the yuletide planner

ahhh, christmas spirit is getting stronger by the day. i felt it when i asked permission to go on a vacation leave and granted. now it's time to take steps before the first-ever real-deal vacation.

what are the plans that i'm going to do before i leave dubai?

backup and burn. i have tons and tons of photos and i want it to share to my colleages, friends, relatives and family. some of the pics are here online but i want them to see everything what i've been really doing for a couple of years with stories to tell about the images i've photographed.

meet the deadlines. finish every pending jobs that i have, work-related or gilid jobs. i don't want my vacation be bothered by some annoying calls of the office or client.

buy, bring and pack. although i've sent the white box a couple of weeks back, i kinda feel to do the balikbayan's tradition (trend?) of bringing another box... depending on the budget.

budgeting. since it's gonna be my first time, i don't know what it looks like when going home during christmas. most people say that it's gonna be bloody... money in the pockets and wallets emptied. based on other people's experience and having a limited budget, i have to plan my spending (buying a luxury car or a condo... i wish... hehehe).

plan the meetings, drinkings and outings. i can't be drunk for the rest of my vacation, right? i have to meetup with old-time friends and colleagues as well and attend gatherings and eyeballs but most of my time (for sure) will be spent with my wifey and kids going some places that we will enjoy.

any suggestions?

list what to eat. ah forget the diet and gym for a while. even our creator rested on the seventh day. we all need a break and i crave for the foods that i haven't tasted for a long time. yum yum.

there are other things which are "variables" right now and i cannot tell it. as long as i accomplished this, things will go according to plan.

pasko na, sinta ko. hanap-hanap kita...

shokran! (thanks!)

find out more who were nominated to the semi-finals.

penovate's night out

tet cannot wait any longer. he wanted to try his new toy and asked me to go with him. i told him that i have to fetch japs at the airport at ten in the evening and we didn't have much time. he offered his transportation service just to get some night shots.

i agreed.

as i left in the office at six, i went to his office for the first time. i have to say that the place was nice... ambient and "relaxing" to work.

tet feeling busy...

shutter speed: 1/13 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 800, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

due to time contraints, we opt to the backside of shiekh zayed road... the farther side.

dubai skyline at night

shutter speed: 20 sec, aperture: f/16, iso: 200, focal length: 34mm, manual setting on a tripod

in the mood

shutter speed: 1/3 sec, aperture: 3.5, iso: 800, focal length: 18mm, manual setting with flash

later on we drove to my place to eat dinner and fetch lisaperts. we're so hungry that we almost emptied the pot full of sopas. after dinner we went straight to the airport. we arrived early and it took us an hour and a half to meet up with japs. he gained weight and overtanned.

japs brought a lot of goodies for everybody like ethnic bracelets and necklaces, espasol, yema, polvoron, pics and videos to share. the stuffs he brought was very delightful but the most important package i've ever received from manila was my family's pics.

it will be a matter of days left...

goodies from the philippines

shutter speed: 1/4 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 400, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

thanks tet for the ride. thanks japs for the goodies.

pbb

no, it's not another tv-crazed pinoy big brother topic but i called this one photographer's baby brother. the camera below is owned by my colleague who bought this long time back. he doesn't use it much. using the big brother, i took a demo shot on how to compose the subject.


shutter speed: 1/10 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 42mm, manual setting

he told me that i'm taking a better shot on a good camera than his. and so, i took his camera and give it a try...


shutter speed: 1/15 sec, aperture: f/2.6, iso: unknown, focal length: 6mm, portrait mode setting

it's true that a good camera give better results. but for me, it's not about the camera. just like my mentor said, it's just a tool. the important thing here is how you percept it, dslr or otherwise. now he's into it and trying to learn new tips from what i've known.

you can check what he's been up to.

quoting from my mentor...

Without the passion to be a great photographer, amateur or professional, it will matter little what type of low-level or high-level equipment the person uses, for the work will reveal themselves to be passionless.

