less drama, more sugar

Moving :)

2011-04-18T23:40:00.004+08:00

Hello friends :)

This will be my last entry, as I've decided to move to a new blog. No major reason, I just feel that it's time. (naks mehganon)

See you at http://thegoodrun.blogspot.com :)

BARISTA 101 and 102 at the Philippine Barista & Coffee Academy, Inc.

2011-03-19T23:11:00.003+08:00

I'm not much of a coffee person. While I frequent Starbucks and Coffee Bean (especially during those days when I was reviewing for the b word), I order the same thing almost every time - iced white chocolate mocha at Starbucks and double vanilla tea latte at Coffee Bean. Sometimes, when I'm feeling adventurous, I'd order chai tea latte. I ordered Americana once at Starbucks and didn't like it, so I went back to my usual sweet orders. I'm contented with anything with sugar. You can give me a glass of Milo Dinosaur and I'd be just as happy.

Two months ago, I had the privilege of sitting in with the Barista 101 and 102 classes at the Philippine Barista & Coffee Academy, Inc.. My friend from Lomomanila, Zel, invited me to go. Like I said, I'm not really a coffee person, but I was game for the experience, so I confirmed my attendance with her and found myself spending a very interesting Thursday morning learning about coffee.

The moment I entered the classroom, they gave me a cup of cafe latte that looked too beautiful to drink:

We watched intently as the students tried to create the perfect cup of coffee.

Exploring the classroom:

Torani syrup (they added Almond Roca syrup to our coffee)

The instructor, Mr. Mike Canlas, explained that to achieve the mixture of good, quality coffee, everything has to be done manually. A good espresso, he says, has three parts - the solution, or the liquid part, the suspension, or the gas part, and the crema, which contains the coffee's natural oils and flavors.

Mr. Canlas also explained the difference between cappuccino, espresso, and cafe latte. He said that cappuccino is espresso with milk foam, and cafe latte has more milk than cappuccino. He gave certain guidelines in determining whether you have a good cup of coffee in your hands:

- It's good cappuccino when there are no visible bubbles.
- Espresso-based beverages should be warm, not piping hot.
- Good foam should remain in the cup after you finish your drink.
- The coffee's good if it's dense enough to float a teaspoon, like so:

- Milk should have silky texture

- Good coffee should have very, very fine granules:

Mr. Canlas showed us how to do cafe latte art by simply pouring milk over the cappuccino:

This is different from coffee art done through etching, where a sharp tool is used to etch figures on the surface after the milk is poured:

Coffee art through etching was being taught at the Barista 102 class with Mr. Ariel Garcia:

Mr. Canlas told us that while making the perfect cup of coffee takes skill and talent, such skill isn't as valued here as it is abroad. PBCA aims to raise coffee appreciation/awareness here and hopes to improve the standards on coffee-making. Aside from Barista 101 and 102, they offer coffee appreciation seminars, coffee business seminars, competition training, and other courses.

Cool :)

The Philippine Barista & Coffee Academy, Inc. is located at Unit 1803 Atlanta Centre Condominium, #31 Annapolis St. Greenhills, San Juan. You can call them at 5707649 or e-mail them at phil.barista@yahoo.com.

For a more comprehensive review, visit Zel's site. :)

hello goodbye

2011-03-01T00:57:00.006+08:00

It's late, I lack sleep, I have a ton of blog backlogs, and I doubt if this entry will make any sense, but I just need to write an entry tonight (er, this morning?).

Because I'm feeling senti, let me post this entry from two years ago. I'm posting it because tonight, I've ended my stint as an Imagine Nation photographer. I can't say I "graduated" from the studio, because I never reached senior/master level, and I feel like I have so much to learn. But yes, I still plan on shooting events in the future.

The past two years had been great. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else. I've grown a LOT as a photographer, as a person; I've been immersed in the wedding industry and developed real and lasting friendships. I feel fortunate to have discovered my passion and purpose, some things which others can't even find during their lifetime. Imagine Nation and our mentor, Sir Jong, have given me a lot to be thankful for. BUT, I know that I need to move on, and God has other plans for me that I need to focus on also.

Friday, February 27, 2009

lifted from sir jong's multiply:

Yesterday, the Batch 4 of Imagine Nation finally met for the 1st time. I really had a hard time selecting the 12 from the 72 people who confirmed that they wanted to join. They are: Benjie Tiongco, Dennis Garcia, Jaja Samaniego, Joseph Cruz, Lai de Guzman, Lianne Bacorro, Maritess Rimmer, Mary Ann Sy, Paul Vargas, Rigette Gutierrez, Tim Serrano & Zeus Martinez.

So today we start off day 1 of our Purpose Driven Life.

Whats truly amazing & something worth sharing is my reading today in Exodus 33. A little backgrounder on this chapter. Moses was up in Mt Sanai talking to God about the 10 commandments, after 40 days of being gone, people get impatient and worship a golden calf molded by Aaron. So Moses goes down and in his anger smashes the 2 tablets at the foot of the mountain. God wanted to kill the Israelites but Moses intercedes. So instead, Moses asks the Israelites for their commitment and orders those who could not commit killed.

Moses prays to the Lord in verse 13 "If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this NATION is your very own people"

With all the things thats happening to us... i can say that God gives me special favor. For someone who is totally undeserving to receive all these perks in life and lead such a great bunch of people i always feel that God's presence is nearby. However, sometimes God doesnt reaveal to me his will and i get confused. Sometimes i try hard to listen but he just seems silent... Example is "whether i should continue on with the Galleria office or just concentrate on Oasis". and i like how the verse ended with remember this Nation is your very own people cause trully God owns Imagine NATION.

so *yay!* i''m now an apprentice for imagine nation! but this is only the beginning. i have to attend ALL the meetings and comply with all the requirements in order to truly qualify for the two year apprenticeship program.

caveat: this post is going to be long. i think there's no other way to write this.

i first found out about the wedding photography team, imagine nation, through a friend. i've also seen their booth in bridal fairs. while net surfing one time, i discovered that they hold apprenticeship programs for aspiring wedding photographers. i read about the program, and it seemed ideal for my sched since they won't require you to quit your day job. and you don't need to be an experienced photographer to join. as per the blog/s i found, the last time they took in apprentices was in march 2008. i felt bad that i missed the opportunity, especially since at that time, i wasn't doing anything anyway (unless you would consider 'waiting for the bar results' as doing something). so i immediately sent sir john ong a pm in multiply, asking him when's the next apprenticeship. he didn't reply, but he added me as a contact.

a few weeks later, he posted an entry announcing that imagine nation is once again accepting apprenitces. he listed the qualifications/terms. seeing that i possessed all the qualifications for an applicant (i.e., i'm under thirty, i can attend the tuesday evening meetings, etc.), ), i immediately sent him a message showing my interest. we need to have a dedicated flash though, so i told him i'm buying one soon (and so i bought an SB-900 at the photoworld asia expo. hehe). right before the orientation, he sent me an e-mail saying that there were 92 applicants in all. and they're only taking in a maximum of 12. i was expecting that there would be around 50 applicants at the most, i didn't expect there would be almost a hundred applicants. but given the number of aspiring photographers these days (i swear, EVERYONE has a digital SLR), i shouldn't have been surprised with the turnout. i felt a bit disheartened at that time, but i still decided to join the orientation.

at the orientation, only 84 applicants arrived. at least that increased my chances of getting in. but still, i knew the competition was going to be tight. the tough part was, we had no idea what the criteria was! apart from the minimum qualifications, they didn't inform us how they're going to rate us or how they're going to gauge our chances of getting in. we weren't asked to submit any resume or portfolio. after the team presented their mission/vision and ideals at the orientation, i discovered that they offer so much more than photography services. they actually offer spiritual guidance to soon-to-be couples. and that made me want to join their group even more. but right after the orientation, i wasn't feeling very hopeful. like i said, there were 80+ other people who, presumably, wanted to join the team as much as i did. second, i started to get feelings of self-inadequacy. i was worried of being accepted and not being able to meet the team's expectations. (i think i completely lost my confidence shortly after i entered law school. hehe). to add to that, i've been so confused about some major important things lately, career-wise. but during my quiet time, after the orientation, I came across John 14:12-14: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father". and Philippians 4:13: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." and at that time, i realized that i should stop focusing on my own faults/weaknesses and start focusing on what God can do through me.

the results of the apprenticeship were supposed to come out on feb. 20, friday. i kept on checking my e-mail to see whether they've posted the results. i didn't receive anything. the next day, i was still hoping that they haven't come up with the final list yet. still, no e-mail. so i followed it up with sir john, asking him if they've released the shortlist already. still getting no reply, i just assumed the worst. monday came, and i received an e-mail from sir john telling me that they haven't released the results yet, but they're hoping to post the list within the day. i felt a bit hopeful again, although at that time i was too stressed to think about it. i was busy preparing this pleading that was due the next day. in the midst of all the stress at the office, i received the text message from sir john telling me that i made it to the list! at that time, i even thought they accepted at least half of the applicants, and that they'll screen the group further until there are only 12 apprentices (or less). i even joked that they probably just trimmed the list down to 80 from 84. hehe. so i was so surprised to see only 11 other people at the first meeting last tuesday. wow. there were 12 of us out of 72. that's 16%. that's even lower than the bar exams passing rate last year! haha.

i still don't know what made them choose me, but i know i should be thankful for this opportunity. grabe. i've been praying about this everyday since i found out about the program. siguro nakulitan lang sa'kin si God. hehe. to the people i've been pestering for the past several months to pray for me, thanks so much. i hope i can use this opportunity to serve God and be a blessing to others. :D *naks*

Singapore checklist

2011-02-18T10:53:00.003+08:00

Blogging from the lobby of Bayview hotel. I need to finish something but of course I'm procrastinating. Well, at least this blog is alive again. Hehe.

It's my 5th time in SG, and still not tired of it :) I planned this trip mostly for my mom. I bought her the ticket (on sale hehe) as her Christmas/birthday gift. A week after, she completely forgot about it and was asking me what's my Christmas gift for her. Nyaha.

Anyway, here's my SG checklist for this weekend:

1. Meet up with friends - Chi, Erika, Carl, the last Imagine Nation couple we shot (Ian and Jessica) :D
2. Thundersitting (in Tagalog, alagaan ang mga tanders. Haha)
3. Take a lot of landscape photos. I was inspired by the Chasing Light seminar I attended. I recently bought an ultra-wide lens (yahoo!) so I'll be test-driving that today. I also borrowed a tripod (thanks Rollie!)
4. Take Lomo pics. It's been more than a year since I last used my LC-A
5. Drink milk tea/Milo Godzilla
6. Buy flats from Rubi
7. Eat Bonchon chicken!!
8. Walk around (alone) just to take photos
9. Buy tops from Cotton On

I didn't get to sleep at all last night. Let's see how this day goes. Hehe.

Paper Cuts Book Launch

2011-02-07T22:38:00.003+08:00

More than a week ago, at National Bookstore, Glorietta V, I attended the book launch of "Paper Cuts" by Pam Pastor. I don't have a copy of the book; I was too lazy to get one (hehe sorry Pam), but thankfully, a friend brought it one day and lent me his copy. Lately, I don't have much time to read (the bookmark to Murakami's Norwegian Wood is still stuck at page 20 for weeks now), but I found Paper Cuts too interesting to ignore. So I would find time during the day to read it. While having my pedi one day, I was able to finish the latter half of the book. It was hilarious; I found myself laughing out loud at the yaya stories. Haha. More than Pam's exciting line of work, what makes the book interesting is her real and candid stories. I like how she finds humor and value in the mundane, everyday things that we normally wouldn't write about.

On a related note, Paper Cuts encouraged me to write/blog more, to be more observant, to write about anything and everything. Blog entries don't have to be long and profound and have a ratiocination at the end. A 5-minute conversation with a cab driver can actually be translated into an entire blog entry. Lately, I've been thinking about how stagnant this blog has become, or how this blog has suffered a sort of identity crisis. I didn't know whether to turn it into a photo/travel/foodie/fashion (?) blog. But now I realized it doesn't have to fall into a particular category - it's just all about me, my life, the people I care about, and all the circumstances, even the seemingly insignificant ones, around me.

Anyhoot, some highlights from the launch:

Mini cupcakes baked by Pam herself :D I loved the red velvet bunch. Some of the Lomo peeps were eating even before they formally opened the buffet table. Haha

Yes, they served beer at the launch. Right inside National Bookstore. Eric was raving about National Bookstore's chicken wings.. Haha

Pam and Jason's speeches. It's funny that Jason and I became Facebook friends after the launch. Hehe. Here's his take on the event (this photo made it to his blog. Thanks Jason for the mention :D )

Free pins:

Seeing my friend Jill (Jill, my batchmate from law school/workmate at the CA/Imagine Nation bride) and her husband Gary waiting to have their book signed. Some of my pics are also in Jill's Kikayexchange forum. Thanks Jill :)

Lomomanila (oldies) reunion! I miss the lomo peeps, seriously. It's funny that whenever we get together, we do everything but shoot in film. I hope we can revive our love for film. (Photo by Jill Lejano, a lomo oldie as well hehe)

Pics from Jill Lejano's cam:

Freelance haha??

Mr. Eric Buyco and twin

Pam and FG

Congrats on your book Pam!! I'll get my own copy, I promise.

We had dinner at Army Navy with the lomo ppl after the launch. Long day :)

RIP Uncle Boy

2011-02-02T08:55:00.002+08:00

Every Pinoy family has an Uncle/Tito/Kuya Boy. Our dear Uncle Boy, my dad's first cousin, passed away last Tuesday due to massive gall bladder infection.

I wasn't particularly close with him, I only get to see him during family reunions (which are rare the past few years), the occasional visits to our house up there in the boondocks. I last saw him at a family reunion middle of last year. I think it was the first time I ever got to talk to his teenage daughter (I did see his son growing up, but I wasn't too familiar with Marian, his daughter). He was one of the funny uncles - he always smiled/laughed, he always had something humorous to say.

It's sad that I only got to know more about him at his funeral.

His loved ones said a lot of kind things about him, but he was commonly remembered for these things more than anything - his simplicity, his sense of humor, his drive to fulfill his purpose, and his utmost desire to keep his family united.

At his burial, there was more laughter than tears. His kids/close nephews/nieces did jump shots. Yes, at a burial. Hehe.

If I do have a funny bone in my body (and I'm assuming I do hehe), I'm pretty sure I inherited it from my dad's side of the family.

Thank you Uncle Boy, for reminding us to live a life of purpose and service. You will truly be missed.

More pics at Loyola Memorial:

This is where we used to spend All Saints' Day growing up.

My older sister's grave. She died a few seconds after she was born.

With everyone:

2011-01-25T12:48:00.001+08:00

The first month of the year is almost over and I haven't written a single entry. Boo me. So yes, this is the first entry for the year and I feel obligated to post a re-introductory entry/(because I'm a blog superstar like that. Nyaha).

Moving on…

My year-end prediction last year is that 2011 will be an adventure. True enough, this past month has been quite a ride - so far, I've shot several awesome weddings and prenups; braved the Black Nazarene fiesta in Quiapo; been actively biking (yahoo); tried skateboarding (yes i have haha); expanded my social circle. Recently, the death of a distant but significant family member brought us together and made me rethink how I'm living my life. Just this weekend, I received a text from my friend from Lomomanila, Zel, asking me if I wanted to attend a free Barista 101 training which I'm supposed to blog about (I said yes). And last Sunday, Carlo from our studio (Imagine Nation) asked if I can guest on Shoptalk on ANC later today since they're doing an interview on part-time photographers who have regular day jobs (again, I said yes. Haha). And the month isn't over yet :) I am quite the Yes Man lately and it feels great to move out of my comfort zone every once in a while. I realize I'm missing out a lot by staying within conventional bounds all the time.

The start of the year was also lined with several disappointments (most especially when things don't turn out the way I want them to be) , but I think I've reached that part in my spiritual walk where, instead of questioning God, I eagerly wait and see what he has in store for me next. It's like reading a book and knowing that the protagonist will emerge victorious in the end anyway, so there's no need to panic. Whenever things get too emotionally draining, I look back to my life verse for the year, Hebrews 12:1-3:

"1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

I'm hopeful this year will be a great one. :)

The Annual Year End Meme

2010-12-31T23:33:00.004+08:00

I'm actually excited to answer this, after the horrible year that was 2009. Haha. 2010 had its ups and downs, but in all, it was one of the most awesomest years ever! No exag. Hehe. :)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

Be the lead photographer for a wedding/event; voted during the national elections; actually used my money for long-term investments; 'watched John Mayer live (and Gin Blossoms na rin hehe); skyped with my niece's grade 2 class in the US; drank Milo Godzilla in Singapore; led the PDP bible study at the studio; drove to Tagaytay from Manila; bought myself a bike and used it :)

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I forgot what my resolutions were for last year. Haha. If improving as a photographer was one of them, I definitely kept that. I think I also resolved to invest, I pushed through with that as well. I don't think I'll make any for 2011, but I will list down my goals/plans for the year :)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Jade gave birth to baby Lexi, Joy gave birth to baby Dylan. Gorgeous little babies :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Auntie Bibing, my great aunt

5. What countries did you visit?

Taiwan and Singapore (again)

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

Same as last year. DIRECTION. an actual life plan :P and probably a life partner na rin. hehe ;)

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

June 28, 2010. It was the day I officially got promoted as a junior photographer :D

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting promoted as junior photog., leading Ace and Frances' Baguio wedding :)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not being able to practice self-control at some points last year. Hehe :P

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Bad stomachache at a shoot sometime in September, to the point that I had to get someone else to cover for me :P

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A big bag I can dump everything in. Hehe. And the Nikon 17-155 F2.8 lens I bought from Jamie :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

John Lloyd Cruz? I don't know. Haha

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The government's. Hehe :P

14. Where did most of your money go?

Same. Camera accessories and travel :P

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Being paid for something I love to do :) And leading that Baguio wedding. Also, traveling again to Singapore (even if I've been there several times already)

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

If I could list down my entire 2010 playlist here, I would. But the most prominent song would be Boy by Ra Ra Riot :)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier :) I'm one happier bunny this year. Hehe
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter!!!
iii. richer or poorer? richer, i think. haha :)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Same as last year. Legal work. Hehe. And marketing my services as a photographer. Reading books too.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Going online aimlessly and senselessly :))

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?

