Sudden Tagaytay Trip: On the Road to People's Park in the Sky

The heat was so unbearable today! So when the group decided to proceed to People's Park in the Sky from Picnic Grove, some of us stayed behind in the van. While the rest took advantage of the time to doze off, I took my trusty D40x and took some shots of the surroundings.

Here are some of them:

Solitary Stalk, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Sudden Tagaytay Trip: Villa Pura Backyard Photoshoot

My wife & I woke up feeling refreshed from the other night's long drive. Our rest house at Villa Pura was so nice. The other night, our companions played great music while we munched on chips and ice cream. We ended up sleeping at around 3AM already.

While having coffee, I decided to roam around the backyard of the rest house and took pictures of some random things that caught my eye.

Here are some of the things that I ended up taking pictures of:

A Gazebo's Reflection, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Starbucks + Star Wars Repost

Saw this tweet just now. It was twitted last September and I missed it due to my heavy work load then. SithLord229 reposted my Instagram snapshot of Artoo and Threepio with a Starbucks drink on his tumblr.

Thanks SithLord! I appreciate it :)

Starbucks & Star Wars? A man after my own heart! Great Instagram snap by Israel M. Vinuya (@israelv) over at … tmblr.co/Z1WSAyTCAxkD
— SithLord229 (@THESithLord229) September 11, 2012

Hasbro Toy Fair 2012 at SM Fairview

I'm surprised to find out that there is a Hasbro Toy Fair at SM Fairview when my wife and I went there yesterday.

So today we went back to so I could take pictures of some of the large Transformers statues there. I checked out some of the Transformers figures on sale but there was only a limited selection. I think there were even more Baby Alive items on sale. I saw some KRE-O Transformers and they somewhat resemble Lego. Since I love Lego, my interest was piqued :)

Here are some of the shots I took earlier. These are from the movie version of Transformers:

Optimus Prime (Movie), a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

My entry was included in the Hall of Fame Top 24 for November's "Reflection" Theme by IPicture

My entry made it as one of the Hall of Famers for last month's "Reflection" Theme in IPicture! :)

When my wife and I traveled to Baguio early in the year, the Pool of Pines easily became one of my favorite subjects. It has that quality that soothes and relaxes you. The reflection of the outreached trees is truly mesmerizing.

Can't wait to be back...

Reflections, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Here are the other Hall of Famers: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.470358573016215.125044.159449104107165&type=3

My entry made it as a Finalist on StreetSideMoments for 11/26/2012

Yey! My entry made it as one of the finalists for StreetSideMoments on 11/26/2012. My entry is the one on the center and it's a shot of a concrete-mixer truck.

Lego City at Robinsons Magnolia - Set 3

Here are some more shots of the Lego City at Robisons Magnolia:

Mining Site, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Lego City at Robinsons Magnolia - Set 2

Here are some more pictures that I have taken of the Lego City at Robinsons Magnolia:

ATVs, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Lego City at Robinsons Magnolia - Set 1

I've been a long-time Lego fan. Ever since my Dad gave me my first ever Lego vehicle, a firetruck with a firefighter figure, I was hooked. Nowadays, Lego sets are quite expensive. But I still manage to buy some of the more budget-friendly sets at eBay. My most recent purchase was a Batman Jetski set. And currently, I'm collecting the Shell Lego Ferrari vehicles, thanks again to my Dad for buying the fuel while I buy the Lego :)

This month, my wife and I made a trip to one of our favorite malls, Robinsons Magnolia. Imagine my surprise when I saw a full-blown Lego City set at the ground floor. That called for an instant photoshoot.

Here are some of my shots:

Hovering, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Three of my entries were included in the Hall of Fame Top 24 for September's "Portrait" Theme by IPicture

I haven't done much Portrait Photography so I'm glad that my entries have been included in the Hall of Fame for IPicture's Portrait Theme for September.

My entry made it as a Finalist on StreetSideMoments for 09/15/2012

My entry made it as a Finalist on StreetSideMoments daily photo contest. My entry is the one on the bottom row, second from the left. I saw these lined up Segways at SM by the Bay and I took a shot. I'm glad that I did.

My entry made it as a Finalist on StreetSideMoments for 09/12/2012

Happy to be included as one of the Finalists for StreetSideMoments daily photo contest. My entry is the one on the lower right corner. I took this shot at Harbour Square while waiting for the sunset at Manila Bay.

Intramuros Mini-Photo Walk

Lei & I were on our way to Barbara's for our buffet dinner. We took the LRT to Carriedo Station then boarded a Pier jeep that would take us to Intramuros. But along the way we saw the ruins of the old Aduana building and we decided to check it out and take some shots as well. It was still early and we have enough time before the buffet starts at 6PM.

Scott Kelby's 5th Annual Worldwide Photo Walk

I'm stoked to receive the following e-mail in my inbox:

So mark your calendars and prepare for this exciting event! This will be our second Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk since my wife and I were able to participate last year. Hopefully, October 13 would be rain-free unlike last year when we were drenched due to the heavy rains even before we began our Photo Walk at Intramuros. We waited for the rain to stop but by then only an hour was left for the event.

