Photo Tip #2 - Depth of Field and Placement of Focusing Point

In photography, there is this very important term called 'Depth of Field'. An object in sharp focus will have a degree of acceptable sharpness in front of it and behind it. That distance from the front up to the back of the object in focus having acceptable sharpness is the depth of field.

The depth of field will depend on three factors namely, lens focal length, aperture and distance to subject. To keep things simple, generally the wider the lens, the smaller the aperture (higher number F/ stop), and the farther away you are from the subject, the greater the depth of field.

In most consumer cameras today, there are different picture taking modes you can use just by turning the 'dial' to any of the ff.: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, among others. Portrait mode is when the camera sets the aperture to a bigger aperture (lower number F/ stop; i.e. F/2.8 or F/4) thus creating a more selective focusing technique where the depth of field is shallow. Landscape mode is completely the opposite, the camera sets the aperture to a smaller one (higher number F/ stop, i.e. F/11 or F/16) where the depth of field will be longer. All things being equal, the shutter speed will vary to accommodate the change in aperture.

Now when confronted with where to focus in a scene where you want your subjects (i.e. group of people) in focus from the subject closest to the camera to the subject farthest away from the camera, lock your focus (see photo tip # 1) slightly in front of the midway point of your subjects' positions. Why? Generally at any aperture, there is about twice the depth of field behind the point of focus as there is in front of it. You just have to meet the minimum aperture setting for the given situation.

In the old film days, those manual focus lenses have a 'depth of field scale' built in but they're not available now, not even with autofocus (AF) lenses. If your camera has a 'depth of field' preview button, use it. This is just harder to use in low light situations but if you understand the principles I've mentioned here, you can do without it. It's just more important to focus properly when you're nearer to your subject as depth of field is shallower.

Manila a direct hit from Typhoon Xangsane

Manila and parts of Luzon experienced the strongest typhoon in eleven years yesterday. Typhoon Xangsane (local name: Milenyo) had sustained winds of 130 kph (that's about 82 mph-Cat. 1 hurricane) and gusts of 160 kph (100 mph-Cat. 2 hurricane). I called my Mom and she said it was really strong. One steel sliding door with glass panels was blown off from their house in Quezon City. They experienced 24 hours of power outage (very short compared to what we experienced in Florida last year due to a Cat. 1 hurricane and the US is not even a third world country).

The typhoon's fury caused a lot of destruction as you can imagine with many billboards toppling over, lives were lost, thousands of trees being uprooted, floods, etc.

For the rest of the story, click Here.

Inspirational Words

I don't remember how I came about these inspirational words. When I receive things of this nature, I always make it a point to save it in a designated folder. I hope you can find these words inspiring as well.


__________________________________________________________

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air.

You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - and you're
keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that Work is a
rubber Ball.

If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - Family,
Health, Friends, and Spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these,
They will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even
shattered.

They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for
balance in your life.

How? Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It
is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know
what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them
as if they were your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or
for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the
days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really
over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this
fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we
learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time.

The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love
is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've
been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can
always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is
not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

'Legacy' Music Video

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

This song by Nichole Nordeman is just so easy to like. In this time where there are a lot of trashy songs that influence young people negatively (and they're not even aware of it), songs like this one just makes you feel good all over and of course the message it brings is just wonderful.

Legacy

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read,
not well-to-do or well bred

Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

Insiang at the 44th New York Film Festival

I didn't get a chance to see this movie while I was still in the Philippines. I believe it was first shown in 1978 when I was a very young teenager. Now that I'm a lot older, I'm just plain curious and wondering if I really missed something here.
Is it a gem of a movie? I only remember watching 'Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag' starring Bembol Roco and Hilda Koronel. When I was in elementary grade, we usually have these 'fund raising' activities and one of them is always selling movie tickets for a special showing. Some of these movies were not even fit for kids our age but the whole elementary grade level were there all the time. The priests who run the school always made sure to give us a lot of these tickets and they were 'good as sold'. That was really a sure way to raise funds.

Anyway, the 44th New York Film Festival will have a retrospective screening of 'Insiang', a film by Lino Brocka with Hilda Koronel as Insiang.

Here's a portion of the press release:

The New York Film Festival Selection Committee has chosen 28 films to debut at the 44th New York Film Festival, September 29 - October 15, at Lincoln Center, it was announced today by Richard Peña, program director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and chair of the NYFF Selection Committee.

