The Walking Dead: Terminus Experience

   

It seems only yesterday when I was clutching onto the back of a complete stranger as we made our way, screaming and terrified across the halls & corridors of The Walking Dead: Haunted Prison last year in Eastwood City and now - here I go again! 

Last year's The Haunted Prison experience was a hit with the long lines snaking it's way all over Eastwood Central Plaza. So it was no surprise that the horror house would stand once again to bring chills, screams & thrills to those who dare enter it's gates. 

And in keeping with tradition, this year's Haunted House followed last season of the hit show The Walking Dead's setting which is in Terminus a place which promises sanctuary for all but as we all know that really isn't the case.

Because of last year's going-through-the-horror-house with strangers experience I invited some friends to go through the Horror House with me. At least if I would be clutching on to someone, it's someone I know! Lucky enough Sarah and Khin who I've been friends with through Paramore Philippines jumped to my invitation :) 

Come 6PM last Friday October 30, lo and behold the line for the Haunted House was so long already Surprise! Surprise! People wanted to get scared. 

While I was waiting for them (they got stuck in Friday traffic) I had the chance to observe the people in line and I saw how they took out their mobile devices and gadgets when the first batch of people went in, camera were flashing, photos were being taken by people waiting in line. You'd think that there was a concert. Kids passing by the horror house clung to their parents and cried- they know something scary is in there for sure! 

I just love the rock version of The Walking Dead's opening theme that they play. Hmmm I really should find that online. 

                                    

So when it was finally our turn, the three of us went through the horror house screaming and shouting - those damn zombies seemed to be coming out from everywhere! 

Even if in our group I was the eldest and they both called me 'Ate' I was the coward cowering behind them. There seemed to be more tricks, special effects and scares this time than last year. You also might want to check your back every once in a while. 

The Horror House is open until November 10, the price of the ticket has increased though to P150.00 still worth it - and let me ask you how much is your Starbucks coffee? Besides this treat is just once in a year-so make sure you don't miss it! 

It's a fun and memorable experience with friends. A great Halloween treat you should skip out on!  

                      

Covering for Azrael's Merryland. 

Big Hero 6 Party + Blu-Ray and DVD sale!

Fresh off their Oscar - Best Animatation Feature win, Big Hero 6 is throwing a PARTY! And what better way to party with the Big Hero 6 gang than to bring them home to relive their laughs, tears and adventures through your very own Bug Hero 6 Blu-Ray or DVD - at a sale price! (DVD is for P550.00).

The DVD also features Feast which also won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film - Wow! That is definitely one DVD to have (features two Academy award winning works) ^_^ 

Not only can you get to bring home the DVD (at a very good price- I might add) but you also get to enjoy Big Hero 6 activities and games! The party isn't just for the kids though since Dads and Moms (probably mostly Dads) will also get to enjoy looking through Blu-Ray and DVDs at discounted prices! Moms and Big Brothers and Big Sisters can enjoy the activities with the kids :)

This little cutie is having fun at one of the activities

NERDS WELCOME :) 

With everyone enjoying it is a great way to spend some quality family time :) 

Enjoy the Big Hero with an even Bigger Heart by coming to the Big Hero 6 Party at the Eastwood Mall Atrium from February 27 - March 3 ^_^ 

Did I mention you can also come in as your favorite Big Hero 6 character ? :) 

 

Team Lexie Photoshoot

Originally our first Team Photoshoot to date - Team Lexie wanted to wait on the tarpaulin of their team (Team of the month gets to have a big a*s tarpaulin of the team's photo printed and hung up on the wall - pretty neat huh?) to be printed first before releasing their photos - hence the late post :)

Our idea was to have their photoshoot outside the Eastwood Mall area but since there was an event going on that day we decided to look for another place to shoot, We really did not have to go far since there was a lot of nooks and crannys around to have a great photoshoot.

It's a good thing that even if there were guards roaming around we were not asked to stop shooting :P Definitely grateful that the security of Eastwood is not that strict when it comes to photographers - unlike in Makati.

Definitely had fun shooting Team Lexie - especially since it was our first Team Photoshoot - lots of swagger for this team and they were really werking it :P

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS! 

