Photoblog - day 83, Jul 2, 2010

Testing the Waters:

No, the testing said waters does not refer to Roselle Nava, the singer, whom I've captured in this photo... rather it refers to me trying out the role of Professional Photographer. In this case - ans the reason why I chose this picture, it was an induction ceremony and I joined a classmate of mine - Jojo Buenaventura, and his team, in covering the ceremony.

Being a tyro, naturally covered the less critical aspects of the ceremonies and the evening - so focused on the role of capturing events and people as said events were happening... how I felt like Peter Parker in that regard (and if you don't know Peter Parker, then you have not been in touch with pop culture).

I'm not exactly new to Induction ceremonies myself - having been in many; both by way of the Jaycees and Toastmasters. But what I can say is that this was the first time I covered one as photographer. Naturally, I knew what to take, by way of covering an event - and I worked seamlessly with the team (by way of being aware of who was where - and not needing to duplicate any effort), so I guess that showed my natural propensity to work with teams.

But how does covering events feel? It was great... tiring - my back and arms slightly ache, but that was fine as I was going around pleasing the shutter bug inside me. It felt a bit long and drawn out at times, as I was literally feeling the weight of the equipment - but to capture moments worth reminiscing was really nice to do... and I learned - or relearned a few things too... so the over-all experience was great. Now I've set my eyes on a few add-ons or upgrades with what I have to better cover like events... and I even have at least two new coaches in bettering my skills. What else can anyone ask for?

Will I do this full time? Not yet... but I'm one step closer to fulfilling one dream.

Photoblog - day 84, Jul 3, 2010

My picture July 2010:

Project 365 asks us to place an image of ourselves at least once a month - so we would have images of ourselves in the photoblog and in so doing, allow us to remember how we looked like (garish haircut or fashion senses aside)- if not what we were doing, for that month. Once the project is completed, there would be at least 12 pictures of ourselves within the 300+ pictures of said project.

So this is me with an unintentional intense look - circa July 2010, as the title suggests. I'm wearing my black barong - the one with the Philippines map proudly displayed on one side (there are actually several of said maps distributed - but only on, the left side of my barong), and in the background, you can see my laptop plus a few old CRT monitors being used in trainings. BTW - those CRTs are on their way out, as said monitors are finally being replaced by flat-screen LCDs. This place happens to be one of five (or six) training rooms in the Cyber3's 14th floor.

Photoblog - day 82, Jul 1, 2010

Lights and shadows:

One of the more recent magazines I decided to purchase is that of a photography related issue - and the main topic for most articles in said magazine was how photographers use lighting to bring out different effects with their pictures. That may be a natural growth direction for me... meaning making use of lighting to a wider degree - and what better time to start than now.

A colleague once said that I somehow had an eye to make the mundane seem interesting - now, not to make that statement a mantra or anything, but here is a rather mundane part of the office I go to - a makeshift reading/eating/meeting area - and it really has just shades of black, white and grays to make matters more... well, mundane - but suddenly contrast that will a very simple fire extinguisher, and we have a reminder that this is not a black and white picture. Add to the fact that the window where the sunlight filters into casts a shadow on most of the items here, and I'm left with a play with shades and shadows.

Yeah... it's pretty obvious I came in real early to work too - but that was just a side-benefit of having Barbie in a different country, thus not having to bring her to work - but at the same time... my being a creature of habit, and still waking up real early and getting ready for work at such an early hour - even if I did not have to. Ah well... at least I get good parking.

Photoblog - day 81, Jun 30, 2010

Light breaking free:

I got this picture as I was about to exit the Greenhills Shopping Center's car park - coming from having a haircut and a little grocery stop-over. You see, this 30th represented the formal turn-over of one president to another, thus the day was declared a non-work holiday to allow majority of the Filipinos who wished to watch said turn-over the time and chance to do so. Obviously, I used the day to play catch-up to things I needed to do - and did nto have enough of a weekend to do it.

The sun is a subject I would like to capture in at least two other occasions. You see, like a lot of photographers who would like to capture nature's beauty, I hope to some day capture the perfect sunrise... and an equally perfect sunset.

Anyway... this was a straight-forward shot and it came close to one of my 'must have a shot of' subjects - but the sun as it is partially hidden behind (thus being filtered by) clouds may not be the most dramatic panormic shots - but it will do for now. By the way... I also got for myself a UV CFL Infrared filter in Greehnills this day - slowly preparing for such a time when I can focus my attention on said sunrise and sunset picture capture.

Photoblog - day 80, Jun 29, 2010

Our TAs:

TA of course meaning Training Assistants - the people who are responsible for setting up the training facilities- or at least making sure that the facilities, including equipment and materials, are ready before our training starts. At times, I see how tough it can be for them to set ensure this - specially since they do not have control in all the necessary areas - for example, with regard to room reservations, set-up and equipment, they will need to coordinate with other teams, and sometimes this is where the service level agreements fall... not always will these SNAFUs be their fault... but more often, they will receive flak form us and others. That is the problem with being a point person... when problems arise, they get pointed to.

