Where We've Been

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 06:12:00 +0000

This December was a blur for us but everything was worth it in the end. We are now a family of three and we are blessed to have the best ending of the year ever! Happy New Year!

The best camera is the one that you have with you

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 15:09:00 +0000

Canon 5D mark II, Canon 24-105mm F/4.0 Lens, 1/125 sec at f/8.0, iso 1600

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:54:00 +0000

Canon 40D, Canon 24-105mm F/4.0 Lens, 1/250 sec at f/8.0, iso 125

Pick Your Own! Apple Picking at the Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, New York

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It's apple picking time again here in the northeast and this time we went to the Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, NY

A few years ago, they had the pick your own site right behind the farm store so you could easily buy your cider doughnuts and pick your apples without transferring to another site. This time they want you to drive about a block past the store to do the picking there. I'm not sure if they did this because the trees in the back was already picked but I do think that it is a good idea because it clears up the crowd and makes it easier for parking.

Once there, you just pay for what size bag you want and your off on your own to pick to your hearts content! They only had the honeycrisp, Macintosh and Gala when we went and you can only pick the honeycrisps with the small (1/2 bushel) bags. We've never had that variety before but it was a clear favorite when we finally got to taste it. They had a yellow ribbon for the honey crisp trees.

Here's a quick tip... Try to head to the outer edges of the orchard because they are usually still full of apples. It's a bit of a walk but worth it to get bigger and nicer looking fruit.

Just remember that you have to bring all of those apples back to your car at the end of the day. That's a LOT of apples!

We only bought the small bag and that's still a whole lot of apples!

It was a fun day of apple picking and we're still thinking of different ways to use them all up. We had a great time over at Indian Ladder and make sure that you bring your friends along to share the fun!

INDIAN LADDER FARMS
http://www.indianladderfarms.com/

342 Altamont Voorheesville Rd.

Altamont, NY 12009

Bug Light - The Portland Breakwater Lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 17:46:00 +0000

The Farm Store and Cider Doughnuts at the Indian Ladder Farms

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:19:00 +0000

It's almost the end of Summer and that means it's apple picking season here in the North East. The last time we went was 5 years ago so now is a good time to do it again and this time we went to the Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, New York.

The farm has a very nice cafe and farm store where they sell various stuff but it does get really crowded this time of the year from all the people tying to buy apple cider and their famous cider doughnuts. So if you are planning on just getting the doughnuts prepare to spend some time in the lines because it can get really long.

If you are just going to get some apples and cider a faster way is to get it in the barn instead of the farm store as the lines are shorter.

There are also a bunch of kid friendly activities that you can do too. They have a petting zoo setup where you can pet some farm animals and they also have tractor rides as well as pony rides! Make sure to visit the cafe to see the bee hive. At first I though it was just a model but it was full of live bees!

Enjoying some freshly made cider doughnuts! You can see them being made fresh through the green windows.

One of the main reasons that we went to the farm was to do some apple picking. A few years ago they used to have the "Pick your Own" site right next to the store but now they have it a good block away. You can still walk to the site if you really want to but they suggest that you bring your car and drive over which is a really good idea since you'll probably be bringing a few extra pounds of Honey Crisp and Macintosh apples on your way back. I'll upload some of the pictures of our experience in another post. :)

All in all it was a very nice experience that everybody should try doing at least once during the season. Although the lines where a bit long, nothing beats freshly made cider doughnuts! Cheers!

INDIAN LADDER FARMS
http://www.indianladderfarms.com/
342 Altamont Voorheesville Rd.

Altamont, NY 12009
Google Map

Downtown Troy and Uncle Sam

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 14:18:00 +0000

We recently went to downtown Troy to go to the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. We had a blast with all the good food and music but the other thing that I really enjoyed was how awesome the architecture is down there.

We also saw that there was also a lot of references towards Uncle Sam and it turns out that Troy, NY is the official home of the real "Uncle Sam"

I always thought that "Uncle Sam" was just a fictional character in those World War I posters trying to convince you to join the army. It was actually based on a real person named Samuel Wilson! You can read up on the history here.

The interesting part of this is that we saw a few Uncle Sam statues all over the area.

A quick google reveals that it is part of a public art installation and that there's a total of 30 Uncle Sam's in Troy! Check out the list of Uncle Sams over here.

I guess we still have a few more Uncle Sams to go!

