Our New President of the Republic of the Philippines (Pres. Benigno C. Aquino III)

By now, he is done taking his oath as the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines. By now, millions of Filipinos are in high spirits and full of hope after he won the Presidential Elections with a lead of more than 5 million votes. By now, thousands of his supporters will go to Quezon Memorial Circle to attend the street party in his honor. After today, most of the corrupt will be in hiding once he assumes his office.

Though I did not vote, It doesn't mean that we will not be watching his moves silently. I know that he will never forsake his parents just because he has the highest position in the land. I know he will keep his' parent's name in honor as he will be serving the nation for the next 6 years. And I'm looking forward to the change that he will bring to the government.

Protect your on-line images

I got this from digital-photography-school. 

 

Press Release

ImageRights International offers free service to help professional photographers identify digital image theft

Powerful visual search technology detects photo copyright violations, stock photo piracy

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. June 29, 2010 ImageRights International, Inc., a company that helps professional photographers and illustrators discover the illegal use of their intellectual property on the Web, is offering a free version of its online image recognition and recovery service to further expand efforts against image piracy.

With this new offering, the company’s advanced visual search and crawler technology will continuously scan websites and blogs to protect up to 10,000 images for professional photographers and illustrators. The crawler indexes millions of new images every month and uses powerful image recognition technology to compare customers’ photos and illustrations against images found on the Web. It then detects where the customers’ images have been used, even if the stolen photos have been altered, cropped, rotated or color adjusted. The customer receives a full report, including a picture of the original image, its use online, and the URL and ownership information for the website where it was found.

“As an advocate for photographers and illustrators, our goal is to help artistic professionals monitor how their work is being used on the Internet, and to partner with them to recoup lost profits when it’s being used illegally,” said Maria Kessler, senior vice president of business development at ImageRights and former president of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA). “Image piracy is rampant online and by making these services more accessible, we’re enabling creatives to have more control over how their images are used, while sending a clear message that we are patrolling for unauthorized uses.”

Customers who take advantage of ImageRights’ free service may also participate in the company’s new, optional Recovery Program, which will launch next month to help photographers and illustrators obtain compensation for the unauthorized use of their images.

ImageRights will continue to offer its Basic, Standard and Pro packages for a monthly fee of $9.95, $19.95 and $39.95, respectively. Customers who select a paid program and opt into the Recovery Program will share 35 percent of their recovered fees with ImageRights; those who select the free service will share 50 percent of their compensation. Users are welcome to opt out of the ImageRights’ Recovery Program to pursue compensation on their own or with the help of their own attorney.

For information about ImageRights or to create your free account and start uploading your images now, go to www.imagerights.com

About ImageRights International

ImageRights International protects professional photographers and illustrators’ intellectual property online by identifying illegal use of images and providing a support system to receive proper compensation. With its industrial strength crawler technology continuously scanning business sites, blogs, news/media sites and more, ImageRights works as an agent to support proper compensation for image use. Founded in 2008, ImageRights International is a global company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. It is a proud member of the APA (www.apanational.com), CEPIC (www.cepic.org), and PACA (www.paca.org).

FHM July 2010 Covergirl Sam Pinto plus FHM 100 Sexiest Results

If you sum up these two in FHM for July, we already have a winner by a landslide. I don't have my copy yet for July since I just got this news a few minutes ago. Probably I'll get one later. For the meantime, here is your covergirl for July 2010.

FHM Covergirl and Ultimate Girlfriend Material Sam Pinto

Also, here are the results for this year's FHM 100 sexiest. 6 of my bets were included here.

The top ten based on this year's official results is as follows:

1. Angel Locsin
2. Cristine Reyes
3. Marian Rivera
4. Iwa Moto
5. Angelica Panganiban
6. Katrina Halili
7. Regine Velasquez
8. Valerie "Bangs" Garcia
9. Ehra Madrigal
10.  Jackie Rice

Congratulations to Angel as well as my 6 bets who made it (you know who you are). XD

The 3-Hour Traffic

And I thought it won't happened but it did. After work, I immediately went hone since our pay won't be until today. As I step outside of our office building, It was raining cats and dogs. Nevertheless, I walked straight ahead going on the next bus to Ortigas since it was very difficult to cross Ayala Avenue with heavy rains. But it took me an hour and a half to reach Robinson's Galeria. Then I stroll around the mall before taking the second bus to Legarda. But lo and behold, more people stranded at Ortigas Ave making it more impossible to ride a bus home. Out of desperation, I went to EDSA and took a bus to Cubao as a last resort, Once I got to Cubao, I made my way to Farmer's Market before heading to Gateway for me to access the LRT2. After 3 hours, I was able to reach home safe and sound. XD

