Lantau, Hong Kong

Lantau, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

A refuge from the hustle and bustle of the modern city of Hong Kong, Lantau Island is one of the most tranquil places on earth. No wonder they chose the Island to house the largest bronze outdoor Buddha in the World. Find peace in Lantau.

Wings

Ball of Fire, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Sometimes, you feel that the whole world is falling down upon you. And when you feel that way, sometimes you also feel that the burning sky will put an end to life as you know it....

Luckily, this is just a beautiful hand-painted sunset sky.ü

Gee, my job really is stressful.

TV Patrol Background3

TV Patrol Background3, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

As a kid, I grew up watching TV Patrol back in the days when Noli De Castro and Co. used to anchor the show. If you remember, the show had a backdrop like this or at least close to this. Basta it was an LE shot, remember, remember? LOL!ü

June

Pasulong, Kad!, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Half of the year is nearly through and yet here we are again asking ourselves, "At this point in our lives, is this where we really want to be? Have we done enough to make our lives better?" Sometimes, we just snap out of it and find the answers to these questions, yet there are also times when we know the answers have already been found but we just continue to ignore them. Think about it. What have you accomplished for the past six months? Where should you be in the next six months? Get there. Now.

Gargantuan!

The Bangui Bay Windfarm Project

These windmills are HUGE!!! The pictures can't even depict clearly how large these contraptions are.



Whoa!



See more at my flickr photo page!ü

Energy!

Books are so powerful. They can sway you easily into a way of thinking, they can push you to look into new perspectives and some if not most may even change your whole life! I came across a book, The Celestine Prophecy. I've heard of this title for at least once in my lifetime but I never knew how radical and "new age" it truly was.

The book is an attempt to explain why people ask so much, why we keep on searching for answers, why we are so restless. Later on it explains that evolution is an inevitable process, that we as humans are bound to evolve into so-called higher vibrations or higher forms of beings. It even tries to explain Catholic scripture in a new light, saying that Christ himself was the first practitioner of these new Insights. CONTROVERSY ALERT! hehehe.

The book also tries to explain the imbalances that cause the world to be what it is today, from the power struggle of nations to simple family conflicts, from Psychological problems to Vegetarianism. Weird isn't it? I can never truly explain what the book is all about, all I can say that it promotes a totally new concept of the world -at least to me, since I found out the book was published in 1993, and what year is it again?- another way to look at life and how to live life. And if you're the type of person who hates cliche self-empowering books, if I tell you that it hypothetically explains Jesus' Ascension into Heaven will you read it? (you Da Vinci Code genre junkie!)

People just love controversy, especially something against the Church and I wonder why.

Gadgetoia

To Marje, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

After having sworn not to buy another gadget after my iPod (except for a Digicam maybe) here I am again craving for a GameBoy Micro... I'm broke and It's killing me, I've got to have one! (like Pokemon, gotta catchem'all!) Maybe this Christmas?ü...

A Starbucks Cup as My Tripod

Long overdue photos of the late 2006 World Pyro-olypmics held at Pasay City, Philippines. As the title says, I used a starbucks cup (Tall, brewed coffee) to keep the camera still. Special thanks to the couple in front of us. I never knew that it would create a romantic effect on the pictures. I didn't even realize that they were within the frame.ü

Ides of March II

Happy Anniversary KaBlog!!!

Despite low readership and poor maintenance, you were still able to keep it together! Many thanks to my avid fans who take visit at least once a month. None of this would be possible without you. Hehe.

Change the world and keep the Fire burning KaBlog!

It's amazing how this man faces challenges. Here's how he reacts to his latest adversity:

March 07 :: 2007
Kobe reacts to suspension

This is as frustrated as I've been in a long time.
Injuries to our team don't seem to stop.
Now we have to deal with my suspension and another loss to the Bucks.
But life isn't about feeling sorry for yourself or the position you find yourself in.
Its about accepting it and going from there with a determination that we will endure at all cost, no matter what!
So now its off to Philly. Let's see if we can't get the engines revved up again.
Strength and Honor.
- Two4

I Jinxed the Lakers

Since my my most recent post about this storied NBA franchise, at least 4 other lakers have joined the injured list including a potential season ender for the other half of that "24/7," Lamar Odom. They can get to the playoffs alright (currently 2.5 games above the Western Conference's 7th spot) but their chances of making some noise after the season have been hushed. This season has so far been disheartening for those who bleed Purple and Gold.

INJURY REPORT:

Kwame Brown: Severe Sprained Ankle- Probable
Kobe Bryant: Hyper-extended Elbow- Will Play
Maurice Evans: Sore Knee- Probable
Chris Mihm: Right Ankle Surgery- Out For Season
Lamar Odom: Torn Labrum- Out
Vladimir Radmanovic: Separated Shoulder- Out
Luke Walton: Moderate Ankle Sprain- Out

By the way, I just don't get NBA VP Stu Jackson's dislike of Kobe Bryant. Bryant is suspended for the second time this season for the same reason as his first: "Playing basketball."

This is ridiculous. We're wasting another season of Kobe's Prime. This is injustice I say! The fans do not deserve this.

after the jump:

Ronny Turiaf goes down with a back injury. Puhleeez, this is the last thing we need. The next thing we know is that there's 4 active players left on the roster. Scheeeez!!!

Coffee Break

Coffee Break, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

I wouldn't let the month of February pass without a posting in my blog would I? So here I am, in the middle of the first quarter of 2007, having a short break from the busy city of Makati. Ironically, I find myself in another city, Baguio. Home for... a 'coffee break.'

