Photoblog - day 69, Jun 18, 2010

Dream Hunters:

This is Sandman: Dream Hunters... a comic book/graphic novel by Neil Gaiman revolving around Japanese culture and how Morpheus a.k.a. Dream of the Endless ventures to such a land.

What's so different about this Graphic Novel is how I came about it - you see, it was a prize at a raffle conducted in honor of Gaiman's visit to the Philippines some time... oh... last summer (or was it earlier). Anyway, i got to join this raffle by buying a Gaiman novel - Coraline, I believe (I was actually choosing between Coraline or Dream Hunters - but chose the former, as it was cheaper - and hoped to pique Bernice's curiosity to read it)... I then filled up the raffle stub in the Fully Booked, Greenbelt branch.

Time pased, I soon forgot this raffle - I was obviously not putting any high hopes in winning... Gaiman came and went, and I hardly had time to even plan to go to the events he was a part of... near impossible since it was a week day.

Still, I was apparently chosen and they called me, since for some reason, they could not contact me by email - and I even had some difficulty claiming this prize seeing as I lost the claim stub (I swear I saw it a week before they called), so I had to wait another two months before claiming it with a letter explaining I lost the stub. All's well that ends well - and I would like to naturally thank Fully Booked for the prize.

Photoblog - day 68, Jun 17, 2010

Back to School...

This week also saw the start of school year 2010-2011, and naturally, Bryce and Bernice had to join the millions of students who saw themselves returning to their alma maters. It also meant the resumption of having to sleep - and wake up real early for the two... since they would have to be ready for the school bus.

What's different about this particular year? For one, it's Bernice's freshman year in High School... while it's Bryce's Senior year (also in high school). My how time seems to fly, huh?

Photoblog - day 67, Jun 16, 2010

Creative side to Leadership:

This shows the final 'fun' output of my most recent Leadership Workshop - and the keen eyed, and knowledgeable person would easily discern from the symbols in these 'magazine covers' that we discussed topics from John Beck's 'The Leader's Window' - as suggested (or represented) by the group interpretations of 'lessons learned' from our workshop.

These magazines are actually on top of a drawing of the L4 quadrants that I asked my participants to write their names on upon considering which leadership quadrant they saw themselves working or using as in 'default mode'.

This workshop lasted two days and I was glad to know that even though I had not been given this particular training for nearly six months (at least, it feels that way to me), I still had the lessons, messages and stock knowledge of the topics internalized (look ma... no notes at all - he he he) My participants had fun - I had fun... oh yeah, and we welcomed back AM and PM snacks too.

Photoblog - day 66, Jun 15, 2010

Guitar Hero Wanna-be:

This is Liza, a friend of my sister Bing - and she normally visits us when she acts as courier for my mom in Batangas - in this case, it was about a bank card she had to give me and then get back. My kids naturally have taken to calling her Tita Liza.

That aside, this particular say, Bryce lets her try out a few... okay, one song in Guitar Hero... how do I describe the results? I guess I can sum it all up to what I said that night as I observed her play. She was thinking too much, and was lucky to successfully follow a stanza. I would even venture to say that she takes after Guitar Hero like a fish out of water -I'm not mean, mind you... it was that bad.

Still, trooper as she is (notice the smile on her face?)... she continued on until she showed obvious signs of marked improvements (almost finishing a stanza), and maybe - just maybe, if she keeps it up - she'll finally get a song done before the year ends. Needless to say, we all had a few grimacing moments - but lots of laughs (including her) at her seeming misfortunes of playing - or should I say, agonizing through Guitar Hero. Hmmm... can't wait to see how Bing will fare with this as well - that is, when she comes down.

In the mean time, hang in there 'Tita Liza", it doesn't matter how many times you fumble or fall - what matters is you continue trying it out, until you get it right through your perseverance... and self-depreciating humor will definitely help too.

Photoblog - day 65 Jun 14, 2010

Summer leaves:

This was just one of several pictures I took when I was visiting and admiring the La Salle Damarinas (I can't seem to get the 'n-ye' symbol on my laptop keyboard - I wonder why) campus.

Looks like taking macro shots is almost second nature to my camera - the focus on the foreground leaves were great and the background - as obviously seen, is happily blurry. I also tweaked the picture a bit in Photoshop, enhancing the colors and darkening the hues to make the foreground stand out.

Photoblog - day 64, Jun 13, 2010

New Chapel:

This is the new Two Hearts Chapel found in the De La Salle Medical Center - I saw it as I was walking the grounds admiring the campus/hospital.

What struck me was the design - very elegant... yet simple; nothing too ostentatious or overboard - it really had a comfortable feel... even during 12 noon - while the outside temperature was very hot. What also caught my attention was how the crucifix was positioned against glass - some of them colored... and beyond the glass was a garden, further adding to the ambiance of the chapel. I can imagine a few patients wanting to stay in the chapel - both for it's serenity, and it's peaceful nature... not to mention it's seeming harmonizing with nature.

I guess, I was lucky to chance upon the chapel while it was almost empty - I mean, save for a trio of worshipers praying their novena, the chapel was deserted (though regular Sunday mass is scheduled in the morning and in the evening). I said short prayer for my Father-in-law, who was the reason for my being in Dasmarinas, Cavite that morning - then just had to take pictures of the chapel.

Photoblog - day 63, Jun 12 2010

Check-up and Flu shots:

In Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Greenhills, Dr. Joseph Regalado holds office for his patients... usually catering to children; he is a Pediatrician after all - and has been doing this for at least 15 years, his being the family pediatrician since... well, since Bryce was born. IT was here where we found ourselves a little after lunchtime.

Doctor Tito Joe as he would like to be called by his wards - has a very family-oriented, child-friendly manner and this is what makes him very popular to the parents... if not the children. This is also why we visit him at least once year, to have the kids vaccinations updated - plus the usual pep talk and vitamins changes all those years.

