Category Archives: Photography

Bradley’s 1st Birthday

PRAKTICALA had a great time shooting Bradley’s 1st birthday party a few weeks back for our good friends Paul and Juna! Activities included cake-eating, hanging out with friends, a tractor ride, lots of farm animals, and that hilarious Korean let-the-baby-pick-their-present game!

Really cool dog!

This game is hilarious. Korean people put all these presents in front of the kid to see which one he or she will choose. Whichever present gets chosen is apparently somehow indicative of what the kid will grow up to be. Or something. I don’t know anything about this world; Chinese people don’t celebrate birthdays.

Will he be good at cooking, art, sports, or Counter-Strike???

Thank you to Yoselin from 6 Mono Media for assisting!

Review: Tissot Le Locle Swiss Automatic Watch

After posting about my favorite watch ever (Japanese) and a Chinese-made fashion watch that’s pretty decent, you’re probably wondering, “I want to be a baller! Are there any Swiss-made watches for the budget-conscious layperson???” Yep, there sure are! Check out the Tissot Le Locle automatic watch!

Continue reading Review: Tissot Le Locle Swiss Automatic Watch

How to Spend One Night in Macau

Continuing our series of way-to-short visits to awesome places – the next stop on our trip was Macau!

(By the way, Air Canada sucks big time – the absolute worst. More on this soon!)

Keep reading to see how Yoselin from 6 Mono Media and I spent our one day in Macau!

Continue reading How to Spend One Night in Macau

Deal: Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera w/ 18-55mm and 55-200mm Lenses

Note: Lens pictured is the VR lens, which is different than the one in this deal.

If you are looking for a low-cost entry-level DSLR, Adorama has a great deal via Ebay on the Nikon D3100 digital camera. It’s a few generations old, but will still be more than enough for the beginner or casual hobbyist. It is lightweight and perfect for recreational shooting or travel. It also shoots video in 1080p! Not even my D90 can do that.

This is a refurbished model (I buy all my cameras refurbished) and comes with a full kit of two lenses: an 18-55mm for everyday shooting, and a 55-200mm for those long shots. They aren’t VR lenses, meaning they don’t have optical stabilization, but at under 300 bucks total for a Nikon body and two lenses, this is a still a smoking deal.

You can always sell off the lenses (which is what I always do when I buy a new body that comes with a kit lens) and then buy the lens you really want (the 35mm f/1.8G prime is a good place to start).

Basically, you could walk away with a Nikon DSLR body for around 200 bucks. Hard to beat that.

Check out the Nikon D3100 deal at the Ebay link here.

Eat: Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Continuing on our honeymoon adventures: after our layover in Vancouver, our next stop was the always-impressive Hong Kong!

Visiting a foreign country where a) things are cheap and b) food is delicious seemed like the ideal opportunity to eat at our first ever Michelin-starred restaurant – Tim Ho Wan!

Continue reading Eat: Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Review: Clarks Ashland Alpine Women’s Slip-On Shoes

That’s right, PRAKTICALA is now providing content for the budget-conscious laywoman too!

First up is this shoe from Clarks’ “Bendables” line – the Ashland Alpine slip-on loafer. If you are a lady and are in need of comfortable, all-day work shoes, keep reading!

(If you aren’t, you can still look at the photos, I guess.)

Continue reading Review: Clarks Ashland Alpine Women’s Slip-On Shoes

Review: Tuft and Needle Mattress and DIY Oak Bed Frame

I was really hoping to provide a photo of a pristine, model bedroom. Instead, you get the mess you see here. I’ll explain later but you have to keep reading.

Following up on my earlier post: After a lot of deliberation and discussion with Yoselin from 6 Mono Media, I settled on purchasing the Tuft and Needle mattress, and dropped it into the brand new, solid oak bed frame that I designed and built!

So how is it? Keep reading!

Continue reading Review: Tuft and Needle Mattress and DIY Oak Bed Frame

Bruin Foodies with Josh Goldman

In February I got to shoot the new Bruin Foodies event, hosted by the UCLA Alumni Association at Cross Campus in Los Angeles, with Josh Goldman, a UCLA alum who spoke in equal parts about restaurant entrepreneurship and mixing drinks. It’s always good to hear from someone who combines business and craftsmanship!

 

He also demonstrated how to make a “rum rickey.” After the session, everyone had a chance to try one for themselves at the bar in the back. I can’t remember what went into the drink, but it was pretty good!

Tending bar is serious business!

Good drinks, great food, and an interesting slant on tackling the restaurant industry. It was an enjoyable and informative evening!