Ang baduy kasi kung sasabihin ko eh, kaya ganito na lang: i-google mo yung lyrics ng kantang "Separate Lives", tapos basahin mo yung unang sentence ng chorus. Yun.

Aminin niyo na lang kasi na na-guwapuhan lang kayo dati kaya ninyo siya binoto. Kung ano siya ngayon, ganun na ganun din siya dati. Napahiya lang kayo kaya niyo sinasabi ngayong "mas okay pa siya nung hindi pa siya Senator."

The Sanctity of the Shutter

 

UPON purchasing Olga (my not-so-old and faithful DSLR) I've plunged into photography and it has since supplanted reading as my main hobby.  Not having the time to enroll in a formal photography class, I managed to learn a little of the art through a lot of trial and error - exploring how the different switches and knobs can produce various effects - and a lot of internet research in photography websites and discussion groups.

Purposely acting the role of the sponge, I soaked up all the information I could take.  Since I like reading, I had no problem navigating various websites and forums just to read up on the basics of digital photography and on different shooting techniques, and later on applying them on indoor and outdoor shoots.  Little by little, I began to see a system in all of it to the point that I felt confident enough to ask the right questions in the forums.

(Note: You see, photographers are some of the most snobbish people you will ever come across in online forums.  For them, there is such a thing as a stupid question.  If you don't do any advance reading before joining in the discussions and it obviously shows in your postings, then you will be treated with sarcasm, contempt, or a combination of both.  The kinder ones will just ignore you completely.)

In my various interactions with photographers in different online fora, I discovered that a majority of today's digital photographers edit their pictures.  I'm not sure why I feel bad about it given that I'm not a serious photographer.  But I guess the nagging thought in my mind is that editing pictures - regardless of whether one refers to it as mere "enhancing" - is cheating.

One thing that made me fascinated about photography is the thought that it is possible to capture the magic of a fleeting moment forever in a photograph.  And to this end, photography is essentially a process of capturing, rather than creating.  The environment already provides the material, and it is up to the photographer to be creative enough in taking and sifting the material in order to capture a good photograph. 

In my interpretation of what photography should be, all the processes involved in capturing a good photograph should end once the photographer presses the shutter button.  (Hence, the title of this blog - the Sanctity of the Shutter.)  Anything that happens after the click of the shutter that somehow affects the resulting image therefore enters the realm of editing.

I've visited a lot of photography sites and while I naively praised some photographers for the quality of their pictures, i belatedly realized (and they admitted) that they routinely edit their pictures to get rid of unwanted details and to modify the sharpness in certain areas of the picture.

Now with all these "photo-editors" around, I've got to ask:  Are there any pure photographers amongst digital camera users?  Don't we all just have thousands of digital artists masquerading as photographers?

The bleak feeling I get whenever I ponder on those questions made me once seriously consider switching to film photography because it seemed that editing pictures is not as widespread among film photographers that I know of.  (Baguiobean, I do hope you are not editing your pictures, because I'd really be disillusioned if you did, haha.)  But then, after assessing my lifestyle, I decided to go for convenience and retain Olga.  The element of the unknown in film photography appeals to me, but I realized that I'm still largely in the trial-and-error stage, and a DSLR's quick review function will help me learn faster.

I was told that this issue has been around for a long time and looks like my comments on the matter are just a late addition from the purist side.  But until I come across a definition of photography that specifically states editing is part of the photography process, then I'll always tend to have a bit less respect for the work of those who edit their shots.

 

No edits here.

Beer

by Itchyworms

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nais kong magpakalasing
dahil wala ka na
nakatingin sa salamin
at nag-iisa
nakatanim pa rin ang gumamelang
binalik mo sakin
nang tayo'y maghiwalay
ito'y katulad ng damdamin ko
kahit buhusan mo ng beer ayaw pang mamatay

giliw, wag mo sanang limutin
ang mga araw na hindi sana naglaho
mga anak at bahay nating pinaplano
lahat ng ito'y nawala
nung iniwan mo ako
kaya ngayon

ibuhos na ang beer
sa aking lalamunan
upang malunod na ang puso kong nahihirapan
bawat patak anong sarap
ano ba talagang mas gusto ko
ang beer na to o ang pag-ibig mo

