The Magic Continues for a New Generation of Potter Fans (and the old ones are happy too!)

After seven books and eight movies, you'd think that the world is content with how Harry Potter ended but with the release of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and of course "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" (which just grossed P126.42 M in four days!) we know that Muggles just can't get enough of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. 

Last Halloween I saw a number of folks dressed up as characters from Harry Potter, from kids who were not even born yet when the books came out. (Their parents probably put them up to it but I'm sure that they've come to love the movies as well) to adults who wanted to bring the magic to the work place. Indeed the magic which J.K. Rowling has created for what now seems like generations is surely far from over. 

The cuties clad in Gryffindor colors? Daughters of my former English (and Economics) High School teacher and I can say that Miss Gaye has those #ParentingGoals down right! 

We just saw "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" last week (movie review here) and I tell you it was indeed a reminiscent trip down memory lane as the movie 'read' so much like a "Harry Potter" book. It's on its second week in cinemas now! Make sure to see it!   

The lovely folks from Sky Cable's Digital Marketing went on a "Harry Potter" theme for their Halloween Party. Complete with "Undesirable No.1" posters! 

This little cutie is about to have his first birthday and guess what the theme is? :D

So no, I don't think we have seen the last of that Potter magic and if "Fantastic Beasts" were any indication I think we're still on for more! And as a Potter head I couldn't be happier. 

Indeed, Rowling has helped redefine literature and children's literature as we know it. Now, Harry Potter is a discussion which both adults and children can enjoy. 

Thank you to Miss Gaye and Chie for sharing your photos! 

As if we needed more evidence of Potter love, there is a Harry Potter themed cafe along Maginhawa Street, Nook Cafe. we've been meaning to visit but haven't yet, one of these days for sure! 

Events: Meet "Zen" The 3-Year Old Show-stopping Stormtrooper

Day 1 of conventions are usually low key since the crowd pours in on the second day; but as Paul and I were going around the convention floor we zeroed in on a cute, little Stormtrooper.

He had just come across the Philippine Garrison and it was just adorable to see him look up to Stormtroopers who were twice his size. As if things  couldn't get even much more adorable, the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison invited him to join them!

The little boy needed some coaching from his dad, let's say a guy dressed in all black with a red lightsaber scarred him a bit. (Yeah. I'm talking about you Kylo Ren!)   

The little kid left a big impression on us, so after the hustle and bustle of AsiaPOP Comicon we got in touch with his parents and sent some questions to find about the little show-stopping Stormtrooper - who goes by "Zen" by the way.

How old is Zen? 

Zen is three years old. (Cue in the awwwwwwwwws). 

 Was this his ever cosplay? Was APCC his first convention? 

Officially, yes. He did a wear a panda (costume) a year ago (More awwws) but only in school. 

Did he decide to go as a Stormtrooper on his own? 

Yes. When his Uncle asked what costume did he want. He said he wanted to dress up as a Stormtrooper, since he was two years old. We ordered it from ebay. 

Did he enjoy his cosplay for Day 1 of APCC? 

It was very memorable for him, since seeing his toys come alive was nothing he could have imagined at his young age. Boba Fett was his favorite. 

What was it like for Zen to meet the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison? Do you think that he'll be an honorary member some day? 

The Philippine Garrison was very nice and considerate to kids. They allowed him to interact with them and join them. (As to whether he will be a member in the future) I'm not so sure yet, since kids change as they grow up but we'll see.

One of the boys. Zen hangs out with the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison during Day 1 of APCC.

Any future 'Cosplans' (Cosplay Plans) for Zen? 

We don't really participate in Cosplays, but if Zen wants to dress up as another character then perhaps next year.. 

Is he looking forward to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this December ? 

 Very much, even if he doesn't understand any of it. (He's only three after all). He saw "Episode VII: The Force Awakens" and "A New Hope" a few times already. Can't make him sit down more than 20 minutes for the other Star Wars movie. Hopefully he will watch Rogue One. 

