Yosh Zen!

Despite negative reviews about the movie, I appreciated it. It was really cool watching more TF characters in the movie.

Megan Fox was beautiful and hot as always. Shia LaBeouf is getting better and better as an actor.

I just wish there were more robot scenes than human ones. I think they could have made a better job writing the story and cut out trivial scenes.

But overall, it was good that I would watch it for a second time.

I made a new blog which should be more about photography than any other topic.

Here's the link.

Pelicula - 7th Spanish Film Festival

WARNING: Spoiler alert.



Friday. Mike, Mina and I went to watch Concursante (The Contestant) last Friday night. I had to rush to Greenbelt 3 since I had a lot of quarterend work to do that day. Mike bought the tickets early, good thing since a lot of people attended the festival. He had been following the festival and watched several movies already that he already memorized the opening remarks. LOL

The movie was about a TV game show contestant who won the biggest prize ever set on a TV game show. Four million dollars - which unfortunately were mostly properties - a house, an airplane, cars, appliances, etc. Because of this, he had to pay property taxes. His girlfriend suggested to ask for a bank loan (with the properties as collateral) which he agreed. Anyhow is problem compounds when he realizes that the bank's interest would effectively be 57%. He tries to sell the properties while his girlfriend kept on buying a lot of things, thinking they are rich. He meets a strange unorthodox economist who tries to teach him about the nature of banks. During the movie, the contestant loses his girlfriend, his job as a professor, his possessions, save the money he was able to force the bank to give him. While trying to burn the house he won, he left the suitcase of money inside. He tried to recover it but ended up dead.

There were several things about banks and/or financial industry which were presented in a negative but somehow realistic manner:
1. When a bank gives a loan, one might think it's done in an altruistic manner. However, the person ends up getting screwed.
2. Banks won't bother getting the principal since they earn interest. If not, they take the collateral anyhow.
3. Banks are generally bankrupt.

During the movie, I realized that some things were true, especially with the current the Wall Street crisis.

Saturday. Mike, Chris, Mina and I watched Nocturna, an animated movie. Despite lacking the 'oomph' which I normally try to find in a movie, it's simple story and art made it endearing. A kid discovers the realm of Nocturna. But since he was only child awake and was afraid of the dark, he created a Shadow which threatened the existence of the realm. Along the way, he meets interesting characters and discovers the beauty of the night. Ultimately, he defeats the Shadow. Moral of the movie: You must face the fear that you had created.

Mom and Tina's

After watching Nocturna, Chris left for another event. Mike, Mina and I decided to eat at Mom and Tina's. We love the place. It's become Mina's and my second favorite restaurant next to Chili's.

Sunday

I must say I had a good Sunday. I was able to have a stationary bike workout for an hour while watching the epic Game 3 of the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox ALCS series. The Rays won, and that's a big relief. Series is now 2-1 still in favor of Boston.

Then I burned a dvd of movies for Mike, which included Sin City, Sex is Zero (a Korean comedy) and Beowulf.

And I learned to watermark my images, both in Photoshop and Aperture 2. Oh yes, I was able to make our old scanner work for my Macbook.

Not a pretty bad weekend.

Matchups

American League

Los Angeles Angels vs Boston Red Sox - The Sox have taken a 1-0 lead as I'm writing this journal. But don't write off the Angels just yet. As a Yankee fan, it's a no-brainer who I'm rooting for. Newcomers Torii Hunter and Mark Texeira will oust the Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox - Even Longoria's first two postseason homers in the first postseason game of the Rays bode well. Very well. I wish I has an Evan Longoria rookie card. Could be worth a lot in the next decades. Scott Kazmir and the relief corps have been magnificent. Joe Maddon has done a pretty good job with this team and could win Manager of the Year.

National League

Philadelphia Phillies vs Milwaukee Brewers - Currently 1-0. In the second game, which is still being played, Victorino blasted CC Sabathia for a grand slam. In the National League, I'm a Phillies fan. Rollins, Howard, Ultey and Victorino make up for an exciting team. Add Hamels as their ace. And Lidge has not blown a save in the regular season. Wow. Howard could win his second NL MVP this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs - Currently 1-0 in favor of the Dodgers. I've always admired Torre for being a classy guy. I wish I had his class. It's a weird reality seeing Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez together. But what the heck. I wish the Dodgers well in this series. Don't forget the Chicago Cubs are favored to win it all this year and break their 100-year World Series drought. Piniella is a great skipper and they have all the tools - hitting, pitching, depth. But I think Manny is the difference maker here.

