Some Kind of Wonderful

Gusto mong maaliw?

2006-05-30T02:05:00.000+08:00

Panoorin mo ito.
Methinks this is Threelogy's best work so far ROTFL

(Here's the story behind the video.)

Updates

2006-05-26T23:47:00.000+08:00

New slideshows
Well these teasers have been up about 2 weeks ago, but haven't shared them yet here. Please check out the David & Aimee and Diesu & Jane shows =)

New prenup record
Remember our 'longest prenup shoot' in Baguio? Well the record's just got beaten... we just did a 3-day Ilocos roadtrip prenup with Nikki & Dan :D Photos to follow soon.

New blog
I have cross-posted my previous wedding-related entries at our new blog, Mimi & Karl, together with Karl's entries from his blog. Sayang ang domain, might as well use it hehe. We're still tweaking the codes, hopefully okay na siya next week. =)

Bolinao Prenups

2006-05-10T10:19:00.000+08:00

Here's a sneak peek of our Bolinao prenup shoot -- Tristan & Marga teaser

I have a grand aunt who lives in Bolinao and once in a while, the clan treks up to Bolinao for some R&R. Since Tantan & Marga wanted to have a beach prenup, and we wanted to shoot a prenup in Bolinao, we brought them along. Well, technically, they were the ones who brought us to Bolinao as my family was already there. They picked us up around 330am and we arrived in Bolinao around 9am. We did site oculars immediately after arriving and started the shoot by mid-afternoon. Tiring day, yes, but definitely fun! =)

We did the shoot at the Bolinao Lighthouse and the nearby Patar Beach. We wanted to climb up the lighthouse but it was locked. =P The beach on the other hand was full of bathers as it was the Labor Day weekend. Luckily, nobody bothered us our side of the beach. (See how 'messy' the sand was? Ganun kadaming umapak doon =D)

Beach(es) at last!

2006-04-28T23:32:00.000+08:00

Just got back yesterday from a 3-day "company outing" in Puerto Galera, together with the Threelogy boys & girls. On Sunday, we'll be joining the family in Bolinao, while shooting a prenup on the side, hehe. Yey, nognog na naman ako! :)

***

All this beach talk had me rummaging through my travel photo folder...

Sunrise at Malapascua, Cebu

Sunset at Panglao Island, Bohol

Blast from the Past

2006-04-19T02:27:00.000+08:00

Nine years and oh so many pounds ago...

Hiyang eh. ROTFL
Magkano ba magpa-lipo? hehe

Wishful

2006-04-11T13:07:00.000+08:00

How I wish I was at the

chillin' under an

sippin' a yummy banana shake.

Oh well...

Life is...

2006-03-31T17:56:00.000+08:00

Karl so wanted to shoot a prenup at this location since he first saw that Chippy billboard last year. Everytime we'd pass by the URC compound along C-5, he'd get excited and would almost always say, "gusto ko talaga mag-shoot doon!" Last Wednesday, he finally got his wish. :)

So where have I been?

2006-03-31T17:25:00.000+08:00

Here :)

Fotogra Weddings, Inc.
U303 Zaravel Bldg, 27 Congressional Ave, QC
925-2356
(irregular) office hours - 2pm-10pm

Bisita naman kayo :) We have wifi, pero de dial-up LOL Kape na lang kulang, solb-solb na :D

Due to insistent public demand...

2006-03-03T23:18:00.000+08:00

(or lack of hehe) I update, bow.

First of, a new slideshow's up -- Mike & Nette's wedding last February 18 at St. James, Alabang, with reception at Edsa Shangri-La. Road trip! :D But the trip was worth it; we had fun shooting the newlyweds, walang pagod ever!

Kunyari asa States ;)

***

We now have an office, people! And it's just some hundred meters from my house, and most importantly, just beside Starbucks! :P Spent the last month beautifying the place... still have to put up the wall display though. And apply for a phoneline, and internet connection. :P Haven't formally opened yet but some clients have been there na, mostly for pickups. Text nyo ko kung naghahanap kayo ng matatambayan ;)

***

The wedding load may have lightened, but not the prenups. In a week we did 3 out-of-town shoots :P One in Subic, another in Batangas and the latest in Tagaytay. Tiring, but fun. Especially if it's something/somewhere new :)

At The Farm in San Benito
(I'm telling you, if you're no veggie lover, bring your own baon, hehe. Buti na lang gutom ako nun! LOL)

Coffee anyone?
(The bride & the groom first met at Starbucks.)

So this is how it feels like...

2006-01-30T04:14:00.000+08:00

to be on the other side of the lens.

Ang tumawa panget =p

Did a couple of these 'test shots' while waiting for the couple to get ready for their prenup pictorial. Ang hirap pala mag-pose! :P

Anyway, the couple wanted a 'photo booth effect' for their engagement portraits... Ewan ko ba, pwede naman sa Foto Me na lang, nag-studio pa. LOL

(Make-up by Kuks Reyes)

Slideshow Galore

2006-01-19T00:16:00.000+08:00

Here are 2 more slideshows for your viewing pleasure ---

Ivan & Bea slideshow

JR & Maureen slideshow

***

I must admit, photographing both weddings had been a challenge. These clients have families who were/are into photography... Bea has the late Butch Baluyut as her father and photojournalist Alex Baluyut as uncle while JR's family has a photo/video business as well. The pressure to do well definitely went a notch higher then. :D Too bad my cam, Nadine, wasn't able to handle it well --- it died during Bea's wedding, hehe. Buti na lang, Nikki's still around. (Betsy's now with Markku and Nadine's up and about again.)

The Love Track is a little old place where we can get together...

2006-01-17T09:21:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, we spent the afternoon taking photos inside the LRT2 facility using our camera phones... not! Here are some of the pics we got:

Mga pasaway talaga, tsk tsk :P

We of course had the permit to do so, signed by a lot of people, presented to millions of people (guards, supers, passengers hehe). Thanks to Dionne & Joven for the unique experience.

Side kwento -- D & J are getting married this June 2006. Last June, Dionne emailed me inquiring about our prenups service. Hindi naman siya ganun ka-atat no? =P Yesterday, I asked her for a song I can use for a slideshow of their pics... feeling ko, na-atat na naman siya at hindi na nakatulog kagabi LOL

So wait no more guys, here's the Love Train slideshow.

Boo!

2006-01-16T14:08:00.000+08:00

I'm back. :) Wedding season is almost over... post-processing season, just starting, haha. Anyhoo, more updates to come; I just have to finish some things first. In the meantime, check out this slideshow we recently made of Mel & Annette's wedding at Sanctuario de San Antonio & Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

Ho, Ho, Ho

2005-12-25T10:24:00.000+08:00

(This was our gift tags last year.)

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Fully Booked

2005-12-05T18:06:00.000+08:00

Dec 5 - Prenups in UP
Dec 6 - Prenups in Tagaytay; Punta Fuego ocular
Dec 7 - Prenups in UP; Client Meeting
Dec 8 - spend whole day in Greenbelt (2 preprods, 3 cd turnovers, 5 print turnovers, 2 client mtgs)
Dec 9 - Client Meeting; off to Boracay
Dec 10 - Karl's birthday (batiin nyo siya ha :D)
Dec 11 - Prenups in Bora
Dec 12 - Wedding in Bora
Dec 13 - back to Manila; preprod in Ortigas; Client Meeting in Makati
Dec 14 - Prenups in UP
Dec 15 - Wedding in Alabang
Dec 16 - Prenups in EK
Dec 17 - Wedding in Fuego
Dec 18 - 2 Client Meetings
Dec 19 - off to Baguio
Dec 21 - Wedding in Baguio; back to Manila
Dec 22 - Wedding in Alabang
Dec 23 - Prenups in UP
Dec 26 - Wedding in Makati; 2 Client Meetings
Dec 27 - Wedding in QC
Dec 28 - Wedding in Tagaytay
Dec 29 - Wedding in Alabang
Dec 30 - Wedding in Manila

Jan 2 - Prenups in QC
Jan 3 - Prenups; Client Meeting
Jan 4 - Wedding in Makati
Jan 5 - Wedding in Makati
Jan 6 - Wedding in QC
Jan 7 - Wedding in QC
Jan 8 - Wedding in Tagaytay
Jan 10 - Christmas Party hehe
Jan 11 - Prenups
Jan 12 - Wedding in Manila
Jan 14 - Wedding
Jan 15 - Prenups
Jan 22 - Wedding in Tagaytay
Jan 25 - Wedding

* Unscheduled - 2 prenups

Dear God, please let us live til next year.

***

In a lighter note, I'm thinking of having a hair cut. I want a low maintenance 'do (as if naman high maintenance ang buhok ko :P). Ang haba-haba na rin kasi nya (near waist). But I don't have a suki hairstylist... any recommendations?

(I used to have uber long hair in grade 6, lagpas pwet pa. Lagi nilang tanong, paano ka ume-ebs? Ang sagot ko, e di nakaupo :D)

In Sync

2005-12-02T14:58:00.000+08:00

Karl & I synchronize our cams so that when we merge our photos, we can organize them according to the time they were taken. As I was looking at some recent photos, I was surprised to see these 2 pics in succession:

The groom & the bride during preps. (Guess who they're talking to? Hihi.)

Same time, but floors apart. Cool, huh? :)

Uh, hello there!

2005-12-01T12:05:00.000+08:00

Woke up this morning to a text message from Jane that she's currently reading our blogs. Curious about how she found SKoW & FnM, I went online to check if she left us any messages but found none. (*ehem* Jane, magpost ka naman hahaha) But I did find out how, through a new entry in my site referrer list -- WeddingsatWork.com: The News Archive - Current News. Uh-oh. *nahiya bigla* :)

You might be wondering why our blogs aren't linked up on our website, just like the others'. You see, when we started blogging a year ago, my entries were mostly of non-wedding stuff, like the Ilocos trip or the visit to Avilon Zoo, memories of Valentines and my childhood, and even 'surreal but nice' experiences. But since ~~work has gotten to us now~~ we just enjoy wedding work so much that our blogs have eventually churned out work-related entries. (The FnM was supposed to be a joint photoblog of ours but it now officially belongs to Karl). So lest you think that I/we only write about wedding stuff nowadays, let me tell you where I was...

Ten years ago, I was in 2nd year college, in between courses -- 1st sem non-major, 2nd sem Film major; it was at that time when I learned how to drive, first an automatic car (I was taught by my Dad), then a stick shift (lessons from a friend). It was funny how during the first time I brought the manual car to school, I took the Mindanao Ave route, instead of Visayas Ave, because I'm still not that adept with the gas-clutch thingamajig.

