Another Car Headache

I'm so frustrated with my car.

I just came from Cavite, and all seemed well with my car, until I got home. I noticed my temperature was higher than normal again, and upon checking I discovered that my newly replaced auxiliary fan has gone kaput again.

I really don't know what's wrong with this car. I barely use it, but I still end up paying a lot. I'm not even sure why I can't dispose it. Too many things are holding me back from selling it, I don't even know where to start.

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On the bright side, I would like to thank Roxanne for letting me become a part of her family. Two of her siblings celebrated their birthdays this month (just like me) and we had a small party in Cavite were her older sister (and birthday celebrant) Jem resides. Too bad I never got to see Mimo today, it just slipped my mind.

Until Next Year

I am really feeling blue right now. Literally.

Ateneo won today against La Salle. Even though I'm really hoping for a green victory today to extend the series, I think the blue squad deserves the crown this year.

Congratulations Ateneo. And to La Salle veteran Jvee Casio, thank you for all the years you've played for the Green Archers.

Animo La Salle!!!

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There's just one thing I don't get: why is it that no one from La Salle accepted the first runner-up trophy? I hope no one is bitter about Ateneo's win, that's just uncalled for. Let's just focus on getting the crown back next year (and on the other UAAP sports this season).

My First DSLR Turns Two

I'm thankful that I'm finally able to avail my birthday leave today. And while waiting for the big Ateneo - La Salle game this afternoon, I just realized that I'm not the only one who got older this month. My beloved Canon EOS 400D (also known as Rebel XTi in North America and Kiss Digital X in Japan) just turned two today, and just lost it's warranty. It's pictured above, paired with my Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, currently my favorite lens. This lens turns a year old this month (also losing it's warranty), but I'm too lazy to look for the receipt to know the exact date. Maybe in the future I'll write something separate about this lens, since I love it so much. For now, the focus is on my 400D.

Two years ago I was also on birthday leave, and all morning I was contemplating on which camera to buy. It was either this one or the Nikon D90. Looking at high ISO samples sealed the deal on this one (and owning a Canon Powershot G5 also helped). I quickly rushed to Henry's Camera and Photo Supply, and got the kit together with my nifty fifty (a nice and inexpensive lens).

Being my first DSLR, this camera opened a whole new world (photography wise) to me. I love my G5, but its limitations often frustrated me. The 400D allowed me to shoot concerts, weddings, portraits, and sports with ease. And with the acquisition of an ultra wide lens, landscapes were given a new light.

Bad sad to say, there is a grim chance that I have to let go of this camera, because of the urge to upgrade. This will all depend on how much I'm going to save in the next month or two. But in any way, I'm will always be thankful for the experience that my 400D gave me.

Again, thanks to Big Huge Labs, I've created a mosaic of my Flickr 400D set. Please check it out since I have more pictures there, as well as my Multiply photos page.


1. Perya, 2. Life is Like a Box of Chocolates..., 3. Starbucks Art, 4. Twilight, 5. Jett Pangan (The Dawn), 6. Christmas 2006, 7. Peacock, 8. Tree Snake, 9. Avilon Sunset, 10. Night Life, 11. Lover's Sunset, 12. Christ, 13. Feminine Side, 14. Eastwood, 15. Jazz, 16. Walk of Fame, 17. Most Blessed Sacrament Chapel, 18. He Died for Us, 19. Flamenco Mom, 20. American War Memorial, 21. Remembrance, 22. Peace!, 23. Kitty, 24. Moonlit, 25. Potter Mania, 26. Sudoku in the Morning, 27. Ballet (DLSU vs UP), 28. Pep Squad (DLSU vs UP), 29. Casio Shoots a 3 (DLSU vs UP), 30. Future Eagle (DLSU vs UP), 31. Nose Poke (DLSU vs UP), 32. Mimo, 33. Kawalan, 34. My First Wedding, 35. My First Wedding, 36. My First Wedding

Hodgepodge

One tiring week. That's how I describe the past few days, and I'm not even sure why. Apart from celebrating my birthday last Thursday, I can't think of anything that makes this week different.

So instead of creating individual posts, I guess for now I'll combine everything in just one writeup. It's like combining my stories for the week.

"Shuttered" Vision

Shutter shades. I just don't get them. Mom brought home some from Singapore, and I can't believe I actually tried to wear one. Mom actually gave Roxanne a red pair.

Grandma, mom, and Roxanne wearing shutter shades.

Asides the weird eye wear, mom also got us some pasalubong. Mine were a nifty Casio G-Shock Gulfman and a new camera/laptop backpack.


By the way, the pictures above were taken from Solihiya in Greenbelt 5 last Monday. Solihiya is a restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine. Besides the great food, you also get excellent service and a great view of Greenbelt 3.


This one on the other hand was taken outside Greenbelt 5.

Car Trouble

The auxiliary fan of my car went kaput, and thankfully I had some time to have it repaired last Tuesday. Thanks to the guys at L.E. Gallego Auto Parts for taking time to repair my car (although it was quite expensive since they had to replace the fan). So in case you're in the Blumentritt area in Manila and are having some car trouble, check them out.

I would also like to thank Mandy' Car Wash and Auto Detailing, located a few blocks away from L.E. Gallego. Not only did they fix my bumper, they also did a great job of cleaning my car. I have never seen an engine that clean, and my engine was really dirty to begin with.

Fiery Birthday

My birthday was the usual. I went to work and had a little drink in the evening. What makes it memorable is what happened a few moments after midnight.


As you can see, those are firetrucks. Yes, a fire broke out in our area, thankfully it wasn't near, but the sight of firetrucks piling up in front of our house was enough to give us some scare.