The New York Film Festival is not a competitive festival, nor is it programmed according to any theme or category, but instead presents a “selection of the best films from around the world,” says Peña. This year is no exception; the 28 films come from all corners of the globe. The line up also includes three retrospective screenings of classic films: Lino Brocka’s Insiang, a Filipino film from 1976; Alberto Lattuada’s Mafioso, a comic classic from the Golden Age of Italian cinema; and the previously announced 25-anniversary screening of Warren Beatty’s Reds.

****
Insiang Lino Brocka, The Philippines, 1976

The first Filipino film screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Insiang begins as the title character, marvelously played by Hilda Koronel, watches as her mother, Tonia (Mona Lisa), eases her relatives out of their ramshackle house so that she can ease in her boyfriend, Dado (Ruel Vernal). It doesn’t take long for Dado to notice the beautiful Insiang, and soon the three are locked in a vicious emotional and sexual triangle clearly heading for some kind of explosion. Like his contemporary R.W. Fassbinder, Brocka used the conventions of melodrama in order to transcend them; if Hell is other people, with Insiang Brocka created one darkest visions of the inferno ever committed to film. A New York Film Festival Retrospective.

Photo Tip #1 - Where and how to focus

Blurred shots are common! It's good that we're using digital now. We can just delete...and delete and shoot again. The problem is, not all shots can be re-taken thus it's so easy to lose that special moment picture.

One cause of a blurred shots is camera shake attributed to 'unsteady hands' or 'moving the camera away when the shutter isn't finished with it's action yet'. This can easily happen when the shutter speed is slow (in low light conditions) and it would be better to use a tripod or any tool to increase stability.

Another cause and this is for 'out of focus' shots is the use of a wrong focus reference point. You can have steady hands but if you're not doing it the right way then you will still have 'oof' pictures. Auto-focus cameras have that small square or rectangle frame in the middle of the viewfinder. That is the camera's reference point on where to focus. I've seen pictures of two people together in a nice location, perhaps a view of a mountain behind them but the people were 'oof', and the mountain is 'sharp'. Why? The focus reference point was not at the people and in this case it is the mountain. Your camera's focus reference point should be at your main subject. The shutter button should first be pressed halfway as you use your subject as a reference point. The best way to do this is to focus on the eyes then press halfway to lock the focus. The eyes should always be sharp especially when you use selective focusing technique (more on that next time). After that you can recompose and then completely depress the shutter button. When you lock the focus, most likely depending on your camera, you're also locking the exposure thus it's easier to have better exposed shots!

Know more about Philippine History

I came about an article from ABS-CBN News titled "100 Significant Events in Philippine History". While we were more or less aware of certain events in our history, we really can't say for certain that we know the stories behind each episode of the said events. We probably remember some as as we look back on our student years starting from elementary, that is if we were blessed with a keen mind up to now. If that is still the case but still we still have no idea what Philippine history is about, perhaps we remember more where we usually went as we skipped the classes that just stood in the way of more creative pursuits if you'd like to call it that way. Anyway, the author Christine G. Dulnuan of the National Historical Institute has done us a great service by writing this article. We can use the list as stepping stone to know more about each event.

Here's the link:
100 Significant Events in Philippine History

After reading the list, #14 (among others) got my attention and it is about a decree that provided for the use of Spanish surnames. It made me wonder what our last name was changed from if indeed it was changed. Although Magno is not really a common Spanish name like Cruz, Reyes, etc., I'm quite sure that it's origin is not Filipino but Spanish or Italian since it came from the Latin word 'Magnus' meaning 'big or great'. That is why I can also speculate why our last name is Magno (again assuming...) since I remember my grandfather telling us when he was still alive that his grandfather was a a very tall man. We have the genes after all.

Now going back to that decree made in 1849 and assuming that was the time my ancestors had their name changed (it may also be possible that our clan already had that surname even before that decree, especially if there were inter-marriages with the foreigners in our line; even though I don't look like a mestizo!), it's possible that I can trace back the Magno geneology with just maybe 6 or 7 generations going back. I'm not sure if that is still possible since many records were destroyed during WWII. Any ideas? That gives me that nagging feeling about knowing what my old name would have been.

Just to add, here's another article by Ambeth Ocampo of Phil. Daily Inquirer that tells more about our last names. Was there really a 'Bagonggahasa' last name? It's a very interesting read.

What's in a name...again?

Enjoy!

The Shoes

Would you buy a pair for $250? It is said that this Nike Air Force 1 Insideout Priority-Philippines (strange name, huh?) has a limited production run of only 500 pairs. It was just released 3 weeks ago. As you can see, it was designed in the likeness of the Philippine flag. It comes with 3 sets of laces in total (Blue, White and Yellow).

