Alanis haunts

Always amazing (Courtesy of Celebrity Image World)

Her name is particularly difficult to remember because it is significantly difficult to spell as well.

Alanis Morissette is one of the greatest artists of my generation whose haunting voice and artistry never fail to rekindle long-dead emotions, spark old romances, dig long-forgotten vestiges of the past.

Through a friend, I was able to rediscover the poetry and music of Alanis through her album “Flavors of Entanglement” that testifies to her musical genius.

Flavors of Entanglement

The album offers a variety of genres which makes this 2008 album appeal to all. “Torch,” “Not as We,” “Incomplete,” and “Tapes” have the slow rock vibe, while “Citizen of the Planet,” “Versions of Violence,” “Moratorium,” In Praise of the Vulnerable Man,” “Underneath,” and “Straitjacket” offer the alternative rock vibe. Alanis also offers a taste of pop in the single “Giggle For No Reason.”

The 11 tracks of “Flavors of Entanglement” will prove to be great company to both the broken-hearted and the hopeless romantics.

And to start your journey to this album, here is one of my favorite tracks, Torch.

still movement

moving stillness

“The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest” (Bruce Lee).

Nighttime photography brings so much illumination to the eyes and to the lens. Instead of taking photos of landscapes or still objects, I capture still movements of people that perfectly deconstruct the layers of human motion.

Chad (in black)

Last night I was in Boni High Street taking photos. I spotted some skaters so I sat on one of the stone, pseudo-marble benches and waited for the skaters to pass my way. While shooting, one of them approached me and I thought he would smash my head with his awesome skateboard. But then he asked, “You want to try?” To which I replied repeatedly, No. Then he sat down and another skater arrived and he introduced himself and his companion.

Danica

Siblings Chad (not sure if I remember his name correctly because I was staring at his sister while he was saying his name) and Danica still urged me to try it instead of just taking photos of them doing it. But I told them that I was fine being an audience to skateboarding. When they were convinced that they couldn’t really convince me to try skateboarding, I told them to go ahead and skate again so I could take photos.

Chad and Danica left with a smile on their faces and wishes that we’d meet again in Boni High Street while I was left with an ecstatic heart because I met people who appreciate the limitations of the freedom we have: for Chad and Danica, the risks of skateboarding in a busy place and for me, the uncertainties of capturing movements in the stillness of nighttime.

falling off

emo, yet again

Lately, pangs of melancholy have been eating up my heart. Let these photos speak of my emotions.

 

seeing the world through the SLR lens

Taking pictures destroys the essence of the moment.

Taking pictures takes you away from the ambiance.

Taking pictures sucks.

That’s what I thought when I was in high school. I never knew that holding the very first manual SLR for my photojournalism class in college would entirely change the way I see the art of photography.

Since that serendipitous first meeting with Prof. Gil Nartea, I have been taking photos of every single moment that captures my emotions with any kind of shooting device that I happen to have at that moment.

Photos are not just still images of a moment. They are an encapsulation of memories, emotions, and moments that will never be.

Courtesy of Don Anton Valle

Recently, I have found new would-be shooting buddies Reyan Santelices and Don Anton Valle who happens to maintain an FB page. (please support him by liking the page).

I am now really looking forward to purchasing an SLR of my own so I could take photos of every single moment, momentous or mundane.

Moments are never defined anyway by how much emotion or memory they bear but are defined by how lasting those memories and emotions will be in our lives.

Did Steve Jobs create a major grammatical faux pas?

Steve Jobs (Courtesy of Modmyi.com)

THINK DIFFERENT.

That’s one of the many slogans of the Apple company that Steve Jobs had established as one of the leading, if not the leading, major league players in the world of information technology.

But was the slogan “Think Different” grammatically incorrect? Find out by reading this.

Planking in the Streets

This past week was spelled by rainy days which to some bring back sad memories. Blame it on the movies.

But my life isn’t a movie so I don’t let such stereotypes affect my life. Rainy days are a chance to be free, to experience innocence, or at least a semblance of such innocent, carefree life we lived as children running and playing under the rain.

While walking up the green MMDA footbridge crossing C5 road, rain had been pouring for some time and had I not been carrying valuables, I would have walked under the rain and ran around. As I climbed the stairs, I saw several kids trying to plank on the concrete fencing along the pavement in Kalayaan Avenue. Being an advocate of plankkng, it was such a great sight to witness amid the cold November rain. So I brought out my iPhone and started taking photos. Some of the kids saw me and they were delighted. So they all posed for the camera. After taking several photos, I left and promised myself I shall blog about this.

Then, I saw the kids who just planked running to my direction. Then they all started asking, “Kuya,anong e-mail mo?” “Kuya, anong Facebook mo?” Then I answered, “Hanapin nyo na lang TJ Decano.” After clarifying for a couple of times the spelling o my name, they started chanting my name, “TJ DECANO! TJ DECANO!” I felt like a hero while they were cheering my name as if I had just granted the biggest wish of their lives.

Moments such as this are very definitive. For an instant, I became a hero to some kids. For an instant, these kids made me smile. For an instant, they have made a moment that shall last a lifetime.

Starbucks 2012 Planner

2012 Starbucks Planners (Courtesy of Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page)

Joining the bandwagon of multi-faceted realities, Starbucks Philippines has launched its 2012 Planners offering five smaller, more compact, and more eco-friendly planners, two options to get the coveted bound sheets of paper, and a new Christmas beverage.

The new set of Starbucks Planners all look very organic and minimalist as Starbucks embraces more its eco-friendly campaign.

Also Starbucks is letting its loyal customers to choose between two options to get this year’s planner.

Option 1 Sticker Page

Option 2 Sticker Page

If you are the type who frequents Starbucks more during the Yuletide season because of its Christmas beverages and pastries, then Option 1 is great for you. Option 1 asks customers to complete 17 stickers only by buying 9 Christmas beverages and 8 Core beverages. But if you are the type who would go to Starbucks to avail solely of its core beverages then Option 2 is perfect. This option lets customers get the planner after buying 23 Core beverages, which may still include the Christmas beverages if you choose to try any of the three Yuletide offerings.

Furthermore, Starbucks Philippines updates this year’s Christmas beverage by including a new beverage. Joining the Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut flavors is the Cranberry White Chocolate flavor.

In the Facebook page of Starbucks Philippines, user Michael Angelo San Diego  said that you can get two planners by availing of 5000-peso worth of Starbucks gift certificates which you can use to buy the Christmas merchandise from the store.

Here is the rest of the mechanics.

Planner Promo Mechanics (Courtesy of Starbucks Philippines Facebook Page)

So, Starbucks aficionados and denizens, start collecting the stickers now.