There's barely an hour left of 2011. The kids are playing Wii, there are sounds of fireworks outside, and I'm feeling sleepy. We should have gone to bed, but the kids want to stay awake until midnight, and maybe light some sparklers and watch the fireworks outside. We generally don't make a big deal of the holidays, and it's rare that they make a request like they did tonight, to usher in the new year. When they do, I acquiesce.
We're bidding goodbye to 2011, which has been a blessed year for us. We've had no major problems. We've been healthy and well. We've finally accepted and grown comfortable with the fact that their dad isn't going to be with us anymore. We're happy and well looked after. The kids even got a number of awards in school and I'm one proud mama. They're smart, well behaved, responsible, and good kids. Of that, I'm very grateful for.
But right now, what I want to leave behind in 2011 is this dang toothache that's been showing up on and off in the past few days. Blame it on all the sweets and holiday food I've been indulging in. I've already taken two paracetamols since this afternoon, and the pain has subsided somewhat, but it's still here. What's aggravating it is the noise that's all around. Well, it's New Year's Eve, so I can't do anything about the noise.
I'd love to make a thoughtful summing up of the year's that about to be gone forever, but I'm hardly in a thinking mood. What I know is we've been very blessed, and I am very thankful.
I don't know what to expect in the new year, with all the rumors, End of Days predictions, and the very real calamities that have been happening within and outside the country. I confess I am dreading some sort of cataclysm; if and when it comes, I hope we can weather it and survive intact as a family.
Goodbye, 2011. (And please take this toothache with you as you leave.)
Thank You, Great Spirit, for watching over us and keeping us safe and happy.
Hello, 2012. We don't know what the future holds, but we can only hope for the best. Whatever happens, may we remain thankful always, appreciating both the little and big blessings that come our way, especially the blessing of Life and togetherness.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
My Christmas Gift
Being non-Christian, we don't really celebrate Christmas in our home. But we do put up a Christmas tree and give gifts to one another. This often means that I, as Mommy Santa, have to dig deep in my pocket and make sure that the kids are happy and have something to keep themselves amused with during the Christmas break from school. I also don't skimp on giving myself something special on Christmas. Life is short. Do what makes you happy. That's my philosophy.
I bought my kids their gadget wishes: a Nintendo 3DS and a cellphone. (Should I even ask where they get their geekiness and gadget fondness from?) But for Alden, my youngest daughter, I got a toy called Beados Pet Pals, which was her express request.
I looked at various local stores and read online reviews, and I found the most affordable one to be the Lenovo IdeaCentre B320. The online review specified a touchscreen monitor, but locally, what's available is a LED 21.5-incher that's not touchscreen. That's fine with me. I do have a Lenovo netbook that's touchscreen, and I don't actually use the touchscreen feature all that much. Besides, this function on a Lenovo is somewhat a downer once you're used an iPad or an iPhone. On an Apple device, it's so much easier to flick on the screen with your fingers; on a Lenovo, the screen isn't nearly as responsive.
While shopping around, I saw more stunning MSI all-in-ones, with better features, but they're also more expensive. Anyway, my needs are simple: a 2-GB RAM, 500 GB storage, and the TV functionality. And oh, it must be able to run The Sims 3, which Alden loves to play but won't run on our little Lenovo netbook. All these are satisfied by the B320. It also runs on a Intel Core i3 chip. (Another B320 variant, with a 20-inch screen and no TV tuner, runs on a slower Dual Core processor.)
I was very excited when the B320 was delivered to our doorstep. I immediately unboxed it, and found that it was a no-brainer to put things together. You simply have to connect the cables for the keyboard and mouse to the right ports, and that's it. The Sims 3 installed without a hitch. However, when playing, the video isn't as crisp as I would have loved. It'll do, though.
The problem arose when I tried to connect the B320 to the TV cable. I realized that the port at the back of the B320 is for an aerial TV cable, not a CATV which is the one used by our cable TV provider. I panicked for a moment there. I tried calling the Lenovo store, because the branch manager had assured me that it would be compatible with cable TV (not aerial TV). I was thinking of returning the B320 if possible, because one primary reason I bought it was to use it to watch cable TV. But the phone just kept on ringing, with no one answering. I grew frustrated by the minute. I felt that I had bought something that was less than what I expected it to be.
Fortunately, I remembered that the big TV in our sala (a Philips) had some sort of an adaptor for cable TV when I first bought it. I looked at the back, and lo and behold!-- the adaptor was still there. It's just what I needed. It's an adaptor that converts an aerial TV port into a CATV one. Wow!
I lost no time in putting the adaptor on the B320. It fitted perfectly. Afterwards, I was able to successfully connect it to our cable TV. What a relief! I used the channel auto-scan, and then I could watch cable. Whew! Again, the screen isn't exactly crystal-clear or crisp as it should be on what's touted as an entertainment center, but it's good enough for me.