I have no plans of getting one but I checked some stores and they're already out of stock. I found a few on Ebay with a 'Buy It Now' price of $270 plus shipping. Totally outrageous price! It seems like young, proud Pinoys with cash to burn have already decided to get their own pair and they did it fast! Who knows, I might find a pair someday at a Nike factory outlet for $25 and maybe get a pair for my 10-year old nephew in the Philippines.

What to expect from this blog?

I feel that one of the reasons I've started a blog is to update family and friends with 'what's happening with us'. I also intended this to be like a historical journal of moments in life that I don't mind sharing with people who care to read. Hopefully 'Blogger' has all the necessary precautions to safeguard all the information that every blogger writes on their blog meaning back-ups. Fortunately, I also found a way to personally back-up my blog/website. To continue, it would be nice to look back and learn from what I've posted and experienced through the marvel of an online journal somewhere in the future.

Like today, David came home announcing that he was chosen together with a few classmates to participate in a spelling bee for 2nd graders. First time he's going to join the said contest. I'm just not sure how serious he is with the spelling bee but of course we will help him prepare for it. I think it will be in a week's time.

Not everyday will there be a spectacular event in our lives that merit posting in this blog unless I really ran out of topics to share that I'll be tempted to just post about anything. But I'd like to cover things about my interests that I feel will be worthy of reading by anyone, I hope. Perhaps sharing photography tips for the casual photographer such as techniques, workflow, and the like. How about interesting news especially about the Philippines and Filipinos? Interesting products? There are just so many topics that can be covered and when I feel that I can contribute articles consistently as in day to day that are specific to shall I say 'photography' then I'll just start another blog that will target photo enthusiasts but I'm not ready for that yet. For the meantime, these tips that I'd like to share will be seen in this blog and once a week (I'm thinking about Friday), I'll be posting photo-related articles that will help anyone improve their picture-making ability and anything pertaining to the art of photography.

Not to offend anyone but we are quite aware of what a 'bad' photo is. Bad exposure, out of focus, empty space that doesn't mean anything, distracting elements in composition, etc. If you think you'd like to learn more on how to improve on this subject, keep visiting this blog. I will try my best to keep it simple and not too technical.

Recover Lost Files from your Memory Card

The digital revolution has taken off in leaps and bounds and every year more and more people are switching to digital cameras from film if not being introduced to photography totally bypassing film. In the digital world, we know how important the memory card is but we sometimes take it for granted, not even realizing that it can fail. It's not a question of if but when. That happened to me more than a year ago but fortunately it was not after a shoot but during a shoot so I just replaced it with another card. I was able to have the memory card fixed because it has a lifetime warranty. But I've heard of horror stories where photographers would suddenly lose their files upon transmittal or have accidentally deleted and sometimes formatted their cards while the files haven't been transferred yet. Some have lost their images completely. If this happens to you, stop using the card and use an image recovery software. Chances are you'll be able to recover most if not all your files whether they're audio, video or photos. I have in my pc a number of softwares and thank God I haven't had the chance to use it but at least it is there. I also came across another software and it is free. You might want to save it in your hard drive. The software's name is 'Smart Recovery'.

Here's the link:

Click HERE

One more very important thing, back-up your files to an external hard drive and to a number of high quality CDs/DVDs, preferably archival grade. Once you've done this, store some back-ups out of site preferably with a trusted family member or friend. There are some online storage sites but you need to pay a monthly fee. Did you hear about the Kennedy family photographer who stored his negatives numbering in the thousands of frames in a bank vault of the World Trade Center? He lost all of his negatives. If only they were digitized but that's another story.

Missy is not feeling well

Our baby is sick since last Friday. She has a slight fever and a persistent cough so she's just resting at home. I miss her exuberance but of course I like her to rest and rest well. She still gets tempted to play or watch TV but she knows what she's got to do. So today is one more quiet day in the house since my wife Ophine is out with my son David and Ana, our guest from the Cayman Islands for church service.
This morning, Missy just asked for a small favor, read her a book and then she went back to bed. When a child is sick at home, everything changes. You tend to dote more on the child and giving in to their whims is just much easier. This morning she didn't want to drink her milk from her regular milk mug but from her 'Dora' tumbler with a built-in straw which she uses rarely now. I hope she gets well soon. I don't want her missing school but if she has to, then she's not going. Anyway, I miss her playfulness and 'cariño' especially when she calls me by my first name or even her pet name of me, ...Big Boy.

