Enlighten Me, Bikini Edition

I’m in the mood to be superficial and without depth today…

First published at FHM Philippines, April 22, 2009 | 07:22PM

I was at the beach recently.  As I basked in the sun in my swimsuit, a peculiar analogy dawned on me.  The comparison had something to do with my swimsuit and the size of my hands.  Let’s take a look at this photo:

If I post photos in the net like the one above, I am almost sure that I can go about my life normally knowing that general public will openly accept me.  However, the photos I post in this site are similar to this one below:

Posting pics like the one above requires me to hide most of my face and my true identity.  Obviously, the nature of the above photo is frowned upon by some members of society.  I actually find this very puzzling.  To illustrate this point, take a look at the pic below:

As you can see, the surface area of my bikini top and bottom is basically the same as my hands.  Hence, my hands practically cover the same amount of skin as my swimwear.

However, the photo of me in a bikini does not elicit the same response as the photo of me with my hands covering my body parts.  Why?  Is it because of the idea that I am completely naked in the other pic?  Is it because bikinis are more common?  I want to hear your thoughts.

Readers, enlighten me…

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Maintaining Anonymity

As bloggers, most of us go to great lengths in keeping our real identities a secret. But the real question is: Do we really want to be completely anonymous?

First published at FHM Philippines, January 29, 2009 | 01:10PM

I Know You

A strange thing happened to me while I was at the mall during the last holiday season. As I was walking towards the escalator, I saw this man from a distance. He was wearing a shiny, dark blue football shirt. His jogging pants, with buttons on the side, were also dark blue. He wore rubber shoes with dark blue accents, too. He certainly seemed like a staunch advocate of all that is dark blue – but that was not the reason why I noticed him. He caught my attention because he looked oddly familiar.

I continued to stare at him, racking my brains trying to remember where I saw him before.  He was heading towards the same escalator I was going to take and I knew we would both get to it at the same time. Good. It was a chance for me to have a closer look at this man.  When we were about two feet apart, I finally realized who he was. He was someone who regularly looks at my internet photos.

Because of this little thing I do for in the internet, many things have been sent to my email, among them are photos of those who look at my contributions. While I appreciate the gesture, I don’t exactly save all the files I get. I breeze through the myriad of photos, reply when necessary, and then discard. It is practically impossible for me to associate the pics I get with real life persons I encounter on the streets. However this particular incident in the mall proved otherwise. Of course it also helped that this individual had distinct features: completely bald head and bushy eyebrows.

When I finally realized who that man was, I was filled with excitement. I have chatted with this man many times. He has written me several emails. He knows my every photo. But I had no clue if I rang a bell in his mind or not.

I wanted to know if he recognized me. It was annoying that he was directly behind me on the down-ward escalator. I could not get a good look at his facial reaction. I had to improvise. I moved my head to the right, pretending to look at the shops. Then I tried to look at him from the corner of my eye. To my dismay, all I could see was his chest. If I moved my eyeball any further, it would have popped out.

Some of you would ask me about the possibility of being recognized outside of cyberworld. I always brushed that notion off. I never wanted to be recognized. I take all precautions to make sure that I do not get noticed. Well, this was before this mall incident. At that time, I actually wanted to know if I looked familiar, if he recognized me.

I was going nuts on that escalator. I probably blended in with everybody else in the mall. He must have been thinking of something really important. I was probably not his type. He must have been in a rush to get to wherever he was heading. Whatever it was, I thought that I was doing a good job of making sure I remained anonymous in cyberworld.  But on the other hand, I was dying of curiosity. I just had to know if he recognized me. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a clear view of his facial expression.  Thoughts of regret raced through my head. I should have tossed my hair to catch his attention. I should have followed him. I should have nudged him. I should have turned around and smiled at him. If I did any of these, I would have gotten my answer.

As I reached the end of the escalator, he walked passed me. He continued walking briskly until he vanished in the crowd. I missed my chance.

I guess I will just be left hanging until I get another chance to recognize any of you – wherever, whenever.  But next time this happens, I will not be at a loss. I will know exactly what to do.

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How We Take Photos

I’ve always enjoyed looking at blogs about photography. The images always leave me breathless. I know my photos pale in comparison to those of serious amateurs and professionals. But that does not matter. Here’s why.

First published at FHM Philippines, December 04, 2008 | 10:23AM

Some of the feedbacks I get from those who have seen my pics are about photography.  There are people who ask me how my photos are taken.  Although my photographer is just a dabbler and I am not a professional model, this entry will attempt to impart what we practice when we take pictures for this site.

Because I am not an expert, I did some research on how to come up with excellent digital portraits, only to realize that my partner and I have failed miserably.  Below are some of the major prerequisites of portrait photography we have broken:

Rule # 1: Take pictures in a photo studio.  If not, have a controlled background.

We do not have a photo studio.  We also do not have the proper equipment to “control” backgrounds.  We take pictures wherever and whenever we feel like it.

Rule # 2: Use a Digital SLR camera with the right “portrait” lenses.

We use a compact point and shoot camera, the one that you can conveniently slip in your pocket.

Rule # 3: Control lighting by using lights (with stands), deflectors and diffusion equipment.

We do not have sophisticated lighting equipment.  Most of the time, we use available light and/or our camera’s built-in flash.

After realizing that we had ignored some of the main precedents of portrait photography, we were not the least bit affected.  The truth is we don’t really care about all these technical mumbo jumbo.  We take pictures for fun.  We have always believed that a good photo is not all about the equipment. You can have a crappy camera with no sophisticated accompaniments and still come up with awesome pictures.

