Monday, December 29, 2008

shootin'


I'm shooting birds...



... and that's what's keeping me busy these days. :-)



Happy New Year! Smile!



Thursday, December 25, 2008

holiday activities


Clickaroo!


My parents threw a Christmas party for our staffs and workers... yours truly was the photographer, and because of that, out of the 231 shots I only appear in exactly 3 photos.


It's impachuation time!

'Tis the season to reacquaint with the endless varieties of kakanin (rice cakes), fruits, noodle delis, and beverages. Sometimes it's confusing... which ones to eat first and which ones to eat after the other, so as not to suffer dyspepsia.

The Holidays is one cause to get stuffed, being in the province is another reason to get complete sets of daily meals: agahan... merienda... tanghalian... merienda... hapunan... merienda! 'Ya know... folks here don't skip meals, not even snacks. Sometimes we even have two meriendas before hapunan: one at 2pm and the other at 4.

What? Diet?
What diet?!


Checking on the Team...

... Team Devastators, that is!

I've been sending Holiday text greetings to my friends, and at the same time checking on their eating binge - who among us is having the biggest feast. So far, I'm on an advantage, but some are close behind, namely Hofi and Vita.

We'll find out the final results when we all get back to Manila.



In the meantime... I'm gobbling all the food I cat get my hands on.


Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

hey, hey, hey!

Merry Christmas! :-)

enjoy the season

watch what you eat

give! give! give!

have a blast!

Monday, December 15, 2008

sniff... sniff...

Is it me, or is it the Season? Everywhere I go – the lobby, the elevators, the stairs, the corridors – people reek of designer perfume.

It’s stifling.

It seems everyone has bathed him/herself in scents in celebration of the season. It’s worse in closed quarters, like the elevators, where the air has nowhere to go. (There's a variety of musks in the atmosphere to choose from - not to mention that, a while ago in the elevator, I swear someone was hiding a banana in his/her pocket. The scent of the fruit was a refreshing change in the smell, though.)
It’s maddening.

Like in one more whiff of fragrance I’d be going down in claustrophobia.

The odd thing about it is… I seem to be the only one to notice. Or be bothered by it.

Is it the season, or is it me?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Yay!

The company's Christmas party had just come to a conclusion. And I hang out here in the office, waiting for the dawn so I could have a safer trip home.
I had some fun during this year's party, compared to the previous ones. Despite the general lackluster atmosphere, we didn't run out of reasons to enjoy the night.
For one, I was surprised with myself that I was able to party - *cough* dance wildly *cough* - without getting exhausted immediately. Maybe it was because I had a good eat - the food they served was pretty decent this time around.
And then, of course, I won a 15K-worth of SM gift cheque. How rad is that?
Suddenly, my holiday shopping dilemma has been solved. I don't have to spend a significant amount of my bonus for gifts.
Of course, I am quite guilty by having it. Before the raffle was drawn, I thought - kind'a bargained - that I would choose winning in the raffle over our group's decor winning a price in the contest. Request granted.
We, the design group weren't disappointed at all. Although we seriously labored for the decor, losing in the contest could mean that we will no longer be assigned to work on next year's entry. Most of us are already tired of being in charge of the decor every year. It's time another group take over the responsibility.
At any rate... I'm gonna have a shopping spree! :)

Saturday, November 22, 2008

sun shots

shots of sunset from the company roof deck - in between sips of coffee...

huli man daw at magaling, huli pa rin

Belated Afiverdi, Yada!

may you have many more nude people to shoot :-)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

80 minus 30 equals 50

... and that is all I (or we) will get this month.

At ano raw... "happy?"

Sino'ng happy?! SINO'NG HAPPY?!!

iTunes shuffle

Here's an iPod game that I got from my friend, hollerboy's site. And since my pod decided to be useless again (it won't cooperate with my mac), I'm using iTunes for this purpose instead.

