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nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin

this is actually quite an old photo from when the cx 888 / 9 pairing was still served by a jumbo
laurie was off chatting with the flight attendants in the galley so that freed up the cabin nicely for the anal photographer in me
my usual cabin preparation [ seats upright shades open screens stowed ] didn't take long but to make this shot somewhat more unique
i also turned on everyone's overhead lamp as i went around : the warm light brings out the wood colors well in the modern cabin


under construction



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin

big mug mug and big dull dull listening to music as they enjoy fresh fruits just prior to landing in hong kong
cathay thoughtlessly includes only one pair of headset per seat but luckily when she passed out breakfast to the kids
our flight attendant noticed that big dull dull was without a pair and offered us a spare set from an empty seat in the next cabin
now that's service from the heart !


some photos of the first meal service ; with a departure time from vancouver of three in the morning
by the time the "supper" meal service came around it was more an early breakfast



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin

cabin lights were dimmed during take off from vancouver
this mini business class cabin was actually full but as you can see — no one paid any attention to the safety instruction video
most passengers had boarded in new york where cx 889 originates and kept their seats flat to continue sleeping
as the plane took off a second time


they are the eldest in our family but big mug mug and big dull dull are still excited by simple things
like riding on the moving walkway and the luggage trolleys



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 sunset from the company apartment in taipei

donut dull dull is the youngest kid in our hong kong family and the one who loves air travel the most ; he holds the distinction
of being the only one to have flown in all three travel classes — he gets all excited no matter he is up front in first class with the other kids
[ so many kids want to come with us on those flights we have to hold a lottery ] or toughing it out in the back with me
no lottery needed on those flights !


some photos of donut on the road — can you spot him in each of these three photos ?



nikon d700 + nikkor 105 mm dc f ⁄ 2.8 national chiang kai-shek memorial hall taipei

had to break out this rarely used long lens in order to blur out the ever present crowds at the memorial hall
the indigo glazed tiles are magnificent against the white bricks and i've been wanting a photo of the hall but never managed a good one given my aversion to having people in my photos [ and in real life ] until one sunny afternoon i was out for my monthly dose of vitamin d
a sparrow came out of no where and gave me a near object to focus on for about half a second


big mug mug is very happy as he got to ride up front on this short flight to taipei for free
tagging onto laurie's vancouver to hong kong redemption it just missed the bump to the next award zone



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 nankai rapi:t ß train service at namba station



we were served by the same aircraft [ the aptly named b-hug ] four short days later from osaka
the lamp over seat 2a still hadn't been fixed ; manifesting as an adorable cabin pimple this evening



nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin

osaka is quickly replacing tokyo as our travel destination of choice : it has the same department stores the capital does
[ in fact with kyoto and nagoya only a short shinkansen ride away it's like having two extra parallel universes in which to shop and eat ]
but their immigration only takes ten minutes to clear as opposed to an hour and half in tokyo ! it also helps — much to the delight of the kids
that cathay pacific is maintaining their first class product to osaka despite having relegated tokyo to a two class regional service


joining laurie and me on our osaka vacation are some clearly very excited kids :
check out how happy butterfly is in the photo and snail is looking rather expectantly at the slice too !



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific the pier at hkg

seven kids [ can you spot them all ? ] relaxing in the lounge before their flight
this is the first flight for eggplant mug mug and pineapple dull dull and it looks like they will be sleeping through it
you can see them dozing off on the armchair on the right ; those two can sleep any time any place
what i wouldn't give for just 10% of their magical power


a couple more photos at the lounge — eggplant and pineapple kids sleeping comfortably



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific airbus 330-300 cabin

big mug mug is happily taking in cathay's new business class cabin
soon as they started boarding i rushed down the gangway with big mug mug in one arm and the d700 in the other [ shutter speed / aperture
/ iso all of course preset for cabin photography ] all so i can capture this pristine shot before someone else boarded and ruined everything
needless to say i was first at the gate ; laurie was 2nd — his task was to feign losing his boarding pass and delay the pax behind him


some more photos of our recent vacation in taipei



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 laurie at stanley park vancouver

flew to vancouver for a little rest over the thanksgiving long weekend
although laurie is looking none too pleased having to walk around in the fresh air
he gives the same look when i ask him to run on the elliptical trainer or to skip the bbq pork skin
about five minutes after this photo was taken we were back in the car on the way to costco


a couple photos from vancouver and then another shot from the flight cabin
[ had you really been expecting any place else ? ]



nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin

it was bed time at 33,000 ft but laurie was still up with his chua lam food shows
[ his unstowed ptv and reclined seat marring the ~ symmetry in this photo ] naturally i was out of my seat snapping away
paying zero attention to the fasten seat belt sign heh ; by the way how fantastic is the sensor on the nikon d700 ?
this shot hand held and during some minor turbulence !


