The Duke of New Mexico

Balloon Fiesta 2009

2009-10-12T01:21:00.010-06:00

Wow, it's been a freakin' year since I've posted anything. That's why I figured it was time to post some photos. I went to the International Balloon Fiesta this year... so I thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to post some photo "highlights" I took at this yearly festival. It's been called "The most photographed event in the world"... so naturally I took along my trusty Canon SD1000 Elph. Hope you enjoy these...

I also took some very good footage of Creamland Dairy's "Airabelle" Cow Balloon taking off. Check it out on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4gwZG7jThQ

Spiderman Spiderman....

2008-10-09T05:21:00.006-06:00

It was around sunset when I was watering my garden the other day when I spotted this beautiful (yes, I think it's beautiful) big spider that had spun a large web across some wildflowers and a small tree. The web was about 2 feet across and the spider was about the size of a quarter. I grabbed my camera from the house and watched it as it finished its amazing web. I was surprised how quick and precise it's movements were. I'm glad I'm not afraid of spiders because I had to put my camera right up close to get these macro shots. I think I almost touched it with the lens a couple of times... but the spider seemed not to notice I was there. It was too busy spinning it's grand masterpiece. I think this is some sort of Orb Weaver Spider... but I'm not sure. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these photos that are just in time for Halloween.

It's a bird, it's a plane.... it's Spiderman? :)

Here are some close-up photos of the wildflowers that
the web was attached to.

Strange and beautiful blue bug

2008-07-10T07:33:00.004-06:00

Early this morning I was watering my garden when I spotted this amazingly strange and beautiful blue bug sitting on a leaf on one of my rose bushes. I've never seen a creature like this before, so I ran inside my house and grabbed my trusty Canon S2 camera. If I had to take a guess... I'd say it was some sort of moth species. I was really happy to have caught it on camera before it flew away. I'll have to do some research and see what it is later.

An hour at the Zoo

2008-06-20T18:29:00.015-06:00

Last week was sort of the week from hell... I had to work 8 straight days of 12hr graveyard shifts. Half the days were for my regular job and half was done working on a Sci Fi movie shoot called "Project Angel". Anyways, after those 8 crazy days... I had a one day weekend. So for my one day off (Tuesday), I decided to go to the Zoo with my friend, Molly. I hadn't gone to the Rio Grande Zoo for years. The thing was... I was so tired from working my "hell week" and the night before, that I woke up really late! So by the time I got to the Zoo... it was already 4pm. Now, I thought the Zoo was going to be open later than 5pm, but I was wrong. So here is what we saw from our 1 hour run through the Zoo :)

As always, click on the photos for a larger view.

Baby Giraffe... he's only 12 feet instead of like, 20 feet tall

Not so Baby Giraffe. Is it me, or does he look a little...
I dunno... "stoned"?

The "Zebra Parking Lot"... this is where I parked mine
before embarking on our adventures :)
I guess that concrete is part of the natural habitat
for Zebras in Africa... who knew?

Close up of baby Zebra... Awww how cute!

Rare white Rhino... I think this one is the very last one
in existence, so uh... enjoy

"Daniel-san... come, I will teach you the secrets of the
crane style"

"Mister Miyagi... how long do we have to do this for?"

"Daniel-san, ignore Bob the Buzzard... he has a hangover"

"Hey Sam, I think I slept wrong today... my neck hurts"

"Sam! Are you even listening??? Oh God, whats wrong with your knees?
They bend backwards???... Cool!

"munch.. Munch.. munch...."

"chew... chew... Chew..."

"Man! Those are some Hungry, Hungry Hippos !!!" ;)
(sorry folks, I know it's cheesy... but I had to)

I've heard of the term "beaten with an Ugly stick"...
but thought it was a myth, until now. Damn, he ugly!
"Dude, you have something on your face... oh wait, That IS
your face... so sorry!" :)

This little guy was only like a foot tall!
I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home...
but then I thought "No, I don't want him to
crap in my pockets!... even if the crap was itty bitty"
If there is one thing I've learned in life, it's
that crap in the pockets... Not Fun!!!"

Here is a close-up... but this is pretty much how
big he is in real life. I love his little one inch horns, ha ha!
They're like little toothpicks.... of death! :)

This guy was following us around all day... (I mean for an hour) so I decided
to snap a quick photo... they run free on the grounds.
I wanted to take him home too, but wasn't sure
if peacocks tasted any good... just kidding!

"Who YOU lookin' at?... wanna piece of me"??

"Yeah, that's what I thought buddy.... keep on walkin' !"

Mesa Museum of Natural History... in Arizona

2008-06-14T04:04:00.005-06:00

Two weeks ago I was in Phoenix, Arizona... and while I was there, I decided to check out the Natural History Museum in Mesa, AZ. Why??? Well, I'm a big nerd and when I find myself in a Museum, I feel like a kid in a freakin' candy store!!! :) I feel the same about Zoos... if they're nicely done. So, here are some photos I took.... except for the ones of me (which were taken by my good friend, Janel)

Ixora flowers

2008-04-30T15:04:00.003-06:00

I bought some more plants and flowers for my house a few days ago to brighten it up. Here are some super tiny flowers called "Ixora Flowers". They were taken on my Canon S2 using Super Macro setting and natural lighting.

Fun Fact:
According to Wikipedia: "Red Ixora flowers are commonly used in Hindu worship, as well as in Indian Folk medicine"

International Auto Show hosted by Motor Trend

2008-04-27T23:20:00.011-06:00

Today me and an old buddy of mine went to check out the International Auto Show in Albuquerque. It was the last day of the show... so if you missed it this year, check out the photos below and hopefully it'll make you feel a bit better. There were many beautiful cars at the show, but me and my friend really were most interested in the "Concept Cars"... the experimental designs that will most likely never be mass produced. Car shows like these are usually the only way that you can see these rare cars in real life... before they become just a memory. So here are some photos I took for you to enjoy. They aren't the best quality photos because I took my little Canon Elph... I wasn't even sure they'd let me take photos. But sure enough, they did ...and I did my best :)

Oh, and there was one nice surprise at the show... two motorcycles named after yours truly... The "Duke" and "Super Duke"!

The Nissan GT-R

The Lotus - Exige

Yeah, that's me checking the car out... from the driver's seat.

Buick - Cielo (Concept)

Chrysler - Akino (Concept)

Dodge - Challenger

Ford - Shelby

Ford - Interceptor (Concept)

Dodge - Daytona

Meet "Duke", The Motorcycle :)

Meet "Super Duke", The Super Motorcycle :)

So, I hope you enjoyed this virtual photographic tour of the International Auto Show... Now I'm going to Jet away with my new "Super Duke" Moto. See you later! :)

Some virtual paintings by Duke

2008-04-24T02:35:00.004-06:00

So I've been getting more addicted to Facebook lately... or perhaps it's just that I've had more time on my hands than usual. In any case, I've been doodling using a program called "graffiti" in Facebook. It's a really simple drawing/painting program that allows you to draw, paint, and post your doodles to your friends there.

Here are the first two paintings I've done. The first one I did was the orchid painting and the second was the blue chameleon... which I just painted last night. Hope you enjoy them and as always, you can click on the images to see a larger view. Any comments or feedback is always appreciated.

Thanks For Stopping By! -El Duke

Flowers at home... Fun with shooting Super Macro

2008-04-18T18:27:00.005-06:00

So the other day I was thinking of how much I missed taking photos with my Canon S2. I had bought a point and shoot Canon Elph SD1000 a few months ago and have been using that because it's so small and pocketable. But I missed the features on my S2. One of the features I missed was being able to shoot in "Super Macro", which means I can put the lens right next to an object and capture a close-up photo. Many cameras will not let you do this and only have a "Macro" setting which usually lets you focus about 12 inches or so in front of your lens.

I decided to put the "Super Macro" setting to good use and photographed some plants that are currently living in my house... my house plants. The green plant photos are of the baby leaves that have just sprouted from the plant! That's why they look so shiny and new! Aren't they cute? In fact, in the last photo of the green plant series, you can see another set of leaves beginning to curl open. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these pictures and feel free to leave some comments for me. I hardly ever get any comments. Oh well :)

Bonnie Bluhm and The Overman's Concert/Dance

2008-04-05T01:58:00.007-06:00

I'm excited to announce that two groups of good friends of mine (Bonnie Bluhm & The Overman family) are finally playing together at the "Center for Peace and Justice" in Albuquerque on Saturday, April 19th. Both bands have been playing Folk music in New Mexico for like 30 years or more? So naturally, I had to shamelessly promote the concert on my blog! Yes, yes... of course. What are friends for?

What a lucky guy I am to be surrounded by such talented, musical friends! I feel like some sort of Celebrity, King, or should I say... "Duke"? :)

Here are some photos of their Album covers:

Bonnie's Latest Album

The latest from the "Overmans"

Here's the more 'official description' of the Event:

Artfood Productions Presents:

Bonnie Bluhm & The Overman Family...

At the Albuq. Center for Peace & Justice a concert/dance on Saturday,

April 19, 2008, 7-10 pm. Bonnie Bluhm, singer-songwriter will share the stage with a charming 21st century folk group from Cerrillos, called The Overman Family.With their new CD called "The Cerrillos Islanders" The group is led by Dennis Overman, former member of one of Santa Fe's late great rock bands, Tusker, and includes daughter Gretchen and son Ian. Guitar, dobro, marimba, harmonica fill out some lively, sometimes funny original tunes. CDs and snacks will be available. $10 at door. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Peace and Justice Center.

Albuq. Center for Peace & Justice

202 Harvard SE, corner of Silver SE

268-9557

Tai Chi Saber - The Dark Side of Tai Chi :)

2008-03-31T14:08:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had my first experience learning the "Tai Chi Saber Form". It's was also my first experience with a weapons form for Tai Chi. It was so much fun! The weather was perfect and we all met up at a park to practice. There is something deeply satisfying about waving a big Saber sword around... and I was a little surprised at how fast and powerful some of the moves were. In fact, I almost thought I was back in Kung Fu class (I used to study Kung Fu as a young teenager... but quickly realized that it didn't fit my personality very well). So, my little joke is that the "Tai Chi Saber Form" is like the "Dark Side" of Tai Chi. Since overall, Tai Chi is a very peaceful Martial Art... and emphasizes yielding and defense as opposed to attacking. I think it just goes to show that "Tai Chi" can really kick some butt... if the need arises.

