Photoblog - Day 337 Mar 12, 2011

Glasses:

Today was a very busy day, we had our blood typing done, and I even got a few pictures for the Red Cross Makati to put up in their website (and Facebook). After which, we went to the Shangi La mall in Mandaluyong to have our eyes checked by Alnette (fred's sister) - a move we've wanted to do for a while, but always could not find time to do... until today.

Apparently, we really needed to do this, as my reading glasses grade had changed; so did Barbie's. But the great surprise we had was Bryce having high grades for his glasses. Hence we had his glasses made - and viola! Bryce's new look.

The glasses look good (and thy should - they're Ray Bans) on Bryce - not too geeky or nerdy. In fact they look a bit cool. Hope he feels better now - and hope those glasses keep for a long time.

Photoblog - Day 336 Mar 11, 2011

Coaching the Doggy way?

In some instances, I have to figure out what to take that is worth adding to my daily photo blog... other times, the subject just shows up - in this case, two of them, and though it may be that these subjects are not entirely new, the situation they present (or create) is.

This is Buffy playing with the puppy, and yes... taking care not to hurt him. I guess, somewhere in her memory banks, Buffy would remember how Bubbles acted this way with her - allowing her to play some rough stuff, maybe some playful wrestling (dog style) and basically have a great exercise. Well this time, Buffy seems to be reciprocating with this pup.

Who'd a thought... coaching or mentoring - dog style?

Photoblog - Day 335 Mar 10, 2011

Down time:

It seems that I was still not fully recovered from my bout with the flu these past days - in fact, I am still under antibiotics, which means I'm still battling for my body's health, even if I need not have been hospitalized.

That said, it's fine to have some rest time in between training - and a partner to help with the load. In this case, it was Leader's Window - a course I have a great fondness for and one that I could easily conduct alone in my best time. Ah... but today is not my best time, hence the need for my down time.

Suffice it to say, I'll be glad when this is over, so I cna have the weekend to rest further.

As for the picture, it just shows me in a contemplative pose - and yes, I posed for this. I set my camera to timer mode, chose to sit near a very bright window - limited with shade, to capture my silhouette. Think of this as another experimentation with lights and shades.

Photoblog - Day 334 Mar 9, 2011

Pepper?

Technically, this one month old pup is a half black Labrador and half pit-bull, with obvious Lab features. A cute little bugger, with a lot of panache - and I say this after noticing him play with Buffy, with no fear at all.

I have not given him a name yet - you see, he's not going to stay here, as he's officially not our dog - though he seems adorable as pups go, he's been accepted by Tizza; and Linus is really eager to have him in Cuenca. They even asked me to post pictures of the pup in Facebook, so they could see him. Excited to have him there seems to be an understatement.

Anyway, as we await his Cuenca trip - we will have to contend with him. Not that hard to do; with exception to Ate Vicky, who has to clean up his mess. But I think it will be for the better. Tizza is used to caring for a big dog - and this pup will grow to be big (if the size of his paws are any indication), ands Li has always wanted a Black Lab it seems. I'm sure somewhere in the mix, Migs will want a dog to have around too... and with all the open spaces that Cuenca can offer, this dog will have a very great and active life there.

Yeah... as for a name, I've heard that LI had several to think of (including Batman), but Tizza put her foot down and said 'Pepper' (hence the title with a question mark), personally, I'd go for something a bit more masculine than Pepper - but as I said, he's not my dog.

Photoblog - Day 333 Mar 8, 2011

Roots Afloat:

If my mystery aquarium plant was just recently featured, well... here's a differing view of the same plant - this time, from the bottom. What you see here are the roots of said plants (I refer to them as mini-water lilies... though I've not seen them come up with lily like flowers).

Anyway, I like this take better... it looks mysterious and other-worldly, at least, to most non-aquarists or marine biologists. This time, the balance I was getting was to make as much roots visible, without having the surface too bright. As it stands, the shot looks a bit blurry, but I let it stand - to add to the other-worldly look.

Consider this as another work in progress... after all, it's had to focus on any shot when recovering form the flu, and apparently, I've a lot to recover.

