A Table of Life

Yes, it has been a few weeks since my last entry, and as always, so many things have happened to me. The photo you see here is our Noguchi coffee table, (not an original, so don't get too crazy if you click on the link). On it, you'll see an array of things that may seem like a messy pile of stuff, but if you really look at it, this is what my last few weeks have been comprised of.

One of the first things you will see is the MyPublisher.com book. I finally received the photo albums for my friend Carry's parent's 50th anniversary I shot last December. They came out great except for a typo on their part. You can see the album under the headphones.

Next to that, on the left are my new used Xbox 360 games, FIFA Soccer '08, and Madden '08. I had Madden '08 earlier, but my Xbox ate it up, so I had to get a new one. The FIFA game is awesome. Why not play "Football" both nationally and internationally at home on your Xbox? I do!

Next to that is my most recent issue of Cycle Sport, which covers all the upcoming season's races. Two weeks ago I stood in the rain watching the final stage of the Tour of California. It was worth it. I got to see some of the most famous European pros cycle around the Rosebowl, a place I run around a lot. Wow. Tour de France Riders following the same path I run on. Out of this world!

Finally, to the right of the table is Cutie's bed. She's been great with us here. Helen brought her to work last friday and won the hearts of everyone she met. She's really becoming a big part of our life here, and to be honest, it's great. I love the fact that however long she lives, she'll do so with much attention and love. I took down the original post about her being brought to the animal shelter a week ago, but for those of you new to this part of the "story" Cutie is 15 years old (in dog years, 105 years in human years! Now that's old!).

I'm headed out to Vegas next week for the Anti-Workshop. It's this awesome wedding photographer workshop where we'll be working on our shooting skills, meeting new people, and taking some awesome shots! I can't wait. I'll try and blog while I'm there, and not wait so long to do so like I did here. I'm excited to go!

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!

Twists and Turns

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to blog about the stuff that's been happening in my life. And boy have things happened. To name a few, I was able to meet the VP of casting at NBC, I did a "photowalk" of Chinatown to test out a new lens, I did some voice-over work for a local Japanese Confectionary, AND I almost lost my dog of 15 years! Needless to say, it has been one heck of a roller-coaster of emotions the past few weeks, and I think things are finally settling down. Whew.

I originally had a post up the other day about my dog "Cutie", about how we almost lost her, but the good news is, she is coming to live with Helen and I, and live out the rest of her days pampered and spoiled as all great family members should :) I'll post up some photos of her when the time comes.

Today is Saturday, and I'm spending it at home. A nice quiet evening just "being". We should all have more days like this.

Oh, and I was able to meet again with Saki and Taka to take a look at their wedding site. It is going to be awesome! They're having it at Taka's parent's home and I think it is going to be a terrific day. Those two are a great couple!

So without saying anything else, here's a photo I took yesterday. Aren't sunsets nice?


Till my next blog entry :) Have a great day and stay up :)

Too Much Fun!!!

Once again, for the second straight weekend, my life has been turned up-side-down with too much fun! Of course, the term "fun" is relative, but for me, this past weekend was definitely filled with it!

First off, because it was Super Bowl weekend, our pals from up north and Texas came into town to spend the weekend over at David's, which, I knew from past events, would be spent playing video games, and eating obnoxious amounts of great food. Friday night started off with a trip to a local wine bar, where my good friend Mike R. gave me a lesson on wine tasting. (As most of you may not know, I don't drink alcohol, so this was HUGE for me) Oh, and I have now learned that I like dry, red wines. Who knew?! That lasted till about midnight, and afterwards, it was off to Casa d' Ono for the video game debauchery that was to consume my life for the weekend!

We all had a Madden '08 football tournament scheduled for the weekend, so friday's games consisted of "practicing" against one another using our "favorite" teams. I say "favorite" cause I really don't have one, but I used the San Diego Chargers cause they were rated at 98/100 and that's pretty darn good! After a few hours of that, we played Halo, and then, low and behold, ROCK BAND!!! Awesome game! Here's a photo of the "all girl band" which starred Tamlyn, Rhoda, and Jennie - Rock on ladies!!!