Now, we use the B320 mostly as a PC, but I plan to make it my bedroom TV/PC once the kids go back to school in January. It's great surfing and playing Tetris on it. I imagine it would be very nice for viewing, editing and storing photos, once I get back to my photography hobby.
By the way, the keyboard is somewhat old-fashioned, and it makes loud clackety-clack sounds when playing Tetris Battle. It helps add to the "war" feel of online gaming, so it's a good thing if you ask me. Later on, I'll try using a Bluetooth keyboard and see how it works out.
The 21.5-inch screen also takes some getting used to, especially since I had been using a petite 11-inch netbook before. I feel I have to literally open my eyes wider to see the whole screen. But this is, of course, a nice change. A very nice one indeed. Thank you, Santa! :-)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My First Photo Walk
About a month ago, I didn't even know what a photo walk was. Then I attended a basic photography course at UP, which exposed (pun intended) me to a whole new world. Through it, I relearned some of the rudiments of the craft, like ISO and aperture settings, which I had informally studied before, online. But what I really valued about the course is that it taught me a whole slew of new technical things, shooting tips, and helpful acronyms--TAE, WHIMS, bokeh, star trails, the Hail Mary shot, light painting, and so on. I even got to learn about lenses, filters and other photography gear which I knew next to nothing about. (Not only did I learn what a hygrometer was, but I actually got a free one in the course.)
Before I forget to properly acknowledge it, the course is Nathaniel Salang's 3-Day Basic Photography Course. It can easily be found online, and I recommend that anyone interested in photography should take it.
So, I took the course, and when it was done, I thought, now what? Although my d-SLR is old and hopelessly passe (it's a modest Olympus model), I didn't want to put it back into some drawer, where it had gathered dust for two years before I thought of taking up photography (somewhat) seriously. And I didn't want to put to waste what I had learned in the course.
The next step seems to be to join a photography group or a photo walk. I've been on the lookout for these, but people seem to be too busy these days to go on a photo walk. It's Christmas season, after all.
So I thought I'd try to go on a photo walk alone. It shouldn't be that hard, right? I told myself that the important thing is to just get some shooting practice, period. For this, I thought I'd go to UP, because it's familiar and safe, and because the people there don't really care what you do. I did bring along my good friend Cris for company. I haven't seen her for a long time, and this is as good a chance to get together as any. Like shooting two birds with one stone. (Pun intended, again.)
As expected, I learned a lot from the experience. Well, that's putting it nicely. What I mean is that I made a lot of mistakes on this supposed photo walk... but from those mistakes, I am now wiser (hopefully). Next time, I should remember to:
Hmmmm....
This may be my favorite pic of the bunch. I think it helped that I made it B&W.
Push! Push!
Exhibit A: The photographer was slow, and the subject has missing body parts. Tsk! Tsk!
Another of my favorite pics in the bunch.
Again, missing body parts!
This really should have been sharper. Sayang.
I love this picture. Good thing the student and the riders weren't on a collision course.
The red stood out for me.
Patterns.
The oblation. I wanted the flag to look like his cape, ala-Superman, but it didn't happen.
A skateboarder ... in the noonday heat.
Cris, using a point-and-shoot.
Okay, I should have used f/22 here. Lesson learned. Kapag landscape, dapat higher f-stop.
I like this pic :-)
The carillon (?)
The academic oval. I feel it's mandatory to get a shot of these acacias (and of the Oblation) when you're in UP.
Cris, holding my useless tripod :-)
My alma mater, the College of Engineering. I borrowed here the "tilting" style of Sir Thaniel.
Before I forget to properly acknowledge it, the course is Nathaniel Salang's 3-Day Basic Photography Course. It can easily be found online, and I recommend that anyone interested in photography should take it.
So, I took the course, and when it was done, I thought, now what? Although my d-SLR is old and hopelessly passe (it's a modest Olympus model), I didn't want to put it back into some drawer, where it had gathered dust for two years before I thought of taking up photography (somewhat) seriously. And I didn't want to put to waste what I had learned in the course.
The next step seems to be to join a photography group or a photo walk. I've been on the lookout for these, but people seem to be too busy these days to go on a photo walk. It's Christmas season, after all.
So I thought I'd try to go on a photo walk alone. It shouldn't be that hard, right? I told myself that the important thing is to just get some shooting practice, period. For this, I thought I'd go to UP, because it's familiar and safe, and because the people there don't really care what you do. I did bring along my good friend Cris for company. I haven't seen her for a long time, and this is as good a chance to get together as any. Like shooting two birds with one stone. (Pun intended, again.)
