dUbAI maLL aQuAriuM

a few weeks ago, i had a chance to visit the newly opened Dubai Mall..the biggest shopping mall built today. One of the famous and extravagant attraction was the indoor aquarium.

"The aquarium at The Dubai Mall, has clinched a world record. Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre has clinched the Guinness World Record for the world's Largest Acrylic Panel, measuring 32.88 metres wide x 8.3 metres high x 750mm thick and weighing 245,614kg. The acrylic viewing panel surpasses the current Guinness World Record holder, Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan."(source AMEinfo 02112008)

syempre hinde dapat palagpasin ang pagkakataon. i took shots using my Nikki with 18-200mm nikkor. hand held, high iso,super low shutter and no flash.

(click the images to see in larger view)

"flying ray"

i think its a young manta ray

"sharky"

an aquarium will never be complete without shark,black tip shark mejo matanda na ata may wringkles na eh..hahah

"fish grouper with mama fish"

landscape shot of the aquarium inside the mall

i saw some scuba divers into the tank.its a bit scary diving with those kind of see creatures specially if you are not used to dive with huge fish.but its not a bad idea at all. i approached one of the staff and told me that they will be having scheduled diving inside the tank, open for all licensed divers, sometime next year...hmmm kayanin kaya ng powers ng isa sa mga diving buddies ko ang sumabak sa loob nito?hmmm ano sa palagay mo apz?hehehe

iKaw bA aNg nAgbAGo??

this was long overdue for posting, tagal na neto na naka draft, di ko mapost-post dahil sa kabusyhan ko lately...hopefully sa mga sunod na araw i can update this page regularly ulet...nkkmiss din magblog

while i was browsing on my airsoft club forum, this posting caught my attention and made me think..i do agree sa mga sinasabi ng writer..dapat makuntento ka...pano ka makukuntento?search and look for HIM..and HE will give you REST..

" Tumatanda ka na, Friend!!!
Nasa Friday Magic Madness na yung mga paborito mong kanta. Nakaka-relate ka na sa Classic MTV.
Lesbiana na yung kinaaaliwan mong child star dati.
Nanay na lagi ang role ng crush na crush mong matinee idol noon .

Dati, pag may panot, sisigaw ka agad ng 'PENDONG!'.
Ngayon, pag may sumisigaw nun, ikaw na yung napapraning.

Parang botika na ang cabinet mo.
May multivitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, royal jelly, tsaka ginko biloba.

Dati, laging may inuman. Sa inuman, may lechon, sisig, kaldereta, inihaw na liempo, pusit, at kung anu-ano pa.
Ngayon, nagkukumpulan na lang kayo ng mga kasama mo sa Starbucks at oorder ng tea.

Wala na ang mga kaibigan mo noon.
Ang dating masasayang tawanan ng barkada sa canteen,
napalitan na ng walang katapusang pagrereklamo
tungkol sa kumpanya ninyo.
Wala na ang best friend mo na lagi mong pinupuntahan
kapag may problema ka.
Ang lagi mo na lang kausap ngayon e ang kaopisina mong hindi ka sigurado kung binebenta ka sa iba pag nakatalikod ka.

Ang hirap nang magtiwala!
Mahirap nang makahanap ng totoong kaibigan.
Hindi mo kayang pagkatiwalaan ang kasama mo araw-araw sa opisina.
Kung sabagay, nagkakilala lang kayo dahil gusto ninyong kumita ng pera at umakyat sa tinatawag nilang 'corporate ladder'.
Anumang pagkakaibigang umusbong galing sa pera at ambisyon ay hindi talaga totoong pagkakaibigan.
Pera din at ambisyon ang sisira sa inyong dalawa.

Pera. Pera na ang nagpapatakbo ng buhay mo.
Alipin ka na ng Meralco, PLDT, SkyCable, Globe, Smart, Sun, DU at Etisalat.
Alipin ka ng Midnight Madness.
Alipin ka ng tollgate sa expressway.
Alipin ka ng credit card mo.
Alipin ka ng ATM .
Alipin ka ng BIR.

Dati-rati masaya ka na sa isang platong instant pancit canton.
Ngayon, dapat may kasamang italian chicken ang fettucine alfredo mo.
Masaya ka na noon pag nakakapag-ober- da-bakod kayo para makapag--swimming.
Ngayon, ayaw mong lumangoy kung hindi
Boracay o Puerto Galera ang lugar.
Dati, sulit na sulit na sa yo ang gin pomelo.
Ngayon, pagkatapos ng ilang bote ng red wine, maghahanap ka ng San Mig Light o Vodka Cruiser.