Biyahe Tayo Video

I've seen this video a few months ago and now tried to upload from http://www.youtube.com/ but I can't seem to make it work. I'm using the new Beta Blogger and it seems like there are still a lot of bugs that need to be fixed. Anyway, click *here* to see the video.

Bugs fixed so here it is.



After watching the video, it makes me want to go visit the Philippines again. I remember visiting Batanes Islands in May 1998 just a month before leaving for the US for good. I've been to a lot of places in the Philippines but visiting Batanes had been a great desire for me since I started hearing how beautiful that place is. I went there alone for a week as a kind of photographic sojourn and I was not disappointed. That time I was still shooting film and if only I can share with you the slides that I made but they haven't been converted to jpegs yet. I would like to visit Batanes Islands again, sometimes even dreaming about it. Aside from the reward photographically, the experience of the place and the people were just too good to be true. Even though it was 8 years ago, I can still vividly recall each day of adventure when I was there. That would be for another topic in this blog.

Here are the lyrics of the song:

Byahe Tayo

Written by: Rene Nieva
Sang by: Lea Salonga, Sharon Cuneta, Freddie Aguilar, Rey Valera, Rico Puno, Joey Ayala, Apo Hiking Society, Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, Jolina Magdangal, April Boy Regino, Jessa Zaragoza, Paolo Santos, Nina and Rico Blanco of Rivermaya, John Lesaca, and Jong Cuenco

Ikaw ba’y nalulungkot (are you sad?)
Naiinip, nababagot? (Are you restless, irritated?)
Ikaw ba’y napapagod (Are you tired)
Araw gabi’y puro kayod? ( working day and night?)

Buhay mo ba’y walang saysay (Your life lost its meaning)
Walang sigla, walang kulay? (Lost its fun, lost its color)
Bawa’t araw ba’y pareho (Everyday’s just the same)
Parang walang pagbabago? (And nothing seems to change)

Tara na, biyahe tayo (So, let’s go, let’s go back home)
Kasama ang pamilya (Bring your family)
Barkada at buong grupo (Friends and the whole group)
Para mag-enjoy nang todo. (It’ll be totally fun)

Halika, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang ating makita (That we’ll see)
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas (The beauty of the Philippines)
Ang galing ng Pilipino. (The greatness of the Filipinos)

Napasyal ka na ba (Have you been to)
Sa Intramuros at Luneta (Intramuros and Luneta)
Palawan, Vigan at Batanes (Palawan, Vigan, Batanes)
Subic, Baguio at Rice Terraces? (Subic, Baguio and Rice Terraces)

Namasdan mo na ba (Have you seen)
Ang mga vinta ng Zamboanga (the vinta of Zamboanga)
Bulkang Taal, Bulkang Mayon (Taal Volcano, Mayon Volcano)
Beach ng Boracay at La Union? (Boracay and La Union Beaches?)

Tara na, biyahe tayo (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Mula Basco hanggang Jolo (From Basco to Jolo)
Nang makilala ng husto (So that we’ll get to really know )
Ang ating kapwa-Pilipino. (our fellow Filipinos)

Halika, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang ating makita (That we’ll see)
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas (The beauty of the Philippines)
Ang galing ng Pilipino. (The greatness of the Filipinos)

From city to city,Seven thousand and a hundred plus islas
Sa mahal kong Pilipinas (My beloved Philippines)
Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao ating puntahan. (From Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao)
Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan! (Let’s not be strangers in our own land)

Nasubukan mo na bang (Have you tried)
Mag-rapids sa Pagsanjan (the white water rapids at Pagsanjan)
Mag-diving sa Anilao (to dive at Anilao)
Mag-surfing sa Siargao? (or surf in Siargao?)

Natikman mo na ba (Have you tasted)
Ang sisig ng Pampanga (the sisig of Pampanga)
Duriang Davao, Bangus Dagupan (Davao durian and the milk fish of Dagupan)
Bicol Express at Lechong Balayan? (Bicol Express and Lechon Balayan?)