nais kong magpakasabog
dahil olats ako
kahit ano hihithitin
kahit tambucho
kukuha ako ng beer at ipapakulo sa kaldero
lalanghapin ang usok nito
lahat ay aking gagawin upang hindi ko na isiping nag-iisa na ako

ibuhos na ang beer
sa aking lalamunan
upang malunod na ang puso kong nahihirapan
bawat patak anong sarap
ano ba talagang mas gusto ko
ang beer na to o ang pag-ibig mo

giliw, wag mo sanang limutin
ang mga araw na hindi sana naglaho
mga anak at bahay nating pinaplano
lahat ng ito'y nawala
nung iniwan mo ako
kaya ngayon

ibuhos na ang beer
sa aking lalamunan
upang malunod na ang puso kong nahihirapan
bawat patak anong sarap
ano ba talagang mas gusto ko
ang beer na to o ang pag-ibig mo

Kung alam mong masasaktan lang ako sa sasabihin mo, mabuti pa'y huwag ka na lang tumawag o mag-text.

So here's what Ondoy did to me

(I based the time stamps on my mobile phone inbox.)

10:00 am - Rode a cab to go home

10:30 am - EDSA was no longer moving.  Cab turned right to take the road going to White Plains.

10:45 am - Cab had nowhere to go so it just parked on the side of the road.  The driver and I contemplated on what to do next.

11:45 am - I decided that I would have better luck by just walking so I paid the cab driver, and we wished each other luck as I stepped out of the cab.  My first thought was that I had to take a piss.

11:55 am - While walking back towards EDSA, I found the perfect spot to piss.  Unfortunately, it was I was in full view of all the stalled motorists.  It was almost beside the Corinthian Gardens Gate.  But who cares, right?  (True enough, after I was done, another guy got off his car and did the same thing in exactly the same spot.)

11:58 am - Continued walking.  Towards the People Power monument, there was a stretch of the street that was flooded knee-deep.

12:30 pm - Reached the first gate of Camp Aguinaldo.  By this time it was apparent why Edsa was at a standstill.  The floods reached up to half of a bus' height.

Yup, I went through that.

12:35 pm - Camp Aguinaldo authorities decided to open the small pedestrian gate near where I was so that people go inside to shelter.  In the process, I had to wade through waist-deep flood waters.  People were very helpful.

12:45 pm - I reached higher ground in Camp Aguinaldo.  There were military trucks and jeeps transporting people to the Santolan gate.  Since there were a lot of us, I let the others go first while I looked for a store to buy a cigarette.   (I know, I know, I haven't smoked in ages.  But I just had to.)

1:30 pm - Finally got to maneuver myself into a military jeep.  Reached the Santolan gate a few minutes later and texted a thousand people on how my day was going before proceeding.

1:40 pm - Started walking again.  Destination: Gateway Mall.

2:30 pm - I learned from Nadj that RDOT is cancelled.  By that time, I somehow reached Gateway Mall and found myself ordering a Steak Burrito Supreme, a Crunchy Taco Supreme, a cup of Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, and a refillable drink from Taco Bell.

2:35 pm - Dining/Texting/Wi-Fi'ing in Taco Bell while my wet clothes, jacket, umbrella and shoes were leaving a puddle at my feet.  (Thanks for understanding Taco Bell employees.)

4:00 pm - After eating, I resolved to try to get a cab.  For some reason, I began to uncontrollably shiver once I stepped outside of the mall, so I quickly proceeded to my favorite "tindahan" in the vicinity and bought a steaming-hot 3-in-1 cup of coffee and a stick of cigarette.

4:25 pm - Shivers gone, I started walking towards East Avenue when no cab driver was willing to take me in.  Walked along EDSA and managed to avoid a knee-deep flood at the EDSA entrance of Kamias Road by walking underneath the flyover.

5:25 pm - Reached Eunilane in U.P. Village by this time.  Attempted to walk through side streets to avoid the flooded Quezon Memorial Circle and reach Philcoa.

5:45 pm - Discovered that the exit to Philcoa via Masaya Street was blocked by waist-high, garbage-strewn flood.  Decided to wade through it anyway.  I kept to the side of the road to avoid the much deeper part in the middle.  Other people took my lead.  I saw a dead rat float right past me.

