Antique Books

I’m addicted to books, but I’ll tell you straight up, I’m a sucker for those old hardcover leather-bound books. There’s a store downtown called Macleod’s Books.  One of those shops where the smell of old paper hits you as you walk in, and there is a feeling of chaos induced by the tall spires of books reaching to the ceiling.  I only wish now that I would have taken a picture of the shop itself, but perhaps I will and edit this post.

Ancient books found at Macleod's Books

I felt like a kid again, looking for lost treasure.  I easily spent about an hour in there, and managed to come up with these hardcover books, as well as the first two volumes of The History of Middle Earth.

3 hardcovers - 30% off

They had a sale – 30% off if you buy three hardcovers.  What really caught my eye was some of their Tolkien works locked up in the glass shelves, but the price tag was just as hefty as the quality of the Professor’s work.

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

My first purchase was a 1907 print of Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice. The best part?  Only $6, and that’s before the 30% discount.

Plato - The Republic

I can’t believe I managed to find this 1906 version of Plato’s Republic, bound in a beautiful soft red leather.  This one was a bit more pricey, but $15?  That’s nothing compared to new releases you’ll find at Chapters.

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels

Another classic from 1931, in surprisingly good condition and again for only $7.

I’ve been searching for this kind of store all over Vancouver, and I’ve finally found it.  You will definitely see me returning here looking for more treasure.

Self-Portrait Photoshoot

I never thought I would be using that cable, but there’s one that connects my camera to a monitor. Previously, I assumed it was just for sharing pictures, but I figured out that I can make it display what the camera is seeing! I connected the camera (with my 50mm lens) to the monitor, while choosing “LiveView” to have it display properly. The camera was on a tripod, and I was sitting on a chair for most of the shots (lazy me). Needless to say, hilarity ensued.

From the silly faces, to trying endlessly to get my eye in focus, I came up with some pretty interesting shots.

This one is a nice head shot that I could probably use everywhere.

This…..is…..SPARTA!!!!!!

:O

Another great shot that I’m really enjoying

Playful!

Here it is in all black and white…

And now with colour back to the eye!  Or a Zombie!!!

Definitely an awesome shoot, and the results were much better than I’d thought they would be.

Help Haiti – Photography Sale!

Allright friends and family, here we go.  We’ve been hearing the word “help” tossed around a lot lately, but another word that we need to hear more is ACTION.  As some of you may know, my passion is photography.  Although there’s nothing I can do directly to give aid to the victims, I can still use my strengths to help out in my own way.

Photography Sale

I am selling my photographs, with all proceeds being donated to the Canadian Red Cross. There is more information about their relief efforts on their website.  The government of Canada has pledge to match donations dollar for dollar, effectively doubling the aid.

Stop for a moment and think of how much it costs you to buy something as simple as a lunch these days. Now think about the people whose lives have been quite literally turned upside down and inside out, and how donating that money instead could potentially save a life or restore a family.

Now, a lot of you may be asking, why should I buy your photographs anyways? I could just as easily donate to the Red Cross myself.  And I say you’re right.  Except that there are a lot more benefits here.  The photos are relatively inexpensive to print, so you would be donating the same amount, except that you get a nice photo to keep in return! I’ll also be tracking how much we’ve donated, taking care of all the administrative stuff, as well as personally meeting you all to make the exchange.   Now how easy is that?

Ordering Prints

Here’s how it all works,  just follow these instructions:

1. Head on over to my Flickr page, and browse through the photos there.  Find a photo (or a few) that you really like. (If you’re daunted by the number of photos, here are some of my personal favourties.)

3. E-mail me at alex.ristea@gmail.com with the title of your selection(s).

4. Prints come either in 5×7 or 8×10 inches, and sell for a suggested donation of $5 and $10 each, respectively.

5. I will be taking orders until January 24th, at which time I will start printing and contacting each of you to deliver the photos and receive your donation.

6. All of the profits will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross, and I’ll keep everyone updated on how much we’ve raised so far.

So tell all of your friends and spread the word, because if you haven’t done anything to help, this is the perfect opportunity! Thanks for all your support!

How to upload your StrengthsQuest screenshot

A little guide if you’re having a bit of trouble getting your picture uploaded to Vista.

1. Take a screenshot of your StrengthsQuest Home Page.  (Command+Shift+3 for Mac, Alt+PrintScreen for Windows)

2. Upload it to a photo hosting website like Photobucket or Image Shack.

3. Go to content manager on Vista

4. Click “Create File”

5. Give it any name you want.  Now putting stuff in “Content” is the tricky part, we’re going to have to use HTML tags.  First, you’ll need the URL of your screenshot (from wherever you have decided to host it).  You’re going to want the URL that points only to the image.  Like below, the URL has only the picture, and nothing else.