Tara na, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang makatulong kahit pano (So we can help a little bit)
Sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan (to improve the way of living)
Ng ating mga kababayan. (for our fellowmen)

Halika, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang ating makita (That we’ll see)
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas (The beauty of the Philippines)
Ang galing ng Pilipino. (The greatness of the Filipinos)

Nakisaya ka na ba (Have you joined in)
Sa Pahiyas at Maskara (the Pahiyas and Maskara festivals?)
Moriones at Ati-Atihan (The moriones and Ati-atihan)
Sinulog at Kadayawan? (Sinulog and Kadayawan)

Namiesta ka na ba (Have you gone to the fiestas at)
Sa Peñafrancia sa Naga (Penafrancia in Naga)
Umakyat sa Antipolo (or climbed the Antipolo church)
Nagsayaw sa Obando? (or danced at Obando)

Tara na, biyahe tayo (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Upang ating matamo (that we’ll achieve)
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan (Joy, friendship)
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan. (prosperity and peace)

Halika, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang ating makita (That we’ll see)
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas (The beauty of the Philippines)
Ang galing ng Pilipino. (The greatness of the Filipinos)

Tara na, biyahe tayo (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Upang ating matamo (that we’ll achieve)
Ligaya at pagkakaibigan (Joy, friendship)
Kaunlaran, kapayapaan. (prosperity and peace)

Halika, biyahe tayo, (So let’s go, let’s travel)
Nang ating makita (That we’ll see)
Ang ganda ng Pilipinas (The beauty of the Philippines)
Ang galing ng Pilipino. (The greatness of the Filipinos)

Halika, biyahe tayo… (so come on, let’s travel home)…

WOW Philippines…

Lyrics courtesy of Lakbay Pilipinas.

Incredible Family Portraiture

Today, the October issue of Vanity Fair hit the newsstands and on its cover is a photo made by Annie Leibovitz, a well-regarded portrait photographer. When I saw it last week online, I was kind of dumbfounded with the awesome family portraiture. It was just pleasantly simple but super incredible. This photo which shows baby Suri peeking out of a jacket worn by Tom Cruise with Kathie Holmes looking on is one of the finest portraits I've ever seen.

With this kind of photography, any man, woman and child will surely look great! In my mind, they don't have to be super beautiful people although that helps. The way the image was composed, the concept, the art direction, the soft lighting are just so perfect. Yes, it was surely posed but the image coveys otherwise, that's why it is successful as a portrait. Not only that but it connotes universality, a quality that makes photographs legendary. Annie Leibovitz is already a legend in her own right. This image will surely become an icon.

Inquirer Article about Ferdinand Marcos

I just read this one today about the Marcos family finally transferring his body to a new resting place soon. I never realized ex-Pres. Marcos is still in his refrigerated crypt up to now. I've been to his house in Batac and have seen his body way back in 1995 (?) on our way to Pagudpud. I was tempted to take a picture but there was a police officer keeping watch inside so I just didn't. Besides there was a sign prohibiting that.

It makes me wonder if indeed it's still him inside especially that's it's been 13 long years since his body was transferred there from Hawaii or if it's just a 'dummy' made to his likeness. I can't tell, the make-up was so heavy. He died in September 1989, so that's almost 17 years already. Has he been 'mummified' to a certain extent?

Here's the article:

***click here***

Note: You can click on the photo here to make it larger.

Watching The World Go By

David was finishing on his weekend homework yesterday when I decided to make a fun shot. The globe has nothing to do with his homework but using props to set-up the shot IMHO is just the way to go. I sometimes do this with my studio shoots. It can make a picture interesting and in this case spinning the globe added some pizzazz to the image. I also made some candid photos of him doing his homework without the globe and that added variety to the images. For this shot I asked David to really keep still as I was shooting using ambient light only (I used a tripod so I can really lower the shutter speed). I also converted the image to sepia and added a custom edge to make it work.



Come to think of it, I think I can introduce David to some geography lessons starting with the globe. Whenever I mention a certain country to him, most of the time he's not aware that it's even a country. He's also fond of Google Earth but more so on the 'coolness' of what it can do. I think the globe will do a better job of giving him a big picture of places that are found on our planet.

Would you like to self-publish?

I recently found a website that that may be of interest to anyone who wants to self-publish personal books like vacation journals, blogs, poetry, photo portfolios, cookbooks, etc. I've been thinking of writing about the trips we've made so far especially with our Spring Break trip to California. It was after all a family reunion that went for more than a week and besides I have enough images to choose from. I think I made about 1500 clicks, technically they're called shutter depressions. People may think that it was a lot but I've heard of wedding and easily sports photographers who make this much in one single event.

Anyway, you need to download a free software from the site and use the built-in templates for your project. You can even print your own pages with your home printer and if you know somebody who does a decent binding, then you already have your own book. If not, you can avail of the printing and binding service directly from the site. I haven't tried this one yet but they're saying (of course) it's coffee table book quality. The prices are not too bad knowing they make custom books and there is no economy of scale here. If you would like to do this, please send me a note about your experience when you have received your book.


