electronics, seafood, cheesecakes and friends

two months ago, we posted a similar sounding blog entry talking about a day out with friends. this past weekend, we found another excuse to hangout. before it was cars… this time it was consumer electronics. before it was our “plan” to buy a car… this time it was vena and neriz’s plan to buy an lcd tv. 🙂

unlike our gimik two months ago, this one was a bit less planned and bit more impromptu. we actually just talked about it just the day before our actual gimik. 😀 consumer electronics live was touted as a gathering of all consumer electronics manufacturers showcasing their latest products and technologies. this sounded interesting especially to vena and neriz as they have been searching for a two-tuner lcd tv for the longest time.

since this was really a vena and neriz gimik, we assumed they’ll be bringing their d60. so we decided to wear our matching l-o-v-e shirts, wanting to put their d60 into good use (post-nup pictorial. 😀). what we did not expect though was our shirts would grab so much attention as mall-ers kept on reacting to our shirts as we walked through mall of asia. selle can vividly recall one specific couple smiling from ear-to-ear and reading our shirts aloud… love. 🙂




yun nga lang hindi naman dinala nina vena ang dslr nila. hehehe. tapos point-and-shoot lang ang dala naman namin. hehehe uli.

consumer electronics live was held at the new smx besides mall of asia. we don’t frequent this area much so we were not really familiar about the place. actually, it was only our second time to visit mall of asia and our first to see smx. francis even commented that once we saw smx, we will be proud that the philippines has such a convention center. with its structure and sprawling space, he was not kiddin’. maganda nga sya. 🙂

unfortunately, the event was a disappointment. the organizers failed to fill the hall and some notable electronics manufacturers (such as panasonic, philips, nikon… etc.) were not even present. mas marami pa atang participants pag nag-a-appliance fair sa mga mall eh. 😀we still enjoyed walking through the booths though. (no pics to show though as the sd card on our point-and-shoot got corrupted while we were there 😦then we fixed it afterwards. 🙂). we spent an extended period of time at the samsung booth, amazed (and salivating) at the new plasma and lcd tv’s. truly, samsung continues to lead the industry in lcd/plasma tv’s. 🙂

we then…

• walked to the sony booth and laughed at the marketing trickery they’re doing in promoting high definition 🙂
• marveled at the crispness of the 25k bose laptop speakers (ang mahal!)
• was amused by the nintendo wii being played on a humungous projection tv
• was intrigued by the adobe training platform being demo’ed

afterwards, we walked towards the bay…





…and ate dinner (lunch + dinner for francis and kathleen) at trinity ihaw-ihaw. this whole row of restaurants had a “dampa” feel to it so the prices were cheap and the servings were aplenty. sobrang dami nga eh at sumuko na kami in the end. 🙂 pero masarap talaga. nakauwi na nga kami eh sobrang satisfied pa rin si selle sa pagkain dun. great restaurant choice, kathleen. 🙂

we gotta have dessert after. we strolled along the bay looking for dessert (and, in the process, steph lost her slipper 😦). sa sobrang haba na ng nilakad namin… we ended up at cheesecake etc… again. 🙂 and, as usual, kwentuhan galore. 🙂




after dessert, francis, kathleen and steph went ahead as it was getting late. kami naman eh sumama kina vena and neriz as they went center table hunting and shopping. 😉

before going home, we witnessed an actual pick-pocketing incident at bread talk. galing nga ni vena at neriz dahil na-block nila yung way noong pickpocket. yun nga lang, yung security guard at the area eh andun lang at pinanood all the commotion at hinayaan lang makaalis yung perpetrator. makes us wonder if the guard was into the whole operation or not. hmmmm…

ayan tuloy, d na kami bumili sa bread talk. 😀

we had another enjoyable time with these guys. we’re done with cars and consumer electronics… what could be next?

…at kelan ang viewing party, vena and neriz? 😉

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usapang dslr

we have this email thread which started with just four recipients talking about digital photography. we all yield nikon cameras and we’re all amateurs (except for the one we call master sensei 😉) so the dialogue exchanges are both relatable and interesting. 🙂

it’s nice to see friends being caught up with this photography thingy. i remember almost a year ago that it was only vhlad and i who would have email exchanges about photography. soon after, he got his d80 and got a head start into the dslr world. mid this year, i got my d40 and plunged into the dslr world as well. i’m not actually sure if they were inspired by my photography but soon after, vena got a d60 from his wife, neriz (ahhwwww… how sweet… 😉). not to be outdone, rex then got a spanking new d90! whoa! hence, the usapang dslr forum was born. 🙂

here are the pioneering members:

vhlad aka master sensei
undeniably the most skilled (and most experienced) photographer in the group. we ask the questions, he provides the answers hence, the label, master sensei.



vena aka stealth shooter
plays the underdog/novice role but quite possibly rolls over and laughs at the quality of our shots that we share. 🙂



rex aka gadget mogul
the latest to have a dslr in the group but he has the nastiest camera (d90) and he has an extra lens already. now, he’s planning on getting an sb900 and an ultra-wide lens to add to his arsenal. 🙂



we got the prosumer, entry-level pro camera models covered (d40: me, d60: vena, d80: vhlad, rex: d90) so as not to ruin the trend, we jokingly say that the next member of this so-called club should have a d200. 😆 the club is beginning to grow with the addition of rhila (who gave his husband a d60 (even though he’s asking for a d300 😆)) and the pending addition of rex lomeda (who can’t seem to decide what camera model to buy… d80 or 40d? unfair comparison we say…)(newsflash! lomeda now has a d90! 😀).

hopefully, someday we can just gather together and go on a photoshoot… be it in australia, california or laguna. 😀

keep shooting and sharing, guys…

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monday night football madness

it’s no secret that i love football. now, selle’s loving it too. 🙂

yesterday, i got a text message from my wife telling me that she was watching the mnf game between the saints and the vikings. she then sent a message about reggie bush getting a touchdown. no surprise there, bush is a great athlete. but then selle sent this ecstatic message about another bush touchdown. first, i was so happy that selle is genuinely enjoying this game that i love all by herself. 🙂 secondly, i was intrigued by what bush just did so i asked for a more detailed story. unknowingly, bush was having the game of his life and it’s all happening on the the monday night football stage. punt return after punt return, reggie bush was seemingly unstoppable… quickly turning into the punt returner to watch out for.

first, there was deion sanders of the atlanta hawks/san francisco 49ers/dallas cowboys.

then there was dante hall of the kansas city chiefs.

then there’s david hester of the chicago bears.

now, welcome, reggie bush. enjoy… 🙂



here’s the first punt return touchdown (and the de-cleater of a block) in actual game film.



now, ain’t football great? 😀

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