2009: The year that was

2009 for me was again, another roller coaster ride.The ups and downs it gave me provided me that needed experience to learn and ponder. Though for most people I know, 2009 was good for me. But only a few knew how much pain and negativity I have to encounter and learn from it. Every month was different for me just like a roller coaster. This is how it all happen.

January: This was the start of the year that we begin our wedding preps. This includes a lot of sacrifices and trials but still, we managed to hold on. We opened our joint account under our names. My working schedule during that time was a little bit erratic but I am used to that even before. I just made sure I would file my 3-day leave to enjoy my birthday. I was able to do a solo photowalk in intramuros that time which made me reminisce the good old times.

February: This would be our last valentine date with my fiancee as bf-gf since we will be tying the knot on December. We started visiting bridal fairs to get the best suppliers at a low cost. Though were doing our best to save, I made sure we celebrate this day in style. We also started going to bridal fairs looking for suppliers and comparing each and one of them. I was also able to attend UNO's party that time with DJ Dylan as covergirl. 

March: As our wedding preps progresses, we have decided to finalize our wedding package from our wedding coordinator. But not without arguments left and right from my fiancee since she believed that we could save more but I still have the last word regarding our wedding. This was also the month I had my hands-full on portrait photography for a day in a hidden resort in Antipolo. However, I missed an UNO Event for UNO Covergirl Karen Pamintuan. But in return, I was able to have a photo-op with Ms Valerie "Bangs" Garcia at the Hot Rod carshow at Mc Kinley Hills

April: Hmmm. All I remembered was I attended 2 car shows, worked on Holy Thursday and Friday, and still my schedule was a little bit tight. But thanks to weekends, I was able to rest. I started to check other websites from known Photographers, Videographers, Caterers and Wedding Coordinators to see the difference between their offers. And as the month ended, we were able to meet UNO's covergirl for April Ms Tisha Silang. ^_^

May: This was a bit stormy for me and my then-girlfriend (now wife) since we decided to change some of our major suppliers during this time and we were able to book their replacements at a bridal fair in SMX. For us, that was the best decision we made. However, I missed several events including FHM's 100 Sexiest Kick-off party held at Eastwood. And if once wasn't enough, I was able to meet and greet Bangs Garcia again. ^_^

June: At work, it came to a point that I have reached my boiling point. That boiling point caused not just by the nature of work but of the people within. I won't mention it's full detail for I am happy right now and I could have stayed until December of this year. But because of professional and personal reasons, I decided to leave. I'm at my lowest point that time and I don't know what to do or how to execute my plans for the year. Thanks to all who cared, I begin to recover slowly. Before that mishap, I was able to have my photo-op again with FHM's covergirl RR Enriquez. 

July: My vacation-slash-enjoying life outside work begins here. I used almost all of my leave credits since I submitted my resignation letter during the first week of July. I was also able to attend FHM's 100 sexiest victory party for the third time. However, my streak in attending its autograph signing because of my schedule during that day. Again, I won't be detailing this for I am happy right now with my decision. I also started my 100-day project in photography and somehow, it help me in a way that those few feedbacks made me more knowledgeable not just in taking pictures but also how to compose them and doing some post-processing. Even if my streak ended this month, I was able to meet Maxim's Covergirl Jackie Rice in person. ^_^

August: This was the start of my Church-Shooting habit. I don't know what made me do this but perhaps its the fact that I'm getting married made me take pictures of altars, main doors and from the top as well as its exteriors. Then I missed some events like I used to attend like the Mini-Cooper's 50th Anniversary which Playboy Philippines hosted the event as well as 2 Cosplay events. 

September: This month is Dutdutan Month since this tattoo exhibit is always held on this month for 2 straight years now. And this is one event I'll always attend whenever I have the opportunity. This is also our 3rd anniversary as a couple as we celebrate that day with a lot of weeding preparation activities in mind. We also had our pre-nup pictorial a few days after killer typhoon Ondoy wreck havoc in Metro Manila as well as in nearby provinces. 