6.  The HTML tags are <img src=”ENTER URL HERE”>.  You’re going to want to paste that URL from your screenshot into that tag, in between the quotation marks.

The finished tag should look something like this:

7. Save the file, and now you can go back to the upload screen on the COMM 299 Vista page and successfully attach the screenshot.

Hemlock Valley winter break trip

For the fourth consecutive year, I’ve gone skiing at Hemlock Valley Resort for New Year’s and the days leading up to it.  A 2 hour drive from Vancouver, the resort is surrounded by beautiful peaks, though only two have skiable terrain at the moment.  We stayed in a 4-person condo right next to one of the chairlifts, which was definitely a welcome change from last year’s 20-minute treks in full ski gear.  Although there was a night run open, it wasn’t very good, so our skiing days began at 9 and ended at 3:30 when the rest of the mountain closed.  After that, we usually came home, soaked in the hot tub and sauna for a bit, then watched a movie.

In full ski gear

There were 2 chairlifts that we frequented at our stay.  The one on the left, the “red” chairlift accessed the black diamond runs, as well as a scenic blue trail through the woods.  For the first few days, we mainly rode the Red chairlift because of the sunny weather and clear blue skies.  We couldn’t ski on the icy black runs, but we sharpened our skills on the easier runs.  Barrelling down at full speed, I finished this run in 1′56″, though it was a lot funner to stop along the way and not only ski at top speed.

Volkl Bridge 177

On the 30th, the weather turned for the better.  First, a little history about our trips to Hemlock:  Every other year, we’ve had to put chains on the wheels of the truck, and we’ve been met by huge walls of snow and powder between the houses.  Hemlock was always the mountain where we could look forward to skiing fresh powder every day. In fact, last year we got stuck halfway up one of the chairlifts due to a massive snowstorm and had to ski down completely blind. This year was very sunny and there wasn’t any fresh snow when we got there, so when it started coming down on the 30th, we were ecstatic.

Before the snow, the runs from the “green” chairlift on the right were too rocky for our liking.  Now that it was being covered up, we spent the majority of our time on that chairlift, skiing in between the trees and repeatedly hitting these two beautiful rollers.  Oh, and did I mention the terrain park?  That was the main reason we took the green chair, especially for the two jumps near the bottom of the park.  By the end, I got some nice tail grabs on the first jump, and consistently landed my 180 off the larger second jump.  My friend Cri also had some pretty sick grabs, like the one shown below.

Cri's epic grab

The 31st was by far the best day of skiing.  Waking up to half a meter of fresh powder, the entire mountain face was opened to us for exploring.  This was the first time I used by new twin tips (Volkl Bridge) in the powder, and being wider than my old skis, I floated atop the snow making for a great experience.

Sadly, it rained on the 1st, and we didn’t ski at all.  Instead, we slept in (meaning we didn’t wake up at 8 to go skiing), watched movies, played billiards, and played Civ IV.  The next day, we tried going skiing, but a combination of my sore muscles and the erratic snow made us call it a day early.  The snow was sticky after the rain, and it would suddenly throw you forward without warning.  My legs couldn’t take that kind of punishment after the previous days, and also my skis were heavily dented and in need of a serious wax.

Stopping after riding switch

This Hemlock trip was different from other years because of the lack of snow, but it was still pretty amazing.  I learned a lot, fell a lot, and had the kind of fun that only a day of skiing can bring around.  I can’t wait to hit up the local mountains and totally rip it after my warmup here.

Vancouver at Night

In the middle of exam session, I simply got exhausted and fed up with all the studying. So after my Microeconomics 101 final, I grabbed my camera, hopped in the car, and went out to take some shots.  My main goal was to just play around with long exposure, so I had my tripod with me as well.

Chancellor Blvd

First stop: Chancellor Boulevard near University Hill Elementary.  Here I found a relatively dark stretch of road with no streetlamps, and experimented with light trails made by passing cars.  Out of all the ones I took here, I like this one most for how the sky turned out (it was pitch black to the naked eye), as well as how the light trails look sharp. With a 6 second exposure, the cars were going pretty fast to travel the entire distance.

Next stop, Broadway!

Magic School Bus

My first few attempts on this crowded street didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped.  The abundance of tungsten lighting made most of the shots way too overexposed, and without any cool effects to warrant it.  This shot however, was a bit of luck, but I still really like the effect.  The exposure was 4 seconds, and a bus had stopped for a red light, allowing it to show more clearly, while the passing lights of other cars were captured as streaks.  It has a sci-fi feel that I particularly like.

