Noel Alivio Photography

Genco Olive Oil Importers

2011-07-19T21:52:00.000+08:00

Was it in the Godfather movies that Genco olive oil became popular?

Osaka Castle

2011-07-11T21:09:00.000+08:00

Visited Osaka castle for the first time last Sunday. The place is huge with many sub-areas to wander and enjoy the scenery. It was a very hot humid day that I could barely stay outside. I had to find somewhere to shelter from the smoldering sun. But it was a good visit as I learned a lot on the history of Osaka. You should visit this place too.

Iphone Camera

2011-07-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

It has been said that that most photos posted in Flickr are taken using the Iphone camera. With millions of Iphones around it is not surprising anymore that this eventuality has to happen. Mobile phones in general are handy, easy to use, quick to set-up on the get-go and never misses to be carried around all the time. The quality of phone cameras are also getting better and better each model. So I would say that eventually dedicated cameras will be a thing of the past. Especially point and shoot cameras. DLSR may stay for a while as the complete functions of these high end cameras cannot be replaced yet on a cellphone equivalent.

I for one is now taking more photos with my Iphone than my SLR or point and shoot. I can also easily perform basic and advance editing with the availability of Apps that performs the complex functions of Photoshop. Heck, even Photoshop has a free App for editing photos on a mobile phone.

So how about you? Are you still locked up to your point and shoot?

View of almost sunset taken with my Iphone while going home

Grainy HDR

2011-07-04T21:49:00.000+08:00

Grainy but colorful. What can I say?

Hiroshima Castle

2011-07-03T19:27:00.000+08:00

Another HDR experiment edit. I tried mixing up the curves, selective color, exposure and the like to create different exposed shots. All were combined and re-adjusted to finally came up with the final edit for this experiment.

It is still not to my desired output but it's a start.

Dreamboard

2011-07-02T22:17:00.000+08:00

I have been using Winterboard to customize the look and feel of my Iphone. Now, I have tried using Dreamboard which is another customization application. My first impression is that Dreamboard is much better than Winterboard because you don't have to re-spring every time you toggle themes. Also in Dreamboard, you don't have to install other jailbreak applications because it can attain deep UI customizations.

Below is the Endroid theme I am currently using.

Hiroshima Castle Gate

2011-07-01T22:20:00.000+08:00

Wandering around Hiroshima brought me again to Hiroshima Castle. I have visited this place many times and at different seasons. I don't get tired taking photos from different angles and locations to get that surreal look of the place.

Below is the entrance to the castle grounds.

Tech News I'm Excited Lately

2011-06-29T21:09:00.000+08:00

You can say I am a techie dude. I follow and is interested in anything related to technology. I am always excited for new technologies that makes news to the general public. Two of these recent buzzes are the possible release of 2 new iPhones and Google+.

First is about the iPhone. I currently use the Iphone 4. What really amazes me about this phone is not the phone itself but the myriad applications that I can use for different purposes. I currently jailbreak my Iphone which means I can install homebrewed applications aside from the almost 425,000+ apps available in the Apps Store either as a free or paid application. That's a lot of apps the choose from. And it is neverending. New and groundbreaking apps keep on being developed and released. So with the upcoming Iphone 5 and Iphone 4S I might be tempted to update my current Iphone 4.

The second tech news that I am excited about is Google+. This is Google's latest attempt in social networking. They have tried before releasing Google Wave and Google Buzz. Have your heard of them? Most likely you have not as these first attempts failed miserably. Now Google+ is on trial stage with selected invite only users. Unfortunately I am not one of those invited to try this latest social networking application from Google. But what I've heard from chatters across the net is that this is much a better attempt by Google than those Wave/Buzz failures. I hope that they can release it sooner than later as I really want to have a social application that falls between Facebook (more personal social app) and LinkedIn (more professional social app). And from what I heard, Google+ falls smack between these two heavyweight social networking sites/apps.

HDR Again

2011-06-28T21:19:00.000+08:00

I used to love HDR photos very much that every time I shoot I always make sure I bracketed the shot into three exposures for HDR processing later. It is not convenient way as you have to make sure that your shot is not shaking, which necessarily means putting your camera in a tripod. And if you're on the go all the time this makes a bracketed shot tedious to make.