Today was more of the same - the first for this year... and aside from this, we also decided to have him administer our flu shots. So now we're better protected from the Flu - including the dreaded, though seemingly harmless (at least in the Philippines) AH1N1 strain. But even if it seemed to be harmless - it's still better to be safe than sorry.

But as I was saying, Dr. Regalado has that magic touch and personal touch that can't help but put the children at ease - and he does have ready pearls of wisdom for both children and parents alike. He embodies one of those client-value type personalities... one that makes you not mind paying a little extra, nor having to endure long wait list lines (at times lasting as long as two hours).

Photoblog - day 62, Jun 11 2010

Grilla's mascot:

Near our place of work... at least, one of them - we; that is, my colleagues in training and I, have a place we tend to frequent on Friday nights... the place is called Grilla - a play with the words grill and gorilla, of course.

Well. it so happens that Grilla has a mascot - a stuffed Gorilla costume, hanging above the place's basement, just like a gorilla probably would. It's eye level to people sitting at the ground area - where we happened to be at, this particular day.

Sometimes we stay long... and discuss the days that passed - sometimes, like tonight, we just stay long enough to await the number coding scheme's lifting at 7pm... and wouldn't you know it... at least three of us have the same number coding scheme situation every Friday - now if that isn't a formula for a regular drinking night every Friday, I wouldn't know what is.

Photoblog - day 61, Jun 10 2010

Experimenting with ISO settings:

One of the great mysteries of photography is what we refer to as ISO settings - and it was just recently that I got a feel for how to use this still mysterious capability to add different effects to my pictures.

This shows different people in a mall - some standing still, thus looking clearer in the picture - as against those walking by... thus having a blurred look. Some time soon, I shall try to have a picture with more ISO experiments - I hope to be able to capture moving items with more clarity... and at times, show blurred items specially in an evening shot.

Photoblog - day 60, Jun 9 2010

Rings

Yeah, yeah... they're not real rings - but then again, if they were the real things - I'd be in deep trouble just having them around (except for the Green one that is... and maybe the Blue one too).

Yup! These are the Lantern rings - in fact, the white one is the latest in the sudden rainbow of colors representing the different Corps of space armies in the DC Universe.

To add some dramatic background to the set of geek collectibles (yes... I'm a geek, so sue me) I placed the coffee table book "Rough Justice - the DC comics sketches of Alex Ross" and yes, that looks like an angry Superman charging forward, as painted by said Alex Ross, who to me is the best artist for comic books these days.

Photoblog - day 59, Jun 8 2010

My new BlackBerry:

This is my new phone - a BlackBerry Curve; and with it I join the 'always' online world - well, not really always, since I don't find the need to be online 24/7 - I'll be more in 'every other day' online mode with this.

How'd I get this? Simple... my old reliable phone was not so reliable anymore - it being almost 4 years old and all - but still useful, so long as you didn't mind the battery conking out every now and then. Long story short, Barbie did mind... and so got me the phone. I had the option to choose between this baby or a Nokia N92 - and since I've had Nokias all my cell phone life, I opted for something different. Besides, it was an advanced anniversary gift from her... me? I got her a wireless mouse (exactly like mine) - good for presentations, and a very portable hard drive to back up her office files.

How is the BlackBerry so far? well... I'm still adjusting to the qwerty pad - then again, I'd be adjusting to the same with the Nokia, and I may have sacrificed some mega-pixels in the process by way of the Nokia's camera; then again, I've a DSLR camera, so I don't really care about another one. The BlackBerry seemingly allows more flexibility online - for example, I can get my email, Facebook, Twitter and other sites... and since Barbie and Dict (my brother-in-law) already have BlackBerrys, we could do BlackBerry chats - so there you have it.

Photoblog - day 58, Jun 7 2010

True Believer or Fashion Statement?

Let's face it... any chance I get to wear my favorite heroes, you bet I will! In this case though, the team in the t-shirt are the New Avengers... an offshoot of the Avengers team as scripted by a writer who seems to have great ideas - but relatively poor follow through.

But this isn't about the story - the t-shirt just proudly sports the heroes I like... and the art here is great - in fact, it's definitely great enough to wear... and that is what I'm doing.

So am I a true believer of the team? Sure I am... and is this a fashion statement? I don't really care for fashion statements - if I like it, and if it's comfortable, I'd wear it... simple as that. Besides... with the way it's designed, the art simply hides my love handles (he he he), and what's not to love about that? Personally, I would have wanted the design a little higher, though. It would have possible - just possibly - afforded more art.

Oh yeah... this is my official picture for June.

Photoblog - day 57, Jun 6 2010

Look!... It glows!

Meet my new toy. I really needed to replace the keyboard of my computer located downstairs... for one, it was mysteriously not allowing the input of the numbers atop the letters - in other words... had it not been for the keypad, such numbers would be incapably entered - bad news to me, since my email address had a combination of letters and numbers... not to mention my password being in the same situation too.

Then there's the non-responsiveness of the '@' key as well - and to make matters worse - some letters were also unresponsive... like the letter 'o' for example. Obviously, the keyboard needed replacing.

I also remember mentioning in one of my Facebook status updates about the plan to purchase a keyboard with back-lighting capabilities... hence making dark room typing difficulties a thing of the past. So... once I saw such a keyboard in CDR King - and with a very affrodable price, I did not think thrice and got the keyboard at the next opportune moment.

How does it look? Well, judge for yourself... with the monitor having it's own light source, the keyboard was a very much needed input device in need of light - I'll have to say that night usage of the keyboard is a thing to look forward to. It used to be, I'd have a lamp shade to shed some light on the keyboard... a need doubly necessary when keyboards were dark colored - hence hard to see when in dim places, or at night.

