Parfumerie Galimard

In the town of Grasse, there are three main parfumerie shops: Fragonard (the most famous, to the famous painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard), Galimard and Molinard. Looks like they are coming from the same family, doesn't it? But they don't :) And by the way, the right pronunciation is without last letter ('d') as always in French. So, the last week-end we with my friend visiting Erxon went to visit Galimard parfumerie searching for a special perfume for him. Also, we went to the one where mesuem of perfumes is situated, in the suburb of Grasse. Galimard personal have suprised us by offering a guide in russian just for two of us. At the end instead of 20min we had an hour and half. That was really interesting tour, now I know how did Grasse started massivly to produce perfumes: some women from a well-known family gave a task to make her leather gloves smell well and not to be oilish. So, the guy invented another way of making a perfume and his method became very popular. Now about 60% of world perfumes are made in Grasse. And Galimard is the most ancient from three of these. They produce about one new 'formula' in a year.

Another thing I got appointed was Lavender oil and it's healing abilities. As this region of Alpes-Maritimes is famous for fields of Lavender, you can find it in every town. And now it's time of their blossom. If somewhere else I would have been told about its supa-dupa qualities, I would thought that a person telling me that is just another grandma crazy about the herbs. Anyway, we tried it on practice already, my friend had a sunburn and it appeard to work really superb! Nice smell and fast results :) And also, it helps to get rid of mosquitoes!!!

Ok, back to perfumes... the best thing about them was that they smell natural. The most natural they could be... Flowers, chocolate, vanilla and etc. For example, Citrus smell this season is the most popular (in case if you are going step by step with fashion trends). Another good offer was to use an elixir of several flowers mixed with small shiny particles, just for going out somewhere in the evening :)

At the end I ended up with a bottle of Lavender and live happily ever after :) No pictures so far, but a bunch of interesting things were explored!

Toliau tesiu foto mokslus

Taigi, pagaliau baigiu atsigaut bet esminiu paskutinio menesiu ivykiu (keliones i US, jet lag'o, diplominio). Vakar pasiziurejau, kad per kelione i US sugebejau prischiolkint ~3000 fotkiu. Matomai sunkiai ir daug dirbau vietoj to, kad ilsetis :) O dar turint omeny, kad apie 5-ias dienas is 14-os nedariau jokiu kadru. Beliko sunkus darbas - jas atrinkti ir apdoroti. Cia tas pats kaip rinkti grybus, o poto juos ruosti maistui. Juodas tai darbas yra. Todel pasibaigus visokiausiems ivykiams, kurie sukele tam tikra malonu stresa, dabar prisisiunciau visokiausios mokymosi medziagos kaip gi tas nuotraukos apdorot. Nes dabar tai zinau gal 5 funkcijas, kuriom visalaik apsieidavau.

Siaip tai turiu net nuoroda i labai gera medziaga is lynda.com uzmest. Ja perziuret tereikia 3,5val rodos ir ji tinka tiek naujokams su muilinem, ties siek tiek labiau patyrusiems tipo manes. Dalis yra internete, o kita dali galima torrentuose rasti. Kas labiausiai patiko, tai super praktiniai patarimai is gyvenimo kaip tarkim paslepti fotika nuo vandens lashu - o gi naudot vienkartines kepuraites dushui! Awesome simple idea :)

O dar, o dar, siuo metu namie pas save turiu 3 skirtingus fotkus (ne mobiliakuose aisku):

• Pentax K10D
• Canon G9
• Canon SX100 IS

As viliuosi, kad prisiruosiu pasidaryt testus su jais. G9 tai ispudingas, kokybe stulbinanti is jo pareina :) Bei kaina viliojanti jo... Na bet jis nera mano :) Laikinai ji turiu, kol saugiau nugabensiu i LT.

Ir dar viena minti turejau, poto supratau kad kvailoka. Cia vis nugirstu kaip zmones nueina i foto kursus. Aisku pasidaviau bandos instinktui, bet nusprendziau pragooglint. Ir aciu Dievui supratau, kad as nesu ju potenciali kliente apart gal sito vaikino, Remigijaus Zolubo. As nenoriu pareiksti, kad pasidariau extremely skilled, bet tarkim per pastaraji menesi daug kas susideliojo i savo vietas foto pritaikymo prasme mano galvoj. Matomai tu 9-iu darbo dienu su fotiku darbo vaisiai :))