Thank you to Zen's cool folks for taking the time to answer our questions and we hope to run into you in a convention in the future! Keep it up little Stormtrooper!

DREAMLAND Arts and Cafe

A few hours before our trip to Canyon Cove I was going through Facebook (as I seem to always be doing) when I saw a post from a friend about their stop at Dreamland Arts and Cafe in Tagaytay.

Our trip also included a few stops in Tagaytay before heading to Canyon Cove so I did a little research and decided to pitch the idea to my group and they were all aboard!

It's a good thing that the cafe is open 24/7 since we left Manila at around 5AM, to arrive a few minutes before 8:00 AM. We were only using Waze to help us navigate to get to the cafe, I honestly thought it was inside some subdivision but it's a good thing that the cafe was just along the main road and with the bright yellow Volkswagen bus, it's not hard to miss.

The cafe is small but comfy and charming with dreamcatchers and a host of varied decorations, trinkets, photos and art scattered across the cafe. The lack of a real motif seems to be what makes the place all the more charming and while there is no obvious pattern it seems to have a free-spirited indie feel to it. Because we came too early, the main meals were not yet available, so we settled into having drinks, some of us choosing coffee or tea. 

Dreamland prides itself as to having not providing Wifi for its patrons, preferring that they interact with each other, instead of staying glued on their phones. Now, for someone like me, who is dependent on social media (I do have some sort of work with the blog and all, you know) I find the idea of a no wifi zone, refreshing every once in a while-believe it or not.

In lieu of wifi, the cafe offers a wide range of other activities, such as reading books, playing board games and even creating art! You can donate art materials to the cafe and if you have some extra colored pencils or crayons lying around the house, I suggest that you bring them along to donate to the cafe, it will surely do good in the hands of aspiring artists :p

We had a good time at the cafe, albeit it was a short one as we had an itinerary to stick to. I would definitely come back here, might bring the whole fam-bam, where the pamangkins can play board games or do some crafting :) I will also surely try the food in their menu :)

Dreamland Cafe also has it's own unique brand, Indie Green Culture @indiegreenculture which creates unique handmade goods and allows you to bring a piece of that indie and hippie vibe back with you. From bags, headpieces, jewelry and dreamcatchers, you will surely find a piece for you!

Just so you won't be confused Dreamland Cafe has a branch both in Tagaytay and Lipa. We haven't been to the Lipa branch yet but might check it out, in case we end up there :p

Click here for MORE photos.  

G Movies Feature!

Was happy to be featured as GMovies featured member of the week! ^_^ 

We love GMovies! It's this amazing app which allows you to buy and reserve movie seats online right at the comfort of your homel you can already choose your seats hours before your movie starts! 

Screenshot from my iPad for our Big Hero 6 Movie Tickets - the checked seats are ours!

We love tha app and you would too! You can download it on the Apple Store and Google Play :) 

So they gave me the exciting news that I would be their first Member of the week feature on their website ^_^ When they sent me their list of questions, I answered them as I usually would - with long essay-like answers :p 

Unfortunately they only needed short answers (about 300 characters per answer) since it was going up the site there was some technicalities to consider :p So I edited and shortened my answers for the post but I still wanted to share with you guys my original answers ^_^ 

Here's the link to the feature: http://gmovies.ph/member-of-the-week

Whole name: Marica (Ica) Hontiveros-Cheng

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/marica.cheng

Instagram: ica_cheng

Twitter: ica_cheng

Blog Link: www.pchengphotography.blogspot.com 

Favorite movie of all time:

It's funny when I say I'm a Movie Buff but I can't say that I have a favorite movie of all time. I'm the type of person who generally anticipates movies that are about to come out, see them then talk a lot about them through Social Media but I can't say I have an all time favorite movie. 

Most of the movies I like to watch though are action, suspense, thrillers, romance, comedy, adaptations -there should be a genre like that, with all the adaptations today. I'm not a big fan of the horror genre though as I already mentioned in my The Walking Dead post but my favorite Zombie movie would definitely be Zombieland (2009) -there's always a work around :) 

It's like there are movies the I can watch over and over again (Forrest Gump (1994), The Italian Job (2003), Speed (1994), Rush Hour (1998), Fight Club (1999), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), while as a book lover I wouldn't miss out on adaptations as well- we're fans of J.R.R Tolkien and the movie adaptations are six movies! 

