I’m sure you’ve seen this as it’s been circulating the internet but I’ve been replaying it all day today. Carrie Underwood has an incredible voice. And listening/watching her sing this worship song gives me goosebumps.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Beautiful video that I first saw on Briony’s blog as linked from Chase Jarvis’s. Love the quote that they each pulled from it as well:

“I never set out to be anything in particular, only to live creatively and push the scope of my experience through adventure and through passion.”

23/365

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Current music obsession: The Civil Wars. Their debut album will be released Tuesday, Feb. 1 and I can’t wait! Check out the title track below and if you want some more goodness from them, listen to Poison and Wine,. It’s painfully beautiful.

17/365

I had a photo shoot with the king of Smith Mountain Lake today. He owns three country clubs, two shopping centers, various homes, developments, land and a movie theater (among other things). And he didn’t even go to college. Being that I am a layperson, I wasn’t thinking and wore jeans to the shoot which was in the clubhouse of one of his clubs which had a sign that says “No jeans or denim of any kind allowed.” Whoops.

On each table there was a pair of reading glasses and some lens wipes along with the salt, pepper and sugar. I was totally amused by it and thus became my photo of the day.

***

On another note, yesterday after making the recordings of me riding the bike up and down the hallway, Jeff put together a little video of me making dinner. I really like how it turned out :)

Gai Lan from Jeff Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: Iron & Wine — Sunset Soon Forgotten

16/365

I bought a bike tonight and it felt incredibly invigorating riding home under the street lights. She has some rust on her (apparently my bike is a “she”) but she runs real well and has had all per parts checked. Now all I have to do is teach Jeff how to ride, get his mom’s old bike fixed (which was intended for me to use but is too big) and we can coast into the sunset together! So yeah, if any Roanokers ever want to go cruising, let me know. ‘Cause I’m gonna be a lone rider for quite some time. I haven’t been on a bike since I was a kid and getting back on was “just like riding a bike” :)

Remember when your parents told you not to ride your bike inside? Well I totally rode my bike inside:

Huong gets a new (old) bike. from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: The Golden Filter — Hide Me

…and ignite your bones. And I will try…to fix you. [Coldplay]

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This is my father-in-laws’s workspace in their utility room. The only time I left the apartment today was to have dinner at their home and I spent the entire day on the couch doing absolutely nothing but watch rotten T.V. And it was magnificent. Usually when the T.V.’s on, there is also a laptop in front of me and an iPhone by my side. But I put everything down and actually relaxed on my day off from work.

As I was about to publish this post, Jeff came in and told me it was snowing. So I made this little recording:

Snowfall from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: 1/1 by Brian Eno

Up There from Mekanism on Vimeo.

“The story of the fading tradition of hand painted advertising. Shot by Mekanism’s Malcolm Murray for Stella Artois (in conjunction with Mother NY)”

This is such a great short piece and I love the style and cinematography. Watch and appreciate.

Alla Prima Painting from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: Amber, Ember, Glow by Saxon Shore

Rethink Scholarship at Langara 2010 Call for Entries from Rory O'Sullivan and Simon Bruyn on Vimeo.

I know it’s too late to shop for Christmas—although I hear the mall is crawling with last-minute shoppers—there’s always Valentines day and birthdays to get something fun and fluffy from KnitKnit’s shop! Gauranteed to warm a girls’ heart.

This one is my favorite from her shop:

Drops Lariat by KnitKnit

Jeff was able to leave work early today as did a lot of other people and I sat outside to wait for him (and to watch the snow fall). Leave it to me to only use the deck in the winter. It was very peaceful and lots of cars actually drove through the grassy part of our apartment community to cut through our parking lot from the main road because there was an accident and lanes were backed up. I saw one truck go up the hill sideways and it took Jeff and hour to drive what would normally take 20 minutes. I don’t think SW Virginians are used to these driving conditions. And of course I had to do a little time-lapse with my iPhone of the snow fall. It automatically stopped shooting at 1000 frames so here it is to the tunes of Matt Pond PA’s Snow Day:

Snow Day from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

ROANOKE, VA

Twelve Seconds of Drive from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.
Music: Zombies by The Cranberries

I miss all of the happenings that go on in NYC: the life-long friends, the crazy experiences, the late-night Pommes Frites, photo opps at every corner, and of course the vast variety of uh-mazing foods, among other things. But every time I leave our apartment and hit the road, I am always in awe of the view. I have to admit, I love being surrounded by mountains and the natural surroundings were missed while living in a giant metropolis.  Can’t appreciate it that much in this twelve-second video but that was the reason I started the time-lapse mid-way through our drive to Jeff’s parent’s house. The clouds and mountains were beautiful that evening and I wanted to capture a glimpse.

Driving to The Passenger from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: The Passenger by Iggy Pop