2008 Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball League Champion!

I'm back in the winner's circle!

After finishing second last year in one of the leagues, I was able to win two leagues this year.

Green Archers 2008


In my first team, my batting was led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Bobby Abreu, B.J. Upton and Magglio Ordonez. Shane Victorino, Evan Longoria, Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino turned out to be smart acquisitions along the way. Derrick Lee was one of my earliest trades (for Bobby Jenks) and he helped me during the first-half of the season.

As for pitching, my Cy Young Award goes to Tim Lincecum for having a stellar season. Edinson Volquez completes my 1-2 punch SP. Jose Valverde and Brian Wilson helped in the saves category. Late acquisition Jonathan Broxton was also pivotal.

For this team, pitching led the charge in the fantasy categories.

Green Archers 2 2008


For this team, draftees David Wright, Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rios helped the cause. Great free agent acquisitions were Adam Dunn, J.J. Hardy (released) and Mike Aviles. I had a hard time tinkering with the batters since I lost Rafael Furcal and Eric Byrnes due to injury.

For pitching, the stalwarts were Tim Lincecum (traded), Edinson Volquez (traded) and Javier Vazquez. I'll give my Cy Young award to Johan Santana. I was lucky to get Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Broxton and Chad Qualls to help me after the All-Star break.

There were a lot of transactions I made to come up with the lineup. I was stupid enough to let go of Cliff Lee who could be this year's AL Cy Young awardee for nothing. I traded Yunel Escobar and Ryan Ludwick for Derek Jeter which didn't turn out too well. Then I traded Damaso Marte and Tim Lincecum for Aubrey Huff and Dan Haren. Huff produced but Haren produced less than Lincecum in the second half. Another trade I made was Edinson Volquez for Johan Santana which was a boon since Santana got hot after the All-Star break. Then I traded Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton and Mike Gonzalez for Jose Reyes and Mike Mussina which turned out to be a great trade. Jeter and Hamilton got cold, Gonzalez deterred the second placed team to surge in saves. Reyes helped me in steals and Mussina gave me wins and other stats.

For this team, the batters led the charge.

In any case, I was fortunate to make the trades and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Here's my trophy case and 2008 performance:





Too bad, I didn't win in my third league but then again, jumping to sixth place from bottom place in the first months wasn't so bad.

I can't wait for next season to start!

The Empire will Strike Back!

That will be the headline for next year. But for today, the New York Yankees will be missing the postseason and breaking a streak of 13 straight appearances. That's the second longest consecutive postseason next to the Atlanta Braves' 14.

Many things have happened this year.

George Steinbrenner's sons now call the shots. Former manager Joe Torre did not accept the insulting one-year contract offered to him and moved on to manage the LA Dodgers. Fan favorite and former player and coach Don Mattingly, joined Torre in LA. Joe Girardi took charge of the Yankees. When Johan Santana was up for grabs, the Yanks did not trade for him and kept the young pitching nucleus of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and outfielder Melky Cabrera. The team was decimated by injuries to Chien Ming Wang, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui. Even A-Rod was injured for a time. Captain Derek Jeter played despite having injuries but won't admit it. Pavano returned but wasn't much of a factor. The team couldn't drive runners in scoring position. Cashman is thinking whether to stay with the Yankees as general manager. The Yankee Stadium held its last game.

But there are a lot of good things to look forward next year.

Many contracts will come off the books, including Giambi and Pavano. This should make the Yankees very powerful in getting great free agents. Expect the Yankees to sign an ace, probably CC Sabathia. I'm pretty sure they'll be getting younger, more productive players and not re-sign older, not-so-productive ones like Pavano, and possibly Giambi. Girardi should be better equipped to manage the Yankees, having a one year experience. Hopefully, the trio of Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy will deliver. The new Yankee Stadium will open.

I've been a fan of the Yankees since 2001, when they lost against the Arizona Diamonbacks in the World Series. I'm hoping they win it next year.

Food Photography

I went to Naga City last August to shoot food for Dennis Grill's new menu. It was my first time to shoot food.

