Graduation day at last! =)
.
Cheers to all the graduates of 2007 and my fellow Masters in Environmental Management! Naaaks! =) All 19 of us will finally get our hard-earned double diploma from *the* Ateneo de Manila University and *the* University of San Francisco! Coolness! Woohoo! We made it at last !!! =)
.
.
.
From Batanes to Boracay, dinners along Katipunan (including flashfloods and what-nots) and frisbee/football games in the highschool football field, from study groups and Tagaytay sleepovers, to my drama-fest during the Compres and the pinaka-crunchtime/ last 2 minutes leading up to the finish line of the master’s presentations, thanks for the memories everyone!
.
More photos and another write-up at Marie’s blog
here
.
“The Sweet Life”
Lucy Torres has a new daily show on channel QTV11 called “The Sweet Life” …I got invited today as one of the guest photographers on an episode about photography together with 2 other photographers (top wedding photographer and my mentor, John Ong, plus ad photographer, Mike Miranda who shot the Rockwell lofts) plus controversial DJ, Mo Twister, who happens to be a serious photo-enthusiast with an obsession for lightning (as in kidlat - lightning) photography and chasing snowflakes (he travels solo all across Europe and the States, guided only by weather forecasts, with his tripod and cam as his only companion and no one else to talk to (he did say, though, that he *really* hears his own voice talking to him during his shoots…how bizaare! =) …
.
…not sure when the episode will air though =] …I got tongue-tied as usual, and ended up being incoherent as always =j …(if you were my classmate back in college, you might remember that I was probably the only one in the batch who had stage-fright and mike-fright (scared of microphones) during our school productions)…I’m better off behind the camera any given day =)
.
…it’s like choosing between two boys…
.
I never thought that buying a DSLR was like getting married. There’s some hesitation at first, then alot of saving up and sleepless nights …and then the excitement till the Big Day grows… Although I wouldn’t know what it’s like to get married, choosing between Canon and Nikon was like choosing between two boys…
.
Let’s just say that last Monday, I was about to get married to this guy I’ve known for so long…let’s call him Canon. Canon and I have been dating for the longest time and I think I know everything about him that there is to know. There was no where else to go but to take the relationship to the next level. I could not imagine myself growing old with anyone else but my Canon. Thing is, on the day I was to marry him, friends stopped me and told me that there was this other guy that I should meet first named Nikon. I’ve seen Nikon a few times before but never paid attention to him because I only had eyes for Canon. I knew nothing about Nikon but I knew a lot about Canon. Still, I was intrigued with everything that everyone told me about Nikon and so I decided to give Nikon a chance. I met Nikon last Tuesday over lunch and that very same afternoon, I let Canon go…
.
(Ok, let’s cut the drama before my man gets really jealous of Nikon here (thankfully, he was with me during the Big Day and he’s been very supportive and happy for me =) He hasn’t complained even if I’ve been sounding a lot like a broken record these past few days as I keep repeating just how much I love my Nikon! He’ll even tell me to tell him again because he knows how much it makes me happy just to say it! =)
.
Anyways…. let me just say that it’s true what my photographer friends say…Buying a camera system is like getting married to someone… it’s such a big investment and choosing which camera brand/body to get is a very big decision that needs plenty of thought because many decisions later on will depend on that one fundamental choice…all the expensive lenses, gadgets, accessories that you have to get later on will be focused on that camera system… so anyways…
.
Because I’m only familiar with the Canon system (I use my point-and-shoot g5 for personal stuff and a 20D at work and in events), the practical thing was for me to get a Canon DSLR of course!….I was determined to get a 30D for the longest time and was supposed to get it last Monday with a 24-70mm 2.8L….For me, Canon was the *only* camera brand I imagined myself to be with and grow old with … I was really, really excited already and was ready to go and get it over with until it suddenly occurred to me that most of the other photographers I shoot with are all Nikon users and I wondered if there was something I didn’t know that everyone else did! I’ve never handled a Nikon before but thanks to the many “Go for Nikon!” text messages I got and a very enthusiastic and very convincing sales talk by Darwin over the phone, and Dodie for letting me try out his 2 Nikons over lunch – I have allowed myself to be lured into the Dark Side! =)
.
(Plus it really also helped that Jennifer Connelly’s character in Blood Diamond used a Nikon in the movie! Me and u-know-who-u-are both gasped “She’s using a Nikon!” at the same time! It was a sign that Nikon was the way to go! =)
.