Five years ago, I was still in college, this time in Educ, major in Art Ed, after shifting from Archi. (Yes, I'm THAT well-rounded LOL) I did my teaching practicum at my alma mater (dun lang naman pwede eh) and it was then that I realized that teaching isn't really for me. Ugh, grade 6 kids can be such pains in the a$$. The kindergarten kids are such sweeties though. :)

Today I'm taking a break from work (been doing albums & editing prints since last week); thus, I'm blogging hehe. I plan to watch some episodes of Desperate Housewives this afternoon while tonight Karl & I will be having dinner with Benz, John and the rest of W@W's Top 5, including Jason M.

Tomorrow, it's back to work for me. Yea, hell month's here.

I read this in Leah's blog. Now, I'm tagging YOU! :D

Oh My God!!!

2005-11-26T03:23:00.000+08:00

We made it to the Top 5!
*UBER BIG HAPPY SMILE*
(Still speechless, hehe.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! (You know who you guys are. ;) MWAH!)

***

Congrats to THE Veluz. Ang galing-galing mo talaga, mother! Naks ;)

Also congratulations to the tatlong itlog, Kerwin & Phoebe, and Jong.

WAW =)

FUN-ny

2005-11-25T02:58:00.000+08:00

Alin, alin, alin ang naiba?

This is how Karl is at work :P
(taking prenup photos aboard Anchor's Away in Enchanted Kingdom)

The Look of Love

2005-11-23T00:40:00.000+08:00

There are times when you're at the right place at the right time... and I just love it when that happens. =)

Whoopee!

2005-11-18T00:36:00.000+08:00

The Groom - 1st place (Karl)

The Bride - 2nd place (Mimi)

***

Banner posted at a building near our home:

BREWING SOON *insert Starbucks logo here*

Yahoo!!! Isang minuto lang, asa Starbucks na ako *giddy* La lang, natuwa lang talaga ako, hehe.

Break Time

2005-11-15T10:44:00.000+08:00

Alas, I get to squeeze in a few updates before going back to the world of toxicity called post-processing, hehe. We need to finish all queued tasks (4 albums, 4 prints-only sets, yada yada...) before the wedding season in December starts. Anyhoo, in case you missed me the last couple of weeks (or not :P) here's what I've been up to (as if you don't know LOL):

- Doing AVPs, prenup prints and guestbooks of the November/December couples.

Arman & Maricon wanted guest sheets instead of a guestbook so they can place a sheet on each table. (Hopefully the sheets won't be mistaken as souvenirs, just like what happened to another couple, hehe.) The design below 's my fave as it reminds me of an energy drink ad. :)

- Finishing up some April/June albums including the long due Aggie & Edil album. The creative juices weren't flowing that much so it took a while to finish LOL. Although sometimes, there are photos that you already know how to layout even before taking them, like the ones in this spread:

(Currently awaiting approval of the layouts)

- Shooting engagement portraits of our December/January couples.

Ivan & Bea initially wanted to have their prenups in Baguio but due to conflicts in schedule, decided to have theirs in Tagaytay. Then it was changed to Punta Fuego but Fuego management won't allow them to do so since they're not getting married there even though they're members. Labo no? Fortunately, there's Kawayan Cove beside Fuego... and we had the place all to ourselves pa! :)

- Editing/trimming/uploading recent wedding photos.

Remember them? They got hitched last month and true to their nature, bursted out laughing during the marriage rites... napagalitan tuloy ng pari hihihi.

Rest of the photos are here.

The latest wedding we covered was Issa & Nico's in Clark. It had been raining the whole week so there was no choice but to move the outdoor reception to the ballroom; the sun shone on the wedding day. Nang-inis hehe. Anyway, here are some of Issa's portraits:

Gown by Veluz; hair & make-up by Eddie Bruan. More photos here.

***

Other recent shoots -- Clockwise: Coconut Palace, Nayong Pilipino, Westin, UP Diliman

We're having an Enchanted Kingdom prenup this afternoon, hopefully the sunset will be as beautiful as the ones above. *cross fingers* Sarada pala ang EK pag Mondays & Tuesdays. :P

Till the next monthly update... LOL

WAW, many thanks!

2005-11-14T13:27:00.000+08:00

I know, I know, uber delayed na but nevertheless, I would like to share the good news that Karl & I were nominated to be part of WeddingsAtWork's 2005 Top 10 Wedding Suppliers. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our brides and friends who nominated us. =) Sobrang ~~taba namin~~, nakakataba ng puso, salamat po ng marami. Gosh, I'm speechless, hihi.

I'll post more updates later, ciao!

'Sweep' Victory

2005-10-21T11:00:00.000+08:00

And the winners are...

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

We were allowed to submit 3 photos per person. Lem & I submitted 3 each... he got the top 2 prizes, I got third. Yey :) Sayang, dapat inangkin ko na yung 1st place >:) mwehehe

Droolfest

2005-10-19T14:24:00.000+08:00

Eenie, meenie, mynie, moe.

Palm T|X (photo from Palm website)

The new iPod (photo from the Apple website)

Epson P-2000 (photo from Epson website)

Aaargh! I hate technology! Hihi. Why can't they just make an all-in-one gadget -- a wi-fi ready organizer with enough space to store thousands of photos, can play videos/music, call/send MMS, etc that comfortably fits at the back pocket of one's jeans -- so us consumers doesn't have to spend A LOT of time contemplating on what's a good buy? :P

Nako, kung may halaga lang ang laway... LOL

Bora Bora

2005-10-19T00:33:00.000+08:00

Still experiencing some leg muscle aches from the almost daily shoots -- four weddings and a prenup --- we had last week. I cannot imagine what it would be like when December, the wedding season, comes. *gulp* I never thought I'd be dreading the Christmas season, hehe. :P

Nevertheless, the Boracay & Baguio weddings are definitely something to look forward to then. :)

***

Speaking of Bora, we've just been there last week for a wedding. We flew in Monday morning, and immediately went to work as the wedding was that afternoon. Aside from it being our first beach wedding, it's also our first wedding wherein no one from the bridal party is a Filipino. Annie, Robert and their families (all 9 of them, dami no?) are from Taiwan. Annie, who's probably reading this entry right now (hello Annie!), somehow chanced upon this blog, liked what she saw and booked us for their wedding, via email. It was also then that we first met the bride & groom. Fascinating, huh?

The wedding party

The newly weds

***

Last Monday was also our 9th year anniversary and what a way to spend it... an all expense paid trip to Boracay, albeit working the whole day. We did make up for 'lost time' by, in no particular order: sleeping, swimming, eating and basking under the sun while drinking shakes at Jonah's. Yum!

At Jonah's

The late afternoons were of course, spent photographing the fabulous sunset.

day 1

day 2

I miss those sunsets already. =)

Waiting in Vain

2005-10-18T00:49:00.000+08:00

sigh.

My Faye Lady

2005-10-14T16:58:00.000+08:00

gown by Veluz, hair & make-up by Jasmine Mendiola, bouquet by Cathy Gancenia

Sorry, couldn't resist making it ala print ad :D More of Faye & Irvin's wedding photos here.

From the Land Down Under

2005-09-23T10:53:00.000+08:00

Daz' suit ensemble is by Veluz

View rest of the photos here.

The Longest Prenup Shoot

2005-09-22T20:00:00.000+08:00

Last Monday was a first... a 26-hour long prenuptial pictorial. The location? City of Pines. :)

We planned a day-long shoot so we took the 1AM bus and 5 hours later, Hello Baguio! Blue skies, not too cold temperature... dang, the weather was gorgeous!

at The Manor Hotel

somewhere in John Hay

Burnham Park

along Session Road

I must say, doing the shoot in Baguio was a good thing coz I got to exercise, haha. Cardio workout! Ayun tuloy, the next day, I was down with some virus. Hindi kasi sanay LOL

Good News

2005-09-16T01:37:00.000+08:00

Just came back from our photo club meeting. And surprise, surprise, my only entry for the "bride & groom kissing" theme won first place! *ngiti hanggang tenga* So far it's 3/5 for me, with only 2 more contests to go. (Next month's theme is prenups hihi) Anyway, I'm really excited about the prize - a set of studio strobes :D Hopefully I get to take them home for Christmas *cross-fingers*

At the reclamation area

The funny thing was, they're not my clients. The photo was taken while I was assisting another photographer :P Actually, I was supposed to enter Aggie & Edil's pic below, but sometimes the judges are picky; I was afraid they'd disqualify my photo since the bride & groom weren't "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" :P

Aggie & Edil, sitting under a tree...
... then comes Benjamin in a baby carriage :D
(congrats ulit!)

Oh btw, we also have another June bride who is on the family way... congratulations to Mari & Manny as well! Grabe, bilis ng panahon.

Hehe, tuloy, I'm thinking of going into 'maternity photography' LOL My friend Auey used to take photos of moms-to-be but she recently migrated; I'm wondering if I could fill the void she left. :-? Any guinea pigs out there? hehe

Eye-dol

2005-08-22T19:20:00.000+08:00

"We also have a little competition going on, on who could capture the most creative shot of the day." --- Karl, on our working relationship

***

I was asked by a colleague whose 'eye' I admire. I just told him I like the works of Aussie & American wedding photogs because it was 'dyahe' to admit to him the truth *giggles* But if it was a friend who asked me that question, I'd blurt out, "Tinatanong pa ba yan?" sabay sampal sa kanya nito:

Gawa ng eye-dol kong si Karl =D

Dilemma

2005-08-15T01:16:00.000+08:00

Eeep! I just found out that a client I used to address by his first name is the father of a friend in UP :o How do I call him now? :-/ Shucks.

SKOW Updates from the Busy Mi

2005-07-30T01:45:00.000+08:00

Currently finishing up Jenn & JM's album.

Jenn & JM were the first w@wie couple who booked us after Pazette's wedding. I admire them for being risk-takers; they trusted us to capture their wedding day even if we had nothing but a couple of wedding coverage experience up our sleeves. For that, we are eternally grateful to them.

***

We've been doing a lot of research and development for Fotogra this month. We're coming up with different custom albums, and I can't wait to see them all when they're done! :D Oh, and we're also redoing the website, and looking for an office and making friends with Orange County photographers (well si Lem hehe). Lem has shown them our work and I'm really happy that they like our style.

***

My 'Rings' entry above bested 15 other entries in the monthly contest of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers and Videographers of the Philippines (SWPPVP)... yahoo! :D It's my second winning entry, the other one's the bouquet photo here. Can't wait for next month's contest, the theme's 'Wedding Ceremony'...

***

I'm overwhelmed by the fact that our bookings this month has exceeded last month's numbers. Half of those bookings were referred by WE. But what really surprised me was that someone who has seen my work thru this blog wants me to cover her wedding... aba'y tignan mo nga naman, may silbi pala tong blog na to, HAHAHA.

