Leaving a Legacy: DJ Neil Armstrong for adidas Originals

It was a very posh barbecue that afternoon, of course I didn't expect anything less when it's and adidas event. This is the first time I'm seeing one of the greatest artists this side of the world has ever produced, DJ Neil Armstrong.I suddenly thought I was in LA when I got to the Skye Lounge, W Building, Fort. With the throng of expats and similar species that afternoon, I felt this wasn't in the Philippines for sure.Local sports, fashion, lifestyle and music personalities were all there to shake it out to celebrate adidas Originals. The brand found it very important to give much attention to originality and individuality. I concur!

Awesome spinning from DJ Badkiss commenced and of course we did the next best thing, we partied and enjoyed the music! The crowd was gorgeous, best of all they were quite noted in their respective fields. There must have been some sort of qualification made to be in this crowd, one that would require to show what adidas Originals is all about. To "Leave a Legacy" of setting a trend and staying original is hard to do but that's what adidas stands for. 

The rain may have poured that night but that didn't dampen the spirit of those who chose to celebrate the occasion. 

He was clad in adidas Originals gear from head to foot. I thought he was going to be some weirdo off the house circuit but he was very down to Earth and very accommodating. He was quite a presence and you feel so easy around him. Quite a nice chap!

The lights came on and the music changed. It was time DJ Neil Armstrong made the speakers pound and start another party!

Yeap! The party just started! I just really admire the last few words he said when his set ended. He was so proud to be amongst us, best of all he was so proud to be Filipino! 

To get you more into the mood, adidas is introducing a way for you to leave a legacy of originality. They made a special Facebook application where you can simply upload a photo of yourself in your most original STREET STYLE. You can share this photo and ask all of your friends to vote for you. The top 10 images with the most votes will win 50,000 Philippine Pesos worth of adidas products, isn't that amazing?!

For those who want to join, simply visit their Facebook page HERE and check out how you can "Leave a Legacy" of your own. Visit http://www.facebook.com/adidasPhilippines for more details.

adidas Philippines

Spoil Your Sole In Rio De Janeiro!

Girls these days spoil their feet. It could be a foot spa, a nail salon, or that favorite pair of shoes. In a tropical country such as ours, it became a deal breaker for almost anyone to wear flip flops. You can see them in malls, beaches... almost anywhere for that matter. I like my ladies doing this as well... they become presentable even if its a simple day out just walking. With the right tee or short shorts, bam! That just spells comfort and easiness.

Did you guys know that these awesome flip flops can get you to Rio De Janeiro?!

Imagine swaying your hips to the samba beat that would last hours, no.. even DAYS actually. Men and women who love IPANEMA Slippers will surely have one heck of a holiday! You will get to experience the world famous Carnival and the gorgeous men and women of Brazil. How? Well, let me take you to how you can get your foot a little spoiled courtesy of IPANEMA!

1. Grab your favorite pair of Ipanema slippers from any participating store nationwide.
2. Get the promo code to be given upon purchase.
3. Like the Ipanema Philippines Facebook Fan Page to see the Spoil Your Sole in Rio Application. Click ‘Submit Entries’ and complete the information needed for your raffle entry.
4. Get more raffle entries by buying more Ipanema pairs for more chances of winning the Rio Carnival experience.

You and a friend will spend seven days and six nights like VIP's then enjoy tours to the tourist attractions like Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corocovado and Petropolis. Winner will be provided official Carnival tickets will so you can participate in the celebration right in the heart of Rio De Janeiro! Don't worry about language barriers because you will have an English speaking tour guide and personal limousine service. You would be able to shop with the US $1,000.00 (US $500.00 per person) pocket money too!

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Ipanema Philippines

Shooting Ms. Cuba: Arianna Barouk

It was a day of fashion overdose again as I held Trish (my cam) and met a few other photographers for this particular shoot. I was so excited because luck has been going my way and true enough I got hold of a very gorgeous model. Arianna Barouk, a statuesque cuban lady from the Ms. Earth competition made my day so great I was smiling from ear to ear while shooting. It was one of the best to say the least. Here's the part where we went to the abandoned house that we chose to be the location. It wasn't the best but it was quite a remarkable photoshoot.

Check this out!



You got to see a glimpse of what actually goes on in one of my shoots. This was actually pretty small compared to what I was doing in the past. What made it special was it was more intimate and I got to talk to her a whole lot more! Oooh if you only knew how much I liked the short talks we had in between I was in bliss! Thanks for making this possible and to show you how much I liked this... check out this shot I got processed after that!

