The 3rd Olongapo No-Gi Grappling Competition

I was at Subic Bay Freeport during the weekends. I have reserved a hotel room a few weeks ago but I didn’t realize that it would be a very wet experience. I booked the hotel using Agoda and as much as I wanted to cancel the hotel accommodation because of the rains, it was already charged to my credit card and cancelling it would still incur some fees. So I just made the most out of my weekend escapade.

I use to go to Olongapo a few years ago but ever since I worked in the call center industry, my visit to this city had become lesser. My first love lives in Olongapo and he’s the sole reason why I visit this place. Olongapo and Subic Bay Freeport always brings back good memories of my friendship with my first love. I’ll probably talk about this some other time. Let’s just focus on the 3^rd Olongapo No-Gi Grappling Competition.

I was surprised to learn that there is an Ayala Mall inside the Subic Bay Freeport just a few meters away from the newly-opened SM Olongapo. The mall’s name is Harbor Point and it’s HUGE when it comes to floor area. It’s only 3 stories tall but it’s wide and there are a lot of stalls that aren’t opened yet. I stumbled upon the 3^rd Olongapo No-Gi Grappling Competition and I got curious on what it is.

I later found out that Grappling is a style in martial arts that comprises techniques that relies on grabbing and controlling your opponent using body leverage to achieve supremacy. It’s very similar to Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and the Olympic Wrestling. It’s the opposite of “striking” martial arts like Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo or Kickboxing. Grapping seems to be less dangerous than the “striking” martial arts. Thanks to Rio Grappling Club for clearing this out for me.

I don’t know why the straight guys are into this sport but for a gay guy like me, it looks very intimate and sexy and I swear my mind is thinking something else when I saw these guys on the competition mat.

How about you, what do you see?

Technorati Tags: The 3rd Olongapo No-Gi Grappling Competition,Harbor Point,Subic Bay Freeport

Rainy Friday Morning In Makati City

I was at Makati City yesterday morning. I went to The Atrium to have my RDO change. Typhoon Gener is already out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but it was still a rainy morning. I thought that RDO 49 is still at The Atrium only to find out that it’s on another BIR building at the corner of Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Ayala Avenue. So I decided to walk from The Atrium to that location.

The weather started out fine when I arrived at Makati City. I took some pictures of The Manila Peninsula, Ayala Avenue and even the car accident at Makati Avenue. A taxi hit a car and you can see from the pictures that the hood of the taxi was dented.

By the time that I went out of The Atrium en route to Gil Puyat Avenue, it’s already raining. I passed by The Ayala Triangle Gardens. I took a picture of the park from the waiting shed when a guard asked me if I have a permit to shoot. I said yes and showed him the papers (for the Make It Makati Photo Contest). The security guard then went silent and returned to his post.

I then walked along Ayala Avenue and took some pictures of the underpass. A security guard whistled to my direction and then stopped by the steps of the underpass. As I passed him I asked “Ako ba ang pinipituhan mo?”

The security guard said “Sir, bawal pong kumuha ng pictures dito. May permit po ba kayo ng MCEA?” I told him “Oo meron”. I showed him the same papers I showed to the other security guard and told this 2^nd SG “Ayan o, may logo ng MCEA”. I added “Maulan kasi sa taas (street level) so dito na lang ako nag-shoot”.

The security guard said “Okay na po ba kayo?” as if he wanted to add “Baka kailangan n’yo pa ng konting panahon. Feel free po to shoot”.

These two guards were courteous in asking for the permit to shoot. I have no complaints whatsoever. I believe the management of MCEA did a great job in orienting them to be courteous in asking for paperwork if they saw someone taking pictures within the Makati Business District.

This is what I’m saying to the Facebook Group called “Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito”. The security guards are only doing their jobs in asking for permits and prohibiting someone from taking pictures. It’s pointless to argue with them. They are just following orders. If they see the right permits from you then they’re a happy camper.

Instead of arguing and asking the security guards provoking questions like “Bakit bawal mag-shoot dito?”, let’s just secure permits to shoot, participate in their photo contest and show these permits to the guards. After all, most areas of the Makati City Business District are private properties. We should take that in mind and respect their rights to levy rules and regulations within their private lands. Like the famous saying “When in Rome, do what the Romans do”.

Even the Government cannot impose guidelines on a private property.

Technorati Tags: MCEA,Permit To Shoot,Makati City,Make It Makati

How To Secure A Permit To Shoot In Rizal Park And Intramuros

I just came home from taking some pictures of Rizal Park and Intramuros. Contrary to what other groups are saying, there is absolutely no fee when taking pictures (even if you’re using a DSLR) in Rizal Park and Intramuros if it’s for personal use.

A few days ago, I sent some emails to the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) asking for the process on how to get a permit to take some pictures of Rizal Park and Intramuros which are both manage by NPDC. They advised me to go personally to their office.

Today, I was at Makati doing some BIR thing with my new employer when I decided to drop by the NPDC to secure a permit. Everything worked fine and I was able to take pictures of these two famous landmarks without any hassle.

Here are the steps on how to secure your own permit-to-shoot in Rizal Park and Intramuros:

1. Write a letter to NPDC and tell them a who you are, a brief introduction about yourself and what are you going to do with the pictures that you’re planning to take. Make sure that you have a contact number in your letter.

