CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!!

NOW...............................

STOP BEING A BABY AND LOOK FOR WORK!

IT'S TIME FOR MOMMY AND DADDY TO HAVE A LITTLE TIME OF THEIR OWN.

Valentines: February 14 2013

Feeling a little bitter here ladies and gents.

MAN BEHIND THE LENS: YUJI WATANABE

"In My Tribe" concept is certainly one of my favorites. The model looks gorgeous with her hair and make-up. A modern tribal look. It seems to tell me a story of how the natives of the world strive to be globally competitive, yet they never forget their ways.

This is one eye-catching photo, if I may say. The beautiful angle and eccentric dress(?), this photo tells me a story of how fame, elegance and beauty can get all other things in the world, but never happiness. The eyes of the model looks sad even with how beautiful she is with everything she has. 

If my calculations are correct, these photos were shot by 25 year old Yuji Watanabe. He was born on May 7 (my mom's birthday too!) in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. He started his photography when he was 20. Yuji had his break when he met a make-up artist in Tokyo who works for a fashion magazine in New York.

I had a chance to have a conversation with Mr. Watanabe through email. Even with his achievements, he was soooooo nice with me. Mostly, these days, a person who achieved a lot in a very young age gets too cocky, but him, no. He was nice that he understood why I was doing this. He answered all my questions (nothing very private):

ME: What made you decide to go to France and pursue professional photography there?

YUJI:  I have experienced photography in New York, and Tokyo. I'm still searching for my photography. But, I was sure that my photography lacks of elegance, and chicness. I thought Paris is the best place to pursue those essences.

ME: What differentiates your style from other photographers?

YUJI:  I'm not really sure what make me different from other photograpers, but I'm Japanese, and I grew up in Japan, so Japanese culture definitely gave me lots of inspirations. However, my motto is always open minded, inspiration is everywhere, so many different aspects give me inspirations. That's one of the reasons I live in Paris now. I might move to London next year

ME: Who can you consider your Best Partner in Crime? (HMUA, Wardrobe stylist or other people that inspires you)

YUJI:  It's hard to choose my best partner. I met many amazing people. I have good partners in New York, Tokyo, Paris, and London. But, Tim Walker and Paolo Roversi are most influential photographers for me.'

ME: Any advice for beginners?

YUJI: It's important to have fun with your photography. Photography can create fantasy. It's most fun for me to create fantasy through photography.

P.S. Have I told you that he was nice? As in super nice? Oh.. :D

SEEE!!! :D

The Hobby Shop

              Are you a scale hobbyist? 

I'm not, but I sure can help you find the best bargain for ships, aircrafts, buses and railway models.

The Hobby Shop or Hobbyshoppen is a Swedish owned e-store solely for the indulgence of scale model hobbyist. Scale model collecting is a pricey hobby, but here, you can get a SJ rail car  Y1 model for SEK1,495.00. That's about SEK869 cheaper than the one on Ebay! 

Now, I know you're thinking, "Wow! That's really cheap, but what about the quality of the merchandise?". The Hobby Shop caters high quality scale models made in resin and/or brass. And this Christmas season, they are fully stocked with the following scale models:

There are still other models that are newly stocked, like: 
B6, Z43, Yo1s, Qce, Qgx, Yg.

Watch out for X5 in brass and the Kronborg scale models on 2013!!!

Future: Nature

                 I have been very vocal with my opinions with regards to Environmental Issues. Again and again, I will post these kinds of blogs not for the sake of redundancy, but for the sake of reiterating the facts that are very visible. Let me, again, tell you what's on my mind.

                                                                        ENVIRONMENT

                                                             ---------------------------------

                                                            |                                        |

                                                            |                                        |

                                                            |                                        |

                                                          RICH                                  POOR

                                                           \                                             /

                                                             \                                          /

                                                               \                                      /

                                                                          BUSINESS

                It is a given fact that everyone takes their needs from the environment, even humanity's wants are from it. Nowadays, I only see that we're only taking and not giving back enough for environment to recover from its losses. And we pay high price for the effects of our actions.

Climate change (credits: Tianjiao Zhang of the studentmedia.uab.edu)

Hurricane Sandy: Breezy Point, New York (credits: Naomi Klein of The Guardian)

Typhoon Pablo: Baganga, Davao Oriental, Philippines (credits: Lorie Ann Cascaro from mindanews.com)

                   The effects of these storms are flooded cities, landslides and deaths. Just recently, Super typhoon Pablo left Mindanao devastated with over 900 deaths and an estimated 15 billion worth of destructed properties. Compostella Valley has been notorious for being a landslide prone area due to mining and logging. Way before the typhoon landed on the area, the people had been warned to evacuate, and so they did. The wind and rain that the typhoon brought was too much, and as expected, a flash flood happened. An evacuation center was run by the rushing flash flood and killed the people who took shelter, if there were any survivors, they were badly injured, dehydrated and are in dire need of medical attention.

                  Mountains in that area (like every mountains in the Philippines) have been denuded for years due to illegal logging, mining made the mountains vulnerable whenever a downpour happens. Casualties, indeed, will always be there, but it could have been very minimal if these acts have been stopped. Logging in that area had been banned for years, mining as well. But there are just those people who can't see any alternative way of living, of providing for their families, and think that money will always put food on their tables. On the other hand, here in the city, we experience flooded streets due to pollution. Plastic bags floating in the rivers, too much urbanization with bad plans. Humanity's greed.

Here's some lines (and a video too!) from The Lorax soundtrack, Let it Grow:

Let it grow 

Let it grow 

You can't reap what you don't sow 

Plant a seed inside the earth 

Just one way to know it's worth 

Let's celebrate the world's rebirth 

We say let it grow 

Don't wait for your children to ask you what trees look like.

 ___________________________________________________________________

FOR DONATIONS OF ANY KIND FOR THE VICTIMS OF TYPHOON PABLO, YOU MAY REACH THESE FOUNDATIONS:

For cash or cheque donations, you may go to:


SAGIP KAPAMILYA FOUNDATION

(http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/sk/)

For cash or cheque donations, you may go to:
ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. 
Mother Ignacia Avenue corner E. Lopez St. Brgy. South Triangle, QC
Office tel. no: +632-411-4995 or +632-415-2272 loc 3765

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Account Number: 39301-14199
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Account Number: 39300-81622
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Branch: West Triangle, Quezon City
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GMA KAPUSO FOUNDATION

BDO Peso Account:

Peso Savings
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account number: 469-0022189

Dollar Savings
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account number: 469-0072135
Code: BNORPHMMM

METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY (METROBANK)
Peso Savings
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number: 3-098-51034-7 
                        : 3-098-51566-7 

Dollar Savings       
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number: 2-098-00244-2
Code: MBTC PH MM

UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK (UCPB)
Peso Savings
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number: 115-184777-2                             
                        : 160-111277-7 

Dollar Savings
Account Name:  GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:  01-115-301177-9                                                                                
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Code:  UCPBPHMM

*Also accepts donation sent through Cebuana Lhuillier.

*For checks and cash donations, The GMA Kapuso Foundation Office receives monetary and material donations from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am until 6:00 pm.