Photoblog - Day 253 Dec 18, 2010

Cheese plate:

This evening, Barbie and I hosted our second wine and cheese night for Fred and Carlos. If things go according to conversations from this night's gathering, we might just make this a semi-regular thing. This night, Fred brought his girl friend Clorian, hopefully in succeeding such nights, we'll have Gerry joining us as well (assuming he gets to pull himself from whatever keeps him very busy these days).

The cheese cutter was something I got from the St. James bazaar - something I specifically looked for, as I was getting frustrated with having to scrape the cheese from any knife. Aside from this, one could possibly glimpse some red and white colored plates and matching cloth napkins - all for better presentation... and items that we (that is, Barbie and I) bought from the Crossings Depaartment Store in Shangri La Plaza.

The table looked great, and we had a great time. Though this time, we consumed less wine as Carlos and I were more focussed on savoring a 15-year old Scotch (brouhgt by Carlos). We also had three cakes (two courtesy of Fred). Yup... looking forward to the next one - most probably by next year.

Photoblog - Day 251 Dec 16, 2010

New Star(bucks)!

This new building happens to be a two story Starbucks coffee place located in the Fort. Barbie had visited it and she wanted us to experience this as well. Naturally, I was curious about the new place, and lugged my camera to take a few pcitures.

The place was almost full - despite it's size, and seemingly out of the way location from the High Street and other more densely populated locales within Bonifacio. Still, we did find some seats (barely), and enjoyed our coffee.

Will I ever come back here to relax and enjoy the experience? Maybe... after all, I have no real reason to go back - considering that there are other, more convenient Starbucks locations - with the one if Fully Booked specifically coming ot mind. Technically, this is the building's rear... though it looks a bit more interesting that it's front.

Photoblog - Day 252 Dec 17, 2010

Blue:

As I said im a previous post (two days back), I was planning on taking a shot of me in the blue light. Where exactly did this blue light come from? Simple... I found a room filled with PCs and their monitors on standby Windows screen mode. This was where I took the picture of the clock as prep for my picture. Consdier this my official photo for the month.

It was a bit of a challenge too, considering I had no tripod with me during this shot, and I still had to consider how the camera somehow tried overcompensating to adjust it's shot looking too blue. How did I do this? Putting my ISO setting to 100, to capture light as quick as possible, not use a flash, and make sure my white balance was placed in a bright light mode, so the camera would compensate by making the shot slightly darker. But it didn't end there either... I had to add to the contrast of the pciture - remove the visible monitors and just leave the ligth relfection to do it's magic to me adn my features.

The results hoepfully speak for themselves.

Photoblog - Day 250 Dec 15, 2010

Tempus Fugit:

Time flies... so the saying goes - but at times, time seems to stand still as well... so which is it? The Greeks give us a clue - two actually. That is right, the Greek have two meanings to time that captures this duality. Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos, or linear time, is time that does not wait... the one that flies. It's what people are rushing to catch when they chase deadlines. Kairos, on the other hand, is quality time... the kind we'd like to stretch - to stand still, to freeze and rememebr forever with pcitures or videos.

But enough of this... let's talkabotu the picture. I took this clock in a room lit in blue - funny how just that fact makes an otherwise mundane picture seem to be seen in a differnt light (and yes, I intended the pun - sue me if you find it corny). I wnated to capture the clock in the blue hue... and yes, this was in preperation of another shot I was hoping to take... this time, with me in the frame. Unfortunately, my camera took this time to run out of juice. Ah well... will do this at another date... and post the results here too.

Photoblog - Day 249 Dec 14, 2010

New Laptop:

Okay... maybeit's nto so new, but it's a laptop and it's mine. Consider this a Christmas gift I'm giving myself - and Lord knows I needed one after my old reliable became less reliable. So now I'm going to be luggin around this Toshiba Satellite whenever I need to access my files.

I'd go through the specs - but I think it would not be so interesting to some folks, so suffice to say this laptop is larger, more powerful and heavier than my old one. It's an improvement in almost all aspects - and I'm lucky it fits into my laptop backpack.