5:55 pm - Reached Philcoa and texted friends to give and get updates.  It was already dark by this time.

6:10 pm - After using the pay rest room (P3.00), I rode one of less-crowded buses when I noticed that it was at least crawling at a steady pace.

7:00 pm - Reached home.  (Thank you, Lord.)

On dogs, pets and the possibility of stepping on too many of my friends' toes

OKAY, so apparently a dog died in a Cebu Pacific flight and I read about it in this blog.  You can read it first before proceeding further.

Now, I'd like to make it clear that what Cebu Pacific did was downright wrong and should be condemned, but I'd also add that the owner of that dog is not getting any sympathy from me.  I'm more inclined to feel sorry for the dog itself. But if it ever had a soul, then it's probably in a better place now so I won't bother anymore.

The blog's a tearjerker, for sure.  And we'd all love to crucify Cebu Pacific whose mishandling of the dog effectively caused its death.  But I'm blaming the dog owner too.  Let me explain:

I don't travel a lot, and my last plane ride was in 1997.  But even I am aware of Cebu Pacific's atrocious reputation as an airline.  For people who seem to be well-traveled, the dog owner and her companion seem to disregard this in their haste to get the dog transported.

Much of the blog was also spent discussing the emotional closeness of the owner with the dog.  (They tend to call this "love".)  Now, if the pet owner really loved her pet, then she would not have brought her along that Cebu Pacific flight, especially when she claimed to have some some sort of prescient misapprehensions about leaving the dog in the cargo area. 

(You see, anybody who can afford to pamper a pet and transport it from abroad with full documentation can surely afford to lose a Philippine domestic airline seat if he/she is not confident about how the pet will be treated.  But no, she had to take the flight.  That's love for you.)

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For me, what all this is a symptom of modern society's seeming confusion on how to treat animals especially pets, and especially dogs.  We're all so caught up in animal rights, yet we've made it possible to breed dogs that have become so dependent on us humans that they would not be able to function on their own. 

Take the pug, for example.  I could think of no worse victim of man's attempts at genetic engineering than this pathetic breed.  It's snout is nonexistent, the legs too short and it's body too rounded, and it's only slightly bigger than the average house cat.  It doesn't run very fast, it can't hunt (not with a snout like that) and its bark is more annoying than threatening. Apparently its only reason for existence is because some people find it cute.

"Personally, I think I prefer natural selection."

Whereas before, humanity has amply fulfilled its role as nature's steward by harnessing the dog's natural capabilities (i.e. hunting), throughout the centuries we decided to play petty-God and forcibly bred and crossbred dogs until we came to the point of turning the descendant of the magnificent Canis Lupus into nothing more than furry playthings.  The pug being a case in point.

So here we are humans fighting for what we believe are animal rights not realizing that at least part of what we are really fighting for is the convenience of treating animals as property that we can tug along anywhere.  For example, we've lobbied for business establishments to be "pet friendly".  But have we asked ourselves why the hell would a dog want to go to a mall, a salon or travel by airplane?  No, it's us who want to go to those places, and we delude ourselves into thinking that our pets want to go there too.

In a larger sense, here's what's going on:  We keep our pets alive just because they please or amuse us, and not out of a genuine sense of love for living things.  We try to confine their existence to our personal space and try to snuff out whatever ember that remains of their true nature. We then set unrealistic expectations that everybody else should make allowances for us just because we think this way.

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I have pets too.  I happen to own a number of cats.  Well, that's not true.  I feed them and take care of them if I can, but cats pretty much go their own way so I can't really say that I "own" them.  And this is perhaps the reason why I prefer taking care of cats.  It's so much easier to allow them to retain their natural ways.  With the exception of pigeons, cats can go to places and naturally interact with members of their own species in a way that no other domesticated animals can.  The average house cat is still very much capable of looking for it's own food, so it's no big deal if I don't feed them 3 or 4 out of 7 days in the week.

I like dogs too.  But until I'm in a position to be able to adequately take care of one, I would not even dream of owning one.  In the world today, there are hundreds of thousands of first-time pet owners who have an astonishingly limited idea of exactly what their pets are and what it entails to take care of them.  Before purchasing pets and screaming for animal rights, I wish that we spent more time treating them as living things belonging to a particular species, than treating them merely as movable property.