Photoblog - day 109 Jul 28, 2010

Hopia anyone?

This is a small, mongo-based (mung beans, I believe they're called elsewhere) cake known in Chinese stores - called Hopia Mongo, this is a favorite snack of mine, specially since it does not offer too sweet a filling, as compared to it's pork-based counterpart. It happens to be a relatively light snack per piece, though don't be surprised to see me able to finish the entire pack in one sitting (which I try very much to avoid, of course... at least, not in one sitting).

This particular variety comes from a well known manufacturer of such mung-based cake and is one of the higher quality standard version. Such mung cake can be easily seen in Manila's very own Chinatown - but it is popular enough so that people can now see these products in groceries far from said manufacturing plant. Just be careful when eating this version. Remember that separating one piece from another is a very thin piece of paper... one that overeager patrons fall victim to biting, eating and chewing - without at times realizing that such paper was there.

Photoblog - day 108, Jul 27, 2010

Moth Up Close:

I saw this moth in (of all places) the Accenture lounge a.k.a. the Ideas Exchange area - and since I always wanted to have the opportunity to take an insect up close and try capturing some details, well let's just say I was glad I had my trusty DSLR with me at that instance.

Now I took a few shots using the regular manner - then I decided to try, once again, the enlarged style by reversing my camera's lens. Well, what you see is the result - a really up close picture of the moth. Problem is the focus is limited in size and depth... hence the limitations of having some parts of the moth not focused - and not captured at all.

Still, I was partially successful in being able to capture some details that are normally hidden from normal view... for example, I did not realize that the moth's wing looked like feathers. How about that...

Photoblog - day 107, Jul 26, 2010

Scaffolding to Heaven?

I know... it isn't exactly a Stairway, but when I saw this, I thought about taking the picture - after all, how often do we see such support structures outside the building we're in? By adjusting the angle of the shot, I'm able to present a seeming illusion of said steel structure seemingly going further up (and it does go up, since I'm taking this from the fourth floor - and the scaffolding goes all the way to the 6th floor. Thus reminding me of that old Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven".

Since this was also taken with the sun on the foreground, the scaffolding presented itself more like a silhouette, further adding to the contrast of the shot (or so I'd like to think). The clouds as backdrop - and natural filter to an otherwise overpowering sun's brightness likewise adds to the composition of said shot. Where'd I learn to take such a dramatic angle? Would you believe from a book that I've read so long ago entitled 'How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'?

Photoblog - day 106, Jul 25, 2010

New Readings:

As the title suggests, these are the two new reading materials I always carry with me wherever I go, and should my schedule allow for it, I can definitely read up on a few chapters in the book - or a few articles in the magazine.

The 'Book of Fate' is a work by Brad Meltzer - an author I came to know by way of his controversial story in a D.C. comics title 'Identity Crisis'. Plus the fact that I had read a few remarks about the book by a few comics personalities - so naturally, I got curious. I'm a few chapters in and I can say that the plot is intriguing enough that I might even look for Brad's other books after this. Though I'm not in much of a hurry, seeing as I do have a lot of books on the waiting list (meaning ones that I own and are just waiting to be read by me).

On the other hand, the magazine Digital Photography by Mag is a compilation of tips in how to do many types of photographs - name it, they seem to have it. Some I've already done and as I read the article, I realized that I was correct in doing the technique, hence I could really say that I'd been there and done that. More importantly though are the tips for some other pictures I plan on taking as well - these will certainly save me time and effort by approaching those photo projects more prepared.

The magazine's tips are more than worth double the cover price - and I recommend it to all budding photographers.

Photoblog - day 105, Jul 24, 2010

Bubbles and Ben:

Sometimes, a picture is just begging to be taken - and this was one such occasion. Ben and Beatrice (with Brent in tow) came for a visit, so that Bea could attend a seminar at Mary the Queen - a requirement if they were to allow Jude Brent to be baptized there.

After the seminar, everyone stayed in the room - enjoying the air-conditioned atmosphere, and Ben holds Bubbles close to his face. Knowing that Bubbles has the tendency to lick people when they do that (at least with the people she likes), so I had camera handy for such a shot. After reviewing said shot, I noticed how nice it looked - nice enough to be added to my photoblog.