***

Btw, today marks my 1st year blogging anniversary. Yey, I made it this far, hehe. Here's to more some kind of wonderful fotogra & memories :)

Travel Photo of the Week

2005-07-18T13:41:00.000+08:00

Looking Back

2005-07-17T23:49:00.000+08:00

Since a family friend knew that I was into photography, she asked me if I want to cover her daughter’s wedding. I said yes.

***

Exactly a year ago today was our first wedding coverage as main photographers, and I just can’t help but laugh and shake my head when I remember how brave Lem & I were to agree to cover that wedding when we…

… didn’t have a decent portfolio to show the bride, or packages to offer.

… weren’t sure if, experience-wise, we were that ready to cover a wedding on our own since we only had a combined total of five ‘tag along a wedding photographer to experience how to shoot a wedding’ jobs at that time.

… can’t even afford to buy another camera (we shared a digital SLR).

***

I showed the bride some of our wedding shots posted at our Photos.ph gallery and told her that in case she decides to get us, theirs would be the first wedding we’ll be covering as main photographers. Fortunately, she liked the pictures and us being “virgins” wasn’t an issue for her (no pun intended :D). And so by the end of April 2004, we had our first booking. :)

As for the camera (and the flash, and cf cards, and batteries), we had to borrow them from a friend just so we could shoot at the same time.

***

Looking back, all I can say is, grabe, ang tapang pala ng apog namin, hahaha.

Woohoo! It IS out!

2005-07-16T01:25:00.000+08:00

Lem and I had been waiting for it all week. Saturday, was spent at National Bookstore in Quezon Ave; Sunday, in Megamall. Monday, we scoured magazine stands in SM City. On Tuesday, we called Powerbooks and Fullybooked and on Wednesday, visited the Podium. By Thursday, we still haven't found any in Glorietta. We decided to go to the Corporate Giveaways Trade Show in World Trade Center on Friday, and pass by the Century Park Sheraton bridal fair along the way. Buti na lang nagpunta kami doon! :D

Photo swiped from Pazette who swiped it from Cyn hehe :D

Yep, I now have a copy (ok, copies hehe) of the July/December issue of Wedding Essentials... and we're on pages 57 & 58! *grins* Our photos also accompany Pazette's article on planning a wedding overseas. Ahh, our 4 pages of fame... hihi. Thanks Pazette, Inch, Marbee & Cyn for the opportunity!

It was indeed a 'happy' birthday :)

***

Copies of the new Wedding Essentials issue should be available in bookstores & magazine stands by next week. Go get one, tapos pipirmahan ko ROTFL Seriously, it's a good read ;)

Some not so nice thoughts on UAAP

2005-07-10T16:51:00.000+08:00

Nanonood ka ba ng ADMU vs DLSU game? Tangnang yan, ginawa pang product launch yung game.

It's already 5pm, and the game hasn't even started. Isipin mo, UAAP tapos may product launch ng kotse?! My goodness sobra na ba talagang naghihirap ang ABSCBN at kailangan pa nilang gawin yun?

Nairita lang talaga ako. Bwiset. UAAP Mens Basketball's too commercialized already. *headshake* Bakit di nila supportahan yung ibang sports? :P

On second thought, galing ng marketing ng Ford ha :P

In other news, what's up with UP Pep's velvet costumes? Labo. Simple nga pero wala namang dating. Para nga daw upholstery ng sofa sabi ng kapatid ko LOL

I was able to catch AdU Pep's performance earlier and okay yung routine nila ah. How come they're improving each year and UP's... (complete the sentence na lang :P)

Anyway, wish ko lang matalo Ateneo. Para kampante ang DLSU come Thursday mwehehe.

Congratulations to the UP Fighting Maroons

2005-07-09T16:40:00.000+08:00

First win, baby!!!

Kala ko matatalo pa... phew! Magpopost na sana ako dito ng, "Congrats Maroons for your first loss, 13 to go", but no, they effing won! Ang sakit ng lalamunan ko kakasigaw HAHAHA kelan ba next game? :D I miss my press pass hehehe

Peyups.com EB

2005-07-01T15:06:00.000+08:00

Para sa mga maliligaw dito:

Peyups.com will be having its grand EB at Club 650 Libis (beside Shopwise Libis) on Saturday July 2. EB starts at 5pm while the program starts 7pm. There will be bands, booze, video games, a fashion show and lots more in store. Admission is free!

Peyups.com people will also be shooting photos for the soon to be revived photo of the day so please be there.

If you love Peyups.com, please show your support by posting this message to your bulletin boards and blogs.

Horsin' Around

2005-06-25T15:08:00.000+08:00

I & D wanted to have their engagement portraits taken at a playground...

Methinks the 'prenup session' was just an excuse... ;D

Travel Photo of the Week

2005-06-21T17:25:00.000+08:00

Mint chocolates, anyone? :)

Chocolate Hills @ Carmen, Bohol, March 2005

Love, love will keep us together

2005-06-21T14:11:00.000+08:00

I'm currently doing an AVP with that *turo sa taas* as music. Nakaka-LSS but since I love the song, ok lang :) The song's actually on our driving music/sing-along playlist together with Elton John's Tiny Dancer and Wilson Phillips' Hold On (Lem loves doing the falsettos :P).

Speaking of driving music, I'm looking forward to the roadtrip this weekend. We're scheduled to do prenups in Subic on Sunday but we might spend Saturday there too for "oculars" a.k.a. fishing and swimming. So it's really more of recreation plus a bit of work on the side hehe. I just hope the weather cooperates :)

You don't bring me flowers

2005-06-21T03:12:00.000+08:00

...anymore.

At my grandma's garden circa 2003; was just starting photography then

More Flower Power (all were taken in Baguio, December 2003)

Fragments

2005-06-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

May withdrawal symptoms ako. Hindi kay Sam, kung hindi sa pagiging busy. :P

Kaninang umaga, habang nakahilata si Lem sa sofa at nanonood ng tv, ako naman ay parang kiti-kiti na hindi mapakali. Sabi niya, hindi na daw ako sanay ng walang ginagawa, hehe. Naku, workaholic na ata ako...

***

Noong Biyernes, napag-usapan namin ni Lem yung Bayo at ang paglabag nito sa intellectual property rights. Balitang binoycott na sila ng mga photographers at wala na daw gusto mag-shoot ng para sa kanila ngayon. Maski ako, hindi ko rin kukunin yung trabaho. Ang sabi ko pa, "I want to be controversial, but not because of that job." The next day, ayun, controversial nga ang beauty ko, ang babaeng nanakawan ng iBook. :P

***

Nanood kami ng Star Wars sa Gateway Mall kanina. Obvious bang hindi na kami nakakanood ng sine? Hehe. Sinamantala muna namin ang "break" para mag-date. ;) Anyway, akala ko wala nang tao sa sinehan, since LFS na rin naman. But no, puno pa rin ang sinehan, at bwakana-bitch, yung katabi ko, nakikipag-usap pa sa cellphone habang nanonood! At 2 beses pa! In between calls, pa-text-text naman siya. Imagine how distracting that is. Habang pinapanood kong makipag-away si Yoda with his green lightsaber, yung katabi ko inilalabas rin yung lightsaber niya :P Kakaasar talaga yung mga ganun >:|

***

Sabi nila, bad luck comes in 3's. 1- nasira yung flash at camera ko; 2- nakidnap si Sam; 3- pag-uwi namin sa bridal fair, ayaw umandar ng kotse, nadiskarga pala. Kapag minalas ka nga naman... sana lang yun na ang huli :)

***

Travel photo of the week:

sunset @ Boracay

Paalam Sam :(

2005-06-11T23:22:00.000+08:00

Salamat sa mga nakiramay. Lalo na kay Aggie & Edil. *mwah*

At sa kung sino man ang kumuha kay Sam, mamatay sana buong angkan mo.

Of Perfect Moments & Beginnings

2005-06-10T13:38:00.000+08:00

Same church, different days (at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe)

Incidentally, snippets of the first wedding is scheduled to be aired on June 19 at Perfect Moments, a new show in channel 2. The bride won a makeover contest and the wedding was also covered by ABS-CBN. Ang rami-raming tao, ang hirap makapwesto, lalo na nung preps. Hindi pa ako makashoot during the interviews kasi bawal daw maingay (eh maingay camera shutter ko :P) Pero grabe, ang ganda ni Jodie Sta. Maria :)

***

At the other wedding, although there were no celebrities involved, the church was jampacked, standing church only pa. To think that the wedding was on a weekday. Ang saya lang at ang daming nagpunta sa wedding nila :)

On a sad note, my flash hit the side of the bed while I was fixing the wedding dress and the hot shoe broke :( Hay, buti na lang we have a back-up flash *phew*

***

I'm looking forward to this weekend as we're joining our first bridal fair. =D

The week had been crazy. I barely had 5 hours of sleep the last 3 days finishing up an album layout for the fair as well as doing some of the booth displays. Hopefully all of it gets printed within the day. Photo finish talaga :P Prior to my sleepness in QC drama were the 2 rain-free (thank God!) weddings, trips to hardware stores for our booth setup and visits to the printer for the postcard giveaways above.

We have yet to see the finished postcards though. The production was delayed because we had to do revisions on our photo packages at the back. (We're no longer offering a traditional album kasi. When we met with our album supplier regarding Leslie's album, our supplier informed us that she wouldn't be distributing the traditional albums anymore. Sayang.) Anyway, we're set to visit the printer early this evening so hopefully, the colors turn out great. *cross fingers*

Originally in full color, the back of the postcard is now in black

We'll be doing the ingress this afternoon at Megamall as well. Since this is our first fair, March pa lang, we already had an idea of a booth setup we wanted... it should be different from the usual booth of long tables & easels at the back setup, and we wanted the booth space to be open. One day, as we were doing some window shopping at HMR (ewan ko ba, mahilig lang kaming magtingin-tingin sa HMR ng kung ano-ano :P), we found this. It used to be a cellphone display case daw. Anyway, ang tagal namin doon, iniisip kung kukunin ba namin siya or not. We decided on the former and had it delivered within the week. We were so excited with our purchase, just like kids with a new toy :P We then had the structure modified and repainted, and as of last night, it looks good. From my point of view, anyway :D So if you want to see the booth's 'after the makeover' look, drop by our booth at Megatrade Hall A. :D

Mission failed

2005-06-01T11:31:00.000+08:00

From a post I made last March:

Despite the hectic schedule, I am hoping that I get to (1) see friends in the areas we'll be visiting; (2) take pre/post nuptial photos of brides/friends... how exciting is that, huh? :); (3) do all the things in my 'must photograph' list (I wish to photograph the New York skyline at dusk); (4) finish two album layouts (syempre may work pa ring kasama, hehe). Haay... sana, sana, sana. :)

Obviously, wala akong nagawa sa mga yan. *pfft* The closest thing was being able to photograph the NY skyline on a cloudy night.

downtown Manhattan... ain't the same without the twin towers

midtown Manhattan, taken from Jersey side

Alone Time

2005-05-30T08:12:00.000+08:00

I'm currently here at an internet terminal at the Changi Airport in Singapore, waiting for my 9:45 flight. My family's staying for 2 days pa in Singapore so mag-isa ako ngayon dito :P Dumating kami around 630am, from a 21-hour flight from NY. Ang sakit sa puwet! :P Nakanood akong 6 na movies hehe.