Well... I just had to take a picture of it, since it was very cool looking. Oh yeah... and Bryce loves it too. In fact, as I type this, he's currently using the glow-in-the-dark keyboard.

Photoblog - day 54, Jun 3 2010

Testing School:

One for the trainings I tend to conduct is centered around Application Testing, which focuses on learning the concepts and best practices applicable to the concept of software testing.

Targeting the relatively new employees of this particular company, it helps reinforce the practice of having several layers to the testing practice. In this particular conduct, I had the chance to work with Tess Glipa - an old colleague in my Fujitsu days - and someone very knowledgeable with quality and testing concepts (she also took this picture). The school covers two days - very short when compared to the concepts being covered - but for the most part, our participants show a learning capability to match the expectations of the very compressed outline in so short a time.

Photoblog - day 56, Jun 5 2010

Wireless...

Yup! This is a wireless mouse - and even if the technology is not that new, it still can help us in impressive ways. This little critter allows me to move around an room with it in tow - and it allows me to manipulate any active document as I move around the room.

Partnered with another tool - your everyday laser pointer, it makes for a formidable and impressive-looking presentation combo.

The best part of this tool? It's price... with the likes of CDR King stores, prices for such gadgets as this are very affordable (assuming Php500.00 is an affordable price to you, that is). I got to use this twice already, and it can be handy - kudos to Brian (my colleague) for letting me know about this bargain. I also got another such mouse for Barbie - as I'm sure she'll find this little gadget useful with her work-related presentations.

Photoblog - day 55, Jun 4 2010

Starbucks Morning:

Believe it or not, this was around 6:30am at the Starbucks, Cybergate 2 branch - as I had to arrive early for my 8am training because of a little rule about the vehicle number coding scheme... and yes, my vehicle does have the affected plate number that says I have to be out of the roads before 7am - or risk being pulled over by traffic cops.

Having arrived real early then, I decided to grab some coffee - and breakfast... and it's really a convenience that this particular Starbucks is just one floor below my training room. So... camera and book in tow, I hied into this branch to order my usual tall latte... only this time, I decided to have a grilled three cheese and ham sandwich with it.

Aside from the very friendly baristas, the environment was cozy and jazz music was playing in the place's piped-in music system. I then proceeded to borrow the papers, read up on yesterday's new and enjoy my meal. If only my mornings would always start this way... I left feelign full, relaxed and energized - ready for the day's challenges.

Photoblog - day 53, Jun 2 2010

DVD Family Bonding:

In an otherwise uneventful day (even if it was Barbie's birthday), we found time to watch a movie we've never seen before... and call it mushy, but then again, I guess a movie with the title Valentine's Day would certain be filled with topics on love.

The plots were simple - several people with different lives... all searching to make their valentine's day experience something memorable and meaningful... that's it. What's different is that the movie likewise shows people in today's modern age. For example? Anne Hathaway's character moonlighting in Phone Sex is just one small tidbit that comes to mind... there are others still - but I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

I'll just say that we were all surprised to see some teens in the movie - which pretty much guaranteed Bernice's interest in watching the film... and this is one of those, cute movie revolving around the lives of many people... and it is a large ensemble of casting known (and some not too well known) characters... I 'm sure you see some familiar faces in the picture, right?

Cute movie, great family bonding moment - even if all we did was stay in the couch and watch - with minimal conversation... the mere fact that we enjoyed something together was what counted. If you're going to watch it with a critical eye... I suggest watching something else - this is a feel good shallow movie; and on certain days, I don't mind 'feel good' and 'shallow'.

As for credits... well, here's the link to the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day_%28film%29

Photoblog - day 52, Jun 1 2010

Tree Leaves and Overcast Sky:

Nothing overly dramatic about this picture - as the title says, it's just a typical mundane set of leaves with the cloudy sky as backdrop. So why'd I take it? What was the purpose of this picture?

I wanted to get a near silhouette of the leaves against a not so bright sky - after all, I did not want to totally overpower the leaves with too bright a background. I was also hoping that the overcast colors would show - not that there were too many colors to begin with... and since this was a near instantaneous shot - with hardly any preparation... one night even say a picture taken - on the go... then I'm surprised to see how nice it looked. How nice to see how the mundane can look good.

God sure is a great designer... even of the small, mundane things, isn't he?

Photoblog - day 51, May 31 2010

My latest readings:

Though it may sound inappropriate, I actually did bring this pile - and more actually, to my training, and started reading them one at a time while I was not lecturing. An explanation is obviously in order... simple, really.

Today's training was not solely handled by me - not by a long shot. I was facilitating Application Component Detailed Design, and when I do, it's normally with a partner - in this case, Fiel Javier. So... when it's Fiel's turn to talk (we take turns with the alternating modules), I pull out an issue and start reading. Eventually, as the day ended, I was able to catch up on my reading.

I guess this is also an indicator of how busy my weekend was - as I usually reserve reading my comics at home. Unfortunately (though with no real regrets), I found myself neck deep in many activities (as the two previous entries would allude to), hence not having been able to read my new comics .

If things happen as expected, I'll be talking again tomorrow morning - and Fiel will handle the afternoon... which will free me to have more reading time. I still have a handful of issues that I've not read yet, so I guess I'll squeeze those in too. Or... it's back to reading the novel I'm currently in the middle of... oh, and that Time magazine - after all, I've not yet read all the articles.

Photoblog - day 50, May 30 2010

Prince of Persia tickets:

Indicative of our having watched the movie, which was what we did Sunday afternoon after Barbie had finished with her lecture in a client's site.

To say that I enjoyed the movie would be a very conservative statement. I guess I came in curious - armed with a few comments from friends who'd seen it the previous days... yet curious to see how it fares with the game.