Bowling Fund-raiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters

2008-03-29T16:02:00.007-06:00

Hey everyone, I shall be putting my Bowling Skills to good use on April 13th for a good cause... bowling to do fund-raising for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central New Mexico (CNM)

I'm donating $25 myself and my goal is to get at least $100. I shall use all of my Tai Chi "Jedi" prowess to do my best. If you'd like to help me out by donating, it would be much appreciated! Our team is called "The HOT ROLLERS" and I'm going to hit the lanes with the Hot Flames on my shoes, Bowling Bag, and with my hair "a-fire" as well :)

If you'd like to Donate and help me fulfill my minimum $100 goal, please go here:
http://bbbs-cnm.donorpages.com/BFKSSpring08/tdraco23

Also, it's not to late to join the fund raising bowling teams yourself, if you'd like to bowl with us, go here to register and join a team: http://bbbs-cnm.donorpages.com/BFKSSpring08. Please be aware that you will have to raise at least $100 in order to Bowl on April 13th. We do need some worthy "Bowling Adversaries" :) Otherwise, the "Hot Rollers" will Dominate!

(Here is the fiery gear I'll be sporting... to help me burn up the lanes :)

The Dragon-Horse, Painted Ponies

2008-03-26T16:46:00.003-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Dragons.... "Asian Dragons" that is. I was born under the Year of the Dragon, so I've always had an affinity with them. Also, "Asian Dragons" are supposed to embody and symbolize the qualities of honor, strength, virtue, nobility and of course... good luck. Values that I strive to uphold and attain.

So a few weeks ago, I was just pretending to be a tourist and strolling around Old Town enjoying the sunshine and it's shops. I stopped into an old store in Old Town, called the "Covered Wagon" and noticed that they sell "painted ponies" there. If you live in the southwest, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, I was checking out all the different ponies they had... I don't actually collect them or anything (yet), but I'm an Artist and being such, I had to look them over and admire them. One of these Painted ponies really caught my attention and spoke to me (it said "buy me or else I will shoot flames at you through my mouth" :)

I had never seen one like it before... it was a horse that was painted or rather was "evolving" into an Asian Dragon. I thought it was the coolest thing... and of course, I had to buy it (or suffer the dire consequences) The detail on this thing is amazing... as you can see from the photos below. There were many other cool Painted Ponies there, but this one I think.... was made for me :)

Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Weird Sea Life... a day at the ABQ aquarium

2008-03-15T05:05:00.008-06:00

Last week I spent a nice day at the aquarium with
my baby nephew Gabriel and his parents. We saw some
strange & interesting sea creatures...
things you don't normally see in the deserts of NM.
I've actually been to the ABQ aquarium like a million times,
so I didn't really take too many photos.

I have no idea what kind of fish this is, but I'd imagine it
being called something like "unicorn fish"...
or perhaps "Pinocchio fish" or even the
"stop staring up my nose" fish. Yeah, I bet that's it.

Here are some infant Jellyfish who were stuck to the glass
and pulsating like some aliens on 'Star Trek'
(yes, I know I'm a nerd)

This fish was hiding in some coral... I believe it's "brain coral".
And I think the fish is a type of "Trigger fish".
(Yes... I know I'm a Nerd!)

Some more of the strangely hypnotizing baby Jellies.
I think the correct name for this stage of Jelly fish
life cycle is called "Ephyra"
(.... and I wonder why I'm still single :)

The Places I've Traveled... thus far!

2008-02-15T19:24:00.003-07:00

Here's a Map of the Places I've been so far in my life... I still got a lot of ground to cover :) Create your own travel map or travel blog

Visit TripAdvisor.com

The Law of Evolution

2008-02-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

Evolutionary Biology is a hot topic these days... especially
with ideas of "intelligent design" being thrown around. I think
there's a lot of myths about "evolution" that need to be addressed.
So, in my humble effort to set things straight and defend Science
and Truth... I decided to write an article on "Evolution".
I'm also going to debunk "intelligent design".

What is Evolution? Evolution is just a word that describes
how things change over time. One of the constants in our
Universe, is change. All things change over time. This includes
matter, energy, plants, animals, rocks, trees, air... everything!
Get the picture? When we discuss "Evolutionary Biology" we are
talking specifically about how all life-forms change (or evolve)
over time. So why do life-forms change over time? Well again,
this Universe is a Universe of change... and to survive, sometimes
you have to change, adapt, to the changing times. For example,
the earth's temperature has gone through cycles of change through
Geologic times.I'm talking about millions of years here.
I'm not saying that if the weather tomorrow changes to -10°C
that all life will grow a fur coat :) If you believe that the earth
has been the same since it's creation... well, you're delusional.
Things change, buddy! Get used to it. Think about it, you're not
even the same person as when you were a baby. You went through
changes from fetus,baby, adulthood ( hopefully :)

Scientific Method:

The term "Evolutionary Theory" has been thrown around by
a lot of people. Now, if you have some understanding of the
"Scientific Method", it is a procedure that scientists use
to prove or disprove ideas. It's also the way scientists separate
the facts from un-proven ideas. Basically, the process starts out
with someone having an idea. Many experiments are done to
try to test the validity of the idea. At this stage, it is just a
Hypothesis. And even if the experiments are successful, the hard
data (evidence) still has to be reviewed and validated by other
scientists AND has to be reproduceable or verifiable by another
person. This is called a "peer review". When
there is enough evidence to prove a Hypothesis, and the data
can be reproduced and verified, AND the majority of the scientific
community agrees that the Hypothesis explains a certain
phenomenon, then it becomes a Theory. So a "Theory" in
science does not mean a guess or un-proven idea. A
Theory in science is more like a "fact" until proven "incorrect".
Now, this doesn't mean that a Theory explains everything about
a particular phenomenon. It's basically all the facts and evidence
that we currently have on a subject and believe to be currently
true. Now, the beauty is that as more data and evidence is
acquired to support the "Theory", it simply just adds to the truths
and previous evidence and proves that the Theory is indeed a
"fact", within the realm of our scientific knowledge. But the
great thing about science is that it keeps an open mind.
If in the future, there is a better "Theory" that has enough
supporting evidence, is verifiable with hard data,
can be proven by successful reproduction of experiments
and validated by other scientists... then it can be accepted by
scientists as the new "Theory" to explain a specific phenomenon.
This is why "Intelligent Design" is not considered a Theory. It
doesn't have enough evidence and hard data to be considered
a "Theory". It's only an "idea" at this stage... not even a
"Hypothesis". And since it doesn't use the "scientific method"
as the procedure for investigation, it's not even "science" and
only conjecture. Sorry folks, if you don't follow the
rules of science, then it's not science. Just like "Science" isn't
religion because we need hard data and facts to support our
ideas. Now, this doesn't mean that there is no truth in
"intelligent design" or "religion"... it just means there is no
way for us prove it scientifically... yet. Maybe one day science
will somehow be able to prove that there is a soul and that
god exists... and that she's really a woman :)

The Facts and Evidence:

It's utterly absurd that people out there still think that
there is no evidence to back up evolution. First of all, if there
were no hard evidence and data to back it up... it would've
never became a "Theory" to begin with. If you don't
understand, read the previous paragraph again. Second,
since "evolutionary theory" was accepted, it has been
continuing to accumulate evidence to support it. That's
why it's still around. There's no other explaination or
"Theory" that has proven it wrong. Now, I'm not saying
that I understand all the aspects of evolutionary
biology... and in fact, no one does. Scientists are Scientists
because of their thirst for knowledge. So in this humble article,
I will try to go over all the facts and evidence that I understand
about "evolutionary theory"... as a scientifically minded college
graduate.

Fossil Evidence:

Contrary to what "Creationists" believe about evolution, there
is an abundance of fossil evidence that illustrates the truth of
"evolution". To explore this, we have to define what a "fossil" is.
A fossil is simply a trace or mineralized remain of a life-form.
When a plant or animal dies, it's remains usually decay, get
eaten, are recycled by bacteria and other life-forms. The organic
matter (like flesh and bone) don't usually get preserved but
instead are transformed into their base elements. However, in
very rare cases and circumstances they are "preserved" or in
other words, fossilized. For example if the animal or plant was
covered by a mudflow quickly following it's death, the mud creates
a situation where the flesh and bone may be mineralized and
fossilized. In essence, some of the minerals in the mud are
absorbed by the organic matter and the "form"
of the animal is preserved. This means that in this case, the flesh
becomes rock over millions of years. It is important to understand
that most animals or plants that die do not become fossils.
It's a very rare occurance and is contingent on circumstances.
Also, rock fossils do not retain DNA because it is not organic
matter but only mineralized forms... aka "Rock Fossils". This
also explains why we do not have fossil evidence of every
creature that ever lived and every single "transitory" fossil.
Fossils are very, very rare and need very specific circumstances
to occur. Now, does this mean that there are only a few hundred
fossils in existence? No! There are millions of fossils out there
and probably millions more to be discovered because there is
an abundance of life on the planet and the earth has existed
for a very long time. Also, it is fair to say that there have
been many creatures that existed and gone extinct before
any of them were "fossilized" so we may never even know
of their existence. And still, against the odds... there are still
many transitional fossils found. And in fact, every living
organism is a living transitional fossil. Remember, evolutionary
theory is about organisms constantly changing through time...
therefore, every living thing is still going through
change (evolution). It's just that the rate of evolutionary
change is different. Also, evolution doesn't necessarily mean
that the organism is changing into a more "complex" form.
It is merely changing to survive better in it's current environment.
So animals that are already almost perfectly adapted to their
environment evolve very slowly because they don't need to.
For example, Sharks and Alligators have existed for millions
of years and some have changed very little according to the
fossil record. However, I'd like to note that there were many
different sharks and alligator species that went extinct. We
know this because there are fossils of sharks and alligators
that don't exist today. The sharks and alligators that exist
today are the "designs" that were highly adaptable enough
to survive... while the others were'nt able to "evolve" fast
enough to cut it in these modern times :) If you want to do
more research, do a search on extinct sharks and
you will find some bizarre looking sharks that no longer exist.

Archaeopteryx: early bird transitional fossil with
both reptilian and bird features

Organic Fossil Evidence:

Rock fossils are only one type of fossil evidence. If Rock
fossils are rare, then organic fossils are even more rare.
sometimes extraodinary circumstances can preserve some
organic matter from organisms. For example, an insect
gets trapped in tree sap. The sap mineralized into what
we call "amber" but sometimes this form of fossilization
can preserve some of the tissue and DNA. From the
amber fossils, we have evidence that there were many
ants, bees, and other insects that existed before but are
extinct now. But not only insects are preserved in amber.
Pollen and plant matter that are trapped and preserved in
amber also give us evidence of many ancient plant species
that existed before... but not anymore. And because we
can get DNA from some of these fossils, we can actually
do scientific tests to see what modern species of plants,
animals, insects, it was closely related to... or perhaps
even evolved into. For example, they can look at genetic
information and see if a certain bee is closely related to
the modern bumble-bee or if it's closer to the honey-bee.

