Perhaps I should have posted a warning… This week’s My Place and Yours theme is ‘What you look like when you get out of bed…’ I did choose a morning when I needed to wash my hair and I have 4 huge pimples on my face, but still, this is about normal!
Must admit I am loving wearing my dressing gown in the mornings!
So there you have it… I dare you to post a pic of yourself first thing in the morning.
A few months ago I started thinking about how I would like to finish the Twitter365 project- you know, the one where I took photo of myself every day for a whole year.
Then I found this:
Originally uploaded by sungazing
And I thought, wow, how cool!
On 30th December, I asked twitter if anyone knew of any software that would download entire sets, knowing that I wanted to back up my 365 set, but also that I wanted to print them all! I found FlickrEdit. And managed to download the entire Twitter365 set. A couple of weeks ago, whilst in South Africa, I investigated printing options. I knew I wanted the same size prints. I investigated the Snapfish option available through flickr, but figured it would be just my luck to have them get lost in the mail, plus I would still have to print out about 2 weeks worth after I sent off my original order.
So I figured, damn it all, I would go to one of those old photo processing places, you know the ones you used to take rolls of film to to be developed! I was fortunate in that my local QuickPix had 15¢ photos once you signed up for their membership offer ($10/year). So in an hour on New Year’s Eve, they were printed!
MIML™ was on call, and the kids with their dad, so I had to do it all by myself! I figured I would put the camera in the tripod on the table and focus it down. I tried that, but it cut out half the room. So onto plan b! I had already laid out the photos randomly in a 2009 pattern. I grabbed a hammer, the step ladder and decided I would hang the camera by the strap from the cornice in the corner of the room. But it hung, and not at the right angle! Not to be defeated, I then decided to work out what angle the camera would need to be on and if it would get the whole room in.
Not exactly!
Nope!
Oops!
I found this angle worked:
Yes, there are 2 small nails holding the camera in place!
Then to set about taking the photo! I thought I would kneel at the top of the 9:
Head chop fail!
So I thought I would lie down above the 2 and the first 0. But that looked dreadful, and you aren’t even going to see how dreadful on here!
Then finally:
It may be a bit blurry, but I was puffed from setting the camera on a 30 second delay, putting it on the nails, stepping off the step ladder, hiding the ladder around the corner and then settling down!
I wrote this under the photo on my flickr page:
Wow! I have done it. I have taken a picture every day of the year 2009. A picture with me in it.
Some days it has been the least thing I have wanted to do. Some days have come easily. Some days have been so hard.
Some photos I adore, some I hate. Some are just meh, I took a photo!
So am I a better photographer? I don’t think so! But I have gotten to know myself a lot better. I have shared me, warts and all.
On my 1st January 1/365 photo I said that I hoped that there would be less chin by 31st December. I don’t think there is! But I don’t mind! I have taken photos of me virtually naked, photos of cleavage, photos of me.
And I have a cast of thousands to thank! Firstly MIML™ who has encouraged me all along the way and wants me to keep going (more on that later!). Then Imogen and Jasper- I&J the fish fingers! They have always asked me about the project and are both keen to do their own one day.
Finally the others who have been with me on this journey. Not just those of us who have taken a photo every day (and I am not going to list these people because I’m sure I’d miss a few out!) but also those who started the project and whilst did not carry on with it, encouraged from the sidelines.
2009. An awesome year. Roll on 2010 and my 365 days of food!
Thanks again to all who have been with me on this journey. Years are years. Time is time. It is what it is, but 2009 was pretty good.
Originally uploaded by fifikins
I think the last photo of this set sums up October rather well- a blur. Perhaps not the best month with some extremely stressful times, but also some fun times and some great memories. Perhaps the best of months and the worst of months!
Oh and I realised as I got to the last photo of the month that with only 61 shots left to take I had mucked up my numbering. Yep- went back and discovered the 1st August had the same number as 31st July, so I renumbered them. Then of course the pic I thought was my 300th, was in fact my 301st! Oh well!
I have been loving taking part in the twitter365 photo project. The aim is to take a photo that someone depicts oneself every day for a year.
When I started I didn’t know how long I would last. There have been a couple of days when I have just taken a photo with minutes to spare and there are several photos that were taken for the sake of having a photo taken.
They say a picture tells a thousand words and that can be the case. When I look through all my twitter365 photos I can remember the day and what happened or how I was feeling. It is like a visual diary. But it is also more than that. I has developed my sense of self. I have usually hated having my photo taken. I still look at some of my photos and all I see are my tuck-shop arms or multiple chins. And there have been some I have refused to put up!