Downtown Troy
http://www.downtowntroy.org/
The Uncle Sam Project

Troy Waterfront Farmers Market

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:36:00 +0000

If you are looking for a good place to go on a Saturday Morning then the Troy Waterfront Farmer's Market is a good place to start!

The Summer Market is open September to October from 9am to 2pm every Saturday with a host of vendors selling locally grown produce, as well as artisan breads, pastas and various meat products.

There's free on street parking but your best bet is to park at the Uncle Sam Parking Garage at the River St.

There's also a bunch of really good food stalls there to try. There's one that sells curry which looked really good but it had a ton of people lined up so we gave up. We'll probably try it the next time we're there.

We ended up having Spanakopita and Sarma with some Baklava from Euro Delicacies. Yum!
All in all it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning. We really enjoyed it and we'll definitely be coming back for more.

Troy Waterfront Farmers Market
www.troymarket.org
https://twitter.com/troymarket

Something New! Donating to Locks of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:49:00 +0000

The last time Shian had her hair cut this short was college and believe it or not that was more than 15 years ago. So it goes without saying that this was a huge undertaking and was in the planning stages for the last 3 years.

During the past 3 years, every time we near the day that she would do it, we would always have a reason to not do it... "let's do it next year 'coz it's already winter" or the classic "Maybe my face will look bigger!" But this year was different. We've started to exercise more and eat healthier and we've lost a bunch of weight and that seems to be the push that we needed for her to finally go through with it.

The only thing that I can say is why didn't we do this sooner! It really turned out great and on top of that, we will be donating her hair to this wonderful organization called locks of love.

For those who are not familiar, Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

They have a few guidelines that you need to be aware of like the length of the hair should be at least 10 inches long, It should be stored in a braid or pony tail, etc. You could check out the rest here: http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html

Locks of Love
http://www.locksoflove.org234 Southern Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701
Phone (561) 833-7332
Fax (561) 833-7962
Toll Free Information Line (888) 896-1588

Go and Donate!

Goodbye Christmas Tree!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:47:00 +0000

It's now February and sad to say that it's time to bring down the Christmas Tree. I know that you're probably thinking that we should have kept it ages ago but hey, This was our first tree so that's that! Kudos to my lovely wife for decorating such a beautiful tree!

Visiting Rhode Island 2011 - Bowen's Wharf

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Last July, we went for our 2nd visit to Newport, Rhode Island to celebrate Shian's birthday. We really love this city. It's about a 3 hour trip from Albany, surrounded by water and there's a lot of interesting things to do. This time around, we decided to stay near downtown Newport and just explore and relax.

We just love this car! He just had a bath and the lighting was nice with all the reflections. It is a 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and I think I like the look of this generation more than the new 2012's.

I wasn't really sleepy ^^,
It was raining hard when we left Albany but it did stop when we reached Rhode Island. As we were crossing the first bridge (I forgot the name), half of it was covered with fog and It felt like something out of a zombie movie. Really Creepy.
We ate at The Black Pearl down at Bowen's Wharf. Loved their clam chowder but also loved their lobster roll. Can't wait to go back to have some more!
Shian had the Grilled Shrimp and Scallops. Yum!
There is a small balcony at the back of the Aquidneck Lobster Co. Wharf with a great view of the harbor.
Always loved how a huskie's eyes are so intense (and blue). One of my favorite James Bond cars - The Aston Martin Vanquish. We also saw a bunch of Ferraris, Porsche, Lambos, Benz AMGs...

Bowen's Wharf
http://www.bowenswharf.com/13 Bowen's Wharf | PO Box 60 | Newport, RI 02840

P: 401.849.2243 | M: mjg@bowenswharf.com

Isaiah's Baptism

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:11:00 +0000

Last September 18, we went to the christening of Gen+Ina's son, Isaiah, and we were honored to be a part of the celebration as one of the Godparents. We have been to a couple of Christening's since coming to the US and it's always a joy to share in the happiness of having a baby be a part of the Catholic family. Traditionally here in the US, they only have a pair of Godparents but being from the Philippines... it is nice that the tradition of having at least 3-7 pairs have crossed over too. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Baptism. Enjoy!
Issey started playing with the holy water!

The baby bottle is always the best tool to keep a cranky baby happy!
Annointing with oil... The oil was very pepperminty. We met with them after a few days and Issey still smelled minty!