Here's how it works:
  • put iPod (in my case, iTunes) on shuffle
  • press forward for each question
  • use the song title for each question even if it makes no sense (NO CHEATING!)
  • set to bold the questions with the answers that make sense

Here goes...
  • How are you feeling today? Freak Me (Another Level) - actually, this week's been so freaky, so far...
  • Will you get far in life? As I Lay Me Down (Sophie Hawkins)
  • How do your friends see you? Stronger (Sugababes)
  • Will you get married? Waters of March (Jareau)
  • What's your best friend's theme song? Love Me Again (Lani Misalucha) - para ngang yung isa, gustong mahalin siya ulit ni... ahem!
  • What is the story of your life? Hill Where The Lord Hides (Chuck Mangione)
  • What was high school like? Everything New (Natalie)
  • How can you get ahead in life? Honesty (Kaskade) - kasi andami-dami ko daw secrets! kelangan nang magpaka-totoo!
  • What is the best thing about your friends? Agua De Beber [Water to Drink] (Kymaera) - they're always refreshing!
  • What is today going to be like? Keep On (Robbie Williams)
  • What is in store for this weekend? Hallelujah (Bamboo)
  • What song describes you? Scars [Stronger for Life] (Corrinne May)
  • To describe your grandparents... Girlfriend ('N Sync with Nelly)
  • How is your life going? Enjoy (Janet Jackson) - of course!
  • How does the world see you? The apl Song (The Black Eyed Peas)
  • Will you have a happy life? Rock The Boat (Aaliyah)
  • What do your friends really think of you? Weapon of Choice (Fatboy Slim)
  • Do people secretly lust after you? Feel Good, Inc. (Gorillaz feat. De La Soul) - totoo ba yan?
  • How can I make myself happy? Heart of the Matter (India.Arie)
  • What should you do with your life? I Am An Illusion (Rob Thomas)
  • Will you ever have children? Someday We'll Know (Mandy Moore)

Try it too! :-)



P.S.

Honestly, every time I push the forward button, I worry that the shuffle would stop at the songs that I would bow my head in shame for having in my collection. *cough* jologs songs *cough*





Tuesday, November 11, 2008

impacho-ated

I admit it! I, once again, ate more than I could handle... or digest, that is.

I didn't have breakfast or brunch. Lunch came late at mid-afternoon, so all I could think about was FOOD!

Holler, Esme and I agreed to eat at Chowking. When we settled the "where" I already thought of the "what." What to eat, that is: A bowl of beef wanton noodles and one boneless bangus meal.

When the food I ordered were delivered to our table, Holler and Esme were dumbstruck learning to whom those belong.

"So may itatayo kang bagong studio?" Holler taunted me, referring to my ordered food as "Constructi-Meal," meaning: meal for construction workers (the opposite of Kiddie Meal).

"I didn't have breakfast," I replied.

"Ay hindi halata!" he said sarcastically.

I ate like there's no tomorrow. I kept shoving food into my mouth because I couldn't feel my stomach fill up. They say it takes 30 minutes before you feel the food in your tummy, and that's exactly
what happened to me.

After the feast, we hailed a cab to get back to the office. When I got in the cab, I felt a resistance in my tummy as I sat down. It didn't like being compressed so it started to stage a revolution.

My tummy caused me so much pain for more than two hours, until I got to fully digest my meal.


And it didn't help seeing the guy I have a huge crush on while undergoing the ordeal of a consequence of my gluttony.




Monday, November 10, 2008

hey! it's your big day!

HAPPY BEER-DAY BIG BROTHA!

You're now mmpty-three!

You have no idea how proud I am of you. :-)

I wish you all the best. More years and more photos to shoot!

mwah!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

iPod, reloaded ;-)

The Rihanna/Chris Brown concert is seven days away. That means, I have to soak up the songs of these two for the rest of the week so I could enjoy singing along these artists at the show. So I grabbed my good-'ole 3-year-old iPod, plugged it into my computer - with the intention of loading the Rihanna & Chris Brown songs into it, and ended up waiting for the transfer process in vain. The little gears in iTunes beside the name of my iPod just won't stop turning, but the progress bar doesn't move.

So I did the no-no: I hot-swapped the iPod. (For non-computer nerds: I unplugged the iPod with the iTunes gears still running.) And then I plugged it again. And it hung again. I hot-swapped it again. And then the computer reported that the freaking device cannot be read by the system anymore, and that I have to restore it. That means, all of the songs in my iPod will be erased.

