Category Archives: Photoblog

The Niche I Try to Avoid

A lil portrait photography back on the blogspot days, I had no idea how to do post-processing then

When the burst of Photography fad came in, I could almost always see a person carrying a DSLR around their neck wherver I go. Be it the mall, the streets, public transportation, parks, homes, and even in the church, PEOPLE have them.

Apart from the physical aspect of photography being a more visible hobby, I started seeing posts online saying “Having a DSLR doesn’t make you a photographer, it makes you a DSLR owner.” Well at a certain level yes and no. But for that argument, I’ll save it for later. Continue reading

Skechers Shape Ups Review

When I first saw these in Ayala Active Zone, I laughed at it thinking of those funky platform shoes that they had back then. This was supposed to be a feeble attempt to increase my height.

The thing is, the reason for buying it was not for my need to increase height but it was because it’s extremely comfortable! I love walking around with it. You see that thing in it’s base? It’s really soft.

They have all these claims about losing weight and giving you a better structure. I have to say the design of the shoes does make slouching Continue reading

Photoblogger’s 2010 Highlights and Year Ender Post

Many things have come to pass this year 2010. I always imagined myself accomplishing big things before I get past my 19th year in life. I then realized that you just can’t have all what you desire, but all that you will need will come when the time is right.

Despite not having done something huge like “saving the world” or doing something extraordinarily big, I still think this has been a fruitful year. I did always say that big changes start with the little ones we do every day. Then again I can say what I have experienced throughout the year has been something quite big.

My year 2010 started with a promise that I will try to make big changes in my life. I lived by the idea that every day of year 2010 is a new day of the new year. Idea taken from this post: The only time the year 2010 becomes an “old year” is when we pass it and move on to the new year which is 2011. So knowing each day of the year 2010 was a new day of the new year, I basically had 365 days or better yet, 365 chances to change. This year, I am proud to say that I’ve at least taken more than 100 of those chances to good use. This indeed has been a productive year.

So like any year ender post I’m gonna take a walk through 2010 Memory Lane:

(CLICK ON THE TITLES TO BE REDIRECTED TO THE POST)

  1. Sinulog 2010 Grand Mardi Gras– ahhhh, what a wonderful experience that was. the whole Sinulog week was filled with adventures and I believe I have much to do on the next year for Sinulog. I guess experience is a great teacher after all.
  2. Once Upon a Time in Cebu-when the manila bloggers were here Doyzkie volunteered to bring them around, it was a fun way to rediscover Cebu from afternoon until pass midnight. I was still using fastone resizer so pardon the really grainy or cramped pics.
  3. Canon 7D, you shall be mine- I made this post in the hopes of getting a Canon 7D. Just a few months from the release date I was already raving about this beauty. December 4, 2010. She became mine.
  4. Red Ribbon Chocolate Heaven – Finally after more than a year of blogging I get to taste the fruits of my labor, or rather, the cake of my labor. Thanks to Achi Meyan for giving me this delicious cake. It’s my first cake freebie ever. Within the year of 2010 I got two more cakes: the Chocolate Fudge cake and Chocolate Mango Mousse (my favorite among the three). Thank you red Ribbon! You’ve been a part of my childhood and a big part of my year 2010.
  5. The Day I got a Google Adsense Pin – being a blogger is hard… well, sometimes, but all that hard work feels good when you get paid. The day I got my adsense PIN was the day I realized that all my efforts will finally turn into delicious cash. I waited for almost a year for this thing.
  6. Cakewalker’s Café: My first Love – this café was my first love ever. Ever since then I turned it into my working zone. I didn’t care if I had to spend 7php just to get there from school or office, the place allowed me to zone in. Drinks were not too pricey and they have great cakes (which I never tried).
  7. Music 21 with the Nyoks –over the summer I had my first EVER chance to travel outside… ALONE. Yep, I flew to manila and then back to Cebu ALL BY MYSELF. Hehe. I have the whole experience written somewhere. Hehe. Karaoke was fun! Sayang billycoy didn’t join us.
  8. Mang Inasal with the Nyoks – this time Billycoy was with us. I was introduced to the world of “Chicken Oil”. Fortunately I never became addicted to it. If you go through the photos you’ll see that it seems like we were attending a seminar
  9. CEBU BLOG CAMP 2010 – one of my MAJOR MAJOR highlights for the year. It was definitely one of the biggest things I ever did in my life. Thanks to my best friend THE Batang Yagit himself, for partnering with me in making this possible. Watch out for Cebu Blog Camp 2011!!!
  10. AICA Cooking School – me and a couple of bloggers won the opportunity to have a cooking party in the Academy for International Culinary Arts. I have to say it’s one of the best cooking schools I’ve seen in Cebu. Great place, great chefs, great food, and great company. One of my most memorable food blog events It was also the first and only event so far that mom got to go with me in.
  11. White Collared Kingfisher – this one gets my award for the best bird-that-crashed-into-my-house-photo of the year.
  12. Igotann Cave in Talisay – this one wins the best Spontaneous travel award. Thanks to the peeps in CNU for dragging me into this dark and dangerous cave.
  13. Cofifi Café: my second love – Okay call me a traitor and a two-timer, but I fell in love with this Coffee shop which is about 8 minutes away from my school (if I walk… erm, galloped) The place still is my favorite coffee shop. I just need a stronger laptop battery though. T__T they don’t allow charging.
  14. Pagbabago – this was supposed to be a contest entry but it showed just how much change came into my life.
  15. Twenty years of Life – it was this year that I turned 20. A simple day yet full of fun experiences.
  16. Tale of a Pageant Part 1 and Part 2 – now this is a story to tell. Who would’ve thought I would actually place in a pageant? lol. Every person who heard about it was schocked or surprised or probably thought I wouldn’t make it out alive. It was also on the Talent Night that I got Artemis
  17. Photoblogger Works in Crocolandia – and I finally got to work in a zoo
  18. Christmas 2010 – your story of love, family and a whole new you.