Paul and I make it a point to watch the extended DVDs and special features to learn all about the magic that goes on in creating awesome movies. For 2014 - my favorites so far are Guardians of the Galaxy and Big Hero 6. ^_^ While I can go on and on and prattle on and on about movies, it really goes back to me not having an all time favorite movie which is frustrating but I guess that's just how I am. ^_^ 

Most memorable quote from your fave movie: 

Not my ultimate favorite but definitely a favorite of Paul and myself:

Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in Fight Club

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in your bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f*cking khakis. You're the all singing, all-dancing cr*p of the world."

-Tyler Durden

Fight Club 

What is your earliest movie memory?

My earliest memory of watching movies; would be the movies that my Dad watched. I'm a big Daddy's girl so I absorbed everything that he admired and being a genuine geek himself, my Dad easily passed that in to me. 

"Luke, I am your Father" 

I remember watching the first Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983) on VHS Tape (over and over again) some of the scenes that made an impression on me were of course the infamous: "Luke - I am your Father - NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" exchange and with Luke loosing his arm. As a kid I despised  antagonists like Jabba the Hut and adored critters like the Ewoks. It was awesome to get to watch the special features on the original trilogy all these years later. I'm sure my Dad would have loved that. 

I can never forget the "monkey brain dessert" in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984) and will always remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in a leather jacket and shades on as The Terminator (1984) before any of his other roles. 

Another early movie memory was the bathroom-scene in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) the one with the line that goes: "When you gotta go-you gotta go." If you've seen the movie you would know it's not your typical bathroom scene :P 

When this meme of Sigourney Weaver being chums with the eponymous Alien came out and I was laughing about it, Paul said - "You couldn't have seen that! You weren't born yet!"

Alien came out in 1979. I might not have been born yet but I am my father's daughter after all. ^_^ 

Which movie changed your life and why?

This is a tough one but I would have to say Shawshank Redemption (1994). It changed my life because of the themes of the movie such as hope and maintaining hope in a hopeless situation, which I think is very important. It's a shame that I have yet to read the Stephen King novella on which the movie is based on. (I'll have to put that on my to-read list). 

Building Worlds with David Hontiveros: A feature on the PhilippineDaily Inquirer

The blog has new purpose and that is to give a more pronounced presence for my award winning Uncle on social media (I'm his Social Media pimp so to speak- Social Media Manager is a better way of putting it also :p)

I mentioned on a recent post that my uncle - Author, writer and comic book writer - David Hontiveros will be featured on this Sunday's Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday Magazine, I picked up a copy of the newspaper this morning and unfortunately the feature wasn't there. I've been informed that there was a delay in the printing and that it would be available on the November 9 edition but no need to be sad since there is already a digital copy of the article available!

(Yehey!) I would recommend that you still get the physical copy though - I'm old fashioned that way (still prefer physical copies of albums over the digital downloads). 

Many thanks to Ruel S. Vera for the feature- there were a lot of things that I didn't know - that my grandmother read horror stories and that my grandparents took my then 8 year old uncle to watch "The Omen" which was rated R back in 1976. Were my grandparents cool or what?! 

You can read the feature here: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/176022/building-worlds-with-david-hontiveros

Photos from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Fans of Fandom Capital

Ever since we started bogging, covering vents and doing photoshoots we've met a lot of talented people and one of them is Henri Villegas who is the woman behind We Heart Prints (we 'heart' them too) and Fandom Capital. We first met Henri during the 30 Second To Mars, Love, Lust, Faith album launch we covered for Odyssey (she's a big Echelon).

Henri and her love child We Heart Prints supplied the event with awesome 30 Seconds To Mars goodies and there was one I loved too much and that was the  Kings And Queens shirt, which I featured here. 

