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. :)

closer

So I got this new extension tube for Nik-nik, so I could shoot macro with it. The thing takes the lens farther from the camera sensor so the lens could have higher reproduction ratio - close-up on the subject much better.

This one I bought is an ordinary extension tube (made in China), with no mechanism that connects the lens to the camera body. So I have to set the aperture of the lens first before disconnecting it from the body (which is still powered on) and fitting the extension tube in between.

It scared me a bit to use this extension tube, because aside from this being the first time I'm gonna use one, the thing came with an all-Chinese manual. I guess it's the price I pay for buying a P800-worth extension ring. I just hope this would not cost me any further.

This tube is actually segmented into three parts - hence the numbers 1 to 3. The parts could be separated (1 being the shortest) and fitted in between the camera body and the lens solo or in combinations.

A friend recommended buying this after I made shout out at my Facebook account regarding my dilemma on buying macro lens so I could shoot more interesting subjects for the art exhibit I joined for reasons I don't exactly know why. I will make an entry about that exhibit later on.

I preferred this over close-up filters, which adds another layer of glass to the lens, affecting clarity of the shot. I have to be very careful in using it, though, as it exposes the sensor to dust while I fit it on the camera, and it's not that stable.

And so I experimented shooting my "souvenir items" from beaches I've been to. This one here is a shell about an inch in size. If I remember it right, I got this from Baler, Aurora.

This one is another shell of the same size. (From Baler too, I think.) I shot the inside part of it to show the other side of the twirling pattern.

This one is a coral, about 1.5in. in size. The pores that can be seen on the photo are actually very small, pinheads coud fit in them.

I will post more macro shots later.

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!

little boy genius

9AM. I was awakened by the ringing of my cellphone. (I usually wake up around 10AM during weekdays because of my odd work schedule.) Recognizing that the ring was for a voice call, I pried myself from the bed, as if in an automatic sequence of movements, grabbed my phone that's sitting on my desk and answered the call. The delightful voice of my nephew spoke from the tiny speakers.

He read me a letter from his teacher, addressed to my brother and his wife, which tells the (good) news that my nephew will be accelerated to fourth grade (from first), and that he did very well in the Math portion of the exam. And then the line became chappy, so he had to hang up.

Accelerated. Fourth Grade at 8. Math.

Really. The family genes seem to be improving then! Ha-ha.