You Suck At Photoshop Tutorials

I have another loaded weekend in my hand, but I guess I have time for this one.

If you suck at Photoshop (like I do), these videos could be very informative (and funny as well). I have only watched the first two, and it seems like this guy has a lot of issues. But hey, at least I'm learning Photoshop.

I've posted the first video above, you can check out the rest of the series here and here.

Oh, and thanks to DSLRBlog for this (originally posted here).

A Year Of Blogging (And Our Sunday Adventure)

Time flies so fast. It's been a year already since I started this blog. It all began with this post, and during that time I never really knew if I could sustain this blog.

Well, I guess the more than a hundred posts from the past year is already a personal milestone. Now all I need to do is promote this blog more.

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Last Sunday was a good day for me and Roxanne. It was our first time to have mass at Santuario de San Antonio in Makati, and it was Roxanne's first visit to the American War Memorial.

You can see the rest of the pictures here. For the first time, I enjoyed using flash in taking photos, and now I'm more convinced that I should invest in a dedicated flash gun.

News: Intel Confirms Closure Of Cavite Plant

Intel Confirms Closure of Cavite Plant
Posted using ShareThis

This is so sad, and probably a visible effect of the global financial crisis here in the Philippines. Back in college, I really wanted to work for Intel. I was even fortunate enough to visit their previous plant in Makati. I guess Cavite is just too far away for me to consider working for them after graduation, even though I've heard many good stories from people employed there.

I wish the best for those affected by this closure.

Confused

I'm confused right now if I made the right choice. I was offered a way to make more money next week (legit), but turned it down because of work. Taking a leave of absence wouldn't have been a problem, but we have a busy week ahead and I can't just leave my team behind.

This is just something that I want to get off my chest. I hope this kind of opportunity would pop-up again, and hopefully I'll be ready for that one.

Eraserheads: The Final Set

Image from TicketWorld. Click here for more information regarding the concert.

Yes!!! It's still in March, but I'm already excited. So excited that we already have tickets, seven silver ones. The first one was awesome (even though it ended abruptly), and I sure bet this one would be just as great.

Oh my, the Eraserheads fever is on again!

On Cats And Jorel

Another cat related post (see my first one here). Last Saturday, I just realized that our garage has been empty for weeks (dad sold his car last year), so it was the perfect chance for me to take pictures of our cats again. Apparently, it's down to just five felines. Not sure if that figure will change in the near future, only time will tell (the most we had was around 14).

You can check some more pictures here. I used my telephoto lens for all of my shots.

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Me, Beth, Ferdie, Jeannee, and Jorel. Circa 2003.

Although I wasn't feeling too good last Saturday, the day ended well when I had the chance to hang out with my good friend Jorel. He was one of my first friends in Unionbank, as well as the other guys in the picture above. He left for Dubai around two (or is it three) years ago, and is here on vacation (he leaves again tomorrow).

Thanks to Bobby for tagging me along on this one. It's these guys that made my stay at the branch fun, even with the ridiculous work load.

By the way, Jorel has a cat similar to Mimo (which I think is a Siamese cat). Just want to mention that one.

Don Bosco At Night

I'm not feeling so good right now. It's a long story. But I'll post these pictures anyway, blogging might ease this bad vibe that I have.

These were taken last night at a terrace overlooking the football field at Don Bosco in Makati. This is another one of those "random photography moments", where having a camera at your disposal becomes handy. It was quite dark, so I didn't really expect this kind of output.

Now why was I there last night? Maybe I'll tell you guys some other time. Some more pictures are posted here.

Babies (And Other Stuff)

Okay, one post (again, condensed) before another week of work. This time, it's full of "baby talk".

My niece Debbie has grown so much over the past year. Here's a picture of her taken barely a month after her birth.


And here she is now, taken just this afternoon.


And like other growing kids, she's really hyper and all. It's becoming harder for me to take pictures of her, thank God video is always there to the rescue. Here's a video taken this afternoon in our garage, she really likes playing with our cats.



And here's a picture from not so long ago, again playing with our cat.


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And speaking of babies, this is Xantino (I hope I got that right).


Xantino is Roxanne's newest nephew, born just a few days before the new year started. Another cute being introduced to the world.

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This time, no babies involved.

I just received ten email messages from Mac, all containing pictures from our Avilon Zoo escapade (100MB worth of pictures). They're mostly group shots, as Mac was sort of designated to take them (he had the tripod and the wide angle lens to do the job). I'm looking for the rest of Mac's takes in his Multiply account.


And Burn has also posted his takes here. And in case you haven't seen my shots, just click here.

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And yesterday, Roxanne and I celebrated our fourteenth month as a couple. Something we're happy about.