Ever since then, I've always admired Henri's work, there is much thought and love that goes to her designs, whether it is for stickers or shirts.  I have seen some 'fandom online shops' that just literally have a black word art about a book or a band on a white shirt- I kid you not. 

With Henri-it's different, each design has a concept well on its own that you can actually frame it and hung it up on your wall.

Stickers! They so damn good I don't want to stick them anywhere :( 

I ordered a vinyl pack of Fall Out Boy stickers and the designs are just amazing and not only that but the quality of the paper and printing is superb as well! I got a little drop of water on one of them but it didn't get wet and the sticker wasn't ruined, now I wouldn't suggest dousing it with water! :p 

Aside from the Fall Out Boy stickers I also ordered (finally!) PCheng Photography stickers, I've always wanted to have a big ass sticker for the car but whenever I talked to the guys in stalls at malls to have one made we never seem to agree or come to terms but with Henri, it was an easy and painless transaction (over email-no less!) and with her, I trust her judgement, I trust that she will make the right call. I know she won't just print out an image without considering size and proportions. I trust her instinct as an artist to deliver quality prints.

OPM Spotlight: Getting To Know LOOP

I would consider it very lucky indeed that we got to discover the wonderful Iligan based band that is Loop, despite the distance-thanks to technology, social media and Amplify.ph we get to listen and enjoy their beautiful songs - and when I say beautiful, I mean beautiful, check out my review on their Flirting With The Universe album here!

As your friendly neighborhood music blogger (I don't think there is a lot of us out there) I am taking OPM Spotlight to a new level by featuring interviews from your favorite local bands- just to get to know them a little better :) 

I sent some questions over to LOOP and during a band meeting, the guys sat down to answer them so read on to find out how the band describes their relationship, their song writing process, how is it being an up and coming band in Iligan and what Manila based bands would they love to collaborate with. 

Why the name LOOP?

the name wasn't really planned. It was just blurted out by one of us (cant remember who) but it was probably because of a loop pedal.  

What's your origin story?

fresh from months of OJT in davao, Kim was thinking of forming a band so once she got home, she contacted us (JC and JP) both former bandmates from diffrerent bands and Micmic who hasn't really decided yet because of other commitments. We played one show which made us realize that the sound was somewhat incomplete and something was missing. Before the next gig, Micmic commited to the group and the rest is history.

Musical Influences?

we're listening to a handful of bands and artists from different genres from pop to metal. Recently, we're listening to a lot of A Great Big Pile of Leaves, This Wild life, And So I Watch You From Afar, and others. Just check out our individual Spotify profiles. 

Can you tell us about your song writing process? Who writes the lyrics? Who comes up with the melodies? Which comes first? Is there a specific sequence or process that you follow when you write and record songs?

The past two albums, the process was somewhat similar. Kim has acoustic drafts, she shares it with us, I come up with some arrangement and JC, and JP adds up their own stuff to it. Melodies are often made by Kim initially and then we as a group shape it up until we're somewhat happy with the outcome. Sometimes there are changes in the way some of our vocals are executed which often happens in the recording process. We're not really strict when it comes to the songwriting process in terms of how we do it. We just do it naturally. But we're serious when it's time to work on our songs.

Any Band practice rituals? Do you guys eat first? Do you eat after? Is there a particular food you guys like eating together?

we eat when we have money hahahaha. After practice i guess. We love hanging out at Micmic's house at night; drinking coffee.  Food? hmm. Probably, Pater and burger. 

Describe your band relationship. Dysfunctional family? Squabbling siblings? Barkada?

Youngest sister and 3 bully brothers type of relationship. hahahaha

Are the boys protective of Kim?

we're the ones who need protection.. from Kim... just kidding. Of course we are. :)

Ultimate Goal? World Domination?

well, like any other band; we love the idea of making music and earning from it in the future. 

Describe the OPM scene in Iligan?

we have good bands here but no venues. bars here house party bands and djs. we dont hate them for that, that's business. but that's how it is down here. we, the bands, have to spend a lot of money, ask for money, to organize gigs. 

