on photography, on travel, on writing, on mountain climbing, on urban life, on commuting, on eating out, on just about anything...oh, and on sunsets, and beach, and...
Friday, February 02, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
2-2!

the Ginebra-Talk n'Text semi-final series is now tied at 2-2, same with the San Miguel-Red Bull pairings. are we now looking for a down-the-wire finish? your guess is as good as mine: yes. the semis has now turned to be unpredictable. the San Miguel-red bull game last night was decided by a triple by Penissi in the dying seconds of the game that might go either way.
again, since they're the first game, i wasn't able to watch the game of the gin kings. shame on the bus driver that doesn't want to change the channel. hehehe. i am bitter. LOL.
the same question still floats in the air: is ginebra missing the services of eric menk? the answer is yes and no. in the two of the last three games, yes (because they lost, they cannot run AND no one can consistently post or grab that rebound) but in their two wins, no (because they run, the baskets are coming in and rudy hatfield is smashing the boards!).
while ginebra maybe missing the services of menk, the phonepals hava ren ren ritualo and mac cardona on the floor but ironically, their presence were not felt. i think that's what the kings should do, silenced and distract ritualo and cardona so they won't find their range, and put someone to stop asi taulava from posting.
and rebound.
and run.
and let the crowds join the war.
game 5 is on friday...
GINEBRA! GINEBRA! GINEBRA!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Laughing Yoga
Photoblogging
i am not really a photographer but i am trying to be one.
i am really not that good but i am learning how to be.
i am curious.
and that's all that matters now.
just shoot.
Monday, January 29, 2007
and now its 1-2, what happened?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ginebra takes the semis game 1
and who says an almost a month of rest will make them rusty? although Mark Caguioa was last night's best player, i think Johnny Abarrientos, the veteran, provided the much needed energy when the Kings started the run early in the second quarter up to that commanding 29 points lead in the 4th quarter.
later in the 4th quarter, renren ritualo back-to-back-to-back baskets give some scare (they manage to close the gap to only 10) but thanks to caguioa and the baskets made by Raffy Reavis and Jayjay Helterbrand, they doused some cold water on the phonepals before they fire up and overturn the game.
i hope caguioa is doing alright, he had a sprain with one minute to go in the game. i hope its nothing serious, Ginebra cannot afford to lose another key player in caguioa after losing Eric Menk, who'll sit down for the rest of the tournament due to calf injury.
game 2 on friday. GI-NEB-RA! GI-NEB-RA! GI-NEB-RA!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
My dog
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Los Baños wedding
it's actually okey, ako lang yata yung maarte, the color is cool to look at but not that good to wear. maybe i am just used to donning the traditional barong, and i am not into these colored, off-colored barong.
even with all the hassles of commuting just to get to meanne's wedding, and with all the uber-long waiting period for the van/service to come and the lack of transportation in the middle of the night going back to manila and then to cavite where i am residing ( i actually got home past 2 in the morning), be it, it's all for meanne.
Congratulations and best wishes, Mr. and Mrs. Yoshimura!!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Busy weekend ahead
Thursday, January 18, 2007
World Pyro Olympics - Jan 13 China & the Philippines
Coming from the previous day's thrill in shooting fireworks, i have never been this excited before, like when Ginebra won their last championship or when Manny Pacquiao stunning 3rd round KO of El Terrible or the prospect of joining Game Ka Na ba?, the anticipation is so great that i am seeing fireworks whenever i close my eyes (swear, i really did!).
Lyn will also be coming with me (i've been asking her to see the fireworks since the first day) provided that we'll go first to Divisoria to look for a Barong Tagalog for her father. no problem. i just thought we should go there as soon as we finished our lunch, but we headed to Divi at around 3:00 pm (because it was still not, she said) and got there by 4, though we got the barong easily (i fitted around 5-6 different designs), we only head out at 5 pm (and that's late already if i really want to have a good spot AND considering it's the last day, more people will be trooping there)! to make it worst, the traffic going there (we took the luneta-harrison plaza route) was bad! but i am so cool about it and makes me wonder why, maybe the excitement is overpowering the rage against the traffic.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
World Pyro Olympics - Jan 12 (and the tips really worked!)
it was fun doing it, photographing fireworks, that is.
as stated in my previous post, i tried the tips written there. in the beginning i was a bit anxious and don't really have a good grip on what i was doing. hee.