At home with the family, stuffing myself with lots of food, watching the neighbors' fireworks, catching coins during pasabog, and most definitely, taking pictures :)

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

my sister in the US

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?

YUN OH. hahahahahaha ;)

23. How many one-night stands?

whatevs

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Same. Community and The Office :)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Unfortunately :P

26. What was the best book you read?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

RA RA RIOT! :D

28. What did you want and get?

To become a junior photographer, to travel more. I was able to go to Taiwan, Singapore, Bohol, Ilocos Norte/Sur, Baguio this year :)

29. What did you want and not get?

an iPhone 4 :(

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Inception, The Social Network, Here Comes the Bride :))

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

We ate at Shabu Shabu at Podium with my family, had a small party at the office. I also ate out with my law school and college friends on separate occasions, but not on my actual birthday. I turned *gasp* 28

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

An 85 mm F1.8 Nikkor prime lens? Hehe. But I'm generally happy with the past year, couldn't ask for anything more :)

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Public teacherish and Tita Coryish. Thank you, CA uniforms :)) But seriously, very laid back and comfortable.

34. What kept you sane?

Prayers, family, friends especially Lai and Diane (thanks so much guys :) ), food. Hehe. My camera :P

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Mark Zuckerberg? Ewan. I couldn't think of anyone. Hehe

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

That plagiarism issue

37. Who did you miss?

My sister's family after they left Manila to go back to the US :(

38. Who was the best new person you met?

New photographers at Imagine Nation (like Shayla, Jackie, Jed, Dennis, etc.) and some clients I met through the studio :)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:

Life is an adventure :) And there are a lot of blessings to be thankful for every single day. So happy I put up my tumblr account. Backreading my posts makes me feel so grateful about life.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"I will wait for You to move
For Your mighty hand to save
When the trouble waters rise
You are my hiding place"

- My Deliverer by Christ Tomlin

On comfort zones and moving out

2010-11-17T23:28:00.002+08:00

(pic doesn't have anything to do with this entry. hehehe)

Lately, I've been getting this nagging feeling that I should get out of this house. Pack all my things and just start a new life. Outside this house. Don't get me wrong, I love living here. I've been staying with my family in this old house I call my home for almost 30 years (in other words, my entire life), and things have been good. Though located in an area far away from civilization, I like it here. I take comfort in being surrounded by the familiar - my room, all my things, my dog, my yaya who has been with us since I was a baby.

Looking back, I don't think I've actually been away from this house for too long. The longest was probably during one of those trips abroad we've had when I was a kid. When I was in grade 4, I practically begged my parents to send me to this foreign exchange program in the US, but they desisted, saying it would be better if I just go on vacation there some other time, live with my grandparents so we don't have to pay for accommodation and food. (That wasn't really the point of the entire student exchange program, but anyway…) Back in law school, I turned down an opportunity to stay in Cebu for an entire summer for an internship/human rights immersion class and opted to take the Manila project instead. Right after I passed the bar, my sister told me of an opportunity to work in Hong Kong, but I immediately dismissed the idea, thinking that I lacked experience and would rather start working here (it didn't help too that my dad was discouraging me from leaving. Now I know better than to listen to him). Consciously or subconsciously, I never wanted to live anywhere else. I was, and I've been, okay here.

While being palamunin has its perks, it does have a lot of drawbacks, the major one being I don't feel I'm maturing. Being sheltered might be good for a while, but when you're - or rather I'm - nearing my thirties.. it's disastrous. It's discomforting waking up every morning not doing anything and having everything prepared for and handed to me. It gets depressing getting home to the same Mickey Mouse sheets I've had since I was 10; being texted by my dad at 9:30 in the evening to go home already because it's late; being caught at 1 in the morning in front of the computer and berated by my mom for staying up late since I have to go to work early the next day (never mind that I'm actually doing something for work); getting 5-10 missed calls when it's already 12 midnight and I'm still out of the house. I remember one time, I had an opportunity to introduce my mom to some of my photographer/videographer friends from the studio. I couldn't believe the first thing she actually asked them was, why do our shoots end so late? Then she went on to enumerate the dangers of driving home late, including the recent incident about a girl getting mugged and raped while driving alone somewhere along Commonwealth, where I pass to get home everyday. I was cringing the whole time. Though I graduated from college and law school, hurdled the bar exams, worked at a law firm and now as a court attorney, my parents can't help but still see me as the same high school student they strictly forbade from going to soirees simply because I still live with them in the same house and depend on them for almost everything. I don't think I can do anything more to be treated more seriously around here.

Point is, I know I must get out of this house at all costs. I know all my siblings were "evicted" (or "graduated" would be a better term?) from this house through the conventional way - getting hitched. Now, we all know that won't be happening to me anytime soon, and I don't think I can wait for that non-existent guy to yank me from where I am (and it's so wrong to operate on that logic) so I need to get my act together and just do whatever it takes to move out and grow up already.

Plus, my room now is beginning to look like a warehouse, complete with all the stuff I've accumulated since I was in grade school. They just keep piling up and I now don't know how to dispose of everything. I just want to leave all the memorabilia here and turn my room into a "Lianne" museum.

Anyway. I'm rambling again. Wish me luck. Heehee.

Farewell and thank you, NU107.5

2010-11-08T23:48:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday night, outside the NU107.5 radio station during its last hours on air:

14 years ago, two of my guy friends introduced NU107.5 to me. I became an instant convert (from RT to NU. well, from RX and/or RT to NU) and I've been listening to the station since then.

I must admit, though, that lately I've been listening to 88.3 more. It must be one of the million consequences of getting old - my ears are not accustomed to Greyhoundz-Slapshock-ish music anymore.

While driving to work this morning, I unearthed my old iPod and realized that 90% of the songs I downloaded, I first heard on NU. At a time when our household was still Internet-free, NU was my only source of the latest rock/alternative songs. During my emo phase, whenever I'd feel down, I'd set the radio frequency to NU, turn up the volume, and try to drown all my (now seemingly shallow) issues in music. I know my parents/older siblings probably rolled their eyes at me whenever I'd change the car radio station to 107.5, but I still did anyway and poked fun at the generation gap made apparent by their failure to appreciate the kind of music I listened to.

Thanks to NU, I was exposed to great bands like DMB, Silverchair, Live and a lot of OPM bands like Wolfgang and Razorback at an early age. NU fostered my obsession for Jakob Dylan and the rest of the Wallflowers (but mostly, Jakob Dylan. Hehe) when I was 14. Had it not been for NU, I would've listened to Take That and Boyzone for most of my high school life. I would not have attended all the gigs I did (including one of the Rock Awards) if I hadn't been listening to it. While others had Chico and Delamar to accompany their morning trips to school, I had Zach and Joey in the Morning during my late high school/early college life. Cliche as it may sound, it was not just a radio station - it was a lifestyle. I'd like to believe that it made me a more interesting and probably slightly cooler person (dissenters welcome hehe).

I never thought NU would close down, at least not this early. I feel like I went through a premature breakup. I feel like the angsty teenager in me died. This morning, I listened to some of the loud songs I didn't bother listening to anymore for the past few years (like Incubus' New Skin). I suddenly found myself asking, what now? at nothing in particular. Change, even drastic ones, is inevitable, but it still leaves me shocked and unable to move on sometimes. And speaking of change, I said several goodbyes to other things aside from NU also the past weekend, but that's another story.

As Modest Mouse put it:

Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we'll float on good news is on the way.

And we'll all float on, ok.

- Float On

More pics here.

we can't rewind now we've gone too far

2010-11-04T22:42:00.002+08:00

- from the songs, video killed the radio star / internet killed the video star

Sorry for the long hiatus.

I decided, after much consideration (not really, but it sounds better that way), that I'll continue posting on this blog. I attempted to start a new blog in Wordpress, but I realized it's hard to start all over. I like this blog. It has most of my nice travel photos. Hehe. And also, I've been busy lately with my tumblr account. If I think of something worth writing paragraphs about, I'll probably post it here.

Yahoo this blog is alive again. :)

Bohol Bee Farm

2010-09-29T22:21:00.003+08:00

Bohol Bee Farm is also located in Panglao Island, where our hotel (Flushing Meadows) is. It has a restaurant, bed and breakfast, a store, and an events venue. Visiting guests can go on a day tour and have a healthy lunch in the resto. Check out the other activities here.

At the very nice and relaxing receiving area/souvenir shop:

It has a pasalubong store that sells goods made out of products grown in the farm:

Other products being sold:

At the events venue:

I'd love to shoot a wedding here!! So many details to shoot. I don't know where to start :)

Some activities they do at the farm:

Beeeees: (We had the tour guide assist us at this point of course)

We found the queen bee! :D See how it stands out from the other bees:

The restaurant:

But what I really enjoyed at the farm is their homegrown ice cream:

I ordered malunggay flavor. Yes, you read that right. But it tastes more fruity though, like avocado. You wouldn't think they added leaves to the mixture.

Sophie ordered chocolate of course:

Everyone, still with the yummy ice cream:

It was a fun tour :) Oh, and the straw hats aren't free. We had to return them after the tour. Hehe.

Bohol Day 3

2010-09-15T22:01:00.004+08:00

It's been almost a month since my last update and I do admit, I've been a delinquent blogger lately. It didn't help that I spent the past three days in bed (well, almost literally in bed) because a strong virus that hit me won't go away. But I'm feeling a lot better now. :D

Anyway, on to the last day of our Bohol trip:

We visited Panglao church, with its prominent tower as our background:

Then we went to the famous Hinagdanan Cave:

It was musty inside (reminiscent of Malcolm Hall harhar) but it was beautiful. The birds were distracting though. I hope I had a tripod that time, but we couldn't stay long because it was getting too hot down there. And the little girl wasn't too happy with the heat. Hihi

Hehe

I found it cool that the tourist guides knew how to set the camera, even my brother-in-law's DSLR :)

Shots from my camera:

Next: Bohol Bee Farm

Chillaxing in Bohol

2010-08-21T21:12:00.003+08:00

Yeah, "chillaxing". Hehe. I'm not really fond of that word, but it's the only one I can think of at the moment. Hehe.

After our boatride, we went back to our hotel to rest a bit, explore the place.

We had lunch at the hotel.

Sophie's tooth fell out. Ouch:

Bungi. Hehe

Sophie's burger lunch:

My pasta lunch:

We went to Island Mall in the busier side of Bohol:

Chow King Halo Halo! Yes, we went all the way to Bohol for THAT. Haha. Everyone in the resto was ordering it:

'Played a little with the light:

We also went to the beach at sundown:

Patrick Star:

Bohol - Day 2, Dolphin Watching

2010-08-05T08:16:00.004+08:00

We woke up early the next day for dolphin watching. I was looking forward to it because it would be my first time to see real wild dolphins swimming in the open sea, which are definitely far from the ones you see at your usual theme/marine park sea animal shows. I grabbed my camera and my telephoto lens (kebs na lang sa saltwater damage :P) and hopped on the motor boat at 6 am. We were told that the dolphins come out before 8 in the morning, so we have to be there early.

Sooo early...

with my brother-in-law and sophie

with my sister this time

It took us around 30 minutes to get to Balicasag where the dolphins are. When we got there, there were more than 10 boats in the area also waiting to see the dolphins. We patiently waited... until:

Amazing :) Upon hearing the sound of the motorboat, the dolphins would dive back in the water, leaving us guess where they'll pop out next. Unfortunately, our guesses were always wrong. Hehe. But we were able to follow them around for about 30 minutes. It was truly breathtaking.

On our way back:

We went snorkeling after that. No pictures there. Now I want to get a waterproof camera and learn how to dive :) and get my own dolphin. harhar

At the virgin island somewhere. And I look like crap here. Haha:

Sea urchin for brunch:

It was gooood.

Leetol boy at the island:

Acrobatic boy. Hehe:

Sophie got one of these:

After the boat ride (Yaya mode here. Hehe):

Bohol - Day 1, Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary

2010-07-27T19:01:00.007+08:00

You haven't been to Bohol if you haven't seen the Philippine Tarsier yet.

As part of the countryside tour, we visited the tarsier sanctuary. The sanctuary's actually very small, I was expecting a larger area for the tarsiers. Anyway, here's what we saw:

Scary tarsier:

*Gasp* slaughtered tarsiers! Nah, these are just merchandise right outside the tarsier sanctuary :P

Altogether now: Awwwwww..

The Gollum tarsier:

Since tarsiers are nocturnal animals, we weren't allowed to use flash on our cameras so as not to startle them. They're pretty quiet and hang on to a branch all day. On some days, that's all I want to do. Hehe.

Some bat.. animal.. thing :P

We also visited the cage where the biggest python is being kept. There were other animals there.

This is the cutest monkey I've ever seen. He just sits there peacefully eating something. The other monkey we saw at the tarsier sanctuary is evil. Hehe

Turtles:

and some exotic birds:

Next: Dolphin watching :D

Bohol - Day 1, Loboc River Cruise

2010-07-25T23:02:00.008+08:00

Exhausted from the walk/climb up the viewing deck to see the chocolate hills, we headed for lunch at the Loboc River. It was one of the must-see places in Bohol. And yes, it was also in John Lloyd and Bea's "Close to You." Hihi :P

We were famished at that time so we didn't care much how the food tasted. The food was so-so (at least it wasn't horrible :P) but it was a good that we were able to sample a lot of the local dishes.

i saw a lot of "Island" shops around. and they sell the coolest merchandise:

Before boarding the boat, a group of musicians serenaded us:

The buffet table:

Patrick and my sister, Leiya:

More singing on board:

the set up at the other boat (which seemed to look more presentable than the one we rode on. hehe):

A little boy watches as we sail away:

"Long River Cruise and Floating Restaurant"

Sophie and yaya: :P

We stopped by a stage where a group of Boholanos gave us a welcome song/dance number:

you guessed it, this was overexposed and i had to repair it. hehe. it was too nice not to post though. i love their expression here

More floating restos:

We could see the Loboc Museum from the river:

Next, Philippine Tarsier sanctuary

Bohol trip!

2010-07-19T22:38:00.005+08:00

I've been curious about Bohol since 1992. During the summer of that year, we were in France, on my first out-of-the-country trip ever, when my aunt's German friend excitedly showed us pictures of her recent trip to the Philippines. She was talking about how beautiful the chocolate hills were and suddenly asked us whether we've been to Bohol. We told her we haven't been there yet. In her limited English, she berated us (albeit jokingly :P) that we're traveling in Europe, yet we never bothered going to Bohol. Back then, I couldn't understand why anyone would get so excited over the local tourist attractions when it always seemed more interesting to travel elsewhere.

Last week, and almost twenty years later since our European trip, I finally got to see for myself why a lot of people, particularly foreigners, fall in love with Bohol. As the masseuse by the beach explained, majority of the foreigners who settle in Bohol or go there for vacation are Germans. I saw some at the resto we ate in and a German couple was seated right next to me at the airport, looking over my shoulder as I was organizing our Bohol pics in my laptop. There were also some Americans and a whole LOT of Korean and Chinese nationals. At the hotel we stayed in, there was an entire bus of Koreans on tour. I realized that I don't really have to go far if I want to go on vacation. There's actually so much to explore here in the Philippines.

Day 1

Touchdown Tagbilaran!

We checked in at Flushing Meadows Resort and Playground. We planned to stay at Amorita Resort, but we didn't think it would be fully booked two weeks before we checked in. Flushing Meadow's isn't actually as popular, but since my sister heard good reviews about it, we decided to stay there. Good thing we paid discounted rates through PAL's Palakbayan promo. In all, it's a really nice resort. The facilities are great, the people are very hospitable and accommodating, and the rooms are clean and comfortable. One major downside is the distance. Anyhoot, I'd give a more comprehensive review on the hotel on the last day.

My parents were also supposed to come, but my mom had high blood pressure the night before the flight. (What is it with my parents and traveling? Last time, it was the Manny Pacquiao fight..)

Since we arrived in Bohol early and we wanted to maximize our stay, we decided to join the countryside tour that same morning. But first, we had breakfast at the hotel. No breakfast buffet for us yet, so I settled for small pancakes:

Sophie was happy with her mango shake (And anything that has mango in it :P)

First stopover was the blood compact site:

Just like in ~~John Lloyd and Bea's "Close to You"~~ the movies!

After that, we visited the Baclayon church:

Our driver, Kuya Andres, pointed out that if you look closely at the wall behind me, you'd see a man's face. Yes, that's Hagrid from Hogwarts. :P

Of course, we went to see the famous Chocolate Hills:

taking photos while waiting for the others who went to the restroom:

We had to climb these steps:

At the top:

On our way down:

We passed by the manmade forest:

Next stop, Loboc River Cruise and the Tarsier sanctuary.

*Thanks to my sister and Patrick for bringing a D60, at least I have a lot of decent photos this time. Hehe

Leiya and Sophie @ Manila Ocean Park

2010-07-05T23:14:00.002+08:00

My older sister Leiya and her daughter, Sophia, now 7 years old, arrived here a few weeks ago from Ohio, USA. So far, it's been a series of food trips and mall-hopping days. Hehe. I suggested that we go to La Mesa Ecopark or even QC Memorial Circle, but the weather's been erratic and the little lady doesn't like the heat. Next week, when my brother-in-law arrives, that's when the real vacation begins - we'll be going to Bohol and they'll go to Davao and Boracay after. :D So yes, I'll be restarting with the travel posts after the Bohol trip. I haven't traveled in two months. The last time they were here was back in 2007. Wow, this blog is old. And I need to change my banner. Ok, I digress.