I went to the restaurant's second floor, by the window. I brought some styroboards, white cartolina, masking tape and cutter. Also, I had my camera, tripod, and laptop setup like this:



The preparation was the most difficult part as I had to make some tests shots and rearrange my setup accordingly.

After some time, I was able to take some photos:





Not too bad for a first-timer.

Visit Dennis C's Grill along Magsaysay Avenue in Naga City. They have specialty flavored beers!

Very Addictive!

http://www.plurk.com/user/yoshzen

19th Monthsary

Happy 19th monthsary, sweetie. I'm so happy to be with you!

Company Christmas Party

For the first time in our domain's history, we won first prize in the domain presentation. I coordinated the props for our team, particularly the shields and capes for our 300 segment.

Oh, and I won a PS3.

World Series

So much for the Rockies getting beaten by the Red Sox, but I still like the team. The Sox are now the new Evil Empire and everything about the franchise is just admirable. I just can't like them because I'm a Yankee fan.

Speaking of the Yankees, A-Rod finally had some sense got into him by trying to contact the team after he opted out. When his agent announced that he opted out, I was pretty pissed. Sure, he's one of the best players of the game. But he still hasn't proved himself in the big stage. Comparing him to Derek Jeter, A-Rod is a class below the guy. Why I like Jeter - loyal and a class act. But I hope A-Rod learns a lesson or two and returns to the Yankees - the only team who could afford him.

The Yankees also got their new manager in Joe Girardi. Whoohoo! I'm pretty sure the guy will make the Yankees play as Yankees should - with utter confidence coming from utmost respect for the game.

I'm happy for Joe Torre for getting another managerial job, and brought Don Mattingly along. The Dodgers, while not a team I'm rooting for, should be in the playoffs next time - heck, even the World Series. Of course, I'm not hoping for a Dodgers-Yankees series. It would break my heart. Okay, maybe one year for the Dodgers, just for Torre to get back at the Steinbrenners, then Yankees all the way.

NBA

The Boston Celtics is now my favorite NBA team. Not because they're winning and haven't lost. But because it's great to see three big stars come together and play unselfishly. Garnett, Pierce and Allen have been model professionals - unlike the trio of Bryant, Marbury and Artest (okay, so they're not teammates).

I especially admire Garnett, who is simply passionate about the game. As Doc Rivers said about Garnett's energy, "Energy is talent." I never thought of that before.

I hope they win it all. If not, I hope the Phoenix Suns do.

English Premier League

Manchester United are on top with Arsenal. Ronaldo and the rest of the team has been playing quality football.

Brilliant!

Honor is the Key!

I miss playing L5R.

Oh Yeah!

Nicked this one from Yahoo! Sports. They will be the underdogs in the World Series, but stranger things have happened.