October: As our wedding preparation heats up, we still find time to relax and unwind a little bit as we attended The Grand Bridal Shower and Stag Party courtesy of Loi Villarama Events Management. However, this was also the month when my camera was having a mind of its own (or should I say my lens). That made me stop taking pictures for a while so I could think of possible ways to save my camera. I missed 3 events that month due to wedding preparations. But I still make it a point to attend FHM's autograph signing sessions since its more hassle-free. ^_^

November: We were definitely stressed here since we only have a month to go before our wedding. Imagine, I have to travel to Manila and back to Laguna for 3-4 days in succession (I remember doing this in the mid-90's when I was studying in Mapua back then) to be with my girlfriend for our wedding preparations. Pamamanhikan was set a month before our wedding instead of being set early. And again, I missed 3 more events except for the Manila Auto Salon 2009 which was hosted by FHM babe and friend Paloma.

December: This would be the month of firsts. First time getting married (and definitely the last XD). First time boarding a plane and ferry, first time in Bohol and Cebu. and much much more firsts for this month. I'm feel blessed right now despite all trials and obstacles happened to me within the last few months. God is really good. 

2009 was indeed a good one for me. So good that I have lost and learned a lot from this experience. And now, I'm full-speed ahead to 2010 without any regrets.

Sagupaang Havaianas vs Spartan

1. Ang Humahamon!!!

Pangalan: Havaianas 

Lugar na pinanggalingan: São Paulo, Brazil 

Pagbigkas: ah-vai-YAH-nas (Brazilian Portuguese), hah-vee-ah-naz (American English), OMG!-hAH-va- yaH-naZz! ! :-) (Filipino). 

Materyal na ginamit: Malupit na goma (High-quality rubber). 

Presyo: Hindi ko alam. Ganito na lang, 1 pares ng Havaianas = 100 pares ng Spartan. 

Mga nagsusuot: Mga konyotik at mga mayaman. 

Malulupit na katangian at kakayahan: 

*Masarap isuot. 
*"Shock-absorbent. " Malambot ngunit matibay. 
*Makukuha sa sandamakmak na kulay, disenyo at burloloy. 
*Maaaring isuot sa loob ng Starbucks. 
*Mainam na pang-japorms. 
*Mainam i-terno sa I-Pod at Caramel Macchiato. 
*Mapipilitan kang maglinis ng mga kuko mo sa paa. 
*Maaari ka nang mag-dikwatro sa loob ng mga pampublikong lugar at sasakyan. 
*Magiging "fashionable" ka kapag ikaw ay nagkukuyakoy. 

Olats na mga katangian: 

*Mahal 
*Mahal 
*Mahal 

Kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan? XD

2. Ang Hinamon!!!

Pangalan: Spartan 

Lugar na Pinanggalingan: Metro Manila, Philippines. 

Pagbigkas: spar-tan (American English), is-par-tan (Filipino). 

Materyal na ginamit: Pipitsuging goma (Low-quality rubber). 

Presyo: Wala pang 50 pesos. Isang pares ng Spartan = 20 piraso ng pan de coco. 

Mga nagsusuot: Ako at ang masa! Nyahaha! 

Malulupit na katangian at kakayahan: 

* Maaring ipampatay sa ipis. 
* Maaring ipampalo sa mga batang suwail at damuho. 
* Pwedeng ipanglusong sa baha at putikan. 
* Pwedeng ipamalengke. 
* Mainam gamitin sa tumbang-preso. 
* Mainam gawing "shield" kapag naglalaro ng espa-espadahan. 
* Mainam isuot sa siko bilang proteksyon habang naglalaro ng 
picha. 
* Mainam na pambato sa picha o shuttlecock na sumampid sa puno. 
* Mainam na pangkulob sa pumuputok na watusi. 
* Kapag ginupit-gupit nang pahugis "cube," e maaari mo nang gawingpamato sa larong Bingo (kadalasang makikita sa mga lamay ng patay).  

Olats na mga katangian: 

* Madaling magkawalaan kapag hinubad dahil halos pare-pareho lang ang hisura. 
* Masakit isuot kapag may mga balahibo ang mga daliri mo sa paa. 
* Minsan kapag ipinambato mo ito sa picha o shuttlecock na nakasampid sa puno, e nadadamay pati yung tsinelas. 

O sya, pili na. XD

Liver Damage

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.

Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Because:

Evening at 9 - 11pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

So please do take good care of your liver. Otherwise, sabi nga ni Idol Robin Padilla: "Ang may latay sa Atay, Patay" 

Brain Damaging Habits

Just got this online and I'm guilty on some. Good thing my brains still intact. XD I will include some comments at the end portion. 

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. --> This I never miss ^_^

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. --> I'm guilty as charged.

