Warriors vs. Timberwolves

On the way to Oakland Coliseum taking BART from Daly City. I wonder what that girl read because her mouth is agape and I'm now interested.
I'd say it's my 4th time here? Warrior fan but haven't been to too many games.
Our view that's worth $15/person.
My 'stache.
She [girlfriend] tries to cheer me up on the way home as I'm saddened and shocked and frozen by our 105-97 loss. =(

Golden Gate Bridge

taken today going back home from marin [for clinical]

I stepped out of my car real quick and held traffic.

Ok I didn't.

Gas Pump

click image for full resolution

Every day now I've been carrying around my digital camera in my pocket just in case if there happens to be a photo opportunity. While this isn't the most picturesque moment, I decided to grab a shot and what I can do in post process.

Lately, I've been honing a post processed look and while this type of editing may not really suit people, I think it does a fair good job in photos especially with high constrast. While this was taken nearly at 9:25pm, the photo in my opinion turned out ok.

Click image for the the full resolution [or scale it down] but you'll see the fine detail that is accentuated with this process.

Enjoy and hope to see more posts like this!

Papaya Sisters

The Sisters: My Aunty Lucy and Mom Jo (April 5, 2009 [Daly City])

After watching the Filipino Channel artists dance the "Papaya Dance," I requested them to do it and here's the rendition:




My favorite part is not even the dance itself but the beginning: I only told them to introduce themselves and suddenly they both go "WHATS UUP!' Especially when my aunty says it after taking my mom's cue. hahah

Happy Psalm Sunday!

click here for slightly large version.

Shot taken on Sunday April 5th during the blessing of the psalms with holy water in San Francisco. Next week is Easter Sunday and that means all the kids receive candy/goody baskets from my mom and aunty. I'll be lucky if there's leftovers.

Review: Magcloud: Publish Your Own Magazines!

A new service of Hewlett-Packard, Magcloud allows anyone [that can create a printer-ready PDF file] to publish their own 8.5 x 11 magazine. I first learned this through a blog entry of American Photo's [with an extended article from New York Times] and got curious enough to order an issue of my "magazine" Bureaucreative. Ok, I'm done with the large bold links.

So I ordered my issue on March 30th and received my 12-paged magazine in a plastic sleeve today April 4th. Before I go into the actual review of the product, here's brief info on this service:

• All magazines submitted for print must be a 300 dpi .PDF file
  
• Total number of pages of magazines must be divisible by 4
• Cost per page [regardless of color or black and white]: $0.20
• Cost of shipping for 1 magazine: $1.40 [cheapest] and ranges to faster, but more expensive shipping
• No discount on bulk order since it's on-demand printing [you buy, they print]
• All magazines are printed by HP's Indigo press unit [a printer press that costs $300-600,000. Damn.]
  

The cost of this issue was $3.80 and I definitely see the price getting higher if its contents were more than 12 pages. Otherwise, I am satisfied with the product.

Bureacreative first ever printed edition.
Paper quality is quite good.. I'm not sure the exact weight of the paper but it is very comparable to those in commercial magazines [if anything, it's thicker] minus the glossy cover jacket.
Two staples bind the entire magazine.
A good quote from Charlie "Tremdendous" Jones from Success magazine.
I was more curious to see how a high-res photo will look like printed here and I'm happy that the quality is well preserved--you can see the fine hairs and pores of my uncle pictured here clearly. He is the first photographed for this project and it will begin Summer 2009 so please contact me if you're interested in having your family photographed for the project.

Detail. That's pretty damn good resolution/quality reprint.
The back of the magazine is where you have to reserve the lower third of the space for the mailing information. You can see that the graphic is cut off but there is an option for a smaller sticker label [similar to the commercial ones] if you order in bulk.

More details on the their website.

Overall, I am very impressed with this service and I can see the potential of using this service beyond magazines: photography portfolio, resume, magazine edition [of Nonage], gifts to clients after their photography event.

This is going to definitely be part of my creative outlet solution.

My Brand Affinity: Moleskine

Pictured above: [Left] Moleskine 2009 Daily Planner, [Right] Moleskine Pocket Squared Notebook, and [Bottom Right] Large Plain Moleskine Notebook.

If you know me you should know about Moleskine Notebooks. I've used them since early 2007 [I forgot how I learned about them...] and since then I've only purchased these brand of notebooks for different purposes. Here I give reasons why I use them but I will not provide arguments against it. I'm sure you can make your own but feel free to leave those arguments by commenting. =)

To sum up why I like Moleskine notebooks, I'll pretend this is what my 1st notebook said to me:

"Hi. I'm Moleskine and I'm a high quality notebook. I'm sorry that you have to pay anywhere between $7-18 but surely you won't be sorry when you use me. I'm redundant I know because I always include the "history" of me in the form of a piece of paper but this is just to remind you who used me before--Hemmingway, Leonardi Di Vinci...--and now you! Look, you know that whole Mac vs PC argument and which is better? I know, computers are computers... as long as you can connect to the internet, make a word document, hook up your iPod, burn CDs.. blah blah they're the same right? Well I'm sure you'd be comfortable using a PC because simply it works. But you'd tried a Mac right? Tell me if you'd go back to PC. Yea, I thought so.

Same applies here buddy.