The week that was (June 20-26)

Sunday: I got up early to catch-up with my online activities. Then we went to church to hear mass before leaving home to practice my photography skills. I was still thinking whether to go to Mc Kinley for the Volkswagen Carshow or to SM Megamall for the Toycon. Since the weather was very unpredictable, I decided to go to SM Megamall instead.

Monday: Did my morning rituals before going to the office. Since our PABX system is under maintenance for 3 hours, we didn't have any calls for the time being (Yehey! XD). After that, it was back to normal for us here in the office.

Tuesday: I got late by 16 minutes due to heavy traffic plus it took me 20 minutes to get my first bus ride.Work was a bit heavy but still, I was able to manage on my own. I was also given a free polo shirt c/o Greif. It looks like a Nike logo when viewed from a distance but its really different. I tried it on my way home but its quite tight on my belly (XL). As I got home, I took some time to rest and close my eyes even for a few minutes. 

Wednesday: I left home earlier since I will be meeting my mom at Harrison Plaza. Work was much heavier.And I got a beating of my own since I was really loaded until 4:30pm. With too much work, there were things that I forgot to prioritize. I was able to finish it though and I left the office at 5:30pm. 

Thursday: As I got into the office, my boss and I had a little talk regarding my performance and my lapse the previous day. I had to limit myself in web browsing for the time being until I get myself back into the groove.I did some review and refresh my memory on some helpdesk-related work. But our day was very light though.

Friday: Thank God It's Friday. Though its quite sad that our boss won't be reporting to our team anymore (his last day was last Thursday). All of us were in shock since he didn't mention that he was leaving. Still we wish him all the best. Same thing, the day was very light. I went home right away to do some laundry of my own and went to bed early. 

Saturday: My wife wake me up at around 4:30am since she wants to go jogging. We went to UST first before going to Luneta park. Once we got home, she fell alsleep again while I went online for a while. Then we were supposed to hear mass but there were no mass schedule so we stayed home for the rest of the day.

That was really quick and almost easy week for me. XD

My Lakbayan Score

I guess I need to travel more in the coming years. XD

Update as of July 9, 2010: I'll try this after 5 years to see how much I've improved. XD

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Jogging

My wife woke me up today at around 4:30am to jog around the metro. And I thought she was joking last night that she wanted to go jogging despite the unpredictability of the weather. She was not joking. I went downstairs to pee and go back to sleep. Then she woke me up telling to get ready.

We left home at around 5:30am for UST to jog there. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to jog inside because the security guard asks us for a jogging pass. Instead, we walked the entire UST perimeter (outside) before going to Luneta. Once we got there, my wife enjoyed the scenery more. we were able to see some groups of people doing their own exercise routine. We heard upbeat music, slow music, and even Chinese music that most elderly people are listening to as they are doing their rounds of Tai-Chi. We also went to the Manila Ocean Park to check if their facilities are 100% complete. The security guard there was kind enough to let me enter the premises to check it inside. I promised myself that we will go there in the near future once its complete.

To end our morning jogging, we had breakfast at Jollibee Kalaw before going home. She went to bed again and I just got up from my 4pm-7pm nap. XD

DPP Unleashed

Though this is not my first official event that I'll be attending in relation to photography, I'm looking forwad to this event since the last week of May. Below is the details of the said event. With the list of speakers who will be giving a talk, who would refuse to attend right? XD

Event: UNLEASHED- DPP 4th Year Anniversary Party

Where: Fully Booked High Street

When: Saturday, July 3

Time: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm

Entrance Fee: FREE with our UNLEASHED Pass.

What to Expect : Just lectures from the country's best photographers, a LIVE SHOOT with beautiful models (only hot chicks for DPP!), an entertaining and educational LIVE JUDGING with a motley group of judges, and a raging party right after.

Did you read that correctly? FREE? Yes, our UNLEASHED Anniversary Party is FREE. Unlike other photography events that charge you P 3,600, we don't charge you one stinking centavo.

