Deloitte at Night
I took some really long exposure night shots tonight, and had some fun with that. I was getting a little bored, however, so I dressed this one up even further in Photoshop. The Deloitte building is one of the highly recognised ones in Town.
Town in Tilt-Shift
I occasionally like to play with an effect called "tilt-shift" to see what I can come up with. This is not one of my best examples, but in order to meet my deadline, I'm posting it anyway. This is a picture of the people at the PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) stop in the middle of Town.
Windows
Although my apartment is a real "dud", it's all I can afford. I do have plans for fixing it up, but am waiting on the landlord to review my proposal. The one thing I do have going for me is the view. With an 11th floor vantage point, I get a good look at the port activities every day. Although that wouldn't be interesting to most, I find it all quite interesting. I suppose the view is something I will never tire of.
Panoramic Night Shot
It's loud and wild on the street below tonight, but instead of trying to take a picture of some of that crazy people action, I decided to try some night shots of the port. I took three shots with the camera set up for 15 second exposures. Then, I went to Photoshop and stitched them all together for one, long panorama of the typical night-time view out my window. I had a fun time with it all, although I still have a LOT to learn. When I realised it was already well after midnight, I thought of posting it here since it is, technically, tomorrow.
Me!
Although my rules for "the game" are that I have to be on one side of the window and shoot items on the other, I'm going to argue that this one counts as the city is quite visible behind me.
First, I took the photo as I am not often in photos these days. This is my "proof" of existence, I guess.
Evening Shimmer
I went for a night shot this time and caught it right after the sun had set across the harbour. Evenings provide some of my favourite views here, but they are always more difficult to capture on film.
Betelnut Vendor
Betelnut is big business in PNG; well, perhaps I should say it is a typical business as there is not really much money to be made in it. This guy sits across the street from my apartment. It is his corner, and no one else is allowed there. His name is Floyd, I think, and he is one of the constants in my life here. I used to greet him on a daily basis, but now that I drive to work every day, I don't have an opportunity to. Still, I see him every day that I am at home.
Betelnut, also called "buai" (boo-eye), is a habit-forming stimulant that is available throughout the Pacific. However, I understand there are differences in the way it is chewed in different places. Here, the routine for everyone is much the same.
First, you peel off the outer husk of the nut (with your teeth), pop it in your mouth, and begin to chew it, to soften it up. Next, moisten one of the short, green sticks they call mustard, or "daka", and dip it into the communal container of lime powder. Take this and stick it into the chewy mass in your mouth. Bite it off and begin to work the entire concoction as your chew. As you chew, you will have to spit out the bright red residue that is formed. Typically, the locals spit this anywhere and everywhere.
You can also see three packs of cigarettes laying on the table. Most betelnut vendors sell these as well, one by one, for a few toea each. Although I can't see them from my window, I know from my walks/drives along this short street there are a number of betelnut vendors to be found there. Like it or not, betelnut is definitely a big part of PNG culture.
Expat Living
The apartment I live in in large and comfortable, but also run-down and lacking some amenities. These apartments on the other side of Town are typical expat digs. I've spent several nights parked out on the deck tucked in behind the lower-right building and to the left of the glass-enclosed exercise room. We typically share a meal, drinks, and laughter on breezy evening by the pool, enjoying the view of POM from this perch. How sad that this kind of living cannot be shared by all in POM. My guess is that these apartments run between 8,000 and 12,000 kina per week, which equates to $3,500-$5,000 US, PER WEEK! Glad I know someone with deep pockets (ExxonMobil friends) and twice as glad not to have to spend this kind of money for my own living arrangements.
Lihir Express
The port is a busy place, around the clock, every day. On this day, however, it seemed like the single dock worker (lower left-hand corner) and I were the only two to stop and watch as the Lihir Express backed out of its slip and prepared to leave the harbour.
Flowers for Sunday Service
I caught a glimpse of these three out my window today. It had to be the brightly coloured flowers that caught my eye. From the nicely pressed shirts they were wearing, my guess is that they were headed to church. On the way, the boys stopped and pulled out some string, or perhaps a vine, from the rubbish across the street. They then used this to tie up their bunches of flowers.
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