Brimbank Festival

It was a hot 31 degrees that day. Luckily there was the afternoon seabreeze that gave us some relief. It was a fun day with the Urban Force crew performing once again. Lots of activities, some rides and food. We were all very tired at the end of the day.

Mc Happy Day

I've finally managed to get my tax assesment done. Not a bad result but I always knew where it's going even before I found out how much the refund will be. Oh well, at least it's there. Better than nothing.

Then we went to my builder for exterior colour selection. I think that's the most fun you could have when building a house. Choosing colours and materials.

I was tired since I've been driving almost all day but the kids asked me to drop them off to McDonalds as they want to hang out there with friends since today is McHappy Day. No celebs though!

Waiting Game

Had to take Jesi to a job interview. It took an hour and a half and it bored the hell out of me waiting in the car. How else do you think I'd kill time? You're right! Gimme that camera!

Urban Force Battleground

Another daytime performance by the Urban Force. This is for the Sunshine Fire Brigade open day. Not a big turn out though.

Melbourne City - The saga continues...

Southbank

The busker who claims he's from Arizona but I'm pretty sure a year ago he said he's from Canada.

Exactly one week after we did a photoshoot in the city, we went back there for another run. Uhmm.... not exactly. We were actually gonna take the kids to see the Myer Christmas Parade and the opening of their Christmas Window. We parked at Crown then took the City Circle Tram which costs nothing to travel around Melbourne City.

We got off Elizabeth St to walk towards Bourke St. Stopped at Michaels Camera house and boy I think this is the biggest camera shop I've seen in Melbourne. I've most likely seen this shop especially when I used to work in the city but never paid attention to it since I wasn't into photography back then. However, seeing this today was like being in a toy shop! Yay! They even have a camera museum on the upper level. Brilliant!

We then proceeded to Bourke St where the it's so full packed that it's so irritating just to walk through the crowd. I couldn't stand it so we went straight to Starbucks for a cuppa. Then went back to Southbank but stopped somewhere in Elizabeth St to see this live band busking. They're pretty good.

In Southbank there was another busker there who claims he's from Arizona. But I swear I remeber seeing him there before where he said he's from Canada?

Anna's 17th

She had two parties. Sunday night was the party for the teenagers. Surely there was a lot of dancing there. Then Monday night was for family and friends where oldies and kids were invited. Not a bad night.

Brimbank Park

5th of November we went to Brimbank Park for a barbecue. Had to take the opportunity because we don't get many good sunny days in Melbourne since we just got through winter.

Melbourne City

Went downtown for some photoshoot. I've always wanted to try doing this right in the middle of the most liveable city in the world.

Tenterfield

Picked up Jules after school. We stopped at the front of Tenterfield. I thought it's a nice location for a photoshoot so we pulled over, grabbed my camera and took some shots.

First Eucharist

28th of October was Jules' first communion at Christ The Priest. He was looking good! Took the whole family to TGI Friday in Jam Factory afterwards to celebrate. Ahhhh Chapel Street!

Product Photography

Another type of photography I want to master (second to Portrait).

Long Exposure

Time to practice low light shooting. I need a better tripod too.

Werribee Mansion (Park)

22nd of October, went to Werribee Mansion Park with the family to take my new DSLR camera for a spin. It was great as there were a lot of subjects to shoot but the I need to work on my skills when shooting on a day where there's strong sunlight. A lot of my photos show harsh shadows. Oh well. We learn something new everyday.

Victoria Harbour

Went to Victoria Harbour with the family last Saturday cuz I really felt like taking some photos. Although the place is not 100% finished, it's already looking very beautiful. Lots of people go there just to take some photos, have coffee and enjoy the scenery.

Digital Rebel XTi

It's been a while since I've updatd this. Been slacking off! Anyway, call me crazy but three months after buying a Canon S3 IS, I've decided to upgrade to a DSLR. That's right! I bought my very first DSLR on the 19th of last month. It's Canon EOS 400D also known as Canon Digital Rebel XTi or Canon Kiss Rebel XTi or something. It came with twin lens kit (18-55mm and 75-300mm). Good enough for beginners like me I suppose.

First thing I tried it on was my study desk. Tried it on low light condition and I'm very happy with the result. Lots to learn about this new camera but that's what makes it fun.

Sydney

I'm currently in Sydney for the induction with Media Monitors, the company that bought Rehame out. My second day here with Priya, the guy I work with back at Rehame. It is a little intimidating as we were shown their IT infrastructure. They have so much of everything compared to what we had at Rehame. However, the atmosphere in their office is a little uptight. You really feel like you're working. That's one thing I like about Rehame. The culture. You're at work but it feels like you're just hanging out with friends. That's the difference between a small and big company I guess. I can't wait to go back to Melbourne.