So we went to Manila Ocean Park with my two bigger nieces, Patti and Bianca. It was actually our first time to go there. Since it's been around for a while, I was hoping all the attractions will be open and fully functional. It was quite disappointing that some areas are still under construction (with no promise that the construction will be finished soon); the "boutique mall" is actually just a bunch of stalls a la divisioria; and it's a bit confusing to navigate around the place. But we had fun nonetheless, and that's the most important thing.

We had lunch first at Makansutra. It's probably the closest thing we can get to Singapore. I liked the ambience. The food was ok and reasonably priced.

Sophie's order which she wasn't able to eat since it was too spicy :P

Off to the Oceanarium:

We found Nemo:

Then we availed of the janitor fish foot spa services for P140:

It felt uncomfortable and really ticklish at first, but we got used to it. It's something you should try at least once in your life. :P

Sophie went reverse bungee jumping. It was the highlight of her day:

Mall/resto posts to follow :)

Rare Kikay Post

2010-07-02T00:54:00.003+08:00

I think my total monthly expenses were highest in June for the first half of 2010. Of course I had to replace my stolen laptop (see previous post) and that entails a major expense. The good news is, I've now switched to Mac, which is very timely and useful for a budding photographer like me (*naks*). The bad news is, all my files have been stolen too, so I'm in the process of rebuilding my file system.

Anyway, a Facebook friend posted on her status last Tuesday that the Zara sale starts the following day (yesterday). I know I should be doing more important things like watch the presidential inauguration (I saw some scenes, and it seemed more like Party Pilipinas to me. Hehe), but I opted to go to Trinoma for the sale. The plan was to go there as soon as the mall opens at 10 am, but I woke up late. Besides, I had to wait for my balikbayan sister and my niece, Sophia (who are here on vacation) who were watching the inauguration. We went to have lunch at Kimono Ken first. While waiting for the orders, I told them I'd check out the Zara sale. It was only 12 noon.

When I got there, I was surprised to find that the store has turned into a battleground. I didn't find so much nice clothes anymore, so I figured a lot of them have been sold already. I knew the first two hours must have been crucial. There were three long lines already and the dressing rooms were filled up. So I decided to check out the shoes. In a matter of ten minutes, I was able to find three nice pairs of shoes, all of which are basic and I can actually wear often. When I buy shoes, I make sure: 1) they're comfortable (and Zara shoes are very very comfortable); 2) I can wear them at least twice a week.

I bought this pair for work:

parang wedding preps anik anik lang :P

I only have one pair of comfortable black shoes for work (the other two are less comfortable), so I was really glad this one fit perfectly. I used it today and I didn't come home with blisters on my feet (like what would happen whenever I'd wear the other pair). :P

This one, I can wear at wedding shoots. My other black flats are worn out already. These are super comfortable and is the most expensive pair I got :P

I bought this pair to replace a pair of black sandals I bought for less than $10 at a banana rep outlet years ago:

I saw a girl ahead of me paying for a pair of sandals exactly like this. Those were the last two pairs on the rack. Then I overheard her tell the cashier person, "This isn't my size. I think I got the wrong one. Where's the other pair with my size?" A saleslady told her that someone must have taken the other pair already. I can sense the disappointment in the girl's voice, but there was no way I'm going to give her the pair I just picked. Hehe :P

This evening, I went to Glorietta for bible study. I decided to check out the Zara sale again. I thought they'd be selling the same items anyway, so I wasn't planning on buying anything. Until I saw this:

I tried it already before, but I didn't buy it. There was only 1 pair in size 37. I tried it on, and it was my size. So yes, I simply must buy it.

When I got home tonight, I found this on my study table:

I actually received a text earlier about the sale, but it just looks more official when I receive an actual invite. Hehe.

And the Forever 21 store opens in Megamall tomorrow. Darn it. I predict I'll be broke before the weekend rolls in.

In re.: the Stolen Laptop

2010-06-23T17:24:00.005+08:00

I never thought it would happen to me ever, but it did. Last Thursday, during our bible study with the Imagine Nation peeps at Greenbelt McDo, my entire laptop bag was stolen, which has my (old) laptop, my external hard drive :(( and my sun bro modem. The worse thing is, it happened while we were all at the table. My laptop bag was just under my seat, there were two other girls beside me, two in front of me. There was a roving guard around the premises who even checked on the room a few minutes before the incident happened. I even felt secure when I saw a surveillance camera at the Grimace Room entrance (where we had dinner that night). With that setup, I didn't think it would be possible for someone to just enter the room and grab a valuable item without anyone noticing. I was wrong. These people know what they're doing and they're very good at it.

I was mindful of the laptop right below my seat, so I was checking on it every five minutes. At around 8:50, i reached out for it and was surprised to find out it was gone. I went out of the function room, but the guard was nowhere to be found. I even went outside the premises just to see if the thief was still around (stupid thing to do, I know. But this is better than that time when a burglar broke in the house 10 years ago, and I went out, armed with my arnis sticks for PE class, to look for him. I didn't find him, thank God :P). I immediately approached the manager by the counter and asked if I can view the surveillance video. They played it for us and that's where we saw what really happened.

McDo ppl, this isn't the first time this has happened in your establishment. A few years ago, a friend lost her cellphone at the Katipunan branch. I know someone who's bag was stolen at the Greenhills branch. This is alarming and you guys should do something about it. I'm also disappointed with the slow response. Right now, almost one week after the incident, the CD of the surveillance video isn't ready yet. The McDo people pin the blame on the security agency, but considering this happened in their establishment, they should be responsible in following it up with the agency. They owe it to their customers to help out in the investigation since they failed to prevent a crime that occurred right inside their establishment. I'm sure they're aware these incidents have happened before, so they should impose stricter security measures. I know they've failed miserably in the preventive aspect, but they should have been more empathic with the investigation. Or maybe this kind of incident has become so common that they don't feel the need to act on it promptly?

To whoever stole my laptop, good luck with the deficient battery and the virus-infested hard drive.

'Hope this serves as a lesson for all of us.

**Sorry for the Blairwitch-like video. Hehe. We only captured the surveillance video using a cellphone, since they haven't given us a CD yet.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-06-12T22:35:00.002+08:00

and happy happy birthday to my (not so little) nephew, Toby!

To celebrate Independence Day, I bought a pair of Havaianas Pilipinas. Srsly, I was thinking about the blog entry I'll be writing when I bought it. Haha:

Anyway, I needed a new pair to replace my old pair which I can't use anymore.

* * *

The rest of this entry doesn't have anything to do with Independence Day (hehe. ay, jeje :P) although I am celebrating a different kind of independence - freedom from worry and other negative thoughts.

Things are okay where I am, but there's one minor thing - I'm getting old and I'm starting to feel it every single day. Naturally, I tend to worry again about long-term plans, on career, finances and everything else.

A few days ago, my friend from college told me there will be a singles' ministry talk on Friday (last night) in CCF. It will be about work-related stress. It isn't actually my main concern right now, but I decided I'll go anyway. The day before, my cousin asked if I'll be available to have dinner at Ristras on Friday since she was craving for burritos :P I told her I'm free, but that I wanted to attend the talk first. So she decided she'd go as well.

Amazingly, the talk didn't focus merely on work-related stress. The speaker, Pastor Bong Saquing (who gave such a meaningful yet hilarious talk by the way. I love listening to him speak in church.), touched on stress/worry in general. In his talk, Pastor Bong reminded us that stress is inevitable and that it is not always bad. Sometimes, we even need the stress to motivate us. How we react to stress, however, changes everything. He warns that worrying as a reaction to stress is very unhelpful and causes us to make unwise decisions. It is important, then, to believe that God will take care of us. We should focus only on what we need for now and stop thinking about our perceived needs. Maybe God is withholding certain things from us right now because we don't need them, or they won't do us good yet at this point.

I like what Pastor said about God being a shepherd who corrects, that even if we have made mistakes in the past, He finds a way to correct them. In the end, His purpose will still be accomplished.

Three things we have to do to dispel worry. The "ABCs" as Pastor called it (yes, I took down notes. Hehe):

1. Admit you need a shepherd. Be humble enough to acknowledge that you can't do things on your own. We were reminded that the issue of worry is actually about control. We always want to be in control and we become so accustomed to having so much control that when things don't go as planned, we tend to worry. We should stop playing God and just let Him take over.

2. Bring all your concerns to your shepherd. As it states in Philippians, do not worry about anything; pray about everything.

3. Concentrate at one day at a time. Learn to live one day at a time because God will take care of your tomorrow.

It was truly a beautiful message. My cousin was also blessed by it, and I'm glad I was able to bring someone last night. I know this blog entry won't do last night's talk justice though, but I hope it's informative enough. Thank You God for reminding me You're my shepherd.

Three Weddings and a Funeral

2010-06-12T18:17:00.002+08:00

It's been over a month since I last updated this. :P

The month of May was quite busy; June started slow and steady.

Last May, I shot as back-up photographer for Imagine Nation in two weddings and shot as main photog. in one. I never thought it could happen to me, but I did get paid for doing something I enjoy doing :D Of course, there's always the pressure to perform in excellence, but I never felt it was work.

On May 1 was Jill and Gary's wedding:

On May 8, 2010 was Arthur and Sheilan's wedding reception. They actually got married in Cebu already, but they held another party here for their Manila-based friends who weren't able to make it to Cebu.

Star sighting: Gorgeous Isabel Oli!

Then, on May 22, 2010, it was Kayo and Nica's wedding:

My dad's aunt, Auntie Bebing, passed away. My cousin, who was Auntie's adopted daughter, flew from San Francisco with her husband, Rafael, to join the funeral services.

Rest in peace, Auntie. Thank you for everything.

Halalan 2010 and lots of bagoong

2010-05-17T07:09:00.003+08:00

I'm happy to announce that I voted for the first time ever during the first automated elections in the country. I know, to register as a voter almost 10 years after I've been eligible is not something to be proud of, but as they say, better late than ~~sorry~~ never. (I know some people my age who are not even registered voters yet. Haha)

Being the ever diligent student, I printed out a copy of the voting guidelines, the list of presidents, vice-presidents, senators, congressmen, councilors, and party lists. I also printed a sample copy of the ballot. I guided my mom and maid as they chose their candidates. I didn't bother talking to my dad about his votes, although I dissuaded him from voting Bong Revilla Jr. (whose last name, according to the candidate list, is "Bong Revilla, Jr.". WTH)

We left the house at around 9:30 am. When we reached the venue (the local public school), I felt like I was at an Ondoy victims' evacuation center. The place was so crowded and there were long lines everywhere. I hear some people complaining that the PCOS machines in their precincts broke down. It was utter madness. My parents, being senior citizens, were able to cut in the line. I was whisked off to the third floor where my precinct was located. They were giving out numbers at my precinct. They were serving number 110. I was number 366.

These have got to be the ugliest photos I'll ever upload. Hehe:

Long lines:

People around me were getting impatient, no thanks to the sweltering heat and the overcrowded halls. Our line was even situated right beside the male CR. It was reeking, so some kind soul shut the door to keep the foul smell at bay. Some people were saying, "Boboto na nga papahirapan niyo pa kami." Apparently, things weren't this bad in the previous elections (I wouldn't know, I never voted. Hehe). Before, it took people only around 30 minutes to vote. I thought of leaving the voting center and coming back a few hours later, so I could at least have lunch first. But I decided to stay anyway and see whether our line was moving. I brought out my ipod and watched reruns of The Office. Then I realized I should''ve bought a book instead because I couldn't hear if my number was being called out. A few more hours later, I heard the person in the classroom call out "number 270 to 280". This was followed by sarcastic cheers from our precinct. In the Philippines, everyone wants to be a comedian.

Since I had a number and I didn't need to fall in line, I decided to walk around. I saw some of my parents' friends. It wasn't long before my number was called. More cheers from the crowd.

I wasn't sure if cameras were prohibited, so I tried to my 1.3 megapixel camera phone while taking photos. I later on found in FB that a lot of my friends took clear photos with their iphone and immediately uploaded them. Puwede naman pala. Tsk.

Getting the ballot:

I sat on a desk built for an 8 year old and tried to write on the voting sheet with the song "May bilog, may bilog, na hugis itlog" in my mind. (Eh hindi naman bilog... never mind) I was very careful not to wipe sweat or dirt on the sheet because it would render the ballot void and I'll be forced to fill up another ballot sheet. I felt that everything I learned from Election Law back in law school (if any) are all useless by now.

I voted for Gordon-Bayani because I actually thought they had a fighting chance. I was this close to voting for Noynoy just so Villar wouldn't win. But surprise, Gordon was at top 6 while Erap was at top 2 (WTH). and Binay was top 1 for president. Tsk tsk. I'm okay with Noynoy winning. I realized that everything happens for a good reason. Just imagine, if Noynoy didn't gain so much popularity the previous year (or if Cory didn't pass away the previous year), Erap could be our new president. Scary thought.

I also voted for three stars (hehe) - Herbert Bautista for mayor (because he's capable), Precious Hipolito- Castelo (because she's my dad's friend from Rotary), and Alfred Vargas (because he's a graduate of Ateneo and I know he has good background). Sorry Kuya Dick, I didn't vote for you although I really found you funny in Oki Dok.

On my way back home:

I hope the new leaders would be more proactive. 'Hoping for the best for this country. :)

* * *

In the evening, we had dinner at Bagoong Club with the harkadah:

ang voters. and calamansi torte. Hehe

I loved their Pinoy Paella. This is probably the best dish we ordered

Salmon Belly Sinigang

Dark Chocolate Mousse (It had a more exotic name, I forgot what it is. Hehe)

Tagaytay Sunday - Marcia Adams + Highlands

2010-05-13T20:06:00.004+08:00

Last Sunday, the day before the elections, my law school friends (3/4 government, 1/4 bum. Hehe) went on a roadtrip to Tagaytay. Thanks to OAP, we discovered Marcia Adams, a quaint little Tuscan restaurant somewhere at the border of Tagaytay and Cavite.

There were no signs (of life hehe) at all outside the establishment. Anna had to go out to check if it was the resto (while Mia, Grace and I stayed in the comfort of the airconditioned car. Haha).

We previously called to have a table reserved for 11:30 am, but we arrived 30 minutes earlier. We were greeted by Neil Adams (Marcia's husband), who chatted with us for a bit. He explained that they're having a bed and breakfast place constructed right beside the resto. He asked us to wait as they set the table and prepare the kitchen. We went around the place for a photo op.

Angel daw si Grace. Whatever Grace. Haha

The menu consists of a 4-course meal worth P760 (P810 for the Shish Kebab)

Since I took home a copy of the menu, I'll be copying the descriptions here. Hehe:

Mia, Anna and I had lemon-lime bitters while Grace had ginger beer (which is non-alcoholic).

For the starter, we had Aegean Salad (with grilled pears, mixed greens, cottage cheese and roasted pistachios with a herby, tangy dressing).

They also served us home-baked bread:

In addition to the salad, for our appetizer, we ordered Scandinavian caviar with creme fraische (ok, go google that up because I don't know what it is), egg, sliced tomato and chives on thin cracker. It wasn't part of the 4-course meal, but we wanted to try it.

For the second course, we had the option of choosing either the soup of the day or Amalfi Prawns. We opted for the prawns over the hot bowl of soup. It was too hot to begin with :P

The prawns were marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley, and coated with bread crumbs.

Grace had the classic Shish Kebabs:

Anna had beef (which I couldn't find on the menu):

Mia had the Grilled Aromatic Pork:

And I had the Moroccan Fish Stew:

Lastly, dessert. We had two orders of grilled orange with vanilla ice cream and two orders of panna cotta with lemon sauce. Dessert is always fun :D

As always, Grace and I finished lunch last. Haha

After lunch, we went to Tagaytay Highlands (thanks to Didi), where we rode the cable car and pigged out (again).

roti canai

banana + buko pandan ice cream. winner. :D

'Had loads of fun. Kwentuhan + food galore always make a good mix. Never mind that I probably gained 5 pounds from the food trip. We should do this again :D

Discovering Ilocos - Marcos Museum and Vigan

2010-05-13T08:14:00.005+08:00

Our last stop for the trip was Vigan. Before going there, we passed by the Marcos Museum, where we saw some paraphernalia owned by the Marcoses and Ferdinand Marcos' preserved body, although there are doubts as to whether it's the actual body or a mere replica. No photos on that because we weren't allowed to take pictures.

Vigan

The last time I went to Vigan was back in the early 2000s. It's been so long that I've forgotten how beautiful it is. It's much like Intramuros, with its Spanish architecture. It also reminds me a bit of Macau, that part where the Senado Square is located.

Calle Crisologo is the famous street in Vigan where all the souvenir shops/restaurants are. I don't remember it being as busy before:

It's a burd:

This cute little doggie barked at and chased every horse that passed by. Haha:

We had dinner at Villa Angela, the same resto Tom Cruise visited years ago (I think he was there for a shoot). There was a photo of him (and Mrs. Angela?) hanging on the wall but I wasn't able to take a photo. While we were having dinner inside, there was a debut party at the garden. Noice.

Before heading home, we bought Vigan longganiza, bagnet, chicacorn, and royal bibingka from Peros Delicacies, Brgy. Camestizoan, St. Domingo, also in Ilocos Sur. Then we passed by Marsha's Delicacies for more royal bibingka. Hehe.

The whole 3-day Ilocos trip felt like a week-long trip, with all the places we visited. Now that I've posted all the Ilocos pics, I can move on with my life. haha. 'Can't wait for the next trip! :)

Discovering Ilocos - Paoay Church

2010-05-12T01:53:00.003+08:00

Day 3- our last day in Ilocos.

We were scheduled to leave Polaris resort in the morning.

A few more shots before leaving Pagudpud:

Somebody was selling summer hats -

Then we went to Paoay Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, also known as the St. Augustine Church in Paoay. It reminded me of the old churches we visited in Iloilo years ago (one of which I fondly called "Hogwarts").

