As the Year is Slipping Away

2012 was an amazing year.  My life changed so much and in such a good way, that I can't be anything but proud and grateful for what we achieved, and for the versatile experiences we were lucky to have.  I am also hopeful that the new year will be even better! 

A Photowalk in Rome, part due

Here's the next batch of photos from the Eternal City.  Just a few things I want to say first: back then I used to shoot in JPEG, so the added grain actually does me a favor, as it gives texture to the images.  The colors are delicious - it rained a lot during our vacation, but the grey skies made everything stand out better.  I like the high contrast and the subdued highlights, and it was a real treat to revisit Rome again in such detail.  I miss Europe terribly, though I carry my experiences there with me always, which helps me to put the life here in a better perspective.

Also, just look at me - 20 pounds (at least) lighter, a smoker, and I seem to find cats everywhere I go.  Of course, Rome is literally infested with cats.

A Photowalk in Rome, part uno

Three years ago John and I flew to Rome for the winter holidays and I took a ton of photos, which I seem to have well forgotten and underutilized, probably because they had the quality of (pun totally intended) pedestrian tourist images...until today.  I dusted off the archive travel folders and re-edited them with my spanking new VSCO presets, and ecco! Watch the magic happen below, and feel free to be inspired to have some juicy pizza and red wine while at it.

P.S. This is part one of maybe 4 posts in total, so stay tuned.  Next time I might even tell you a little story about how we got scammed on Pfeiffer street....

 

Everyone has a photographic memory, but not everyone has film.

~ Author unknown...

John, being the bestest and most wonderfulest husband EVER, just gave me the ultimate Christmas gift - a VSCO Film 01 and 02 for Lightroom 4, so expect a ton of photos from our past trips together edited anew with the aforementioned magic.

This was taken somewhere above Italy in the winter of 2009.  Ah, good times!

It's The End of the World, And I Feel Fine

It rained so much yesterday that I seriously thought about building an ark or something.  It was a miserable-looking kind of Sunday which went by very slowly and made me dizzy and in a strange need of consuming chocolate products.  I also discovered that my cat has a window-licking problem, and that thunderstorms do not become less melancholic, no matter how many TV comedy shows you download from the internet and watch curled up on the couch while cuddling with your loved ones.

The world, however, didn't end - the skies cleared up this morning and I was greeted by the sight of million luminous water drops sparkling in the sun, and by awesomely drying off fences, steaming as if on fire. 

 

Macaroons!

I was bored today, so macaroons.

'Tis the Bokeh Season

I've been wanting to take a photowalk with my friend Parisa for weeks now, but life has been too busy lately and all plans fell through.  To make things worse, John got sick this weekend, and I was overwhelmed with baby-related chores...until yesterday, while both Johnny and John were taking taps in the late afternoon, I finally managed to escape and armed with my camera I roamed the nearby blocks, taking photos of people's houses decorated with Christmas lights.  It would have been better if I had company, so I could have taken portraits to give this amazing bokeh some contexts, yet I am grateful that I at least managed this:

P.S. Most of the light weren't even on yet at 4:30 pm, but I'm sure I'll have other opportunities till New Year's.

Bonus! Shelby and my own livingroom Christmas lights :)