I Blog, Therefore I Am.

Typhoon Basyang (International Name: Conson) is wreaking havoc outside my bedroom window and I'm too scared to sleep. Heartbreaking memories and loss of Typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Milenyo are still too fresh on most Filipinos' minds as evident on the number of Twitter friends on my feed who are still wide awake and scared like me. :(

It's already blackout here in Laguna and in most  part of Metro Manila. Toppled billboards and flying GI sheets are already being reported. I'm currently using my SMART Bro Prepaid Plug-it so I can get news and advisories on the typhoon while I finish some work for tomorrow. I hope that Philippines will wake up to a better, nicer and sunshine-y weather in the morning. Let's all wish and pray.

On a personal note (and as a diversion to all these Basyang shenanigans), here's a mirror project that I did last week when I was in Cebu for a business trip. The picture was taken at Waterfront Hotel in Lahug. This is also my entry for my 52 Weeks Photo Project for Week 27. I've been neglecting the project in the last few weeks so its about time that I catch up.




I hardly post photos of myself lately but I love the all natural vibe that the above picture brings. Be safe, everyone!

A lot of people ask what is the camera I use for this blog. Its actually just a simple DSLR entry-level Canon EOS 1000D (or otherwise known as Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS in the United States). I bought it in December 2008 as a well-deserved Christmas gift to myself.





I'm not really into the whole photography thing as others perceived. Not all DSLR owners are, actually. I bought a nice camera because I just want to have more-than-average-looking photos on my blogs,  Social Networking Sites and scrapbooks. Photography is just one of my many interests, but not one  of my hobbies. :) A cousin even told me that I use my DSLR like I use a regular point and shoot digicam; since I don't maximize the full potential of the manual settings.

When I was about to buy my Canon camera in 2008, a lot of my friends and colleagues are convincing me to get a Nikon instead. They said that it would be easier for me to borrow lenses and other camera accessories since most of them are Nikon owners.  I still chose Canon over Nikon primarily because of the picture and color resolution it gives. I find Nikon shots too bright and overly saturated compared to the more subdued Canon photos. Some may argue that this can be adjusted through the settings or even Photoshop, but I still find the photos too striking for my taste. Plus, I've always been loyal to Canon cameras so it was really a no-brainer and a non-choice. My first digital camera was a Canon Digital IXUS 60 (Canon Powershot SD600) and I loved it so much until it expired after years of everyday use. It indeed served me well.

Here are some of my favorite Boracay photos using a Canon EOS 1000D with 18-55mm lens:




Boracay Lantern Along Station 2



Boracay Boats On Break



Aria's Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino from Aria Boracay


Next on the agenda is to save for a new Canon macro lens.  I'm really fascinated with food styling & photography and it's something I want to learn more about. I've been practicing, eating out a lot lately  (yikes!), and even started a new blog so I can document all the food photo adventures. Let's see how it will go.

My 52 Weeks Photo Entry for Week 23 is a yummy one!



These are the Dipped Pringles at Chocolate Fire which you can order either milk or dark. I love them because of the deadly combination of salty potato chips and sweetness of chocolates.

Chocolate Fire
PDCP Building
Leviste cor. Rufino St.
Makati City
Tel. No. +632 840 FIRE (3473)
Facebook Fan Page: Chocolate Fire

This week's entry for Project 52 Weeks:



The Yellow Army is in town! Along with the personalities are various Noynoy & Mar election paraphernalia, collaterals and other wearable stuff like this Noynoy Baller ID.

Election in the Philippines is less than two months and I'm pretty decided that I am with the Yellow Army! Noynoy & Mar for the win!

Here's my entry for Week 9 of my 52 Weeks Photo Project. I really did skip posting the entries for Weeks 7 and 8 since I am planning to write in length about it.



I collect Starbucks City Mugs. I began collecting in 2008 and I now have 15 city and country mugs from various places all over the globe. Most of them were gifts from family and friends.

I am not into Starbucks and the whole coffee culture but I absolutely adore these mugs. The above is part of the Collectors Series City Mugs which came out in the late 90's. This is my favorite set because of its vibrant colors and designs. Too bad it was phased out just when I decided to start my collection. There are still some in e-bay but they are very expensive especially the Euro city mugs like Paris, Rome & Florence.

The current collection is the '08 Icon Edition in regular and mini versions. It's a pretty big set with Philppine city designs for Manila, Cebu, Batangas, Boracay, Bacolod and Pampanga.

Here is my 52 Weeks entry for the 6th week of the year.