The Walking Dead: Haunted Prison Experience

I love watching movies but I'm not a big fan of Horror Movies. I just don't see the point of scaring yourself sh*tless - and I scare easily. Another thing about the Horror genre is that there is a fine line between "no plot and all gore" which is often crossed and slasher movies riddled with cliches leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Aside from not being a fan of the Horror genre, I am not a fan at all of Zombies. I remember having a conversation with my siblings (so long ago) that Zombies were our least favorite of all monsters and creatures. I mean they're dead and rotting and they eat you- as in not a bite but chew you up and worse- they could be your loved one turned undead, so talk about physical and psychological damages. 

Even when the Zombie Explosion blew up, I tried to fight against it as hard as I can. I didn't get into The Walking Dead wagon right away. It all started with Zombie books, colleagues encouraged me to read Mira Grant's Deadline trilogy. I was in a book club of sorts and Grant's Post Apocalyptic Zombie trilogy was in the circulation. It was in Grant's books that I learned terms like: Spontaneous Amplification: Defined as going through the "Zombie Changing" phenomenon without being bitten by an infected zombie. Happens after death. I also got an insight into what Virology would look like if say Zombie Outbreak does happen. 

After Gran't trilogy, I read World War Z, which unfortunately was not better than the movie. Watching Brad Pitt battle Zombies on the big screen was much better. It followed an actual -Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution (of sorts) unlike it's boring book counter part. 

By this time, I've already started watching The Walking Dead, I tried to fight it off, but I couldn't- I was already bitten and the infection spread quick. Now, my heart goes through tachycardia every Monday Morning when I'm watching Fox's Parallel Play with the US of the newest episode of The Walking Dead and I spend the entire week wondering what will happen in the next episode. 

I guess I started as a non-Zombie person to an okay-Zombie person ^_^ So I was really excited when I got the opportunity to cover The Walking Dead: Haunted a prison House at (one of my favorite places) Eastwood! Thanks to Megaworld, FOX and my Senpai Azrael for the opportunity!

THE WALKING DEAD: Haunted Prison House at Eastwood City 

As if the Zombie Explosion could not get any bigger! Eastwood City (my home away from home) has tied up with Fox International Channels to bring you The Walking Dead Experience - yes you get to live in the skin (sort of) of all your favorite characters. You get to go ala-Rick or Daryl or Michrone in a Horror House este Haunted Prison House taken straight out of the TV show. Okay so you might not be swinging a katana or firing off a gun but you'll definitely feel the suspense and fear that could only come from walking through a pathway with walkers at every corner. 

Mayonnaise Plays for Eastwood Indie Thirstdays

I've been having a thirst for gigs since unfortunately Paul and I haven't been able to go gigs lately due to schedule conflicts and that really sucks. Fortunately for me Eastwood (which is like my second home already-have been working in the area for about 4 years now) had "Indie Thirstdays" where two Indie bands are scheduled to perform every Thursday of October this also coincides with their October Fest celebrations. (and yes, I just love the pun in "Thirstdays") 

I wasn't able to catch Autotelic when they were scheduled to play due to waking up to an awful migraine - which I really hated since I was hoping to catch them live. They're an up and coming band you guys should really check out. 

Since missing out on Autototelic I was determined not to miss Mayonnaise who were scheduled to play last night. We're both fans and followers of the band especially with their new album Tayo Nalang Dalawa out (still don't have a copy but will definitely get one and write up a review). 

The band played new songs from their album like Classmate, Tayo Nalang Dalawa and their latest single Porta (which is on the Myx Countdown by the way) as well as old favorites like Bakit Part II. 

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the set since I had to run back to work since my shift would be starting in a few minutes :p  Which is also why I wasn't able to fully enjoy the Thirstday experience since I couldn't drink alcohol since I still had to go to work. Although I'm not much of a beer drinker myself, I definitely want to bring Paul to Rue Bourbon so he can try out the flavored beer that they have  :) (Caramel Beer) sounds pretty good. ^_^ 

Loved Mayonnaise's set even if I was only there for a short while - in this fast paced lives of ours you have to take things as they come. Thanks Eastwood for making my Thursday a little better! 

