the plan

I was planning on continuing with the sorting of my documents, a.k.a. accumulated pile of garbage, tonight. That's the reason I left work today on the dot. But lo and behold, I turned on the TV and watched for a couple of hours, and then now I am stuck in front of the computer updating my Facebook account, and this blog. Way to go, self!

I now highly doubt that I'd be done with the sorting tonight. I even have to shred the unwanted papers tomorrow.

Lots of work in store, Ize. Lots of work in store. (Okay now, get your butt off the chair and start working!)

weekend activities

My brother and his family will be coming here in Manila for a month-long visit. Their arrival date is on the 10th (Thursday of this coming week), so the household help and I are doing general cleaning here in my apartment.


Yesterday, I cleaned the bathroom. I scrubbed everything, from the tiles to the toilet bowl. I noticed the the floor grout has been worn out, so I'm thinking of replacing it. Still, I'm figuring out how I am going to do that (it would be my first time to do such a thing), or if I'm going to do it at all. If I do, and if my father sees it, it's either I'd get a praise (if it turns out good) or a good scolding.


Anyway, today, I'm cleaning up my room - which I will have to evict, for my brother and his family to occupy. I give way for them since my nephew is used to the cold weather in Illinois, and my room is the only airconditioned room in the house. It's also good that the rainy days have arrived, that I wouldn't have to suffer from the scorching temperatures while only making do with an electric fan.


I'm thinking of where I'm going to put all my garbage (aka accumulated stuff that I'm not sure if I really need to have around).


And just like any other clean-up day, I have my stereo turned up with funky music playing the whole time. Nothing's more motivating for a physical activity than funky music. :)

frequent flyer

I just booked my second flight out of the country today. Cebu Pacific announced airfare sale for trips to and from Hong Kong. I booked a trip to HK with four friends from August 21 to 23. :)

I wasn't expecting to book anything these days since yesterday's thoughts. Looking back at my March 14 post, I was looking at this HK trip as an "extra" trip, since I was really planning on going to Singapore this July. Anyway, those unplanned trips really push through. These travel buddies of mine, we were initially aiming for a trip to Singapore this July, but the airfare isn't a match for our budget, so...

Hong Kong, here we come! :) I hope we have a good time there, just as the way we had in South Korea. :)

severely itchy feet

SG on July

Barely a week after arriving from Korea and I'm planning another out-of-the-country trip with my friends. This time it's the (mer)lion city of Singapore.

We're planning to have our visit on July - the end of the Great Sale. But aside from shopping, our - of course - agenda is to see the attractions of the city and immerse in the culture as much as we possibly can. And one way to do that is have a food trip. Apparently (and luckily), food sits in the center of Singaporean culture.

I'm excited at the thought of seeing another foreign land, but this doesn't match what I felt when I was about to go to Korea. Maybe it is because of the effect of Hallyu, or because the landscape is so different from what we have.

Cebu (or Palawan) on June

My brother and his family will be having their vaykay from the States on June, and they plan to take the family to Cebu for a few days. However, I will try to persuade my brother to spend our vaykay in Palawan instead. I'd love to see the subterranean river and the powder-dust like sands of Honda Bay.

Macau/Hong Kong in August

If I could squeeze this trip in, I would! Really!

South Korea in October

Yahoo! I hope this pushes through. It would be my first autumn. :)

you know you're addicted when...

... despite it triggering hot flashes that could almost make you cry, you still drink coffee.

seoul preps II

Got my Korean visa.


Now is the time to really buy stuff I need for the trip... such as:

• hiking boots
• traveler adapter (for all those e-gadget charging needs)
• memory cards
• camcorder

... and all other things I think I need but probably won't be able to use.


I'm half-excited, half-scared. It's my first time out of the country, and me and my travel companions are doing it DIY. (The idea of restricted itinerary doesn't appeal to us.) And the first-timer me is doing most of the research and preps for our itinerary.


And we even have the guts to travel by train from Seoul to Busan - and then back to Seoul all within a day.


I hope this trip goes very well as I plan to go back to see Nami Island and the Korean Folk Village by September with my folks.


Goodluck to us.

seoul preps

I got into a tour sched, with a group of peeps from work, to South Korea. So far, I'm doing all of the preparations for the group's trip: from booking, re-booking... to setting the itinerary.