So long as you have the passion for the craft, your photography will indeed improve and reward you with much personal satisfaction.

let your mind do the creativity and your fingers do the snapping. if you have a digital camera, just keep on shooting subjects that interests you and enjoy.

where's the tremor?

i had to pee. when i came back to my place, dang, they're all panicky. they felt that an earthquake has occurred. i thought at first that they're gathering for a meeting or big b came. few minutes later people were evacuating below and fearing of possible aftershocks.

big b's son instructed to evacuate as well, fearing that our lives are in danger. i brought the camera with me and went down. the only odd thing was in this case of emergency was to take the stairs but we took the elevator instead. fortunately, we left the building unharmed.


shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

on the ground, people were recollecting their experiences and rumors about the short tremor. my colleague thought it was a big lorry that passed by our building (the fact that it's a tall but sturdy one) and shook the ground from below. another told that he thought that he was dizzy or somebody's moving the chair from behind.

i didn't felt anything.

locals felt the shock

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/10, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

we waited for an hour... and all i did was to take photos. it became like an afternoon picnic or party where other photographers were present to take photos as well.

be calm, there's nothing to worry about...

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/7.1, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

"i have a lot of work to do!"

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/7.1, iso: 100, focal length: 42mm, manual setting

few moments later we went up and i tried to locate where the epicenter was. i got this from one earthquake forecast site before it came out on the local and international news. here are the details:

date: november 27, 2005
time: 10:22:24 AM UTC
location: Southern Iran ( 26.83N, 55.83E )
magnitude: 6.1
depth: 22 miles

later on, we've been told that we leave the office early just in case. although, dubai has a low risk earthquake zone, we can't predict...

...and we don't take risks.

path beyond

i started walking my usual route during winter season. from office to home, instead of taking a taxi (take note, i'm no cheapskate) i prefer walking even my route is the same. a twelve dirham fare a day is a good saving especially for the yuletide spending.

so let's pinpoint the usual stopovers. through google earth, although this map is outdated, i was able to draw my route from a to b. come and walk with me...



a. jepaperts has left the building... time to go home.

b. depending on the mood, timing and subject, i usually stop in front of the emirates towers and its a well-known landmark in sheikh zayed road. i've tried every angle of this property and i never get tired of it. my pictures of this place were either dusk or night time.


shutter speed: 1.6 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

c. this underpass is one of two ways (the other, an overpass between fairmont hotel and trade center) you can cross the other side of the road in the area. i did a couple of shots here last year.

d. the first thing you will see when you ascend the underpass is the crowne plaza hotel. there are lot of interesting subjects as well such as people dining in the restos, sitting in the grass area or waiting for transportation. it is also the rendezvous point for people who want to go to abu dhabi fast where taxis waiting at the shoulder lane of the highway.

e. from d to e, you will usually see the new buildings being constructed. by the time i reached the fairmont, i usually feel pissed due to the sandy area i've been crossing through where my shoes are getting dirty.

f. this is the start of the suburbs of satwa. here you will find people staring, local kids playing in the sands or riding the dune buggy. sometimes i felt uneasy while walking to this area...

g. home sweet home.

the walk usually take fifteen to twenty minutes if there's no stopovers. sometimes i divert my walk to other parts of the suburbs after crossing the underpass just not to get bored.

now you know where i'm walking, you can pinpoint me and snipe or drop a smart bomb from above... hehehe.

flugtag!

if my research were correct, flugtag means "flying day" in german (right baroness neneng?) and it's another day of air display...

...this time using only human power.

thirty one teams compete each other for the most creative, farthest and usually humorous flying machines, launching it on a ramp placed at the dubai creek. the flugtag event happened in dubai for the first time and it was also the first for me to visit the dubai creek park. i'd say the place is very nice...in terms of picnic and photography.

mondsi and i saw my photography classmate, rachel, and decided to pick a spot near the ramp. we decided to sit in front of the beach. it was a good spot since there were a lot of chicks around us... hot brit mamas on our right, russian ma and daughter at the back and lebanese boyfriends-girlfriends in our left. in our front, well, it's water and sometimes the tv cameraman and his assistant. sometimes, we see ourselves infront of the widescreen placed for the audience and it was very cool. five seconds of tv fame, in fact... hehehe. rachel picked the spot earlier and we're thankful for this blessed sandy beach even if our *rses were wet from the waves.

the only bad thing (and can't do about it) was my lens. i have a very standard 18-55 efs lens and i envy the shutterbugs who passed around us with biggie lenses. oh well, its ok to have a camera rather than none.

after a few teams flew and flunked to the water, we decided not to finish the show and went out to take a walk. the place was packed with people and it was a good opportunity to take photos. since it's a friday and a family day here, a lot of cute kids were present.

you can visit the flugtag in dubai in my gallery section to see the kid pics that i have taken.

ala gladiator's walk to elysium...

