Paying 4 Convenience

When do you cross the line between a need and a want? Is it dictated by the product price? Can you live without it? So many questions but there's really no science to it. Here's my top list of items that we use because of convenience:

1-Trolley
We live in a condo so the weekly grocery is a challenge. Hello trolley! This sub p1k item available in hardwares keeps the weight off your shoulders, literally.

2- Back up sensor
My first experience with a back up sensor was in '02 when we got our psuedo SUV. We shelled out p7,5k then but well worth it. When we got our new ride in '07, the compact SUV had a dealer installed back up sensor which we got for free (in place of door visors, hood visors and a host of other small non critical freebies)

3- EC tag
As the title suggest, it's a EC (easy tag). If my memory serves me right, we bought the almost decade old transponder for p2k. It can be loaded via the toll booth teller, credit card auto debit or smart money. It's like having an express pass esp during heavy traffic holidays. Now NLE just needs to do something abt hard headed motorist who still use the EC tag only lane. Can't you read, people?

4- Data Suite
Nokia Data Suite... I love you! I've been using this free software since my phone was a Nokia 6150 in early 2000. It's not yet available in Android OS so I'm sticking with Symbian OS for my primary phone for now. I can send sms or connect to the internet wirelessly via bluetooth. And did I tell you the Nokia software is free?

5- Router
I don't consider myself super techy. I can say that I am between average to above average in being techy. Our under p2k router serves the following masters: 2 laptops, 2 symbian phones and 2 android phones. Now let's not dwell on the DSL speed.

How's that for convenience? Try it and apply it and you'll find out where I'm coming from.

BoyLac's 65th on the 27th

Papa BL would have been 65 last November 27 if he was still with us. Actually, he's still with us in spirit and this was prevalent on two instances during his special day. Last November 27, we had a mass celebration offered for him. That was followed by a simple breakfast with family and very close friends. And then these two coincidences happened:

(1) Atching Milagring
After breakfast at my parent's place, we went to my in-laws place and my wife realized that she forgot her purse so I had to go back. Upon reaching my parent's place, mother was about to drive 70+ yr old Atching Milagring, our neighbor to her place about a block away. Mother had some more guest so timing was just right and I dropped our neighbor to her place.

(2) GOA Surprise
I had to attend to a few chores that day before going back to Manila. I probably worked on 3 chores which covered close to 2 hours before my visit to the Garden. When I reached the site, lo and behold, mother and her guests were outside and can't get in the mausoleum because she can't find her keys. They didn't know that I was going to visit Papa.

Talk about concidence. Or is it Papa BL's handiwork? I wouldn't know. Love you, Papa.

An Affair Proof Marriage

An Affair Proof Marriage
by Father Dennis Paez, SDB

HUSBAND'S BASIC NEEDS
1- Sexual Fulfillment
2- Recreational Companionship
3- An Attractive Spouse
4- Domestic Support
5- Admiration

WIFE'S BASIC NEEDS
1- Affection
2- Conversation
3- Honesty and Openness
4- Financial Support
5- Family Commitment

FD Dream?

My former superior says I have the tendency to overanalyze or suffer from analysis paralysis. She's actually right. I declare myself a reformed analysis paralytic. I'm doing ths blog entry while inside Vee and looking at a black 2006 Honda Civic 1.8.

7G Civ
Our family owns an '02 Civic LXi. We got it second hand from an officemate with only 40,000 kilometers in the trip meter. Since we got it, we've had the aircon replaced, shocks replaced, engine support replaced, head and tail lights replaced, new batteries. Upgrades include: new fog lamps, ES emblem, sounds upgrade.

8G Civ
I've had the chance to drive 2 FDs since it was released in 2006. It's not actually a dream car (I dreamt of owning a 7G Civ) but if I find a good deal, it can be a worthy replacement for my current ride.

I just love bargains.

Letter from Johnny G

30th March 1993

Johnny G
NJ, USA

TO: Dormmates

Have you ever wondered at this time, though why slippers are now easily accessible? Slippers now seem to hurdle up and down charming residents to use them in every way possible. Use them or push 'em. If I was in your place, I'd use them. Blue, white, red or pink. It doesn't matter for a slipper snatcher.