I'll admit to still adjusting to the use of this laptop, and I still have to consolidate my files - but with my TB portable HD, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

Photoblog - Day 248 Dec 13, 2010

New Batch:

Yeah, yeah... regular followers of this blog (there must be at least one of you, right?) will probably think 'ho hum, another entry about his comics' - and in that regard, you may be right; but consider the fact that this is a photoblog of how I spent my tear - and if it isn't obvious yet, let me point out that I collect and buy comics almost on a weekly basis. So don't be surprised with these entries (and this certainly won't be the last for the year... or this project).

That said, let me say something about this new batch...

Vampirella! A new number one issue at that. I've been a fan of the character since... well since her Vampirella black and white magazine days. Let's face it, her early adventures were rather okay... but the art, and how her character was written - hoo boy, was she a fantasy piece for every '70s comic geek. I've heard the B&W stories will be reprinted by Dynamite... that's cool too. I wouldn't mind recollecting Vampi.

Aside from that, there's the Chaos War... hmmm... I'm still on the fence on this, but getting it anyway. The Green Hornet is another Dynamite product... and I'm starting to respect this publisher a whole lot more. After all, this incarnation of Green Hornet is being penned by Kevin Smith. The runaway surprise that I enjoyed, though is the Chaos War's Dead Avengers - and though I don't know where this is going yet, it seems well crafted, and I do miss a few of the characters here.

Lastly... Children's Crusade. A good story and a nice twist - great characterization and art... but where is this going, I wonder? Regardless, I'm just glad that Wanda - the real Wanda it seems, is back.

Photoblog - Day 247 Dec 12, 2010

Meet Bruce:

No, he isn't our dog. Bruce is based in my in-laws place in Cavite, and we just happened to pay them a visit today. Bruce was bought by my brothers and sisters-in-law in Tiendesitas sometime November this year. He's just a puppy (pedigreed), though I doubt he'll grow dramatically larger than his current frame. After all, Bruce's breed (a Pug if I'm not mistaken) does not lend itself to growing much larger than his current size.

Bruce's breed's claim to fame came form the movie 'Men in Black', wherein one alien disguises himself as the dog of a newspaper owner - and I remember this becasue I remember a lot of trivial items related to movies... specially comic adaptations (as Men in Black was).

Back to Bruce... he greeted us enthusiastically and as some other pcitures would attest, he is likewise ready to play at a moment's notice. Wonder if his demeanor - and outlook towards strangers will change as he gets older? In this picture, we see Barbie controling Bruce's movements, so he could have his picture taken.

As for the picture itself, since I wanted to use all natural light, I declined using a flash to allow the dominance of orange to come through.

Photoblog - Day 246 Dec 11, 2010

Christmas Bacardi Get Together:

Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the week - a weekend with a Bacardi Night, and not just any Bacardi night; mind you... but one that's got the larger group together for our 2nd Annual Christmas gathering / white elephant - exchange gift game. It's also a great time for us to play catch up with old friends whom we've not seen in a while - or whom we've had little time to sit down and talk shop with - due to the hectic demands of work.

As you can see by the picture, we were able to have a sizable group - counting just four absentees from this gathering. Oh well, next time we'll hopefully have a more complete attendance... and talking about next bacardi nights, before this night ended, we more or less, pegged the schedules and locations for the next two Bacardi Nights for 2011.

For thsi pic, I set the camera on timer mode, and lucky for us all, Nai had a tripod handy. So cheers folks... and see you all again after all these holiday traffic.

Photoblog - Day 243 Dec 08, 2010

Partaaaay!

Okay, it's not as wild as the title connotes, and the picture isn't indicative of how wild I might have been that entire evening. I wasn't drunk... far from it... I was just pulled into joining the Limbo Rock game/activity by the Red Cross Makati volunteers - the people who were the primary reason for this party. Come to think of it, this party was already their second - you might say, an extension to their afternoon party... though I missed that one, since I had training.

Yup... Red Cross Makati. I'm starting to slowly integrate myself into the organization as a volunteer, mentor cum 'partner'. I've actually been asked by John Tiong - the Makati group's current chair; and long time college buddy of mine, to join them... for, oh... about a year now. I did not commit then because I was unsure of how regular work would be coming, and I did not want to give a half-meant commitment. Now... I can better work with them... though integrating myself slowly into the group.

