Avilon Zoo

These are just some of my shots from yesterday's Avilon Zoo escapade. It was so tiring walking under the sun for hours, but it was fun taking all these pictures and bonding with the JETS and Roxanne.

It wasn't my first time there, but it was for the rest of the gang. Thankfully, we were able to maximize our visit. But sadly for me, since we left an hour before closing time, I wasn't able to see the Avilon sunset that wowed me during my last visit.

I'll provide an update when the full gallery is posted in my Multiply account, as well as those from Burn and Mac. It seems like most of my shots yesterday were from the long end, so expect to see a lot of head shots. Mac has most of our group shots, so I look forward to seeing them soon.

Happy New Year!!!

New Year Blues

The year is about to end in a few days. And for some reason, I'm not really looking forward to it.

I don't hate New Year, but it's not one of my favorite holidays either. It wasn't like this when I was a kid. Being a war fanatic back then (yes, I was a weird kid), I enjoyed seeing and hearing all those fireworks. The only thing that made me sad about New Year back then was that it's time to count the days before classes start.

But for the past few years, the New Year has been giving me the blues. Apart from the end of the Yuletide season (meaning, I have to go back to work), it seems like I hate the very thing that made New Year special back then. Fireworks bother me more now, with all the smoke, dust, and danger it poses. And there's the danger of misguided bullets from irresponsible gun owners.

Yes, that last one isn't funny. I should know, back in 2002 one such bullet entered my room and ricocheted off my wooden floor. Ever since that incident, I always stay downstairs on New Year's eve.

Another thing about the New Year is that for the past two years, my car overheats on New Year's day (not this year, please). Why is this so? I have no idea. Coincidence? Maybe.

I just hope that this year, New Year's eve and New Year's day would be different. That I would be able to enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger. Happy holidays everyone!

Merry Christmas!!!

This was taken almost two weeks ago. Most of today's pictures (mostly family shots) are still in my camera, and I'm not even sure if it will still fit in my hard drive.

My first Christmas as a blogger. It's also my first Christmas eve away from home, as I spent it with Roxanne's clan in Cavite.

I'm so thankful that for the first time in years I (and most of the Philippines) will have a long vacation. I will definitely enjoy resting and exploring, but I will try to keep this blog running as much as I can.

For now, let's enjoy the holiday season. Merry Christmas!!!

Saturday

Yesterday was a Saturday filled with reunions of all sorts.

Surprise Visit

Christian's friend, Christian, Auntie Lily, Auntie Ching, Kuya Eric

I was actually expecting Debbie and her babysitter when I heard knocks on the door. To my surprise, it was Kuya Eric and Christian, together with Auntie Ching.

Although Auntie Ching is a regular here in our house, I haven't seen the other two for quite a long time. Kuya Eric is my cousin from the US, he was our tour guide when we were there several years ago. He's here on vacation with his wife, and we had fun chatting about photography (really enjoyed playing with his Pentax DSLR), going around the Philippines, and his work in the US (which, like the Philippines, is full of politics).

Christian, on the other hand, is actually my nephew. But since I'm only two years older than him, I consider him as a cousin as well. We practically grew up together, but as we approached adulthood we sort of lost track of one another. We talked about IT stuff, particularly the IT industry. He's now a director in one of the IT companies in Makati (he's been a real computer whiz since high school).

Bilog

Debbie, also known as Bilog

Debbie has a new nickname. It seems like Auntie Lily cannot recall her name, so she calls her Bilog, because of her cute round body. Bilog has really grown so much in just a year.

Oh, yesterday was her dad's birthday as well. Belated happy birthday little brother.

Balikbayans

Dennis, Mac, Burn, Jane, Cess, Shari, Jayson

Cess

Shari

My Saturday was capped off by a reunion with high school friends, with special emphasis on our balikbayans Cess and Shari. They treated us to pizza and pasta, and we had coffee afterwards. If I'm not mistaken, they even had a drinking spree afterwards (I decided to sit this one out).

Shari now lives in Australia and works as a banker, while Cess works in China as an interior designer. It was really nice to see them once again. My attendance was actually a surprise, since I didn't inform them that I'd be coming ahead of time (sorry).

Please check the rest of the pictures here. I'm also looking forward to Burn's photos, hopefully he'll post them here.

E-Banking Christmas Party

Lonely me enjoying the view.

Our host Gina.

Carlo enjoying his new Starbucks tumbler.

PSP addicts.

