Crownless no more for King LBJ

LeBron James made sure his third attempt to greatness won't end in vain as the Miami Heat demolished the Oklahoma Thunder to capture their second NBA Championship in franchise history. That took him nine years and two heart-break finals loss before capturing his first NBA Championship Ring.

I was wrong thinking LBJ would choke again after last year's loss to the Dallas Mavericks as they've used it as a motivation to push harder. Well so much for all LBJ critics as he got it after all.

Taken from their Facebook Page

From Yahoo: The Miami Heat clinched their second NBA title by routing Oklahoma City 121-106 thanks to a balanced attack and 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds from superstar LeBron James.

James on Thursday was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals after leading the Heat to the crown, capturing his long-sought first championship and delivering on the promise he made to Heat fans when he came to Miami two years ago.

"I am happy I was able to make enough plays to put ourselves in a position to win this championship," said James immediately after the game.

Final's MVP LeBron James

"I wouldn't want to spend it with nobody else in the world besides my teammates, these fans -- oh, my God, you guys are unbelievable."

Mike Miller came off the bench to sink seven-of-eight shots from three-point range and finish with 23 points while Chris Bosh added 24 points for the Heat, who won the final series 4-1 to claim their first title since 2006.

"I got a lot more gray hairs but this one is so gratifying," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

"We knew we had the confidence in what we could do but it would be a long season and it would be a tough road.

"We kept saying all year long it would be the toughest thing we'd have to do in our professional lives to get back to here and finally get those four wins," the coach added.

This was James's third trip to the NBA Finals, including one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his first title in his nine years in the NBA.

"This is a dream come true," said the 27-year-old James, who had no repeat of the painful leg cramps he suffered during Tuesday's game four.

"I picked up a basketball when I was nine years old. This is the hardest thing I have ever done."

Miami used impressive three-point shooting, hitting 14-of-26 from beyond the arc, in front of a sold-out 20,003 crowd at American Airlines Arena.

The Heat also shot 58 percent from the field in the first quarter and never eased up on the Thunder, opening a huge lead with a explosive third quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City 36-22.

Six of their players, including all of their five starters, finished in double figures.

The Thunder's three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant finished with a game-high 32 points and 11 rebounds while guard Russell Westbrook had 19 points and six assists.

But Oklahoma were never able to recover from losing three contests in a row by close margins after opening the finals with a win at home.

"It always comes down to game two. We had a bad start. We fought back. Got down to the last possession," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks.

"Games three and four it came down to three or four possessions they made and we did not make. Today they were just on fire."

The Heat used a balanced scoring attack right from the opening tip-off, going up by nine points, 28-19, with 1:50 left in the first quarter when Miller hit a 25-foot jumper from beyond the arc.

Durant made a dunk with 21 seconds remaining in the first quarter to cut the Heat lead to 31-26.

Miller came off the bench to go four-for-four from three-point range in limited minutes in the first half. He was zero-for-three from beyond the arc in the first four games of the series.

James scored seven of Miami's first 16 points in the first quarter as he helped set the tone early.

Heat all-star guard Dwyane Wade had to take a seat on the bench with 5:35 to play in the second quarter after picking up his third foul.

Miller and Mario Chalmers, who finished with seven assists, picked up the slack without Wade, who was the MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals.

Wade finished with 20 points and eight assists.

The second quarter was highlighted by huge scoring runs by both teams. Miami broke the game open with a 19-4 run to take a 53-36 lead with 4:41 to play in the period. I kinda recall they had a huge lead before I took my daughter upstairs so she could get her morning nap.

Oklahoma City answered with a 13-6 run to finish the quarter. Durant banked in a jump shot with 14 seconds left to cut the Miami's lead to 59-49 at half-time.

Bosh scored 12 of his 24 points in the third quarter as Miami seized command, leading 95-71 heading into the fourth.

Again! Congratulations to the Miami Heat! Savor the victory while you can coz' the west would get it back. XD

What did I expect at MAFBEX 2012

I used an unpaid leave last Saturday so I could attend as many events as I can. XD

The first one I went to is the Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2012 (MAFBEX 2012) located at the World Trade Center. It was an exhibit of not only food and beverages but also showcasing their services and their tools used in the business.

I did stay there for almost 2 hours roaming around, trying free samples and took some interesting photos  before going to another event.

Pictures to follow soon.

Isang Panata sa Pagiging Mabuting Pilipino

Tutal, Kaarawan ng ating Pambansang Bayaning si Dr. Jose Rizal, dapat nating gamiting ang ating wika sa pagpapahayag ng ating makabayan. Dahil kailangan ko pang buuin ang aking diwa sa pagsulat ng blog sa naganap kagabi na Blogger's Event para sa ating Bayani.

Narito po ang isang Panata na dapat nating isapuso tulad ng pagsasapuso nito ni Dr. Jose Rizal.

Isang Panata sa Pagiging Mabuting Pilipino

Ako ay Pilipino!

Katungkulan ko na tubusin ang ating bansa mula sa kanyang pagkakalupig. Ang ating Inang Bayan ay nakabihag at nakagapos at kailangan natin siyang tubusin bago pa tayo makalimot.

Magiging mabuting tao ako, mabuting mamamayan, at tutulong ako sa ikauunlad ng bansa gamit ang aking isip at puso. 

Mangunguna ako sa paghubog ng aking sarili.

Susubukan kong itayo ang mga haligi ng bansang Pilipino.

Magbabalik ako sa aking lupang tinubuan at magiging masaya dito. Sapagkat mas mapaglilingkuran ng mga Pilipino ang bansa kung sila ay nasa Pilipinas, at ang maglilingkod sa bansa ay walang iba kung hindi ang mananatili doon.

Aasamin ko ang kasiyahan ng aking sariling bansa

Ikasisiya kong tunay ang lahat ng bagay na patungkol sa aking bansa. 

Mananatili akong naglilingkod sa aking bansa kung ano ang sa tingin ng aking mga kababayan na kaya kong gawin ay gagawin ko.

Aalamin ko ang mga bagay na patungkol sa aking bansa.

Hindi ako titigil sa pagsisilbi sa aking bansa, na siyang humubos sa kung ano ako at nagbigay sa akin ng buhay at karunungan.

Pakikinggan ko ang aking budhi na nagsasabi na gawin ang itinakda ng aking tungkulin na mahalin ang bansa.

Magiging modelo ako ng kalinisang-puri at magandang katangian sapagkat kung sino mang nagtuturo ay kailagang mas higit lagi sa kung sino ang tinuturuan.

Mamahalin ko ang aking bansa sapagkat siya'y karapat-dapat na mahalin. Mamahalin ko siya anuman ang kanyang kalagayan. 

Iisipin ko ang kanyang kapakanan at kaginhawaan.

Ipapasok ko ang pag-ibig sa bansa sa aking puso kung saan hindi ito nabubura.

Mamahalin ko ang kahabag-habag nating bansa at itinitiyak kong mamahalin ko siya hanggang huling sandali.

Sapagkat bahagi ako ng mabuti sa mga Pilipino, Mamamayan ako ng Pilipinas, sa aking kamay nasa mabuti siyang kamay.

Magiging abala ako sa pagsusumikap para sa lalong ikadadakila ng Pilipinas. Dahil bilang Pilipino, kapag ninais ko, kayang-kaya ko itong makamit.

Para sa kabutihan at kapakanan ng lupang tinubuan na siyang aming nais. NON OMNIS MORIAR

Ito ang panata ko sa bayan nina Rizal, Bonifacio, at ating mga bayani. 

Kasihan nawa ako ng Bathalang Maykapal.

The week that was (June 10 - 16)

Sunday: Got Up at almost 8:00am and took Migmig out for a walk. Since we didn't have breakfast at Mc Donald's, I just bought some pandesal for my daughter to eat for the morning. I also bought some morning paper before giving her to her mom. By the time they went upstairs for a morning nap, I was able to watch Game 7 of NBA's Eastern Conference Finals which the Miami Heat won. By lunch time, we made sure our daughter was well taken care of before she had her afternoon nap. I turned on the aircon as our room was as hot as the oven. Both of us fell asleep and got up at around 4:30pm. We got dressed and went to church for the 5:pm mass even if we were so late. After mass, we went to her lola for a couple of minutes before going to SM Centerpoint to do some grocery. We spent more than a thousand pesos but its worth it just to spend more time with my wife and baby. Then we went to Tokyo Tokyofor dinner after we checked that Goldilock's was jampacked. Our baby enjoyed her dinner while we were satisfied as well. We got back home at almost 9:00pm and just relaxed for the night before we went upstairs to get some sleep.