IR photography

I feel inspired with another new for me photography technique that Roota, a colleague from reach lithuanian photo world, has revealed recently to herself. So, I found a minute when I get tired of everything (the last month was quite busy and nervous) and googled around for a new term "IR photography". Lucky enough, I quickly found some advices for novice in this area and was extremely inspired with several pieces of art 1, 2. Also, as I lately have been thinking about macro photography and possible differences between 50mm macro lens and 100mm macro lens (both are 1:1 macro), I think I found the answers on this site. Technically the difference between these two is the minimum distance between lens and object. I thought like ok, less distance could be better in some way, then to have 50cm distance. The main problem usually becomes your shadow. On the other side, if the objects are insects, the bigger distance matters a lot as insects get scared easily. This is not written in the spec of lens :) However, looks like I didn't manage to understand that earlier while using P&S and was lucky to caught this guy.

moment VS moments

Today while continuing experiments with water, I found out about another method for picturing it. It is possible to capture one tiny moment of water movement or... a whole path of it's movements painted like smooth, blurry curves. Previously (2 years ago) I was trying (with a soap camera) to make the same effect, but I succeed only now.

So, next experiments are going to be with waterfalls?.. and spring is a perfect time for them ;)

Off-Topic: VU MIF

As suprantu, kad dabar rasau visiska off-topica savo bloge, bet neiskentejau ir nesusilaukiau kaip matot :) Siandien teko apsilankyti viename VU MIF Informatikos antrakurses bloge su sekanciu post'u:
Vilniaus universitetas, Matematikos ir Informatikos Fakultetas, Informatika
Tags: MIF'as, informatikai, programu sistemos, geek'ai, merginos.

Kaip matosi is post'o, jame atsiliepimai apie informatikos bakalauro studijas ir juose susirinkusi kontingenta. Kadangi pati kadaise buvau toj pacioj pozicijoj, tai sukele milziniska smalsuma. Sakyciau pazvelgta i MIF'a is labai idomaus kampo, man, matyt, labai tolimo. Todel pagal autores padarytas post'o pabaigoje isvadas, man matomai jos butu atvirkscios. O as ir nepriestarauciau :) Tik tai su daugeliu jos pastebejimu nesutinku (ar per kelis metus viskas taip pasikeite MIF'e?).

Bet kuriuo atveju, nauda is sito post'o buvo tokia:

1. Per komentarus radau grupioko bloga;
2. Neistveriau ir uzsiregistravau Biteje Plius, kad leistu ir man ikisti savo trigrasi. Pasekoje istyriau kas tai tokio Bite Plius. Issikeliau klausima: o kuom skyriasi BitePlius nuo Blogas.lt? Kiek teko susidurti, tai abu yra populiariausios Lietuvoj blog'u aka dienorasciu talpykles. Paciai dabar tenka daugiau Blogas.lt skaityt, bet kadangi retkarciais ir BitePlius tenka paskaityt, tai perziurejus kai kuriuos irasus pershasi isvada, jog BitePlius renkasi 'labiau meniskos sielos', rasancios man neretai nesuprantamus irasus, ale poetiskus or smth, o Blogas.lt - kazkaip arciau zemes viskas, buitiskiau. Be to, toki reikalavima kaip buti registruotu BitePlius vartotoju norint komentuoti radau labai negatyvu dienorasciu skaitytoju atzvilgiu;
3. Atejo nauja fantastiska ideja! Kadangi nuoroda i sita smagu post'a gavau is informatiko, tai itariu neveltui sio post'o skaitiklis rodo 4200 skaiciu - matyt visgi daugelis Lietuvos informatiku susidomejo juo. Is to persasi isvada, kad tai yra labai aktuali tema - ypac sprendziant is keyword'u :) Kaip gi sitie keyword'ai susirysa papasakoja pries tai ivardintas post'as. O mano mintis yra ir toliau pletoti panasiu sapaliojimu tematika, tik gal but ne taip blondiniskai ir hiperbolizuotai. Kaip manot ar tokios temos kaip "Visa tiesa apie Mitasiuna" arba "Juozapaviciaus ir Mitasiuno palyginimas" turetu paklausa? O kaip del "MIF'o sistemos projektavimas i SDP modelius" ir dar paskirstyt roles, rizikas ir t.t.??

Jo, mano smegenineje vyksta audra :)

Second time: skiing

It happend so that I had a chance to ski for the second time. The most interesting event from the day was skiing from already blue routes, but a huge one! Just have a look at TK de Cretes. From 4 times passing it, I felt down 3 times at the same place. That was really nice :)

First steps in dslr education

Here I would like to put some short notes about my educational process in (d)slr world, which has recently began and gains the speed.

