My Prayers and Thoughts are with Japan

Friday, March 11, 2011  - A very sad day for the whole world. My wife and I were chatting over Yahoo Messenger and she sent me a link from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center telling that Tsunami warnings have been sent out for the Pacific. This came from the 8.9 earthquake that just hit Japan earlier that afternoon. I turned the TV to CNN and saw the breaking news.

I consider Japan as a second home. I have always seen myself as part japanese. It could be from a past life, I don't know why. I have lived in Japan because of my first Job. It was my first trip alone and the longest trip away from Manila. It was there that I learned thier culture, language and work values. It was no surprise that despite this difficult time, they still remain the people that they are. I have had close friendships with a lot of Japanese when I was there and it was as if a part of me was also torn and sad.

I've already had word with most of my friends who were there and thank God they are all safe. I learned a lot of lessons in life when I lived there and a part of me stays there forever. They will recover, they will rise up as a people. I pray that they pull through as a country  and as a people.

To my japanese friends I say :  私はあなたの安全のために祈っています。あなたはこのような課題を存続します。

Photography and Blogging - A Dangerous Combination

Image via Wikipedia

Ever since I was a kid, my passion has always been photography. My dad said my very first toy was his old Polaroid camera which I unfortunately broke. He said I was curious as to how the images got copied from outside and into that small device, so I broke it apart. Then I moved up to the old film cameras and eventually SLRs. Though I never seem to remember which pictures I took. I never bothered to check because it was my mom who would collect all the developed copies and load them up into those ring bound photo albums with adhesive. She would put captions onto each funny moment, each place we visited, each family affair. As an innocent 7 year old, I asked her plainly why do we have a ton of pictures? She distinctly said, so we never forget who we are, where we've been and how we looked like.

I never realized that her answer would be the very reason why I will love photography. So I do not forget, so I treasure each captured moment. It's like freezing time.

Blogging came to me one boring afternoon. I saw a news feature about bloggers and this new internet craze called blogging way back during its heyday. I took to it real quick as I have this uncanny knack for anything computerized. It fueled my love for the written word, as my dad was a great writer. I idolized him when reading his journals and when he wrote a column for a magazine when I was still in school.

I never pursued a career in writing as I believed that it wouldn't make me rich, at least I was made to believe so. Then blogger.com started to introduce the addition of digital pictures which was the hottest thing to hit the internet. I failed to capitalize on this then since I could not afford to buy a digital camera, much less maintain a fast internet connection. Thus I went into a hiatus. No blogs and pictures for a while.

Then one fateful day, my wife gave me "Nikki" my Nikon D40 as an early birthday gift. I was in heaven! The sniper was born! The very next day I shot some of my best work. Thus my blog was reborn. So a dangerous combination was made. Why dangerous? I am diabetic. I need my rest and sleep but this whole new experience, this power of freezing time was back, and I could broadcast this to the world through my blog. Who needs sleep. Here are some more of my passion pictures. I hope you enjoy seeing them as I enjoy shooting them.

Water is my element. I can create anything when I am in my element. Freezing time similar to these water droplets rippling into a glass container.

This next photo is my expression of how my two passions sustain me. It serves as my daily dose of vitamin gel caps. It keeps me up and running, looking forward to the next day. It gives me my sanity, it takes away my stress, it gives me energy to continue doing what I'm passionate about, much like these gel caps floating in the air. I always feel a natural high.

See you next post.

People You Meet Everyday

Let's get philosophical for a moment. I believe that the people you meet everyday play a part in the Master's grand master plan of your life. God gave us free will to act according to what we want, but I am sure that He is always there to give a quick nudge to put us back in the right path no matter how far we stray from it. He uses people we meet everyday as instruments in building that master plan.

Now if that is the case, some of you might ask, if that's true then why am I still poor or why am I a failure? I believe that the reason why we are poor or we failed, is because we see ourselves as poor or we program ourselves to fail. I believe that God would not want us to be poor nor fail, He's not like that. He sends people to us in the hopes that we get back to the right path, or hopes that we get his message. Most often we ignore, or doubt the people he sends to our lives. Yet he constantly sends people our way anyway. Treasure new encounters, if you have or find opportunities to learn from the people you meet, think that God is talking to you and guiding you that day.

Dining in Nostagia one Saturday Afternoon

One afternoon my boss decided to treat our team to lunch. She brought us to this quaint place called CAFE JUANITA. It looks like an old 1960's house renovated to a restaurant. On the outside it looks uneventful and simple with a few parking spaces, discreetly hidden in a secluded area in Kapitolyo, Pasig.  Much to our surprise, once we went in it was like we were brought back in time.

Nostalgia hit us. As we entered, this elegant chandelier greeted us on the way in. I just had to take a shot of this massive centerpiece with a colorful array of crystals hanging in the middle of the room. I felt as if I went into a colonial house in the Old Spanish era.

It was such a refreshing change from our 'regular' lunch routine. Eye candy for me personally, good thing I brought my good old "Nikki" my camera along for the ride who my wife affectionally calls my 'mistress' because I would spend more time fondling with it on my free time.

Lunch was great! the menu was a good mix of asian food, a bit of local filipino flavor and a dash of thai food as well. If you are looking for a new dining experience that's also worth discussing about try it for yourself.

Cafe Juanita is located in Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Philippines. They serve lunch, and dinner and they are open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. Food prices range from about P400.00 to P700.00. It is also a good idea to call them for reservations specially on weekends.

Cafe Juanita - Tel. Number: (02) 632-0357

Scientists say Playing Video Games Help Kids Think Faster and Decide Accurately

Who among you geeks, techies, nerds, technologically gifted folks (me included) recall when you were kids, that you got pissed off when your mom or dad tells you to stop playing video games and get to bed or do your homework, and just when you're just getting in the zone?

I'm sure a lot of us recall those glory days of ATARI, Nintendo, SEGA, Playstation 1 where we would really spend hours and hours glued to the TV screen or PC monitor just to reach that next level so you have something to talk about in school the next day.

Well, I guess those scientists are from my generation. (don't ask me when....the console timeline I mentioned can give you a clue :) )  who by now would have used thier own kids as lab rats to once again prove thier parents were wrong.

They say that kids who play video games, particularly first person shooters and role playing games think faster and decide as accurately and fast as they can pace themselves throughout the game.

Some benefits according to the study are;

1. Quick Thinking in response to crisis situations.
2. Precision in decision making
3. Better at Multi-tasking
4. Better Observers of thier surroundings
5. Better Hand-Eye coordination

Though they have yet to prove other benefits, it was said that this early on in the study, these benefits have already manifested significantly. So when your kids start playing, encorage them to play on.

Sweet Temptation

Food has always been a part of my family for generations. No family gathering is complete without food being served. Sundays are usually spent eating out or at home with pot luck lunch and dinner. My grandmother has a tradition in the family where during Sunday morning right after church we would gather around the kitchen helping our dear grandma as she prepares lunch for everyone.

It was like clockwork that everyone, my mom and dad, aunts and uncles, my brothers, sisters and cousins pitch in to complete a thanksgiving like feast. After lunch she would call on me and my cousins and reward us with sweet treats she made. I miss her and the value she left us. "Always cook with your heart, serve them with love." She kept a small notebook with her recipes and top secret ingredients, when she passed on that notebook got lost somehow. It was as if the magic spell book just faded away.

Portraits of Life

Sometimes, just like this photo I took at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center we often feel caged because we focus too much on the petty things around us, but we would often forget to focus on what we really need. Our eyes and minds can be set to the conditions we would want in our lives. Much like the lens I focused on the subject which fades away the steel cage surrounding it, we can free our minds.