I came in the dorm May 25, 1988 1130AM. Who cares? I just lived there for 5 tiring, depressing, boring, hyper, exciting, happy, fortunate, cheerful, contented, delighted, extraordinary, remarkable, phenomenal, unique, canteen-high pricing, intoxicated, shouting, laughing, head-banging and loving years. WHOOA! Well, I just got the love three and a half months ago. But anyway, you might not have realised it, but will soon will, people in the dorm seem to grow physically older but mentally the same. Well, in my case it's different. I seem to grow physically older but mentally younger. That's why right now I can say that I learned to love the dorm and I would like to take a final look before making a dire choice of staying or leaving. It's a choice, though. Very difficult. So, if in case you come to a point same as mine, think of the things that you'll have to miss if you choose on leaving: Carlo and Dylan's tandem Alaska, Gio and Cromwell's muslin adventures, Erwin and Jun-jun's 20-residents-accommodating TV, Paul-Phel-Gene-Awi and Christian's Pugad hideout, Felix and Carlo's little adventure, Ian's airplane lecture, Tony Baloney's chick tempting super body, Gerry's never ending law review, John's slang lesson, Dennis and Brian's super duper black basketball imitation, Jigger's one-big-hell-of-a-smile, Dean and Francis mutual understanding, Erwin Libron's cup throwing birthday bash, Martin Ora's and Martin Atienza's similar name or whatever, Ethel-Chona-Melody-Otoy-Jing-Liza's annex 230AM accomodation, Yan-yan and Annie...OK, Nina's bag full of brownies, Marky B talk alike, Jimbo, Melvin and Abe's silent talk, Jumbo and Bong's fast diet lessons, Jolly's natural wind maker, Mr. Uy's Banking Corporation, Melaine and Pam's heart-warming accomodation, may brother and roommate. That was long, though. Now prepare to listen to the benefits you'll get when you leave the dorm; hard work and low pay. Nice isn't it?

But anyway a bit of advice to you all from the pioneer himself. Somehow, sometime, you will have to leave. I say, bring those memories of the dorm with you. Good or bad, happy or sad, take them all for it is the only thing we have that make us identify ourselves as part of LSC. Next time you come back and visit the dorm, you'll be surprised that it isn't really the dorm that make thing memorable but the people who lived there. Thank you everybody for sharing. Adios LSC for a while. Stay up late, don't study and stay in school as long as possible.

Your No. 1 Stirrero,

Johnny

Baguio Beens

I've lost count the number of times I've been to the City of Pines a.k.a. the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Prior to this trip, the last time I was here was in Y2007. This is certainly not my last visit to this place.

Purely Business.
Last August 10, I left Manila at 115am to make it just in time for the 8am training in Albergo Hotel. The bus arrived a little past 6am. I decided to take the 10 minute walk from the bus station to El Cielito Inn in North Road.

Next time, ride a bus.
I rode a Victory liner deluxe bus instead of bringing my own vehicle. The latter would have been a killer option. As an effect, training would have probably suffered.

El Cielito Inn.
I am still in search of my fave hotel in Baguio City. For now, the top of mind is El Cielito Inn due to its proximity to SM and Session Road. This is my 3rd time in this hotel, twice for a business and once for a vacation with my family.

A trip to Baguio City will not be complete without the usual pasalubong - fresh Strawberries and yummy Ube jam.

Winner ang Winner

Speaking of turning 18 years old, when I was in college, 4 of my dormmates received a 6th generation Toyota Corolla. Itago na lang natin sa initials na BN, CB, TG and MU. When I reached that age, I received a unique gift from my parents - a white Winner personal ref. I think I was the only one who received such a gift in college. There were about 120 students in that dormitory when I was there; 4 received brand new toyota sedans and 1 received a personal ref ergo I still count myself as being blessed.

