Camera Lens Effects - at affordable prices

Yesterday - June 21, Sunday, my family and I were celebrating Fathers' Day by going to the Shangri-La mall to have lunch after we wre done attending mass. Of course, there were other ulterior motives for going to the Shang... but they were Barbie's - not mine. Still, I was not one to just leave things as they were - and took the opportunity to look around as well.

Well, while Barbie and Bernice went their respective way (shopping for a gift), Bryce and I decided to window shop in a few of our favorite stores... and one store in particular, Hobes and Landes, offered a great number of novelty items that were also tools for scientific experimenting, however, their costs were - to say the least, worth reconsidering before purchasing - specially when one has the budget that relatively alienates them from getting so many of these gadgets. Some, after all, were trivial - others were simply too extravagantly priced to be considered as practical.

However, there are a few noteworthy items, that at first glance, looked like toys - but toys that can offer a great deal of entertainment and with it, some satisfaction.

I speak of one particular item in the store that helps any amateur photographer be able to experiment with effects that normally demand getting a pricey lens... for example the fish eye effect. Such a lens can give a sphre-like viewpoint to what the camera takes... a nice effect for landscapes - a funny effect when done with people. How much would such a lens cost? Not to mention the cost of the camera that can mount such a lens?

Then, of course, there's this product called 'Illusion lens', a tiny special effects lens, just large enough to connect to a digicam's lens, and small enough to accommodate most cellular phone camera lenses. It's a very simple device, really... it has a lens cover, and when said cover is removed, we expose a sticky gel, that can stick the lens against that of the camera's lens... so when the camera takes it's shots... the resulting images captured reflect the effect... and nice bubble effects, or fish eye pictures, if I say so myself... of course I could be biased.

There are some possible limitations... number one being the lens size... as you can see with the pictures taken, the outer corners have the greenish background, which happens ot be the illusion lens itself. Now maybe I can remove that by properly lacing the lens - or as a last resort, edit them out using either Photoshop or any other editing software, so it's not that big a problem.

Another effect Bryce and I were playing around with was the Starburst effect. Basically, this means having a clearly focused center and having the pictures background starting to become hazy... and rather than trying to describe it, I've also added some additional shots to show everyone the effects that such a lens allows us to play around with.

Our pictures show an interesting concept - like we were using some kind of power to force the effects. Again, I wonder... how much wold such a lens go for?

Well, let me tell you how much these lenses cost... Php200 - that's it. Bargain right? You bet, and the best part of it is there are more effects available.

So what do you think? Care to go to Hobbes and Landes to try these little babies out? I'm sure a lot of photography enthusiasts will find a gazillion flaws - but then again, for the price... I'd now have to say that these special effects are very reachable, and I shall be posting more of these effects, as we use them.

My paradise, lost? (or revisiting Santo Domingo church)

Have you ever been someplace where everything seemed perfect – left it as such, with hopes of returning another day to once again experience the 'idyllic', only to realize that the perfection was more a fluke than a constant?

I guess that’s how I can describe my visit to Santo Domingo church once again. Let me explain…

In a previous blog, I described how ideal Santo Domingo church was to me in terms of peaceful meditation right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city…. well, Quezon City, if you want specifics. That experience led me to believe that if one needed a break from it all – specifically a mental and/or spiritual paradisse in nature, then going to far off places need not be done – as the Santo Domingo church offered all these. In a sense, it still does – but let me explain the difference with this, my second visit, that made my experience less-idyllic when compared to the first.

This visit happened last Friday, June 19 at around fifteen minutes before 1pm. After I had dropped Barbie off (coming from lunch), I had about two to four hours to kill – and naturally, I thought ‘why not spend some time in Santo Domingo again, like I had done before?’ Parking is spacious and free, the place is quiet and peaceful and who knows – I could use it to meditate once again.