Despite that, they have survived these challenges with their dignity and humor intact. They remain the real heroes behind a training going smoothly and without any hitch and though we thank them for this, I sometimes feel that they don't get enough recognition for their efforts. Well, here's to you... guys and gals (including those not in the picture)! Keep up the good work (and work on those hitches too - he he he). Our work would definitely be a whole lot harder if you aren't around, so pat yourselves on the back, and Cheers!

Photoblog - day 79, Jun 28 2010

Afternoon Rain:

This photo was taken from inside our training room - right at the 14th floor in the Boni area - the building in the picture is the Globe Building... well, not exactly sure of the name - but it's known to house the offices of Globe Telecoms, while the buildings shrouded by the rain happen to be those towards Crossing and beyond that - those hardly visible at all, represent the Ortigas area.

This rain happened approximately from 4:30 to 6:30pm - so you can imagine the worries of people in the offices, wondering how long the rain would take - and how it would definitely affect their usual trip home. I mean, it looked strong form where we were situated... so our worry was how much more heavy rush hour traffic would be.

On the up side, it made Gina's and my participants - we were teaching day 1 of Packaged Detailed Design, ambivalent about going home early... I mean, with this rain - getting out of the building was far from their minds.

Lucky for me, I brought a car - so the only worry I had was for heavy traffic and flash floods - but since I left around 6:45, the former was relatively light for my route (guess a lot of people still got stuck down south) and the latter - if it were an issue earlier, just left heavy traffic... already dispersing, as the only clue to said flash flood. So yeah, I'm glad I was spared from any hassle - and based on Bryce's story, they also got spared from any heavy traffic. Additional silver lining? Rains always flush out the pollution in the air - and the heat was definitely dispersed too, thus Metro Manila` enjoyed a cooler evening.

Photoblog - day 78, Jun 27 2010

Whammo!

This was where Bernice and I had lunch, right after we had gotten her a floral dress in Mega-mall. The strategy was simple - arrive early and get things done before the mall started packing 'em in. Well, we did just that and considered getting an early lunch before we did the less challenging errands - like get stuff in the bookstore.

Going back to Wham - I have not had a burger in a long time... so long, I can't remember when I had one. Guess it's because I try to avoid burgers in favor of (ahem) healthier stuff. But, since Bernice wanted one... well, we chose the closest burger joint to where we were... so yeah - it's a little bit of serendipity that made us order and eat at Wham.

It's not that Wham isn't good - it really is... but it's so heavy. Maybe 20 years earlier, I would really get to eat these with gusto. Now though, I try to limit my fast food intake - and tasty as it is, the Wham burger is a classic example of a fast food product.

However, good tasting burgers are not the only identity of Wham - as you can guess by the paper on the tray, they project a comic-book image... in fact another store even has posters of well known comic characters done by well known artists. They even had a few framed comics (collectors item types) that people in the know can ogle at in between bites and chews.

That said, I shall try to visit this place some time next month - or the next two months... again, nothing against Wham burgers... it's more a diet thing.

Photoblog - day 77, Jun 26 2010

The Toblerone:

This cocktail is called the Toblerone - one of the suggested drinks that come with the Frangelico liqueur. It's made of 2 parts Frangelico, 2 parts cream, 1 part Kahlua and 1 part Bailey's - add all these with ice and shake (or use an ostirizer) and place in a martini glass. Garnish with a piece of chocolate - preferably Toblerone of course, and you're set to enjoy this cool drink.

So yeah... you can guess what I did this Saturday night. Although I had no company to enjoy this drink last night, it was a good experiment - after all - before I recommend it to others, I need to try it out first. So, how was it? It wasn't sweet - if you're wondering about how it tastes... well it's a bit like a Hazelnut milkshake with hardly any alcohol taste.

The thing is... I can't just do singles - so I ended up enjoying three cocktail glasses of Toblerone - then went straight to bed... but I don't think it was the alcohol. ;-) At least now I can offer something new and different to my guests... and it will definitely be an added treat should they be chocolate lovers.

Photoblog - day 76, Jun 25 2010

Turbo lift (I wish...)

This is the access elevator of Cyber2 - it connects the parking floors to the ground floor - and in all my days of needing to park in Cyber for my training conducts all these years. I probably passed through these doors a thousand times.

Now, when I'm alone in said elevator - which happens every now and then, I enact a guilty pleasure and blurt out "Engineering..." with a commanding voice, whenever the lift is on its way down; and "Bridge..." when it's on its way up (normally, meaning when I am on my way to my car. Yes, I admit it - I imagine this small elevator to be the same one that characters in Star Trek take - of course, it doesn't acknowledge my instructions with Majel Rodenberry's voice (like in the TV episodes, and movies) - but I can imagine... right?

Yeah... Starfleet must be one of the most sought after organization that many folks - myself included, would like to join.

Photoblog - day 75, Jun 24, 2010

Taguig Rising:

From afar, one can see the many high-rise buildings sprouting over The Fort in Tagiug - if one did not know better, it could easily be mistaken from afar as Makati's skyline - but no... this is hardly Makati.