The RAV4 Kid

Two years ago during phase 2 of my civ sound project, I met this college kid at a local car shop. He was 18 y.o. then and was already driving a souped up 2002 Toyota RAV4. Lucky guy. He was there because like me, he was having his auto sounds upgraded. But unlike me, his budget was like close to unlimited. The kid said he was studying at some obscure university. Let me correct that, he is enrolled, sometimes goes to school, most of the time goes drinking with friends. Sounds cool, huh? Now here's the kicker, he claims that his 42 year old Dad is too old that he doesn't understand him.

Lessons learned during my encounter:
(1) That fathers should highlight the value of education to their children.
(2) That the children should learn to count his blessings. How many teenagers go to school in the Ph? And how many drive an SUV in the Ph when going to school?

Pope JP II twice

"Not once, but twice!" says Susan Roces' famous line. Pope John Paul II was beatified last May 1, 2011. He visited the Ph twice in 1981 and 1995.

Early Eighties.
I was in elementary then and our family including Uncles and Aunties went to Baguio City to catch a glimpse of the Pope in his first visit to the Ph. There was a motorcade infront of Burnham Park and Papa (not the Pope) was carrying me on his shoulders. I was probably 15 to 20 feet from JP2 and being carried by JL2.

Mid Nineties.
My second sighting of the Pope JP II was during the World Youth day. It was a chance encounter as I was abt 30 feet above the street riding an LRT on my way home to Tarlac when I saw him inside the Cardinal's Residence along Taft Avenue, Manila. Albeit far, it was technically consider my second "encounter" of Pope John Paul II.

Surprise by MC

Our little girl continues to surprise us. Aside frm being the class president in her first foray in a election and a consistent quarterly academic award, recently she surprised me in a basketball and car topic.

Kobe Bryant.
Last week when we were window shopping in Powerplant, she said "Hey Dads, Let's buy this Lakers KB jersey for kuya." Then I replied "Kuya already has a Lakers KB jersey." She said "You're right. Besides, it's an old jersey." The jersey's # is 8. KB is now using #24 since '06.

BMW Z3.
Also last week, on the way back to the car from Rustan's supermarket, I told her "Daughter, this is what a BMW 3 series looks like" pointing to a black BMW E90 body. Then I said "This is what a BMW X3 looks like." pointing to a silver BMW E83 body. Then she surprised me with this retort "So Dads, what does a BMW Z1 look like?"

How many graders ask that type of question or give that input?

ToF (Tour of the Fireflies) Experience

What is the Tour of the Fireflies?
Reference: www.fireflybrigade.org/

The 13th ToF route covered the Cities in Metro Manila: Pasig - San Juan - Quezon City - Manila - Pasay – Mandaluyong.

My cyclometer read almost 35 kilometer. We joined the peleton from Tiendesitas to CCP however choose a different route from CCP back to Tiendesitas. It was reported that 15,000 joined this year’s run. It’s a big 87.5% increase from last year’s participants.

Despite being an almost 2 decade old biker, it was my first time to join the 13th Tour of the Fireflies in Metro Manila. I’d like to share some of my observations during the 5 hour affair last April 17, 2011.

1- Biker Family
Father & son, father & daughter, husband & wife, husband & other wife... It's a family affair. Even the star rangers were there. You know the star rangers, right? (Link Star Rangers)

2- Quiapo, Quiapo!
So Quezon Blvd street in front of Quiapo church (officially known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene) experiences traffic every day. It’s one of the busiest areas in the metropolis and April 17 was no different. Bike traffic was turning from bad to worse and the culprit was…that everybody wanted to take a picture of the “mass” of bikers.

3- Water share
We were in Ortigas Avenue approaching Edsa when I spotted a sweet biker couple. The biker guy shared his hydration pack with his lovey dovey. It actually sounds unsanitary but my focus is more on the act of sharing.

4- Bike gamut
Mountain bikes, road bikes, recumbent bikes, folding bikes, cruisers, low rider, tall bike, low end bikes, high end, name it and they all had it. Well, almost as I didn’t see any triathlon bikes. There were a number of bike clubs as well like Smart, Globe, Unilever, location based bike clubs or just a group of friends.