Ang saya talaga dito sa Changi. Sa lahat ng airports na napuntahan ko, ito lang ang may libreng internet! At pwede mo pang ikabit ang laptop mo :) Tapos meron rin silang Transit Hotels na pwedeng magshower, which I did, btw. Dederecho kasi ako sa meeting pagdating ko mamaya at ayoko namang mangamoy doon no LOL Medyo off nga lang kasi common shower room, pero may mga stalls naman.

Nagugutom ako, bili muna ko food...

Disclaimer

2005-05-27T13:00:00.000+08:00

Weird. We've been getting queries from brides if it's true that we cover 2 weddings a day. Nabasa daw nila somewhere. My guess, they've stumbled upon this blog and saw my last entry. So in case may maligaw pang iba... Karl & I do not cover 2 weddings a day.

Ako lang ang lumagare during the D-Day (see previous post). I had been booked as a back-up photographer for an afternoon wedding last April 9. In February, my cousin had announced that he's getting married on the morning of the same day and had wanted to get my services. Since I was already booked, I had told my cousin to get Lem instead as his main photographer and a friend as associate photographer. I told him that I'll be taking photos until the bridal preps lang. So there.

Lem & I are into the wedding photography business because aside from sharing the same passion, we love working together. So even though the idea of splitting up and covering separate weddings was tempting, we never pushed through with it. Ganun kami kasi ka-attached sa isa't isa hehehe.

Yun lang po. Bow.

P.S. I'm going home... soon :D

24

2005-04-10T02:37:00.000+08:00

The D-Day Schedule:

0300 - woke-up
0400 - left house
0530 - arrived in Taal Vista
0930 - left Caleruega
1115 - arrived at Astoria
1445 - proceeded to Christ The King
1715 - went to The Loft
2100 - left The Loft
2200 - home at last
2400 - finished packing
0200 - done with burning of wedding files
0300 - sleeping time

Para akong si Piolo - lagarista LOL

Anyhoo, here's 2 of my fave photos of the day:

Nadia, my cousin-in-law, at Taal Vista

A starfishy, from the 'under the sea' theme (afternoon wedding)

Travel Photo of the Week

2005-04-04T19:56:00.000+08:00

A rainbow of hope...

Cagsawa Ruins (Daraga, Albay), January 2005

Hecticity

2005-04-04T10:47:00.000+08:00

Shiyet. My last free weekend has been filled up. April is officially a suicide month. Exag :P

April 9 - Wedding in Tagaytay am; Wedding in Pasig pm
April 10-13 Boracay :D
April 16 - Wedding in Makati
April 17 - Prenups in QC
April 18 - Wedding in Tagaytay
April 23 - Prenups in Clark
April 24 - Prenups in UP
April 30 - rest day.

We usually limit ourselves to just 1 wedding a day but since the one getting married the morning of April 9 is a cousin of mine, we accepted the booking with Lem as the main photographer, and a friend as his 2nd photographer. The afternoon wedding (first to book) is a one photographer back-up gig. So on April 9, I'll be going up Tagaytay to help Lem with the preps & bridal march coverage, then go back to Manila for the afternoon wedding. In other words, lagare. Goodluck to me, hehe.

Yeeaasss!

2005-04-02T04:45:00.000+08:00

Funny, pinag-uusapan lang namin si B-TOY a.k.a. tennisaddict nung isang araw, at malaman-laman kong buhay na pala ulit siya sa Peyups. At hindi lang siya, kundi pati na rin ang aking paboritong mga pandas!! *hyper* Ang saya-saya :) Balik Peyups na ulit ako, hehe. EK EB na to! LOL Wish ko lang sana may Panda Cave na ulit *big grin*

What's keeping me busy...

2005-03-31T14:47:00.000+08:00

The Yamat-Arellano album, coming soon

Yes, malapit na matapos. I was worried that we won't be able to fill up the 50 pages of the album, pero sumobra na kami ngayon. We're currently redoing a couple of pages. (Hi Leslie! :D)

Sobrang ineeeeeet!!!

2005-03-29T11:03:00.000+08:00

Ang sakit-sakit ng ulo ko =( Wala naman akong mainom na gamot, so nilagyan ko na lang ng Bengay hehe. Kaso, wala ring epekto :P

Travel Photo of the Week

2005-03-28T19:35:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through my travel photos and I stumbled upon this photo, taken exactly a year ago during a Laguna photo trip:

Sunrise at Lake Caliraya, March 2004

Ten Things Series - My Favorite Pasta Dishes

2005-03-27T14:22:00.000+08:00

1. My Dad's spaghetti
2. CPK's Chicken Tequila Fettucine
3. Burgoo's Linguini with Clams
4. Cafea's Spicy Calamari Fettucine
5. Jollibee's Special Spaghetti
6. Choc Kiss' Beef Stroganoff Fettucine
7. Angelino's Carbonara (may Angelino's pa ba?)
8. Kenny Roger's Macaroni & Cheese (counted ba to? :D)
9. TGI Friday's Spicy New Orleans
10. any pesto pasta

What's on your list?

It must have been love

2005-03-27T02:20:00.000+08:00

Lay a whisper on my pillow
Leave the winter on the ground
I wake up lonely,there's air of silence
In the bedroom and all around

Touch me now, I close my eyes
And dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out

Make believing we're together
That I'm sheltered by your heart
But in and outside I turn to water
Like a teardrop in your palm

And it's a hard winter's day
I dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without
It must have been love, but it's over now
It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows

Haaay, brings back first love memories, hehe.

Samu't Sari

2005-03-24T23:21:00.000+08:00

After 4 days, 3 trips to PCX, 2 WinXP installations and a partition reformat, my computer's finally up and running again, I think. *cross fingers*

I'm now making up for the lost work hours. Sigh.

**

My family's planning to go to Boracay (yey!) this April. Sana matuloy =) Kaso kakain na naman yun ng work days. Eh I have 4 weddings and 4 prenup pictorials to do pa naman next month... yikes! :o

**

We got these interview questions from the Wedding Essentials magazine. They're doing
an article on up and coming wedding suppliers for their June/July issue. Coolie :) Lem has finished answering his questions... I have yet to answer mine. Hirap sumagot eh. Baka mala-nobela ang masagot ko, hehe. Anyway, I'd like to share my favorite question (read: the easiest to answer) -- "When and how did you team up with Karl de Leon? Im really sorry I was not informed regarding this, but how are you related to each other?" Hehe.

If the article gets published, it'll be our first 15-minutes of fame for Fotogra. We've already been interviewed on the radio, in tv and in the dailies for Peyups. ;) Wehehe, blog ko naman to di ba, hayaan nyo muna ako magyabang. LOL

My Mulawin

2005-03-18T01:32:00.000+08:00

Jaemark invited us the other day to join him at the last shooting day of Mulawin as he needed someone to document this. Lem was very much excited and can't wait to have his picture taken with Angel Locsin. (Sinama lang naman niya ako para may kukuha ng picture nya eh :P) Anyhoo, we were there a little before 1 and were the first ones to arrive. The call time was 1pm... factor in Filipino time plus showbiz time equals a two-hour delay. I think the first scene take didn't commence until 430. Either they're not that excited to start shooting as it is the last day, or that's just how it is in showbusiness. Tsk, tsk, hate ko pa naman ang nale-late hehehe.

But seeing Papa Zoren more than made up for the long wait hahaha.

Romnick, on the other hand, didn't look as cute as 15 years ago. *makes the Sheryl Cruz I love you sign*

While the years didn't seem to age Amy Austria at all. She still looks 'stunningly beautiful'. I just love her :)

Almost all of the cast members were there, except Angel. Boohoo. Lem and Jae were of course, disappointed. I wasn't. As I got to see and even hug THE star of the show, Aguilems.

:D

I've Got Mail

2005-03-17T18:59:00.000+08:00

Warning, rant mode on.

I've been getting shitloads of spam from Media G8way. I never signed up for any f*cking newsletter and they keep on emailing these invitations, announcements, etc, etc. They've been sending messages to 6 Peyups addresses and today I've gotten 12 messages already.

You have received this newsletter because you are a valued client of Media G8way Corp. - publisher of PC World Philippines, Computerworld Philippines, Enterprise, Stuff Philippines and IT Resource.

Client my ass. I never signed up to be your valued client. I did sign-up in 2003 to be able to vote for my favorite site in the Philippine Web Awards. To vote, not to be spammed. Tsk Tsk.

**

I got this Reader's Digest mail today. It's the one where they get you to sign-up for subscription in return for a chance to win a car, a special gift, etc. Interestingly, it's my first RD mail (my mom's the one who gets them) and upon opening it, found out why it was sent to me.

Dear Valued Subscriber,
I am delighted to inform you that as a loyal Pacific Internet Subscriber you are qualified to receive a very special offer from Reader's Digest.

Loyal? Moi? Funny. I switched to PLDT in 2001 because Pacific's service sucks.

Stupid spammers.

Plans no more

2005-03-12T14:57:00.000+08:00

It's official. The family's going on a US vacation this May. Yey! I'm so excited :D Though not as much since Lem woun't be able to join us :( Sayang talaga... kainis ang DOST na yan! :P

Our itinerary will definitely be full of road trips and sight-seeings; everybody's (okay, kaming 4 na magkakapatid :P) excited to go around as it had been 5 years since we've last been there (My siblings were still in grade school then. This time, they'll enjoy na the long walks and drives.). The family used to go every other year, as our mom attends an annual doctors' convention, before the kids grew up (read: full rate fares for them), hehe, plus there were always summer projects, camps and classes that got in the way of a return visit.

Anyway, I'm sharing these US trip photos I found in my scanned pics folder:

Our first trip to the US. My mom had her Oncology fellowship for six months in LA and she brought us 3 kids (Mela, our youngest hasn't been conceived yet), along with my lola, with her. Our dad followed in December to spend Christmas & New Year with us.

Mela's first US trip. She would easily get tired and shout "Karga!!!" during visits to theme parks. The boys naman would take turns riding the stroller... guess who's too tired to push them? :D

My first visit to Florida. My family had been there the year before (I had UPCAT review).

The next two visits (1997 & 1999) were mostly spent in the East Coast as we had relatives up and down the coast(?), hehe. This year, we'll be spending the 1st week in the New Jersey-New York area, 2nd week in Florida, 3rd in LA-Vegas area and the 4th week in Toronto to visit our aunt and her family (they just migrated this February :D).