As expected, I learned a lot from the experience. Well, that's putting it nicely. What I mean is that I made a lot of mistakes on this supposed photo walk... but from those mistakes, I am now wiser (hopefully). Next time, I should remember to:
- check my materials more thoroughly. I did bring a tripod, but I left home the base/port/thingy that attaches the camera to the tripod. As a result, I didn't get to use the tripod at all.
- include people's feet in the frame. I took many shots of people with missing body parts (usually the feet and fingers).
- move faster! OMG, I'm such a slowpoke! I missed a lot of "good shots," like colorful motorists or bikers passing me by before I even got to raise my camera.
- shoot earlier--or later--in the day. It was around 10 a.m. when I started taking pictures. I shot away until about 1 p.m. Everyone knows that the noonday sun isn't a great light source. And it was HOT!
The pictures I took aren't that great, but I wasn't expecting them to be. At least I got to go on a trip that was solely intended for picture-taking. And I got to learn and grow some.
The oblation. Brings to my mind this line from Bohemian Rhapsody: "I look to the sky and see / I'm just a poor boy."
This runner made at least three laps around the oval (6.6 km!) while we were there.
Hmmmm.... 
I love shooting people... If only they'd make eye contact.
This may be my favorite pic of the bunch. I think it helped that I made it B&W.
Push! Push!
Exhibit A: The photographer was slow, and the subject has missing body parts. Tsk! Tsk!
Another of my favorite pics in the bunch.
Again, missing body parts!
This really should have been sharper. Sayang.
I love this picture. Good thing the student and the riders weren't on a collision course.
The red stood out for me.
I like the foreground, but not the rest of the picture.
Patterns.
The oblation. I wanted the flag to look like his cape, ala-Superman, but it didn't happen.
A skateboarder ... in the noonday heat.
Cris, using a point-and-shoot.
Okay, I should have used f/22 here. Lesson learned. Kapag landscape, dapat higher f-stop.
I like this pic :-)
The carillon (?)
The academic oval. I feel it's mandatory to get a shot of these acacias (and of the Oblation) when you're in UP.
Cris, holding my useless tripod :-)
My alma mater, the College of Engineering. I borrowed here the "tilting" style of Sir Thaniel. Wednesday, December 7, 2011
QCIM3: My Third 21k
Since it first started, the Quezon City International Marathon (QCIM) has been a special, highly anticipated race for me. For one thing, it's done in Quezon City where I live, not in far off Fort Bonifacio where most of the major races are held. For another, the QCIM is a rare occasion during which half of the lengthy and busy Commonwealth Ave is emptied of vehicular traffic and transformed into a spacious playground for runners. It is a runner's dream to race along the long stretch of this infamous, accident-prone highway sans the noise, fumes and very real danger of cars running you over. And while the route is scenic, it isn't without a few challenges. It slopes uphill, especially along the Tandang Sora flyover and going towards Fairview.
Another great thing going for the QCIM is that it is always well planned and organized. A runner can't really ask for more. There are more than adequate water stations, kilometer markers and road directions, helpful marshals, and -- wait a minute--no medical aid stations this time? I don't recall seeing Red Cross volunteers or medical personnel in this year's race, though thankfully, I didn't have any need for their help. But maybe they were around and I just didn't see them.
For the QCIM3, some of the hydration stations even offered bananas and Gatorade drinks, which I really appreciated. When you don't have enough energy gels with you during a long run, those can truly help.
I woke up at 3:00 am on race day. With my brain still groggy with sleep, I wondered why I was subjecting myself to all these troubles instead of just going back to the warm comfort of my bed (and on such a cold December morning). I hurriedly had coffee, a few bites of lasagna and pastry, and hoped they would be enough to sustain me through the run. I had but one Gu energy gel (I calculated I needed at least three) and a Snickers bar as baon.
I was thankful my right leg was feeling alright and probably 90% recovered from a shin splint that had been bothering me earlier. But just to be sure, I wore a leg brace/compression thingy (I don't know the right term for it). This later proved to be a very prudent decision.
Before starting the race, I was resigned to the fact that I might need to walk during the latter part. I was under-trained because of my leg injury, and I was feeling far from confident. I told myself I'd just try to enjoy myself during the run as much as I can, and see how it goes. If I felt tired or had my usual leg cramps, I'd simply walk. I'm not running the full 42k marathon anyway, so I was not worried about the curfew time. Even if I walked half of the race, I would finish well before the allotted closing time of 11:00 am.
As it happened, the gods of running smiled upon me during this race, and I didn't experience any leg cramps. Without fail, I'd have cramps during any run that's longer than 12 or 13 kilometers--but for some reason, I didn't during this race. Wow! I was very pleasantly surprised. Later, I tried to analyze how this happened, and I concluded that it's perhaps the leg compression stocking that saved me. That's the one thing I did in this race differently from previous races. Maybe the Gu gel which I took close to Km 5 also had something to do with it. In previous races, I contented myself mostly with just Gatorade and water as fuel. I now realize that energy gels provide extra sustenance. (Duh!)