Discovering Ilocos - Day 2, Pagudpud

2010-05-11T16:42:00.004+08:00

Right before dinner, we went swimming at Pagudpud beach. It was a bit rocky though, but the water was cool and lumot-free. Hehe.

I had fun shooting photos of random people having fun at the beach. I miss our La Union beach days with the family.

um, okay, not a very flattering photo of me.

my favorite photos in this set:

Discovering Ilocos - Day 2

2010-05-10T13:46:00.003+08:00

Down time was spent eating :D

After lunch, we decided to explore the stalls lined outside the resort. Of course our trip wouldn't be complete without Ilocos Empanada. I remember trying it in Vigan many years ago, but I couldn't quite remember how it was. Hehe. We had the Laoag kind. Apparently, there are two kinds of Ilocos Empanada. It was really good and filling. It can substitute an entire meal. I just tried to ignore the amount of oil dripping from the empanada. Hehe.

The finished product:

We also bought halo-halo from this stall:

People:

Discovering Ilocos - more on Day 2

2010-05-10T08:32:00.006+08:00

Still on the second day.

After Kabigan Falls, we went to Bantay Abot (which means "mountain with the hole" says the intarwebz).

Then we had lunch near the beach at Maira-ira. We went swimming right before lunch (yes, at 12 nn. It's a miracle that I maintained my color. Thank you sunblock with SPF 70). The current was a bit strong, so we didn't stay too long. I would prefer to swim there than in the lumot-infested and crowded Boracay though.

We passed by the Patapat Viaduct:

where we had the mandatory jump shot:

and Agua Grande:

We saw an old, abandoned ship on our way back to the resort:

More photos to follow. I'm on my way to the precinct to vote. Hehe. I look forward to the day when I'll have zero photo backlog. :P

Discovering Ilocos - Day 2

2010-05-04T21:40:00.003+08:00

I intended to upload all the Ilocos pics before April ends, but obviously, that didn't happen. Hehe. 'Been busy with birthday week (naks :P) and with the the past shoots lately.

Anyway, off to Day 2 of the Ilocos adventure :D

Saturday, we went to Kabigan falls. It was my first time ever to swim in a natural body of water other than the beach. Hehe. It took us 20 minutes to get to the falls. The view was amazing. I wasn't planning on taking a dip, but the water was too inviting. :D

The trek:

The falls:

People:

reminds me of the "nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura?" ad. :P

Our crazy Travel Factor tour guides: Haha

Discovering Ilocos - Bangui Windmills

2010-04-28T20:20:00.001+08:00

No, this is not a Bongbong Marcos political campaign ad :P

After Kapurpurawan Rock, we went to the popular Bangui Windmills in time for the sunset. It took us more than an hour (by bus) to get to the windmills. I was so exhausted from the long walk that I was sound asleep during the entire trip.

We took photos around the beach, 'waited for the sun to set.

I took pictures of people I don't know. Hehe. I wish I was with my family. Or with a bigger group of friends.

the local delicacies. hehe :P

Post-birthday post

2010-04-28T18:51:00.005+08:00

ThAnKZ sA laHAT~ ng BUmt NunG BRThDay q lOlz!~ I~ Luv u Ol~ LOLz! MWh lolZ! jEJEJe

no, yesterday was not jejemon appreciation day, but it was my twenty-nth birthday :D

I think I've reached that point in my life where I'm not looking forward to birthdays anymore. I realized, though, that there's no point not celebrating it, so I might as well welcome it and let my friends/family join in on the fun.

Sunday was spent with the PINC girls. Sheila cooked pasta for the group (thanks shei! :D) and I brought Yellow Cab's Dear Darla pizza:

They gave me flip flops :D

Monday night, we had dinner at Cyma Trinoma with my college friends/"harkadah". Thanks for the gifts! Thank you, Jonel, for singing a birthday song in Korean. Haha

Yesterday afternoon, we had paella lunch at the office.

They gave me a pair of Havaianas. Second pair of flip flops I received for my birthday. Hehe

And yesterday night, we ate at Shabu Shabu at the Podium with my mom, dad, nieces, and cousin, Kris.

Kris bought me Golden Spoon. Thanks Kris! Alavet :D

It's been a food fest, obviously. And it's not over yet because tomorrow, we're eating out with my law school blockmates.

Growing old is a bit scary to be honest. There's more pressure, more responsibility, more expectations from yourself and from others. But as stated in the Bible (as this was in my sharing last Tuesday on "worry"): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

With that, I look forward to another year of triumphs and troubles (which will all be documented because I'll be posting them on this blog. Haha)

Thanks again to everyone who greeted, took the time to buy me gifts, etc. Hehe. Sa uulitin :D

Discovering Ilocos - Kapurpurawan Rock

2010-04-25T21:43:00.003+08:00

After touring the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, we proceeded to Kapurpurawan Rock, which is a 30 minute drive away.

In Ilocano, "puraw" means white, so Kapurpurawan Rock is translated as "White Rock". Again, we had to ride a trike, this time, across a 3k dusty, bumpy road. Then we had to trek 30 minutes across dried corals to get to the rock. (And that put my Havaianas tsinelas to the test. It's still in tact :D) The trike ride and trek were so worth it. Kapurpurawan Rock is breathtaking. It was more beautiful than the landscapes we've seen in Taiwan (although we weren't able to go to The Queen's Head Rock then, so I couldn't compare that :P).

They say the telenovela series, Panday, was shot here. So that's why there's a photo of Jericho Rosales and Heart Evangelista (with the rock as background)in MCANV Fast Food.

Times like these, I just marvel at God's creation. Who else can create such a masterpiece? :) And again, why haven't I heard of this place before?? Hehe

Discovering Ilocos - Cape Bojeador Light House, Burgos, Ilocos Norte

2010-04-24T21:00:00.002+08:00

For our next stop, we went to the Cape Bojeador Light House. It was built in 1890, and is still operational. To get there, the bus had to stop somewhere, and we needed to get on a trike/tricycle to get atop a hill where the actual lighthouse is located. (Haha useless info. I can't be a travel blogger either :)) ) Although there wasn't much to see up there (except for the structure itself), I loved it. I'm glad they were able to preserve the 1800s feel. It's such a good place for a photo op. I can imagine bringing couples there for prenups. How come I never heard of it before?? :P

More pics:

hallooo

There was a small "museum" that only had a diorama of the light house. Hehe.

We bought Magnolia ice cream from a peddler on our way down. 'Reminds me of the summers I spent as a child. :D

Discovering Ilocos

2010-04-18T23:32:00.002+08:00

Not wanting to waste a good long weekend, Riza, my friend from church, and I decided to join the Travel Factor Photoholic Ilocos tour last April 9-11. We registered as early as January since the slots get filled fast. I've always wanted to go to Ilocos. I have been to Vigan before, but I haven't been to Pagudpud; I haven't seen the Bangui windmills, nor have I been to the Marcos museum. So it's a good thing that Ilocos is on Travel Factor's trip list.

Travel Factor is a group that organizes different trips, from photo to surfing trips to mountain climbing activities around the country and abroad. Occasionally, they conduct photography workshops. I highly recommend the group especially for those who are too busy to make their own travel itineraries, since the packages they offer are inclusive of everything except pasalubongs. All you need to do is drive yourself to the departure area; you don't have to worry about anything else from there. Of course, the trip wasn't perfect, and there are a few bugs that need to be fixed in the way the group handled the tour. But in all, I was satisfied with the trip.

The meeting place was McDo El Pueblo at 8:30 pm. According to the primer, the bus would leave at 10 pm, so I thought I still have a lot of time to kill even if I got there at 9:30. But when I got there, I realized that there were only less than 10 people who haven't arrived, and most of them (around 30+) are already in the bus. We left before 10 pm, as soon as everyone arrived.

The plan was to sleep the entire trip to Ilocos (which took almost 8 hours), but I found it hard to do so because of the bumpy ride. :P

First stop was at St. Augustine Church of Bantay and the bell tower in Ilocos Sur

cool graffiti on the floor:

We were supposed to have a picnic breakfast of longganiza at the area, but since the organizers couldn't find the supplier, we just had ensaymada and C2 in the bus. Boo.

Then we had lunch at MACNV. Food wasn't fantastic, but the seaweed (is it seaweed? I'm not sure) + pinakbet dishes are very Ilocano, so in entirety, the meal was ok. Hehe. And the serving was more than enough. :)

Next stop, Lighthouse in Burgos

How I spent Holy Week - Part 3

2010-04-17T08:57:00.003+08:00

Black Saturday was "Harkadah (or 1/4 of it) goes to Pampanga" Day.

Since my college barkada, Penny and Weki and I had nothing better to do that day, we decided to go on a road trip to Pampanga (the best place for gastronomic adventure, they say) and try out as much restos as we can. We only ended up eating at the famous mexican restaurant, Iguana's (then Zapata's) and the frozen yogurt place, Cold Spoon.

Weki came armed with a map, and she became the official navigator for the day. Panalo agad sa Amazing Race. Hehe. There was no traffic going to Pampanga that day, since most travelers probably left for the provinces as early as Wednesday. We arrived at Iguana's at a little past 11 am.

They served us bean soup. I'm not sure if it was complimentary or if it came with the main dishes we ordered.

Potatoes + ground beef + cheese. Ok, I forgot what this appetizer is called. I suck as a food blogger. Hehe

For the main course, we decided to order 3 kinds of dishes - beef enchilada, chicken burrito and two soft tacos. We thought the chicken burrito was best. The tacos were a bit dry, but still good, nonetheless.

soft tacos:

Then we went crazy with the camera and had a mini photo op in Clark. Hehe

For dessert, we went to Cold Spoon Yogurt in some igloo along Fil-Am Highway (go past all the Korean establishments). It was isolated; there were no other restos surrounding the area.

Our orders:

It was okay, but not as sour as I wanted (or how yogurt should be). For me, White Hat yogurt is still the best. But I love the yogurt choices at Golden Spoon (in Shang). There's also a wider variety of toppings at Golden Spoon and Red Mango.

Before going home, we proceeded to Susie's (near Nepo market) to buy pasalubong. I got a box of cassava cake.

We also passed by the Nike/Adidas outlet stores at the Petron gas station at NLEX. It was so crowded, you'd think there was a party ober der.

How I spent Holy Week - Part 2

2010-04-17T07:55:00.003+08:00

Meat and Greet Thursday

I've noticed that every year, more people prefer to stay in the Metro during the Holy Week. With the heavy traffic and crowded vacation places, I sometimes feel that spending Holy Week out of town is not worth the hassle anymore. (Or I'm just bitter because I wasn't able to arrange a trip this year. Haha. Anyway, we went to Ilocos the long weekend after Holy Week, so it's all good) For the Lomonorth peeps, that's when we celebrate our anniversary (the anniversary of our, er, friendship?). Lomonorth is an informal group formed by some Lomomanila members ("Lomonorth" because most of us live in the northern part of the Metro :P). We spent the anniv/grill/"wasakan" (and also the Christmas parties) at Bam's place on a Maundy Thursday. Last year, it was All Good Friday.

monching and jonas

salmon :D

chino, cheekee, kha and ron

doc dennis and doc bam

ruby and kit kat

FG (lomo ba yan ser?)

oops blurred. fifi, chef bam, FG, ruby, kit kat and chef shoty

doc dennis, emer and kit kat

jonas, zel, mon and kha

oh, and RIP tash the dog :(

ilocos bound

2010-04-08T21:24:00.002+08:00

I'm leaving in a bit for the Ilocos Photoholic tour organized by Travel Factor. And I realize short updates like this are better posted in plurk. hehe

How I spent Holy Week - Part 1

2010-04-07T23:13:00.005+08:00

Prenup/E-session on April Fools' Day - JD and Vanessa

I only have one shoot for the month of April, and it's for a wedding on April 17. That is, until Noel posted a prenup/e-session shoot on April 1 (with a 50's or 70's theme!). I immediately grabbed the opportunity and signed up for it. Honestly, I enjoy shooting prenups more than weddings, since they give more room for creative freedom. I love the laid-back atmosphere. We usually spend a lot less time shooting preups than weddings. I also love the challenge of coming up with interesting shots in obscure/unlikely places.

It took us an entire day to shoot this prenup. We went around Manila - the CCP, baywalk areas. (It was nice shooting at Baywalk on a holiday. Not much people around. And no guards/security people to pester us, unlike in the CCP area :P). We shot the couple with the borrowed Combi van and Vespa. Then we proceeded to the Filling Station in Makati. The couple had to pay extra for the place, but I think it was worth it. I highly recommend the place for a 50's/60's/70's-themed prenup.

paparazzi shot

star sighting: epi quizon! haha. actually, that's our batch 5 apprentice, dennis :)

this couple generally prefers the angas pose ;-)

Taipei - 101 - Day 3, Ximending, Taipei at night

2010-04-03T07:13:00.004+08:00

Last installment of photos from the Taipei trip:

More photos from Ximending Shopping District:

"spelendid" daw

before, i posted a cat-themed resto. there's also a dog-themed one:

we all love S&K

After Ximending, we went back to the Taipei 101 area and the New York mall a few blocks away:

We deposited our bags at the hotel then went to Zhou Pang Zi Dumpling Restaurant for dinner. I found the recommendation on the net. We had to ask the Holiday Inn personnel to write down the address in the local language for the taxi driver, because obviously, you won't get there if you don't know Mandarin:

We had beef soup and dumplings for dinner. The beef wasn't as tender as I expected. The soup was good though, also the dumplings. My mom though the soup was too spicy.

boo

at the airport:

ano daw??

Taipei - 101 - Day 3, Ximending Shopping District

2010-04-02T17:47:00.004+08:00

I wanted to post all the Taipei pics before the month of April rolls in, but I got distracted by the court uniforms. Hehe.

On our last day in Taipei, my mom and I decided to find a breakfast place near the hotel. We didn't know which food stalls are open for breakfast, so we consulted the bellboy at the lobby. He was kind enough to walk us to the nearest food place. Kudos to the Holiday Inn personnel for being so accommodating. I highly recommend Holiday Inn for the great service. (Thanks for the suggestion Mia) :) (The hotel's quite far from the city though, so we always have to pay extra whenever we rode a taxi from there to the city)

I don't understand the menu :((

browsing a local fashion magazine while waiting for the food...

we enjoyed our sandwich/roti and dumplings breakfast

I had a feeling my mom wasn't enjoying the shopping places we've been to so far, so I took her to the Ximending shopping district. I got the recommendation from Eazytraveler (thanks Eazy!). I read on the net that it's the "Harajuku" of Taipei, a "mecca for youth culture". They mostly sell clothes, branded or otherwise. There are also a lot of quaint restos in the area. Although my mom didn't buy much, she enjoyed window-shopping. I was able to buy some items for myself (including a nice MJ-ish jacket from Samuel & Kevin). After two hours of window-shopping, I felt exhausted from all the walking, but my mom still had the strength to explore the place. Hehe. I don't know where she gets all the energy to window shop.

pwintet! hehe

this one reminds me of the team manila logo. hmmmm...

Then we had a late lunch at a Japanese resto, Watami:

Making each day count

2010-04-02T10:11:00.004+08:00

Recently, I joined the Tumblr bandwagon (I know, I'm late :P) and made myself an account.

I may not be able to update this blog as often, but I'm planning to post daily on that blog. I decided to create that blog because last Sunday's message reminded me that life is short, indeed. I also realized that it's my birth month and I'm not getting any younger. I want to make the most out of every single day; I don't want to look back at my life 20 years from now and wonder where all the time went.

It also serves as a reminder of my daily blessings. While I do write my praise items in my Starbucks planner, I feel more compelled to write them down daily when I know someone else is reading them (because I have fans like that. Hehe). Puwede na rin siyang Project 365 :D

I hope that blog would inspire others to count their blessings and live life to the fullest *naks* :D

The price we have to pay for working in the government

2010-04-01T07:01:00.004+08:00

I hope this was an April Fools' Day joke, but it's not.

Apparently, the higher ups think we're too pretty that they find it necessary to uglify us by forcing us to wear these hideous uniforms:

This is the school principal look:

One of the uniforms, a gray blouse-pants pair, was pulled out because a lot of people petitioned against it. Little did they know, it's going to be replaced with something worse. Noynoy, much?

It reminds me of our uniform back in Maryknoll (now Miriam) Child Study Center (yes, with pleats and belt too):

i look like i'm about to cry in this pic

This one is just...well, ugly like the rest:

And this is the best design everrrr:

Last year, we shot an event in a house in Magallanes. Guess what the yayas were wearing:

I can't wear mine because my dog pissed on them. Harhar.

Taipei - 101 - Day 2, Shilin Night Market

2010-03-29T23:58:00.006+08:00

Taipei is famous for its night markets. The biggest one (according to my sources :P) is the Shilin Night Market. To get there, we took the MRT red line and got off at the Jiantan station.

The night market is actually a long line of market stalls propped along the sidewalks. There are shops for clothes, bags, accessories, and of course, food stalls. There are game booths too for the kids (much like your local perya). In my opinion, it's not a good place to shop for clothes, etc. They sell better items in Greenhills/Divisoria/168, and at cheaper rates, too. But it's the best place to go for street food:

even with all the street food choices, my mom chose to have one of these for dinner. haha:

huge takoyaki balls:

my dinner:

haha wala lang:

look jonel, funky funkyhan store :))

on our way back to the hotel:

Congrats to the new lawyers!! :D

2010-03-28T22:08:00.002+08:00

This is two days late, and I know none of my new lawyer friends read this anyway, but congratulations to the successful examinees of the 2009 bar exam!

And this marks my second year of being a lawyer. Gosh I'm old! Haha

Results here.

When Patti met Neil Gaiman

2010-03-28T16:58:00.003+08:00

When I was 14, I was overly obsessed with Jakob Dylan, son of the late Bob Dylan and singer of the then popular band, the Wallflowers. I bought the band's album, waited patiently for their music video to come out on MTV (no youtube yet at that time :P), changed my entire desktop theme to the Wallflowers (to which my sister got pissed since the operating system took so much longer to load. Haha). I almost cried when our maid used the Rolling Stones cover with his face on it as a placement. It was terrible.