Wala ka nang magawa.
Sumasabay ang lifestyle mo sa income mo. Nagtataka ka kung bakit
hindi ka pa rin nakakaipon
kahit tumataas ang sweldo mo.
Yung mga bagay na gusto mong bilhin dati na sinasabi mong hindi mo kailangan, abot-kamay mo na.
Pero kahit nasa iyo na ang mga gusto mong bilhin, hindi ka pa rin makuntento.

Saan ka ba papunta?
Friend, gumising ka.
Hindi ka nabuhay sa mundong ito para maging isa lang
sa mga baterya ng mga machines sa M atrix.
Hanapin mo ang dahilan kung bakit nilagay ka rito.
Kung ang buhay mo ngayon ay uulit-ulit lang hanggang maging sitenta anyos ka na, magsisisi ka.
Lumingon ka kung paano ka nagsimula, isipin ang mga tao at mga bagay na nagpasaya sa yo.

Balikan mo sila.
Ikaw ang nagbago, hindi ang mundo."

so ikaw sa palagay mo ?nagbago ka ba?reality check ulet mga friends

NiKKi aNd fRiEnDs

whew, all the things happened so fast..just few months back i got "Nikki"(my nikon d300) ..then my friends and i planned for a EURO trip ..i got so excited and thought of bringing Nikki with me.but its not enough, nikki will be bored if she alone will be there..so i decided to grab some of her new friends from the grandstore...and now i am broke..sooo broke!waaaahhhhh = (

Nikki - Nikon d300 dslr


Toto - the manfrotto tripod with ballhead hand grip

Louie - Lowepro Vertex 200 all weather camera backpack

Sig - 10-20mm 4-5.6f Ultra Wide Angle lens with silver and gold reflectors
Pancake - NIkkor 50mm 1.8f


so friends, romans, countrymen..lend me your ears!! ahaha.(william shakespeare - julius ceasar).

ROMA ITALIA!!! aquí venimos !!

just one darn mistake i did, went shooting with a small size picture format...eeerrr!!!!

lesson learned : ALWAYS SHOOT IN LARGE FORMATS!!!!

next stop will be Basic Photography Class, neither with LiftForm or OPPPS at the OWWA Consulate Office Dubai..it depends on the timings to which club i will be taking the class...

NOTE: To all of my friends that is so eager for a pictorial, prepare yourselves..winter is approaching, and a lot of holidays..we'll do an outdoor shoot in the desert and construction areas..

pHoTogRaPhy - ROME

during the Eid Al Fitr holiday (holidays after Ramadan) we had our first Eurotrip...destination, ROMA, ITALIA..sobrang excited ang lolo mo since Rome and Vatican City ay dream place ko to visit..imagine mas maapreciate ko na ung history classes ko, ancient architecture, barroque, romanesque, gothic, rennaisance, ung mga nakasulat sa bible (Romans), ung mga ancient roman civilization na dati i can only see sa book, pictures, Tv..ung mga "Romanians"(sabi ni catz..hahaha = ) peace!) hayy its truely a dream come true..syempre di magpapaiwan si Nikki (my Nikon D300) for capturing the views with the rest of the gang Toto(my tripod) ,Louie (my camera backpack) and SIG (10-20mm UWA lens)...

here are few of the shots after a bit of PP(post processing)

the Coliseum - Rome

long exposure,tripod mount,super low iso,10-20mm,shutter on timer

started its construction between 70-72 a.d. under Emperor Vespasian and completed
on 80 a.d. under Titus. gladiators,fighters were real soldiers and prisoners that are participating
on the events...naks, history dude! go back to history..ehhehe = )

Colosseo via Foro Romano Colosseo Via Arco di Constantino

Window Anfiteatro
view that you'll see pag dumungaw ka sa bintana ng hallway papunta sa servisi(toilet)
ayus parang sa quiapo lng or sa mga boarding house ng U-Belt

whirlpool - Musei Vaticani

my favorite shot, the staircase on the vatican museum exit

hmm..thats it for now..im still looking on other shots..it was a 4 day stay, hours of walking and sight seeing, 4 gb of CF card..its gonna be one hell of a bunch & lotsa pictures to scan..hehehe

vOlteS V : GX-31 sOuL oF cHogoKin aRRiVeS

wuhhoooo!!!!! after a few days of waiting, finally my GX-31 VolTes V SoUL oF cHogoKin fiNallY aRRiVed....




yEah bAbY yEaH! dRooL dRooL!!

im trying to control myself not to open the package 'til i reached home, but it was'nt enough. i took the cutter and immediately open it at the office, in my desk and with my project manager around..wheww..bwahahaha(sinister laugh) no one can stop me from opening this box..