No technical knowhow considered here, no prep time and no theme considered - this is just a pure and simple moment being captured... and great pictures are meant to convey an emotion when seen - well this one offers such an emotional response. Isn't that what great pictures are all about? :)

Photoblog - day 104, Jul 23, 2010

Friday Hang-out in McKinley:

If you happen to be in McKinley Hills in the Fort, then this edifice will be easily seen in most parts of the Hill, as I'm sure it's tower will be one of the first things you'll see. The mall (though I;d probably say that it's more a restaurant row) is obviously an attempt to get the look and feel of Italy's known Piazza.

Since Friday is 'coding day' for me, I find myself hang out in one of the various eating places or bistros in said McKinley hill location. For that, at least, I am grateful - after all, prior to this place opening, McKinley Hill was somewhat like a Timbuktu location... and getting stuck for coding was really boring. Of course, said foray into said bistros is not something I'd do alone... after all, part fo the enjoyment is the conversations with the company you keep, so should I find myself in McKinley, alone on a Friday night... even the lights of this place fail to lure me to stay a little longer.

Photoblog - day 103, Jul 22, 2010

Inside looking out:

This is a view from the Accenture McKinley office - specifically the auditorium where one training was ongoing. Said view, to avoid it being a distraction, is located at the auditorium's rear windows - and said windows come with double shades/blinds to control the sunlight's entry to the room, specially when a projector need be used. Now normally, the distraction could be people looking outside when bored in what they are (supposedly) participating in. But this particular day was so hot that people preferred staying indoors. So no problem in that regard.

This picture shows the semi-covered walkway leading from the building to the gate - and we can see what is beyond the metallic gate. I have lost track of how many times I've walked this path... and come next week, I'll be walking this path again - at least one day... twice if you count walking in and out as two separate occurrences.

If you're wondering how hot things were - let's just say that the afternoon temperature would easily reach 38 degrees Celsius.

Photoblog - day 102, Jul 21, 2010

Afternoon Delight:

This is the typical hot fudge sundae one can order in any McDonalds around here... and as the title clues us in, I sometimes find myself getting one of these things on a hot afternoon - sometimes, right after lunch. Call it one of my cheaper guilty pleasures... I know I shouldn't take this too often, and that is what makes me do this just once a week. The combination of the thick fudge against the creamy vanilla ice cream is a simple, classic combination for dessert.

This particular hot fudge session happened while I was assigned to the Accenture McKinley office, where I had an Application Analysis training to conduct. Said McDonalds can be found that the 2nd floor of the Piazza... I make mention of this, in case some of you wonder where to get their hands on such a simple delight (like I said - it's a typical McDonalds dessert option).

Photoblog - day 101, Jul 20, 2010

Inside the 9-volt battery:

Okay, maybe not the 9-volt battery that you would readily notice, and we're not really inside one... but as this technically enlarged picture view (without the help of any zoom lens or zooming in of the image using 'post-shoot' Photo-editing software I might add) of one of said battery's terminals located at it's top.

And yes... we can almost see the insides to the hole of said terminal. So how'd I achieve this enlarged version without a zoom lens? Simply by focusing on my subject... and reversing the lens' view option (meaning quite literally reversing the lens to see a magnified version).

This method was a challenge to me because of 'shakes' - no... not Alzheimer or the sort - just unstable hands. Yet the technique may not lend itself to the use of tripods... so manual it has to be. That said, i still plan to use this style on an insect - when I find one.

Photoblog - day 100, Jul 19, 2010

Starbucks with a balcony view:

This particular Starbucks is located at the 3rd level of the Powerbooks main office at the Bonifacio High Street, just across Serendra's Commercial and Residential locations... and as cool place to hang out in (specially for a shutter bug like me), there would be few places I'd like to be while waiting for Barbie after work.

Fully Booked is our perceived middle-ground - it allows her to get more cooperative cab drivers, since the Fort is not far from cabs plying the Paranaque area, specially since they fear getting stuck in EDSA traffic.

On my end, going to Fully Booked from Boni isn't too hard - and it beats waiting long while Barbie still tries to seek said agreeing cab. I also normally choose Fully Booked since it's a great place to eat up time - its just that scanning the latest books can be frustrating to my pocket.

On a cool day - or close to the evening, there is the Starbucks balcony - if you don't mind contending with a few smokers and their smokes, that is. But as I said, the waiting can be easy... with coffee on one hand and a book in another - or in this case, a camera.