This extinct "stingless" bee was trapped in
amber for 40 million years. Independent scientists
were able to get DNA from it... Bee-lieve it!

Pollen found on the bee was identified as being
from an extinct ancient orchid

Another way that organic matter can be preserved is
through freezing. A good example is the wolly mammoth.
There aren't any wooly mammoths left living in the world
but there have been many frozen fossils found. The freezing
process can preserve some of the DNA as well. Using the DNA
evidence, scientists are not only able to verify that Mammoths
are related to modern elephants... but they have been able to
trace which elephant species they are most closely related to...
the Asian elephant. Now, it's important to note that there was
more than one species of mammoth... even a species of dwarf
mammoth. It just so happens that all of them became extinct.
And why are there more than one species of mammoth,
elephant, insects... yada yada yada? Because some of them
evolved into different sub-species, living in different
environments, eating different things... etc.
Organisms change through time and if you separate groups
of the same animal and put them in different places, they
change to be better suited for their environment. This
explains why there are many different "races" of people.
All humans are 99.999999 (probably a thousand more 9's)
percent the same, but because we lived in different
environments and climates, we have changed
and evolved... most notably, different skin tones,
hair and eye color, etc. Now, are any of these
changes better than another? No! They're just
different, so don't be a racist prick! :)

Baby Mammoth: Frozen but not Forgotten

DNA, mutation, and Natural Selection:

A friend of mine told me "we're not related to apes
just because 99% of our DNA is the same, We share
some of our DNA with Bananas, does this mean
we are related to bananas". Wow! This statement shows
the complete misunderstanding of evolution. My reply
is "YES!!" Of course we are related to Bananas.
I'm not joking, man! All life on this planet is related
because "evolutionary theory" or more specifically the
"origin of species" means that we all sprung from one
form of life. So all life that we see shares a common
ancestry if you go far enough back. We all share a
common ancestry to the first living organism which
science thinks was a single celled lifeform that evolved
into muti-celled life froms over time... evolution baby!
I say "think" because science doesn't know everything
and doesn't presume to know everything... but based
on the evidence and information we have. Plus, that
was a really long time ago. Now, this doesn't discount
the fact that an almightly god may have given the
first spark of life... I'm just saying there's no scientific
evidence here. Besides, I'm not trying to prove that God
doesn't exist, I'm just trying to discribe evolution. I still
firmly believe that you can believe in both God and
Evolution. Maybe "evolution" is just God's guiding hand
helping along his creations by changing them. Again,
this is just an idea and not science. But it's an idea
that you can happily believe in if you'd like to. Just
don't turn a blind eye to the facts that we know about
"evolution". For example, some people still think or
choose to believe that the "Dinosaurs" are fiction and
never existed because they weren't in the Bible. How
can you discount the physical fossil evidence just
because it doesn't fit into your belief system? That's
basically the point to why I decided to write this article.
And if I open just one mind and give someone a better
understanding of what "evolution" means, then it was
worth it.

Okay back to DNA... DNA is like a blueprint or programming
code for cells. It tells them how they should develop, grow,
make friends, etc... okay, the last one was a joke, loosen
up already! Now, DNA like everything else, can change
over time. I know I keep saying that but some of you
still haven't got it. Sometimes things can prompt
DNA to change or mutate... these things include
environment, food, radiation (you know heat and
light are forms of radiation right?). Mutation can change
the function and growth of cells. Sometimes
these changes are good and sometimes they're bad.
They can be minute changes or big ones. Natural
selection is just the word to describe that when there
are "good" changes that help the organism survive, then
it is more likely that these changes are passed to later
generations. Example: A bunny who lives in a snowy
environment is gray... however one day there is a bunny
that is born that is white. That bunny survives and passes
on his "white coat" genes and soon there are
a few more white bunnies. Because his offspring are
more suited to blend in with the snow and thus
more likely to survive... they perpetuate that trait and
millions of years later, you have a separate
species of "white rabbit". Now, the gray bunnies that
lived where there was no snow were more likely
to survive in warmer climates that are devoid of snow...
so they stayed gray. Are either of them better?
No, didn't I tell you to not be a racist prick? :) Now...
fast forward even millions of years later
and the white bunny population now lives in a place
where there is no more snow. Now, imagine
one of the white rabbits was born with it's ancient
recessive "gray coat" gene active. It survives,
passes on it's active gray coat gene and millions of
years later, we have gray rabbits again... but not exactly
the same ones. Now, even though the rabbits are gray again,
their DNA still has the recessive "white coat gene"...
it's just not active. That's the way that scientists can
track and see how an organism has
changed over time or even see how related two
organisms are. It still retains some of the information
of it's ancestry. And that's why they are doing "genome
mapping" of species. To gain insight into
the specifics of the "origin of species". And it's also how
we can prove that we are indeed very, very
distant relatives of the banana. (but did you know that
we're closer related to mushrooms than plants?) Okay,
fast forward millions of more years and the bunny has
changed so much that it is now a deer. (I'm just using
this as example, I don't think rabbits evolved into deer...
unless you believe in Jackalopes). But with DNA evidence,
we can prove or disprove if they are closely related
or not. I say "closely" related because as mentioned before,
everything is distantly related... unless you're an alien.
So, we can use science to look at DNA to see if something
really is an Alien from another planet or just another
creature from earth. If we share absolutely zero DNA with
another life-form.. it means it's an Alien. See how cool
Science is? How would Religion define an Alien??
"It looks different... it must be an Alien, burn it, burn!"
just kidding.

Living Fossils, Vestigal Organs, A Blast from the Past:

So you're still not convinced huh? Well, earlier I said that
every animal is in essence a "living fossil". what I mean
is that every living thing still has DNA evidence of it's past,
and also physical evidence too. So every organism is
currently in a state of change, so with that in mind, every
living thing is a transitory living fossil.

Take a bat for example. A bat is a transitory living fossil.
Bats are related to rodents but at some point evolved their
limbs into wings. How do we know this? Well, genetically
we can prove that they are related to rodents and if we
look at a Bat skeleton we can see that what we see
as "wings" are really specialized "limbs". They still have
five "finger bones" which make up the wings. Here's the
thing, this is not an isolated case. Mammals that
we believed once evolved from land dwelling creatures
with five fingered limbs retain their finger bones even after
they have evolved. This includes whales, dolphins, and
manatees. They all still have five finger bones, air breathing
lungs, hair (not a lot), and are warm blooded because their
ancestors were land dwelling mammals. Another good
example of a transitional living fossil is the "sea lion" or
Seal (no, not the singer). They are still in the process of
"evolving" to their life in water and have "flippers" and a
streamlined body for swimming. However, they still live on
land as well... so they haven't lost all of their land dwelling
traits. But if you've ever seen a seal move on land,
you can see that they are probably more adapted to
swimming. Their flippers still have "five fingers",
just like us. Which is also evidence that we are distantly
related. (give me five!)

Another form of physical evidence of evolution in organisms
are structures called "Vestigial Ograns". A vestigial organ
is an organ or structure that currently serves no purpose
and considered a evolutionary remnant. A example of one
in Human anatomy is the tail bone. Why have a tail
bone if humans have no tails? Because our ancient
ancestors had tails! Sometimes those genes are activated and
there are babies born with tails. Sorry, but we are primates like
monkeys... if you follow DNA evidence. And what's
wrong with that? Monkeys are cute and cuddly.
Anyway... moving on... other evidence of Vestigial
organs are many cave dwelling creatures who are blind.
There's a rat called a "blind mole rat" that's blind too.
They no longer need the use of their eyes in the dark, so
that organ's function was discarded.

Other examples of Vestigial organs are underdeveloped
hind leg bones in whales, and a structure called a "pelvic
girdle" in snakes and legless lizards... because they used
to have legs. Some snakes even have vestigial limbs or "spurs"
(little useless legs) Do you need more examples? Okay,
take the Ostrich or any other flightless bird. The wings of
these birds are "vestigial" because they no longer can
serve the function of flight. However, I think penguins
are an exception because they have evolved their wings
into flippers for better swimming. Since the wings have
a new purpose... they are no longer "vestigial". The term
only applies if the organ is completely useless. Did God
create wings for Ostriches just so they could "wish" they
could fly? I think not! There was a
time when Ostriches flew baby, yeah!

Humpback Whale Skeleton showing finger-bones and
vestigial legs... see how tiny it is? And its buried under flesh.
Them legs aren't made for walkin... anymore" :)

Bat skeleton with finger bones/wings

Manatee Skeleton showing finger bones hidden inside flipper

Even the Plesiosaur, an early aquatic reptile
had five fingers... High five!

The Vestigial legs on some snakes are sometimes
referred to as spurs. "she got legs... but she don't
know how to use them..."

Domestication of animals:

So what's so hard to understand about animals
changing over time, man? What's the big deal?
Why is it so hard to believe? It's not rocket science...
it's just the way things are. Get used to it or you may go
extinct. Another piece of evidence of this "change" and
"evolution" is the process of Domestication of animals.
If you have a pet dog or cat, then you are reaping the
work of evolution. Humans, by keeping animals on
farms and in homes, over thousands of years have made
the animals change... become more docile, because
angry farm animals weren't cool and were the first to
be killed by us. The cute and friendly ones were what
us humans wanted to keep around... so naturally the
animals changed because instead of "natural selection",
Humans were doing "un-natural selection" by keeping
the animals that we saw or judged as having "good traits".
Pigs are domesticated "wild pigs", chickens are
domesticated "wild chickens", and dogs are domesticated
"wolves". I'm sorry to say there were no wild "poodles"
running around in the wild before man. They were made
through selective breeding... which is why the "pure breeds"
have so many genetic problems due to "in-breeding". If
you don't believe me, ask a vet. For example,
Dalmatians are prone to being deaf... and it's the fault of
humans, not God. But hey, if they ever find a million year
old "poodle" fossil, I'll change my mind :)

My ancestors were a proud and noble race of wolves...
and then the humans came :)

The problem with Intelligent Design:

The problem I have with Intelligent Design is that it
pretends to be grounded in Science. The ideas and
statements are not really backed up with scientific
facts or evidence. It tries to mask religion as a science.
It does not use the "Scientific Method" as protocol,
which is the check and balance system in science.
Worst, it only tries to explain things from a "Christian"
point of view and Christianity is not the only religion
or view of God in the world. This "tunnel vision" in
trying to explain things based on the bible is very l
imiting and in-effective. This also means that they
only try to find evidence to support their ideas and
any ideas that do not support it are never mentioned
or discarded. For example, they try to find evidence
for the "Great Flood"... okay, that's fine but the
possibility that a "Great Flood" never happened never
crosses their minds. Or the possibility that "Noah's Arc"
never existed doesn't cross their minds either. They
are only after evidence to prove... not disprove.
And that is where the big problem is... tunnel vision.
If "intelligent design" were a real open-minded idea
and science, it would explore how it pertains to other
religions and spiritual beliefs and explore hard data
evidence. It really should be called the "Christian
Idea of Intelligent Design".