By the way- their Beer Tent event is happening tonight! With lots of Beer and bands like Pupil and sandwich performing (among others). I might check it out later but then it would really depend on the size of the crowd too :p 

In case you were wondering, Paul wasn't with me, so these photos were just taken with my iPad, they were post edited by Paul on Snapseed. 

Weekend Photographer: HDR in Eastwood City

Weekend Photographer is my blog post for my instant projects during my rest days.  My rest days varies sometimes in the weekend, other times in the middle of the week.  My wife doesn't tag along in these self projects, so I'll try my very best to write down what I've experienced during these weekend projects.  Just another addition to the many blog posts here, hope you guys like and enjoy.  Comments would be appreciated as always!

As I was digging through our blog posts, to check on what we have, I found this post.  For some weird reason, this post was left as a draft, just pictures no words.  Remembering this now after a year would be difficult (I'm very forgetful!).  

Trying my best to look back, I drove Ica to work during this evening.  In advance I brought the tripod, camera and kit lens.  Parked the car and proceeded to positions that I thought would be a good spot to shoot in.  

When this was shot, the building below was still brand new. I took the opportunity to shoot in long exposures since it's the way to go in shooting buildings at night.  If you look closely, you'll see hint of lights coming from cars that passed by.  On another note, all of the shots are HDR, meaning a combination of 3 (or more) different exposures to get a wider dynamic range the image. I think I tried, 0, +1 and -1 on the camera's meter.  So think of  each image (HDR) shot as long exposure(3 times or more), so getting a single HDR image takes probably 15-20 minutes of shooting( a rough approximation).

The new Robinson Supermarket

As this has post has been stuck in draft for more than a year, I had to resize the images due to web upload. The original files, are still stuck in a desktop computer that has not been repaired yet for more than a year. Recalling why I left Eastwood early, I believe that a security guard told me that no photographing allowed.  I usually yield when told by anyone to stop shooting, it is still privately owned establishment. So their grounds, their rules, 'nuff said.




Hoping that I could shoot again in the evening, and try out a few things that I've learned a year after doing this.  

On C5 Road 

Here's to shooting more photos!

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Natives, Save Me Hollywood: Eastwood Show

A local favorite of ours ' Save Me Hollywood - unfortunately drummer Melvin is not in the photo.

Apologies for the super late blog post - we've been swamped with work - but better late than never right ? :)
Whether or not you went to Pampanga for 7107 International Music Festival you can never get enough of a good thing which is why it really is hard to miss the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and The Natives mall show especially since it was for FREE - this was held last February 20, 2014 - our 101th monthsarry :3  

It was like getting a taste of the 7107 International Music Festival, a tiny portion of a sumptuous appetizer if you will (pardon the use of food as a simile - I'm starving as I am writing this blog post). Another great thing about the show was that it was made possible by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and the first leg was in Eastwood! And for someone like me who practically lives in Eastwood (in fact, the office where I work is right behind the concert area) it was so convenient that I could not say no; even if it meant waking up 3 hours earlier. As you guys know, Paul and I work the night shift so catching a 6PM show (Save Me Hollywood was playing at 6PM) meant waking up at 4PM when we usually wake up at 7PM for our 10PM shift. That's just how it is for us night owls and a big shout out to my fellow night owl and Woodie (Save Me Hollywood fan) Lynx who also had to wake up extra early to catch the show and just sleep off the remaining hours before her 11PM shift. 

(So enough of our BPO woes and back to the shows) It was basically another great show at Eastwood (We covered the Gin Blossoms Mall show and the 12 Stone Music Fest) and crowd favorites Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (they were just here last year for Bazooka Rocks Fest) were ready to rock the stage with another 7107 band The Natives. 

When I first heard about the free show I decided right then and there to attend. I mean it was freakin Red Jumpsuit Apparatus! One of my fondest memories with their songs is singing Face Down with my siblings and when I say singing this is really feel na feel singing/screaming/shouting even the growling parts and the funny thing is that we just had so much fun and laughs doing it. I guess we just have that weird humor that only we get :P And of course Your Guardian Angel was practically considered a national anthem during it's heyday. My favorites from RJA also include Damn Regret and Cat and Mouse which were performed! 

