i'm on the VSCO Grid!

I just recently discovered how wonderful the VSCO Cam is. I've been seeing a handful of my Instagram contacts using that hashtag, and for a while, I didn't really pay attention to what it is. Good thing I did, and now I'm hooked!

The preset filters are really wonderful, though you can opt to buy a new set for as low as $99 cents. My fave is the T1--a moody and sort of dreamy filter that I really like (you'll see that my recent IG posts already sport that filter). 

Aside from the beautiful filters, VSCO also has the Grid that lets its users check out others' feeds. It's a very minimalistic layout, which is something I find attractive and sophisticated. Though it's not yet that interactive (right now, the website/app allows you to just follow other users--no feature yet for comments, likes, or reposts), but I really don't mind. (And, more importantly, I don't see that many selfies in the Grid. Hooray!)

So yes, VSCO Grid will be my repository for my mobile snapshots (but Flickr will still remain as my "serious" photography portfolio online). Follow me, and let's share more pretty photos with each other!

like stepping into Tolkien's world

This photo was taken by Francis; all else were by me

 After church then dinner, Francis and I took a walk in UP to check out if Quezon Hall is already decked in the holiday garb. Though there are not so many Christmas lights yet, nighttime in UP proved to be picturesque. The night's cool weather and the fog that enveloped our Alma Mater even made our evening walk more mesmerizing and photogenic. Unfortunately, I have only my phone with me, so these photos don't really do justice to the actual scenery. 

And since I just finished re-watching the LOTR trilogy (in preparation for The Hobbit movie; yes, I am such a huge Tolkien fan, please don't get me started), I can't help but think that some of these scenes look like they're straight out of Rivendell...or Ithilien or Lothlorien or the woods in the Girdle of Melian (in The Silmarillion). Just add in a few ethereal elves carrying flickering lamps, please! 

 

exciting months ahead!

I got to go behind the camera again this weekend, after months of hiatus!

A good friend is launching his sugary products in time for the holidays, and I was asked to shoot the goodies! Here's a sample.

Sugar (and) Spice, and everything nice for Christmas!

Will post more details about Sugar Spice soon, but in the meantime, let me rave about another thing: an SG trip next month!

Francis and I will be spending Christmas day in Singapore! I am super stoked! It's my first time to spend Christmas away from home (and I'm being all sentimental about it, but it's not like I'm gonna pass up the opportunity, haha!). I've been busy planning the trip, but I must finish this story I'm assigned to first (it's a cover story for Good Housekeeping Jan/Feb 2013 issue!), so I can have undivided attention to our holiday tryst.

And so with that, I must first write, write, write, so I can then plan, plan, plan!

(Sorry for the very random post. I'm just too excited not to share these blessings. Haha!)

mystery him

This guy is one of the inspirations that made me pursue photography. The older photos in his stream are just amazing and jaw-dropping.

However, I no longer see updated posts from him. Yes, it bothers me. I wonder what happened to him. Did he suddenly lose the passion? Was photography just another hobby that he pursued and then left in order to move on to another one?

It makes me sad.

forgive this stream of thoughts

Hormones have been unforgiving lately. It's a matter of being depressed and happy within a span of an hour. I must be bipolar just like the weather, hahaha!

These days, I can't help but vent things on shopping. If not actual shopping, I frequent Parfois' website for some window shopping (and scouting possible future buys). I am so in love with their stuff--quality but not pricey. If I were to disregard sanity, I will probably buy a Parfois bag every month. Oh, and accessories, too!

Also been checking out two fashion bloggers, The Walking Recessionista and Tricia Will Go Places. (The latter was embroiled in some controversy months ago, but I might digress.) I don't really follow fashion blogs simply because I find it tedious just keeping up with these girls' outfits. I mean, I am into fashion, but I don't believe it has to require much effort. Plus, I don't see the point of actually chronicling what you wear every single day. There are better things to do. But, these two blogs that I have recently been following are quite different because not all entries are about shoes and bags and accessories. More importantly, the things they wear are "achievable"--outfits that I can imagine myself wearing. I don't like fashion bloggers who go to Cambodia and visit the Angkor Wat in heels and lacy dresses, and label that ensemble as "casual". Casual, seriously?!? Heels in Angkor Wat? Is that even practical? Can you even walk in those on uneven grounds? Plus, Angkor Wat is a historical place meant to be experienced, not a catwalk that pulls attention to what you're wearing! I mean, sure, you can still be fashionable but practical and realistically sane, right? 