Yes, I know exactly how it feels like to be a tweener and idolizing/crushing on/obsessing over some celebrity. So when my niece asked whether I was going to meet and greet Neil Gaiman when he visits the Philippines for the 3rd (?) time, I knew it was something important to her. I didn't bother to attend the book signing this year because I already did a few years back, when he first came to the Philippines. So I thought I should just give her the opportunity to see him and have her favorite books signed by him.

A day before the book signing, I went to Fully Booked Greenbelt and asked the salespeople if they're still selling tickets. They told me tickets were sold out, until they asked one of the higher ups, who told me there are remaining tickets after all. The person at the cashier informed me that they're not actually selling anymore, but they made an exception. :)

I didn't realize Neil Gaiman would be signing books at the lobby, where he's in full view of everyone. Had I known, I would've brought my DSLR with long lens. Instead, I was forced to use the old Canon point and shoot with 3.2 mp.

The place was filled mostly with high school kids and college students. Patti saw even saw some batchmates from school. I didn't see a single acquaintance/friend. (Am I just getting old or what?) Patti said it's good to know that a lot of kids her age are reading Neil G., as opposed to the Twilight series. Hehe.

As before, people were giving Neil G. packs of Chocnut and local juice drinks. Hehe.

Finally, after more than 4 hours of waiting, Patti meets Neil G., who signed the books Sandman Book 1 and M is for Magic :D She didn't want to hug him, so she just shook his hand. Hehe

Taipei - 101 - Day 2, Jioufen Old Street

2010-03-26T00:08:00.004+08:00

Jioufen Old Street is situated on a hill, a 30-minute drive away from the Northeast Coast (where the rock formations are). To get there, we rode the car uphill, passing through crooked streets which reminded me of Baguio (and made me a bit dizzy for a short while). The street is lined with a LOT of food stalls, trinket shops and souvenir shops. I didn't expect to find such a wide variety of street food (and there's an entirely different set of street food at the Shilin Night Market, which I'll blog about in my next Taipei entry). They have different kinds of dumplings, tea drinks, packed dried fruits, nuts, sweets, etc. I was apprehensive about buying since most of the labels are in Mandarin, and I doubt if the people manning the stores can translate them to English. Most of the time, they have a hard time describing the food they're selling.

doggie! :)

Again, my mom would have opted to stay in the car, but she had no choice but to walk with us since the shuttle's going to pick us up at the other end of the street. Hehe. Note to self: Never bring the mom to crowded places that require at least 30 minutes of walking. Rules change though when you're in a shopping destination.

Taken at the oldest house in the area:

A cat-themed cafe/resto:

An old, textured door:

More street shots:

this was an old movie house

Contrary to my initial impression, the Japanese mom and daughter turned out to be really nice. I always thought Japanese are quite aloof and cold, but they're not. They offered to carry my mom's things and assisted her whenever she showed signs of distress. The tweener daughter even spoke to her with her limited English ("Are you okay?" and "I don't speak English." to which my mom replied, "But you just spoke in English!" Haha. The girl had a good laugh afterwards.).

The Columbian guys were friendly as well, and they were asking us recommendations on the best tourist spots in the Philippines. They told me that they work in Hong Kong and spend their weekends (without taking any leaves) touring around Asia. They only stayed in Taiwan for two nights, and left for the airport immediately after the tour. That seems like a sound plan (of traveling only on weekends), but I doubt if two days for exploring a city is enough.

Taipei - 101 - Day 2, Northeast Coast

2010-03-24T00:10:00.003+08:00

I booked us another tour in the afternoon through Have Fun Travel Service for the Jioufen and Northeast Coast Tour, which cost us NT$1,100 per head (or around PhP1577). It includes an airconditioned van and an English speaking tour guide. We toured around the Nanya Rock Formations and Jioufen Old Street.

Thank God for the good weather. I was worried it might rain again, but I guess God heard my prayer for good weather so it was warm and sunny the whole day. :)

The tour group had an interesting mix - a Japanese mother and daughter, a pair of Columbian guy friends, and well, a Filipino mother and daughter pair. I think I'm old enough to be the Japanese kid's mom though. Hehe. They were all friendly, even if the Japanese aren't very conversant in English. It's nice that opportunities like this draw people of different nationalities together.

woohoo! day off! hehe

someone's little dog is making kaskas his butt on the pavement. nyahaha. i realized that taiwanese love pets/animals. there's an animal clinic in every street, and people take their pets everywhere they go.

our new found japanese friend playing with the dog

cute!

somebody's sketching the seascape

our tour group, minus me and my mom (who's inside the van, resting. hehe)

Lianner and the giant ice cream cone (and two Japanese nationals in the background)

the one that looks like a frog...

...and a lizard

Next: Jioufen Old Street

Taipei - 101 - Day 2

2010-03-22T22:07:00.005+08:00

We didn't know how to get around Taipei, so thank God for the internet. I did my homework early on and researched on the best places to go to in Taipei, but I forgot that I'll be with my mom whose only concern is finding the best bargain-shopping district in every country. Some pinoys we met during the first day mentioned Sogo mall, so we decided to check it out. After much googling, I found out we can get there by taking the free hotel shuttle to the MRT station and getting off at the Zhongxiao Fuxin (which i can't pronounce properly) station. My mom protested at first and insisted that we take a taxi, but I convinced her we won't get lost if we ride the MRT.

One thing I like about traveling abroad is getting to take photos at the MRT stations freely without fear of getting reprimanded by the guard. I still don't get why people can't shoot at the local MRT stations. It would be a great venue for a prenup ;)

We thought the mall opened early, but like all other establishments, it opened at 11 am. 'Took more photos will waiting.

It's not very clear from here, but that's Hermione modeling for Coach. Hehe

I was taking a photo of my mom when I got distracted by this cute kid in boots. Haha

The weather wasn't as cold as the first day. In fact, it was hot (not humid though, which is a good thing). But everyone else was still in jacket and boots.

Fasyon fasyunan in fancy shoes even if they're driving a motorbike (?) :P

Taking photos while crossing the street. Wag tularan, nakamamatay. :P

We weren't able to buy anything anyway since the shops are too high end for our taste. (If I were Jinky Pacquiao, I'd probably get 10 bags from Hermes. But I'm not. Hehe) We just explored the other shops around the area. Thinking there's an H&M store in Taipei 101, we took a cab to get there. To my disappointment, I learned that there's no H&M in the entire city :( We ended up shopping at Giordano/Hang Ten, the best and most practical shops selling basic wear. 'Got myself two pairs of jeans/leggings (jeggings? leggeans? :P) There were two other groups of Pinoys doing their shopping in the same store. Hehe. We just never get tired of Giordano. That was the second (and last time) I saw Pinoys going around the city.

Taipei - 101

2010-03-17T00:36:00.006+08:00

From the few countries i've been to over the past 18 years, Taiwan's probably the best place to go to for a food trip, maybe even better than Singapore. Taiwan's ideal for those who want variety in their meals and who have no qualms about eating unfamiliar food (especially since there is no english translation on the menu :P).It's also a good place for a photo op. There are a lot of cultural, historical places to go to. If you have the budget for transportation, you can go to the other places surrounding Taipei, such as the northeast coast (which we toured on our second day), the Sun Moon Lake, Yeliou Scenery, the Queen's Head Rock (all of which we never got to see), etc.

Also, it is possible to go around Taiwan on a budget, since food comes cheap and public transport is very accessible. You can actually live on street food through your entire stay. I also noticed that cebupac tickets to taiwan cost a lot less than the other countries pinoy frequent (Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, etc.) Although, when you're traveling with your parents (unless your parents are not as high maintenance as mine :P), Ii don't think you can actually stick to a small budget, especially when one tends to order too much food and the other is diabetic with hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure and weak knee joints who doesn't want to walk and would rather take the cab aaaall the time.

Day 1

We checked in at Holiday Inn, East Taipei at past 1 in the morning last Saturday. Since we didn't have dinner the night before (due to unforeseen circumstances), we went down to the 711 store right beside the hotel. My mom and i ordered soup, shabu shabu style. My dad, as always, ordered so much food for himself. Hehe.

holiday inn hotel lobby

My parents knew nothing about Taiwan (although my dad insists that he's familiar with the place since he's been there thrice, the last one was 11 years ago), so i was in charge of preparing the itinerary. First stop was Taipei 101 which, unfortunately, opened late at 11 am. We got there an hour early. We were supposed to go to the observatory deck, but it would cost us $NT400. Plus, my moms afraid of heights (nyark). So we decided to wait until the mall opens. There we met a group of pinoys also on tour.

cheese!

inside the sushal part of the mall

We ended up having lunch at the Taipei 101 food court at basement 1, which offers a variety of asian dishes. My dad ordered malaysian food while i got chinese food. My dad ordered too much again. I cringe at the oversupply of food and bottled water throughout the entire trip. If it were all up to me, i'd carry around the free bottled water at the hotel. My parents, however, find it necessary to order water at every place we go to.

xiao long bao FTW :D

Since we don't know where to go around, I booked us on a city tour in the afternoon. It was raining though, so I wasn't able to take much photos :( My mom stayed in the van most of the time because she was too tired to walk around. Haha. We went to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, passed by the Presidential Office Building, and went to the National Palace Museum which housed treasures (mostly porcelain and precious stones) from centuries ago. Too bad we weren't allowed to take pics at the museum.

chinese abe lincoln. hehe

boo rain!!

my dad with our tour guide who reminds of Senor Chang from Community. I had to stop myself from smirking every time I looked at him :))

at a Taoist temple

In the evening, we had dinner at some resto around the hotel, the name of which we couldn't read. We survived mostly by pointing at the pictures of food on the menu.

funny guy on poster :P

We went back to the hotel early because my mom wants to sleep and my dad had to go back to Manila on the same evening for the Manny Pacquiao fight. I wanted to stroll around the night markets, but I spent the night in the hotel room, surfing the internet (which got a bit wonky) and watching the Golden Compass for the nth time on HBO. Then we made up for lost sleep.

a funny thing happened on our way to taiwan

2010-03-15T09:16:00.002+08:00

ok, so it wasn't exactly funny. it was more of stressful and frustrating.

only a few hours before our flight to taiwan, i was at the office, preparing to pack my things. my dad suddenly called and asked about our visa. thinking that our US visa was sufficient, i told him everything was fine. but then he talked to our travel agent and found out that we needed to enroll our visas online and print out an approval form to present the immigration officers in taiwan. so just before i left the office, i printed the forms.

when we got to the airport (naia 3 for cebu pacific), i was told that i printed the wrong form. but they told me not to worry, and assured me that i can access the taiwan website using their computer and have the forms printed there. so they booted the pc, but the system took forever to load. 30 minutes later, the browser opened. i typed in all the details, but the computer stopped responding. i asked the cebupac people if there was any other computer i could use, but they told me that was the only pc that has internet access (riiight). so they restarted the pc, thinking it would help, but to our dismay, it didn't. more minutes later, in an attempt to explain the inefficiency of their pc (and their services), the cebupac employees told me that they don't actually use the pc for internet anymore (so maybe they don't find the need to upgrade it?). getting really frustrated at this point, i told them that they should've informed me about it before i wasted more than 40 minutes of my time. all they could say was "sorry" without offering any alternative solution to the problem. getting desperate, and given the fact that the flight was in less than two hours, i told them i'll just look for a nearby internet shop. being the helpful people that they are, the cebupac people told me, "Sige Ma'am, mas ok nga yun." we found another passenger who made the same mistake of printing out the wrong forms, so we rode with her (thank God she had a car) to the closest internet shop we could find.

after we printed the forms, we immediately went back to the airport. at this time, my head was already throbbing due to migraine. (darn stress) just when we thought everything was ok, the guy at the check-in counter pointed out that i typed in the wrong passport number for my dad. so we tried to talk to the cebupac people again, asking them if they can do something. sensing that there was nothing they can do to help, i told my dad i'll go back to the same internet shop we went to earlier and have his form printed again. good thing our driver wasn't too far off, so he came back for me. when i got out of the airport, it started to rain. i was on the verge of crying as i got in the car. just when we got past resorts world, my dad called me and told me to go back to the airport. 'turned out he had a lengthy talk with the cebupac employees, asked them if they could do something about the situation, and stressed the need for good service. the cebupac people were a lot nicer afterwards. i found out later on that that there was another pc that had a working internet connection after all, and if they wanted to, and if they put their customers' welfare as their top priority, they could've spared us the hassle of looking for an internet shop and just printed the approval forms themselves. argh. they didn't really expect us to believe there's only one pc with an internet connection (with the speed of a dial-up connection) in the entire airport. i know cebu pacific hasn't been known for its good service so i never expected much from the airline, but that was, by far, the worst experience i've had with it.

anyhoot, i'm still in taiwan on our last day. despite the hassle, our trip went smoothly. blog posts to follow. :)

Lomomanila Happy Eaters Club meets Our Awesome Planet

2010-03-11T00:23:00.006+08:00

Last week, my highlight for the week was meeting Amor Powers:

(ok ampanget ko dito but who cares?? I'm with the Amor Powers :P)

My highlight for this week is appearing in Our Awesome Planet! :) Not that it's much more exciting than actually meeting Anton Diaz, the man behind the blog, but it's just nice to see your name appear in one of your reliable travel/resto resources.

Mr. Our Awesome Planet himself :)

It's been a while since our last Lomo event/Happy Eaters' meet. The last one was the Team Shoty Reunion at Charlie's. (Or was it the one hour Tagaytay trip?) Mon posted an invite in plurk for a night out with the Happy Eaters and Anton. The plan was to attend the launch of and have dinner at Chocolate Fire and to try out the new go karting place in Makati after. Neither of the plans pushed through. We learned at the last minute that Chocolate Fire is still closed due to some problems with the permit, and that the go kart place hasn't opened yet as well. We stayed at Starbucks Salcedo village for a bit, trying to come up with an alternative plan. We ended up having dinner at the Bowler's Hat, also in Salcedo village.

Anton arrived with his wife Rache and son, Joshua. As a person who can be considered an "authority" in the blogging world, I was expecting to meet someone overbearing who would, most likely, dominate the conversation. But Anton's the exact opposite. He was very accommodating, and he was more interested in what we had to say. He told us that he's always on the lookout for new things, for new places to go to. The cooler part is, he gets to take his entire family with him on his ventures. On their last trip, they all went to Danao, Bohol, which he excitingly recommended to us. When I grow up, I want to do exactly what he's doing. Hehe.

I was delighted that people actually brought their cameras. I was beginning to think we weren't a photogroup anymore. (we're a.. umm.. Community? :P)

the cute and bibo joshua :)

mon and his sparkly pinky painted by sabine, his daughter. riiiiight.

ruby playing with joshua's diego

public servants. haha

This is what I ordered, the Bowler's fish fillet:

But Bam's order looked more appetizing:

And I'm going to leave the food reviews to the expert, so go click this link. It sucks though that I wasn't in the group shot because I was in the restroom when it was taken. Boo. Haha

Taking a cue from Anton, I'm going to blog more often, even about the most mundane things. And I can't wait for our Chocolate Fire/Go karting either :)

miss you like crazy

2010-03-07T10:14:00.003+08:00

i told my friend yesterday that if you don't have even the slightest crush on john lloyd, DON'T watch the movie (my friend's a guy btw, so i used the term "crush" loosely. could mean "idol". hehe). suffice it to say, he's the only redeeming factor in the film. and i know someone (who's taking part in the promotion) is going to kill me when she reads this. haha.

there are a hundred things wrong with the movie, but i'm going to start with the most painful part - bea's acting skills, or lack thereof. i admit that i know next to nothing about acting, but i don't catch myself cringing as much when watching other local actresses perform. thus, something's terribly wrong with bea's acting. maricar reyes was in the movie as well, but i didn't find her annoying despite her relatively raw experience in show biz. in fact, i found her acting convincing (i guess the role of a conyotic career girl wouldn't be so hard to portray on her part :P) bea, on the other hand, was just so unnatural and well, big. hehe. ok, that was mean. but she could really use the help of ten thousand acting workshops. i'm sorry, but her portrayal of a jologish, laid-back, carefree girl is so darn fake. that kind of acting should be left to asunta de rossi. or marian rivera for that matter.

but apart from bea's acting skills, i found the storyline disturbing. aside from the fact that the plot left so many questions unanswered (like, why is mia acting all bipolar at the start of the film? why did alan not meet up with mia as planned when he already broke up with daphne [played by maricar]? at the end of the movie, how did mia break inside alan's house without alan noticing?? cwazyyy), and there were a lot of unrealistic circumstances (which are to be expected in any pinoy film anyway), it might send out the wrong message on what love really means to pinoy moviegoers. for one, bea and john lloyd had a prolonged make out/implied sex scene at the start of the movie. i didn't know we can be so westernized in portraying sex in the movies. to think that the main characters only spent two whole days with each other right before they did it. i don't mean to sound self-righteous, but really. to imply that it's ok to have sex to a complete stranger after two days of hanging out with him/her? i think we can do better than that. the movie also romanticizes the thought of finding one's "soulmate". it presupposes that we are all destined to be with a particular person for the rest of our lives. so yes, it's entirely justifiable to leave your so-so long-term relationship when you finally meet "the one", holding on to the belief that you're fated to be with him/her. news flash, loving someone is a choice. being in a relationship and staying in love do require a lot of work. you can't enter a relationship for the sole reason that you think you're fated to be with the other. it doesn't take only a day or two to know you found the one. that's just complete bs.

and what's up with the stones??

so you can just imagine the conversations going on while we were in the moviehouse:

me: bakit lagi siyang (referring to mia) may bato? eh di ang bigat ng bag niya niyan?
jonel: bakit, wala kang dalang bato? lahat kaya kami may mga bato sa bag.

didi caught me fixing my stuff, and goes: "o lianne, magwawalk out ka na? wag mo kami iwan dito."

it's a good thing none of the bea/john lloyd fans within earshot were offended with our comments. or they probably conceded to the utter despicability of the film.

but okay fine, i'm going to stop b*tching and just focus on the movie's good points:

1. yaaaayyyy john lloyd!!!!! *insert screaming fan girl here*
2. mia's malaysian bf made me go "awwwww...."
3. for that, i'm putting malaysia on my travel list :D
4. minimal shameless plugging. *clap clap* they only showed the greenwich logo for around 8 seconds.
5. maricar reyes. pweety.
6. ina feleo's pretty too. and she plays mia's good friend named "lianne". harharhar

February weddings :)

2010-03-03T23:50:00.003+08:00

I attended three beautiful weddings in february, two of which fell on the same day.