Can anyone attend the workshops? NO. You will need our UNLEASHED Pass to attend the workshops.

How do you get this pass? Simple. Its inside DPP ISSUE 32 which is out in the stands next week. To those cheap bastards who opened magazines to steal passes last year, guess what, we printed the passes on a magazine page and that page is bound to the magazine.

Who are the speakers? Off the top of my head.....Pilar Tuason, Xander Angeles and Niko Villegas, Jo Avila, John Mateos Ong, Paco Guerrero, Mark Dimalanta. I will add more to this list over the next few days. Just a quick background on Paco Guerrero, he was featured in DPP 31 and is probably the best lifestyle travel photographer in this country. Mark Dimalanta is a Pentax Japan sponsored photographer who specializes in surf and sports.

Confirmed today 5/27 that Jay Tablante will be speaking and judging.

Confirmed on 6/2 that Mark Dimalanta will be giving two classes.

Just confirmed 6/7 that Raymond Isaac will be speaking and judging.

Confirmed 6/8 that Xander Angeles and Niko Villegas will indeed give a class.

Confirmed 6/10 that Jay Jallorina will be giving a class and judging.

Please see the thread UNLEASHED Class Schedule. We have TEN first rate speakers for this event.

Will there be a LIVE SHOOT? We are still awaiting confirmation from High Street but the odds are stacked for a YES. We'll see if we can have two shoots.

There will be two live shoots, one with Pilar Tuason doing fashion and glamour and the other with Mark Dimalanta doing action / sports.

Are you going to be more organized this Year than last? HELL YEAH! We thought we were going to get 200 participants last year but we got 700 instead. We're ready this year. Attendees will be PRE-REGISTERED before going to Fully Booked so no more waiting in long lines.

Lets clear this up. There is NO On line Registration. All you have to do is bring your registration form found inside of ISSUE 32 and bring your ID as well.

How Many Classes will there be? We have the ENTIRE FULLY BOOKED reserved for DPP. That means there are three lecture rooms that can seat anywhere from 40-80 people. If classes start at Noon and go till 6 pm, at one hour length, we will have 18 different classes. We will probably have less, maybe 14-15 different classes since some classes may need more than an hour.

What is the Class Schedule? I will be posting this over the next two weeks.

What Topics will be discussed? Most everything. You can expect subjects like Portraits, Beauty, Lighting, Strobes, Landscapes, Wedding, Photoshop, Travel, Color Management, and much more.

The Workshop Speakers:

Jo Avila - a top photographer and an excellent teacher who is one of the country's best photographers to go to when you want to learn the fundamentals. Jo will set you straight. Jo is also a technical geek who is great with color management and a whlz in Photoshop.

Pilar Tuason - a leading wedding and portrait photographer in the country, Pilar is also active here on DPP and is the Editor-in-Chief of DPP Magazine. Pilar's specialty is portraiture and making people look great, especially women. She is also the country's hottest photographer and coolest chick. Drool all you want guys, but she's married to yours truly.

Jay Jallorina - I rate him as one of the country's finest landscape photographers, Jay calls DPP his home. He has turned professional over the last year and a half and teaches a very successful workshop. Jay can find a shot where others can't and he is also a technical master being able to communicate what he sees and how he does it very efficiently.

Paco Guerrero - you may know his name from DPP Issue 31. Paco is a Spanish-Filipino photographer, raised in Manila and in Spain, and shot with the best travel magazines in Europe. He is a regular contributor to Conde Nast Traveler Spain, Viajar Magazine, and other fashion magazines in Europe and in Asia. He is a stable photographer for Town and Country mag locally. Paco is a professional lifestyle travel photographer who gets paid the bucks to travel and shoot. As good as he is on the road, he can also rip it up indoors. He is a good portraitist and also excels with interior and architecture photography.

Mark Dimalanta - or Surf Doc as some people call him. Mark is a PENTAX sponsored photographer who has just recently moved back to Manila to shoot full time. Mark has shot campaigns for many surf brands and also for surf magazines like SURFER Mag in the US. Mark is just as good out of the water as he is in the water and shoots sports and action photography too. Dimalanta is also knows his tech and can talk endlessly on gear.

John Mateos Ong - one of the country's most successful wedding photographer, John Mateos Ong owns Imagination studio. Not only is John an excellent lensman, his business and marketing acumen are first rate. He will be around to talk about how to shoot weddings and how to get the most of it for your business.

