Alexander 6, V21.

A sort of a busy day. Working in the lab a bit and opening the labs myself since the janitors are in strike as I heard. To tell the truth, I'm happy for that. One day without looking at the janitor! Woho!
In order to help my friend, I went on roaming the place first thing I came here, before even connecting my laptop to the net as usual or anything. I got my camera bag and connected the camera already before going into the building and carried the bag just if it was a normal student's bag or case. I went over the ground floor, then up to the first floor into some classes to take pics. Well, despite the fact that I didn't take the tripod with me, but I couldn't resist the urge to take panoramas standing up with a shaky hands, and hence, the aperture size was to be maximum (f-number is low). I think it was f4.5. Not only this will give me a faster shutter speed and compensate for my hand shake, but also it would be better for a faster job on location. Without any doubt, the shoot was run for HDR. If HDR compositing was not feasable because of some shake, at least I would be able to pick up a suitable one from the different 3 exposures. When HDR is made up, that would be extremely fine, since I can control the contrast and the light level in various areas, or even just hit the Photomatix and give out some magic.
I made out some experiments with the pictures taken yesterday from here, and I was just AMAZED for the level of noise and spots on the images when I started to tone-map! The cleaning kit and the whole shipment in the DHL arrived, but is not released yet as per writing this. I hope it wouldn't reach my Judgement Day to see the shipment released!

I've suggested to my director that we might print out something as a gift for the German ambassador. Although I feel a bit awkward and not in mood for any public show off or any formal meetings, but I felt the urge to do this. Don't ask me why, but it is something kicking from the inside and tells me to do something. The choice fell maybe between 2 images; our building, or a picture of our biggest lab...

Printing out these should be done the right way now. Converting to CMYK, correcting the color shifts and then print. It's not going to be an easy task to compensate for the loss of some colors I would say. I heard that correcting the colors under CMYK is a hard task indeed. I shall experiment with that soon as I go back home, and this time I have to do it on my own expense as well, and no time for any excuses or delays. The visit is scheduled for next Wednesday, and it is Monday here already. I would wish if I would think of days coming so fast like this when it comes to my weekend plans!

__________
481. Alexander asked the huge man in a hurry
482. "Ayvar! you know them? where they are?"
483. the man smiled slowly and calmly then said
484. "O good king, we are verily said to be their children,
485. but I do not know anything about their places,
486. and I do not know if they existed even,
487. but for long time, other tribes used to call us like that,
488. children of the Ayvar, and who speaks almost like us,
489. are called the ayvaric children of the deserts,
490. I apology if my knowledge is not what you are seeking!"
491. then Alexander remembered why he came here in the beginning
492. and said to the huge man: I came here to see a man of wisdom
493. and the huge man answered: this is verily not me I suppose!
494. we are the children of the desert take care of days when they come
495. but we worry not about the upcoming future!
496. then Alexander said: the man I am seeking is named Ázilis
497. do you happen to know him O good man?
498. the huge man was surprised and said in a slow speech
499. "Yes O good king, he is our wise man and our guide,
500. but it might be hard to speak to him at the moment,
501. or you might not be able to talk to him so soon"
502. Alexander asked in a questioning tone thereafter
503. "Why is it so O good man?"
504. and the huge man replied: because he is dying

Alexander 6, V18.

After a sickening day, I really can't imagine myself back home yesterday and STAYING awake until almost 12 a.m.. Jams, jams, jams, they were every where! After heading back home I had a gush of blood going out from my nose for some time, and I think it's all related to the high blood pressure.
 According to the agenda, where some astronomical data are given, there is supposedly a nice view in the sky for the crescent pointing upward (i.e. like a U), and Venus should be to the south of it. The observation takes place at the time of the setting of the sun, thus, it is a job for a super "fat" hero like me to go up to the roof again today. Let's hope this day passes with easiness and I can get back home with a sound mind and muscles. I will try to catch the scene with my simple telephoto (55-200mm).

