this is what I call a brilliant idea

One thing I really like about direk mJ Juco is her brilliant ideas!

She thought of naming my photos of their house: SOMETHING EERIE!!
and uploaded them in The Heirloom, Manila's multiply site...

You'll see why....

click on the photo above or go to
http://theheirloommanila.multiply.com/

roaming around the metro - lomo shots

Had another roll of film processed this week...
Just played around and took shots when I was roaming around...

Even Lasalistas take the LRT

Finally had a successful roll of Supersampler shots! Yehey!
though I was so cautious with it that I took 4 shots on the same spot haha
As Manny says: "Now I know!" hahaha
Still have 2 finished rolls of film at home, hope I get better 4-shots there.

To view more of the albums just click on the photos above
or go to http://lomoismypastime.multiply.com/

can i call myself a hobbyist now that i had a lomoshoot?

Ever since mJ invited me to drop by their house during Joy's pre-nup shoot scheduled for October 25, I was more than eager to tinker with my Holga and take lomo shots of the Heirloom! Unfortunately, Joy was caught up with her marriage encounter seminar and had to reschedule - too bad! would have loved to take shots of the corpse bride! hahahaha
Nevertheless mJ still invited us - me and my sis Kisan - over to spend a blistering Sunday experimenting with our lomo cameras...

Armed with my big green bag - lugged along my laptop for free wifi haha - we arrived later than the agreed upon time! Well I did promise that I'd be there by 1pm but we came a half hour later after dropping by Trinoma to buy some snacks for the Juco Family. Took out our digicam first and took some photos outside their house while waiting for the big gate to open...

After a few minutes of setting the laptop and fixing our gadgets, we set to work outside. We had to take advantage of the sunlight since my sister's lomo cameras don't have flash and it's really a limitation of these toy cameras...

We spent around 2 hours outside roaming their house, mJ's mom, Tita Paz was questioning our sanity I guess coz we didn't have caps or umbrellas with us while we were taking shots haha... mJ's dad, Tito Alex, on the other hand gamely described his babies - his plants! Hope my sister learned from him too since Tito Alex admits to being a landscape artist - my sis works in an architectural firm so they kinda talked business a few minutes there which I kinda droned out haha...

After 4 hours I guess, and a short snack courtesy of Tita Paz, and at least 4 rolls of finished films (at least from my cam) we headed home down south (thanks to mJ's sis Marge and Martha for the ride)....

Once home I never felt more tired and satisfied to have a full afternoon

Thanks to mJ and her family... and to the inanimate The Heirloom Manila for letting us play professional photographers for a Sunday afternoon...


So, where to next?

*****

To view "behind the scenes photos" click on the photo below

*****


Here are the links to the photo albums taken during our lomo shoot
last October 25 @ The Heirloom, Manila

Cameras used: Holga Starter Kit (that's me... I mean... mine!), a Supersampler
and a Baby Holga (that's my sister's)

Photos taken using a Baby Holga camera and a 110 mm film

The next set of photos were taken using the Holga with 120mm films (Fuji Pro 400H, Superia, and Provia 100F)

Rusty looking photos

Expected to be my fave of all the albums because the shots turned out GREEN!

Is there someone up there?! Spooky!

One limitation of my holga is that even if it has its own flash it really needs more light esp indoors!
Unfortunately it doesn't have a hotshoe for me to attach a bigger flash.
Oh well... I just pray that my indoor shots turn out clear at least...

Now here are 4 shots of the same spot taken
using my Supersampler and 35mm film.

Now here are my least fave albums
so let's all call them my experimental trial-and-error shots haha

Shots taken outside mostly using my fisheye lens - Dory! hehe

Still don't get the hang of using and rewinding 35mm film used in my Holga so I ended up editing these photos using Photoshop of course!

to view the photo albums just click on any of the photos above or go to http://lomoismypastime.multiply.com/

*****



"THE HEIRLOOM, MANILA"Visit the Official Website: http://theheirloommanila.multiply.com/

that planet earth turns slowly...

Finally I learned the song's title!
The lines have been playing in my head for the past days...