Ooh it was so nice to get to shoot gorgeous ladies like her. I want to shoot more Brazilians, Russians, Cubans, or just any Caucasian. There is something special with them that I can't point out. Aside from being flawless and less post processing needed, I just love how they look. It's different if you compare shooting Filipino models huh! I love Arianna too because she wasn't too grossed out about the location like some other models I know. She's so professional! Can I marry her? LOL

The City of Biñan at Night

This is one of the few occurrences that I have to do long exposures. To tell you honestly I hate bringing tripods because mine is heavy and bulky. With the whole schedule riding on 8PM to 4AM I could have just concentrated on the model shoot but I decided to go with the flow and try out what I haven't been doing much in photography. So I said to myself, "I'll try this one now!".

Everyone did setup their tripods and I was trying to get a hint on what I'll do. We were all secured and I felt the security the Mayor sent us did a very good job about letting us know we're safe. I was having a hard time pressing the button on my cam because it was also getting the images a little blurred. Then I remembered, "Wait, I think I have a remote in my bag" so I hurriedly scuffled to find it and there it was on the side pocket. I got to shoot comfortably after that. Exposures took a few seconds and I was trying not to have flares on it. All in all I did a good job but not quite, see those flares? It's because I didn't remove my UV filter ha-ha!

Anyway, I'm sure there will be another time for this. I had a really nice time in Biñan and I'm sure the night scenes are all nicely captured. When will I do this again?! Maybe in a few weeks, I just don't have the time to do so in the evening because I work at these hours. I'll have someone teach me about it so I'll be a well rounded photographer. Wouldn't that be nice?! =)

The City of Biñan, Laguna

I was really looking forward to a very great day of photowalks again with my peers from the D60KREW. The plan was to go somewhere remote but barely near Metro Manila and find places and faces under this li'l old country of ours that we haven't visited yet. We have walked quite a number of places in the South but we never got to see the city of Biñan, Laguna. We always passed by the highway and had never seen it this close. I immediately signed up when the opportunity knocked. Like every walk we had, I was in for a treat!Ms. Bambit Gaerlan contacted people from the city hall to have our permit secured. I was thinking it was only to get us to shoot places where we needed to but lo and behold even our security detail was arranged. I said to myself "Hey! the people are really nice here to even bother and do that!". To say the least I was really impressed about the reception. Once we got down from the decades old PNR Train from Manila, they immediately escorted us to the place we initially decided to start off which is the McDonalds branch along the highway.

First salvo of Group hug @McDO with the D60KREW Photo courtesy of Ms. Bambit Gaerlan (not in photo since she is the one shooting!)

We met with Ms. Roseann Gonzales the Administrative Aide of Mayor Marlyn "Len" B. Alonte-Naguiat and exchanged pleasantries. I was impressed at the way they welcomed us into their town. They extended this much attention to us and had us secured while shooting (hence no worrying about our gears). I never expected it was going to be that grand but hey, I guess people from this place was better receiving people. It's a great trait of Filipinos but we seldom see that anymore even in Manila. I felt really special and it was probably the same with my peers.

That's Ms. Roseann Gonzales (on the left) and the specially happy guy Michael Olino (far right) on the beginning of the walk. This was around 10:00pm if I'm not mistaken.

We lined up initially to get dinner at Mc Donald's since that was in the itinerary. The store manager had us wait on our seats and just got our orders, little did we know it was already paid for by Ms. Roseann Gonzales. That was a big surprise to all of us, I mean... talk about royal treatment huh?! We talked about it a little and decided to do a small payback, we'll let them use some of the images we produce on this walk. They'll probably have all their brochures and posters up soon with them. I'm really glad about the courtesy extended to us just by merely going through documents and a permit, we have the Mayor and her good people to thank for that.
Off we went to the streets of Biñan. It was a little different than when I last saw it (since my Uncle owns a local luxury auto shop I frequently went to in the past though I never got out to town that much) but I guess it was also because we are doing this photo walk in the wee hours of the evening and the morning after. The subjects were old houses, old mansions since Rizal's time and the small quaint homages to the local hero. I also think part of the charm of Biñan is its people. You can't imagine how endearing it was to talk with the locals. They are all friendly; actually I was cringing a little because of the fact that they were friendlier than me. It was like a second breeze to what little things I know about the place. It was nice all in all.
I tested out what I knew in long exposures. It was a must in this photo walk since we didn't have that much light. The wee hours of the morning drew near and there were only a couple of vehicles to shoot at. I had a few shots but I won't be posting them yet (they are still in post processing). The great people of the City hall patiently waited for us to finish our shots.