Photoblog - Day 332 Mar 7, 2011

Tuk tuk:

This picture continues my experimenting with lights and shadows - this time, my subject is a model of Vietnam's more famous ride called the Tuk tuk. As you can see by the silhouette, the tuk tuk is basically a converted bicycle... with the front being transformed into a two-wheeled passenger carriage built for one - or two. Hence it technically is now a tricycle.

This model is painted black, which further allowed me to play with shadows. I deliberately lessened the brightness, to capture just the tuk tuk's basic shape. The model is a souvenir courtesy of Barbie's latest work-related trip.

Photoblog - Day 331 Mar 6, 2011

Water Karma?

I took a picture of these water plants (I honestly don't know their name) that just appeared out of nowhere in my aquarium, and apparently, is alive and thriving (multiplying). Since they give the aquarium a nice and cozy feel, I just allow the plants to propagate.

In fact, I get a net-full of these things occasionally, to transfer them into my other, larger aquarium - with hopes of seeing them propagate there too. No such luck yet on the this particular item - guess it's the light or maybe it's the relative calmness of the water in one, and not the other.

Either way, I have at least a seemingly unlimited supply of these things, so I can continue to experiment between this and the other aquarium. I also noted (more like wondered) if these plants would be compatible with shrimps - as they love hanging around plants... and do want to somehow stay by plants near the surface (and lighting) as well. So yeah... maybe I'll try some shrimps here next.

As for the karma? Well the picture seemed to represent balance between the dark waters and the green plants. Regarding this, to properly show the leaves, I had to dramatically lessen the brightness. I'll try another shot at this at a later date - once I get the puzzle of too much brightness fixed.

Photoblog - Day 330 Mar 5, 2011

What used to be tissue:

This was, until last night, my roll of tissue paper. One that I had beside me as I was experiencing a runny nose due to my flu. Well it's not a stretch of the imagination figuring out what happened here - the culprit's name is Buffy.

Apparently, I had thought that Buffy's chewy days were behind us all... unfortunately, this was not so, she has of late, renewed her chewing tactics and as a result has claimed two slippers - both of them Ben's, and th3e bad part was, the second one was newly bought and had not even lasted a day before she got to it.

As of now, I'm at a loss on ow to curb this nasty habit - short of rubbing the possible items of her attention with pepper, that is.

Photoblog - Day 329 Mar 4, 2011

Bryce saluting:

This happened prior turnover ceremony that would be where Bryce and around a few hundred other select students from the other OBMC branches. See I had hoped to accompany Bryce so I could witness the ceremony, but due to schedule mix-ups, I had training that morning that I could not get away from... plus the fact that I wanted to end the course ASAP so I could rest, as I was already feeling bad... possible flu.

Luckily, Barbie and Ben would be able to stay with Bryce and I even had them bring the DSLR so they could take as much pictures as possible. I even set the DSLR settings so they need not worry about bad pictures. Based on what they took, I'd say they got the job done real well.

As for my finishing the class early, I got that too - though not as early as I hoped, but I grabbed a cab and was glad to get home so I could rest. As it was, mu voice was really going, and I was partially deaf to my participants due to the bad cold in my head.

So of all the pictures taken that day, why this? Simple, Before leaving I told Bryce to pose for the camera - I wanted to take his picture, should Barbie and Ben not be able to take pics, at least I'd have one... so there you have it. This one I took, and did not even ask Bryce to salute.

Photoblog - Day 328 Mar 3, 2011

Pigeon shot:

Remember that pigeon shot I had in Piazza showing other people feeding the pigeons? Well this time I came prepared to take pictures of them even in motion. I had some difficulty finding the right combination to capture birds in flight without them looking blurry. Well I think I found the right combination.

Setting my F number really high (at 2000) and compensating for that with a relatively mid ISO at 400, I was ready to try capturing these pigeons... ah but first, I needed to test my shot with something moving and while I was waiting for cars to pass to test my combination, I spotted the water fountain -perpetually moving water... if I could get a shot of this with no blur, that would be it. Well shoot it I did and it did capture the water perfectly. So now I was ready.

