Abstract Answer

Thank you all for the guesses as to what my abstract picture was. I had guesses from hurdles from above, to I have no idea! Most of you got it correct, so well done on having a keen eye.

 

Abstract -sign less

This of course was staples… those industrial kind. A sign board along a Toronto street was bare with only staples left behind. It was one of those boards where you could post ads, posters about events, or even garage sales… The random pattern caught my eye and I couldn’t resist the photo.

Thanks again for all the guesses.

Stay tuned…

 

Light on My Feet

I have enjoyed pampering myself with a pedicure on occasion. It is much more common now than it was 10 years ago and prices have come down. In Shanghai I can afford to do it more regularly and it is a little cheaper than home. The place I go is relaxing, but fast. The colours of the rainbow tempt you and I enjoy deciding on colours. My colour of choice is usually a bright pink or shade of purple, but I have gone for blue and turquoise on occasion.

I never thought about taking photos of these little works of art until recently. Such a shame since they are unique and so much fun.

As pedicures have become more common designs have started to emerge and get more detailed and fun. I have had simple squiggles and lines and little flowers made of carefully placed dots. Once I asked for a butterfly here at my usual salon in Shanghai and this is what they came up with.

This summer my friend Anita had watermelons. I thought it would be a cool idea and I had to get some too. They were a big hit with my students. Often I feel little fingers touch them 😉 A lot of the parents have noticed and I hear “You have watermelons on your toes!”. I learned the word for watermelon in Chinese (xīguā –she gua) and I have heard people saying it while looking at my feet, so I know some locals have noticed too!

The colour was a bright pink with a white and green stripe along the top edge (kind of like a French manicure). To complete it little black dots were added and then the top coat.

•  xīguā – watermelon toes
  

I brainstormed ideas to top the watermelon and I thought of ladybugs. I found a picture on the internet, of course it had already been done. I went to my local place and this is what they came up with.

They didn’t have the thin nail art pens, so she painted my nails red then with a thin paint brush and some black paint she added the half circle of black for the head. The line was next and the little spots. After a minute to dry the little white dots for eyes were added. To keep it all in place a clear top coat was added. The colours are darker, so I wonder if I will have the same reaction to these little critters.

What fun designs have you seen or done on your nails?

Stay Tuned….

One Shot Two Ways: Photo Challenge

This past summer I was able to head to Ottawa, Ontario the capital city of Canada. I have been meaning to show you more, but there isn’t a lot to talk about since I went for a conference and didn’t get to sight see too much. This week’s photo challenge gives me a perfect opportunity to show you a little bit more of the capital city.

Word Press has asked us to show a subject in two different ways.

• the shot can show landscape and portrait views of the same thing
• or a regular shot and the next zoomed in extra close

Here are my examples of the Canadian Parliament Buildings. I have included 4 shots in 4 very different views.

Here is the Peace Tower, which is the centre of the main Parliament buildings, just before sunset.

The Peace Tower

It had rained hard earlier that day as an intense thunderstorm passed through. Luckily this caught my eye and I was able to get an interesting shot of the tower in this puddle. A very different (and unexpected and unique) view of the same subject.

The Peace Tower after the rain

Then the sun set and I got this eerie picture of the Parliament Buildings. Yet another view of the same subject, but it still doesn’t ft WP requirements of orientation or zoom.

The Peace Tower at Night

The next day the storm had passed and blue sky and clouds made for great photos and cooler temperatures, which was much more comfortable for walking around and exploring. Here is the last view of the same subject in a different time of day AND orientation.

The Parliament Buildings

Which shot was your favourite?

The Peace Tower

The Peace Tower after the rain

The Peace Tower at Night

The Parliment Buildings

This is in response to WORD PRESS‘s weekly photo challenge. I think I could also link this back to Where’s My Backpack for architecture as well as Bastet’s Pixelventures for unexpected (for the puddle shot anyway).

Stay tuned… this is my third post today! I’m back to work on Monday, so I had to get them all done while I still have some free time. Be sure to check out the other posts I did today (if you haven’t already 😉 ):

• Unexpected
• Architecture

Stay tuned…