Of course, in my case, said game was the PC version representing the crude, 2D version... and not the more sophisticated version that Bryce had the chance to try in his PSP. When I saw that new version, I was amazed with the graphics and the character's acrobatic moves. What I saw in the movie was what I was hoping to see - specifically, the main character's moves as he was being chased. Just as some people were probably curious to see how Angelina Jolie would do the moves of Lara Croft all those years past, I was curious to see how Jake would handle Aslan's moves.

What I saw, I liked and had to smile secretly as I saw some moves that I could relate to the game - namely the running and somersaulting across roofs, the sword fights and overall traps and mystery in an Arabian (or Persian) setting. Here's hoping for a sequel... and meantime, I'm looking forward to the DVD. If you're still wondering if it's worth the ticket price, let me say that I highly recommend Prince of Persia for it's sheer entertainment value.

Obviously, this picture was just a simple and straightforward shoot - no technical stuff... just wanting to preserve a point in time.

Photoblog - day 49, May 29 2010

Birthday boy!

Today is Bryce's birthday, and the cake blowing you see here is not the start of his celebration - but the culmination of the day's activities... yup, the cake blowing happened late at night after having had a very heavy - but filling lunch at Amici and dinner at home c/o Ate Vicky.

Aside from the Amici lunch, we went around Greenhills and ended up buying a Guitar Hero for Bryce. After all this, we went to SM hypermart to do some groceries and after which we went home. Bryce then assembled the guitar and set up the game - and we rocked for a few songs before having to leave again - this time for the Shangi la (for the ladies), while Bryce and I killed time going around SM Megamall.

In our run (well, not really - more like Brisk walking) we really got the stuff (in my case a mix of new and old comics. After which we went back to fetch Barbie and Bernice, as we all went back home to enjoy some seafood pasta... and a few more sessions of Guitar Hero.

Photoblog - day 48, May 28 2010

Evening Traffic and Rain:

Fridays always means I need to come in for work real early (before 7am) and leave the place by 7pm - all this because I have to follow a number coding scheme to help reduce traffic. Unfortunately, if your Friday evening happens to be rained on - since the afternoon, and said weekend's start also happens to fall close to your typical pay day - then expect to get stuck in traffic.

Simply put, this was what I (and many frustrated motorists) experienced - and even as I tried to wiggle my way through the jam, I realized that one of things I tried doing - but unsuccessfully capturing with my camera is 'rain' - for smoe reason, I found it difficult to capture rain... though I do believe I'm not the only one, s I've read somewhere that many movie makers / directors likewise find it hard to capture rain. The best I could probably do was to show the wet surroundings - but it just looked wet... no sign of rain.

So, I decided to grap my camera (when I was in a stop position - of course) and take pictures of my surroundings to later see if I could capture rain - if not the droplets, then maybe the surroundings which might show the rain's effects. This particular shot happened in an unplanned manner - I was stopped by the traffic cop , since the way ahead was already congested, and since it was an intersection - I could see the effects of the rain really well... so I took the shot.

The effect was what I wanted - the cop directing traffic while wearing a wet raincoat (though he may have been better off wearing a one with reflectors) indicates the rain, and if that did not sink in - the ground showing the rain droplets striking pavement will let the observer realize that it is raining. Lastly, if one were to look closely, there are a few (well... at least one) blurs streaking downward - that's the rain. So until I can get one better, I'm satisfied with having captured rain in a snapshot... and hey, I did not mind the traffic so much after this, as I was pleased with my opportunity to take the shot.

Photoblog - day 47, May 27 2010

Coffee round the world:

One of Starbuck's innovations is to introduce a wide selection of coffee types with differing flavors, representing different parts of the world... specifically (of course) by way of letting us taste their coffee.

Now I'm not exactly a coffee connoisseur, having just been introduced to the practice of taking coffee around a decade ago (I normally prefer taking tea, you see) - but one of the things I always liked when entering a Starbucks - or any other coffee place for that matter, was the aroma of the coffee being brewed.

Nowdays I do appreciate the differing flavors of the coffee I get to taste, and even like the more flavorful coffee - like the one's Barbie brought home from Guam some months ago... the Kona coffee with Vanilla or Hazel Nut flavors. Some would call them these gourmet coffee - while purists would frown on them... oh well, mine is not ot debate... but enjoy. And this is where the Starbucks selection shown in this picture comes in. If half the enjoyment is in the discovery - then I'm in for a long haul, since Barbie and I normally consume a bag of these in roughly a month. Oh, and before I end this, let me just say that I also really do enjoy our very own Batangas Barako Coffee - in fact I make it a point to have some, whenever I visit my mom and sisters in Cuenca.

This picture was just a straight away take, while I was enjoying a frapuchino (another Starbucks introduction) to offset the hot morning temperature, I noticed the stand and thought 'why not take the pic for my photo blog? ' - and I did.

Photoblog - day 46, May 26 2010

Proudly Philippine made...

Miguel Syjuco is new to me - I've never had the chance to read any of his previous works (assuming of course that he had such things - like I said, I don't know).

I did learn a bit about his book 'Ilustrado' in a book review cum magazine article - and the fact that the book won the Man Asian Literary prize while still a manuscript? Whoa (doing my best Keanu rendition), that's got to be something... right?

So naturally, on my usual visits to the bookstore, I spied upon a copy of Ilustrado, looked at the price tag... not too bad - and got myself a copy. S I was in the middle of some deep reading, I had no time to discover what Ilustrado had in store for me... until now.

So yes, I've started reading Ilustrado, and am finding Syjuco's work to be interesting. I've yet to see where this is going, but at least it isn't as deep a read as the previous book I was reading. Will I be fan? Still too early to determine - yet I will admit to the writer's ability to describe things, and some of his words are not your typical 'average' vocabulary reader's cup of tea - lucky for me, I still do not find the need to grab a dictionary or do a Google search.

Once I'm done, I just might post a review for this... though in another blog site.