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 45mm, manual setting

caught on cam... almost an accident.

shutter speed: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/11, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

they believe they can fly... not

shutter speed: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/10, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

beauties were all over the place especially on our spot

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 35mm, manual setting

why is it your face turned green?

shutter speed: 1/100 sec, aperture: f/9, iso: 200, focal length: 54mm, manual setting

once again, relaxation is over and back to work tomorrow. *sigh*

dubai airshow 2005

i left at the office thirty minutes late and stuck in the traffic on our way to dubai airshow at the airport expo. instead of waiting for queue, i stepped down from jon's car and walked and met mond. he was waiting for more than two hours for me and left the moment he gave me the complimentary ticket.

as soon as i went it, it wasn't needed since it was late and the last day of the event.

gee...

with no time to lose, i went straight outside instead of snooping around exhibition halls. the stalls will not go away and my objective today was the real planes. the first thing showed the tarmac was the uk's panavia tornado strike aircraft. i've been familiar with these metals birds thru war encyclopedias, documentary films and the internet photos. tornado's armament were also laid down near the bird. visitors can also be seated to the cockpit and enjoy it for a couple of minutes.

small and big commercial aircrafts were also available on display. since im no businessman (but a warfreak), i'm more interested into war machines. next thing i visited was one of my favorites, the apache attack helicopter.

airbus showed their commercial prowess with their new a380, the biggest yet. under the flagship of emirates airlines, the a380 flew and did some low-level flying and swift turns.

there were also pakistan's trainer jet, the eurocopter which glides and turn 360 degrees even if has engine problems, the grifen, uae's uavs, different types of missiles and bombs, and the us air force.

us air force displayed their popular machines such as the "tank killer" a-10 thunderbolt, the twin engine f-15 strike eagle, the versatile f-16 falcon, the hawkeye awacs, cargo planes such as the starlifter and the hercules, the supersonic b-1 bomber, and the navy s3 viking and seahawk helicopter. these aircrafts were off-limits to public.

after my ordeal was done i struggled for another hour to get a ride back home. as any other exhibitions held in dubai, local transporation were lacking...

europe's eurofighter greeted me from outside of the exhibition.

shutter speed: 1/320 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

the last show of the event spewing colors to the sky

shutter speed: 1/640 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, focal length: 55mm, manual setting


shutter speed: 1/1000 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

toys for the big boys... gulfstreams, learjet and other private jets

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/10, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

me and my garage(dream on)... f-15 strike eagle on background

shutter speed: 1/320 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, focal length: 24mm, manual setting

emirates airlines' dream in miniature

shutter speed: 1/50 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 800, focal length: 30mm, manual setting

warriors of different views

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 27mm, manual setting

hey, what happened to the russian air force? they went stealth?!

note: i added dubai airshow 2005 in my gallery.

the milk project

i remembered when a fellow designer asked me on how to capture a splash or a liquid droplets using the camera. i really don't know how to do it. instead of researching it, i tried to experiment. i think it's more interesting rather than knowing the tutorial then following it.

first, i took a white bowl and poured water on it slowly. it didn't work because of the transparency of water don't have the desired effect. aside from that, it's evening and i don't have an adequate lighting.

i was supposed to suspend this trial and error thing when i tried using a flourescent desk lamp near the bowl. that helped but not enough. i tried using flash but it burns the image even i redirect/suppress the lighting.

since it was an experiment, it's ok that i adjusted my iso settings to 1600 and lower my aperture to 4. higher iso settings means more "noise" (pixelated) on the image. i needed light and that compensates the dilemma a little bit. all we need is a faster shutter speed to capture drops. although underexposed (due to inefficient lighting), i just set the shutter to 1/500 - 1/640 of a sec.