But today I was quite daring! It is MIML™s birthday. And apart from the fact that we have reached that stage in our relationship where we can give a leaf blower/vac/mulcher (that can be used as a rocket apparently!) and a kettle that determines the correct water temperature for the kind of tea you are wanting to brew, I wrapped myself up for him! In 5 metres of red organza! And I allowed a photo to be taken. And I put it up online, with some of my skin showing!
And I love the photo! MIML™ has it as his desktop pic! It made both of us giggle. And it made me realise that as I have been told so many times before, sexy is a state of mind and when two people care for each other the way MIML™ and I do it can be the small presents or unexpected ones that cause some mirth!
Happy Birthday gorgeous Man in My Life™! <3!
Originally uploaded by fifikins
Wow. So hard to believe that the months with single digits are down! 3 months to go and I am yet to miss a day!
September has been a great month. I have noticed huge personal change in my thinking and some practices. Hard to put into words.
I am also really pleased with quite a few of the photos, especially the racing ones, the lounge, Green Island, and of course the LED light one! Roll on October I say!
Originally uploaded by fifikins
I have done 6 months or almost half the year! Taken a pic every day. Some days it has been easier than others, but I have persevered and I am proud of myself.
I think this is my favourite set so far, probably because of the wonderful memories of our trip!
Yes, I am still alive! I thought as it neared the end of the month it would be pretty shameful of me if two consecutive blog posts were my photo collages from my Twitter365 project!
I have been wanting to write about our trip to Hong Kong, China and Macau, but it has been hard to know where to start. I don’t want to bore with too much detail, but there are some things that must be shared! If a picture tells a thousand words, then there are many thousands here!
Hong Kong was amazing. Friendly people, the cheapest food (well in the places we ate at- we didn’t have truffled duck or anything!) and a total mix of east and west. 7elevens, Starbucks and McDonalds (the American Embassy!) on every street, but also noodle bars and tea houses where little English was spoken and menues were all in Chinese.
We stayed on Hong Kong Island which was a great move! Our first trip to Kowloon saw us greeted as we disembarked the ferry by people wanting to sell us suits or copy watches. In the end, I got one guy who asked me if I wanted a suit by telling him that no, I was chasing a copy watch! He saw the joke and smiled!
It was also in Kowloon we got caught up in the great Hong Kong Gold Coast Holiday scam! We were approached by a Welsh dude who wanted to ask us some questions about our holiday. I thought he must have been from the tourism board or something. For our troubles we got a scratch-it card. MIML™ won a t-shirt, but I had scratched 3 money bags which meant I was a big winner! We were told that only 6 of these prizes went out each week. There were 6 prizes pictured on the card. We were told the digital camera, camcorder and cruise had been won (the cruise by a lovely German couple who were going to Alaska!) but there was still US$1000 cash, a Sony laptop or a dream holiday available. But we had to go and collect it straight away.
We were told we would be put in a taxi at their expense and taken to the Hong Kong Gold Coast. There we would look around and tell our friends about the place- it was a word of mouth thing. In the cab we read the fine print- we would be required to attend a 90 minute holiday presentation. To cut a long story short, which they were clearly unable to do, 4 HOURS LATER we escaped! And no we didn’t spend the AU$40,000 for a week’s accommodation each year! And the prize- a dream holiday in Thailand- at one of their other scam places resorts.
Waiting for the shuttle bus back we met up with a couple from New Zealand who had been through the same experience and won the same prize. They weren’t happy either! But it was a trip out to the New Territories. And if you get a chance to visit the Gold Coast- go and get fitted for a suit or buy a watch in Kowloon! You won’t be missing much by not going out there!
Culture shock happened the day we went the Shenzhen, China. A train to the border then an hour to cross- 2 Swine Flu inspections, temperatures taken, numerous forms filled out and then we were allowed in. Greeted by locals wanting to show us the DVDs they had for sale in their shops (no thanks!) or wantint to take us on a tour (again, no!). MIML™ really wanted to go to the SEG electronics market. It was mentioned in our Lonely Planet guide and we just assumed people would know where it was!
First step to getting there we thought- train! So we head to the underground. Everything was in Chinese. We didn’t know what station it was near so we bought a map. Found it very hard to read (I don’t do maps at the best of times!) so I suggested we go and catch a cab. Excellent idea. In theory that is! We queue for a cab. There are 8 bays to queue in and we were in the first bay. 16 cabs pull in and people file into them and they file out. Well they try to. Except when 2 westerners get in, not speaking Mandarin or Cantonese and ask to go the SEG electronics market. Then show the guide book (in English) and think that the poor Chinese cab driver might understand the phonetic printing in our book. So I try and pronounce it and he looks. But he has pulled out a little and there are 15 cabs behind him beeping their horns.