Note the "Rock Star" lighting scheme I gave them. Plus, see the guys over to the far left?
They're all wishing they can play as well as the ladies!

Here's our high tech tourney board. Not only did we have a winner's bracket, but a loser's one as well.


The ultimate winner Cee Jay (in brown) won a nice bottle of whiskey from our "Commisioner" Vic.


And of course, our Loser's bracket winner Kevin, with his "Prize" - he had to wear it all day and all night during the super bowl!!! And yes, that IS a women's flourescent PINK shirt!!!
He was a good sport about it nonetheless.

Here's Kevin and the Dallas CowGIRLS.
I'm such a Dallas hater!!!
Oh, and all these guys (minus Kevin) are all from Texas, hence the shirts.


No, this isn't a new Lucho Libre wrestling character, it's our good buddy Paul who lost a Dallas Cowboys bet for the second straight year to Tamlyn (on the right). This year, his punishment was to adorn some nipple pasties, and a blue thong (which he put over his face instead). I know you can't see it, but the score of Dallas' last game was also written into the thong, just to rub it in. Aw well, some guys never learn.

There are definitely other photos from the weekend, but I think I may have caused some enemies with this entry, so I'll stop here!

Lastly, and most importantly, it was my beautiful grandmother's 91st birthday party this past Saturday, and we celebrated it at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Chinatown. Here's to Grandma!

Isn't she cute?!

It's Wednesday, and I'm still reeling from this weekend. Plus, I think I got about 8 hours of sleep total! Ah well, family, good friends, good times. What more can you ask for? Have a great day everyone!

Another Round of Things To Talk About!

Wow, what a week it has been! Where do I start?!

Monday began with rehearsals for the NBC Nationwide Sketch Comedy Showcase, in rehearsal hall 1, literally steps away from Studio 1A on the NBC lot. For those of you who aren't familiar with Studio 1A, it's Jay Leno's set (formerly Johnny Carson's and I believe Bob Hope's). It was awesome! There we were in a large rehearsal hall with worn hardwood floors, gymnasium height ceilings surrounded by props from the Tonight Show (well, they were outside the door, but still!) Basically, Cold Tofu was asked to take part in this showcase to perform in front of their producers, casting directors and agents! How cool was that! The actual showcase happened last night, Tuesday at the Ivar Theater in Hollywood. Great times as we were surrounded by some pretty talented groups, including Loose Screws from Hawaii, KevINda, Mike Rose and friends, Claudia (something) and the SC All-starts, and a group from NY named Derrick. Boy, when you get 6 comedy groups together, things can get pretty funny!

(On a side note, not only did we see Jay Leno's set, I also saw that one guy "Ross the Intern" who frequents his show, and on Tuesday, while getting coffee, Stephen Baldwin, near the Ivar. Yup, it's Hollywood alright.)

Who knows who else has been in this rehearsal hall

Here's Denise, Aaron, and Helen in front of the different NBC logos throughout the years. Jay Leno's studio is to the right.


The Ivar Theater - site of the "Showdown"


Room full of sketch groups.


Loose Screws from Hawaii, in full Kubuki costume, getting ready to perform their patented "Screw-buki" improvised show. These guys are awesome (and funny!)

Needless to say, it was an awesome evening of sketch comedy with a great audience of industry folk! So much so, we are invited back to meet with their casting department in the upcoming days. How cool is that?! Great times indeed!

Lastly for this post, I am so honored to have been chosen by Saki and Taka to photograph their wedding in August. It's going to be a terrific wedding that is going to be held at Taka's parent's house. I can't wait to photograph their big day! A huge and heartfelt thanks go out to this super couple for choosing me to capture their wedding day - I KNOW we're going to get some great images! More to come in the months leading to their big day!

The lovely couple Taka and Saki.
Did you know that Saki played on the Professional Golf Tour for 2 years and prior to that, won a national collegiate golf championship with UCLA?!
Taka is also an avid golfer with a course record at his nearby golf course - how cool is that?!