Photoblog - day 45, May 25 2010

Future Coaches:

In a previous photo blog, I took a picture of one Application Analysis training session - just to point out that it happened to be what I was doing that day. Well there have been other similar training in the past ever since - though not captured.

Today, however, I decided to take a few pictures of another training I've been conducting on a regular manner - that being a Coaching-related training, where my participants are expected to learn and hone their coaching skills... and that is precisely what these people are doing - specifically, practicing and honing their coaching skills while in the training room. After all, just like any other skill - practice makes perfect. This was just half the group, as the room (for a welcome change) was spacious... so much so that I could not get a decent picture of everyone.

So here's to a new batch of future Business Coaches! Hope they took the lessons I imparted seriously.

Photoblog - day 44, May 24, 2010

Frangelico, Kahlua, Bailey's

Either of these three has a great taste - and will make a welcome aperitif. Just grab a shot glass - or better yet, serve them on the rocks... sit back and enjoy. But what about when we mix them all together? Is this even feasible? Of course it is... I mean, it's not as if their flavors will contradict each other - in fact, the opposite may be true.

Frangelico does have the hazel nut taste; Kahlua on the other hand, is coffee flavored and Bailey's is Irish Cream. So they can definitely combine to have those great taste - heck, I can even add one more flavor... and that is just plain Vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Now... I wanted to take this picture because all three bottles were dark colored, and they would look well against a black background, with just a hint of the bottle's shape - either by the labels or by the reflections. The picture itself was more on auto-setting to ensure I had a clear and crisp picture.

Photoblog - day 43, May 23, 2010

Paella!

This was what Barbie and I had for lunch, following our hearing mass in Greenhills' The Promenade - and since we were rather tired of eating at the usual joints, we decided to try something different - thus we came upon La Paella, at the 2nd floor of the Promenade walkway.

For the uninitiated, Paella is a Spanish dish - mixing rice with a variety of viands... in this case, I'll just let the picture do the talking (or you can google / wikipedia it). All I can add to this is the fact that the Paella uses a relatively sticky rice and after the ingredients are cooked - the rice is added, and then cooked - together with the other items. The end result is a delicious array of taste - from oysters. to chicken, to some veggies. I'll stop now... I'm starting to feel hungry.

Photoblog - day 42, May 22, 2010

Free Comic book Day!

Once a year, for the past few years, the comic industry in the U.S. decides - through it's retail distribution channels (i.e. comics shops) to dedicate a day in May as "Free Comic Book Day".

The idea, of course, is to introduce comic books as a reading interest for the non-readers... to drum up interest to those who don't really buy comic books on a regular basis; and in said manner, hopefully bolster the industry's buying public.

The practice has yet to fully catch on back here - as most large comicbook retailers here in the Philippines find it difficult to participate in a like-minded pursuit. For one, there seems to be little effort in synchronizing the event with that of the U.S. (with possible exception to one - Comics Express, I believe tries doing just that), so the impact or visibility is much less noticeable (just as I had not noticed any announcement from Comics Express - and I know both Filbars and Comic Quest seemed to have snubbed the entire idea entirely). I suspect that another reason is that the comics may be free - but shipping is not... and that definitely hurts said distributors who have to ship these things from one continent to another.

Still, with retail outlets like Fully Booked - which ironically is more a book store than a comic specialty shop (though I might clarif that they have the seemingly widest array of graphic novel selections I've seen), free comic book day seems to be picking up visibility-wise. In fact, it is through Full Booked that I got to experience my very first Free Comic book Day. How was it? Well the entire thing seemed organized - then again, it is Fully Booked third year doing this, so they did have two previous executions to learn how to do it right, and the only peeve I have is that I could only get one comic free when I wanted to have at least four issues in batch of freebies (they only give one comic per person - a reasonable idea when the intent is to reach a wider customer base, but lousy to the reader who has to agonize over which to choose).

Does the event itself lend to more sales for their stocks - in this case, graphic novels? I would have to say 'yes', considering that I got three digest type reprints of old Spider-man and Fantastic Four issues... ones I would hardly have noticed had it not been for one helpful bookstore attendant's suggestions. So thank you - Fully Booked... but please, next time... could we at least have two?

Photoblog - day 41, May 21, 2010

Orange M&Ms anyone?

Yup! You read right! Orange flavored M&Ms... after their experimenting with the mint flavored variety, the Mars Corporation decides to come out with a new version of their classic best-seller - and when I saw this in S&R, I just had to get two packs so I could try it out... and should I really like it (and I do like orange-flavored chocolates), I could have another bag on reserve anytime I want.

That said, I just had to take a picture of these beauties as I placed them on a heart-shaped glass container... then take the picture in an opaque background. That way, the M&Ms would really stand out in the picture, and in line with this, I also increased the contrast... the result is what you see.

Photoblog - day 40, May 20, 2010

Starbucks in the Techno Hub:

A Starbucks is a Starbucks... and any store for said franchise is as good as any other. Right? True... though others would be quick to point out that some branches are not designed equally... and I would equally state that there are other places that are more welcoming of it's clientele by the way the place is designed.

Others are easily designed real well, but their ambiance is left wanting based on certain criteria - in my case, the ambiance of the store is better for me if it's a place I can hang around in with little or no noise pollution. Thus if there are too many rowdy or noisy people around, then it's a turn off to me.

On the other hand, few stores, like the one I've posted, cn boast of having a very picturesque surrounding - showing a lot of space, greens almost matching a golf course, a long and winding jogging path - complete with lights for evening runs, a man-made creek and simple yet elegant architecture all contributing to what is the basic look of the Ayala Techno Hub. Even in the afternoon heat, I could appreciate the landscape... and in a city so inundated with concrete... this view becomes a very welcome change. Now if only the Techno Hub were just closer to my usual hang outs.

Photoblog - day 39, May 19, 2010

Playfull pals...

