Friday, February 27, 2009

Random Ramblings

I've been absent from posting for more than a week now. Not only because I was busy, but because I can't seem to think of anything interesting to post.

Even with all the stress, I have a lot of things to look forward to. There's the early release of our mid-year bonus, as well as the upcoming finale (hopefully) to the Eraserhead's reunion concert. I'm also looking forward to other things, like an upcoming vacation in April. Now that's exciting.

So for now, I wish you all a happy weekend as I try to think of new things to blabber about. And by the way, if you find my blog interesting or helpful, please check out the ads at the right side and at the bottom of my site, all courtesy of Google AdSense. Times are hard these days, and I can use all the support.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Eraserheads The Reunion Concert DVD

A soundtrack to a generation.


I can't get enough of the Eraserheads. Thankfully, this DVD will help me quench my appetite for this awesome band.

All I can say is that if you're a fan like me, you should get a copy too. I'm no expert on audio and video, so I won't say anything about them (you can check this review by Gerry Cacanindin for all that technical stuff). What I really loved about the DVD is the "Behind the Scenes" portion, where the sound check for Magasin was shown in full. It's like a preview of what could have been had Ely Buendia not fallen ill that night.

Probably my only gripe is that the plastic holding the disc came off the case as soon as I opened it. But no worries, I loved everything else about this DVD.

So, I guess I'll see you guys on March 7.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A Restroom With A View

Can you guess where this picture was taken?


Try this spot.


Still inconclusive? Take a closer look.


Yup, it's a bathroom with a view. I haven't been to so many places with this kind of arrangement, so I can say that this one is unique. It may not be "lounge-like", but where else can you pee and enjoy the view at the same time?

This restroom is located at the penthouse of Richville Corporate Tower, and the view is that of Zapote Road in Alabang. Some more pictures here.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day


I'm two days behind from greeting you guys, but it's better late than never. Ours was simple (just a dinner at Fish & Co.) yet both of us had fun that day.

So to everyone, Happy Valentine's Day. Have a great week ahead.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Night Shots At Harbour View


I love night shots. I think I've said this too many times already. And now that I have a tripod (I'll write something about that soon), it's even more fun.

So thanks to George, Jayson, Myra, and Roxanne for this photo opportunity. Please check out the rest of the pictures here. Oh, and please click here for a related post.

PhotoWorld Asia 2009: My First Model Shoot

Sorry, I don't know her name.

This wouldn't be Jani Balani's blog if there's no post about PhotoWorld Asia. Although I'm two weeks behind schedule, it's still nice to say something about it.

Probably my most memorable experience about this year's PhotoWorld is that Canon provided a professional model for everyone to shoot. I think they do this every year, but this is the first time I went there with my full gear. I had fun even though I had to compete with so many photographers for a good spot (and a good angle).

Overall, I think this year's event is not as big as the previous ones, maybe it's because of the looming financial crisis, or maybe it's because part of Glorietta is undergoing renovation. But I definitely had fun.

Please check the rest of the photos here.

Business Planning 2009

January 30 group shot. More pictures here.

January 31 group shot. More pictures here.

Finally, I'm done sorting out all the pictures. Now it's time for me to tell something about them. I'll try to post everything as soon as I can, but for now it's this one: Business Planning 2009.

It was a month long process, with weekly meetings and group assignments, and were given the Friday off to finalize our presentation. This was our pre-planning session, held at Carlo's place (sadly, no homemade pizza this time). It was a combination of work and fun, we still had to support clients remotely, and a presentation to finish. But it was also a chance for us to loosen up, play with Kat the Golden Retriever, and share stories, especially with our provincial counterparts (Geryl, Joebe, and Erwin).

The next day was a more serious one, as our big boss DLM was present to hear our presentation. We had our actual planning session at NP Kopi Tiam in Quezon City, where we presented our achievements for 2008, and our goals for 2009. It was also a chance for us to chat with DLM, and learn more about the institution we are working for.

So that's about it for now. I'll try to post the rest tomorrow, it's time for me to sleep. Please feel free to check out our pictures from our first Business Planning experience.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Banding Problem (It Sucks)

UPDATE: I already called Canon regarding my concern, and they told me not to bring it to the service center yet unless it happens again. Hopefully these bands wouldn't appear again in the future.

Original image. Click the picture to zoom in.
100% crop of the sky. Click the picture to zoom in.

Yikes, having a backlog in posting all my pictures is already bad enough, now this. Can you see the horizontal lines in the sky? That's banding, and it really sucks. I guess it comes out once in a while when doing long exposures or using high ISO, especially on an old camera like my 400D. Now I really have to have it checked at the service center. And saving up for a new camera doesn't seem so bad now.

I posted this problem on several photography forums, and I would like to thank all those who provided their insights. Please check out these threads, maybe you could contribute some answers as well.


Click the image to zoom in.

Oh, and I also need to invest in a LENSPEN. The filter in my 10-22 has some stains (probably from raindrops) that causes orbs to appear, especially when using a small aperture.

All the photos above where taken at Harbour Square last Saturday. I still don't have time to process the pictures (and still busy processing some other images), so for now please enjoy these shots from George.