Well folks, I am now a very happy owner of a very handsome Nikon D200 =) Shiyet!!! I feel like such a pro now! Hehe! I can’t tell you just how liberating it feels to finally get my own DSLR and be happy with what I got! I tried it last night for an event and let me just say that it IS true! The colors are SO much better and the images are so much sharper than the other images I was used to seeing from the 20D I would rent for events before! I love the huge LCD and the fact that it can shoot 5 continuous razor sharp frames per second! Since room for growth was also one of the deciding factors that led me to go for the D200 instead of, say, the D80, I can’t wait to see what I can do with the camera in the years to come! =)
.
Yun lang po =) Go Team Nikon! (hey…I don’t wish to start a Canon vs Nikon war here….I just want to share my joy =) hehe! I’m still going to use my baby Canon P&S for the glitterdolly stuff and until I have enough money to afford the luxury of buying all the nice pieces of glass for my new pet…it even has a name! — “Munnster” =)
.
Should i quit taking pictures?
I’ve been so stressed lately and just when I was seriously beginning to question my self-worth as a “photographer”, I came across this and I was so instantly uplifted…it’s an old thread dating a few months back but I only discovered the link now… it’s no big deal but it made me smile from ear to ear and I thank those guys for giving me an instant facelift =) It really is very flattering but it also feels very strange to be talked about this way…this post particularly amused me =) hehehe… I’m just a hobbyist and those cameras weren’t even mine…but the little comments were encouraging and gave me back the boost I needed =)
.
…anybody wanna shoot with me? I really, really want to take pictures of the windmills in Ilocos Norte and those rice terraces in the Cordilleras…
.
.
Announcements! =)
Blow-Up Babies is hiring!
.
If you’re young, cool, hip and creative, then email us your resume at jobs@blowupbabies.com =) We are looking for photographers and graphic artists to join our team on a full-time basis although OJTs and part-timers are also welcome to apply. You must adore children and have the saintly patience to deal with bratty kids, super hyper kids and more often than not, whiny cry babies! =) Basic photography experience plus a great portfolio is a must! Studio lighting experience is a plus plus! For more info about Blow-Up Babies, read this =)
.
.
Petron/MT Solar 1 Oil Spill Updates:
.
ProjectSunrise.org
To those who would like to know how they could make a difference to the communities affected in the Petron/MT Solar 1 oil spill in Guimaras last month, the assistance needed in the most affected areas in Guimaras (ex. Brgy. La Paz, Nueva Valencia) are relief goods, medicines and medical practitioners – especially those who can handle toxic pollution illnesses, as well as companies and organizations who can donate protective gear (ex. boots, gloves, coveralls, masks) for the local residents and other volunteers currently involved in the clean-up. Rehabilitation costs are estimated at US$ 2 million, and clean up efforts have not yet been completed. Please visit www.projectsunrise.org for more information.
.
Forums (fora?) on Oil Spill Management
In line with this, there will be a series of fora on Oil Spills Management organized by the Philippine Environmental and Social Assessment Network (PESAN) and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of UP Diliman. All forums (or, umm, fora) will be held from 9am-12noon at the CSSP Multimedia Room, 4th Floor Palma Hall, UP Diliman, on the remaining consecutive Wednesdays of this month:
.
September 13 - “Responding to Oil Spills” with Dr. Graciano Yumul, Undersecretary for Research and Development of the DOST and Dr. Perry Ong, Director of the Institute of Biology of the UP College of Science
.
September 20 – “Oil Spills: Disposal, Remediation and Monitoring” with Chancellor Glenn D. Aguilar of UP Visayas, and Dr. Maria Lourdes McGlone of the UP Marine Science Institute
.
September 27 – “Legal Aspects of Oil Spills Management” with experts from the legal profession and representatives from Congress
.
For more information, check out http://web.kssp.upd.edu.ph/
.
.
Young Professionals Network for Earth-Friendly Action (YPNET)
One more thing … YPNET, a group of volunteers led by my former classmates from Ateneo who are hoping to raise public awareness and appreciation of environmental issues through advocacy, networking, lobby work and cultural activities, is launching a kick - off concert featuring Noel Cabangon to raise awareness and funds for the community of Guimaras. As of this writing, the tentative date and venue for the concert is on October 20 at the Meralco Theater. For questions and other inquiries, email them at guimaras_ypnet@yahoo.com.ph or text +63917-8851186.
.
Anybody wanna donate some hair or chicken feathers?
