Young Photographers Philippines (YoPho!) - Are U One of Us?

Hey! I know I have been inactive in the blogosphere for quite a while and I owe you guys a lot. It's just that school and work eat most of my time lately plus a few random activities which I had to attend to during my so-called hiatus mode. Well, one of the few remarkable activities which I recently joined is this famous :) and most promising :) :) photography group called YoPho or Young Photographers Philippines. I attended the first meeting with the members of the group last July and since then, we regularly meet either for a photoshoot/photowalk or to just simply spend the day (night mostly) together over a bottle of beer or a videoke session. In fact, the first time I met with them, we did a photowalk around the streets of Binondo and went all the way to Intramuros. Not only do I get to practice and improve my camera diversion, but I also get to meet a lot of new people, a lot of new friends in which we share one solid passion – Photography obviously.

The Young Photographers Philippines (YoPho) is a non-profit organization composed of students, young professionals, artists and media people whose main objective is to pursue their passion for Photography and to mold the next generation of Filipino photographers. The group aims to provide a meaningful service to photographers by uplifting each and everyone's techinical knowledge as well as enhancing one's artistic and social capabilities concerning Photography thus molding the members to become competent, compassionate and committed Filipino Photographers.

For those who wish to join our fast-growing family, you may add YoPho's official Facebook page and follow the registration process. Here are some of our pictures just so you'll know how fun it is to be with YoPho. :)

YoPho's 1st anniversary celebration (Photo from Mel Reamico)

Binondo photowalk (Photo from Franz Lopez)

Binondo photowalk (Photo from Franz Lopez)

Eugene's send off party at Mall of Asia (Photo from Anton Carranza)

Eugene's send off party at Mall of Asia (Photo from Anton Carranza)

3rd Phil. Int'l. Motor Show at World Trade Center (Photo from Bobbit Lim)

Gratitude: More Than Just a Restaurant

Today's featured restaurant is Gratitude located at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and is partly owned by two of my friends from the Lightworkers, Analei Atienza and Kahlil Bagatsing. Lightworkers, for your information (source: Facebook) is a non-denominational group aims to support each other by being both a teacher and a student. We meet once a month just to gather, to share, to teach and to learn. This group has no structure, as we all believe that we are all equal; that we are all here on Earth to love, to share, to learn and to teach.

Well, going back to the restaurant review.. The moment you come inside, you'll find yourself amazed because someone will welcome you and ask you to pick from a bowl of rolled papers with inspirational messages. The menu is not like any other restaurants because each dish is named with unique virtues that you claim as you order it (I Am Amazing, I Am Blessed, etc.). I Am Empowered is one of my favorites. It is their version of Cioppino with shrimps, clams, mussels and fish fillet cooked in tomatoes and wine sauce.

One more thing that makes this restaurant special is that for every dish, you'll see on the menu how much calories, protein carbohydrates and fats it has, therefore, lets you keep an eye on your diet. So if you haven't been at Gratitude yet, I recommend you give it a try and explore the many delicous dishes they serve.

Restaurant: Gratitude, More Than Just a Restaurant
Address: Unit G, Ground Floor, Sapphire Residences Condominium 2nd Ave. corner 31st St. Bonifacio Global City

Contact#: 5191725 / 09178055525 / 09175318179

More photos here.

Instituto Cervantes Cheers for Spain

The World Cup finals suddenly became a craze here in the Philippines (well, in my school at least) because Spain vied for the title, a first time in their history. It was a sizzling match between Spain and The Netherlands. Instituto Cervantes, gathered each and every supporter of Spain in the metro and organized a free live viewing of the Finals via satellite cable. Most that came were all in red to show solid support for Spain. Unfortunately, I didn't find any red shirt in my closet then. Good thing someone offered me to put red and yellow paint on my face.

The whole Instituto Cervantes was filled with deafening cheers from fans, all shouting for Spain while they raise their beer bottles for the win. Well, Paul the octopus was right after all, because Spain bagged the FIFA World Cup champion title. Something that Spain should take pride of since it's their first gold cup trophy in FIFA World Cup history.

Ito keeping his fingers crossed during the game

Ito Rivera, Bobby, me and Carlos Zaragoza

More pictures here.

Poor Philippines: Now What?

There comes a point in our lives where we feel as if the world is crushing down on us and there's nowhere to go but to get up and continue walking. If only we have superhuman powers like superman or batman, the world could have become a little less complicated, right? What if we were given the chance to possess supernatural powers and abilities? Do you think we could become happier and more contented? I have no idea.



We know for a fact that our country, the Philippines is a country full of poor souls and hopeless spirits. And if you think you have the biggest problem in the world, shame on you, look to the streets where you frequently walk. Observe the sides of the malls you endlessly shop at, and ask yourself if you are being fair enough when you get depressed not having to buy the latest cellphones, expensive signature clothes, that dream car or luxury vacation you've always longed for. Would you even consider these as problems, knowing that there are starving kids in every corner of your city? Well, I'm not trying to sound saintly here because I myself is guilty with this. Actually, I squeezed inspiration within me that's why I was able to write this post.



