Gateway To India

Sony SLT-A99V ■ f/4 ■ 1/320 ■ ISO 200

During the spring of last year, we went to India to celebrate a wedding between Ruchi and Sinjin. They already had their civil wedding early that year. They shared their wedding only with family and close friends. Ruchi’s parents were in attendance via live streaming, I am thankful for its invention because loved ones from far away can witness if there is internet access. After their civil wedding, they had their pictorial despite the rain and cold weather. Those pictures turned out great. We went to a restaurant for a small reception for those in attendance. They also threw another reception a week later for other family members, well my wife’s side of the family, and their closest friends. We went to a brewery afterward and I was told that I made a fool of myself, but none of that right now.

I would like to thank Girish, Artie, and Neil (Ruchi’s parents and brother), who planned and prepared the wedding celebrations down to the hotel where we stayed for the duration. I cannot express enough how hospitable they were for the entire week. They have planned tours and transportation to go around. We met their family and friends and we’re welcomed.

In the picture is the famous Gateway to India. We were fortunate that we went there early in the morning otherwise the picture would have had so many people in the background. Opposite this magnificent structure is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where we ate dinner that same day after we toured Elephanta Caves.

I will tell you more about the places we toured in Mumbai during our short stay, but for now, I would like to extend my wishes to them on their first anniversary. As I said during the reception:

"There is no perfect marriage, you must make it perfect. Misunderstandings and arguments are inevitable, it is how you treat each other after. Love is shown through respect. Be careful to say things when angry because it is difficult to take it back when said. Lastly, it is nice to be forgetful. Let the past teach you but leave it in the past and not dig up every argument."

Happy Anniversary, please select link below for pictures.

Mehndi

Haldi And Sangeet

Wedding And Reception

Ancient Throwback

Grade 1 Class Picture

I had a scare last week when we had a power flicker at home due to some strong high winds. When I got home, I logged into my computer to continue processing pictures taken from our cruise to New England last October when I noticed that I was unable to access my NAS (Network Attached Storage).

I checked the NAS, and it was stuck on the boot. There was no status activity on the device just a blue light on blinking. I went to the vendor's website to check what it means, it stated that the board got messed up and may need replacement. I have tried suggestions from the community page but was unsuccessful. I have around 6 TB worth of data, mostly pictures, videos, and digital documents that I have hoarded for the past years.

I was fortunate that I have subscribed to an online backup. I logged in to the backup portal and found that my data was safely backed up. The only issue I have is downloading that much data over the web. Powered down the NAS and planned on unmounting the hard drives and wiping them for later use. However, I procrastinated and decided to do it on a long weekend when I had time to start downloading my data.

Fast forward, before I remove the hard drives from the NAS I decided to power it up one more time. For whatever reason it booted up and logged into the NAS and all the data are accessible. Now, I am thinking of getting an Uninterruptible Power Supply to protect sensitive equipment from power outages.

This is a long introduction to the picture posted here. I have been checking my NAS and came across my old elementary school picture that I have scanned. It has been so many years and there are only a couple of classmates that I can still remember, and only one by name. I am curious what has become of them. If I post this picture on social media, will I get a hit for some of them?

Can you guess where I am in this picture?

Crown Point Resort

Canon PowerShot A60 ■ f/3.2 ■ 1/1000

Another throwback images from 2003. This was taken in Crown Lake in Arkansas. Still using the Canon PowerShot A60 point-and-shoot camera, I don't think cell phones are not that smart back then.

We purchased a timeshare, I believe a year or so ago that time, and we decided to exchange ours to go to a resort that we only saw on their website.  We booked and reserved our vacation time in that resort.

Days before our travel, by land, I had to go through MapQuest and print our route on several sheets of paper. Mind you there was no GPS at that time. It will be our first long drive to a destination we do not know and directions using a map printout.

We rented a comfortable sedan and I planned on driving to the resort non-stop. Packed our stuff and kids at the back with my wife helping out with the directions. We planned to rest and gas up when my tank went half.

The drive was pretty much smooth, except when we were crossing Missouri during the night, and raining pretty hard. I decided to stop for coffee since we already had dinner then, I could not remember where.

