051/365 - Goofing Off

Fun with AF Macro.

We had lunch in Dampa, near MoA, today. As usual I ate the shrimp tempura and the baked mussels. Excellent food.

While waiting for the food to be served I was playing around with my LX7. The longer I use it, the more I familiarize myself with its features. What an amazing camera. And I haven't even fully explored all of the camera's features.

Out.

050/365 - Fifty Days!!!

There are high times, there are low times.

My Project 365 has hit fifty days! Though there are times I post two or three entries in one day, I  try to make sure I take one photo I can post a day.

I also take "selfies" so I can chronicle how I looked for one whole year. Unfortunately, my weight is going up. So I have to find a way to bring it back down. We shall see.

Out.

049/365 - Throwback Thursdays

I love reading Peanuts.

I was introduced to comics at a very young age. My mother loved to read, and collected lots of old comic books. Not the Marvel / DC comic book. The compilation of Peanuts, Andy Capp, Hagar the Horrible, The Wizard of Id, and BC.

I still remember reading all of her books all the time. I was fortunate, in hindsight, that I was "punished" by my parents for not receiving honors one quarter in second grade. I was banned from watching TV every school nights. So I read instead. And boy was it great.

My imagination, grasp of the English language, sense of humor, and love for comics and cartoons grew because of that. So much so that as I got older I never forgot my love for comics.

Out.

048/365 - Confusion

Did the Powerpuff Girls' Mojo Jojo write this sign?

There will be confusing times. This is one of them. The lure of the comfort zone will drag me in, and make me want to bring things back to the way they were.

But that's not how it's supposed to work. I have to break free of my comfort zone in order to find whatever it is that will make me truly happy. Be it success, fame, employment, entrepreneurship, or whatever, I have to strive to achieve that.

Personal growth comes first, in order to achieve other things.

Out.

047/365 - Simplicity

View from my work desk.

A happy coincidence happened today. I saw a friend's post on facebook sharing this lovely website with life advice from Bill Watterson. If the link doesn't work, don't ask me why. I've been having problems loading it on Google Chrome. I do not know if it is a technical problem.

I was deeply touched by the comic. Perhaps I've been looking for purpose and for answers in the wrong places. Maybe I should simplify my thinking if I really want to be happy.

I'm just glad I chanced upon that link. Because it is helping me think clearly again.

Out.

My Top Five Family Cars

Last July I gave you a quick top five family vehicles I would want to own. This was the list:

1. Diesel Kia Sportage A/T
2. Diesel Toyota Innova A/T
3. Toyota Rav4 A/T
4. Land Rover Defender 90
5. Toyota Avanza A/T

Well guess what. That list is outdated already. Due to my ever changing tastes in cars, there is a new top five and I would like to share it with you.

1. Toyota Innova Diesel A/T - Moving to the top of the list is the Innova. This still has everything I'm looking for in a family ride - space, ride height, practicality, and fuel economy. The third row seating is also a big plus. It may not look great, but who cares? As long as it can transport my family and I in comfort and safety.
2. Kia Sportage Diesel A/T - The Sportage moves down a notch because it doesn't have third row seating. But aside from that it has everything I'd want - ride height, practicality, an automatic transmission, and great looks.
3. Subaru XV A/T - A newcomer! I didn't like the XV when it first came out, and the television commercial shown here in the Philippines didn't endear it to me either. (Let's just say the image I got watching that TVC is that XV owners are hipster douchebags who drive illegally off-road to beat traffic because they were so inconsiderate that they forgot their own wedding anniversary.) But since then I've been seeing quite a few XVs in the Metro and I'm starting to like it. Like the Sportage, it lacks the third-row seating, but more than makes up for that in the looks department. The reason why it isn't ranked higher is because of the lower ride height to the Sportage.
4. Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon - The only aberration on my list. This is the only manual on my top five. And if you re-read the first link on this post, you'll see why I am seriously considering this as a family vehicle. Yes, I only chose the three-door 90, because the five-door 110 is too long for my taste. This is also the most expensive ride here, which is probably why the Land Rover Defender might never crack my top three.
5. Toyota Avanza A/T - Another Toyota makes it to the top five. This cracks this list because it is a "smaller" and cheaper alternative to the Innova. This also has third row seating, something that the two rides above it don't have.
6. Kia Carens Diesel A/T - This deserves an honorable mention. The new Carens looks nice and has third row seating available. The only reason this falls below the Avanza is it's relatively lower ride height. Aside from that it looks better than the Avanza.

