My Busy Weekend!

Yeah I know I am still tired and I have not worked out that much this week. Thrice a week is not much of a work out regimen... it is pathetic and I need to probably go to the other branch tomorrow so I can get something to at least get those pain and aches back in the gym.

I have been doing twitter quite frequently and following a lot of celebrities. i don't know if this is going to be addicting but just to see someone replying to your tweets as famous as Ellen De Generes, Mariah Carey and David Archuleta seems nice. Right?! If you have some to suggest I follow just let me know on my comments section.

Aside from that, I will be going to Ultimate Tasting Event 3.0 on Fort Bonifacio so I could get connections with 300 foodies and 30 suppliers for my blog. This is from OurAwesomePlanet.com and Sir Anton which I would like to meet there too. Aidan and Joshua were cute when I met them (his kids). That would be really great as a base for my food review requirements. Another blogger even from Nuffnang is the one from Medicol and I will be going to the Raymond Isaac forum so I can get tips on my latest passion which is photography. I seem to be getting good at it so I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope I learn something from him. After all he is one professional I would like to meet in my lifetime heheh =)

Check out some pics I got from UTT 2.0 last August. This was in Serendra and the next one will be on Sunday. =)


This was the best wraps I tasted there!


This was the Chicken for the wrap, they cooked it on the spot!


This is my friend eating the wrap! =) Yummy!


This was the nice Native Chicken Adobo!


This was the lechon that had chicken inside of it. A double treat!


The blueberry cake, it was not that special as I remember. Sorry!


The World Hotties Hotdog ran out! It was good though I would have liked their buns to be a little thinner. I like the Japanese one!


That's the reason why I am looking forward to this Sunday's event because it is a foodie's dream just to get to that event!

An Eye Check Up?!

It is November and people in the office are in a stir because it is our annual physical examination. No it is not the paper and pen that you need on this one but the doctors and medical staff that would test if you are going to be fit for work. I was lucky enough to have passed all the previous years I was here but I think I'm going to complain about something today. I think I have eye problems now.

I have not been to an ophthalmologist or optometrist yet to have corrective procedures done but I'm sure this is going to be pretty simple. I think I am kind of tired too and I need a lot of rest since I have been going out quite a lot under the sun these past few weeks. Things may have damaged my eyes but I am not sure. I do not want to make things worse so I need corrective action. Is it time for me to wear glasses? Do you think I lost that 20/20 vision I had because of looking too much at computers? Oh I wonder!

The next thing in my mind though is that eyeglasses cost a lot in this side of the world. Even those commercial ones in the metro that promise to get you bifocals in an hour charge thousands of pesos just for a single frame. I could not spend money for that anymore; it just would not stand in line of the utility bills I have to pay. In the quest to find affordable ones, I remember one brand who made huge news in CNN before. It was ZENNI Optical. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is the same on line store that had those $8 Prescription Zenni Glasses. I talked about them too a couple of months back.

They also have new Holiday Fun Eyeglasses on their store that seems perfect for the season. I may have to choose the one above though since it is simple enough for my needs. New Arrivals would probably come out next month and I will surely check them out too. I would not want to look old in the frames obviously. I will have to decide soon and I hope my eyes are not that badly damaged. I know everything would be alright.

Roanna Torralba: Registers Best in the Camera!

I just want to show you guys some of my best shots of this young model we got for our ECOPARK shoot a few Sundays ago. She is Roanna Torralba and she was kind of shy at first. She did not talk that much but I guess she did loosen up a bit while shooting. She was pretty confident in front of the cam and as you can see she registers quite good. I wanted to shoot with her from the time they posted the initial photos of them since she was totally different, I find her so expressive in the eyes even if she was a little too Asian. It was so nice because we did not actually have that much of a problem directing her what to do as far as poses were concerned and she did a pretty good job of showing the clothes. The framing and the avant garde theme I wanted to show on cam was all there, I think most of us thought she was tall and looked like Joyce Jimenez on test photos but I guess that is what you get when the model indeed has the X Factor. A great shoot comes after because she knew how to do it and projection was a cinch for her. Roanna Torralba is awesome and I hope that I get the chance to shoot with her again sometime soon!


















I hope I won't have problems with models the next time we shoot, because frankly art direction is a different thing for photographers. Posing wise, it would be ridiculous for us to teach models right? Hahahah!

