I weighed myself at Cebu Pacific Cargo one night only to find out that I am 10 kilograms lighter as compared to my previous weight of November last year. It's probably the initial result of the walking habit that I started this year. Unfortunately, I get so busy that I stop walking since I would go home late. I had to drive a car instead of walking. Lack of sleep and irregular eating habits are known to cause undesired weights. I hope those two irregularities won't cause me to regain those unwanted pounds.

My wife's Valentines gift for me is a second hand Sony Ericsson K750i that she bought from St. Francis Square. Getting this model of phone is a desire fulfilled. I simply don't need a high-end and the latest model. I would just like to reclaim my phone of the same model which was stolen more than a year ago. Other than the 2.0 megapixel camera I am after of, I also enjoyed Bluetooth and Infrared features present in this phone that I utilized much in transferring or moving files between phone, PDA, and laptop . Later phone model rid out Infrared ports which is one of my requirement in a phone.

My wife is the most understanding woman I've ever known. I wasn't able to send her flowers during Valentine's Day celebration but she was never upset or dissapointed. She assured me that everything's okay with her. She understood my work overload puts me into too much pressure and she wouldn't want me to suffer with a guilty conscience.

Actually, not buying her a flower is unintentional. I was planning to go out from work at 5pm so I may have enough time to buy flowers and chocolates for her. But what happened is that I was stucked with my work until 9pm and flowers and chocolates were already impossible to find by the time I had to leave from work. I know it would be sad for most women not receiving flowers and chocolates from their loved ones, and I worried so much for my wife. Guilt-stricken, I tried to explain but she stopped me saying everything's okay. And she handed me a second hand Sony Ericsson K750i that I was planning to buy a few months back to replace the first one that I have lost.

Twitter account suspended. A few weeks back, I couldn't login to my Twitter account, it said that my account is suspended due to strange activity. I didn't remember any abuse that I do. I was only using twitterfeeds and twittercounter to maximize Twitter's potential, and I never thought such acts would have violated the terms and conditions.

After three days, I noticed that my Twitter feeds still kept on updating. I tried to log again and by that time, I was already able to access my account. Was it a sick joke? I really am clueless as to what went wrong before.

Today, I was driving around the metro. At noon time, I was seeing blue skies which is a sign that summer is getting nearer. The photo above taken using my phonecam obviously shows it. Can you guess where it is?

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1. A new UMPC so I won't be carrying my heavy laptop all around when what I'd like to do is only to check emails.
2. A Globe broadband visibility kit or a Sun broadband so I can do Internet at home.
3. A Flickr gift.
4. Tungsten E2 to replace my worn and battered Palm Pilot (which also happens to be a birthday present a few years back)
5. A brand new and original casing for my segunda mano Sony Ericsson K750i bought by my wife for me as her Valentines' Day present.
6. A 700C road bike so I can exercise and go places at the same time.
7. Replacement batteries for my Canon Digital Rebel. Two battery packs had already been unusable after three years of continued use.
8. Canon Speedlight (also listed in my wedding gifts wish list).
9. Cash gift (often times, we are receiving such. Keep it coming!)
10. Eng Bee Tin food delights.
11. A food trip with my wife to Ma Mon Luk before my birthday.
12. A new employment opportunity.
13. Better business opportunities for my wife.
14. To continue losing weight.
15. Long lives for me and my wife to enjoy in this physical world.

In no particular order, I'd like to tag Ate Nance, Angelo, Dennis Villegas, Cantilangnon, Carlotta, Darlene, Germs, acey, Soshana, and Malou.

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TypePad Connect

This photo was taken by my then would-be-wife Jovy prior to our wedding last December. She was using Sony Ericsson T280i to capture the scene. Another photo is here (hover your mouse over the link to see the photo).

On a personal note, I just don't have much times blogging maybe until the end of this month. I'm just too busy fixing messed up records caused by an errant co-employee who was just terminated for such cause (this is just an incident you can never blog about). Unfortunately, I still have lots of posts queued in my draft box. My North Cotabato Adventure series will be left unfinished for the moment. I hate to say I'll be on temporary hiatus. While I am literally in front of my computer, you cannot just get online while offline work is piling up high to the sky. Friends, I hope to get back very soon.

