Coming from an engineering background I need a lot of catching up to do, especially in the realm of economics and accounting. I could not even find my old trusty scientific calculator (Sharp) and so I had to look for a new buddy for my computing needs.

Doing some research, I learned that if ever I am to take the CFA certification in the future, there are only 2 types of calculators allowed:  HP 12C and the TI BA2.  These calculators do not come cheap.

Thanks to e-commerce sites (sulit.com.ph), I was able to get a good deal on a slightly used HP 12C.  A brand new one could have cost me Php5,000 but luckily I got this one for just Php800!  HP has been enjoying profits with the HP12C, which has been in the market for more or less 20 years now!  Truly, an industry standard for finance professionals.  I still could not believe its price tag at php5k, even beating modern graphing calculators.

And so I met up with my contact who came all the way to Pampanga just to sell his calculator.  Originally, it was priced at Php1500 but immediately offered me Php800.  The only downside for this trade was that I had to wait for 2 hours.  Meeting time was supposed to be 2pm, he arrived at 4.  Still, 2 hours is not bad as I have saved more than Php4,000!

Drift – 1 of my 3 entries to this year’s Bayanihan Photo Exhibit.

Last year, a group of Filipino photography enthusiasts had organized a project entitled Bayanihan, a collaboration of photography works mostly taken in Japan.  It was a showcase of talent by Filipino photographers as they show different perspectives of Japan in the eyes of a gaikokujin (外国人, a non-Japanese).

The first exhibit proved to be successful as it was well received by many, not only from the Filipino community but also from other visitors: Japanese and non-Japanese alike.   The exhibit also acted as a springboard for most photographers as each contributor strove for their best shots and at the same time inspired others to capture equally great images, hoping to eventually join future exhibits such as this.

After approximately a year and a half, the 2nd Bayanihan project finally came into fruition.  The organizers even contacted other outstanding Filipino photographers via Flickr and invited them to join the exhibit.  Below is the official poster for the exhibit.

Date: August 11-15, 2010

Venue: Kawasaki Art Garden, 3rd Floor River K Bldg.,  12-1 Kawasaki ekimae, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

(List of Contributors )

Though I am now back here in the Philippines, I was among the photographers invited to join the exhibit in Japan.  I would like to personally thank Ate Ade who kept on convincing me into sending in my entries, and eventually sponsoring the costs for its exhibit.  I initially did not want to join because I didn’t have fresh Philippine images to begin with.  But thanks to the Cebu-Bohol trip last June with friends, I finally had an opportunity to shoot; thus, I eventually agreed to share some of my shots.

This Photo Exhibit is also a fund raising event as most of the photos on exhibit will be on sale.  Half of the proceeds will be placed into a charity fund and target beneficiaries will be in the Philippines.

It is during these times that I wish I am still in Japan, to be able to view firsthand the exhibit and of course to meet up again with friends.

]]> http://www.scioncho.com/blog/2010/08/bayanihan-2010-2nd-japan-photo-exhibit/feed/ 2 http://www.scioncho.com/blog/2010/07/change/ http://www.scioncho.com/blog/2010/07/change/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:33:57 +0000 ScIoN http://www.scioncho.com/blog/?p=20 I guess I now have the time to finally spruce things up a bit.  My homepage now leads to my folio, and for my blog — I plan to do some layout changes.  Some of the links may not be working so please bear with me.  I still have about 2 months vacation before finally starting graduate school.

Me and my friends just had been to Cebu-Bohol last week and some pics had already been posted on to my Facebook.  I plan to blog about it extensively (plus my previous projects, hopefully).  For the meantime, I’ll just share this group shot of my friends at Fort San Pedro.

(L-R: Joe B , Ron , Kelly , Elma & Argel)

I have had photography projects at the beginning of this year, however, I no longer had time (nor the ideal internet speed) to upload on my site. I miss Japan’s broadband internet

Anyway, my schedule is still generally open for projects, most especially before classes start. Just fill me in if ever you have proposals in mind.

I’ll try my best to update this site, even if I would slowly transfer some posts from my Multiply blog.

宜しくお願いします。　:D

I guess I easily got the slot as a photographer after showing my website (covering events) and my Flickr album on cosplays (i.e. Tokyo Game Show 2009).  I love doing events photography and I like the idea of being invited to an exclusive event — less crowd and more room to have photo opportunities with top cosplayers.

Upon arriving at the venue, I realized that the Filipino cosplaying community is very tight, I actually felt a bit OP (out of place) since almost everyone already knows each other.  Generally, most photographers who were there were friends with the cosplayers and so, sometimes I had to sneak in for a shot.

Hye Marie Nim in French Maid cosplay

I never had the chance to take pictures of geishas in Japan, never thought I could get my very first shot of a geisha in the Philippines.

Ms. Monique Dimanlig aka Midori

Though it wasn’t on my wishlist, Chowking’s celebrity endorser for their new product (the Oh!some Oh!range Chicken), Jericho Rosales was there to pump up the event with his chicken dance.

Jericho Rosales promoting Chowking's new product, the Oh!some Oh!range Chicken

And of course, what perfect opportunity to take pictures of the lovely Alodia.  She has got to be the most popular cosplayer in the (otaku) world.  I’ve seen one event in the news where she had dozens of bodyguards all over her during a mall event.  But thanks to the exclusive invite, I got the chance to rub elbows with, even to take a shot of her this close and then say hi to her mom.  Too bad her sister Ashley wasn’t around.

Closeup with Ms. Alodia

The event was enjoyable thanks to Chowking’s dynamic presentation and the hosts’ energetic vibe.  We were made to move from one place to another as they had provided different setups all throughout the program.  Funny though that Chowking had invited Food Bloggers for their product PR, but then the confetti machines began to fire up sprinkling orange crepe papers on top of the food.  (FAIL!)  Another problem was the small venue especially that the organizers decided to fill it up with flash mob dancers.  I was expecting to meet and greet fellow guests during the event, but I could no longer distinguish them from the flash mob members (they should have given us tags).

Rush of Confetti

Overall, it was a great social event for the party people.  Lots of prizes were given away which included mobile phones and polaroid pogo cams.  All throughout the event, I was using the auto ISO feature of my Nikon D90 which eventually led to my having mostly ISO1600 shots.  Still, not bad as the graininess of the shots are quite manageable.  I used to be very conservative with regard to high ISO usage, but with the d90, I think it should not be a problem especially for events photography.

I am one of more than 20 contributing member-photographers for the exhibit.  Here is my take at Showa Kinen, a large park located in the Western part of Tokyo, Japan.

The park was established as part of a project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign, and it now comprises about 163.0 hectares of completed area.
The park draws attention as the most up to date leisure spot in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
Visitors to the park may enjoy a walk through the forests and over the spacious lawns, while viewing the beautiful flowering plants, and savouring the tranquillity of nature.  Official Website

The show runs for the whole duration of March.  Please feel free to drop by. Lots of amazing pictures on display!

Hopefully, will be able to finish this site and start blogging!

Wish me luck!