Last week was a pretty big week for celebrations since Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year both fell on the same date. I was planning to post either a mushy and cheesy Valentine photo or an oriental Chinese one for this week's entry. I failed on both. I ran out of camera battery when Witt and I had our Pre-Valentine's Dinner at Mesa; and we were not able to go to Binondo for Chinese New Year as planned. So I chose these yummy-looking Strawberry Mousse instead since it's somehow Heart-y because of its red and pink colors.

These sinfully delicious Strawberry Mousse is from Dusit Thani Hotel. We had our National Cascade last Monday and these were the stars from the dessert buffet. Absolutely yummy!

I also had some Tiramisu (outtake) shots which I would also like to share:



I must've gained 5 lbs. from this experience!

P.S.
Happy Blog Birthday! It's been 6 wonderful years! :)

These are not your regular and ordinary fruits and veggies.
These fruits and vegetables came from our very own (not virtual) farm.

My mom has a farm land which is being maintained and tilled by farmer tenants. It's harvest season so we got a bunch of veggies and fruits from them. Dry season are for squash, watermelons, melons and corn; while wet season is for rice.

Here is my 52 Weeks Project entry for this week:



I found these Inca (and somewhat scary) lanterns hanging at the Second Floor of Conggo Grill at Westgate in Alabang where we had our Canossa Highschool mini-reunion and get-together last Friday.

Our good friend, Che, came home from the US for a vacation so we decided to meet-up and catch up. What a fun evening! It was great seeing everyone again.

Here is my 52 Weeks Project entry for the Week 2 of the year:



I found this artistic candle holder at the clubhouse of Bonifacio Heights last Wednesday where we had our group's strategic planning. I love its uniqueness and the intertwined wire leaves and twigs so I took a snap.

This is also my first attempt in post-processing with multi-layers. I like the light and soft effect of the photo and the shadows that were captured.

I am so big on memories, celebrating life's journeys and how I preserve and keep them. I have this blog which have been a solid witness of my ups, downs and dramas for the last four and a half years, and I also have my Multiply where I usually connect and interact with friends and buddies.

Then came my Project 365 in Flickr.

I was introduced to the exciting Project 365 when I was browsing blogs a couple of months ago. Project 365 is a once-a-day photo blogging where you take random pictures each day which you will post in your blog or photo sharing sites like Flickr or Picasa. I chose Flickr because of it's dynamic picture resolution output, its steady interface and the cool people who are on it.

I am now on Day 56 and so far I am doing good. There were actually days when I don't have entries but that doesn't me for dropping the project altogether. Here are some of my favorite pictures and entries:






I was encouraged to do this project when I read a blog post that explains that "doing it will make you see your life in a whole new way". Talk about seeing your life flash before your eyes. I suggest that you also read it and start your own Project 365 as well! :)

I went to the World Heritage Site of Vigan, Ilocos Sur more than a month ago with my friends Aileen, Tin, Charo and Jako. We've been planning the trip for so long so we are glad that it finally happened. The trip was was such a blast from start to finish so it will be a waste not to blog about it (albeit a month late). It is probably our best and most memorable vacation and road trip to date!

Click on the thumbnails to view the pictures!

May 15, Evening - The Adventure Begins

Our adventure started on the evening of May 15, a Thursday. We all met at the bus station of Partas Bus Lines in Pasay City. We opted to ride the bus for the ultimate non-expensive-roughing-it road trip instead of bringing a car. Tin got there first (accompanied by her, ummm, officemate), then Aileen & I arrived second (fresh from work) and the coosome-twosome otherwise known as Charo and Jako arrived last from SM Mall of Asia bearing with all kinds of snacks for our long trip.



We left Manila before 12:00 midnight after waiting for almost two hours at the terminal for our ride. We talked and gossiped about David Cook, our lovelives and Cindy Kurleto. The trip to Vigan from Manila was 9 and a half hours with a short stop-over in Pangasinan. We slept almost throughout the entire trip with the help of an ergonomic bus seat designed for long trips ala sleeper trains in Europe. We also had our individual iPods playing non-stop for us. I started with Guy's Sebastian's "Angels Brought Me Here" and ended with David Archuleta's "Think of Me". Vigan welcomed us with drizzle of rain before 9:00 am the following day.

May 16, Morning - Good Morning, Vigan!

Two tricycles brought us to the very Vigan antique "hotel" of Grandpa's Inn, our home for two days. Grandpa's Inn is located at #1 Bonifacio St. cor. Quirino Blvd., which is just a stone throw from Calle Crisologo and very near the heart of the city. We booked ourselves in one of the "Kalesa" bedrooms with extra beds to accommodate all five of us.