Historic Hot Rox

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
October 16, 2007

DENVER – He walked into a baseball morgue. The afternoon Seth Smith joined the Colorado Rockies, not even the best nurse could have located a pulse. So when they started winning – and winning and winning and winning – Smith walked up to the veterans in the Rockies clubhouse and, beaming all the innocence of a 25-year-old rookie, posed a question.
"Is this what pro ball is always like?"
No, this is not what pro ball is like. It is nothing like this. It is not easy and it is not drenched in Domaine Ste. Michelle and it is not full of 25-year-old rookies slicing game-changing hits that send 50,213 packed in Coors Field into a simultaneous conniption. What the Rockies did in finishing their four-game National League championship series mercy slaying of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-4 victory Monday is the antithesis of pro ball: a left-for-dead team continuing a run so incredible – and so improbable – that more than 70 years have gone by since something like it.
The Rockies have won 21 of 22 games on their way to the World Series, including seven straight to start the postseason. The last team to go on such a post-Sept. 1 jag was the 1935 Chicago Cubs, who won 21 straight, and the only other group to start a postseason with seven consecutive victories was Cincinnati's 1976 incarnation of the Big Red Machine. Heavy company for a team that languished in fourth place in the National League West on Sept. 16 only to run roughshod through the NL playoffs as the wild-card entrant.
"You start smelling things," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "And everything starts smelling right. Things started happening the way they happen. Defining moments pop up. You start talking about doing good things late. Guys show up. Everybody involved. Everybody involved."
Like Seth Smith. He finagled his way onto the postseason roster with five pinch hits in eight at-bats following his call-up the day the streak began. With the Rockies down 1-0 in the fourth inning of Game 4, Hurdle sent him to the tunnel adjacent to the dugout to take a few practice cuts before pinch-hitting for starter Franklin Morales. Less than a minute later, he stood in the batter's box, runners on second and third with two outs, a world away from the Triple-A atmosphere to which he had grown so accustomed.
Quickly Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings got two strikes on Smith, and the at-bat seemed doomed when Smith swung at an 87-mph fastball on his fists. Only the ball floated down the third-base line, over Mark Reynolds' head, in front of Eric Byrnes, out of Stephen Drew's reach, the typical Rockies hit: a soft-landing dagger that marked RBI Nos. 1 and 2 in Smith's big-league career.
Three batters later, after a Conor Jackson error and Kazuo Matsui run-scoring single, Matt Holliday dug in against Owings, a rookie starting for the first time since Sept. 27. Holliday, the MVP candidate, frothed at Owings' 2-2 pitch, a corpulent slider, and blasted it 452 feet to dead center field, pushing the Rockies ahead 6-1.
First came the Seth blow. Then came the death blow.
"I'm just kind of scratching my head," Owings said. "I've never seen anything like it."
No one born after World War II has, either. On Sept. 16, the first day of the streak, the Rockies spent more time celebrating first baseman Todd Helton's 300th career home run and six promising shutout innings from rookie Franklin Morales than entertaining the idea that this could thrust them back into the NL playoff race.
"We knew we were a good ballclub, but just knowing you're a good ballclub and actually going out and doing this is two different things," Helton said. "We actually walked the walk."
With small steps first. One win became two in a row, which turned into three straight, and before the Rockies knew it, they had vanquished 11 straight opponents. Never mind that starting pitchers Aaron Cook, Jason Hirsh and Rodrigo Lopez were damned to the disabled list, leaving ace Jeff Francis surrounded by a pair of rookies, Morales and Ubaldo Jimenez, and longtime sultan of mediocrity Josh Fogg. The Rockies could hit, they fielded better than any team in major-league history and cracking their bullpen was like trying to open a walnut with bare hands.
When the Rockies beat San Diego in a one-game wild-card playoff, they looked dangerous. When the Rockies ousted Philadelphia in the division series, they looked frightening. And when the Rockies finished embarrassing Arizona in the NLCS, they looked like a legitimate choice to beat Boston or Cleveland in the World Series, even if they do come from the inferior NL.
"I doubt we'll ever be the favorite, which is fine," Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs said. "We'll be the favorite in our own clubhouse. All that matters is what goes on in here, and these guys think we're going to win every single game.
"You just don't go on streaks like this."
No, you really don't. And you just don't win games in so many fashions. More had been made of Smith backing up Eli Manning as quarterback at Ole Miss than of his pinch hitting, so he consulted with his former coach, David Cutcliffe, on how to answer those questions.
"If Eli played baseball," Smith said, "he'd be my backup."
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba started the season as a backup for the Rockies. He won Game 3 with a three-run home run. Center fielder Willy Taveras spent most of the last month on the disabled list. He saved Game 2 with an incredible diving catch and drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning. Throughout the postseason, the Rockies have relied on their no-names as much as their big ones.
And like that, they revived baseball here. In 1993, their first year as an expansion franchise, the Rockies drew almost 4½ million fans to Mile High Stadium. Outside Coors Field on Monday, makeshift entrepreneurs bought cheap plastic brooms, affixed a Rockies decal above the bristles and sold them for a tidy profit.
"There's just no reason why a team like us can't come in and take baseball by storm for a month and a half like we have," said Francis, who will start Game 1 of the World Series, "and there's really no reason why we don't have as good a chance as anybody at winning this thing."
That opportunity dangling, Hurdle went with Manny Corpas at the end of the eighth inning to clean up Brian Fuentes' mess. He yielded a three-run home run to Chris Snyder, who in one swing equaled the number of runs scored on the Rockies' bullpen this postseason in its previous 26 innings.
Corpas, the rookie reliever, was appearing in his seventh consecutive game and 15th of the 22. With Chris Young on second base following a broken-bat double, Corpas threw three consecutive balls to Drew. On the fourth pitch, Drew swung and popped out, bringing up Byrnes.
Boos cascaded. Even with their team one out from its first World Series, the fans could not forgive Byrnes for insinuating between Games 2 and 3 that the Diamondbacks had actually outplayed the Rockies. No matter the numbers, their boos said, no one is outplaying the Rockies right now.
Torrealba went to the mound to calm Corpas. Home-plate umpire Tom Hallion came out to break up the meeting. Helton, for 10 years a victim of the Rockies' mediocrity, pounded his glove. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the rookie touched by Midas and the team's conscience, swayed.
"I just know I wanted it hit to me," Tulowitzki said.
Byrnes obliged with a sharp ground ball to his backhand. Tulowitzki scooped the ball, fired it to Helton and beat a face-first-sliding Byrnes by an arm's length. As the Rockies stacked on each other like a Napoleon, Byrnes flopped in the dirt, an apt metaphor indeed for the Diamondbacks.
The rest of the evening devolved into a big party. Bubbly. Beer. Standard fare for a team that is anything but – and one that, all of a sudden, has become the most interesting in sports. Major League Baseball, so worried about television ratings that it rejiggered the World Series schedule so it will start on Oct. 24, a Wednesday, feared the idea of a championship series featuring Colorado.
Not anymore.
"We play aggressive," Hurdle said. "But there's a calmness to 'em, a professionalism to 'em, a … "
From behind, three players dumped a giant tub of ice water on Hurdle. No longer did people remember all those years of futility. This was a team, a historically great team, and as the thought occurred to Hurdle, he shook himself like a wet dog and let out a deep shiver.
The morgue was dead. Long live the Colorado Rockies.

