Thursday, September 17, 2009

Photo-Catchup: In case you were wondering...

Basically, I'm still trying to figure out ways to photoblog efficiently, and I hope I've hit upon something for now. Using some free tools, here's what's been happening with me these past few days.

Below is my recent trip to the Magic Kingdom:





And below is my visit to Hollywood and Universal Studios:







Let me know if you guys want captions. It's just that I do this already on Facebook, so I'm pretty tired of typing the same thing out, but if you guys like this, then I might do more of these and just only type out captions once. Whatevers you guys want. For reals... ;)

****This post is not working right. Photos can be found here

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Yellowstone: It's about Frak'n time!...

It's a trip we always wanted to make: to see nature's great scenery, without all the mess of camping and getting nature on us. Though, riding on a bus for 4 days is a bit tough and rushed, but it's better than getting lost among the 6 different entrances into the forest that are spread across 3 states.

And besides, driving yourself is over-rated. Naps on a bus rule.

Total States Crossed: 6 - California, Nevada, Arizona (On the way there), Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana

Number of Different Meats Consumed - 3 - NZ Lamb, Bison, and Buffalo; but really, I can't tell the difference

Strangest meat consumed - Peanut Chicken; really, I've been to 4 different regions in China, and I've NEVER had this!

Total Number of Days on the Road - 6

Number of Bear Attacks - Zero

The next time I'll be back at Yellowstone - Probably when I have kids and the flying car is invented...


Saturday, August 29, 2009

CA Wildfires, like the End of the World...

In LA, if it ain't the recession, unemployment, flash floods or unpredictable earthquakes -- it's forest fires. Dry weather + insane heat = Crazy nature.

I shot this stuff at a distance, and even I can feel it...





It's like a nuke went off in the distance...

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Go Cart, Go Home...

You see a shopping cart on the side of the road. You could ignore it, sure that's the easy thing to do. Or maybe, just maybe, you're crazy enough to walk it all the way back to the store from which it came...


This Bed Bath and Beyond cart was calling for its brethren...


... So 8 long blocks later, it was finally home. Only to be snatched
by a guy 5 seconds later.


Sometimes you don't have to go out of your way to do the right thing... ;)

Building a Bookshelf: Right on Target...

I will never be a master-craftsman. But that doesn't mean I can't be a master-crapsman. Lend me two screwdrivers and a hammer, and here's what happens:


Typical bookshelf in the "Before" stage


Looks like all the pieces are still there, that's a good start


Key to success: lay it all out, and make sure you have EVERYTHING for reals


Follow the instructions, or else you might accidentally make a table


Standing up on its own. Always a good sign towards the end


Ta-Da! A bookshelf that's ready for use. And I used every single
part... I think. ;)

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Las Vegas Weekend: Girls, Gambling, and... Guns?

Sometimes the best way to see a town you've been to a million times is to take someone that hasn't been there in ages. That was exactly the case this past weekend.

Destination: Las Vegas
Mission: As much fun as legally possible

I've gotten so used to doing what the locals do that I kinda forgot what it's like to just walk around the Strip like a regular 'ol tourist. Recapturing some of that magic did my soul some good, and did I mention that I had an awesome time?

Anyway, the pics below were taken during the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, where the combination of costumed fans, massive amounts of booze and gambling surprisingly lead to mild mischief for all, and made being a Trekkie that much crazier.

Besides cruising the Strip, there was even a stop at The Gun Store. Let's just say that even a pacifist would be hard-pressed to deny the fact that shooting full-automatic machine guns is kinda frak'n awesome...




And for a little extra bonus video, click here

Thursday, August 06, 2009

New Zealand, July 2009: Only Go In Winter If Necessary...

Hey peeps!

Finally got off my ass and started looking at the latest trip photos. God, it seemed this NZ trip was such a blur. Then again, when you've been on the road for 3 weeks out of each month, everything seems to whiz right by.

I've been to New Zealand about 5 times, so if it seems like there aren't as many photos, well, that's because I've shot the crap out of the country the last couple times, so I only took photos of places that I'd never been to on this trip. It's also only the 2nd time that I've been down there during winter, and believe me, you do not want to go in winter. Yeah, sure the air fair is cheaper, but you also have to deal with cold wind, cold rain, and people that suffer from extreme bouts of seasonal moodiness. I mean, you'd think they thought the Earth was about to end since the gray skies look like a good day in Seattle. Man, they are so fickle.