Intelligent Design?

Conclusion: Evolution is not just an idea, it's a law
of nature... the law of change. I think humans have
been on earth long enough to at least understand
that basic principle. If you're still struggling... you
need to evolve! Don't let you brain end up being a
"vestigial organ"...use it or lose it. And for the record,
I do believe there is an almighty omnipotent power
out there. I don't think it's an old guy sitting in a chair
in heaven judging us... but I know there's something
more than what us humans can currently understand
and I believe there is a "spiritual" aspect to life.
And if we never strive to understand more, to grow,
evolve, pursue our God-given thirst for knowledge...
then we'd be letting God down. But we got to be
grounded in hard facts, data, and proven evidence.
Evolution doesn't mean that we believe that God's
creatures are flawed... it just means that they
have the ability to change with the times and to be even
better than they were... to strive towards perfection.
Isn't that what we humans are striving for too?
Isn't it even more miraculous to know that creatures
can and do evolve and change? My point is that Evolution
and Science in general does not contradict or discount
the possibility of God... unless your idea of God is way
too rigid and literal :P

The Few and the Proud

2008-02-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

So I recently had the great honor to play a Marine
for a movie called "Brothers". I was only a background
extra, but the experience was very memorable.
When they called about casting me, they said they only
needed me for one day of shooting. I hesitated at first...
should I cut my hair for a one day film shoot? It had
been about 6 months since my last movie gig, so I
decided to go for it. I asked my friends what I should
do and everyone gave me their full support. Besides,
playing a Marine sounded pretty cool...
even if only for a day.

The day of the shoot: The call time was really early...
5:00am and it was in Glorieta, which was over an
hour away from Albuquerque. Once I got there,
it took a while for all of us to get into costume. There
were about 50 other extras and many were actually
military or were in the military at one time. I was
one of the few that wasn't... but nobody really knew
that since we all looked like Marines :) Then it was time
to wait. Being an extra really isn't very glamorous, 95%
of the time is just spent waiting and the ones that have
done a lot of movies are the ones that come prepared
with books, video games, mp3 players... whatever will
keep boredom at bay. Needless to say, talking is a
good way to pass the time too... but nobody wants to
talk 8 hours non-stop either. Around 8:00pm
everyone was "camera ready" and in costume.
They didn't call us to the set to shoot until around
2:00pm. The scene they were shooting was a military
base so they had the extras walking in the background
with army vehicles driving around. It was cool to see
the Army Humvees... which were authentic of course.
They always use the real thing when they can. Even
our uniforms were real military issue. They even had
names of soldiers on them... probably the ones that
didn't quite cut it as a Marine. They shot the scenes
until the sun went down... and that was it. I did
get to see Toby Mcguire on set while he was doing
his scene in the parking lot. He was short and skinny,
and I heard he lost like 20 pounds for the role.
I'm not the kind that gets "star struck", but I guess
it was pretty cool to see "Spiderman" up close :) I
didn't get to see Jake Gyllenhaal or Natalie Portman,
the other stars of the film.

So that was the end of my career as a Marine... or so
I thought. One week later, I was called back to do
more scenes as a Marine. It was a wonderful
surprise, because "call backs" can be pretty rare.

The day of the shoot #2: I was called back to do
scenes as a Marine for the same movie, but the
location was different. This time, it was in Santa Fe...
uh outskirts of Santa Fe. Also, this time the scene only
called for 8 Marines, so I really was lucky to be one of
the 8. The call time was 8:30am... so this time I
actually got a bit of sleep the night before. Base camp
was at a creepy abandoned prison... yeah, it was even
creepy during the day. Going through the long, dark
corridors to the extras holding area gave me the chills.
Knowing the history of the place, that over 30
prisoners had been murdered here didn't help. It
was very much like being in a haunted house. Once in
the extras holding area, it didn't take long to get into
costume since there was only 8 of us. However, we
waited, took naps, played video games, and talked
until about 4:00pm until we were called to set. This
time, it was well worth the wait. Before driving to
the set, we got upgraded additions to our
uniforms including flak jacket, a rifle, hand gun,
camelbak, helmet, grenades, and googles. But
since we geared up right before driving to the
shoot, I didn't have time to take a photo of myself
with all the new gear. Cameras and photos are
not allowed on set. Once on set, we found out
what the scene entailed. We were to be part of
a convoy driving through the desert. So me and
the other 7 marines got to ride through the desert
in military vehicles. I got to ride shotgun in a real
Humvee! It was awesome! We did a few takes
driving back and forth with the windows down.
I don't know if I will even be on camera because
the passenger side window was pretty heavily
covered with dirt and dust, but I really don't care.
The fun ride through the desert in an Army
Humvee was worth it. They filmed a few takes
until the sun went down. A van took us back to
base camp and we got ready to turn in our gear.
My career as a Marine was complete... or so I
thought.

I was in for a few more surprises. They
needed 4 marines to stay late for another shoot...
so of course I volunteered. I cut my hair to do this,
what was a couple more hours pretending to be a
Marine. So the lucky 4 of us stuck around to await
our fate. We heard our scene was a helicopter
scene... hell yeah! I envisioned a cool fake cockpit
with green screen behind it. And when we entered
the studio, there it was... just as I imagined it.
They were shooting a different scene with Toby
in a helicopter... at least I think it was him. I was
too far away to see. But sometimes things don't
go as you envision them. Our scene wasn't to be
shot in the fake helicopter with green screen.
Nope, it was in a little corner of the studio with us
"pretending" to be in a helicopter. And when I say
"pretend" I mean in the same way we pretended
as kids :) Yup, we sat in regular fold-up chairs and
passed around a map while they shot over our
shoulder. I don't know if any of our faces were
in the shot but I'm pretty sure my hand and
knees were. So it wasn't as cool as I had
imagined but if the scene goes into the final cut,
I can at least say that those beautiful hands and
knees were mine :) Yup, life is good as an extra.

Gabriel's Angels and the New Year

2008-01-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a new year and it seems like this year has taken off like a bolt of lightning. It looks like it's going to be a very busy year for me... which is exactly what I was hoping for.

2008: The year of creativity? So far this year I've striven to do artwork again. It's been about 6 years since I've done a painting so I was determined to jump back into it this year. The first painting to bring me back into the art world (pictured above) is called Gabriel's angels. It was made specifically as a gift to my baby nephew "Gabriel"... and was for his baby room. It's a play off of "Raphael's Angels". It took me a few weeks to complete but I liked how it turned out... especially considering it's my first real painting in many years.

Also this year I've been casted as an extra for another major motion picture. So far I've been lucky enough to be an extra for 3:10 to Yuma, Sunshine Cleaning, and now the upcoming movie called "Brothers". In addition to this, I am also working on some other personal film projects.

New Years Resolution: This year I'm resolved to keep doing painting and film related stuff. I'm also getting back into Tai Chi after a long absence of many years. I also want to do as much traveling as I can afford and start learning how to fly Ultra-light aircrafts. These are just a few things I'd like to check off my list this year. I'm also thinking of revisiting one of my favorite places on Earth... Hawaii. But no matter where my travels take me, I will try and make this year the most memorable so far... and take some photos along the way so I can remember it in my old age.

International Balloon Fiesta 2007

2007-11-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

Well, what would be a photo-blog from New Mexico without International Balloon Fiesta photos, right? So here are some photos I took at this year's Balloon Fiesta. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect day for Ballooning. This "Fiesta" is the largest of it's kind in the whole world. It's also the most photographed event in the world. So, it's pretty cool that it happens in my backyard every year.

In the past, I've had the pleasure of crewing as a "chaser" for a few hot air balloons for the Fiesta. It's an amazing experience to actually participate and be a part of the event. The most memorable thing about being a "chaser" is that you usually get a free ride in the Balloon you help crew for... if the pilot is a nice guy. I've had the lucky opportunity to go up in 2 Balloons so far... and both times have been among the most memorable experiences I have ever had. It is impossible to describe in words... so I won't even try. By the way, I hope you enjoy these photographs I took, and I hope they inspire you to go to the Balloon Fiesta next year. I will see you there... waving to you from my Hot Air Balloon :)

Tie Dyed Twins?

Domo Aragato... Mr Honda Asimo :)

No Comment...

Duke on Myspace

2007-08-26T23:33:00.001-06:00

Well, I've been fighting it for a long time... but I decided that since many of my friends are already on myspace, I should at least have my profile on there as well. I will continue to post photos of my adventures here since myspace sucks for posting photos and their layout is terrible... not to mention it's littered with ads everywhere. But I have to admit that it's better for the whole social networking thing. So there you have it. Let's not speak of this again :) The link to my page at myspace is: http://www.myspace.com/tdraco23

Or follow the Blue Gecko:

(This photo isn't mine but it was free wallpaper and I modified the colors in photoshop... so I think that should at least give me permission to use it) Kudos to the photographer... whoever you are.

Flowers in the Garden

2007-08-13T18:18:00.000-06:00

My flower bush is blooming again after it almost died from lack of water (oops). It looked totally dried out... should've taken a photo of it then.... but I didn't think it would actually bounce back the way it did. It's a miracle! I tried to give it 'chi' to bring it back... maybe it worked. I've been pretty good at remembering to water it lately and I guess it's rewarding me by blooming for me. This certain flower is really interesting because it changes color from red to yellow over time. You can see that the top flower has already changed at the top. The ones at the bottom are new blooms that are only starting to change color.

I'll be off to Michigan soon for a few days helping my younger bro' move there for graduate school. It'll be a long 24 hour drive to Ann Arbor... hope the weather will be nice. It'll be exciting driving through places I have never been. Exploring new territory is always fun. I will try to take a few photos for the blog.

