SG - Almost Over

i can't believe i've been in SG for almost six days now. i'm having mixed feelings going home - partly because there are a number of places i haven't seen here yet (my feet just won't let me anymore) and partly because being on vacation and not having to do anything just feels great. on the other hand, i do miss home and friends and there are a lot of backlog on my downloading activities. The SG trip has been exhausting - late nights everynight, killer walks daily and alternating warm weather outside and cold blast inside the malls, trains and walkways. i'm surprised i don't have pneumonia yet. Quite frankly, i don't think i managed to get as much pictures as i hoped for - pain is such a mood killer. we'll see later on when i sort out the photos what comes out from this trip. there's a lot to blog about but words escape me right now - rest is frankly all i care for right now.

flight is at 230pm. yeah, this trip is almost over.

sing so far - part 1

after weeks of waiting and three hours after my plane took off manila, i arrived in singapore excited and jubilant. changi airport is as beautiful as i remember it to be - its different than the other airports i've been to - not as grand as hong kong but far better than narita, osaka and los angeles. this is turning out to be a trip worth remembering.

• feeling adventurous and going against my baser instincts, i took the advice of a friend (based in singapore, let's call her A) to take the train instead of a cab from the airport to Sengkang where my friend Cindy is staying. the great thing about the Singapore MRT is that its actually fast, efficient and comfortable and even with two luggages in tow, it was easy. it took me close to an hour before i got to Sengkang riding and changing trams from the green route to the purple route. when i got to Cindy's place, i asked her how long it would have taken me to get there if i took a cab --- 10mins! Bwahahaha, i'll remember to slap A when i get the chance.
• dinner thursday night along a long line of hawker stands made me realize how different hawker is in singapore versus that in malaysia. hawker here is like the food court in manila while that in malaysia, hmmm let's just say is different. the food is cheap, its filling and its very good.
• a couple of friends who got sponsored PIT GRANDSTAND tickets was not watching the practice sessions friday and decided to give us their friday tickets. aren't we the LUCKIEST? the 3-day pit grandstand tickets cost 40,000 pesos each. The whole F1 experience deserves a space of its own so i'd have to find time to write about that. Besides, the real race is still happening tonight.
• Riding the MRT alone made me realize how difficult it would be live here by myself. While there are still a lot of things to love about singapore, being away from my family and my friends will leave me in an emotional wreck. The best thing about riding the MRT was that it helped me make full use of my ipod.
• The other thing i hate is the non-stop walking. walking and being flat-footed doesn't really go along very well. walking for the last three days was like torture. i swear every step i made was excruciatingly painful. if there were any lactic acid build-up anywhere near the joints of my feet, i could guarantee they're all gone now.
• there's a thing about being on vacation and in a different country that makes you eat like there's no tomorrow. being with friends who love to eat too doesn't help also. so yeah, i expect to pack in a few more pounds when i get back tuesday.
• singapore is freakin' warm. i bet i would need a number of likas papaya soap when i'm home.

i do have a lot of pictures to share but i've been dead tired being here that sleep is the only thing i think of when i come near the bed. sing so far has been fun ... and tiring.

Looking for HOST Families

PLEASE REPOST THIS IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL SITE & FORWARD TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN!

Up with People exists today to spark people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world while building bridges of understanding as a foundation for world peace.

Through travel and cultural immersion, Up with People has provided young people from around the world with a renowned international education and an unmatched passageway to see the world. And we've been doing it for four decades.

As the world has changed, so too has the Up with People program. Once primarily impacting communities through its musical productions, the current Up with People program addresses the very real need for young adults and leaders who have global perspectives, intercultural understanding, knowledge of worldwide social issues, leadership skills and a dedication to community service.

Today, through its distinct 6-month program, Up with People participants experience personal growth, leadership training, service learning and performing arts as they travel through three continents. For many students, it's a global education that lasts a lifetime; for others, it's a life-transforming experience.

UP WITH PEOPLE will be in Manila from Nov 19 to Dec 5, 2008.

reflections on nudity

when o! mentioned that they were going to do nude photography saturday night and that i could go, i said yes without a second thought. its not because of the thought of nudity but because in conservative manila, shoots like this is hard to come by. besides, its a chance to experience shooting a new theme.

the shoot was a whole lot easier because we had sir b directing the model poses. and while i await the day i get to start planning my own shoots, directing and all, i'm more than happy to learn from the more experienced photographers. it was a bit awkward at first and the first thing i realized is that shooting nude would be less awkward if done one on one. it was not the case with us because there were six of us and only one model. gotta keep the cost down baby! the shoot went without a hitch and i was able to take a few good photographs. and there are actually some more "nice" photographs but they're too risque for multiply so they'll most likely not going to see the light of day.