This particular shot came in the middle of all the shots I was able to take - almost all with pigeons frozen in flight, or eating at the hands. Anyway, as the pigeons came in to land for food, this particular bird was zooming in on me... probably mistaking my camera for an outstretched hand. Needless to say, I really got a tight shot of the bird, but it was only later that I realized how tight it was.

So cool... scratch one from my list of try and do with the camera. I'm really proud of this (and the other) pictures I took that day.

Photoblog - Day 327 Mar 2, 2011

Lamp between bars:

We, that is Ariel, Mon and I, opted to have lunch at Reyes Barbecue at the second floor of the Piazza in McKinley, and as they were lining up to order their meals, I took it upon myself to try and take a few shots of the place.

This one was from a distinctive position so as to give the picture viewer a different look of the place. After all, how many people bother looking at the lampshades form different angles? But what made it even more unique were the iron bars. To further make the picture different, we have an added dimension by way of the lamp's reflection on the glass wall of Reyes.

So yeah, this picture holds mundane things - but put together, they cease to be mundane and look decidedly different... and by angling my shot, it gives an otherwise ordinary picture, some perspective. Thus giving the picture a unique look with the light, the bars, the light's reflection off the glass and the bars. Yeah... that's me thinking profound.

Photoblog - Day 326 Mar 1, 2011

New Comics for March

Well technically this was for February, but I got to read them this first day of March - you see I would not have gotten these comics had I not been to Makati for the luch with the board yesterday, however, I did not have time to read them back then, so I brought them with me to my PM training.

I reasoned to myself that since Ariel (my partner for PM) would be handling a few modules, then I will have some free time to enjoy these - and enjoy them I did. I was relatively a good pull list with Cap and Secret Avengers - both Brubaker greats, but add to that the final issue of Fantastic Four? Wonderful... only wish the art was better though. Iron Man was great too - though where Iron Man 2.0 will go I don't know yet, but I got the first issue. Legion Annual was okay, I guess... aside from the fact that it was a reunion of sorts for Levitz and Giffen, and lastly the Teen Titans was likewise okay.

Like I said, overall... a good pile of reading.

Photoblog - Day 325 Feb 28, 2011

Lunch with Board:

It's a rare occasion when most of us have no training at a particular day - but such was this day. After all, it being a week where February meets March it was a bit of a slow week for planners, as they planned for March, but not the last day of February - go figure.

Still if not for these types of thinking, we'd have had little or no chance to meet the PheonixOne BOD, and in this particular case, their CEO (who happened to sit beside me). It was a surprise lunch treat at that - most of us were expecting a simple lunch elsewhere, when suddenly we're treated to a lauriat set.

Needless to say it was enjoyable - even if I was a bit careful with the amount of intake on my end. Afterwards, we - my colleagues and I, set out for coffee at Starbucks before we all called it a day.

Photoblog - Day 324 Feb 27, 2011

Last batch for February:

Whereas many people get their comics on a regular weekly basis, I usually get mine in bulk and normally, this happens at the month's end. The reason I do this is the fact that the store I get them from has shown me great respect and appreciation by way of allowing to keep the comics I collect several weeks after their release.

This means that even suddenly collectible issues, like the death of Johnny Storm, that everyone who did not collect Fantastic Four seemed to suddenly want to get, thus making it a first come first served basis as most limited commodity would go through - except for the place I get my comics from.

At times I do get some titles from other shops - but should that happen, and I see similar titles reserved for me by the ship I go to on a regular basis, well... I get the title nonetheless - it may be a useless gesture since I have it already, but it is, to me, a payment for loyalty. For taking care of my wants.

Photoblog - Day 323 Feb 26, 2011

Down time:

After a long week, its nice to hang back and share a few drinks with colleagues... in this case, it was with Gina, Mon and Brian. Aside from the fact that this was unplanned, it was still a great down time after a relatively busy week.

We had some time to compare notes, to assess situations and yes... even vent out a few things - albeit somewhat a bit circumstantial, but logical enough to need to have this get together.

Could this be that same news that places Brian in a seemingly pensive mode? Or is it just the lighting? Either way, it was a nice picture to take - and add to this collection. Not to emphasize the pensiveness, but to show the mood as contributed by the light, the shadows and the pose.