Monday: Got up at almost 8:00am as Migmig was already playing in our room. I fed Migmig home-cooked breakfast after we walked outside and had fun. Then we went upstairs for her morning nap after my wife gave her a bath. Thank God she fell asleep quickly. I went online so I could do some updates with my things online instead of editing pictures. Migmig got up two hours later and we went downstair so we could have lunch. Two hours later, we were in the room again with the aircondition turned on so she would feel comfortable. Somehow I fell asleep minutes after she closes her eyes. We both got up late in the afternoon and we weren't able to go out in the afternoon. Good thing my sister-in-law was home so I got to do some groceries again at Llanas. I tried my best to keep my baby happy until the weather was quite humid we went outside to wait for her mom as she arrived at past 8:00pm. She took over and took care of our baby from there. Migmig was suppose to be sleeping but with heavy rain pour, she got awake and cried probably because with the sound of the rain falling. We made sure to comfort her before she fell asleep again and we followed after.

Tuesday: Got up a bit early and took Migmig out for a walk again. As it's drizzling, we seek refuge at Mc Donald's and eventually, had our breakfast there. So far, my daughter eats more and more each day probably like me. I'm hoping not as I don't want her to be like me when it comes to my eating habits (I have bad eating habits XD). I left home early since its a holiday and my wife just left earlier to go to Divisoria to do some shopping. I stopped by SM Makati to have lunch at Paotsin before buying some bananas at the supermarket. I got in the office early and do some online stuff. By 3:00pm, my boss gave us a task that requires us to complete it ASAP. I got to do my part while I'm online though I feel a bit unproductive. For dinner, I was trying to look for a decent place to eat until my feet lead me to The Cheese Steak Shop where I enjoyed dinner there. I spent an hour and a few minutes more before I went back to continue the task our boss gave us. After shift, I immediately log-off and took the next bus home as I got home a few minutes past midnight. Instead of going to bed, I tried editing some of Migmig's photo's to complete my Project 365. While editing, I noticed that my photoshop kept on crashing though I was able to edit more than 20 pictures until I'm done for the day and joined my wife and daughter sleeping.

Wednesday: Got up a little bit early at 7:00am as I felt a 5-hour sleep was not enough for me. We were supposed to go out but unfortunately it was raining all morning so we stayed inside the apartment instead and played with my baby. I was able to watch Game 1 of the NBA finals and so far, I liked how they played during finals. I left home a bit late as I need to finish the game I'm watching. But I made sure I was able to have lunch at Paotsin though I wasn't able to buy Bananas at SM. I got so busy with work I wasn't able to do much blogging and other things online. For dinner, I got to have dinner at BFast as my head was so clouded with so much thoughts and a lot of things in mind. Health issues, work issues, personal issues, I guess I miss a bottle of beer or two to sort things out but I can't drink yet. When I got back, I did some tickets before calling it a day. I took a cab going home as I'm not feeling good at that point.

Thursday: Got up at around 7:00am as Migmi was already awake. I took her out for a walk and she walked a lot. I was able to take my daughter to Mc Donald's to have breakfast and spend more time so my wife could do more things and get some more rest. When we got back, its my wife's turn to take care of our daughter and I rested for a few minutes before we gave Migmig a bath. Then we went upstairs as I put our daughter to sleep. I fell asleep a few minutes after and got up an a few minutes before 12:00pm. Since I don't have much time to eat, I just grabbed some bananas at SM Supermarket before heading straight to the office. As I'm browsing through my office emails, I read a feedback from a colleague from a different shift. What made me pissed-off (for a couple of minutes) is that they keep on complaining instead of making action. The ticket created (on the email) was late since we were so busy last Tuesday. I wanted to and hit those people in the face but I have to keep cool and just work on what's available. I just kept my cool though its obvious that I wanted to hit someone in the head. I grabbed some soup for dinner to soothe my nerves and calm me down. By the end of the shift, I went home and got some rest that I needed.