Anyway, I'm quite disappointed with myself for not following through with my pursuit of photography. I promised to buy a light and soft box for my birthday last April, but it's already July and I still don't have lights. I must prioritize that, I must! Photography is something that I really want to be good at, and I really have to get behind the lens more often. I think I can blame Instagram and camera phones for this complacency, haha! I sometimes find myself settling for my camera phone instead of bringing my DSLR, justifying that it's not the machine that makes for a good photo, but the person operating that machine. While to a certain degree it's true, I know that actually bringing and using a decent camera is key to honing photography skills. Aack, I have to kick myself hard and resume my pursuit!

And then there's the issue of my other blog, which I barely update. I used to have the excuse of not having Internet connection at home, hence the sparse entries. But now that I have a decent connection 24/7, what's my excuse, eh? Pfft!

It's raining again, and I'm stuck at home as of this writing because I'm not feeling well enough to go to work. I decided to just telecommute (and boy, this is a lot less stressful, I can do this for the rest of my life if only it were allowed!). I wonder what I'll preoccupy myself with in between work emails and daydreams. 

I wish it were already Friday again.

this feels really good!

Take control of your spending habits now!

You know that feeling that you're doing a lot of things but you find joy in doing them (no, I'm not referring to my day job, hahaha!)?

Like I've mentioned in my previous entry, I've been very busy lately with things that I love doing: writing and taking photos. I feel so blessed to have been given a number of opportunities to have my articles and photos published. In fact, the October ish of Cosmo Philippines has my photos and a major article (yes,this is me urging everyone to grab a copy!). Yay for October!

My Baguio and Pangasinan pics; images for the books
Heart of the Matter & The Carrie Diaries, plus Powerhits 2010 and
Recovery CDs are mine! Weee!

Other than this, I have something else being cooked up. I can't divulge it now so as not to preempt things, but I'm really excited about it. I'll spill the beans as soon as it's official.

Thank You, Lord, for all these blessings! To You be the glory!

why i will not drink coffee for a week or so

The liberica coffee tree, where Batangas harvests
their famous kapeng barako

Last Friday, I had the caffeine overload of my life.

I went on a photoshoot assignment for (let's call it) M magazine, the pet project whom I have a love-hate relationship with (love trumps the hate in most cases). My crew, consisted of art director Con, contributing writer Zy and our driver for the day, plus me of course as photog/managing editor, drove to Lipa, Batangas to feature the city's OTOP (One Town, One Product) as well as other industries thriving in the area. Lipa's OTOP is kapeng barako (liberica coffee). We had a shoot with two of the forerunners in the business, and yes, we did sample cupfuls of kapeng barako in all its strong, unadulterated flavor. The first entrepreneur on our list came up with the idea of instant coffee in a tea bag (that's Xandro's coffee); while the second one, Cafe de Lipa, can give Starbucks a run for its money.

Art director Con saying hello while styling
the Pinoy-inspired brownies of Cafe de Lipa

We had free brewed coffee, frappuccino, Pinoy-inpsired pastries (like pili nut and tablea brownies) and even a bag of Cafe de Lipa ground coffee!

For only Php200, you get a bag of Cafe de Lipa coffee
with this very pretty gift box!

On the way home, us three girls were all hyper and palpitating, we had to stop over at a gas station to buy bottled water so we can flush away all the day's caffeine from our system.

So now for fear of extreme palpitation, I shall do my best to avoid brewing coffee every morning for a week.

