Thursday, October 30, 2008

Ambiance added

Ambiance


From the coffee shop at the mall, I saw this amber looking lighting fixture hanging on the wall. It radiates a warm light highlighted by the broken glass effect on the lighting glass. You could say that it really helped in providing the ambiance.

Most of us love to lounge at coffee shops to surf and sip our favorite coffee blend. But generally (this is only my opinion), what attracts us and make us stay at those coffee shops is because of the ambiance. How cozy and relaxing it feels while sipping a hot cup of coffee...and this aura is partly generated by the impact of the lighting. Some even have special fine art lamps that warms up the entire atmosphere.

Just like in this shop, with this hinkley light fixtures type of lamp. I guess it makes the higher cost of coffee from this shops more affordable.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Looking for... a Bike?

The Bike


One time I was caught in traffic while riding a taxi cab in Cebu City when I chance upon the one-eyed graffiti on a school yard wall. Hurriedly I took my camera to snap a picture and as I pressed the shutter, this biker just sped out of nowhere. What luck! the bike's blur added to the total effect.

Speaking of bikes, did you know that the most efficient machine on earth in terms of weight transported over distance for energy expended is a human on a bicycle (www.bikewebsite.com.). It can even be considered as one of the solutions for our energy crisis situation. Imagine, no petrol fuel required, you can get to where you want without being bothered by traffic, you'll get a very good exercise, and to top it all up, its environment friendly.

Of course, it can not replace the cars and mass transport for long distance travels, but for city or town mobility, the bike is a great alternative.

I remember my first bike. It was an easy rider with foot brakes. It even has a ringer bell attached to the handles. Then during high school, I saved my allowance in order to assemble my own BMX. Given a chance if ever I'll have another bike today, I guess it will be a mountain bike. Although I'd prefer to assemble it by myself again, but for practical reasons, a lot of good choices are readily available off the racks even on-line.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Honing the Potential

Potential


One early Sunday morning,after hearing about the cat that was stalking a chicken at our neighbor's roof, my son grabbed our Canon S3IS to take zoomed-in picture. Unfortunately, the chicken flew away and left him only a grooming cat to shoot on.Gelo's Cat

He is only 9 years old and it seems he has already caught on our passion for photography. As many used to say: "Start them early.."

Its amazing how our younger generations of today are assimilating technology and applying them almost instantly. Sometimes, they don't even have to read the manual to operate new electronic toys and gadgets.

Having that is already a plus for these kids. Now they just need to be nurtured and guided to bring out their fullest potential.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

From Seoul to Busan: A Korean Adventure



It took me a while to get back into blogging. How are you? Or should I say "Sugoha shipmida!...That's the written form of HELLO in Korean!

Yup, I've been to South Korea for a week long exposure two weeks ago. It took me some time to sort out over than 800 pictures that I snapped. I stayed two days in Seoul(Flying in thru Inchon) then I flew south to Busan where I spent the remainder of the week traveling the Gyeongsang province in Hapcheon County, Hamyang County, Jinju City and the subdivision of Haeundae east of Busan.

The Korean people are very kind and warm. You could always expect to receive a cup of coffee or hot tea upon your visit to their homes. I first thought of them as very formal people, based from the Korean drama series shown in our local TV networks. It was a big AHA! for me. They were formal, yes, only in the sense of showing respect for others and especially to their seniors.

I was blessed with a very good guide and "Sabo" (Teacher) during my stay in Busan. He took care care of everything I needed. His name is Kwak Jun Ho, or you can also call him Shine. He lives in Kimhae city, around 25KM north of Busan, with his wife Kim Yeon Suk and their 2 year old daughter Kwak, Kyu Lim.

Shine even taught me how to speak a little Korean, like how to say thank you after being offered coffee: "Coffee jo syu suh Khamsahamnida."

Learning about Korea, its people and their culture is very interesting. Their history goes a long way back. Its really quite an experience.

Khamsahamnida!