Abuelita’s Shirt

Posted on January 27th, 2012

….My grandma used to make my dresses. My grandma made this onesie shirt for Neo. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. Not because she makes us clothes, but because she has always been there for me and I love her with all my heart. I remember always running to her for comfort after getting in trouble for misbehaving. She has always had the power to make everything okay. Too bad I can’t make everything okay for her. She just had her appendix removed last week and she is in pain. But, there is something that is worse than pain for her. Boredom! She is SO active. I talked to her over the phone and she said “Next week I will see the doctor and I will ask him if I can sew. Since my pain is on the left side, I could use my right foot to push the pedal. That should be okay.” I hope she heals quickly. I love my Abuelita and I like to see her happy.

Winter Splash

Posted on January 26th, 2012

….“Can we go to the water?” they asked. “Okay, but you can only get your feet wet” I said. But, somehow I knew they didn’t listen beyond ‘okay.’

They started carefully pulling up their pants and getting their toes wet little by little. They ended up… hmmm, how do I put this so I don’t get in trouble since I was in charge of my nephew in the absence of his parents? Well, let’s say they ended up a little more wet than expected in a cold winter day. Okay. Fine. They were soaked, especially one of them. I won’t say who. Please, don’t make me say it. Yes! It was Alejandro, my nephew. In my defense, I wasn’t alone. My cousin was there too. She could have stopped them too. But, we just couldn’t do it. They were having SO much fun running, screaming, splashing, falling, and running some more. It was a great! We just stood there and watched them enjoy it. They were two happy cousins and so were we.

“This will be a day they remember forever” MC

Hopefully Helpful: What camera to get?

Posted on January 24th, 2012

Since I get asked photography related questions often, I thought it might be helpful to everyone if I share my answers here. One of the most popular questions I get asked is “What camera should I get” ? The first thing that may come to mind right away might be getting a DSLR (digital single lens reflex). After all, your friend has one right? But, don’t underestimate a compact camera (also known as a point and shoot). They have come a looong way and they keep getting better. Hopefully, this post will help you decide which camera fits your needs. I will try not to get too technical. So, here are a few things to consider when looking at both types of camera:

Manual Controls

DSLR: You have full control when shooting in manual. There are tons of settings to help you change the result of how you capture and image. The possibilities are endless. If you are eager to learn and you want to experiment with photography, you want this. Read no more.
Compact: This is what you need if you are planning on using your camera on ‘Auto’ or if you want to start learning a little about the photographic process. There are some basic setting to control to get a blurry background or catch an action.

Weight and Size

DSLR: It is big and heavy, especially once you start adding different lenses in your camera bag.
Compact: It is small and light, very convenient when carrying babies, diapers, snacks, and jackets.
Side note: Remember that if carrying the DSLR becomes a burden and you only use it for special occasions, you will miss out on capturing lots of everyday priceless memories. Trust me on this one. I made this mistake before.

Speed

DSLR: It is faster. The shot is taken the moment you click
Compact: It is slower. There is a delay between your click and the time when the picture is actually taken.

Lenses

DSLR: You can change lenses to accomplish different looks: a lens for landscape, a lens for portraits, etc.
Compact: It usually comes with a fixed lens that delivers a full range of zoom.

Image Quality

DSLR: It has a bigger sensor which captures more light. This helps take better, cleaner pictures, especially in low light situations without a flash. However, if you don’t know how to work your camera settings, you might end up with no pictures at all.
Compact: It has a small sensor. A flash is necessary under low light situations. This used to be the deal breaker and the reason we all wanted DSLRs. Now, some advanced compact cameras have sensors that are comparable to the DSRL’s sensor.

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In conclusion, a DSLR is a good choice for specific situations. It is great for experimentation. You must not mind its size and weight. On the other hand, a Compact Cameras is good for many types of scenes. It simplifies the shooting process. It is small and light.
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PS: Ideally… and hypothetically speaking of course… you would have both cameras. Your child would hold your compact camera to take photos of you and you will have the DSLR to take photos of him. In addition, you will have your phone camera at hand for instant sharing. Most importantly, your mom will hold the bag with diapers and snacks.
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What AutoShow?

Posted on January 23rd, 2012

Coming back from the Detroit Autoshow, Jake asked “So, did you even see any cars?” I guess he noticed I was a little distracted by everything else. Well yes, I love checking out the design of the exhibits, the colors and materials they choose, how they put it together and all that. Not to mention the fact that there is LOTS OF LIGHT *a voice from heaven singing* for photos! How could I help myself?

See you on Monday!

Posted on January 21st, 2012

The blog is off on the weekends, but come back on Monday for more. Start thinking Valentine’s!

NEO turns ONE

Posted on January 20th, 2012

We celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago while visiting our family in California. My family planned everything and it was just so special. I love my family as crazy as it could be. Anyways, I still felt the need to celebrate his birthday on the exact date of his birthday (I blame my mom for this tradition) and so we did.

Jake and I spent the whole night making his tiny cake. I am glad it at least looked for the photo because… well, let’s just say we are glad we didn’t pick bakery as our career. Our guests were waaaay too polite to eat it. But, please don’t think we are such horrible hosts. We definitely made up for it with dinner. ;P

The tassel garland was inspired by Confetti System in case you were wondering.

I heard the whoomph!

Posted on January 19th, 2012

When we lived in California, we took Julian to Disneyland a few times. To our surprise, he didn’t like it. I supposed the fact that he wasn’t exposed to Disney movies had something to do with it. The only thing he enjoyed was the parade. On the other hand, Sea World was his favorite place of all times. He loved Shamu, the killer whale. He still does. He sleeps with him every night. So, last time we went to California, we decided to take him whale watching.

We took the ferry at Balboa Island, went out to sea, and waited, and waited, and waited for the whoomph. And WHOOMPH it came! It was super coooool. I couldn’t believe that we were so close to such an enormous creature. It was beautiful. Nature never ceases to amaze me. On the other hand… Julian thought we were TOO far away. Of course.