doing nude was a unique experience. the human body is indeed fascinating and the shoot was more a play of shadows and light than anything. we were kind of laughing from the middle to the end of the shoot because the awkwardness has passed and we happily snapped away. we finished almost midnight so i was really beat when i got home.

it would be fun to do an underwear theme - guy and gals. i wonder who'd be our willing "victims" for this underwear photography. gotta ask miss oh! to sched something. i remember when i was still working for bench, i was the product manager for men's underwear when the company did its first ever underwear fashion show. that show has indeed evolved into a phenomenon.

click this link for the album : sexy, seductive & nude

after all these years

i just came home from dinner and coffee with college friends and incidentally our college professor way back who could still pass for an older brother. it feels weird having to call him now by his first name when you've been conditioned to call him "sir" during college but calling him like you used to feels way more awkward. we had dinner at Silk at Serendra where luckily on a friday night we managed to snag a very comfortable table. The food was quite good and expectedly more expensive than your usual fare. i liked the soft shell crab even though it felt a little salty after a while, pandan chicken and the tom yum soup. one of my staple favorite thai dish, pad thai, was neatly presented and i probably should've eaten it ahead of the bagoong rice and other dishes because i couldn't really distinguish its taste right after. still the best pad thai for me is from malee's down scottsdale road in arizona. hands down, that is something i always have to partake on when i'm in town.

we spent the rest of the evening chatting about almost anything that has happened in the last fifteen years. at our age, reminiscing about the old days is a staple during conversations and seeing richard, who used to give us grief back in college, now feels a whole lot different. thirteen years of employment changes you - it makes you and your professor sort of equal. four years age difference i guess isn't much so richard felt more like an older brother than a relic from our past (lol!). he still looks much like he used to back in college, a bit older perhaps but i wouldn't be surprised if his students are still crushing over him. it was flattering when he said i was a smart student (uhmmm oh yeah!) and that we were a select few who managed to finish the course on time. it was a bit surprising when he said that in engineering, failing a few subjects is expected in industrial engineering. i actually never thought of it that way back then. tuition was expensive and failing was a letdown i couldn't really afford. richard taught some of the more difficult math subjects - difficult in the sense that grades during course card distribution ranged between 0 to 1.5 (4.0 being the highest). if you get 1.5, you were awfully pretty smart and 1.0 was passing. getting a 1.0 in his subjects was enough reason to celebrate.

its always nice to spend time with people from way back. there's common things to talk about and there is history there - whether good or bad. i think one of the most fun things is to talk about all those silly things you did back then and just laugh at your own naivete.

college was one of the best years of my life. it never fails to make me smile.

too much with such little time

its been a while since i posted something here that its starting to feel like this site is going to be more of a photo site moving forward than a personal blog. finding photography as a creative outlet has introduced me to some great people and my contact list has ballooned overnight. do i feel comfortable sharing my soul to people i barely know? i dunno yet. there's this option to create lists though so that you can post to a select group of people only. maybe i'd do that next time. we'll see.

life feels like its been given an adrenaline shot. there's so many things happening and the next three months is mostly planned for. two weddings, a bunch of traveling, probably a charity photo exhibit and come december a multitude of dinner gatherings. i've already said yes to arlene and juan to doing their AVP for their wedding so i'd have to that this october.

i can't wait to fly off to singapore thursday next week. there's a lot of things to do and to see out there. i hope i get to see the F1 drivers up close - maybe i should write "wish ko lang!" hahaha its going to be a hectic six days out there i bet. hope i get some neat shots of singapore for my photo albums. we'll have to see. there's shopping, touring and eating to be done.

we decided to check out the S&R storewide sale yesterday and was dumbfounded to see the lines snaking all over the place. their usual modestly filled parking space was packed and there were no carts available. we still bravely checked out the store and scored a few nice goodies. got a 4-flavor cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory which made me miss the US all the more. anyway, its cheesecake heaven this week. the prize of an hour and a half of waiting in line.

i've been on a binge the last couple of weeks. nothing more to be said after that. somebody please slap me.

thank God its friday. dinner #3 is tonight. lagot.

Green vs Blue

I probably am one of the last few remaining who doesn't know (been out every weekend) but both La Salle and Ateneo sealed the deal for a once again historic title match in this years UAAP Men's Basketball finals. I bet tickets to the games are going to sell like hotcakes and the games will be exciting. Ateneo has the upper hand here having beaten La Salle in all of their elimination match-ups. But La Salle has also been known as a late bloomer in the past so who knows. As they say "bilog ang bola."