We immediately went out after checking-in to have some breakfast. We passed by for the first time the famous Calle Crisologo. The street is lovelier than I expected. The stretch is surrounded by old Spanish houses and cobblestones. There are also several souvenir and antique shops along the alley which I so love. Vehicles except for several kalesas are not allowed to pass to properly preserve and maintain the beauty of the place. We cannot help but take a few snaps of the calle despite the light drizzle.





Forget the famous Vigan Longganisa and other local yummies, our first Vigan meal was in McDonald's Vigan near Plaza Burgos. We arrived quite early and most of the local shops and restaurants were still closed. We had a feast over our McDo meals while we check the map and plan our day.

We went back to the hotel after breakfast to sleep and rest a bit, shower and freshen up. It was the week before the American Idol Finale so we were all happy when we chance upon the American Idol marathon on Star TV. We are such David Cook fans and we cannot stop talking about him in the entire time we were in Vigan.

We went out after a couple of hours and took the tricycle again to Baluarte. Good thing the sun was already shining by then! Baluarte is owned by former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson which is located in the outskirts of Vigan. It has a zoo with several exotic animals and birds. I am not too outdoorsy and fond of animals but I had a fabulous time taking photos of my friends at the mini-butterfly farm.







May 16, Afternoon - Cafe Leona, St. Augustine and Kalesa!

We went back to the city after a couple of hours for a late lunch. This time we tried Cafe Leona at Calle Crisologo for some authentic Vigan delicacies. Cafe Leona is just like the usual Vigan establishment built in an old Spanish-styled house. We were famished from our busy morning so we ordered Bagnet (which is actually just like Lechon Kawali or Crispy Pata), Morcon (which tasted just like Embotido) and some good ol' Pinakbet. We don't like the foodies and preferred our moms' cooking over them. The tab is also quite 'astronomical' given the small serving of the dishes thus we called it Cafe Rip-off. Good thing Charo paid for it as a treat to us!



We strolled again at Calle Crisologo after lunch and checked out some of the souvenir shops and took MORE photos. We also had the "required" Vigan kalesa ride which is Php 150.00 ($3.00) for an hour. The kalesa took us to a nearby town called Bantay where the St. Augustine Church is. The church is unfortunately closed but we were able to take photos and go up to the nice bell tower. Photographers will have a fun time in the tower because it gives a good bird's eye view of Vigan and nearby towns. Too bad it's not well-maintained and there are writings and vandals all over the walls. We had a fun time in Bantay and even made a few friends. :)





The rain started pouring again just right after we left Bantay. The kalesa took us all around town to view more of Vigan's famous sights. We passed by at Villa Angela, a hotel famous for being a favorite location shoot of some Filipino historic movies, but we were not able to go inside because it was closed to the public at that time. We ended in a place called Hidden Garden which is very far away from the center of city thus the "hidden" on its name. The place is actually nice but it was still raining when we got there so we were not able to fully appreciate it. We just rested a bit and had some Ilocos wine called Basi. I love its taste so I bought a bottle.

May 16, Evening - Cafe Uno and Sitio Bar are the Best!

We had dinner at the hotel's coffee shop called Cafe Uno. It's a quaint little cafe with just 4 or 5 tables that serves delicious dishes and sweets. Aside from the delicious food, I also love the mix of modern and old details of the place. I especially love its cool red mug rack which I want to have for my growing Starbucks City Mug collection. We ordered a lot of food but I cannot remember most of them at the moment (I wasn't able to take pictures so I cannot recall). What I remembered was this crunchy cracker that was served with a yummy Dinuguaan dip. It was so delicious and we all loved it! It was definitely our best Vigan meal ever. Include it in your must-do and must-eat if you're going to Vigan.



We went out for a night's stroll after dinner at Calle Crisologo to take more pictures (what else?). It was raining that night so we were practically alone in the street with our cameras. Vigan doesn't really have a rockin' night life so we ended in the only bar near Crisologo named Sitio Bar (which is actually the resto-bar of the very nice Vigan Plaza Hotel). We had a couple of rounds while we grill Jako and Charo about the past, the present and future. We went back to the hotel after midnight to rest for more Vigan adventures the following day.





To be continued. More pictures here and here.

Watch out for the 2nd day of our Vigan adventure and the unexpected 3rd day of misadventure! Photo credits to Aileen (the nice Baluarte marque shot was taken by her), Charo and Tintin.

[For the benefit of my foreign readers, longganisa is a Philippine sausage-like food with ground pork, beef or chicken inside. It can be sweet or sour depending on where you get them. Vigan is a city in the province Ilocos Sur famous for its preserved Spanish-style colonial houses built during the Spanish occupation here in the Philippines. Vigan is also known for its "Vigan Longganisa" thus the title of this post. Credits to Jako for the blog post's title.]