Things I love about spring

A few weeks ago, I set up a Pinterest account. It seemed like half the people I follow on Twitter and a big pile of Facebook friends were all jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon so I thought I'd go along for the ride. I imagined myself tagging to my heart's content and creating endless pretty boards of all my favourite things. *sigh*

To be honest, I don't really 'get' Pinterest. I know it's about tagging images you like and keeping them as a kind of online record, but I'm more inclined to think in terms of bigger concepts or websites than images which represent these. Yes, I understand it could be a handy tool if you are planning a wedding or something (which I'm not). Other than that, I'm at a loss. Can anyone enlighten me?

I do, however, have favourite things that I'd love to share, so here's a blog post à la Pinterest style. The theme is Things I love about spring - there is so much to enjoy right now. :-)

daffodils

daisies

lambies

freshly mown lawns

apple blossom

daylight savings and sunsets

ducklings

freesias

cherry blossom

What do you love about spring?

* These images are not mine and I'm not claiming them as my own. Used without permission.

Pinterest

Goodness knows I don't need another online time waster. I chew away at enough spare time maintaining three Twitter accounts, 2.5 blogs, Facebook, Google+ (ok, not completely into this one), delicious and Diigo online bookmarking, various online forums and numerous other web 2.0 goodies. That's in addition to far too many emails from 1 day deal sites and entering competitions from anywhere that entices the competition junkie in me. Oh, and I teach online, too.

So why, oh why, am I intrigued by Pinterest when apps like my Flickr account bit the dust barely after I got them off the ground? Is it because I can collect up pretty things to look at when I need a boost? Or because it's going to fulfill a fundamental need in my life? (I don't expect it will.) I suspect that, like other personalised web 2.0 tools, it's because it's all about me - and why wouldn't I want to see all of my favourite things all in one place? (Actually, Facebook and Google+ pretty much do the same ... oh, and Flickr, or maybe even my blog? Hmmm.)

If you want to follow my Pinterest boards, or think I should check out yours for inspiration, come on over or grab a cup of coffee and leave me a note pointing me in the right direction. I'm still getting the hang of things but am sure that I'll quickly become addicted. I suspect my Pinterest boards will grow and evolve exponentially in the next few weeks before I eventually cull everything and go back to basics, just like I did with Facebook.

As I get going, does anyone have any words from the wise re Pinterest?

Things I have learned

Today is the anniversary of my arrival on this planet. No, I'm not an alien (really). I'm just not that big on birthdays. (Mine, that is - others' are fine.)

Having said that, today has started well. At midnight, my sweetie presented me with my first ever digital camera, and it's a beauty! As I sit at work twiddling my thumbs (and blogging) in between projects, I'm eyeing up the glimpses of winter sunshine from my desk and thinking that I'd much rather be outside trying out my new toy. Who knows - my Project 365 might yet live to see another day now that I have my own camera to play with. I'm also planning a baking bonanza tonight - hummingbird cupcakes and caramel slice is on the menu.

Apparently you can learn something new every day. Some days we learn more than one thing, but what happens on days where nothing substantial is learned? Does it just get added to the collective pearls of wisdom acquired from previous days? Can you be in credit if you learn lots of things on one day but then nothing for a while afterwards? Or in debt, needing to catch up if you haven't learned anything all week? And what if what you have learned is, ultimately, totally useless? Does it matter? Hmm.

Anyway, here are a few of the gems I have learned during the past few decades. They're hardly lifelong lessons, but some I've learned the hard way:

• Cheap nail polish from the $2 Shop works just as well as expensively branded nail polish that costs 7-8 times the price, so long as you apply it over a good base coat and finish it with a top coat. 
• I could easily live without a phone (cell or otherwise), but a cheerful ring tone helps ensure that I smile when the darn thing rings.
• Being polite and pretending to be appreciative of certain types of presents only leads to me receiving more of them. Over the years, I have received and 'stored' more talcum powder, fancy soaps, alcohol, handbags, and hand cream than I care to think about.
• I need to have several books on the go at once, or at least two or three as a backup just in case I finish reading my current book too soon. The Classics app on my iPod touch has helped allay some of my fears (27 books on hand). In the past, I've resorted to reading instruction manuals and encyclopedia entries if I've been caught short without a book! It's just how I am.
• There is more to life than increasing its speed (Mahatma Ghandi). It's true.
• I'd rather listen to the music in my head, or no music at all, than bad music. This is not always easy, especially when others insist on sharing their lack of musical taste with you.
• Anything less than real coffee is not worth even acknowledging. Instant coffee is parallel to tinned spaghetti or cheese in a tube. (I haven't tried cheese in a tube, but I'm just saying.) Don't do it.
• Gardening is not my thing. I love flowers, though.
• Some things never change. (That's not always a bad thing.)