Last Friday we celebrated our Christmas party at Gina's place in Antipolo. It was different from the previous years because this time our celebration was exclusive to our department, Electronic Banking (also known as E-Banking). We did have some guests, like Mikey, Carlo's girlfriend, and of course, Gina's kids.

It was a night of food, booze (none for me, though), basketball, PSP, and gifts (thanks to Raphy for the laptop cooler). I guess in some instances an intimate party is better than one with a large crowd (and some sort of production). But that's just me.

Only a few days to go until Christmas. Happy holidays!

Oh, and before I forget, you can see that rest of the pictures here. Again, happy holidays!

Roxanne's Birthday (And Some Other Stuff)

It's another one of those weeks where I'm too lazy to update my blog. However, yesterday was one special day that deserves a spot in this online journal. I was supposed to write this last night, but I got home pretty late and my creative juices were just low. Thankfully I was able to post some pictures on Multiply, and I have some time today to write, even though I'm stuck at work.

Yesterday was Roxanne's birthday, it's actually my second time to be with her on her special day. Last year's celebration was pretty simple, just a short prayer at Greenbelt Chapel and a Timex watch as my present.

This year, we were practically together the whole day. We spent the morning wrapping Christmas gifts (I'm not done yet with mine), and we passed by the bank to get some documents, and chat with friends. Fortunately, we were also able to meet up with Jorel, an old friend of mine from my early days with the bank.

Then came the best part of the evening. My birthday gift to her was a dinner at Top of the Citi. No, I didn't misspell the last word, it's really named that way since it's located at the top of Citibank Tower in Makati. It's a bit expensive, but the food and the view is worth it. Ample servings and great taste combined.


And for our final stop, a short prayer at Don Bosco before calling it a day. And it made me happy that Roxanne enjoyed her special day.


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Now for a little side story:

Personally, I have always wanted to dine at Top of the Citi. I have known of this place for quite some time now, having researched it since I really enjoyed dining at Skyline at the top of Vivere Suites in Alabang, another great restaurant overlooking the city.

There are actually two things that inspired me to plan this special date. One is that two weeks ago, I was able to attend a party with Roxanne at the penthouse of Antel Platinum Tower, a building just across Citibank Tower. The view was just magnificent, Makati at night is really breathtaking. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera that day. Now I always bring my camera (G5) wherever I go. For some reason, the view from Antel is a little better from that of Citibank.

The second thing is that on that same day, the rest of the JETS attended a party at Top of the Citi. Having seen Burn's pictures, I knew I needed to visit that place.

I highly recommend Top of the Citi, the view is just awesome, and the food is superb. Yes it's a bit pricey, but the experience is definitely worth it.

Prior to yesterday, I checked out some links to help me decide if it was all worth it. Here they are:

Menu from munchpunch.com
Review from Yahoo! Travel

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On photography:

I think I will hold off my plans to buy a new camera body for the meantime. I just realized that I still have a lot to explore, and many things to improve on. So, here's my photography wishlist, hopefully i can buy them one by one soon, or some kind heart would actually give me one as a gift:

Tripod - a lot of my long exposures last night turned out blurry, and my camera almost fell from the 34th floor of Citibank Tower. I think I'll buy one of those inexpensive tripods, since I only plan to use it with my ultra wide.

Flash - it's about time that I learn more about lighting. The onboard flash is really limiting (although I'm still trying to make the most out of it), at the same time I've seen how much a flash can improve one's photos. But if I purchase one, I also have to buy a vertical grip to balance the weight.

Terabyte storage - I'm running out of space, and I really want to experiment with RAW.

So there you go, no new lens or body for now, just save up for these three first.

Raymond And Magic Cards

It was nice seeing my old friend Raymond once again. I've known this guy since grade school, and in high school he was my closest friend outside the JETS. He was also my band mate and partner in crime back then.

And although we're full blown adults now, we still enjoyed playing Magic: The Gathering, something that preoccupied me and drained my wallet back in college. I can't believe that I still know how to play this game, and that I'd enjoy it more than I expected. Heck, I really missed the artwork on these cards, and became fascinated once again by the rules to this game.

It was also fun trading stories with him. Now, I'll actually think twice before dining outside, but that's another story.

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And by the way, happy birthday to my friend Tim. May you have many more blessings to come.


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Again, congratulations to Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao for making the Filipino people proud. And thanks to my brother for providing us streaming video while having lunch.

Don And Jhen

To my friend Jhen:

Instead of writing some sort of article on what transpired on your wedding day, I'll just say my message to you in the simplest way possible.

