Zambalove

When somebody asks you " Do you have any plans this weekend? " My eyes usually brights up and I immediately ask why. Are we going somewhere? Usually the answer is yes! As an ultimate kaladkarin, I just have to pack my clothes, my gear and all my bags and leave. Im going to embark on a trip to one of my favorite places in Luzon, Zambales. Where everything is chill, fun and wet. Welcome to Liw- Liwa! A weekend trip that is hard to forget! Join me in my journey! 

Zambales sand is not white but its fairly fine. What i love with Liw-Liwa's beach is that the sea shore is very wide.  Free of coconut trees that usually causes debris. It means you can do a lot of things like pitch a tent, play frisbee, or do team building activities or maybe just lay a beach mat, bring out the cooler and drink all day! 

Drinking  ice cold beer at the beach is one of my favorite things to do in life. Its almost like a bliss when you bury your feet into the sand as it massages you while you sip and listen to the sound of the waves. Its like a barrage of emotions rushing into your head! You just wanna close your eyes and savor the moment. 

Wanna get wet and stoked? Go surf! Liwa's waves are really nice. Wether you're an expert or a beginner, pretty sure you will have fun riding it. I think for less than 500 pesos, you can already rent out the board and get the surfing lessons. Board rental is 250. If you wish to have an instructor with you, 450.

The kuyas out there are really nice and friendly. Pretty sure you will learn surfing asap. We even went to their workshop and we saw them refurbishing a beat down surf board. Its pretty gruelling stuff but perfection needs patience and great craftsmanship. It's nice hanging out with them. 

We stayed at Le Quvoh Beachfront Resort. I love it there. Its super chill. They have this suite room for only 5,000 pesos where four of you can fit in. You can actually get an extra bed where you can fit up to six. Its really nice. It has its own bathroom. You have a balcony. Its aircon. Pretty decent for 5k. 

Its a great place to hangout. Have deep conversations... haha. I dunno. Mingle. Have a glass of wine. Or drink booze by the balcony as you stare at the beach. Life is good. 

That is actually Black Label on a wine glass. Im just out there chillin. I think I was starting to get wasted early. Like wer drinking as early as 1pm. We had.., black label, some Jack... we had beer, and yes i also brought some wine. By the way that wine glass is actually made of acrylic. Bought it at Crates and Barrel specifically for times like these. I used it a lot of times but never brought it to the beach. This is actually her debut beach trip. =)

If you're on a budget, you can actually pitch a tent for a small fee of 250 pesos. You just have to pay an extra 100 pesos each for the entrance. Theres a common bathroom. Theres also a cooking area. You can bring food if you wish. Let me whisper this to your ears come close, theres no corkage... Hell yeah! I saw a large group there. They had like 10-12 tents! It was crazy! They pitched just beside the beach.  They were all having drinks...partying like crazy. They'r having the time of their lives. 

I saw this FJ Cruiser having fun at the beach! Cruising with friends as they circle around the shore! I even saw this ford ranger around while the girls on their bikinis at the back! Oh yeah. hehe. I dont wanna be the driver of that pickup, i just wanna be the dude at the back of the truck along with the girls...wet and crazy! haha :P Jk lang.  Im a good boy. 

Watching the sunset is something I really love doing. Its proof that no matter how rough the day went by, it will end beautifully somehow. Liw-Liwa's beach has one of the perfect vantage points if you want to see the sunset. Its mesmerising. Bro can I get a tissue, i feel like crying... joke! 

I met a couple of people there at Liwa. They were sitting by the shore looking at their friend as he was busy surfing. I noticed the girl, is using a Fuji camera. I was thinking, it would be hard for her to take pictures using the kit lens. I was kind enough to offer my telephoto so she can take pics of her friend. We had a long chat about photography. About manila traffic... and a lot of stuff. It was pretty nice convo. She was a physical therapist. (I'd love to have therapy that time though). She was like a regular at Liw-Liwa. So regular that she actually  knows the locals out there! She knew the surf instructors. She knew ate who sells keychains and souvenirs. It was amazing! Sad thing about that moment was, I never asked for her name. Nor her number. Nor her facebook account. Nothing.  We just talked like we knew each other without knowing our names. How stupid could I be? 