Photoblog - Day 322 Feb 25, 2011

Batirol 2011!

This is at Tsoko.nut Batirol; a chocolate place / restaurant that we seem to frequent whenever we find time to get together... more so when we can't seem to organize a Bacardi Night for the month (or quarter, at times).

But really, who needs an excuse to get together? Benj asked me what was the special occasion - and I just blurted EDSA 25th anniversay, but we weren't really celebrating that... we just wanted to get together after a long time no see with him and Menchu... and yes, because we did not have a Bacardi night scheduled for the month of February.

Aside from the people in the picture, we don't see Marie, who came much later (and by that time, Jj left), and me (holding the camera). Though I was in other pictures - just not in this particular one. Shot taken as is... no post production changes.

Photoblog - Day 321 Feb 24, 2011

Coffee Beans:

This picture is a take two - in other words, it's something I took before... wasn't too happy with and so, decided to wait for the opportunity to take it again, this time, making sure I came away with a much cleaner... and better shot.

As you can see, they are coffee beans, enclosed in a flat glass frame, making an artificial wall (or in this case, wallpaper?) for the place's typical ambiance. That these coffee beans are used as display is quite appropriate, since this is a coffee shot after all.

As for the shot itself, I did not change anything in it... with exception to the contrast. Other than that, what you see is what I shot.

Photoblog - Day 320 Feb 23, 2011

New Collar!

Here's Buffy sporting her new collar - one I had just bought earlier to replace the seemingly dilapidated one she has been wearing... and although still functional, said collar had long ago lost it's golden shine, replaced by an awkward looking inner material. How did this happen to her old collar - one not even a year old? Simple... wear and tear... and the last one is a bit literal.

See, during the days when Buffy would be playing with Neko or Nek-nek for that matter (the mother son black cat tandem we have), they would bite Buffy's collar in an effort to try to get away from her. Well that move obviously did not work - and all it did was make the collar look ugly.

So since I take pictures of Buffy once is a while, I worry about the collar's look in the pictures. Well, with new collar... problem solved. She looks presentable again.

Photoblog - Day 319 Feb 22, 2011

Fiel in Action:

This is Fiel, my parter in training, at least, for this week and he's seen here emphasizing an idea to the the entire class. As facilitating goes, it's a nice feeling to help people learn new stuff... and Fiel is one of the more diligent facilitators I've known - not resting on his laurels, and wanting to always explore new ideas... often, to share with his participants and students, if not in Accenture, in his Master courses at Asia Pacific College.

Fiel comes across as professorial when he teaches... maybe it's because he is one... but in this line of business, that isn't a bad thing. It's not to say he's too serious too - after all, he does mention a few jokes here and there too. As for this particular training, it's all about Application Component Detailed Design (ACDD), and Fiel always makes it look effortless.

As I said, we're together (partners) in two sessions of ACDD covering Monday to Thursday and on Friday we'll meet the rest of the gang after a number of us get our checks... meanwhile, it's counting the days and hours with these conducts. Good thing that we've got each other as partners here, or we'd be straining our voices raw.

I've known Fiel for about five years now... having first taught with him in our PrimaryEdge days... usually with a 3rd partner, Benj Santilian. I miss those days... and good to know that we'll be seeing Benj on Friday.

Photoblog - Day 318 Feb 21, 2011

Wooden Beams:

These remind me of architectural patterns used by some homes or country clubs... usually in seemingly forested areas, or in places where wood is easily obtained... and these aren't cheap mind you. Of course the locations with these try to emulate the seeming log cabin feel, hence being right at home in Baguio locales.

But this isn't Baguio... far from it, actually - it's Selah, the dining area in Cyber2 that Fiel and I (plus other colleagues of ours) usually frequent. These beams are proudly isplayed on the ceiling... notice howo the dining place uses minimalist designes for it's ceiling... just the beams and pipings. No bother ti hide the place's skeletal configuration... to give it a semi-underground, unfinished look.

This is another example of the mundane, captured in a more interesting slant. I did not want to use flash photography here, because it would render the beams ither too bright... and the background too dark. Hence I opted for allowing background lighting to handle the light and brightness concern.