Jay Alonzo - a successful commercial photographer, many of us know Jay Alonzo as a lighting expert who conducts one of the most successful photography classes in the Philippines. Jay is an Olympus sponsored professional adept at all facets of photography, but his niche is lighting.

Raymond Isaac - does he need an intro? Not he doesn't, but we all know Raymond's stature in the Philippines. He is the top fashion and glamour photographer in the country who shoots most of the major campaigns. We're glad he accepted our offer to talk in DPP Unleashed.

Jay Tablante - a very popular photographer in DPP, Jay shoots also for the top magazines in the country. You see his work frequently in FHM magazine. Jay is also the godfather of cosplay photography in the Philippines. He is brilliant in conceptualizing a shoot. He is a whiz with the lights. Lastly, we all know that Jay is not shy to share his opinion, that's why we all look out for his posts in DPP.

Xander Angeles - The X Man needs no intro also, but if you're been living under a rock or just discovered photography now, Xander redefined fashion photography in the Philippines. He runs a successful business in New York and we're lucky that he is back focusing on his EDGE OF LIGHT studio with his talented team of Niko Villegas and Genald Tungol.

Now for the Class Schedule:

Note that there are THREE (3) Classrooms in Fully Booked Boni High Street--the Basement (around 60 pax), 4th Floor (50 pax), and 5th Floor (100 pax). Some classes will go on simultaneously so you need to choose which class you want to attend.

Time:

1100 - 1200- REGISTRATION

1200 - 1300- Light Painting by Jo Avila- In this class, Jo will show how to paint with light. Learning this technique will expand your knowledge of how important light is to photography. BASEMENT

1300 - 1400- Wedding Shooting Techniques and Marketing for your Wedding Photography Business by John Mateos Ong. Learn from one of the country's most successful wedding photographers the requirements on shooting a wedding and also how to improve your business. BASEMENT

1300 - 1430- EPICSCAPES: How to Create Extraordinary Landscapes by Jay Jallorina. The title says it all. Join Jay as he shows you how to create epic landscape photography. 5th FLOOR

1400 - 1500- So You Wanna Be a Travel Photographer by Paco Guerrero. Paco will cover it all, whether you are already an experienced shooter or just a beginner who wants to learn how to improve your travel photography shots. I have seen the lecture and this is a class any aspiring travel photographer should not miss.

BASEMENT

1400-1500 GET THE COLORS RIGHT: Photoshop and Color Management by Jo Avila. In this class Jo will tell you why what you see is always not what you get and what you can do to fix it. Bring an image because Jo will correct students photos showing a post processing workflow. 4TH FLOOR

1430-1600 BEAUTIFUL PORTRAITS by Pilar Tuason. Pilar will show you the simple techniques she uses to create stunning and beautiful portraits of women and children. She will discuss lighting, posing, and the secret element to get the best portraits whether it be for weddings, commercial work, or just everyday shots. 5TH FLOOR

1500 - 1600 LIGHTING ON LOCATION: A Workflow by Jay Alonzo. Master Jay shows us how to light on the road and what you need to do to get great photos on location. BASEMENT

1500 - 1600 DON'T MISS THE ACTION: How to Shoot Sports by Mark Dimalanta. To get the best action shots, you need to learn from the best. Mark specializes in surf but has done it all. He told us that he will open the entire book and share ALL the secrets. He won't hold anything back. 4TH FLOOR

1600 - 1700 YOUNG GUNS: Transitioning from Amateur to Pro by Villegas, Soguillon, and Macam. Three young shooters successful on their own will share their experiences from being an amateur to turning professional. Learn first hand experience from the young photographers who are now making photography their full time career. 4TH FLOOR

1600 - 1730 LIGHTING AND CONCEPTUALIZING for COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHY by Jay Tablante. You don't have to like cosplay to benefit from this lecture because Jay will explain the thought process behind creating a photo from concept to design, to lighting, to post processing. What you learn here you apply to every shoot you have. This will surely be interesting. BASEMENT

1630 - 1730 LIVE SHOOT with Pilar Tuason and Mark Dimalanta. Pilar Tuason will lead a group of photographers around High Street on a fashion shoot while Mark Dimalanta will do an action shoot. These are two separate classes. OUTDOORS BONI HIGH STREET