Im almost at the end of this blog. Its really nice blogging again. I dunno, last couple of years was rough for me and its like i dont give an F to the world anymore... why blog about it. I realised that, the world is full of changes. You may be down but you can always go up. Its like a wheel ran over some dog shit.  As the wheel roll, shit eventually goes off. So as in life, just keep on rollin' off the shit out of you. Just dont stop and move forward. Its pretty disgusting analogy thou...

Im leaving you with this short video that I made. Forgive me since im still studiying making videos though. Im not good flying a drone for now... These four clips actually took a lot of re-takes. Well, its ok to make mistakes. Thats life. You can always try again. Just make sure you have a lot of batteries  or you'll fish out your drone at the sea. 

Anyways, I would like to thank my friends Mark and Jinnie for inviting me. It was crazy of you guys to make it last minute. Also to Le Quvoh Beachfront Resort over at Liw-Liwa Zambales. Specially to Ate Mhy and Kuya Ferds. Thank you so much. We will be back soon. And most specially, to our Lord almighty who continues to shower us  with blessings, talents and beauty all around us. Thank you for always keeping us safe at our travels. Salamat Zambales. Salamat sa Dagat at Alat. Till next time!  

Goto Believe Team Building 2018

I do believe in an organization... teamwork, camaraderie and getting along with each other is the primary goal to survive. Everything will fall like a stack of cards if each one of them doesn't settle their differences and work as one. Thats why it is important for companies to have team buildings to keep the team spirit alive. I was invited to photograph Goto Believe's Team Building activities at Blue Pavilion Resort in Infanta, Quezon. Through my lens I witnessed hardwork, patience, and the love for each other in facing their challenges. I have to give my appreciation to Buklod for facilitating this wonderful event. 

They have this activity where they are asked to squeeze out all the contents of the toothpaste from the tube which for me is probably one of the most satisfying thing I wanna do in my life. Coz you don't do that at all unless you're a psychotic person who eats toothpaste for breakfast. Squeezing that out gives you an undescribable feeling that really feels good. Then after doing so, the facilitator asked them to put back all the toothpaste back in the tube!!! Which for me is quite hard thing to do. The team who gets the most toothpaste back inside the tube wins... The lesson for this is that its easy everytime you want to say something to someone but its really hard if you take it back. Thats why its important to mind what you say to other people. If you have nothing good to say, just shut up and  keep it to yourself.

Then there is this activity where one of your teamate  needs to reach a toothpick without stepping, crossing, falling nor touching you body parts onto  the sand. Its impossible to reach it alone so your teamates have to hold onto you and support you in order to gain balance and stability. Being flexible is not enough. You still have to rely on your teamates to finish this task. This is a great learning experience where one must support each other in order for the team to achieve its goals. Its not easy but when you have each others back (or torso or leg), any task is possible!

Any obstacles is manageable if you just work together and if you work smart. That blue marble should travel from one half-tube on to the another. It seems to be an easy thing to do. But if you dont talk, dont listen or simply dont cooperate well, that marble will easily fall. Proper coordination + teamwork and working smart is the key for a team to be successful. Add also to have a pair of steady hands as well...

Besides all the activities, there are also lectures worthy of listening. There was this part where they teach you how to save money. Everytime you want to buy something like shoes, clothes..that phone. You have to save 3 times the amount of that thing in order for you to buy it. For example, if that phone costs  20,000 pesos, you must save at least 60,000 pesos in order for you to buy it. In that way, you still have enough savings just in case you really need the money. It also adds a feeling of guilt buying that gadget. To the point that you dont want to buy it anymore. If you can live without it, dont buy it. Just save it. If you really want to have it, you must pay the price.

I learned a lot from this team building. Teaches you how to talk to each other. How to be sensitive. How important to suggest what to do not just criticise. Its really about the delivery. How you communicate well. How to say it properly in a peaceful manner.  I am so grateful being there. Even though Im only at sidelines listening. Its an eye opening experience. To the staff of Goto Believe, What they have as a group, as co-workers, as a company, they have something really wonderful. They just have to hold on to it dearly.  

I envy them for having people who backs you up when you need them the most. Its not really an organization. You dont call them just workmates nor co-workers. You call them family. Something that you will truly cherish for life.


