorite. Amazing!  Argh get me out of here.  Lol!  Makes me wish too that this was officially recorded with professional camera work, with nearer shots of the composer and orchestra performing.  There's a part 1 to the video as well in youtube.

It might be illegal to post it so just as the original poster was advised to do, I am giving credit where credit is due:  The concert was for charity, Concert for CARE at the Royal Albert Hall.  By CARE International:  If you enjoy this video, we kindly ask you to make a donation to CARE International. The idea of the concert was to raise money for the charity and all the composers gave a huge amount of time to help support us.  Please contribute by donating online here: http://bit.ly/cs3cw6

I came across the above video after some online research on the soundtrack to the movie How to Train Your Dragon.  I just finished watching it tonight.  Gosh!  It's among my favorites now.  Beats Avatar, or even Toy Story 1, 2, or 3 I must say on the movie enjoyment scale.  Lol.  Too bad I didn't get to see it on IMAX.

And below is my favorite track in the film: Forbidden Friendship.  It's the song that made me look for the sountrack initially, until I couldn't help but notice that the rest of the music in the film are quite outstanding as well while watching it.  Incredible.  hehe!  Seeing the film makes me wanna have my own cute dragon.  haha!

I also liked that they used Scottish actors/accents for some of the main characters.  Despite the incongruity of it with the story supposedly about a Viking community, the accents were effective, the words very clear.  One of them sounded so familiar, turns out it was the Spartan Leonidas (300's Gerard Butler) doing the voice for the Viking leader.

At certain angles, Toothless -- the protaganist's dragon (above) -- resembles Japanese animation characters like those in Pokemon/Pikachu.  Lol!  Cute.

I loved cinematographer Roger Deakins's work here too (especially the forest scenes, the aurora borealis, candle light cast on the characters, etc).  Lucky cast, crew and tech whizzes for having this film in their portfolio.  I'd be extremely proud if I were one of them.  hehe!

Anyway, now you know which movie and CD are newly added to my wish list.

Paris - No Woman No Cry...at the Arrondissement 18

Why do I like France/Paris...?  It's not so much the monuments, or the food, but rather its richness and appreciation of arts and culture, and not just for the high art sort of culture... hehe.

I like listening to many different sorts of music, sometimes in different languages.  And Paris is a pretty good place to be for this.  Arts and culture appreciation is so inherent in them it's not uncommon to find it manifested quite more overtly in their urban landscape than in many other urban cities.

A lot of times, you can encounter talented or interesting artists and musicians performing on the streets, the metro, etc...like it's just another ordinary day,  like this guy Ben L'Oncle Soul singing in the Metro.  I was listening to an online French music station when I heard it play one of his songs -- Elle Me Dit.  And I was like, Wow.  Loved what I heard and now I have mp3s of his album.  I took a look in youtube today to know more about this artist and found this, probably one of his older performances.

Nice no? Effortless talent indeed, especially with his rather distinct voice.  You should view their accoustic cover of Acqua's Barbie Girl song.  Lol! Here's another show of talent from him:

Below are videos I recorded of some performances I encountered on the streets in Paris, taken with my old point and shoot camera's video feature:

This one was recorded on a footbridge along the Seine, at the arrondissement 4.  That was pretty cool too.

Trek Gear List

Below are lists of things I'm bringing/wearing/using on a multi-day/week trek this year.  The destination's a cold place especially as we go up to a higher altitude, but am not going during winter so I won't be bringing any down jacket.


Bags

1. Deuter ACT Trail 28 SL pack - a pack designed for women's bodies..    
   
   
2. 1 sturdy duffle bag
   - holds all items that I need not carry while on the trail
   - to be carried by porter once trek starts
3. small pack
   - for my on/off trail carryon items 
   - might use my small and lightweight MEC Ridgemont pack (pictured below with my Bad Badtz Maru plush) or my small Millet pack.
   
   - This small pack would be put inside the Deuter pack when on the trail, and pulled out when at accommodations and dining at accommodations, for convenience with my carryon items.  Not camping with tents see.
4. stuff sacks/bag
   - usually nylon drawstring bags or small zip up toiletry bags (freebies from cosmetics/skincare/perfume product purchases.. lol) or plain plastic bags to organize my packing of items into stuff sacks: i.e., electronic gear peripherals in one, toiletries in another bag, undgergarments and socks in another bag, food packets, first aid kit, etc.

Electronics + Peripherals

1. DSLR camera with extra lens
   - especially for landscape, macro, evening, and astro-photography
2. point and shoot camera
   - mainly for trail, people, and other camp pics
3. lightweight tripod
4. lens filters and cleaner
5. my iPod video/classic (5th gen)
   - so can backup photos straight from the camera to here, not to a cumbersome laptop.. then transfer to PC/laptop when I get back home
6. cellphone (whether or not it's going to be used)
7. chargers, cables, and extra batteries and cards
8. camera pouch for my Olympus XZ-1 point and shoot camera, clipped on to my pack's strap/harness for easy access when on the trail
   

Other Gear

1. poncho
2. trekking poles
3. head torch
4. gloves
5. watch
   - I got myself an inexpensive and basic sporty Timex Marathon watch (in torquoise) 'cause I don't want to lose track of the date and time while trekking for several days/weeks. It also looks cute even when not trekking. hehe.
   - It has a daily alarm, 2 timezones, 24-hr timer, stopwatch, 50m water resistance, etc.
6. fleece blanket
7. towel
8. sarong 
9. metal water bottle
10. plastic drinking cup
11. my double-walled tea tumbler
    - got this in Vancouver
    
    
12. spoon and fork
13. gaiters (I'm not sure yet how useful a pair would be for me)

Apparel