You guys always declare that you're from Iligan. Is there a certain pressure that you feel? Like you are carrying the pride and weight of your hometown on your shoulders?

naaaahh. it's just that we're often ask where we're from. not sure about the carrying the pride and weight thingy. maybe. hahaha. 

Feature: Kolsenter Komiks

Finding Humor in Work: Euguene Madayag creator of Kolsenter Komiks 

This actually has been a long overdue post but since I've gotten back to doing freelance writing work during the weekends, I've been really busy. Sorry Eugene!:p

During our coverage of RDOT Jam we met with Eugene, who is the creative mind behind Kolsenter Komiks, according to their Facebook Page, Kolsenter Komiks 'is a series of self published comic strips created by Eugenio "Toto" Madayag. It chronicles his life and times as a call center agent in the Philippine BPO Industry.' 

There are lot of things that people say about working in a Call Center. There are those who mock us who work in the industry and think that the work that we do is 'no brainer', they think that we don't have any goals and no direction or a career as we hop from one center to the other. They may say what they want or think what they like about our industry but I for one know not to bite that feeds me-literally but I can definitely have a laugh about some of the everyday scenarios.

Early sketches. Could be your team mate right? 

I saw some of Eugene's comic strips online and I immediately wanted to interview him and have a feature in the blog, so we met up during the RDOT Jam Session and had a little chat about his brainchild.  

Can you tell us how Kolsenter Komiks started? 

"Back in 2007 I was in training when I started drawing on Paint, I just looked for funny situations or even weird situations  that happen to you in a call. In 2010 I thought about bringing the comics to a wider audience - to show other people what happens in a call center, especially to those people who don't know what it's like working in a Call Center.   

Actual finished comic strips. 

The Last Rain

(Saigo no Ame)

The Last Rain 

As the last rains come pouring down 

And  the warmth of summer presses on 

My umbrella sits outside the door 

With the last rain drops falling to the floor

I remember the cool kisses of rain 

Thinking it will be a long time before I am kissed again 

I cherish the cool embrace of the rain 

Thinking it will be a long time before I am held in it's cool embrace again

Throughout summer's heat

Never will I face defeat 

For I will be here waiting 

waiting...

Waiting for the rains to come cascading 

To take me in kisses sweet and cold 

And hold me in an embrace oh so cold 

I like it just like that 

To be right here under the rain 

But now the last rain has come 

And you are long and gone 

But I will be waiting 

Through the warm summer wind 

Through the hot summer days 

And the still summer nights 

I will be waiting 

For the first drops of rain to come again 

Until then, here my umbrella sits 

With the last drops of rain 

Book FInd! P99 for Hard bound Irving and Grisham books!

Every girl loves a sale, whether it is for dresses, shoes or make up. Like every other girl I love sales as well but there is another kind of sale that I love and that is a Book Sale! ^_^ 

Books can be very expensive so finding a great book in a book sale can be a real treat as well. 

I was recently at Robinson's Pioneer for my Mom's birthday lunch and I saw that National Bookstore was having a book sale. There were hard bound books for P99.00 only! (Woot! Woot! Jackpot!) 

So I quickly scanned through the books and found titles from some of my favorite authors- John Grisham and John Irving. 

I just loved John Grisham's 'A Time to Kill' I read it a long time ago, when I was in College (more or less 9 years ago) and it was just so amazing! It was deep, insightful and I remember the suspense level was way off the charts. 

Of course John Irving's The Cider House Rules' is another classic I really enjoyed reading, despite its telanovelaesque conflicts. 

It was a pretty easy decision to pick up the two books. :) P99.00 and they are hard bound! They would definitely be a good addition to our growing collection of books. 

100th blog post: My Rurouni Kenshin Poster and a nod from Isaac Marion

I think that is only apt that our 100th blog post will be about some of the things (both tangible and not) that we have gotten out of our blog. (Sort of like what we've reaped so far) My husband, Paul and I started this blog last year and within that time we've had 7,754 views. 