All of stops so far were on my way to my real objective: taking shots of downtown Vancouver.  I had been inspired by a photo I saw on Flickr (I lost the link, sorry!) of a photo taken from a bridge at night, but in black and white.  This last shot was really another detour, as I stopped in Kitsilano to get a view of downtown.

Downtown Vancouver, as seen at night

It surprised me how well this shot ended up looking.  Downtown is brightly lit up, as compared to other parts of the city reclaimed by the night.  The stillness of the water really adds to the feel, reflecting that entire spectrum of colours.  20 second exposure for this shot.

An interesting photoshoot that gave me time to relax and just wander as well as learn a bit more about long exposure shots.  Some awesome tips on this kind of photography:

Digital Photography School – Night Photography Tips

How to Photograph Christmas Lights

6 Tips for Better Night Photos With a Point and Shoot Camera

Terry Goodkind – Wizard’s First Rule

I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit lethargic in getting this review up, having finished this book a while ago, and reading 3 more since then.  A good friend of mine (actually, quite a few) recommended the Sword of Truth series to me.  I was scared at first to begin this 820-page quest, but I ended up finishing it in less than a week, not because of its simplicity, but because of how enveloped I became in the story.

Wizard's First Rule - The first in the series

Wizard’s First Rule is the first book in Terry Goodkind’s NY Times Bestseller epic fantasy series: Sword of Truth.  Spanning 11 novels, this series is set in a magical world divided into three regions separated by a “boundary”.  On one side, we have the Westlands, a relatively peaceful land devoid of (almost) all magic.  In the far east lies D’Hara, ruled by the powerful Darken Rahl.  Separating these two is the Midlands.  On the first day of winter, Darken Rahl will follow his plan of enslaving the world, but he can be stopped.  From the outset, Goodkind plunges you into the heart of the story, and you quickly meet and come to love Richard and Kahlan, two of the most important main characters.  Richard is a woods guide from the Westlands, and Kahlan is a Confessor being pursued out of the Midlands.  Along their quest to stop Rahl, we also meet their compatriots, Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, the witty and ever-hungry wizard known more easily as Zedd, and Chase, the hearty and fearless boundary warden often seen armed to the teeth.  The rest of the story continues as Richard and Kahlan work their way to stopping Darken Rahl, with many perils and adventures along the way.

What impressed me most about this book was the way it kept my rapt attention through the plot, while also letting me see into the hearts of the protagonists.  Richard and Kahlan are each flawed in their own way, yet this only strengthens them as characters because we can all find a little of ourselves to relate to them.  Looking back on the book, it’s astounding how much could possibly happen.  There are detours and new journeys at every step of the book, it could almost be considered a thriller where you find yourself on your toes not knowing what to expect.

Overall, a very good read. I’m really excited to continue with this series, I already have the second book: Stone of Tears in my library, as well as the last one: Confessor (I found this one in hardcover for $7!).  Definitely recommend obviously for any fantasy buffs, but I think you don’t get as lost in the magic as you do in other books.  Anybody can pick this book up and enjoy Goodkind’s unique take on the human condition and find his characters endearing and realistic.

Terry Pratchett – The Colour of Magic

The First Discworld Novel

I’ve finally done it.  I’ve taken my first step into the magic of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, starting with the first book.  This author came with high recommendations as being one of the leaders of fantasy writing.  My impression after reading the book was that Terry Pratchett is the fantasy version of Douglas Adams.  You’re sure to encounter the same kind of zany characters and wild stories as you would reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Sir Terry Pratchett has written 38 Discworld novels to date, with The Colour of Magic being published first in 1983.  ‘What is Discworld?’ you ask.  It is a colourful, magical world supported on the back of 4 giant elephants, which in turn rest on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown).  Pratchett’s style is very original in this genre, and he often pokes fun at the work of other literary giants such as Shakespeare, Tolkien, and Rowling.

To be honest, I was at first lost when I started reading.  The author immediately plunges you into this vast world, and you become flooded with an influx of names, places, and past events.  The plot also tends to jump around very fast and you meet new characters at a rapid rate, though I’ll allow that it is a short book (281 pages).  Through all this, there were many times were I burst out laughing, as Pratchett’s delicate English humour shines through.  Like I said, very reminiscent of Adams’ Hitchhiker’s series. I feel that there is definite hope in this series.  Since there are so many other novels, I can’t wait to finish reading them all and have a (somewhat) full understanding of Discworld.  I’ve heard that after you’ve become accustomed with the stories, you can pull out any book from the collection at random, and enjoy reading it.