the hard part i encountered in this experiment was the timing. i couldn't do the shooting while squeezing the "drops" at the same time and so i asked my roomie to do the bombardment. i tried the burst mode but once again, the problem with the light makes the quality worse. instead, i use the single shot mode and go n-sync with the bombardier. everytime he said piga (squeeze), i snapped.

it took me more than 200+ shots and i got less than 10 good to retain.


shutter speed: 1/640 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 1600, focal length: 27mm, manual setting

this was fun and drank the milk afterwards. i'll try this once again on a bright daylight.

7:02am

i've been waiting to capture this sunrise of this season but i usually ended up either getting up very late or just lazy to take the opportunity...


shutter speed: 1/20 sec, aperture: f/32, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

now, it's time to get ready for work.

livestrong

i show my support for the people who are dealing with cancer.


shutter speed: 1/8 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 100, focal length: 45mm, manual setting

know more about the yellow wristband.

minutes of meeting

once again, i'm back in the frontlines. i went to office early because we have a meeting in abu dhabi with a dormant client. it will be the same team but this time with the big b.

as we travelled, i took pictures along the way.

ah, i've seen my crush once again. one of my favorite billboards...

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/11, iso: 100, focal length: 37mm, manual setting

sixteen percent of construction cranes around the world are situated in dubai. no wonder they build so fast. these are newly built structures around dubai marina. these were not there last year when i passed by this place...

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/11, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

we arrived in abu dhabi almost noon and we went straight away (what? no lunch?) to the client. the meeting this time is between boss and boss, team members as audience. pleasantries came first, then the real salvo begins few minutes later.

thru my observation, here's what i've doodled...


11/21/05 **** office, 1st floor 12:30pm
- he (the client) knows how to divert the conversation and topic
- why is he asking the financial budget? must be blue ribbon commission...
- oh no, gung-ho. big b promised to them and we will die for it. bah!
- let's take over abu dhabi... HOARDING!
- another design? so they've changed their minds after approving it. cute.


after the meeting we headed immediately to dubai and had lunch... at 3pm. although late, it was a good lunch having laboola (dunno the spelling...paho in our native tongue), hammous with meat strips and beans, veggie salad and chicken shawarma. the big b made a treat due to a "successful meeting" we had.

yey, another payload on our backs to carry.

recuperate

although sick, jmerts and i went out to submit our entries for the photography contest and exhibit yesterday afternoon. he went unprepared and cost us time (and money), but finally went through. it was the last day of submission.

today, i'm getting better. i guess my antibodies are winning the battle against the viruses. although recuperating, i was stucked today at home just watching and also testing the new toy for two days now. i was supposed to attend this afternoon's meeting with a client in the office but unfortunately the driver didn't picked me up and the office screwed up and decided for me to stay put. the driver acted again to be "the boss" rather than the job he was supposed to be.

for two days i've watched almost twenty movies including mulan and snow white... hehehe, there's nothing to watch!

after i caught a cartoon drinking my fave beer, i got this one from the comedy film, shaolin soccer.


just like the caption says, damn it! only few days left anyways...

...and i'm having it!

sick? nahhh...

although i'm still sick, i was able to attend my appointments yesterday. one of this was attending to a birthday party in a chinese restaurant at al ghurair in deira. i am the godfather of the celebrant and it's her first birthday (plus christening). the embarrasing part however was we attended the party with my friend, mondsi, and i were wearing only shorts, shirt (me, sleeveless shirt), and slippers. the original plan was really to go to carre four and shop groceries but when the father called (i declined the appoinment earlier due to my sickness) and made some "barkada threats", i decided to divert our destination to the party.

after the party, we finally went to carre four in city centre to buy things that i really wanted to get...

the home theater system.