Yes, this is Bubbles and Neco... hamming it up this evening. Bubbles can, of course, easily overpower Neco - the fact that she allows Neco to get away with all the abuse being given her, is proof positive to show how strong their unique friendship happens to be.

I've got a lot of pictures of these two in various poses, and I can imagine coming up with an album just for them.

Photoblog - day 38, May 18, 2010

Veggie drink anyone?

This evening is the start of Barbie and me trying out a nearly all Veggie/ Fruity concoction set up by an ex-colleague of hers.

The idea here is to substitute these shakes for breakfast and dinner meals for 28 days. Hope I get to finish the 28-day program.

Surprisingly, this particular shake was indeed very filling (it was my dinner), and I was able to survive the night without the need to take anything else. Equally surprising...? These concoctions actually taste good. No blandness... no bitter after taste. I thought it would be a struggle to drink these things (nothing is cooked), but I'm actually enjoying the experience - and let's face it... if, by doing this program, I lose a few pounds too... well, that would be a good thing too, right? Here's keeping my fingers crossed for the next 27 days. Cheers!!!

Of course , this also serves as my solo picture for the month.

Photoblog - day 37, May 17, 2010

Silent Witness to Many Generations:

I found myself having to fetch Bryce at the North Forbes clubhouse after my work. Being a high class and exclusive place, it was not the usual place I would find myself in - not that I never went to Forbes - I have, but rarely... and normally during Christmas reunions with friends.

But even then, I hardly give the clubhouse a second glimpse... let alone the tall trees surrounding them. So I can just imagine how old some of these trees are - how long they've been silent witnesses to generations of people coming in and out of the clubhouse.

As I took the picture, I wanted to show the trunk, which as can be seen, is likewise intertwined with vines that long ago grew into permanent fixtures of said trunks. If trees could talk... what wisdom would these branches share?

Photoblog - day 36, May 16, 2010

Bonsai exhibit at the Podium:

This was something I discovered by accident. We did not really have any plans for visiting the Podium this particular day - and it's rare that we dedicate a Sunday to visit this place... usually staying in Greenhills.

This particular day, however, we did find a reason to go to the Podium, as we came up to the 2nd level, we saw all these great-looking bonsai plants on exhibit. Naturally, since I brought my camera with me, I found myself taking pictures of all these plants... or should I refer to them as works of art? I used to have a colleague who knew all about making bonsai - and how the process seemed to dwarf the natural growth of the plant... and the way he described it, you'd think that dwarfing a plant (or tree) was obviously far from natural.

Anyway, as I looked to these plants, I could not help but notice the exquisite art form of these entries - imagining all the necessary planning and imaging that came into the creation of these plants. I can't imagine myself spending time doing all these - and because of that, I'm simply at awe with these plants. I'll most likely post the other pictures in a special blog post specific for sharing my experience with these plants.

For anyone interested, the exhibit will be running until end of May. There are also talks/workshops for people interested in learning just how to make their very own bonsai - with tips and even some materials coming from the experts themselves. Sorry if I can't give more details - I was there to take pictures, after all... not write down pertinent factoids.

Photoblog - day 35, May 15, 2010

My monthly stash...

No... I don't mean anything illegal or hallucinogenic... hardly at all - and if the picture is not obvious enough, then let me spell it out - my monthly stash means my comic buys for the month (or in this case, representing the titles I buy the past two weeks.

I've collected comics since I was... oh, about child of 9... and got more serious about the hobby by around high school. Back then, it was all Marvel comics - nowadays, it's a combination of Marvel and DC. I normally stick to the traditional heroes - thought I wouldn't mind trying a new title or two once in a while. I might even say that comics has given me the passion to read and learn more... and yes, I dabbled in a few fan fiction these past years... and may do so again.

So why has this hobby stayed with me? I guess I like the stories I read - and the characters I follow. I enjoy reading the adventures of heroes... and even find inspiration in them - even if they're just fictional characters.

Photoblog - day 34, May 14, 2010

Snack surprise:

This particular day found me at work at the usual McKinley place, teaching the usual course (Application Analysis), with a new set of participants... but that wasn't what was really different - nope.

Nor was it because we had a trainer-in-training (Lovern) who we asked to cover a few portions of the course - with Fiel and me playing support on the side, just in case she needed our help - turns out she didn't by the way. Nope... what was memorable for me was the fact that I was hungry during an awkward time in the training - with snack time still some ways off. Lucky for me, Lovern had a couple of snacks which I had not seen before - let alone tried... and truth be told, it's not a snack I'd normally get.

But had it not been for this particular day, I would definitely have not discovered how "combi" is a great tasting snack. Goes to show how I take a lot of local snacks for granted. Then again, was it just because I was hungry?

The funny thing is... the idea for this particular snack seemed so simple, I wondered why no one else thought of doing it - crackers used to sandwich wafers. For some strange reason, this worked - and I enjoyed eating this snack. Thanks for sharing, Lovern!

Photoblog - day 33, May 13, 2010

Ode to the carabao:

In the garden found between the Greenbelt buildings; situated near the garden's chapel stands several distinct statues of the carabao - a traditionally known companion to the lowly farmer.

Known for it's patience, gentle demeanor and strength, the carabao (a.k.a. water buffalo) can be seen in many artworks where the subject being portrayed is a farmland; often showing children and / or farmers either plowing the fields or just lazing under a shade... and with them can be found said carabao. If man's best friend is a dog... the carabao is definitely the farmer's best friend. These beasts of burden are usually tasked with pulling the hoe; plowing the lands before planting the seeds or saplings.

This particular sculpture has been around a long time now... and despite it's myriad changes in design, the Greenbelt has always kept these metallic sculptures around, but it is only now that I hve had the consideration to take a picture of it - not plainly, but to use it as a subject for varying lights and shades. The foreground of plants and the background of greens bring forth visuals of these gentle creatures being led by a boy, riding the lead carabao, from the fields - back home to the farm... at least, that is what comes to mind as I was taking the picture.