Tulip Festival

Went to the Tulip Festival with friends on Sunday. I'm not really into flowers but when we got there, I found the place pretty and a very good location for shooting photos. So I took advantage and took about 150 pics that day.

Well done kids!

Urban Force didn't win the competition but I have to say they did a really good job. Keep your heads up kids. Remember this is only the first major competition you've joined in. Can't count Crown as that wasn't really hiphop. There were some stuff ups but that's probably the nerve. This experience will just make these kids better. Keep up the good work Urban crew! I'm looking forward to your next performance.

You can check out the photos I took that night by clicking here.

Stage Rehearsal

Saturday noon. Took the kids to Camberwell for the Groove Melbourne 2006 competition. But first, around 12:20pm they had to do a stage rehearsal before the actual show in the evening. They were given two gos which is good. However, on their second run, the CD played up. We all felt a little panicked as we asked everyone if there's another copy. Johnny brought his copy so I took it to Dennis' house which is close by and burnt a new copy of the CD.

Final Rehearsal

Friday last week was the last time Urban Force had their rehearsal for the Groove Melbourne competition. At the last minute, Liza, their instructor asked me to change the ending of their mix to a big boom! Did it and burnt the CD but they decided to use the original ending that I put in the mix anyway.

Good thing I had my camera that night so I was able to take some photos of their final rehearsal. Very happy with those pics as one of them turned out well after adding some effects to it.

A Blast!!!

Friday, 22nd of September 2006, we celebrated my daughter's 18th birthday. It was a great party everyone's telling me. Or are they just being nice? Nah! I don't think so. The dancefloor was never empty. The number of performances that night was just enough. Not too much that it would bore the hell out of the guests. The food was great apparently. Lastly, the service from Grand Star Reception was the best. I won't hesitate recommending them to anyone.

Final Rehearsal

Yesterday was the last time my daughter and the rest of the cotillon dancers were having rehearsal. I think they're ready. Not perfect but good enough. They're not professionals nor this is a paid performance. Just something traditional to throw into the party. Wait! I think my pocket has a hole!

Vanny's Farewell

Had lunch at this fancy restaurant called Waterfront yesterday. Excellent view, food is average and the price is ummm... well, let's just say I won't go there if I'm paying.

The company gave us a butget of $50-$60 each and there's five of us. Guess what the final bill is? $490. I know nothing!

Wednesdays

This is my routine every Wednesday. I'm the one picking up Jules after school to take him to the dance studio. On the way to the studio we always stop by McDonalds for a 6 nugget happy meal and we enjoy eating that in the car.

NIGHT is over. Welcome a new DAY.

Went to see a movie on Tuesday called Lady In The Water by that dude who created The Sixth Sense. I loved his movie The Sixth Sense but I think it was a fluke for him. All movies he's done after that are to me, below average. I'm stopping short of saying they suck. That's probably because I want to reserve that for this movie "Lady...". I didn't have any idea what the movie was about. I thought it'd be a horror type film. However, midway through the movie, I couldn't figure out whether I should look at this as a suspense/horror or children's adventure type of movie. I want a refund!

Best of Friends

I had to pick up Jules and his bestfriend Daniel after school on Monday because there's no one available to do it. On the way up there I thought about taking some photos. Besides, the kids would enjoy it since they get to hang around longer at the oval. Had a few shots that I liked but the one photo that struck me when I looked at them on my PC was this shot of Jules and Daniel. Somehow to me I see something very sweet and emotional here. These two boys are very close to each other. Best of friends.

Practice makes perfect...

While my kids are out training for their Groove performance. I thought of going for a drive and look for a spot where I could take good photos. Problem was it was so cloudy and cold that day that I couldn't really stay long outside to shoot.

Groove Melbourne Finals Preparation

I just finished the mix that Urban Force will use at the Groove Melbourne Finals on the 30th of this month. Gave it to them on Saturday and they started making up routines for it. Good luck kids!

Urban Force @ Raw Sounds

Big night last night. My two kids who are members of Urban Force did a showcase performance last night at Raw Sounds 2006 in Melbourne. My daughter Jesi competed at the seniors category and won 2nd runner up. Not bad considering she never had any formal singing training.

Leigh is a pro?

Had an interesting conversation with a colleague today. I've been working with this guy for almost 8 years and I didn't know he is a professional photographer. So as soon as I found this out I showed him my new camera and told him about my sudden interest in photography. It was great! He explained to me a lot about shutter speed, appeture and ISO and then the rule of thirds. You say what? Rule of what? Yup. Rule of thirds. Goes to show you learn something new everyday.