My finish time was nothing to brag about; in fact it was longer than my first two 21k races. But I was more than happy. No leg cramps, no walking (except while hydrating and munching on bananas), no problems at all! It was an easy breezy run, made enjoyable by the wonderful route, the efficient work of the organizers, and the December weather that's ideal for running. There was even a nice little drizzle as I approached the finish line.
There was a post-race raffle with a most enticing prize: a condo unit. I felt obligated to stay around and wait for the raffle draw, because you never knew who might win. If your race number was drawn and you're not around, you'd be deemed ineligible for the prize. And so I made tambay at City Hall until 11:30 am. I stayed there for a longer time than I spent running during the actual race. Good thing I had my earbuds and iPhone with me, so I didn't get too bored. Okay, maybe I was bored and dozed off a bit. (I woke up at 3 am, didn't I?) I tried to fill the down time reading up on trivia on my iPhone. (Did you know that the circular bits of paper you get after using a puncher have a name? They're called chads.)
By the way, medals were given to finishers of the the 21k and 42k categories. There was supposedly a loot bag too, but I only got an empty SDMC bag. Anyway, that's no biggie. Finishing the race injury-free was enough for me. It was another wonderful QCIM.
Another great thing going for the QCIM is that it is always well planned and organized. A runner can't really ask for more. There are more than adequate water stations, kilometer markers and road directions, helpful marshals, and -- wait a minute--no medical aid stations this time? I don't recall seeing Red Cross volunteers or medical personnel in this year's race, though thankfully, I didn't have any need for their help. But maybe they were around and I just didn't see them.
For the QCIM3, some of the hydration stations even offered bananas and Gatorade drinks, which I really appreciated. When you don't have enough energy gels with you during a long run, those can truly help.
I woke up at 3:00 am on race day. With my brain still groggy with sleep, I wondered why I was subjecting myself to all these troubles instead of just going back to the warm comfort of my bed (and on such a cold December morning). I hurriedly had coffee, a few bites of lasagna and pastry, and hoped they would be enough to sustain me through the run. I had but one Gu energy gel (I calculated I needed at least three) and a Snickers bar as baon.
I was thankful my right leg was feeling alright and probably 90% recovered from a shin splint that had been bothering me earlier. But just to be sure, I wore a leg brace/compression thingy (I don't know the right term for it). This later proved to be a very prudent decision.
Before starting the race, I was resigned to the fact that I might need to walk during the latter part. I was under-trained because of my leg injury, and I was feeling far from confident. I told myself I'd just try to enjoy myself during the run as much as I can, and see how it goes. If I felt tired or had my usual leg cramps, I'd simply walk. I'm not running the full 42k marathon anyway, so I was not worried about the curfew time. Even if I walked half of the race, I would finish well before the allotted closing time of 11:00 am.
As it happened, the gods of running smiled upon me during this race, and I didn't experience any leg cramps. Without fail, I'd have cramps during any run that's longer than 12 or 13 kilometers--but for some reason, I didn't during this race. Wow! I was very pleasantly surprised. Later, I tried to analyze how this happened, and I concluded that it's perhaps the leg compression stocking that saved me. That's the one thing I did in this race differently from previous races. Maybe the Gu gel which I took close to Km 5 also had something to do with it. In previous races, I contented myself mostly with just Gatorade and water as fuel. I now realize that energy gels provide extra sustenance. (Duh!)
My finish time was nothing to brag about; in fact it was longer than my first two 21k races. But I was more than happy. No leg cramps, no walking (except while hydrating and munching on bananas), no problems at all! It was an easy breezy run, made enjoyable by the wonderful route, the efficient work of the organizers, and the December weather that's ideal for running. There was even a nice little drizzle as I approached the finish line.
There was a post-race raffle with a most enticing prize: a condo unit. I felt obligated to stay around and wait for the raffle draw, because you never knew who might win. If your race number was drawn and you're not around, you'd be deemed ineligible for the prize. And so I made tambay at City Hall until 11:30 am. I stayed there for a longer time than I spent running during the actual race. Good thing I had my earbuds and iPhone with me, so I didn't get too bored. Okay, maybe I was bored and dozed off a bit. (I woke up at 3 am, didn't I?) I tried to fill the down time reading up on trivia on my iPhone. (Did you know that the circular bits of paper you get after using a puncher have a name? They're called chads.)
By the way, medals were given to finishers of the the 21k and 42k categories. There was supposedly a loot bag too, but I only got an empty SDMC bag. Anyway, that's no biggie. Finishing the race injury-free was enough for me. It was another wonderful QCIM.
My view along Commonwealth, going to Philcoa and the finish line. Wide, car-free roads are a truly a runner's dream come true!
The rectangular medal and my bib.
At the finish line.
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