The Rising Case of Unemployment

I was watching CNN this evening when I came across a report about the rise of unemployment in the United States. I am a little hesitant about getting my hands into this huge issue because I was working in the Business Process Outsourcing industry; but we are definitely involved in this mess. You might find a job search quite amusing at this time but it could greatly affect our economy. If I went against either country it would really be unhealthy; but there is a common denominator here, everyone needs a job!

There are about 9.5% of the Americans that are currently unemployed. It is almost the same as in the Philippines which is pegged at 7.4%. That particular amount though is still contestable because if you somehow see the real situation from inside the country, it is definitely worst. This statistic may have been only garnered from the metropolis and not the whole Philippines. In my opinion, this may be around 30% more or less but we always could have more that what is really written. Thousands of jobs were lost in the United States because of the financial crisis and the Federal government has tried numerous ways of aiding these citizens via a stimulus package. The problem is, the economy is only slowly recovering and the money is already 3/4 of its way running out. I do not even know if some of the industries would survive without it. Some were saved I know because of the loans that were given to the others but on Automotive and Industrial companies, I think it would depend on the stability after this quarter because some of the banks have not began asking their clients for a restructured form of payment. They are probably not informed too of the opportunity to do so. Families have already gone out of their homes and only grabbed whatever they can of their belongings. Some of them only did bring the clothes on their back and got everything else to be auctioned off or sold as is. It is a pretty rough time for them I know, but the rest of the world also felt this too.

Coming from a middle class family in this country I am also inadvertently involved in the workforce that may have also affected a small part of the United States job loss. But if you think about it too, there may have been more companies closing if they did not resort to have those jobs outsourced instead. That is the point of most them since they only would probably afford to get the job done with half the price rather than keep it within the circulation on a dwindling environment in the US. If you want to talk about India, they can pay 10 people to do a single job in the US. Where else should these companies go to keep themselves afloat? Why should they compromise continuing to do business in the US if the only tax cuts they will receive are going to come from the Federal government who only does this on a temporary basis? In this day and age there should always be quality in the kind of work people are into for the rest of the country. That is the only way they will survive. If you get the right people for the right job appropriate for their skills and experience, then there would be no losses that will be reported annually for these large corporations.

I know it is quite hard now to find a job but I found this article from A HARRISON BARNES about "future prospects that are determined by the company we keep" that talks about people who you need to hire or work with in the first place. If you fall into these categories, no matter what changes you make in your policies; you will still continue to have your other leg in the grave. Making the right choice in the people you hire will make or break you in times like these. This is very important considering each cent you earn or spend needs to be accounted for because it is crucial to the success of your company. This is really a good point executives must take a look so they do not even get people who claim stupendous bonuses in times that they only survived because of federal help. That would really affect the greater picture (the economy) and the individual family. You might want to take a look at the career advice articles that they have on their site. Those were really very fun to start to read since it covers the basics. The street smart point of view was also truly helpful. I understood the most technical terminologies since they gave time to explain each subject further. There are also parts of it that lets you decide your career goal; it is worth to spend your time on while browsing for the other useful items they have for you.

If you want to find a job and be successful at it, you must make the right choice now. Who you are going to spend years with anyway? You must be 100% sure of what path you are going to take since the success or failure of your company will be reflected in your resume. If they make a huge name in their industry then that would be another feather in your hat. Make sure you drop by A HARRISON BARNES too for expert career advice and easy job search that directly gets it from corporate pages. Good luck!

See What A Rainy Afternoon Did To Me!

I've been so alone all my life... couldn't give my heart to anyone... mantra to self today? NO EMO! NO EMO! NO EMO!

That was the line I was listening to in my head all morning. I was not in the mood to do anything than lounge in my bed and stay put. After all I had a very tiring photo shoot last weekend and that got me to only spend around a few hours of sleep this week. That also jeopardized my chances of going back to the gym since I can't work out while I'm dizzy because of the lack of sleep. Anyway I was able to do so last Friday so that was nice.



See what I mean? Haha! This is nice!