Fellow photog with the kids.
Issey is all greased up and ready to go! The "Ninangs" - Godmothers The "Ninongs" - Godfathers

Tinikling at the 40th Annual Festival of Nations in Albany, NY

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Here's a video by Rommel Esconde on the recently concluded 40th Annual Festival of Nations held at the Albany Convention Center, NY. Every year, Different countries showcase their culture through their food, crafts, music and native dances. This year was special because it marked the first time that the Filipino community was represented with a performance of the "Tinikling" by the Binhing Pinoy Dancers which was composed of Filipino-American kids living here in Albany.

I can still remember how ordinary and forgetful my experience was with our Native dances. Having performed the maglalatik with my classmates in grade school, I can still remember the shiver of embarrassment running down my spine whenever I think about it. But looking at these kids doing their very best in representing our culture just makes you lift your head high and be proud to be a Filipino. Great job guys! Can't wait to be there next year!

Christmas in the City - New York, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:04:00 +0000

One of the advantages of digital cameras from film is the ability to take lots of pictures without thinking of the cost of the film and developing. The drawback is, because of the sheer amount of pictures that gets accumulated through the years, you sometimes forget to process some of them. :)

This is an example of a forgotten trip that we made last year to visit the Big Tree in Rockefeller Center.
It was SUPER cold when we went to the city and it always gets me when you look at the sunny pictures and thinking why are all the people covered up.
Max's Restaurant in New Jersey is the nearest one in NY and we try to drop by everytime we go to the city. I've never been a big Max's fan back in the Philippines but since coming here, I just can't get enough! It's just funny to see how small the whole chicken is compared to what you can get in the grocery (The chicken here in the US is HUGE! About double the size).
lobby of the Empire State Building.
The flagship store of Macy's in NYC is extra busy during the christmas season.
Lots of mirrors in the boy's bathroom... wonder what it's for?
Times Square
Always nice to have someone to cuddle in a cold (freezing) winter night! :) Ended the day with a trip to the M&M store.
You could mix different sizes and flavors of M&M and pay by weight.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:20:00 +0000

Bowen's Wharf at Newport, Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Facebook Timeline - What do you think?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Facebook Timeline - Whether you like it or not, it will be coming soon to replace your FB Profile (as early as this Friday, Sept 30). I've seen a lot of people already up in arms against this but after using it for a while, I think it's way better than the old one. What do you think?

You can activate the Facebook timeline ahead of it's release by following the instructions here:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/22/how-to-enable-facebook-timeline/

The Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:37:00 +0000

When you visit Niagara Falls, one of the first things that you notice before even seeing the falls itself is this monolith, overlooking the most powerful waterfalls in North America.

The Skylon Tower was officially opened on October 6, 1965 and has been one of the premier attractions when visiting Niagara, offering a unique view of both the American and the larger horseshoe falls.

Skylon Tower
http://www.skylon.com
5200 Robinson Street
Niagara Falls, ON
Canada
L2G 2A3

Phone 1-905-356-2651
Fax: 1-905-356-8699
Toll Free in North America 1-877-4SKYLON (1-877-475-9566)

I know of somebody who has their Christmas Tree up... I'm Jealous.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:10:00 +0000

Canon 5d mark II 35mm F1.4 1/320 ISO 800

Mooncake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:11:00 +0000

I do love my mooncake!

Jason Powell's Looking Into the Past: September 11

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:06:00 +0000

This is an awesome project by Flickr user Jason Powell. I've always loved his looking into the past series but this set that he did for September 11 is definitely the one to see.

Jason Powell's Flickr Photostream

Nothing like Sleeping kittens

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Since we are in a cat lovin' mood, Look at what I found in one of my long lost digital folders. I think they were just a few months old when I took the pictures. I always love it when I see them all bunched up, stretching all over and getting comfy. Enjoy!

Canon Powershot G5 F2.8 1/20 ISO 200

Buffy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Canon 5d mark II 85mm F1.8 1/80 ISO 2500

Jollibee in Niagara Falls, Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Look at what we found stuck on one of the lamp posts when we visited Niagara Falls... Jollibee! Jollibee (for the non-Filipino folks) is the biggest hamburger chain in the Philippines and the bee on the post is their adorable mascot. Think of it as the Filipino Mcdonald's and if you're still curious, there are a couple of Jollibee restaurants spread out all over the US. The nearest for us is in Queens, NY but you check out their USA Site for more info.

So next time that you happen to be in the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and walking down Murray St. , try hunting for that smiling bee in the lamp post. Cheers!

I see you!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Canon 5d mark II 200mm F2.8 1/200 ISO 100