fritzified.comcamphone paparazzi/photographer extraordinaire

No words. Just see. I suggest that you turn up the volume and please… try not to blink. Everything will be a blur. Literally. I also advise that you let the video fully stream first before watching. Hope you like it :) [EDIT] WARNING: Watching may cause seizure.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see more of you in 2009. Yatta!!!

I was going to render some cool After Effects animation sequence but I don’t know if I can finish it before New Year’s Eve. Here’s wishing one and all a more awesome 2009 as we bid the great 2008 adieu. Click on the image. You know you want to LMAO.

Went to Bulacan yesterday for a good friend’s wedding and got several photos to share with you guys. Since there’s tons to do at work, I figured, as an update, I’d share something light. You may click on the photos to see their larger versions in flickr.

The Pavillion at The Greenery

I have another shot of the same framing in flickr but at the original EV (brightness) setting. When I did this one, I lowered the W300’s to -1.0.

LOL at the keystone of this one. The place is serene and perfect, methinks, in setting the mood for wedding receptions.

No “Golden Hour” yesterday due to cloudy weather but still, the skies have a nice cast about them.

Fireworks Settings in action

I’ve never shown my photographs of aerial fireworks before since I fail miserably at the task: either I’m too late or the entire thing’s over exposed. The Sony DSC-W300 has this nifty Fireworks Scene preset and using it for the first time blew me away at the quality of the images. See for yourself below.

Lastly, my Ambitious Shot

Congratulations Weng & Weco. I’m sure you’ll spawn kids as restless but well brought up just like you guys. Go forth and multiply LOL.

All photographs in this post were taken using the Sony Cybershot DSC-W300. Also, thanks Paolo Mendoza of backlinemedia.com for the Flickr Pro account. You rock man! Cheers!

Probably one of the craziest things I did this year was say yes to a Jonas‘ “let’s pick girls up” challenge. The task called to have myself (and 8 lucky others) undergo a makeover courtesy of the organizers, go to Ascend, Fiama, and Alchemy, approach random/unsuspecting ladies (strike a convo, get to know them in the process if you can spare the time, then ask for their contact details), and have the entire thing documented by a roving camera crew. Sounds surreal? Sure is! And it gets better. We did this as part of the campaign for Axe’s new fragrance, Dark Temptation. 

NOW, HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Do not click out of this page just yet. Just because it’s Axe doesn’t mean it’s sub par, scent wise. I’ve been using CK Man before I tried Dark Temptation and not in my right mind would I ditch that for something mediocre just because of a one-night event. I mean, who would, right? (Trivia time! Ann Gottlieb, dubbed as the “Nose” for CK, is also the same person behind the creationof this new Dark Temptation fragrance for Axe, along with 5 others from before.) For the record, from that night do date, I found myself only using Dark Temptation because it does smell nice and it does not at all smell common for its price. I’m sharing with you one of the several whoa!-moments I had using it.

Just last night, during our company’s departmental Christmas party, an officemate went to me carrying a container with pieces of paper to draw numbers from for the “White Elephant” gift exchange portion. I was surprised that she lingered some and asked, “what’s that you’re wearing? See, I’ve been wanting to give my hubby perfume for Christmas but I have no idea what just yet. Yours smell nice!” I just stayed silent and smiled, thinking that maybe she was kidding. Then she went, “sige na! Tell me please! I really like it! Ang swapang naman neto! Ayaw mo lang ng may kapareho no?” She knows me too well LOL. When I told her what it was, another officemate joined in and asked, “that the one with the chocolate man ad?” I said yes and told them I was not even sure I was still reeking of it since last time I put the thing on was in the morning and it’s already night time. The draw-lots girl then said, still quite surprised, “Axe yan?! So magaling ka lang magdala?!” Yes, the officemates really know how to feed my ego. That’s why I luurve them so much! 