I need to work out more... I am getting thinner I guess because I am fitting in better in my old clothes but I have to work out more. The money I spent for gym is no joke either LOL. I'm spending the weekend in the office now because I got my schedules swapped last week, it was fun though because I had the lotsa great shots on my last photoshoot. Now I am figuring out why I have this camera with me in the office, I don't even have a shoot tomorrow. Maybe I'm itching to go somewhere but I know time would not permit it since I am going to have work tomorrow night. It is hard to be a nocturnal, to work at night when people are supposed to sleep... but in some ways I do enjoy it a lot. More so if you kinda see the fruits of your labor... I'm not that rich but I get by... I am fulfilled in work although I could have more heheh. Not that I'm pushing it LOL. I am in the verge of being promoted but not quite heheh... weird huh?! But don't worry I am going to make some small changes to improve managing work. That is somewhat the path I am taking anyway!

I am a little weird I know, but it takes one to know one right? Hehe Nice meeting you here amused dear reader LOL

I better get ready for tomorrow. I think I'll go back to my University and get some of those old things I ate when I was still there. Maybe that will bring back memories, I want to see old friends too. I wonder how I'll start this, but let me give them a call now and set this up so we could have breakfast there tomorrow =) Let me see if I could get pictures of that too =)

Great Food, Great Recipes!

I have been reviewing awesome food discoveries since day 1 of this web site. I also have been contemplating on continuing my studies and get a culinary course to sharpen my skills in cooking. I have been following recipes and books for quite a long time. I have been successful enough to get better pats on the back from my Mom and Dad when it comes to these but I have not exceeded the skills of my brother. After all, he is a famous professional Chef.

In this day and age, everyone needs to research about the latest in the art of cooking. This is where the Internet has been useful in getting information on every kitchen in the world. Not only does my brother whip up his own ones, he also learns from other people so he could perfect his craft. It is quite difficult to maintain a pretty high standard like he does. Believe me I have tried to at least keep a decent gourmet meal on the dinner table when Mom is not around, but he still manages to impress me and other people when he takes over. I have some weird passion for baking but since he has been a pastry chef for a few years, he has got better control of the piping bag and measuring spoons. He can also do that for a lot of people unlike when I tried that for the first time. The quality really was affected but I would like to get better if destiny permits. It's a good thing FoodConnect came along.

The site not only gets the best recipes from people all over the world. They also have options of having it customized to the volume you prefer. Many have attested to the goodness and great flavor of the food found there. Go ahead and take a bite now! I know you will like it!

Thanks to INNOVATRONIX Inc.!

Our photoshoot set last Sunday =)

It was a hot day when we started shooting last Sunday October 25, 2009. Five models and about 20+ Photographers converged at the La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City for a simple model shoot. Or so we thought. Initially, we were thinking it was just going to be a small gathering, but we were wrong… it was HUGE!

Thinking of a better way to present photos has been a priority to NOCTURNALS, (a photography group comprised of Call Center/BPO professionals) and the challenges that we had setting up this event was how to find proper lighting using strobes, equipments for effects and it’s portability. We are so glad that  INNOVATRONIX Inc. suddenly came into the picture.

The INNOVATRONIX Inc Crew!

Their strobes and soft boxes were awesome!

The company owned by Ramon Castillo (a former Senior Engineer at Intel) engaged in so called Innovative Electronics equipment from sports scoreboards, electronic ballasts, AVR’s, photo imaging and printing machines, and a lot more. They have been able to garner a few government contracts, projects and harness local commercial electronic consumer needs since 1987. Ms. Sheryll from TRONIX was kind enough to arrange with us 2 huge strobes and a couple of soft boxes. Lighting was indeed a necessity even on the outdoor shoot; and we needed to have that certain exposure controlled. With the number of photographers shooting on the 5 models that we had that afternoon, none of the equipments had problems whatsoever in catching up with our external flash since it automatically goes off with it. It was nice to see world class equipment being manufactured locally.

The Tronix Vulcan: A battery-operated smoke machine

The Tronix Portable Air Blower

Not only that, we had people from their office also take care of the effects. They had portable versions of smoke machines that we used on the models; and the look was phenomenal. They also had ice to have the smoke stand on lower ground so it would feel more authentic on forest grounds. They had portable blowers that were also used on one of our models who had long Hispanic looking hair. That look was just so nice on her and we had it routinely running because it was great to see someone bearing SHAKIRA a run for her money. We would never had done this successful shoot without INNOVATRONIX Inc. You should try and visit their website at http://www.innovatronix.com and order now so you can set up your own professional grade studios.