So tit came as a surprise to me when – as I entered the parking area, I saw vehicles parked… lots of them. My first reaction was, is there a special occasion? I knew not any holiday of obligation that day, so it could not be such… maybe a wedding? You could say that I was that clueless… the most obvious reason, of course, was the last one I thought of… a regularly scheduled Friday noontime mass (okay – before we continue, yes… I felt like a dunce for not thinking of it).

So my first disappointment came across as, no peaceful place – at least, for now. I was sure that once the mass ended and the people left, said peace and quiet would happen. As I waited in the wing, I decided to take a few pictures – this time, with my digicam. Here’s where my second observation of real vs. ideal intruded upon me… to call them beggars would belabor the obvious – yet, I am reluctant to label them as such. I will instead refer to them as the economically challenged. And at least two of them tried approaching me as I was trying to find said peace and quiet… no, not inside the church, rather, outside… waiting for people as they are about to leave, and hoping to get any semblance of alms.

The problem is, I too can consider myself part of this economically challenged group – of course, roaming around in a car while also holding a digicam is not the typical profile of one such person… and I would say that looks can be deceiving, as I really had no cash to spare… or to be more precise, no cash I was willing to part with that day.

So… my moment was spoiled because even as I refused to give, I felt a twinge of guilt for not helping out – yet in retrospect, are these people really needy? Why not approach the parish for help instead of just ambushing it’s parishioners for alms? Could this be just my cynical side thinking too much? Maybe. Needless to say, the idyllic peace and quiet was tarnished by these incidents.

As I entered, I went to various locations of the church – trying to find both a place of quiet and some cool wind to keep things comfortable; and this was when the third difference sunk in… during my last visit, it was in a window of calm after a storm, with the weather still being overcast with rain clouds. That meant that the church was cooler then - as it was slightly hot now, I could not really find that peaceful interlude… besides, the church’s many doors were still open likewise letting the traffic’s cacophony intrude the quiet stillness now present in the church.

Had I decided to stay a little longer… maybe 30 minutes more, I would guess that the noise would lessen – but the temperature would not be as comfortable as before… and unlike before, I had work to go to that evening, so I was avoiding any activities (or non-activities) where I would perspire… so I simply decided to leave.

That experience made me realize how lucky I was that previous time… how the weather, time and general spontaneity of it all contributed to the idyllic moment I experienced the last time. Will such be repeatable? Sure… it’s possible, but I would have to be in the vicinity, at a time I’ve nothing to do in the evening, at around 2pm – when the regular noontime parishioners would already be gone, when the economically challenged would have no reason to linger, and when the doors that help in keeping the cacophony that is just outside at bay are closed – oh yeah, and when the weather is that perfect coolness of almost – but not, raining.

How often will all these instances align themselves to achieve that idyllic environment again? Who knows? Not impossible, just almost improbable. Too bad… I really did enjoy the experience that last time. Oh well… guess that previous day was arranged for me to be there… and having just returned to see that the conditions of my previous visit were not the norm…but rather a uniquely perfect moment, I better appreciate the my previous visit and God’s hand in it. I mean, who else could make sure all those conditions would be repeated as is?

Making better Mojitos

First of all, let me allay any confusion about my being a bar tender - nope, I am not a bar tender, nor have I ever been one - I have not taken any training for such - though I probably would like to, still, for the benefit of this blog, I'm sorry to say that this will just be a purely amateurish viewpoint.

Having said that (and set aside the important caveat, let me mention that I am a relatively observant person - and I have observed some bar tenders practicing their wares, in the past... and I can say that I've observed them, at least several times, when it came to making certain drinks, enough to get some things right (like properly preparing the drink called a "Blow Job"). I was able to do this because i normally stay by the bar whenever I go to such places... normally striking up a conversation with the man behind the bar.

Besides, aside from first-hand observation, there are a lot of cocktail mixing books... so anyone can start mixing drinks or cocktails... albeit with a few failed mixes along the way. I know I have at least three of them - for cross reference purposes... and in case two have a discrepancy, then hopefully the 3rd will be a tie-breaker.