The icing on top of the cake for me was finding out that one of my favorite rising OPM bands, Save Me Hollywood was opening for them! That definitely sealed the deal and got me even more excited for the show! 

I actually tried getting photographer/media passes for us; unfortunately we weren't given that privilege. Nevertheless as I always say, you just have to make the most of what is given to you and that is exactly what we did! 

Although we arrived a bit late, Save Me Hollywood was already performing, we forgot what afternoon traffic was like :P 

To get in the venue you just had to show that you liked Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and/or Eastwood on Facebook and/or that you are following them on Twitter. I already knew this prior to going to the event but when we got there - the signal was only on Edge - Good job Globe! 

Despite the mishap we were still able to get in :P 

Young Forever: Avril Lavigne Pre-Concert Party

View from above during the Avril Lavigne Pre-Concert Party at Eastwood Citywalk

I'll be 30 in a couple of years and I think I've struggled with the idea of growing up and growing old but recently an old friend has taught me you can grow up but never really grow old. 

I definitely won't be true to myself if I don't recognize Avril Lavigne as one of my musical influences-because she was. 

Like many, I was an angsty teenager once and Avril Lavigne's music was a part of that. Specifically her first two albums, Let Go and Under My Skin. 

So there was that Little Black Star in me and so I was really looking forward to the Avril Lavigne Pre-Concert Party (better go ahead and say it, we didn't go to the concert-due to lack of funds and financial responsibilities, we would have gone if we had complimentary tickets though. I still want to be able to cover concerts regularly, maybe in the future we can cross that one off our bucket list) so going back to the pre-concert party-the energy is always so great and positive when we go to events like these so I knew that this was going to be a super fun party.  

Some of the great prizes that were given away during the event - Proactiv- Green Tea Moisturizer, Gift Certificates from Tokyo Bubble Tea (a personal favorite) and a P1,000 off certificate from Ice Watch! (Guess who will be shopping for an Ice Watch soon? ^_^) In case you guys didn't know Avril is an endorser of Ice Watch :) You can check out their stalls in SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, Trinoma and the Marquee Mall. 

Check out Avril Lavigne in the photo below from her video 'Here's to Never Growing Up' sporting some really cute Ice Watch <3

Avril Lavigne DVDs and CDs were sold at the event. 

Some of the winners during the Pre-Concert Party - Yup! That is a concert ticket you see right there - Odyssey just gives away the coolest prizes! ^_^

A lot of the pre-concert attendees were also dressed in Avril Lavigne inspired outfits - prizes were given out to the best dressed. :) It's always nice to see young fans, some even friends (a big family really) get together to celebrate the love that they share for the same music and inspiration. 

I even saw a mom taking photo of her excited daughter by a standee of Avril Lavigne! That is one cool and super fun mom right there!   

Gin Blossoms Eastwood Mall Show

Lead Vocalist - Robin Wilson. 

So I have been blogging and tweeting about the #SugarSmashGin concert here is the blog post. 

Unfortunately I was not able to go the concert which I heard lasted a long 5 hours- wow! 3 bands for 1 night - talk about sulit. 

So instead of wallowing in regret at not being able to go to the concert I told myself I would go to Gin Blossoms mall show in Eastwood.  

Lead Guitarist - Scott Johnson 

Unfortunately Paul was not with me so I had both photographer and blogging duties on me, I brought the camera and all the lenses and stuffed them in my shoulder bag - it was heavy! Still suffering from back pains because of hauling the heavy bag all day but it was worth it! 

When I arrived at Central Park in front of Eastwood Mall, I discovered you had to buy a Gin Blossoms: Outside Looking In: The Best of Gin Blossoms CD to be able to get to the VIP area and watch Gin Blossoms up close. The purchase of the CD would also mean a chance to Meet and Greet the band and have your CD signed so not bad right? :) 

   

Gin Blossom guitarist Jesse Valenzuela 

I already knew that the band would only be playing three songs (they gave in to the crowds cries of another song) but I was still pretty excited about seeing them perform live! Like I mentioned in my previous blog the music of Gin Blossoms has been a big part of our relationship, from the courting stage up to having 'As long as it matters' played in our wedding so even if Paul wasn't with me to share this moment I was determined to enjoy it and make the most of it-which is what I did.   