1700- 1800 THE REAL APPROACH to FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY in the Digital Age by Raymond Isaac. I can't even tell you the little details of Raymond's class, but when he talks, we all should listen. 5TH FLOOR

1800 - 1900- LIVE SHOOT REVIEW by Pilar Tuason and Mark Dimalanta. Those who attended the Live Shoot will see the results obtained by Pilar and Mark with explanation of their intent. 4TH FLOOR

1800 - 1930 EDGE OF LIGHT: Deconstructed by Xander Angeles, Niko Villegas, and Genald Tungol. Xander and the EOL team will take apart their best images, share the secrets on how each were shot, and also show their new photos and techniques. When these guys spill the beans, we should take out our video recorders! 5TH FLOOR

1930 - 2000 FLAIR SHOW- We have some DPP shooters who are professional bartenders skilled in juggling all those drink bottles in competition. We are going to do this to get everyone riled up before the LIVE JUDGING.

2000 - 2100 LIVE JUDGING- No need to explain this anymore. Just search the threads about this EPIC DPP invention. This is pure entertainment and should not be missed. 5TH FLOOR

2115- CALTEX OA 7 TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 5TH FLOOR

2115 - 2300 PARTY TILL BOOZE RUNS OUT - Talk to old friends and make new ones, just don't get ultra plastered like I did last year. This year we want to see Derick Gamboa ripped! 5TH FLOOR

So there you have it. DPP UNLEASHES its 4th Year Anniversary Party. See you guys on July 3!

Wake-up call

Current Mood: Relieved

This morning, my boss spoke with me for a couple of minutes before my shift started. It was about what happened yesterday as well as my performance for almost 3 months at my stay here at Greif. I know, I have some shortcomings (mostly big ones) and I know I don't have to make excuses out of them. My boss almost pointed out everyone of them. I offered no further explanations which I know all of them were my fault. I should have paid utmost attention to each one of them. I feel a little bit embarrassed with my actions for the past few days (weeks perhaps) since I should have been well-skilled in my duties by now.

I have to admit, having the liberty of browsing any websites here got me side-tracked on what my targets are in the first place. Its really tempting to do so since we were in the IT Department. Also, most of my colleagues here browse the internet but they are on a safe position unlike me which my position is very compromising. But still, the temptation is so strong, its very hard to resist. It was like I'm on drugs everyday and the feeling was so good. But then I realized that I have to set things straight. I have to do the right things more accurately and pay more attention to details.

But for my remaining 3 months here at Greif, I'll do my best to minimize web browsing and read more helpdesk documents for me to be able to sharpen my IT skills so I could be more marketable. Probably by then, I will improve quite a bit. Whether they would renew my contract or not, I know I did my best to contribute to the growth of the company.

Back-to-Back (Another Late Blog XD)

 Photos from nba.com

It could have been a grand slam already for the Los Angeles Lakers if it wasn't for the Boston Celtics who won the 2008 NBA championship two years ago. Their recent finals encounter took all 7 games to decide who will emerge victorious. And that game 7, they went all-out and it took a come-from-behind win for it to be considered historic.

I have been a fan of the LA Lakers since I discovered basketball. From the Magic-Larry wars to the hard times to the Shaq-Kobe era and probably now, Pau-Kobe and beyond I follwed almost every game whenever I have the time to watch TV. Whenever they lose a game, I feel sad for them. But everytime they win, its like a festival. 

Since I have work during the day, All I can do is to check nba.com and see how the game goes even if I'm just looking at the box scores.

Here are the results of the recently concluded 2010 NBA Finals.

Game 1: at LAL

BOS 89, LAL 102 - Final

Game 2: at LAL

BOS 103, LAL 94 - Final

Game 3: at BOS

LAL 91, BOS 84 - Final

Game 4: at BOS

LAL 89, BOS 96 - Final

Game 5: at BOS

LAL 86, BOS 92 - Final

Game 6: at LAL

BOS 67, LAL 89 - Final

Game 7: at LAL

BOS 79, LAL 83 - Final

Again, Congratulations LA. Lets aim for that Grandslam. XD

Fully-Loaded

Current Mood: Exhausted

I just arrived from the office a few minutes ago. I still feel the exhaustion from today's work. We were loaded with a lot of tickets today that we need to finish since most of them were urgent. There were tasks that I wasn't able to finish ahead of time, hence my boss reminded me to finish them. Probably, I was reminded more than thrice to pay attention to my work and finish them as soon as possible. There were tasks that it would be my first time to do. At times, my mind was quite lost, not knowing what to do next. Good thing, I was able to finish all of them today (I think). Tomorrow would be another challenging day for me. But I hope work would be lighter than the past two days. For now, I'll enjoy the night and rest. XD

My 10 picks for this years FHM's 100 sexiest

Now that the voting for FHM's 100 Sexiest is over, these would be the 10 lovely ladies that I have voted for the past few weeks in alphabetical order. 