If anyone here has just the right kind of sensibility to donate any spare hair or chicken feathers they have lying around the house, then please do so. In fact, you can also ask your friends from the corner barbershop or the poultry farm if they have anything to offer! Your donation could “make a difference” in the massive oil spill that struck our shores 2 friggin’ long weeks ago. The madam president of our sad little country is asking for hair and chicken feathers because she said on the news the other night that they are “proven to be effective” in controlling the worst oil spill in our country’s history (the vessel that sunk contains 2.1 million liters of oil!). Drop boxes for donations will be strategically placed everwhere, she added…
.
Aside from demanding for the “cooperation and solidarity of all Filipinos” and announcing for a “full investigation” and stating in her usual, nasally-congested calculated voice that she was placing the nation on a “state of calamity,” is this the best our president can do to address this disaster – ask for hair and chicken feathers?
.
And while its been 2 very long weeks already since the Petron-chartered MT Solar 1 sank in Guimaras, the vessel still remains down there, passively leaking out more oil than we can ever imagine every hour as thousands of marine life perish, mangrove forests are destroyed and tens of thousands of our coastal folk who depend on the ocean starve to the brink of death as they try to scoop up with their own helpless hands all that thick oil sludge that’ll just keep adding up until something is done to bring up that darn shipwreck underneath. (or if it just isn’t possible to bring it up, then maybe something else can be done …perhaps suck out the remaining oil so as to prevent further damage? I don’t know…all I know is that there is a “best available technology” for this and something can be done if only the government just had the willpower to pool together their extra resources for this instead of waiting for Petron to own up to its responsibilities…)
.
And me?…all I can do here is bitch about this tragedy in my whee little blog… I’d volunteer to go to Guimaras if only I could do something actually meaningful but I don’t think so, right? Our homework for class next week is to do an environmental management plan for the situation… I can only hope that I can actually put to good use my would-be grad degree for the protection of the environment in the future. Cutting my hair off to donate to Guimaras, as one of my friends urged other friends to do out of angst, is something I find pretty outrageous. …. I am just so frustrated and disgusted at the lack of genuine concern, immediate action and urgency that our government is relaying to this disaster … we are such a hopeless, hopeless, hopeless country …it’s just so sad! =(
.
.
Click here to see more Greenpeace photos of the devastating Guimaras Oil Spill
.
or click here or here to read up on the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill where more than 250,000 sea birds and billions of salmons, among others, were affected (I guess one good thing about it is that it happened in a non-third world country and in a place where no human inhabitats actually lived close by…
.
or click here to read a commentary on the probable wrong lessons that Petron might pick up from the Exxon Valdez Spill: “that it can shift the blame elsewhere and eventually wash its hands of any responsibility”…
.
feeling the heat…
I was trying to do my online research on climate change and the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols for a paper I’m supposed to submit for class tomorrow evening, when I came across this…
.
.
.
.
.
“Pinky and Perky — two four week old miniature piglets cool off at Pennywell Farm and Wildlife centre near Buckfastleigh, south western England. The piglets were keeping cool with a huge lolly packed with carrots and other vegetables. ‘The recent heatwave has been exhausting for everyone and animals are no exception,’ said Catherine Tozer, assistant manager of the farm. ‘All the animals have been struggling with the heat so we have just tried to do everything we can to make them more comfortable. ‘After the initial shock and a bit of investigation, the ice lollies went down a real treat,’ she said.(AP Photo/Pennywell Farm and Wildlife Centre, Catherine Tozer)"
.
.
These poor little piglets can feel the heat too…they’re lucky enough, though, to have such loving caretakers who give them lolly treats…I want one too! =]
.
.
But anyways, global warming and climate change really is taking place and …and umm… here I am, out of words to describe what I’m supposed to say for my paper… (must go back to my darn “scholarly” paper now….but those piglets were cute weren’t they? They kinda look like baby cows because of their spots =)
.
.
PS: before I turn my full concentration on school-related stuff, I just thought I’d warn my fellow shutterbugs out there to be wary of fake memory cards that have proliferated the market…Read about it here….
Shine like a star at Blow-Up Babies!
Hey everyone! I’d like to invite you all to bring your family, your friends, your officemates, boyfriends/girlfriends and other significant others to the newest, coolest, hippest photography studio in town!
.
.