Los Poblanos Lavender Farm (near Corrales NM)

2007-07-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

So earlier this month I went with a friend to the Los Poblanos Lavender Farm next to Los Poblanos Inn. It's basically some privately owned land that is rarely open to the public... except for special events/festivals. There's also a kind of bed and breakfast type Inn there. We were there for the Lavender Festival... where they had all sorts of Lavender inspired stuff. Yeah, like lavender ice-cream, lavender soap, lavender tea... etc. The grounds were so beautifully adorned with gardens, fountains, err.... fields of lavender too of course. Here's a glimpse of what I saw through my camera, tee hee :)

Motown-Philly, PA ...Doin' a Lil East Coast swing

2007-06-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

So originally, visiting Pennsylvania wasn't really part of our plan. But because there was a neat exhibit at the Museum there (King Tut Exhibit), my family wanted to go check it out. What can I say, my family is as spontaneous as I am. I was happy because I got to see another new city/state, and that's always fun. We only spent about a day and a half there but I think it was worth it. The thing that struck me most about the city was how beautiful the architecture was and how much history was tied to it. Many of the streets and sidewalks seem like they were original and stood the test of time. Unfortunately, I have no photographs of the King Tut exhibit because there was no photography allowed... and it was strictly enforced by the security there. But here are some cool random photos of the sites I saw strolling downtown Philly.

The tall building in the back was my favorite skyscraper.
It looked so modern and high tech :)

This huge skyscraper was still being built. I love how it's
mirror-like finish reflected the other buildings around it.
It was a cool optical illusion.

So here's my only photo in the museum. It's of Ben Franklin...
but I think he almost looks like a sitting Buddha.

This was the coolest fountain ever! It was so hot that day...

like over 100 degrees. It took all I had in me to
keep from jumpin' in.
The details in these sculptures were amazing!

Oh No! Quick! Someone call security. Someone's trying
to walk away with the liberty bell :)

Hampton Beach, New Hampshire... East Coast Tour Continued

2007-06-22T01:52:00.000-06:00

While we were staying in Boston with some family, we heard that they were having a sand sculpture competition at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect beach weather. Unfortunately the sand sculpture competition takes place over several days because it takes so long to create them, and we were there the first day... so the work had just begun on these amazing works of art. With that being said, what we saw was still pretty impressive. Here's a glimpse at what I saw at the beach. The competition had an underlying theme. I'm guessing that the theme was a 'carnival' or 'circus' related. As you can see in the other photos, there was also a 'pirate' theme at the beach that day.

Pirate Volleyball... this is what happens when
you forget to put on your sunscreen, fall asleep
on the beach, and someone ties you to the net.

Pirate Putt-Putt! "Don't miss the Putt or you'll have
to walk the plank!" Arrrgh!

This is a photo of my 11-month old nephew's feet while he
was napping ...after playing in the sand.

3:10 To Yuma movie trailer

2007-06-21T17:18:00.001-06:00

So last winter I had the pleasure of being an extra for a movie called "3:10 to Yuma". Well, it looks like they finally have a trailer out for it. I can't wait to see it when it comes out this October.

Here's the link to the trailer:
http://www.movieweb.com/news/96/20596.php

If you're curious about my adventures on set, here's my post about it back in December.
http://tdraco23.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html

Boston... Continued. The Museum of Science

2007-06-21T02:11:00.001-06:00

While in Boston, I also got to check out the Museum of Science. The museum itself wasn't really that impressive... I guess I was expecting a bit more. But the 3D movie we saw about Bugs was pretty cool. I hope you enjoy these random photos I took while touring the Museum.

This life-sized Star Wars Replica was pretty cool.
Can you spot R2D2?

This giant model of a locust was intended to illustrate how models
are used as special effects in Hollywood.

This piece of artwork was really cool and featured a
mobile of hanging polarized discs. You can see the string
holding up the discs if you look closely. I believe this artist also
has similar work up at the Museum of Natural History in NM.

Here's a nice view of downtown Boston through a window at
the museum. You can see the "Duck Tour" in the water...
or what I like to call the amphibious bus tour.

Boston, Massachusetts ... a stroll in Boston Common

2007-06-20T22:57:00.000-06:00

Last week I went to visit some friends and family in the Boston area for a week. We also ended up exploring Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. (see future posts for details)

I love seeing new places and got to spend some time exploring the downtown area with a childhood friend I hadn't seen in over 20 years. This was my first time in Massachusetts... actually my first time in the New England area in general. We really lucked out as far as the weather... it was nice and sunny the whole week we were there. These photos are of our stroll in "Boston Common". Boston Common is a well known city park, and is actually the oldest city park in the United States (dating as far back as 1634).

My friend Dave took this photo of me on the bridge
overlooking the pond. Since it's rare to
see photos of me... especially on my blog, I figured I needed
a change and stepped away from behind the camera.

California Dreaming

2007-06-08T07:36:00.000-06:00

So last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting my "home away from home"... California. One of my favorite places in northern California is a small beach town called "Santa Cruz". The drive to Santa Cruz from San Jose is awesome (using hwy 17). I only wish I had taken my Miata with me, but riding with my brother in his BMW was fun too. The trip was short... only a few days, but it was good to smell that salty ocean air and feel the ocean breeze again.

These photos were taken on the beaches of Santa Cruz with my Canon S2. The rocky outcrop near the beach was the most interesting thing to photograph... so that's why there are tons of photos of it. The wind surfers were cool too and seemed to be having so much fun... I need to learn how to wind surf someday. Hope you enjoy the photos!

This last photo was taken in Chinatown, San Francisco. The lady in "traditional Asian" clothing was handing out advertising fliers... how annoying! Oh well, at least it makes for an interesting photograph. I like how everyone is totally ignoring her :)

The Tent Rocks.... They look like giant... Tents! ;)

2007-05-31T03:58:00.000-06:00

So this memorial day we ventured off to the Tent Rocks near Cochiti Lake. This place was declared a "national monument" in 2001 by Bill Clinton. Before that, most people didn't know what the heck the Tent Rocks were... and still don't actually. Which is kinda cool because it wasn't too crowded... even on memorial day. The day was perfect... blue sunny skies. Wait a minute..."blue and sunny" are kinda contradictory terms aren't they? .... weird.

Anyhoo, it was the perfect day hike for a lazy monday... and we actually did see quite a few people there that uh... probably don't usually do much hiking ;) But I bet they were glad they did... even if they were a bit out of breath. More power to you... you 'out of shapers you'. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fit as a fiddle in no time. Heck, even I admit I probably need to spend more time in the sun and doing extreme sports.... well, okay maybe not extreme sports. My skydiving days are over. Yup, only less intensive activities like roller coasters, jet skiing, rock climbing, and day hikes to the Tent Rocks for yours truly. Not to mention trying new restaurants... that's always risky business I tell you... risky business.

So here are a few photos I snapped on my trip. They really don't do the place justice so I hope you'll go yourself someday if you've never been.

For those of you who have never been to the Tent Rocks, here are the directions from I-25:

Take Cochiti exit 264 off 1-25, Go right on NM 16, continue for 8 miles, turn right when road T’s, turn right on 22, then at the base of Cochiti Dam in 2.7 miles turn left on NM 22, go 1.7 miles turn right on Tribal Rd.92/Forest Service Rd 266. Pass through a gate and continue for 5 miles to the parking area on the right.

Roses for Duke

2007-05-02T16:08:00.000-06:00

So last night I was feeling really down... listening to the rythm of the falling rain. But this morning I was happily surprised that my roses had bloomed for me overnight. This is the first time I've seen them bloom... being that I just moved here. My trees are so very lush now too... so alive! The roses were exactly what I needed... I love getting flowers :) Anyways, it also reminded me of that song by Louis Armstrong:

"I see trees of green... red roses too
I see them bloom... for me and you
and I think to myself... what a wonderful world"

So to all my friends and family out there, far and near. I'd like to dedicate this photo and song to you. I love you all, and I'm thinking of you. -Duke

Happy Easter! Here are some backyard photos

2007-04-08T15:30:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone, here are some photos of my backyard for those of you who haven't seen it yet. My trees are finally growing nice brand new leaves! Before it looked really dead and dormant so I'm glad I waited to take and post these today. My yard is pretty small but I have a little covered porch area, two trees, four rose bushes, and a patch of grass... which I'll probably take out and replace with a flower garden. Right now (as you can see in the photos), I only have two wooden chairs on the porch, but I did buy a patio table and park bench... I just need to put them together :)

The bushes you see in the background are my rose bushes. I'm won't know what color blossoms they are until I actually see them bloom. The previous owner was kind enough to leave me some rose plant-food. The roses look really healthy and grew beautiful new leaves too. I'm guessing there are two different colors because I noticed that the leaves on the bushes look different from on another. I noticed there are a pair of bushes that look similar and a pair that look different in an alternating pattern. I have no idea what kind of trees are in my backyard either. I'm hoping that they are flowering trees.

Well, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter and taking some time to go outside and enjoy the sunshine! I'm thinking of venturing outside and tracking down the easter bunny myself :) Some chocolate eggs sound really good right now... Yum :)

A Special Dedication...

2007-04-04T02:16:00.001-06:00

So I haven't really done anything exciting for a while and haven't gone on any photo excursions either... so I wanted to dedicate a special post to the one that has been with me on many journeys and has taken good care of me thus far... without asking for much in return. I'm speaking fondly of my little car.

" To all the places.. we've gone before. I'm glad you came along, I dedicate my song... to my little miata car." Yes, Willie Nelson would be proud... I'm sure.

So here is the story of how we met... that fateful winters day. It was about a year and a half a go and I was driving along Lomas in my Corolla (yes, Corolla.. don't laugh) and I saw you there... staring at me at the used car lot. You were dirty and covered with dust... and I don't know how long you've been there on the lot ...waiting. But I knew you were something special from the start... I could tell from your trim leather seats and your M-edition badge. I thought to myself: "Could this really be?". Yes, indeed. You were a 96' m-edition... rare in your exclusive Starlight Mica paint, less than 3000 ever made... and yes, even truly "made in Japan"... unlike most cars today. I remember seeing you in a Mazda book... how you gleamed bright like starry skies and whispered mysteriously in your dark midnight mica blue. So when I saw you there in the flesh(plus metal and vinyl), I knew then that I had to have you... only 69k miles traveled, pristine leather, and clean title. Though you had a few small dings from the past, and you were covered with dust, I knew inside that you were perfect... for me. And you were. So thank you "Twilight", my little Miata... Here's to all the future journeys we shall embark together... into the starry nights and cloudless skies. May we live, love, and travel together for another 69k miles :)

Duke Finds His First Home... & Does Another Movie

2007-03-23T01:07:00.000-06:00

I apologize that I haven't posted anything in such a long while. It's not that life's been boring and that there's nothing to post... it's quite the opposite. There have been so many changes in my busy life that I haven't had a chance to post. Anyways, one of these big changes is that I just bought my first house! I've been saving up for a down-payment for a while now and it's awesome to see things come together and materialize. I still can't believe that I own (a small percentage) of my house. Yeah, I've always thought of having a mortage as not so much as "owning" a house, but "renting to own" a house ;) I tried to take some nice pictures of the interior and backyard as well, but they came out horrible (really horrible)... so I'll wait for a day with "better" lighting to take more.

