In My Room

Photo 100’s HW 4 required us to confine ourselves in a room and shoot using ISO 400 film.  I did it, but I haven’t developed the film yet.  But, seeing as I never get the photo I want when shooting with film, I decided to also shoot digitally.  These photos aren’t exactly the same as the film ones because I shot them 4 days apart.  After I finished the film I thought to myself, “I should have also shot it digitally!!” So, I did… and I used ISO 800! HA!
Check ‘em oot-
I bought an old Argus 75mm camera from eBay two summers ago. I think the camera actually works, but I’m not too sure. It came with a flash, but it got all bent up during the shipping process. I like to collect vintage cameras, although this is the only vintage camera I have.
You guys knows Grover, and maybe I’ve mentioned Esteban in a previous entry? We picked him up while vacationing in Spain. But who’s that next to the camera? Oh! That’s Winnie. She belongs to Ate. Ate’s got Winnie from April and Aaron. Cute, right??

Here’s another angle of the 3 friends during their photo shoot-
I have photos of Grover being the subject and Esteban being the photographer, too. But none of Winnie, since she just likes to direct.  LOL.

As of right now, I’m still on the fence of whether I really, truly-dooly like the colors and the composition of these photos. I’m thinking I’ll post the film shots, too. I’ll do a side-by-side comparison of the two types and redo this entry. Then, we shall see which type (digital vs. film) reigns as victor. What a funny thing to say. LOL.

Here’s my sketching mannequin doing “The Robot”. I’m not good at doing the robot, so (instead of using my sketching mannequin to help me sketch) I like using it to help me with poses and such. Kinda neat, right?

Oh, who am I kidding?! I’m awesome at doing the robot!
But, i’m horrible at sketching. NOT!
I’m awesome at that too, just kidding.
Seriously, tho. I’m not good at sketching.

See ya!

My Ate & Me

A good one…

And So Three Became Two

Everyday, we grow towards becoming a better person, where we want more for ourselves. Maybe it’s wanting a better relationship, a better job… and ultimately, wanting a better life. So we work and work towards having more, until one day we get the opportunity to make it happen. And not too long ago, Jho got that.

Technical editing is now a thing of the past for Jho. She moves away from our company to become a curriculum editor. What’s a curriculum editor, you ask? Well, that’s someone that edits curriculum, of course!

Let’s look back, shall we?
To some of Jho’s moment’s with the LB.
Oh, the stories and memories behind each photo!!
Jho! I found the photo of us at the last company Christmas party you went to! LOL.
The laughs we all had and the adventures we took with each other.
Sometimes it was just Jho and me, and other times it was Jho, Mel, KB, John and me.
I like thinking back to when all 5 of us would eat lunch together. All the laughs, yelling and screaming towards each other. Good times, definitely.

The LB wishes you the best, Jho!! We’ll see you soon… real soon!

Bingo: An Exposé

Did you guys know that I have a bike?
It’s nothing too expensive.
Not one of those cool hybrid bikes.
Nothing old school like a beach cruiser.
It’s not “tricked out” like “low rider style”, even though that would be so cool.
I’d look cute on it, actually.
It’s a mountain bike. A Schwinn. I bought it at Target a couple of years ago and got a long lecture from my dad (while at Target!!) about how I might die from riding a bike. Well, if a bicycle doesn’t kill me… my Dad’s boring lectures could do the job. Hehehe… jk.
Ate named my bike Bingo. He’s electric blue. I think the name suits him.

I’m taking a photography class in the evenings. It’s black and white film photography– 100% completely manual on my side. It’s tough, I tell ya. I have the worst time trying to get the correct shutter times. We spend large amounts of time in the dark room developing negatives and printing.

For HW 2, our teacher asked us to take photos using large and small apertures, taking photos up close and far away. I’m bad at both, but find myself not as bad at the close ups. But, bad nonetheless.
So, here are 4 photos of Bingo that I took in my backyard. I would love to blame the scanner for the way the photos came out, but i can’t. It was my fault the exposure are all off.
Anyways, here we go:

Basketcase

Right after I got my bike, I felt compelled to get accessories. One, being a rear view mirror (which I can’t seem to find anymore) and two, the basket. I love loading it up with things like cupcakes, or my gym bag filled with clothes and shoes, or sometimes I just place Grover in there while I cruise around the block. He has a seat belt! Well, actually I just tie him up using a shoe lace.