Tattoos and Tambourine. 

 Although the event started late and it was really humid in the VIP area it was a good bitter sweet show and the crowd was singing to their hit songs and can I just say it was hilarious when Robin Wilson walked in with a can of San Miguel beer in his hand which he seemed to enjoy very much! :) 

Robin Wilson letting the crowd sing. 

Save Me Hollywood: Your Story to tell Album Launch and 12 Stone Music Fest

When I first blogged about Save Me Hollywood in my list of Buzz Worthy OPM artists (last March) I said that I would support them for the whole nine yards, buy the album, see the shows - everything. Well now...it's FINALLY HAPPENING- they are coming out with their debut album...gaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!

'Your Story to Tell' is their debut album which will be launching at the following dates and venues: 

JUNE 1 Eastwood Central Park Eastwood City - 6PM

JUNE 7 Lucky China Town Mall - 5PM

JUNE 9 Venice Piazza McKinley Hill - 7PM 

I'm happy to announce that PCheng Photography will be at the June 1 launch at Eastwood - hope to see you guys there! :) 

Rock for F.A.N (Fully Abled Nation)

Host and PWD Advocate - Rovilson Fernandez 

Concerts for a cause are becoming popular here and there and why not? You gather a crowd through music and get to raise awareness for a cause it's a win-win situation right? And this is exactly what took place last May  6, 2013 at Eastwood Central Plaza during Dakila's Rock for F.A.N (Fully Abled Nation) concert whose purpose was to encourage participation among the Person's with Disabilities to participate during the upcoming elections. 

The event was organized by Dakila (Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism) in partnership with the Disability-Inclusive Elections initiative or Fully Abled Nation. This endeavor was made possible through The Asia Foundation as part of the Australian Aid's program on Disability-Inclusive Development.  

Hosts - Saab Magalona and Dj Lambert. 

Promotional Poster for the Event. 

The event also made transpired through the help and support of Locked Down Entertainment, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, Eastwood City and Jam 88.3. 

Long Time No See

People often go to a benefit concerts for the rock stars and the music then the cause would just be an added bonus but Rock for F.A.N (Fully Abled Nation) was really different because the event was to encourage our PWD brothers and sisters to participate during the upcoming elections and this show was really all about them, since the event also featured acts like blind rockers 'Long Time No See' (see the photo above) and the Professor X of the Philippines - Righteous One and he is one mean rapper and he also does Flip Top! Check out a video of him here. 

Righteous One

My J.CO Experience

*Disclaimer, photos were taken from my phone but edited through our trusty Abode Lightroom. ^_^ 

The J.CO story: Part 1: The line: Waiting in line before the store opens. 

I have heard of this ominous new Donut/Coffee store named J.CO with infamous lines that would go on even before the store opened. Some have even said that a normal waiting time in order to sink your teeth into these sought-after donuts was 2 hours! 

2 hours! That's already a whole movie and for what? A box of donuts?! As Sheldon Cooper said 'color me intrigued' and I definitely was. So when a branch of J.CO opened near where I work I grabbed the opportunity. 

Now, I'm not really one to jump into the band wagon but my team did deserve a little sweet treat and what better way than to satisfy their clamoring than with a box...err two boxes of this elusive donut brand. 

So even if the store was to open at 7:00AM we already set out before then and lo and behold there was already a line of eager patrons outside of the store. I don't remember people ever lining up for anything and it must have been a sight since Eastwood guards were also taking photos of the growing line. You could tell that they were given the task since there were two different guards with a camera each taking photos of the line (at different angles mind you!). 

As if by some cruel jape of the business deity-this was the golden hour, the perfect opportunity since night owls such as myself who work in the BPO industry clock out (log off/log out) and go home at this time; so it really is not a chore for them to line up before 7:00AM to take home some of this donut goodness (a midnight snack at 7:00AM is not so absurd in our world). It was definitely the stuff of which a business owners' dreams were made of. 

It could easily be deduced that the line was composed of people working in different Call Centers who were either on their way home or probably on their breaks and there we were in the line with them.