So we go to get out and are met by 3 security guards (possibly police!). I tried to explain that we didn’t speak Mandarin and we were trying to get to the SEG electronics market. Then the guards started to laugh and said something to the driver who also started to laugh. Then pronounced where were trying to get to (saigee or something!) and the horns stopped beeping. A hair raising cab ride and about 15 minutes and AU$4 later we were there! MIML™ was able to get so many components he had only seen online or cost an arm and a leg over here. I was very popular as it appeared the men there weren’t used to bosoms! Everywhere we went they stared! Then smiled! And I wasn’t even wearing a revealing or tight top or anything, promise!
The toilets in China were also squats which was unexpected! And unwrapped used sanitary items were placed into open bins.
After buying lunch from a roadside vendor (who again spoke no English) we sat down and immediately had the local child care around us! Toddlers amazed at the westerners! The culture shock was wearing off (going into an official Apple store and seeing the prices were the same as over here helped!) and we had a ball! Even ate twice cooled lung soup for dinner!
After 9 days in Hong Kong (well with one in China in the middle!) we went to Macau. Wow! Perhaps it was the superb attention we received at the Sofitel, but for the 4 days wherever we went we were treated like royalty. And the Portuguese Custard tarts and Almond Cookies… well lots of work has been done in the gym to work them off!
From Macau we also took a day trip into China, this time Zhuhai. We didn’t venture much past the border market, but picked up some bargains none the less!
Perhaps the best bit of the trip was spending so much time alone with MIML™. We rediscovered what an awesome team we are. Whilst I missed the kids (a bit!) the time together was truly precious.
We definitely plan to return to Hong Kong, next time with the kids. We didn’t get to Disneyland after all!
Tips for those heading there… get an Octopus Card as soon as you get there! They are indispensible, not only on public transport, but in shops as well. If you have a wireless device, get a PCCW wifi card from 7eleven. I wish I had done this sooner!
I had planned to keep this a short post, but it has gotten away! Please feel free to ask questions or to comment on the flickr pics!
Next trip… Canberra in July for MIML™ to do an exam and then Melbourne in August for a reunion! Maybe even South Africa for Christmas!
1. 1st April 91/365, 2. 2nd April 92/365, 3. 3rd April 93/365, 4. 4th April94/365, 5. 5th April 95/365, 6. 6th April 96/365, 7. 7th April 97/365, 8. 8th April 98/365, 9. 9th April 99/365, 10. 10th April 100/365, 11. 11th April 101/365, 12. 12th April 102/365, 13. 13th April 103/365, 14. 14th April 104/365, 15. 15th April 105/365, 16. 16th April 106/365, 17. 17th April 107/365, 18. 18th April 108/365, 19. 19th April 109/365, 20. 20th April 110/365, 21. 21st April 111/365, 22. 22nd April 112/365, 23. 23rd April 113/365, 24. 24th April 114/365, 25. 25th April 115/365, 26. 26th April 116/365, 27. 27th April 117/365, 28. 28th April 118/365, 29. 29th April 119/365, 30. 30th April 120/365
Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.
Yet another month done in teh twitter365 photo challenge. MIML asked if I was having trouble coming up with ideas. So far after 4 months, no and I still have a few ideas up my sleave!
Originally uploaded by fifikins
Originally uploaded by fifikins
1. 1st January 1/365, 2. 2nd January 2/365, 3. 3rd January 3/365, 4. 4th January 4/365, 5. 5th January 5/365, 6. 6th January 6/365, 7. 7th January 7/365, 8. 8th January 8/365, 9. 9th January 9/365, 10. 10th January 10/365, 11. 11th January 11/365, 12. 12th January 12/365 Tattoo day!, 13. 13th January 13/365, 14. 14th January 14/365, 15. 15th January 15/365, 16. 16th January 16/365, 17. 17th January 17/365, 18. 18th January 18/365, 19. 19th January 19/365, 20. 20th January 20/365, 21. 21st January 21/365, 22. 22nd January 22/365, 23. 23rd January 23/365, 24. 24th January 24/365, 25. 25th January 25/365, 26. 26th January 26/365, 27. 27th January 27/365, 28. 28th January 28/365, 29. 29th January 29/365, 30. 30th January 30/365, 31. 31st January 31/365
Originally uploaded by fifikins
I have survived January! I signed up for the Twitter365 whereby you are encouraged to take a self-portrait, or at least a photo that represents part of your day each day for 365 days. Some are better than others but I am glad I have kept with it!
Fiona | 
07 7th, 2010| 