That's it for now. I have more photos to share from the sketch show, but I'll post those later. Hope you all are having a great week!

So Much to Talk About!

What a weekend! First off, whenever there's a long weekend, it's great! But when you add activities, and meeting people, and doing absolutely NOTHING, it's even better!

The weekend started off for me rather stressful, on friday afternoon, cause I had some work stuff to get done, seriously, number crunching! I hate number crunching! But thanks to my good friend Mariko and the wonders of Excel, I was able to get a whole year's worth of numbers down to 1,214. Long story, so don't ask. Let's just say it was time consuming!

The real fun started when I left my "day" job for the awesome long weekend. From work, I went home and worked on an album for another client, then logged on to Xbox Live for some Halo 3 fun with the guys! Woo hoo!!! Nothing like wearing futuristic space armor and going after all your buddies with lazer guns (and that's before logging in!)

Saturday was even better as I was able to meet with my "first" wedding couple. Michelle and Rene, two of the coolest people you will ever meet! Plus, they are great together, seriously! Very fun and outgoing, and just the nicest of people. Oddly enough, it wasn't a "cold" call for Michelle to hire me as their wedding photographer, cause back in high school I dated her aunt, but hey, a referral is a referral right? Thank goodness I don't burn bridges!!! Here's a photo of the soon-to-be- wed:

Aren't they cute?!

Hopefully, those of you who read this blog often, have already checked out the Cold Tofu link, as saturday was our first show of 2008! What a great way to start off another year of performances and just plain having fun! Despite having a great show all around, the highlight of the night was when we were all introduced to the newest member of the Cold Tofu family, Zachary, 3 mos out of the womb and already attending a Cold Tofu show! (His mom is a member, so he kinda has to). Here's the little bundle of joy:

A literal "bundle" of joy!

Afterwards we all headed out to eat in Little Tokyo near downtown L.A. for all you non L.A.-ites. You have to check out Suihiro Restaurant if you get the chance - great food, very reasonable prices for that any-time-of-day craving of Japanese food. Can't be beat!

Then, after all the eating, then came the video game debauchery! Xbox 360 at David's house for literally the rest of the night and early morning! Playing Halo 3, CofD 4, and a small bit of Madden '08. This then repeated on sunday throughout the day and night, until monday morning at 4:10am! Can you believe it? And I still suck! Well, I don't suck, but I'm not always the high scorer. Oh well. I guess I have to practice! What am I, CRAZY?!

Monday was spent shooting my buddy Alden. Here's one of the session's photos:

Top this off with doing laundry and finally getting to watch Johnny Depp in "Sweeny Todd" and you get an awesome weekend to recover from during the week! Whew!

Thanks for reading as always, and if you get a chance, do leave a message :) Happy Tuesday everyone!

M Palma Photography

Hooray! Just a day after I announced it, my new wedding photography website is up! You can check it out at:

www.mpalmaphotography.com

I'm so proud cause it's my first REAL site dedicated to my photography, and my pursuit of capturing the best wedding images I can create!

So if you are reading this blog, and perhaps live in the L.A. area and need to refer a wedding photographer to someone, please don't hesitate to forward them my website.

Lastly, just like with this site, do check my main site often for new photos! I can't wait to post all the exciting images, couples, families, etc. that I will be photographing in the near future!

Thanks everyone, and enjoy!

New Website Almost Up!

Yes! As the subject heading reads, my wedding photography website is almost up! I recently signed with Bludomain for their terrific work with photographers' websites, and I'm anxious to finally put it up live! (Hence, all the exclamation points)

As you will also notice, I also changed the blog header here. I figured it should reflect more of who I am and what I really look like! I know, it sounds weird, but I recently read this great article by another wedding photographer, Jasmine Star, on how to market yourself to your clients. It's almost like being a realtor, and putting your photo on your business cards. This way, not only can you read what's on my mind, but you can "see" me too!

What else, what else...? Oh, the second round of NFL playoffs were on this past weekend, and I'm glad that the CowGIRLS lost to the Giants.

Okay, that's it. I'll post the link once it's up.

Till then, have a great day and week!