Fine! I restored the device to its factory settings.

"iTunes, are you happy yet?"

And so, here I am again, reloading my collection of songs into my iPod. This has happened to me more than I wish to count. Something tells me that this is what I get from always kidding with my friends who have iPods that I'd have their players formatted everytime they plugged their device into the PC I use at the office.

Another tells me that I should get a new pod. But my budget protests.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

i need a vaykay!


Drag me to the beach. I don't care if the weather is acting up. I need to swim. I need to feel the sand between my toes. I need to skip on rocks.

I need to be in an absolutely different environment from my workplace.

Argh!






I need a vacation. And I want it so bad
!



up again!

I used to have multiple blogs in Blogger. But I've moved them all in my Multiply account. But sometimes you've got to maintain a blog here to get connected to friends who call Blogger their home.

I've erased all the rants that I have posted here, so I'm starting anew... and reposting some of the entries I made in my other blog.

Gosh! *wipes sweat* This is gonna be quite a job maintaining multiple blogs in multiple sites, but hey, it can be fun! :)

So here. Read my brand new joneses - fat-free. ;-)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

learning. spending. learning

I was contemplating on whether to go on a vacation or get into a photography workshop. I chose the latter. Fast forward to two weeks and here I am, submerged in information and a lot more magastos.


Learning...

The first day of the Jo Avila photography workshop was info overload for me. Although I do understand how the f-stops, aperture, and ISO work, I'm still at a loss on how to make these work together to help me come up with a decent photo. Well, as Sir Jo says, it takes time to be good at photography. So the impatient me just sighed on that thought. I'm so not used to taking routes the long way, but if I am really gonna get serious with photography I have to be a lot patient and keen about it.

Sir Jo opened our eyes to many things about photography - those what we don't know, and those what we thought we knew but we really don't. And before we got to the second session of the workshop, I already knew that it was worth it learning from him. For starters, I highly recommend his workshops. Aside from the fact that this man lives and breathes photography and that he draws from his experience in teaching about the art, he's a very good teacher - a far cry from the Adarna profs (those equipped with voices potent enough to make you doze off) I've known in UP. He's got a good sense of humor that won't make you feel offended - unless you're a La Sallista (because he's an Atenista).

I'm a sleepy-head, but I didn't feel sleepy during the workshop sessions. That counts for something.


Spending...

He gave us an assignment to shoot portrait of our loved ones (or of our friends), using lens with focal length from 85 to 105mm, applying any of the five basic lighting methods, without the use of flash, and to shoot in RAW. I'm fine with all the requirements, except that my camera kit lens' max length is only at 55mm. I asked Sir Jo on what I'm gonna do about it and he told me to just improvise. (He always say, "it's the indian, not the pana.") That's what I thought, too. But eventually, I changed my mind. After trying to improvise, I got frustrated and...

I went to Hidalgo St. in Quiapo, alone - with my camera gear and all - to buy a 55-200mm lens. The nerve of me! I spent a huge amount for a zoom lens, notwithstanding the fact that only exactly a month ago I splurged on a #$%@-worth camera gear. And only a week ago, I bought a camera bag... paid for a workshop... yada-yada-yada...

But truth be told... I cannot calm down unless I get these gear.

I was able to use the lens for the assignment. And boy was I happy. Only, I still haven't figured out how to avoid camera shake while trying to minimize noise at the same time. Maybe it's the nature of my Nikon camera to produce all that noise. (Yeah, right! Blame it on the gear!)


Learning...

The second day of the workshop was mainly about photo post-production: color management, use of Photoshop (and I thought I already knew how it works!), and some important points about photography that Sir Jo gave to wrap up the workshop.

