The Sheep Chronicles

Dream came true for one photography enthusiast, Gid Ferrer! One of his Great Wall of China shots landed on Digital Photographer Philippines cover - April issue. Congratulations Gid! We are so proud of you. Keep those amazing shots coming. Im sure this is just the start of something - greater than what you can imagine.

Written on his Flicker account are these fabulous words:

It has been my dream to shoot the Great Wall in infrared colors. My December trip with my family to China made it possible for me to achieve that. I would like to thank my Mom for giving me the opportunity to see our homeland together with Bevs and Zik. And for making this shot possible.

This month marked my 2nd year as a member of DPP, the first forum i have joined exactly 2 years ago. This is where I learned, experienced, and met many of my closest friends in our hobby today. It is a great honor that my image was selected to be on the magazine’s cover for the upcoming Issue 25: Invisible Light.

I couldnt have done it without the support of my loving girlfriend Dhez (may you still support me- trans: payagan mo pa akong mag photoshoot ha?) hehe, and all my friends. Guys, you are too many to mention one by one so please forgive me for not doing so ok? You know who you are. Thank you so much for the support you have all given me, and for the unending tutorials and online queries.

I would also like to thank Nick, Pilar, Nino, LLoyd and the rest of the staff of Bella Luce for making this possible, and giving me the opportunity to be in DPP’s history. More power to DPP.

There. One reason to celebrate! Hehe. See more of his masterpieces. Click here. And of course, grab your copy of DPP issue # 25 now!

Tickets ready! Im ultra excited for this year’s Tiesto event this coming April 25, at the Embassy SuperClub! Something to look forward this summer. And yeah, due to the size of the venue, not everybody who wants to go can go..sigh. Good thing we had out tickets way way ahead. Thanks Gid!

If you have been here reviously, you might have noticed  a big change in my blog’s statement. I changed the predominantly dark hues which gave way to this ultra light minimalist style. For some reason, I am a big fan of themes which makes the most out of the primary page, where all the contents are displayed, even employing flash to make some parts dynamic.

Oh well, goodbye to that idea. Now, its all static and simple.

Here is a recollection of air travel safety related incidents this month. Hopefully, this is the final count.

• On March 03 2009, Perimeter Airlines Swearingen SA226TC Metro II executed a belly landing at Winnipeg-James Armstrong Richardson International Airport due to a landing gear issue. Fortunately, no fatality reported.

• On March 5, 2009, an Indian test plane operated by National Aerospace Laboratories - Saras with 3 people onboard crash landed some 31 kms. west south west of Bangalore Hindustan Airport. All 3 perished.

• Then a day after, March 6, 2009, A GAF N22B Nomad operated by the Royal Thai Air Force crashed shortly after takeoff from Lop Buri Air Base allegedly due to an engine trouble.

• And last March 9, 2009, an Ilyushin 76T operated by Aerolift on a chartered flight from Uganda to Somalia carrying tents and water purification equipment crashed into lake Victoria during the initial climb. All 11 onboard perished. On the same day an MD-90-30 operated by Lion Airlines on a Domestic Scheduled Passenger flight from Ujung Pandang-Hasanudin Airport to Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta International Airport skidded off the runway after touchdown. There is no fatality on this incident.

It is not usual for me to fly with a carrier other than Philippine Airlines. Im a loyal Mabuhay Miles member and since I was a kid, I had been flying with PAL. My dad loves Philippine Airlines. (Because before President Fidel Ramos’ administration, before the airline industry liberalization, PAL is the only airline that serves my city. Hehe. We have no choice.)

Last Wednesday,  while I was enjoying my time in Bacolod, something came up and I needed to be here today. I tried booking with PAL, unfortunately all reasonably priced seats are gone, and they can only offer me  Fiesta class with Mabuhay class fares. I am not willing to pay for it, hello!

Then I turned to my only option, Cebu Pacific. Online booking was fruitless. So in full and unmatched bravery, I went to their ticket office. Gossips are indeed true, the long queue is not for people with weak hearts. Oh well, I can deal. After all, this is my only option. After a successful battle with the long wait, I approached the ticket lady and asked her to include me in Flight 5J480 on Thursday. The fare is actually higher than normal, since it is already close to the flight date. It is ok, still lesser than what PAL offers, plus I am able to choose my seat upon booking. I aimed to sit on the front part right window side of the plane. I want a good view of the right engine this time. Hehe. The first  three window seats are occupied so I got the seat 4F, not bad.

Flight day. James and I decided to sip some coffee and chill before I fly back to Manila.  That was around 4PM. My flight is at 06:55 PM so I can still check in minutes before six. Lots of time to consume our coffee.