I was taking a break for weeklong work when I happened to come across a beautiful photography subject while browsing through Flickr :) Do you agree with me?

These photos were originally posted here.

Being the current flagship product of the PowerShot line, the G10 still has that handy physique just slightly bigger than an Ixus camera. It may not be similarly slim, but not as thick as how other digital SLRs came to be.

In terms of design, the G10 sports an old-school look. It would remind you of the SLR cameras of the 70s. But the G10 has an all-black color, with a partial leather grip on the front-right portion.

The thickness of the G10 is enough to sport a hotshoe, the mode and ISO dials, and the Exposure compensation dial all at the top side of the camera.

There’s a speaker located at the right side underneath the strap mount. On the opposite side is where the USB and A/V terminals are place.

All the labels and symbols seem to be distinguishable enough which is ideal for first timers. The same goes for the 3.0-inch, Pure Color LCD II screen, making letters more bigger for easy reading.

Beside this is the jog dial (the round jagged-edged ring surrounding the function/set button), which lets users access the various functions of each shooting mode without pressing any buttons. During playback mode, it acts similarly to the directional button.

Not to miss out is the 5x wide-angle, 28mm equivalent lens with Optical Image Stabilized lens. With the help of the new Digic 4 image processor (Canon’s propreitary technology), images are created more sharper.

With both features, the G10 lets you save photos in RAW image format. But this will surely eat up a lot of space. All you need is a SD card and you’re ready to shoot away.

As a PowerShot, it has the Face Detection feature also available in many Canon digital cameras. In the case of the G10, the Face Detection Self Timer will automatically take another shot after two seconds once a new face is added in the scene.

The camera enables users to create and save two custom mode settings. With this feature, users won’t have to set the camera everytime just for a specific mood or scene.

For professional photographers, the G10 is as good as a digital SLR.

Users can choose from an ISO sensitivity between 80 to 1600, set your preferred exposure settings, use a separate Canon Speedlight flash (sold separately), or add a Teleconverter lens.

From the camera, it is possible to print photos directly to a printer that it PictBridge compatibile. With the ability to take videos also, the built-in speaker is a plus and is quite enough to listen to whatever audio it has recorded.

Although we have to admit that the PowerShot G10 cannot fully replace a digital SLR. But for those who see a 14.7-Megapixels compact camera enough for their budget and need, it’s definitely not a bad choice. Afterall, having the best of both worlds (in terms of SLR and point-and-shoot features) was made possible here.

http://www.mb.com.ph/TECH20090210147798.html

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Tip 1: Read your camera manual, then read it again. Keep it with the camera and learn all of your camera's features. The more familiar you become with what your camera will do the more you will be a photographer and not just a picture taker. The more your camera automatically becomes an extension of your eyes and fingers, the more you can concentrate on your photo before you take it.

Tip 2: The Rule of Thirds. Divide the image in your viewfinder into three sections with 2 imaginary horizontal and 2 imaginary vertical lines. Place your subject near one of the intersections of those lines.
Placing your subject off-center creates an interesting, dynamic image that makes the photo more interesting.

Tip 3: Find fresh angles to take your photograph from. Change your viewpoint or the angle of view, don't be afraid to shoot from a low angle especially when photographing pets. Several years ago a single use camera manufacturer gave a camera to each of a group of younger children, the resulting pictures changed the way we look at camera angles to take photographs. When you change your camera angle be sure to get horizons horizontal. Be conscious of getting Images Straight and be sure to fill your picture frame.

Tip 4: Create active space - When photographing any object that is moving or would require space if it moved. leave space for the move. If you photographed your pet and placed the nose on the edge of the photo and left space behind, the photo would look very uncomfortable. Leave room in front and put the back close to the edge of the photo to create active space.

Tip 5: Getting backgrounds right and framing your shots. Use a dark background for taking a picture of a light object, or, alternatively, a light background for a picture of a dark object.

Caution: Absolutely light backgrounds cause flare effect that lead to reducing the overall contrast of a picture. The use of an object to frame your photo can greatly reduce this effect. For example you can use a tree limb over the top part of your photo when you take scenic photos to help improve the composition and reduce the glare.