1. Arra Castro

2. Cristine Reyes

3. Ehra Madrigal

4. Iwa Moto

5. Jackie Rice

6. Katrina Halili

7. Krista Ranillo

8. LJ Reyes

9. Paloma

10. Valerie "Bangs" Garcia

I'm Late

Current mood: A little bit upset

I left home at around 6:40am (my usual) to go to work. As I chance upon a bus going to Taft, it was full. I waited for another, same thing. I didn't notice that I am still at Legarda for more than 20 minutes and it was almost 7:00am. I was able to get into the nth bus before I begin my journey to the office. I never thought that I would be stuck in heavy traffic except during my travel thru Taft Ave. I got here in the office at 8:16am. Dang! Next time, I'll take a cab. XD

My first Phphoto EB experience (with photo-video expo on the side)

I wasn't able to complete my whole day stay in Makati for the OTS photo contest because I have to go to SMX to attend the Phphoto EB. Even weeks before I was able to register to this event. But since I Heart Makati photo contest came into the picture, I have to find a way to attend both events. And so I have to leave Makati at 1:00pm to go straight to SMX.

When I got there, I was a little bit surprised because there were a lot of people who attended (they only expect a hundred but thrice the number of people came) plus that day was the last day of the photo-video expo in the same venue. The registration was quite long and the t-shirt that I had was quite small (Large) for my size (I use XXL). I had to look for a decent spot i the crowd so I would be able to hear the speakers loud and clear.

I had a good spot which somehow I can hear the speaker loud and clear but I'm at least 10-15 feet away from them. Also, their talk only lasts for exactly 5 minutes. Five minutes is too little for me to absorb what the speaker says but I had to be contented at that since it was a free event. There were at least 10-15 speakers who shared their thought and insights on photography to us despite their hectic schedules.

That day was really fun and I've learned from the speakers somehow. Till the next PhPhoto EB. XD

I Heart Makati Photoshoot

Last week, The Ayala Land recently held a photo contest wherein you should be able to capture Makati though your lens. It was a very rare opportunity for me since Makati is VERY STRICT when it comes to taking pictures of its surroundings. Though I haven't tried to take pictures before in Makati, based on what I've been reading on forums, Makati is NOT FRIENDLY to photographers (especially DSLR users).

I have discovered this event through The Philippine Star last June 6. But registering to this event was a little bit crazy since the site was not yet ready to receive new registrants.I was able to register on June 8 and got my confirmation email that I registered. But I intended to take pictures a week after.

The following week, I was able to take pictures of Makati. I was able to learn the basics of Long Exposure and how it works. Despite lack of proper equipment and knowledge, I made sure that I would be able to get at least a decent shot.  During the contest, I was able to gain new friends that have the passion and zest in the world of photography.

By Saturday (which was the last day of the event), I went back to Makati early to take pictures of Makati during mornings. Pipho.org members were responsible for making this event possible. There were notable key speakers during the event which they share their knowledge and insights. I was also able to take more snaps from the On-The-Spot photo contest but I did not submit any entry as I am not yet confident with my takes.

Anyway, here are the rest of the pictures for you to enjoy. ^_^

I hope I could do this again sometime soon. 

The week that was (June 13-19)

Sunday: I got up early to go online for a while. Then we prepared ourselves back to Manila.I was able to borrow my sister's tripod since it hasn't been used for a long time. Once we got home and set-up my wife's laptop, I tried to take pictures of our room with the aid of the tripod since capturing pictures in low-light situations are very tricky. Then I did some grocery as well as went online for another hour before calling it a day.