We haven't really spoken for quite a while, I know you have been busy preparing for this special day, and I also have been preoccupied with work and other things. Seeing you on your wedding day made me happy, knowing that part of your dreams had already come to life, and there's a lot more to look forward to in the future. I wish you and Don all the happiness and blessings, I know the two of you are really lucky to have each other.

I remember almost two years ago, you were telling me that you guys intended to marry each other this year. Now that the wedding is over, it seems that everything went according to plan. And I'm thankful that I became a part of it in some way.

I know I promised you a lot of pictures on your wedding day, and I'm deeply sorry if I didn't deliver as expected. For sure, you will have a lot of wonderful wedding pictures, and I look forward to seeing them.

And lastly, thank you for being a good friend to me. I still owe you coffee, and if I recon, you still owe me dinner. Hopefully one day we'll find time for that.

God bless!

MYXposed: Gusto Mo Bang Sumama?

An excerpt from the series, regarding the Eraserhead's final days.

Wow, it's been a while again since my last post. I've been busy these past few days, with all the client calls and trainings to attend to at work. Thank God I got my much needed rest with the long weekend that we had.

So, to make this post, well, informative, I'll write something that may interest Eraserheads fans, like me. After that much awaited reunion concert back in August, MYX has aired the documentary MYXposed: Gusto Mo Bang Sumama?, a four part series about the Eraserheads. It features interviews from the band members themselves and people involved with the band, from their humble beginnings to their untimely disbandment, and up to their reunion concert (and future plans).

I was too busy to catch all the episodes, and it's unforetunate for some that not all cable providers carry MYX. Luckily, Youtube is always to the rescue. There are many versions available, but in my opinion, the best compilation is the one from thinkinmansjoker. And to quote him, "no copyright infringement intended", it's just a way of sharing this documentary to other fans unaware of it.

Kudos to MYX, to thinkinmansjoker, and to the Eraserheads.

Hooters

This happened a week ago, but I never had the chance to post it since I got preoccupied with sorting out our pictures from Baguio (and of course, work).

Me and the JETS went to Hooters near SM Mall of Asia last Saturday. It was an impromptu "boys night out" sort of gig, and we really had fun. I enjoyed the food, while my friends enjoyed the "view". And I almost did a "chicken dance", just don't ask why, it's a long story.

I'm not going to create a photo gallery for this one. Instead, you can visit Burn's gallery here. Most, if not all, of the shots there came straight out of my camera anyway. You may also want to read Burn's own account of our Hooters experience here.

One last thing, I really like these shots from our Hooters gig, so I'm posting them here. They were taken before leaving for home.

Baguio Pictures

Tea from Cafe By The Ruins

Yes, I'm done with our Baguio pictures. It took me some time, but at last it's online. I'm no longer writing a detailed story, just click here to read the summary, and click on the links below to see our pictures.

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four

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Just one more thing. I don't think I have sensor dust. From further observation, it seems like mildew from all the rain and drizzle throughout our stay. But still, when I find time, I will send my camera to Canon for some tender loving care.

And speaking of love, Roxanne and I really enjoyed Baguio. Looking forward to next year.

Sensor Dust

This is a pet peeve of DSLR users: sensor dust. After two years of using my 400D, it's my turn to have some. It's only evident when using smaller apertures, which means it's not a big deal when doing portraits, but it can be annoying when doing landscapes. Yes, it can be removed in Photoshop, but it's still irritating.

I guess it's time to send my camera for cleaning. While most people prefer to do the cleaning themselves, well, I'm not most people so I will let the experts do it. Now I have to find some free time to visit Canon's service center. And I still have a lot of pictures to sort out.

I Love Motolite!!!

I'm not yet done sorting out all our pictures from Baguio, but after yesterday's rant, I really have to thank these guys for their prompt action.

I consulted my dad about my car woes, and he advised me to have my battery changed, since it was out of warranty anyway.

Most of you may have seen the Motolite Express commercial, and it really works. In less than an hour, my new battery arrived, plus some free diagnosis. I even got a rebate for trading in my old battery (also the same brand).

So in case you're in the same shoes as I am, call them up (370-6686). Now I know more the next time I encounter such a problem.

My Car Makes Me Sad

This is just so frustrating. I haven't used my car for almost a week, the last time I drove it everything was running smoothly. Just this afternoon I decided to check up on my Rav4, just start the engine and keep it running for a few minutes. To my surprise, it wouldn't start. I just get a weird stutter, it's actually quite scary. It's the first time I encountered such a problem. Tomorrow we'll ask help from one of our neighbors who happens to know more about car problems. But for some reason, I don't feel hopeful about it.