And there you have it. Six different rides, in order of preference, I'd choose from had I the means to purchase and maintain a vehicle. I'd still pick the practical one, but as you can see from my choices, I still have a soft spot for looks also.

Out.

045, 046/365 - Rest

I gave myself a haircut.

Calamansi fruit getting overripe.

We had three days off this weekend. That extra day was a very welcome day for me. I spent most of the day relaxing, but I also re-organized my cabinet and started working out again.

Yesterday I gave myself a haircut. A fauxhawk I guess. I'm not sure if it looks very nice, but at least I can say I had a mohawk once.

Out.

043, 044/365 - Nothing

Do I look happy to you?

Lounging on a chair.

My greatest enemy is myself. I am reverting back to my old bad ways, and I can't seem to stop myself. I am also being greatly disillusioned by the fact that apparently the one important thing in this world is money, and how much you can make. Other stuff is useless, money is god. Money is the one. That has been what I have been experiencing lately.

Gotta stop and smell the roses, because at this rate I'll be back to my old asshole self in a matter of minutes.

Out.

042/365 - Waiting

Love your job. Live your dream. The door is locked.

Sometimes you just have to be patient for an opportunity. Yes, it's true you make your own destiny, but sometimes after doing everything you can you just have to wait.

Unfortunately I have a very short supply of patience. So learning to be patient is something that I am doing up to now. Patience also gives you the chance to stop and smell the roses. That's something I'm trying to learn yet again.

Out.

041/365 - Take a Break

I still need to learn to set white balance properly.

Today was a holiday. It was also the first time in three days that the rain stopped and the floods had a chance to subside. Again, we were fortunate not to experience the flooding, but technically we were trapped in our subdivision because almost all roads leading to anywhere were flooded.

So today we needed a break. My mom, my wife, my daughter and her yaya, and I all went to SM Bicutan to get rid of our cabin fever and to stock up on some supplies. We bought lunch at Savory Chicken, and mom got some cronuts from Dunkin Donuts.

Best cronuts I've had so far.

Aside from that, we visited my in-laws because one of the doors in their house that was missing its key got locked again. Last Sunday I was able to unlock it using a pair of paper clips and a video I saw in Youtube. I was able to unlock it again this afternoon.

So it was a relatively busy day for me, based on my standards. But it was also a breath of fresh air, being able to go out of the house. I guess I love staying at home too much than when I'm actually forced to stay at home I realize how much I take going out for granted.

I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm sorta looking forward to going to work tomorrow.

Out.

040/365 - Dark Clouds

Dark clouds up above.

Work was suspended today due to bad weather. That's how bad it was. The route I planned to take going to work was flooded before 6am. Good thing I decided not to leave too early for work.

I just got out of the bathroom when my wife told me not to go to work anymore. So I notified my superiors. A few minutes later they reply with news that work had indeed been cancelled for the day.

Check out any news reports of the devastation of Typhoon Maring. It just sucks. Last I heard about my grandmother, who lived in one of the affected villages, the flood waters were rising. My aunt, her daughter, had chest deep flood water inside  her house.

So to those fortunate not to feel the wrath of Maring, let's try to help out in any way possible. Clothing donations, food donations, cash donations (maybe not cash unless you're donating to a reliable institution). Pay it forward. Or whatever the term is for helping others nowadays.

Out.

039/365 - Stay Safe

Handheld 8 second shot

Typhoon Trami (locally known as Typhoon Maring) is currently wreaking havoc on most of Luzon. My family and I are blessed that there are no floods or major problems happening where we live. But to all those who are greatly affected by the storm, stay safe.