some photos of the kids before their flight to vancouver



nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8  « by laurie » cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin

with some very strategic planning we managed to grab a first class cabin all to ourselves !!
while i am busy post-processing the reels of photos we took on this flight [ this one
was snapped by laurie ; my favorite is a couple rows up ] feel free to suggest
new items to add to my now empty list of things to do in life


laurie looking like he's just been op'ed-up from economy class as he gestures the obvious
yes — things are better when the bathroom to passenger ratio is one to one



nikon d700 + nikkor 35 mm 2.0 d f ⁄ 2 a new model to test my new nikon primes kit



some more photos from fusion fifth floor



nikon d2x + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 4 the living room

sometimes when i'm home and i accidentally slam a door close i would apologize even though there is nobody else around
which is a good thing — because where would they sit ? yes my living room is very minimalist and ocd but have
you ever taken your vaccum cleaner and run it across the entire bay window with zero obstruction ?
it is so immensely pleasurable


some more photos from my apartment



nikon d2x + nikkor 50 mm 1.4 d f ⁄ 1.4 waiting for our flight to osaka



we returned via nagoya to take advantage of a re-positioning 34c and sit in first class for free
and what's better ? the fa gave us five ice-cream cups so each kid can have his own



nikon d2x + nikkor 50 mm 1.4 d f ⁄ 1.4 laurie at the veranda of kiyomizu-dera kyoto



additional photos of laurie from the trip



nikon d2x + nikkor 35 mm 2.0 d f ⁄ 2 with the kids in vancouver



some more shots with the canada kids at cypress mountain



nikon d2x + nikkor 35 mm 2.0 d f ⁄ 2 laurie enjoying economy class on cathay pacific



some more photos from our annual vancouver & japan trip



nikon d2x + nikkor 70-200 mm vr f ⁄ 2.8 dull dull and mug mug together

i still get insecurity panic attacks on occasion [ we're on different continents > nine days out of ten after all ]
but he disposes of them very efficiently, often with a fast paced monologue, recounting the things he loves about me
the sweet things i do for him ; he even lists my weaknesses, and then uses them as reasons to be with me
on the surface perhaps that sounds cruel but it's actually very comforting



some more shots of the kids on the road



nikon d2x + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin

our first time flying together
this photo taken just as the plane commenced its decent into narita
we held hands and enjoyed some final moments of serenity and calm before
the department store hopping madness began


one shot from tokyo and then some more photos from the flight cabin hehe



nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific noodle bar at hkg

so how about this clear shot of cathay's famed frequent flyer refectory ?
scheduling a 2 am departure for heathrow finally gave me the chance to nab this
any other time in the day it would take a small miracle to empty this place
pre flight tip — skip the high carb noodles and get just the wontons


some more lounge photos including the terraces at heathrow which is another frequent stop
the food there is rubbish but the jug of molton brown body cream in each shower suite makes up for it
you can never over estimate how much moisturizer transit passengers can soak up



nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 anchorage from a cathay pacific airbus 340-600



laurie invited me over for my first trip to vancover and wow — i was just blown away
i knew it had the highest per capita greenery in metropolitan canada but what greenery it is !!



nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 2.8 hilton tokyo

sumimasen [ excuse me ] my eye bags
eye shades + ear plugs + valium + red wine and still only clocking around four hours of sleep on a long haul flight
i think i'll redeem some eye cream with my miles


nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 4 akihabara noodle shop

virgin atlantic manager said all i need is find what i like and say kore kudasai [ this please ] and i will go far in japan
puh you don't even need to go through all that at this lovely noodle store — just pick out the bowl you like
match its name on the ticket machine and press the button ; no need to look at or talk to anyone
the only time you need to open mouth is for insertion of delicious noodles


nikkor 10.5 mm f ⁄ 4 cathay pacific airbus 346



nikon d2x + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 8 hong kong convention and exhibition center

less than a month into my secondment at the hong kong branch
i'm already tired of its office polit-cliques and yearning for the simpler days in the dublin office
even if that means getting yelled at by brighde and her honorary undergraduate degree in photocopying
every time i forget to fan the stack of paper before loading the laserjet


nikkor 17-55 mm west vancouver from ubc



nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 2.8 meiji shrine tokyo



nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 8 amah rock hong kong



nikon d2x + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 4 + circular polarizer mount seymour north vancouver



nikkor 10.5 mm f ⁄ 4 the spire dublin

this is only the second time that i've used this lens here
do you know how difficult it is to find somewhere in dublin city that looks good for a whole 180 degree frame ?
i cloned out fifty pieces of gum in this shot alone


nikon d2x + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 2.8 lobby at hilton dfw lakes

miniwave and celebration to me — i'm a fellow of the society of actuaries
though it's difficult to celebrate very hard when the biggest attraction in town is sears
had dinner with three actauries who were too far down the life table for us to have had much
to talk about ; in fact they all smoked so we weren't even on the same life table [ cough ]



nikkor 50 mm 1.4 f ⁄ 1.4 connolly station dublin



nikon d70 + nikkor 50 mm 1.4 d f ⁄ 1.4 self portrait

still lifting faggoty weights but i'm really enjoying the dumbell flyes, curls and presses
the feel of lactic acid in the muscles is just fantastic — god bless anaerobic respiration !! and since some have asked
the combined weight of the two dumbells in my final set [ please hold giggles to yourselves ] is more or less
about the same weight as the bar used in olympic weight lifting competitions