last friday, i was already in the Esplanade at around 5:30 pm, i thought i was early until i saw that the good spots in the breakwater are already taken! so after taking my dinner out, i walk and walk and walk to look for even just a little space to settle myself in, and luckily, i saw some "opening" and i just asked the nice ladies if i can sit behind them even on the edge and they were gracious enough to tell me its okey. there. a nice smile can really help LOL. while waiting for time to pass, i ate dinner with them (instant friends, but they don't want their pictures taken) and scout for a better location at the same time. and i found one. just in front of the seawall where we are seated, there are stones used to break the waves and that's where i set my tripod and my butt! a few minutes later, i saw people doing the same and settling themselves in. hah! i think they just waited for somebody to do that.
it was a very good spot because i am facing the barge directly and can see the fireworks blasting their way up! and i am so pleased with the results, my 3 year old sony cybershot camera made me proud, i love you DSC-32!! i think we still have a lot of fireworks to shoot together hehehe.
i had a grand time shooting and i think it helped that the fireworks set off by Canada and Denmark were both "standard" fireworks, not as grand as China/the Philippines (more of them later) or UK or the US, that's why they're easier to shoot.
these are just a few of the more than 100 shots i've taken, i'll post some more later. the uploading of pictures is taking forever to finish.
more to come.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Fireworks dilemma
1. use a tripod.
2. set your camera to manual mode
3. set the ISO to 100 and the focus to infinity
4. if your camera has a Bulb or "B" mode, set it to it (unfortunately, mine is a point and shoot, so i dont have it, but according to my cam's manual, the nearest i can get to "B" mode is by setting it in Daylight mode)
5. fix your aperture to f8 or f11 (again, i cannot do this since the aperture of my camera is fixed, as in fixed fixed to f2.6 the maximum and f5 the minimum)
6. if you can have a remote shutter cable, use it to avoid camera vibration
7. putting the lens' cap or a black cardboard on the lens before opening the shutter will minimize the noise and the overexposure.
8. have a mental calculation as to when the rocket will explode, good timing is the name of the game.
9. on the first minutes of fireworks display, don't overshoot. as the display progresses, bigger and better fireworks will be up on the air as build up for that grand finale. again, timing.
10. experiment, add some interesting background such as statues, monuments, buildings to your fireworks picture, it's more awesome to look at. as for me, i am planning to get the fireworks' reflection on the water. cool.
11. shoot vertically.
i am just a bit frustrated with the aperture setting of my camera, because according to the tips that i read, the f8-f11 setting is the most ideal as it really captures the "trail" of the rocket, which is what i really, really wanted. but i can't do anything now, i just have to make do with i have, and besides, the fun in taking pictures is not to expect anything, just surprise yourself.
i am really excited with things that i learned yesterday (and i am now wishing for a superior camera, maybe a DSLR?) and i hope to apply them later tonight.
one more thing, getting to the location earlier than anyone is another good tip so you can scout for the best location possible where you can set your tripod without anyone or anything blocking your view or anyone accidentally kicking your tripod in the middle of a shooting spree.
i will be off early today and good luck to myself.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Fireworks pictures dump
so here goes..
at least we went home happy, the P100.00 entrance fee is worth it (some even pay at least a thousand bucks for a good seat/view plus some foodies)
this coming saturday's closing show with China and the Philippines is being hyped as the biggest because all the 9 competitors plus the host will be joining hands in lighting the dark skies of the famed Manila Bay, they tagged themselves as the Fellowship of the fire. cool!
i think i'll bring my trusty tripod for better control. i'll have more later.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Pyro Olympics
World Pyro Olympics
last friday, me and my friends went to the opening night of the World Pyro Olympics at the Esplanade of the Mall of Asia, it was also some sort of a despedida for marlon as he will be on board again for the next 8-10 months so rhea, his gf, is quite sad (or is she? hehehe).
anyway, the event will have its final two days this coming friday and saturday and we'll definitely not going to miss it especially the saturday as it will be the scheduled exhibition of the much talked-about (and last year's runner up next to Australia, who, by the way, is not as spectacular as last year, so they say) China and the host Philippines. The Philippines is not part of the competition, just playing a generous host.
We like what we saw last friday and it was just unfortunate that i missed the US and Spain show the next day.
I'll post more pictures later..
Monday, December 11, 2006
Mau-galing, Mau-galing, Mau-galing!
Ang my bet, Maureen Marcelo won it over Gian Magdangal and Jan Nieto.

And the winning margin is only 1.42% against the second placer.
How close can that get?