5- Manny insight
One of my bike club co-members Manny P. (not Pangilinan) provided a very valuable insight. He said that the reason why he always joins the ToF is because it is the only time he gets to bike around Metro Manila major thoroughfares free from dangers (read: motorized vehicles). During that ride, bike is the king of the road.

The almost 5 hour Sunday ride actually achieved 3 personal objectives: support in lessening the carbon footprint, burned some calories and bonded with my fellow SCC members.

Happy Birdie!

I am not talking about golf, nor the male anatomy or the 2 legged winged mammal. This entry is about stats gathered during my birthday. How many friends or acquaintances do I know? Actually, I don't keep a tab however what I'd like to share is how many persons in my database greeted me. Here goes:

(1) FB friends = 441 greeted / 1717 friends. 25.68% hit rate.
(2) SMS = 99 greeted / 1670 friends. 5.96% hit rate.
(3) Email = 8 greeted.
(4) Verbal greeting = 8 greeted.
(5) twitter friends = 8 greeted / 205 friends. 3.90% hit rate.
(6) MS Office Communicator = 6
(7) FS friends = 0 greeted / 336 friends. 0% hit rate.
(8) letter or birthday card = zero.

Conclusions:
1- FB is hot! Until when, that's the next BIG question.
2- FS is not. Who's still in FS? Hello, anybody in here?
3- Email will not die. It has its purpose just like the Piranha. Ang layo ata nun?!?!
4- Sending a Birthday Card is a "dying tradition." I must chip in to keep it alive.
5- The fact that my "greeting rate" is a lowly 15.26% means 1 of 2 things: 1- they don't know my birthday or 2- they refuse to greet me. LOL.

TV says?

To choose a new TV set, the line from the Family Feud game show "survey says" is not ideal. You don’t decide on an “investment” based on the decision of a majority. When buying a TV set, one has to research and research I did.

Two TVs
This would be our 3rd TV set in 14 years. Our first TV was a 14in Samsung which we bought for P5000 in 1994. It’s still working and currently being used when we’re in the province. Our second and current TV was purchased in 2004 just after MC was born. It’s a 21in Sony TV with a built in subwoofer. Considered “high tech” during its time with all the bells and whistles.

The Requirements
For our 3rd TV, the requirements set were the following:
(1) At least 32 in.
(2) USB input
(3) HDMI input
(4) LED
(5) Full HD (1080p)
(6) Slim and wall mount capable
(7) Preferably with sound bar
(8) Internet access is a plus
(9) The budget set was P30,000.

The Candidates:
(1) Samsung 32in Series 4000
(2) Samsung 32in Series 5000
(3) LG 32in LE5500
(4) LG 32in LE5300 http://32le5300.com/

And the winner is:
Last March 26, I read a newspaper ad about a promo tie up between SM Appliance and LG. They’re selling an LG32in LE5300 for P26,990 with a free wall mount bracket. So that pretty much sealed the deal. A new TV was purchased last March 29, 2011.

How to Green-ify a Condo

We're moving to our own place very soon. It's a 55 sq.m. condo space. Yes it is small but we can call it our own. A result of our blood, sweat and tears.Aside from the challenge of fitting 3 bedrooms, 2 toilets & bath, a living room, dining room and kitchen, another objective we have in mind is how to make our place earth friendly. Here's ze game plan:

