The Only Way I Know How...

The Only Way I Know How..., originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

The only way I know of how to please Dad is through my photos. He, being the mastermind of my family's photographic interest, played a major part in my struggle to be the best photographer I can be. With him being in the States and us, being here in the Philippines, the distance between us has grown much much much more as he has joined his Creator exactly 40 days to this date. There is nothing much I can do, Dad, than to continue our shared passion, to which I say through this photo, that I love you so much and that I am sorry for not being a good son to you. May you always watch over us as we continue on with your legacy here on Earth. May you rest in peace and say hello to Daddy George, Uncle Jones, Uncle Paks, and those who have gone before us, We love you and we truly miss you... I hope and pray somehow, that you read my last earthly message to you.

Champyeeens!

Photo: Kobe Bryant holding trophies. Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

I have jinxed the Lakers Championship hopes in the past by writing a blog or two about how deserving they are of the elusive Larry O'Brien Trophy. After last season's painful loss in the finals to the Boston Celtics, I abstained from writing any article that would relate to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in fear of jinxing the Olympic Campaign and the 2009 NBA season as well. Now, I am free to write at last of how genuinely happy and triumphant I feel for the NBA team that I have religiously followed since Philippine Cable TV began. So, without further ado, I present to you o dear Kobe Bryant [slash] Laker haters, the 2009 Larry O'Brien trophy and the Bill Russel Trophy to loathe and cry upon. Yes Kobe, you are VINDICATED! and so am I. =)


(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)


(Getty Images)


(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

What's that? LeBro who? Dwyane who? Shaq who? Pffffft... =P

Those Eyes...

Street Photography 103: Sexy 24, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Five years after graduating from college and 3 years since this blog, here I am still asking myself what I'm really good at. What I'm really good for. Right now I am fairly convinced that life is but a matter of circumstance, meaning that we are where we are because it was predetermined, not because of our own choices but because it has a been decided upon by something beyond our willful control. Now I am posting this because I want someone, anyone, to refute what I have just stated. Let me believe, again, that life is a matter of personal choices, a box of chocolates. I made a choice alright, I picked the one with lots of coconut in it, me don't like dry, sandy coconut. Is it my fault then??? Why do I have this strange feeling that you are looking down on me...

Huwat Is?

RGBY Me, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Photography is an endeavor like no other. It is where science and art meets, where subjectivity blends well with objectivity. No other art form is as intense in logic and as precise in emotion as Photography. By far, photography is my river, where both my thoughts and emotions connive in its own freeflow.

A'buncha

Cordillera Cafe, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

A bunch of flowers... for those in need of comfort.

Globe (in)Visibility

South East Asia, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

[Please pardon the incoherence of this post, this is a rant and I just feel obligated to warn those who might fall victim to this Globe Visibility folly. ]

Globe Visibility sucks, period! (or should I say, exclamation point.)

To anyone out there planning to subscribe to Globe's mobile broadband service, be it a prepaid or a postpaid plan, I'm telling you now, forget it!

The service isn't worth it at all. Now see, the real problem lies not on finding a strong signal nor is it on connecting to the network (believe it or not, this thing connects to the network in a jiffy. Hence your meter also begins in a jiffy, uh-huh) it's not about the speed even! It's about sustaining the download line, making sure that the flow of data is sturdy and constant. Globe Visibility has this problem and it's a miserable problem!

To give you an idea, the service comes with a software that allows you to configure the type of connection you prefer, EDGE, GPRS, or HSDPA/3G. There's also an internet odometer of sorts that indicates the flow of data being processed through the connection, thus you are able to monitor if the computer is successfully downloading/uploading data so you'd know how soon you can watch that popular video on YouTube or if the urgent email will be sent to your boss on time. 90% of the time, despite of the strong network signal also indicated, the download/upload meter reads 0.00KB sent/received. That means no YouTube for you, no email sent either. I know that the modem used for HSDPA/3G internet connections are based on radio waves and in itself isn't that reliable for networking purposes and that there's a whole bunch of other factors to consider that may contribute to this crap, but if it happens all the time, ALL the time, then something really has to give and I don't care if the problem lies with my computer or with Globe's infrastructure, it still is a problem! I think I should sue... hmmmm... Anyway, what bothers me really is the value I get in return for this product. For the price of the modem at P2,500, plus the rate of the service at P20 per hour (P5 per 15minutes,) it's just not worth it.

Say I'm an average internet user who spends 2.5 hours of surfing per day. P50 times 30days equals P1,500/month, that's the price of a decent Cable or DSL connection. Why am I wasting so much money on such a crappy connection??? This doesn't even include the 30minutes I have to wait to establish a download line, nor the hundreds of times I hit the refresh button whenever the dreaded "This page cannot be displayed..." message shows up, argghh!!! Beats me...