Anyway good luck mau and i will surely wait for your cd..
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Ironic

i remember this alanis song when i think of the situation today.
you see, a supertyphoon will be hitting luzon again. and as a lot of us are scrambling to protect our properties and making sure there's enough food and water, and pray that it will at least weaken as it passes, some people are actually praying for the potential huge amount of rain!
now isn't that ironic?
months earlier, a warning has already been raised that next year (until June 2007), there will be water shortage as dams that supply the water to mega manila and nearby provinces are now nearing the critical level way ahead of schedule! and since then, they've been hoping for more rain and even a typhoon to fill up that need.
now isn't that ironic?
some pray that'll no more typhoon, and some hope they'll be more.
irony of life.
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Guilty!
Today I am late again. Partly because of the traffic but more of being tardy! And I am so guilty because I made an excuse for that, no, make that a lie, I lied for being late. I told my boss that I need to go to the bank to deposit money to my sister's account, and since our office is located in an "isolated urban area" of fort bonifacio, i'll be needing at least a 30 minute effort to go to a bank and another 45 minutes to actually transact and be able to go back to the office, hence its acceptable to go first to the bank in the morning before coming to the office. I was doing that when there's really a need to do that. But today, I used that excuse to lie just to make it appear I am not tardy.
And I am so guilty for doing that.
What makes me guitier is the fact that my boss (he's a japanese) is so kind and here I am abusing his kindness!
I do not want to do this again, it's so uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. A lie is still a lie no matter how you want to call it, and that makes me less of a good boy, Santa may not visit me for being bad. LOL. yay, that didn't help, I am still guilty. Better do something good today.
On Philippine Idol: Miguel is out (finally, finally, FINALLY!!!)
i am actually happy for Miguel, and i think he is also, at least he is now free from those harsh comments both by the judges and the viewing public. i think he sung his last song more relaxed compared with sunday's performance. at 17, the pressure must have been too much for him
for now, always remind Mr. C for that song he promised he'll co-write with you. good luck to you miguel, and at least finish your high school!
for the big 3, more good luck.
good thing that my little christmas bonus is coming, i can spare a few hundreds for mau and only for mau. i think gian has an edge on the energy but definitely mau will give him a good fight, it's between gian and mau. for jan, good luck to you too.
Friday, November 24, 2006
What is scary for me?
yesterday, i viewed one post in anton's blog that documents his goungzhou exotic food adventure that leads him to eat snakes, hairy crabs, water bugs. there was a warning that those with weak heart and stomach should not view the post, but i did hehehe. i don't have a weak heart but i have a problem in the stomach area. i thought its not going to be as gross as he picture it to be, but it was!!
in the pictures were plateful of snake or snakes, (with the skin!!), sushi-style alligator (omg, there's the hand/foot of the poor fellow dangling on the edge of the plate), water bugs (how the cockroach looked like is exactly how they look), and the not so scary hairy crab, a squid and a few others.
i told him how brave and courageous he was for eating/doing those things, but according to him, it was worth the experience but will never do that again. hahaha
as for me, the only exotic foods that i've tried are bayawak (monitor lizard i think) and frogs, and both of them taste like chicken. that's the farthest that i could go as far as exotic foods are concerned, farther than that? just kill me. hehehe
Thursday, November 23, 2006
My table is now a big mess
back to work!
Technorati Profile
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Boracay, finally!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
To Boracay!!

Offline!
this morning, i waited for at least 30 minutes for the bank to open, and another 25 minutes falling in line and when its my turn already, the bank teller showed me a huge OFFLINE signage! hah.
i waited again for the next 5 minutes, asking the teller if its online already for almost every 20 seconds, then 5 minutes became, 10 minutes... 15 minutes... 20 minutes!!! there, i gave up! i wasted almost an hour for nothing.
sigh, advancement of technology should make our daily lives "more livable" but this morning and many times before, i experienced the opposite. its like you enter the bank, sit there, look at people around, look at tellers who do not smile, heard some phone ringing, stand and then go out. how productive can you get?!
anyway, modern technology is good if it is good, and bad if it is bad. it is just ironic that it is bad when you need it the most.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Britney Spears files for divorce
when she marries kevin federline (sp?), there was a large stamp on their marriage certificate that says "soon to divorce". they are the most, most, most likely celebrity couple (is kevin a celebrity lol) to split and i am actually bothered (lol) that it is happening only now. good for britney and also good that a pre-nuptial agreement was placed before she weds this kevin. why him in the first place?
oh well, at least she returned to her consciousness before she reached the whitney houston proportion.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Apple was eliminated

The top six is now a contest between three of the best singers (Pow, Mau and Gian) against three of the weaker (i finally found the more tame word for "not-so-good" hehehe) singers (Ken, Jan and Miguel).