When we started out this blog we started it so that Paul has a medium to share his photos and I can write about things that I really want to write about. For me, it's really important to keep on writing or else you will just become dull and rusty over time and of course Paul also feels the same about photography-hence the blog. 

So in this 100th post we also wanted to thank you-our readers, followers or visitors. Even if you just visited our blog for one post out of curiosity or because you have a photo in there. Thank you for taking time for clicking that mouse and scrolling down the page. Hopefully you liked what you see and you liked what you read. Whether it is a photo blog, a product review, an event coverage or a book spotlight-thank you for being part of that 7,754- hoping that you visit us more in the future. 

You guys can definitely count on us to keep on taking photos, writing and blogging and you guys are more than welcome to join us along the ride. 

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. 

7th Christmas Toy Fair: Tips and Buys

Girls! Girls! Girls!!! Lovely figures during the Toycon 

Christmas is the time when kids happily get toys for gifts but of course there is that child in all of us and even the 'big kids' AKA adults can also have a Merry Christmas with their kind of toys. 

And the best place to get the best toys at the best prices? Is none other than the 7th Christmas Toy fair! Which is organized by Collectibles Unlimited Association. You can check out their Facebook page here. 

For the employed it is a great place to finish...err...spend your 13th month pay and for the students it is a great place to spend your early pamasko from Ninong and Ninang. ^__^ 

I'll be honest with you, I'm just really a newbie when it comes to collecting toys (Wait! Don't close the window!) You might be thinking on what authority then do I have to start blogging about events like this? Well (hear me out) even if I am still a beginner when it comes to collecting toys it doesn't mean that my love for them (anime and the geek genres) is anything but new. 

So I've recently just started collecting toys and figures and I bought a couple during the Christmas Toy Fair. As usual, Paul and I came from work so we were pretty much done for the day. 

Alfhie & Kat. 12.15.2012

Love is in the air. 

Last December 15, 2012 our very good College friends Alfhie and Kat got married for the second time. Isn't there a saying that goes that 'love is the sweeter the second time around?' I guess the same can be said about weddings. Especially if you will be marrying the same person. ^__^

We were guests at the wedding so there was no pressure about taking photos. Actually we were a bit late to the ceremony since we came from our department's Christmas party. Unfortunately we also had to pull a 'eat-and-run' routine during the reception since Paul still had work in the evening. 

Interview with a Storm Trooper

An oldie but definitely a goodie. The first film in the franchise was released in 1977. 

I grew up knowing Star Wars. My father was such a big fan that when my parents were first expecting to have a baby my Dad wanted the baby to be named 'Luke' if it was a boy and 'Leia' if it was a girl. 

After two miscarriages though Luke and Leia were forgotten and I became a Marica.

Star Wars has always been a part of my childhood, growing up I was always surrounded by Star Wars and as a child you can just imagine how many scenes in the trilogy really left an impression on me.  Scenes like Princess Leah and Jabba the Hut scene- seeing Jabba the Hut in that scene has led me to use him as a reference for anything big, ugly and just ugh! And of course the whole ‘Luke I am your father’ scene which of course is probably the most referenced line in all of movie and television history.

With the passing of my father in 1997 the love for Star Wars was put in the back burner as I had to deal with the real galaxy (called 'life') that was not far, far away but was right in front of me.

I think its funny how life or should I say ‘the force’ works as my love and appreciation for this timeless tale has made its way back into my life and it happened through the 501^st legion (pronounced: 5 ‘0’ first) and with the help of our good old family friend Luis Cacho.

Marcus' Christening

Proud Parents: Djerty and Dexter and the adorable Marcus 

Hey! We're back! It has been some time since we've posted on our blog and that is because we have been so busy for the past few weeks and even if it means having less time to rest and relax it just means that we have more things to post! 

I noticed that the celebrations Paul and I have been going to have been weddings and christenings of our friends and their children. Honestly, all of these celebrations shows the changes that we have to go through and personally I'm just excited and happy for all our friends who are going through these big milestones in their lives. 