With that said, I hope you guys and gals enjoy this one photo of the front of the house around sunset. You can see that the front porch lights are on... hinting at the hour of day. The house is located in the Southwest part of Albuquerque in a nice and quiet gated community, and my neighbors are super nice.

In other news: I'm single again, I was sick for almost a whole month, and I was able to be an extra for another movie. The movie is called "Sunshine Cleaning", and it's a dark comedy. I don't really know much more than that. I was called out of the blue (the day before the shoot) by the casting agent for the movie, and I was like "sure, of course I'll do it"! It was another great experience being on set for another movie, and this time my car may be a star as well. One of the scenes has me walking in the background in a parking lot with my car parked in the background too. I really hope it makes the final cut and that we're both in the shot (me and my car :) That would make my year. The only thing that could top that is uh... having a swinging party at my house with lots of movie celebrities! Yeah, I know... I will keep dreaming :)

Comments Anyone? I'd love to hear from you!

Snow On The Sandias

2007-01-09T02:25:00.000-07:00

So I decided to go on a drive today to the foothills to shoot some photos of snow on the mountains. I was a little disappointed because most of the snow from the 2 storms that hit Albuquerque in the last few weeks had melted. For those of you who aren't from New Mexico, a few weeks ago we had record snow fall. It hadn't snowed this much since some time in the 1950's. Santa Fe got about 3 to 4 feet in a day and Albuquerque got over a foot of snow in some places... like the East Mountains.

I was hoping there would be a thick blanket of snow over the Sandias but I guess I waited too long. I suppose water (or snow) doesn't last very long in the desert sun. Well, hope you enjoy these photos none-the-less:

Here is a shot of the Sandia Foothills at sunset. It looks like it's sprinkled in sugar.

Here is a shot of some houses sitting right in the foothills...
...Oh No! Avalanche!! (Just kidding)

Extra... Extra... Duke's in the movies? ...maybe

2006-12-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

I know it's been way too long since I've posted anything up on my blog... so I thought I'd make it up to the 3 people that actually check up on my blog.... so for the first time in history....a photo of "The Duke", in real life... sort of. I say sort of because it's me in costume.

Recently, I've had the great opportunity to be an extra for an upcoming remake of an cool old western movie. We were told that we could'nt take any photos whatsoever on set. So this photo was taken in the dressing room... it was pretty much the only place that we were allowed to take any photos. I'm playing the part of an Asian railroad worker. This shot was taken before I went into "makeup", so my face has not yet been made 'dirty' for the shoot. I won't mention any specifics about the movie here because I don't want to get anyone in trouble... including myself. The cast and crew were really nice... especially the casting director.

I don't know if I'll make it into the final cut scenes of the finished movie... but even if I don't, it was well worth the experience. And, I would love to do future movies as an extra again. Special thanks to Ernie for letting me know about the casting call... and Elizabeth for everything else. I tip my cowboy hat to y'all.

Notes about the photo: I had to wear a wig with braided hair at the end. You can't see the braid in the photo because it's hangin down in the back. So the hair you see is actually fake and dusted to look dirty and dusty. Costume was custom fitted for yours truly. Scarf was actually tucked inside my shirt during the shoots. During the shoot, make-up people would 'dust' us, our clothes, and shoes regularly to keep us looking 'dirty'.

Robin... To the Bat Cave!

2006-09-06T02:35:00.000-06:00

Actually, this is really a lava tube. There are probably bats in it too. It certainly smelled like bat guano. I like how it looks like it's swirling near the entrance. Though it's hard to fit the batmobile in there. Believe me, I tried.

On this little outting we did go to the mystical ice caves as stated in the previous posts. However, I will not be posting any photos of the ice caves here in my blog. My photos would simply not do it justice. The magical ice caves are so amazing that they must be experienced in person. So if you want to see the ices caves, you'll have to make the journey yourself. You can read up on the ice caves at this unbelievably beautiful website:

www.icecaves.com

Ahh Ha Ha Ha (evil laugh)

Holy Rusted Metal Batman.... It's a Bat!

2006-09-06T02:20:00.000-06:00

Now, I'm very happy to say that this photo was NOT taken with optical zoom. While we were hiking in the Lava tubes near Grants, we saw this little bat "hanging out" near the entrance. It was great to see it so close. We were inches away from him and we could have grabbed him with our bare hands if we wanted to... but decided to leave the little guy alone. He was fast asleep. He actually woke up and started chirping at us at one point. I even got some of it on video with my camera. He wasn't very big at all (maybe 2 and a half inches or so). I doubt that I'll be able to see a bat like that so upclose in the wild again. He was so cute. Yeah, you heard me, cute!

Hypnotized Hummingbird

2006-09-06T02:06:00.000-06:00

Now that summer is winding down, here's a glimpse at a bird that we'll miss once summer is gone. This photo was taken near the mystical ice caves near Grants, NM. To get this photo I had to dress up like a giant flower and stand near the feeder for 4 hours until this hummingbird came. Alright, so all I did was use my 12x optical zoom on my Canon S2... but I almost had you didn't I? If you look closely, you can actually see the hummingbirds tongue sticking out as it's being hypnotized by the nectar filled feeder. I'm not sure what kind of hummingbird it is... but if I had to take a guess, I'd have to say it was a juvenile male Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird.

New Posters Available from Duke on Zazzle

2006-08-15T19:05:00.000-06:00

I'm beginning to create some posters from the photos I've taken and put on this blog. Right now I have a Poster of the Statue at Hoover Dam and the Buddha at Kamakura available for sale at Zazzle. So if you really like any of these photos and would like a poster print of them. Now you can! You will even save 10% off if you use the link below. Check it out!

Here's the link: zazzle.com/dtruong*

Shameless Promotion: New Technology Blog

2006-08-12T22:18:00.000-06:00

Hi, I wanted to take a moment to shamelessly promote my new blog I started that spotlights new consumer technologies and gadgets. I added the link to it under my links heading to the right of this page. Or you can just click here: http://newtechnews.blogspot.com/

For example, find out what this new cool gadget is:

Southwest Trip Part 3: Las Vegas

2006-08-12T04:19:00.000-06:00

Distance: 26 miles
ETA: 26 minutes
Seeing a black-out in Las Vegas: Priceless.

From Hoover Dam (around Boulder City) we headed to Vegas... because when you're this close to Vegas, you gotta go. We ended up staying a couple days here and had a nice overall tour of the Vegas Strip. We were exhausted from walking miles and miles in the summer heat. I think it was still around 90 degrees at night. We had an unforgetable experience there the first night. A crazy lightning storm rolled in out of nowhere and while we were getting our room at the Stardust, the storm caused a blackout for a few seconds. It was so weird to see the Casino completely dark and everyone fell silent in the hotel. I looked outside the entrance door window and saw that the lights of the strip itself were dark too. Then all the power came back up after a few seconds. Minutes later, it happened again... but this time the Stardust remained dark. It seemed like this time that only the Stardust was affected. Since darkness and crime go hand in hand, we decided to jump into our rental car (a Mazda 3) to check out the lights of the strip. It was raining hard by now, so the lights looked really beautiful mirrored by the water on the wet road. When we arrived back at the Hotel, there were a few police cars in the parking lot and we saw a few guys get arrested. Like I said, darkness and crime go hand in hand. Sorry, I didn't take any photos of the rain and lights... I was driving. But I did take some typical tourist photos of Vegas. So here ya go:

Hoover Dam Statue

2006-08-10T03:38:00.000-06:00

The Statues at Hoover Dam are as beautiful as I remember them from the last time I was here. I saw an opportunity here to take perhaps the most "patriotic" photo I've ever taken. I'm glad that the flag was actually fluttering in the wind. I dedicate this photo to all the brave souls that risked their lives building the great engineering feat that is the "Hoover Dam"!

Southwest Trip Part 2: Hoover Dam

2006-08-10T03:23:00.000-06:00

Grand Canyon to Hoover Dam: 5 hours
Distance: 250 miles

We stopped at Hoover Dam on our way through to Las Vegas. And although it was nearly 6pm (as you can see if you look closely in the second image of the clock), the temperature was still over 100 Degrees. The hot wind blowing in our faces did not improve matters. Due to the heat, I think my Canon Elph S410 overheated and actually corrupted a lot of photos on my compact flash card. Therefore, there really aren't many photos of Hoover Dam to show. I'm really glad we weren't there during the mid-day, or we would've been toast.

Road Trip: The Grand Canyon Continued...Vertical Views!

2006-07-30T00:39:00.000-06:00

We spent 2 days at the Grand Canyon so I decided to post another day of photos. The following photos are all vertical views of the Canyon. These were all taken by me on a Canon Elph S410. As with all the photos on this site, you can click on them for a larger view. The second day we spent there was really hot! I think it reached 100 Degrees Fahrenheit or about 37.8 Degrees Celsius. It was partly cloudy as you can see from the photos, but that did not help cool us down at all. Good thing we brought tons of water with us.

Southwest Road Trip Part 1: The Grand Canyon

2006-07-28T20:36:00.000-06:00

I recently went on a week long road trip to the southwest with some friends. For the first leg of our journey we ventured from Albuquerque and past Flagstaff, Arizona to the Grand Canyon. It took us approximately 7 hours to reach the Grand Canyon... but it was worth it. We left early in the morning so we were able to arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy the view until sunset. Here are some of the photos I took that day.

Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon ETA: 7 hours
Watching the sunset at the Grand Canyon: Priceless

For everything else, there's www.dukeofnewmexico.com

Fireworks, part 5 ... the Sea Creature from space

2006-07-06T23:19:00.000-06:00

I think this one is my favorite.. or at least the most bizzarely beautiful and hypnotic. It looks like some sort of alien sea urchin that lives in deep space. I don't know why it would be a sea urchin AND an alien okay, leave me alone!

This concludes my fireworks series. I hope you enjoyed them, and as always I love any feedback you may have.

