[715] Leap Year 2016

Today is February 29, 2016. It is a leap year. This happens once every four years.

We get an extra day. It is up to us how we use and appreciate this extra day.  Unfortunately for me today wasn't that great.

Nero, our pet labrador, was sent to the vet because he had been vomiting all morning and was very weak. He's pretty up there in age, I think he's at least twelve years old. Maybe even fourteen.

His brother Travis has been bummed the whole day. He's been lying down and skulking. They've been together since birth, since they were given to us.

It bums me out. I just hope for the best outcome with Nero. I hope he isn't suffering.

Out.

[714] Photography

I still take photos. I still try to follow the rule of thirds and find good camera angles. Sadly I think all the things I learned before when I was still shooting with film are now rarely used.

I just snap whatever I see. Which is sad.

Honestly I still stand with my previous belief - I shot better photos when I was using film. Simply because I was limited with the photos I could take, I was more careful with my shots.

And to be honest I really miss taking the photos I used to take. I guess it's also my fault I don't find time to take photos.

So with that statement I guess I will try to do my previous 365 day challenge of one photo per day. And not one forced photo. I'll try to take one good photo per day. Here's the catch: I don't know when I'll start.

Out.

[713] The 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

In one word, amazing.

Aaron Gordon should have won it. His dunks were more impressive and more challenging than Zach LaVine's dunks. However LaVine did more impressive dunks during the tie-breaker rounds.

What LaVine did during the entire contest was amazing, though. And I'm glad he finally brought some swagger to his post-dunk celebrations. That was what was missing from what he did last year.

I'm glad I was able to watch the live telecast. It was worth watching.

Thank you, Mr. Aaron Gordon and Mr. Zach LaVine. This is why we play, and this is why I watch. I love this game.

Out.

[712] That Houseboat in Amsterdam

For the final leg of our European vacation, my folks, their friends, and myself spent two or three (or more?) nights in Amsterdam. We stayed in a houseboat located near the Science Center Nemo and Amsterdam Centraal train station. 

I'm pretty sure the houseboat is the one I marked above.

View of the houseboat from one of the water buses we rode.

Our tiny, humble, but very homey houseboat. The big building behind it is the Science Center Nemo.

The houseboat was the moored beside one or two other houseboats. You had to cross them to gain access to the main entrance located on the left side of the boat, beside the water. Now imagine us arriving on the first day carrying really heavy suitcases. And we did that too on the last day. I was really worried either the luggage I was hauling would fall into the water or I would. On the roof was a picnic table.

The houseboat was pretty small, but very cozy. Upon entering you would be at the main hall with the kitchen, dining area, and living area. Turn right and you'll see the bathroom entrance.

The common area. The left door leads to the bathroom, the right is the main entrance.

View of the main hall from the bathroom.

Our neighboring houseboat (for rent also) and the view from a kitchen window.

The bathroom, as seen from the master's bedroom.

Go past the bathroom through another door and you would be transported to the master's bedroom. Here you had to sleep in a nice little nook. It really gave you the feeling of sleeping in a houseboat.

Sleeping area of the master's bedroom. I REALLY wanted to sleep here.

On the other side of the houseboat was the other bedroom. This looked more like your regular bedroom. And of course, just outside this other bedroom was my sleeping area.

The sleeping area of the regular bedroom.

The morning after my first night.

Outside there were plenty of birds you could feed if you wanted, ranging from ducks, swans, and seagulls. Pigeons were also present. It won't take a genius to figure out my folks and I spent time feeding them and relaxing.

There were also plenty of other houseboats of various designs around the area. Some of them were for rent, like the one we stayed in, and the others were most likely homes of some residents.

Standing on the roof. A giant floating Chinese restaurant behind me.

The picnic table, and behind it to the left, the entrance to our houseboat.

How was it sleeping in a houseboat? Relaxing, to be honest. Being on the water meant the weather was pretty cold and breezy. The way the boat rocked with the waves was also pretty calming, and helped put me to sleep at night.

Unfortunately my body would be feeling like I was still on the houseboat even though I was already on solid ground. I would get phantom sensations in my body that the ground wasn't stable. This was a very small issue that really didn't bother me.

We had to cross two other houseboats to get to the dock.

I'm guessing if you read my three posts about the major places we stayed at you would see that my favorite place was the apartment in Paris, followed by this houseboat, and finally that apartment in Rome. We did stay for a few nights in a hotel in Florence, and we also spent a night or two in a bed and breakfast in Venice. None of those two places made as much of an impact on me as these three, though.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my memories of places I stayed at. Hopefully I'll have more travels in the future I can blog about.

Out.

[711] Two-Bedroom Apartment in Rome

During our 2009 European holiday our first stop was Rome, Italy. It was my first time ever in Europe, and I remember that we arrived very, very late in our apartment. I think our apartment was located in Via Angelo Emo, though I really can't remember correctly. I'm pretty sure it's one of these four rectangular buildings you can see in the map below.



It was in the second or third floor of an apartment complex in an area very near the Vatican. Once you entered you walked into a common area that had the kitchen, a small dining table, and if you looked behind you to your left there was a reading area you could relax in.

The kitchen and dining areas, to the right the door to the bedrooms.

The living room area, to the left is the entrance. The curtained area opens to a small balcony.

Go past the only door and you would be in a small hallway with the bathroom to the left, the "master's bedroom" to the right, and on the front left was the other bedroom, that had two single beds. This was where I slept.

The master's bedroom.

The other bedroom, aka, the room I slept in.

I don't have as many fond memories of this apartment. I didn't "fall in love" with it like I did the one in Paris. I did appreciate this apartment because of the layout, and because of how practical the design was.

Unfortunately at the time we went there I did not take photos of the bathroom. I think I was still starting to get interested with "interior design," "architecture" or whatever term you would have for it. Let's just say I was just starting to take note about how rooms were laid out, how big they should be, how practical the designs should be.

I'm not sure if there was even a small walk-in pantry area somewhere. I can't really remember. One thing is sure, though, This apartment's design was something I would want to live in with my wife and daughter. But if you made me choose between this and the one in Paris, hands down the answer would be the latter.

Out.