Hello, it's been ages since I posted anything at all on this Blog. I have not the slightest idea if I still have my readership intact but it's safe to say that my desire to write has been reignited, many thanks to my infinite Lamp. It won't be easy to be creative again, but I know for sure that this is one ride that I am going to endure and enjoy.

Washed Footprints

Batad, Mountain Province, Philippines

With a Morgan Freeman Voice:

"As we left Batad, the sky opened up to quench the dry and thirsty soil, summer has ended, I told myself. We had no choice but to continue on with the hike up the mountain even under the heavy rain lest we miss the last bus trip going back to Manila. The rain may have washed away our foot prints as we trod along, but the memories and lessons learned from this journey have marked our hearts forever. It makes you think and realize how lucky we are to have our own cars, on paved roads, elevators to carry us up and down buildings, a steady income to sustain all that we need. I overheard a companion say that this was almost like a pilgrimage, a cleansing of sorts, that once the showers are over, once you reach the top, you are renewed, you gain a new perspective in life, and who knows, you might want to come back for more of this unique experience, because one can never be clean enough."

-Memoirs, July 2010

Fiber Optics 2

Fiber Optics 2, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

"You've got to follow your road, follow your road, follow your road..." -Patti Austin's Follow Your Road. Life is just full of crossroads, roads leading left, right, leading straight ahead, always leading to the question of which is the right path to get to point B. I remember my philosophy professor discussing Jean Paul Sartre's take on morality. It goes something like "To be moral is to make a decision, and to stick to that decision no matter what." That's my interpretation of it anyway. This is not to tell you what is moral or not, but rather this is to say that we are all rational beings free to make decisions, and that those decisions are ours alone. However, the decisions we make are not free of responsibilities, it is up to us to stand up to those responsibilities, and as people we are defined with what we do. Make a choice, and stick to that choice with all your might. So, if confronted with a crossroad, fret not on which road to take. Just go and pick one, follow it till the end and call it your own and never fall astray.

Nightshift

Nightshift, originally uploaded by karoluscamilius.

A popular Andrew Lloyd Webber song goes "Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation.," lyrics that almost every night owl like me can easily relate to. In the scheme of sleeping during the day and being up and about during the night, it is not easy at all to spend a full time job at a time of day when we should all be tucked in bed and be snoring away. Working during the night, however, brings about a unique experience incomparable to any other. For some , it's the caffeine rush they get from their venti cups of lattes and cappuccinos. For others it's the experience of sharing the same lifestyle with those halfway across the globe. There may even be people addicted to the zombie like experience of being half-awake or should I say half asleep. Whatever it may be, my personal unique experience is that with every phone ring I make, with each tippity-tap on the keyboard, each Hi, Hello and how do you do, is my way of helping make the music of the night. What's your experience?

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.