It would be my first flight, and of course, my first foreign trip. It's just odd for me to think that albeit going with a couple of non-first-time-fliers, I'm the one who's doing all the preps. Maybe I just want to make this trip as hassle-free as possible. That being said, I'm even going back on learning Hangul, the Korean language, because I've learned that street signs in Seoul rarely have English translations. Although I've heard that people in Seoul are very friendly and speak some English, it would help a lot if I would know how to read signs. Anyway, I got time until March (the tour schedule) to learn the language, and I've heard that it's quite easy to learn unlike Nippongo.

As per my last research, and our group's latest agreement, we would spend the 4-day trip as follows:

• Day 1 - Manila to Incheon: get to Seoul and check-in to a hostel immediately. Get a ticket for KTX (bullet train) for a trip to Busan the next day.
• Day 2 - Get up early in the morning and hop on a trip on the KTX to Busan, spend the whole day there, and then get on a KTX trip back to Seoul before nightfall. Go to Namdaemun market for souvenirs.
• Day 3 - Get around Seoul on-foot. Stroll early in the morning at the Cheonggye stream, see the palaces, visit Hongdae (where Coffee Prince is), and go to N Seoul Tower.
• Day 4 - Hop on a train trip back to Incheon, go to Sindo Island to visit the Full House filming location, go back to Incheon airport. Back to Manila.

It would be a fully-packed trip, but we would actually be missing some places that we would like to see like the Korean Folk Village (filming location of "Jewel in the Palace"), and Nami Island (filming location of "Winter Sonata"). If I can have another opportunity next year, I would go back on September to visit these two places in time for autumn. Nami Island would be gorgeous by then.

I'm planning to get my visa this December, and then book the hostel accommodations for the group. Something tells me I make be a good travel agent. :P

I'm even researching the weather, and what clothes do wear on March. :)

cold, cold turkey

... pushing thru with joining the tree-planting activity on Saturday at Tanay, Rizal - despite the oncoming typhoon. We're required to bring a shovel, so I'm planning on buying a small one. (Magpa-sweet ba?) The only thing I'm not so comfy about this activity is having to be at the meeting place at 5:30AM. My usual waking hour (due to my work schedule) is around 10AM. I just hope the rains don't pour on Saturday. It wouldn't feel so nice being drenched while lacking sleep. soooo...

... I'm trying to get off the caffeine hook due to health reasons. Been doing it for a week now. It's amazing, actually, for someone like me who gets a daily doze of up to 2 cups. It seems like caffeine has got a hold on me. I used to be able to ignore my coffee cravings, but now I have to take substitutes like hot choco, or keep myself full so I don't crave for anything more to put into my mouth. I'm a sniff short of getting the chills... I feel uneasy whenever I feel sleepy at mid-afternoon - more so when I smell someone else's freshly-mixed 3-in-1 in the office.

... Feelin' like I have to curb my shopping drive. Couldn't help but buy, buy, buy things. Have to remind self that I still have to pay, pay, pay bills. It's not easy resisting purchasing nice clothes during a sale. Or a marked-down photographic equipment.

downsize the F's

... cleaned-out my Facebook account: cleaned my personal info, removed my photo albums, removed my notes, removed those boxes, deactivated some applications. I only left Farmtown and Fish World active, mainly due to sentimental value. And because it's where I could let play the inner decorator in me.

... cleaned-out my Friendster account too: cleaned my personal info, removed my photo albums, removed my blog entries, removed some friends. Mean! I know. But I think they don't want to have anything to do with me too.

... was tempted to close both accounts. Thinking about spending time on more productive things. (Was really tempted to close the Friendster account, kasi nababaduyan na ako.) What stopped me from doing so are the friends whom I still want to stay connected with.

... still not doing a more productive alternative to Facebooking. Still Facebooking.

... why did I erase the photos? My photos are everywhere: buzznet, flickr, blogger, multiply, friendster, and facebook. It's time I keep them where they should be stored. Besides Facebook (and friendster) is not giving my photos justice, as per their color. And my friends don't really have the time to browse through those photos anyway, so what's the point of "sharing" it in a social networking site where everyone is very much occupied with their own vanities? Better reduce my own vanity and keep the stuff in my FB (and friendster) account lean.

welcome aboard, Lil Harry!

I'm blogging using Mack's new brother, Lil Harry - a 2140 HP Mini. Bought it last Saturday with Curly and Esme at SM Annex. I wasn't very sure then about purchasing a netbook, but seeing how the HP Mini works made me decide to buy one.