On the first workshop day, I've realized how little I know about wielding the camera. On the second day, I've learned how a lot little I know about Photoshop and color management. I didn't know that I have to calibrate my monitor once every six weeks. I didn't know that I have to match the color profile of my photo with that of Photoshop... and that of my printer... and that of the paper I will be using. (did I get that right? hmm...) And it's only now that I've understood why the photos that my printer churns out are dark while those on my monitor are just fine. I also learned that you can't blame Manong Developer at the mall for coming up with your prints not the way you like them. It's your fault, not his - for you should have done color management prior to handing him your files and saying, "please print as is."

The wonderful thing about Sir Jo is that he's not madamot in imparting what he knows about photography without making lazy-spoiled students out of us. He teaches us the basics, gives us great tips, and then allows us to discover more by ourselves. (Hey, at some point, one must get the hang of fishing all by her onesy!) And then instead of asking for favors in return, he encourages us to pay the learning forward. Oo nga naman, spread the love. The more good photographers, the merrier. Another great thing about this guru is that he keeps his doors open for his former students to learn more from him, or to refresh on their learnings by attending his classes for free. I could go on and on about the values added to learning from Sir Jo, but let me wrap it all up with this: getting into a photography workshop under Jo Avila is one of the best investments I have ever made not only on photography, but also in learning more about learning: be patient, use common sense, know the basics, and experience is the key to mastering all these so go get some action.

I've talked to a fellow amateur who attended another workshop (from an institution I won't mention here) for 2/3 the fee and I've realized that the fee that I've paid for Sir Jo's workshop, altough a bit higher, is so worth it. Like in the sale of a product, you get after-sales support with Sir Jo. For free. Think about that.

Oh sure, Sir Jo brags about him being a good photographer and him being an Atenista. Let him be, he earned it. May ipagmamalaki naman, so why not?


As for me... I still have long way to go, baby! A long, long way to go before I become even half the photographer my teacher is.

In the meantime, I'm gonna shoot, shoot, shoot!

And yeah, from this point I'll try to make do with the gear that I have.

In the meantime.

Until I get my bonus. Haha!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

from a fixation to another form of addiction

I've just attended the first half of the photography workshop that I enrolled in. More than being a good source of learning, it was fun. (And it helps a lot in my recovery from my melodrama. It works like shopping - it takes your mind off your present jones and makes you feel good.)

Anyhoo...
it was the right decision for me to take the workshop, for I could go through all the readings materials I have on photography, but would not be able to properly grasp the concepts of the craft. And our instructor is so good, he helped me understand what seemed to be mumbo-jumbo of f-stops, exposure, focal length, etc. that I read in my photography mags and books.

The downside of this learning process, though, is it makes my wants escalate. I'm so into photography that I intend to add more stuff to my present gear - new lens, filters, cleaning kit, new bag...

*bitch-slaps self* ... must... wake... up... from this...
If this is the "rehab" I'm asking for, it sure is expensive.

But I'm loving it. And from now on, I'mma keep shooting. Watch out!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

everything to everyone

mental note to self: "Sing this song to yo'self over and over and over again until you effing wake up and get yo'self off the quicksand you're in"

You put yourself in stupid places
Yes I think you know its true
Situations where it's easy to look down on you
I think you like to be the victim
I think you like to be in pain
I think you make yourself a victim
Almost every single day

You do what you do
You say what you say
You try to be everything to everyone
You know all the right people
You play all the right games
You always try to be
Everything to everyone

Yeah you do it again
You always do it again

You say they taught you how to read and write
Yeah, they taught you how to count
I say they taught you how to buy and sell
Your own body by the pound
I think you like to be their simple toy
I think you love to play the clown
I think you are blind to the fact
That the hand you hold is the hand that holds you down

You do what you do
You say what you say
You always try to be everything to everyone
You know all the right people
You play all the right games
You always try to be everything to everyone

Spin around and fall down, do it again
You stumble and you fall
Yeah why don't you ever learn
Spin around and fall down, do it again
Yeah, you stumble and you fall
I wonder if you will ever learn

Why won't you ever learn

Come on now, do that stupid dance for me

You do what they tell you to do
You say what you say
You try to be everything to everyone
You jump through the big hoop
You play all the right games
You try to be everything to everyone

Spin around and fall down, do it again
You stumble and you fall
Yeah you do it again
Spin around and fall down, do it again
You stumble and you fall