Just like in life, our own lives will encounter metaphorical storms. The best thing to do is to stay strong and pray that we can weather these personal storms.

Out.

038/365 - Reverting

1:24(?) scale Initial D die-cast cars.

There will be days when all the things I've worked to change about myself will crumble. Days when I will go back to my old, negative ways. It will be difficult to fight these times, but I will fight them.

Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy.

Out.

036, 037/365 - Time for a Break

This was actually taken on day 037.

I can fit inside a Toyota 86!

There are times when you have to do something out of the norm. This was one of those times. I went to The World of Toyota exhibit and took some photos. Partially to de-stress, but mostly because I do like automobiles.

It was a nice time, I saw a lot of cars I really like. You can view more pictures here.

Out.

035/365 - I Am Not A Real Foodie

Asado Mami from Kowloon House Pasay Road Branch

Since I'm fairly new to this new journey in life I am experiencing, of course there will be moments of doubt and regression. I am a creature of habit, and I really hate leaving my comfort zone. Alas, in order to move forward one has to be willing to get out of the comfort zone. And while I may at times want to return, I have to fight that urge.

What better way to do that than by having some comfort food? I'm not a foodie as defined in wikipedia. I just love eating. I eat almost anything, and I don't think I have a refined taste in food. I can eat the simplest of street food, and I can also eat the best steak. As long as I enjoy the food, I will eat it.

Which sort of goes against my goal of shedding weight. The battle of the bulge is a never ending battle, and right now I am sort of losing. I am returning to the yogurt only dinner I did last year around this time. I plan to lose another 5 - 10(?) kilograms of weight before Christmas, so that my next year my weight will once again normalize after I regain about five of those kilograms I lost.

That happened this year, I went down to 95kg from 105kg last year, and now I'm at around 98kg. So if things go the same way as last year, I'm guessing I'll be around 90kg by this time next year. We shall see.

Out.

034/365 - Gearing Up

Got this on sale (PhP276.50 from PhP399) 14/08/2013

Today I bought something my camera needs. A lens cleaner. Fortunately the store I bought it from, Digital Walker Zoom in Greenbelt, had a sale. So I got it cheaper. Not bad, for something very useful.

I've been raving about my LX7 for the longest time, but last weekend's trip to Sonya's Garden made me enjoy my camera even more. It was there that I managed to explore more features of my camera, and I can say that I really do think the LX7 was worth every Philippine Peso I spent on it.

Just absolutely amazing.

Out.

On a side note, and as a rant, flickr has been bothering me again with its server error problem. Why did they even bother to offer 1 terabyte free for every user if they can't even maintain the site.

And now I have proof that this error isn't because of the internet connection at home. At work when I tried to show my photos to my office mate he encountered the same server error. Get your act together flickr, please.

Out (again).

033/365 - Procrastination

I prefer doing this more than actually doing stuff, sadly.

There will be days like this. When I feel like doing nothing at all and returning to my old bad habits (vices?). Sometimes it will happen rarely, other times very often. I just have to catch myself and do my best to right this listing ship.

If some readers of this Project 365 knew what was really happening with me they might laugh at me and say I'm exaggerating things. But one thing I realized before was that you can never find a direct comparison of problems. Like I told one of my bosses in a recent discussion we've had, "That's you, that's not me." (I said it in Tagalog, and what I said was, "Ikaw yon eh, hindi ako.").

This is how I choose to solve my problem. By expressing it via my Project 365. There are days I don't feel like doing it, but I will do my best to turn around my life and make all the good things I should normally be doing a habit.

This post is weird and seemingly incoherent.

Out.

032/365 - Growth

Papayas

I hate to brag, but ever since I started this blog a lot of improvements have happened in my life.

Much like the papaya fruits growing on the papaya tree outside our house, I too have grown.

I've become more self-aware of my faults, and have been making a very active and conscious effort to change my negative ways. That's one of the good things I've been trying to do. Another is to improve my relative lack of self-confidence. These are two crucial "negatives" in my life I have to change in order to become a better person.

I just hope I can maintain the momentum I've been trying to build. This Project 365 has also helped greatly because I now have a self-censored outlet. I can still vent in this blog, but now I choose to do so in a more positive, looking-for-the-bright-side kind of way. So I hope I can keep this up.

Out.

030, 031/365 - One Month!

"St. Peter's Balls"

Smile!

My wife, daughter, and I were very fortunate to be treated to an overnight stay in Sonya's Garden courtesy of my Mom.

It was a very relaxing stay, and I think I really needed the peace and quiet of the place. It made me stop and think of what I really should be valuing in this life. It wasn't the complete answer, but staying there helped point me in the right direction.

So this is how I end the first month of my "Project 365." On a very positive note. And I needed this.

Out.

028, 029/365 - Catching Up

My only picture for August 8, 2013

Jollibee's Ultimate Burger Steak

I have to confess something stupid I did for Day 28. I forgot my camera was in my bag, so I never got to take pictures the whole day. It was unfortunate that I forgot about my trusty LX7. It was a very eventful day and I could think of three to four opportunities to have taken a picture. Oh well, at least I still have my self-portrait.

As for Day 29, I finally got to taste Jollibee's Ultimate Burger Steak. It was delicious, for fast food. And it was as advertised. They used the patty from their Champ burger, had a decent amount of fries under the burger, and the gravy was just enough to not drown the whole thing. The egg was a bit overcooked, not that it was a real egg. And the rice was just plain old rice. But it was worth it!

Finally, I'm guessing I won't be able to post any picture or post again tomorrow since I will be going out of town with my family. I don't plan on bringing my laptop as I am hoping I can get disconnected from the world for a day or two.

Out.

027/365 - Happy Birthday, Lola!

Here's to the best Lola (Grandmother) I knew!

A quick break from my regular blog post. It's been seven (seven!) years since my maternal grandmother passed away. It's been that long already. I still miss her, and I do dream of her every now and then. And the dreams I've had have all pictured her in very happy situations, so I guess she's very happy wherever she is.

It wasn't all that great, though. After she passed most of my dreams of her were of her suffering. I'm just glad I've stopped dreaming that. In fact, in some of my dreams my Lola has accompanied me on some adventures fighting aliens, or riding shotgun in a mech I was driving.

Happy Birthday, Lola Berting! I'm thinking you're very happy with Lolo Turing and all our pets - Minor, Tanya, Patita, Scallop, Tofu, and Rebus.

Out.

026/365 - Planning

This is Nero - Son of Rebus

My 34th year of life has had a very eventful start. I can't even go over the details yet on this blog. It's had amazing highs, and depressing lows. It's also led me to a greater self-awareness.

I now know the things I have to fix with myself in order to move forward. And each passing day, with each conversation I have with other people, a plan is slowly forming in my head. Once I flesh out this plan, it's go time.

I must finish my plan by November at the latest.

Out.

024, 025/365 - This is Getting Boring

Nero and I

Ooh, a Mac

So I haven't even successfully posted for one straight month and already I'm getting bored with this Project 365 of mine.

But I have to soldier on. This is the challenge to my creativity, and this will help me become a better writer. Besides, I need an outlet and this is it. Right?

Out.

021, 022, 023/365 - Multiple Posts

Cronuts from Wild Flour (August 1)

On my way home (August 2)

Our pet cat, Cheng. (Aug. 3)

Three posts combined into one. Why?

August 1, I got home 12mn (making it August 2 already) and I was too tired to post anything. Just took a snap of the cronuts at home. How were they? Tasty. But to be honest, I see nothing special with cronuts. It was just a flaky doughnut, which it basically is right? A doughnut made out of a croissant.

August 2, got home still a bit later than usual. Was still recovering from my really late night the other day, so I just got home, took a bath, and went to sleep.

August 3, my family and I spent some R&R out of the Metro, but this picture really stood out. Our pet cat, Cheng, recently had a lump removed from his back. The biopsy results are still pending, and I'm hoping for the best. That the lump was nothing but a lump.

Out.