On a side note... Wow!!! My hundredth photo post! How about that?

Photoblog - day 99; Jul 18, 2010

My new comics:

As I said before, I collect comics on a semi-regular time frame... and though they come out weekly, I find myself making the trip to comic shops on a 'twice a month' pace - not surprising, these things tend to accumulate... but at least I get copies when I arrive... guess that happens to be the fringe benefit of having your regular shops recognizing you as their loyal patron... or at least, a regular customer.

Anyway, this particular batch was slightly different... and the keen-eyed individual can easily see why. Aside from my regular pull list, I decided to - with the help of my favorite bookstore having their mid-year sale, get two compilations... the first is the Avengers-Defenders Clash (circa '70s) and the second is the Thrawn Trilogy of Timothy Zahn - a great set of Star Wars novels turned into comics. Those two will give me long hours of reading enjoyment... that is, soon as I go through my other comicbooks. I think I'll make a review of these graphic compilations, once I've read them... and oh yeah, Brandon - never let it be said that I don't listen to requests... your brothers wanted Star Wars... well, the Thrawn Saga is one of the best.

Photoblog - day 98, Jul 17, 2010

Spa time!

As the picture shows, Barbie and I went to Ahavia Spa this evening (our second trip to this spa) and we both got the anti-stress 90-minute massage. How was our massage? Well teh first time around, I asked for a hard massage and showed the bruises the next day. Still, despite its being rough, it was a great feeling to have those muscle pains and joints. That was then...

This evening, we tried something different... not because the first one was not good - rather, we wanted to try another option - get a feel of their different massages, and whereas the first time was more Shiatsu style, this would be more on the Swedish manner, which means that it was more kneading the muscles with oil. After this session, we both felt relaxed - again, any aches and pains we had accumulated were kneaded out, so we definitely felt relaxed. Ahavia Spa... definitely an advantage that it's location is just about a 10-minute drive from our place, a very affordable price for the services - and good service at that... yeah - this may turn out, to me at least, the beginning of a weekly habit.

As for the picture, i opted for a natural lighting shot - no flash, and in the process, get Barbie's silhouette into the picture.

Photoblog - day 97, Jul 16, 2010

Rebuilding or Relocating?

This picture is not taken in the wilds - thus a chance encounter with such a bird as this is both rare and surprising. My jaded side would have said that this bird would have been someone's meal long time ago... so seeing it at a day I did not plan to shoot any wildlife - and seeing it in a very familiar location (Johnson and Johnson gardens just between the office building and the parking lot - all located in Paranaque), hence knowing these types don't usually hang around urban areas, was a definite chance encounter... and one I was not about to let pass me by.

So here I was, about to read a book in the car, as I was waiting for Barbie to get out of her office, when I spotted the bird land in the garden's path - and I was parked right in front of said path. I blinked a few times, registering what I saw, then grabbed my camera from the car's backseat to try and take this rare opportunity.

I could not go too near the bird (and wished that I had a zoom lens for such occasions), so I had to contend with creeping up slowly and taking shots without scaring the bird (and without getting the premise guard's suspicion going too). Like I said, it isn't one I'm familiar with - and it certainly was not your typical maya maya - it was just too large for such a species (then again, I could be mistaken), so I can't figure out what to call it. IT was also hard to shoot the bird, as it was constantly moving around.

I can only surmise that this bird had somehow lived in an untouched part of this city - and that the recent typhoon's killer winds had displaced it of it's home, and now it was moving around - seeking a new home... or looking for materials to make such a new home. Why so small a picture of said bird? For one, I wanted to show the background a bit - present the fact that this was in the city... and two, let everyone else realize that this bird also had a natural camouflage with it's plume = it's located at the right portion of the picture... below the garden chairs (in case you missed it).

Photoblog - day 96, Jul 15, 2010

Ice cream heaven:

Yup we (Barbie, Bernice and I) were in Haagen Dazs enjoying an afternoon of coolness by way of sharing scoops of ice cream - and we had an ulterior motive with our going here... since this was one place that had no one hanging around it in an otherwise crowded mall filled with people who wanted to chill while waiting for the power to return to their homes - and yes, it likewise afforded us the opportunity to chrage our cell phones while taking our sweet time with the ice cream. The parlor was naturally cool - and that was enjoyable too.