P.S.
I blame some of my colleagues for giving us a coffee maker as a wedding gift. I seldom drank coffee before, but because of that coffee maker, I've become a frequent coffee drinker. Now, I find brewing coffee therapeutic. Haha!

get ready for the tunic project

My reliable assistant!

This shoot was a few months overdue. My office friend, Jen, needed more time to fix her tunics and dresses after Ondoy; but the wait is over. Very soon, Jen's lovely, lovely tunics will be up for grabs online. (Meanwhile, her items will be available in the upcoming bazaar at the Rockwell Tent this Feb. 6 & 7.) I volunteered to shoot her stuff in my quest to seriously build a photography portfolio and learn more about photography (particularly landscape, product and food) so I can seriously pursue the craft and well, earn extra from it.

I actually enjoyed shooting all those pretty clothes, and I'm so proud of Jenny for her new business. Acting as my assistant/reflector man was my ever-so-patient husband. We started the shoot a little before lunch and was done by around 4pm.

A few days before the actual shoot yesterday, Jen showed me her peg. I was adamant if I could really pull it off. With no lights (yet), I decided to make do with ambient light; fortunately, I'm satisfied with the results. Using available light taught me patience, and I wish to play with it some more in future shoots. Still, I'd have to buy lights soon so I won't have to perpetually rely on the sun.

Thanks a lot to Jen for trusting my novice skills; to her family for warmly welcoming us into their home and serving yummy lunch and snacks (Marikina puto FTW!); to Iya, Jen's adorable niece, for the funny entertainment; and to Cindy, who despite being so agitated about the late delivery of her new bed, still managed to drop by for some chika.

I can't wait for Jen's Tunic Project to be up and running real soon!

my husband made me cry last night...

...But it's not because we fought or anything like that. It's like this.

You see lately, I've been thinking about selling my Canon Powershot A620 to get myself some brand new P&S camera. Beren, my Powershot, has served me well and has witnessed my beginnings as a novice photographer (not that I'm a pro now). It's not just a Point-and-shoot cam; it's actually a prosumer camera that has manual settings. Beren was there to replace my very crappy Olympus camera (my first digital cam), and he was also there to witness how I first tinkered with aperture and exposure settings. In other words, Beren is sentimental to me. And much as I hate to sell him, I can already feel the need to, especially because I already have Ken'ichi, my 400D DSLR. I just need a simple P&S for blogging and snapshots purposes (but one that already has a higher resolution and can produce better image quality). I'm just hoping that someone I know would buy it from me so I can still get to see Beren every once in a while, see how he is (and how his new owner is treating him. haha!)

Since Francis knows how sentimental I can get--and how annoying I can be just wondering out loud how Beren is in the hands of his new BFF--he thought of a very bright, über sweet idea: he'd just buy it from me to spare me from missing and worrying about my cam. That way, he gets to have his own camera (as if mine is not conjugal!) and he won't have to hear me whining. Hahah! But seriously, his idea made me so happy and I was so touched I couldn't help but cry!

I super thank God for giving me such a sweet and thoughtful husband that's beyond what I imagined...

P.S.
But Francis is still not thrilled about my plans to buy an iTouch. I guess I'd have to put that off. Haha!

i shall flash

Flash me!

I thought Francis won't be giving me the flash I've been pining for for our 10th anniversary, primarily due to budget constraints (we're still in for a lot of wedding spending!). And I never would've minded it, really. But the Master of Surprises pulled another hat trick and voila! a Canon Speedlite 430EX II became mine for the taking. Never mind if I failed to comply with our be-at-work-by-9am-at-the-latest-for-two-months deal. The sacrifice, though, is our celebration on the 30th (the 26th day of this month is our official date)--we may not have that grand date we were planning, but who cares! I'll just take tons of pictures of us two. Hahaha! Nah, I'm sure we can cook up an extra-special date that doesn't require breaking the bank.

Pangga, THANK YOU!

But there's only one thing that displeases me: now that iPod indeed pales in comparison with the flash. Hmf!

P.S.
Cos, thanks again for helping Francis. Hahaha!

gigabytes come in neat, little packages

Ooh lala red!

