Fun at the Bowling Alley

Saturday, we all went to our friends Darell and Liza's son Daryll's birthday party (tama ba 'yon?) at Sparez Bowling Center. I just did some fun shots of David and Missy after 'throwing' the bowling ball with some camera and flash techniques. David won the first game on the last frame. The fence helped a lot though for almost all the kids. I was telling them to jump for joy after the shot as if they got a strike but they are just so honest kids. I just can't get any fake emotion from them!

Online Photo Editing Plus Gallery by Adobe

Adobe just released today the Adobe Express, a website where you can do your own photo editing by of course uploading your photos to the site and it's free. Adobe's photo editing software have been the industry standard for a long time now. They have Photoshop Elements which is geared towards photography enthusiasts and Photoshop CS3 which is their top of the line latest version of Photoshop CS intended for graphic artists, photographers and the like. Of course, there are still the free ones that "duplicates" Photoshop in a way such as IrfanView and GIMP and now this online editing website for free when you join. It's been announced since last year that they've been working on this and now it's a reality plus they added a gallery and a slideshow. What more can you ask for?

Although it's still in beta stage, I'm sure it will continuously be improved. I just don't see it being made as powerful as the CS version but for people who want to improve the quality of their photos without investing too much dough for the professional software, this will work fine. You can now easily adjust exposure, color balance, remove red-eye, crop, sharpen, etc. with the tools Photoshop Express lets you use for your photos. Just don't expect really blurry pictures to come out sharp, okay?

For the link, just click HERE.

David's New Look

About two weeks ago, we went to an eye doctor to have David's eyes checked and sure enough his vision is far from perfect even at his age. Too much video games I guess. He only scored 20/100 in the test so off we went to Costco optical to order his new glasses. We just got it last Friday and now David is sporting a new look. He was also amazed on how his things are much clearer now. He just didn't have anything to compare it with until now. Right now, I think he's adjusting quite well to it and never have I reminded him to wear it, only to take good care of it. I hope it lasts for a long time.

Papa's Open Heart Bypass Surgery

Last March 15, Saturday morning Papa underwent an open heart surgery at the new Medical City in the Ortigas area to repair 5 arteries. He was talked to by his doctor to have it done there instead of the Phil. Heart Center because the facility is new and the equipment is state of the art. He's already 70 y.o. but I'm glad that he's still very strong and active and actually has not retired yet from working. A few years ago when he went here with my mom, he drove from San Francisco to San Diego stopping at Monterey area for an overnight break. We were kind of discouraging him because of his age because it's easily a 12 to 14 hour drive depending on how fast you want to drive and even younger people will find it quite a very tiring drive.




Anyway, the 7-8 hour operation was a success. The 38 y.o. surgeon by the name of Dr. Cristobal and his team did a fine job and my dad was already sitting and talking by the next day. We've already talked a number of times and he said he was ready to go home even though I think he will have to stay there for a few more days. I'm grateful to God that he gave my dad a new lease on life and he never allowed him to suffer an attack while he was considering his options for a few months. I was kidding him that it's like having an almost brand new heart again.


Too bad he missed the Pacquiao-Marquez fight but I'm sending him a dvd. I'm sure he was happy that Pacquiao won esp. that he is a real boxing aficionado.


Papa with Mama when we went to Yosemite National Park in April 2006 for a family reunion.

Celebrate What's Right With The World

I inadvertently found this video and as a photographer, I was really able to relate with it. I'm not saying this will appeal to all people but IT CAN. I also learned that this was already "around' since 2001 and is being used in training, management and leadership seminars. I believe that most photographers have their own unique way of looking at this world and it doesn't really come from a technical vantage point because of our understanding of light and shadows, our tools of the trade, timing and so on and so forth but from within, that emotional connection that makes us excited to hold a camera and shoot anything that moves our spirit. Personally, I feel the connection when looking through a camera's viewfinder and realizing that as I press the shutter, I'm thinking, "it is working". I don't mean the shutter but the process of being successful in capturing the images. Believe me, it sometimes starts with "it's not working" and I have to dig dip inside for that creative juice to flow. We also have to be in the 'ZONE' just like athletes who perform at their very best.

After watching the video, it strengthened the thinking process but also gave me new insights, new paradigms on how to capture an image that at first you're not seeing but also on the 'possibilities' an image can have.

Here's a brief description of the video as found from the LINK.

In this 22-minute short film, "Celebrate What's Right With The World", Dewitt Jones (world-class photojournalist for the National Geographic) asks: "Do we choose to see possibilities? Do we really believe they're there?" He assures us that there is always more than one right answer. Celebrating what's right with the world helps us recognize the possibilities and find solutions for the challenges before us. This inspirational, best-selling film utilizes stunning photography and powerful dialogue to help viewers approach their lives with celebration, confidence, and grace. “As I celebrated what was right with the world, I began to build a vision of possibility, not scarcity. Possibility... always another right answer.” - Dewitt Jones

Celebrate What's Right With The World

Memorial's Picnic at the Park

The Memorial Healthcare System's annual picnic was held last Sunday at C.B. Smith park so after attending church service, we went straight to the park. We were there also last year and I did a post on it so we already know what to expect. It was all the same kind of kids' stuff, same set of food but never the less, we still enoyed being there. We only started to attend last year since the previous years' picnics always conflicts with the schedule of our old church where we used to attend to. It was sunny but there was some breeze thus it was still a comfortable day to be out.

I decided to do the photos in B&W to lend some old school style of photojournalism to it esp. with the type of shooting I did. I don't want to spend more time if I do a slideshow thus you'd see probably too much but I also enjoyed making the photos. Kids even if they're not mine are always very good subjects especially in events like this one.