Address your letter to: Ms. Juliet H. Villegas, Executive Director, National Parks Development Committee, Rizal Park, T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila.

2. Bring along a valid ID (preferably a government ID with your name and picture on it) because the NPDC staff will photocopy it for filing purposes.
3. Agree to the Rules and Regulation by affixing your name and signature to the sign-off sheet which tells you that:

Date:

This is to confirm that I shall submit print copies as well as e-copies on CD of the pictures taken during the photo shoot to the Cultural & Public Affairs Division of the National Parks Development Committee.

I also give my permission, on behalf of my group, to the National Parks Development Committee for the free use of the photos in the future. I only ask that my group be acknowledged as the photographer when our pictures are used.

Print Name and Signature

Contact Details

(Please attach a copy of the ID of signatory)

I asked them if it’s okay to email them the pictures instead of the print-out and CD and they agree to it. So emailing them the pictures is OK. You may email them at cpad@nationalparks.ph

4. They will stamp your request letter and will write down the duration of your photo shoot. It’s 2 hours from the time when you wish to start.
5. Again, if it’s for personal use, no fees will be collected. I don’t know the process on applying for a commercial shoot because I’m not a professional wedding photographer. I’m just a hobbyist, a newbie photographer
6. Finally, the NPDC staff will give you a brief reminder about the parks and amenities, the fees if you’re going to enter the Chinese Garden or the Artist Haven and other portions of the park that have entrance fees (usually P5), and the allowed distance to shoot Rizal’s monument (not over the movable-railings).

After doing the above steps, you’re free to shoot to your heart’s desire. Make the most out of your 2 hours shooting period. Intramuros is about 15 minutes walk-time away from Rizal Park by the way.

What are you waiting for? Go there at the National Parks Development Committee office (besides the Department of Tourism building inside Rizal Park) and start shooting!

Technorati Tags: Hindi Bawal Mag-Shoot Sa Rizal Park At Intramuros,Permit To Shoot,NPDC

KFC Pasig-Palengke Opening Soon

I was surprised to see a newly-constructed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) store opposite the Pasig City Police and the Pasig City Post Office in Pasig-Palengke. Workers are working on the finishing touches and I’m guessing that it will be opened in the next few days.

It’s great news for me since I’m a certified KFC fanatic. It’s my first choice when it comes to fast food chain. Not to mention that this will be the nearest KFC store to my place. Before this newly-constructed KFC store, I have to go to Pasig-Simbahan to buy KFC products. This will definitely save me time whenever I want to eat chicken.

Jollibee Pasig-Palengke would surely have a great competitor from this day on. Congratulations KFC on your new store! Kapag Fried Chicken, KFC! (When craving for fried chicken, it’s KFC).

Technorati Tags: KFC Pasig-Palengke,Kapag Fried Chicken,Kentucky Fried Chicken

Mr. Abe Olandres, New Country Manager of Nuffnang Philippines

Congratulations to the premier blogger, Mr. Abe Olandres, the new country manager of Nuffnang Philippines.

Mr. Abe Olandres gained fame via the technology blogs Yugatech and Yugadeals. Aside from being a well-known blogger, he’s also a successful entrepreneur in the tech industry. I’m a big fan of Mr. Yugatech and I’ve been following his blog for years. It’s a major source of gadget news and feature stories.

Hope we’ll have free movie screenings soon to welcome the new branch manager. Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Nuffnang Philippines,Country Manager,Yugatech,Yugadeals

It’s More Fun With PhotoScape

I’m not a big fan of Adobe Photoshop. I have Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 installed on my computer (courtesy of torrents.to) and the only thing I can do with it is to crop my photos. So I make it a habit to compose my pictures on my Canon EOS 1100D to avoid cropping it in Photoshop.

Around 10 years ago, there were software called Aldus PageMaker and Print Artist. Those are the software that I used to create college projects, print out Christmas cards and do certificates. Let’s fast forward to 2012 in the age of Photoshop. The most popular image-enhancing tool is Photoshop. I tried to self-study it but I really can’t figure it out even after following tutorials from YouTube and Google.

Luckily, I’ve discovered this free software called PhotoScape. It was elements that are very similar to Aldus PageMaker and Print Artist and I’ve learned to do things in PhotoScape that I can’t dream of doing in Photoshop. I started out with simply putting texts on my photos. It’s very easy! Then I started out with the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” meme. It’s a bit late but better late than never. I was actually surprised at my works! The only thing I can’t do at the moment is to create the word Philippines in rainbow colors.

Then I started spoofing the Penshoppe, Bayo and Bench ads. I have tons of fun doing it on my former team mates! Now, since it’s a HOT topic on this blog about my recent bad experience with the Facebook group “Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito”, I tried to channel the negative energy into positive output – I tried to spoof their logos and I’m very satisfied with the results.

Overall, I fell very satisfied with the free software PhotoScape. I’m using it to add texts to my pictures and I’m also using Picasa to add watermarks. I also use Picasa to organize my pictures.

How about you, what software are you using to add texts to your pictures?

It’s More Fun in the Philippines

The next models of Bayo, Penshoppe and Bench.

“Bawal Mag-Swardspeak Dito” – Quoted from Mel Cortez, founder of “Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito”.

Technorati Tags: Bawal Mag-Swardspeak Dito,Photoscape,Picasa