Whoever wins, its still a match made in heaven.
... who am i kidding though, of course i want my alma mater to win!

the suckiness of ben 10's movie premiere

my cousin gave my nephew two tickets to cartoon networks made-for-tv premiere of Ben 10 at the mall of asia yesterday. i have to say that whoever is the events organizer for that premiere should just go and shoot themselves in the head for their incompetence. those poor schmucks are just downright stupid. can you imagine having those hapless people lining up before the supposedly start time of the activity only to be told they were at the wrong line. how can there be a wrong line when there were never any line directions to begin with? then this super feeling gay guy comes out and instead of pacifying the irate parents talked sarcastically and did an about face. talk about the lack of character and manners which wasn't surprising given what he looked like. poor, pathetic loser. its irritating when you have kids in tow and you are made to wait indecently for an hour and a half on an otherwise smooth event. clearly, the event organizers for this movie premiere didn't know what they were doing. i try not to do hate but that experience was just really irritating. if not for my nephew and those tickets being free, i would have walked out of there and demanded a refund.

to those who organized this ben 10's movie premiere event, get a brain!

water .... 48 years after

short post. finally, after 48 years (ok, i'm exaggerating but you get the drift), we have water service provided by maynilad (dapat nawasa pa before). even though its only from 12MN to 12noon right now, that's more than enough time to fill-up our water tank. what's great is that water expenses should go down now and taking a bath is finally an uninterrupted luxury. yeba!

natural high

for some reason, i am at a natural high lately. i'm happy. and here's a great song that goes with it. times like these are priceless.

with you
mymp

Not to worry on a rainy day
There?s a promise it will go away
What a joy, what a sunny day
Having you takes the sadness away
With you everything seems to go my way

[Chorus]
Hold on to a beautiful day
It will lift you up
Take you to the top
Hold on ?cause it?s here to stay
To help you get through the day
Everyday

Need a reason to celebrate life
There?s a promise for a sweet embrace
What a joy found a friend in you
Having you takes away the blues
With you everything seems to go my way

[Chorus]
Hold on to a beautiful day
It will lift you up
Take you to the top
Hold on ?cause it?s here to stay
To help you get through the day
Everyday

lalalala?lalalala?lalalalalalalala..lalala?

With you everything seems to go my way

[Chorus]
Hold on to a beautiful day
It will lift you up
Take you to the top
Hold on ?cause it?s here to stay
To help you get through the day
Everyday
Everyday

[Chorus]
Hold on to a beautiful day
It will lift you up
Take you to the top
Hold on ?cause it?s here to stay
To help you get through the day
Everyday
Everyday
Everyday

[Chorus]
Hold on to a beautiful day
It will lift you up
Take you to the top
Hold on ?cause it?s here to stay
To help you get through the day
Everyday

What's Next: 26 Things - The Alphabet Project

I think one of the best decisions i've had recently was take the Photoworks class led by Leo Castillo. Venue is a bit far and i've had my share of almost missing a few sessions, the whole thing kind of worked out in the end. I honestly learned a lot from all six sessions and Leo's tips alone about photography is worth attending. Frankly, what sold me about this class more than the other photography class is Leo's focus on developing the eye of a photographer. Thanks Leo for imparting your wisdom and experience!

One of the next steps Leo encourages us to do is to continue pursuing this passion for photography - to develop our creativity and help take us to the next level. i can seriously say his tips gives me a good feel where i should be next. so here's what's up ahead.

26 thIngs - thE AlphAbEt prOjEct
This is part of the photographic interview to help build creativity.
The challenge here is to take a photograph of anything that denotes the letter of the alphabet. Yes, all 26 letters of the alphabet. For example, you can take a photo of an apple for "A", a brocolli for "B" ... its really up to you.
Let's take 2 letters each week so this will run for 13 weeks.
Post your picture in an album called "26 Things - The Alphabet Project"

Ok, so i wrote that as if it was a contest or something but i wanted to encourage my co-photography newbies to join me in this photography project. I think after 13 weeks, we will have all 26 letters and hopefully some really cool pictures we could put into a collage, print and frame.

I'm excited.

notes to self

some realizations i've had over the weekend.