In 20 years time, I've seen the city-folk gradually become more urban and closed off: they seem more guarded and stodgy ever since the increase in immigrant population in the early part of this century. Where once it was mostly whites and Maoris, now there's Indians, Iranians, Armenians, and host of other "ians" that now fill the populace at large. With so many new attitudes and ways of thinking, the Kiwis are trying to adapt, yet, they like to live at a slow pace in a supersonic world. Some things will never change.

Of course, when you meet people in the country and farther away from the city, they are still fairly pleasant, and love a bit of a chat when they can. Something about being in the Southern Hemisphere makes it appear that they are so far removed from the rest of the world that it's nice to find people that winter during, well, winter. That's one aspect of Kiwi life that I hope never changes. The last of the innocence of kindness that is slowly siphoned off from the rest of the world, but still preserved in a place where you'd least expect it.

Anyhow, here's the shots I took on this latest trip. Hope you like them... ;)


Friday, July 17, 2009

Slight Jolt in the South Island, But I'm All Right...

In case you didn't get my last update, I've been in New Zealand for travel trip, and yes, there was a massive earthquake that shook the South Island of the country, but I am perfectly fine.

I'm currently in Auckland, NZ, which is located in the northern part of the North Island of the country, a few hundred kilometers away from the earthquake site. Luckily, the tremor occurred in a remote part of the South Island where barely anyone lived, so that was a blessing. A few bottles and some glass broke, but other than a few frayed nerves, the Kiwis continue to go about their lives as usual. Most are more concerned with the current Cricket and Rugby games that are happening than anything else.

The only thing I've been worried about is earthquake ordinances for buildings in NZ, which apparently I can't seem to get a straight answer about. People talk about it being a wake up call, but without the building foundations to back that up, they might as well be ready for a Sichuan-Earthquake-like disaster in the near future. I would really hate to see that.

I'll have some pics to post when I get back, and I'm thinking that maybe I should post some shots from the other places I've been lately. You guys want that?

In any case, I will post the pics from my visit to Hobbiton, the film set from Lord of the Rings, since so many people were wondering if I would do any LOTR stuff like that on this trip -- Stay tuned... ;)

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Happy 4th Of July, And Another Life Update...

Hello Peeps!

Instead of trying to explain why I've been absent for so long, I'd rather just tell what's been going on.

I've been to San Francisco, Washington D.C. and just recently got back from Shanghai. This has all been in the span of the last 3 months and my jet-lag is killing my soul, but in a good way. I think.

I've also been very sick this past week, forcing me to take antibiotics that made my heart thump like a race horse, and my head pound like a 3-night bender at Mardi Gras. But it looks like I'll live to slack another day.

We celebrated the 4th of July at my house this year, which means tons of food, and good company to share it with. I was hoping to have some leftovers, but it seems my relatives had other ideas and ate up half the cow we bought. So much for prime rib sandwiches.

I even went out and saw some fireworks. I live close to my old university, and it so happens to be on a bluff that overlooks all of Los Angeles. Watching fireworks explode up close, far away, and somewhere in between all at the same time is quite the panorama. It's also a lot of smoke so you gotta take the cool with the not-so-cool. It's also a cheaper light show than having to drive across the city to see such spectacles at the various parks. I'm glad our city still has a fireworks budget.

I took a friend home, and he doesn't quite live in the best part of town. However, there's something you don't see everyday: low-income families splurging on illegal fireworks for their kids so they too can have a show of their own. Sure, it's dangerous, and I hope the kids dashing through sparkler-puddles don't set their hair on fire. But there's something about a father helping his son shoot some sparks into the sky that seems all right with me. It's their right to break a few rules on a day that celebrates independence with a little bit of rebellion.

Fireworks on the freeway, flashes in the sky at 80 mph driving home -- dangerously distractive, but I keep my hands at 10 and 2. That's just how LA does it...

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Hong Kong March April 2009: Just a few snaps...