This was a challenge in itself since I wanted to capture the picture using no flash (to de-emphasize the statues themselves and capture their silhouette instead) but I did not have a tripod (still betting around to buying one), so the majority of the pictures I had with the night setting turned in with differing levels of blurry images - as my hands could not be as steady as the camera demanded.

This particular photo, though, was definitely clearer than most - as I was able to place the camera on top of a low light post - thus having the needed stability that a tripod would offer.

Photoblog - day 32, May 12, 2010

Barbie's new toy:

Yes. what she's holding as a Wii remote... thus, that look of determination is based on how concentrated she is in playing virtual bowling in our new Nintendo Wii.

This, I might add, is just the start of her 'game play', so she still looks dry and clean - he he he. As the games would progress, she would start building up sweat - and as she would switch to virtual golf, her screams of delight (or frustration) would be heard up at the second floor.

I got the Wii as a birthday gift for Barbie - who plans to get the virtual yoga later, and Bryce - who plans to play guitar hero. We chose the Wii over another game console due to the fact that the Wii is known to be more physically active - so it cold promote some cardio work-out for whoever is playing... myself included. I even got a second remote to ensure that two players could share the gaming experience.

Night two of the game console and I already notice a lesser number of hours using the computers. Now we can have more bonding moments - thanks to the Wii. I tried capturing some action shots... but did not find them to be worth sharing. Ah well... better luck next time.

Photoblog - day 31, May 11, 2010

Bernice modeling?

Not really, I just liked the effect that the green Marks & Spencer signage looked - lighted from inside and placed against a smooth, black wall. It definitely looked stylish, and I just thought - why not take it's picture?

To add a semblance of reason to take a picture of it, I asked Bernice to pose by it's side - thus allowing me to have my picture of the sign - and likewise having a reason to take Bernice's picture.

Nothing extra-ordinary about this picture... just a straight away shot. Unfortunately, it seems that the real color of the signage was not captured - as you can see, it looks white instead of green... with only a hint of green reflecting against the smooth black surface. Oh well... at least I got to take Bernice; who's fashion sense could possibly land her in billboards.

Photoblog - day 30, May 10, 2010

Dirty Finger:

By this, of course, I don't mean the usual universal (or at least, Earth-wide) gesture to insult others... nope... here in the Philippines - once every three years, we are tasked to vote for our government officials. Obviously, a task we Filipinos exercised today.

As a culmination of such exercise, we have our pointer finger (not the middle finger) dabbed with water-proof ink... also known as indelible ink. The practice is a fail-safe against unscrupulous characters who would try voting twice in separate locations.

Thus, this dirty finger is proud badge of citizenship - as it represents our collective efforts to elect new (and hopefully better) government leaders - and God knows we really need them at this juncture.

The finger you see here is mine, of course... as I display my badge of citizenship. I join the millions of Filipinos in showing of their proud and dirty fingers... and hope that in the coming months or years, it will not transform into the real, global symbol we are so fond of using to signify disgust and insult.

Photoblog - day 29, May 9, 2010

Small pepper:

You read my title right... this is a small pepper - roughly just the size of an inch long - and it's one of many currently growing in my in-laws' garden.

What's so special about this picture? Well for starters, my camera's lens does not have the capacity to take a picture of this pepper real up close - and though I could probably take this picture and then do the combination of crop and enlarge the picture using after shots' photo-editing software - I'm proud to say that this picture is natural... with minor exception to slightly tweaking the contrast. So how'd I do this? Using an unorthodox manner, actually.

Said unorthodox manner entails reversing the lens - post-focus - then really moving in to take the picture with much more details being captured. How'd I learn this? My sister-in-law showed me the technique (thanks Bea!), and suddenly... I need not have a really powerful lens to take these pictures.

Photoblog - day 28, May 8, 2010

The Blow Job:

This is the name of the drink that Jingo is displaying for us - a three layered wonder made up of the following alcoholic drinks - Kahlua, Baileys and Cointreau; all carefully placed in a shot glass... carefully, because the beauty of the drink is not just in it's taste - but in it's presentation as well. Notice how Jingo's glass visibly shows the three color bands? Oh yeah... this is Jingo - a friend, colleague and often time drinking buddy (and he's not alone, too).

Obviously, the preparation of said drink is not that easy to do - and if ever one would try, expect several 'mistakes' to happen before getting it right. But then again, that's part of the fun - I drink my mistakes... which, in turn, means it becomes more difficult to make succeeding Blow Jobs. Why, I even had a night when I started not to care about the aesthetics... yeah, I was getting drunk back then.

Now... this night was no exception, as my friends and I were already several pitchers of Mojitos down - in fact, I'd say we easily consumed a pitcher each - so getting it right late in the night of said drinking session; and having to successfully take it's picture? You can begin to appreciate the rarity of this photo... that I happened to have the faculty to create the drink is exceptional enough - and taking a clear picture to boot... priceless.

Hence this joining my photo blog. Cheers, Jingo!

Photoblog - day 27, May 7, 2010

Adidas Street Party:

This is what I noticed being set up early morning on my way to work, Friday morning, at the Piazza at McKinley Hill. Of course back then, it was just the tents and the framework for this stage.

By lunchtime, the Piazza'a place had been converted into a busy hub of tents and my colleagues and I were wondering who's concert it would be?

As it turns out, we were wrong - not a concert, as more sports fashion event organized by Adidas to promote their classic line designs. Guess it's back to basics for this line... which somehow explains the VW Combi occupying a big chunk of their small stage; back to basics being like going back in time - hence, a retro feel... and you can't get retro and cool any better than with a Combi.