Nowadays I usually shot one photo only. Then I just make 3 pictures out of this shot using the curves adjustment function of Photoshop. And with the 3 pictures I have, I will process an HDR photo through Photomatix software.

Now I am also trying to make an HDR photo through the gazillion functions of Photoshop. There are many ways you can do this and different photographers have their own version of doing it. So I have much to learn how to this but I have the time to make this happen.

Below is a sample of one shot photo converted into an HDR image.

I Missed A Day of Posting

2011-06-27T23:33:00.000+08:00

Oh my... I missed to post a blog for the past two days I guess since it is past twelve midnight already. Did I ran out of things to talk about? I am sure I have a lot of ideas in my mind right now. It is just that I still don't have the discipline and fortitude to really write something that I like.

Okay, so what should I compose for today? Hmmmm what is in my mind right now? I was thinking that I believe a need a photo that I have taken lately or a picture that I have seen somewhere, post it and then write something about it. Today I am not going to do it. I will just type and type whatever comes to my mind right now. This may not be a coherent article with a focal subject but just a smorgasbord of words put together to make some kind of feature article. I don't like to repeat key words in my articles but I repeated the word "article" again four times already in this paragraph alone.

Well, let me then jump to another subject that came to my mind just a few paragraphs ago. Yesterday I saw this National Geographic show about the universe, theories abut the universe. It is highly postulized (is there a word postulized? whatever...) that the universe started our of nothing during the big bang. Out from nothing came all the matter that fills the universe right now, which, is still expanding and expanding. It is said that the universe is currently 13 billion years old plus or minus a couple of billion years. Other theories says that there are many universes around, so called, multiverse theory, other than our own observable universe. There were a couple other theories but I seem not to get interested anymore.

You know what I think about this. Well first I don't think that the universe we have is 13 billion years old. I think this is the biggest accurate misconception since people believed that earth is 6000 years old as mentioned in the bible. I believe that there is no beginning or ending of time, space and matter itself. I believe that it is not within our current capability to understand the whole meaning about the universe.

Now this sounds odd but I still have a lot to say about this. It is not easy to explain a complex idea into a few sentences. I guess I might start to write my own theory about. But that will be another story. So yeah, I think I have so many ideas to write about. All I need is the discipline to do it.

Avatar

2011-06-25T21:58:00.003+08:00

Just watched Avatar again in my computer. I never get tired re-watching movies that define new heights in film making. Avatar is one of those films that extend the limits of what could be possible.

Aside from the stunning visual effects, this movie has an environmental message for all of us. We are part of nature and nature is part of us. Destroying the environment will also destroy us. There is nothing wrong with progress as long as we are doing it in a right and sustainable way. We may take and exploit all the resources around us but we cannot just take them wantonly.

I hope we will have more movies like Avatar that has a story and social message in it while providing enjoyment in the wonders of excellent film making.

Hallelujah Mountains, a.k.a Floating mountains of Planet Pandora

Summer is Here

2011-06-24T22:54:00.006+08:00

Summer officially came a few days ago. However the temperature today is blisteringly hot. It seems we are on the middle of August already. The Kanto region of Japan recorded the highest temperature so far for a June month : 39 degrees Celsius! That is really hot.

Is it because of global environmental change? Winters also recorded abnormally low temperature on months where we expect warmer weather. If June temperature is already past 30 degrees I wonder what the temperature will be in August.

I like to go out during summer because the sky is so clear and blue; the sun brightly shining all over which makes photographing nice places more enticing. I also would be running and jogging early mornings and late afternoons just to enjoy the warmth rays of the sun hitting gently my sweaty skin.

Hopefully it will be a summer to remember.

Running for Good Health

2011-06-23T23:45:00.000+08:00

I received the results of my annual check-up recently. There was nothing for be concerned of of the findings except that I need to be active and control intake of non-healthy foods as it seems my weight, fatty content on some body areas, and some other cholesterol sensitive areas are high.

I don't have a body builder's body. I don't have 6-pack abs. Instead I have a growing beer belly which I need to slim down so as not to make some of my jeans obsolete.