Meanwhile, from what I hear, this kind of thing happens monthly... how about that?

Was I worried as I was doing the limbo rock? Not really... after all, I was surrounded by people who were experts in First Aid... with a group that had the most complete equipment, and best trained pool of volunteers. Nope... no worries at all.

Photoblog - Day 245 Dec 10, 2010

My Test Design Class:

This particular training started last Wednesday, and ended today - in the course of the conduct these seven individuals became quite inquisitive and communicative - not just with the lessons taught, but with each other's lives. Because of this, what was possibly one boring technical class turned into a lively -and at times, even riotous (though not too riotous, of course) 3-day session.

I was not the only facilitator here - as I was sharing the lecture load with Tess... and we were both amused with how the trainees conversations went - consider a typical workshop assignment or video-based discussion: whereas others would concentrate on their respective monitors, doing the tasks by themselves, these people would keep talking to each other... then later, across the room - to the others in another table regarding non-training related stuff... all while trying to do the lessons' activities.

Rather than stop this freewheeling discussions, I allowed it to keep going; all the while observing the group of individuals getting seemingly closer with each other. By day 3 some of them were joking around as if they knew each other for quite some time now. Imagine that. Tess and I even jokingly referred to some discussions in the same vein as a 'my grandpa is better than your grandpa' discussion amongst kids in a playground - these are all adults talking; mind you.

I have to admit that this has got to be one of the better group dynamics I've seen happen. Mind you, they were not probably the best combination of smarts - but they were most likely an ideal combination for forming a team... had circumstances put them into one project, that is.

Interesting experience. Too bad it ended. Their banters made everyone's training less regimented... less dragging, less boring. No one fell asleep - in fact, no one seemed to need coffee. They were all sustained by each one learning more about their new friends - and the training's lessons along the way.

This was one time I did not feel too drained from facilitating. I was too busy enjoying... listening to the side-conversations as well.

Photoblog - Day 244 Dec 09, 2010

My New Trades!

When comics are printed on a monthly basis, they usually have story arcs that span a few issues... maybe four; at times, six. I mean, it's easy to say these are stories subdivided into smaller parts and one gets to read them in roughly 20+ pages of stories - released monthly (or in some cases, weekly).

As a comic collector, I've been used to this buy, read and 'wait another month for the continuation' routine, and because I was a collector - past trades were not that interesting to me, since they represented stories of issues I already had (or, in cases where I missed getting an issue... mostly had). The price was therefore not that attractive to me... and let's face it, some stories were not worth the binding they were placed on - even if the bindings were better than your average stapled comic book.

So why am I seemingly slowly getting to be a trade paperback convert? Simple... there have been back issues that I missed out on - in some instances, whole stories... specially from DC's titles belonging to the pre-Crisis era. I know, some of you may be wondering exactly what I'm alluding to... suffice it to say, that was one big event in DC and it was a perfect steeping stone for me to slowly integrate myself to said universe.

One such title was the Legion of Superheroes... and one such story arch was the Darkness Saga. So you can imagine how glad I was to get this yesterday evening. I also heard a lot about Fables, and am likewise trying the title out. Advantages of trades therefore are two-fold in this instance... it gave me a second chance to get into opportunities (story arcs) missed, and the second? I need not wait a long time, nor need I worry about a broken arc with a missing issue.

Photoblog - Day 242 Dec 07, 2010

Quiet Reading Corner:

When I can find time for reading... and I do find time in between lectures, I catch up on a variety of subject matters - for example, Time has an article regarding Wikileaks, that I was just curious about , so I got the issue - and should I grow tired of reading Time's articles, I switch to a book - in this case, I am now reading Seth Godin's Tribes. My first Godin book, actually. I was curious about him before - and I do subscribe to his articles in the website... but it is just now that I considered getting a Godin book.

I know he's got a lot of ideas - often times, radical paradigm shift ideas... but hey, it helps put the status quo in a different light. This one is more leadership oriented... or at least, it tries to be. It's also easy reading, but I have to say, I guess I've grown accustomed to Seth's style on the web... short write-ups, and I'm still on the bench wondering if I prefer his style here (longer but more complete with explanation), or simply short and profound (due to a seeming lack of explanation).