Last October 28 we celebrated Marcus Jacob's Christening and here are the photos! 

View of the church: Our Lady of Light in Cainta. 

My 1st Photowalk: Worldwide Photowalk with CCA

Assembling the crowd, CCA's president Tots De Guzman,calls everyones' attention.

Photo Walk, is a social event/gathering of photographers and or individuals that are into photography that would walk around to take some pictures.  These walks aims to improve, sharpen and practice the participants' skills.

Enan Catalan walking through the Streets of Antipolo

Oct 13, 2012 -  I was fortunate enough to join 
a photo walk.  Not just any photo walk but a World Wide Photowalk.  A global event put up by: http://worldwidephotowalk.com.  

Camera Club of Antipolo took part in this global event, representing Antipolo. 

I couldn't remember when I joined Camera Club of Antipolo, but I can still remember that I was looking for a group to learn from about the art of photography.  I was directed by a friend of mine in college that there is group of shutter bugs like me based in Antipolo, and thats when I found out about them in Facebook. 

 I've been aching to join in their activities but due to  conflict of schedule(work schedule), I haven't been able to join their activities. 

Preview: Naomi Ashbell

There is something surreal about watching the children of your friends and seeing them grow and this particular cutie has a special place in all our hearts. 

It was Aimee's pregnancy with Naomi (then known as Kemee) that started all our baby shower traditions in the group. Naomi is also technically the first baby of the group so as she is approaching her first birthday there is much anticipation and excitement knowing that there is a future and that a group of once clueless adolescents are actually parents now- well some of them anyways. 

Aimee's Surprise Baby Shower. August 13, 2011. Yup Naomi was in that tummy! 

Naomi Ashbell during her newborn shoot- October 11, 2011.

Review: Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha

Ever since the start of the work week I have always been sleeping for only around 3-4 hours a day. So come Wednesday shift I was already soooo sleepy so I decided to try Starbuck's new drink: Salted Caramel Mocha.I'm a fan of Salt, Caramel and Mocha so trying out this drink wasn't that adventurous of me.

The first time I encountered the advertisement for this new drink I immediately remembered the time when my friend Mj let me try Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. I don't know if Starbucks is just trying to get into the band wagon of Milk Teas since it is so popular in the Philippines right now.

Whether or not they were just trying to get in the trend- Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha was actually a good drink.

Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha on my office station. Great way to start the day-especially if you are sleepy. 

When I went up to the counter I told the Barista that I wanted to try the new Salted Caramel Mocha the Barista cheerfully said 'Ndi po kayo mag-sisisi' (You won't regret it) and I didn't!

You can have the drink as a hot beverage or over iced. I'm really not a fan of hot beverage so I ordered it over iced and it was pretty good. There was a dark mocha taste that is always a good thing and you can actually feel the coffee kicking in from the dark mocha taste. 

You can also subtly taste the salt and the sweetness of the caramel actually go well together. 

Over all it was a pretty good drink next time I would have them blend the whipped cream.

I ordered a tall glass since I was just trying it for the first time. So here are the prices.

Tall - P145.00

Grande- P165.00

Venti- P170.00

Apologies since I don't have good photos- this was a coffee run on my own without my photographer husband-Paul. :p 

Next time I order this drink with him I will be sure to take better photos. :)

My account was hacked

About a week ago I woke up to check my email and was aghast to find out that someone had accessed my oDesk account and did many changes. Mainly this person changed the email address connected to the account, the security question and my payment method. It was like waking up to a nightmare when I realized that my account was just hacked. I felt my eyes sting and warm tears suddenly ran down my cheeks as so many realizations hit me at the same time.

You would not want to wake up to this realization. 

One thought was about the money- I had about $53.00 in my account which I have not withdrawn yet. I felt so bad because that $53.00 was equivalent to a couple of weeks of doing fixed price jobs. It was hours spent writing in front of a computer instead of sleeping or watching TV.

You might think that $53.00 is not much and it really isn't compared to what I used to make on an hourly writing job, but still- you don't conjure up $53.00 out of thin air.