3. Smoking 
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. --> Thank God I smoke on a case-to-case basis.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency. --> I live now in Sampaloc, Manila so go figure. XD

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells. --> I'm beginning to lose some sleep =/

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. -->ADIDAS (All Day I Think About Sex) XD

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain. -->Panis ang laway ko dito. XD

So make sure to take good care of your brain. got it? XD

A day before Christmas

I just want to greet all of you a Merry Christmas!!!

Just remember that Christmas is all about our Savior and we should pay tribute to Him...

Normal blogging will resume sometime soon. ^_^

Again, enjoy the holidays.

Until Further Notice...

 

Blogging will be put on hold for a while though I've been drafting a lot of topics I should be entering here. The reason why I haven't visiting my own blog is because of one thing... I'm going to settle down in 5 days. Yes, I have 5 more days to enjoy bachelorhood and its perks before I would immerse myself to a new chapter called marriage. I have been anticipating this for months now and I owe a lot of stories and reviews to the few visitors that pass by my blog.

For now, I'll simply enjoy my remaining days as a bachelor before saying goodbye to all single ladies out there. XD.

Delays

I haven't updated my blog for the past couple of days even though I have prepared some drafts for finalization. Up to now, my mind has been clouded with a lot of thoughts and plans for 2010 and beyond. I'm not sure if I could pull this through but I know we will find out at the end of the day.

Probably, ill have a major overhaul on this blog as well to give it a fresher look. 

For now, I have to prepare my own day 19 days from now: My Wedding. XD

100 Things We Should Learn About Photography

Ive been a follower of Digital Photography School for quite a while now. and after reading his article on 100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography (http://digital-photography-school.com/100-things-ive-learned-about-photography), it made me check and look what I've learned so far. Ive tweaked the topic and added some comments about it. So here it goes...