What have you learned in your lifetime? What gems do you have to share?

World Press Photo 09

The World Press Photo 09 exhibition is on at Wellington's Shed 11 until 4 October. It is a collection of pictures taken by international photojournalists is a range of categories, and the winners, runners up, and honourable mentions are on display.

Some of the photos are quite hard-hitting, and many will leave viewers emotionally charged. There is a competition in which you can enter to win a digital camera; simply choose the photo that means most to you and write a very short explanation why. This was an interesting process.

For me, the most poignant photo was one of a girl running barefoot along a street after a cyclone in Burma. All around her are books laid open on the ground to dry. As an educator, what struck me was the value that was placed on books and learning, even in the aftermath of what was the country's worst natural disaster in recorded history. (I am not sure whether this link will take you directly to the photo; if not, it is the picture on the bottom right corner of the grid.)

Two friends went to the exhibition with me. One is a soldier and nurse in the New Zealand Army. She is also a mum. This photo of a soldier carrying an injured child following an earthquake in China (bottom left corner if the link doesn't work directly) was her choice. Her partner, a father, was struck by the sheer terror in this boy's face as a policeman approaches his home in Nairobi amid ethnic violence following the elections in December 2007.

Even though there were many people at the exhibition, there was a strange sense of quiet as people walked around viewing the photos. Not all depicted doom and gloom. However, the mood was generally sombre; I'm imagining that, like myself and my friends, everyone approaches each image with their own lens and takes from it something which relates to their own lives or experiences. This certainly became evident as we discussed our individual choices for the photos that meant the most of us and we realised that, even though we could not relate to any of the situations directly, we chose images which depicted the things we valued. Well worth a visit.

Hello, Mr Butterfly

As I approach one year in the 101 goals in 1001 days project, I realise that I've mostly been working on ongoing goals lately, ie goals which require multiple activities to complete. I have plans to achieve various other goals, and will update my progress once I reach the one year mark, but there is one goal which is almost completely spontaneous and would have been difficult to plan. I achieved it this morning! Goal #78 - Take a photo of a butterfly.

As I was out walking along the south coast of Wellington today, a butterfly flew in front of me and landed on a signpost, spreading his wings out in the sun. I stopped to admired it, then realised just what was in front of me; I carefully got out my phone camera, all the while hoping that this little creature would stick around long enough for me to line up a shot. He obliged, and I managed to take just one precious pic before a family with young children and a dog came trundling past and he was off to find his next resting place, or do whatever it is that butterflies do during the day. I don't even know what type of butterfly he is, but he has certainly made my day. :-)

Project 365 has begun

I have now officially started Project 365. For the next year, I will endeavour to take one photograph a day and post it online.

I've got to say that the stormy weather we had today (again) almost put me off; there wasn't much that was exciting enough to capture within the four walls we've been confined to for most of the past week or so. However, I was proud of myself as I trudged down the street to the beach, where I'd seen some windsurfers struggling against the choppy sea a few minutes earlier. I felt like a professional photographer in the line of duty as the sand whipped up against my face and I raced out, battling the elements, to capture my subject while the light was still good ...

By the time I got Petone beach, the conditions were worse than before, the sky had already started to darken, but there was a lone windsurfer still braving out the tide. I could just make out Wellington city in the background, and even he was hard to track for this photo. I thought the sky looked incredible, though, so snapped away.

You can follow my Project 365 here - Cafe Chick's Project 365.

Project 365: To be, or not to be?

I am contemplating starting Project 365, taking a photo a day of something which I have learned, something I found interesting, or something which simply sums up my day in some way. I have set up a new blog, Café Chick's Project 365, and will continue to develop the site during the next week or so. I like the idea of looking back at a collection of images as a kind of visual library after one year; I just wonder about my level of commitment to get there. However, looking back to the time when I contemplated starting 101 goals in 1001 days, I see my mind was going through the same sorts of questions, and I definitely went ahead with that project.

I won't elaborate on Project 365 here, but instead point you to my blog post about it on my new blog. I'm about 80% convinced that I will start the project on 1 June. That leaves me 9 more days to either talk myself into or out of it!

So, who wants to come along for the ride?