#MyGreatestVictory

I purchase my digital SLR in December 2011 and started attending free workshop on basic photography. DSLR is a complex machine that requires mastery of its manual and creative input of the owner. I invested a lot of time attending seminars on concepts of photography and composition. I also joined a camera club in 2012 to learn more about the art of photography. I started joining photo contest of the club. At first, my entries were never picked to the Top 10. That’s in the club entry of about 20 active professional and long-time hobbyist photographers.

I never stopped learning and improving my photography skills. It took me a year to be included in the Top 10 and after 3 years of always being present in the meeting and always submitting entries, that same club elected me as president. It’s one of the oldest camera clubs in the country and a member of the national federation of Filipino photographers. Not only did I win in club level but I eventually scored a 4^th Place in the national level composed of seasoned photographers. It’s definitely a triumph and a continuous challenge to always improve and be ahead of the competition. That my friend is #MyGreatestVictory

Technorati Tags: United International Pictures Philippines,Ben-Hur,Movies

My “Star Trek Beyond” Movie Experience

I’ve heard about Star Trek from my teen years in the 90s but I never watched its TV series. When the film franchise of Star Trek made a reboot of the films in 2009 (simply called “Star Trek”), I became interested.

It was followed by “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013 and now “Star Trek Beyond”. This new Star Trek movie is a sequel to the 2013 film and composes of the same team of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto). Spock reminds me of an Elf with its pointed ear.

When CignalTV and Smart released an online contest asking netizen the name of the newest villain in “Star Trek Beyond”, I joined and won. That’s one advantage of being online most of the time on Twitter. So the venue of the movie was Gateway Cineplex 10 Cinema 2 at 7:30pm earlier. They gave me 4 tickets!

Before the movie started, there was a trivia contest and they gave some cool “Star Trek Beyond” cap. CignalTV also announced that they currently have 1.4M subscribers to date and Smart launched their breaking commercial. I’m one of those 1.4M subscribers of CignalTV by the way and I’m a happy camper. #JustAwesome

“Star Trek Beyond” is a nice film but the story is familiar. I was amazed at how they presented a highly industrialize, gravity-defying planet. I was so awed with the special effects. When the USS Enterprise was attacked by the new enemy, I was actually expecting a major inter-galactic fight. But then again, the USS Enterprise is a primarily deep-space, exploration starship.

The movie is a good one over-all and I’m really expecting to see the 4^th movie in this reboot – where Chris Hemsworth would make an appearance. It doesn’t have a title yet but probably would start with Star Trek. I guess I’m now a Trekkie – a fan of the Star Trek franchise.

Thanks again Cignal, Smart Communications and United International Pictures Philippines.

Technorati Tags: Movies,Promos,CignalTV

Museo ng Katipunan, San Juan City

Yesterday, I decided to visit the Pinaglabanan Shrine in San Juan City. It’s an overdue visit since I just live in Pasig City which is 2 jeepney rides to San Juan City. I was a bit disappointed since the Pinaglabanan Shrine, the area around the monument, is being renovated.

However, I was delighted to know that there’s a nearby museum that I never heard before. I’m glad they’re open and that the Shrine Guide, Ryan Tan, is very willing to tour us to the place. He gave us a very informational tour of the museum and gave a lot of information about Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan. Little things that I never heard from school.

The tour started with an audio-visual presentation on the life of Andres Bonifacio, the history of the Katipunan, and his untimely demise at the hands of fellow Filipinos. The office of the curator is located at the ground floor and most of the exhibits are at the 2nd floor. This museum is very interactive with lots of audio-visual aid, diorama, paintings, and artifacts from the Katipunan era.

Entrance to the museum is free and it’s maintained by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). It opened on 27 August 2013 celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio. A few days before I stumbled upon this wonderful museum, I posted on Facebook the lack of recognition to Bonifacio since no town or province is named after him. The most famous one though is the Bonifacio Global City which is just a district of Taguig City.

If you’re living in cities near San Juan, there is really no excuse for not visiting the Pinaglabanan Shrine and the Museo ng Katipunan. Visiting museums and national shrines is our way of thanking the government for its effort in educating our generation of our history. Kudos to the NHCP for this wonderful museum. Thank you Ryan Tan for the tour.

Emilio Jacinto, Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria De Jesus (wife of Andres Bonifacio).

The other K in KKK stands for Kagalanggalang, not Kagalanggalangan.

Ryan Tan, Shrine Guide, explaining the story behind the original painting displayed at the Museo ng Katipunan, San Juan City.

The use of anting-anting (amulet) is very common among Katipunero.

It’s sad to know that there is no town or province that was named after Andres Bonifacio. Good to know that the private sector named a district in Taguig after the Supremo – Bonifacio Global City.

Emilio Jacinto, the best friend of Andres Bonifacio.

Sketches of the personalities associated with the Katipunan. The artist of these sketches (and several paintings in the museum) is Pancho Piano.

Technorati Tags: Museo ng Katipunan,Katipunan Museum,San Juan City,Pinaglabanan Shrine

Banco De Oro (BDO) A. Sandoval Avenue, Pinagbuhatan

Finally, a Banco De Oro (BDO) branch near my location. BDO A. Sandoval Avenue, Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City is set to open in a few days. It’s located besides Villa Alegre and opposite Guzman Lugawan in Pinagbuhatan, along A. Sandoval Avenue. It occupies the ground floor of Isagabanna Building.

When I do withdraw from BDO, I bike from Nagpayong, Pinagbuhatan all the way to either BDO Mercedez Branch or BDO A. Mabini Branch (Kapasigan, downtown Pasig City). I seldom withdraw from BDO near the Pasig Mega Market since it’s swarming with people.

I guess it’s a good idea to open a bank account here, closer to home. I’m glad BPO is finding ways to serve their customers better.

Technorati Tags: BDO Sandoval Avenue,Pinagbuhatan,Pasig City