Last year, there was an iPod concept contest at Philoneist. Then, an Apple fan started an iPhone concept blog where the concepts were sent by Apple fans like him. After a year, here comes the Apple iPhone. The rumors were not really rumors at all. It will be out in the US in June 2007 and with the announcement made early this year, it looks like that Apple did an aggressive marketing job. However, it’s pretty bad for those who are from North America since they are tied up with one telecoms provider only (Cingular). This could be a drag for those who are eyeing the iPhone that are not subscribed to Cingular.

We, from the Asia Pacific, will have to wait for 2008. Europeans will also have to wait until later this year. Perhaps it’s going to be available in Europe around Q3 or Q4 of 2007. (more…)

At the age of 36, Ely Buendia suffered a heart attack (due to blocked arteries) and I just read the news this afternoon. There were rumors being spread by some sick lister in Pupil’s Yahoogroup according to Mighty Dacs. He had his second angioplasty in the Philippine Heart Center according to GMANews. Ely is the band leader of the defunct band Eraserheads that won the Hall of Fame Award in the 2003 NU Rock Awards. After staying out of the limelight, Ely formed The Mongols which was disbanded shortly and formed Pupil afterwards. (more…)

We just had a photoshoot last Thursday at some park and our only light source is a streetlight. I tried it first with my kit lens but I was not satisfied with the results. I replaced the kit lens with a 50mm lens, adjusted the ISO to 1600 after being advised by Rain not to be afraid of ISO 1600 with a 50mm lens mounted on the camera. Then, I adjusted the aperture to 1.8 and switched the mode to aperture priority. In some of the photos, I switched to manual mode and used a shutter speed of 1/8. This photoshoot was indeed a challenge for me because of the lighting condition.

Some of the shots are made are uploaded on Rinka’s Multiply and one (or some) of these photos will be included in the CD inlay for Rinka’s album Cityscapes. If you are not doing on the 11th of January, she’ll be having a gig with her band at Saguijo in Makati.

Even before I was tagged by Retz, I already came across Abe’s My 5 Secrets. Below are some five things about me. I guess most of you do not know these 5 things about me but for those who are close to me you might just ask for a different list without including anything that is listed here.

1. Computer Science should have been my first choice
When I was still in 4th year high school, I was already thinking of taking up computer science as a course. However, I also have my dreams of creating robots and such. Since programming is easier to learn that creating robots, I chose Manufacturing Engineering and Management.

2. I suck in badminton and volleyball
I’m not good in badminton. I may know the terms backhand and forehand but I almost always hit the air. Volleyball is not for me. My hand aches everytime I hit the ball. I could not even make a serve land on the other side of the court. (more…)

I found this sign at the foot of the grotto in Paraiso ni Anton in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. I was reading the sign and noticed that they were quite specific in a number of things such as “No Washing of Vehicles” and “No Dumping of Garbage and Dead Animals”. I find it peculiar and funny at the same time. I was wondering if there were people who were penalized for washing vehicles or for dumping dead animals there since I really cannot dig the possibility of people washing their vehicles in front of a tourist spot and even the dumping of dead animals :D.

Aside from being musically inclined, Kate Torralba is also fashion designer. She is one of those who are featured in Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. In the website, you’ll be able to read the stories of the people featured there. You could also share your story and get a free limited edition statement tee designed by Kate. I’d say that this is indeed a brilliant marketing done by Dove.

The best gift that I got for Christmas is a Hi-Tec Court Shoes. This particular rubber shoes is lightweight and it has this sort of a feet-cooling system wherein one would feel that the air is circulating. This is indeed my ideal rubber shoes. I really do not give a damn about brand names such as Nike or Adidas as long as I’m comfortable with the shoes. Even though this shoe is made for indoor sports, I love it for I don’t feel any swell on my feet. I guess this is because of the mesh/split leather on the upper portion of the shoes and as well as the rubberized spike outsole.

What I like about going inside museums are the vintage stuff that I will find inside aside from the trivias that I’ve never learned from History class way back in High School. I was able to go inside Crisologo Museum, Burgos Museum, museum beside Marcos Mausoleum and the Malacanang of the North. The Crisologo Museum is a haven of vintage stuff such as calesas, a car, telephone, a music player, gas range and a lot more. In history class, I didn’t know that Padre Burgos was from Ilocos until I had a chance to visit his home there. The telephone I found inside is even more vintage than that of what I saw inside the Crisologo Museum. The creepiest spot amongst the museums that I’ve mentioned is the kitchen inside Crisologo museum. The kitchen inside has a gas range and since there was no light on, it has a certain effect on me that makes me think of a horror movie. The aircon inside Malacanang of the North is a jaw-dropping experience for me since I haven’t even gotten to see one image of it.