instead of buying the whole package which ranges from dhs600 - dhs1200 for small to medium sized systems, we assembled from different brands. i bought the "unbranded" but reliable dvd player which can play dvd / vcd / cdr / dvd-r / jpg / mp3... almost any type of cd/dvd you feed for about dhs160 only. it also has a remote and line output for monitor and surround system. next thing i've got is the creative 5.1 speaker system. it cost me around dhs230 and much cheaper than altec lansing's 2in1. i prefer the bass of altec, but when you go for surround, creative will do. i also bought jacks (creative's jack plugs are different) for dhs30 and overall, it cost less than dhs500. my original budget was around dhs800 but since i got a lot of savings, i bought the rest for foodstuffs.

it will take me a week to test this new toy, playing almost everyday with movies, mp3s or cd audio to see if it will withstand my quality control.

and this morning, i'm still feeling sick but i have to finish something in the office. i'll just walk in there, finish it then go home. i don't want to be blamed for not meeting up with the deadline to a client and people at the office are good at pointing fingers and finding faults instead of looking for solutions.

gotta brush my teeth and prepare for work...

unwell

since wednesday evening, it started that i'm going to be sick. i even tried to go to the office yesterday just finish my pending works and deadlines.

now it's getting worse.

i don't know the real reason on why did i get this. this morning, i spitted out a lot of phlegm on which usually smokers have.

but i don't smoke anymore.

perhaps the weather's changing or my cells are regenerating... i don't know. i'll just go back to sleep and wrap myself with blankets and comforter.

..until then.

exploded

shutter speed: 1/2000 sec, aperture: f/13, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

for the whole day, i felt like this... blurted my temper out in every direction. the reason?

don't ask. i'm just human.

which pill?

shutter speed: 1/20 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

"you take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. you take the red pill - you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." - morpheus, matrix (1999)

nah, i'll just savour 'em all... may pa-rabbit rabbit hole ka pang nalalaman.

m&m's, dhs2.5 per small pack. yummy.

misery of miss c

as scheduled, i was there early in the morning to be with the team in preparing the whole setup... stage, seats, banners, posters, and other pointers. we were not the only ones who's busy, the hotel staff too (the fact that there's two functions going to happen at the same time) were crunching the minutes just finish it.

while configuring my camera for the presscon, one of the hotel staff, a filipina approached and engaged a little conversation. let's call her miss c. miss c started the conversation while standing on the coffee table and asked if how long i've been staying here. i told her that i've been here not quite long and returned the question...

"one month only," she said.

"really? so is this is a full time job?"

"no, i've been working here as part-timer while looking for a permanent one," she shrugged.

"i felt homesick na nga eh," she added.

her job was twelve hours straight and not allowed to sit nor loiter while on duty. it reminded me of a sentry... and she's no security guard but a hotel hostess (not the dirty one, ok?). sad thing was she doesn't like the job she's having because it's not her line of profession. she used to work in a hospital as a med tech (dunno the full term, sorry) back home and she earns almost the same as she's in.

the only thing she got this job was because she needed to earn for the expenses she's having.

miss c's disappointed to be here. by the look on her face, i saw the homesickness, misery and desperation to go back home. she was convinced by her aunt to go here and told that there are lot of opportunities to be found.

in fact, her aunt just told the nice things only.

as my hunch were correct, she paid her aunt the expenses like the visa, airfare, accomodation (plus kickbacks) just to get here and find the "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow.

there's no such thing as family in business...

few years ago, i discovered that i got the "same scam" from my so-called aunt. by the time i got here, boom. some people just got lucky, others don't.

readers, if you really want to go here and you know you have the potential to survive the odds, i suggest you research thoroughly.

this is not a discouragement, it's a warning.



addendum: another related post from a fellow pinoy


off-topic: it turn out just right for both worries i'm having yesterday. the backdrop from the presscon was superb and the feedback from my latest client went well. to see my latest work, just visit señor enrique's wish you were here.

oh, thanks señor for the feature also!

to see is to believe?

i was almost on hiatus when i've been trying to finish deadlines. first, the upcoming conference collaterals where poster in lightboxes and backdrop designs were done in a nick of time for printing. i'm not rest assured of this though because the printer haven't delivered the "goods" and i just don't know what will happen for tomorrow morning's press conference.

the printer didn't show the backdrop design i did.

usually, it's a designer's scare if the colors didn't come right or there are typos...waiting to be seen by cameras and press people or worse the client itself with chills through your spine and waiting for the blame pointing at you...