When it comes to photos I post in the net, there is only one technique my partner and I follow and that is to capture the spirit of our experience.  We always make sure that all my pics depict the fun we’re having.  We don’t really care if the lighting is not up to par, or if the camera settings are not precise.  What is more important is that people are fascinated by my pics because they elicit a sense of adventure, pleasure, and playfulness – the true spirit of the relationship my partner and I have.

Ultimately, it is all about results – the final output, the message the picture conveys to the viewers.

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I Lost 15 Pounds!

As some of you might know, I’ve been talking about trying to lose weight.

Post-Holiday Weight Gain

Cleansing

Cleansing Update

My Diet Update

After 3 months, I lost 15 pounds. It was very difficult but I did it! As reward, I will treat myself to a weekend at a resort in the near future. I will definitely take a lot of photos and post them here.

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It’s April Fools’ Day!!!

I know it’s a day late. I guess I’m the real fool.

Hope you all had a good laugh.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Happy

Valentine’s

Day

Cheers!!!

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My Diet Update

You all know that my goal at the start of the year was to lose 15 pounds. Here’s what I have done during the first four weeks of 2011.

1. For the first three days, I went into a juice cleansing diet.

2. After the juice diet, I consumed 1,000 calories per day. This consisted of  low fat meals eaten anywhere from 6-7 times a day.

3. I stayed away from alcohol and coffee – items that stir my appetite.

(I have to say that numbers 2 and 3 were very hard to do since I am an avid eater and I enjoy cocktails.)

4. I did 30-45 minute runs, 3-4 times a week.

The result was a consistent weight loss of about 2-3 pounds per week. That’s a total of 9 pounds.

Here’s the downside. Although I continued all of the above, I have not lost weight for about a week and a half. So frustrating!

Despite this setback, I am still determined to reach my goal. Obviously, I will have to change things a bit.

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That Time Of The Month

I feel horrible today.  I remember that I wrote something about this previously. It pretty much sums up how I feel at this moment.

First published at FHM Philippines, March 26, 2009 | 03:18PM

One fine day, I found myself in the middle of a crisis. I was going out and I could not decide what dress to wear. To make things worse, my reason was being clouded by raging hormones. I decided that help was necessary.  I took both dresses and approached my partner.

“Which dress should I wear,” I asked.

“The black one.”

It’s actually ebony. But I will let this pass, I thought. “Oh.  But I wanted to wear my long chain necklace.”

“So?”

“My long chain necklace goes better with this T-shirt dress,” I answered.

“Okay. So wear that blue one. What’s it called, T-shirt dress?”

My dear, it’s periwinkle, not blue. “Yes, T-shirt dress.  But the problem is, it won’t go with my gold Tory sandals.”

“Then I think you should wear the black T-shirt dress.”

Ebony! And it’s a baby doll dress, silly! “Yeah, but I don’t feel like wearing my leather choker today.”

“What do you mean?  Can’t you just wear that long necklace with the black dress?”

Ebony! Ebony! Ebony! And that suggestion is a fashion no-no. “Of course not.  This dress goes better with the choker.  This other dress, with my long necklace.”

“I see.  So I guess, it’s the blue one with the long necklace, then.”

Pe-ri-wink-le! One more, you’re dead meat. “No. You do not understand. If it’s this T-shirt dress, I would have to wear my silver Havaianas.”

“I don’t think it really matters.  Both dresses look the same.  One is just black and the other is blue.”

Aaargh, one is ebony and the other is periwinkle! “What?  These are two very different dresses!”  That’s it! “First of all, this is a periwinkle T-shirt dress!  It supposed to be worn with the long chain necklace and silver Havaianas!  This is an ebony baby doll dress!  It supposed to go with the leather choker and gold Tory sandals!”

“But they look the same!”

He did not see the difference! “They are not!  Look!”

“I give up!  Why don’t you just wear that purple spaghetti-strapped dress that I really like?”

“Oh my god!  You don’t get it!  Thanks for your help!”  Then I stormed out of the room.

I thought I heard a faint, What did I say? come of out his mouth as I left.

I came back and wore a white tube dress, no necklace and black Havaianas.

My partner saw me and said, “You look great.”  However, it sure sounded more like an apology.

“Thanks.”  But you’re not getting any from me tonight, I said to myself. I then gave him a sneaky smile.  Ha, victory is mine!

I know what you’re thinking.  But it can’t be that bad.  I love my partner.  I adore him. I just wanted to get even.

Male readers, I know it’s complicated.  But women get this curse and we have to face this battle against hormones every month.

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My Birkin!!!

This is a bit late but I really cannot contain myself.

This is the best present I got last Christmas.

I know it’s way too much.  But we’re all human beings here.

It’s sometimes fun to delight in material things.

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Cleansing Update

I survived my three-day juice cleansing program!

Being an ardent food lover, it was very difficult to take in nothing but six bottles of detoxifying drinks a day.  Despite having only liquids, I was never hungry.  However, the most difficult part of it all was fighting the urge to chew on something.

I know I take a lot of things for granted.  But, chewing?  I never realized that it was such an integral part of everyday life.  I was so relieved when the juice company allowed me to munch on cucumbers, tomatoes, turnips and the like – in moderate amounts.

Now, the next step is to introduce solid foods to my body gradually, otherwise I will shock my system.

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