[11.26.07] Monday Night Recap
- November 26, 2007 -
- [Macbook Pro] So I ordered a refurbished Macbook Pro in celebration of Black Friday (needed an excuse), and was expecting it to come by Thursday. I checked the tracking this morning at work and saw that at 5:27am, it was in transit. 14 hours later…it is still in transit. I mean, seriously!?!?! Don’t toy with me like that. Here’s to hoping for tomorrow.
- [BEARS] Devin Hester, you are ridiculous. Shanahan is very foolish for kicking to him, and I feel a bit sorry for Sauerbrun…both times he ended up kissing Hester’s ankles and watching him dance into the endzone.
- [ROSE BOWL] There seems to be an option for the Illini to make it into the rose bowl!!! I’m literally in awe, right now. God bless the BCS!
- [TheShot] I’ve been a bit hooked on this show called The Shot, on VH1…which is basically “America’s Next Top Model” for photographers. It’s focus is fashion photography, and I haven’t seen anything amazing yet, but it’s still entertaining to watch. There’s one guy who comes from a background in wedding photography…I’m rooting for him.
- [FANTASY] I used to do do fantasy sport for baseball, basketball and football, but now I’m just doing football (and rather poorly). However, Jay Cutler and Tony Scheffler pulled down 34 points for me, so it was an all around great bears game.
- [Science&Faith] Here’s an interesting article in the NY Times regarding how the basic foundations of scientific ‘proof’ are based on faith in an unknown. Caught my attention…
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Happy Holidays [Photo Dump]
- November 25, 2007 -
Although we all live many miles apart and are moving on with different life directions (some still in med school, others working, another overseas), my group of college friends still try to get together at least on the holidays, and Thanksgiving was no different. This past Monday we had a potluck dinner and brought everyone together again…we even Skyped my roommate who was in London so he can enjoy part of the festivities with us. As always, our gatherings contained great food, deep conversations, and moments of games/entertainment. No matter how old we get, we keep each other young. Sort of…
Shawn was able to join us from half-way around the world- technology is great, it was like he was actually there…(we later connected him to the TV and made him more life size)
Amazing food, as usual…
A common site at our gatherings- where are the guys in this conversation?
And fun times consisted of Guitar Hero followed by a rousing game of ImagineIFF…
For Thanksgiving, I went to church (as usual) for a Thanksgiving day service, and followed with a Thanksgiving Lunch at my sister’s in-laws place. My family hasn’t completely gotten comfortable with the camera, So I only grabbed shots of the food before relaxing.
Then in the evening, I went to my girlfriend’s place to hangout with her family in the evening. As a whole, they’ve never experienced my camera and I, so I made sure not to pull it out just yet (…got to make sure they have NO reason to dislike me :) ). It was entertaining time, where we just talked and played the FRIENDS trivia game (…really not that exciting of a game, in my opinion).
The meatball appetizer was pretty much all Alexis wanted for Thanksgiving…
It looks so healthy…if only I cared about stuff like that…
Then comes Black Friday…where I joined up with some friends to go to Best Buy at 5am and see what I could get. I really had no big “need”, so some might say it wasn’t worth it. However, my shopping consisted of Best Buy, TigerDirect (they opened a store in Schaumburg!), and a wandering through Woodfield Mall. In total, I just got a couple CF cards (capturing the memories), a 500GB Backup drive (archiving the memories), and I ordered a MacBook Pro online (‘perfecting’ the memories). Probably not worth a 4am wake up, but was fun nonetheless. (no pictures, sorry).
You know what it means when Thanksgiving is over? Time to put up the Christmas lights. After putting them up around my house with my dad, I went over to my church to find that they had finished decorating already- and I must say they did quite a good job with it. Here’s a very poor attempt at me hand-holding 1/4th-second exposure, but you get the gist of it…
A 4 day weekend was nice, but now I need to get ready to scrape the snow off the windshield and finish the corporate work year strong. Happy Holidays!
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Jane & Alan’s Engagement
- November 25, 2007 -
[The Cotillion Banquets - Palatine, IL]
It was so great to be able to shoot Alan and Jane’s Engagement ceremony, especially after shooting their e-session a few weeks back. I must say, these were two very happy people- you wouldn’t find a single moment where they weren’t smiling! It was an entertaining (but tiring) job, and I loved it. They also had an ‘after-party’ in the evening, but they specifically requested that I put down the camera and join the fun as a friend…so sorry for not capturing those fun times!
side note: One thing I’ve noticed about my friends is that they fall into two categories: they love the camera and constantly ask to get pictures taken of them, or they do whatever they can to avoid the camera (majority). I can’t wait until they all get comfortable enough to not mind it, but also will be allow me to capture the ‘natural’ moments at least once in awhile.
