the ATELIER

After months of saving and dithering, buying that Sony DSC-W50 camera was a milestone for me in many ways.

Up until then, I had been mostly using my mobile phone (which had a 3.15Mpx camera) to snap pictures and although it was handy and basically functional, I knew I needed a proper camera that could offer more: bigger memory, better resolution, better set of controls, and a more complex set of functions to accommodate various situations. After considering my options, I decided on this sleek 6.0Mpx Cyber-shot W50 model because it was light, compact and had a 2.5-inch LCD screen.


I also had other, more compelling, reasons to buy a good camera. You see, my sister and i had booked a weekend trip to Shanghai last year, and that trip wouldn't have been complete without my Sony camera. It had been more than a year (and even longer for my sister) since I had a real vacation so we were both excited about the trip.

We started snapping pictures even before boarding our plane, and after touching down at Shanghai's international airport, i promptly whipped out my camera and started clicking again.

The weather in Shanghai was unbelievably cold (it was 5 degrees Celsius), especially towards evening. Still, it didn't stop us from gawking and exclaiming over the enormous changes that a few years had brought to the sprawling city. Tall skyscrapers and soaring structures stood side by side with old colonial buildings (see some snaps below). And the food! Local dishes were relatively cheap and delicious -- quite an excellent deal for tourists who are perennially on a lookout for a good bargain.



The funny thing was I didn't tell my office mates that I would be going to China. I purposely withheld that information because I wanted to surprise them -- by blogging about my current location. And what better way for me to convince them I wasn't kidding than to post some of the pictures we've snapped -- sort of like "kilroy was here" deal -- in my blog? Their reaction? Well, let's just say, it was exactly what i had hoped for, and more.



My Sony camera definitely gave significance in my life just like Sony's the World's First Noise Canceling Notebook Computer: VAIO T Series, which will help me concentrate on my work without being distracted by the noise around me.

and so the 2008 US national election is finally here. unless you'd been hiding under a rock lately, there's no way to escape its presence -- what with the thousands of election-related (online, print & tv) headlines that have been bombarding us these past tumultuous months.

and right now countless of updates are pouring in like a deluge.


this global fascination with the US presidential race and its ultimate outcome is unprecedented. sometimes it feels like the whole world is going to cast its vote, because everybody and his cousin has something to say about it. and the complicated US electoral system with all its attendant details only serves to heighten this protracted suspense.

i expect the official final results to come out a few hours from now. i know it's a bit premature but i have a feeling obama will win this one handily. the conditions are ripe for it and the loud clamor for change is nigh irresistible, especially among the younger voters. mccain, as impressive as he is, has simply been waging an uphill battle.

oh well. let's just hope this will all lead to something positive. heaven knows we're waiting for it.

for the first time in many months, i actually have 3 free days on my hands. i find it a bit disorienting but "liberating" in many ways.

for starters, i can actually change gears in the middle of some errand without seriously messing up my whole day's schedule. in fact, just this morning i changed course twice on my way to BPI. now, if this had happened on a normal day, i would probably be too distracted by so many adjustments that i'd end up forgetting something vital in the process.

the only thing that bugs me this weekend is the traffic that's clogging certain parts of the metro. if you wish to go somewhere within the vicinity of a public cemetery or a memorial park, you might as well just stay home -- that is, if you don't like wasting precious hours while the traffic crawls -- or maybe walk to your destination if it's not too hot nor too far.

of course, it's a minor downside in an otherwise fine weekend. tomorrow (nov. 1 = all saints' day), i might venture out and brave the traffic and go somewhere else (movie, shopping, visit a friend).

here's hoping the traffic will thin down some while i'm hitting the road.