Show And Tell: What's In The Bag?

Show and tell time. I suppose I can consider this my personal gear review as well. Today I'm gonna share what's in the little bag that I lug around when I go out to take pictures.

What's in the bag?

The bag isn't that big, but I can actually carry more stuff in it when I go to take pictures. It's an advantage of using the Micro Four Thirds format over APS-C, which most people have.

Revisiting A Path Not Taken

It's not often that we get to have another chance at something, let alone experience the same thing at a different perspective. I got to chance to relive a not so old era of digital photography.  

For a day, I get to play with this beauty.

Last week, December 16th, felt like having a dose of nostalgia from an alternate universe. I got to experience digital photography with 2009 technology... Except that it's not with a model that I'm familiar with and know to use even when half awake. The curve ball here is, it's a Canon.

A History Of The Photo Camera

Here's something that I found on the net. A cool animated look at the history of the photo camera. I have a thing for cameras. Not that I'm that good at taking pictures, but I take pictures for my personal reasons. It's something I am fascinated with as it can pretty much a means to preserve a moment in a fleeting time to last longer than its subject, long enough to be seen by the future generations.

Find any familiar camera model here?

Gotta Catch Them All

It was early August. the worldwide phenomenon of a mobile game known as Pokémon Go has just been released in the Philippines. The Pokémon franchise has proven to be immensely influential. This comes as no surprise that a lot of people anticipated and clamored for the game. Back in the old days video games meant people staying indoors. Mobile gaming change that. And for the first time, at a global scale, people stepped out of their houses and went outdoors- because a game tells them to- I find that kind of amazing.

I had a chance to catch a glimpse of this one night, and here are the sights from that time.

Monochrome Terminal

"Monochrome" and "Terminal" paints a different picture that comes to mind to IT folks. It reminds us of green/gray text on black computer screens from days of old. It's also rather similar to Photography. Before pictures came in color, a lot were in monochrome (black and white commonly, but it also came in sepia, among others). The difference is, though, monochrome persisted.

Monochrome has always been a fascination of mine. In this age of overwhelming bleeding edge technology where newer technologies lead to more vibrant colors, I tend to step back every now and then to regress to basic black and white, and all of the two hundred fifty-four shades in between that my camera can muster. Though I imagine it'll be much fewer shades than that due to the mixing I do for contrast.

I had the chance to play with it when we traveled to Hong Kong. I had the time and luxury to experiment so I rendered some images in monochrome. More of the tones and textures here...

The Colors Of Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is a marvel of engineering. It is among the most amazing man-made structures I've seen both in scale and in elegance. The whole airport is practically a small city in scale and I pretty much tired myself out exploring just the passenger accessible areas in Terminal 1 departure. 

More sights of this monumental marvel in here...

Going Home - Taxi Ride To the Airport

Time surely is fleeting when you're having fun. While not everyone may agree considering that we didn't exactly go to the usual tourist attractions, I still think it was awesome that we got to see a piece of Hong Kong. Just like that it was time to go home. We checked out at the hotel and grabbed a ride to the airport.

Short but sweet, here are some sights we saw along the way...

Strolling To Harbour City - Through The Subway

Second day in Hong Kong. Yesterday we had a long hot day, and today was no different. What is different though, is we know better now. Today we had the whole day to ourselves.

We're off to a long stroll today. Lots of sights to see, coffee to drink, food to eat, pictures to take... Did I mention food?

Back To Regular Feeds: IFTTT- If This, Then That

The past few nights have been undesirable. Feedburner wasn't properly working. We should be back to our regular feeds now though. A quick account below on what fixed this little mess.



Confused Wondering Learner: IFTTT- If This, Then That:   Recently I had to tear down my feeds. For some reason Feedburner went haywire, and it's not the first time. I eventually had to give...

Flame Out On Feedburner

Feedburner loses its flame.

After some repeated issues and spontaneous breaks in functionality for the blog, I've decided to let go of Feedburner and switch to something else. A few Google searches showed that +SpecificFeeds.com appears to be a favorite among free solutions so I decided to try it out. Folks following me through Feedburner may want to update your RSS links to the direct URL: 

 http://www.lostwanderingdrifter.com/feeds/posts/default

This switch does not impact you if you're following via Facebook. You may notice some change in the verbiage though.

Adieu, Feedburner. I will not miss your spontaneous breakdowns and the hours I spent troubleshooting your antics.

UPDATE: I didn't like SpecificFeeds either. I found out however, that IFTTT works like a charm.

Afternoon Hong Kong Tour 2 - Lights In The Sky

This is a continuation of our tour that started here.

After a few turns on the Observation Wheel, we hopped on a bus to be showed around places in Hong Kong.

Just being in Hong Kong give a look and feel of being in the Asian Movies. It's as every bit awesome as it was in the films.

A portion of this story was updated as it happened on Instagram, but a lot of the sights can also be found here. Captions can be found on the Flickr page if you're interested to read them. Just click on the image and you'll be redirected there.

Afternoon Hong Kong Tour 1 - Fresh Off The Boat

This is a continuation of the previous entry.

Hong Kong is amazing. After lunch and shopping, we had a chance to take some rest. At four in the afternoon we got ready and went on to an adventure I'd not forget- An afternoon tour of Hong Kong. 

With Hong Kong being a vast place though, we picked the least stressful tour. We didn't want to spend the afternoon running a marathon playing catch up with time and the tour guide.

A portion of this story was updated as it happened on Instagram, but a lot of the sights can also be found here. Captions can be found on the Flickr page if you're interested to read them. Just click on the image and you'll be redirected there.

Hello Hong Kong

Every once in a long while, I get the chance to travel. This year, I won a trip for two to Hong Kong. I reckoned it's a good idea to spend some time with dad traveling. Coincidentally, my auntie also won a ticket. However, she didn't have the the availability at the time, so she gave it to my uncle instead. That's how it happened.

Here's what we've seen during our stay there, among other things. 

A portion of this story was updated as it happened on Instagram, but a lot of the sights can also be found here. Captions can be found on the Flickr page if you're interested to read them. Just click on the image and you'll be redirected there.

Delectable Gratifcation And Where To Find Them

There are days when you just want to go on a food trip. No, not go to some buffet and gorge down on the goodies, but I mean just go places and give the taste buds a treat. I may not regularly have days like those, but in between the chores and errands, opportunity sometimes presents itself allowing me to do just that. Here's a collection of the dining stuff I've stumbled across every now and then, here and there...

There's an adage that goes, "Take a picture, it'll last longer." This holds true to some of the memorable ones.  These are a few of the sights I've seen from places I've been in. I won't have much commentary in the captions here - Imagine that I'd be too busy eating. Yes, this post is about shameless food p0rn, and clues where to find them!

Rainy Day Roadtrip

It was a weekend, I had plans to attend a birthday celebration. Attending a birthday in Tagaytay was potentially jeopardized by inclement weather, but by some fortune, the weather seems to have cleared up enough for me to go there. Going there was relatively uneventful (Which for me, means not too many things went awry), but the view was breathtaking, even surreal as it was in a different weather condition.

This one's taken from the place. I've never been here while it was heavily raining. I think it's really surreal. I stayed mostly indoors, but I still had a really good view.

2014 Back To Reality Via Taiwan - Revisited

A revisit to that time when I partook in a journey to escape a bleak daily reality. It was when I left my old bland self, albeit temporarily. And on my way to a world that's surreal I took a stop at somewhere that is both surreal and quite strange.

I've seen wonders in Taiwan. And I didn't even have to leave the airport for it. To me it was quite a treat, and truly was beautiful!

2014 San Diego Beach - Revisited

I don't usually go to the beach... But when I do, it's in San Diego, California...

2012 San Mateo, CA - Revisited

Back in 2012, I was given the good fortune of being assigned for training for our work in the USA. I was working in San Mateo, it's a not-so-often-heard place that I haven't heard from any Hollywood movie. It's located around 20 miles south of San Francisco. Unlike the crowded 'Frisco though, it's actually very peaceful and quiet. It is by far among the best surprises I ever had. The town is very upscale and folks are friendly. This is one of the few places that I'll definitely remember. 

I got a good chance to take evening walks and a nice camera at the time. Here are some of the pictures I've taken around town. There are a lot of parks here, this one in particular is in the residential area. 

Strolling Around BGC

Pictures from last year (2015), given different post processing treatments. These were either from weekends when I was on call, all while having bad Internet connection, or on idle weekends when I felt like taking afternoon and evening strolls. Yes, I don't really wander too far at times, but I still wander here and there. Don't be shy to say hi if you find me.

Don't forget to let the captions load. Those may take a while on slow Internet connections.

Ola Taal Vista!

It was my cousin's wedding. My family and I had the opportunity to go to Tagaytay. It's been over a year since I've gone to the place and I somewhat missed the scenic view. Driving there was a bit challenging for me and the car. Mostly for the car, traveling uphill while carrying three overweight adults and their bags. 

We arrived at the hotel the day before the wedding, with all our fancy clothes in tow. But no, this isn't about the wedding. This is about the interesting place I've found with a lovely view.

Grainy And Gritty

Maybe it's some petty fear of missing out, but despite the appeal of black and white, I still take pictures in color. Black and white, however, appeals to me enough for me to bother converting and tweaking in post.

I had the chance to have lunch with family, and had the chance to bring along my Penny mounted with this amazing yet relatively cheap bodycap lens. It's fairly ideal for going light, and for taking monochromes. I always had a soft spot for monochromes, I got to indulge in it on this set.

Burgers And Brewskies Night

It has been a stressful past few weeks for me. Work and other stuff have been piling up left and right, I hardly have fun on weekends anymore and I'm beginning to become a recluse. A college buddy of mine expressed having similar woes, and so we decided to unwind a bit over some cold drinks. It's been a while since we hung out - It's a routine overdue of another iteration. Come to think of it, I think we've been doing this for a decade already. This post will be of food. Bon apetit!

More Baritas

This would be the sequel I think. The previous set can be found here. I love drinking decent coffee so much that I made friends with quite a number of these warm, hard working and patient folks. Being a Barista is a bit of both mastery of coffee and good public relations I think. Mind you it can get stressful. Especially on days when customers like me tend to get extra annoying. The next time you enjoy your cup of coffee, spare a thought for these hardworking yet still cheerful folks. 

Momoy After Grooming

Momoy got a new haircut. He's as adorable as ever. Pics courtesy of @whytebalicas

A photo posted by Rowe Lee (@lostwanderingdrifter) on Apr 27, 2016 at 6:26am PDT

Before his haircut, he looked a little different. More of it here.

Unwinding Back Home

Not too long ago, I had the chance to take a short vacation and spent some time back home at Bacolod City. Then again it was really due to some errands. I got to spend the weekend with the family though, so it wasn't too bad despite the nasty humidity and heat that makes one feel like being baked when stepping out of air conditioned rooms. Not too many photos though. Terrible heat and some creeping sick feeling means not too much action. I still managed to take some random pictures though.

The Way Back - Narita Layover

While Nashville was fun, warm and welcoming, we inevitably had to leave. On one chilly Friday morning, we met up at the hotel lobby and embarked on our journey back to Manila. We flew to Atlanta, and almost missed our flight to Japan. The flight to Japan has been long and unforgiving. We've had some respite when we touched down in Narita. From there, we had some time to unwind a bit before our flight to Manila. I thought it'd be an opportunity to look around the airport.

Dinner With Office Folks

While we didn't have exactly the time to go wander around Nashville during working days, on our last two nights before flying back we got treated to some awesome eats by one our bosses there. It was actually amazing each night. On the first night we went to this Bar/Restaurant/Brewery called Fat Bottom. Apart from the awesome food, it had great music. On the following night, I forgot to take note the name of the other restaurant. It was a fine dining place, and food was great too.

I did mention previously that we were going home.  But our visit here wasn't going to end without any going away gathering.

Downtown Nashville Nights

While I enjoyed walking around Nashville in the day,  the nights there were no less lively, festive and colorful. It's not exactly Las Vegas, but nonetheless the lights are bright with a crowd that's plenty. It's nothing like a sleepy town I initially thought it'd be. As far as interesting places go, it's as fun as any.

Nashville Days - Getting All Chummy

By now I've gotten comfortable with the environment, so I've gone a bit more assertive (read: reckless) and it made for some more images more intimate than the previous sets. And I've gotten more fun at it actually. I can't stop raving on how awesome and lively Nashville is.

Our Stay In Nashville Hosted By Hilton Garden Inn

Our stay in Nashville has proven to be enjoyable. Yes, it was work, flight was terrible due to delays and close calls in our flights going to and from Atlanta, but while we were in Nashville, after work hours were awesome hours. What made it better was the fact that our hotel was located right in the middle of Downtown, surrounded by awesome places, and our office was only a block away. I especially like the convenience of the hotel we stayed in. If I'm ever back in Nashville, I'd definitely pick this place to stay.

Nashville Days - Getting To Know

We arrived in Nashville at midnight. Tired and weary, we checked in to the hotel. The hotel was a more traditional looking offering compared to the one we stayed in at California. Went to sleep after that. When I woke up it was almost noon. My co-worker was nowhere to be found, so it was just my boss and I having a stroll downtown. There's an NHL event this week, and the whole place was quite lovely.

Travelling By Plane

While I like travelling in general, especially when the mood hits me, travelling domestic in the US has become a nightmare for me. I'd not generalize though. It's a given that delays are inevitable. I usually won't mind it. It all becomes an ordeal when it means missing the next flight. I have visited Atlanta, GA. I was there... For around half an hour. Running like hell transferring from one terminal to another fearing I'd miss the next flight. It's not something that one easily forgets.

Where Were You Today?

Have you seen some drifter wandering around here?
 

A photo posted by Rowe Lee (@lostwanderingdrifter) on Feb 18, 2016 at 9:24am PST

 
I don't think he's lost enough yet though.

Our Home Away From Home

This cozy place is called Marriott Residence Inn. It's our home away from home. This album showcases some interesting spots in it. I think it's a homely and cozy place. It looks more like a compound than a hotel building. The rooms are complete and have generous spaces too. Uh, no, I won't have pictures of what my room looks like.

Around California

We came here for work. I managed to somehow steal some snaps along the way especially outside work. I tend to forget my photographic side when at the office due to immense tasks we tackle day in and day out. This album has some shots I have taken outside the office, during the weekend before work, or on some nights after working.

Last Leg: LAX to SFO

At last we're back in USA. But we can't settle down just yet. We're not where we want to be. We landed in LAX (LA International Airport) and gone through customs. Predictably, I don't have pictures of those. Folks are pretty paranoid about it for "security reasons". Personally I like SFO better than LAX. Need to have a short break first. And lunch as well. After that, we hit the flight to where we want to be: SFO (San Francisco International Airport). It takes us the better part of the day.
Please excuse the captions, they take a bit of time to load. You can view the complete slide show at the end of the entry.

2016 Flight To USA

I left my heart in San Francisco. Now I'm coming back... To leave other parts of me on other places I guess. Yes this is my first big adventure for some time. Make no mistake, this journey is for work. But I still enjoy being in a foreign and friendlier country. This album shows the beginning of my big journey. On a side note, I changed the settings in Flickr to ensure it shows the comments. Try clicking on the images if they don't show up upon loading.

On this entry I'll be geeking out. A lot. Growing up I've been a fan of airplanes, and aviation in general. So yes, I know my Boeing 747 from my Airbus A380 and I can tell apart the A320 from the 737. Please excuse the geek.