That aside, the drink I would like to focus on right now, is one that a few friends and I have constantly concocted whenever we have a get together in my place at least once a month... a practice that seemed to have begun December last year (2008). It has become so regular a practice, that we've even adapted the drink's brand as description of - or a way of labeling the drink we all seem to enjoy in these evening... the Bacardi nights, and the drink that we normally enjoy in each of those nights? - the Mojitos.

Creating the Mojitos is not that hard - in fact, anyone who wishes to learn about the famous drink can visit the Bacardi web page, ( www.bacardi.com )and find instructions on how to make Mojitos - both for a glass or for a pitcher. There are at least three other cocktail drink instructions available in the Bacardi website, but I believe the Mojitos is the most popular amongst them... my opinion, of course.

For the benefit of this article, let me give a quick low down on how to make Mojitos - you'll need the following: Bacardi Rhum (white), sugar, mint leaves, soda or carbonated water, lime. The preparation of such a drink starts with the need to muddle some mint leaves with a pestle (the Bacardi web site even suggests to use 12 mint leaves) with half a spoonful of sugar and half a piece of lime (said half piece being the slice of lime - or lemon, that you normally see garnishing cocktails).

The relatively crushed mint leaves, sugar and lime piece's juices are then mixed with one part (shot glass) of Bacardi and three parts carbonated water. Transfer to a glass with ice and garnish with more mint leaves... and there you have it - a glass of Mojitos, as suggested by Bacardi.

But if we simply followed the Bacardi suggestion, this article would be done.

So how did the impetus to seek improvements to the Mojitos drink come about?

Simple... at times we searched for ways to make the drink easier to prepare - I mean, if you'll be tending bar, it does take time to muddle the ingredients, so there had to be a better, easier and yes... faster way to do this and we did discover one - which I'll get back to in a while. Another reason was simpler - that being the unavailability of Bacardi white... so naturally the need to replace it with something else. In this case, Bacardi Oro.

Now I'm about to share what is relatively six months of trial and error by our resident Mojitos maker – Jingo, as he (and I) experimented with what we had when it comes to making our Mojitos... if in case this article inspires your curiosity and you happen to try our concoction out - well then good, this article's 'raison de etre' has been reached. Likewise, if you do experiment, and stumble upon a 'better' Mojitos - well then please let me know... okay? Great!

So... concern one - how to make preparations easier and faster? Here's what we tried. It takes time to muddle with a pestle – about two to three minutes (a rough approximation) and it does take some effort whenever a new pitcher is to be made – forget doing it on a per glass basis, that’s just too much work. So I thought… what can replace the mint leaves? Obviously it would have to be something minty.

Option 1) I found a possible solution – thick mint sauce, courtesy of Fountain (the brand). It was basically made of glucose and had floating mint leaves in it – definitely promising. This little experiment, I’m glad to say, was a resounding success – so if you stumble upon Fountain’s thick mint… I suggest getting it and trying it out.

Slight problem, though… it seems that this product is rarely found – and be careful, Fountain has another mint sauce… one it uses for salads, and is vinegar-based. Definitely not for Mojitos use. The main difference is the latter is just called Mint sauce… as opposed to Thick Mint sauce, which is the one you’ll want to use.

Problem number two – assuming you do find the product… It’s sweeten and mint to taste, and each pitcher consumes roughly a third of the Fountain thick mint sauce from our perspective – and I guess you could say that with convenience comes a price. Each Fountain Thick Sauce bottle costs roughly Php180, making each pitcher consume roughly Php60 per mixture.

Compare that to a pack of mint leaves costing about Php40, which can be used for around 10 pitchers easily… and you get the picture. I won’t even go into how much additional cost sugar is… lets just say that the mint leaves and sugar won’t reach Php60 per pitcher. But if you don’t bother with the economics, then this is one viable option.