• its no secret that i've spending a lot of time trying to gain ground in my photography skills. i still envy photos of my "master" friends from PSN but i'm pretty much enjoying the ride getting to their level of awesomeness.
• i think i need to set my camera to take pictures at a higher resolution. whenever i edit, i start to see some grain already on the photos when i zoom really close so that sort of ruins having to blow-up the pictures. SD cards are pretty cheap these days so i should get another 2GB SD card.
• getting "low" on juice to power up your camera while in the middle of a shoot is a definite mood-killer. lesson learned here - keep your battery fully charge prior to a shoot, no exceptions. and save up for a spare battery.
• i did all my recent post-processings using mac (i call my macbook "mac" ... brilliant di ba? lol) and i have to say i was surprised by how responsive he was. it was a breeze opening up and saving files. i just need to get used to her awfully small 13" screen and resolution so i can get a really good feel of the photos during processing. i'm happy though that mac is getting some air time .... finally. i don't think i've used him enough to get an ROI.
• that shooting at less than ideal light (aka low light) can pretty much ruin your photos. and no matter how fabulous your compositions, framings, and themes are - blur and barely sharp photos just don't cut it. i think this is why our mentor (leo c) insists we shoot and shoot pictures because it can happen that only 1 out of 50 or a hundred will be useful.
• and while i've gotten a better understanding of the camera controls and better reading of what settings are appropriate given the situation, i need more shooting practice to be able to put everything together effortlessly.
• final note to self. jiu jitsu is seriously not for me, nor judo. i have full respect for those who are taking these martial arts. they're pretty awesome individuals and i bow before them.

all in all, great weekend. now i need to figure out what to shoot for my final project for tomorrow.

PLDT MyDSL Sucks

I think its high time we face the fact that PLDT MyDSL has one of the suckiest broadband service ever! I think the only thing that comes close to rivaling it in the suckiest throne is SMART BRO. I mean when the service is good and STABLE, its good. When its bad, don't try waiting to hear when their customer service tells you somebody will check with you - that rarely happens. If it does, then count yourself lucky. Why do they suck?

• Been subscribed to their plan 1995 for more than two years now. Noticed that they have upgraded the speeds for their plans so plan 1995 speed was boosted from 1MBPS to 2MBPS. If not for a colleague who told me i should check if i have been automatically upgraded, i probably would never have been upgraded to 2MBPS. Yes, you have to call them to tell them, "please give me the speed that i am paying for."
• When i got back from the US this year, i was bummed that my dsl wasn't working. I called them up dutifully and i got the standard brouhaha response. I followed it up everyday because i needed the internet to connect to the office and it was until after a week before they sent out somebody to check it. That is truly fast customer service - NOT! Compare this with PLDT's phone service, call today and you'd have a repairman on your doorstep on the same day.
• For the past several weeks, the internet light on my modem turns ON & OFF. This happens every morning and conks out every couple of minutes, even less. EVERY MORNING (between 6am to noon).

I really wish some foreign company comes into the Philippines and offer a better internet service than what PLDT is providing. Its high time somebody show them what it means to be a WORLD CLASS company which clearly they are not. If anybody works for PLDT reads this, know that this post is from a completely dissatisfied customer. And yes, i am considering moving to another service provider who will give me my P2,000 worth monthly.

life so far ...

i wonder if i was another person looking in how i would see the life i've lived i so far. at 34 now, i have come to the realization regretfully that for some, that has crossed the boundaries of middle age. half life. downright lucky if i ever reach double but i try not to count because i intend to live in the here and now.

• i think i'm finally done with formal schooling. college done. mba done. there's really only so much schooling i can go through. no regrets here - met lifelong friends in college, great new friends in grad school. i don't even regret missing out on a medal by 0.02 points. my head is where it matters - and even others see me as funny or even nonsense, i can be smart when i want or need to be. lol!
• career-wise there is something more i want to accomplish but not in the big blue anymore. i think my future lies somewhere else - where exactly i don't know. i'm just going through the motions right now. the waiting can be torturous but leaving ahead of the package like they say is downright stupid.
• i am definitely not one of those who apportion a big chunk of their salary to their savings account. i save as best as i can but i don't mind giving in to the occasional bouts of spending. with age at least comes wiser spending (or maybe not) habits and much more expensive stuff to lust for.
• two cars. the most expensive stuff i paid (and paying) for with my own salary. a black ford lynx ghia and a white honda crv. its a pain to keep two cars but i have my reasons.
• being able to support a family of six has its lows and highs. the natural high is from knowing you at least have been blessed enough to be able to support them. the low is seeing all the bills and having to pay for it and not being able to buy something you have been looking forward to.
• right now, this whole photography hobby is keeping me busy. i enjoy it because it seems i am improving and learning with each shoot and i have met a lot of great people during this ride.
• i'm happy that i've finally moved on pining for mcb. mcb will always hold a special place in my heart.

have i done anything fantastic in this lifetime? probably not to a global degree but i am hoping that just by being, i've made a difference in my family and my friends life. but who knows right? there's still hopefully 30 more years to get famous. lol.