Thank you TRONIX IMAGING CENTER for all the help! You are instrumental and a big part of the success of The NOCTURNALS Photoshoot!

Here’s to our next one!



Business Address:
#10 Rose Street, Lourdes Subdivision
Mambugan, Antipolo City
Rizal, Philippines

Tel No:
+63 (2) 645-1592
+63 (2) 645-6124

Fax No:
+63 (2) 645-1598
+63 (2) 645-1903

Email Address:
info@innovatronix.com
marketing@innovatronix.com

Going Up!

How I wish I could go back to ANAWANGIN again so I could enjoy the breath taking view of the mountains and the cove again. I am probably going to ask some of my photography buddies to plan out this location so we can take landscape shots like the professionals. There is no way I could ever forget the trip we had a few years ago. It is a good thing we enjoy outdoor adventure gear, tent poles, replacement tent poles, char cloth, fire piston, trekking poles, camping tarp, camping, backpacking, hiking to name a few. I guess it is because some mountaineers who are part of the team influenced us in enjoying this fun climb that turned out to be horrific in some parts. Everyone still enjoyed the conversations in between, the food and the camaraderie we developed along the way. It was really fun even if we were often grimacing in pain. It was more than everyone had ever dreamed of when we got there. I'm sure with the new people I'm with now, they will also enjoy the things we did on the cove. Not to mention the white sand and the pristine beach we swam in when we stayed there.







I want to go back there!

FASHION WEEK 2010 NEWS: CRISSA FLUNKED!

Crissa Jeans... and Me at Fashion Week

It was a fabulous night of cute girlie clothes that were RTW and lots of awesome Brazilian models when I went to Fashion Week last Friday. Judging from the clothes they wore on this set, it looks very promising for Crissa to concentrate on shirts, blouses and pants this season but they did not veer away from the usual earth tone palate that they think is still in the trend. If you ask me, this was not really a good thing, they should have pushed the edge with regards to design and not line up with RTW fashion. They will be coined to the same genre they had last year and would not be in the lines of Plains and Prints or F&H. They will still remain in the masses taste which I hate. I mean why launch a fashion show when all you are going to show is non edgy clothes, they should have at least given designers freedom to do avant garde and make their simple clothes look more fashionable. It looks like they will still lag behind, its too Chinese to put it simply. It's cheap looking even if they had foreign models. I guess their market is still going to be the INDAYS and DODONGS this year. Pardon my language, no pun intended ladies and gentlemen! The concept of the show was also cheesy... it was not enough to entice people in the fashion industry. Just let me know if they get rave reviews someday!

As with the photos, I was lucky enough to be able to get a good spot because I did not stay astray when the program started. Good thing I was in front center so I had my telephoto lens Ziggy do his work. =)

We Could Have Solved It!

Garbage has been a perennial problem in the metro and obviously after the typhoon we had in the country, one asks; "how would you solve disaster relief when the problem is disaster relief itself?"

I was moved by the numerous heroic stories by ordinary Filipino citizens and how they were able to help others in this time of crisis. There are a lot of places in the Metro where flooding was up to neck deep but you would not see anyone lose hope and they are still eager to survive no matter where it takes them. I tried to help as much as I can but this has got to stop. If no one resolves the root cause of the problem, then the thousands who perished may haunt us for the injustice. Let us start by just mentioning how many creeks, rivers and lakes are full of garbage. Oh wait, I'm sorry but that would take a while to even think about. I guess those who forced our ears to listen about global warming a few decades ago are laughing at us now.

Where do we put our garbage with so little dump sites and no environmentally friendly incinerators? Experts say we have a lot of land available, but it is just not properly managed. We already have a lot of resources wasted on people with fat pay checks since the fall of dictatorship. Where did we go as far as resolving that? Nowhere! There are standardized and tested systems elsewhere in the world and why should we not employ the same in our land? Software packages are available at Waste Edge and it could have been simply resolved by following a simple system that can be monitored even on line. The Waste Management Software could have saved us millions if someone already thought about this in the first place. Technologies for garbage trucks and personnel that use RFID tags, Mapping, Mapping GIS, GPS Truck tracking should have been used on these savings. I hope they do something soon to resolve this and discipline the citizenry too since urban dwellers often mistake themselves for people who do not learn from their past. I am still optimistic that we can handle change and soon be better.