Jeff Passan is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jeff a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Torre's End?

I was wrong. In Game 3, Clemens wasn't Clemens of old but Clemens the old. He was pulled out in the third inning for Phil Hughes who did a marvelous job. A-Rod and the Yankees got the consecutives hits they needed to put away the game.

For Game 4, manager Joe Torre, with his job on the line, penciled 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang as the starter - on short rest. The Cleveland Indians made the Yankess pay with clutch hits on 2 outs. Clutch hits!?! That's the Yankees' trademark. The Indian advanced to face the Red Sox in the ALCS. For all it's worth, A-Rod did get the home run that I believed he'd get, in a losing effort.

I think Torre, author of four World Series titles from 1996-2000, and a future Baseball Hall of Famer, made a fatal mistake of using Wang. But that's history.

Moving forward, I do hope they retain Joe Torre. He's too good a manager to let go. His stoic calm is just bewildering. If he does leave, I'm pretty sure Joe Girardi would do well.

Here's what I think the Yankess should do:
1. Keep Joe Torre. Okay, if not, get Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly.
2. Keep A-Rod. He will deliver very soon. Before New York, he's been a great postseason player. He will rediscover that. Hopefully, not in another team!
3. Re-sign Jorge Posada. He's still good.
4. Get excellent pitching. Pitching used to be one of the Yankees aces. Take out Mussina, Pettite, Clemens (who's going to retire again), and Pavano. The first three are Yankees of lore but their time is up. Promote deserving young pitchers from the farm system. Or they can just sign someone better. Keep Mariano Rivera! He's still great, and he has closer heir apparent, Joba Chamberlain, as setup man.
5. Enjoy the game and not be afraid of making mistakes. Be fearless. It's just a game! (Yeah, right. Tell that to any Yankee fan! Hehehe.)

Colorado Rockies To Win It All?!?

Okay, so my favorite New York Yankees is almost down and out with an 0-2 win-loss record against the Cleveland Indians. But I'm guessing they would come back and win 3-2. I'm pretty sure Roger Clemens will be the Clemens of old, and give the Yankees great pitching. A-Rod, still continuing his dismal postseason performance, will rise up to the challenge. He will get a home run in Game 3. I believe!

Meanwhile, my two NL bets, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are enjoying 2-0 records against the Chicago Cubs and Philadephia Phillies, respectively. I'm sure quite sure if they would be able to sweep their opponents, but I'm hoping that the Colorado Rockies advance.

Why? When I played the Career Mode in MLB '07: The Show, I created a second baseman and had him joined the Rockies. Since the Rockies were shallow at second base, I thought my player would be able to start at the position. And he did. Eventually, the Rockies won two World Series. And then I went to the New York Yankees when I felt my player would be able to challenge Robinson Cano for the starting job. Hehe.

Who doesn't want to root for an underdog (Ok, so I'm also rooting for the Evil Empire)? Anyway, I hope I would be able to watch a game tonight. Go Rockies! (And go Yankees!)