Between bouts of jet lag and watching EVERYTHING that's been saved on my DVR, I'm only now summoning enough energy to post my latest trip pics. I don't know what it is, but something about two weeks in such a high-octane environment has really left me spent, more than last year when I was there for over a month. Could be the season?

This time, staying in the city, we're right in the middle of it all. The bad news? We're ALWAYS right in the middle of it all. It's not uncommon to walk in crowded streets for over 18 hours of the day, and only getting a bit of space in the sidewalks during the wee hours of the night/morning, which I got to experience first hand. Yes, I'm a semi-party animal in the Far East -- whoda thunk it?

Hong Kong is always rushed and packed, with people deep into their headphones since the only space they really have control over is their own minds. Sometimes it's music that keeps the population from going postal, believe me. Makes you wonder what kind of coping mechanisms they did have before the invention of the Walkman. Or even the radio! I dare not ponder...

Anyhow, here's my random snapshots - enjoy!





Monday, March 16, 2009

Slacker Vacations: Photos from the Grand Canyon...

Sometimes I travel for work. Sometimes I travel for fun.

And in that most rarest of occassions -- sometimes I travel because, it's, well, Monday.

Last week I took an impromptu vacation with my folks to the Grand Canyon, specifically to see the Grand Canyon SkyWalk -- a multi-million dollar project that's supposed to help boost tourism to the great natural wonder. If you've never heard of it, don't worry -- a story about it made the news a few years back, and that was pretty much it.

Basically, it's a giant sky walk that has glass for floors, so you can see right through to the bottom of the canyon. Seriously, if you have a fear of heights and or falling to your death unexpectedly, you strongly need not apply. The semi-circle walkways of glass and steel beams is pretty sturdy, and the view is worth it if you don't freak out.

My only gripe is that between the glass sheets there are small gaps. Something about that made me think twice about stomping up and down. But again, it's a totally cool rush without having to bungee down to see the canyon floor. My mother held on for dear life on the railings when she made her way around. My father and I were most entertained.

Anyway, below are the pics from the trip.

Looks like I'm heading out the door again soon. Any guesses where to?... ;)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

My Oscar 2009 Guesses...

It's about 15 minutes before the awards show starts, and I'm calling the following:

Mickey Rourke will win Best Actor, and best song and best picture will be Slumdog Millionaire. But overall, I'm sure Hugh Jackman is gonna be a darn cool host...;)

UPDATE: Hugh Jackman did do a fine job -- he didn't botch the music numbers once. And I TOTALLY called the Slumdog Millionaire stuff, yet sadly disappointed I didn't get Mickey right. Then again, I didn't see Ben Still coming out as Joaquin Phoenix either, so I guess I'll call it even.

Friday, February 20, 2009

South America 2009: If Only I had the Argentinian Beef...

15 Days at sea, countless meals later, and a whole lot of sightseeing adds up to what you see below. Unlike my usual trips, I didn't have a lot of time in each South American port, but whatever time I did spend ends up being a snapshot of each location. Think of this trip as a "tasting menu", so if you decide to go, you'll get a feel of what it's like.

For the most part, the countries seem prettier than Mexico, and the tourist traps are pretty mild. The touristy snapshot places are fairly safe, given the amount of police that patrol the plazas, famous landmarks and open air markets that exist in every stop. I think they just figured that safe tourists are good for business -- what a concept?

When I wasn't out on land, I ended playing A LOT of trivia, drawing games, and basically trying to win prizes to keep myself occupied on the ship. I even read 3 books cover to cover, just because they had a library aboard. But make no mistake -- living on cruise ship time is a whole other life, where the clock can pass quite quickly if you don't look around. That, and the booze on the sea days make the journey that much smoother in rocky waters... ;)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Well, at least my sightseeing doesnt require Wi-Fi...

Dear All, To make a long story short, yes, I did have a great time in South America, and the cruising around the Atlantic was pretty spiffy. I'm sorry for the lack of updates for the last 15 days, since apparently the Internet at sea required a house mortgage along with an arm and a leg to use. But in 16 hours I'll be home, resuming the usual broadcast schedule. And yes, photos will be coming at ya in one giant photo blog, and I'm debating about whether to post up my chronicles aboard the ship or not, since most of the entries seem a bit touristy without all the usual bite I provide in the usual posts. Then again, it would be my thoughts, acapella style. I'll think about it on the flight.