Will the fans of Apple, Arms, Reymond, Drae, Stef and even Jelli text their votes for Pow, Mau or Gian? I think so. They're more likely to vote for the best singers than support the weaker ones.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Philippine Idol Dance theme night
before any rendering any jugdment, here's the recap.
ryan opened the show informing everyone to get their dancing shoes ready, its party time tonight!
the remaining idols sung "Sumayaw, Sumunod" on a platform at the back of the judges' table. it was a bit short for everyone to enjoy.
and here's how the performance goes:
1. JAN - La Vida Loca (in black jacket which he removes later on to reveal his sando underneath)
Mamita: "Very good! can i dance with you onstage? (jan obliged and they dance onstage for about 10 secs)"
Regine: "Very powerful! Sexy! Bravo!
Mr. C: "Jan, nakaka-loca!!!"
- it is a very good start, Jan, who's admittedly not a dancer, was suprisingly good. so much energy and i think the dancers and the lights really help energized the performance. it was not a very strong vocal performance, can see the stiffness in his dancing but the girls love it. give jan props for the effort.
2. POW - Got to be real (in blue shirt topped by leopard printed polo and black overcoat)
Regine : "You look awesome! It was not my favorite song, but now it is."
Mamita: yadda, yadda, yadda and she keeps on pointing the coat is getting longer and that soon Pow will be wearing a gown. oh, she enjoyed it!
Mr. C: "We already saw you perform like that, start reinventing yourself, nothing new, try to offer something new."
- pow has the energy to this song, i just thought the song does not have so much vocal and i was not really amazed by it.
3. MIGUEL - Make it with you (in ala-German Moreno glittering dolphin-trenchcoat)
Mamita: "ARe you nervous? you're shaking! I prefer you singing ballad."
Regine: "There were awkward movements there, and in one or two moments, i thought you're pa-girl (girly)"
Mr. C: "You should see how the other contestants work harder, it was a bad song choice, it was too much for you."
- Miguel lacks the energy and you can really feel that he's not into the song and the song is not with him, i think his performance is a bit lost, not good.
4. KEN - Signed, sealed, delivered (with a dark colored feather (diva!!!) in a silver striped (!!!) satin (!!!) pants)
Regine: "Over all performance, its a lot of fun, I just don't get your look, its distracting!" haha
Mamita: "I am very happy for you tonight, these kind of songs really suits you!"
Mr. C: "I am seeing a very confident Ken, and you brought it tonight!"
- I did not enjoy it because the outfit really, really distracts me to the point that i am laughing! i really do not get ken and for me there's nothing special in his voice, he is trying so hard to hit the high notes to the point that he's screeching! ugh
5. MAU - Shy guy (she in pink!!)
Mamita: "That song should be sung by somebody who's slim, tall, sexy... you should lose weight!" ouch.
Regine: "You're a diva so you should look like a diva."
Mr. C: "For me, you're the best singer, if you want to be the Philippine Idol, you have to take it seriously."
- hmm, i cannot say anything about Mau's voice, it is solid and there's energy in there but i am just wondering why I cannot see it in her moves? she should have moved! she should have danced! there's something lacking in her performance, but i still love her though. lol.
6. GIAN - Rock DJ (the usual gian outfit, white tight fitting shirt, black jacket)
Mamita: "I expect you to dance tonight, but you did not. but i love you."
Regine: "I really, really appreciate your small dance movements, it's the best performance for me tonight!" wow.
Mr. C: "It was just okay for me, it counterpoints everyone's performance."
- and then gian started talking again (he should stop explaining himself!), i like his performance, not so big but enjoyable, it maybe because i also like robbie william hehehe. gian did a little robbie in his number, he removed his jacket as if stripping, in the video of this song, robbie actually stripped down to his birthday suit. i think no one get that jacket stripping. it was good gian.
7. APPLE - Lady Marmalade (in a bridal veil headdress)
Regine: "I was distracted by you pulling you pants up."
Mamita: "You got the looks, you should have just the pants fall off! I enjoyed your singing."
Mr. C: "Strong performance, surprise us again next week."
Thursday, November 02, 2006
bryanboy's the anti-christ?

