Babysitter Day

My four American cousins (two five year olds, one three year old, and one two month old) are taking a three week vacation here in the Philippines, and because my aunts and uncles are drained from taking care of them, it was time for me to step up and take their place.

Here are some of the photos from our fun-filled day in Alabang!

A Day at the Farm

My family and I recently went to our farm in Quezon, and I thought it was a great opportunity to practice my manual photography.

Here are some of my favorite photos from our day at the farm (with no edits or filters):

The Third Wheel Photographer

I've been wanting to study manual photography for quite some time now. My first attempt was in 2014 during my four month stay in Nantes, France. I studied the basics of photography (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering), how they affected one another, and ultimately how they affected the overall photograph. I thought I had it figured out, but when I went to the city park to apply my new knowledge on manual photography...

Nailed it.

For some reason I can't remember, I stopped studying manual photography. My camera was in automatic for the rest of my stay in  France.

Inspired by my good friend Mely's photos (check out her website), I decided to give manual photography another shot. I began studying about a month ago, and I recently had the chance to apply what I've learned during the UPLB Feb Fair.

I got to hang out with Jan and Mely and be their third wheel, but instead of being the third wheel who walked quietly behind them, I was the third wheel who walked quietly behind them while taking their photos. 

Here are some of them (with no edits and filters):

In The Spirit of Valentines Day, Here's A Mixtape

In the spirit of Valentines Day, here's a mixtape containing some of my favorite love songs.

My favorite song in the whole world is here too, so this is somewhat special to me.

I hope you like it.



Try listening to it from start to finish.

The Heart Bleeds Maroon (For a Day)

I’ve wanted to do something different for quite some time now, just to break the monotony of my post-graduate life, and I did just that…by going back to school.

My good friend Jan invited me to attend his morning class so I can have a little taste of the life of a UPLB student. Little did I know that it would turn out to be a complete three course meal, because I wound up staying in Elbi for a solid twelve hours, my longest stay there in nearly five years.

The day started out with a fun drive from Calamba to Los Banos with Jan (he happily welcomed the change from his typical jeepney commute). We managed to get to the classroom with ten minutes to spare. The subject was Entrepreneurship 1, and it was in the CEM Function Hall. It’s basically a function hall that was converted into a classroom. The first time I attended a large class in UPLB was in high school during our Statistics days…but this is the first time I attended a REALLY LARGE class. There might have easily been over 120 students there, and there were still quite a number of empty seats. The class began at 9 and ended at 9:50.

Thoughts and Observations:

• There were a lot of students, both men and women, who wore pambahay outfits to the class (t-shirts, playing shorts, slippers). Although this wasn’t much of a surprise, I was definitely amused (and slightly jealous that I don’t have the guts to wear something as comfortable as those to school).
• There were quite a few people who did wear fashionable clothes, and I applaud them.
• There were so many people in that class. I felt the need to emphasize that again. The amount of people there could easily be from four different sections in the Ateneo, but this is only one section.
• The class is so huge that anyone can sleep or play games in their phone and the professor wouldn’t even notice. A few people did exactly those.
• Air conditioned classrooms are the best.
•  Entre 1 is actually a very interesting class! It’s like an hour long seminar that you can attend for extra points. It didn’t feel like a regular class.

I also got to experience an integral part in the life of a UPLB student: walking kilometers in the sweltering heat. It wasn’t fun at all.

Thoughts and Observations:

• Rain or shine, UPLB students use their umbrellas. I can’t blame them. It’s practically a necessity there.

I got to hangout with Jan’s girlfriend (and also a good friend of mine), Mely. We visited her in her apartment before going to Cocina for some coffee. Immediately after, we went to Chubby Habbi’s for lunch.

Thoughts and Observations:

• Hangout at someone’s apartment – a big check on my UPLB student checklist.
• I’m a big fan of Cocina. I love the ambience and the food is always good. It wasn’t my first time, but it’s always great to chill there.
• CHUBBY HABBI’S WAS AMAZING. The food is pretty cheap and they taste authentically Mediterranean. It surprised me that UPLB has greater food finds than Katipunan.