The doctor said I need to change my sedimentary lifestyle. Stay away from computer and hit the gym. Or start running frequently to remove excess calories that builds into body fat if you sit in front of the computer right off the bat after eating. Well yeah I do have keyboard itch as I like reading news, updating my network (personal and professional social sites), writing a blog, editing photos and the like.

I need to change, big time. I have to jog every weekend for a start. I have to to the gym and lift weights, do sit-ups and other abs crunching routines.

Food intake has to be controlled also. I need to eat breakfast as I currently miss breakfast frequently. Coffee, by the way, is not considered a breakfast item. My dinner habit has to change too. Sometimes I ate past 9 PM which is not good time for supper. I also have to follow the new "food-plate" initiative. More on fruits and vegetables, if possible half of your plate is filled from this food group. Less on meat products, just enough to sustain the protein requirement.

I believe these are not difficult lifestyle changing habits. For good health is wealth.

But I have to read magazines, of course, health magazines to cover my itch for reading.

IELTS Exam

2011-06-22T22:46:00.000+08:00

I will have my IELTS exam next month. Though I come from a country where English is the lingua franca and where I use English as my day to day business communication tongue, I still have to have an IELTS result to officially prove that I can communicate in English fluently. Such requirement is needed when you plan to immigrate or live permanently in an English speaking country such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand or USA.

I am confident that I can pass this test easily. However, I still have to prepare properly and hopefully achieve above average results.

The test is divided into four categories: Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing. Of the four tests, I feel I am weakest on the Writing category. It is not easy to organize your thoughts, write fluidly using the best words and using grammar that artfully conveys the subject/thought you are writing about. Yes, it is easy to write a few sentences or even a few paragraphs. But it is not easy to coherently write a complete article without messing up some words or sentences or ideas. What I mean is you usually repeat words redundantly. Or you keep on writing on a loop until you reach the end of your article. Normally, you edit and edit until you reach the desired results but in IELTS exam you don't have the luxury to edit many times.

So here I am blogging as much as I can to practice and practice and practice until I will be as confident as my reading, speaking and listening skills.

By the way, this article has 4 paragraphs, 15 sentences and about 250 words.

Instagr.am

2011-06-21T23:16:00.000+08:00

Instagr.am is is a photo sharing application designed for use on Apple iOS devices. This App allows users to share their photos after applying a variety of effects or filters. Users can share photos through the Instagram app or using a variety of other social networking products such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

I have been using this for a few days now and yeah it looks cool. It seems to be addictive at times.

As you can see I just have a few photos yet. Let me just say these are just trial/test photos to get me familiarized with the functions of the App. Later on I will be posting nice photos that will hopefully get some attention and increase my current followers from 1.

I also like this community because to be honest there are really extremely nice photos posted around. I have been a long user of Flickr but this community seems different.

So I hope I can also post one photo a day on this community.

Why Can't I Blog at Least One Post A Day?

2011-06-21T22:57:00.000+08:00

I have always asked this many times myself. And it seems I don't have the answer. It is not that I don't have time to do this. In fact I have a lot of time to at least update this blog once a day.

It is not that I don't know how to write a 300 word article. In fact I do make a lot of communication, emails, reports that even go beyond 10 paragraphs .

It is not that I don't have a subject to write about or love to write. In fact, I have extremely varied interests ranging from photography, to technology, to sports, to health, to music , to movies, to books. Ohh, my mind is just full of interests and imagination.

What is it then? You know what....I think I have too much interests on such a wide subject that I seem to get lost of what would I blog then. This blog is supposed to be about my love for photography. But I have included subjects about technology. I seem to get lost of what the blog is all about, and then so goes my interest to blog at least once a day.

So from now on, this blog might be about photography but I will just write anything that fascinates me whether it's about the next Iphone or who wins this year's Wimbledon or updates to my PC which I seem to find enjoyment by tweaking and adding new stuff.

So, starting today June 21st, I will be at least posting 1 blog a day.

P.S. Please do remind me if I miss one day.