I braved driving on a dark highway on a rainy night with my family. Seems like we were the only vehicle at that time. The kids were already asleep and my wife was dozing but was keeping an eye on me, I think. We were at the border of Arkansas and Missouri in the morning for breakfast and we stopped by a McDonald's. I was surprised that all the people, adults and children, stopped whatever they were doing at that time and just looked our way. An Asian family of four, probably they had never seen in their life, walked through the entrance. I was not aware of the place nor if there was any discrimination. We bought our breakfast to go since I felt uneasy eating inside the fast food restaurant.

After breakfast, we checked our map and called the resort to get assistance getting there.  On the way to the resort, we passed by a small airport for a single-engine plane, I think. The resort is in Horseshoe Bend, but there was a sign entering the small town stating population less than 2,000. The town is small and other than the resort itself there was nothing, well my opinion.

We checked in and got ourselves situated in our unit. Get some much-needed rest

Canon PowerShot A60 ■ f/3.2 ■ 1/1000

 before heading out to check out the resort surroundings. We had a lot of family time mostly enjoying water activities: riding the canoe across the lake and renting a pontoon with a floater. They rode the floater while being dragged by the pontoon, never have I driven any watercraft and did not know how to swim (until now). We also tried fishing and did not catch anything except my son caught a guppy, not sure, which we released back.

We tried walking around the town outside the resort and it was peaceful and quaint. We spent a week here and I think we did enjoy our time. It was indeed family time and no distractions, like the electronics that we have now. But after our stay, we had a realization of driving back home. Honestly, I prefer driving than flying. Sure you can get faster to your destination, but you have more things to do along the way. There was no rush going home and we stopped by places that seemed interesting.

Would I go back, most definitely! I would like to see how it is now. This time it will be easier with a GPS. Back then, I think timeshare is great but not today. You don't want to pay in advance for your vacation. You have options now and cheaper than paying for a yearly maintenance fee that increases each year. The upside if you can call it that, you are forced to take that vacation to not waste your maintenance fee.

Kids No More

Canon PowerShot A60 ■ f/3.5 ■ 1/500

I am going through old photographs I have kept all these years and came across with this photo—my son and daughter with their cousin.  I checked the photo property and this was taken back in 2003 with a point-and-shoot camera. Time flies. We just hosted a Christmas Eve gathering recently and seeing them, except my son who was sick at that time, how they've grown—no longer children but young adults.

My son got married last year and my daughter is also requesting permission to move out of the house to live on her own. Their cousin just graduated last year from the University of Miami with a degree in Physical Therapy.

Here in the United States, parents can't wait until their children reach 18 for them to move out. Where I come from, parents would want to hold on to their children forever. Whether one is better than the other who knows? I believe it is just because of different cultures and upbringing.

 Regardless of culture and upbringing, cherish your children. Treasure those childhood years, and be with them whenever you can for time moves fast and waits for no one. I am just hoping that I did not fail them. But, somehow in the back of my head, I  always thought that I had some shortcomings. I wish that I could have done more but not to the point of spoiling them.

I am thankful that both of them have graduated from college and have stable jobs. As a parent, all I could ask for is for them to be responsible and upright adults. I would always be with them whenever they need me. Regardless of age, they will always be my babies.

The Creator

Movie Cover Screenshot

Friday night a few nights before Christmas and I am by myself at home. Just came back with my dog Cooper from the veterinary clinic for his checkup. Heat my dinner and sat in front of the TV, checking streaming services what to watch. Saw the movie "The Creator", an interesting preview that piqued my interest to watch. I was trying to get a summary from chatGPT, however, it was unable to give me a summary since the movie was still relatively new.

The premise of the movie was humans depicted by the global police (United States Military) at war with AI (Artificial Intelligence). The military was at war after the AI allegedly detonated an atomic bomb on US soil. They condemned the act and waged war with the AI and country who were harboring them, New Asia.

The US military has this powerful weapon called Nomad which can target AI places in New Asia and other countries that harbor AI. Ex-military, Joshua, was tasked to infiltrate an AI group to find Nirmata, who the US military depicts as a person who is capable of creating an AI weapon that can defeat the US military and humankind. Little that he know that he would fall in love with, Maya, the daughter of the suspected Nirmata.