After some point and shot camera expirience, which ended in my subjective opinion quite well, I made a next step. The question that appeared at the first day with (d)slr - why the background of most photos is so blured? With PaS I had another experience, so I started from this point. A very valuable answers were found here:

• Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson

Many examples with grouped pictures and explanations, also small exercises and not too much of text :)

Todays investigation comparing with exposure is huge! At the very first day I got my new camera, I spotted that the focus range became very limited. Exposure tips can help you in that, however how can you achive the same effect as with PaS to make a normal landscape photo with for example a rock in foreground and the background focused at the same time... A new definitions have appeared:

• Hyperfocal focusing, hyperfocal distance
• Neutral density filters
• F-stop - lastly demystified :)

The last two mostly explain the secrets of sunset/sunrise photography :)

Wish you good shots ;)

Taks... Renkames vyna!

O jus nesusimastet, kodel as begyvendama Prancuzijoje tiek laiko apie vyna net neuzsiminu? :) As pati tik dabar ta suvokiau. O paskutine para pagrinde buvo skirti apsivietimui vyno srityje! Ne tai kad as labai noreciau, ne tai kad man tai labai idomu, bet o ka daryt kai nuejes i parduotuve alaus vietinio jau nebenoris, eini i 6gubai didesni vynu skyriu ir... bandai pasikliaut savo instuicija?!

Ne, tai bloga praktika. Bandai daryt stai ka (dziaugiuos, kad jau bent skaityt +/- ismokau prancuziskai):

• identifikuoti regiona, is kurio kiles vynas. Probelma - juk nzn jokiu regionu, nuo ko pradet?
• ziurineji pagaminimo metus. Turint omeny, kad vynas cia kainuoja nuo 1.5e ir kainomis iki 3-4e - didelis pasitinkimas, tai pamacius 2002m vyna uz 3e pradedi abejot situom kriterijum
  
• pasirenki vynuogiu rusi. Deja, tik vakar parduotuvej sugalvojau sita kriteriju. Bet praktiskai man tas nepasiteisino kol kas. Gal del to, kad pasirinkau misinius
• apsiziuri prie ko tinka vynas - paskutinis kriterijus, kuri buvo imanoma sumastyti is vyno etikeciu :)

Taigi, eilini karta nusivylus ir uztaikius ant labai jau sausu vynu, nusprendziau edukuotis sitoje srityje, nes kitaip tektu mest gert! :D (na ok, radau is saldu balta vyna cia, bet ji kazkaip retai surandu, be to jo daznai neiseina gert).

Ko as griebiausi tai google ir mano nuostabai atradau vynogidas.info svetaine! Po keliu valandu praleistu ten pasijautau padariusi dideli zingsi i prieki vyno issirenkimo klausimu :) Nors dabar gal vistiek nieko gero neissirinkciau, bet bent zinociau kaip pradet degustacija ir atrasti Prancuzisko vyno skonius, kurie man butu prie sirdies. Vienas idomus dalykas apie vyna, kuris man iki siol lieka nezinomas tai kaip issirinkti bent jau ne sausa vyna, kurie sudaro dydziausia vynu dali. Deja, i sita klausima as dar nezinau atsakymo. O begyvenant Lietuvoje as atsakyciau paprastai - perskaityt etikete ar kazkas pan. Paprasta, ane? Galit pamanyt, kad prancuzu k. taip ir nepramokau :) Bet kad jie cia nieko panasaus neraso, nera tokio kriterijaus ant vyno etikeciu! Todel reikes degustuoti, bet bent jau dabar vynuogiu rusyse pradesiu gaudytis ir zinosiu ko galima butu ir vengti, o ka geriau rinktis. Besidalijant cia su jumis patirtimi, prisimenu kaip ne uz ilgo pries man isvaziuojant is Lietuvos, dovanu buvo gautos didziules vyno taures is Marciaus&Agnes, kurie tada man buvo sioks toks sokas. Bet dabar as galiu prisipazint, kad galiu pilnai ivertinti tos dovanos verte ir tauriu prasme :) Manau Agne dabar tures proga gerai pasijuokti is manes cia pasimetusios tarp vynu ir vos vos besigraibancios lentynose, bebandancios issirinkti ka nors saldesnio, kaip esu pripratus... Ech, na bet vynogidas mane gal isgelbes :) Jis tikrai gerai pritaikytas lietuviams, kurie naturalu, jog nieko nezino apie vyna :)