1. Never do photography to become a rock-star.
2. Enjoy what you are shooting.
3. Prepare well for your shooting, realizing that your battery isn’t charge when you’re setting up for that sunrise shoot is too late!
4. Always take one warm garment more than you actually need with you
5. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions while you are shooting
6. Set goals you can achieve
7. Write tips about photography, because writing is also learning
8. Never go shooting without a tripod --> I'm planning to buy one soon
9. Be pleased with the little prosperity
10. Build relationships with potential photo buddies
11. Watch the place you want to shoot first with your heart then with the camera
12. Always stay calm
13. Know that you tend to overestimate yourself
14. Perspective is the killer
15. Dedicate yourself to photography, but never browbeat yourself too much
16. Take part in a photography community
17. Keep your camera clean
18. Never compare yourself to others in a better or worse context
19. Find your own style of photography
20. Try to compose more and to hit the shutter less
21. Seek out and learn to accept critique on your images
22. Do something different to recover creativity
23. Get inspiration from the work of other photographers
24. Criticize honestly but respectfully
25. Get feedback from your lady
26. Don’t copy other photographer’s style
27. Be bold
28. Take care of the golden ratio
29. 10mm rocks!
30. Take self portraits
31. Read books about photography (I don't have any books but I'm trying to learn online.)
32. To give a landscape photograph the extra boost, integrate a person (maybe yourself)
33. Every shooting situation is different than you expect
34. Pay attention to s-curves and lines
35. Always shoot in RAW (I haven't tried this since shooting in RAW takes up huge amounts of space)
36. Keep your sensor clean, so you can save some work cleaning your image in post production
37. Discover the things you think are beautiful
38. It takes time to become a good photographer (Up to now, I still feel like a newbie. =D)
39. The best equipment is that what you have now
40. You can’t take photographs of everything (I have to agree on this ^_^)
41. Break the rules of photography knowingly, but not your camera ;)
42. Pay attention to the different way that light falls on different parts of your scene
43. The eye moves to the point of contrast
44. Clouds increase the atmosphere of a landscape
45. Start a photoblog
46. Accept praise and say “thank you”
47. ‘Nice Shot’ is not a very useful comment to write
48. ‘Amazing!’ isn’t useful either. Try to describe specifically what you like or don’t like about an image.
49. You are not your camera
50. Ask a question at the end of your comment on a photo to get a ping-pong conversation with the photographer
51. Do a review of your archives on a regular basis, the longer you photograph – the more diamonds are hidden there
52. Always clarify what the eyecatcher (focal point) will be in your image
53. No image is better than a bad one
54. Everyone has to start little
55. Your opinion about photography is important!
56. Leave a funny but thoughtful comment
57. Speak about your experiences with your photo buddies
58. Limit your photograph to the substance
59. Participate in Photocontests
60. Post processing = Optimizing your image to the best result
61. Shoot exposure latitudes as often as possible
62. Use photomatix as seldom as possible, HDR’s always have a synthetic flavor
63. Always remember what brought you to photography
64. Never shoot a person who doesn't want to be photographed
65. Always turn around, sometimes the better image is behind you
66. It’s who’s behind the camera, not the camera
67. Mistakes are allowed! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn! (Ive done countless mistakes here. =D)
68. If you have an idea and immediately you think : No, this is not going to work – Do it anyway. When in doubt – always shoot.
69. Understand and look to your histogramm while shooting. It delivers very important information about your image
70. Know your camera, because searching the menu button in the night is time you don’t want to waste
71. Shoot as often as possible (Ive done this for 103 days straight before taking a breather.)
72. Believe in yourself
73. Don’t be afraid of getting dirty
74. Pay attention to qualitiy in your image
75. Your photographs are a personal map of your psyche
76. Re-check your ISO-Settings. It’s aweful to detect the wrong settings on your screen.
77. Be thankful for long and thoughtful comments on your images
78. Never trust your LCD. Normally it is brighter and sharper as the original image.
79. Provide for enough disc space, because it’s cheap and you will need it.
80. Learn to enjoy beautful moments when you don’t have a camera with you.
81. Always arrive at least half an hour earlier before sunrise / sundown, composing in a hurry is a bad thing.
82. Try to amplify your mental and physical limits. Takes some extra shots when you think “it’s enough”
83. Pay attention to structures in the sky and wait until they fit into structures in the foreground
84. Visit the same place as often as possible. Light never shows the same mountain.
85. Print your images in big size. You will love it.
86. Calibrate your monitor. Working with a monitor that is not accurate is like being together with someone you can’t trust. It always ends badly.
87. Don’t think about what others may say about your image. If you like it, it’s worth publishing.
88. Never address reproaches to yourself. Learn from your mistakes and look forward, not backward.
89. Fight your laziness ! Creativitiy comes after discipline.
90. Ask yourself : What do you want to express in your images ?
91. Always try to think outside the box, collect new ideas about photographs you could do and ask yourself : Why not?
92. Search for a mentor. (And the search continues XD)
93. Photography is never a waste of time. (Whoever said photography is a waste of time must be nuts.)
94. Every community has it’s downsides. Don’t leave it out of an emotional response.
95. There will always be people who will not like what you are doing.
96. Henri Cartier-Bresson was right when he said that “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” (Ive taken more than 10,000 IMO =D)
97. A better camera doesn’t guarantee better images.
98. Always have printing in mind when you post-process your images.
99. Photography is fair : You gain publicity with the quality of your images. Unless the images are stolen, there is no way of cheating yourself higher.
100. Write a 100 things list

I'll try to update this once in a while. XD

The Last Tree

I still remember that our backyard was used to be filled with different types of trees. Those trees were very helpful in taking most of the flood water every time there was a storm. Whenever I feel hungry, its fruits satisfy my hunger. Some of them were sturdy enough for me to climb up to our rooftop. But now out last tree has been destroyed by the typhoon that passed early this morning.
 

Thank God we already had electricity since last night after the storm has passed. Strong winds were felt signaling the wrath of the typhoon. By the time I got up from bed, it was already sunny. I went to our backyard and I was surprised that the last tree that we have was already destroyed. It almost fell towards the other house but good thing it didnt fell off. My dad was able to trim some of the branches to lessen the stress of the tree. These are the pictures that I took after the storm.

 

 

 

Now there are no more trees in our backyard. Right now, I miss the good memories playing in our backyard. But I will do my best to provide the same kind of backyard to my future family for them to enjoy.

Trust No One

After watching Survivor for the past few days with Marlon's (former Season 1 Castaway) entry to demonize the remaining castoffs, I realized that its only a game but they should trust no one.
 

Marlon tried to talk to each castoff to know their insights and at the same time, try to advise them that even though its only a game, they should trust no one. After Amanda won the last immunity challenge, Shaun tried to solidify his alliance with Justine to vote Mika out of the game. Actually, He tried to form an alliance with Justine after he won the reward challenge and assured her of a possible top 2 spot in the end game even if he knew he had a little chance of winning in the end.
 