I was supposed to only attend one class, but I thought it will be fun to attend the 1pm Economics 11 class in CEMFH, especially since I hold a degree in Economics. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Thoughts and Observations:

•  No matter what university you’re in, Economics will never be a fun subject to learn.
• I found myself thinking “how the hell am I a legitimate holder of an Economics degree?” many times throughout the class.
•  I loved the look on everyone’s faces when the professor began to explain the economic models.
• I GOT TO TAKE A REAL UPLB SURPRISE QUIZ. I was also pleasantly surprised to know that I got a four out of five. I guess I did learn something from my four years of studying economics!
• ¼ Yellow Pad for a quiz? That’s a thing?

The rain fell after class, and it fell hard. My shoes were soaked and with the strong winds, my umbrella hardly kept me dry. The students who wore slippers to school definitely had the advantage over the others. Jan and I met up with RJ in Nicdao. We were there at around 2:30…and stayed there until 7:30. Those five hours went by FAST.

Thoughts and Observations:

• Chilling in a bahay kubo during heavy rain and strong winds is actually quite fun (if you’re willing to get a little bit wet).
•  Drink a bottle of beer in the afternoon – another big check in my UPLB student checklist.

Mely, Jan, and I then had dinner at a sisig place near Ellen’s Fried Chicken. I forgot the name, but damn was their sisig good! It was a great way to cap off my day as a UPLB student. I got to know UPLB more, and yet, it still feels like as it did before…

Home.

My Favorite Pictures From High School

I spent the best four years of my life in UPRHS. Here are some of the pictures that bring back so many memories.

My only "close-up" picture from Freshman year. Thank God there isn't more. (2007)

Ipil 2007-2008. I'm the blurred bald guy in the back. (2007)

The meanest (and funniest) picture from Sophomore year. (2008)

My Ely Buendia Picture from the Subic Field Trip. (2008)

Reigh and his random carton of milk. (2008)

My roommates during the Subic Field Trip (and also the first time to really bond with Jan and Papi). (2008)

The men of Katmon 2008-2009. (2008)

Reigh's "Voyeur" Picture. (2008)

Katmon 2008-2009 Christmas Party. (2008)

Ascend. (2009)

We were inseparable during Junior year. (2009)

This was what I had to deal with every day. (2009)

Mahogany's Best Group Ever. (2009)

After this test shot, he posed like Justin Bieber and requested to be photographed. (2009)

In our second favorite tambayan during Junior year. (2009)

The Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2009)

The "Mayor and His Two Guards" photo. (2009)

Team huddle before the game. (2009)

Intrams Men's Softball. (2009)

After I gave him the "best shirt ever". (2009)

The time I spent 3k on food for my 15th birthday. (2010)

The only photo that I have of the Prom King and Queen Dance. (2010)

Post-JS Prom with Bryan's random extension cord. (2010)

I promise, it's not what you think. (2010)

Mahogany 2009-2010 get together at Jan's resort. (2010)

This group picture. (2010)

The class picture that can seriously offend a lot of people (but we love it anyway). (2010)

The best batch board ever. (2010)

The jamming session at Yakal when Gio had an idea to form a band, which eventually became "Rock, Paper, Scissors". (2010)

Intrams Softball. (2010)

Men's Softball Champions. (2010)

My favorite shot from the Seniors' Ilocos Field Trip. (2010)

This barkada photo. (2010)

That time Jan stole a shot that I thought of...and nailed it. (2010)

The Blue Blanket shot for our musical teaser. (2010)

The Blue Blanket shot for our musical teaser #2. (2010)

"The Producers" Teaser. (2010)

During practice for "The Producers". (2010)

This light moment. (2010)

The Christmas Party where Mei-ann and I matched tops. (2010)

The best shot from our musical. (2011)

The most gorgeous photobomber ever. (2011)

This candid photo from our last JS Prom. (2011)

At our last He-Aggie Fair. (2011)

The unbelievable photo that captured one of Shobe and I's favorite memories (Hint: look at the background). (2011)

I promise, it's not what you think #2. (2011)

One of our last days in UPRHS. This photo hasn't seen the light of day until now. (2011)

The very last time I wore a UPRHS uniform. (2011)