Oh yeah, one other advantage with this is that while drinking your regular Mojitos, there is the tendency to have the mint leaves enter your mouth. Unless you’re the type who swallows the mint leaves, I’m guessing another minor hassle is the need to remove the mint leaves from your mouth or your glass. Like I said, a minor distraction – one which this option definitely removes, as it’s mint leaves are cut to tidbit sizes, hence definitely easy to drink – no need to awkwardly remove from one’s mouth.

Option 2) Jingo tried placing mint in boiled water in an attempt (some would say desperate attempt) to replicate the thick mint sauce – to make things easier too, we added the sugar into the water. Result? Well, maybe we didn’t get things down pat – but it did not taste that minty… though there was some mint taste, but the sweetness was there. Should we try replicating this again, maybe we’d do the syrup effect first then add the mint leaves later – but really… we were just putting the muddling effort ahead of the mixture – but not eliminating it, so it really wasn’t the answer. I’m no chemist, but I guess something changed from the mint’s state when boiled – it did not taste as fresh… so although it was useable, it did not make for better Mojitos.

Option 3) The use of mint syrup. Again, this was not thoroughly explored – since we were just limited to one mint syrup and I can’t say it was a success… however, it could have been because we got the wrong mint syrup - I got peppermint, and our Mojitos that evening tasted of… well, toothpaste.,, and toothpaste with Rhum do not a good Mojitos make. I drank some, but did not really enjoy the mixture – so scratch that one. Again, I may revisit this option – but it had better not be peppermint. By the way… we were contemplating on using Mint liqueur as an option – but were reluctant to further spike our Mojitos by adding the liqueur… but who knows?

End result? Nothing beats the real deal… so Jingo and I – together with our friendly Mojitos consumers, decided to stick to mint leaves and muddling – after all, the fresh taste of the Mojitos and the fresh feeling we get while drinking them do come from the fresh mint leaves freshly muddled.

Next, we’ll discuss the better sugar and Rhum to use.

Question: :Is Bacardi white the best Rhum to use? How about the Oro? Is there a difference? I’d have to say yes. Now, I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I think the Oro version has slightly more kick than the white (or clear) version. It just so happens that Mojitos are known to be a clear drink – but it does not have to be. Heck… being a Filipino, I don’t mind my Mojitos browning… or turning golden in hue.

How did this discovery come about? By accident… honest. There came a day (probably during the holiday season) when stores ran out of Bacardi white… so not wanting to miss out on Mojitos, we decided to go with the Oro version – and to our surprise, we had great Mojitos. We actually preferred Oro over white ever since. And while we’re at the topic of brown versus white… let me also warn everyone about mixing white and oro in one evening.

You see, one of the good things of having Mojitos is experiencing the day after – no hangover whatsoever. Even if you did not drink moderately, come next day, the worst one can experience is a good buzz – but no headache. Somehow, when you mix Oro and White, the ‘punch’ seems stronger… and yes, the buzz seems to linger longer. Now if that’s your trip then you’re welcome. If not – then let white be used one evening and Oro another… but don’t mix your Bacardi Rhums – strange but true… at least, far as I can recall.

Next question: Is there a better type of sugar to be used with your Bacardi? Apparently, yes there is.

This last Bacardi night (June 5), we were not as organized as we wanted to be – the result of moving the drinking night one night ahead of schedule… and said date being the day itself. It was a friend’s request, and since we were all available later in the evening, we said ‘why not?’

That said, when we were in the process of muddling and needed the sugar – we just then realized that we had no more sugar. Now, it would not be much of a hassle to go out and buy sugar at the nearby store – did I mention that we were experiencing heavy rain that night? I guess I forgot to… but yes, it was pouring hard that night. But like I said, no sacrifice was too great for Mojitos… but wait… we did have sugar – though the unrefined version – otherwise known as Muscovado.

Once again, Jingo and I were in that ‘do we, or don’t we’ mode? In this case, it was to use Muscovado instead of refined sugar, or not?’ Muscovado, after all is still sugar –albeit a less refined version… but in the process – and this is according to Jingo, who’s opinion I trust in health matters – him being a registered nurse, after all… the Muscovado happened to be a healthier option. But, of course, we did not just jump into the fray… having learned from many experiments, we tried a glass of the Mojitos using Muscovado before committing to pitcher mode – and it did taste good… so Muscovado it was.

