as with most of anyone's new year resolutions, my resolution to post more frequently didn't even make it to lift off. actually, it pretty much crashed and burned. all that became of it was one measley post that covered the past year. and lo and behold, february has come and gone as well, and there hasn't been a post since.

the beginning of the year was also the beginning of oneesan's (my older sister) life online, as she joined the blogging world for the very first time. and as i read her anecdotes, i was forced to admit my own, undeniable lack of involvement in the world that used to be my outlet. it's happening much to frequently that i sit in front of a blank page, pondering on what to write, then find myself standing up and walking away. defeated. my attention drifting somewhere else. my passion and fervor for blogging has dwindled quite significantly.

sometimes i wonder why i even bother. some days, the temptation to give up is so stronger. but another part of me won't allow me to let keri*lite go. even though i find it so difficult to write. and to share. browsing through my archives, i can't find the last time i wrote a real entry. they all seem monotonous and redundant. to the point where i actually feel like i'm polluting the world of online journaling.

the guilt of neglect is overpowering, but once again, as tempted as i am to insist that i will post more regularly and actually post something of substance, i find that all i can say is that i'll try. and even now, i'm wondering who i'm promising this to. probably only to myself. but in any case, i'll do by best not have anymore unfinished entries left stranded or idly waiting to be uploaded. and no more recapping. at least after this one.

in early february, jon and i finally found ourselves with the same day off and spent the day together out in north shore. the timing couldn't have been better as the monster pipeline pro was in full gear. so we settled down in the sand and enjoyed the competition. munching on fried chicken, mac & cheese and potato wedges from the nearby foodland.

being a part of the tourist industry, not only did i end up working on christmas and new year's, but i had to work on valentine's as well. so there was no romantic plans for jon and me, this year. being the romantic that i am, i refused just let the occasion past without doing *something*, so i surprised him by preparing a dinner for him. as in "preparing" for him to make himself when he got home.

on the menu was pan-fried filet mignon and broiled lobster tails served with his choice of sauteèd mushrooms or asparagus in shallot-butter and a baked potato topped with butter, sour cream, chives and bacon. dessert was jon's newest favorite, tiramisu.

but as it commonly happens with any surprise i plan, it didn't play out as planned as he came home really early. it ended up turning out for the better, since instead of him eating it all alone, which he promptly refused to do, i cooked it all before i left for work and was able to have a romantic late lunch with him.

and only a week later, it was time to celebrate his and sumi's birthday. with it following so closely to christmas and valentine's, it was difficult to find presents. i decided to splurge on her rather than him, this year. choosing to give him another shirt from alter ego.

as soon as i saw this shirt i thought of him. i never mentioned it, but jon has been growing out his hair for the past six months or so and actually closely resembles the drawing on the shirt. well, minus the fro-pick (which he actually used to have when he grew his hair out back in kona) and the birdie. about a week ago, though, he cut his hair short, but it's still a bit long on top.

sumi got a really cool cat tree from armarkat. there's six levels for her to jump on. a little house. two sleeping trays. and lots of sisal-roped poles to scratch. instead of carpet, it's actually covered in faux fleece which is soft, warm and fuzzy. just like her. she plays on it all the time now. which is absolutely wonderful, because now she has something to release all of her pent-up energy on. especially in the middle of the night.

so oneesan introduced me to picasa. it's a pretty neat program. it's easy to use and has some really useful features. and of course the best feature being that it's free! it organizes. it edits. it can even make collages and slideshows. she said that it was supposed to be comparable to photoshop, but as i played around with it, i came to find that, although, it *is* in fact a great photo editor. it's still just a photo editor. putting it in a totally different class from photoshop. which is also why photoshop retails for almost $650.00 and picasa is ... well, free. which is a good thing. because it's still really awesome.

the above photo was editing using features such as "i'm feeling lucky", "auto color" and by playing a little with the "tuning" option for the perfect light, highlight and shadow combination.

owari.
|