Cherry Blossoms

2011-04-15T18:31:00.000+08:00

It is that time of year again when the cold dark winter days burst into life. Where flowers bloom and the sun keeps on shining giving warmth all around.

I'm Back

2011-04-14T23:25:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I posted my last blog. I have been very busy lately that I did not have time anymore to post and write something that interest me.

I just got hold a copy of Photoplus April 2011 edition. This edition featured boudoir photography. My genre has always been landscape photography but the thought of photographing sexy and beautiful ladies in lingerie always appealed me. Someday I would be doing this and fun it would be!!!

The Walkman is Dead! Long Live the Walkman!

2010-10-25T20:31:00.001+08:00

Today Sony terminated the production of the tape based walkman. It has been 31 years since the first walkman brought music closer to our ears and our hearts.

I still remember the sound of the Clash blaring all over my ears and right into my brain; I started jogging with the music of Rocky pushing me on to that extra mile; I was moonwalking on Michael Jackson`s Billy Jean tune; I was just oblivious of the world around me when music was fodder on my soul.

Though we have now the Ipods, the bluetooth headsets, the hi-fidelity Bose headsets, music from the walkman was never been that good. The hissing noise made by an overused cassette tape makes the music more surreal. Yeah, I am old school. I like vinyl records more than CDs, more the than 320 kbps VBR AAC files. I still like it with the static noises. I still like it when music was music to my ears.

Yes, Walkman, you can now fly somewhere.

Jailbreaking iOS 4.1

2010-10-11T00:23:00.000+08:00

Today I was able to jailbreak iOS 4.1 on my iPhone 4. I used Geohot's boot rom exploit Limera1n. I was actually waiting for Chronic dev team's Greenpois0n jailbreak but Geohot, for whatever reasons he had, released his Limera1n jailbreak even if it is still in beta. This has caused the Chronic dev team to postpone the release of the Greenpois0n as they don't want Apple to be able to patch two jailbreaks at the same time. This has also made them angry at Geohot because apparently they think that Geohot's motive of releasing his jailbreak a day before the planned release of Greenpois0n was to steal the limelight from them.

Anyway, Limera1n was working well for me and I am now able to install personalized apps and configure my iPhone to my liking. The jail breaking process was a breeze.Just follow the instructions from the many blogs and sites that have also used Gehot's Limera1n boot rom exploit. And to think this jailbreak is for the life of the device as this can only be patched by Apple through releasing new devices. I hope it will stay that way.

My Kind of DSLR

2010-10-09T19:05:00.004+08:00

If I can have this kind of DSLR camera I would be shooting 24 hours a day.

Add caption

Books I Am Reading

2010-10-03T18:02:00.000+08:00

I love reading. Ever since I was a kid reading books, magazines, newspapers was a way of life. Now paired with the latest technology reading was never been better or easier. E-book readers are getting cheaper too. The iBooks app on the Ipad is such a delight. I am currently reading different books at the same time jumping from one book to another at a flick of a finger.

Chill Out Music

2010-08-10T22:08:00.000+08:00

It has been awhile since I last posted on this blog. Lately I had been trying to organize my collection of songs in my i-Tunes library. Chill out and alternative music are few of my favorite genre. Lately I am listening frequently on one of my favorite album "The Rainbow Goblins" by Masayoshi Takanaka. It feels so good to listen to this kind of music. It just relaxes your soul and refreshes your mind.

Please try his music too. I know you will like it.

IPHONE 4i IS HERE

2010-06-08T20:47:00.002+08:00

Yes folks I call it 4i instead of 4G as 4G can be confused to a 4th generation of mobile wireless transmission. 4i on the other hand is more accurate as it means 4th iteration of the Iphone which is what it really is.

There were no surprises here as most of what we expect were already discussed, blogged and posted on numerous websites.

Does the Iphone 4i leapfrogs the 3GS? I doubt it. Though there are some nifty and nice new features, these are things that will be covered, leapfrogged by the gazillion of Android phones coming in the next few months. But this Iphone 4i is still much better overall than the rest of the smartphone in the market already or those coming out in the open.

Learning Java

2010-05-25T11:53:00.001+08:00

Want to learn Java programming? Go this dude's Youtube site. You will be amazed by his skills.