Cheers!

Fireworks, part 4 .... Smoke and Flares

2006-07-06T23:11:00.000-06:00

One cool thing about being really close to the action (when it comes to fireworks) is that you can see the trails go up and see the smoke clearly. They were shooting them off a hill next to us, so it was pretty cool to see. Here are some good examples of the smoke trails and flares. I think this was taken during part of the finale. Can't you almost smell the gunpowder, and hear the booms? No? Me either, that was stupid.

Fireworks, part 3 ... The Big Bang

2006-07-06T23:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos of the big bang when the world was created out of nothing. Nevermind that they look exactly like fireworks. I like the first photo with all the smoke and flares. Cool, no?

Fireworks, Part 2 ... Neon Palm Trees and more

2006-07-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

Here are some more amazingly (crappy) beautiful fireworks. The last photo kind of looks like a neon palm tree to me. What do you guys think?

4th of July Fireworks in Rio Rancho, NM

2006-07-06T22:30:00.000-06:00

Well, this 4th of July wasn't the most exciting and these photos aren't the greatest either but I decided to post them anyways. The 'Fireworks' setting on my Canon S2 didn't work as well as I'd hoped, but here are some photos that I thought looked okay. Some are a bit blurry but I like the way they look anyways... very alien and surreal.

This year we went to see the fireworks in Rio Rancho (Near Rio Rancho High School). We almost didn't get to see fireworks at all because the storm was heading towards our direction very quickly and a lot of people assumed that the fireworks were canceled and ran to their cars. We waited a little while there (about a third of the people there were already gone), and started heading towards our car too. The wind was blowing sand in our eyes and the lightning storm seemed like it was all around us (but still no rain). We were surprised then to see the fireworks go off. They shot them off around 9:15pm... an hour early. And surprisingly it never rained aside from a few sprinkles. The fireworks display really wasn't that impressive, but I felt lucky to have seen one at all. I love fireworks! ... especially the kind you can only buy on Native American land :)

Lady Bug Love

2006-06-01T22:05:00.000-06:00

Ironically, my favorite photo I took on the Capulin trip was this one of two lady bugs on a leaf. They were sitting in a tree near the bottom of the volcano. It gave me a chance to play with the Macro setting, and I love how this composition came out with the light and shadows. Special thanks to Janel for spotting these bugs for me.

I'm beginning to run out of ideas on where to go in New Mexico for a nice day trip, so if you guys have any suggestions, let me know. Especially if you know of some lesser known places.

Volcano Park Bench

2006-06-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

In case you get tired from walking on the paved trail around the rim, there's a park bench to rest your tired old bones. Weird huh?

View from the Top of Capulin

2006-06-01T21:54:00.000-06:00

Here's a nice view from the top rim of the volcano... facing away from the crater. This view looked really cool while driving up the spiral paved road to the top of the volcano.

Here's another view from the top. I caught a lonely cloud floating by and had to capture it. You can see some volcanic mounds in the background.

Duke Versus the Capulin Volcano

2006-06-01T21:12:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I went to Capulin Volcano National Monument and spent the day there with some friends. It was about a 3.5 hour drive from Albuquerque, and the weather was beautiful once again. We actually went on Memorial day since everyone was off. Capulin is located near the Colorado/New Mexico border, near the town of Raton. You can drive to the top of the volcano and walk into the crater and around the rim. This is exactly what we did. It's a good place to have a picnic too. I would recommend going here if you're headed in that direction (say, on your way to Denver or something), but driving from Albuquerque just to see it may not be worth your while. There's a 60 mile stretch of boring flat planes landscape that is mind-numbing and arguably one of the most boring stretches of highway in NM.

The photos above are from inside the bottom of the crater. The "hiking" trail to the bottom and along the rim were paved... a toddler could hike it without a problem. So no serious hiking here... we weren't even allowed to hike off the paved trail. It was a bit disappointing. Is it still considered "hiking" if it's paved? I say no. There was even a park bench along the rim trail. Look for the park bench in the other posted photos.

For more info on Capulin Volcano, visit the offical website here: http://www.nps.gov/cavo/

Abiquiu lake from afar

2006-05-26T02:42:00.000-06:00

Here's a shot of the lake from far away. I just liked the contrast between the desert, water, and sky. If you haven't gone to Abiquiu before, make sure you check it out.

Abiquiu Lake Shore

2006-05-25T23:50:00.000-06:00

After we checked out the view at the overlook we went down to the shore and walked around. There were these cool flat sheets of rock at the shore and the first thing we saw were a bunch of Seagulls sunbathing on the rocks. I sneaked up on them and used my 12x optical zoom on my camera to catch a photo of them lazily enjoying the afternoon on the rocks. Why there are Seagulls in the middle of a little desert lake in NM, I don't know! Maybe they got lost?

I also spotted some cool trees growing out of the water and through the tiny cracks in the rock. It looked pretty surreal and almost... shall I say, enchanting?

Abiquiu Lake Overlook

2006-05-25T23:39:00.000-06:00

These were taken at the overlook of the lake visitor center. They have a nice area fenced off so that you can walk up to the edge of the lake cliffs and check out the view. The water was a gorgeous green with a hint of blue. We went on a tuesday, so there were hardly any other people there besides us. It was so nice, quiet, and tranquil there.

Abiquiu Rocks

2006-05-25T23:08:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we decided to do a day trip to a town we've never been to before... Abiquiu. It's in northern New Mexico, and was one of those places I have always wanted to check out. This was partly because I'm a big Georgia O'Keeffe fan and this was the place she chose to call "home". When you get to Abiquiu, it doesn't take long for you to understand why.

I can't believe it took me so long to finally go. It's only about 2.5 hours away from Albuquerque! But I'm really glad I did because it was really beautiful. It was one of the best drives I've had for a while... really scenic and perfect for my little Mazda Miata. The weather was perfect too: sunny with a cool breeze. We could even smell the sweet scent of wildflowers as we drove through.

The photo of the rocks above were taken right off of Highway 84 near Abiquiu Lake. The next few photos are of Abiquiu Lake. Remember to click on the photos for full-size view!

Self Portrait

2006-05-19T22:45:00.000-06:00

I don't normally do self portraits but I just happened to turn around and see my own shadow on the ground blending with shadows of the trees. I liked the way it looked so I had a little fun with it. I think it captures my personality pretty well.

White Flowers and hidden spider

2006-05-19T22:39:00.000-06:00

These clusters of white flowers were everywhere on the trail. I won't attempt to identify them because my knowledge of trees and flowers is still quite limited. But if you click to enlarge the photo, you may notice a spider in the top right corner of the flowers. It blends in so well that it's hard to see even in the closeup image. Does anyone know what species of spider it is... J/K :)

Bird in the Trees

2006-05-19T22:09:00.000-06:00

While walking on the forest trail, my friend spotted this bird jumping from tree to tree and curiously watching us. It was so hard to snap a photo because once I got it in focus, it would dart to another branch and be out of focus again. This was the best photo I could snap before my friend chased it down like a cat... no more like a panther.

I don't think I've ever seen a bird like this here in NM before, but I believe it is a male "Western Tanager". For more info about this type of bird, go here: Bird Link

The woods of New Mexico

2006-05-19T21:47:00.000-06:00

Having just come from the big city of Tokyo, I really needed some time to relax and stroll in the woods of New Mexico and enjoy the wide open spaces and blue skies of this state. I originally wasn't going to post these images but I decided to do it to show the world that NM does indeed have trees and forests. (Not just desert!)

These photos were taken on the east side of the Sandia mountains that are right next to Albuquerque. The west side of the Sandias faces Albuquerque and is much drier and has mostly desert vegetation. Basically all the rain, snow, and moisture in general gets dumped on the east side so that the west side gets nothing. I think the technical term for this phenomenon is called the "shadow zone". Our "shadow zone" being the east side.

The Flight Home...Sayonara Japan!

2006-05-09T01:13:00.000-06:00

I'm glad I had my camera in my bag with me on the plane. I looked out the window and saw a beautiful sea of clouds and had to capture it. This was on the 9-hour flight back to the states. All in all I had a great time in Japan, and I know I'll probably be back. There are many things and places I have yet to see there.

This concludes my postings of photos of Japan. But of course, I'll continue to post photos of my continuing travels wherever the road leads or the airplanes fly.

Mitsubishi Micro

2006-05-06T04:19:00.000-06:00

I saw this cute micro sized Mitsubishi car in Yokohama. It looked so futuristic and cool that I had to snap a photo of it. I don't know what it's called, so I'll make up my own name for it: The Mitsubishi 'Micro'. I bet the 'micro' would sell like hotcakes if they sold them here. It's even a 4 door! Kakkoii!

Update: I did some reseach and found some more info on this car. This car is called the "i-car"... perhaps a play on the word "ipod". It is simply called the "i" in Japan. ( I like my name for it better) The good news is that they are testing it in the USA now to see if there's a market for it here. I hope it does well and that they start selling like "ipods" here :) If you'd like more info on it, here's a story about it on some automotive site: Link-a-roo

Castle in the Sky

2006-05-06T02:43:00.000-06:00

I have no idea what kind of business this bulding was for, but the sight of the castle on top of it stopped me in my tracks. Looks like the Disney castle to me. It would be cool if you could actually go inside the castle. Maybe you can... but for now the castle in the sky remains shrouded in mystery. Let me know if you have any insightful information regarding this place.

Update: Thanks to M. Yamasaki, the mystery is solved. This is a Karaoke place... which makes perfect sense because there were tons of those places in this part of town. In fact, this was the night that we went to do Karaoke with some friends. Although we didn't go to this building with the castle. Sorry, there are no photos of me doing Karaoke... some things you just gotta see in person to believe :) Domo Aragoto,... Mr. Yamasaki!

Mini Shrine

2006-05-06T02:04:00.000-06:00

Here's a little tiny shrine I found while walking through Akihabara. You can compare it to the bicycle to see how small it really is. You could almost put it in your pocket and take it home with you. Unfortunately my pockets were full of change for the subway system. The orange cones reminded me of New Mexico.

It's Godzilla!!!.... No wait, ...it's the King! ->"Kong" that is.

2006-05-05T04:34:00.000-06:00

I spotted Kong in Harajuku at the "Zen Mall". It looks like he had just finished a meal of fish.

Meiji Shrine

2006-05-05T02:16:00.000-06:00

This was the entrance to the Shrine. There was a place to wash your hands and face to purify yourself before you entered the temple. When we arrived here, we were so happy to realize that there was a spring festival or "matsuri" going on that day at the shrine! There were perfomances including traditional music and dance. I was lucky to catch one of the particapants wearing traditional clothes walking towards the temple. It was rainy that day so everyone was carrying an umbrella. That just added more to the composition of this photo, I think.