(1) Earth friendly LED TV. It's been a while since we bought a TV set, 7 yrs to be precise. The plan is to get a 32 inch 1080p 120 Hz wide LED TV . Whatever that means, it sounds high tech so that’s acceptable. Kidding aside, one of the advantages of an LED TV is it comes with backlight control and screen off function. Definitely energy saving.
(2) Compact Fluorescent Lamp. CFL's reduce electricity usage and they put off less heat. They consume 75% less electricity compared to incandescent bulbs and last up to 12 times longer.
(3) Aircon with timer. We'll be installing 3 window type aircon in our place. While the HPs vary per room, one common denominator is the timer. Max use per a/c per day target is 6 hours. Just right to attain REM status before the a/c turns off automatically.
(4) Electric fan in every room. Ventilation is quite a challenge in our new place since the window size is just right hence the tendency is a/c galore. Airtime between a/c and e/fan will be split with the latter hopefully getting the lion's share.
(5) Low-Flow Showerhead. Low-Flow what?!?!? A few years ago, showerheads delivered about 5 to 8 gallons per minute (gpm) at 80 psi. The current standard for low-flow heads is 2.5 gpm at 80 psi. Some showerheads deliver only 1.6 gpm.
(6) Wash in cold water. This hold true for dishes and clothes. A study shows about 90 percent of laundry energy goes to heating water.
(7) Lose the tub. The fact is that the t&b in our new place is smaller therefore a regular sized 1.5 meter tub won't fit (lest we place it in the living room). We are doing away with the tub. We rarely use it anyways. At most, we use it once every quarter.
(8) Use a smaller and newer heater. We are now using an over 10 year old 12 gallon heater consuming 2000 watts and plan to downsize to a 6 gallon heater consuming 1500 watts only. The new gadget comes with it new technology ergo energy savings even if it’s just a water heater.
(9) Use an electric range instead of a gas-powered one. Aside from the fact that the condo management mandates electric range only because of the potential dangers of a gas powered range, we can save P 650/mo on an 11 kg LPG tank. Besides, where can we store the tank in our itsy bitsy condo.
(10) Recycle. So what if you’re transferring to a spanking new condo and you’ll be re-using furniture and appliances hence they will not match? Not only are you helping yourself meet your budget, you’re also helping the environment. Here are the some items that will be transferred to our new place: refrigerator, dryer, aircon, dvd player, desktop and all the pc peripherals.

Top 5 Lessons in Mountain Biking that can be applied at work

I've been working in the corporate world for more than a decade and a half now. I've been mountain biking that long as well. While my riding time significantly decreased from 3000 kilometers to 500 per year due to priorities, the skills and lessons learned from this sport will always be a part of me. The practical lessons are applied in my corporate life as well as my personal life. Consistency in application is another story.

1- Boy Scout
Mountain Biking: A boy scout's motto is laging handa (Translation: Always be ready). That holds true in mountain biking. Be ready to bring parts that you won't necessary need in every ride such as a spare tube, equipment-matching-tools and extra cables. While the probability is that you won’t be needing it in every ride, it better be there when you need it. Not having it around when you need it is a lesson ill preparation.
Corporate World: Similarly, it's better to be prepared at work. When attending a meeting or presenting, aside from being ready for the action, be ready to bring items or files that you don't directly need buy may eventually find value. It’s better to have it around even if you don’t really need it that to look for it when the moment dictates. Worst is the moment dictates that you need it but you don’t know where to find it (and you know that the data is on hand).

2- Near, Far, Whereever You Are.
MTB: While busting your lung on a single dirt track, always look 4 to 6 feet in front and occasionally look beyond 8 feet. It's important to know what's ahead of you so you can anticipate. Anticipation means adjusting your gear (shifters, fork adjustments, seatpost) to make the equipment work for you and be in for a comfortable ride.
CW: What is your agenda for the year? To meet that agenda, make sure every month's result is attuned to your annual target. What tools do you have in hand or tools that you need to learn. Make tools work for you (and not against you). Facebook is a tool. Make it work for you. How? That’s another entry. It is critical to have the mission, vision and targets in mind as well as the strategies on how to make it happen.

3- Trail Guide and Sweeper Role.
MTB: When mtbing in a big group (usually 6 bikers or more), there are 2 major responsibilities to guide the pack and these are the 1- trail guide and 2- sweeper. The trail guide is the leader of the pack and knows the trail like the palm of his hand. The sweeper's role is to ensure nobody is left behind and often the last biker in the group. Almost always, the sweeper carries the necessary tools and first aid kit.
CW: The trail guide is the superior or the project leader. They define the objective, lead the way and ensure the everybody is lined up to the objective. The sweeper is an unofficial role often played by the "understudy." He gives advices to the team which should be aligned with the superior. It is common corporate knowledge that one of the biggest challenges is opening up to a superior as people would rather relay the message to their peers so the role of a “sweeper” is actually critical. This role is often misunderstood and disregarded sometimes even by the corporate trail guide.