Yeah, I already have Mack, why have another mobile PC? First off, I can't bring Mack and Nik-Nik together. I don't have the courage to jam them both in one bag. Secondly, Lil Harry, with its size and build (aluminum body), can happily swim with Nik-Nik in my backpack and emerge unscathed, unlike Mack who is now showing battle scars from frequent use & abuse.

And no, I'm not disposing Mack anytime soon. Should I buy a new MacBook Pro (which I plan to on December), Mack will go to my folks. :)

So far, I'm having fun using this new toy. What I like most about it, apart from the aluminum body, is its keyboard - the buttons are larger than that of a regular PC keyboard. It's very comfortable to type on it. It's MacBook look is also a bonus - hind ba jologs tignan.

And of course, hindi takaw-pansing dalhin si Lil Harry. :)

that la, la, la song!

Just a while ago, I was weeding out mp3 files from my iTunes library to free up Max's memory space when I saw the Coffee Prince theme song, "La, La, La, It's Love!" I played it out of fancy, and in an instant I was zapped back to my Coffee Prince addiction.

The song, as I'm writing this entry, is playing on repeat on my iTunes. Scenes from the TV series are flashing in my brain, making me want to watch a marathon of Coffee Prince once again. (Oh, I remember the last time I did it, I barely slept during the weekend - I practically camped out in the living room: food, beddings and all.)

Oh my goodness! (Where's that DVD, by the way?)

7 more months before Gong Yoo (Arthur) comes out of the military. And one month to his birthday - July 10. He will be turning 30. He's one of us, '79ers!

Happy Birthday Gong Ji-Cheol!

Alrighty then!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm good!

One! Two! Come on!

La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la...

La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la... La, la, la, la, la...

snapshots of the day

The number of people infected with the virus is growing. As part of the company's preparations to prevent/deal with a possible infection in its own yard, people were given masks and encouraged to wear the protective covers especially when they're starting to feel the "symptoms." Simple message: If you think you have it, then help to not spread it.

But trust the people of the Jungle Watch Crew to put a little twist to it by making it appear like a new fad...

Too much work can drive people nuts. Sometimes to avoid going nuts, you have to pre-empt the symptoms...

photo-shopper

I am currently "window-shopping" in the Net for ideas for my photo entry to the art exhibit that would be mounted by the news dept. of the network to celebrate it's 50 years of bringing valuable information to the people.

The last day of submission of entries is only two weeks away, and I only have a handful of ideas to work with. I'm even contemplating on buying a new lens (macro), or extension rings. And I'm reading my photography books again.

Processing my shots in Photoshop is one hurdle I'm yet to overcome. I know a bit on working with Photoshop, but I don't have the knowledge and skills to make my photos come out exceptionally well with it.

What nerve to did I have for joining the exhibit!

the view

Often, while moving along busy city streets, you look up at the skyscrapers and find a little platform dangling on the side of a building with people on it, cleaning windows. You know how it looks from the outside and below. Here's how it looks like from the inside...

Just so you know.

tries hands at art

Bought a sewing machine, for I've been itchin' to sew my own pillowcases, curtains, and sofa cover. Yep. I'm that brave - I will attempt to sew cover for the humongous couch in my living room, so large it could double as a daybed. And I have no training - formal or not, whatsoever - in sewing.

One thing I learned from using the sewing machine, though - read the manual before attempting to do anything with a machine that punches needles. Here's what I did:

1. tried to sample stitches on the sewing machine with a piece of fabric.
2. fabric got stuck, but didn't take my foot off the pedal at once.
3. heard a loud snap from the needle. took foot off the pedal.
4. checked the needle - it's intact.
5. checked self - no injury.
6. read the manual, it says something like this: adjust the stitch length accordingly and use the right pattern for the corresponding fabric type. not doing so may cause the fabric to get stuck, causing the needle to hit a metal part in the bobbin, which may cause you injury.

Okay, I'm embarrassing myself now.

Exhibit A below shows how amateur I am with this craft.

But I don't stop at sewing...

I bought these little foam patterns for scrap-booking and is turning them into stamps by sticking them into an illustration board.

So far, I haven't succeeded with any of my "crafty plans." All of the stuff are in my craft box, sitting and waiting for me to be in the mood for art again.

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!

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! :)

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*

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.

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!