In Gear

Do you know the parts of gear? I don’t, and you definitely wouldn’t be able to figure out which part was what by looking at this dark photo, but it’s Bingo’s gear.
Question: Would you know what to do if your bike’s chain broke while you were riding around?
I wouldn’t. But, I’d probably do like Kuya Arnold did and strap my bike on a bus and go home. Hi, KUYA!

Pedal Pusher

It’s blurry. I know! But did you ever consider that MAYBE I did that on purpose! For artistic flare!?! Ok, you’re right. I didn’t do it on purpose. I just wasn’t good at focusing the lens manually when we got assigned homework 2. I’m better at manual focusing now… I SWEAR!!!
I focused (or tried to focus) on the Hello Kitty sticker. I had my Ate in mind, because she really likes Hello Kitty. I (in case you’re wondering), like Paul Frank.

Sit On It

That’s one fat seat, right? I was complaining that my boney tush was always hurting from the stock seat because those seats are so skinny and hard (ohh, dear!!). So, one night I went to Target and found this one. It’s comfy, made of neoprene (ooOoh) and since I got a small booty, nothing hangs over the sides! Don’t you just want to sit on it? You’ll like it! Trust me!

Do you wanna ride with me one day? Because you can! It’ll be fun… or, I’ll try to make it fun. Just don’t get upset at me because I tire out easily.
I warn you all now- we’ll hafta stop multiple times before we hit the 1 mile mark.
I HAVE ASTHMA, ok?!
But, I’ll make you laugh!
It’ll be good times, I promise!

Bye!

Sigh. Happy Halloween.

Well, Halloween passed us. What did you guys do?
I didn’t really do much. I just sat around and listened to people talk and talk about stuff I didn’t care about. I thought about cutting myself all night. I tried to, too.
Here’s short list of what I thought about that night:
1.) Should I go to the bathroom and put more eyeliner on.
2.) I wonder how many times I can cut myself while I’m at this boring party.
3.) No one understands me, so I wanna kill myself.
4.) I wish my grass was emo as well, so it would cut itself.

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you guys dress up?
I hate how all the costumes nowadays (for girls) are just so sexy. It’s too much for me. And costumes, whether you’re a boy or girl, costs so much! So, i opted to just go with a “homemade cheapy” costume. Apply thick, black eyeliner, pull my bangs over one eye, wear super duper tight pants and go through the night not smiling. EMO! Easy!

One of our friends from work, JayC decided he wanted to throw a Halloween party. All the youngsters (except KB) came along to party. We all had fun laughing at each other throughout the night and yelling obscenities at one another… playing the Buffalo game and eating chicken wings!
Jho was a cute bee! She flitted around all night being sweet as honey to everyone.
The cholo and pregnant hayna were John and Mel. They were actually on their way to their high school Homecoming Dance but decided to party and booze it up at JayC’s first.   Responsible parenting!
There were a couple of ninja’s running around- Sandy and JayC. And Sandy’s wife, Sarah was also a bee. AND their doggy, Toto was also a bee! Bzzz
And then our friend, Swanny came as a chef/ganster/Fred Durst. Swanny’s a fun guy! He always makes us laugh when we hang out at work.

And that’s me in those photos. I tried to find whatever I could that night to cut myself. I settled for a plastic sword. It was a really dull sword, which was good because it would hurt a lot more than a sharp knife.  Sometimes… it’s just fun to cut yourself. And its really fun to always be in a depressed mood. SIGH. UGH.

LOLOLOLOLOL…..

Come ON.

A number of things you wanted and didn’t want to know about me.
You can read them… but you don’t hafta. It’s a free world, after all…

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No.
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks.
……………………………………………………………

Been arrested? No
Slept in until 5 PM? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held a snake? No
Ran a red light? Yes
Been suspended from school? No
Experienced love at first sight? Yes
Totaled your car in an accident? No
Been fired from a job? No
Fired somebody? No
Sang karaoke? Yes
Pointed a gun at someone? Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? No
Kissed in the rain? No
Had a close brush with death (your own)? Yes
Seen someone die? No
Played spin-the-bottle? No
Sang in the shower? Yes
Smoked a cigar? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? No
Smuggled something into another country? Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? Yes
Broken a bone? No
Skipped school? Yes
Eaten a bug? No
Sleepwalked? No
Walked a moonlit beach? No
Rode a motorcycle? No
Dumped someone? Yes
Forgotten your anniversary? No
Lied to avoid a ticket? Yes
Ridden on a helicopter? No
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Played a prank on someone? Yes
Hit a home run? No
Felt like killing someone? No
Cross-dressed? Yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? No
Eaten snake? No
Marched/Protested? No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? No
Puked on amusement ride? No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? No
Been in a band? No
Knitted? No
Been on TV? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Skinny-dipped? No
Gave someone stitches? No
Eaten a whole habanero pepper? No
Ridden a surfboard? No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? Yes
Had surgery? Yes
Streaked? No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? No
Tripped on mushrooms? No
Passed out when not drinking? No
Peed on a bush? Yes
Donated Blood? No
Grabbed electric fence? No
Eaten alligator meat? No
Eaten cheesecake? Yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? No
Peed your pants in public? Yes
Snuck into a movie without paying? Yes
Written graffiti? Yes
Still love someone you shouldn’t? No
Think about the future? Yes
Been in handcuffs? No
Believe in love? Yes

