Austin City by Night

Austin has progressed since the last time we were there - about three years ago.  Back then, these high rise buildings were still under construction.  Austin expects more than 30,000 people to reside here and its neighboring cities in two years as Apple intends to make it their headquarter.  This is going to be good for the economy as there will be more demand for construction activities, food supplies, real estate and so on.  This too means that majority of the transplant will be from California.  Austin is probably a good fit for them as it also shares some of California's liberal values.

Mimi, RIP

August 5, 2005 - February 10, 2019.  And we were excited to bring her to Texas with us.  I suppose she was always a California Girl.

Rest in Peace,  Mimi.  Rose and I miss you.  Our hearts cry out.

But We Won the War

This used to be barracks of the U.S. Army in the island of Corregidor, Philippines during World War II.

On May 1942, the invading Japanese forces captured Corregidor, which was the remaining obstacle to the 14th Japanese Imperial Army of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma.  Three years later, the U.S. Army would recapture the island, and the war would be over.

Still Life with Existential Clock

Does anybody really know what time it is
Does anybody really care
If so I can't imagine why
We've all got time enough to cry

Robert Lamm/Chicago

Still Life with Red Hot Chili Peppers

I was having an inkling to shoot again.  Something.  Whatever.  It doesn't matter.  So I took out my Fuji X100F  with the teleconverter lens and started to look for anything I could shoot.  This was the first thing I saw - so here it is.  Still life with Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Don't you love it?

Except for the auto focus, I shot this manually at f2.8 at 1/125 sec at 6400 iso.  I did not intend to render it to look like it was shot on vintage camera but after playing around with Nik's Analog Efex Pro 2, I really like this version.  It's warm, and it looked it was shot with the Fuji Asti 100F, which is one of my favorite film.  Don't think it's still in the market.  I would like to get my hands on it if it were.

Hope your day is going well.

Five Feet Waiting

Pictured here are the tour guides waiting for the rest of the tourists to climb up from the dance floor.

Waiting Inside the Cave

I believe this was at the Samaguing Cave in Sagada.  This was in 2012.  My memory is failing.  The cave is made up of limestones.  The bat dung is an additional feature.  My first time going to this place was in the early 80s.  I was more adventurous.  I realized in my second visit how dangerous the trek was inside the cave.  On the last stretch of our journey,  I nearly fell in a what seemed to be a bottomless pit.  My grip was slipping as the rocks were slippery from the mud and the bat dung.  Desperate, I used my forehead to prop myself up.  My forehead was barely healing from a previous accident.  I forgot about the pain as my natural instinct was to survive.  It was also an embarrassing sight.  But I'm alive.

Hope your day is going well.

Roasted Eggplants and Chickpeas with Tahini Dressing

So for this time, we're trying to be healthy.  Rose roasted some eggplants.  Also some chickpeas, which is a source of protein for Vegan diet.  Then made a Tahini sauce from the tahini dressing mixed with garlic, yogurt, lime juice and salt to taste.  The sauce is placed over the eggplants, followed by the chickpeas and the chopped raw parsley.  I added a dash of red hot chili pepper for color and some bite.  A glass of Pinot Grigio is paired with it.  Lovely.

Boy Sagada

Sagada is a town in the Cordillera Mountains, within the Philippines’ Mountain Province.  The forefathers of the local folks were head hunters.  Their culture was very tribal.  It was a culture of "an eye for an eye - tooth for tooth" amongst tribes.  Fortunately for visitors, headhunting has ceased a long time ago.

The first time I visited the place was in the early 80s.  Back then, it was dubbed as the "Shangri-la of the Philippines".  The place was still pristine.  Not many tourists knew about it.  Fast forward in 2012, I went back for a second visit.  It has become a hang out for European tourists, mostly backpackers.  Sadly, the place has become commercial.  One can buy beer, pizza and yogurt - hardly the staple for these Mountain People.  The local folks have been spoiled by the generosity of the tourists.  Maybe a good thing, I am not sure as I am not a sociologist.  I suspect it has its downside.  Not sure if I am ever going to return to this once lovely place.

The Boss

"I demand a recount!  And bring me a double double hamburger with everything on it.  And I want my fries warm and crispy.  Skip the dressing as I am on a diet."