4- Body Shot.
MTB: The core of mountain bike is the frame. At least to the eye of a non mt biker. His bike is red or his bike is blue. They don't give a hoot if their groupset is the highend kind (like Shimano XT or XTR) or if their grip is the P1,300 per pair kind (like Cane Creek Lock Ons). The average cost of a grip is p500. In the eye of a real mt biker, every part counts and often, bikers have a mental list of their co-bikers set up. The bubble thought of a mtber goes like this “naka low end frame lang siya pero naka full XT.”
CW: Perception is everything especially if your superior or peers work this way. They’re the “His bike is red…” kinda guy. But you can’t blame them because that’s how they are and that’s how it works. They call the corporate setting a rat race so it’s every rat for himself. In so many ways (informally or formally), you have to brag your accomplishments. This is where humility takes a back seat. Then again, refer to my earlier statement “you can’t blame them because that’s how they are and that’s how it works.”

5- What Discipline?
MTB: A non cyclist would say “Nag ba-bike din siya” (Translation: He also rides a bike.). A cyclist would ask “Mountain bike or road bike?” A Mountain biker would ask “What kind? Cross Country? Trail Bike? DownHill or Freestyle?” Cycling is a complex sport and a cyclist can easily spot a real biker from a faker.
CW: “Sa SMT siya nagwork? May problema ako sa linya ko eh!” (Translation: He works in SMT? I have a problem with my line!) If you’re in Customer Service and Sales, you’d probably know what do: either have the answer ready or know where to refer it. If in a department outside those two mentioned, they should know where to refer the concern unless they read’ve the corporate website word per word. So the next time you meet somebody who works at a company, the next appropriate question is what department are they connected?

My Last Day of the Year Escapade

Y2010 was one for my personal history book. To sum up the year: I have a new assignment at work (my 7th), I went under the knife at the start of the year, my son graduated from elementary with honors, my daughter graduated from pre-school with honors, our annual family trip with Mama brought us to tourist sites in Central Luzon, my family trip was in Japan and almost 2 week vacation during the Christmas holiday.

To cap off the fruitful year, so how did I spend Dec 31, 2010. It was a fusion of my three loves- mountain biking, photography and basketball. These three activities actually serve as my de-stresser so you can only imagine how relaxed I was that day.

Mountain Biking
The scheduled exercise for that day was mtb over basketball and jogging. What was undecided was the trail to use- Armenia, Balanti or San Luis. The decision was made when I reached the 'intersection,' north if Armenia, South if San Luis and east if Balanti. I chose my comfy zone and went to Balanti. While the total distance travelled was around 30 kilometers, since I was on a leisure pace, I completed the trail in 5 hours. I left point a at 7AM and back to point a by 12NN.

Photography + Video
Leisure pace meant stopping every 30 minutes and fired away. I must have taken more than 50 shots that day and some video that I uploaded in youtube. The highlight for that ride is the video of a river forming right before my eyes which I captured on video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH7K8N5SnvA). Majority of the pics were taken in Brgy. Balanti (renamed Brgy. Col. Pedro Soliman, my maternal grandpa) where I have fond memories.

Loved Ones (Bonus)
While on my way back, I decided to visit my father, paternal and maternal grandparent at the Garden of the Ascension. While there, I got an IDD call from my father’s best buddy, his older brother Pong.

Basketball
The last stop for the day was to watch game 1 of our batch's basketball championship match against '97. The tournament was called Maclang Cup which was a basketball tournament for DB Tarlac alumni. Obviously, I wasn't going to play because I was suited up for cycling that day. It is extremely challenging playing bball with steel sole reinforced cycling shoes. While trading stories with my former classmates was a winner, we lost game one that day.

December 31 is an example of a rare feat called hitting THREE BIRDS with one stone. And throwing in as a bonus a visit to our loved ones who has gone ahead of us.