From top to bottom, the flavors we tried out were Dulce de leche (roughly translated as sweet and milky), Macadamia Nuts and Dark Choco Valencia (orange bits and flavors - my choice), and we really took our time here - in fact, Barbie and Bernice likewise went shopping around as I stayed to enjoy a book I brought.

Photoblog - day 95, Jul 14, 2010

Lighted Pagoda:

What does one do when his world is literally filled with darkness? Seek sources of illumination, of course - in our case, a strong typhoon supposedly headed north of Manila still hit us hard enough to cause a metro-wide blackout. So we literally had now power for close to 24-hours (lights out happened at 1 A.M. - and only returned around 10:30 P.M., and in between, we were adjusting to a world without power (kids had no school because of this, and Barbie reconsidered going to work; since many places were still reeling from the storm's passing).

So again, what does one do? well, I definitely looked around the illuminated areas and spotted a glass pagoda that I got a few months back and saw how it was reflecting some ambient light from the candles - my mind played around with the light and reflections idea with said pagoda, and I grabbed my still-well charged DSLR. Was it kismet that I was reading some articles on lighting the past few days? Maybe... but here was a good opportunity presented to me in an otherwise dragging hour.

I wanted to capture the pagoda, glowing with light... to do that, I placed a small candle behind it and tried capturing the picture. It was a bit hard to do so, and maybe in hindsight, I better appreciate the help a tall tripod or a mono-pod would do to help me capture the picture better... maybe with a large enough space to manipulate and more with, experiment even... with aperture, light source locations and the works.

The pagoda is a symbol of intelligence and wisdom - and there is a belief that should you have one in your house - preferably the study area, if will help you with your concentration. Well this particular dark morning, it certaily helped me focus on it as a photo subject worthy of my daily blog.

Photoblog - day 94, Jul 13, 2010

Nougats:

These little pieces came from a relatively medium-sized plastic bag - one of two, that Barbie brought home from her Singapore trip. Used to be that she'd always come home from wherever she went having chocolates with her... but Singapore really doesn't have unique chocolates to begin with - at least, not unique in the sense that they aren't accessible here in Manila too. So one day, she just asked a lady manning the souvenir items what was their usual best-seller when it came to visitors buying stuff before traveling back to their point of origin... and the lady pointed her to these little items. Taking her word for it, Barbie got a few bags - and the rest is nougat-loving history.

By nougat-loving, of course, I mean me in particular... I mean, let's face it, my exposure to the stuff was limited to those tiny things in Toblerones (told you we normally had chocolates as 'pasalubong' (small treats or souvenirs given by a person coming from a trip to their loved-ones and friends), and so I just enjoyed them when they accumulated from m allowing the chocolate portion to first melt in my mouth - leaving the nougat portions to be chewed.

Well these GB (I know not what GB stands for) Nougats are now a new fave of mine, and I kid not when I say I can finish these things (both packages) in one sitting if I wanted to - luckily for me, I have some EQ... he he he. They are, after all, flavored nougats - so each tiny bar (for lack of a better description) offers a different chewy experience. My favorites among the bunch? The Green Tea and the mint flavored ones... oh yeah, they also come in two types - the chewy ones and the hard candy types. I'm impartial to both (meaning I enjoy them regardless of chewiness).

Alas, good things don't last - or in this case, eventually get consumed... so here's to my next batch... hopefully in the very near future. I wonder if they're available here somewhere - and if not, why the not? Then again, I guess if they were easily available here, would they still be as enticing to me?

Photoblog - day 93, Jul 12, 2010

Monday Rush:

The image invokes movement... of rushing - and since I took this Monday morning, then it was just natural to refer to it as a Monday rush.

This is a picture I have always wanted to take... ever since I've seen a couple of similar themed pictures, I marveled at how I could come up with a similar frozen moment in time.

You see, the intent was to capture a moving target, and show that it was indeed moving by way of making the background look like it's being rushed. Now the rush look part is easy... a low ISO setting should do the trick - after all, with said low ISO setting, anyone moving becomes a blur, that said, I used my lowest ISO setting (100)... the challenge then, was to focus on one subject - and make the rest of the picture become a blur.