Now, if you know your Muscovado, you’ll know that using this type of sugar tends to turn things brown – but since we use Oro anyway, we did not mind the brown color. Okay… it wasn’t really brown as in chocolate brown, rather it gave a golden color – as opposed to the light amber color that the Oro gives when diluted with the carbonized water. Since I, too, am used to taking beer – our Mojitos that evening just looked like beer in pitchers – well, beer with mint leaves anyway.

For the carbonated water, there are many options to choose from – even those with fruity taste are acceptable. Personally, we use Zero Cal (for their purported zero calories) which comes with a few flavors. I’m partial to the citrus flavored ones, while Jingo likes the one with a Watermelon taste. Either way, it’s a great mixer to the Mojitos. If you can’t find them, your typical softdrinks (7-up or Sprite) will do just as well.

Last, but not the least – the lime. It’s hard to find lime in the Philippines, in that nto all your neighborhood stores keep them in stock – but they do keep lime juice in stock, as it seems to be a popular mixer to a local brand of Gin for the more labor-intensive folks, not just for the taste, but for the affordability. Well, apparently, they knew a good thing – and Jingo tried using Lime juice as replacement for your lime slices – with great tasting results.

Bottom line for me here is if you want to try a different way of making Mojitos – which I would like to refer to as the Manila version of Mojitos, try it with Bacardi Oro (instead of white) and Muscovado (instead of refined sugar).

But if you’re a Mojitos purist and prefer your Mojitos clear, then there’s nothing wrong with that – just keep with the tried and tested route.

By the way, whether you’re mixing the brownish or clear version, please use fresh mint leaves – unless you’d like to try the Fountain Thick Mint Sauce – assuming you can find it. But as I said earlier, having the fresh mint leaves does give the Mojitos a really refreshing taste – whether in a hot and humid night, or a rainy and windy one.

So here’s to the Mojitos – cheers!

Credit where credit is due... I would like to thank my friend and drinking buddy, Brian, for the pictures he took that night with his Canon DSLR.

Oh yeah, a bit of public service here...

We can enjoy our drinks, but if we need to travel after our night of drinks, please make sure to have designated sober drivers. I cannot emphasize that enough. Thankfully, our group has not had any bad experiences regarding drinking and driving - related accidents – but we don’t want to push our luck either… and neither should you.

Please don't drink and drive.

A Spiritual Pause in the middle of the Metro

This afternoon (of June 5, 2009), I did something I never did before... or at least hd not done in a long… long time. What may that be? Simple, I entered a church – and not just any church, mind you – but Santo Domingo Church to just sit down, relfect and - you could say, reflect / connect with God. Was this a planned visit? Nope, not really. Circumstances just brought me here – now isn’t that great?

“What’s so great about visiting a church” one might ask? Simple, I was able to find a very quiet and peaceful sanctuary amidst the hustle and bustle of the Metro – and I did not have to go to a Spa or drive for hours away from said Metro to escape to a beach resort. I had time to spare, was in the neighborhood, simply went inside Santo Domingo... and realized how peaceful it was.

Okay, so I’m starting this at the middle – let me backtrack to explain how I ended up here. It happened to be a day when I had to accompany Barbie to a training she had scheduled – by that, I mean she happens to be the speaker/resource person. This particular training was happening in Quezon City, specifically near the Banaue and Quezon Avenue area, for those of you familiar with the place - you would know that this place is a very busy place in terms of traffic.

Now, since she can’t drive yet, and she needed to get to the location – after which, when said training was done, she would need to get out from said location… I had to drive for her. This is, I’m not too familiar with said place, though it is located along Quezon Avenue, which means I had a general idea of how to get there.

As I said earlier, this is a very busy place - that means that there would be a great many public transportation option available to Barbie – though whether she could get one fast was still a question to be answered. As I was driving for her, she need not have had to think about all these; besides, I was around and had nothings scheduled that day, so off we went.