Ah well... guess it's time I renewed some of my passions for leadership, and likewise renew my tribal influences. They haven't disappeared - though I'd say they have somehow hibernated.

Oh yeah... and reading goes so well with either some coffee or tea; both of which I can get in Starbucks.

Photoblog - Day 241 Dec 06, 2010

Comics - Week 1, December:

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I featured some comics in my blog... it's not that I wasn't getting any, it was more likely that I was featuring other things - after all, my life isn't just all about comics. I was simply making sure that there was no monotony regarding the topics of coverage that I was placing in this 365 project.

Having said that, I show a collection of comics that I got just this weekend, and will start reading them soon as I find the time - which would normally mean before sleeping - or if I can, I'd bring them with me to work and do tackle an issue or two (or three) in my free time.

Of this batch, I continue enjoying Fantastic Four, and am likewise curious as to where the new direction of Batman is going.

Photoblog - Day 240 Dec 05, 2010

A Night of Symphony!

One of the nice things about shopping at malls this time of year happens to be the special, and free shows that these establishments have set up for their shopping public. It can be a great opportunity to see how certain institutions stand the test of time; and in this case, we have the Manila Symphony Orchestra jamming Christmas tunes to the shopping crowd.

I happen to be one of such crowd - and as Barbie and Bernice were looking for gifts to give Bernice's faculty and Barbie's officemates, I listened to the Manila Symphony do some classic tunes from the Nut Cracker Suite. Later they even started playing more traditional and romantic Christmas tunes.

Some friends even asked me in Facebook where and when the Manila Symphony would play next... back then I had no answer - but now I do. They'll be playing on the 18th, at the Fort's Bonifacio High Street.

Photoblog - Day 239 Dec 04, 2010

Polo Club Tree:

As part of my effort to take pictures with a Christmas theme, I try looking for scenes or decors that look inspiring, wonderful or just down right fantastic - though this tree may not fit all those adjectives, I definitely found it awesome to look at (so it was at least inspiring), hence my taking it.

The place - for those of you who may be wondering, is the lobby of the Manila Polo Club. I attended a meeting there with a group that will hopefully spark some inspiration and lead to opportunities to 'give back to the community', while making sure that should certain 'worse case scenarios' happen (and I'm knocking on wood that they don't), we'll be ready to help and serve.

I believe I've hinted more than enough - but I'll keep it limited there for a while... and when it's the 'right time' to announce this endeavor, I shall. Meanwhile, let's just keep enjoying the Christmas holiday's approach and it's myriad decors.

National Geographic Magazine Your Shot

Pictures I hope to add to... sometime soon:

I've always marveled at how those NatGeo pictures were taken. To be sure, these were expert photographers with cameras and equipment that would dwarf my Canon by comparison - and to be sure, these people have been at this creative process much longer than I.

Needless to say, I have secretly harbored a dream to submit a photo to National Geographic and hopefully see it chosen by them. Well guess they heard me - and a multitude of like-minded photo enthusiasts, because with this link that dream is one step closer to reality.

So if you are like me... well, here's your chance. I've registered. It's now a matter of choosing what picture I hope Nat Geo will like. Good luck to me (and you, should you decide to join as well).

National Geographic Magazine Your Shot: "Add National Geographic Your Shot site content onto your Web space."

Photoblog - Day 238 Dec 03, 2010

Batch 78 X-mas Reunion:

Yup, that's me with some of my batch-mates from High School (La Salle Greenhills, Batch '78), as we got together in Kuya's restaurant in The Fort. We normally hold these gatherings every first Thursday of December, and this is the 3rd (or 4th) Christmas reunion I've attended with them.

I arrived a bit late, though... so I may not have seen my other batch-mates that may have come earlier - but left before I arrived... and assuming I was last to arrive ( I dropped by around 10:30pm, having come from a Toastmasters Meeting), that would mean this particular reunion night had 30 attendees (yes, I was number 30).

Considering that a lot of our numbers were busy - and others may have found the traffic a downer when considering whether they would attend or not, 30 isn't a bad number - still, the more the merrier comes to mind... oh well, the night was not a downer. Henry showed us pictures of old La Salle and even some of St. John the Baptist's stuff from a museum. Plus, I did get to see one 'friend' that I have not seen in a while - Jomini Venago... a guy who shared the same passion for comics as I.