Supa Winkers ;)
--Albert

Saturday, January 31, 2009

All My Bags Are... Packed?...

Dear Pip,

I'm heading out the door again -- this time to South America.

14 Days. 3 Countries. And maybe see some penguins, depending on how far down we go.

I'm taking along still cams -- Sorry, no HD this time around because I'm trying to travel a bit lighter on this journey. But I'll shoot mini-vids if something cool happens.

I'll also be bringing along an iPod Touch, so bloggers keep blogging -- 'cause I'll be reading. And posting text when I can.

Now, where did I put that toothbrush?... ;)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Travel Flashback: Hong Kong pix...

Wow, talk about long overdue. I'm not exactly sure why it's taken me so long to post this up -- probably because I thought it'd take forever to sift through over 500 pictures of Hong Kong alone.

Actually, it only took about 30 minutes. Go figure.

Anyway, here's my fave shots I took there -- it's got landscapes, travel, people, and of course food from all over Hong Kong. Though, anytime I keep posting more often usually means I'm about to take off to somewhere... right? Hmmm... ;)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Scenes from Guilin: A Cruise Along the Li River...

As promised, here's the other video of my journey down the Li River. Hope ya'll enjoy the ride as much as I did. Though, the first hour was pretty cool, but by hour 3 I couldn't wait to get off the ship. Here's to the magic of editing:





The link to the HD version is here

Friday, January 23, 2009

Scenes from Guilin: The Long Haired Women of Longshen...

Hey there, it's your fave slacker blogger finally getting off his ass and doing some editing of some travel footage. Below I've got two movies for your amusement -- the first is of the Long Haired Women of Longshen, doing a demo of what it's like having "Guinness Book of Records" length straight hair. Going through an entire bottle of Pantene is not uncommon in these parts:

***One more thing: If you want to watch it in High Quality, just click the little "HQ" on the right bottom corner of the video (recommended). And if you want to watch this stuff in HD quality, well, I'll mention the links at the bottom of each clip***




link to HD version here



And the second one is of Me with the Longshen Women, participating in something that I still kinda regret doing, but, well... just watch it. You'll get what I mean.



link to High Quality version here



I'll have one more by tomorrow, just in time for Chinese New Year season! Woo-Hoo!... ;)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Cayenne...

I keep a glass of milk
right by the bedside --
"it's not for you baby,
it's for me"

We take each other in
and salsa in the horizontal
bevel -- I, nibbling
into your shoulder

Setting my tongue on FIRE,
dousing the FLAMES with
cow juice I had made
ready just for this --

You smile, realizing what I
meant all along, as I wait for
feeling in my tongue to return,
to go at it again...

o.g.062408

Saturday, January 10, 2009

CES Day 2, Over and Out! Bring Me Back To The Masses...

I am completely burned out.

It's now Day 3 of CES and I'm still only writing about Day 2 because frankly, I really can't take any more of the floors, the peddling, and the crowds. Again, seeing a lot, but not seeing a lot, that's the problem...

As the CES experiences comes to a close for me, I continue to reflect upon things I stumble upon while exploring. It seems that CES is probably the only time where you'll find a group of guys staring harder at a set of CPU processors than the lovely booth girl that's standing beside it. In fact, if a booth girl is in the way, it only makes the guys stare harder because they think they can develop X-ray vision that will see right through her, and onto the merchandise. Of course, there's always exceptions to this rule.

Like the fact that the AVN Adult Expo takes place at the EXACT SAME TIME as the CES, and they co-mingle in particular at the Sands Expo Center where the Adult Expo is being hosted. Ah, where YouTube meets Boob-Tube, and "is that a harddrive in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" takes on SOOOOOO many different meanings. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of guys that "accidentally" stumbled into the wrong conventions. But hey, if anyone can make sense of glass dildos having anything to do with new OLED sceens, it's these geeks.