The night of the US military strike where Joshua was with the pregnant Maya, he was found by her to be a spy for the US military. Maya left and tried to escape the strike but was killed in the process. Years later, the US military approached Joshua to join a team at an AI installation wherein his familiarity with the location was vital. He did not want to join them pointing out that he lost his wife and child during the last operation.

The US military showed a video of Maya with the AI still alive. Hoping that he would have a chance to meet her and right the wrong he did, he joined the team and was able to neutralize the installation, however, he found an AI child which he helped escape. He follows the child when he finds out that he knows something about Maya.

The child was being sought by the AI since she was built to destroy Nomad and the US military because of her capability to destroy Nomad. After running away and Joshua finding out her capabilities, he found out that Maya was Nirmata. Eventually, the AI caught them and was brought to one of their safe locations. En route on a boat, he found himself locked in a cage since they didn't trust him. The child AI which he named Alphie, helped him escape since she was convinced that he meant no harm against Nirmata, Maya. He jumped off the boat after being shot at but was able to sneak under the boat harness. After reaching the AI base, he was able to take Alphie back to continue his search for Maya/Nirmata. The base was attacked by the US military, and Alphie went back to help out the AI. There was a scene at the bridge where Alphie stopped an attack but a US soldier was after her, Joshua shot him. The AI saw this and took both of them, however, Nomad is getting ready to unleash its weapon to destroy the base. A handful of AI with Joshua and Alphie escaped and are going to their other safe location where Nirmata is.

Joshua found out that Nirmata/Maya had been in a coma since the time Joshua was found to be an infiltrator, and found that Alphie was created by Maya from their baby's physical imprint. Another Nomad attack and this time he and Alphie were caught by the US military. Back in stateside, he was being ordered to kill Alphie. He whispered to her to just perform standby, to pretend that he killed her. The military top brass told him that she would bring it to be recycled, and he then requested to stay with her.

He was able to turn back Alphie on and was able to escape with her. They were able to get on board at Nomad with the intent to decommission it. Alphie found that there was AI production on board Nomad. She went to meet up with Joshua in one of the escape pods, however, Joshua was unable to get to the pod and released it to save Alphie. The Nomad blew up with Joshua in it after finding an AI version of Maya.

The movie ended with the destruction of Nomad and Alphie going out of the escape pod.

I rate this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars. I was wondering why no other country fought against the US military but the AI themselves.

Exposure Trinity

Sony A200 ■ f/9 ■ 1/60 ■ ISO 100

This photo was taken in the summer of 2008 at Massanutten Resort. When I look at it now, I notice a few things that could be improved. For example, I should have focused on the snowboarder in the shot, but I'm not sure if I did at the time. Should I have slowed down or sped up the shutter speed to change the texture of the water? Should I have opened up my aperture or closed it down to get everything in focus?

I think I have a good grasp of the exposure trinity and how they make or break a photo. The trinity is composed of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture (not necessarily in that order).

ISO (International Standards Organization)

This is the adjustment of exposure from lighter to darker. The higher the value the brighter the exposure. An example, when shooting in broad daylight or with ample lighting ISO is adjusted to say 100 (or the lowest sweet spot of your camera). When shooting in the dark or less light, ISO can be bumped up to several hundreds to thousands depending on your camera. The downside is the higher ISO the more noise is introduced. However, it may not be the case all the time. Noise will be introduced when there is not enough light getting to the sensor, hence, the sensor will work harder, thus, noise is introduced.

SHUTTER SPEED

It is a measure of time in seconds the camera sensor (film stock) is exposed to light. The faster the speed the more it freezes movement. The shutter speed used in the photo is 1/60 of a second. It freezes the water but still keeps its texture. However, if I changed the shutter to 0.5 seconds the water texture would be smoother. A tip for hand-held photography, the shutter speed should be twice the focal length. For example, for a focal length of 200 mm, the speed should be 1/400.