From giant teacups, angel wings (black or white? You choose!), safari animals, intergalactic spacesuits and flapper dancer costumes from the roaring 1920’s, we have a wide variety of props, themes and backdrops for you to choose from… and we don’t just take awesome photos of children ok? We also do great family portraits, fun barkada shots, cute couple photos, glam solo portraits and dramatic, tasteful and artistic skinshots ! (no, we don’t do nudes or anything that’s even the slightest bit suggestive okie?) =)
.
We have very affordable walk-in rates for you to avail of so book a session with us now! … or better yet, sign up to become a member! For just P1,500, you get a free 8×10 package print, free unlimited photosessions for you and your loved-ones for a whole year, lots of perks and freebies and other exciting surprises! =) (Want to know a secret? We just might be giving away photo magnets/ photo mugs for members this coming Father’s Day to members!… see what I’m talking about? That’s why you should sign up to be a member so you can take part in all these promos =)
.
Blow-Up Babies is located in Gateway Mall, Cubao… You can find us at the Cinema Level (that’s the 4th floor) and you can call us up at 912-9101 for inquiries or to reserve the studio for a photo session (each session runs for about an hour and includes 2-3 different set-ups of your choice)…
.
…Wellll…. What are you waiting for? Hop on that LRT train now and get off the Araneta Center Cubao Station …Or drive over to the heart of Quezon City (why, that’s Gateway Mall, of course!) and see what we’re all about! =)
.
For more info, check out our sassy website ! =)
.
Revisiting Batanes
Exactly a year ago, I found paradise in Batanes…
One of the locals I befriended there took me to this super secluded, uninhabited place shown above where not so many tourists get to see … I remember him dropping me off at a little patch of grass with an awesome panorama that commanded a 180-degree unobstructed view of the ocean and its roaring waves below … it was soooo beautiful that I felt like the queen of the sea just standing there, commanding the ocean below… (I guess it was the equivalent of how Jack felt when he exclaimed that he was the king of the universe on board the Titanic —or something to that effect, basta, u know what i mean okie? =])…
Anyhow, my local friend had to leave me there to get another friend, since we got there by riding a scooter and he couldn’t hitch both me and my friend at the same time …so, for about an hour there, I felt like the only person left in the universe without any shelter to run to should the rain fall, or with no defense to protect me should I get attacked by some wild animal…of course I had some great photo ops there but I felt so vulnerable and I remember feeling panicky when I saw my friend’s little scooter disappearing in the distance and then upon realizing that my cellphone did not have any signal at all… I remember the strong winds picking up and how I was scared that the winds would carry me off the cliffs and how I swear I could hear my own heart thumping loudly when it seemed that more than an hour had passed already and my friend/s hadn’t come back yet… there were no signs of human life anywhere within a 50-km radius there and the place was just so lonely, so beautiful and so peaceful at the same time…I think I found God in my extended moment of solitude there… Words just cannot express how breathtaking the scenery was and apparently, my photos just cannot do any justice to it either… my friend/s arrived a little before dusk and I swear that by that time, my whole body was so numb from the coldness and had they come later than they did, then I would have most likely gotten frozen to death by then…
Anyhow, I wish I could go back there again this year but this summer’s destination is Bora and the Apo Reef for some conservation projects… after that, there are so many other places to see… I haven’t been to Bohol or Sagada or Palawan so if my schedule between full-time work and doing my master’s project/thesis permits it, then those places should be next on my list… in the meantime, I’ll always be dreaming about returning to Batanes and hopefully I can go back again soon…
Anyways, I hope everyone will have a happy summer and perhaps, we’ll see each other in Bora or the Apo Reef next month =)
PS… I’m trying hard not to mind those annoying ads that Friendster decided to pop-up all over people’s blogs including mine =/ the one below is the ugliest one ever (free animated cursors or the next generation of IM Smileys?! Sheesh people!) …oh well…that’s what I get for free service…=/
Amina’s Pictorial
Whee! =) Photos of Amina from that shoot I blogged about last last week are on today’s Philippine Star Lifestyle Allure Section =)
.
.
Check out the rest of the photos here =)
.
Also, do grab a copy of this month’s PeopleAsia Magazine Sports Issue and check out their article on Tyson Sy with photos by me =)
.
…In other non-photography related news… I have 8 friggin’ super over-overdue term papers plus an environmental risk assessment of a petroleum products plant I have to get over with really really soon [like this week!? How realistic can I get?!] … Whoever said that taking up gradschool while procrastinating and being preoccupied with other things was ever going to work out for me?! Can I just rant here?! Wish me luck =/ …. Ok, ok…back to schoolwork now =/
.
.
.