VoLT cRuiSer - stEvE

VoLT bOmBeR - mArK

VoLT pAnZeR - bIg BeRt

VoLT fRiGaTe - LittLe jOhN


VoLT LaNdEr - jAmiE

and when i reached home...this scenario will explain further..hahaha = )

uLtRa eLeCtRo mAgnEtIc tAp !!


bLaZiNg sWoRd!!

VoltEsV sOuL oF ChOgOkIn

hmmm...i just posted about voltes V yesterday and now i got news for you..i ordered one for myself.yup. i was a little "depress" yesterday so i decided to surf the net kasi di nman ako masyado busy. hinahanap ko actually ung website ng photography tips and guide that was saved on my web browser bookmark.it so happen na nakita ko ung www.betatoys.com, andun ung VOltes V G-31 pero it is still out of stock. i checked some websites, it turned out ganun din...pero dahil nga sa sobrang dream ko un..naghanap pa din ako..and luckily i found one site na merong stock nung gusto ko.www.hlj.com.manggagaling pa ung shipment from japan.i freak out! did'nt know what to do.should i call my GF and tell her kung oorder ako or just order nlng i'll tell her after..hmmm, mabilis ang pangyayari..samakatuwid..inorder ko sya.hehehe di ako napigilan sarili ko..i was looking and searching for so long para sa availability nung toy na yun..truely it is a collectors item...then i clicked the button and presto! ordered na sya....



next scenario..how would i tell my GF?hehehe paktay tayo neto..so i decided to call her after few hours, thinking and planning on what exact words should i say para di ako mayari...

xandz : "labs, naalala mo po ung voltes v ni kuya alejo?"
catz : "oo, bkit?"
xandz: "available na sya eh, umorder ako"
catz : "nagpapaalam ka ba or iniinform mo lng ako na umorder kna?"
xandz" "actually, naka order npo ako..hehehe"

it turned out well nman..wala na sya magawa, na order ko na eh..hahaha.tnx labs.

tOy - vOLTes V SoUL oF cHogoKin GX-31

Recently we had a fellowship and gathering in one of our church mate's house. Kuya Alejo and Ate Toni's place in Satwa...fellow ministry workers and friends where already at the place when catz and i arrived..the moment i stepped into their door, the nicest "thing" that a child can ever imagine to have...placed nicely and neatly on a secured transparent stand with dividers, gorgeously positioned as if they are ready for battle..slowly as i walked to the living room, the whole place seems to stop moving..my eye never lost its focus on that "thing"...then it became clear to me..VOLTES V Soul of Chogokin GX-31 Die Cast Robot Figure.

Voltes V

shux!!! its every boys dream to have...after 20 years of watching and dreaming about Voltes V..finally, i saw it! i had my first encounter..close encounter..though not intimate, but we had something in between..the spark on every child's eye(ngaun ko lng na-feel ulet)..it was so amazing!!!

Kuya Alejo said " ang ganda noh!, cge tingnan mo lng..wag lang hahawakan.kahit asawa ko di pa nahahawakan yan."(nice isn't it! have a closer look, but dont touch it.even my wife have'nt touched it yet.)

UFAC 1st Anniversary

wow..1 year has gone by that quick..ang bilis ng panahon..i can still remember how hard it is to set up a game and complete equipments just to play airsoft, but now after one year, everything has changed!..thanks to the organizers,tema leaders,supporters and officers of UFAC-GAF...sir Ramses "Cuervo" Ruidera..a big thanks to you sir..

"before"
Night Ops Sierra Game Site Sept 7,2007
around 30 players 4 teams

"after"
25 registered teams over 500 players and still counting

"final 4"
final 4 teams and marshalls at the recently concluded
OP : LIBERTY

sept 4-5 Palma Beach Hotel and Resort Umm Al Quain UAE

UFAC-GAF 1st year anniversary was held. battle of the bands, food trippings, jamming sessions, inuman sessions and black Ops was held....

Airsofters with "the Usherettes"

"Magdalo Acoustica"im in the middle

the place is on FIRE!


with fellow photographers
Dugong with MC TwistedMC Dugong throwin' sum' lyrics

pHoTogRaPhy - pOrtRaIts

last friday was the birthday and party for my beloved ate bing..visitors came,friends, romans and countrymen..lolz...catz friend (which happen to be a camera addict) tintin and tonton came to the party...the next was an impromtu portrait pictorial..check this out..\m/yeah!

OFW - Pinoy Sa Likod Ng Kurtina

i saw this post on my Airsoft Club Forum..i didnt ask for permission to post it here but i think he will be happy to share it to everyone....sad but true, we filipino workers in abroad are giving up all, making the sacrifices,taking chances just for the sake of our families that we left behind in our motherland....we are doing these..for them..reality check my fellow OFW's...


from : Climax of Blackhawk Team

Over a thousand Filipinos arrive in Dubai every month. And why not?