For more info check out: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

Four of my entries were included in the Hall of Fame Top 24 for July's "Open Subject" Theme by IPicture

So happy to have four of my entries to be included in IPicture's Hall of Fame Top 24 Open Subject for July 2012! :)

Here are my entries. BTW, I've used http://www.picture2life.com to create this collage. Check it out, it's a cool online app!

Here are the other Hall of Famers: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.423380604380679.113322.159449104107165&type=3

Here's IPicture's facebook page: https://www.www.facebook.com/ipicture2

Next month's theme: Road Trip

IPicture - Hall of Fame Top 24 - Open Subject - July 2012, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

A Day in the Life of Android

The adventures of Android begins. Now!

Android's first stop was at Newport Mall. Android had some ice cream at Crepes & Creme. Android loved the view from that location.

Dessert Time at Crepes & Creme, Newport Mall, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Streamzoo: There's a rainbow always after the rain...

Here's my first ever Streamzoo post. Actually, I've taken this shot last week and I've already posted this to Instagram and I'm just reposting it here since I'm eager to post something on Streamzoo :)

I just love the colors and framing options on Streamzoo. I think I'm going to enjoy it here...

Hello Streamzoo!

After the great loss that was Lightbox, I am ready to move on. For some reason, I'm really not that satisfied with Instagram, especially after my wonderful experience with the Lightbox community. It feels somewhat lacking for me (BTW, no offense to the Instagram fans out there since I'm still a fan!). It might be due to a lack of a Web component or other factors, but I digress.

I remember during the last days of Lightbox that most of the users there are jumping either to Instagram or to Streamzoo. Upon recalling that now, I was prompted to try and sign up for Streamzoo. I'm really looking forward to rekindle that lost Lightbox feeling with this community.

If you're on Streamzoo, follow me up at http://streamzoo.com/user/israelv

The iOS app looks great too!

Two of my entries were included in the Hall of Fame Top 24 for June's "Architecture" Theme by IPicture

Two of my entries made it to IPicture's Hall of Fame Top 24 Architecture for June 2012! So happy to have been included amongst all the wonderful entries. In addition, my wife's entry also made it.

Here are the other Hall of Famers:
https://www.www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.410727662312640.110023.159449104107165&type=1

Here's IPicture's facebook page: https://www.www.facebook.com/ipicture2

Next month's theme: OPEN SUBJECT

Here are my two entries:

BPI Bldg. - IPicture Hall of Fame Top 24 - Architecture for June 2012, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Enchanted Kingdom - IPicture Hall of Fame Top 24 - Architecture for June 2012, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

My entry was selected as one of the Runners-Up for the SHOOTING THE SHOOTER Theme of Circle of Amateur Photographers

So happy again to have been selected as one of the Runners-Up for the SHOOTING THE SHOOTER Theme of Circle of Amateur Photographers for the week of June 17-23 :)

I actually have to dig deep for this shot since I don't have that many that fits the theme.  This was a shot I took of the old movie theater house at Corregidor Island. Our tourist guide informed us that this was where the latest Hollywood movie releases were played first among the officers and soldiers stationed at Corregidor.  I could just imagine the beauty of this theater.  Sadly, it was a casualty of World War II and all that was left were the crumbling walls.

I was really just trying to shoot the theater but since it was a Nikon Club Photo Safari, there were so many of us photographers that day. I was just glad that the positions of the photographers turned out to be just right for my shot.

Here's my entry:

Circle of Amateur Photographers - SHOOTING the SHOOTERS Theme - Runner-Up, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Check out the other Runners Up here: https://www.www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.351599234911480.78972.135599359844803&type=3

 Plus if you want, you could also like the page of the Circle of Amateur Photographers and join their weekly competitions: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Circle-of-Amateur-Photographers/135599359844803

Next week's theme: WORKPLACE

ToyConPH 2012: Avengers, Devastator, a Stormtrooper and The Dark Knight's Costume

Now back to more ToyConPH 2012 goodness. From Halimaw! Sculptures, here are excellent figures of The Avengers. You could almost hear Cap say, "Avengers Assemble!"

Avengers Assemble, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

From the Marvel Universe we go to the Star Wars Universe. From MaxiCollectors, here's a cool figure of a Stormtrooper.

Stormtrooper, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Moving on to the Transformers Universe, we now see a wicked figure of Devastator! Devastator is my favorite combiner and I even have the complete, albeit more inexpensive set.

Devastator, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Next, a super deformed version of a childhood favorite of mine, UFO Grendizer!

UFO Grendaizer, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Finally, enclosed in glass, the actual Batman suit worn by Christian Bale from The Dark Knight. Impressive!

Christian Bale's Original Batman Costume, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

More shots in the next post!

ToyConPH 2012: X-Men, Cosplayers and “Ang Panday”

There were so many good toys to take shots of but so little time. Plus, my knees are aching and my feet are hurting. Getting too old I guess hehe... But in spite of all that, I still took my sweet time taking shots of all the figures that took my attention.