So considering that I probably stayed for about an hour and a half, it wasn't a bad night - in fact I was glad we ended early... that is, if you can consider near midnight as early. Yes, this picture was taken before we called it a night, so it was technically a Friday already.

Photoblog - Day 237 Dec 02, 2010

Toastmasters:

I have not been actively pursuing my Toastmasters connections and trainings for about... oh, three or four years now. I just find myself too tired, coming from work - and if the idea is to practice public speaking or feedback-giving in the club meetings, well... I do that almost every week in my work anyway. So you could say there seems to be some redundancies between my work and the Toastmasters.

This does not mean that I will not attend meetings when invited by other clubs - specially from colleagues whom I've rubbed elbows with when I was still active... and one such colleague is Jeck Maog - who, out of the blue, invited me to be their General Evaluator for this evening's meeting. I warned Jeck that it has been a while since I attended such meetings, but to her... once a TM, always a TM - plus she favored me with the reminder that I was an evaluator champion back then, so... well, how does one turn an invite down after hearing that?

The evening was nostalgic for me... reprising a role I've done many occasions - though not recently. I marveled at the Mangers for Christ TMC's new blood (mostly La Salle graduates - so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised, he he he), and how well they delivered their speech projects - and I was glad to give feedback to a lot of my colleagues in my capacity as G.E.

I sincerely hope I helped with my insights, and though I don't relish the idea of being invited by others soon enough (like I said, I can get tired after work), I can't deny the fact that TM meetings are fun and energizing... plus if you get to help others improve... well, isn't that good karma for you?

Photoblog - Day 236 Dec 01, 2010

Countdown to Christmas:

It's December! Finally! And what does this mean? Among other things, to many of us Filipinos, it means that Christmas is just 24 days away. To others, it means a reality check to see if they are ready for the yuletide celebration... in whatever manner they see fit to celebrate it. It could be a reminder to double-check their Christmas gift-giving list... to see if everyone's accounted for; and see if they already have do their Christmas shopping.

For others (and I fall under this category), the need to plan in advance for the Noche Buena meal, by getting the necessary ingredients lest we run out of it - due to an increase in demand for such items (e.g. the cream and condensed milk to be used for fruit salads).

For some, it's to find the 'Christmas songs' library from their iPod or hard drives - and start playing them without any guilt trip of looking silly for playing the songs too early. Naturally, there is also setting up of the homes, offices and malls with decors - to join the celebration of Christmas.

This picture is such a situation - decors hanging on the ceiling of the training room - not too many to distract... just enough to remind everyone (as if we need reminding) of the season. I took two pictures of this trio of over-sized pine cones, just to see which picture would come out better. The one without the use of flash looked more natural - but the one where the camera flash was used presents a more lively and colorful picture. can you guess which picture I decided to use in this photoblog?

Photoblog - Day 235 Nov 30, 2010

Morning Rush Observer:

This is what I ended up doing... since I did not have any trainings to conduct today, I was able to bring Barbie to her annual medical check-up appointment - then looked for a place to hang around in the Ortigas area. I remembered the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in the vicinity, so ended up parking nearby... grabbing my camera and backpack (with a few reading materials), ordered breakfast and enjoyed the morning in a relaxed manner.

One of the things I readily observed was how people were in a rush... moving here and there - going past the coffee shop, on their way to (or... in the case of some call center employees - coming from ) work. I even had a team of call center agents and presumably their team lead (or manager) meet, just one table away. I did not eavesdrop in their meeting - focusing instead, on reading my new issue of Time magazine. But, boy... did it feel good to be apart form this rush crowd situation... even if it was just for a day.

Did they wondered who I was and why I was not part of their situation? I mean, I was just in t-shirt, shorts and rubber-shoes, so I was obviously not in work attire... but did they indeed even notice? Maybe... then again, maybe they were too caught up in their everyday work concerns.

If such were the case, I couldn't blame them... I would, after all, find myself joining them in this morning rush come tomorrow. But until then... I found it quite relaxing to just observe things... to be a silent witness, without having to be
a participant of the rush hour - even for just a day.