for some reason i did not sleep well last night. i didn't have to wake up early, nor was i particularly stressed out by anything. i did go to bed late (close to 4:00) and i was very tired, but i didn't fall asleep until 5:00, i just couldn't activate my sleep mode. the only time this might happen is if i consumed a large quantity of caffeine, but i couldn't think of anything, unless there was something in those very sweet cupcakes my sister brought back home.

after going upstairs to empty the bucket, i went across the street to star market to grab some snacks for football sunday, before riding out to belmont. for some reason i thought the first game (between san francisco and atlanta) was at 1:00 so i was in a rush to arrive, but turns out it wasn't until 3:00.

after eating some noodles for lunch, i spent some time in the backyard shooting short video clips (5-8 seconds long). it was a way for me to test the sandisk ultra memory card, which i'm not realizing still has some issues. not as bad as the microSDHC version, but i'm getting more buffer overrun indications that i'd like for a card touted to be speedy. so i finally decided to buy yet another memory card, the transcend 32GB class 10. based on how well that card performs, i'll either keep the sandisk ultra or return it (i'm leaning more towards a return).

i had no vested interest in the 49er's-falcons game. i guess if i was picking a team, it'd be san francisco because they seemed like the underdog, having to travel across the country to play a game in atlanta. they were down early, but staged a thrilling comeback to finally win the game. if only the patriots were similarly blessed with good fortune (more on that later).

the ravens-patriots game started as soon as i finished dinner. i was originally going to race home before the game, but once it began, i wouldn't be able to leave until the halftime break. i was already dressed to go, and with just seconds left in the 2nd quarter, i peddled back to cambridge, going as fast as i could, straining my muscles, panting up a storm, bearing in mind that halftime lasts just 12 minutes.

i must've set a personal record because i made it back home just when the game was about to start. the patriots had the lead going into the second half, but it was close, and all baltimore needed was a touchdown to take the lead. but happened next is just too painful to relive. the ravens went ahead an scored 21 points will new england was held scoreless for the entire second half. it's only thing to lose to a close game, but this was borderline blowout. as a fan i always have hope that tom brady and the gang can stage a comeback, but as the game progressed, the situation become more dire. when the game was over i don't think i was angry, more like numb. looking back, the patriots didn't have all their weapons. key defensive players got injured tonight, but we were already depleted of offensive, with guys like edelman and gronkowski out for the season. it just makes me realize that football has nothing to do with the best team, but more to do with which team has the healthiest lineup of players, and just simple dumb luck.

i drowned out my sorrow by going upstairs to empty the bucket. that's when a stranger approached me on the street as i was going up to steve's place. "are you tony yang by any chance?" this was unexpected to say the least. turns out this was case, a mutual acquaintance of brice and i, but whom i've never met before even though we both live on the same street.

after empty the bucket, i went to the third floor to take some more photos out the window onto the street.

i think i might have the flu. my mother was coughing, had a runny nose, and said she was getting cold chills. when i left belmont i could feel a little irritation in my throat. and then while i was watching the game, i felt tired (could just be lack of sleep), a little achy (might be because of the fast bike ride home), and occasional cold chills (maybe because it's just cold). otherwise, i have no other symptoms. i made some vanilla chamomile tea hoping it might help.

even though i don't think i took very many photos today, i still ended up with more than 3GB of data in my usually nightly downloads from my camera (now cameras). that's because most of the things i shot today were videos, and they take up a lot of space. i record in 1080p, which is kind of overkill if i'm only making videos for the web.

i actually enjoy editing video clips and turning them into a movie. like today, shooting things in my parents' backyard, i felt like a nature documentarian. and with access to imovie, creating a little film couldn't be easier.

i had fun creating my little winter backyard movie. i shot the clips using my 60mm macro lens with the 60D dSLR in manual focus mode. everything was handheld, and since there's no image stabilizing on my lens, there's a little bit of shaking (especially for closeup shots). a lot of it could've been done using just still images. the parts i like best is anything with surprise motion, like the spinning pinwheel, or the quick pan of the compost bin.

making videos opens up a whole new creative outlet. it also makes me see the world in a different way, like how can i piece something together with clips to tell a certain story. i'm really concerned about audio now. the past 2 movies i've created, i've sorted covered up the native audio with music, but i'm realizing the sound quality from the on-board camera mic is very good. i'm tempted to get the zoom H1 recorder that john recommended (especially now since it looks to be on sale at B&H), but i'm still on the fence. maybe if i really get into videography i might go ahead and buy one.