Thursday, September 29, 2011

PR: Tackling the Outdoors

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Converse celebrates the outdoor this fall with a release that can make your jaw drop. Rugged and brimming with the promise of adventures to come, the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Classic Boot offers you that and more.

Inspired by the rich history of Converse, the Chuck Taylor All Star Classic Boot offers insight into its many predecessors including boots and shoes made for the outdoors men, the hunters, the fishermen, and let’s not forget the US Military.

The attraction of the boot lies on its construction, and Converse knows this better than anyone. Using the iconic Chuck Taylor midsole and outsole as its base, premium nubuck leather or combination of waxed canvas and leather for its upper, and stitch detailing reminiscent of work boots, plus the added appeal of classic moc toe detailing and the ever-present leather patch. Available in classic black, laidback chocolate, modern take with charcoal and athletic navy in premium nubuck leather for P 4,390, and the canvas-leather combination of black on black and chocolate/black for P 3,190.

Built sturdily with foundations culled from ages pass, updated materials taken from modern times and colors that span generations, the Classic Boot is on its way to becoming something truly classic. Check out more awesome styles this fall only at Converse. Like us on Facebook (Converse Philippines) for daily updates and don’t forget to log on to www.converse.com.ph.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Review: Smart All Stars Jersey

It's been months after the Smart Ultimate All Star Weekend has ended. But the country is still not over from the high that it generated. From the High the NBA stars' aura, to their mesmerizing plays and Gilas' heroic stand. Surely, this is one of the biggest moments for the country's average basketball fan.What better way to commemorate such an event with a jersey of the Smart All Stars.

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The microshiny fabric added with the  side designs and twilled numbers (the all star player's request) adds to the pro look of the jersey. No rubberized or screen printed graphics here. It feels like the authentic pre-revo 30 NBA jerseys.

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What's good about this is that the patches at the back and the jock area are all sublimated. The smart logo in front is sublimated and Twilled at the same time. 

In detail closeup of the patches.
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Experience with Lightroom

A little over a year ago, I initiated my first ever photoshoot which was lighted, directed and conceptualized by myself. It was a bit hard because while I was used in photoshoots, I had assistance with fellow photographers and staff.

The shoot was about a cosplay shoot for the video game tekken 6. I had a friend who was a cosplayer and he invited his friends for this shoot. It was held at our factory with a newly brought strobing system that I still haven’t had a grasp on back then. So, there it is. The meetups took a while longer than expected, and the make up/ dressing up time was a bit long too. We started the shoot at 3:30pm in the afternoon and that time on an enclosed factory building, ambient light can be a bit scarce, and even with the lights that were available that time, it was still dark that I had to jump up my light sensitivity up to ISO 400. My camera can run up to ISO 1600 which can produce a justifiably lighted image, however it would entain an ugly, pixilated portrait.

Because of this I had to sacrifice the lighting rather than having a grainy image. To perform this, I had to set up my camera to shoot files in RAW format rather than Jpeg compression.

Cameras capture an image which has multiple light ranges. But since a camera, no matter how advance it is, is incapable of choosing the best range of light for the aesthetic properties. That is why, when a camera shoots in jpeg format, the camera decides to choose the standard color/ hue and lighting range that it was instructed or programmed to do so. Regardless if the image looks better or uglier.


Sure, the jpeg images can still be corrected through photoshop. However, since jpeg is a compressed file, it will use the existing pixel data on the file and force it to be lighter or darker, hence it would also result in a very pixilated image.

With the RAW file format, all the light ranges of the certain digital photograph are stored. It would use this range rather than the existing pixel data in order to adjust the global settings (brightness/ contrast/ hue/ saturation, etc) therefore allowing you to edit your picture without sacrificing pixel quality. One of the most famous RAW editing programs is Lightroom.

After a few tweaks and turns, here is the finished product.
Alisa Bosconovitch

Now the issue here is in regards to Photomanipulation done through the lightroom, and should it still be considered as photography or as an Image composite. The answer is, there are 2 kinds of settings done thru Photoshop. Global settings and Digital Manipulation itself. Global settings includes the brightness, contrast, saturation and white balance of the picture. This practice is done not only by digital means, but also during the days of film wherein Photographers adjust them when they are still being developed at the darkroom.

A Few months later, It got featured in this photobook.

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Run Rizal

runrizal

My Second 16k and my second 16k with an hour of sleep!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Anatomy of Nerds and Geeks


got this from Coeli

Aparently I'm a geek (no surprise there).

Star Wars? Sorta
Lightsabers? Got one from a tiangge way back.
Jeans and superhero shirts? Check. (More of Gundam and TF shirts.)
Coffee? substitute with Milk tea.
Fixes cool stuff? Dioramas count? Check.

Pretty interesting stuff.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Photoshoot: Gundam Seed Destiny

This was a photoshoot done late last year with characters from Gundam Seed destiny. 

flay and skygrasper

lunamariaimpulse

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Retroville



Correction: Event will be held at September 30 and not 23.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The 5 Jerseys you need to cop for every PBA Team (or Franchise) Part 1-Rain or Shine / Shell / Crispa

I came across this great blog from the crossover chronicles regarding the 4 best NBA jerseys you need to get for every NBA team. Since PBA jerseys will have grand retro jersey launch in a week's time, doing a PBA version of the article would not hurt.