As Friday's evening came, my colleagues and I hied over to our favorite watering hole for a few bottles of beer - and it was just coincidence that said place afforded a perfect balcony view of the Adidas Street Party/Fashion event. Unfortunately, this event was scheduled to start around 9PM - too late for our taste - but we already had an idea of what would transpire, since we watched them go through their rehearsals.

Photoblog - day 26, May 6, 2010

Drinks:

In preparation for Saturday, I've prepared a corner of the apartment (and I literally mean 'corner' too) as a makeshift bar for all my alcoholic bottles and cocktail mixers.

It's convenient, easy to clean and nice to look at too. Of course, I doubt these will be consumed in one night - and I'd seriously like to see someone try, but the point is, in small gatherings like those that I occasionally have at home, I like to have a variety of drinks I can mix up. It's not about consuming a lot either... it's about having great company, a time to bond, share experiences or play catch up with the lives and activities of friends and colleagues.

It's not seen in the picture, but above these bottles are my cocktail glasses - hanging just withing reach. So here's to evenings such as those... one's we've dubbed as Bacardi Nights... though definitely not just limited to Bacardi products.

Photoblog - day 25, May 5, 2010

Weathered but unique-looking:

This leaf did not look special at all - in fact, I may have just taken this picture as an afterthought. Yet when I started looking at the pictures I took for the day, it still drew my attention - not because it was attractive, but the picture's background actually enhanced the focus on said leaf.

Now, I have had the practice of taking macro shots before... but for some reason, this one looked very different. It also proves that great pictures are often times, accidentally captured - and I'm not ashamed to admit this.

I really liked this picture's composition - a simple subject... practically mundane. But taken differently - it looks new and unique... yes, even if the subject of said photo is a simple browning leaf

Photoblog - day 24, May 4, 2010

Fortune smiles...

That is what most people hope for when they see a healthy fortune plant growing in their homes - someone even said that should the fortune plant ever grow beyond the height of their roof, it promises their able to travel abroad - maybe even to seek greener pastures.

Of course, that's just hearsay... and even if it were true, this isn't a fortune plant at home... I just wish it were - after all, I've an affiliation to plants, and I've tried having a few indoor plants grow at home... not to forget the plants I try to cultivate in my 'planted' aquarium. I've had mixed success - but that does nto mean I'll stop. More likely, I'm just waiting for the right moment to try again.

That said, I was attracted by the growth of this fortune plant within the environs of a mall - maybe that was one reason it was flourishing... the very bright, natural lighting from the windows plus the air conditioned environment probably contributed to this, though I would also guess that the mall had it's own indoor gardener. Ah well... like I said, some day soon.

Photoblog - day 23, May 3, 2010

All that glitters...

As I was walking in the mall, I came upon the Swarovski store - more specifically, it's display window.

Normally, I would just admire the crystals handiwork from afar, but this was a different afternoon - after all, I had my trusty DSLR with me, so I thought 'why not?', it's not like I would be planning to steal anything - and I'll just take a picture (or two) - what harm would that do?

Besides, I had previously experimented with lights and shadows - well... more shadows actually, and now... my focus would be on light as reflected by crystals and their shapes. As you can see, I took a picture of two items - a bull and a lion. The lion is very visible due to all the lights reflecting in all the angles found in it's mane. The bull looks more straight forward - but regardless of which animal figurine you look at... they both exhibit exquisite craftsmanship... hence, I felt, well deserving of being included in my photo collection.

Photoblog - day 22, May 2, 2010

Experiment with the Dark:

What I tried to achieve here was to have minimal brightness - thus allowing only only certain portions of the objects to be recognized by their silhouettes or portions outlined by what little light reflects on them.

I placed things I usually wear or bring with me as the subjects after realizing that majority of them were likewise black or dark. It was my hope to have all these items almost blend in the background - yet still be recognized by their minimal outlines.

I could not find the proper setting to do this with the camera - or more likely, I still have to find the perfect setting, so I relied slightly on my photo-editing software to adjust the contrast and lighting further.

Photoblog - day 21, May 1, 2010

Labor of love:

Any aquarist can tell you that maintaining an aquarium - specially, one with live plants, isn't that easy - some people seem to thrive in it... while others suffer from not having any green thumb at all... then there's the subject of not just keeping the plants alive - but the fishes as well. While I've had success with the fishes - I still need to tweak my set-up to mke the plants thrive.

To cut it short, let me just say that aquariums need the attention - and it's not just about feeding the fishies, as well. That said, here's a picture of one of my two aquariums - it's got new plants and new light (the older light tipped into the aquarium and shorted out... luckily, not taking all the fishes with it, in that final act).

My fishes, of course , are happier for this - but I still need to fix up the set-up - add some carbon dioxide - to sustain the plants. Since it is the first of May... labor day to us... I say that this picture comes across as appropriate... since the aquarium is a labor of love from my part.

BTW - this is just a plain focus... no special setting... and I'm not 100% happy with the clarity of the fishes. I've done it before - and will continue to try again, until I get things right.

Photoblog - day 20, April 30, 2010

Urban Paradise:

I did a blog write-up about how I liked Greenbelt's park in the past complete with some picture shots from my Canon Ixus camera back then, and one of the things I liked about it was that the park offered a place that looked green and alive - maybe even relaxing, as a counterpoint to the usually busy and rushed working lifestyle of so many people working around the park's general vicinity.

I marveled at how the park's administration took the necessary effort to keep the park - well... open area garden actually, in pristine condition... well manicured and highly maintained; s I marveled once again at the same thing when I passed the park on my way to the Makati office of Phoenix One, this time, with my DSLR - I mean, just take a gander at the orchids found in the middle of said garden... far from the usual walk paths of the garden's offered shortcuts from one building to another, and you'll know what I'm talking about.

There are more pictures... and I'll most likely have a sequel to said blog post real soon - I'm just deciding to go back and take a whole lot more pictures to better convey the beauty of said place.