5 AM

Went to the airport earlier to drop a cousin. I wanted to take photos of the sunrise but it was too early when we went out so I took photos of the street lights instead. Nothing fancy just dancing light streaks. Thank you bumpy streets of Bacolod, Talisay, and Silay.

I love how 3-dimensional the light streaks looked like... so I gave the rest of the photos that 3D-ish feel with the color accents.

Running Around without Sleep and Taking Photos in RAW

Went out to do some errands with CJ earleir. We only slept for around 5 hours so we sort of rushed things out so we could go back home to sleep again. Yesterday, I was reading the "Digital SLR for Dummies" app on my iPod and got curious to try shooting in RAW. I've been saving my photos in JPEG form (and later on in PNG after post-processing) so I got intrigued as to what difference will it make in terms of post-processing adjustment capabilities.

 I tried using RAW before but just ended up frustrated because my photoshop says that the image file isn't compatible with the software. Earlier, I searched on how to open a RAW file and I ended up downloading a plug-in that will let you do some adjustments on the photo before you can open the file in photoshop or in other softwares like photo elements and such. The settings were pretty much like the ones that Lightroom has but I like how editing in RAW because it doesn't over-do things. Like the sharpness, you can improve it at an intensity that it doesn't look awful and painful to look at. The only downside though is that you can't preview the images in the folder so you'd have to click on them one by one to see the photos. What you can do though is to have your camera save the file in both Jpeg and RAW, that is if you carry enough memory space. But if you have like, an eight giga byte or a bigger memory card, then you're good to go. :) Here are a few photos of  common sightings along the road from Lacson Rd. to Alijis.

Truth is, No One is Bullyproof

About a quarter of my life was spent and shared online. I've been into social networking since secondary school. I can remember that I had about four Friendster accounts because I was that friendly to people. My boyfriend would even joke and call me, "Miss Congeniality". But maybe no matter how much we try to reach-out and build friendship with random, bogus, online users, there's is no assurance that they will reciprocate that goodness that we show.

       I am no stranger to cyber bullying. I used to bully someone but maybe it was because of my teenage angst. I was immature and I found satisfaction in trolling people who couldn't even identify the difference between their and they're. Until about two years ago when a common-friend-slash-internet-buddy did it to me. She was in the contact list of each of my online accounts. Everything was fine between us and I had never seen it coming. She said very mean things indirectly and in some of her statements I found out that she was talking about me. I was guilty on some of her accuses but I never really had any idea why she had to tag along issues regarding my family and things that I never knew where she got. She took things personally and until now I'm not sure where all her anger came from. I tried to ignore everything though I must admit that I was hurt. I tried to send messages to confront her but I never had the guts. Maybe it was just my pride knowing that she was the one who started the fight. And so anyway, the issue has passed, we both grew up, and in some way, we started to talk to each other again.
          Yesterday, someone tried to do the same things to me again. I posted an artwork and someone mentioned that it looked like someone else's drawing. I answered the Tumblr Ask stating that what I've just posted was just a rendition of an old work. I didn't mean any harm and I never read the comment as an accusation until someone send me loads of hate mails. I felt like I was a Bb. Pilipinas contestant answering a question from a judge and have just realized that I uttered the wrong words. I wish I could explain further what I meant but it was too late because people already started to criticize me. One said that I was implying that she, the other blogger who had an artwork that was somewhat alike with mine, was copying me. Then another message saying that I've changed. I ignored the TA's because I know where it would lead to. That same anonymous bombarded me with questions saying that I'm chicken shit, a coward bitch (and other curses that I was never called before) for not publishing her TA's on my blog. Thanks to my Psychology lessons that I learned that the best intervention for people displaying such behavior is to ignore them. I disabled anonymous sending so I can shove unto their faces that I am in control of my blog. Good for them that I was having a good day. I never considered them as a threat, not even a pinch in my feelings until earlier today.
          It is true that no one is bully-proof. No one is safe. Even the gentlest child is vulnerable to such negativity. We can't prevent people from victimizing us but certainly we can prevent them from hurting us. It's all about choosing the right defense mechanism to use. Bullying happens everywhere. Like right now, we are bullied by the government who are supposed to be the ones protecting us against opportunistic capitalists. But that's a different story and I will let the others who are well-informed than I am tackle that. It's all up to us if we submit ourselves to such or to act against it. Show them that they're not in control of your life but at the same time do not feed them with attention. Be strong. Cry a little but learn from your pain. To bullies out there, I know why you're doing this. You feel power, satisfaction, but after that, what? There's nothing that you can earn from throwing stones and telling tall tales. Remember, what comes around, turns around. Don't worry, I don't hate you anon. I truly understand why you must channel your insecurities towards me. Considering how lonely your life must be, you made me feel thankful for all the blessings that I have. I wish you good life and may all your wishes come true. Just like a birthday wish that you would often receive on your day. :)

PictureShow

The problem with me cleaning up my apps is that I would then browse for new ones and once again clog-up my iPod. I was browsing through photography apps and I happen to stumble upon PictureShow. Seeing how interesting the description, screenshots, and reviews, I bought it for .50p (British Pounds). Thanks to my mom because she allowed me to use her itunes account to buy iPod apps! :) :) :)

This was the very first photo that I produced out of the app. You can choose to either take a new photo or edit an existing one from your albums. I thought it would work like Hipstamatic where you get to choose your gears and such beforehand but it was the other way around. You take a raw photo and you can edit it afterwards. There's a wide variety of frames, light streaks, noises, and you can adjust the colors, brightness and contrast, or use the tilt-shift function and HDR. I thought that was all it was about until I accidentally slid my thumb down the screen and I discovered that you can also change the film types or have the app randomize the settings for a more whimsical effect. I swear I had myself hooked to the app that I couldn't stop taking photos afterwards. Here are a few shots that I was able to produce using the app:

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Jaw tagged me along to her and Mark's photoshoot. It was kinda different from what I do but it was nice that I got to take pictures again after a long while. I wasn't able to get the model's name so... here are my shots from the photo op earlier at Panaad Park.