April 2014 desktop calendar

April 2014

To me, April is Spring. April is the month everything wakes up again. Flowers and buds are showing up on all my garden plants. The magnolia tree is covered with fuzzy green and pink buds and you know that in a few weeks, the tree will be covered with soft pink blossoms. Tiny green buds are appearing on the apple tree in the back yard.

The snowdrops photo was taken in my backyard, using the Nokia Lumia 1020. Calendar bit was done in Sketchclub app on the iPad.

The last week of February and the beginning of March was a couple of rough weeks. I just did not feel up to making a desktop calendar. I think this is probably my favourite picture taken so far on the 1020.  I love snowdrops. 

Chinatown, Vancouver

Chinatown

Chinatown has always been one of my favourite places in Vancouver. I remember walking around looking at storefronts that you never see open and wondering what kind of business they do, how do they survive and pay rent? Lately, there has been a quiet revitalization of the area. New stores and interesting business have been popping up here and there.  The old rundown storefronts were always interesting but I'm glad to see this area improve. Definitely an area in transition. 

Picture was taken on Nokia Lumia 1020, edited on the iPad using a variety of apps. 

I am here...

I am here...I am here to make a difference 

I am here...I am here to make a difference.

Photo taken on the Nokia lumia 1020, edited with Fantasia Painter app in cellphone. It's a fun app but I like the editing apps on the iPad for better range.

Letter A

Letter...

...Letter A, the letter we strive for in school, A for Achievements, A for Awesome, A for Annoying.

I've been doing the March Photo a Day challenge from Fatmumslim's blog.  Some days it's a real challenge coming up with something that suits, other days it seems like the perfect opportunity is just sitting right in front of  your face. 

Having a word or phrase in mind forces me to think outside the box and to go beyond the obvious.  In this case, thinking inside the box worked best.  By the time I saw this, I had taken a good many pictures but none of them seem to work for me.  Sometimes the best solution is the obvious solution. 

Taken on the Lumia 1020, and lightly edited with the camera app. 

...in a corner.

...in a corner.

...in a corner brings to mind the old saying "painting yourself into a corner." Getting yourself into situation with no or very limited options. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and walk out onto the wet floor and hope for the best.

For this picture, this was meant to be a twist on the saying. The photo was taken of a favourite corner of our house. The photo was then edited on the iPad using several filter apps.  I wanted the painted effect and the splatters to say yes, I painted that corner...I'm in control...good or bad.

Fly

Fly

I'm not sure if this collage will make any sense. It's a head, lying on the walkway, looking wistfully up through the trees at the sky. This was for a Photo a Day challenge.

No real heads were harmed in the making of this picture. The head was cropped from another photo with the photo of trees overlaid on top then put through several filters.  The photo of the walkway was put through an app called Glaze, then through iColorama to highlight the colours and set as the background. All the pieces and the drop shadow effects were put together in Sketchclub.

A little lost...

A little lost...

I was feeling a little lost yesterday...dealing with a relatively new boss, new ideas, changes.  Different style of management - not in a bad way but just different.  It's been over six months now and I thought I would "get with the program" but I'm not finding it easy to understand.  I don't know why I should care so much...work is not my life.  Or at least, it shouldn't be...

Life is treating me well and I have a lot to be thankful for.  It's just that I get a little lost sometimes.

 Apps used - Paper by 53 then Glaze.

Lynn

For Lynn

A good friend and colleague passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. I'm just going to ramble here a bit so feel free not to read any of this. Her memorial service was today. I've known her for almost fourteen years. She was one of those people who quietly and wonderfully touched many lives.

Today at the funeral, I couldn't help but noticed over half the people were from work. It wasn't that she didn't have friends but I think it was a true testament to her that so many of us are friends as well as coworkers. I think I've finally understand why we're there, despite the stress and all our grumblings. The relationship I have with these people is more than just someone I work with but they are people I care about as friends.

I'll miss you, Lynn. You always had a way of putting things in perspective.  As bad as I feel, I can't imagine what her family is feeling. They were all very close.