So that's about it for now. Have a happy week ahead.

My Blog List

I have added something new to my blog: a blog list. You can see it at the right side of this page, just scroll down a bit (sorry, I can't seem to make a quick link for it). It's actually a roll call of all the blogs I read, some of them readily load whenever I open my browser. And most of these blogs (especially the personal ones) are my inspiration in creating my own.

I will continue adding links to that list, but for now have a look and enjoy reading.

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By the way, my body hurts like hell. And I think I have a mild cold. It's party due to the sudden gush of rain last Thursday, but mostly it's because... well, I'll keep that a secret for now. But I will write about it soon, so stay tuned.

The New Honda City

The new Honda City was launched today at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati. It's a complete redesign, and I actually want one. The previous models look like an ice shaver similar to that used by halo-halo and sago't gulaman vendors. This one is just gorgeous, taking hints from the current Civic and Accord.

What I like most about it is the paddle shift, similar to that of the Accord (and the new Mitsubishi Lancer). But the price of the new City is not something to rave about, it's a little higher than what I expected. Actually, a used 2007 Civic is cheaper, which makes me think twice about this car (well, that and where to get the money).

Bottomline, I love the new Honda City.

Kingston Blues

After a year of use, my Kingston 2GB thumb drive has died. It's the first time a flash based memory module has gone kaput on me. It's unfortunate (and probably dumb on my part) that I tore the receipt apart just this morning as I was cleaning my office pedestal. Talk about plain stupidity and bad timing. Although I'm not so sure if it's still covered by warranty, it would have been nice if I decided to keep the receipt a little longer.

It's not actually just about the flash drive, thankfully they're a lot cheaper these days. It's actually about the contents of the drive (I have to check my backup in the office tomorrow), and the reliability of Kingston products in general. Apart from the flash drive, I also use two 2GB compact flash (CF) cards of the same brand for my DSLR. And during long trips, I don't bring a laptop or any portable storage device. Makes me think twice if I should invest in one (or at least, an ultra compact laptop).

I do hope that this is an isolated case. I still plan to buy Kingston memory memory modules for my laptop soon,(I need the extra RAM), and will continue using my Kingston CF cards (cross fingers).

Going Back To The Real World (And Magic Cards)

It sucks that vacation time is over, even though it lasted for more than a week. Tomorrow, I (and the rest of the country) have to go back to work. It's like tomorrow is the official start of the new year for me. I just hope that even with the looming financial crisis, this year would be good for me (and for all my loved ones).

Anyway, this is sort of out of topic, but my friend Raymond got me interested in Magic cards again. Thankfully I don't have anyone else to play this game with, or I might become addicted again to this hobby, just like in college.

So to Raymond, looking forward to our next game.

Image taken from FNG.

Finally!!!

I can't seem to sleep right now. Maybe it's the coffee I had with these guys at Starbucks. Whatever the reason is, I'm just glad that our planned get together with George and Jayson finally became a reality. And hopefully, this would be the first of many.

We all met around lunchtime at Mall of Asia, and then proceeded to Hooters for lunch. And like my previous visit, I almost did the chicken dance once again. And this time, it was tougher figuring my way out of it.

After lunch we spent a few more hours at the bay side and the mall, and we even went to the new Cyberzone. Gelsen had to leave early, but the rest of us stayed until past seven, enough for us to chat and see the fireworks.

It was really nice chatting once again with these guys, especially about work, photography, and practical jokes. I missed how these guys make me laugh, even though a lot of times the joke is on me. But that's fine with me, these are a great bunch of people.

So to Gelsen, Jayson, Myra, George (sorry if I still call you Greg sometimes), and Pris, thank you for this get together. Looking forward to the next one (hopefully I can tag Roxanne with me next time).

Oh, I almost forgot, you can check the rest of the pictures here.

Avilon Zoo Gallery

Happy New Year!!! How was 2009's entrance for you? For me, it was better than previous years. Even with all the smoke and noise from all those firecrackers, I'm thankful that there were no lost projectiles on New Year's eve, and that my car is still up and running (cross fingers). I'm also thankful that I got to spend the New Year with Roxanne, and for the extra days we have to rest and relax. So I'll try to post some more before heading back to the real world come Monday.

As promised, my takes on our Avilon Zoo adventure are already posted here. I'm still waiting for Burn and Mac's galleries to show up, so for now you can enjoy some of their other stuff from the links below.

Burn's Multiply Photos Page
Mac's Multiply Photos Page

And, please enjoy some of my previous work as well.

My Multiply Photos Page

Again, may the next 365 days be filled with joy and blessings for us all. Maligayang Bagong Taon!!!