The website is www.blurb.com



Here's the website screenshot:

Philippine Panographies

You might find the links below interesting. Play around the panographies (360 deg. views including top and bottom) with your mouse and keyboard, then enjoy! If you need to search for panographies from other countries,

***CLICK HERE***

then search for the country you're interested with, check the links if panographies are available.





Rice Terraces

Farmer

Sorting Beans

Rice Terraces

Vigan

Crisologo Street

St. Paul Cathedral

Carrefour


Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Kid

Trail

Entry


Baroque Churches:

Paoay-

Paoay-front

Paoay-side

San Agustin-

San Agustin-front

San Agustin-inside

San Agustin-court

I haven't been to Paoay which is in Iloilo and have never seen the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan but I remember seeing it on TV a long time ago. The show I believe is 'Travel Time' and the host if I'm not mistaken is Ms. Susan Calo-Medina. I wonder if that is still being shown. I used to stay up late just to watch it. Maybe I'm just a romantic since I always enjoyed seeing beautiful places. Now at least I can capture it in time with my camera.

Links to What to Read Online

From time to time but not daily, I check on these websites.

www.journalistexpress.com




www.aldaily.com





This is my way to relax! ...read on some news, stories, do research, check the links or whatever. I find the links handy especially that I don't have it in my google homepage.

There's more here than just news. You might want to take a look.

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Killed

Very sad and tragic news. Who haven't seen this Aussie guy with his outrageous sense of courage and craziness as he entertains us with his antics and 'don't try this at home' gimmicks as he handles dangerous animals. I'm sure he will be missed by the people he love and all the people who love him. Great loss to the world.





Here's the link:
http://www.forbes.com/business/healthcare/feeds/ap/2006/09/04/ap2991321.html

Magazine Subscription

For many of us I'm sure, we have a few or several subscriptions to US magazines especially those who live here in the US. We know how expensive it is to buy retail that's why we subscribe, right? Aside from a few photo magazines I subscribe to (one I can get for free), I like Saveur, National Geographic and Smithsonian.

About two months ago, I checked Ebay and sure enough there are several sellers of magazine subscriptions (new or renewal, even gift subscriptions). I checked the prices and they are really low. I had apprehensions so I tried a few. I bought Disney Adventures for my kids (regular- $15/year; Ebay -$3 to $5/for 3 years, I was able to buy it for $5, didn't see the $3 until I already bought one), Nick Jr. (regular -$14.85 for 15 issues; Ebay-$2.50 for 3 years) and Saveur (regular -$30/year; Ebay-$9.00 for 3 years). I opted for the three year subscription which some sellers are offering so I can maximize the savings and I don't have to think about renewing it for quite some time. The amounts I paid are the total, no shipping and handling! Some sellers charge but check the overall cost first. They can sell a subscription for $0.99/year and charge $3.00 for s&h.

Sellers and even publishers are saying it takes 8-12 weeks before you receive the first copy. I received the Disney Adventures and Saveur magazines in about 4 weeks. I still don't have the Nick Jr. but I'll wait for another 4 weeks before I contact the seller for a follow-up. Also, I checked the shipping label for the period of subscription and sure enough the two magazines are good for 3 years each.

The deals are great, subscription cost doesn't even cover the cost of postage. I believe sellers designate a certain % to these Ebay sellers, they usually earn thru advertisers anyway and they offer low cost or almost free subscriptions as a marketing ploy. Some sellers claim they are even paid more than the cost of subscription just to sell certain magazines. More subscribers attract more advertisers.

Just search for "magazine subscription" or better yet the name of the magazine itself plus "subscription" without the word "magazine" as some sellers don't use it in their title description.

Now, before I renew some existing subscriptions, I'll check EBAY first.

Oil Painting

My wife Ophine and I have been friends with Paulo and Pauline Jimenez for a long time. Pauline is a nurse just like my wife and Paulo is an artist and a very good one. I’ve seen his work and I was impressed. If you or anyone you know would like to commission him with a real honest to goodness oil painting whether it’s portrait, corporate work stuff, murals among others, he’s the man!!!

His website is http://www.artdetails.com/

I hope you wouldn’t mind Paulo but here’s a few screenshots from your site.



His fine art. I was actually looking for a portrait of Pauline which we like very much but it was not there.


Some of his murals.

Please feel free to email this post to anyone you know who might be interested.