Hands, Connecting People

Five ways to look at hands.

(1)Mama Tamay. Mother used to tell me that I would ask her to hold my hand before I sleep. That was when I was around 1 or 2 years old. Her hand was my security blanket and couldn't sleep if I was not holding it. No wonder it made me feel secure after she held my hand in January last year when I went under the knife.

(2) HHWW with JML. HHWW means Holding Hands While Walking. I love seeing elderly couple in the mall walking with hands meshed. It's a physical manifestation of til death do us part commitment. And it's a commitment I intend to keep.

(3) Diminishing act by B5. One weekend last year, B5 was holding my hand while we were strolling in the mall when all of a sudden, he let go of my hand. Lo and behold, a classmate of his appears. That moment was bound to happen. I've surrendered to the fact that I've lost that part of my son to teendom.

(4) Lovely's warmth. B5 used to call her sister- Senador Lovely. On occassions when I bring MC to school, she would sometimes sit in the front seat and we would hold hands from our place to the school. I know it might sound like safety is sacrificed but I just had to trade it of with that precious moment.

(5) Bye Papa. And the moment I've been dreading all my life happened, the death of someone very dear to me. The only consolation from the immense pain is that we (mama, my sister and myself) held my father's hand until he breath his last breathe. I thought that only happened in movies. I thank God for that very special moment.

Where do you want to be when this decade is over?

Where do you want to be when this decade is over? I am reading the Phil Star today (March 13) Sunday Lifestyle with Manny Pacquiao, Inno Sotto, Dr. Vicki Belo and 6 others giving their inputs. As for me, by the end of the decade, I would be pushing fifty and dream of having a franchise business of my own (as a supplement to my current job), another business managed by my wife, a college graduate son who's starting his professional career and a college student daughter cheering rektikano during uaap games!

Michael Jordan Motivational Quotes:

I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I have lost almost 300 games.
On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why... I succeed.

The Fine Art of Self-Motivation

Reference:
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Working People, Page J2,
Written by Ernie O. Cecilia
September 26, 2010

After keeping a reference taken from a major daily for the last 5 month, I took time out to highlight some of the items in my site. Read on…

(1) Understand why you work.
(2) Master your craft.
(3) Create great impressions.
(4) Contribute or volunteer ideas.
(5) React positively to assignments
(6) Be happy at work.
(7) Be self-propelling.
(8) Achieve something.
(9) Discuss work issues.
(10) Have a positive career outlook.
(11) Don’t entrust your career to other people.
(12) Look to the future.

“It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.” – old Chinese proverb

“Find the job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius

Basic Photography Seminar

Basic Photography Seminar
by Photographer's Club of Tarlac
February 5, 2011
Museo de Tarlac
Total number of attendees: 64
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photographerscluboftarlac?v=info

PCT Personalities
1- Ian G. - 0922 872 03 52
2- Mykie - 0917 835 07 18
3- Dax S., the PRO

Types of Cameras:
1- Point & Shoot
2- Consumer
3- DSLR

I. Proper Camera Handling


II. Basic Camera Parts & Controls

III. ISO - the amount of light that the sensor sees.
decrease in number = less sensitive to light
increase in number = dark situations

Four point checklist
1- Light
2- Grain
3- Tripod
4- Moving Subject

ISO Range
100 - sunny (effect: less grainy)
200 - cloudy (effect: less grainy)
400 - overcast/indoor (effect: less grainy)
800 - indoor/night (effect: average grain)
1600 - indoor/night (effect: more grainy)
32000 - indoor/night (effect: more grainy)
64000 - indoor/night (effect: more grainy)

Increase ISO settings during
a. Indoor Sports
b. Concert
c. Art Galleries
d. Churches
e. Birthday Parties

IV. White Balance



V. Aperture - the size of a lens opening
f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8...f/22

Tip:
Ap priority uses the largest Ap possible.
Bokeh - is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."