I have had the service for close to a month now, and Lord knows how much of my precious time has been wasted just trying to establish that download line! Take note also, that once you're connected, your credits start ticking off too. It doesn't matter what time of day you try to connect, and I'm guessing it doesn't even matter where you're located. I live at the heart of Makati City, my room is slightly elevated, there are no barriers that surround my residence, nothing whatsoever that may cause significant interference to my wireless connection, the same problem leaves me at the end of my wits everytime! Well at least they're consistent in that department, leaving me unsatisfied, stressed and so freaking grumpy.

If you have the budget, I suggest you get a Cable or a DSL internet service instead. You'll save more money, plus it'll be more reliable regardless of what speed package you get. Remember, consistency is the key.

An additional note to those who might attempt to refute my recommendation here: My computer has it's own Wi-Fi modem which works just fine whenever I find a hotspot at malls and such. I turn this off whenever I connect to Globe Visibility using the USB modem so as not to cause any interference. I tried using Globe Visibility at 4 different locations now namely at Ayala Center, RCBC tower, Makati Executive Tower 2 and at San Antonio Village. the results are the same. I'm also using the newer modem the one that has no wires and can be inserted with a micro SD card (Lord knows what it's called) so go figure.

The Next Bobby Fischer

The Next Bobby Fischer, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

I remember playing chess with my brothers. My third older brother in particular was pretty good at it, when we played, he won 98 times, okay, 99 times out of 100. But the sole win I had came after years of agonizing defeat. There was this rare occasion when I was able to find an opening on his impenetrable defense and attacked with my knight, before you knew it, "CHECKMATE!" That was one of the best feelings in the world, being able to trash-talk a semi-grandmaster. Lord I'm good!

After that it was back to normal, I lost the games that followed, unsurprisingly. The next Bobby Fischer, or Eugene Torre to localize, certainly isn't me. hehehe.

PooRADA

This is how we are today. We simply refuse to face the fact that as a people, we are PooRADA. Yes, we have reasonable salaries as middle-class denizens but shouldn't we be better off than we really are? As a taxpayer, it pains me that a huge portion of my hard earned money goes down the drain every payday, flows through filthy the pipes of the bureaucracy, before it eventually finds its way inside the miserable POZO NEGRO. That is, yes you know who I am talking about, She Who Must Not Be Named. The hardest part is that there really is nothing we can do about it, is there? At least for me, this is how I feel, PooRADA. There is no "Change I Can Believe In."

PooRADA, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Something off-topic (as how my mind usually works, it's non-cohesive), here comes the huge irony. Come paydays, we the PooRada people, find the means to splurge on luxuries like purchasing PRADA bags; We line up for a latte or two at STARBUCKS; We stuff ourselves at buffet tables at KAMAYAN, DADS and SAISAKI; Hail TAXIS here and there and willingly immerse ourselves in depressing traffic; Swipe our VISAS and MASTERCARDS like there's no tomorrow. This is how it went down for me last Friday (except for that PRADA bag) and I know for a fact that it's how it went for you too. Don't deny it, I saw you at the mall! So here we are, feeling PooRADA. There is no change I can believe in because even change does not believe in me.

Thanks for reading my bi-polar post.

Burning Candles

Burning Candles, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

Confidante.
Father Figure.
Role Model.
Friend.











Atty. Rolando C. Dela Cruz, Prinicpal SLU Boys' High from 1998-2004.

May his soul Rest In Peace.

About the Photo: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The photo first and foremost is an official entry for a Halloween contest at the office. The theme is anything that involves a pumpkin. I've posted more details about the photo shoot over here. Second, about the poem, they wanted a write-up that describes the photo, so what I did was veer away from conventional journalism and went ahead and made a poem about it. I had no idea that the concept would be such a hit, everyone loved it!

The entry looks very promising as we have already seen the so called "competition." Haha! The results would be out not until Nov.1 Manila time and all of us here at the office are so excited about it! It's heartwarming to hear such positive feedback from the photo I took and the poem I made. But I refuse to take sole credit for the job as it was a concerted effort from many of us here. The concept I had wouldn't have materialized if not for the efforts of the fantastic production team who made the whole set from where I drew inspiration of the Poem itself. Good Luck to us all and Happy Halloween and a peaceful All Saints' and Souls' Day!

P.S. I wrote my name as the author of the poem but when the draft was finalized, some "higher powers" decided to not make it part of the entry upon submission. That saddens me a lot.