Anne and Allen

Their wedding was set on February 14, 2010 - same day as Valentine's and Chinese New Year.

I first met Anne 4 years ago, when I joined my current growth group in church, PINC. She was one of the quiet girls in the group (the other quiet girl being Riza, but she disproved that months later. :)) ). She left for the US more than two years ago, when her family decided to migrate there. We weren't actually close back then. When Anne told me they were planning to get Imagine Nation to cover their wedding, we mostly communicated through e-mail.

A few weeks before their wedding, we gave them a freenup:

Then we covered their beautiful Chinese New Year/Valentine themed wedding :)

Event styling by Teddy Manuel. Gorgeous :D

Of course, we had a lot of pics taken with the PINC girls. jamie lihan (our main photographer) lent me a fisheye to take photos of the venue. but it also came handy for our group pics :))

It's strange that I learned more about Anne and Allen during their prenup/wedding than during those four years we've been friends. I didn't know that Anne loooves photoshoots (hehe); or that Allen is actually a multi-talented musician. I've proven that the best way to get to know someone intimately is to shoot his/her big event. I miss these guys already. I hate it when I get separation anxiety after shooting great couples. Hehe.

joy + mitch

Joy and I were classmates in second year high school, but we only became close sometime in college, during the debut season. She and another good friend from college, Jonel, sang at my debut. Hehe. (And can I just say, that was 10 years ago. Cwap) Mostly, I would remember Joy for the countless nights we spent on the phone during our NBSB (that's no boyfriend since birth :P) stage, wondering why we couldn't get into a decent relationship. Haha. I'm so happy that Joy finally got her happy ending.

ang mowdel host! haha

Drama moment. I almost cried when Joy walked down the aisle.

And yes, they also got our studio to cover their wedding. That should explain why I have a lot of photos there.

jade and justin

(side note: i had to rush from annapolis to the mango farm in antipolo to get to jade and justin's wedding.. hehe. of course i missed most of it, but at least i was able to watch the couple's dance number! and good thing none of the mongies left yet :P)

Jade surprised us late last year with the news that she's getting married to Justin. I was supposed to be the bridesmaid for this wedding, but Joy already got me as her bridesmaid months before. Jade and I go waaay back. And just to prove how far back that was, our common interest then was collecting stickers. Haha. We used to trade lisa frank and sanrio stickers. Cute :P We also sent each other e-mail postcards (I distinctly remember sending her one with a Taz-manian devil design :P) We've been there for each other through heartaches and such, but we spend most of our time together laughing, often at other people. Hehe. I'm so glad that after a string of failed relationships, Jade was able to find the person she'll spend the rest of her life with.

To my newly-hitched friends, congrats and best wishes on your married life! You're all so blessed to have found great husbands too. Naks! 'Love you all :)

Hot Air Balloon Festival 2010

2010-02-18T23:50:00.007+08:00

It was my third time to shoot at the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clarkfield, Pampanga. The first time I went there, the balloons didn't take off due to heavy winds. :P The second time, the balloons did take off but the balloons were against bald skies. This year, the weather was just perfect. The sky was blue, it wasn't too hot nor windy. The blue sky even gave some of the photos vignette edges, just like how the lomo LC-A would. The best part is, I was able to secure a photographer's pass. :)

wala lang. hehe

one of the few balloons that weren't there last year :P

mr. sun wasn't there too last year

It was also my first time to join a photo op with PiPho. 'Made new friends, reconnected with old ones. Fun people, they are :) I'll definitely join the next photo ops. Hoping I'd get to go with them to Batanes or abroad.

photo taken by Vernes Go

We pigged out at Bretto's Deli afterwards.

More photos in my flickr.

so far, so good

2010-02-10T22:08:00.002+08:00

i know i resolved to update this blog more often, but i realized it's been a over a month since i last posted anything here. yet another new year's resolution, broken. hehe. at least i have been faithful in documenting the events in my life through photos.

2010's been kind to me so far. i've been keeping myself busy with work, shooting almost every weekend, hanging out with pinc, harkadah, lomonorth/plurkers, joined pipho. i've been attending reunions, eating a lot, going to the gym not-so-regularly. the imagine nation apprenticeship has been quite encouraging. i'm looking forward to that day when i can get my own clients and actually call this hobby a real job. although i doubt i'll let go of my profession. thinking about it, sayang nga naman. :P

just some pics from a recent shoot in batangas:

there are, indeed, a lot of things to be grateful for.

* * *

in other news, it seems like manny pacquiao has ruined our vacation plans again. last november, when i booked a trip to singapore, my dad asked me to rebook his flight back to manila 1 day earlier because he wants to watch the pacquiao fight here in manila (where he can watch it live and cheer with his kababayans). this morning, he called me again and asked if i can rebook our trip this march to taipei (yes, we've paid for the tickets already. i even got a travel permit from the supreme court) because it falls on the same weekend of pacquiao's fight again. i haven't changed the booking yet, i've yet to figure out how we can still push through with the trip AND have my dad watch the fight live. haaay. 'hoping there's a pinoy community in taipei he can join...

* * *

ok, signing off now. i have to wake up at 2 am for the hot air balloon fest tom. with pipho. i have a photographer's pass this time. :)

my first entry for 2010

2010-01-02T22:02:00.002+08:00

the past two days have been ~~restful~~ extremely lazy. i'm enjoying the final days of the holidays before i go through the routine of work, play, and everything in between. to kick off the new year, i planned to fix my entire room yesterday but ended up clearing only my study table and throwing away piles of papers and old magazines. i spent the rest of the day yesterday downloading tv shows, apps and movies for the iPod. i've been meaning to get a new iPod since last year, but i always find something more practical to buy (like a new lens). it was so anticlimactic when i got the unit. i was expecting to receive it in a silver platter, so i was dismayed when they gave it to me in a clear, thin plastic box, much like my old iPod nano. anyway, after staying indoors the entire day, i was itching to go out of the house. good thing the lomonorth/plurk peeps planned to have dinner in trinoma. we ate at chophouse (the resto formerly known as holy cow) where we had unlimited servings of beef yakiniku and *gasp* 85 peso iced tea. (they had *gasp* 65 peso beer) what a way to start the year.

today, i did some errands and planned to take the nieces and my mom to watch avatar in 3D. never mind that i already saw it before; i think it's worth seeing again. we were supposed to watch the 4:50 pm showing. but when we got to SM at 3:30, tickets were already sold out. so we just had merienda then went home. i stayed in front of the pc for the rest of the night.

* * *

2009 report

i've been scanning old photos from the past year and i realized that 2009 wasn't so bad as i made it out to be in my previous entry. in fairness (yes, in fairness) to 2009, it helped me grow a lot in many aspects of my life. for one, i'm really proud of how i've developed (ok, i'd like to think that i did develop as such hehe :P) as a photographer. i was looking at pictures from my first wedding shoot and i was surprised at how little i knew back then in terms of composition, sharpness, etc. i cringe at the fact that i gave copies of those pics to the studio when we were admonished to submit only good photos. haha. last year, i also took a brave step in resigning from my previous job. or it may not have been such a brave step because i quit. regardless, it was a decision i made on my own, a decision i took complete responsibility for. and it took some guts to go through that too. i also realized that, despite how dispassionate i am of the law, it's possible to find something in that field that i can actually tolerate, or even like, doing.

anyway, there have been worse years. 2003 might have been just as bad. 'went through a breakup, i entered law school. terrorist attacks in the US happened. in the same way that things got better after that year, i trust that things will also start looking up soon. like NOW. hehe.

* * *

ok, i'm getting sleepy (at 10 pm, i know :P), and i have to prep for the first wedding i'm assisting for in 2010. twenty ten. i shall conquer you. harhar.

2009 year-end survey!

2009-12-31T19:51:00.003+08:00

taken from chuvaness.com

for the first time in years, i'm not looking forward to answering this survey. haha. 2009 wasn't generally good to most of us; it was even a lot worse for most people i know. 2009, like 2008, was a big year for me - though in a different sense. it made me realize that nothing's certain, that things change constantly and even drastically.

but anyway, i guess i need to answer this survey for future reference :P so, on with it:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
be an official photographer for something; work as a government employee; travel abroad with friends; rode the back of a container van when we volunteered to help out after ondoy
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i don't know about the other resolutions, but at least i stuck to my first 2009 resolution faithfully: to become a better photographer. and i'd like to believe that i became better this year. hehe. and yes, i'll definitely make more resolutions for 2010.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
aside from mommy arlene who gave birth this month, i don't know anyone else who did..
4. Did anyone close to you die?
no, thank God. although a lot of prominent people passed away this year.
5. What countries did you visit?
singapore again, last november; hongkong and macau last march :)
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
real, concrete, long-term goals. more direction.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
september 26, 2009. because of ondoy :(
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
improving as a photographer. naks. hehe. and realizing that i'd like to be a real professional photographer someday.
9. What was your biggest failure?
not following through with certain plans :(
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
yes, illness. i got sick twice this year, showing flu symptoms without the fever. i'm still sick now. grr
11. What was the best thing you bought?
my nikon D300 and the 35 mm F1.8 lens
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
manny pacquiao's? no wait.. efren p. the CNN hero of the year? :D
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
mine? harhar
14. Where did most of your money go?
camera and camera accessories, travel
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
i don't think i got reeaally excited about anything this year.. but i did get excited about making it as an apprentice for imagine nation
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
nobody but you by the wonder girls. hahaha. cwap. and sweet disposition by the temper trap, from the 500 days of summer soundtrack.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier i think hehe
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter. i haven't gone back to the gym for the past 2 months!
iii. richer or poorer? pareho lang. haha
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
legal work. haha.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
complaining pa rin. and facebooking, plurking.. haha. i wish i spent less time on the net :))
20. How will you be spending New Year’s?
at home, with the family, with turkey again and paella
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
my sister in the US
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
yes and no hehe
23. How many one-night stands?
i lost count :P
24. What was your favorite TV program?
the office and community! oh christmas troy oh christmas troy..
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
yes. there's always a new person to hate every year.. haha joke. i love you all :P
26. What was the best book you read?
hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by haruki murakami
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
bombay bicycle club. and the 500 days of summer soundtrack
28. What did you want and get?
to become an apprentice at imagine nation :)
29. What did you want and not get?
um, yon. haha.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
500 days of summer, kimmydora (haha) and avatar
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
we ate at flying pig with my family, had dinner at chelsea with my friends. i turned 27
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
um, see 29. haha.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
very laid back :P kakatamad na mag-effort.
34. What kept you sane?
prayer, friends, family
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
none. eugene domingo? haha. sorry wala akong maisip.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
maguindanao massacre :(
37. Who did you miss?
next question. haha
38. Who was the best new person you met?
imagine nation peeps, people i met through the studio
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
expect the unexpected. prepare for anything. haha. but seriously, don't be too complacent about life; things change.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"nobody nobody but you.." hehe.

"Cause I'll tell you everything about living free.." - vagabond by wolfmother. also from 500 days. and the lyrics of sweet disposition by the temper trap. but i'm too lazy to post them here, so...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D BE GONE 2009!! wahoo!! 2010 WILL be better for all of us.

Happy Holiday!

2009-12-30T17:45:00.006+08:00

Or more appropriately, happy Rizal day :P Obviously, no work today. Good for me, since I'm forced to stay home today due to a bad cold. 'Must be the weather and the lack of sleep. I just came home from Baguio (where it was freezing cold) last Monday morning for a wedding shoot for Imagine Nation. The trip was worth it though, I enjoyed the shoot :D 'Turns out the groom's sister is my orgmate/schoolmate back in UP law. I met her at our first Winlaw (Women in Law) ball. I love that I'm reminded how small the world is every time I shoot an event. :)

I learned that the groom's family is based in Baguio, and they personally grew the orchids used for the bridal bouquet and the boutonnieres. Nice :)

Some pics from Paolo and Monique Gonzales's wedding:

The ceremony was held in Home Sweet Home Chapel. They don't normally allow weddings to be celebrated in the chapel, but they made a special arrangement for the couple. It's such a nice, warm little chapel.

Of course, it wouldn't be Baguio without Burnham Park and Session Road:

Then we went back to Baguio Country Club for the reception. :)

Click here for the complete set.

the Christmas family album

2009-12-25T21:40:00.009+08:00

So Christmas eve is over and I'm not yet done uploading my back up entries/photos. Hehe. Today we had lunch at MOA, which was packed with people. Urgh. Then visited the grandparents.

Christmas eve was spent as home, as always. Of course we had the mandatory lunch out. Since Cyma in Shang was full (as expected), we ate at the restaurant next door, Crustasia. We started eating their lunch buffet at 1:45. The buffet ends at 2. Great. After, my dad bought last minute gifts. It just wouldn't be Christmas without my dad's last minute shopping :P 'Went to St. Francis square where my nieces bought gifts for the househelps. Surprisingly, traffic wasn't so bad yesterday.

This is my dad watching the avatar dibidi (blurred version. it kicked ass in 3D! Yahu. thanks again gab for the imax treat :D)

Heehee busted

The usual suspects:

"sino bang nagpauso ng arroz caldo tuwing pasko??" - my disgruntled sister

this is our gift for pwintet:

lola bubblet

the big kids:

Funny how my mom "surprised" me with a gift. After we had dinner at rob. galleria the other night, she told me she'd go to the restroom. She asked me to wait for her at the resto. When the bill came and she wasn't back yet, I asked her which restroom she went to and told her I'm going where she was. Then i heard her say, "bilisan mo miss, pupunta raw siya dito!" hahaha. Di talaga marunong magtago :P

(oh and i hate my crappy hair here)

Christmas loot last night: cetaphil lotion, an oversized lacoste shirt, office supplies from our boss (prompting us to work more haha)

Look how happy we are! Then my mom and i brought the shirts to the mall earlier to have them traded for something else. Hahaha. But the shops were closed. Boo.

pwintet: "anong kaguluhan ito??"

* * *

ok, will pack now for the baguio trip (baguio wedding on sunday :D). lunch with the mongies right before that tom. i'll be missing the lomonorth wasakan though. :(

Rock the Riles 2009

2009-12-10T20:23:00.006+08:00

break muna from the singapore posts :P

last Sunday, december 6, was Rock the Riles day. every year, Rock Ed Philippines holds simultaneous concerts/exhibits/performances in 8 MRT stations to promote human rights. it's regularly held on the sunday closest to human rights day (which is today, december 10). this year, rock ed gave special emphasis on the recent massacre in maguindanao. it was good to see people actually stopping by and paying attention to the campaign.

this is the third time i participated in rock the riles. as usual, i volunteered to shoot. i didn't use my lomo this time around though; it was just too dark :P since i arrived late, i only shot in the boni and shaw stations. i was able to catch taken by cars at boni, peryodiko and malay at shaw station.

just a side note. i'm glad they featured this in 24 oras for my mom to see. i always have a hard time explaining to her why i'm watching/shooting a concert at MRT stations. :P

gang badoy, founder of rock ed

taken by cars:

~~weki~~happyslip! hahaha

wala lang. harhar.

at the shaw station:

peryodiko:

malay:

this is so funny. mojo of 89.9 was ~~requesting~~ insisting on getting a kiss from malay's frontman, pochoy labog. hahaha! mojo: "this station is promoting gender equality!" hehe

so pochoy just shook his hand. haha.

unexpected flare shot:

Day 2 of the BESTDOGCruz Law partners' meeting in singapore!

2009-12-09T00:22:00.006+08:00

Grace, Mia and I spent the previous night at Chi's apartment and slept at 2 am (except, I think, for Mia who had to do something for work and ended up sleeping at 5 am :P), so we woke up late the next day. I went straight to my parents' hotel in the morning. I rode the MRT and didn't get lost on the way. Yay! We had plans to have lunch at Orchard Road with the barkada, my parents, and Oggs' brother, ~~shop at~~ raid the Esprit store and just go around.

For lunch, we ate at this sosyalin food court at the newest mall at Orchard Road, Ion Orchard. We got a bit intimidated seeing all the high-end shops. But when we went downstairs, we discovered all the good, affordable stores including the shoe store Rubi, where the girls all bought really nice and cheap sandals and flats. :D

cereal prawns *drool*

while my parents went back to the hotel, we rode the singapore flyer! i was actually looking forward to it since i didn't enjoy it the first time. it was drizzling though, but it didn't matter much.

with jenn's friend, mich

um, o k a y... i don't know what we were doing here.

In other news..

It's December, and things are starting to get crazy in this part of the world. Christmas parties lined up, kris kringle, gift shopping, heavy traffic, weddings. Not that I'm complaining, but my pile of photo backlog is growing every day. Hehe. Anyway, I'll do things one day at a time.

BESTDOGCruz Law partners' meeting in singapore

2009-12-07T22:54:00.005+08:00

..sinabayan namin ang apec summit. :P

i know this is almost a month late, but i just have to blog about it.

we planned the trip a few months back, sometime in june, when cebupac had an anniversary 50% ticket sale. upon finding out about the sale, i immediately booked my mom and me to singapore. i thought, maybe my law school barkada can go there together so we can visit chi. i texted mia about it who booked at the same hour. when chi found out about it, she booked grace without her knowledge. haha. mia called jenn (who also booked immediately :P). then we all coerced oggs to join us. nico (who's in new york right now) and daisy (who has mom duties) were the only ones in absentia. i realized, my mom would need someone accompany her since i'll probably be with my barkada almost the entire time, so i booked my dad without his knowledge. haha. he was resistant about it until right before we left manila. but that deserves another blog entry.

we were already at the airport before 4:30 am for our 6 something am flight. surprisingly, grace was the first one who arrived at the airport. :P we arrived in singapore at almost 10 am. the five of us rode a taxi on the way to chi's house, while my parents hopped on the van included in their package.