The entire thing started when Jonas Diego came up to me to present this big proposal. While he was selling the idea, I was all, “this could potentially be something… OMGFTMFWBBQHUHLOLZ!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE HUGE!” Of course I did not say it out loud because that would make me look over eager, date-deprived, and pitiful. Instead, I did my fail-safe version of the contemplative-while-stroking-my-imaginary-long-beard-with-one-hand look to show a contemplative-and-NOT-AT-ALL-over-eager-ALSO-date-abundant character (*whispers* just between the both of us, I think he bought it, don’t tell Jonas I told you… shhhhh!). Since chances like this are rare, I obliged with a “f*ck humiliation, let’s do this, YATAAAAAAAAA!“ 

So the event finally happened and I went home that night, in awe at how surreal the whole experience had been, with several realizations swimming inside my head. Coming up to several random ladies is a tough job. As some of them go to bars and clubs to unwind and have fun, if some stranger approaches them with a getting-to-know-you intention, chances are, some could act repulsed and look as though you just ruined the night for them. It’s a major bummer for a starter and quite hard to reverse. It’s up to you to turn that resentment around with every ace up your sleeve: find a connection, appear interesting, be interested, be charming, and look AND sound “real.” As the night wears on and everybody’s feeing the buzz, it gets harder to just approach anyone. The younger they are, the easier it is to engage them in a convo (the Fiama crowd has “youth’ plastered all over the place). Common to all venues and anywhere else is a major rule: if the lady says no, don’t push it. Respect that. 

The documentation of the entire night is going to be put up in Axe’s website and it will be available for public view in January. As part of each of the participants’ profile, we were made to answer several questions. Here are my answers:

Describe the woman of your fantasy. Somebody with a personality (and sense of humor) that won’t bore me to tears. She has to be confident, charming, and self-made.

What is your best pick-up line? Pickup lines are dead. Long live “Hello!” About 90% of the ladies will agree. (Right, ladies? Hey, help me out here!)

What is your most memorable moment of the night? Getting declined. By an old friend’s cousin. I SMSed her cousin not a minute after, haha!

What is your fantasy date? Me standing in front of an easel with a blank canvas, acrylic paint and brush on hand in an attempt to paint her with the one thing that I think I know sets her apart from the rest (whatever it is that makes her stand out as a person, be it a hobby, her passion, her artistry, her childish ways, her mature outlook, or even beauty). It’s all going to be very spontaneous without her knowing beforehand. Painting’s title: Perfection immortalized.

What is the proudest moment in the history of your dating game? Getting declined only once out of nine attempts. Not bad, Fritz (pats self on the shoulders). Not bad at all.

I was with these guys that night: Jayvee Fernandez, Marcelle Fabie, Mark Cerbo, Ronald Guanzon, Joriben Zaballa, Diwa de Leon, Jeffrey Villafranca, and Jester-in-Exile. In the end, we all lost to Marcelle who got a whopping 50 contacts. I got top quality 8 contact details in my notebook, though, plus a hot proposal via SMS *w000000t!*.

I’ll share with you a teaser photo from the would-be Axe website after the jump (starring…. drumroll… tadaaaaa… me! LOL).

Read more…

Digital noise.  You’ve got to hate them like the smell of sun-baked scalp poised under your nose while you travel via the MRT, one typical rush hour Friday. 

I’ve been toying around with the ISO settings of the Sony DSC-H10, an 8.1 mega pixel point and shoot camera with 10x optical zoom and full manual settings, under a normal, single, energy saver light. To judge whether it is up to the challenge of capturing clarity under feeble lighting, I took several shots of a letter I recently received under different levels of ISO. Now, don’t go whining about my choice of subject. Its importance, we will later on find out.

At ISO 400:

(Just look at that full regalia of stamps! In the now where electronic email has probably rendered the snail mail obsolete, getting mail the old fashion way is a treat!) If you observe carefully, there are some ugly noise levels going on in the midtones and whites of the image but it’s nothing that Photoshop CS4 can’t handle. The thumbnail on the right shows us just that. Adjusting “curves” and softening the “noise” give me this “ho-hum” version. *yawns* boring picture.

Owing to the Sony DSC-H10’s manual setting function, levels for record mode (where users may even opt to set the cam to shoot thrice in bursts with .03, .07, or 1 different levels of exposure. Now, that’s hot technology right thurr right thurr!), color mode (normal, vivid, quiet, sepia, and B&W), ISO (up to 3200), metering mode of the exposure function (balanced, center, spot), focus (multi, center, spot, or .5m, 1m, 3m, 7m away, or at an unlimited distance), white balance (auto, daylight, cloudy, three levels under fluorescent lighting, incandescent, and flash), flash level (adjust flash levels from -2.0 to +2.0 of the normal flash level), red eye reduction (auto, off, or always on), contrast (decrease, normal, increase, or auto), sharpness (minus, normal, or plus), and steady shot (at half-press when shooting, always on, or off) can all be set depending on the user’s needs. Since I practically got grainy shit with ISO 400, let’s see how well the cam’s sensors can capture image at ISO 800.