Bridesmaid Finish



Just like the Mets, who collapsed in the end, my team just ended up second place in the Yahoo Winner 58021 Baseball League.

I was in sixth place during most part of the first half. But I dropped some key players and got hot ones which helped me lead the league through some parts of the final half. It was a very close race between me and the eventual champion, that there were a lot of lead changes.

During the final weeks, I ended up (regrettably) with the strategy of piling wins and strikeouts. I didn't think my ERA or WHIP would get affected much because I had very good pitchers with low ERA and WHIP.

Then I also acquired batters who could give me a lot of HR and RBI.

Unfortunately, my WHIP suffered because Yovani Gallardo imploded like hell. And some acquired pitchers didn't live up to expectations.

My top batters went cold in the final days.

But, in a way, it was a very good result being second in a winner's league. That's the highest rank I got in one. I was champion in public leagues in 2004 and 2005. I didn't get to play in 2006 because of career change.

Anyway, here are the lessons that I learned this year:
1) Get big batters early in the draft and very good closers. In past, I won with decent batting and great closing pitching. I normally have 4-5 good closers who give me very good ERA and WHIP. I used to believe you can win with pitching. This year, the classic strategy of using big hitters prevailed.
2) Do not drop players who got cold but are currently ranked below 90. I dropped Mike Lowell who ended up leading the Red Sox in RBI with very good AVE.
3) Be quick in acquiring hot talent or heating up players. I was too complacent to pick Ryan Braun, Pat Burrell and Troy Tulowitzki when they were starting to heat up.
4) Be quick in recognizing players who will get cold for good. I didn't drop JJ Hardy too soon in the second half. He gave me almost nothing for a couple of weeks before deciding to drop him.
5) Be aware of past performance by players against certain matchups. But, be aware that a unbeaten streak could end tragically.

Here are some personal awards for the players that I picked:
1) MVP - David Wright. He scored and driven more than a hundred runs. He also had a 30-HR and 30-SB season.
2) ROY - Chris Young. He was a midseason pick who had a 30-HR and 20-SB year.
3) Best Pickup - Aaron Rowand. He was ranked 251 overall but ended up 39th.
4) Cy Young - Josh Beckett. 20 wins, 194 K's, 3.27 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
5) Best Closer - Jeremy Accardo. 30 saves, 2.14 ERA, 1.11 WHIP.

Overall, playing the game requires balance with zen-like qualities. I can't wait for Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball.

Here's my current Trophy Case:

Why I Love My New Tripod and Realized Why I Bought My UWA Lens

Sometimes not waiting is good, sometimes hesitating is good.

Just got a 190XPROB Manfrotto tripod with 488RC2 ball head. It took quite a lot of time reading lots of reviews and magazines to convince me to buy it. It cost 160GBP. Augh. But after using it, I've got no regrets.

There was also a time that I wanted to sell my EF-S 10-22mm ultra wide angle lens because I thought I wouldn't need it anymore with my EF 24-70mm L. And I haven't even finished the installment payments for it!

If I had delayed getting the tripod, I wouldn't be able to take better lowlight photos the soonest and not used my wide angle lens at night. The Canon wire remote also helped set the exposure to bulb mode.

Here are two photos taken at around 12midnight. I would've wanted to do some post-processing but my laptop is admin-locked. Hence, no Photoshop.

I Took A Transformers Test, Guess What I Got?

I AM
71%
MEGATRONTake the Transformers Quiz

Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons. He will stop at nothing to establish his empire and destroy the Autobots, starting with Optimus Prime.

Like Megatron, you are not compassionate and harbor evil thoughts. You are inspiring, confident, and a natural leader. The Decepticons have chosen well. In addition, you stick to the basics and don't need all the encumberances of modern technology.

In my defense, I am compassionate. Modern technology isn't so bad.

Auuuggghhh! I've always wanted to be Optimus Prime!

Yay!

My sweetie and I celebrated our sixth monthsary last August 24. I sent her a card and chocolates. She surprised me with a card and two frames with our photos. She's such a darling!

I miss her very much.

Rico and Rochie in London

I was fortunate to have a very sweet couple, Rico and Rochie, to pose for these shots. My good friend Chris Rudio was accommodating in rendering the post-processing.





I could've done a lot better with the shots. But hey, one's got to start somewhere. :)