The tentacles of poverty and ignorance in our country, sad to say, is quite challenging and almost impossible to extinguish unless a human messiah who has the answers to all our needs will lead our country.

What we can do to at least help our country in recovering with its misfortunes and hardships is by grabbing every opportunity that's within our reach which can lead us in being better and better each day. Ignorance is not an excuse. It will not get you anywhere nor save you from anything. Remember that you hold the steering wheel of your own life: take the right lane and make u-turns if necessary.

Here's a slide presentation of the photoshoot project that I did a week ago at Divisoria in Manila titled: Different Faces of Divisoria. The full album can be viewed on my Facebook account.

Kaffe Razzo Exclusive Launch for Bloggers

Kuya Chingoy (Edsel), who's also a blogger recently opened Kaffe Razzo, a small coffee outlet in Aurora boulevard, Quezon city just near UE-RM Hospital and SM City Sta. Mesa. He actually organized a soft opening last Saturday exclusively for his blogger friends - us, kami, nosotros. Triligual pa ah! :)).

Kaffe Razzo, as its name implies (Filipino: kapiraso, meaning a bit or a tiny piece; pequeño en español) is a small but cozy coffee bar and resto - and they serve great food! I love the fresh lumpia and the mongolian rice. The place is perfect if you want to spend some time on a quiet and relaxing mood while eating or sipping coffee. You also get to enjoy free internet surfing via wi-fi - isn't that cool?

So if you happen to be strolling around Quezon city and just near Aurora boulevard, I recommend that you stamp your butt inside Kaffe Razzo and try their line up of great tasting menu. Here are some of our pictures with my blogger friends. View the complete set of photos here.

Bloggers' Kaffe Razzo Invasion

Andy (atufflife.blogspot), Anton (pusangkalye.net), Jepoy (iamalivingsaint.blogspot) and Kuya Chingoy (chingoy-iembracegreatness.blogspot)

Jules (soloden.com), me and Marvin (inusentepapalaako.blogspot)

Glenn (wickedmouth.com), Allen (allenyuonline.com) Jules and Anton

YJ (manilabitch.blogspot), Ahmer (ahmerism.weebly) and me

Mixed mongolian rice

Sizzling Sisig

I Just Love to Enjoy the Game of Life

As most of you know, I am studying spanish at Instituto Cervantes. And just last week right after our class, we all agreed to have a group lunch at the Cas¡no Español just inside the compound where Instituto Cervantes is. This is not the typical gaming room that you might be thinking (PAGCOR) which is filled with neon lights and sexy bunny girls because the place is serene and relaxing. And they serve great paella, too! We all had a great time and of course, the never consigned to oblivion picture-taking moment.

I have to admit that I really am enjoying the feeling of being back to school and it seems like I am back to my teen stage years. Ah, I miss those days. Now I know how discontented the human mind is, because back when I was in college, I hated the idea of going to school to the point that I got burnt out and wished I was already working. Shortly after graduation, I had my first job which I enjoyed very much as well - AT FIRST. Then came to a point that I got sick of the routine and every waking moment became a nightmare to me. After months of doing the same thing over and over again, I finally made a tough decision. I chose not to put an end to my learning so I went back to school to learn a new language which is Spanish. I have always been fascinated with the different languages and I hope that one day, I get the chance to learn each of them, one by one.

With our Profesora Trining Regala and classmates Rome Maranan and Michael Tatoy

Lee, Nicole, Mitch, Liza and Michael

Speaking of gaming and entertainment, if you are into this hobby, you might want to take into consideration online casino and gaming if you cannot afford to go out and play. It is one of the most popular form of gaming and entertainment these days. The best thing about online is you can stay anywhere at your convenience.

WeReward Gives Cash Rewards for Check-ins

I have been doing business with IZEA for quite a while now and it made blogging an enjoyable thing. Well, aside from being able to tell your stories to anyone around the world, you also get to receive perks and rewards for writing an honest opinion. For your information, just a few months ago, I received a couple of freebies from them (tshirt, candy mints and stickers) just by participating to one of their contests.




IZEA aims to monetize everything in the social media like blogging, tweeting and being the latest which is WeReward. WeReward is a downloadable social media application for the iPhones that pays back every time a user checks in to local businesses and enterprises. Whenever you use the application in checking in to businesses, you get to earn points. Each point is equivalent to a penny. You also get to earn points though tasks completed and referrals.

Earning while you enjoy the luxury of time is made possible by WeReward.com. All you need is your iPhone, the WeReward application downloadable via iTunes, a social networking account like Facebook and Twitter which you need to link in to the application and of course, a PayPal account to get your earnings. Download the App now and be a part of this cool mobile experience!