Olsen and I have pretty much bonded in the two months that I've had him. FYI, I gave my dslr a name and decided to give it the male gender. I'm just weird that way.

I'm thrilled that I'm not the only one to get bitten by the photography bug. Many of my friends have now purchased (if not in the planning stages) their own cameras; now it's a hobby we can all pursue as a group.It's been years since I handled an SLR, which was the old school Nikon model that ran on film.

I've missed photography a great deal and it goes without saying that I've gotten pretty rusty. It's a challenge to relearn the discipline, but one that I'm sure I'll enjoy along the way.I'm starting to post only my favorites here.

I LOVE TO DANCE.

A lot of my friends, even my closest ones, have never seen this side of me. I strongly feel, however, that I'm at that point in my life where I am absolutely ready to make this part of me known. I was a little hesitant about pursuing this, and quite frankly, I take this path with much trepidation. The heart is stronger than the doubts, though, and that's why I'm diving into this head first. I was even more hyped up about it after having spoken to some of the Stylettos, the fabulous dance group I'll be joining. Since I have no professional dance background whatsoever, I know I'll have to work extra hard just to catch up with them. This goes without saying that I'll probably look a little silly during the first few practice sessions and I'll definitely need to up my efforts a notch higher. I'm all for it, though. This is something I want to do not just for myself, but to glorify God, and with this dance group, I'm absolutely sure I can do the latter. The Stylettos are a group of talented ladies, out to make it big in the industry, set apart by doing so through God-glorifying standards.

You can get to know more about them on their multiply site. Here's a photo I took of them during their most recent Mall Show.

This song by James Morrison was released some time back and I'd never given it time of day until now.  I'm looking at the lyrics in a whole new light, perhaps because it applies to me right now.So, for cheesiness' sake, here's the lyrics to the song I just can't get out of my head:

You Give Me Something
by James Morrison

You want to stay with me in the morning
You only hold me when I sleep,
I was meant to tread the water
Now I've gotten in too deep,
For every piece of me that wants you
Another piece backs away.'

Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.

You already waited up for hours
Just to spend a little time alone with me,
And I can say I've never bought you flowers
I can't work out what the mean,
I never thought that I'd love someone,
That was someone else's dream.

Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart,
But it might me a second too late,

And the words I could never say
Gonna come out anyway.'

Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.

Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.

Know my heart, know my heart, know my heart

I've just been reading about Coldplay's fourth album which is scheduled to be released sometime in 2008. Now that's definitely something for me to look forward to! After an unofficial album titled Castles was released in December 2006, I had been left wanting. Someone even commented that "it's just a bunch of b-sides. someone decided to put it together and make it a CD called 'castles'... they even gave it a cover..."

Now, while I think that's kind of harsh, I should be an honest critic even to a band I adore so much. For some reason, none of the songs from Castles had the same impact on me as songs like Fix You, Swallowed in the Sea or Yellow from previous GENIUS records. Hopefully, the 2008 album will showcase songs that could blow a listener away (kinda like the effect Fix You had on so many people when it was playing on the radio like 100 times a day. that's how powerful a track it was, and is). I read that the upcoming 42-minute CD will have a different sound and even contain a song Chris Martin had described as one "everybody should hear before we die." Now that is a bold statement to make and enough to wet the appetite of any fan.

I can't wait! And I will muster up every ounce of patience I have not to download the songs. Must... wait... for... the... ORIGINAL CD! *whew!*

Related stuff I've read online:

Washington Post
Reuters
ColdplayingDotCom

These are random things I really appreciate.