Which “No” should I turn into “Yes” first?

Image originally uploaded by prescience

Racing, Island & Eating

I haven’t written on my blog for a while. Maybe October isn’t going to be much of a blogging month. The biggest thing that happened was my Ate marrying Jack.

I dreamt of hearts on Saturday night.  Maybe it’s because I’m all about the hearts (and have been for a while now). On Saturday evening, i wore my heart shaped earrings, along with old heart shaped locket my mom gave me a long time ago. As I locked the screen door to the house, I looked at my keys and saw the red heart Michelle gave me attached to my key chain.

Sunday morning, I consulted my good old “fortune telling” book. It only gave an explanation of having a heart attack. But, if YOU’VE ever dreamt of having a heart attack: you’ll have a long and productive life.

I left the book next to my bed, not expecting to have another dream, or at least remembering my dreams. But, I did! I had two of them! And I remembered them, too!

In “dream sequence 1″, I was running in a marathon. There was a huge amount of people running, too. But no one I knew. I wonder why I dreamt of running?? Maybe because Christina’s brothers, Mikey and Jeff are always in marathons and I was thinking about Christina a lot during the weekend…

Racing: An auspicious augury. If you are running in a race, whether you win or lose, you win! You will be offered a new position. Watching a race, as long as you’re rooting for the winner, denotes success in your business affairs.

Hmmm… Interesting.

And, btw- augury means:
1. the art or practice of an augur; divination.
2. the rite or ceremony of an augur.
3. an omen, token, or indication.
Not according to me or my book of fortunes. I got it from dictionary.com (very reputable!)

I woke up around 1:00 am. It took a lot of tossing and turning before I fell back asleep, but once I did, I had another dream. This time I was swimming in the ocean with Christina and some other people, until we got to an island. But, we didn’t sit on the island, we just floated around in the water. We came across what looked like conch (not that I’ve ever had it, I’ve only seen it on the Travel Channel). Christina pulled the meat (or animal) out of the shell with a fork (how’d she get a fork if we were swimming?!) and told me to eat it. I was very hesitant about doing this. But then I gave in, and ate it. I told her, “It tastes like chicken.”

Whosh, thump & Lock! The sound of Ate closing the front door and locking the screen. My dreaming was over, and I knew it was time to get up and get ready for work.

Island: An enjoyable adventure is in store for you if you dream being on an island.

Eating: to dream of eating with others portends happy times and food fortune. To dream of eating alone forewarns of loneliness and loss of social status.
I hope anyone who dreams of eating, isn’t eating alone!!

I’m adding this in; to dream of family.
Family: you will have good health and a comfortable life if you dream of a happy family.
I was happy swimming around with Christina, and she seemed happy to be swimming with me. But, i’m getting sick. I have a dry cough right now… and it hurts my chest.

I looked through my past entries regarding fortunes and fortune telling. I got 2 different fortune cookies. One saying, “You will take a pleasant journey” and another that said, “You are heading for a land of sunshine and relaxation.”

I thought these were going to be about journeying to the Philippines, since I’d been wanting to do that. But, it turned out to be Spain!! It was a very pleasant trip… both Jho and I are “easy travelers”. “Land of sunshine”? It was over 95 degrees most of the days there and I had to wear shades all the time! And I totally relaxed and laid out on the beach at Alicante.

Do things just happen? Is this stuff really real? Or do we make them happen?
Maybe it’s a little bit of all.