APERTURE

Is the opening of the lens that allows light to pass through it to the camera sensor. This is measured in f-stop, for example, f/2.8. The lower the number the bigger the opening. Aside from controlling the volume of light passing through the lens, it also defines the depth of field. For shallow depth of field, use a smaller f-stop, like f/2.8 or lower. This means that part of the foreground and background will be out of focus. A smaller depth of field is great for getting good bokeh. For landscape, f/11 or higher will give you much focus from front to back. Camera lens cost is driven by f-stop and glass quality. The smaller the f-stop like f/2.8 or lower is much more expensive compared to the larger numbered f-stop.

OPTIMAL EXPOSURE

The optimal exposure is based on the combination of the three. Most cameras have three or more shooting modes: M-manual; S-shutter priority; A-aperture priority; and Auto. For Manual mode, the shooter controls all three settings but in some cameras, the ISO can be set to auto and the camera decides what ISO to use. For Shutter priority, the shooter selects how fast the shutter is and the camera decides what aperture to use if ISO is set in auto the camera also decides what ISO to use. For Aperture priority, the shooter selects the f-stop and the camera decides what shutter speed to use, same thing if ISO is set to auto the camera also decides which ISO to use. How does the camera decide how to set f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO? It all depends on where you point your camera and how the metering is set up.

WHAT NEXT

Any photographer can get the correct exposure for a picture but it may not be compelling. The exposure trinity can be achieved but this is still not a guarantee that the picture will turn out great. Like any form of art, there should be a story that can capture an audience. Exposure without great composition equals boring photos. I started photography back in 2008 and look at the above photo, it's blah. I could have used a different aperture or shutter speed. I could also change my focus and angle. I am hoping to take you on my journey through this blog and be my judge if I have improved or not in my photography.

First DSLR Shot

Sony A200 ■ f/6.3 ■ 1/60 ■ ISO 100

I have been shooting with a point-and-shoot camera, but this was my first time shooting with a DSLR and doing an edit using Lightroom.

In 2008, I saw a high school friend's online post and became interested. I bought myself a kit, a Sony DSLR A-200. I did not know much about focal length, ISO, shutter speed, and much much more.

I taught myself by watching videos, following online content creators about the craft, and immersing myself in the information they shared. I realized that learning was just half the battle. I need to go and take photos.

After taking a photo in RAW, I never looked back. It gives you a great latitude when processing. Later, I learned that regardless of whether it's RAW, you can only push it so much. I need to get better exposure and better composition. This way, processing the photos later will not take longer.

I found myself locked in MANUAL mode most of the time if not all. It has an upside and a downside. Upside, you control everything: aperture; shutter speed, and ISO. The downside is if you are not proficient in how to get close to your exposure then there will be so much adjustment on the dials to get the desired exposure. The good thing is that you are not wasting film.

This was one of the few test shots I took of my daughter. I believe I have this in MANUAL, I may have just done some post-process much later when I bought Lightroom and after watching tutorials online.

I don't want to get ahead of myself but little that I know that this was the beginning of my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). More about this later.

The Nth Attempt

Sony A200 ■ f/11 ■ 1/160 ■ ISO 400

Here we go! Again?

This is my nth attempt to start a blog, and somehow I always end up not following through and not posting new content. I was excited about creating my first few contents but waned afterward. There is a Filipino phrase "ningas cogon". Have you tried burning sawdust? When you burn sawdust, the fire catches on but eventually dies out, that is what that saying means.

I am afraid that I am like that because there were occasions when I started something and the interest faded out. An example, I was learning how to program blockchains and I have been at it for months, afterwards my interest faded, and switched to something else. Another, I got interested in watching a series on a streaming service and started watching it for several episodes, and then my interest was diverted to another series without finishing the other.

I feel like it's a cycle. It just so happens that the wheel tends to get bigger and bigger when you start adding things. Then, getting back to whatever was started takes longer and longer. My real issue is starting different things almost all at once.

An athlete or a professional will do one single task or skill for 10,000+ hours and will be an expert and successful at it. Whereas for myself, I will become a jack-of-all-trade and a master of none. I believe it is all about mindset, if I can honestly put my mind into a single task then I may be able to finally complete one.

Today is a new day like any other, another day to work on old or new goals. Another attempt to work on a task to complete it or to fail yet again. I believe failing only happens when you stop trying; then tomorrow never comes.