Despite the hectic schedule, I am hoping that I get to (1) see friends in the areas we'll be visiting; (2) take pre/post nuptial photos of brides/friends... how exciting is that, huh? :); (3) do all the things in my 'must photograph' list (I wish to photograph the New York skyline at dusk); (4) finish two album layouts (syempre may work pa ring kasama, hehe). Haay... sana, sana, sana. :)

Gambling Queen

2005-03-11T01:15:00.000+08:00

Spent our monthsary in Tagaytay. We first went to Calaruega, to check the place out. No, we're not getting married :P We're doing a wedding there in April and since we haven't been there yet, we decided to do an ocular and look for possible pictorial areas. Afterwards, we proceeded to Starbucks Tagaytay for our daily dose of fraps, hehe. Hanging out there has been a must do for us every time we're in the area, ang lamig-lamig kasi, sarap lang tumambay. When it got too cold for us, we walked to Leslie's and ordered bulalo. Pampainit. Sarap to the bulalo! :D Tapos nagkayayaang mag-casino.

The last time we went to the casino, I think we lost about 2k. Di ko sure, tagal na kasi yun eh, talagang kinalimutan ko na, hehe. We swore never to go back then... but earlier today, we found ourselves inside Casino Filipino :p Since the 'quit while you're ahead' mantra didn't work for us then (ang hirap kayang mag-quit *kaching*kaching*kaching*), we just decided to stick to a 1k budget. Anyway, we were excited to play our favorite game of Craps, but the crappy casino doesn't have the Craps game anymore. Oh crap! :D So we ended up at the Roulette table, then upon losing some hundreds, we transferred to the slot machines. Well what do you know, we're sooo malas that after about an hour, it was time for us to go home, hehe. Pero medyo nabawi ko naman sa Roulette (pero tinaya ulit at natalo haha) at may natira namang p300, enough pang gas at toll. :D

Mukhang totoo nga ata yung kasabihang "Malas sa sugal, swerte sa pag-ibig" LOL

Speaking of sugal, Mahjong is a family pastime. We're 32 in our extended family, and about 24 peeps know how to play. Kapag nagkakasama-sama nga kami, may 2 Mahjong tables na open for all ages... mula sa lola ko hanggang sa pinsan kong 9 years old ;) Unahan sa pwesto yun! There was even a time na 3 tables kami, haha, ang a-addict 'no?

Comic Relief

2005-03-09T11:17:00.000+08:00

From a phone call I got:
Caller: Hello, Cinderella? (The shop I guess)
Mimi: Sorry, wrong number. Si Snow White ito.

From a faxed proposal re advertising in a wedding discount book:
Wedding Suppliers.........
Do you know where your next customer is? Better yet........
Do your customer know where you
are? Do they know your new
promo and discounts offered?
How to reach you?

FINALLY........ the perfect advertising medium for all wedding suppliers is already in the market.

Are you kidding me? May mag-advertise kaya sa kanila? :P

Inside the bus from Malapascua:
Mimi: Ang sakit na ng boobs ko (sa tagtag sa biyahe)
Lem: Ako rin.

Our First Ad

2005-03-08T02:41:00.000+08:00

Found on page 4 of the W@W Wedding Primer:

Pazette, thank you for the big break. I am forever grateful. :)

Testing Photobucket

2005-03-04T12:30:00.000+08:00

My PC is still busted, so I cannot post photos via Hello. I'm trying out Photobucket now and uploaded some bridal portraits from recent weddings.

We're back!

2005-03-02T12:34:00.000+08:00

I so missed the internet. Thank God for GPRS, I was able to check my mails while sun-bathing. Hehe. Although we were able to go to a net cafe in Tagbilaran naman (Ate Des, naka DSL na sila, finally! At walang batang mabaho hahaha pero ang bagal naman ng mga PC! :P).

Anyway, I've been catching up on other people's lives (reading blogs hehehe) since last night... until now (dami kasing sino-stalk hahaha). I'll be posting photos soon, once my PC's fixed. Bigla na lang ayaw magload, letch. Di tuloy ako makawork ng maayos. Buti na lang andito si Sam hehe.

Time to relax...

2005-02-21T13:11:00.000+08:00

time to go slow... tayo na sa beach, tayo na't mag-swimming - Parokya ni Edgar

Yipee! Two more days, and off we go to Cebu & Bohol, can't wait! :D It's a much needed R&R after spending the past week in hecticity. Especially last Friday & Saturday!

Friday, I met a coordinator before lunch and a soon to wed after lunch. Then I rushed off to Pandacan to attend a wedding rehearsal. Afterwards, I went back to QC for the UP Fair :) Saturday morning was spent photographing a wedding in Makati/Manila (was up and about by 5am :o) while in the evening we were at a JS Prom in Quezon City. We even managed to meet up with a client in between events. Grabe, haggard ang lolo't lola! Low batt na kami umaga pa lang hehe Ang hirap talaga pag hindi ka morning person.

Anyhoo, I am really looking forward to this trip :) Aside from the swimming and photo ops, it is only during these out-of-town trips that I do wake up early, hence, my body clock gets reset. Hopefully, by the time I get back next week, I'll be a morning person na... until I turn into an owl again. Hehe.

***

Share ko lang:

- Last Saturday's wedding was our first INC wedding coverage. It's not much different from a Catholic wedding except that there's no Secondary Sponsors involved. And that they're more strict about the places you're allowed to shoot from.

- It was the first time we've worked with Threelogy (video) and they're a fun bunch to be with. Katuwa that both of us enjoy documenting a wedding as it happens instead of directing it. :)

- February 19 was a hot date for weddings. We knew 2 other couples who got married last Saturday. We had taken the prenup photos of both couples :) Incidentally, two other hot dates are December 22, 2005 wherein I've already gotten 4 inquiries and February 18, 2006 which according to a wawie, there's now 4 of them getting married on that date.

Vday Memories

2005-02-14T14:57:00.000+08:00

For the 8 years that Lem & I have been together, I think we only went out on a vday date once (Lem, correct me if I'm wrong hehe). Truth is, I have forgotten how I spent those days except the one spent with Jules and Assunta. Aside from that, the only vday memory I have is when during our first Valentine's Day together, Lem had given me a 3D puzzle of the Empire State Building. He had my org co-app go to Megamall to buy it as part of her Hellweek task. (On a side note, the task Lem gave me was even harder -- "love me!" LOL) Anyway, of course I was surprised. Ecstatic even, as I LOVE puzzles! Then came the next gift...

Along with the puzzle came this little plant in a pot. Since the guys were buying roses for their hunnies and Lem wanted to be different, he gave me a lily. (Ah, lily pala yun. Kala ko cactus hahaha) And so I was even more surprised! A lily in a pot?! On Valentine's Day?! WTF?! I know, I know, I should have appreciated it, it's the thought that counts, right? But how could I? When I see girls smelling their bouquet of flowers, and here I am carrying this little potted plant. :P And friends were even asking what was I carrying hahaha.

Anyhoo, I think he ended up buying roses too (did you, Lem?)... see, I can't even remember. Yung lily lang talaga naalala ko :P

***

Happy Hearts day friends! See you at the UP Fair tonight, hehe.

Looking for the sandman

2005-02-11T01:09:00.000+08:00

I am going to the Hot Air Balloon Fest in Clark today =) Hopefully, it would turn out to be a good photo op. Although it's a 3-day affair, Lem & I decided to go today so there would be less people there, hopefully. Anyhoo, the balloons are set to take flight at 530am... which means I have to wake up at around 3am. But wait, I haven't gone to bed yet! :o Shiyet! Eto ang mahirap pag hindi ka morning person. :P

EDIT: It's now 1:45am... and I still can't sleep! Waaah! Naku, I'll be cranky the whole day nito for not getting my beauty rest hehe.

Happy, happy, joy, joy

2005-02-05T23:19:00.000+08:00

Lem & I went to the Travel Tour Expo in Megamall this afternoon as we were curious if we'd find a good deal there. I was still feeling bad about not being able to avail of the airfare promo of PAL and Cebu Pacific; I was told that tickets were already sold out when I inquired a few weeks back. So imagine my surprise when I still saw flyers regarding CP's promo at their booth :O Woohoo! There are still seats available! Now, all we needed to decide was where (either Cebu, Bohol or Bora) and when to go.

After discussing it over chicken terriyaki, seafood teppanyaki, tofu steak and tuna sashimi (yum, yum), we finally decided to go to Cebu because we wanted to explore the island of Malapascua, which is situated north of Cebu. Malapascua as Lem says, is like Boracay in the 70s, still a virgin beach, hehe. We've actually been planning on going there for the past couple of years but we were always hesistant to push through with our plan due to the long ride (it's about 4 hours away from Cebu City) and the lack of travel information. I guess too much Japanese food makes you do a bahalakiri :P Anyway, if Malapascua doesn't turn out to be what we've been hoping for, there's always Panglao Island in Bohol, an hour-and-a-half ferry ride away. :) Although Bohol is part of our itinerary. (Ate Des, Ellyn, Bohol ulit? :D)

And so from February 24 to March 1, Mimi and Lem shall be seen frolicking under the Malapascua and Panglao sun. Yebah! Two-piece na to! ROTFL

Btw, the Travel Tour Expo is only until tomorrow. There are a lot of tour packages available so try to drop by Megamall if you can ;)

***

SKL: Earlier today, I woke up to a text from Milett, telling me to grab a copy of today's Manila Bulletin issue. She and her fiance Jojo had been included in the wedding announcement section of About Weddings (which comes out every 1st Saturday of the month). Lem & I took their prenup pictures during the W@W Christmas Party last year. Incidentally, another couple of ours, Leslie & Jayson, were featured last January naman. Astig, two in a row hehe. We're scheduled to shoot a prenup this month for a couple who's getting married in March... I hope they get featured too. ;D Hehe, kababawan :P

Sam's first post

2005-02-03T01:52:00.000+08:00

Greetings from Samantha's keys :) We brought home Sam last Thursday, and immediately put her to the test during the weddings we had on Friday and Monday. I must say, it was really nice not to have a bulky laptop in tow anymore :D And I need not conserve on batteries too! Not to mention the ganda points that goes with it hahaha Anyhoo, I'm still adjusting to the mac platform... new keyboard shortcuts to memorize and programs to get used to. I was presenting some files to a client the other day and man, was I having a hard time showing her the files :P Haay, I miss those pc programs, especially Hello! Di tuloy ako makapost ng pictures dito :(

Droolicious

2005-01-26T22:55:00.000+08:00

I have been bitten by the bug Mac. :o

12" iBook

This item currently tops my wish list. It used to be on my nice-to-haves list but now it's on my must-haves LOL. For the past couple of days, I've been frequenting the Apple site and yes, drooling over them iBooks and PowerBooks. I was even urging Lem *beautiful eyes* to buy it as a Valentines' gift so I wouldn't be guilty of spending on something impractical. Hahaha.