By tribal council, all of them knew to trust no one. It even took a while before the voting commence since Paolo asked several questions to the remaining castoffs as the Jury remain observant. Since Mika was given a red pearl last tribal council, she already had 2 votes. But that wasn't enough as Shaun was voted out with 5 votes to 3 making him the 5th member of the jury. With only 5 castoffs and 2 weeks before the finale, who would emerge as the sole survivor for Season 2?

Remembering Friendster Surveys

Year 2004, I remember that year when I entered the what they called "Quarterlife Crisis". It is still clear in my mind how addicting it was to answer surveys posted from friendster. It even came to a point in time back then when everytime I open my PC, all I do was answer these surveys before posting it online for atleast 4-5 months. Too bad I already deleted my own set of answers as only the original questions from the old file was the only one left. I guess I just have to do it all over again and post my answers in the coming days to come. XD

The First 25 Things most people thought would know about me but probably not

Taken from Google

Most bloggers begin their post by saying random things about themselves. They probably do it as an introduction to themselves. Some wanted to catch the attention of the readers. Some, I guess did it out of the blue. I was thinking...

I will be posting 25 things most people thought would know about me but probably not. So here it goes...

1. My current hobby right now is photography right after I got my first DSLR (courtesy of my fiancee).

2. I love playing Facebook games espacially Mafia wars. But I don't play any interactive games like farmville, yoville, restaurant city and the like since it makes your system work slower.

3. I Couldn't sleep at night without my radio turned on.

4. Everytime I leave our house to go to distant places, I make sure to take my backpack even if its empty.

5. I prefer watching chick-flicks over horror movies.

6. I have been collecting men's magazine (FHM, UNO, Maxim, Rogue, Playboy) for the past 9 years. FHM #1 is still my holy grail.

7. I have a sharp photographic memory that I consider a blessing and a curse at the same time.

8. The last time I hit the gym for a serious workout was last 2000.

9. I keep a written book of my escapades from 1993 to 2007.

10. I listen to almost all kinds of rock and metal music.

11. I make sure I'm 30-45 minutes early on schedule because I hate being late.

12. I know how to play the guitar (acoustic and electric) as well as bass (acoustic and electric) but I'm having a very-very hard time playing the drums.

13. My first ambition when I was a kid was to be a captain of the air force and fly the f-16.

14. I don't (and I really HATE it) watch tagalog movies on the big screen except for some R-18 movies way back in college.

15. The first console video game I played was Madmax and the last was Valkyrie Profile.

16. The last time I got in a fist fight was last 1993 with one of my classmate. Another two joined against me and all of them ended up beaten.

17. I find the JS Prom so boring that the reason I have to attend is because we were required to.

18. I wear an all-black attire every valentines day for 10 years (1993-2003) because I hate valentines day.

19. Everytime I celebrate my birthday, I have to be inside any church at exactly 5:40pm.

20. I love math subjects.

21. One of my pet peeves are people who set incorrect expectations. I hate it when there would be sudden change of things and I would be the last one to know.

22. Though I'm not highly tech-savvy, I still make sure to keep myself updated. with the latest trends.

23. I had twin brothers for only a few days.

24. LA Lakers and Brgy Ginebra are my favorite basketball teams ever since I learned basketball.

25. I only learned how to eat fish, seafood and vegetables at the age of 20.

So there. My first 25 things most people would know about me but probably not. Till the next 25.  ^_^

Spared...

Good thing Typhoon Ramil did not hit Northern Luzon as expected. This would really help our brothers up north to start all over after the rampage of Typhoon Pepeng resulting to loss of home, lives and livelihood. Probably God knew we suffered enough and spared us this time. ^_^

As of the moment, everyone is back to their normal lives, moving on, moving forward.

The price to pay

I just finished watching Survivor Palau a while ago together with Pinoy Big Brother Double Up. Well its hard to keep up with two shows that I wished I had two televisions to watch two shows simultaneously.
 

I wasn't able to blog about last weeks tribal council since I have attended The Grand Bridal Fair and Stag Party last week at Ynares Sports Complex (I might create a separate blog about this). Prior to the tribal council a while ago, two lady cast-offs were voted out in one single night. But so much for that.
 