Alright, well here’s some from the engagement. Congrats guys, and good luck prepping for the wedding!
The ring shot…
Hairstyles by Gigi…
I told you they were all smiles…
The dancing…
Congrats guys!
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I’m Thankful…
- November 23, 2007 -
I’ve got to wake up in about 3 hours for the black friday (although I think it should be called ‘Red Friday” because I definitely will be in the red after this), but I wanted to throw out a quick list of what I’m thankful for (…and like everyone else- in no particular order).
- My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I mean, seriously…without Him, the rest of this is just pointless. To God be all the glory.
- A loving family who will always be there for me.
- An amazing girlfriend (who is letting me indulge in photography, even though she doesn’t fully understand the extent of my madness).
- My soon-to-be extended family, for being a family before it’s official.
- A church that has challenged and pushed me to seek change and desire more for myself, my generation, and my community.
- 3 friends who are willing to encourage my spending by traveling with me beginning at 5am tomorrow.
- My recent clients (and current inquiries), for respecting my work enough to give me the honor of capturing the precious moments in their lives.
I’m definitely too tired to go any more in depth, but this is just scratching the surface. I’m desiring for everyday to be more a day of thanks- in constant remembrance and reflection on what I have, and who I have to thank. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Baby Vivek
- November 21, 2007 -
[This post is a bit out of order (in light of how the events were shot), but this was on a rush order so I got the images taken care of. The engagement pictures will definitely be up by the weekend...don't worry guys!]
It’s crazy that I still have cousins coming into this world. Baby Vivek is the second child to my dad’s cousin, and my goodness is he cute! Vivek was born on Friday, October 16th, and came home on Sunday, and they were more than ready to start capturing the moments. The joys of having a photographer in the family, I guess! It’s funny how, although babies don’t do much at 2 days of age, whatever they actually do is that much more exciting- be it opening the eyes, yawning, half-smiling…if only we could be joyful about these small things with everyone we interact with. Could you imagine?
Like I stated before, I love taking pics of children; they are just so natural and oblivious to the camera (I know he had his eyes closed 95% of the time, but still…). This is getting me even more excited for me nephew/niece on the way in April! You guys might start getting sick of the baby pictures then (let me know and I’ll try tone it down :) ). Enjoy!
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[11.19.07] Monday Night Recap
- November 19, 2007 -
As stated earlier, I’m having a time consuming night/week, so it looks like I’ll be shooting the MNR earlier in the day.
- [Bears] Ummm…I’m no longer blaming Rex…or even Benson. Our O-line needs to step it up.
- [Illini] Capitol One Bowl, here we come!
- [Reminisce] At the engagement party on Saturday evening, I got to catch up with my old hometown friends (Hillside/Bellwood/Berkeley…we grew up in the hood). Fun times remembering St. Dom’s…
- [Expanding] Growth is a good thing, and it looks like we’re set on expanding our church to accommodate our large numbers. Pray for the expansion project…we need ‘God in the details.’
- [Life] As my post yesterday noted, my cousin had a baby boy on Friday, named Vivek (translation: wisdom). the two things that really bring me back to a moment of recognition is life and death- and God has been challenging me with both of those non-stop this year.
- [Deadline] Just a reminder, that for everyone planning on going to the Winter Regional Conference, the first deadline is December 2nd, before a $20 late fee. So get your forms in ASAP!
- [Black Friday | Pay Day] It’s very interesting to me that pay day is this week (an early one on Wednesday because of Thanksgiving), and Black Friday is coming as well. I think they are all out to get me…(It’s also interesting that in my 23 years of life, I’ve never gone shopping on black friday yet).
Alright, well hopefully by Wednesday I’ll have one event ready to be posted.
