Watched the Noel Cabangon concert at the AFP Theater in Camp Aguinaldo. The concert was a hit! The man is really gifted with a magnificent voice. The set was cool (the designer tried to recreate the topmost floor of a building with billboards and lights) and the production laudable. There were graceful ballerinas, accompanying selected songs with their silhouette-like movement, and surprisingly it gave some spunk on the production, it blended well (they were not wearing tutus), far from being “trying hards”. Aiza Seguerra was his first guest and they sang “Kanlungan” together. Cooky Chua also graced the event with her dreamy, jazzy voice reminiscent of her Color it Red’s days. She sang “Huwag Mangamba”, one of the several Christian songs in Noel’s album. On the second set Noel sang Christmas songs included in the Medjas Album and gave the most soulful rendition of the song The First Noel.
On the way home, we bought some bibingka with red egg and boy, it was delicious! A fitting feast to cap a wonderful night.
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Side notes: We visited Gateway mall last Saturday to see if it’s already up and running, and it is. Several shops are already open, like Lacoste Chaussures, G.H. Bass, and Pabder Uomo. It is interesting to note that Filipino-owned retail shops Bench, Plains & Prints, Bayo & F&H try to balance the otherwise TNCs-controlled mall such as Marks and Spencer, Fornarina, Elle and Cumbia. What I am eagerly waiting for is the opening of their cinema, which promises to provide supreme comfort while watching with their Lazyboy-styled couches. I also expect a change in gourmet, with dining places like Itallianni’s and Havana restaurant. At long last, there will be another Chinese restaurant to split the diners of Gloria Maris with the opening of Superbowl in China. Sadly, there’s only one Japanese resto, Sachi, which already stopped its operations months ago. For coffee lovers, you have the power to choose among several coffee shops, viz: Seattle’s Best, Figaro, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, in addition to Starbucks. Happy Malling :D
Channel 2 at number 2.
To avoid paranoia, I tried to search for the disease in the net, and here's what I found: Please share this info with your friends.
Meningococcemia can kill more rapidly than any other infectious disease. Early recognition is critical to implement prompt antibiotic therapy and supportive care. Treatment must be instituted rapidly because irreversible shock and death may occur within hours of the onset of symptoms. Cutaneous manifestations in meningococcemia may be important clues to the diagnosis. Skin involvement can be the most dramatic aspect of the disease and is often the first sign that leads to the clinical consideration of meningococcemia.
Kitakits!
The EOS 300D's has a plastic body which lessens the production cost of the camera. In uses pentamirror in the viewfinder instead of a pentaprism which is more expensive.
From epinion, one of the authors gave this digicam the following ratings:
My comments: Two things I dont like about this camera: first, it's a tad too expensive here in the Philippines, and second, it doesn't have a movie mode.
- 10x optical zoom (approximately 32x combined)
- Optical Image Stabilizer
- Ultrasonic Motor
- Extra-long Movie Mode with enhanced VGA resolution and sound (up to 1 gigabyte!)
- Canon DIGIC processor with iSAPS
- PictBridge and Canon Direct Print compatible – no PC required
- Vari-angle
- 370 g
From epinion, here's the average rating of users:
Pros: Excellent image quality; it has IS or image stabilization to lessen blurs caused by unstable hands while taking pics; has electronic viewfinder, which has a diopter adjustment, great for people who wears glasses; convenient hand grip; excellent design and features; 10x zoom!;
Cons: No RAW/TIFF mode, no super-wide angle (28mm), lens cap might easily get lost
My comments: For a non-pro like myself, the camera not having a super-wide angle is forgivable. It costs P 34,000++ without added paraphernalia (Nimh batteries, charger)
The third camera is the most realistic in terms of affordability, we've been communicating with a seller for days now and hopefully, we would be able to acquire this toy by next week, if negotiations turn out positively :D
3) Canon Powershot A95
Cost: P23,500++
Sensor: 5.0 mp
Basic Features:
Announced in August 2004, the PowerShot A95 replaces the hugely popular A80 at the top of Canon's entry-level range. Although it shares many features with the A80, the new model sports several significant improvements (including some also found on the A85), and in fact offers a feature set that compares well with considerably more expensive models, such as last year's PowerShot G5. The main changes are the sensor resolution (5MP) and a larger (1.8 inch) and considerably higher resolution (118,000 pixel) swing out LCD screen. Other improvements include an enhanced movie mode and a wider assortment of subject-based shooting modes. Let's have a quick look at the main selling points:
- 5.0 million effective pixels
- 3x (38-114mm equiv.) F2.8-4.9 zoom lens
- 1.8 inch 'vari angle' (swing and tilt) LCD
- DIGIC processor
- 9 point AiAF plus flexizone focus
- 14 exposure modes
- Print/Share button & direct print
- Autofocus illuminator
- Part metal body
(http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona95/)
360 degrees view of Canon Powershot A95-->steves-digicams.