And that’s 18 highlights for the year 2010. Whew, it was really fun reading all those posts again. It made me realize that it was indeed a fruitful year. Next year will once again be full of “Firsts”.

So to everyone out there, let’s bid a healthy farewell to the beautiful year 2010 and let’s cross our fingers for the Year 2011.

Oh and to everyone wondering, that picture is a shot of the Wagyu Burger, it won my best meal for 2010. yes yes, the diet is starting to hit me real bad.

P.S. I finished writing this post on the first hour of the last day of 2010. Oh I also did this post in my sisters’ room because they’re not here and the wifi signal here is pretty good.

Photoblogger’s Most Bloggable Event for 2010

Family Picture :D

This year’s most bloggable event has to be Christmas 2010.

When I was a kid I used to think Christmas was all about having a perfect day. That perfect day would start with a perfect family all complete. Then the perfect family would have no problems at all. And like any kid, a Christmas day would feel incomplete without the gifts from the relatives, ninongs and ninangs. The Christmas day with the most gifts or the best gifts would have to be the best Christmas day.

But as I grew older I have learned to let go of the fairy tale of a perfect family on a perfect day with a good number of perfect gifts. The past Christmases right after I turned 13 my Christmases grew worse. I didn’t have the perfect family. I got lesser and lesser gifts. I always felt empty and lonely on the day itself and greeting “Merry Christmas” became a requirement rather than a cheer.

This Christmas 2010 things changed for me. I received a series of blessings (all non-material) and I felt the spirit in me. I then realized that Christmas 2010 is not about us. It is actually about everyone around us. Christmas 2010 is Jesus’ birthday. The blessings that go with it are his “give-aways”. I can’t express how much Christmas 2010 means to me so I might as well put it in poem.

Everytime Christmas is near
my feeling stays the same each year
empty, lonely, never happy
heart is full of cold self-pity

Happiness based on material presents
Gifts all pricey bought by parents
Often forgetting the cause for the season
Jesus’ birthday is the original reason

But this 2010 a new dawn came
Christmas then was never the same
Family, brethren and kin all together
Full of warmth of love despite the weather

My sister and brother were still away
But came home soon for Christmas day
Though our family never seems too perfect
But being complete just feels correct

So we all looked pass our differences
And tried to spread the cheerfulness
We savored each moment we had together
Father, mother, sisters and brothers

Though the presents I received were quite few
It won’t ever level up with this joy renewed
I won’t ever forget this Christmas then
Which my family celebrated this twenty-ten

I guess what I’m really saying is that this Christmas, despite our failures, hardships, and misunderstanding. Having our family together has lifted our spirits with enough motivation to push through another year of trials. The best part is we also got to celebrate it with our Grandfather from our mother’s side despite his grave sickness. Praise God for giving him a chance to go through another Christmas.

This event is something I cannot compare withany event that I experienced this year 2010. No freebie, prize or perks can compete with the warm feeling of a complete family that I only get to experience this time of the year. I would have to say this is also the most bloggable event of the year since everyone is celebrating it and most bloggers are blogging it.

It is the one event where everyone is invited and the venue is everywhere where love is. (Jesus’ birthday is one event no one would want to miss, dapat complete attendance :P )

Of course I call it the most bloggable event for the year because “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

COntest made possible by: Batang Yagit and Jehzeel Laurente