My photography assistant { 2 }

Turtle-dragons and hairy grass { 12 }

After discovering that the house helpers had been replacing some of my herbs with ornamental plants that I don’t know where they get from, and after telling them never to do that ever again (okay, I was fuming mad), I decided to inspect the garden from end to end. I might as well. I was waiting for a pot of meat to boil,...  (more...)

Photographing fireworks and wide-angle lenses { 6 }

July 4 used to be a public holiday in the Philippines. I don’t know if it is still tagged as Filipino-American Friendship Day but I do know that for the past several years, it has been a regular working day and school day. So I don’t think much about it. Unlike when I was a student when it meant a legitimate reason...  (more...)

Crossover from Facebook { 22 }

I don’t like memes and I don’t often do tagging that is nothing more than a thinly-disguised meme. Even in Facebook, I don’t respond to all the tags. There are, however, those that I like either because they fun, or they share information that are valuable or interesting, or both. Like this one. The rule: Don’t...  (more...)

Homework, “pusong mamon” and other Filipino colloquialisms { 12 }

AS far as I know, pusong mamon literally translates to soft-hearted. Puso is heart and mamon is a small chiffon cake roughly the size of a human heart so for those who don’t speak Filipino, you get the idea. Am I writing about colloquialism or baking? Bear with me. This piece is the result of many things but baking is...  (more...)

The anatomy of a rumor { 51 }

After writing a few articles about my firstborn who is now a college freshman, an obviously curious reader e-mailed me asking why my daughter was taking up a vocational course. I said she wasn’t and explained that A.B. Photography is a regular college course. But there’s no such thing, she said. Yes, there is, I...  (more...)

What does your doctor say? { 22 }

UPDATE on June 24, 2009 @ 9.50 p.m. For those who have been asking about coffee alamid, please read My Civet Coffee Experience. And here’s a photo of the palm civet (alamid). Last week, over cups of coffee alamid, a lawyer friend, Eric Santos, and I were discussing a syllabus for the Internet and Law subject that we used...  (more...)

The bookstore that loves me back { 15 }

There are three bookstores we go to regularly — Powerbooks, Fully Booked and A Different Bookstore. What about National Bookstore? Oh, we go there for school, office and art supplies but when we want books, we go to real bookstores. Rarely do we go to Eastwood City without passing by A Different Bookstore although Sam...  (more...)

Beware of wood-boring beetles { 24 }

I’m not really into decorating. Okay, let me rephrase that. I like playing with space, colors and textures, which is why I had the living and dining areas repainted and wallpapered, but when it comes to anything purely ornamental, I pass. That’s why you won’t find curio cabinets in my house nor knick knacks....  (more...)

Close-up photography: capturing details that often escape the naked eye { 11 }

Most people, myself included, tend to use the terms close-up photography and macro photography interchangeably. But according to strict definitions, there is a difference. Close-up photography refers to taking magnified images; macro photography means close-up photography using macro lenses. The difference is really more apparent...  (more...)

Beyond Hollywood gore and glamor { 18 }

For all the glory reaped on Hollywood, both by rosy-eyed moviegoers and Hollywood habitues themselves, American movie makers can learn a lot from their European counterparts on how to narrow the gap between commercial filmmaking and art. I saw The Legend of 1900 (Giuseppe Tornatore, director) and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer...  (more...)

I take photos

Alternative to air-conditioning

It might look like something out of the prologue of a CSI episode but it isn’t. That’s not...  »»

36 pesos from a second-hand bookstore

I found this copy of James Clavell’s Tai-Pan in a second hand bookstore, my signature on the flyleaf...  »»

Skinny thorny legs

I was renewing my love affair with Ian Dunross (in my mind with the face of Pierce Brosnan) when something...  »»

The animal that makes the world’s most expensive coffee

From “My Civet Coffee Experience“: The Asian palm civet, also known as the toddy cat, is...  »»

Layers of chocolate and cream

As a graduating high school student, it is now Alex’s turn to fill out application forms of various...  »»

The hands that protect the treasure within

I see the same familiar flower everyday yet I really didn’t know much about it until I took a...  »»

Mustard, meet bread

Last Sunday, Speedy’s cooking day, we had sandwiches for brunch that illustrate why, sometimes,...  »»

Blackberry clafoutis

Clafouti (or clafoutis) is a custard like cake of French origin traditionally made with cherries. I...  »»

Sam’s sunrise

Before the school year started, Sam often stayed up all night to watch movies and take photos. There...  »»

Too big for my cooking pot

Speedy and I went to Farmer’s Market in Cubao yesterday to buy panga ng tuna which he later grilled...  »»

Speedy’s toolbox is almost full

The last time I took photos of this toolbox (you really have to read the first entry about the toolbox...  »»

Waiting for the fish to cook

Although it isn’t Sunday and Speedy normally cooks only on Sundays, he took exception today because...  »»