Municipal Special Action Group (MSAG), led by Mr. Bobby Veracruz (5th from right) and his team Dennis Tanael, Lando Parot, Ariel Almazora, Bhos Reyes (4th from right), Reynaldo Ambas, Roy Ringon, Dodgie Disonglo and Joewel Morales.
Photos courtesy of Ms. Bambit Gaerlan

I guess you are all wondering why I'm not posting any of the great shots from the walk right? I think I already did capture the best ones here. I learned something more special than the sights and places that Biñan, Laguna has... it was it's people. You can put a person in the nicest mansions or greatest creations of God but if you put a man on a simple location and had the traits like of those we met, it's amazing! I felt the greatest treasure that they have in this city was not the Puto Binan(which comes a close second!), or the landmarks, or historical figures, it was them... THE PEOPLE... and I'm sure the Mayor and the people behind the success of our walk knows it.

For everything that you have done for us in Biñan, Laguna... Thank you so much from all of us at D60KREW!

The Scott Kelby Photowalk

I have been looking forward to this year's Scott Kelby photowalk and it looks like things are getting better. I am waitlisted right now with Ms Bambit the D60KREW lead photog and I have my reservations with the UE Litratistas too. It would be nice for a first activity with them and if you ask me its better if in this case I do it the Red Warrior way. That's the catch line they have on the site and I must say it does fit like a glove. Their path would be in the greater manila-binondo area and since it has been approved I'll try my best to be included in the first 50 that will register for that walk. He must also assign marshals so we know how this whole thing would end up. This thing must be organized as soon as possible.

If I don't end up on the first walk I joined, I'll end up going to another one that is sweet and perfect for the occasion. I haven't met some of the guys but I'm surely going to enjoy it! The subjects are going to be people, old manila and probably some everyday scenes in that area. I remember the walk we had in paco that had so many people in the streets and I got to shoot a part of the esteros that burned down a couple of days after. What is heartbreaking is that over 5000 families lost their homes. =(

The Faces Of Poverty: Lucban, Quezon

When I arrived in Lucban, Quezon it was evident that the town had rich culture. Though it really showed another face of poverty. There are old ones, there are innocent looking kids in the street. Some of them are still in the festive mood even if they are in the sad plight of poorness. I had a lot to say about the ones near the church. There are still hundreds of people who are below the poverty line. They haven't tasted 3 meals a day like most of us. Here are some images of that...


This is a kid carried around by his mother near the church. I saw him peeking a bit when we passed by so I took a shot. I feel innocence with him. Even if he was dirty he was still happy being carried by his Mom. I think I went through this phase sometime in the past LOL... no seriously I was really drawn on his innocent look while I took this photo.


This was a dirty kid carried around by his mom inside the church grounds. I think they were begging or sumthing. I don't know why but I think this was the only time of the year there were lots of people in the town and they took the liberty to beg so I don't give that much thought on this one. I just pity the child had to be used so they would look KAWAWA.
This was not a sad story. This was a kid who stood by the pond outside the church. You see, they have this pond that had lots of tubes in the middle with faith hope love and the rest of the good things life has.... they kinda had it labeled so when someone shoots a peso inside they'll have their wishes come true. A wishing pond something like that. This kid tried to get some money off of it I think. Not sure. But I was captivated on how he eagerly waits for every peso to shoot inside the tubes. I like shooting kids I guess.
This was the woman in the street outside the church. Unlike the modern churches here in the Philippines, the one they had there was like sideways. The main door was on the side and the altar was on the left. I don't know if I entered the wrong door but it seems that is what it is. This lady had no home, she was a little filthy. I took a shot because I felt bad that everyone was happy and here she was in the hot sun just sitting there. I think she had no one to take care of her.

This was the guy on one of the houses in Lucban, he was singing for the enjoyment of everyone that passed by. I don't know why but I think they sang some kind of Ethnic Reggae thingy. I think everyone enjoyed what they were doing.

I'll get back to my roots of shooting street again sometime soon. I don't think this is my forte but I'm sure getting lots of fun doing it.

Till next time!