Tip 6: Center of Interest. Try and keep only one center of interest having too many interest points in a photo is distracting causing the viewer to lose focus and interest. Use Tip 2 to place the center of interest in the proper place. When you shoot people portraits keep the subjects eyes around the top 1/3rd grid line.
Always use less distraction. Sometimes your mind tends to exaggerate what you see through the viewfinder of your camera. Very often things are perceived bigger than they actually are. What you end up with is a photograph with huge areas of wasted space around the edge and people with things growing out of their heads.

Tip 7: Editing: Before you show anyone all those holiday photos you took, edit your work. Take out all the doubles, all the duds, the ones that are out of focus and generally the ones you think are crap. Only show people the good stuff and your perception as a photographer immediately increases. Pro's often shoot a load of junk like anyone else, they just don't show it to anybody.

Author Bio
Carm, a retired photo lab owner, believing photography to be one of the best hobbies we can take up because it is a never ending source of pleasure in the photos we take and there is always something we can learn as long as we want to take photos. To read about hobbies and hobby ideas especially as a source of retirement activity come on over and visit www.boredbabyboomer.com

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"The church facade of Dingras will be demolished and replaced by a fake"

Heritage Alert

Another ancient structure in Ilocos Norte set for demolition
by Augusto F. Villalon - Philippine Daily Inquirer / Feb. 9, 2009

Only the façade survives of the ruined church of Dingras in Ilocos Norte. A shed was constructed within the ruined walls behind the surviving façade to serve as today’s church.

But even the original façade is now to be demolished to give way to construction of a new church that will reconstruct a replacement of the demolished façade rather than conserve the original.

National-heritage organizations, the International Council for Monuments and Sites (Icomos) Philippines and the Heritage Conservation Society have been informed of the development. Architect Manual Maximo Lopez del Castillo-Noche, a faculty member of the College of Architecture at UST, HCS director and member of Icomos Philippines, gives his assessment:

“Alarms have once again been sounded for threatened historic structures in the country. More alarming is that the threats happen almost simultaneously in the same province, Ilocos Norte.

“First is the planned demolition of Laoag Central High School, a perfectly usable intact and beautiful example of 1920s education architecture, to make way for a mall. Second is the proposed demolition of the centuries-old façade of the Church of San Jose de Dingras to be replaced by what would most likely be poor replica of the former.

Picturesque

“A brief background of the church of Dingras: It is one of the most picturesque facades in the country, not entirely due to its Baroque grandeur, but because of its perfectly beautiful proportions, the patina of the ancient bricks and, more importantly, its enduring and eternal visage of a ruin.

“The church of Dingras, like churches in most colonial towns in the country, experienced numerous re-buildings during its course in history. Like similar structures in Ilocos, it has conflicting historic information.

“An earlier structure, presumably made of light materials, was built before 1620, damaged during the earthquake of Nov. 11 of the same year. A conflicting report by Capitan Don Lucas Mariano de Ochoa in 1710 mentioned that the church of Dingras was constructed by Fray Alonso Cortes, OSA, 30 years ago, c. 1978-1680, and by the year of Ochoa’s writing, 1710, only the brick walls remained.

“Noted Church historian Regalado Trota-Jose mentioned a brick church being built in the late 1670s, collapsing in the earthquake in 1707. It is presumed this solid structure was the second church of Dingras. This structure may have been undergone rebuilding but it was subsequently consumed, together with the entire town, by fire in 1838.

“Fr. Pedro Galende, OSA, mentions that in 1879, Fray Damask Vieytez, OSA, built the present church, which was described as huge and massive. But Trota Jose corrects this by stating the church was built sometime during the priorship of Fray Vieytez from 1846 to 1854, the year the builder died.

“The church once again underwent renovation – the roof was fixed and replaced with metal sheets – during the incumbencies of Fray Ricardo Diaz, OSA, (1879-1893) and Fray Fidel Franco, OSA, (1894-1898), whom Galende identifies as Saturnino Franco.

Destroyed by elements

“Fire and earthquake destroyed the church in 1914 and 1931, respectively, which made the structure unsafe and subsequently abandoned. A smaller concrete structure was built on the plaza across the street, which served as the house of worship. The ruins of the old church remained standing throughout this time, becoming a beautiful and nostalgic setting for pictorials and concerts.

“In the past decade the church was reopened, and masses have again been conducted inside the old church, which has been retrofitted with a gym-like structure.