Friday: Got up a bit early as I took out Migmig for a stroll. My mom was supposed to pay us a visit but she's not feeling well so I told her she can visit us when she gets better. By the time, we were finished, her mom was already awake watching TV. After giving my baby a bath, we went upstairs so she could get her morning nap. However, she didn't fell asleep until a few minutes before 11:00am. I took a few minutes of rest as I got up 15 minutes before 12:00pm. In a hurry, I got ready and head off towards the office stopping by Paotsin for a quick lunch and grabbed some bananas at SM Supermarket in Makati. Since I'm the only tech on-shift (together with my boss), I have to be on my toes all the time. My other colleagues have left at 4:00pm (their usual end-time is at 3:00pm) and my boss arrived a few minutes later. Since, I need to do some transactions, I left the office but I took the office-phone with me. I had to go to the second floor to have my blood pressure checked (140/90) before doing some bank transactions. Unfortunately, The BPI near our office was already closed so I had to try my luck at their Greenbelt 5 branch. It was full of people when I got there but I had to wait. I grabbed some Gelato to cool me down while waiting for my turn. after an hour and a half, I'm on my way back to the office and grabbed some soups along the way. It was all work for me when I got there but thank God there were no calls during my shift. Just tickets. XD I left the office a few minutes before midnight and I hailed a cab so I could get home quickly.

Saturday: Got up early again as we went out for a walk. We tried to spend time outside as much as we can but we got back home at around 8:30am. Her mom didn't get up until 10:00am where I got to buy some of Migmig's needs and got myself ready not for work but to go out and enjoy the day. I left home at 11:00am and head off to WTC to attend MAFBEX (I'll write a blog about this). I stayed there for around two hours before heading off to SMX to attend the 3rd Graphics Expo (I'll write a blog about this). I took a cab going to SMX since my head was feeling so numb I feel like I'm gonna fall down. I spend the next two hours there thinking if I would go to SM Megamall to attend the Toycon 2012 (I'll write a blog about this) or not. With the pain so unbearable, I took the next bus going to Megamall hoping for a heavy traffic jam so I could catch some sleep. I left SM MOA at 4:00pm and got to Megamall at past 5:30pm. A few minutes after I went in at Toycon, I felt so much better. I spent most of my remaining hours for the day and had my dinner at 9:30pm. I took an FX ride going home but I had to go online for at least an hour to kill some time. When I got home, my wife was still awake while Migmig was already sleeping. I took a long shower before joining them in bed as my body is really aching.

Reasons Why Professional Photographers Cannot Work for Free

Dear potential photo buyer,

If you have been directed to this page, it is likely that you have requested the use of an image or images for free or minimal compensation.

As professional photographers, we receive requests for free images on a regular basis. In a perfect world, each of us would love to be able to respond in a positive manner and assist, especially with projects or efforts related to areas such as education, social issues, and conservation of natural resources. It is fair to say that in many cases, we wish we had the time and resources to do more to assist than just send photographs.

Unfortunately, such are the practicalities of life that we are often unable to respond, or that when we do, our replies are brief and do not convey an adequate sense of the reasons underlying our response.

Circumstances vary for each situation, but we have found that there are a number of recurring themes, which we have set out below with the objective of communicating more clearly with you, and hopefully avoiding misunderstandings or unintentionally engendering ill will.

Please take the following points in the constructive manner in which they are intended. We certainly hope that after you have had a chance to read this, we will be able to talk again and establish a mutually beneficial working relationship.

Taken from Google

Photographs Are Our Livelihood
 

Creating compelling images is the way we make our living. If we give away our images for free, or spend too much time responding to requests for free images, we cannot make a living.

We Do Support Worthy Causes With Images
 

Most of us do contribute photographs, sometimes more, to support certain causes. In many cases, we may have participated directly in projects that we support with images, or we may have a pre-existing personal relationship with key people involved with the efforts concerned. In other words, each of us can and does provide images without compensation on a selective basis.

We Have Time Constraints
 

Making a leap from such selective support to responding positively to every request we get for free photographs, however, is impractical, if for no other reason than the substantial amount of time required to respond to requests, exchange correspondence, prepare and send files, and then follow-up to find out how our images were used and what objectives, if any, were achieved. It takes a lot of time to respond to requests, and time is always in short supply.