This afternoon, I went to Francis' place to get the CDs I left with him. I need those discs for some review I'm doing. Also, I need him to accompany me in buying a CF card, which I've long put on hold. There's no better time to buy a 2-gig card but now. Otherwise, I'd be forced to bring my laptop to our Albay trip this Monday-Wednesday just so I can transfer photos and free up my hardworking 1G card (I'm the official photographer again for this trip! Yey!). Considering that I usually bring a lot of baggages when I go on out-of-town trips (being the pack rat that I am), adding a laptop bag to my list is not always a good idea.

So we headed to SM North Cyberzone to check out the stores for the most reasonably priced 2GB CF card. We found only two stores, and it was a matter of choosing between Transcend and Kingston. Called up Cos to see what he can recommend, and he told me both brands are okay. But Francis has apprehensions getting Kingston, so I decided to go for Transcend (with a speed of 133x). It cost me only P860, which made me smile with glee.

After rejoicing for a good buy, we proceeded to Villman. Francis asked for the specs and price of a portable hard drive, and I had this feeling that that was his belated happy birthday present for me. Indeed, it is! After asking around for a good deal, we settled for a 160GB Western Digital My Passport Essential™ portable hard drive in fabulous red. The neat thing measures about 3x6 (passport size nga!) and is about half an inch thick. Such a little dandy gadget to have, especially because I need to back up photos every now and then.

A few hours ago before this techie shopping, I was gently scolding Francis for still not giving me a birthday present. But seeing my new toy, I can say that good things come to those who wait (ahem, ahem).

Thanks, Pangga! You're my gadget boy. Haha!

Now off I go to my backing up project.

taking pride

Three things I love about this project (in a previous post, it was referred to as The Project):

1. I get to write with my byline
2. I get to take photos and have them published, and
3. I get to travel for free.

I must say that if there's one project I love doing, it's this. Here are my published goodies! Please click on the images to enlarge.

Masigasig April 2008
Words by Mari-an Santos; Photos by Melissa Gamad and yours truly!
Wee! (Took the plaque, beach, and food shots)

Masigasig December 2007:
Words by Sunshine Selga; Photos by Mark Ang

Masigasig November 2007:
Words by Sunshine Selga; Photos by Mark Ang

So please do grab a copy of Globe Masigasig, which comes free with Entrepreneur; or go to the nearest Globe Business Center to get a free copy.

More exciting assignments in the coming months (there's Bohol, Albay and Baguio!), so that means more Masigasig folio soon!

photos are up!

Yipeee!

Just saw the multiply account of Tivona Beach Resort owned by Ms. Trina Belamide. Nice to see that Ms. Trina posted most of my photos there!

Thanks a lot, Ms. Trina! (And thanks again, Chad!)

Here's another Tivona site. I do hope they upload my photos there, too!

(Tivona Beach Resort is in Laiya, Batangas.)

of being a fledgeling photog and venue hunting

To keep myself from quitting my day job, I have decided to really engage in other worthwhile activities that would advance my career in writing and/or photography. Thank the Lord for opportunities that keep me sane. Anyway, two weekends ago, Francis and I headed to Laiya, Batangas to shoot Trina Belamide's (the composer) resort, Tivona. Thanks, Chad, for pitching me!

Chad as the impromptu stylist

It was a great challenge for me to be doing portrait shots, as I'm confident to shoot only landscapes and travel shots. But it has been a good learning experience; and I realized that I need to equip myself with more camera gadgets (TTL flash and/or lights). Those will follow as soon as the wedding's over. Or better yet, as soon as I have extra-extra-extra cash to shell out. Or, someone sponsors me. Hah! I'll be posting some of the photos as soon as I get the permission to. Haha! In the meantime, the extra photos I took are already up on my flickr. And here are some non-serious photos.

***

After a weekend at the beach, Francis and I went to Antipolo to check out possible reception venues.