I Enjoyed the Ride!

I haven't thought of anything to do today other than take a good rest. I lack sleep obviously because I went to the Pahiyas Festival last Saturday. Friday night was busy too because I had to go out with friends in Manila to get a bit of nightlife in between but I didn't really get enough sleep because of that. Sunday was not much of a rest because I had to run errands for my folks. I got the notion we needed groceries so I went and swiped the hell out of my credit card. Yes I have something big to pay for this weekend but I'm optimistic I can do this.

As for relationships I think I have one coming up. I don't know if I'm sure about it but hey as any of my past ones said, ENJOY THE RIDE!

This week I will be concentrating on editing my photos from the Pahiyas Festival. I kinda liked what we went through. With some minor problems here and there it was all ok. At least I got to spend some time with my friends over at the D60KREW. I think I kinda miss them a lot. Well I think they did miss everyone too. Saw their shots on the thread recently and its looking great. We had some great shots over at Lucban. It was a punishment but we survived!

To Go or Not To Go!

I am in a solid rush right now and I don't know if my plans would push through. I want to get wet... I haven't been to a swimming pool or beach since last year... or maybe last January LOL. Anyway, I really want to spend my weekends relaxing. If I don't get a vacation of some sort I'd probably end up crazy in some mental institution. I know you kinda get what I mean.


Aside from that, I plan to go to Quezon next week... if my classmate does not make arrangements for our stay there I'd probably end up doing it with the D60KREW. That would be fun too because it will be a day full of reminiscing and time with the people I started with on street photography. Capturing the colors in the south of Luzon would be doubly fun and amusing. It will be my first time and I'm surely gonna eat habhab which originally came from that place. Just thinking about the vinegar with it makes me quiver a bit. Aaaah I can't wait!

I don't know if I could do some form of shots that I can arrange with the people there. A beautiful lady wouldn't hurt while posing with those pastel colored rice paper they make for lanterns.

My life is so random. I had lots of fun last night with friends. Flirting with ladies with bodies like OMAAAAAYGAAAD was just so nice. I want to marry someone nice like that anytime soon.

I don't know if I'm gonna enjoy this single guy life LOL. But it sure is one hell of a ride! =)

Walking On Sunshine At Night

Well I think I'm a little happy today because I saw some friends again in Facebook. I like the things we did in college and it was again a time of nostalgia and reminiscing. It's pretty descent! i did not put any photos that would be detrimental to their professional careers LOL.

I was quite amused when I was scanning the old photos this morning. Some of them included me with long hair so imagine how funny that would look if I got it public haha.

I was asked by my peer to have something bought through Amazon this evening. I saw the chance to buy a 35mm lens for my cam and it would probably cost cheaper if I got it there. Actually seeing the checkout counter it is almost half. I just don't know the tax and the delivery cost but it seems it can qualify to be free since it is above 25 dollars. Hmmm... this is making me think about what to buy now heheh... will I buy the UV filter also? It says it costs around 10 dollars but I think filters cost cheaper here.

GAS... gadget acquisition syndrome I know! But hey if its going to cost smaller than what I can buy here in the Philippines it's a smart thing to do! =)

In the meantime to make you guys happy try and listen to the video I posted with this one and you'll remember some happy times even at night.... the time when you are just plainly happy and walking on sunshine! =)

Happy Easter! =)

Here are photos from my cam =)

Photos from my BB =)

Hi guys! I know it's kinda late for me to do this but since the occasion calls for it I would like to greet you all a very Happy Easter!

I went out and got my blackberry and Trish (my Camera) and shot around my neighborhood to see what was happening... well actually I just didn't really have anything to do so I shot just about anyone and anything LOL. Just look at the pics I got from my BB last Good Friday. The commonly busy streets of Eastwood, Cubao and Edsa just became deserted. Taxi drivers say they are kinda bankrupt during these days. If they did decide to travel on these days where most catholics either stay at home or go out of the metro and spend time in beaches then they wouldn't be able to even earn the boundary price.

I know it is a busy weekend for some but of course I on the other hand chose to stay at home and spend some time with my family. Aside from that we went to church so I'd be able to at least get some of the sins off of me LOL. I wonder if it did make a difference. Anyway, I like the time I spent with Mom there and taking photos randomly on the street was fun even if I was a lone. Maybe I should do this often... I dunno, should I?! Let me know and comment on this post. Is it okay for me to at least make the lone photowalks regularly?!