Since PBA teams does not share the rich tradition and history most NBA Teams have (most disband every 10 years or so..) I decided to merge the genealogies of inter connected franchises

Let's Start of with the Rain or shine Elasto Painters / Formula Shell/ Crispa Redmanizers Franchise

No Brainer:

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Atoy Co - Known as the fortune cookie, Fortunato "Atoy" Co has helped the Crispa Redmanizers achieve grandslam status not once, but twice. His Infamous "F.Co. Jr." #6 Jersey bridges attention from past and present generations alike.

Astig':  
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Billy Ray Bates - Bates is due to finally return to Manila in next months' PBA opening. The legendary Black superman dazzled his way from the Portland Trailblazers to the hearts of Baranggay Ginebra. But no one seems to represent him better than his days with the Crispa Redmanizer's #2 threads coupled with his bandanna and mini fro. Now, If only Grosby would retro the black superman kicks rather than some generic basketball shoe that ends at the clearance bin.

Other Notables:

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Chris Jackson - While Shell has been about Paras, Magsanoc and Parks, Jackson's contributions to the team, particularly for the titles in 98' and 99' cannot be discounted. His stonewall Turbochargers #3 Jersey provides fear even for the opposing team's imports.

Alex Compton - As most basketball fans would know, Alex is as pinoy (or even more pinoy)  than some fil-ams or even locals will be. His stint with the National team (As a reinforcement in one of the past Jones Cup tournaments) and decision to stay here past his playing career and learn our culture proved his love for the country. His longtime wish to play in the pros finally came true when the PBA granted the Welcoat Dragons the option of having a second import back in 2007.

The Present: 

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Gabe Norwood - Mr. President, Sixth man of the NCAA Final Four George Mason Patriots and now the main man of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. His very graphic inspired #10 jersey is widely available in local sports shops (I suggest getting the Away version).

Monday, September 12, 2011

Converse Eastwood Grand Opening

See you guys there!

Converse Sale

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Collecticon 2011




Hobbiworx Inc. and Pinoytoykolektors.com in cooperation with Robinsons Midtown Mall brings you on it's 4th year...

COLLECTICON 2011
Oct. 8 & 9, 2011
Robinsons Midtown Mall Atrium
Ermita, Manila
10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Admission is FREE

You asked for it...we'll give it to you..2 full days of purely a collectors event without the noise and crowd of a dance contest and other performers!

This will be a big toys and collectible experience with 1500 sq.m. of open activity space. There will be more than 60 booths with toys, comics and other collectible merchandises. Lots of activities, fun and surprises instore.



Activities in line :

Bandai Gundam Gunplay Building Contest
Collectors Display & Exhibit
Toy Auctions
Customizers Clinic & Workshop
New Statues Unveiling
Trivia Contests
Life Size Display
Photo Contest
Superhero Costripper of the Day

--

“ My Toys” Photo Contest Rules

a) Entries must be printed. Please do not submit images on CD or via email.
b) Enter up to ( 5 per category ) 8x10 or 8x12 enlargements.
c) Your name, address and daytime, contact number should be written clearly at the back of the photo.
d) Submission of entries. You can drop off your entries in a brown envelope at at the event.
e) The judges will choose the winning picture based on the following qualities: impact,(25%) lighting (25%), composition(25%), creativity (25%) total of 100 points..
f) 2 categories. Edited and non edited. Please mark your submitted entries at the back.
g) Subject any form of toys, figures, cars, statues and robots.


Saturday, September 10, 2011

Manila no Sekai

 Downtown Manila thru BBF Decade

truck

Thursday, September 8, 2011

ND Ballers 2k1 Jersey (Game)

Finally finished the second batch of the Ballers 2k1 reversible Jersey and they are now on production. I'm now on the process of designing the Game jerseys.
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Thelma (Running Film)



Running has become a national pastime in the Philippines. Sure, it is not as widely covered as Football, Dragon Boat Racing, Boxing and Basketball and rarely do our countrymen bring medals from international meets (provided). But like badminton in the early 2000's people are getting into the sport for recreational purposes.

Sports is a widely neglected subject in our entertainment industry. Sure there's Futbolilits but it feels more of a family drama than an actual sports series. Over the past, rarely do we have movies based on sports. Buhay Kamao (2001) and Pacquiao the Movie (2006) are some of the few shown last decade. In the 80s there was a slew of sports movies (I.E. Last 2 Minutes, Rocky Plus 5, Daddy's Angel), but the tone was far from serious, barely a plot for a comedy or a family film.

Now, Star Cinema presents a Film about running. Thelma, starred by Maja Salvador is a movie about a girl running for her dreams despite the problems presented by her family and poverty. The film also stars former track star Elma Muros.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

WWE Shirts (2011 Philippine Release)

Ever since the 80s, WWE memorabillia, especially apparel have come and go in the Philippines. My first encounter of such was back in 1995 when I got a kid's size British Bulldog tee from the Araneta Colliseum for WWF's Mayhem in Manila house show.