Many thanks to Goto Believe specially to the beautiful Ms. Sandra and her awesome staff. To Sands, its her 2nd family! She dreamt of something. Believed in it. Worked hard to achieve it. Now its a reality!  And it's growing bigger and bigger! Im so proud of you Sands! Keep it up!  To Sir Gary and the all the staff and facilitators of Buklod, thank you for the knowledge. Such a great experience. And to Blue Pavilion resort for the wonderful venue. To Sir Jelo and Mam Sharon thank you so much. You have been really accommodating inspite of tthe storm. Thank you Thank you Thank you! Its been a great honor. Till next time. 

The Purple Owl Tagaytay

Ok im somehow o a roll here in making these blog posts. So anyway. I was really busy doing a lot of food photography. I had really interesting clients and their food is just superb. Like this one on top is from The Purple Owl in Tagaytay. That place is really amazing. Not to mention they have really nice food! This dish is their Rosemary Chicken and by the smell of it, your tummy will go on world war 3! Its smells so good and yes it really is delicious. Probably one of the best chicken dish I ever had. 

They also have their delicious Porchetta! Its actually much more delicious Lechon Belly. That crunch from the pig skin is like a sound from heavens above. Its crackling like the thunder! Enough with those words mac.. haha. I tell you this dish is so good. I really dont know how was it made. All i know is that , their recipes for their dishes is handed from generations to generations. Its like theres a soul into their dishes. Theres history of some sort. All made with love... 

Their pumpkin soup is also one of the best. People actually come back to Purple owl for this soup. Its so delicious. You'l just close your eyes in awe... Its heaven. I really would like to thank my good friend Ms. Anne Cua for helping me with the styling for this shoot. She really has great vision. Anne actually makes my job easy. :)

This is actually my favorite dish from that shoot. The most amazing Beef In Beer! Oh yes. Its that soft beef infused with your local beer. Drenched in that thick, dark sauce.... ugh you will instantly forget your name as you take a bite.  Its so good. You better shovel a lot rice for this one... Its so delicious. 

Purple owl is actually an events place. Couples usually go here. Most of them to propse.... or have that intimate date. Give them a call first and they will do all the decorations. All the set up. All that mood that you want on a date. They will do it for you. They will set it up in their big garden. You can have the most intimate dinner while watching a movie..as they will set up a projector by your table... Yeah. Place is really amazing. Go check them out. Go visit the Purple Owl in their facebook page for more info. 

Love Wins

Photo above is  my first Gay marriage coverage. My fist of its kind. They actually got married in Australia. This is more like a reception already and actually a fancy intimate dinner with close friends and family. I already posted this photo in my facebook page and I quoted - " No matter how complicated a relationship as it may be, regardless of the color of your skin, race, ethnicity nor gender. If you are meant for each other - Love Wins. 

I never made a blogpost for the longest time. For some reason, blogging became a little off to me. I dunno. Maybe I already lost it. Before I used to blog almost about everything. Everything beautiful that I see. But now, all of those is just a thing of history. These past months... probably a year actually, I was never happy. I was actually depressed. Even though it seems like I have everything I need. I feel empty. Its like living in the dark. Struggling to get through. Its just sad. 

Anyway, the year is almost done and I don't want to end it on a sad note. I do believe that 2019 will be a great year. I just have to believe in myself. Be positive. And work smarter. Im already there to be honest. I just have to work on it even more. I just need to focus. Focus whats coming, not what was left. 

A Different Kind of Bicol Express

If theres one thing that I really love more than anything else is shooting food. This is a different rendition of a Bicol Express dish coz instead of the usual pork, they used fish. Perfect for the Lenten season.

 Im kinda blinded shooting this dish because i really how am I gonna execute it. Good thing my good ol friend Jolly helped me out with the pinterest pics. 

This is my favorite angle among the rest. I really love this job. Its fun. Its challenging. And you get to eat what you shoot... Well most of the time. :)

The Sagada Connection

Have you ever been into a place where time pauses. Where complications in life is almost zero. Where simplicity is the norm and looking at clouds swooping down the mountains is merely an ordinary thing. Here in Sagada, its just like that. It's cold. simple and you get to walk a lot. Dont forget to bring your fit-bit with you. You'l get a lot of steps just by going around here. 

I came up of an easier way to share my trip to you guys. Im just gonna post all of my favorite pictures from my trip and talk a little something about it. I have this problem arranging the events so I just have to go random. Here are my top photos from the last Sagada - Kalinga Trip. Photo on top is from the mountain side going to Danum Lake. It was very foggy then. I was thankful the cloud openned up a little just to get this shot...  