The Mango Farm garden

The Mango Farm was the first destination. The place was nice, but the wedding package was a bit pricey, since the price is fixed regardless of whether a couple is availing of all the package inclusions or not. And the package doesn't include the bridal car yet!

Jardin's Paradiso. We love it!!!

So off we went to Jardin de Miramar.

I fell in love with the place the first time I saw it on their website. And the actual venue didn't fail my expectations. Add the fact that Francis and I were impressed by the package they offer. I initially wanted the Plaza area, which used to be open on both the left and right sides and was made charming with white drapes. But another venue, Sevilla, was constructed right beside it, lending Plaza only open on one side. This made us consider other venues within Jardin. Paradiso proved to be worth it, what with an open garden matched with a mini water falls and a charming gazebo. And when we asked Ms. Tet, the woman in charge of the place, what would happen if the reception gets rained on, we were happy to be informed that they reserve a backup venue (the Plaza or Ylang-Ylang; with roof, of course) just to be sure, with no additional costs. Mosquitoes are also nothing to worry about, as they fumigate the area three days before the event, and they place anti-mosquito plants on the day of the occasion. With such wonderful service, and throw in Hizon's as the caterer, we were tempted to book the venue on the spot. But we have to be careful and wise in choosing the perfect reception place, so we're still to check out other possible venues in the QC and Intramuros areas. But Jardin is the perfect spot, so far.

Prepping for the big day is getting more exciting! (More venue hunting photos here.)

bend it, baby!

Image from www. sironline.com

As an anniversary gift, Francis got me a new toy: a Lensbaby 2.0! Sweet!

I can't really express how happy I am for a new "baby". But as soon as I get the hang of this new toy, I'll definitely go in a shooting craze.

Sample shot. Teehee!

Thanks a lot, Pangga! You really are sooper-dooper the best! *huggles*

P.S.
Special thanks to Pat E. and Cos for the help you lent Francis. How dare you conspire against me!? Hahaha!

i think i inhaled laughing gas

From the mini-shoot we had with Cos this morning, up to this point, I've been a giggling school girl. (And I'm also having this hugging streak. But I choose who to hug. Haha!) It's probably because it's Monday, which means my body is still not up and running for work. Therefore, this entry will all be blabbery.

---

Office friend Jonas and his fellow lomographers will be having an exhibit tonight at Mag:net Café in Bonifacio High Street, 8PM. Pat, Cindy and I are going (I still need to coax Francis a little). For those who want to join in the fun, prepare your P150 (or look for Jonas for free entrance. Hahaha! Just kidding!).

---

I want to congratulate my Pangga for landing his new job! Congratulations, Engr. Francis Funa! A 7th placer at the board exams deserves a brand new, dashing job!

Though this would mean changes that I'm sure would give me a hard time adjusting to, I know it's all for the better–and our future. Teehee!

---

Got two meetings tomorrow. Bummer. Can I just disappear from work now! Aaaargh!

---

This is all nonsense. Oh well. I've done my job for the day.

the journey begins

So there I was, trembling and feeling all sorts of things as I held my new baby, Ken'ichi. I still couldn't believe that I'm actually buying the gorgeous thing. One of my dreams have finally been realized. And no, no one else gave me this. It's all from hard-earned moolah, so I have no one else to "love forever" but myself. Harhar!

Actually, I have Francis to thank for urging me to buy Ken, and for lending me some of his backpay money just so I can stop pining for dear 400D. If it had not been for his prodding, I would've bought the dear cam at a later date. But no, it's now or never. So there, I really will love him forever, yihee (gah, the mush!)!

And so now I'd have to make do with TicTac for lunch.

So before I go on my incessant blabbering, let me also thank Cos and Cel for accompanying me to Hidalgo last Saturday despite the fact that they have a family outing that same day. You guys were great and patient enough. Thanks mucho!!! (And don't worry, Cos, I'm not gonna rob you of your rakets. Hahaha!)

Consequently, I shall be busying myself learning Ken'ichi. But Beren shall not be forgotten. The dude served me well, for which I am very much grateful.

It's time to be trigger-happy. Hurrah!