At ISO 800:

Setting ISO levels at 800, the image appears to obviously look brighter and yet digital noise is reduced to a more manageable threshhold (unlike this one Verzio model I used where all my photos turned out to be REALLY SERIOUSLY worthless. Not to mention grainy).

It took a few fine tuning with “curves” and some not-so-serious tweaks on the “noise” level to come up with the image on the right.

So, what could happen if we up the ISO further at 1600?

At ISO 1600:

If you observe the elements of the image closely, not only will you notice that there is practically no noise left, you will also read about my passing the Mensa IQ Challenge I took last November 15. HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!

That’s it for ISO levels. Tune in next time for more exciting news (read: more gloating LOL) only here at fritzified.com.

When the invite said “Luck’s on Your Side,” the organizers of The Marlboro Experience (TMX) were dead serious. They made sure the participants were treated like VIPs: from the choice of a convening area (M Cafe in Greenbelt 2), dressed-up F150 transports, police escorts on the highway (man, I can sure get used with those), welcome committee wave, tour proper (with iPods as guide), the food, adrenaline pumping activities, and contest prizes because you can never go wrong with premium Ducati/Ferrari Gear (TM) and Marlboro (TM) items.

I never thought I’d ever see the inside of the plant let alone set foot inside the First Philippine Industrial Park in Sto. Tomas, Batangas again. PMPMI has a world class manufacturing facility, yes, but they are not really that open for public visit AFAIK. Striding along the covered walk towards the event proper venue inside the plant somewhat made me choke on tears of happiness. I could have sworn I heard an instrumental version of “This Used To Be My Playground” play at the back of my head (HUHLOLOLOLOLOLZ!). To get this out, PM guys, it felt overwhelmingly great to meet you again (I’m referring to you Jen, Janice, Rosa, Monica, John, Eric, Eza, Roy, Alf, Moises, Lalaine, Mico, and KC)!

During dinner and back at the M Cafe, right when participants were given (yet again) another (final) memento (a limited edition wall-art), we were made to answer a questionnaire asking how the organizers could improve the program for future activities. I spaced out, thinking, are you kidding me?! You guys are penultimate when it comes to organizing the best in parties and events! I think I’ll forever look up to you guys and your flair for everything tasteful. And premium. Well done, PMPMI!

Now, for the photos. I’ll divide the gallery in two: Photos taken using my Nokia N82 and those taken using the Sony DSC-W300. I entered the plant and had to leave the Sony DSC-W300 at the gate so all I had with me is my trusty Nokia N82 which, if you already know me too well, is all I will ever need to be my old paparazzi extraordinaire self LOL.

From the Nokia N82:

Later on, I realized that since we were already outside the manufacturing facility, camera restrictions don’t any more apply so off to the claim counter I went and here are my shots using the Sony DSC-W300 camera.

If you follow the links for each of the photos, they are all available in 600×450 sizes. Grab away if you like but do not edit them in any way when reposting (snooty much? LOL).

Put together impeccable taste, premium, top-notch logistics, a great brand, and a team with foresight and unwavering passion, and the result could only be one of the best experiences ever to some lucky patrons. Thanks TMX! You made my Saturday! What a way to end the year!

In closing, lemme just reiterate for the record that the government prohibits the sale of cigarettes to minors. Also, Government Warning: Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to your Health.

Unlike other marathons where you should pay to be registered and join, for this race, all you have to do is recycle your old and useless (read: brokenated LOL) mobile phones, chargers, or batteries and you’re in! I’ve several lying around and I don’t know where to throw it in. Or who to throw it at. If like me, you’ve had several of your phones stolen and the accessories that came with it, lying around in your bedroom, does nothing but give you nostalgia of the sad sad occurence and contribute to your clutter, then it’s time to throw those bad vibes away and move on. Or, should I say, run along. I know several who can relate to this stigma. Drama mode much?

Moving on.

Save the date: 

“Be part of Recycle Your Phone and Run on December 6, 2008 at the Bonifacio Global City. Just drop your old phones, patteries, chargers or accessories of any brand in the bins provided onsite to participate. The registration for this 3k and 5k run begins at 5:00am. Simply go to the booth located at 9th Street near the NBC Tent.

