Tuesday, December 30, 2008

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!!!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

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!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

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!!!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

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.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

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!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

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.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

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.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

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!


Monday, December 1, 2008

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.