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius. (circa 2006, HK Disneyland)

Pronunciation: "hi-p&-'pä-t&-m&s
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -mus·es or hip·po·pot·a·mi /-"mI, -(")mE/
Etymology: Latin, from Greek hippopotamos, alteration of hippos potamios, literally, riverine horse
: a very large herbivorous 4-toed chiefly aquatic artiodactyl mammal (Hippopotamus amphibius) of sub-Saharan Africa with an extremely large head and mouth, bare and very thick grayish skin, and short legs ; also : a smaller closely related mammal (Choeropsis liberiensis) of western Africa

Don't mind the defintion. Actually, what keeps me wondering is the difference between Donald and Daisy's reaction upon seeing the Hippo.

Contrast

Contrast, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Life is full of contrasts. Like This Picture if you look closely. (Taken in Disneyland HK, circa 2006)

This Blog Chooses Not to be Active

The Blogger has so many things going on in his mind right now and refuses to put them in order so as to come up with a wonderful entry in this incredible blog. Amazing...

Lakers: The New "Twenty-Four Seven"

The L.A. Lakers are now the team I hoped they'd be last season. With the team sporting a win-loss record of 23-11 to date, their best since the Kobe-Shaq era, it seems that they have now tapped the full potential of the Triangle Offense. Now, there's no doubt that the Lakers are a major Championship contenders -if only they were in the Eastern Conference. It was on Sunday that they defeated the Dallas Mavericks, the reigning Western Conference Champions, with a 101-98 win thus ending the Mavericks' 13-game winning streak. I just wouldn't pass up an opportunity to write about this remarkable game, being Coach Phil Jackson's 900th victory, a feat that has been accomplished by only 8 other coaches and Phil was the fastest to reach the milestone. What makes this more special is that the Lakers have played without their key players- Lamar Odom is out with a knee sprain and Kwame Brown has a badly sprained ankle. Just think of the possibilities when they have all those players together with Kobe Bryant healthy and playing at the top of their games, an NBA Trophy would certainly be close at hand. So why are the Lakers surprisingly this good now?

Kobe Bryant. Kobe has really matured and has now become a remarkable leader of this team. Kobe can be a great scorer when he needs to (81 points? I'd say yes at any given night) but he is at his best when he gets his team mates involved. If he is able to keep the team within striking distance, his teammates would easily shut down any opposing team. Such was the case in the last game against the Sacramento Kings, Kobe mustered 9 assists and 8 rebounds, at least 6 Lakers scored in double figures and Kobe was still able to finish with 45 points of his own. It says a lot on how good of a player he is, but it also says a lot on how much faith he has in his team mates now. It's easy to say that he now has the qualities of a great leader more than able to guide this team to the Finals. Hand him the MVP trophy once and for all!

Lamar Odom. Before his injury Lamar was posting up career high averages in points, rebounds and assists. It's hard to fathom what this man has gone through; the death of his infant son and his dear grandmother, being mugged in his own neighborhood, all of which are more than humbling experiences. But somehow he has found refuge in the basketball court and is now more focused in the game. He has found a way to play along side Kobe (or vice-versa) and has flourished as an All-Star contender until he sprained his knee. It would really be nice to have him back ASAP. Kobe (#24) and Lamar (#7), the new 24/7!

Kwame Brown. This big guy continues to have lapses in his offensive game but all in all, his big frame (almost 300lbs and 6' 11") makes him a real defensive threat that the opposition has to deal with. With the Lakers, he also is having his career-best in Points, Rebounds and Assists (go ahead and include steals, blocks and FG%) and it seems that Phil Jackson has successfully tapped black gold with this Player. Just 7 more points and 4 more rebounds per game and Kwame will be able to meet goals of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game that Phil handed him on a piece of paper before the season started. So, get well soon big guy.

Luke Walton. Walton for me is easily the Most Improved Player of the Year. He now shoots 50% from the 3point line and is averaging 12.4 points per game. What makes Luke an invaluable player is that he passes very well for a guy of his size, he averages 4 assists per game, including the game winning assist to Sasha Vujajic's 3-pointer in yesterday's game.

Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar. Players who constantly give the team energy. Turiaf keeps the guys smiling, Farmar keeps them running. Try watching a game and look out for these two guys and you'll get what I mean.

Andrew Bynum. The NBA's youngest draftee at 17 yrs. old is predictably the next best center after Shaquille O'Neal. This season, he's had double digit outbursts in points and rebounds and is a very decent shot blocker. Once Bynum graduates under the tutelage of all-time great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it's easy to see that he would soon be part of the lineage of Great Laker Centers. Go master that sky-hook!

Now, all I'm trying to say is that with players like Maurice Evans, Vlade Radmanivic, Brian Cook, the Lakers are deep in talent. If Kobe Bryant continues to be successful in harnessing his team's capabilities and in working within Phil Jackson's system, then I say it again, the Lakers will live on with another championship dynasty. Kobe Bryant deserves the Larry O'Brien trophy, every player on the Lakers roster deserve to be Champions and Phil Jackson definitely needs that 10th ring to fill in his pinky, don't you think? Go LAKERS!

Happy New Year!

For my first post of the year, I'd like to share this with you all:

kaboom!, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

It's a picture I took when I had the chance to visit Disneyland in Hong Kong, December 2005. Funny that it's already circa 2007 and up to now the magic of my experience in HK never seems to fade away. Perhaps it's like what we all should do no matter what year ends, to measure each year with love, experiences and lessons learned. Yes, it's just like the song "Seasons of Love," to measure each year in love but remember also to let the magic of those experiences bring you to wherever and to pick you up to whenever. Just close your eyes and remember...