I would have wished for the PowerBook, but I do have some sense left in me so I'm settling for the 12" iBook instead. Heck, as long as it is something we can bring on road trips and use in weddings (and a Mac!), I'm happy. :) And so the quest for the most affordable iBook begins...

Yesterday, I went to the Apple Center at SM City and found out that the most basic item is priced at P79k. Whoa! :o I better forget about buying it locally as it is just around P56k in the US. As I was convincing myself to just wait until May, I surfed on a website offering the iBook at $800!!! Now all I needed was someone to have it delivered to in the US and someone to bring it here. Sadly, I know no one who would be going home soon. :(

But as luck would have had it, Lem saw an iBook for sale ad today. :D Although the unit's pre-owned, the seller has assured us that it's in good condition. Oh, I hope so! *cross fingers* Anyway, we'll be checking out the unit tomorrow... I hope, I wish and I pray that we could take it home tomorrow too!

The O.C.

2005-01-23T23:28:00.000+08:00

Being cloudy the whole day, I did not expect that the sun would show itself last Wednesday. I was taking a photograph of the Shrine of Jesus when the sun decided to play peek-a-boo (see last photo from previous entry). Since it was a photo trip to test the lensbaby, I never bothered to bring the other lenses... ergo, I failed to zoom in on the beautiful sunset (yes, capturing a huge sun in the horizon is a frustration).

sunset last wednesday

I returned yesterday to the Baywalk area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the setting sun despite the gloomy weather. Too bad, the sky did not clear up. But the OC me did not want to give up; so today, I went back. I even rescheduled a meeting just so I could make it to the Baywalk in time for the sunset. And thank God, I did! :)

sunset on sunday

New Toy in da Haus

2005-01-21T13:05:00.000+08:00

Here are some snapshots taken with a new toy I got this Monday:

Lem bought it for me as a Christmas gift daw. But it's been with him since Wednesday. Hmph.

Update of sorts

2005-01-13T16:00:00.000+08:00

December 22 pa daw huling na-update yung articles sa Peyups... aba, pati rin pala tong blog ko, ano? Halata bang di na ako nakakapag-online? Hehe. Kaya eto, napilitan tuloy akong mag-update ngayon LOL

Simulan ko sa pagbati ng isang Manigong Bagong Taon! Better late than never di ba? Hehe.

Noong New Year's eve, nagpunta kami ng Lem sa rooftop ng condo nila para mag-shoot ng fireworks. Eh anak ng tokwa, natakpan ng ibang buildings yung view namin :P Sana pala doon na lang kami sa may gilid ng Corinthian Gardens, ang gaganda ng mga paputok nila doon nung napadaan kami papunta kina Lem. Next year, doon na ako pupwesto :)

===

Simula pa lang ng taon, nakapag-roadtrip na kami. Kinasal yung ka-batch ni Lem sa Albay, at siyempre, pumunta kami. Medyo hindi lang gaano enjoyable yung trip namin kasi una, nag-arkila lang ng van, na 2 beses pang naflatan! Pangalawa, ang bagal-bagal magmaneho nung driver kaya inabot kami ng 15 hours sa biyahe (both ways). Pangatlo, hindi kami nakapag-ikot masyado kasi kulang sa oras. Eh gusto pa sana naming pumunta ni Lem ng Sorsogon (gusto kasi naming balikan yung mga lugar na napuntahan na namin bago dumating si Betsy & Nikki). Kaya mas gusto ko talagang nagdadala na lang ng sariling sasakyan pag roadtrips.

===

Speaking of roadtrips, nabalitaan nyo na ba yung The Great Seat Sale ng Cebu Pacific? P800 lang to Kalibo, Cebu, Iloilo (at iba pang mga lugar) mula Maynila. Tamang-tama siya ngayong Enero para sa mga gustong magpunta sa Ati-Atihan, Sinulog at Dinagyang (tulad ko!). Mula kahapon, tinatawagan ko na yung booking office ng CP pero laging busy at kung makapasok man ako, wala namang sumasagot. Pati yung mga ibang numbers na sa website nila, hindi rin natatawagan. Grrr! Pahirapan pa to :P Pero sana, makakuha akong booking papuntang Iloilo in time for Dinagyang (fully booked na daw ang to Cebu at Kalibo sabi sa text service ng CP). Excited na ako!

===

Kahapon, nalaman kong nagpa-book na yung nanay ko para sa US vacation ng pamilya. Huli akong andoon noong '99 pa. Excited na ako kasi kasama si Lem! Yehey! Kaso, nag-expire na yung passport at visa nya, so kailangan pang ayusin. Hindi namin inaakala na magiging problema pala yung pagiging DOST scholar nya since wala naman siya dati sa BID's hold departure list. Kanina, nalaman namin na asa BID's list na siya :( Lecheng computerization yan!! Makakakuha lang siya ng clearance kung nakapagtrabaho siya ng limang taon bilang isang Chemical Engineer or babayaran niya yung DOST Scholarship nya. Ngayon, hindi na ako excited... masyado :P

Pampalubag loob: Okay na rin yun para di na namin magagastos yung wedding fund namin. :)

More Updates

2004-12-22T20:05:00.000+08:00

I am currently in bed, watching The Amazing Race. Yup, in bed as I’m still sick. All work and all play make you sick all day hehe. Here’s what I’ve been up to since Lem’s Corregidor birthday celebration (which I still have to write about):

Sunday
Woke up before sunrise to prepare for the Batangas prenups. We got to the Petron SLEX a little after 5:30am, ate breakfast then off we went to White Cove in Nasugbu. The place is now owned by UCPB. Too bad the contractor wasn’t able to finish construction; the place looks promising pa naman. We finished our shoot around lunchtime (nognog na ako nun!) but wasn’t able to leave until around 3pm.

At SLEX, we exited at Filinvest since we were attending the Pinoymail Christmas Party cum birthday party of Lem’s boss at his house in Las Pinas. Damn the traffic! It took us more than an hour from Alabang to Las Pinas! Anyhoo, we learned that one of Lem’s officemates is back handling an in flight magazine. He was asking for samples… hopefully we get to do them before the year ends.

Monday
Worked on the prenup pics.

Tuesday
Lem & I spent the afternoon at Shangrila, scouring for props to use for our prenup pictorials the next day. Fortunately, we were able to find what we’ve been looking for. :)

Wednesday
The afternoon was spent photographing couples while the night was spent socializing and meeting clients during the W@W Christmas Party at Gazebo Royale. Finally, I was able to match a face to some wedding suppliers and a few brides and grooms. I also joined this design a wedding gown contest, we (lady suppliers) were competing with the male suppliers and 2 teams of W@Wies. Ha! We proved that wedding suppliers were more OC than brides… ‘coz we won! LOL

Speaking of winning, videographer Jason Magbanua brought home the W@W Supplier of the Year award. I met his wife Pang, two years ago, when she was doing the events coordination with Cielo for Peyups Rock Enroll. I remember suggesting then that they should also do wedding coordination and Cielo said that they’re leaving the wedding related stuff to Pang’s husband who’s into videography. Little did I know that her husband would become the most in-demand wedding videographer. Galing lang.

Thursday
Went to UP before lunch for the Oblation Run then whiled away time at the Chocolate Kiss before covering the annual UP Lantern Parade. This year’s parade wasn’t as impressive as last year’s though. There were less participants and I noticed that some of them have recycled the props they used last year. But at least the parade still pushed through despite the crises the country’s going through and UP’s budget constraints.

2003

2004

Afterwards, Lem & I went to Klab in Luneta where our photo club was having our Christmas Party.

Friday
Spent Friday post-processing photos we took from the W@W Christmas Party. Then prepared our ‘DIY’ Christmas gifts which took us the whole night to do.

Saturday
I volunteered to assist Jong at his wedding shoot at the Shrine of Jesus because I wanted to see why this church at the reclamation area is a popular wedding venue. The church was okay, methinks that there was nothing spectacular about it though. To each his own I guess.

Shrine of Jesus

Anyway, just like all SoJ weddings, the sunset pictorial was held by the breakwater. Remember my foiled sunset pic? Ha, this time, I was prepared for the setting sun. ;)

before sunset

Sunday
Morning was spent meeting a client at Starbucks Shangrila. Yey, I have an October booking. :D Since Lem & I wanted to tryout the Taco Bell at the Gateway Mall in Cubao, we decided to have lunch there. (Well a piece each of taco isn’t really lunch.:p) I enjoyed eating Taco Bell’s soft tacos during visits to the US and had been longing for them to open a branch here. Sadly, they do not taste the same. :(

After exploring the Gateway Mall, we went to the nearby ukay-ukays along Aurora. I am not fond of buying from ukayans (I have this fear of getting stuff previously owned by someone who died teehee) but I like rummaging through the stuff for sale. As if that wasn’t enough, we also went to National Bookstore (I’ve forgotten the last time I was there) and went browsing through all 4 floors. We left with 2 wedding books, which were on sale, at hand.

Come night time, we proceeded to a batchmate’s house for my highschool reunion. I was part of this impromptu reunion (yes, impromptu as there was actually no plan to celebrate our 10th year) and the planning was held only last Monday, over at YM. About only ¼ of the class were present, nevertheless, the reunion was a blast. It was really nice to see old classmates again. :D

UPIS '94 reunion

Monday
I woke up early for a whole day magazine shoot in Astoria Plaza. It’s actually Lem’s shoot, and I’m just assisting him… but I also shot some frames :) The shoot’s theme was ‘How to prepare for a Moroccan bridal shower’ and yes, there was a belly dancer, but no, it wasn’t Tessa Prieto-Valdez. Hee. The belly dancer was actually a former member of the UP Pep Squad (during the Mendoza-Gumatay-Gahol days) and she was our favorite pep then. We hardly recognized her, as she got slimmer (could it be because of belly dancing?) but her smile gave her away.

Lala, our favorite cheerleader

We had fun working with the people behind the shoot especially with this super talented stylist, who did the interiors, food and fashion. Galing nya! We’re now members of her fans club ;) Oh, by the way, the shoot is for a new magazine coming out in January. I’ll post the pics we took when the mag comes out.

Tuesday
Held office at the Podium by meeting 3 clients. :P Went home sick. Sigh.

