Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1

With a free movie ticket & cocktails from HSBC Corporate Banking, I got a chance to watch Harry Potter on its opening week. What can I say, it's the beginning of the end. The movie is so bitin! I hardly noticed that it is a 2:30 hour movie because the movie is so exciting. The movie is noticeably darker than the previous ones. The tagline ‘Nowhere Is Safe’ is certainly fitting. At times, I got a bit surprised especially the snake battle scene. OMG. The cinematography is amazing. Everything was so pleasing to the eye. It definitely had it's creepy moments like when Hermione and Harry decide to go to Godric's Hallow. That scene was intense. It's like watching horror film.



The movie is also very emotional. Maybe because the three main characters portrayed their best. They just nailed every emotion. Watching them scream, cry, and laugh at each other in different scenes was heartwarming. Of course I already had the idea on who will die but watching them die is very sad especially Hedwig. I think the movie did a really great job with putting in just the right amount of flashback-type scenes, action, and emotional play. It was a really great decision to split this book into two movies because it allowed them to capture a lot more of the details! Astonishing! That maybe the one word I can say about the movie. It's great. Ohwell, I cannot wait to go see the final conclusion in July. This is HISTORY! Go watch it!

Picture! Picture!

Actually, what I really missed after being so busy is doing my usual thing: PICTURE! PICTURE! Finally I got a change to take picture in the office one Friday morning. And while waiting for the Harry Potter movie, I did some editing on my iPhone using hipstamatic & lomo. The result: VANITY! =)

Adjusted

Just like that, I'm back to my old self after one hell week. How can I say that? I usually finish my work by 7pm already and I am now taking my lunch. I also attended gym, A&S meeting, and had a Friday movie night. Actually, rendering overtime last week resulted to me being CAO's employee of the month which I really didn't expect. Happy to hear that. Next week, I am expecting to be busy with the practices for the HSBC & CAO Christmas Party and I will be out of town! woohoo!!!

My Top iPhone Photo Apps

OldBooth Premium

The basic idea is that you take photos of friends (enemies?) then paste their faces into yearbook-style headshots. Not only can the effects be pretty convincing the scale, rotate and brightness controls are useful and intuitive but the app is built with such care that it’s impossible not to love it

Hipstamatic
"Digital photography never looked so analog." That's the opening salvo of Hipstamatic's product page in the App Store, and it's an apt description. The Hipstamatic is actually based on a real camera that existed in 1982 that never caught on but enjoys a loyal following. This app recreates the functionality of that retro camera as well as the look thanks to a cool "plastic" interface and classic flash popping noises. Hipstamatic offers a series of lenses and film sticks to replicate the look of cameras from days gone by. The app includes a handful of lenses and films for oversaturated photos, 70s Polaroid effects, and more – but if you need even more quirk, you can buy additional lenses, color gels, and film stocks for 99 cents a pop. While we wouldn't go so far as to say Hipstamatic is an insta-party, it is certainly a fun app that you'll drop hours into with friends. And it makes those odd little scenes you spot in real life look even cooler.

Adobe Photoshop Express

This photo app has an impressive set of tools to edit your images on the go. Crop, blur, and add a variety of preset effects and to make your photos pop. The app is free, and even lets you upload projects to Photoshop.com so you can finish using the web-based version.

CameraBag

The cameras included in CameraBag are:

"Helga" - Square-format toy camera with washed-out highlights and old-school vignetting.
"Colorcross" - Hazy, chemical color-swapping straight from the darkroom.
"Instant" - No need to shake this instant-developing film.
"Magazine" - Rich tones for glossy pages.
"1974" - Your father's camera: faded, tinted, and hip.
"Lolo" - Shoot from the hip and take life as it comes with vibrant, colorful shots.
"Plastic" - Sweet honey tones like these could only come from the cheapest of cameras.
"Cinema" - Dramatic, moody coloring with a widescreen aspect ratio.
"Silver" - From the earliest days of photography, when taking a shot was a much larger production than it is now.
"1962" - Dynamic, high-contrast black and white from the photojournalism of a bygone era.
"Mono" - Smooth, refined, balanced black and white.
"Infrared" - Simulation of the popular landscape photography technique.
"Fisheye" - Go ahead, get too close to the lens.
"Original" - Just in case you got it right the first time.

Gorillacam

Gorillacam Features Include:
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* SELF-TIMER - set a custom delay for timed photos. Perfect for group shots or self-portraits. Includes audible countdown notification.

* TIME LAPSE - take multiple photos spaced at your preferred interval. Snap photos as fast as 1 second apart, or up to 2 minutes apart.

* CONTINUOUS RAPID-FIRE - take unlimited photos, up to 1.6 frames per second. (That’s fast!) Just press and hold the shutter to take as many photos as you want at super high speed.