So is the dilemma of the photographers working both events. Do I take pictures of the semi-nude models dressed as porn angels ascending a flight of stairs, or should I get that shot of the new Sony Cybershot camera? Or, can I do both? And talk about feminism -- There were probably more women taking pictures of pornstars than their male colleagues. I don't know if that's progressive, but it seems like everyone's in on the joke, all genders included.

And of course, my favorite distraction was playing the game "Pornstar, or not a Pornstar." Some women you see wearing nothing but a thong, pasties, and clear platform heels? Probably in Adult entertainment. Of course, it's also a business conference, so the nerdy-looking female in the powersuit is probably trying to sell GangBang Pussies 7 onto the masses. So as vision blurs, so do the lines of what is business and pleasure.

So, what can we surmise from all this convention madness? Technology continues to get better, but computer batteries are still crappy. 3D TVs are on the horizon, but they're gonna be hella expensive. Robots may not rule the world, but by middle 2009 they will mow your lawn automatically. Apparently, you can have too many video screens in a car -- I say putting one right on the gas cap a bit over the line. And as always, sex sells everything. Sex sells itself. Sex is in the microchips and on a woman's hips.

And like every year, we're gonna want to have this stuff and not want it all at the same time... ;)

Friday, January 09, 2009

CES: It should be short for "Can't Even Sit!"...

I guess you can say that I've seen a lot and NOT seen a lot at CES so far. Seen a lot in the fact that I've roamed most of the convention center already. But not seen so much 'cause it's hard to keep my attention at any one thing for very long. My brain is on complete overload from all the gadgets and flashy TVs that inundate me left and right. Seriously folks, my head is drowning in a sea of tech-induced euphoria.

Though I've been keeping up with CES coverage online and basically following whatever the heck Gizmodo and Engadget are posting up, it is an entirely different thing to walk around with a mass of people all pushing and shoving in an orderly fashion to check out tech that they might not purchase, but drool over all the same.

As always, I'm learning a lot from this experience. For instance, no matter how super-flat that HDTVs are this year, someone in the crowd always asks "Is THAT really how thin they can get it? I thought it'd be thinner."

You find out that the "Booth Babes" aren't only pretty, but they know EVERY product that they are demonstrating. At least they sound like they know what they're talking about, which I can't quite say the same about the sales guys on the floor.

Places to sit down are scarce. Sure, they have couches and chairs smattered about somewhere, but they're never around when you need them. And when you do find a chair, albeit missing an armrest and looks like the Incredible Hulk left an imprint of his ginormous ass-cheeks in the cushion, you collapse in it anyway, relishing in the fact thay you're off your feet for the briefest of moments.

Some gadgets have unusual selling points. Samsung has created a camera that can withstand hot desert climates up to 112 degrees. That's great, 'cause It's good to know that if I'm trapped in Death Valley while on a shoot, I'm sure to die long before my camera does.

And most of all, I've discovered that for a technology convention that is forward concious about the environment and trying to be as "green" as possible, it sure as hell goes through A LOT OF PAPER! For maps, maps for the maps, books, the CES Daily report, Starbucks cups, and even paper printouts for registration, someone is printing and collating enough tree material so supplement a small industrial nation. There's also the electronic maps that people download, don't get me wrong, but don't think they aren't grabbing a dead-tree edition as a backup.

And there's 3 more days of this.

I'm putting in 2 more days myself before I cut-myself off cold turkey. Though I'll continue to explore the convention floor, I will probably leave this event still wondering:

Do we really need any of this junk?

Well, I guess a 90 inch flat plasma HDTV could be swell for "some" things... ;)

Thursday, January 01, 2009

In 2009...

Most of us will live,
some will likely die,
but life will move forward
in 2009

Change will come slowly,
it happens over time,
expect so in small steps
in 2009

Divorces will be final,
with new marriages divine,
love's still a mystery
in 2009

Rain will pound down,
as deserts run dry,
the Bushmen make do
in 2009

War looms above,
though Peace fills the sky,
may the trigger pull less
in 2009

Our taxes increase,
with jobs in decline,
Obama will fix this
in 2009

These are just thoughts,
I'm having in my mind --
the predictable uncertainty
of 2009...


***Happy New Year! And may we brave another year together, dear friends... ;)***