Sickgirl

2004-12-22T01:42:00.000+08:00

It was sometime in ’96 when I was introduced to IRC. Lem had already been chatting at #the_lounge at Skyinet (opo, di pa uso ang undernet noon) and the newbie me wasn’t aware that you’re supposed to use nicks/handles when chatting. Since Lem was using “sickboy” (after a character in Trainspotting) as his handle then, I naturally used “sickgirl” as mine. How original, no? :P

***

Today, the sickgirl is a sick girl. I have a slight fever, runny nose plus my throat hurts :( I guess my body couldn’t take anymore the abuse it’s been getting for the past week and a half. I had been on my toes everyday since we got back from Corregidor… did shoots, met clients, partied, post-processed pics, mall hopped (but did not shop), etc… grabe ang toxic talaga! Sabi nga daw ni Clang, “no sleep till famous”. Well if that’s the case, I’d rather get my 8 hours of sleep than be famous :D So that’s what I’m going to do now… zzzzzzzzzz.

Ay, pero baka manood muna ako ng libing ni FPJ sa tv. Hehe.

How to play beach volleyball

2004-12-15T02:43:00.001+08:00

... prenup style :D

White Cove Beach Resort, Nasugbu, Batangas

---

Speaking of prenups, Lem & I will be shooting some W@W couples during their Christmas Party later today. Medyo kinakabahan kami, first time naming sumali sa ganitong activity. Wish us luck please :)

Photo of the Day

2004-12-12T04:24:00.000+08:00

Sunset at Mile Long (Topside) Barracks, Corregidor | 10 December 2004

More Corregidor photos & kwentos to come :) I just need to shoot prenups at Nasugbu first. (Walang pahinga-pahinga hehe) Ta-ta!

30 cupcakes

2004-12-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

for my 30 year old Cupcake LOL

Happy Birthday Babe! :*

After the Sunset

2004-12-08T03:21:00.000+08:00

I was at the reclamation area in Manila (or is it Pasay?) a couple of days ago, assisting in a newlywed's sunset portrait shoot. After some takes, I decided to photograph the setting sun. I was using a wide angle lens then, and was scrambling to change to a zoom lens (it creates an illusion of a bigger sun) but by the time I was able to do so, this was what was left of the sun:

View from the Bay City Promenade

Anyway, there's always a next time :)

Great Expectations

2004-12-06T14:12:00.000+08:00

Experience has taught me not to get my hopes up. My mind knows that, but my heart just can't stop its excitement whenever I get inquiries from prospective clients. Stupid heart. No wonder heartbreaks are aplenty.

***

On a lighter note, may chismis pala na magsasara na ang Peyups sa March. Huli na naman ba ako sa balita? Hehe. Anyway, eto lang masasabi ko, I neither confirm nor deny it. :D

Kwentong Baguio

2004-12-03T04:18:00.000+08:00

Habang ka YM ko si Lem kanina:

L: supot naman yung baguio no?
M: huh?

Di ko nagets kaagad. Si Yoyong pala yung tinutukoy nya :P Nung isang araw pa yan eh, baguio ng baguio. He's so conio. LOL

***

Simula 530 ng hapon kanina, ilang beses na kaming namatayan ng kuryente. Nung unang beses na nagbrown-out, kinuha ng kasambahay namin yung rechargeable lamp at biglang nagtanong, "Saan isasaksak to?" ROTFL

Mga ilang minuto pagkatapos magka-kuryente, nakita ko yung kasambahay namin, dahan-dahang naglalakad na may hawak na kandila. Tinanong ko kung para saan yung kandila... i-che-check daw niya yung bintana kung nakasara na. Sabi ko, ba't di na lang niya buksan yung ilaw (sabay flip sa switch). "Ay oo nga ano?" ROTFLMAO

Pilipinas2.0

2004-12-01T03:36:00.000+08:00

Oh lookie! What do we have here? Guess who's pictures got published without her permission? And wasn't even given credit, tsk.

Saw the online version of the July issue of Pilipinas2.0, a magazine being circulated in North America and was surprised to see 4 of my photos --- Manila City Hall, Manila Cathedral, a boat in Baguio (see the photos beside Goma) and power lines --- in that issue. I do not remember submitting the said photos to any publication nor releasing the high resolution files to anyone. The web copies though, are available for public viewing at my Photos.ph account.

Notice that those photos had watermarks/copyright markings on them; the nerve of whoever was responsible for stealing those photos! I mean, how hard is it to send me email and ask for permission? Heck, I might have even agreed to not charge for usage fees in exchange for a byline. But it's too late for that. I am no wimp. I definitely plan to take legal action. >:|

Nothing lasts forever...

2004-11-30T06:08:00.000+08:00

...not even the cold November rain, hehe.

Good morning, sunshine! After raining incessantly the whole day, boy, was I glad that the Batangas shoot didn't push through yesterday. I can't even imagine what would've happened if it did.

Huwat?!

2004-11-28T23:49:00.000+08:00

Meron dapat kaming prenup shoot sa Batangas bukas. Nung una, dapat sa Laiya pero dahil malayo masyado, naging Anilao. Last week nagbago ang plano at Nasugbu na lang daw. Whole day. Excited kami ni Lem, matagal na naming gustong magshoot ng prenup sa beach eh. Meron na nga kaming mga props at poses na nakahanda. Pero kaninang umaga, nagising ako sa text na hindi na daw matutuloy ang shoot bukas. :o

---

After ten million years, ngayon lang ulit ako nakadaan sa Peyups. Pagpunta ko sa forums, may nakita akong signature na may link sa Peyups Christmas Party. Kinlick ko yung link at, dyaran! May Peyups Christmas Party palang pinaplano sa December 11. :o At 5 pages na yung thread, wala man lang kaming kamalay-malay ni Lem. :P Sabi sa signature ni q_a, pag di pumunta, demoted. Oh well, I guess madedemote kami ni Lem, hehe.

The Last Samurai

2004-11-23T14:13:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, my beloved 6150 suddenly decided to do a harakiri. I was about to call Lem to ask if he would like to meet me in Shang; I took out my phone from my pants' back pocket and was surprised that there was no signal. I was about to twist the loose antenna (there's a chipped off part near the antenna's base causing my phone to lose signal sometimes) when, que horror, there was no antenna! My 6150 is now a 6210 wannabe.

Lem kidded that to avoid shame, my phone has decided to take its life, like a samurai. Siya na lang daw kasi yung phone na may antenna :D

------

My phone, which has been with me for the last 3 1/2 years, was a present from my dad. Wow. A new phone without spending a single centavo! LOL But really, I was elated then because finally, I have a phone which does not only show right away who the message sender is but also displays messages in more than one line. Coz the phone to be replaced, a Philips Twist, is incapable of such. Imagine opening a message and reading the scrolling text, waiting till the end to see from whom the message was. Can you say pager with a keypad? :P

In fairness, the Twist has given me the coolness factor then. It was late ’98… I stopped schooling (now, that wasn’t cool :P) and started working at a web design company in San Juan. In order to get in touch with Lem (who was working at SVI) on who will fetch who at what time and where, I decided to purchase a phone too (he already bought his brother’s Philips Diga). At that time, text messaging was yet to be a craze and I think even the Nokia 5110 has yet to be released then. The Philips Twist was the only Globe handyphone being offered at a promo price of P4,990 (ata). Bought it and voila! I was on the road to coolness. What a bargain, huh? LOL Months after, people were already strutting with their 5110s. Not cool.

------

I was surfing the net the other day for a replacement phone. I was having a hard time choosing which model to save up for. I was too overwhelmed with the various models available and their capabilities. Being able to watch videos and read pdf files on a phone is appealing and so is being able to surf the net and take pictures. Unfortunately, phones with such capabilities are priced unappealingly. :P

Fortunately, my 6150 hasn’t given up entirely. I’m still able to use it, provided that I stay outdoors, near a cell site. Ang loser. Sigh.

Boob tube booboos

2004-11-19T02:06:00.000+08:00

Nakanood ako ng Bilog ang Mundo portion ng MTB kanina. Sa mga hindi nakakaalam, ang BaM ay parang trivia game eklavu, pantapat ata sa Laban o Bawi. Eniwey, si Ai-Ai yung nagtanong kanina at meron siyang booboo. She pronounced hinge (as in door hinge) as hi-nge and when she realized her mistake, she tried to read the question again, this time pronouncing hinge as hing (o di ba sosi, silent e pa!). Ayun, nahiya ata si Edu para sa kanya kaya pinapalitan na lang yung tanong. :P Naalala ko tuloy si Amy Perez nun, sa Pera o Bayong naman ata, when she pronounced Arkasas just like how it's spelled. Ay sus! Sana pinag-aralan muna nila yung kanilang mga spiels. :P Buti sana kung si Melanie Marquez sila hehe

------

Nagbayad nga pala akong renewal fee sa aming photo club kanina. Ako ngayo'y isang poorita; samantalang kahapon feeling Doña Buding ako. Now, I only have the body, not the money *lol* Sana dala ni Ellyn mamaya yung PF namin, para naman may pang panood kami ng Bcuz Of U :D Excited na akong mang-okray! Ang dami pa naman naming manonood mamaya, masaya to! Wag lang sana kaming batuhin ng mga fans, hehe.

------

Yehey! Nagsimula na ang Amazing Race 6. Dami nang nag-aaway, simula pa lang. I'm sure the show will be more exciting pag lumabas na ang mga kakups ng mga tao. So, sinong bets nyo? Ako nung una sa wrestlers, eh pero aanga-anga eh so dun na lang ako sa actors... favorite ko sila kasi nag-amuyan ng paa hahaha. Si Ate Des alam ko favorite niya si Jules este Jonathan at Victoria. LOL

Ten Things I've been up to in the last 10 days

2004-11-08T13:47:00.000+08:00

1. met with two brides to be
2. shot a kiddie birthday/costume party
3. visited my lolos at Himlayan and Loyola
4. shot an engagement pictorial at Fernwoods
5. checked out the bridal fair at the Loft
6. attended the wake and funeral of Lem's Tito Mel
7. cleaned house, um the garage/bodega actually
8. post processed hundreds of pics
9. watched a couple of dvds in between tasks
10. admired 3 rainbows I saw in 2 consecutive days *sigh* ganda :)

I still have a lot of things to do... hopefully I'd get to post here frequently. In the meantime, please check out Jayson & Leslie's prenup photos at Fernwoods.

A side kwento: the groom was suffering from dehydration/dizziness due to diarrhea so we had to cut short the pictorial. Buti na lang that it's a two-part shoot, with the next one on Wednesday at Nurture Spa in Tagaytay.

Simpleviewer - Gallery Update

2004-10-29T04:05:00.000+08:00

Jeff & Thalia . 24 October 2004 [San Agustin . New World]

I just finished post-processing last Sunday's pictures and have uploaded them at Fotogra.ph. I'm in the process of doing a site overhaul so instead of using the old gallery, I used this to display the photos. Ang cool ng simpleviewer no? :)

Crump-lah

2004-10-27T13:30:00.000+08:00

Wheee! The camera bag that I've been wishing to have is now sitting pretty on my bed. *cartwheels*

Last April, I saw someone with this cool photo backpack which can also accomodate a laptop and some space for clothes and other stuff. I knew I had to have that; it would be perfect for the road trips! Unfortunately, there was no shop here that carries the Crumpler line then. But even if the bag had been available here, I probably wouldn't have bought it anyway due to budget constraints and impracticality. Why splurge on a bag when my current one can still do it's job, right? (Of course I had to bring another bag for the laptop & clothes during out of towns.)