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 4 carrick a rede antrim



nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 8  « defished » connolly station dublin

i like the international financial services center — it's got a very sim city feel
streets are narrow and at right angles ; there are distinctive residential and commercial zones
it's a place where you could love the ebb and flow but perhaps no one person or thing in particular
other than marks and spencer's simply food of course


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 2.8 st regis shanghai

these butlers will get you bootleg dvds and then draw you
a bath ; meanwhile i am very glad monday is a bank holiday
i should be able to fit oh maybe half an hour of study somewhere during my alias dvd marathon


nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 upper deck

part of me wishes i were more adventurous and traveled somewhere other than hong kong for my bank holidays
boss ran a marathon going thru austria, switzerland and germany two weeks ago ; big boss returned from diving in the maldives last month
me ? i like the dark — in the dark i can sneak into the economy class galley and take all their peanut packets [ my mum craves them ]
one time i got like sixty bags for her which coincidentally is about as adventurous as i get


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 3.5 westin shanghai



nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 2.8 custom house quay dublin

taken on a quiet weekend at the ifsc
lately i've been inspiring and teaching others to play the piano ! you should be scared
though perhaps not as much so as the bacteria at home on my kitchen sponges
me upgraded my detergent from classic to antiseptic yesterday


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 4 nishi shunjuku tokyo



nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 4 british airways boeing 747-400 at ord

the course 5 seminar was a lovely nostalgic treat — i had missed going to classes and taking notes and pop quizzes
one thing i couldn't stand though was that fat woman in front of me who would nod each time she understood something
really wanted to whack her on the head with my essay questions folder [ whack whack whack whack whack whack ]
oh and before i forget — yo mama so fat they made the bitch get group insurance


nikkor 10.5 mm f ⁄ 4 city hall london

i find i am emotionally quite stable
i am feeling well despite being alone and having no
social life at all besides shopping next door at m & s
we call this state "ruin" in credibility theory   [ .. ]



nikon d70 + nikkor 50 mm 1.4 d f ⁄ 1.4 hostage situation at the dublin office

am enjoying my new desk at work after office south african guy [ above ] defected
at first i had asked my boss if we should get permission from human resources or something
before we started you know moving computers and stuff around ; to which he brilliantly answered :
nah — what if they say you can't move them ? then you're kinda stuck aren't you ?


nikkor 50 mm 1.4 f ⁄ 4 eiffel tower paris

[ .. ]   and according to this theory
ruin is an absorbing state unless there is capital injection
hence my lottery tickets — which per my valuation guidelines are kept in the legal tender partition of my wallet


nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 4 don valley parkway toronto

taken very early one monday morning
an australian girl at the course 7 seminar asked me to join her on a 6 am to 7 pm day tour
of guang dong from when the seminar ends which may i remind you is in the middle of summer
how many things are wrong with this invitation ?? i count five


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 4 departure gates at hkg

taken with eyes barely opened at six in the morning
couldn't sleep from the seven grade pigs excitement last nite
at one point close to the end, there were four of us left
and we were all pigs of the sixth grade


nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 custom house square apartments dublin

this is where i've been staying the last two years
my secondment from the dublin office will be announced in a meeting this afternoon
in the meantime i'll just enjoy a care free last few weeks here — some mangos and blueberries while they're on sale at m & s
crunches and jacknives as i watch queer as folk and a road trip if i feel like singing cantopop in the car again


nikkor 50 mm 1.4 departure hall at john f kennedy



nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 2.8 w hotel new york



nikon d70 + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 cathay pacific boeing 747-400 upper deck

on a flight back to dublin with a stop over at my sister's in london — i'm looking forward to visiting the
m & s simply food that has opened across from her place and is three times bigger than the one outside mine
and maybe a box or two of their spaghetti bolognese which comes with my favorite sentence
for best results please microwave


nikkor 10.5 mm f ⁄ 4 grand hyatt hong kong



nikkor 10.5 mm f ⁄ 4 wanchai mtr station



nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 3.5 downtown evanston

keep your eyes peeled for the new matching gold mpc tags on my otherwise poorly co-ordinated luggages
elite tier cards they are like rim jobs — if someone be wanting to give one, i'll be wanting to take one
and i'd feel pretty validated afterwards too ; seriously if someone's willing to stick their tongue
up your ass and then lick ? you must have gotten something right


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 8 calgary tower



nikon d70 + nikkor 17-55 mm dx f ⁄ 11 lake moraine banff

besides attending meetings of no added value in calgary
i am also using this trip to land in canada and become a canadian permanent resident
renewal of this status requires me to be in canada two years of every five, and progression
to the next tier [ citizenship ] requires a continued residency of three years


nikkor 17-55 mm f ⁄ 8 lake moraine banff

in alberta for three days with hong kong actuary girl
did some sight seeing with her after i finally managed
to stop playing around with the dual automatic
scrolling doors on the minivan