Day 1 was spent:

ogling over chi and AA's new apartment

pigging out at the food court at the mall near chi's place

shopping (to oggs' disappointment.. hehe. 'must be difficult being the only guy with 4 girls at the mall)

eating at ben and jerry's (pambawi namin kay oggs)

going to sentosa..

the mandatory siloso beach pic

mia: "don't feed the ostrich!" haha!

waiting for the songs of the sea show..

watching the songs of the sea show :D

finally meeting up with chi!!! :D

pigging out at marche, the swiss resto in vivo city.

actually, half the day was spent WALKING. but it's all good.

i'll post Day 2 tomorrow. hehe :P

on traffic accidents and that singapore trip

2009-11-11T22:23:00.001+08:00

an fx hit my car on my way to work this morning! argh! i felt so stressed out the whole day, dealing with the person who hit the car, dealing with the policemen, reminding them every minute that i'm a lawyer, processing the police report and all. my dad advised against us getting the police report, saying it's a waste of time, etc. i know it is, but i can't just let the driver who hit my car go scot free, especially since i know i didn't do anything wrong! the driver was even threatening to sue. i couldn't help but blurt out, "Ako, fa-file-an mo ng complaint?!?!?" (insert evil laugh here) and then "mabubulok yan sa korte!". argh. some people just don't know any better about the justice system in this country! for them, anything, as in anything's actionable in court. but i can't blame the guy since his employer was "coaching" him behind my back. anyway, i was able to get the police report a little after lunch time. and i'm fine with that. there's no point claiming compensatory damages from a person who's monthly salary doesn't even amount to half the damages sustained by my car. i realized we should choose our battles; we shouldn't stress over too much on things that don't require it. basta nahassle din siya. yun na yun.

* * *

a few more hours before the singapore trip! yahoo! puyat nanaman bukas!

random

2009-11-10T23:20:00.004+08:00

there are certain things i'd like to write about, but i might just end up hurting myself. it's weird, though, that a certain blog exactly reflects some of my sentiments. maybe it's coincidence that my life parallels somebody else's.. or maybe we're all interconnected that way.

and yes, i'm emo like that. sometimes. heehee.

in other news...

only 30 more hours until the singapore trip!! :D it's our first time to go out of town with my law school barkada and *naks* we're going international pa! mia and i were making an itinerary earlier. (subject to chi's approval. hehe) it's fun bonding with the family, but it's just different going on a trip with your friends. and yes, as nico said, international na ang panlalait. harhar. exciting! i can't wait to shoot and pig out and go shopping (even on a limited budget. hehe) i hope my migraine won't ruin things this time, and i can ride the singapore flyer in peace.

oh and i have a load of backlog from my previous shoots. :P i wasn't able to shoot for three weeks, so to make up for that, i signed up for two shoots last weekend - a wedding and a prenup at ateneo of some batchmates from college. i realized i miss college so much! 'hope to upload all the pics soon, when i find time.

i attended the regular bible study and the message is so timely - let go and let God. last Sunday's message on marriage struck me as well.

ok, will go pack stuff now. :P

wisdom in a death cab for cutie song

2009-11-03T23:33:00.003+08:00

"x x x
But always understand

That everything, everything ends
That everything, everything ends
That everything, everything, everything ends"

- death cab for cutie

i don't know how the year 2009's faring for the rest of you, but it has been one long roller coaster ride for me so far. and it's not just your usual perya roller coaster - this one came with several loops, dangerously sharp turns, steep dips, and oh, do i hear screws getting loose? of course, i do feel thankful for not being badly affected by Ondoy; for not getting laid off my job due to the recession; for not catching the AH1N1 disease (i've been unusually immune from all major sicknesses the past two years, it's amazing. even the people around me notice that). but the past year has left (and is still leaving) significant impact on my emotional stability for several reasons.

i'll save the year-end report at the (doh) end of the year, but suffice it to say, this year has been the most trying ones i've gone through. after the eventful year that was 2008, 2009 seemed promising at the start - i was in a stable job that gives good bonuses, i was happily engaged, i was on my way to becoming a professional photographer. but as death cab (and other bands for that matter :P) would impress on us, everything ends.

the year is not yet over, and it won't be long before i end another major chapter in my life. after you've let go of everything, faith is the only thing that holds you together.

Hebrews 11:1; 32-38

By Faith

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

x x x

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

I would've entered the entire Hebrews 11, but it's too long. Hehe. So click here instead.

praying for wisdom and discernment. and more faith.

anna and erwin's e-session

2009-11-02T11:55:00.004+08:00

i met anna (or lorraine, as i've known her back in MC) almost 20 years ago, when she was my classmate in grade 3. (huwaw i feel so old) we were under ms. del valle, our then 50-ish homeroom teacher who sported a 60's, fly-away 'do. we never became classmates after that, so we didn't maintain contact. thanks to facebook, she found out i'm currently shooting for imagine nation. she sent me a message a few months back and told me that she booked imagine nation for their wedding this month :) she informed me that they didn't pay for a prenup session since they're not into doing cheesy poses. hehe. but since we're being encouraged at the studio to take freenups, i asked anna if they're willing to have a prenup session with us for free. i wasn't really expecting they'd be game for a shoot, especially since the wedding's only a few weeks away, but i was so glad when she told me they're up for it :D i got even more excited when she told me they might get a permit at the plane hangar in villamor airbase (since they're both in the airline biz).

so she sent me a message, confirming that we can shoot at the airbase. woohoo! the management's pretty strict about it though, they asked us to list down all our equipment and their respective serial numbers. but it was all good since we had a great time! although i felt a bit pressured since it was my first time to be the main for a photoshoot. no cheesy poses here. well, not as much anyway :P

shot with benjie tiongco and diane capili for imagine nation

more pics here.

halloween weekend!

2009-11-01T22:16:00.003+08:00

the past weekend (oh wait, it's not over yet :P) felt like Christmas. must be the cool weather. or the fact that everyone else is out in the malls. or the christmas songs and christmas decor all over the metro. or maybe it's the sense of gratitude lingering because we survived the latest storm unscathed. it felt like Christmas for me because i spent most of it pigging out with my family! harhar. it was patti's birthday yesterday, so we celebrated at mr. kurosawa in eastwood mall. for lunch today, we ate at new bombay in podium. by the time we were done with dinner a few hours ago at johnny rocket (also in eastwood), i felt so dizzy from overeating. i don't want to see food ever again. :P

happy 14th birthday patti!! i wish you'd stop growing taller! haha

pwintet and her korean fans! hehe

* * *

last night, i attended "Thriller", the lomomanila halloween bash at route 196. it was my first time ever to attend a halloween costume party, and i wasn't in costume!! boo me :( i was thinking of going as dora of kimmy dora (bwahaha), but i was too lazy to put together an outfit. i ended up wearing shirt and jeans and a headband with small, devil's horns that light up when you turn on the switch. i used it for my creative pic in law school. surprisingly, it hasn't ran out of batteries.

stolen from pepper

stolen from pam

hahahahaha!! denzel washington in drag!!

eric and bam

the devil and micheal jackson. hehehe

the butcher and denzel again

i've missed these people!! i *heart* lomomanila. can't wait for the Christmas party (kung meron hehe)

* * *

must.gym.tomorrow.

my arms hurt like crazy yesterday. thursday, my new personal trainer at the gym made me do boxing. friday, i volunteered to repack at the dswd, which involved carrying and moving heavy relief goods. adik. BUT, i must force myself to go to the gym tomorrow because i feel like i gained 10 pounds from the past 2 days.

* * *

i can't stop listening to the (500) days of summer soundtrack! i loooove it :D

"this is a story of boy meets girl...but this is not a love story."

2009-10-30T23:57:00.004+08:00

everyone who has fallen in love (in short, everyone) should watch "500 days of summer".

i've heard tons of good reviews about it, but there are some who say it's just another cute romcom. i don't think i even saw the "com" part, because it ripped my heart in two. well, not really, hehe, but it did tug (more on pulled hard) on my heartstrings. it reminded me of "eternal sunshine of a spotless mind" and "my sassy girl". the only difference is, the couple didn't end up together. (sorry for the spoiler, but i'm sure you've all watched it by now already. hehe :P) despite the ending, it's still a beautiful love story - or rather, story about love. it shows how a single person can radically transform you; how life can be so unpredictable that it often defies your own expectations and preset beliefs; how seemingly hopeless instances can actually build you up and lead you to become the best person you can be.

some unforgettable lines (which i gathered online hehe):

Tom: What happens when you fall in love?

Summer: You believe in that?

Tom: It's love, it's not Santa Claus.

* * *
Rachel Hansen: Better that you find this out now before you come home and find her in bed with Lars from Norway.

Tom: Who's Lars from Norway?

Rachel Hansen: He's some guy she met at the gym with Brad Pitt's face and Jesus' abs.

* * *

Tom: Did you ever even have a boyfriend?

Summer: Of course.

Tom: What happened, why didn’t they work out?

Summer: What always happens? Life.

* * *

Tom: She took a giant shit on my face. Literally.

Alison: Literally?

Tom: Well, no, not literally. That's disgusting.

'haven't seen this guy since "10 things i hate about you". hehe. weird, he looks like heath ledger at some angles..

i want to live in an artsy film and compile a kick-ass life soundtrack.

i've been listening to the album over and over again since i downloaded it. this is my new favorite song.

only one week left! have you registered yet?

2009-10-23T23:14:00.003+08:00

i know this is almost 10 years overdue, but yey, i'm now a registered voter!

i went to the comelec this morning to finish the registration requirements. it was actually part 2 of 2 - i only needed to submit the forms, have my photo and thumbprints taken.

for part 1, i submitted a photocopy of my ID (which, unfortunately, costs PhP4.00 at the comelec. huwaw) and get registration forms. i arrived a little before 8, so i thought there won't be much people. i was wrong. (lesson #1, don't assume that everyone else will arrive late. i'm sure they've all anticipated the long lines.) so i went to the end of the line right outside the comelec office. a few minutes later, it started to rain. i felt stupid about leaving my umbrella in the car, but i didn't want to get it and lose my place in the line. so i stayed despite the downpour. when the rain got worse, i took refuge in the nearest shed and waited for the rain to stop. the line was slowly getting longer (because a lot of people had the foresight to bring umbrellas. :P). when the rain finally stopped, i went back to the car, got my umbrella, then went back to the end of the line which is now twice as long as when i first lined up. nyark. anyway, after a long wait, i was able to get the necessary forms. they gave me a date on which i should go back for part 2.

so, going back to part 2, though it was sunny this morning, i decided to bring my umbrella due to the part 1 experience. i went back to the comelec where i went for part 1, 'asked the guard where i'll submit the forms. she advised me to go to the other office (also in the same compound). so i trooped over to that area, carefully trying not to tread on the countless small puddles of spit and phlegm on the ground. (whatever happened to the anti-durara campaign?) i was slightly relieved to see people in line sitting in monobloc chairs; at least i didn't have to stand up too long while waiting for my turn. after the seated registrants, there were only around 3 people standing up in line. so i stood behind the third one and asked her if i'm in the right lane for my district. she pointed to a looong line across the street. apparently, i wasn't at the end of the line. so i lined up, when i heard the guard announce that senior citizens and employees may line up at the other area, where i proceeded earlier. i'm assuming that line would be a lot shorter than this one, so i asked around and was told that government employees may line up there :D i headed again to the first area, showed my ID to the guard (who seriously scanned my ID. he must have thought i was joking).

i thought it won't take a while since there were only two people ahead of me. 'turns out there was a room full of people inside who were also waiting for their turn. i tried to read a book i brought along with me, but it was a bit difficult since people were moving around, and there wasn't exactly an organized line for our district. suddenly, two men with two young ladies (i'm presuming the men are with their daughters) went inside the room, bypassing everyone else. they appeared to be looking for someone, but it seemed pretty obvious that they were cutting in line. naturally, everyone else was pissed, but we didn't think we can do anything about it. the woman in front of me just said, "ganyan talaga, nasa pilipinas tayo eh." after a few more minutes of waiting, a disgrunted registrant came up to us and expressed how he couldn't tolerate people using their connections just to get ahead in line. suddenly, he swung the office door open, very loudly called the attention of the comelec employees in charge, and asked them to fix the line outside because we've been waiting there for so long. by this time, the people lining up in the other districts were already looking at us, wondering what the commotion is all about. i tried to concentrate on reading when the man suddenly blurted out, "eh kasi naman, may mga sumisingit. yung dalawa dyan, yung isang naka-blue tsaka naka-violet, sumingit lang yan eh." gosh. i stared down at my book, pretending to read intently and not care about anything. surprisingly, one of the comelec employees responded positively, and asked the next five people to come in. when we went in the office, i could hear the other registrants saying, "sige miss, mauna na kayo. kayo naman talaga ang nauna eh." i was thinking, if that angry guy didn't speak up, we would've waited another 30 minutes outside the office. lesson #2, just because certain things are doesn't mean they can't be changed. sometimes, making noise is a good thing.and lesson #3, please don't take advantage of your connections when you know other people will be inconvenienced by your actions. be patient and wait in line. i've learned that during enrolment in ateneo and UP. hehe :P

after i submitted my registrations (now i need to wait for any of the comelec employees to call my name out), i sat down on a rundown couch together with the other registrants, most of them senior or nearing senior citizen age. the disgruntled man was so happy that he was able to elicit the reaction of the proper authorities. they were in the middle of a chit chat when someone asked if it was my first time to vote and if i only turned eighteen. so i told them the truth that it was my first time to vote, albeit ashamedly. they were surprised, amused, and maybe a little bit concerned, all at the same time. one of them said, "bakit??", the other commented, "nako, di ka pala bumoto nung 2001. sayang yung boto mo." and another said, "bobotohin ko si erap." (i sure do wish he was kidding though).

finally, it was time to get my photo taken! wow i probably looked so oily already! but i didn't care! while on my way to leave the station, the hook of my umbrella suddenly caught the bundle of wires connecting the PC to the camera and the electronic signature machine! clumsy me. :P thankfully, the registrant behind me was able to pull the wires back just in time. with a straight face, the guy manning the station told me, "miss, wag mo iuwi yan." darn umbrella. :P

last stop, a comelec employee handed me the stub of paper/proof that i registered while saying, "ayan, malaya ka na!"

so, if you haven't registered yet, go do it now. i think they've extended the registration hours until 9 pm on weekdays. comelec's also open on saturdays.

and check out this public service video made by ateneans. ramon bautista's hilarious. haha :D

"so what if the polar bears drown?" hahaha!

post-ondoy

2009-10-08T00:05:00.001+08:00

Christmas season normally starts in the Philippines as soon as the "ber" months kick in. but with the recent typhoons, i think this year will be an exception. i'm sure you all know what happened in manila last september 26. i was one of those fortunate enough to have been spared from the flood. my family's ok as well. i still have all my possessions in tact. we never lost electricity or internet connection during the typhoon. the worst thing that probably happened to me that day is getting stranded for an hour and not being able to make it to our shoot. so i had no choice but to sit in front of the computer the whole day, wait for status updates on facebook and watch the news. i felt so helpless staring in front of my screen, seeing updates of all the terrible things happening in different parts of manila and not being able to do anything about them(so i'm sorry if i flooded your facebook with all the typhoon updates, it's the least i could do).

i'm sure the sun will come out after the storm (and it did, the day after. literally :P). if anything, i was overwhelmed to see our fellow pinoys working together to help out those in need. volunteer centers are overmanned; groceries are running out of canned goods and water because people are buying goods to be donated. i've never seen so much generosity.

at the GCF relief operations a day after ondoy:

our youngest volunteer :D

it's been more than a week since the typhoon, but there's still so much to be done. i hope we could maintain the same sense of bayanihan, with or without a calamity.

2009-09-26T14:36:00.005+08:00

we were supposed to cover a wedding today for imagine nation. i left the house at 10:30 this morning, hoping to get to the shoot 30 minutes before the call time, which is at 12 nn. one hour later, i was still stuck in the same area up here in the province of fairview. :P floodwaters were rushing like crazy everywhere. i've never seen our area get flooded like that, it got me worried. i called up carlo, our main photog., who told me that everyone else is stuck somewhere because of the typhoon. he advised me to go home. the driver took a u-turn, but the flood looked too dangerous to traverse. the driver didn't want to risk it, even if he was driving a large vehicle, so we passed by a different route. when we passed by the bridge leading to our village, i swear, a river was running underneath. the public school was flooded, and i can only see the rooftops of the shanties under the bridge. crazy!

arlene, our back-up photographer, called me and said that the wedding might get canceled, since most of the suppliers couldn't make it. :( i feel bad for the couple, but it's better to postpone it than to push through with this weather! i hope, though, that the suppliers will be considerate enough not to charge them twice. anyway, force majeure.

it's ironic that a lot of events are happening tonight (at least, according to facebook and plurk :P). i was supposed to go out tonight with my college barkada, there's a lomo event in makati, a rock ed event in eastwood, a razorback acoustic gig in the manila ocean park, a surfing trip in san juan, and up dharma down's playing in mag:net. the worst thing is, last day for the bar exams is tomorrow!! gawd. this is a barrister's worst nightmare.

yikes. the facebook status updates and text messages all bear bad news... i feel so helpless.

when i got home and saw toto's very nice baha pics, i thought to myself, i should've taken more pics outside!! haha adik! :P

so, before the power goes out... everyone, stay safe!!! stay indoors. charge your phones. prepare your emergency lights. and let's all pray that the rain stops.

