|what's_inside|
here's what you'll find inside my crumpler camera bag:
1) Creative Muvo TX FM 256MB MP3 Player
2) Nokia 6510 mobile phone
3) Sony Ericsson Z600 mobile phone
4) 40GB 4G iPod
5) iPod remote and earphones
6) Sumajin Smartwrap
7) iPod USB cable
8) Sony Clie NZ90 PDA
9) Sony Clie remote and earphones
10) Canon Powershot A95 digital camera (not included)
11) Canon camera USB cable
12) 4 Sony Ni-MH (2500mAh) AA batteries
13) spare memory cards: Compact Flash, Memory Stick
|one|
my trusty canon powershot a95 digital camera turns a year old. still taking great pictures as it gets better and better everyday. this camera gives me the quality pictures that i like. one of my favorite toys that i can't live without as i take pictures of the things around that fascinate me.
|long_weekend_11042005|
i have been longing to blog about a recent getaway of the family to take advantage of the long weekend (the end of the feast of ramadhan). for the long weekends, this i have to give credit to gma and her holiday economics initiative. i give her high marks for that! way to go!
the family decided it was time to have a quick getaway to tagaytay for quality time with one another. aside from family dinners that we have every now and then, this is the next activity we do as a family and everyone was eager for it, especially the young ones and the young at heart.
it was time for mom and dad to unwind. no work for dad, no domestic activities for mom, just time for each other and a bit more. this was also a chance for them to spend time with the grandkids.
it was a bit tiring from the start. i lacked sleep and the kids had inexhaustaible energy in them. i envied them for that. first stop was at sonya's garden-- a quick visit to her bed and breakfast inns and her wonderful garden.
we did a quick peek into one of the many homes in her property. there were so much things that gave it a rustic character and yet a modern feel into it. very nice, warm and cozy.
and what would a trip to tagaytay be without the flowers? there were lots of flowers around. it being a garden, flowers of all sorts and sizes lined the pathways, the houses, everywhere!
after sonya's, lunch at leslie's and more sightseeing of the taal volcano from the taal vista hotel viewing area until the early evening. had a late merienda and called it a day. everyone was tired, exhausted but i'm very much sure all were happy. it was a good thing.
|weekend_at.a_glance|
november 26
november_rain
last saturday was a wet one. sudden downpours in the afternoon that lasted only for a minute or two. it happened all throughout the afternoon till the early evening. good thing these were just localized rains and didn't affect the opening ceremonies of the 23rd sea games the next day.
november 27
how.not.to.go.to.the_SEA_games_opening_ceremonies
everything was wrong from the start. the whole experience was horrific. it was hot and humid and there were no people to manage the crowd. people were fighting, arguing and pushing one another just to get to a good spot to view the whole spectacle. participants of the ceremonies from a religious group had little space for them to perform that made the audience agitated. note to self: the next time the country hosts the sea games, whenever that may be, i will stay home and watch it on cable instead.
:: all trains (lrt and mrt) had a free ride day. everyone hurried to ride the trains and the queue was unbelievably long. trains took a while to arrive due to the sudden volume of commuters.
:: getting a quick bite in one of the food stalls inside the taft station of the mrt. here's one serving of squid balls with the weird tasting sweet sauce.
:: from the un avenue station of the lrt, it was a long walk to the grandstand which can be seen from afar. it wasn't raining but it wasn't sunny hot either. it being a sunday, flocks of regular park goers did their own thing and people like me watching the opening ceremonies were in the area.
:: i'm back to the rizal park after a long, long time. it's also the first time that i got to it this close. i'd say we should have more parks. people are happier if they have a place to converge and mingle. it's a socialization thing.
:: the long walk gave me an opportunity to see that there had been so many changes made to the metro. things are more pleasing to look at no matter where you turn to.
:: traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and road markings are clear and visible. the park was surprisingly clean. maybe it was because of the sea games festivities and all. i hope they get to keep it that way.
:: since the cam lost it when i tried doing night shots, i attempted taking shots of the fireworks display without the tripod. the pictures weren't that spectacular but it wasn't that bad either.
:: night falls in the park. the ceremonies finished and the games have formally started. the rizal park is still rizal park. i couldn't get any closer, the guards insisted that we had to keep distance.