“The architecture of Dingras is significant not only in Philippine architectural history, but more important, in Ilocos architecture, for together with the facades of the churches of San Nicolas, Piddig, and the original pre-1984 facades of Sarrat and Vintar, Dingras follows the manner and the character of the Vignola masterpiece of the Church of Il Gesu in Rome.

”Sadly, with the proposed demolition of the façade, gone would be this fine architectural example, leaving the Church of San Nicolas as the only remnant to this once popular style.

Still massively strong

“Why demolish this ancient brick façade? It appears the ruin is precariously leaning on the new gym-like shed built by the parish during the early parts of this century. After withstanding buffeting typhoons, earthquakes, wars, pollution and other elements, the original façade, though showing its age, is still massively strong. Proper methods of conservation and shoring would allow it to continue serving the populace of Dingras, encouraging them to appreciate and understand the meaning of continuity by preserving the past and ensuring its eternal place in the sun.

“Other leaning facades have been shored up and made safe for people to appreciate, gaze at and wonder. Macau’s world-renowned ruins of the Jesuit Church of Saint Paul is a prime example of how a façade could be shored up, strengthened and saved for generations to come.

“What has done in Macau can be done in Dingras, Economically speaking, it may even be more prudent to just build a retaining inner wall rather than tear down a heavy masonry-worked façade and rebuild it in an attempt to follow the same lines and specifications of the original. Artistically and technically speaking, the methods, know-how and artistry of today sadly fare poorly to the craftsmanship of the 19th century.

“Finally, do the people of Dingras understand the repercussions of losing a vital piece of their heritage once the original façade is replaced with a replica? A replica can never replace the original. The original and the authentic are where historic value exists, not in replicas that are considered ‘fakes.’

“One wonders why this project is even being considered. True, the need to shore up the façade is pressing. Security and safety are paramount concerns of the parish to anyone visiting this shrine of faith.

“But do national and local agencies know the proposed demolition of this historic façade? If they do, have they suggested alternative processes or rehabilitation instead of demolition of a vital monument?

“The Church of San Jose de Dingras may not have played significantly in the Philippine history, but regardless, one should remember that time is the greatest arbiter of history. And with time, the lasting appeal of ancient architecture, ruined as it may be, become’s significantly eternal.”

**AUGUSTO F. VILLALON is one of the country’s leading experts on heritage conservation. Aside from being the principal architect of A. Villalon Associates, he has served as technical advisor for UNESCO and UNIDO. He is a member of the Committee on Monuments and Sites of the NCCA and the Philippine World Heritage Committee secretariat. He is also a columnist for Philippine Daily Inquirer. He can be contacted at pride.place@gmail.com.

Related read:
Joint Statement of the Heritage Conservation Society and ICOMOS Philippines on the Dingras Church
Save the Laoag Central Elementary School!

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The layout being done by the country's top graphic artist Joel Natividad for tarpaulin, brochure, and other publication purposes.

For online exposure and media reach, our company maintains a website that can be accessed at this URL: www.ilhwa.com.ph.

You may also want to view the photos above through my Picasa Web Gallery. Please click the thumbnail below.

Il Hwa Philipppines Product Photos

Our SM Megamall Shop

The other night, I had to bring our company car to my wife's house since I worked overtime and it was getting too late that walking to my wife's house may no longer that safe. From our office, I drove to Shaw Blvd. Extension going to C-5. Just when I was about to enter C-5, I noticed that the traffic is getting slower. It was already 10:00 in the evening but the traffic build up was getting heavier especially on top of the bridge crossing Pasig River. I understand the traffic congestion is due to the construction of another elevated U-turn just before reaching the intersection between C-5 and Buting. In fact, there was only one lane available for every vehicle to pass just below the construction site. It took me a while before I could cross the said construction site.

When I arrived at the elevated U-turn going to Pateros, traffic was deadlocked. It was because vehicles turning right to Pateros were blocked with vehicles going the straight direction - of which, again, hindered by the construction of the elevated U-turn. For those who are clueless, northbound and southbound traffic are presently hindered by the elevated U-turn construction. So, what happened then is that we vehicles behind couldn't move forward.