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Things To Come…
- November 18, 2007 -
A busy weekend leading into a busy week means that I’ve got a bit of processing (without a lot of time) to do before I’ll be able to post the recent sets…but get ready! This past Saturday I had the engagement ceremony of Jane and Alan, and then today I did a photoshoot for my cousin’s newborn baby boy (2 days old)! And looking ahead, I’ll be having a Thanksgiving get-together with my college friends tomorrow evening, a church lecture on Tuesday, and then Thanksgiving weekend (I have a feeling I might ‘invest’ a lot of money Friday morning). So some of these images might not be posted immediately, but bear with me, it’s coming. Here’s a little ‘teaser’ of this past weekend, to give you a glimpse as to what’s to come:
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S&P #001
- November 15, 2007 -
My life has been crazy hectic in 2007, and I’m very excited for a break when it all ends. In the beginning, I recognized I was taking on a lot of responsibilities and activities, but felt that all would be possible. Let me tell you, though…sometimes you’re asked to be stretched, and sometimes you push yourself further than you should. And although I consider myself a pretty ‘organized’ person, it was very difficult in prioritizing everything that I had to do, with being on the leadership committee with my church’s youth fellowship (and all the many meetings/activities that come along with that), starting a corporate job, creating the photography business, working with Up All Night, strengthening a relationship with the greatest girlfriend ever, as well as make personal time for entertaining, working out, etc. When I took it all, I looked at it as something that was possible, but just needs to be focused and organized. And I still see it as that, but noticed I hadn’t really organized much of anything correctly.
I fell under a thought process that being busy and never having time was a good thing- it meant I was productive…obviously. I’m learning, though, that it’s the exact opposite of what I want. I want to clear up as much time as possible (while still doing what I need), in order to free up my life for more important things: making myself available for family and friends, picking up entertaining hobbies, progressing in knowledge instead of continuing to do the same mindless tasks over and over for much of my day.
So in recent months, I’ve resolved to make some changes in my lifestyle, ultimately striving to Simplify it and make it Purposeful. (Hence the S&P). Much of these tips/tricks/etc. I learned from other people via blogs, books, and the like, and figured I should pass some of the stuff I’m doing along to others. Some things might not be applicable to you, but I’m sure someone will find this useful. Let me know what you think…
#001 – Under10 Inbox
There have been numerous changes that I have made with my email communication. I was primarily influenced/sparked by InboxZero, and adjusted it a bit to what I felt was best for me. Ultimately, my goal is to have less than 10 e-mails in my inbox at all times. This can seem like a very daunting (and unlikely) task, but I have gotten this to work so far, and it’s really increased my productivity and has stopped me from being ‘attached’ to my inbox (with Gmail, obviously). Here are some things that I’ve done:
UNSUBSCRIBE
One of the many things filling up my inbox was junk mail. If I ever purchased a product online or needed to register for a site, I would be added to their mailing lists, and would not give the time of day to those e-mails. I spent much time just deleting unwanted e-mail. At the bottom of every e-mail, however, there is an unsubscribe link…one click, and I no longer get these useless mailers from Crate&Barrel.
Labels
I created a list of about 20 categories or so for which my e-mails could be automatically grouped in: family, finances, photography, church, facebook, etc. Whenever I get an e-mail, before I even open it, I select it and give it a label. The best thing of this is it helps when I need to reference back to an old e-mail for information, as I have a more direct plan of attack. And with Gmail, you can archive your e-mails so they are no longer shown in your inbox, but you still have easy reference. (This can be very time consuming intially for people who have 10,000 messages in their inbox with no labels- spend like an hour a day cleaning it up and you won’t regret it!)
Auto-Filter
Now that I have these labels, I have set some auto-filters, where e-mails will automatically bypass my inbox and be archived. These are for e-mails that I still want to receive, but don’t really need to read it immediately as they come in (ie. Facebook notices, forum alerts, etc.). Now, I know there are new messages because the sidebar shows it, but it’s not cluttering my inbox. I recommend doing this for as many consistent e-mails you receive (from organizations, mailing lists, etc.).
[3line Reply and] Archive
I used to hold on to so many e-mails in my inbox because I didn’t have ‘time’ to write out an e-mail. I then realized that I don’t need to share my life testimony and all the happenings in my day in the e-mail. For many e-mails, if you need to reply, you can really just say what needs to be said in about 3 lines, which doesn’t take that long. Once you get in the habit of quick responses, you won’t have these e-mails nagging your mind and your to-do list. Then, as soon as you hit send, don’t worry about it- archive it. If a response is given back, you’ll get the message in your inbox later. If no response is needed, then it’s the end of the conversation and you don’t need it in your inbox.
There are some e-mails which you don’t need to respond to. Then, archive it immediately. If there is important information in the e-mail (ie. meeting times, places, etc.), I’ll immediately add it to my schedule or notes on my iPod Touch, then archive it. Again, it’s just clutter. If I need to refer to it again, it’s got its proper label, and Gmail also has a quality search tool.
Star the Long Term
There are a handful of e-mails that do require time (which I might not have doing a quick check). For these, I simply star them and keep it in my inbox. I then discipline myself to to spend some time every night (or every other) to respond to at least one of these. This way, I make sure I respond to every necessary e-mail, and don’t keep ‘putting it off’ (and watching my inbox grow with stars). After I send it, I remove the star, and archive. Done and done.