I took this picture while in Cyber3 of Robinson's in Pioneer. On the foreground is the Pasig River and right after is a portion of Makati - but beyond it... the Fort. I can't exactly say how long The Fort has been around... though I vaguely remember flying a kite with Bryce back then. Of course, that was during the time there were hardly any high-rise buildings around.

Now it houses a lot of said buildings... offices abound, it's got the Serendra and Bonifacio High Street, plus the new St. Luke's Hospital and McKinley Hill with all the new technology-related offices. Soon will rise the Science Center. Yup... Taguig's future definitely is looking bright.

Photoblog - day 74, Jun 23, 2010

My new comics:

Technically, I was supposed to get these comics in about a week's time - usually synchronizing such a purchase with my going to Makati at the month-end to get my paycheck from Phoenix-One.

Today, however, I was invited by John to his birthday celebration in a restaurant that was just across from my usual comic place. So naturally, soon as we were done with lunch - Eboy and I left John to take care of the bill (it was his treat, after all).

I, then, decided to drop by the comic store and pick up my stack - which was relatively lesser than I considered. Nevertheless, it was a relatively light set - though to be fair, I also get a few issues this past weekend... ones that would have been added to this stack, had I not has them already. That said... any particular issue (or issues) I find interesting? Well, for starters, we have the Captain America issue where Zemo returns... then there's Iron Man... and this particular issue welcomes back a familiar character... Mrs. Abrogast, who used to be Tony Stark's executive assistant.

As comics are wont to entertain, this batch was a mix of great story telling, great art and characterization - okay... maybe not everything was excellent - but they're mostly above average - then again, there are some lemons... and we still need to turn them into lemonade.

Photoblog - day 73, Jun 22, 2010

My Cardinals - at lest, some of them...

Since I'm on a roll with taking pictures of my fishes - I decided to try my camera (now that I know a little more about it's functions) on capturing my Cardinal Tetras - now, unlike my first subjects, the Discus and the Clowns, these guys can be quick to swim around, so it was a greater challenge to capture them in pictures. How much of a challenge? A test of patience once again actually... sitting beside the aquarium - camera pointed and waiting until the fishes come across my lens's shot angle (I needed to refocus a lot of times).

I remember trying to catch them with my old Ixus V - and ending up with a couple of red and blue blurs (guess I know how Jimmy Olsen feels) where there should be fishes. This was where I resigned to the limitations of said Ixus. But now... I'm sporting a DSLR - and this baby is a whole lot more flexible than the Ixus... though it can't capture videos as the Ixus can, so that's the trade-off.

So... what did I do differently to capture a much clearer - and closer picture of these guys? I set my camera to auto-focus, set the ISO speed to max... and made the AI work for me in capturing the picture - yeah, I know... I sorta cheated, but who can argue with results here?

Photoblog - day 72, Jun 21, 2010

My Clowns... all of them.

Last time I presented a picture of my clown... it was just singular, due to the fact that they can be very shy. Well, today was hardly any different - but you might say that there's strength in numbers... as they tend to be more gregarious with each other, and in a playful mode - that is, until they noticed someone (me) watching them.

That is exactly what happened here in this photo - I saw them in a playful mode - slowly approached them... and immediately saw them hiding - so I hd to sit beside the aquarium, camera ready and keeping very still until I could get this shot (I actually shot several for good measure).

Oh well... at least they aren't a problem to take. The little ones seem to be more courageous - hence their staying outside the drift wood... oh yeah - just to give a perspective here, those little ones are about n inch and a half long... so you can try to imagine the larger ones' sizes.

Photoblog - day 71, Jun 20, 2010

My new pets...

What we have here are a pair of Discus fishes (was not sure of Discuses - probably not a valid word, though it seemed to have passed spelling check), and yes... I finally decided to buy them after having stopped myself from getting these fish types for a very long time.

These fishes have a reputation of being really sensitive with their environment, so I was thinking that they would be more trouble than they're worth looking at... not to mention they do cost more than your average fishes that I would get.

Still, when I saw these, I thought to myself - now's a time as good as any... so I bought these two. Now if they prove stable, I might get another pair - after all, they do look good.

Photoblog - day 70, Jun 19, 2010

Boni Bacardi Night - June 2010

As I've shown and mentioned many times in FB, a few colleagues and I, plus Barbie and Cecille spend a night at our home - conjure up some drinks and snacks... and enjoy each others company.

These Boni Bacardi nights may have been an offshoot of the larger Bacardi Nights - but since this is done at home, well... it's somehow more laid back and enjoyable - and we try scheduling it at least once a month.

This particular Boni Bacardi was organized to somehow celebrate Barbie's birthday and likewise be a send off to her for her U.S. business trip (don't sweat it - she'll just be gone for two weeks). By the way, did I mention why we call it Bacardi Nights? Simple - more often than not, we use Bacardi Rum as our main mixer - and though in the past we'd make Mojitos, this particular evening we did some Chi Chis - courtesy of Jingo.

As usual, we had a great time - so here's looking forward to the July Boni Bacardi night.

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.