NCAA Season 84: First Basket belongs to Sam Ekwe of San Beda Red Lions!

Yesterday, NCAA Season 84 (2009) officially openned at the Big Dome with the usual pomp and pageantry except for some technical glitz and some boo-boos which may not be avoided on live show. But before anything else, the San Beda Red Lions, together with other Bedistas in the gallery and those watching on TV (just like me!) roared again at the start of the Season, the Red Lions beating the Mapua Cardinals by 29 points!

(The Future, Present and the Past of Red Lions’ Basketball)

I am sharing here with you images and videos I took of the openning ceremony and the first game. However, please bear with poor quality because I took it straight from TV. It’s the spirit that matters this time and not so much the quality!

Here’s a video of the first basket of the season courtesy of the Ekwe-lizer pre-empted by what could have been a better shot at the basket (by Gamalinda, I think). Not so much flair but it’s still the first basket:

Typhoon Frank and its Prelude of Attempted Theft! Again?!

On or about 4:00 o’clock A.M. this morning, strong (and whistling) wind woke me up. Thinking that Typhoon Frank (Int’l Name: Fengshen) has arrived, I went out to take my puppy (“Mayo”) inside, and to check if there are some things that might be blown away by the wind just like what happened when Typhoon Milenyo caught me unaware last September 2006.

After fixing everything, I went back to bed and woke up at 8:00 o’clock A.M. I still went out for my breakfast inspite of the rain. Frank may not have been as harsh as Milenyo, as far as here in the Metro is concerned; however, I still decided to get out after breakfast to take some photos thinking that there might be a good image I can take to depict Frank in my area in Malacanang.

I was able to take some but they were not good as I wanted to have. Be that as it may, I am sharing them with you here. Not contended with the images in my area, I drive to a nearby market (“talipapa”) in Bustillos where I may be able to take a few images to complete this entry and to get some stuff for lunch.

The “Tarpaulin” House

Ever seen the house made of Tarpaulin in Sta. Rosa, Laguna?

I wanted to share this as early October 2006. Unfortunately at that time, I was able to take only images at night which might not be as good when taken in the day to let you know in clear terms what I wanted to share, for all intents and purposes. Because of lack of time and the distance involved, I was able to take images in the day only this June 2008 (that’s two years after!). Hence, this entry is 2-years in the making!

(Taken October 2006)

Just in case you happen to pass by the Highway in Sta. Rosa going to Tagaytay, you will notice to your left a certain subdivision called Georgia Club. Right at the entrance is a replica of a house which appears to me then, as a true and authentic model house.

(Taken June 2008)

And that’s what I thought. A closer look would reveal otherwise. To have a better perspective of the whole structure, I am sharing here with you images that I took on a wider angle to reveal how it looks like.

Barbeque Dinner. The the Magic Gel and Mustard Salad!

Over the long weekend last week, pre-emting the Independence Day which falls at the mid of the next week, we had a ‘bbq’ dinner hosted by Chef Anton, again, in his place in Sta. Rosa. He prepared everything. All in. From ingredients to cooking and washing everything after dinner. Oh-oh, the later is not so cheffy!

What amazed me was how he lighted the charcoal.

Our Lady of Manaoag in Tagaytay (June 8-22, 2008)

The Our Lady of Manaoag from Pangasinan is currently at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church in Tagaytay City from June 8-22, 2008. If you are by any chance in Tagaytay or happen to pass by, it would be good if you drop by.

I happen to be in Tagaytay this (long) weekend and we were suppose to attend the Sunday Mass. We came too late for the last night mass but praying to the Lady was worth missing it.

Bag of Beans Coffee Shop & Bakery: Tagaytay City

After dinner (ahh, fullness!) now it’s time for a good dessert! Very near Taalena where we had dinner is the very cozy, alfressscooo Bag of Beans Cofee Shop & Bakery. I know, I may already be the last one blogging about it (but at least maybe the latest! Hehe!) but can you blame me? It’s my first time in the place though I have heard and read about the place already.

Bag of Beans is suppose to be a cofee shop and bakery. And so I thought!However, maybe because it has gained popularity in its service all through these years, it has now become, a restaurant and in fact offers its amenities for conference.

It is “alfresco” resto and bar open from breakfast to dinner and even after.

Taalena Bar & Restaurant: Tagaytay City

This past long weekend served as a brief respite before going back to full-time work, again. I was with friends who graciously accomodated me, again, and on our last night, we went up to Tagaytay, a short drive from Sta. Rosa where we were staying.

Tagaytay, as it is now, one may find a difficult time looking for a place to eat that is not very Manila. We wanted to try something not “manila” and Tonton was suggesting a certain market-eatery (as of this writing, I cannot confirm with Tonton the name of the place) but because we have a kid with us and we don’t know the circumstances of the place, we aborted.

The Chef Offers Food at the Club

This is a continuation of my post on Canlubang (1) (2). The chef (whom I casually call Tonton, by the way) and I, are already at the club as early as breakfast. He offered me Pinoy breakfast of fried bangus and eggs. It was good but I should have preferred my bangus a little more juicy than dry as served.

After breakfast, it was time for me to take some pictures around the club and the whole golf course. I was done before noon. For lunch, Tonton offered us, again, fired bangus with mango salsa, which is very Thai, by the way:

2008 World Pyrolympics: Philippines’ Entry

After about an hour of waiting, the Philippines, not as a participant to the competition being the host country, started its show. This time, I was able to recall the quick review on how to take fireworks display that I was reading at DPS and some others.

For this performance, I already made use of the zoom so that I can frame the explosions at a closer angle which came out better that the previous. I made use of the simplest way to take shots. I set my camera to the Scene Menu and choose Fireworks.

My camera is not remote shutter release capable so I made use of a tripod and shutter manually. Some says you can use the self-timer but that may not be able to capture the images you wanted because it’s automatic

Here are some of the other images I took of the entry.

2008 World Pyrolympics: Australia’s Entry

You may already know by now that Italy won the latest World Pyrolympics. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the entry. It was only last night that I was able to witness the performance, on its last day, of the last two entries, err, technically one because the Philippines is not a competitor.

The show started at about 7:30 p.m. and it was Australia which performed first. On this post are some photos I got using the widest angle that my camera can accommodate. It proved to be not advisable especially that I was in one of the farthest ends from where the pyros are coming from.