Lyrics | Owl City lyrics - Fireflies lyrics

few of my favorite lomo shots

1. man and nature, 2. Twin towers in Alabang, 3. tutors and tutees, 4. sun peeping, 5. is it dawn?, 6. lonetree, 7. no traffic, 8. lazy game, 9. sun through trees, 10. not alone, 11. strolling at night, 12. traffic, 13. four heads put together14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

a recent day off enjoying spring awakening

I would like to thank lady luck since I was scrambling for tickets for the last shows of Spring Awakening last weekend and was still able to get tickets for the show! Whew!
And to think I was contacting the ticket seller only last Friday! asking for tickets for the Sunday 3pm show! Goodness! I was just waiting word from my barkada when they're free to go and watch the play...Unfortunately some made earlier plans already and can't make a last minute reschedule and head off to Makati... so I ended up spending my day off with mJ (that's how I'd want to call my Sundays - a day off haha)

When we finally met up after a confusing text exchange - I texted G5 and meant glorietta 5 while mJ thought I was referring to Greenbelt 5! - rode a taxi and traveled the not-so-congested-Ayala on to RCBC Tower... We were dragging our feet and looking for some shop to buy something for Sitti but ended up with nothing and thought what the heck our presence would be enough! wouldn't it?! wahahaha

At the theater lobby after claiming the tickets, I kept on telling myself that I hope I'd understand the musical - I know the musical is in English - I know the story - well not really! maybe just the basic plot and all that - so at least that can help me along haha but what would make it more of a challenge for me is listening to the songs! You know me I fail at such things...

And after watching it...
Yup! It was good! I loved how Duncan Sheik created his songs - fusing the modern with the conservative - listening to modern lyrics and music (totally f*cked!) with the traditional behavior, naivete, and misconceptions! (come on is that how you get a baby?!)

Forgive me though as usual I didn't get all the characters' names...at least I knew who the leads were and despite actors having multiple characters I was still able to follow along - I'm not that dense! haha

with mJ, Sitti, Kelly Lati, Yanah Laurel

And the songs! Nice! Really nice!... And dont' even ask for the titles... Haha
After the show, when we caught up with Sitti and congratulated her for a job well done!
Had to ask her about the songs and I had to give some lyrics to guess the songs...
But all I got were:
I'm gonna bruise you...
I believe...
It's a bitch of a living...
We all got our junk and my junk is you...
Sitti was more than glad to help us figure it out!

Sitti's character Martha's duet with Ilsa

The Dark I Know Well - Spring Awakening

with Sitti, Nicco Manalo and mJ

Unfortunately for us we were on a tight budget and it was the (2nd to the last) show so we can't watch the play again... unless they do a re-run! Wohoo!

Enjoyed myself immensely! (and that does not include my double dessert of DQ Blizzard and Starbucks frap afterwards haha)

Kudos to the cast and crew of Spring Awakening!

To see more after-show photos click here

To see more upcoming shows go to www.Atlantisproductionsinc.com

lomo shots using expired films

I don't know whether this batch of lomo shots turned out this way because of the low batteries - I had to remove the dead batteries for the last few shots and rely on Father Sun! -
or because of the film I used - expired 120mm films ProviaF and Velvia 100F...
but needless to say these are still experimental lomo shots...

and after a few rolls of film I still don't know what to expect from my photos haha

Pinching the nose of a giant bug

Tutors and Tutees

nice to see the sun shining

Can you guess where this leads?



to view more from this latest batch of lomo shots click here

another first...a bridal shower surprise party!

And before you continue reading let me just clarify 2 things:
1. the bridal shower was NOT for me! haha
2. viewer discretion (of photos) is advised!



It's another first for me - first time for me to prepare and attend a bridal shower though it's not the first time for me to prepare a surprise party (incidentally for the same person haha)

master mind mJ

With the collaboration of naughty girls, mJ and Katek, we were able to pull-off a surprise pre-marital shower party for Joy!

Almost a month's preparation and rescheduling (thanks to Ondoy and Pepeng) and an almost-spoiled-surprise came to a climax last October 10, 2009 at The Heirloom Manila's basement (take note the venue had artifacts that made a few of the participants queasy for having a bridal shower in that place to say the least haha).

Thanks to the great acting of Joy's fiancee Joseph and maybe more thanks to Joy's deliriousness and out-of-focus stressed-out-self that we were able to surprise her that night... we had naughty gifts, naughtier games and had a riot with the couples' answer in the "nearly newlywed game",
we had the usual booze and pica-pica food and cute hotdog in peacock toothpicks! aside from the unmentionable edible stuff on hand haha!


and what made the night more fun and memorable for Joy was when we surprised her by bringing out..

the special macho dancer - JOMAR!

TADAAAA! It's a girl...no it's a boy in a girl?!

Congrats to the soon-to-be-married
Joy and Joseph!
and
here's wishing you guys GOOD LUCK!
HAHA

Threesome, Inc. - mJ, Joy & me
(with ghost partner Katek)

wonder what's the next project for Threesome, Inc...*wink*