* AUTO-SAVE - Keep shooting while your photos auto-save in the background. No more waiting to save before you can shoot again. Snap away, uninterrupted.

* PRESS ANYWHERE - turn the whole screen into a shutter button. Press anywhere to take a photo. Photograph yourself with ease!

* 3-SHOT BURST - take three quick photographs in rapid succession. Never miss a second of the action. Plus, no more photos ruined when someone blinks!

* GRID OVERLAY - take your photography to the next level. Create more interesting photographs using the rule of thirds in your composition. Also great for lining up horizons or buildings.

* BUBBLE LEVEL - take steady, level shots every time. Works in both vertical and horizontal orientation. Ideal for shots of horizons, landscapes and more. Calibrate the bubble level easily.

MoreLomo

I SUPER LOVE LOMO!!!

Photobooth

Love those old-timey photobooths? Now you can have one whenever you want! It is a kitschy app that will convert your snapshots into photobooth-style strips. It's fun.

Never been busy

Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap Song Lyrics


Wow Sunday. Finally I can breathe and relax.

This had been a very busy week for me.

I am adjusting to my new job which is really bothering me until my sleep.. that is seriously not good and healthy! Maybe my new job will eat most of my time in the coming weeks and somehow, I felt a bit lonely not doing the things I've been doing before especially having fun at A&S meetings and activities, jogging and attending gym classes. Before, my job requires only minimal amount of time but now, the pressure is on! This shouldn't be happening! I can't imagine doing this for a very long time. What must I do? Relax. Well now is the time to manage everything. It all comes to setting my priorities. Inch by inch I know I can recover from this. I hope so. Whew. December is fast approaching which means A&S Team Reps will also be busy in preparing for the Christmas Party. As much as I want to, I can't initiate the plans. I love organizing events. But it's kinda frustrating that time is not in my hand right now but I am willing to extend my help anyhow. Sometimes at night, I just feel drained. For a week, I lost 5 pounds which never happened in my entire 1 1/2 years in gym. But why I am not happy? I miss that happy face. That mood that is very vibrant and witty. Please come back. Sigh. I know nothing is permanent. Either way, I have to be flexible enough to deal with this. After all, I chose to be here. I MUST learn to cope. Well, it's just one week. Eventually, I hope to bring myself back.

Vitamin String Quartet

I Just love violin. Kinda weird though.. Listening to Vitamin String Quartet versions more often than the real song itself.

"Alejandro" is my current fave. Effect of our retro class as usual.. =)

But the best rendition would be "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once.

Can be a great wedding song too.

Some of their songs are here.
http://www.youtube.com/user/VitaminStringQuartet

Nakaraang Pasko

I miss Carol Banawa.

Moment Interrupted

"Sometimes you have to quit thinking so much if it feels right,

it probably is. So just go with it." - Sex and the City

It all started with a serious talk.

What it seem like a pretty conversation ended up with a moment that changed everything. Suddenly, I need to allow myself to think before jumping off the deep end. I have some days, where I’m a bit more lucid and can take a step back and look at things a bit more rationally. Unfortunately, those days are pretty rare. I don’t want to jeopardize my future so I need to have a plan set for myself so I don’t keep getting lost in those thoughts.

It’s all about love.

They say love comes when you least expect it. They also say love can wait.

What if love comes when you least expect it but it can’t wait?

What if you are in the moment where the thing you are longing is almost for grab?

Will you take it?

When a guy confessed about his love for you, but you know that you are not yet ready to commit, are you being numb and foolish?

I guess not. For me, it’s all about building a relationship that you know will last. Why hurry when you are still enjoying each others company. Sincerity is not a question. It’s just that – Love takes time. It’s just a matter of time – a day, a week, a month or just a single moment that will determine your answer. If he gets frustrated of waiting, just let him go.

Selfish? Hell no. Love is never fair. In the end, both will get hurt. But the decision has been made.

Just like that. The moment, heartbeat, and love – interrupted.

Tanya Markova

This band is so cool.

"Disney"


"Picture Picture"

That was nice!!!

Devin Ebanks.. I'm starting to like this kid..

Then & Now???

Only Kobe..

..can guard Kobe!

Count on Me by Bruno Mars

o-o-awesome song!



If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you

Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need

You can count on me like 1 2 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like 4 3 2
And you'll be there
Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah

Wooooh, Wooooh
That's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
You can count on me cause I can count on you

If you're tossin and you're turnin and you just can't fall asleep,
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you mean to me,
Everyday I will remind you, oh

Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need

You can count on me like 1 2 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like 4 3 2
And you'll be there
Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah

Wooooh, Wooooh
That's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
You can count on me cause I can count on you

You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye

You can count on me like 1 2 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it I can count on you like 4 3 2
And you'll be there
Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah

hihihi