Sometimes, I miss my livejournal acct, because we could post our moods and what songs we’re currently listening to. I will do that now…
mood: content with a bit of sicky-poo-nees
currently listening to: Brown Sugar by D’Angelo

Prima & Jack: The Wedding

It happened, folks! Another Pimplona off the market!
My sister tied the knot to her boyfriend of 7-years, Jack this past Saturday. Joan said it best, “Planning Prima’s wedding was like pulling teeth!” Because it was so difficult to get my sister to do anything! It took so much convincing just to get Ate to have a bachelorette party and a wedding shower! But, after months and months of planning, her big day finally came.

A popular questions that gets asked of me when I tell people that my sister is getting married is, “Are you the maid of honor?” Well, I was not the maid of honor, even though it’s traditionally supposed to be like that. Was I hurts? No… not really. Was I sad? No… well, just a little bit. LOL. Just kidding everyone. My sister asked our cousin, Joan to be her matron of honor. And I was very happy about that decision. They were so close growing up, my sister was Joan’s maid of honor at her wedding to Oliver, and my sister is also Joan’s son’s Godmother. So, it was only natural for Joan to stand next to Ate and witness the union, just like Ate did for her.

The special occasion took place at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa. Before the wedding ceremony, Jack and my sister took part in a Tea Ceremony. This is a traditional thing that Chinese people do. I have no photos because I didn’t bring my camera out until after the actual ceremony.

When the music started, the bridal party took their places. On Ate’s side, next to her was Joan, me, Dolly, My Binh and Jenny. When it was Ate’s time to come out, both Joan and I had to hold our tears in as we saw my dad and sister arm in arm walking together. But, neither of us could hold the tears back. We were both so happy for Ate that the tears flowed.  My sister looked absolutely stunning in her wedding gown.  Her and Joan picked a simple, yet elegant Maggie Sottero dress which had crystals sewn into the waistline.
Jack and Ate wrote their own vows. Jack cried, and so did Jo Anne.

The reception was super! Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the food… and the open bar! Woot! Not to mention the photobooth that was rented, thanks to moi! LOL.
Before I post some photos, I wanted everyone to know about Joan’s Matron of Honor speech. It was touching and straight from the heart. She told everyone that “Prima’s wedding didn’t hit me until I put the veil on her. I was literally crying.” They were both crying! And as she said that part, Joan and my sister both started crying… again! I was truly happy that Ate picked Joan to be her MOH.. over me. Her own sister. LOL.
I love them both!
So, here we go… picture time!
We all love the shot that Kuya Alfred got of Ate and Jack’s first dance as husband and wife. The lighting of the room, the composition of the subjects- PERFECT!
Look at their cake! The entire wedding had the same flower motif. I made Ate pay the extra 35 dollars to get the flowers adorned on her cake! Looks cute, right? One layer of the cake of red velvet. Yum…
For my family seeing this collage, the only photos I purposely made larger were-
1.) Jack and my Ate, of course. It’s their wedding day!
2.) Joan and Oliver in the photobooth, because she’s the MOH and her and Oliver did such a great job checking up on the newly married couple that they deserve some special treatment on my blog!
3.) Double-fisted Kuya Noel. Why? Come on, everyone! Look at that photo!! It’s awesome! It makes me laugh so much!! Trust me, ya’ll! This dude has a GREEAT time at the wedding. He truly enjoyed the open bar! LOL.
4.) Ate with her Godson, Jay. The day after we slept over Joan’s house, Joan went into labor and gave birth to this talented, smart, young man. Jay plays tennis… just like his ninong, Kuya Jojo and Ninang! And jay really surprised me at the wedding shower, as he knew so much about his ninang in the “How Well Do You Know Jack and Prima” game. He grew up so fast! None of us can believe he’s in high school now!!
5.) Our Lola. Where would ANY of us be without her? At 93 years old, she’s still going strong!
Prima and Jack with the bridesmaids! Although, most of them are married!! LOL. And there is a photo of me, Ate and our Mommy. When Kuya Noel asked my mom, “Tita, have you cried yet?” My mom responded, “Oh, yes… I already went to church and cried.” But, it wasn’t a sad cry. I inquired further, and my mom told me, “Your Ate was ready. Her and Jack were together for such a long time…”
And of course, we gotta have the photo of Ate, me and Joan. I don’t think that when Joan moved to the USA from PI, she thought she would have ever made such a special bond with a cousin… but she did. And never did I think that Joan and Ate would ever gang up on me as a child and make me jump out of trees, kick me out of their special club or hate on my friends. “Leslie C.”, girls… You know who I’m talking about! LOL.
Okay, so I think we successfully got 12 people in the photobooth! Lets count them up: King, Ate, Jack, Joan, Oliver, me, Kuya Jojo, Kuya Alfred, Kuya Noel, Christina, Jo Anne and part of Jay Jay’s head. That’s Jay, right? LOL…

Congrats Prima & Jack on your marriage! May your life together be long, prosperous and blessed!
Love Always,
Your “kewl” Family

p.s. Check out these 2!! Doin’ as cousins dooOo!!