Why, oh why? This makes me really sad. Maybe I'll just try to sort out our Baguio pictures, that might ease the pain a little bit.

One thing though, I'm still lucky that it happened here at home, and not while I'm driving.

Back From Baguio

The view from Hotel Veniz. This was taken on our last day when the weather was a bit better.

We actually got back from Baguio last Wednesday, and up to now I'm still drained from our adventure. I'm still contemplating if I should post a detailed chronicle of our Baguio escapade, or just settle for a condensed version of our trip. And I also have almost 400 pictures from the trip, but only a fraction of it will be available online.

To summarize our Baguio adventure, it was a blast, although it was raining for the most part. We arrived Sunday afternoon, and the sky was already gloomy (plus fog was apparent as we were approaching the city). We just used the afternoon to make-up for lost sleep, and enjoy the comforts of our hotel room.

Come Monday, the weather was worse. We still decided to go out, since our original plan was to go back to Manila by Tuesday. Upon arriving at Mines View Park, we were really disappointed, because it was really foggy, the view was nonexistent. We then proceeded to Wright Park, were things got worse when I slipped and banged my foot hard. Not only did it force me to buy a new pair of pants, but it left me in sick bay for the whole afternoon. I could barely walk a few hours after that crash, and I had fears that I may have a hard time going home. In addition, Roxanne also had a headache that afternoon, so like our first day in Baguio, we spent the rest of the afternoon in our hotel room. By the way, this was the exact day of our anniversary.

By some stroke of luck, the weather has improved a bit by Tuesday. It was still raining, but not as bad as the previous days. Plus thanks to some Salonpas, the pain in my foot subsided (although I was still limping throughout the day). We decided to extend our stay for one more day, and leave our fate to mother nature. We were able to cover more ground that day, and go to most of the places that were on our itinerary. We even had a return trip to Mines View Park, were the view was better than the previous day. This was the best day of our vacation.

By Wednesday, the weather was, well, great. It was sunny, with a gentle breeze of cool air. Unfortunately, we had to go home that day, so we maximized the morning before checking out of the hotel. We also had our breakfast at Cafe By The Ruins, and I can say it's probably my best breakfast experience for quite some time now. And that concludes our Baguio adventure.

I never missed Manila when I was there. For some reason, I feel at home with Baguio. I don't feel this way for any other place I've been to. I'm really looking forward to my next visit there.

I'm thankful too that I still have three more days to rest. I'll probably use this time to organize and post our pictures from the trip. But for now, I have to go to sleep.

Baguio, My Baguio

Baguio Country Club, circa 2004. As much as we want to stay here, we just have to find a place that suits our budget.

It's vacation time once again (well, for me and Roxanne anyway). Our first year anniversary is coming up, and there's no better place to spend it than the City of Pines: Baguio City.

It's not my first time to visit Baguio (and I think Roxanne has been there as well), but I always have fond memories of this so called Summer Capital. Prior to this one, I have been there four times already. The first time I was there was back in high school, barely a few years after the deadly earthquake of Luzon. I can still vaguely remember biking all night in Burnham Park, having my hand injured by a horse saddle in Wright Park, and our old car that barely survived the crazy slopes of Session Road.

My next three outings came one after the other, with the last two graciously sponsored by our company. The first of three was my first real out of town experience with the JETS (sans Tim). Even though we weren't complete, we still had a blast. My only regret is that I never mastered my camera well since I just got my G5 then. All of our shots were in 640x480.

The next two was a combination of work and fun, as we organized an event for our company's sales people. It was memorable for so many reasons, like our stay at the Baguio Country Club (see picture above), the numerous photo opportunities, and the food (I love lamb). It was also a time for me to get to know more some of my office mates like Bobby, Jorel, Mae, Ronivi, and of course, Jhen.

So now I have to end this post, and go back to packing my stuff. We still have to buy other necessities later, and plan our itinerary. I'm not sure if I will bring a laptop there, but for sure my G5 and 400D (and my artillery of lenses) will join me. My mom's birthday gift to me, a camera backpack, will sure come in handy.

Baguio, here we come!!!

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I'm also taking this opportunity to greet Roxanne. Happy anniversary honey. I love you so much.

Stressed

Wow, what a busy week. And unfortunately, no new photos to show. I feel stressed and tired from making source codes and going to clients here and there. Thankfully though I will be on leave next week, and hopefully I'll be able to share new stories once again.

Just keeping this blog alive, and releasing some stress at the same time.