P.S. and for people who need assistance: National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Emergency Numbers: 912-5668, 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061. Help hotlines: 734-2118, 734-2120. Please repost! :)

"Gorgeous!" - the jerry ghionis seminar!

2009-09-17T21:55:00.006+08:00

photos taken by arlene. thanks arlene! :D

yesterday, i was privileged to have attended the jerry ghionis seminar with some of the imagine nation peeps. IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. :) i'm so glad i decided to attend the seminar at the last minute, because i gathered a lot of tips. but more importantly, it reignited my love for photography.

jerry ghionis is a multi-awarded australian wedding photographer who came to the philippines for the first time to give a whole-day seminar to share his work and his "trade secrets". the seminar was supposed to end at 6 pm, but he extended for two hours. more than being talented, jerry is very generous with the knowledge he's gained from more than 15 years of being in the wedding photo. industry. if not for the hourly fine at the hotel, we would've wanted him to go on speaking about his passion for his job. with that being said, i think it would be nice if i share some information i got from the seminar:

- when taking photos, think like a female (heehee).
- find the beauty in every single person
- make the subject feel sexy. :D i liked what jerry said that he falls in love with every bride he sees, but makes sure that he falls out of love before he comes home to his wife. hehe
- EVERYTHING is a potential photograph.
- exercise your vision.
- shoot less. focus on the quality of your photos. don't take photos if you know beforehand that you'll be deleting them anyway.
- during weddings, remind the subjects of the sentiment of the moment. (the parents, etc. often forget that)
- energy attracts energy, activity attracts activity. be energetic during the weddings - this will positively affect the mood of the couple and the guests (and of course, happy, emotional guests are more fun to shoot).
- make a difference to the people you shoot.
- and of course, his mantra: "you don't have to be the best. you only have to be better than you were last week." :)

he also talked about shooting plus-size brides, how to get inspiration for your shots, posing your subjects, and being a successful businessman. what i liked most about jerry g. is how well he relates with people. he emphasized that photographers have the unique responsibility to bring out the best in people. photographers often focus on documenting the event, so we tend to dwell on the technicals, blend in the background with our cameras and take photos from a distance. we forget that we can act as catalysts in creating a beautiful wedding.

i bought a set of "picpockets", specifically that set of photos that shows how jerry made extraordinary photos out of ordinary conditions. :)

late post - gian and jeanie engagement session

2009-09-14T22:29:00.004+08:00

shot with jasondegs for imagine nation photography

i first met gian and jeanie at GCF, at a bible study session. although i don't recall having talked to them during the entire duration of the bible study series, i distinctly remember them since they gave a heartwarming (and funny hehe) testimony about their civil wedding last year. i only found out we were shooting them on the day of the prenup/engagement session, when i saw them waiting for jason and me in their car. i was actually so thrilled about the coincidence; i felt like i was shooting friends i've known from long ago (and i wouldn't be surprised if they were a bit freaked out with my reaction. haha). we found out that we're from the same batch in ateneo, so we have a bunch of common friends. small world :)

we were supposed to shoot in the ateneo de manila campus, but the guards informed us that we need a permit before we can shoot in the campus. boo. the guards haven't changed much since our college days. strict pa rin :P so we relocated to UP :D

'played a little with photoshop here :P

random update

2009-09-06T23:14:00.003+08:00

- kimmy dora FTW! hihi :D go watch it!! i couldn't stop laughing during some parts. although, you should expect some cheesy 80's scenes (anyway, what's a filipino comedy flick without the song and dance nos.?). but at least the emotional scenes weren't too sappy for my taste. believe me, for a filipino film, that was already toned down. no prolonged crying, no massive group hugs. and there were so many cameo appearances. haha.

- last week, i was able to shoot a prenup for an indian couple at fernbrook gardens:

(yes, it's slightly photoshopped :P)

i'm itching to post the photos but i can't until after the couple's week-long wedding in october. they want to surprise their guests, and posting the pics on facebook/flickr might just ruin it. so stay tuned until oct. :P

- i took my mom and nieces to watch Up last weekend. surprisingly, my mom enjoyed the movie! i was expecting she'd fall asleep during the second half of the film, but she was actually laughing at the fight scene and even commented that the kid's so cute it reminds her of my nephew, benjo. hehe. note to self: go out with family more often. thanks to the long weekends, i've been spending more time with them.

- i'm probably not going out tomorrow, with the expected heavy traffic and all.

- lastly, GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE BARRISTERS!! i can't believe it's been two years since i took the bar! i'm feeling old again.. :P

tamad post

2009-09-02T16:20:00.005+08:00

my life has been such a telenovela lately. i can't wait for that part where i rise up to be the president of a big corporation, walk pompously with my own group of bodyguards, and finally walk up to the kontrabida and douse her face with a bottle of acid.

o diba, para lang si kimmy from kimmydora:

some previews:

harhar. it's showing today!! dear harkadah, we have to watch this! :P

the past week

2009-08-19T00:02:00.006+08:00

despite some discouraging instances last week, in all, it turned out great. i realized i have a lot more things to be thankful for:

last wednesday, i had dinner with my family and some relatives from germany - my mom's sister, my german uncle who i haven't seen since i went to europe 17 (*gasp*) years ago, and their two lovely granddaughters, natalia and seline. i know it's been a while, but i would never forget how hospitable and accommodating my aunt and uncle were when we stayed in their house in germany for vacation. it was amazing that my uncle hasn't changed much since then, he's the same funny, rocker uncle i knew back in 1992. i remember he would drive me and my siblings and cousin around town and tell us jokes and interesting stories with the limited english vocab he had. oh, and he knows a little bit of tagalog also. :P

san miguel beer 101 :P

"my sister's crazy!" is probably the only english sentence seline(the girl in pink) knows :P

and they're so excited about being in the philippines. my uncle even wanted to visit cory aquino's tomb at the manila memorial. he's more eager to go there than i am. hehe. :P the kids also enjoyed their time at the beach, an experience i doubt they'll ever get when they go back home.

and i dug this one up from the mahiwagang baul: haha! once again, i'm waiving my right to self-incrimination. :P

kris, uncle horst and me: the after and before pics. hehe

i really wish that someday, if my finances permit, i'll be able to go back to germany for vacation again. this time, with the significant other. (diba, significant other? ;-) )

* * *

i met up with my college friends, trina and janus, at sango in powerplant. the moment i saw diego, i knew i wanted to have a baby just as cute and adorable. hehe. but after trina started telling horror stories about giving birth and parenting, i decided it would be best to wait until i get ready and until my EQ level reaches its peak (but then again, i don't think one can ever be ready enough to become a parent). it then occurred to me how old we are. almost 10 years ago, we were only discussing about debuts and our funny english teachers. now we're exchanging stories about work and engagement and getting married and having babies. gosh, i hope time would slow down just for a little bit.

while listening to tita janus' music

i just realized that a lot of babies/kids for the past few years have been named diego or sophia. wala lang.

* * *

last friday, i found out from a co-apprentice that one of our photographers, derrick, was looking for a volunteer assistant (VA) for a beach freenup on sunday. i immediately replied and took the slot. a few weeks back, i signed up for a weekday beach prenup at anvaya cove. but the night before the shoot, i felt so guilty about being absent at work that i waived my slot and gave it to someone else. so i was really glad when a VA slot opened for a beach shoot on a weekend, when i don't have to worry about filing a leave or lying about why i was absent. God knows how disappointed i was for that other beach shoot i missed that he gave me another one. :) some photos:

shot at lian, batangas

it was a fun shoot. the soon-to-be bride and groom were really funny and relaxed. they were so concerned about us and kept us busog the entire day. i felt like i was a freeloader at a family/barkada outing. hehe. i didn't even feel like i actually "worked" last sunday since i love shooting. we left the studio at around 9 am, and came back at almost 12 midnight. i was so tired from the shoot, but at the end of the day, i felt so fulfilled and excited. now i'm looking forward to the ateneo prenup shoot with jasondegs this friday. i want to shoot more prenups! to my engaged friends out there, get imagine nation to shoot your prenups so i can VA for the shoot :P

more pics in my flickr site.

when you are tired and discouraged

2009-08-14T00:37:00.005+08:00

today, of all days, is the perfect day to wear my lucky blouse. yes, i have a lucky blouse. i'm not at all superstitious, but every time i wear this white 3/4 blouse i bought years ago, either something great would happen or my day would just run perfectly. i wore that blouse on the day of my interview at UP law. despite the horrible experience, a few weeks later, i found out that i passed. i also wore it during an oral exam in first year law school, when i got the highest score in class (at least, until someone else got a higher rating. haha. BUT still.) one day, during internship, i wore that blouse again, and my day went smoothly - one of the bosses commended me for a pleading i drafted, and the people at the office were extra nice. this morning, i decided to wear the lucky blouse again. i was on my way out of the house, when i noticed that it's a bit too snug for me (blame it on the 100+ pounds i gained the past year. argh). so i had no choice but to slip into something else.

the series of unfortunate events began when i reached the office. i headed to the cash division to get my first salary (finally, after more than a month of waiting). when i got my paycheck, i found out it's only 1/3 of what i'm actually entitled to! so i had to clear it up with the division, our staff, my previous office, etc., thinking that probably, one of the persons in charge made a minor error. but after talking with some people, i found out that our office normally deducts our taxes for the entire year from my first salary! at first, i was hopeful that i'd still recover the money. but after the accounting div. people explained how the system works, i realized that i won't be getting it anymore. i felt so down, and it somehow affected my mood for the rest of the day. i just felt so disappointed and i couldn't do anything about it. i was even considering attending a P5k photography seminar next month, but since i'm 2/3 short of my monthly budget, clearly, i couldn't join anymore.

anyway, thrice throughout the day, i tripped because the heel of my left shoe kept getting caught in the fold of my pants. (i'm not sure either how that happened, but it did :P). i tried to be productive at work, but i wasn't progressing. too many things on my mind, i guess, including some other completely unrelated issues. i was so irked the whole day that even harmless texts/jokes would bother me so much. to top it all off, it's that bloody time of the month, and i had dysmenorrhea. (why is this always a constant in my "bad day" formula?) i was already anticipating the next bad thing that would happen. but, thankfully, the day didn't get worse from there. in the evening, i had dinner with my mom and her sister, who's here on vacation from abroad. while driving on my way home, i realized that despite all the bad things that happened today, i still have a lot of reasons to be thankful for. i should be glad that i still received a little money, better than not getting anything at all; that even if i tripped, i didn't fall with my face flat on the floor (thank God i was able to grab on to something and regain my composure).

when i got home and opened my devo book for today's date, the title of the reading was: When You are Tired and Discouraged. Two passages were quoted:

Psalm 40:31 - but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

and

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

After reading the passages, i was reminded of how i complain about the smallest things, when God has never failed to sustain me in the past. I felt so relieved and comforted knowing that nothing happens randomly, and that God orchestrates everything in my life. yes, things can get really discouraging. i'm sure there are worse things in life than getting dysmenorrhea or receiving irritating text messages. but in any event, it's important that we constantly ask for strength from God and we keep on trusting Him.

in conclusion, i wasn't meant to wear the lucky shirt today because God wanted to tell me something. :P

last saturday's shoot was interesting...

2009-08-10T22:51:00.007+08:00

so i signed up for a "corporate event" shoot last sat., expecting some usual bank or corporate anniversary party. a day before the shoot, i found out we're covering the hannah montana search for the next rock sensation at the MOA! haha. i had a bad case of "the climb" and "best of both worlds" LSS after (both of which are miley cyrus songs, in case you don't know :P), but i had fun anyway. it was like "little miss sunshine", but pinker (if there is such a word :P). i love shooting kids.

i was reminded of how old i am when i realized that my nieces (at least the ones here in manila) are too old to be dragged to an event like this. i think they're too cool now that they even shun emo. hehe.

so i'm just dedicating this post to my miley cyrus-loving little niece, sophia :D

the grandfinalists prayed before the performance

this reminded me of sophie: hehe
star sightings:

the host, roxy barcelo (the one in blue) with the winners. (and contrary to popular belief..never mind :P)
marc abaya was there also to judge the grand finalists (it was, after all, a "rock" event :P)

and this is the talented first placer. it's great that she was very confident and comfortable in the limelight :)

for the complete set, click here.

packing

2009-07-15T22:13:00.001+08:00

i went home early tonight because i'm packing for the bacolod trip! i'm leaving tomorrow evening (i'll head to the airport right after work) and i'm coming back tuesday morning. i'll go straight to the office from the airport. yes, i can do this :P the trip hasn't even started yet, and i'm now checking for ticket prices (for other trips) at the cebu pacific website. i think i'll go broke with either (or both) of the following reasons: 1) traveling; and 2) photography. i don't know which one i spent more on the past year (but i'm guessing it's the camera/accessories). so i guess i have to throw out my dream of becoming financially independent out the window. hehe.

* * *

i've joined the bandwagon and signed up for twitter. actually, i've signed up for it a month (or more) ago, but i haven't posted a tweet until yesterday. i'm just finding it hard to maintain so many social networking sites (there's multiply, facebook, plurk, flickr, and of course friendster. although i hardly open the last one anymore). i won't probably go online much for the next 5 days. i've spent my whole life anyway in front of the computer, so i think i'd give my eyes a rest just for a few days.

* * *

will post pics when i get back :D

sunday update

2009-07-12T23:01:00.011+08:00

'saw this rainbow this morning. i know, it's blurred. i was driving when i took this photo. sorry na ha :P

* * *

pwintet's sick :( (and yes, i used a new lens for this pic. hehe :P)

she's been weak since last wednesday, so my mom brought her to the vet. a few blood tests later, they found out she acquired some viral infection caused by too many ticks, which affected her blood and liver. :( so the vet prescribed meds for her which she's supposed to take for an entire month. the whole household is worried sick (except maybe for my dad who's oblivious about the whole thing. hehe). my mom's been checking up on her every morning, knocking on my door just to check how she's doing. when i came home late last night, i found my mom sleeping on my bed with our little doggie on the floor. (pwintet always sleeps on her little bed in my room. or on my tsinelas :P) she said she didn't want to leave pwintet alone because she's always looking for a human companion. my nieces and the maids would cuddle her whenever they have the chance. yesterday, she was in her worst condition - she slept almost the entire day. she didn't bark at my mom during breakfast, she didn't approach me as i entered the house, she didn't want to eat in the evening. on normal days, she's hyperactive and noisy. but yesterday, she was too tired to even walk. i was thinking about it the whole day today and i was just hoping she'd be better when i get home. so i was so glad that when i arrived today, i saw her jumping and wagging her tail (and barking at our other dog, bubbles) when i entered the house. thank God she's doing better. :)

* * *

today, i was a VA again for another wedding. i was supposed to shoot yesterday, but i found out on friday night that the wedding was cancelled. an opportunity to shoot today came up, so i grabbed it, even if it meant canceling my other commitments. i realized the last time i VAed for a wedding was more than a month ago, and i'm assisting for a wedding two weeks from now with the big boss so i thought i need this wedding to repolish my skills. i also miss shooting. apart from the imagine nation events, i don't get to shoot much anymore lately.

about today's wedding, it was probably the earliest wedding i've ever covered. it started at 1 pm and ended at 5:30! most of the weddings i've covered (and attended) end at 9 pm at the earliest.the groom, dan, was very nervous at first so he hardly smiled during the preps, but during the ceremony, he was the one smiling and posing at the camera. the bride was just relaxed the whole time (i realized i haven't met an actual bridezilla yet in any of my shoots, so i should consider myself lucky), except during those few minutes right before her grand entrance at the church. as with my last wedding, they played careless whisper again during the game (where the groom danced the "sexy dance" haha). guess around what month they started playing that? :P anyhoot, it was a nice, intimate wedding. i was also glad that i was able to test drive my new lens, fresh out of the box. :D

some pics from dan and irene's wedding this afternoon:

shot with tiqui del rosario of imagine nation.

* * *

in other news, i'm going to bacolod this week! yay! any out-of-town trip excites me.

i know this MJ post is kind of late, but...

2009-07-11T09:45:00.003+08:00

i'm posting it anyway. this is actually a repost of a repost from chuvaness.com. it's an article about a former manila hotel employee's close encounter with michael jackson when he came to the philippines in 1996. honestly, i'm not a fan of MJ but i was so touched with the article. and it made me feel bad that he's always been depicted negatively (and often ridiculed) in the media. tsk tsk.

My close encounter with Michael Jackson
By Gwen J. Cariño

MANILA, Philippines – When I was a PR officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.

Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff but was content enough to see him walk by.

The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge” and said his boss had read the announcement about the event in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions.

Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything.

So I thought hard…how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos. “Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see, Ms. Jacinto. I’ll get back to you,” he said.

Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my entire life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael‘s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?”

I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie Maguire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.”

We agreed that Michael would join after the games, musical program and snacks, and at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested for additional security around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line.

Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him.

“Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’coz I didn’t want to miss the program.”

I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what Michael, why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.”

He replied, “Sure, anything you say… (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!”

I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!”

Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an Ang TV mainstay couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number. Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his back up singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of Billie Jean. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing.

Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person.

It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus (David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was scourging and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat.

“Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked.

He said, “I’m cool Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.”

I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice.

An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from media, politicians, officials and hotel guests including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newly-weds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop.

“Oh oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said. It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said smiling.

As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.”

Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.”

I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person.

One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out. He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.”

We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well.

It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said “tomorrow night.”

“Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me.

At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart. “I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained.

Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael will leave.

At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing Give Love on Christmas Day.

Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage.

I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.”

Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.”

Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.”

As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop — volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate, will forever be the way I will remember this man.

* * *

i'm also reposting john mayer's rendition of "human nature" at MJ's memorial. because i love john mayer and this is my favorite MJ song ever. (or probably the only MJ song i really really like). it feels strange to hear MJ's songs being played then see the casket holding his lifeless body.

because i love john mayer. oh right, i said it twice. hehe. john mayer should've sung too. *sigh*