sometimes you can't really be sure until you see it by your own eyes. i have to sleep early to be there... but wait.

i have to finish another deadline and which is my friend from blogosphere. after eating dinner, i constructed, redesigned, tweaked, debugged, manipulated every pixel and code that will fit (and hopefully will like it) to his expectations when he sees it.

will he like the final outcome?

sometimes you can't really be sure until you see it by your own eyes.

now i'm in the shoes of the printer. hope i did the right job the same as the printer does...

how will i sleep with this kind of situation?

the good and bad

tol,

we received the stuff that you sent to us, thanks
kuya is still in deep shit
we're still working on it
ingat

james

it's good that they're grateful for what i have sent to them, big or small. it makes my heart feel happy.

the bad part though was the second line... i've called up mom few days ago before japs arrival and she told me about it. it's good that they've told me this and making me aware of what's happening. she told me that police were looking for him and they have warrant of arrest and i don't really know what's behind it. my eldest brother was in deep shit alright knowing for his notoriety in bending rules.

even the news is bad, they keep it optimistic (as i am also) and we know that he can get away with it legally. few months ago he was acquitted of a estafa case from his former contractor (he's the interior designer/foreman btw) and i believe that he did nothing wrong when it comes to work.

i just hoped that he will be free from continuous bad news he's having and i don't want to visit my brother behind bars this christmas...

two and counting

yep it's official, i've been here for two years already. it's quite short that i didn't feel it but the longer you stay away from home, homesickness is getting stronger...

anyway, let's do the recap for the past year:

november
nikki offered me to squat on her web hosting. not only that, she gave me dubaichronicles.com. thank you so much, pinyot!

december
after the unwanted incident from my last company, i finally found my safe haven for work. uae experienced the first incident of snow. i also celebrated my christmas with my friends instead of not-so-close relatives.

january
the start of "serious photography" with japs. whenever we have time, we go out for photo shoot hunt. at work, it was a test of credebility and skill month.

february
this blog was featured as "pinoy blog of the week" at pinoyblog. work's getting a pain in the neck, confronting differences between colleagues. it was also my first visit to dubai dry docks.

march
things were getting better that time having a new mobile phone, local jamming sessions were frequent, and my first visit to burj al arab meeting with the big personalities.

april
work's getting busy and visited the newly-opened ibn battuta mall.

may
friendster was blocked by the ministry of information that led to a lot of expats' outcry and unblocked few weeks later. a very busy busy busy month at work which held a conference (and experienced a man died during the event). i've crossed the prince of dubai just walking along the sidewalk

june
seen my kid's pic during her first day at school sent by my wife. instead of receiving gifts for my birthday, i gave them by making templates. blog template designing became a hobby.

july
i cursed jose and having nightmares (also here).

august
feasted upon an uncommon ostrich meat, started the gym session, lan party, and news of plane crashes that fuels my phobia.

september
became a witness to a wedding and later became roomies, first ever field work to abu dhabi and do the photoshoot, met former leaders during conferences and got a new toy

october
we're hooked into photography that we took short courses, became a five-minute paparazzi, and got my permission to go home on december for manila.

judging from the happenings occurred, it was a better compared to my first year here staying in dubai. i've also met new friends in real life and thru the internet, improved my skills and i accomplished most of my goals.

hope that my year three will be better than this...

the big white box

while having my coffee break in the afternoon, my cellphone buzzed the "busy tone" and answered... it was japs. he told me that he'll be leaving next day in the morning for manila.

so this is it...

i've been waiting for days to fill up my airfreight cargo box and this would be the perfect timing. it was supposed to send my wife's new phone and the playstation2 console but since japs has less baggage to carry with, we opt to take my box as well.

balikbayan boxes are one of our filipino ofw's trademarks. just like any other pinoys, i packed the stuffs with shirts that has "dubai" on prints, bedsheets, toys, beauty products, kitchen stuffs, and computer parts and accessories. before the ordeal, i made myself a mental note on who's who gonna receive the stuffs. the list includes my immediate family, both sides. it was supposed to be delivered a month ago via sea, then i later decided to ship it via aircargo. since a short delivery, i also included dates (sweets) just to feel that the box came from the mid-east.