While the rest of the cast-off were off to enjoy their rewards, survivor's Shaun and Suzuki were off to look for the hidden immunity after several clues were given. Lucky for them, they were able to find the hidden immunity bracelet. But since there is only one bracelet, the one who is most vulnerable between the two will keep the bracelet. After Shaun overheard his three former Arai tribe mates (now with Sonsorol), Shaun kept the bracelet, making Suzuki more vunerable to be voted off. Even Charles warned him not to give the immunity bracelet to Shaun but it was too late.
 

Come tribal council, Shaun used the immunity bracelet to his advantage. After the first voting (Shaun with 3 but was not counted, Suzuki with 2 and Justine with 2), another voting commence. But unfortunately, it was Suzuki who was voted off with 3 votes against 2 votes for Justine. But before Suzuki left, he was given a red pearl to give it to a cast-off which isequivalent to 2 votes (3 votes if the pearl would be lost). And he gave it to Mika. In my observation, when Marvin was votedoff, he gave this pearl to Mika that is equal to 1 vote.
 

With only six cast-offs left, who would be next? Which alliance will prevail? Will it the original Arai alliance? Or the Female alliance? Stay Tuned!

Are you a Facebook addict?

I never imagined I was really addicted with facebook especially with all the gamesive been playing for the past couple of months especially this past 2-3 months. After I read this from Yahoo (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20091020/tph-are-you-a-facebook-addict-85c5a6c.html), I was thinking if I need to cut some time here or not.

MANILA - Facebook users beware. Psychologists are now probing a new kind of addiction called Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).


Psychologist Dr. Michael Fenichel, who has published numerous writings on FAD online, describes it as a situation in which Facebook usage "overtakes" daily activities like waking up, getting dressed, using the telephone, or checking e-mail.


"The amazing thing is that, like cellphones, nobody seems to notice the vast amount of time and energy - at work, at home, and now while on the move - people are devoting to Facebook. It has become a given," Fenichel writes in an online post titled "Facebook Addiction Disorder- A New Challenge?"


FAD could be classified under the more broad "internet addiction disorder" or internet overuse.
Academic papers have already posed theories on internet addiction and social networking addiction, and even less, cellphone addiction.


"Like most activities, moderation and integration are key. Those that may seriously label and treat FAD as a behavioral addiction will clearly need to use context in determining if a behavior has become demonstrably harmful to overall social, work, or face-to-face interpersonal efficacy," Fenichel added.


You are a Facebook addict if...


According to Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was interviewed for a CNN report, here are some signs that you are addicted to Facebook:


1. You lose sleep over Facebook. When using Facebook becomes a compulsion and you spend entire nights logged on to the site, causing you to become tired the next day. (I go online mevery morning till afternoon XD)



2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. Lipari said it is difficult to define how much is too much when it comes to Facebook usage, but that an average person need only spend half an hour on the site. (I spend at least 4 to 6 hours a day for all the games)



3. You become obsessed with old loves or exes you reconnect with on Facebook. (As far as I know, I dont have any exes connected to me here XD)



4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook. This means you do not do your job in order to sneak time on Facebook. (Not really, I just make sure to finish my job ahead of schedule XD)



5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in cold sweat. If you try going a day without Facebook and it causes you stress and anxiety, this means you need help. (The only day I dont get to logon to facebook is on a Sunday but I dont mind ^_^)



According to the same report by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior CNN Medical Correspondent, Facebook addiction is not yet an actual medical diagnosis.
However, the report notes that several therapists in the United States have noticed a rise in the number of clients who get hooked on social networking, to the point of social dysfunction.


Facebook fun


Facebook, launched by the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, has over 300 million users worldwide, half of whom log on to the site every day.


Further, about 2 billion photos and 14 million videos are uploaded on various Facebook pages a month and about 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook a day, worldwide.


According to Willis Wee, founder of the social media and marketing blog Penn-Olson.com, this is twice as much time that people spend on Google.


The global social networking website allows users to post and share content (like photos, links, videos, and notes), play casual games and applications, and interact with friends and family through messaging and chat. abs-cbnNEWS.com. With reports from CNN.com.