How the novels work is that there are several story arcs, which have common elements between them.  Below is a handy reading guide showing you the different lines, and which short stories are somewhat connected (click to make large)

Discworld Reading Order Guide

33 novels are a lot to own, but I guess the page count of one arc can rival that of Hobb’s or Tolkien’s work. I’m going to have to recommend this to anyone looking for a good mix of hilarity, insanity and fantasy.

George Orwell – 1984

I’ve decided that I’m going to write about every book I read from now on.  A daunting task, I know, given how much I read.  But nevertheless, I’ll attempt it, at least for myself to look back upon.

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

This morning, I finally read this classic, after sitting unopened in my bookshelf for quite a few months.  Ranked #5 on the Top 100 Science Fiction books list, I think it’s the dystopian novel that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.  (Ever heard of the phrase, “Big Brother is watching you”?  This is where it comes from.) I was also particularly drawn to this novel, having a heritage of being under Communist rule.

George Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair, published 1984 in 1949, and since then, it has become a modern classic despite being banned in its early years.  The novel describes with shocking realism the country of Oceania, in which our protagonist, Winston Smith, lives.  All of society is controlled by The Party, even down to a person’s thoughts.  “War is Peace”, “Freedom is Slavery”, and “Ignorance is Strength”, are the key axioms by which the population is governed.  Winston is having private doubts about the Party, but cannot express this because his life is constantly monitored.  His job at the Ministry staggered me at first: the Party controls the future by controlling the past.  Winston goes back and edits newspapers and books, so that their predictions align with the current progress of the Party.  The originals are destroyed, and so, the Party is effectively controlling the past because every document has been falsified.  Ordinary citizens follow the Party with blind fanaticism, abdicating all rational thought and natural human feelings.

I loved this book for the simple reason that it vividly depicted what could happen to society once we forget and lose our most basic rights to believe in the truth, have our own unique opinions, and make our own choices..  Along with Fahrenheit 451 (another great dystopian novel), 1984 frightened me as I thought about a society that doesn’t have books.  Scary, I know.

I recommend it for anyone who’s grown up or lived in Eastern Europe, or any country under some form of totalitarian rule for that matter.  I can only imagine what the reading experience must be like when you’ve actually had a real taste of this kind of world.

Robin Hobb – The Farseer Trilogy

First book in the trilogy

This is by far one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read, and even that’s saying a lot with it being one of my favourite genres.  It definitely deserves the number 14 spot on the Top 100 Fantasy Books list, if not higher.

Robin Hobb is the pen name of Margaret Ogden, and Assassin’s Apprentice (the first book in the series, pictured right) is her first novel, which is surprising, given the quality of the work.  Hobb writes mainly high fantasy, with two other published trilogies set in the same world as Farseer, and a third on the way.  Orson Scott Card (author of the immensely popular and groundbreaking novel Ender’s Game, one of my other favourite books), praises her for setting “the standard for the modern serious fantasy novel.”

This series has us following the life of FitzChivalry, as he grows up from a small child, and is trained to be a, you guessed it, assassin.  For those of you who are squeamish out there, the book does not have as much violence as you would think.  (This initially disappointed me, I was hoping for a book version of Assassin’s Creed).  Fitz is the Bastard heir to the Farseer throne, and his life is full of adventure, deceit, friendship, love, and solitude, as he is the catalyst that keeps recurring in the struggle for the throne.

Having read her previous work, I was expecting a repeat of her unique way of developing characters by telling the story through every character’s own eyes and thoughts.  This novel is told entirely from FitzChivalry’s perspective, but Hobb’s talent shines through here as you fall in love with him, his life, and the other characters that interact with him. By the time I finished this trilogy, I was so feverishly engrossed in the novel, that I could hardly put it down for schoolwork, dinner, or sleep.  It’s simply amazing how you end up living and breathing as if you were actually Fitz, and start feeling emotions in real life to match his.  You meet so many characters along the way that aren’t simply static, you start connecting with them as well.  I think I can easily count off at least 8 characters essential to the story with whom you develop a close relationship.  This book had me giddy with delight at Fitz’s exploits, crying at his hardships, laughing with him and his friends, and finding in him a parallel to my own life.  Honest and original, despite having many of the stereotypical traits of the fantasy genre, this is a true story of a boy’s travels through life and everything it entails.

I would recommend this book to anyone who already loves fiction, and even to new-comers to the genre.  Hobb’s world is not as extensive as, say J.R.R. Tolkien’s; it’s very easy to pick up the story and the context and dive right in.  Brilliantly written narrative and dynamic characters make sure that this is a book I’ll be reading again and again.