Here's an awesome figure of Angel in mid-flight. Angel, IMHO, is one of the most underrated X-Men characters. They seldom use him in cartoons, games, etc. And when they use him, like in the lame X-Men 3 movie, they portray an equally lame version of him. This figure of Angel reminded me of how he's the coolest X-Men character, next to the overexposed Wolverine. Now, how about an Archangel figure next time?

Angel, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

As I've mentioned earlier, Wolverine is already overexposed. But still, this brooding figure of him complete with bloodied bandages was hard not to be noticed so I've included it here.

Wolverine, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Last year, I was unable to take shots of cosplayers. This year I was able to take some. I'm quite shy really when it comes to requesting the cosplayers for a shot :)

Anime Cosplay, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Here's a Green Lantern cosplayer. She really stood out since most of the other cosplayers were portraying anime characters.

Green Lantern Cosplay, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

UPDATE 07/07/2012: A quick update on this post. The Green Lantern cosplayer pictured above found my shot on flickr and thanked me in one of her tweets:

Thank you @israelv for this nice shot @officialtoycon flickr.com/photos/israelv…Blog... fb.me/1RkNxsO3L
— Itel Domingo (@ITELdomingo) July 7, 2012

Thank you so much Ms. Itel for the mention! Hope to see you in future cosplay events! :)

Now, here's a breath of fresh air. Amidst all the figures from DC and Marvel superheroes, stood one of our very own. With a remarkable likeness to Fernando Poe, Jr., the "Ang Panday" figure stood proudly on one of the pedestals of Megatrade Hall. Da King would be proud! On that note, a Darna figure would be great in the next ToyCon.

Ang Panday, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

More pictures in the next post!

ToyConPH 2012: The Dark Knight, Thor, Magneto, Hulk and Juggernaut

My wife & I arrived at SM Megamall around half past six. Rain was pouring and we were tired from the commute. But it was all worth it once we entered the Megatrade Halls for Day 2 of ToyCon 2012. Sadly, most of the cosplayers already went home. Even my friend, Akagi, who is a part of the 501st Legion already changed. More on that in another post. But it was still OK since we were also here for the toys and there were an abundance of it!

I'm glad that The Dark Knight Rises was given prominence in this year's ToyCon since the movie will be coming out this July and I'm a huge Batman fan. It was exciting to see Batman (both Michael Keaton and Christian Bale versions) and The Joker (also with both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger versions) collectibles by Hot Toys. The resemblances to their real-life counterparts are almost uncanny! I would want to have the Michael Keaton Batman to be a part of my collection if it was not so expensive.

MaxiCollector (http://www.maxicollector.com), one of my favorite booths from last year, was back.  Plenty of my time were spent taking pictures of their awesome collection. I especially like their Marvel figures along with figures from movies like Predator and Avatar. Sadly, the cool Cyclops figure that I took a picture of last year was nowhere to be found.

Another favorite of mine from last year, Halimaw! Sculptures (http://www.halimawsculptures.com), was back as well. They never fail to impress with their awesome, life-like sculptures of DC and Marvel Superheroes. There are three outstanding sculptures for me this year.  The first is a very faithful figure of World War Hulk.  Second, is a battle scene between Hulk and Juggernaut.  Finally, a Magneto and Sentinel montage. You can check out my shots of those later in this post.

With just those two aforementioned booths alone, I was in complete comic book geek heaven! Not to mention the other booths with figures ranging from G.I.Joe, Star Wars, Gundam and even Super Mario Bros.

Well enough said already. It's time to show the pictures. From The Dark Knight Rises booth, here's a shot of my favorite superhero of all time, The Dark Knight, with the perfect likeness of Christian Bale.

The Dark Knight, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Here's another one of my favorite heroes, The Might Thor, complete with a remarkable likeness of Chris Hemsworth.

The Mighty Thor, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Here's the World War Hulk figure from Halimaw! Sculptures that I mentioned earlier. Not enough words can be used to describe the coolness of this figure.

World War Hulk, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Next, also from Halimaw! Sculptures is a levitating Magneto besides a wicked-looking Sentinel complete with light-on eyes. Muties beware!

Magneto & Sentinel, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

Lastly, also from Halimaw! Sculptures, is a battle scene between the Hulk and Juggernaut. Score 1-0 for the Hulk since he is able to remove Juggernaut's helmet.

Hulk vs. Juggernaut, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

More pictures in the next post!

ToyConPH 2012 is upon us!!!

After attending my first ever ToyCon last year, I'm really looking forward to this year's ToyCon. I have had such a blast taking shots of the wonderful toys from last year's event and I have no doubt that I would have that same experience this year.

I've also read that The Dark Knight Rises would be a prominent feature of the event so that makes me excited even more since I'm a huge Batman fan and I can't wait for the upcoming feature film.

I would be attending Day 2 so please stay tuned for my pictures! :)

For more info, please check out the official Web site of ToyCon: http://www.toyconph.com

My Last Ever Lightbox Post

Actually this shot below COULD HAVE BEEN my last post in Lighbox on its closing day, the 15th of June.

Android says goodbye to Lightbox, a photo by {israelv} on Flickr.

But alas, as I was about to post it on my GALAXY mini, I was greeted by the following screen. And with that, Lightbox is no more...

Farewell to a wonderful photography app! You'll be missed!