Now the question was… what do I do while she’s busy? I basically had to wait for four hours. The natural tendency would be to look for a fast food, preferably, one that wasn’t too noisy, and hopefully, one with WiFi so I could use my laptop and surf the net. But not being familiar to the place (I said that, right?), I did not know where the closest Starbucks or Seattle’s Best was, relative to where I brought Barbie.

So I did what most red-blooded Filipino male would do – drive around and seek said places (asking directions being so... uncool). Not that I did not know where certain Starbucks were – but I did not want to be far from Barbie’s location either.

Well… after a few rounds around the block in search of such a place – likewise getting the ley of the land, I could not find any of these coffee shops. I did see one or two - but aside from the fact that they were not well recognized brands, parking was tricky and a challenge to find… it being relatively lunchtime by then.

Then I thought, hey… since Santo Domingo was just near, why not stop there – at least, I was assured of having parking… after all, who would crowd into a church yard when there were no scheduled masses? And so I maneuvered to Santo Domingo church’s parking, entered and parked = after all, I could plan my next moves while in said parking location.

I also had a secondary reason for this... Banaue has a 'not too safe for cars' reputation - whether unfair or well deserves, I did not bother to consider such merits. I was just worried enough to not want to park anywhere near Banaue lest I lose one or both side mirrors. I thought, it would really be a brazen move should someone try to target me car while parked in the Santo Domingo church parking lot, and was banking on that point of safety when I was parking.

Soon as I entered and parked, I struck a mini-conversation with the parking attendant who without knowing, gave me information I had suspected a while ago… see, the rain had been heavy the past two – maybe three nights, and with these rains came flash floods… and as I looked around while driving, I could not help but notice that many establishments had their businesses raised in relation with the roads – which to me meant that these places experienced floods. Lucky for me, it was a sunny day today – in contrast to days gone by – sunny, yet windy… which meant the noontime sun’s heat was hardly felt. So, it looks like no rain today, or at least, not in the same volume – and with that, no floods. Good.

It was then that I proceeded to the church. I mean, I could not recall if I had visited Santo Domingo before - for sure, I did, but it wasn't really for spiritual reasons - rather more political. After all, Santo Domingo seemed a focal point for popular political uprisings... among others, it was where Ninoy Aquino's funeral mass was held, it was where many thanksgiving masses by Cory Aquino were mostly held. So it was not just the religious significance that caught my curiosity, but the historical implications of the location as well.

I entered through the front, and as I did, I immediately noticed the vastness of the church – it was indeed long, large and wide. It was also very quiet – with a scattering of devotees in it’s pews. I proceeded to it’s midpoint, found a relatively windy spot, near one of the church's side entrances, and sat down.

Now, as I said, I had not done this in a long time… in fact, I could recall visiting our school chapel ever so often while I was in Grade (primary and intermediate) School, maybe not as much in High School, and hardly at all in College. Apparently there seemed to be a progression of less visits – though I would be quick to say, I did go to mass almost religiously… meaning I never skipped a Sunday, though I might have skipped the Holidays of obligations. I guess, it simply meant that as I grew older, I 'needed' to visit less often.

Going back to Santo Domingo… as I sat, I started meditating about how my life was… realizing or reminding myself of a few personal goals not being met. As they are rather personal, I’ll just keep them vague here, and just continue… So I was meditating… I then knelt down and started praying/communicating (with God of course), and the very first thing I said was “Thank You…” I thanked God for letting me discover this place of peace and quiet… where i was seated, I could not hear the outside traffic of cars, buses and jeepneys jockeying for position in Quezon Avenue – it was really quiet, and I could actually concentrate / meditate.

I literally poured out my heart… (mentally, of course) and actually had a few tears rolling down my cheeks as I did so. Yes, it was that serious. I, of course, prayed for a better life, and then thanked him for what I had, the things I was doing right - and one more time before I got up, I thanked God again for this unplanned, very peaceful visit.