After which, WWF shirts again went out of circulation until the late 90s at the boom of the Attitude Era. Specialty shops in greenhills were selling them for a thousand bucks per shirt. This however, was the start of bootleg shirts in the wwe market as fake shirts of DX, The rock, Taker, Kane, Austin and the others reached your neighborhood sidewalk shop for 180-200 bucks a piece.

A trip to the WWF New York Bar and shop back in 2000 got me exposed again to the merchandise with Jerseys, Shirts and other memorabilia available. I remember spending over a hundred bucks at one go, which was big money back then (4,000 pesos) for a High school kid.

As WWE went out of Star Sports' programming lineup, the fan base and production of the shirts was again halted from 2001-2005. It was only brought back in in 2006, years after Solar started broadcasting WWE shows again and in anticipation of the 2 house shows that year.  The merchandise continued to be available to the market until 07, when "licensing issues" were cancelled.





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2009 Saw a mild reawakening of WWE merchandise as a house show was again slated for the Araneta Coliseum. Official WWE merchandise were once again sold at the venue. The shirts were sold at 900 pesos each and were the exact ones sold and worn by the superstars, however, those designs were 1 season late. Surplus from the event were sold at department stores for 500 pesos each but was only up to medium size.
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Now, 2011 WWE Shirts are finally back at the Philippines, It seems someone has obtained the license to manufacture the shirts. They are now available at SM department stores teen section at a very affordable price of 300 pesos each.
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However, you get what you pay for. 300 Phl Pesos (US$7.00) is way less compared to the 25$ retail price sold at the web therefore, several changes are seen from the original design. For example, this "fruity pebble Cenation" shirt contains a lot of differences. Seen above (1) the locally released shirt contains a light blue color as compared to the original purple armbands. Another concern is the missing HLR logo located at the sleeve of the shirt..

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The back design is WAY different as well.

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But all in all, with all the things considered (70% cheaper than the original price, a real "licensed product") who's complaining? at least we can finally obtain some of the old shirt designs without the hassle of importation and greedy "crocodiles" clad in barong tagalog.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Regalo sa Sarili.

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

Review: Converse Force 5

Converse Force 5


Retro Shoes.... a keepsake from the past? a vintage fashion statement? a forgotten weapon from the battles of the past? Whatever way you think of it, Retro shoes have slowly faded away to the performance area into the lifestyle section. Either People are a lot tougher back then or retro shoes don't carry the same support they did before. While there are also some athletes who don retro kicks once in a while, reactions have been certainly mixed. In the late 90's before his first retirement, His Airness wore a retro AJ1 and caused him blisters. On the other hand, the black mamba laced up a pair of cons weapon 86 early in the 2000s as a part of "Endorser Shopping" after his contract with the 3 stripes brand expired, he then would play well on those retro kicks. Heck, even a college intramurals teammate of mine wore chucks during our basketball games..

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And now, We give our take on one of those retro athletic shoes. The Converse Force 5.

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Look:
Being a "Retro Running" shoe, the force 5 has that simplistic, 2 tone scheme of black and faded lime with accents of gray and white. The color scheme is still pretty much present in modern released runners. It's like a vintage car with a new paintjob. It's classic and modern at the same time.

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Ventilation:

One thing that has it coming for the Force 5 is its breathability. It has a soft mesh  that keeps the feet cool and dry.

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Performance

The rubber outsole is constructed flat but  has some ribbing in the upper part of the sole for flexibility.On the heel area of the sole, there is some kind of small polygonal wings called the stabilizer bars. They are responsible on keeping you land properly and spreading the weight on the whole feet..

An interesting thing with the outsole is that a part of the heel area has been hollow, this might have to do with weight reduction of the shoe.

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Overall, the Converse Force 5 is a decent running shoe enough to protect and give you a long and stable support. While it may not be at par with the top of the line running footwear today, it is still better than the budget friendly "Entry Level" shoes of other top brands, And without a shadow of a doubt, better than Class A imitations of high end running shoes. So, If you guys are looking for a running shoe that is Affordable but has the ability to hold onto its own while doubling as a casual shoe, then the Converse Force 5 is for you.

Recommended for: Neutral Pronation

cons

Saturday, September 3, 2011

My WWE Book Collection

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For the past year, I have been interested in reading sports themed books. Running books, Basketball books and Wrestling books. A year after, the collection grew. Some new, others taken from the bargain bin. 

Friday, September 2, 2011

Figure Fridays: Zakumi the Leopard

zakumi

Born June 16, 1994, Zakumi is a Spotted Leopard with green hair and is the mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa. His name comes from "Za" being the ISO code for South Africa and "Kumi" meaning "10".

Thursday, September 1, 2011

2011 bday wishlist

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1:72 Zoids HMM Dark Horn

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The Rich History of the WWE Championship by Kevin Sullivan

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Nike Hyperfuse 2011 Rajon Rondo PE

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 Converse Star Player EVO

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Adidas Promodel Zero


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R3 Walker Gallia