Monday: I got up early since my shift will start at 7:00am. I took a cab going to work to ensure that I will be there early. I logged-in at around 6:10am. Then, I went out to take some pictures and see if there are also other fellow photographers doing their thing. Unfortunately, I was harassed by the security guards twice despite that I had my shooting id and permit secured at Ayala Land. Then I started my shift at 7:00am. Work was quite slow and made me try to take pictures of our office (empty) with the help of my tripod that I borrowed from my sister the previous day. I took my lunch at Landmark for a change. The weather was very hot in the afternoon but it changed at around 4:30pm. I was able to meet fellow photographers for a photowalk in Makati for the iheartmakati photo contest. Despite having 1-bar on my camera's battery and a bad weather, I was able to take pictures on some of Makati's tall buildings. After my battery died on me, I bid farewell to my new friends for now since I have to go home. I went on Ortigas-Legarda route so I could look for an ID hard case for my iheartmakati ID. But unfortunately, I didn't found any.

Tuesday: I got up early again and did my morning rituals before going to work. Work was quite steady during the day. By lunchtime, I went to National Bookstore in Greenbelt 1 to buy an id case for my iheartmakati ID. After office hours, I meet-up with some fellow photographers to take some shots at the Ayala Triangle Gardens. I was able to take pictures of the night sky but its quite difficult given that I shot hand-held.I should have brought with me my sister's tripod.

Wednesday: Then in the afternoon, we had our general assembly for the second quarter where the company's milestone was discussed as well as the other employees concern regarding leave, overtime and offsetting (which I'm not much affected for the moment).After work, I meet-up with my fellow hobbyists to take pictures again. This time, I had my tripod with me for long exposure shots. I was able to take those long exposure shots that I usually see on the web. Though I have to admit that I have to work on it more.

Thursday: I was able to reach the office earlier than expected. But before that, I took my 2nd round of breakfast at Mc Donalds at Ayala Ave since I felt hungry again. Then I got a call from the US that kept me busy for a couple of minutes before it went back to stupor of boredom. The afternoon was quite busy for our team at Helpdesk since we have to finish most of our tickets for the day.After work, I had another chance to take pictures of Makati in another perspective from the previous days.

Friday: Got up early again and did my usual morning activity. The rest of the day was pretty much OK (a little bit busy with work). After work, I meet-up with some friends for another night shoot in Makati. I was able to take pictures of the tall buildings at night plus I realized I improved a bit on my long exposure takes. I wanted to stay longer but I had to go home early for Saturday's event.

Saturday: I got up early not because I had to edit pictures (I haven't been doing that for the past couple of weeks) but to go to Makati since its the last day of the I Heart Makati Photo Contest. I got there at around 6:30am. I went to the office first to make myself feel comfy since there were no photographers yet when I got to the Ayala Triangle Garden. I was able to meet-up with some old and new friends and took pictures of the place. Had free breakfast and lunch c/o Ayala Lands. Then I had to go to SMX to attend the Phphoto EB (Since I paid for the shirt). The 5-minute seminars done by each speaker was really enlightening. I learned some as well as met new friends (another blog for this part). After the EB, I was planning to get home early but heavy rains prevented me to do so. I had to take a longer route just to get home. Then I had to do my laundry before going to bed.

That week was really tiring. XD

My Dream Photography Gear

Ever since I started photography (in DSLR), I've been wondering how its like to use those Full-Frame Cameras as well as those Lens. My former colleague in my previous company told me that Photography is really an expensive hobby especially if you're really obsessed with collecting all the equipment that you need to get great pictures. I know some photographers would say that its the photographer who takes great pictures (I strongly agree on that), having the right equipment can somehow give you an advantage.

Here are the things that I wish I have in the world of photography (pictures from The Digital-Picture.com). I'll go first with the camera body.

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II

This would be my primary camera body (Full-Frame).

2. Canon EOS 7D

This would be my secondary camera body (Cropped Body).

3. Canon EOS 50D

This would be my back-up camera body (Cropped Body).

The next would be the lens that I wanted to have (even in my dreams hehe).

4. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM

5. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM

6. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM

7. Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens

8. Canon TS-E 17mm f/4 L Tilt-Shift Lens

9. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

10. Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens

11. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro Lens

This would be my Dream List for now. I'd probably add the reasons why these pretty soon. XD

The week that was (June 6-12)

Sunday: I got up a little bit late but instead of editing pictures, I catch up on my facebook games (bad marky XD). Then we went to mass with my wife before we decided to go out on a date since its our 6th month as husband and wife. We decided to stop by at Robinson's Galeria for our lunch and some shopping (for my wife). First we looked for some new clothes for my wife since most of her old ones don't fit on her well anymore. I think she got 8 t-shirts all-in-all. After shopping,we had our lunch at Cajun's and we were so stuffed before going home. I bought a copy of DPP issue #32 since that would be your ticket for their 5th anniversary party on the 3rd of July.