Sorry for the grainy pictures, they were taken with a phone camera.

Mall of Asia

We never get tired of SM Mall of Asia. I was supposed to meet up with the JETS, but they left a bit early, probably exhausted from joining the International Coastal Cleanup Day. I wanted to join them on this one, but I had some conflict with my schedule (which didn't materialize anyway, too bad).

Mall of Asia's silent observer.

So instead Roxanne and I just enjoyed the ongoing sale. We also chanced up on KC Concepcion, who was promoting her new album.

Another Loss

Rabeh Al-Hussaini of Ateneo is just insanely good. La Salle lost for the third time to bitter rival Ateneo this year, and if they don't win on Thursday, the blue side of things will get the crown.

Ateneo really has the edge this season. As they say, the guy with the biggest stick usually wins. Having Rabeh in the Blue Eagles' roster is like that, with spikes to boot. I hope La Salle's big men can boost their confidence come Game Two.

I guess all I have to do is keep the faith. Animo La Salle!!!

Animo La Salle!!!

What a day! Roxanne got her first taste of UAAP basketball, and we never expected that it would be a nail-biting match. La Salle survived FEU and got the first seat in the finals (Ateneo would subsequently get the last slot).

So it's going to be green versus blue in the finals. I'm still not sure if it's on Thursday (which would coincide with my birthday) or Sunday. In any case, I'm excited already.

Making A Difference

For the past two days, I was a part of the Service Leadership Workshop conducted by our office. In these two days I never expected that I would learn a lot of new things, like listening intently to others, knowing my own body, realizing the value of my past, and finding my vision and my true self. The last one struck me the most.

In one activity, we were asked to meditate, picture our inner selves and ask questions like "Who Am I?" or "What Is My Purpose?". We drew what we saw, and shared it to the group. I heard a lot of heartwarming stories over the past two days, but to respect the privacy of my peers I will just share my own experience. I drew an orb, a ball of light, as this was what I saw. It never answered the questions I asked, but instead it told me one thing: make a difference.

We were given thirty minutes to draw, but it took me less than a minute to illustrate an orb. But to my surprise, I used the remaining twenty nine minutes to reflect. How can I make a difference? What is stopping me from taking the first step?

All my life I have been a conformist. As much as I want to be noticed, I do my best to blend with the crowd, and never pictured myself as the one who stands out. Many times I have been presented opportunities to make this world a better place (even in a small way), but yet I always had doubts on why I should do this, on what people might say.

As I got home last night, another opportunity to make a difference came. As to what it is, I don't think I'm ready to disclose it, as much as I want to say yes, many factors overcome me as of late. This is not the first time for this opportunity to come, but in the past I have rejected any means to become a part of it. This time, I want to be in, and hopefully soon I will be able to tell you what this is, I just don't want to preempt anything.

All in all, this workshop really had a positive effect on me. If I can sustain this positive effect, I will find out soon. For now, in my small way, I will try to find out how I can make a difference.

Mimo

This is Mimo, I forgot what breed this is, but it belongs to Jem, Roxanne's older sister. Even back then when Roxanne and I were still dating, Mimo was a regular fixture in their place. Unfortunately, Mimo had to move to Cavite since Jem got married.


At least we have something to look forward to whenever we're heading south. I just love cats for some reason I can't explain. The pictures above were taken last Sunday.

Click here to see another picture of Mimo, taken late last year.

Stranded, But Still Thankful

This picture may not look much (since it was taken using a phone camera), but this was the situation that faced me last night. It all started with heavy rains as Roxanne and I were walking towards their home, forcing us to have early dinner at a nearby canteen. Rain continued, and we were forced to brave it (along with shallow puddles forming in the street). At around nine in the evening, as I was about to go home, floodwater was high enough to reach our knees. And that was in front of Roxanne's place, a place not really prone to flooding. So I guess flood was worse on the streets outside of their area.

I was able to leave at around thirty minutes past five in the morning, with little sleep and wearing the same clothes I wore to work yesterday. But even if that's the case, I am still thankful for a lot of things...

...I am thankful to Roxanne and her housemates for letting me stay at their place, and for all the wonderful accommodation...

...I am thankful to Marlon and Judith for lending me warm clothing, as my clothes were really soaking wet...

...I am thankful that I did not bring a car yesterday, as it would have been more troublesome if I did so...

...I am thankful that my laptop bag is somewhat waterproof, but next time I will bring disposable garbage bags just to be safe...

...I am thankful for Emergency Leaves that include floods as a valid reason, and most of all...

...I am thankful to God, for always helping us brave the storm.

Now that I'm fully rested, I have to go back to work, as I have a lot of things to do in the office.

Feeling Blue

For the second time this year, the Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the De La Salle Green Archers, 65-57. Probably the reason why I'm feeling down tonight.

Oh well, better luck next time I guess.

Makati At Dusk

In a few minutes, the big clash between Ateneo and La Salle begins, so this one is sort of a last minute post. These were taken yesterday atop the former Ibank headquarters, similar to this one. I have always wanted to use my ultra wide lens at night here, but I guess I haven't been given a chance yet to do so.

The Eraserheads Aftermath

Better late than never. After the Eraserheads reunion last week, I was able to take some snapshots while waiting for the traffic to subdue. It was also the same thing when we passed by Harbour Square near PICC to look for a place to eat. I wasn't planning of posting these shots, but I guess I'm just looking for better things to do before the big Ateneo - La Salle game airs (again, not so much luck with the tickets).

Please feel free to check the rest of the pictures here.