I’m not that popular of a guy that I have more than 9 e-mails that require as much attention to “star” them, and therefore have been able to cut the burden and stranglehold of e-mail. Woo hoo!
There are other factors/disciplines/mentalities that coincide and connect with this, but this tip is primarily for working within the inbox setting.
Do you guys have any efficiency tips (in regards to e-mail or other aspects of your life)? I’d love to hear what everyone does to simplify their life and make time for purpose.
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Poor Relational Skills…
- November 13, 2007 -
After I stopped laughing uncontrollably (I love “What the Duck”), I realized how the “it’s funny because it’s true” phrase is just so fitting.
I’m all about technology, but I do believe it’s making us less personal, and more stupid (in a sense). We simplify our lives so much that we don’t allow ourselves to use our minds and think. How many phone numbers can you remember for the people you call regularly? In high school, I had numerous friends’ numbers memorized, and now I have my own, my house, and my girlfriend. Without my cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to get in contact with anyone.
IM is a great communication tool. I’ve talked with people from Michigan, New York, Canada, India…it’s amazing how close technology makes you feel. Then again, I had also communicated with my roommates in college by IM. With us sitting in our rooms behind closed doors, we IM’d each other. Now, this wasn’t something that happened all the time, but the convenience caused us to lose site of personal interaction.
Sometimes, it’s better to sacrifice efficiency and automation for personal contact. It’s not something I’m anywhere close to being a pro at, but this is yet another (subtle) reminder of an area to re-focus.
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Ninnu’s Birthday Celebration
- November 12, 2007 -
This past Saturday was the birthday of my soon-to-be sister-in-law (God-willing :) ), and Sunday night we had a small little “siblings” party for her…minus my girlfriend. It was a fun time hanging out with everyone, especially we all started out as friends before all the marriages had happened. There were games, fondue, sharing…and best of all, JADEN! Like I said in an earlier post, it became more of a shoot for him than anything else…but children are just so great to photograph!
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[11.12.07] Monday Night Recap
- November 12, 2007 -
In an effort to not post twice within the span of an hour (as I’d like to edit and post pics from a birthday celebration this weekend [which really turned into just a child photoshoot]), I’ll be doing the MNR midday.
- [ILLINI] I said it once, and I’ll say it again. I proud to be orange and blue. Illinois is #19 in the BCS, while THE Ohio State Buckeyes dropped to #7!
- [BEARS] How many people are hearing the chants for Orton? Rex fumbles his first chance, but then has a 59 yard game winner to Berrian. Say what you want about Rex, but my goodness he has an arm. We’ll see how long this lasts (I still think we can win out). (In other news, Peyton throws 6 INTs for the Colts second straight loss…what?!)
- [EQUINOX] OK, I’m going to try to get back in shape and working out. Let’s shoot for twice a week, starting today.
- [LAKSHMI] Not sure how many saw this story of a girl who was born (2 years ago) with 4 arms and 4 legs. I’m amazed at what the is possible in the health field, as well as broken as to the mindset of the masses in India.
- [SRS] For some reason the SRS light came on in my car, and after 2 and a half hours, Honda had to order a part to fix it. Looks like I might be spending another 2 hours at the dealership tonight. (Maybe I’ll jump on the twitter bandwagon, and twitter from my iPod Touch…)
- [OFFICE] Due to the writer’s strike, this Thursday is the last new episode of the Office. Soon, all that will be left is news, sports, and reality TV. Looks like I’m going to find a lot more productive ways to utilize my time in the near future…
OK, so keep an eye out late tonight for a post with pictures.
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I-L-L…
- November 11, 2007 -
During my undergrad at the University of Illinois, I had to endure 5 seasons of Illini Football, where they were 13-45…an average of just under 3 wins a season. But I bleed Orange and Blue, and the pain is starting to turn into joy. With Zook finally getting a chance to work with his recruits, they are 8-4 with one game to go (yes, that equals the amount of wins in the past 4 years combined), and were at one point ranked 18th in the nation.
But, oh, if that wasn’t enough, they just did the unthinkable, and shook the Big10. They went into Ohio Stadium to take on the undefeated, #1 team in the nation (yes, that is THE Ohio State Buckeyes), and defeated them 28-21! Juice is AMAZING! For an Illini team that still is getting questions on their passing game, this guy threw for 140 yards and 4TDs. The future is bright, my friend. Yet another reason I’m proud to be an Illini (Say it with me…I-L-L…I-N-I!)