Monday: It was not that busy for me (Mondays and Fridays are always like that here in the office). After work, I went home to update my records on my Brother-in-Law's PC.

Tuesday: Got up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache. I thought I could sleep-over it but as I got up at around 5:30am, the pain was still there. I battled my way through this pain as I work my way through the day. My wife sent me a message that she wanted to go out for dinner. That day was our 45th month as bf-gf (cheezy! XD). I told her that we will meet after office hours.Then I chance by the event from Ayala land but the site is not yet up. I waited until 5pm but to no avail. After work, I immediately took the bus to Cubao to meet my wife there and have dinner together. I waited for 45 mins before my wife arrived. Then, we ate at Butter Diner (our favorite spot in Cubao) before going home.

Wednesday: I got up this morning and went online to check if I could register for the photo contest titled "iheartmakati". Good thing, the site was ok unlike the previous day where I waited patiently only ending up with nothing. This time my nose is stuffed with mucus.But it didn't prevent me from delivering my work for that day. Except for constant sneezing, my day was quite OK. I went to Ayala Exchange Tower One to get my ID for the photoshoot. I was amazed not just on how tall the building is, but also how it is well guarded. Getting the ID was quite easy and Ces (The In-Charge for the event) was easy to talk to. After work, I stopped by Ayala Triangle Park to get some angles and see how I would compose the picture. As I got home, I feel so tired, I feel like gonna get flu =(.

Thursday: Though I'm not feeling well, I still managed to go to work. The day was quite slow except for a few tickets. After lunch, I went back to the Ayala Exchange Tower One bldg to get the ID Lace I needed. But Ces was not there. Going back to the office, I noticed on my ID that it was valid only on the 19th. I almost panicked. I asked Ces regarding this and after an hour, I went back to her office for some clarification as well as to get my ID. Traveling to and from there takes me 20 minutes even if the buildings are adjacent to one another. The rest of the afternoon is pretty much steady (or should I say a little bit boring).

Friday: Got up a bit early and much better now than the past few days. Since I got early in Makati, I took another breakfast at Jollibee before going to the office. Work was unusual because we were quite busy in the morning as well as in the afternoon. There was a parade at Ayala Avenue as they celebrate Araw ng Makati. After office, I went to Greenbelt 5 to check some camera bags at Digital Walker Zoom. My future camera bag was also available there (that makes me happier XD). Then I went home via Ortigas-Legarda route. But it took me almost two hours to get home due to traffic. Then our bus went bonkers so we had to transfer to another bus before I finally got home. Then I did some laundry pretty quick since its already late at night. 

Saturday: Got up early to go online instead of editing photos (now my work would be piled-up). Then we went to San Pedro to visit my folks there. Then I went to Robinsons Galeria to attend the autograph Signing of Maxine Eigenmann. Traffic was quite slow that it took me 2.5 hours to get there. After the signing, We had a short dinner with my friends while we exchange stories on whats going on with our respective lives. Then I went home right away since my wife misses me so much XD.

FHM Autograph Signing June 2010: Maxine Eigenmann

After they didn't have an autograph signing last month, FHM made sure they will have this event for their June covergirl Maxine Eigenmann. I am quite disappointed that there was NO autograph signing last month due to her (Ms Angel Locsin) hectic schedule. We could have our FHMs signed by her as well as have a photo-op with her. All we have to do now is to hope and pray that someday, she can sign our magazines and take our pictures with her.

Moving forward, I left home (In Laguna) at around 3:00pm and got there after two and a half hours because of the horrendous traffic. Once I got to the Robinsons Supermarket, I saw a lot of people waiting patiently. I meet-up with my friends again and join the others as we waited for Maxene to arrive. Then we were able to see her in person, have our FHM's signed and have a photo-op with her. I have to comment about her signature though. Its like she's not in the mood as its evident with her forced smile. But anyway, I have my magazine signed and that's fine by me.

These are some of my takes (Posted: September 4, 2010). XD

The Stage where it happens

Maxine on the tarp. XD

Maxine holding my FHM. XD

Maxine with yours truly. XD