instead of paying the shipping service, i paid the same due to japs in which it helps in having more money in his pockets. it's a sudden decision that i weren't able to buy groceries. i realized later on that he has only a 35-kg baggage limit and there are also have the same products back home.

now i can worry no longer from hassles of shipping which i heard news that some stuffs were stolen while on transit. in manila, i called up my friend (which i duped him that i was also coming) and my mom to take the stuffs at the airport. later on, my brother-in-law will pick it up from my mom's place (which is quite near to the airport), then deliver it to my wifey and kids.

people back home thought that i'm coming home this day... i let my white box go first...

...then the surprise will come later on.

sleepless thoughts

i'm almost out for three days on blogosphere due to adventure hangover from eid holidays and unplanned outings. this post is just to keep for the record and to update on what's happening.

regaining lost sleep last saturday, i was able to finish some of gilid jobs and collated photographs. it was also bob's birthday and so i splurged some bucks for his small dinner party. fried mackarel, lechon kawali, pancit, and of course his specialty, menudo was the menu for the evening.

it's back to normal for us yesterday. tons of jobs came... trying to finish as much as possible. after office hours, another birthday was celebrated. tin, brenda's sister, kidnapped us and took to open beach near burj al arab.

while we're there we inspected one of our "properties"... the burj al arab.


now the serious shot...

shutter speed: 8 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 100, focal length: 37mm, manual setting

we camped there till four in the morning and few hours later went to the office. although almost bumping my head to the monitor due to drowsiness, the big b is not around.

also i joined treklens to share my photographs and help my skills to improve. you can check my gallery as well.

after laundry and posting this blog, it's time for me to sleep...

and i crave for it.

journey continues (part iii)

part 3 of 3

we left al jimi park in al ain and headed back to dubai. we dropped the idea of going back to jebel hafeet since we already visited it and it's gonna be waste of petrol on going to the same place again.

it's either we drive to fujairah or hatta.

while on the way things went not well for the late comers. yoyen, had a personal love life trouble and she needed to go back to dubai. we told her to continue the adventure instead of feeling hurt...

we were not able to convince her to be happy in other ways.

and so we're back down to five of us again. the convoy parted ways and we headed for fujairah. while on the road we saw the sign "hatta" once again and it's a 50km distance compared to 120km of fujairah. we took a lot of pictures along the way (gee i have to update my gallery instead of posting it here) and went to hatta.

finally, the destination yesterday was reached. we didn't have much time because it was getting dark but the whole adventure starting yesterday was complete.

almost down and out

shutter speed: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 200, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

we're falling!

shutter speed: 3 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

the grand finale pose of this adventure

shutter speed: 2 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

it was a great holiday blast for us.

journey continues (part ii)

part 2 of 3 ..dang i have to write it again due to the crashed post.

we descended from jebel hafeet and went to the town center to refuel, take some crap and replenish resources. it's our first time visiting al ain and just like any first timers, we usually got lost.

we've been circling around roundabouts and reading keenly on the road signs just to find a petrol pump station. almost out of the town center, we finally found one. once the work has been done, we drove around to look for a place to rest and eat.

then a park came into view in al jimi (hendrix?) district.

the park is relatively small compare to dubai and the entrance fare cost only a dirham each. place's equipped with children's playground, picnic areas, food stalls and a video arcade. we tried rest our butts and eyes here but we got too excited from the adventure we had. while i tried to doze off a bit, they're either chit-chatting or just playing badminton. after an hour of sleep (you call that sleep?!), i took get back my camera battery from the video arcade place. now, everything's charged and ready for action.

moments later bob and friends arrived. we discussed on where to go next. we planned either go back to jebel hafeet, travel to the mountains of fujairah or try once again to hatta.

let batman decide where to go...

no sleep and more play can make jack crazy

shutter speed: 1/15 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

balagtas in action

shutter speed: 1/50 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 48mm, manual setting

team late comers has arrived

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 22mm, manual setting

senti mode

shutter speed: 1/300 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 31mm, manual setting

o hail to the birthday boy!