VI. DoF or Depth of Field

a. Shallow DoF
- Big opening (f/2.8 to f/8)
- close to your subject (zoom in)
- macro lens

b. Deep DoF
- small opening (f/11 to f/32)
- wide angle lens

VII. Shutter Speed - the amount of time the shutter is open

To freeze motion - 1/2000 to 1/3000

To show motion - ?

Tip:
To lessen the camera shake, use 1/Focal Length e.g. 1/18 to 1/105
If with VR, use 3 stops.
For long exposures, use bulb settings



VIII. Metering
Review on Metering.

IX. Histogram
1- Heavy on right means overexposed.
2- Center means Average (ideal output)
3- Heavy on left means underexposed.


-end-

CHILD'S PLAY

The children schooling their parents.

1- Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all that I ask for. I'm only testing you.

2- Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel more secure.

3- Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

4- Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It makes me behave stupidly "big."

5- Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice of it if you talk quietly with me in private.

6- Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

7- Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way, sometimes.

8- Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.

9- Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

10- Don't make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

11- Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

12- Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.

13- Don't ever think that it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm toward you.

14- Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult to keep pace with me. But please do try.

15- Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of understanding and love, but I don't need to tell you, do I?

WHAT A TRIANGLE REPRESENTS?

In a seminar that we attended in January 2011, we were made to choose what shape best describes us. The choices were: Square, triangle, circle and octagon. I chose a triangle. Why?

A Triangle for me represents the ff:
I. Three important angles in my life:
1- God
2- My Family
3- Fulfillment of my dreams

II. Always aim for the sky. If you don’t make it, you get the next best and hit the top of the mountain.

III. I am a believer in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Had I chosen a circle, I would have been viewed as sexually active!

My 10 Day Vacation

It was one for the books. My 2010 Christmas holiday was near perfect:
1- Good mix of sports (basketball, jogging, mountain biking),
2- Socializing (parties, coffee with friends, reunions with family, high school batchmates),
3- Practicing my hobbies (photography and mountain biking)
4- TO DOs (fix JML's sss, tmaris’ sss, mama & aunt lst's bilins)
5- Rest (almost daily siesta).

I said it was near perfect because there where TO DOs that were not completed, schedules changed or not met because of the “hectic” line up and days when the bed was there for the taking but I just couldn’t sleep.

Besides, even if the plan was followed to the letter, it would still not be perfect. There is no perfect world. And that’s why a plan B was created.

Tweet Over Blog in 2010

Statistics show that from Aug 2009 to December 2010, I made 4,000 plus tweets in my 16 month old www.twitter.com account.

On the other hand, my blog entries have slowly eroded:
Y2010 – 36
Y2009 – 82
Y2008 – 83
Y2007 – 158
Y2006 – 64 (for ½ year)

Is the micro blogging uptake inversely proportional to the decrease in blogging? Nah!!! I was just too busy with work.

CARCIL 2010

The magic number was 375 inmates. There were 69 calls made by the bakasyonistas to their relatives and friends last December 25, 2010 from 9AM to 12NN hence a mere 18% calling rate. What’s good to note is that there were still prisoners who wanted to talk to their loved ones however time was up and we had to pack up. Here’s some interesting statistics and verbatim gathered this year.

FREE CALL DEMOGRAPHICS Dec 2010

Total Calls Made is 69.

Who they called?
(a) wife 26%,
(b) sis/bro 23%,
(c) son/daughter 19%,
(d) friend 9%,
(e) cousin 9%,
(f) aunt 6%,
(g) mother 4%,
(h) in-law 3%,
(i) father 1%.

Interesting text received this year:
"Nung snang atsu k keni at emu gewa yn d sna makasaup kng s2ling panulo ng ima, mgsustento kya,eku sna mgobra ing ald0ng makanini,,kya eka dpat s2bing mknyan,at eka manyumbat mknyan,kc ala kng blu keng malilyari keng kilwal mu."
TRANSLATION: If only you where here and you didn’t commit that dastardly act, then you could be helping us with mother’s medicine and supporting her and I should not be working on a Christmas day! You shouldn’t be taking it against me because you really don’t know what’s happening outside (the prison).

Ouch! That hurt…