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.