I just look better and it makes you feel better when writing down anything. Stopped writing? It's ok, use my cloth bookmark to keep your place next time you open up. Have business cards, emergency money/check, pieces of loose paper? Put them in my pocket in the back. And when you're finally done, use the elastic band to secure me so the book doesn't open up, let loose if anything, and get messed up.

It's really up to you to buy me. I can see why people don't get me: I'm expensive, 'it's just a notebook,' blah blah..

Look, if you simply are open-minded, have a habit of jotting ideas, quotes, like to draw, and all that good stuff worth remembering, I'd give me a try.

And oh, you know how people can easily distinguish a Mac out of the crowd? I too am recognizable but only to those who understand the concept of having a fine notebook that will last."

--

I started my planner early March of this year to get away from using my Palm Centro's calendar. Low tech is still good tech. Reason why I opted to use a pen-paper planner is 1) it is a good way to reflect on the day [aka used as a journal] and 2) simply cool to "flip" through your life and see what you've done and what you're going to do.

I've consistently used the pocket squared notebook since the day I started using these notebooks and here I use its graph paper to jot down ideas, book titles I'd like to buy/read, plans, diagrams, and even used for notes in class if I didn't bring in paper. This is also my work of labor project Nonage was born--premise, cover concept, list of the photographed, and even the total number of books ordered and final costs. My reason for keeping this kind is that not only it helps keep record of me but also I will soon have a collection on my book shelf.

The following images are excerpts from my "Visual Book" created with a large plain notebook. I subscribe to more magazines that I can keep count of and this is where the most important articles/images from those magazines become archived here as a scrapbook. I've clipped meaningful quotes, articles on how-to in photography and business, and inspiring images. All are cited by noting the author/artist and magazine [including month/issue] it was published in.

Knowledge is power and definitely this book is that.

Abbot & East Moltke: "Cabinet"

This is getting ridiculous. Someone should just open a shop there and call it Abbot & East Moltke already.

--
Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Look Ma! No Hands!

Just placed my magician's only exclusive shelf.
"Daang. What the--? How? No wayyy!"

That's what I'm hearing [or at least expecting to hear. Ok hoping to hear] from your reaction.
Because this stack is near my bed and bed lamp, I'm devoting this stack of books to that I've yet to read. Not pictured but Three Cups of Tea belongs there too.

Fun fact: three of the books I need to read are signed by its authors: West of Kabul, East of New York by Tamim Ansary, Hulk: Planet Hulk by artist Greg Pak [courtesy of my cousin] and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

de Young Spells J But Really Stands for Trompe l'Oeil

Went to de Young Museum after school since a meeting I was suppose to have was canceled in the afternoon. My girlfriend and I have been here several times thanks to our Student Passes so I try to take advantage of it when I can.

While walking to the entrance I noticed how the buildings converge at a point and well what do you know. de Young spells out "J" for me. Ok it doesn't "spells" my name but I don't know how else to say it since J isn't really a word. Ok whatever.
I believe this is a permanent exhibition in the museum but I was really amazed when I passed this collection. Sorry if you have to squint to read and even if you click the above photo there's no bigger size.

These photos do not do justice and you just have to look at them in person [or check your local musuem if they have any Trmpe l'Oeil.

It basically means "Fool of the Eye" and gosh darnit it fooled me. Seriously though, these paintings popped out of their frames and you'd think it's 3D but low and behold they just pulled an April Fool's on me because they're just 1 dimensional paintings. Niice.

This is an 'ok' capture to illustrate how realistic these photos I mean paintings are. See. I'm still amazed. Look at it for a bit and it seems like the tails of the fish are coming off the canvas a bit.

Detailed shot.
It's as if I Smelt it alright. Heh. Heh.

Ok bye.

Abbot & East Moltke: "In Addition Part II: Couch"

[Taken March 30, 2009]

Seriously? Take note of the post below this one entitled "In Addition". Only a day afterward and I see why there were seat cushions... this couch belongs to it!

Someone's going under a room makeover.

--
Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Abbot & East Moltke: "In Addition"

[Taken March 29, 2009]

I guess who ever is dumping wasn't done just yet. More stuff added 2 days after "Rolled Rug"

--
Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Abbot & East Moltke: "Rolled Rug"

[Taken March 27, 2009]

--
Abbot and East Moltke is an on-going project documenting the various items left by households at the corner of where I live. Different items have been left already and some of which I've already unfortunately missed. This photo series will continue for an unknown period of time and is planned to be [self] published once body of work is completed.

Beginning Photography: Susan B. Anthony Elementary School 2008

So it's been awhile since I've put together my last class but I finally was able to finish it up today [after the homework as well].

This is my Beginning Photography class last fall and this is the same school I came from! [c/o 1999] yessir.

Print available through Lulu.com here for $14.90

Save Money. (You still have to spend money though.)

IF I WERE YOU, I'D GO OUT NOW TO BORDERS AND BRING ALONG THIS COUPON TO SAVE YOU 40% OFF AN ITEM.

AND THEN IF I WERE YOU AGAIN, WHEN I DO GO ALONG TO BORDERS WITH THIS COUPON, I'D APPLY IT TO A MOLESKINE.

AND TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, WHAT I SOMETIMES DO IS COME BACK AGAIN TO BUY ANOTHER MOLESKINE.

=)

link to coupon right about. here.