Happy Holidays from #TheShyPhotographer and the Wife

From the Philippines, where it's always hot, humid and interesting!

DOST Theme Building

It has been a while since I last made a blogpost. Been busy doing non-tech, non-photography stuff... But when a friend asked me to cover the recent DOST (Department of Science and Technology) Theme Building opening ceremony (yes, it's Theme Building) I couldn't resist to dust off my camera and shoot some photos.

First there was the parade of the different DOST agencies...

There was, of course, a lot of dancing...

But, the highlight of the opening ceremony was the parade of the different Muses. Philippine Science High School, the school were I taught and which hosted the event, was regaled with beauty and pageantry. And of course, Filipinos love, always, a beauty pageant.

To cover the event, as I almost always do, I brought two cameras. One was the Canon 7D with a 70-200 lens and, this might shock you, the Canon Powershot G15. Since my style of coverage is a guerrilla style of event photography, I needed the long reach of the telephoto lens. But for those times that I needed a wide lens, then I use the Powershot. I don't want to change lens during a shoot of this kind: I don't want to miss any shot as much as possible!

Covering the event was great fun. And, after being away for 8 years, I was treated to a DOST that I didn't know exist before. :)

Dining in the Philippines

Dining in the Philippines had always been a great experience. You will never want for anything.

But after being away for almost 8 years, I am pleasantly surprised to find that there are now more choices than ever before.

Want Italian? You have several choices. Japanese? Vietnamese? Thai? Yes, yes, yes! And, of course, Chinese food of every level, from the fanciest to the most affordable.

Two things surprised me when the wife and I came back after being away.

One, there are now so many ramen and katsu places whereas, there is only one in Princeton (if I remember correctly) and only one (definitely) in downtown Chicago. And this makes me extremely happy! I love katsu! And katsu can be had for cheap or for something close to $12 US.

How I wish that this is not just a fad: I hope the presence of katsu places persist for a long, long time!

Second, I notice that, with the proliferation of so many food types, which includes Mediterranean food, there is not a lot of Mexican food. I like Mexican food because it affords me to have a high protein diet (ie beans, instead of rice; yes I limit the rice!). For rice substitutes, I eat tofu but I can only eat so much of one kind of food in a given time. So, I wish there will be a proliferation of Mexican food. And no, I don't really consider Taco Bell (healthy) Mexican food... Neither here, nor in the US...

I am happy that three are now more choices and this will prevent me from getting hungry. (Yeah, I already gained a couple of kilograms... Or several pounds if you, dear reader, are into the English system.)

Oh, a final note, almost all restaurants deliver, so you don’t even have to dress up to eat! Just make sure the order taker got your food correctly. And your address and contact number. Otherwise you will be waiting for food that will never come.

Photos taken with my favorite iOS camera app, Hipstamatic: