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.

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. 

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.

Quiet Coffee Nights

Not every night is a restful night for someone used to staying up late at night. When it's my night off and I'm having a bout of insomnia, I tend to go out. And so here I wander again. Here are a few shots I have from some nights I've been out.

Up For A Long Night. A customer sifts through his documents getting ready to work through the night... Or at least until the coffee shop closes.

Memories Under The Starry Night

If you've been following this from the start since Nuvali, you're awesome! Thank you for spending time with me on this journey.

The day has been long, the thoughts heavy and the memories dragging. I found some temporary respite when I went to Sky Ranch being able to somehow keep a broken vow. I now am homeward bound. But it's not as simple as going straight home. My last stop in this journey-- Starbucks Tagaytay.

Overlooking The Lake. This was taken last November 2010 on the second floor balcony of Starbucks Tagaytay. This was the first time I set foot in Tagaytay.

The Big Wheel At The Cliffside

I've seen that beautiful place and I found some temporary silence as I went on. But the mind wasn't at peace as some questions lingered on. Perhaps further towards the mountains I may find, not necessarily answers but some temporary respite to the boggled mind. And so I went to visit that big wheel on the cliff side. Yes, this is where I went after I wandered off to Nuvali.

And so I ended up here. Because reasons. I once promised a girl we'd go here. I'd never make a girl a promise I know I can't keep. Then again, I never had the chance to keep this promise.

Shooting In The Dark

During workdays this is what I see when I step out to grab dinner.
I'm amazed at how much detail it got. Taken hand held too.

It was another long night. I didn't want to just stay at home. So I decided to get lost somewhere... Again.

A Night At The Park

It was a bit of a  lonely night. I didn't feel like going through my usual routine and was up for exploring something different.

Under a cloudy moonlit night below the towering monstrosities I gazed upon the sky and mused to myself...
"I'm hungry. Gotta get dinner." 

That Valentine's Day

It was the Valentine's day of 2011. I was feeling tired, hurt and weary. I was dealing with the worst of my wounds at the time. Funny how sometimes the one you're willing to take a bullet for can sometimes be the one pulling the trigger. I think Linkin' Park was able to put the words to describe how I was that time...

A cloud streak above. Apparently somebody fired SAMs at Cupid that night. I hope they got him. Stupid Cupid was picking on me.
Nikon D40, f/4.5, 1/4 sec, ISO 800

Throwback Thursday- San Mateo

A couple of years ago I was given the good fortune of being assigned to 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. A lot of these are experiment shots, since I was new to the handling of the E-PL2 at the time. So it's not surprising if you see several shots of the same view with slightly different settings.

Other than my long exposure shots, I also got a good chance to shoot the moon while testing my then-new lens, the Samyang 500mm f/8. It's a decent lens, to say the least.

This is one place that I long to return to someday.

Heavenly Moon Cutter!

Okay not really... It was one of those rare nights that the moon was low. I'm always a sucker for night photography.

It's one of those rare nights that I see the moon hovering low over the skyline.

I liked the shot but the moon looked nothing more than a yellow blob. So I focused on getting the moon instead...