Happy Halloween!!!

This is probably the best costume I've seen, especially from someone I actually know. Mikey really loves this costume. With Raphy's help, we even did a Photoshop version to remove the clutter (background taken from the web).



And this costume by Steve comes in at second. Pictures can't do justice to how funny his mask is.


And those are the rest of the costumes. I'm not included, thankfully.

Happy Halloween!!!

The Ducks Of Greenbelt Chapel

I'm always distracted whenever I hear mass at Greenbelt Chapel. With all these ducks wandering around, often times I just want to stare at them.

Good thing yesterday I had some free time, and I was also lucky enough to have my G5 and some crackers. It's hard to take pictures of these ducks, they move around a lot. The security guard was also less intrusive, but I don't know if it would be the same case had I used my 400D.

The Last Train

It's already past midnight, yet a part of me is still very much alive. Maybe it's because I ran so hard just to catch the last northbound train. It's a long story on why I had to rush, but I'm just glad I made it. The extra sugar from all the sweets I had today served as a boost in this sort of marathon.

And as a bonus, I was able to take a picture inside the train, which I think is a pet peeve of security guards and law enforcement officers. I even had the flash on by accident, which helped by the way.

And a while ago, my friend Burn sent me a text message saying he was also on the same ride home, albeit a different car (there were three). I wonder if he saw that sudden flash of light from where I was.

Now I'm tired. Sleeping time.

Makati Shots

The first shot was taken last Friday from Lepanto Building in Paseo de Roxas, Makati. It was after a client call in that building.

The second one was just a few hours ago, on my way home while waiting for the train. It's a view of Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia).

Two random shots to keep this blog going. Now I can go to sleep.

The Fall Of Glorietta

Greenbelt 3 as seen from the rooftop of Park Square 2, one of the casualties of last year's deadly blast.

This event will always haunt me.

It was almost a year ago when the unexpected happened. An explosion inside Glorietta 2, one of the sections of the Glorietta Shopping Complex in the heart of Makati. Eleven people were killed, and the adjacent complex Park Square 2 wasn't spared as well.

Glorietta 2 is so memorable to me. It was here where I usually meet my friends after work. I also frequented Toby's Sports usually before going home, to check out the latest shoes, bags, and whatnot. And Park Square 2 was where I usually parked my car, it was the most strategic parking area since it was located right smack in the middle of everything. I remember giving my friend Jhen driving lessons whenever the floors were vacant. And the rooftop provided a great view of the Ayala Center (see my picture above), I even had a brief encounter with security while taking pictures.

I guess I am fortunate enough not to be there when the blast happened, but like what I've said earlier, this event will haunt me for the rest of my life. Two of the casualties were actually office mates of a friend of mine, just having lunch there and not expecting it to be their last. My friend Jhen was there as well, and I'm thankful that she wasn't in harm's way during the explosion, but from how she tells it, it really sounded dreadful. I hope she could write about it someday on her blog.

So, thank you Glorietta 2 and Park Square 2 for all the memories. May the souls who perished in your fall rest in peace.

More information about the Glorietta 2 blast.

Much Better Than Nothing At All

I was quite sad that I never got to join these guys later on at Starbucks, but I'm happy enough to have dinner with them. Man, I feel like I need to catch up with them big time, like I'm missing a lot of stories lately. Oh well, looking forward to our next gig.

More pictures are posted here, and see some extra creative stuff like the shot below.

A Video From The Past

I don't know why I thought of posting this video. Maybe it's because I have minimal participation in this act, which gives me the guts to show this to the world. I hope these guys can pardon me for sharing this video, but what the heck, this thing may actually lunch us (or them, they're better actors) to stardom.

This video was shot around December 2005. These guys were really into it, and I kept bungling my lines. It was shot using my G5, so please pardon the three minute limitation. Though not an original idea, it actually predates moymoypalaboy (but these guys are really great, hands down). The song used was the Backstreet Boy's "All I Have To Give". You can also view this video here. It's certainly a blast from the past.

Enjoy. This is dedicated to Gelsen, Jayson, and George.

The View From Dell's

Dell's opened about a month ago at the tenth floor of Unionbank Plaza. Not only do they serve food, they also provide a great view of the surrounding vicinity. And today, I had the chance to take pictures once again.


I used my 400D to take the late afternoon photos above, and my trusty G5 to take those night shots below. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been cooperative lately.


I hope I could shoot these again soon, I really want to try my ultra wide here at night. But I guess to do that successfully I should invest in a tripod, and hope that it wouldn't rain on that day.