Here's the inside plaza area directly past the gate... probably exactly where the guy with the umbrella was standing in the previous picture. There were beautiful flower arrangements on the tables in the back... you can barely see them in this photo.

Here's another performer running towards the other side of the shrine. I barely caught him on camera... he was running pretty fast. I had great luck that day snapping the perfect moment. I'm glad he didn't look straight at the camera either. I don't think he even saw me saw me. I love getting those candid shots.

This is a photo of a dance performance. He was doing a traditional Japanese dance with two fans. It was really cool to watch and there were also musicians playing on the floor next to him... though I didn't catch them in this frame. I love how there's another guy in the background too. This photo almost seems like it came straight out of a movie... so dramatic! Like the movie "Hero". Let me know what you guys think?

Road to Meiji Shrine.. a hidden forest

2006-05-05T00:49:00.000-06:00

To get away from the craziness of the big city, we decided to go to a shrine near the train station in Harajuku. Even though it's right within the city, you can't even tell because it's a huge forested area with amazing umbrella-like trees and other greenery all around you. Their parks and shrines are like little pockets of forest hidden within the city. It's sort of like Central Park in NY, but the parks here seem to be preserves of forests and not man-made. It's like you just turn a corner, walk a little ways and suddenly magically transported... think "spirited away". The wide road takes you to a beautiful old shrine temple. These photos are some of the things you'll find on the way to the Shrine.

The bottom picture are of some Saki barrels that were donated to the shrine. The walk to the shrine was so peaceful. I highly recommend it if you're ever in Harajuki. I will post pics of the Shrine itself in the next post.

Window into Japan

2006-05-05T00:41:00.000-06:00

Here's some photos out of our hotel room on a sunny day. We stayed at the Asian Center of Japan Hotel. It was a nice western style hotel with private in-room bathrooms and such. There are other hotels in Japan called Ryokans (Japanese inn) that are Japanese style with shared public baths and traditional Japanese decor. In the top picture you can see a huge crane that is doing construction on a skyscraper. We saw many of those in Japan. It's hard work to keep rebuilding and improving what Godzilla has destroyed :)

Disney Store in Japan

2006-05-04T20:27:00.000-06:00

The Disney store looked so cool, it almost made me want to go in... almost. But we were tired from walking all day and there are plenty of Disney stores in the USA anyways. It looks like Disneyland not Disney-store, doesn't it?

Warp drive cars in Japan

2006-05-04T20:17:00.000-06:00

Okay, so there really weren't warp drive cars in Japan... but if there were, this is what they'd look like screaming down the highway. We were on a bridge with lots of cars zooming by so I thought I'd take some slow shutter night pics and get the cool streaking effect. I'm happy with how they turned out.

Small Art Gallery in Harajuku

2006-05-04T20:04:00.000-06:00

We stumbled upon this art gallery in Harajuku while going shopping there. After one look at the outside architechture, we were sucked into checking it out. It had some really cool artwork that looked like student's work... some great, some not so great. It had a really casual atmosphere about it. There was even a little snack shop in the back of it in a patio-like area complete with a little garden with sculptures. I believe this was a studio/gallery. The first floor was a gallery area while the upper levels were studios and offices. Harajuku seems like the fashion/art center of Tokyo, and was one of the most interesting places to take a stroll.

When you're feeling not so fresh....

2006-05-04T03:13:00.000-06:00

You gotta love Japan when you see these kind of signs. It puts a smile on your face. So if you need a bottle full of freshness, you know where to go. Drink up!

Oh, btw please don't hesitate to comment on any of these blogs. I'd love to hear what you think... and my blog is sadly missing comments.

Creepy house in Harajuku

2006-05-04T03:08:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to see this really old house in between two large modern buildings. It looked creepy and haunted... and had graffiti all over it. The Construction vehicle was just passing by... and not demolishing it or anything just in case you were wondering. I wonder why it's still there... maybe it's cursed and nobody wants to knock it down out of fear? Pretty cool contrast though. If you're walking down this street, you can't miss it.

China Town temple in Yokohama

2006-05-04T03:00:00.000-06:00

These are some photos of a buddhist temple we saw in the Chinatown in Yokohama. It was really beautiful with walls and pillars that were carved from what looked like soapstone. This was near the entrance to Chinatown, so it was quite a sight to behold when we first entered. The photos don't do it justice but I hope you enjoy them anyways.

Electric Town

2006-05-02T23:51:00.000-06:00

These are some photos of Akihabara... aka Electric town. This a technology hub and a great place in Japan to get the latest and greatest gadgets. So many toys.... so little time. Unfortunately, I didn't have much cash so only window shopping for me. The lights were so beautiful at night too. The middle photo and bottom photo are of the same location but one was taken during the day and one at night. Check out how different they look. Akihabara... it's like Las Vegas for Nerds!

No Walgreens here in Japan

2006-04-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

Here's a tiny little drugstore in Yokohama. We actually went in to take a look. Everything is tiny in Japan, the cars and shops are no exceptions. It's crazy when the shop is really crowded.... which is pretty normal, and you can bearly squeeze your way through the isles. The subways are so packed in that you can bearly move during the rush hours. Forget that american notion of "personal space". There is no such thing in Japan. Especially in the sea of people constantly moving from train to train in the subways. I didn't really take any photos of the subways because it's kinda rude to snap one on the train. But I'll post some pics of the stations later. Tomorrow we are going to the place that I wanted to see the most.... "Electric Town"! The sacred town of gadgets and electronics.

Japanese hospitality

2006-04-29T08:29:00.000-06:00

I spotted this sign right after we arrived in Yokohama from the train station. I couldn't stop laughing and had to snap a shot of it. I still can't believe it's there so close to the station and still up. Who knows how long it's been called that. Maybe it's for the "foreigners" :). I'm probably not the first to post it up... but I hope you enjoyed it.

Pet Store... Puppy Love

2006-04-29T08:24:00.000-06:00

On the same stroll there was this great pet store. Little dogs are really popular here and super expensive. I think the cheapest puppy was like $3000 USA dollars. The only dogs we saw in the window were really young puppies. I guess they get bought pretty fast.

Night Lights Near our Hotel

2006-04-29T08:17:00.000-06:00

Here's a night photo from a stroll I took the first night I was here. It's only a few blocks away from our hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo. Along the way I spotted a Lamborgini. It was so beautiful and I have never ever seen one just parked in the street like that. So of course I took some close-up photos. Never saw the owners but they must've been filthy rich.

Drinking in the scenery

2006-04-29T08:09:00.000-06:00

He'res a pic I took in Yokohama. It was sitting on top of a hill we went up. Good placement for after a long journey up. It was next to a park too. I love it when there's like 3 or 4 next to eachother. I noticed that there are a lot more coke machines than pepsi. I guess pepsi is not as trendy right now.

Buddha at Kamakura

2006-04-28T18:14:00.000-06:00

We went to the great Buddha at Kamakura yesterday and took lots of pictures. It was the first nice sunny day since I arrived. It's been cloudy and rainy. I found a wifi hotspot in my hotel room. So tonight I will post many more pics. Today we are going to Shinjuku for some shopping!

A nice profile shot of the great Buddha. I like how the clouds sort of looks like a halo around his head. A "must see" if you're ever in Japan. This is actually one of my favorite photos I took in Japan. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful sunny day with blue skies.

Trip to Japan.... Coming Soon!

2006-04-06T02:29:00.001-06:00

I'm going to Japan from April 25th to May 2nd! So photos of my trip will be posted at the end of this month!

Weird Prehistoric looking Fish (Gar)

2006-04-02T19:57:00.000-06:00

I believe this was a type of fish called a Gar... there are several sub-species but this one looks especially prehistoric. I think it hasn't changed much through millions of years. Note the interesting "feelers" under it's nostrils. I took this at the Aquarium... of course.

Pelican in the Desert

2006-04-02T19:46:00.000-06:00

Just last week we biked to the Albuquerque Aquarium for the day. Here's a rare photo of a pelican in the desert... it was at the outdoor aquarium exhibit. I guess these birds were injured and were in some rehabilatation program. Notice the band on it's leg. It seemed perfectly healthy though, and was cleaning it's feathers.

Evil Hello Kitty

2006-04-02T19:43:00.000-06:00

I just recently got a new digital camera (Canon S2 IS) and wanted to take some experimental pics. Here's one I took with the color accent mode. Surprisingly, hello kitty is still cute even in "devil mode" :)

Sunset at Sandia Peak

2006-04-02T19:36:00.000-06:00

Here are some recent images I took at the top of Sandia Peak at Sunset. It was after the random bizarre snowstorm that hit us for a day... so you can see reminents of snow still on the mountain.

A Drive through Jemez, NM

2006-01-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

We went for a nice spontaneous drive through the Jemez in New Mexico this weekend. It was a beautiful clear day. We took my '96 Miata, and had lots of fun with the twisty roads through that area. While I was there, I decided to take some 3-D photos as well. So if you've never been to the Jemez, here's your chance to take a virtual journey. Visit my new 3-D photo gallery to see the 3-D photos from the trip: http://3duke.blogspot.com/

Duke's New 3-D Gallery

2006-01-25T02:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a separate blog for 3-D photos. Here's the linkage:

http://3duke.blogspot.com/

More 3D Fun: Learn to make your own 3D photos!

2006-01-20T03:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested in 3D photography and want to make your own 3D photos, or just want to view more 3D photos by other photographers, here is a link to a couple of websites devoted to it:

http://www.3dphoto.net//stereo/stereo.html

http://www.3dphoto.net//stereo/text/viewing/technique.html
(this one has some tips on seeing 3D with the "cross-eyed" method if you are having trouble.)

http://www.feargod.net/3dhowto.php

Note: (I have no affiliation with these sites, I just found them while surfing the web)

The Kitchen Nook in 3D

2006-01-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post some random pictures I have on my USB flashdrive. Here's a pic of our kitchen area in 3D stereoscopic view. I took it with 2 digital cameras side-by-side. It was taken a few months ago. To see it in 3D you have to sorta cross your eyes until the images merge into one. If you do it right, it should pop out and look like a photo from a viewmaster reel. Let me know if you guys can get it to work. Good luck!

I have a few more of these taken while I was on vacation in Oregon if anyone is interested in seeing more. I may do a whole separate blog just for my 3D stereoscopic photos.