Anyhow, after long time of waiting, we gradually moved a worm pace. To cut this story short, I still arrived well and safe to my wife's house. Total commuting time for the 4 kilometer distance was 23 minutes. Whereas, if I'd walk in the evening, it would only take 36 minutes. Well, not really bad since I still arrived 13 minutes ahead than when I walked. But come to think it would only take me nine minutes to drive from my wife's house to our office during normal traffic condition. Now, let's see how did I fare the following morning.

41 Minutes Walking, 43 Minutes Driving

In the morning going back to our office, traffic was already getting heavier even when it was just barely past 7:00 in the morning. When I was already in C-5, traffic flow hardly moved. Past the pesky construction site, I regained speed. But at the U-turn slot of Pasig Blvd. going to Shaw Blvd. Extension, again the traffic didn't move at all. I was stucked there most of my travel time. When I finally arrived to our office, I checked my watch and realized I was two minutes late than when I walked. My travel time in driving was 43 minutes! Imagine that had I walk, it would only take me 41 minutes to arrive to my destination.

For the record, I'd only walked from house to office in the morning for 41 minutes. In the evening, it would only take me 36 minutes to do it since I'd walk faster in the evening than in the morning.

Here are photos taken using my Asus VGA phonecam.

Credit Card Fiasco

This story is not related to this blog entry but I would just like to tell about my credit card plight last night. I was paying for the printing of my North Cotabato adventure photos in Fuji in SM Megamall. When the sales clerk swiped my card, the swiping machine indicated a "Please call" message. The sales clerk asked for my other card that I casually obliged yet the same message occured. The amount to be paid is P5,163.00 and I usually don't carry such amount in my wallet. I was queing at the till and the customers behind me started to get annoyed. The mall was about to close. I didn't have any other choice other than to step aside to give way to other customers. I didn't have any other choice but to call the credit card company. Yet, there was only one phone available at the till and it's also being used for credit card transaction. I had to wait until the last customer is done. It's good the remaining customers were paying in cash so I could use the phone. It took me awhile contacting the credit card company. When somebody answered on the other line, I asked for explanation and I was told my cards were put on hold because of the domain and hosting transaction that was done over the web. I remember in the middle of January, I used my credit cards to pay for the renewal of the domain name and hosting subscriptions for Starland International School and True World Travel and Tours. Since the online transactions were done on separate occassions, I didn't know which of my credit card were used for such transactions. I was told by the credit card phone agent that the hold or blocking of my credit card was to prevent any fraudulent transactions. I wanted to be pissed off but had to keep my cool. The phone agent told me that the they would lift the barring of my credit card since my call verified that I still had my credit card with me. They would just have to contact first another department responsible for it. I was put on hold and it was another long wait.

The mall was already closing and the only shop still open because of me is Fuji Film. Had the employees didn't know me, they probably must have already been upset. Since I'm a regular customer, they exercise patience in waiting for me. Not only that, my photographers ID that grant me 30% discount of their products and services is still being honored despite of the fact that it already expired last January 29.

It was getting late and when the the credit card company phone agent get back to me, I was told they couldn't contact the department that would lift the barring of my credit card. I was wondering how would I pay for my transaction.

My wife whom I was supposed to meet for dinner already came. She just closed her shop located at the upper ground floor, just a minute walk away from Fuji Film. She arrived for my rescue. She had her credit card swiped for my transaction. Viola, problem solved!

This incident reminded of my blog friend's predicament while in foreign land (http://abaniko.blogspot.com /2008/10/citibank-credit-card-woes.html).

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Balindog is another barangay situated in Kidapawan City. This is the place where Jovy's sister and her husband presently lived. While I was baptized in Matalam, their second daughter was also christened in the church in Kidapawan. What followed next is a double celebration for my christianization as well as Jovy's niece Zoe.

In the province, it is very exciting to have this kind of celebration where food and drinks are limitless. You don't need to worry for the budget as there is always somebody willing to foot the bill. Jovy and I didn't shed a single centavo from our pocket but a lechon and cases of beer kept on coming. The reception was simply wonderful. I joined with the boys so my then would-be-wife Jovy took hold of the camera and started taking photos.

Please click the TiltViewer image below or click the Flickr link provided below to see those photos taken by Jovy. Links will open up in a new window.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jovywacay/tags/balindog/

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