I'll try my very best to cut its usage from 6 hours to 5 hours to 4 hours to 3 hours. XD

After 103 Days

Ive decided to stop taking pictures after going 103 days of capturing pictures. Its not because I've lost interest nor I don't have anymore ideas what and where to shoot. But rather, I was a little bit worried about my DSLR after shooting yesterday at San Sebastian Church in Manila. My plan was just to shoot the interiors and exteriors of the church but when I got there, I didn't only witness not one but two weddings. I saw Atty Fortun there who takes photos there (Im sure the bride is from w@w) as well as Sen Chiz Escudero (probably one of the Principal Sponsors). While shooting, I noticed my Camera wont auto-focus even on well lit places as well even if my distance with the subject is fairly far enough.

I went back to my fiancee's home to check. The problem still occurs randomly. Meaning, I could still take pictures using auto-focus at some point in time. She even said that the camera could have been busted but I disagreed because I could still take photos using manual-focus. I even tried it when I got home but was still there. It could have been with my lens or I guess, my DSLR needs to rest for a while.

After 100 Days

Ive been taking pictures in succession since July 9, 2009 because my goal that time was to take pictures for 100 straight days. And taking pictures for 100 straight days is a daunting task. I admit its not easy since there were moments that I'm not in a good mood to take pictures or I don't even have any idea what,where and which to take. At first, I didn't even believe I could make it . But as time goes by, I was able to capture what my eyes could see and what my mind could ever imagine. 

For me, shooting for 100 days straight was more of an achievement. I was able to prove something to myself personally that I could do it.

Whats next after Day 100? Day 101 perhaps? XD 

A year in DSLR Shooting.

Today marks my official 1st year of taking photos using my own DSLR Camera. Though Ive tried to use DSLRs from some of my friends, it really felt different having your own. I have been taking photos as early as 2003 (using my dad's Ricoh Film-Based Camera) before buying a new cellphone last October 2006. Then by July 2007 I started to use a Point-and-Shoot Camera courtesy of my fiancee. 

Then, last year (Oct 12, 2008 to be exact), I was surprised again by my fiancee who purchased this camera secretly. I know I could only have a camera like this in my dreams since I dont have the money to buy one (and even if I had, I have to prioritize other things first). Once she gave her gift to me, I started using clicking the shutter and take beautiful photos from portraits to landscapes to events to macro.

Having that camera was no walk in the park. We even argued about it and I was about to surrender it back to her when we changed our minds then (cant tell the story about it).   

Then day by day, I started to grasp some techniques of some known photographers as well as my friends who were into photography longer than I am. I have learned a lot from them in a short span of time. And as I reach this milestone, I felt somewhat improved. But I know, my skills needs more improvement. When I tried to take pictures for 100 straight days (I'll make another blog for this), I know, there's more to be learned. Probably, I'll add photoshop to my expertise while capturing vibrant moments in my DSLR.     

For today, I'll just enjoy the moment and shoot. XD 

FHM Autograph Signing: Valerie Concepcion

If only I was able to attend the autograph signing last July (but I wasn't able to because it was my last day before my terminal leave), my streak could have been extended. But anyway, its my third straight attendance since August and I'm looking forward to duplicate that streak or even surpass it.
 

 The stage has been set

Anyway, I attended the FHM Autograph Signing a while ago at Robinsons Galeria where FHM covergirl Valerie Concepcion will sign our FHMs. I had my latest FHM with me but unfortunately, I forgot to bring my July 2006 FHM where she was also the covergirl.
 

I still remember the night that we met her for the first time during the UNO Lounge Party dedicated for her. However, we weren't able to have our picture taken with her because of an unfortunate incident where an old friend was involved (as a consolation, she went out of the VIP room for a while and sign our magazine (UNO plus FHM and MAXIM on the side).
 

Moving forward, I arrived at the venue at around 4:30pm since the event would start by 5:00 pm. I was able to meet my friends there like Ralph, Richard, Rod, Robin, and Vince before the event started. As Valerie went up the stage, I immediately took pictures of her as well as my friends. We made sure to have a small talk with her while she signs our FHM during our turn as well as had our pictures taken with her. Valerie was so nice and bubbly that day that made us took more pictures of her while goofing around. Though she didn't sign all of the pages I marked for her plus her signature inside the pages consists of her initials with a heart, I didn't mind it much since I was able to get a glimpse of her up close and  personal (but this time, we were able to have a small talk).
 

We wanted to stay at the event longer but our stomachs tell us that we have to eat. And before we left, we made sure all of us were smiling since our FHM was signed by Ms Valerie Concepcion. TCVC. XD