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

ready for the final destination...

journey continues (part i)

part 1 of 3

this time it was planned and no time restrictions. with less than two hours sleep, the dynamic sisters were already down our flat waiting for us to be ready. destination this time was jebel hafeet in al ain. it was five in morning and we needed to catch the sunrise. the other friends of mine including bob was still asleep. we woke them up and told us to go ahead.

five of us travelled once again.

it took us three hours to drive from dubai to al ain via abu dhabi and we lost the opportunity of sunrise shots. anyway, it's alright since i was able to drive on a smooth flow (kahit na walang lisensya..shh) and let brends take her rest since she has only an hour sleep till yesterday.

jebel hafeet is similar to tagaytay in cavite/batangas or the antipolo overlooking spots where you can see the city of al ain from above. this is one of the highest elevation, in uae.

the road going there is smooth and place itself were clean except on the topmost part of the mountain where walls were vandalized, garbage everywhere and toilets wasted to it's extent. one of kabayans on the site even described the toilet is like a "brown porridge with a stench."

after enjoying the view (and of course taking photos), bob called once again and told us they are on the way. we told him that we're waiting for them at al ain to charge our batteries, rest and to crap (i had bad stomach ache the moment i drank hot choco at the petrol station) since it's gonna be a three-hour journey.

we're overjoyed from the rocks and sands that we see.

shutter speed: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 100, focal length: 39mm, manual setting

rock formations below

shutter speed: 1/800 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

we park, shoot and go

shutter speed: 1/320 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

where's smiggle in the picture?

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/16, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

wannabe mountaineer... almost perfect!

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/8, iso: 100, focal length: 24mm, manual setting

story continues...

almost hatta

i had less than four hours sleep when japs woke me up and told me that a friend of ours was coming and inviting to a road trip. since it's eid holiday, i forcibly woke myself up. after i did the rushed morning rituals without the formalities, we met them twenty minutes later and drove off.

destination... we haven't decided yet.

since we decided for nature-tripping (which we needed a longer drive), we took brunch (breakfast and lunch) at kfc in karama. i remembered one of the photos i've seen in sxc, i suggested that we go to hatta in sultanate of oman.

we got lost along the way where freeways and intersections here are very confusing and wasted fuel and precious hours. we're almost giving up on dubai-al ain road when suddenly we saw "hatta" on the direction posts. without hesitation, we sped off on the right track.

the travel from dubai going to hatta is around 120 kilometers, almost far as dubai to fujairah or abu dhabi. while on the road, city structures and vegetation were getting less.

we're getting far.

then the sand dunes appeared. finally, after two years of being here, i was able to see the fine sand dunes. getting excited for photographs, we're looking for "unperimetered" area where we can walk on god's work of art in the desert. the fence is stretched almost across the highway where we can't get a close shot until when...

an open road. yipeee!!!

where this journey end? am i going to die? why?! WHY??!!!

shutter speed: 1/800 sec, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 100, focal length: 55mm, manual setting

"class picture during field trip"

shutter speed: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/6.7, iso: 100, focal length: 37mm, manual setting

i almost fainted from running to and fro, rolling from top to bottom and swimming in the sands. after getting some pretty nifty and candid shots, we went back to the car and pursue the real objective.

few kilometers later, we saw camels wandering about the streets. an instant excitement we went down again and tried to get a close shot. at first, they're shy but when lisa brought some bread, the harmless ruminant mammals came and mingled (or feasted) with us.


feed the babies with bread and fries

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

up close and personal

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 100, focal length: 24mm, manual setting

we crossed the sultanate of oman borders already when we're running short of time. tin, brenda's sis have work and we have to be back in dubai at four. it's almost three in the afternoon and we have no choice but to take the u-turn back to dubai. japs and i took some shots of mountains and other that have interesting views and decided to head back.

the adventure was supposed to be two thumbs up... 20km short of the complete package.

still, we had fun. what's next for tomorrow? we're still thinking about it.

eid mubarak

find out more on wikipedia.

at last, i'm going to savor the three-day long vacation spree of photography, gilid, newly-addicted quake iii on the net and sleep.

ta-ta for now.