(AP Photos)
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Google at the Pump
- November 7, 2007 -
I don’t normally blog this often (4th post in 3 days), nor do I find it valuable to try to blog everyday (you’ll eventually lose quality trying to find content), but I came across this story today that really caught my attention.
I am one of the many that are in love with Google innovation, as well as Apple innovation (I’m waiting for the day they merge and become…Apple…bad joke?…sorry…). But here’s another way that Google is recognizing a simple solution for the needs of the people, and finding a way to fit their product in there. Drivers are always in need of directions, and there’s always a gas station around. So put a map there! Simplistic, but genius.
If this catches on with gas stations around the country, you’ll see less and less need for the average person to have a GPS system. It won’t get rid of it at all, but for casual drivers, it’s a lot cheaper to go and get gas and get directions from there, than purchase a a navigation system.
Now I just need a map of all the Veeder-Root gas stations around the country…
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Addicted to Blogging
- November 6, 2007 -
80%
I don’t normally do these types of tests/quizzes, but I decided to give it a shot. 80%…that’s like a B-. That’s not that bad, huh? Or…good? I’m confused as to whether I should be striving for 100% or 0%. I think I’ll just be content with where I am right now.
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[11.05.07] Monday Night Recap
- November 5, 2007 -
- [28 in 2008] In an effort to set goals and be held accountable by the general public, I’m going to be doing a ’28 in 2008′…where I set 28 goals I want to accomplish in 2008. Some seem simple enough, and some are very reaching. I’m not sure if I’ll meet all of them, but as long as I make progress, that’s all that matters- I’ll have it posted
somewherehere with updates as to when things get accomplished. But for now, here’s the list (in no particular order).
- Generate 2000 blog hits
- Dunk a basketball (on a regulation rim)
- Provide custom-designed albums
- Sell street photography (at least as stock images)
- Gain at least 10 lbs
- Travel to 5 states outside of Illinois
- Read (and purchase) 1 book a month, and build my library
- Design the creative compilation that is natemathai.com (more details to come)
- Spend more time with my niece (and niece/nephew to come!)
- Organize my baseball card collection
- Learn to play the guitar
- Accept at least one speaking engagement (if available)
- Create a marketable product
- Get engaged
- Book at least 10 gigs
- Read through Bible
- Complete at least 2 project100′s
- Expand the Sports Ministry for girls
- Support 5 charities/missions organizations
- Buy something obscenely unnecessary simply because I can
- Create an online newsletter
- Write a book
- Journal everyday for 1 month straight
- Go to a Cubs game, Bears game, and Bulls game
- Second shoot for…someone
- Sleep until 11am at least once
- Spend a weekend without my cell phone, internet access, or iPod
- Get one other person hooked on a product/idea that I’m hooked on
- [gPhone] OK, it’s not really the iPhone’s nemesis, or a phone at all, but Google is continuing to push the Open Source envelope with their announcement of the Android platform for mobile devices. If T-Mobile signs on, I’m definitely jumping on board. (I will NOT, however, be leaving Facebook for OpenSocial…yet).
- [Bears] A bye week means no loss- got to put a positive spin on things.
- [Bulls] Remember last year? We sucked in the beginning then too…here’s to hoping…
- [DST] I loved the extra hour of sleep, but it’s really odd walking to the train station after work with it being so dark out.
- [Mind42] I’ve started using this web app called Mind42 to try to organize the business (and possible life). It’s purpose-serving at the very least.
- [Snow] I haven’t experienced a winter in the loop yet, and it just might snow tomorrow. We’ll see how this goes…
- [Swab4Bevin] There’s yet another need again, particularly for the South Asian community. If you haven’t done it yet, get info from the website and learn how you can help.
Here’s a little flashback: My niece about 1 year ago (my goodness she’s grown up so much). This is from before I got my camera, and pretty much before I really knew how to use one properly.
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Jane & Alan’s E-Session
- November 5, 2007 -
So you’ve seen me blog about these guys a few times now, and this past weekend we were finally able to do their e-session. The weather was great for a stroll through downtown, so I had a lot of fun with them. It took a bit of time to get comfortable with being followed around with a camera, but they eventually warmed up to it.
For those that know them, you know how fun and entertaining they are in and of themselves…put them together and it’s so much more entertaining! It was a blast wandering the city and seeing them interact, and hearing their story. I must say, it has to be the greatest thing when people start out as friends and grow into a relationship. Such an interesting past, a fun present, and an exciting future to look forward to. I can’t wait to shoot their actual engagement in a few weeks. I love this job!
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