Slowly but steadily...

What was started has to be finished and add to that the old Tamil adage "erumbu oora kallum theiyum" which translates to "as the ants keep walking even stones smoothen", the ant that is yours truly got to work.

The house is finally done on the inside except for closets. We have none. So for now we are still living out of piles of clothes on the floor and in garbage bags or suitcases. 

As for the outside of the house is concerned, we are still waiting for a sewer tube to be replaced. Don't even get me started on the changing city requirements! 10 years ago we installed this thing brand new with ABS pipe because that was the "code"! Now we did not touch anything connected to this sewer cleanout but the new "code" is PVC! So we have to change that clean out tube before we can get a final permit. That said, changing that tube means the area is going to be dug out. So no point landscaping there.

The front of the house looked like a garbage dump for the most part of the last 5 months. Finally three weeks ago we decided to have things cleaned out one garbage container at a time. Proud to present.. 

That last picture makes it look like we are getting there.. truth is we are still far away from getting this area done. 

It actually looks like this..

Also built a stone barrier on the front, after the drunk guy crashed his car at that corner! It was more strenous to get those stones put them on the cart in home depot, transfer them from cart to car, then car to make that wall. Just a lot of manual labor, but the end result was worth it. 

Can always use them as "before" pictures! Going to work on this one hour a day and see how far I can take this with some help from the little one. She has been my one true helper in all of this! 

The backyard is 90% done. Got some help from my neighbors to get the Gazebo standing and finally finished the entire assembly over the long weekend. 

Time is the key! Have the patience. Just don't have the time.

Cannot wait for retirement! Hope it comes sooner than later.

Self portrait?

The Digital Photography School homework assignment was "Faceless Portraits"..

Hit on this one one while taking a portrait shot of the kids in their new clothes. Turned to the mirror to see me in typical action asking them to smile just before the self timer hits for a HDR snap..

However, the HDR didnt turn out as good as I expected.

We did get a shot for the assignment though!

Ten minutes from Home - A homework

The photo school homework for the week was interesting.

Drive, walk, bike from home.. stop exactly at 10 minutes. Take a photograph of the first interesting thing that catches your eye when you stop...

in Black and white!

Stopped at a Citibank Parking lot at 10 minutes and caught this tree.

In retrospect, should have adjusted the white balance or taken the shot with a higher f/stop...

There is so much to learn from not just taking the photo but when you sit down to taking a second look at it while adding finishing touches.

It can only get better with time and practice, no?

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Photoblog : Commute

The homework assignment for Photo school this week..

Commute!

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Jump fun..

The photo school assignment was "Jump!"

Here is my entry:

Here are other photos that were also considered today (you are allowed to post only one photo per assignment)..

It was a great day for going outdoors today and the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco was vibrant with colors. The greens looked green, the blues were vibrant blues, the air was so clear it was a great day to take pictures.. especially when the kids were all so co-operative for the assignment.

More photos from the half day trip tomorrow.

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