This would mean that my picture capture had to be fast, despite the ISO setting - and really just try to capture one subject - meaning I move my camera to match my subject's movement. The lighting should be abundant, so my camera focus would capture images really fast - naturally, morning had to be the logical time frame (though having said that, I'm now thinking how such a capture could be possible at night) - oh yeah, I used my UV filter for this shot - so as not to make the picture too bright.

The results speak for themselves... this is what I tried - and it's still a work in progress. Now to see how I can improve on this come my next attempt to capture such a shot. After all, should I find myself pacing the Tour of the Philippines racers, I would like to be ready.

Photoblog - day 92, Jul 11, 2010

Nature's beauty:

Once in a while, as I pass Greenhills' small garden, I can't help but marvel at some of the flowers I see... I mean, I bring my camera just to capture such beautiful natural wonders - after all, these things remind me of how great an architect God is in helping develop all these - though, some can be fleeting.

Take this orchid for example; in a few days flowers like these may wither... their beauty relegated to memory. But if captured in a picture, the beauty - though artificial, is preserved. My only regret in capturing it? This was done at a spur of the moment - my making the shot without taking the time to adjust all the necessary items. Apparently, I got the focus right on the petals - but for some strange reason, the middle was not focused on too much. What gives? I thought I had adjusted my focus depth?

The things is... moments like these are rare indeed - and I may, or may not get a second chance in taking the same kind of shot. Oh well... lesson learned. Quick takes may come out good - others... acceptable. I guess, this one falls in the latter category - but it's not a winner... at least, by your typical Nat Geo standards.

Photoblog - day 91, Jul 10, 2010

The IMAX experience:

Our very first experience in a 3D theater was in Hong Kong Disneyland where we saw the wonders and magic of Disney come alive. Since then, that became the standard for me when comparing other 3D movies I've watched... though I will be the first to admit that maybe the barometer is slightly skewed to Disney films... specially since live action films may have a more difficult time showing the 3D experience all the way (Clash of the Titans comes to mind).

Now as for IMAX - well, it promises a bigger (on that it delivers) and better (not when compared to Disney's theater though) 3D experience - but for it's price; which is more than double your typical movie ticket cost... and likewise costlier than your 3D movie experience costs too (when comparing it to the 3D ticket price in Greenhills or Shangri La), it comes across as well... just bigger - not necessarily better.

In this picture, we were all pumped to watch Toy Story 3 - a Disney film, and though the movie was touching, funny and definitely filled with some 3D effects - it was not spectacularly 3D-laden (by this of course, I mean it seemed that I would enjoy it even if I did not watch it in 3D) - which, sort of, made the whole IMAX experience kinda moot. I also have this slight aversion to staying too close to the screen - which would be the mid-row section of the movie - I mean, this is supposed to be the best locations for the ultimate IMAX experience - and it would have been, had Toy Story 3D been more dynamically 3D.

Ah well... despite everything I've said, I will not take away the fact that this movie was still fun, entertaining and, at least for me, a worthy sequel and ending to the Toys' adventures with Andy. I wept right close to the ending portion, seeing at how perfect the situation got resolved. Yeah... if there is never going to be a Toy Story 4, I wouldn't mind it at all. I mean, for me... this is the perfect end. Of course, if Pixar will prove me wrong, then I'll happily admit to being wrong, but for now, I'll willingly take a boxed set of all three movies DVDs and proudly display them apart form my collection - an honor I normally bestow only to my Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Ahem... this picture was taken by Barbie, using Bernice's new and definitely more compact camera - you see, I was not sure they would allow me to bring my Canon inside the theater, so I left it at home. But hey... this Photoblog isn't just about about my camera - even if I try to make it a point to do so, but also more about how I spent my year 'in photos', so this just had to be my photo of the day.

Photoblog - day 90, Jul 9, 2010

Altar of Eden:

This the book I'm currently reading. This I borrowed from Fiel, and is the newest book by author James Rollins. It's relatively fast-paced, belonging to the adventure category. Hence the type of book I would like to read - though I do read a lot of different books, these types are less of a struggle to read.

I had this book with me when I went for the car maintenance as well as my annual physical, so it helped me patiently wait through long lines of people (and cars) being processed before it got to be my turn. I normally carry a book around wherever I go - just in case there are such lull times.

This was taken in a training room - the computer and candies are mine, of course... and the book I got to read while in-between conducts.