Pleas of “We Have No Money” Are Often Difficult to Fathom
 

The primary rationale provided in nearly all requests for free photographs is budgetary constraint, meaning that the requestor pleads a lack of funds.

Such requests frequently originate from organizations with a lot of cash on hand, whether they be publicly listed companies, government or quasi-government agencies, or even NGOs. Often, it is a simple matter of taking a look at a public filing or other similar disclosure document to see that the entity concerned has access to significant funding, certainly more than enough to pay photographers a reasonable fee should they choose to do so.

To make matters worse, it is apparent that all too often, of all the parties involved in a project or particular effort, photographers are the only ones being asked to work for free. Everyone else gets paid.

Given considerations like this, you can perhaps understand why we frequently feel slighted when we are told that: “We have no money.” Such claims can come across as a cynical ploy intended to take advantage of gullible individuals.

We Have Real Budget Constraints
 

With some exceptions, photography is not a highly remunerative profession. We have chosen this path in large part due to the passion we have for visual communication, visual art, and the subject matters in which we specialise.

The substantial increase in photographs available via the internet in recent years, coupled with reduced budgets of many photo buyers, means that our already meager incomes have come under additional strain.

Moreover, being a professional photographer involves significant monetary investment.

Our profession is by nature equipment-intensive. We need to buy cameras, lenses, computers, software, storage devices, and more on a regular basis. Things break and need to be repaired. We need back-ups of all our data, as one ill-placed cup of coffee could literally erase years of work. For all of us, investment in essential hardware and software entails thousands of dollars a year, as we need to stay current with new technology and best practices.

In addition, travel is a big part of many of our businesses. We must spend a lot of money on transportation, lodging and other travel-related costs.

And of course, perhaps most importantly, there is a substantial sum associated with the time and experience we have invested to become proficient at what we do, as well as the personal risks we often take. Taking snapshots may only involve pressing the camera shutter release, but creating images requires skill, experience and judgement.

So the bottom line is that although we certainly understand and can sympathise with budget constraints, from a practical point of view, we simply cannot afford to subsidise everyone who asks.

Getting “Credit” Doesn’t Mean Much
 

Part and parcel with requests for free images premised on budgetary constraints is often the promise of providing “credit” and “exposure”, in the form or a watermark, link, or perhaps even a specific mention, as a form of compensation in lieu of commercial remuneration.

There are two major problems with this.

First, getting credit isn’t compensation. We did, after all, create the images concerned, so credit is automatic. It is not something that we hope a third party will be kind enough to grant us.

Second, credit doesn’t pay bills. As we hopefully made clear above, we work hard to make the money required to reinvest in our photographic equipment and to cover related business expenses. On top of that, we need to make enough to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, transportation, etc.

In short, receiving credit for an image we created is a given, not compensation, and credit is not a substitute for payment.

“You Are The Only Photographer Being Unreasonable”
 

When we do have time to engage in correspondence with people and entities who request free photos, the dialogue sometimes degenerates into an agitated statement directed toward us, asserting in essence that all other photographers the person or entity has contacted are more than delighted to provide photos for free, and that somehow, we are “the only photographer being unreasonable”.

 

We know that is not true.

We also know that no reasonable and competent photographer would agree to unreasonable conditions. We do allow for the fact that some inexperienced photographers or people who happen to own cameras may indeed agree to work for free, but as the folk wisdom goes: “You get what you pay for.”

Please Follow-Up
 

One other experience we have in common is that when we do provide photographs for free, we often do not receive updates, feedback or any other form of follow-up letting us know how the event or project unfolded, what goals (if any) were achieved, and what good (if any) our photos did.

All too often, we don’t even get responses to emails we send to follow-up, until, of course, the next time that someone wants free photographs.

In instances where we do agree to work for free, please have the courtesy to follow-up and let us know how things went. A little consideration will go a long way in making us feel more inclined to take time to provide additional images in the future.

Wrap Up
 

We hope that the above points help elucidate why the relevant photographer listed below has sent you to this link. All of us are dedicated professionals, and we would be happy to work with you to move forward in a mutually beneficial manner.

Taken from this site.