Average rating of users, from epinion:
Pros: Excellent resolution; Clean, sharp images; Excellent color reproduction; Reliable focus and exposure systems; Comprehensive range of features; Much improved screen; Easy to use; Good burst (continuous) shooting mode; Easy handling; Excellent flash exposures, though not very powerful; Good build quality and metal casing AF illuminator works in very low light; Excellent battery life (NiMH); Great value for money
Cons: Some purple fringing problems;Inability to deal with wide dynamic range on very bright days; Focus can hunt and is not particularly fast; No TIFF or RAW mode; Flimsy CompactFlash compartment door; Quite noisy at ISO 200 and 400; Zoom is not very smooth - only 7 steps from wide to tele.
My comments: We have seen that purple fringing problem A95 users have commented, it's barely noticeable to the untrained eye. The other problems they have mentioned are things to be considered but given the really low price offered to us, notwithstanding the excellent features the A95 offers, we might get this digicam.
Happy Christmas hehe
Reviews from: www.epinion.com, www.dpreview.com, www.steves-digicam.com.
Farewell, Arafat
Watched the tribute to Iron Chef Japanese Rokusaburo Michiba, "one of the best iron chefs in history". The whole hour of IC was dedicated to the genuis that is Michiba. I plan to visit Ginza, Tokyo and sample the mouth-watering dishes available at his restaurant, Ginza Rokusan-tei.
Rearranged hny's room, which tired me tremendously because of the unceasing yakkity-yak I heard while arranging his over a hundred collection of tapes, vcds, and games.
Monday:
Planned to stay at the office and ignore my officemates rushing to the HRDO for reduced fees and the myriad of things to be done every semester to take advantage of the benefits of being a UP employee.
Brain Lateralization Test Results |
Right Brain (58%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain.
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discover what candy you are @ quiz me
I would like to share this inspiring poem (for me it's more like a mantra) which have guided me almost all my life.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
*from the Latin word desiderare which means to desire.
As of this moment BBC reported on its site the election's projected result: Bush 254, Kerry 252, racing for the coveted 270 votes, but the White House already claimed Bush's victory.
"Whoever wins, we lose." That's a teaser from the film Alien Versus Predator (AVP) and I am reiterating it here. A more detailed analysis as to who should win if we are to prevent future wars is provided by US historian Gabriel Kolko (from Luis Teodoro's very informative blog)
"Although Bush’s reelection seems to be the worse-case scenario, the worse may actually be better for the world, says US historian Gabriel Kolko".
"The Bush administration, through ineptness and a vague ideology of American power that acknowledges no limits to its global ambitions, and a preference for unilateralist initiatives and adventurism which discounts consultations with its friends much less the United Nations, has seriously eroded the alliance system upon which US foreign policy from 1947 onwards was based."
"If Kerry is elected, predicts Kolko, his administration will try to reconstruct the alliance system, and abandon the chauvinist rhetoric favored by Bush and company. If it succeeds, it will mean an end, though only in the short term, to the problems that the US now faces in terms of manpower and resources and which prevent it from attacking other countries. The result would be continuing US expansion and wars, this time in the name of “progressive internationalism” and under the flag of alliances and even the UN."
"On the other hand, a Bush victory will continue the process in which the alienation of the US’ allies by the ineptness and arrogance of the Bush style has forced a halt to the US attempt to remake the world and dominate it completely. A Kerry win would arrest the process."
Now, someone named TOMMY SMITH, posted his comment: "...white supremacists,sympathetic to the suffering of others, especially people of color. Where do you get this from.can you tell me? white supremacists ,ive lived in south all my life and only met a few like that and no one pays them any attention. never paint anyone like that to you know them. to paint such a wide group of people is wrong. it make me wonder he may be worse than them. but i cant judge you on that."
Despite my having difficulty deciphering his post due to faulty grammar and spelling as well as his doubtful identity (Tommy Smith my a$$), i posted this comment and it really made my day saying this:
"Mr. Smith, that “racism and chauvinism” which defines “most Americans’ views of themselves and the world",is an observation shared by millions of people who are sick and tired of US’ imposition on supposed “sovereign” states like meddling with economic and even national security policies in exchange of aid and loans from US-controlled institutions like IMF and World Bank. How I wish someday that lightning strikes from above and strike America at that to make its government realize how much suffering and death it had caused to millions of people around the world."
And so Mr. Smith, perhaps upon realization of his country's baaadness, joined the campaign to write off the debts of third world countries to his great nation. Seriously, I didn't hear from Mr. Smith again.
time posted: 1:18 am nov. 4, 2004
Perhaps most of you have already offered a short prayer for Angelito Nayan, another Filipino caught in the midst of armed conflict in Afghanistan. I'm going to spare you the details, for sure you have read it somewhere, I just want to share my thoughts for a former isko, who have braved the chaos and disorder in that war-ridden country.
Angelito had strayed far from the academy, yet I want to believe that his choice of vocation, that of being a UN worker in a land where death is a common sight, has been a result of his being an isko, nurtured by the university known for inculcating servitude to the people. I want to believe that he has gone there prepared for whatever fate there may be that awaits those who are selfless enough to leave the comforts each "peace-loving" nation offer.I want to believe those things, but reality bites, and sucks big time, because no matter how brave one is, no matter how prepared these people are, nobody can escape that dreadful feeling of hopelessness as your life depends on people who have stopped being humans.
But miracles do happen and prayers can move mountains...