This is Saagada Brew and they serve one of the best coffee in town. I also like the food in here. They also serve different kinds of tea. This place is a must visit if you happen to be in Sagada. Im sure you will love it. 

This photo was taken going to Danum Lake. We rode a jeep going to the place and the roads are kinda bumpy but its all good.  The mountain view is spectacular! You can see the rice fields on your left and on your right. Its not a long trip. I assure you, you will enjoy it. 

One thing I like from this place  is the cold weather! Its really far of from the musty , dry and sizzling hotness of manila. Its cold but tolerable. Just wear descent amount of clothes and you'l be ok. This is a photo from our bus stop I think.  Hours before reaching the town of Sagada. 

This is the view from our hotel room. The place is called Treasure Rock and according to TripAdvisor.com it is one of the best hotels to stay in Sagada. Kuya Jerry, the manager of the place is really nice. He also has a small bar where you can sing and drink all night. He can even fix a bonfire for you if you want to warm yourselves down.  

I woke up early from our bus trip. It was almost a 10 hour bus ride from Manila. I wanted to take a photo of what its like to drive the treacherous mountains of Sagada. Taking this is actually hard coz of all the twists and turns. Hands to the bus driver whose brave enough to do such a feat of driving 10 hours straight in this cold weather... 

You'l see a lot of these in Sagada. I shot this on our way to Bomod-ok waterfalls.. Its a long trek, about an hour I think going to the falls. View is really amazing. So relaxing that its theraputic. Cool in the eyes...fresh air. Its rejuvinating. 

Sometimes its all about breaking the rules. In the course of my photography career, i have been following rules on how to properly frame a photo. Disregarding the rules of composition, i still find this photo very nice. Maybe because i had a reminscin moment from my last trip way back that I almost fell from one of these... Im just happy i had the right balance now.  

We went to this place called the Strawberry Cafe. I love their coffee! Partnered with the traditional toast and eggs and bacon, it was awesome. I really love the bacon.  Its so crispy! 

Not only the food is great but also the view. You can even see a lot of strawberries everywhere. This is one of those places that you need to visit. The abundance of good restaurants in Sagada is surely a delight for foodie like me. Basically its one of those reasons I enjoyed the trip because of the good food!

Never seen a rainbow on a ricefield ever. So this one is really special to me. I was hoping theres a treasure in there...then iit came to me that the treasure is already in front of you. 

Caught up with Niko and Lorie with their sweet and intimate moments at the hanging bridge....We're almost there at the waterfalls. From here, we can hear the water gushing already. This bridge is wiggly so better brace yourself as you cross it. 

The famous Bomod-Ok Falls! After that long trek, i just have to take my shirt off and dive! Water is so cold! Freezing is the right word but its really refreshing. Be extra careful on the rocks though coz its really slippery! I actually fell while taking this shot.... 

We went to this restaurant called Masferre and man you got to try their porkchops. Its so damn delicious. I really dunno how they cooked this. Its just tasty. Kinda buttery. I love this. You have to try it. The place is really nice too if you're a photographer. You can see a lot of black and white portraits there. I believe the owner is a photographer as well and the portraits of the locals and scenery is exquisite. 

The Sumaguing Cave trek was intense! It was enormous inside. Although it was kinda damp and slippery (and bat stinky) it was an amazing experience. I tried swimming inside in one of the lakes and damn it was freezing cold! Its quite an experience! 

Once inside, you might find the rock formations pretty entertaining! Plus the guides are all witty themselves that made this spelunking trip full of laughs! 

This is the famous Lake Danum in Sagada! We stayed here for a while and when it was starting to drizzle, we went back to our jeep.  I just hope I can be as flexible as Dawna :)

at the end of the day, you just have to be thankful for all the things that you'ved seen. The food that you ate. The experiences tattooed in your mind. Sometimes its just alright to stop taking pictures and just feel the moment. Feel your very existence. My Sagada experience was exceptional and I cant wait to go back. There are some sites that I havent been to like the Kiltepan Sunrise and Sunset, the hanging coffins and Marlboro Country. Im gonna be back for sure. Watch out for my second part of my blog - The Kalinga Expedition , The Road to Apo Whang-Od. Thanks guys!