The event serves to kick of Nokia’s E-cycling campaign. For every kilo of raw meterials collected, Nokia will make a donation to Bantay Kalikasan for the continued rehabilitation of the La Mesa Watershed.”

Besides, running is a real good exercise. Let’s do this!

Click on the image above for a larger view.

Life would be so much easier if I were to hold office somewhere north rather than the Makati CBD. The realization came when I rode the MRT at around 8 this morning on my way to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKI) office along East Avenue in QC. I was pre-conditioned for a chaotic ride but got to sit the moment I boarded a random train car. No kidding! This being a first in my long history of riding the MRT, the convenience somewhat made the day lighter.

The rest of my Thursday morning only went better when I finally got to the NKI and played kuya to several kids at the Kythe Center in the Outpatient Building of the compound. One great thing about this experience, which feels totally new each time I visit a Kythe Center, is we start off as strangers to these children during the getting-to-know-your-new-ate-and-kuya phase and once we start doing an activity together, we bond with the children so fast that I find myself thinking, shit, I wish I could spend some more time with them. Seriously.

One kid, Christian he said his name was, was there to accompany his sister who was undergoing treatment. At first I thought he was the shy patient because he was not as interactive as the others. He got a coloring page with Ben 10 characters on it and went to give their skins a liberal coating of brown.

"Pinoy ba yang mga yan, G-Boy?"

"Christian!"

"Anong Christian?"

"Pangalan ko, Christian! Hindi G-Boy!"

"Eh! Sabi nitong kasama mo..."

"Hindi nya alam pangalan ko, imbento!"

LOL

Turns out, he skipped school this once to be with his patient/sister, who during the time of introduction was already with the doctor undergoing routine medical check-up. 

After coloring, I took out several reams of colored paper and handed them to all the kids and volunteers for the next activity: Origami. We all made a Samurai Warrior’s Helmet (if you wish to replicate this activity, bring newspapers because the colored paper we had resulted to a “helmet” so small, it made us all look stupid when we wore them during the photo session that followed). Afterwards, some kids heard stories from other volunteers. Others were called in for their turn at a check-up. Several took to coloring, again. I was getting uneasy, sensing that some of them are already getting bored and restless. 

Then, an idea hit me!

“BA and Christian, I’ll teach you how to take photos… and videos!”

Icing on the cake! I bet it was the most radical tutorial those kids ever got from a seasonal volunteer. Just look at that smile on the kid’s face. I can’t show the photos I got of all the children here because that would require premission from their parents. A little respect goes a long way.

Much later, I listened to the children let out a hearty laugh while they were previewing the video I took of them taking photos of each other. Hearing their simultaneous outbursts of joy validated why I was there that day, when three hours before that time, I could hardly draw out a decent reply from them with my questions. 

This kind of experience never fail to make me want to come back each time.

This has got to be the best event invite I’ve received so far in this lifetime! Click on the thumbnails to enlarge and see what I mean.

On Saturday, November the 29th 2008, the text on the letter-insert promised what the “chosen few” will get to experience: “Brace yourself for some fast and furious action as you get ready to rip the track and burn rubber. Get a crash course on how to max your speed in the straight-aways and negotiate hairpins - the way the pros do them. This is definitely one experience you can’t pass up on.”

OK! OK! You guys already got me with the horseshoe! LOL

Since this is a “for adult smorkers only” event, I made a private plurk on a select demographic but none of them recipients gave a shit. Oh well. Kidding guys! You know how much I love you lot!

OnT, can’t wait for Saturday!

Photos on this post were taken using the new Sony DSC-W300, 13.6 Megapixel, Point and Shoot camera.They don’t make P&S cameras like they used to no more. Seriously. :D

 

 

This Nokia N82 came in last Friday (click on the pics for a larger view). I can haz my camphone paparazzi groove back?! Huzzah (does the dance of joy)!! Thanks Nikka, Alexei, and Nokia Philippines!!

I’ve been using my Motorola V3X on the interim. It survived two new phones I got this year. I’ve long thought of why I did not lose it and how I can leverage on that to make this N82 and my future other phones and sort of ruled out that maybe (spelled out alternately as “maby” LOL), if I don’t use a carrying case or a bling attachment then they’ll be less prone to me leaving it around or having it snatched. Hopefully. (Prays to the Lord God Almighty for divine intervention).