I have some screwing up at work. The German ambassador is visiting us, and you can imagine all the type of fuss that will go around by next week. Also, in such a day I think no more transliteration work would be suitable at all. I have to get into one of my suits as well. I think my life shall be paralyzed. Not that it bears much important things as I go almost through the same routine every day, but the fact that I have to be formal and bear the consequences of every movement possible in front of the guests is just an idea that I can't bear within my "small" mind. I would prefer if they told me "please bring your camera to snap the ambassador," I think that would be a much greater idea. Needless to say also, how much security procedures will go on. My office is a mess here (just like any bachelor guy), and that should be soon fixed before their coming next Wednesday. One of my professors will be there as well and he knows that I used to learn some German, I just hope he won't press on me with that topic, as I've forgot a lot of my German language skills really!

Today, I thought of another change to the way I transliterate the Ayvarith text, and this time, it has nothing to do with the letters or phonemes, but with the way I should write down the prepositions (some of them). I've noticed myself that I tend to write some prepositions, when connected to small words, that I use the hyphens "-" or I just stick it to the word as one thing (like how it appears in the Ayvarith text itself).
going through it, and of course lot of the texts that I've made awould require such fix, but all might come later anyway as it is not a big issue for the time being. I made out a certain rule that I will try to follow for the next period of transliterating.
The rule is that, when the word, the transliterated word, is less than 4 letters in length, then the preposition before this word (in case of any) shall be sticked without a hyphen and become like one word, with keeping the letter that signified the beginning of the word capital. Example for that would be like this:
1. Because of: (old) li-kay, (new) liKay.
2. In something: (old) ba-mší, (new) baMší.
3. Like (similar to) him: (old) ka-hú, (new) kaHú.
4. Why: (old) li-maz, (new) liMaz.

Some exclusions are there, like "and" (vi) which is not a preposition in fact but I was thinking seriously about it because it is also a short prefix that come before words in Ayvarith. However, I shall leave it as it is. Some other prepositions are not to be touched, like "on" (ąél) and "to" (él). They are already separate in Ayvarith and no need to stick them already. The first goal was, when the hyphen was added, is that when a person reads the Ayvarith text and its transliteration, a reader would understand that this is a preposition and not part of the word. Now and in order to occupy less space, it is better to remove the hyphens a bit I presume, except for "and" which will remain as it is.

Trying to keep busy with something, I pickd my camera downstairs and I tried to catch something. Nothing was good or better than trying to find a suitable eye and a suitable position. In fact it was so hard to do this with my 18-55mm lens, but well, it did some nice job after all I guess. I took a self picture for my own eyes and in FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing), and I snapped my sister's as well in the same way. I can't probably post her eye's image here (I didn't get her permission) but well, I can post mine I suppose.

The image here had been tone-mapped in a hasty manner of course, but I like the "were-wolf" look to it. At home, however, I'm still working on more of a "regular" version of the image (i.e. RAW image file editing). With no tone-mapping. Might post it here later on.

I think I'm going to kill one of the janitors...

Happy St Patrick Day

Lá Pádraig Shona Duit

***

_________
409. Ikilis thought for some moments and then said
410. "in the old papers that my ancestors kept,
411. there is one line I do remember clearly,
412. it was a weird line but it could be useful to you"
413. and the hero asked about the line like a hungry man
414. and Ikilis replied: "when the full moon over Daynur,
415. becomes reddish in its light and hue,
416. then watch the shake of Uhir Daynur,
417. it is then you will have the Ayvar bless"
418. Ikilis went silent and Alexander as well
419. then Alexander watched the setting sun in the horizon
420. and looked back at Ikilis and said: any ideas?
421. thus Ikilis replied: maybe I have one idea but not very useful,
422. if you are able to set a journey to the east,
423. where the nomads of Beten Yamta live,
424. just between the two waters of middle Daynur,
425. an old friend of mine lived there for a long time,
426. but I cannot say he is alive still,
427. he was a wise man more than myself,
428. and he joined the nomads to study them,
429. go there and ask for Ázilis if you will
430. and the speech of Ikilis was over
431. and the hero prepared for the next journey
432. between the two waters, to Beten Yamta