Oh well...

I have a daughter who's turning 18 in September. Traditionally in the Philippines, a girl's 18th Birthday is something big. It's a debut. There's usually a traditional dance involved called Cotillon which is basically waltz involving 18 pairs or less depending on availability of dancers (they're usually friends or relatives).

Why am I telling you this? My daughter with her friends have been practicing this dance for about two months now. Guess what, tonight I found out one of the girls is pulling out. We've had a couple of guys pulled out already. Just when we're about three weeks away from that special night.

What happens now?

Three months ago the company I was working for was bought out by the competitor. Many people lost their jobs as a result. I was one of the lucky ones to be absorbed by the new company. All is good until two weeks ago we were called into the boardroom and we were told that there will be more redundancies. I had to speak up then. I admit I was upset and no one in the management could stop me from expressing it. They did try to calm me down. Even the top IT Manager called me from Sydney to assure me that I'm safe.

Today is the day people were told that they're losing their jobs. Five of us in IT and three were told to go. Such a sad day for us here at the office. On one hand I'm happy I still have a job, but on the other I feel sad for those guys I've been working with for so long. One of them I've been working with for nine years.

Life can be really tough sometimes.

Japanese Restaurant

Tonight I had an appointment with a builder. That’s right a builder! I’m thinking of building a house. After that we’ve decided to have dinner at Williamstown since my appointment was close by. Saw this Japanese Restaurant and boy those guys there can cook. Talk about delicious!!!

The Siblings

My kids! Jesi and Jules posing in the lounge. Love this new camera!

Cairnlea Park

The flower! LOL!

The Battery

Just testing the macro function of my new Canon.

The Backyard

Is this good enough? Need to sharpen my skills some more?

Urban Force (Raw Sounds Mix)

I’m currently working on a new mix for Urban Force studios which they’ll use for the next Raw Sounds. Length of mix is between 10 to 15 minutes. Liza gave me a visit last night to make final changes to the mix and that should be it. Looking forward to seeing my kids dance and hearing my mix.

Click here to listen to this mix.

Brimbank Shopping Centre

Took this photo of the local shopping centre where my house is. I was picking up Jules from a friend’s house and decided to order Nando’s chicken first. I thought I’d practice while waiting for my order.

Port Melbourne Apartments

Another building near where I work.

Grollo Building

This is the building behind ours (work). Taken yesterday 28th of August straight after work.

Port Melbourne

I took this photo yesterday straight after work. Our office is very close to the beach so I decided to stop there and prace my photography skills which is currently NIL.

Front Garden

Here is a few of the first photos I took with my new Canon S3 IS. Still trying to learn how to use this thing. I didn’t think photography can be so complicated. What do I know about shutter speed, apperture and ISO?

This photo doesn’t look so bad for a beginner though. What do you think?

My New Camera!

I did go through with it. The break in upset me so much that I had to buy a new camera the next day. However, this time I thought I’d buy something more serious and not just a toy. Since I don’t know anything about photography, I decided to go for something not quite SLR but almost. I thought if it looks like an SLR, then it must be SLR. I was wrong. But this is still a very good buy as I checked some reviews on the net after I bought it and it turned out I didn’t make a mistake in choosing the Canon S3 IS.

I was actually going to buy a camcorder with 3CCD but as I saw these still cameras, the urge was so strong I couldn’t resist it. They had this Canon S3 IS at JB Hi Fi for $850. I decided to go to Harvey Norman to check out their price as they had a big sign in their store saying “Digital Camera Megasale!”. I went inside and looked for this particular model and guess what? Price tag was $895. Spoke to the saleslady and told her about JB Hi Fi’s price. She left and talked to someone for a couple of minutes and she came back with a new price of $840. Not bad I said. Time to take some photos!

We've Been Robbed!!!

On Friday 25th of August, I decided not to go to work as I really felt crap. Went to see. A pinoy movie called “Suklob” being shown in Melbourne cinemas. Wow! There were like only 10 of us in the whole cinema watching the movie. All Filipinos of course.

Anyway, we got home to find that the doors to our house were unlocked. Yup! We’ve been robbed. No sign of force entry. Lost my HP DV1000 laptop, Pentax Optio X camera and my Canon MiniDV camcorder. Very upset no question about it!

I was so upset that I felt like buying a new camera the next day.

Hello World!!!

Ok! My very first attempt at blogging. I’ve always thought about doing this but I always told myself that I’d never have the time to do this. But heck, nothing to lose here so I thought I’d give it a go anyway.