Now, this was not a short meditation either. I’m not one to kneel too long – after all, it’s not the most comfortable position I know… but I believe – that very afternoon, I cold have knelt for an hour or more – if needed. That said, I think I was kneeling for about 20 to 30 minutes… long in my book, trust me on that. So why was I able to do just that? Again, I would have to point to the environment of peace, comfort and yes… even with little people around, the spirituality that I could feel in the place.

Now, maybe it was just because I did not do such a thing for a long time, that I might have been very recipient of the surrounding… but I had gone to visit the Greenhills shopping center chapel last weekend during a non-mass moment – so I don’t think it was due to any length of time for not having visited a chapel or church.

Maybe it was, indeed, Santo Domingo church – I mean, the fact that this was a historic church in our not too long political landscape, was not lost to me either. This was, after all the favorite gathering of Cory Aquino, Cardinal Sin and many more dignitaries… you know, the states-people type, not the traditional politicians (or trapos for short). I was probably feeling the vibe of such a place having been an important part fo recent history. Maybe if I stayed long enough I would feel the same passion and commitment these people had - by tapping into the same spiritual font of strength that they had tapped.

I could have stayed much longer, but decided I wanted to look around some more.

I then visited the adoration chapel, prayed a bit – then decided htat this wasn't a daily occurrence, and had to write about this experience, to then be shared later in my blogs. Should you be reading these words now, you know I did just that.

So that’s basically it. I found a place to pause - even if just for a while. A place where I needed to commune, to re-energize, to reassess. Oh yeah… and I’ve actually eaten up almost two hours just visiting Santo Domingo.

I'm currently by the side garden as I type this article - sweating a bit due to the weather – though it seems that even that little problem is being addressed by the shower I now see, feel (laptop is relatively safe – for now) and smell (the wet grass – that is).

Should I do this again? Meaning the visit and spiritual renewal? Definitely… though it may not necessarily be in Santo Domingo, but the meditation, reflection and communication did help. Like a Spa, I felt a renewal, or replenishment of my spiritual self… maybe more so than going to mass at times – which may tend to be crowded, noisy and less spiritual as we’d like it to be. Not that I’m advocating stopping people from going to mass – no way… I’m just saying that I rarely found churches this peaceful, and it was a very welcome pause from all the hustles of city living.

In movies, I wonder why there are some people who go to visit the church when there was no mass – and I normally related these people with the desperate… those really in need, due to a crisis or an illness. Well… this afternoon’s experience was an eye-opener. Not everyone need go just because of trouble – but it is a nice place to hang… maybe there are no parlors, no fast foods, no movie or game joint… but if there were, then the peace I felt – the one I liked – the one that let me commune… that would not have been there.

Oh boy… now were really seeing rain – hope it does not last too long. I’m ending this now – not for fear of flooding… nah. It’s because I’ve said what I had to say.

Now I’m energized… until the next time. Oh, and try it some time too. Just visit - specially if you feel the need to get away from it all. You need not get away too far. Go visit your church, or any church for that matter. Give God some time for a one-on-one with you. Who knows? You could find that 'peace' too.

By the way, pictures here are courtesy of my Nokia N70, since I had not brought my Canon Camera... not bad either. Imagine that, I can literally blog on the go wiht just my notebook and cell phone.

How do they do it?

As I surf the net, once in a while I come across blogs of friends or future friends, and the first thing I notice is how great looking their site is. A definite far cry from basic Blogger or Wordpress templates at that (though I should be honest that the Wordpress templates seem a whole lot more artistic)... and the differences are just too glaring when I hop from their site to mine.

So as I said earlier, how do they do it> Are there HTML codes and commands I have to recall? Java scripts I have to collect? What should I do to make my sites look more... well, artistic and professional yet aesthetically sound?

I don't mind reading and learning... but I do want a road map. What should I do to shift from default template user to a more versatile, power user. Suggestions are most welcome.