Literally, the sun shines here all year round; prosperity is in the air; and it is a place where people have reasons to dream of waking up in the morning as millionaires or with kilos of gold on their lap!

Yun nga lang, habang hindi pa nangyayari yun, iba ang nakikita ng maraming Pinoy pagdilat nila sa umaga --- kurtina!

Betcha by golly wow! Paano ko ie-explain to fascinated Pinoys back home our living condition here!

Noong una akala ko isolated cases. But with the skyrocketing apartment rents in this City of Gold , such conditions are becoming the norm.

Sideways...sidesteps

Hindi yan dance step. That is the latest move ngayon sa mga sharing flats. Sa sobrang liit ng space, patagilid ang galaw. Kaya minsan, mga ka-flatmates, hindi na magkakitaan.

Hoy, where have you been, ba? Hindi ka na umuuwi sa flat!

Kasi nga lagi silang naka-sideview!

Warning: Smoking is dangerous to your room.

Hindi health reasons ang dahilan bakit bawal magyosi, no! Ang styrofoam kuya!

Yes, naunahan ng Pinoy ang IKEA sa innovation na yan --- Yes, styrofoam walls, styrofoam doors, styrofoam room. Di ba nga naman, styrofoam keeps you fresh! Para kang gulay, o kaya ice candy. Pero siguro mas feel mo minsan na tuna ka, o di kaya sirena kung feel mong si Marian ka.

Ate, di ba fire hazard yan? Anong fire ka dyan? Rent ang mas nakakamatay dito!

Illegal ang partitions sa Dubai . At least ang styrofoam, pag nagkahulihan, mabilis sa baklasan. Gets mo?!!!

Yes, Ate.

Therefore, no smoking: ang sirena baka maging daing!

Burj Al Cupboards

Hindi lang Emaar Properties ang may K na magtayo ng skyscrapers? Have nt we heard, the Philippines is a major supplier of architects in Dubai ? In other words, nasa dugo natin yan! Kaya ba ng Arabong gumawa ng rooms out of cupboards, luggages and shoe boxes?

Dati sa airport lang bida ang mga luggages, ngayon multi-purpose na: dividers na rin sila --- para ang isang kwarto maging lima !

Pampataas sila sa mga cupboards kasama ng mga shoe boxes na pinaka-antenna.

Siyempre, the taller the better --- you keep your neighbor s eyes away.

Now Showing

Pagpasok ko ng flat, akala ko sinehan, ang daming kurtina. Mga kuarto pala. Pero ang cute, cinematic!!! Parang barangay, complete with eskinitas. Kada bukas ng telon, parang movie --- sari-saring life. May natutulog, may nag-eemote, may nka-curlers, may nakasimangot. Sa panlimang kurtina, may nag-totong-its, sa pang-anim, may naggugupit.

Ang gandang movie, di ba? Ang Pinoy sa Likod ng Kurtina!

Paraisong Kurtina

Ayyy! Our Paraisong Kurtina. It can make you laugh, it can make you cry.

Be proud of our Paraisong Kurtina. It exists because we d rather send our money home than spend more for our comfort. Within its walls, lies our desire for a little privacy, our groans, our tears, our dreams, our struggle for some little savings. My curtain says a lot. It says, I have saved again, inay, I will be able to send money next month.

Dream mo pa bang pumunta ng Dubai ?

----------------
OO why not? Kahit gaano kahirap kakayanin para merong money na maisend kina itay at inay at sa mga kapatid at mga anak....

F - I - N

d300 "NIKKI" shots

did some portrait shots with "Nikki" my nikon d300 DSLR using 50mm f1.8AF
Nikkor lens...im still figuring out how to enhance my portrait shots and compo
to maximize the lens capability on low light conditions...

"best of friends"

"mom and son"

"friends of best"

few shots i took using 18-200AF-S DX VR Nikkor

"joker smile"@bur juman center
18-200mm AF-S DX VR


"minitured city" @bur juman center
18-200mm AF-S DX VR

"francis"
18-200mm AF-S DX VR

sUsHii ....oIshi DeSu nE!!

gee, i've really missed eating japanese food...i worked with a japanese company before and thats how i loved their food,culture and lifestyle...kung hinde ako nag Dubai, malamang nasa japan ako ngaun....well, my craving for sushii got worst when i saw this guy preparing shushii (which happen to be ate cathy's mom's friend's son- hmn- gets nyo?)..nakita ko kung pano nya gawin and kaching!! sushii this coming weekend...yumyum...

the process

first batch of maki and sushii

the result

the sushii maker

tsalap! tsalap! = P