More wedding photos here: Jack & Prima

Photos, As of Late

Is it “as of late” or “as of lately”? Either way, I had an enjoyable last few days.
I went to the LA County Fair on Saturday. I can’t even remember how long ago it’s been since I’ve last been to a fair.  I don’t even think I was a teenager yet.
Anyways, I went with Jho and our friend from work, Kaye. My mom came with us, too! It was all fun & games until my mom got lost! argh!! After walking back and forth for 30 minutes, each of us taking turns trying to find my mom, calling my mom, she finally answered her phone. Yeesh…
Fried, fried, FRIED!
Corndogs, western sausages, funnel cake, deep fried s’mores, deep fried cheesecake and fried zucchini. YUM! I could have definitely ate much more, but my mom was buzzing in my ear about how late it was getting. We ended up getting home around 11:30pm and my mom, cute as she is, said, “I’ve never stayed out this late!” I said, “Stick me, kid! We’ll stay out even longer!” She laughed.
I think Jho and Kaye had a good time hanging with my mom.

I’m a bad gal. I totally ditched class last night to go to the Britney Spears concert. I didn’t even plan it. Kuya Noel abruptly texted/messaged me about going to the concert around 3:30pm yesterday. It turned out that our cousin had 4 tickets and wasn’t going to use them. So, we took ‘em!
Jordin Sparks opened for Britney. I like her!! She’s really cute!
Britney’s Circus Tour really was like a circus! There wasn’t a moment where nothing was going on. When she would do costume changes, people would come out doing things like swinging from drapes, jumping and flipping on a stick, doing magic, doing martial arts, hula-hooping it, etc. There was so much going on! I didn’t know all the songs she sang, but she did sing “Baby, One More Time”. She ended her show with “Womanizer”. And, OMG, the dancers- AHHHmazing!!! They’re so talented!!

Kuya Wilbert gave us the tickets. Thank you, kuya!

Stubborn As A Mule…

Well, not really.
A mule is 1/2 horse, 1/2 donkey… and on day 3 of our Yosemite trip, we rode them! I don’t think any of us have ever been on a mule, so this was something new and fun for all of us to try!
My mule’s name was Sally. We traveled at the scenic pace… slow. She let me enjoy all that Yosemite had to offer. But, to be honest, I enjoyed looking at Sally, giving her pats on her neck and telling her “good, girl” a lot more than the trees, rivers and rocks.
Christina rode on Jeep. He was part bucking bronco, because he would kick around a lot! And he’d eat a lot, too. Right after Christina mounted (hehe) Jeep at the coral, he went straight to eat some hay and drink some water.
Kuya Alfred rode… Fred! Fred liked to eat and eat. Every time we stopped to listen to the tour guide, I’d look over and see Fred eating some leaves or wandering off to chomp on something else!
We all had so much fun!!
Okay, so now we’re ready to ride  down the Grand Canyon just like Bobby, Cindy, Marcia, Greg, Jan and Peter! Heheh… But, we won’t get lost like Bobby did… (the Brady Bunch, peeps!!)
For some reason, I can’t remember if we ate lunch or not. But, anyways… after our mule ride, Kuya Alfred and I went on a nature hike! We saw huuuge logs (hehe), the mountains (of course) and a babbling brook! Here are some shots of Kuya Alfred.

The weather was getting pretty chilly by the time nightime rolled around. We decided that we should go home the following day (which was a good idea, since it started to rain). But, on day 1 of our trip, Kuya and me made it a point to do some star gazing. Kuya Alfred, being the adventurer that he his, trekked on his own (despite mine and Christina’s disapproval) into a meadow to take some photos.
The results? Stars!!! Where’s the Big Dipper?
Christina and me were both glad that Kuya Alfred came back in one piece. Once he walked through the door of the bungalow, I took my glasses off and slept! LOL.

And so ends our Yosemite trip! It was a great trip and I had so much fun hanging out with Christina & Kuya Alfred! Thanks for letting me join in on the fun!!
And, happy birthday Christina!! I LOVE U!

Bye!!

p.s. Day 3 & 4