Anyway, I continued to drool over that bag until Nikki and the L lens came along. Their arrival affirmed my need for a new bag to accomodate them but at the same time, I also need a bag that I can bring along shoots that wouldn't be too much of a hassle -- it has become a pain in the back to carry all the gear during weddings and then I have to take the backpack off everytime I needed to change lenses or get something from the bag. Hassle talaga.

So I surfed the net, looking for that new must-have bag. I found a couple of candidates, all Crumplers, and assessed them according to their vital stats (HxWxD), talent (which could carry more gear) and appearance. :) It was also a good thing that a shop in Greenhills now carries Crumpler bags as I was able to see exactly how the bags look like and also compare prices. I had found a winner! But the shop in Greenhills didn't have the bag color I wanted so I had no choice but to get one from the US.

Now, introducing Crumpy, my Crump-lah:

The 15-Love Crumpler bag (image from crumplerusa.com)

It's a pasalubong from my Dad, who just arrived from the US after attending his fraternity's convention in Vegas. Fraternity convention daw... I think it's just an excuse for them to get together for some gambling, gulping and golfing. Hehe. I had him look for the bag color that I wanted, buti na lang meron. I love my Dad. :)

Of weddings and bodyaches

2004-10-25T23:48:00.000+08:00

Shot a wedding yesterday and now my body hurts like hell. Well this isn't new really, since it's how I usually feel a day after a coverage. It's like I went to the gym for the first time. I just wish doing weddings has the same effect on my biceps/triceps/pecs/wachamacallits as going to the gym. :P

On second thought, it was as if I did workout yesterday. I was sweating like a pig, literally, especially when I had to run up the choir loft to take overhead shots. It didn't help that I was at San Agustin church, where the way to the loft is not located at the back of the church but through the corridors and stairwell of the adjacent building. By the time I reached the loft, the bride was about to march down the aisle. Now, I do sweat during shoots. I read that most photographers do, too. I think they attribute it to overactive brain cells, something to do with overflowing creative juices. But the little exercise I had plus the pressure of getting a good shot of the bride was just too much. Oh, and did I mention that I had all my gear in tow? Grabe, tagaktak pawis talaga. Wala akong makita dahil puro pawis na sa may mata ko. Ayun, wala tuloy akong nakuhang matinong bridal walk. :P Puro ganito na lang:

Ganda ng interiors ng San Agustin no? :)

Another thing I like about yesterday's wedding was the cake. It was a 5-layer pink fondant cake with orchids as decors. Methinks it was simple yet elegant. I didn't realize I was sooo smitten by it until a fellow photographer asked why I kept on photographing the cake. Uhm, coz it's lovely, don't you think? :)

And so I'm back...

2004-10-23T02:49:00.000+08:00

... from outerspace. Not! I'm just taking a break from my list of things to do, which kept on getting longer, to post sumkinda update here (hindi kasi ako mana kay Ellyn :P).

WPPP Photo Congress
Went there last Thursday to Saturday to (1) attend the seminars and (2) check out the exhibitors. I was kinda curious about the wedding-related seminars because I haven't attended any; my wedding photography knowledge I credit to reading books and assisting photog friends. I was quite disappointed that my expectations of the seminars weren't met; there were undiscussed topics and evaded questions. I did pick up a thing or two from a couple of seminars and since I was able to get a discount for the delegate fee, worth it na rin. Hehe. For me, the high points of the congress were:

* Ariel Javelosa's stand-up comedy act (no wonder the brides love him :D)
* the bourdoir seminar with 4 models baring their bodies in front of 200+ shutterbugs (everybody was jockeying for a position, taob ang mga papparazzi!)
* I discovered a new album supplier :D

Speaking of albums, we've finally finished the looong overdue album of the wedding we shot last July. The delay was partly due to the problems we've had with the printing of the black & white photos which had a greenish and reddish cast; apparently, the lab's printer wasn't properly calibrated or something. So we had to reprint the photos twice. Then there's the mounting procedure which slows down our production. I should heed the advice of a wedding photographer on album production, "Have someone else do it for you." Perhaps later, but for now, Lem & I are a two-person album production team. Ang hirap kumayod. :s

And then there's another album we've got to produce. We're doing the album of Lem's cousin's wedding as his mom's gift to the couple. At the same time, we'll be showing the album first to a couple of clients wishing to see our magnetic album sample. Ang wais di ba? :D Btw, here's a shot of Lem's cousin (share ko lang):

Avilon Zoo

2004-10-11T17:10:00.000+08:00

Niyaya mo akong mamasyal sa zoo
Ang sabi mo kasi kailangan mo ng kasama
-- Senti, Yano

And so we spent yesterday at the Avilon Zoo in Rizal. Another reason we went there is that Lem & I wanted to test our newly acquired L lens. And since it would also be our first time shooting with separate cameras, we decided to have a little competition. ;) The Peyups Camera Club (ehem, that's us :D) had it's first On-The-Spot Photo Contest. Unanimously, both of us were declared the winners, since wala namang judges *rotfl*.

Here's a preview of what can be seen at the Avilon Zoo:

Dolly the sheep

a sun bear

a cat, err, cougar

a leopard doin' a 'Puss-in-Boots' look

Aguiluz of Mulawin

an ostrich, better known as Isabel "lashes" Granada *rotfl*

The Philippine Owl a.k.a. Jem *lol*

More pics to come soon. We're still post processing them, will put up a gallery once photos are ready. :)

Happy Thoughts

2004-10-11T13:17:00.000+08:00

Lem & I had been looking forward to spending our anniversary in Boracay. Since early September, I've been checking the papers for airfare promos and surfing the net for reasonably priced accomodations by the beach. For the past Bora trips kasi, we've been staying at the Private Property resort of the Elizaldes, located by the beach at Station 1. It really isn't named PP, I just nicknamed it such since there's a Private Property sign at gate (I'm sure those of you who've been there have seen this).

feeling owner hehe

But then Nikki came into our lives so it's buh-bye bora. Sayang, di kami nakasama kay Des ngayon. *happy thoughts* hehe

***

So we thought of going on a road trip instead. To where, we didn't know yet. We've been going on roadtrips since we've met. ;) From churches to beaches, from going fishing to just chillin', I think we've been to almost all must-see places within a 3-hr drive from the metro. Ang hirap na tuloy magdecide kung ano nang gagawin. :P Fortunately we remembered having read something about a zoo in Rizal and decided to check the place out.

Speaking of traveling, when Lem and I would travel, we would always have our pictures taken as our souvenir. But ever since we've been into photography, we rarely have our pictures taken anymore! And if it does, it's usually one of us is taking the picture while the other becomes the subject for a test shot, hehe.

Here we are at Tagaytay Picnic Grove in 1997 (di pa uso digital cams nun hehe, and yes, ako talaga yun hahaha)

Us fishing at Caliraya (we had the cam perched on a stone)

And this is how we do it today. Our souvenir pictures at the Avilon Zoo taken at the same time:

At least we get to see the scene behind the camera. :D

Happy 8th, Babe!

2004-10-10T01:47:00.000+08:00

I love you! *mwah*

*image from Forever Friends

How Odd

2004-10-09T15:01:00.000+08:00

Since I don't have a studio or an office, I meet couples who wish to see samples of my work somewhere convenient for them, which is usually a Starbucks branch. Though there have also been times that I meet some at a fastfood chain, their office or home, the meeting I had yesterday was quite unusual... I met with a wedding coordinator at a hospital room.

A bride currently in the US has asked her wedding coordinator to meet with me and look at my samples. We were scheduled to meet at Starbucks Shangri-la yesterday evening and since coding ako, I left for Shang before 3. I got a text from Ms. Coordinator a few minutes after I got to Shang, requesting if we could meet at Medical City instead. Her husband had been admitted the night before due to LBM (hehe Lem was all icky about it). Since I'm already in the Ortigas area, why not, teapot. I just have to spend 4 hours inside Shangri-la. :P

Anyway, it was a good thing that I brought some wedding photos that need to be mounted to an album. Lem and I found this great hangout spot in Shang where there's not much people around and started working on the photos (nag mistulang art school table yung table namin :P).

After 7, we went to Medical City where there's a newly opened Starbucks branch at the ground floor (sosyal!). I know, we could have met there, but since she asked us to go up her husband's room, we obliged (what pushovers! hehe). Ganda sa Medical City, parang hotel. Maganda rin siguro presyo dun :P

We found out that Ms. Coordinator and her partner were commissioned by the bride as day coordinators, meaning they would only be in-charge of the wedding on the day itself. However, from the email instructions of the bride, it looks like they'll be doing most of the wedding legwork too as the bride has only finalized the church and reception and the wedding's in January! We both don't know the bride personally; we've just been exchanging emails and phone calls with her (she's a niece of my Mom's highschool best friend). The bride kept telling me (and Ms. Coordinator) that her tita/tito will be the one contacting us regarding the wedding but up to now, no relative of hers has gotten in touch with us. It's just kinda weird that nobody seems to be excited about her wedding, considering how Pinoys feel about weddings.

Makati Girl

2004-10-09T13:34:00.000+08:00

As I was recalling the week that was, it occurred to me that I had spent 5 of the last 9 days in Makati, just hanging out. Wow, that's waaay over my monthly Makati trip quota of... one. You see, I am not fond of going to Makati because of the long ride, especially when it's traffic and the lack of parking space at the gimik spots (and I don't even go out for gimiks often :D). Shucks, does this make me a yuppie now? Teehee.

The funny thing was I've spotted Ateneo's Wesley Gonzales in my last two Makati outings. Last Wednesday he was with friends at Breton in Greenbelt; last night, he and his girlfriend were standing in the middle of Makati Ave, in front of his SUV, which was hit by a truck (but I think it was more of his SUV hit the truck :P). Too bad Lem & I weren't able to take a snapshot of them. Eto na lang muna, isipin nyo si Wesley as his SUV and Catli as the truck. Parang ganyan itsura nila before collision.

Photo taken on Game 1 of ADMU-FEU championship game last year

***

So where were you when the quake struck last night? I was with Lem and we were having late dinner at Barrio Fiesta (yummy crispy pata and kare-kare!). We decided to go out when the ground swaying intensified. Buti na lang nakabayad na kami hehe. Buti na lang din, that Lem wasn't at the Government Bar (across BF) yet, baka magka-stampede pa dun, kawawa yung camera (hehehe). He's to cover the bar launch for a new magazine, Style & Substance. Do wait for his kwento at Fotogra. *rotfl*