At the check in counter I the lady told me my flight would be delayed. I asked her why. She replied ” Delayed gid na sya sir” (Sure sir, it is delayed). Yeah right! You made a lot of sense. You are extremely helpful. How frustrating. After checking in, I went to the departure lounge and waited.  The area is actually is filled with passengers for the 4 pm flight - 5J477! Time check. It is already few minutes past 6:00. None of them seems to bother about the delay. I wonder why. There are kids running around, lots of hand carried bags stacked everywhere, some passengers enjoyed using their mobile phones, as evidenced by their terribly loud voices while yelling at the mouthpieces, which can be heard meters away. Horrific, but it actually entertained me. Hehe. Upon hearing some crackles from the PA system, everyone stood up! Zap!  Amazing. So you actually need to stand to hear the PA system. Great.

Time to board for 5J477 passengers bound for Manila. And as for me and the rest of the 5J 480 passengers, another round of boring wait.

At around 7:40, boarding announcement for my flight! Yey! Again, people stood up as fast as they can and lined up at gate 2. I went to the restroom and freshened up. And when I went back to the departure area, no trace of any passenger! Just the staff who is mopping the floor. What a beautiful sight. So calm. Far from the maddening crowd. I went to the gate and gave my boarding pass to the inattentive lady who asked me where I have been. Duh! I just raised my eyebrows and walked going to the bridge.

On the bridge, I heard some irritating screaming and talking and all those crazy camera flashes. I figured out this is a group of Cebu Pacific ground crew on a free flight going to Manila. I said so because they are all wearing this funny yellow Cebu Pacific shirt/uniform. They are talking mad and screaming loud and laughing wild on top of thier lungs! Identical to those seasoned Mendiola-breed rally people. Each step they make onto the aircraft, the camera flash comes to life. Imagine the experience. Guess where they are all seated, row 6! Arggh!!! Noise..and more noise.

After the plane positioned itself on the runway, the cabin lights are dimmed in preparation for the take-off. This is the best part! The cabin is dark so I got a very good view of the airport lights! Fantastic picture. During the initial climb, I can clearly see the bright Bacolod lights as they grow smaller and smaller - priceless sweet scene. Sigh. I so love this city.

Looking out of the window, just before reaching the cruising altitude, the bright moonlight illuminated the aircraft wings and the cottony white clouds underneath. Aow.. lonely scene.

Upon reaching the cruising altitude, cabin lights were turned on and the madness resumed. People race to the restroom, like they have never seen a restroom before. Then this crew performed the funniest act onboard! Pushing a cart loaded with all sorts of goods or I may say “paninda” - sandwiches, juices, candies, and all,  inch by inch, row by row,  she peddled in full smile until she reached the end of the plane - and back. Makes sense. Cart vendor 27000 feet above sea level.

After the initial descent, some 100 miles south of Manila, the plane made several steep banking mechanisms. I love it when you see the horizon changes angle. hehe.

Deplaning the Cebu Pacific way is another story. Terminal 3 here we come. This is like the old days when you actually have to go down the tarmac and walk to the arrival area. And since the Naia T3 is amazingly wide, we have to board a bus going to the domestic arrival. And after entering the terminal, more walking, one walkalator, and another escalator, then more walking until you reach the baggage claim area, then more walking until you can say hi to the incredibly polite cab drivers!

Whew! That was a notable trip. Hehe. They have a lot to improve, that is a fact. But then we all know Cebu Pacific is a young airline. In time, who knows.. everything might go well. Keeping my fingers crossed. For the meantime, on to my Mabuhay Miles accruals. Hehe.

In the end, what more can we expect from a budget airline. You get what you pay for. Correct?

I have been playing with this desktop application from Microsoft that comes as a bundle when you download Microsoft Live Messenger 9. It allows you to compose blog posts straight from your desktop without the need to use a browser to access your blog publishing platform.

During the initial setup, the application downloads your blog settings, including the stylesheet data so you are able to enjoy “WYSIWYG” blog writing experience. Add photos, maps, or any media, right there and then.

Build 14.0.8064.206 supports the following:

• Windows Live Spaces
• Blogger
• Livejournal
• TypePad
• Wordpress

This is an exciting and powerful tool from Microsoft. It would change the art of content management - forever.

Try it yourself. Download it here.

We’ve been hearing so much about it. We know it is happening, but like me, some of us has a vague idea of how it all began. Amit Agarwal (my favorite tech columnist) posted this visual from Jonathan Jarvis. I liked it and I think it would be nice to share this to all of you.

Watch and learn.

The biggest aviation event in the country. Dream come true for local aviation enthusiasts. Held at the Omni Aviation Complex, Clark Freeport Zone. The event ran from February 12-15. We were there friday the 13th, hehe.

Gideon, Dhez, Val, and I left Manila around 2am. It was like an hour and few minutes drive, and when we got there, the weather was cooler than normal.. a bit chill-ish actually. We were there earlier then the crowd so we manage to park in the best spot, just near the venue entrance. Little walk lead us to the hangar where the booth of Digital Photographer Philippines was located. It was a nice red carpet spot where couches are waiting for us. Hehe. Since it was just few minutes after 4am, we managed to chill and just wait for the balloon guys to setup thier thing.

Activities for the day:

• Hot Air Balloon Flight

• Paragliding Exhibition

• Angeles City Flying Club Ultralight Aircraft Flyby

• Aerobatic Flight Display

• RC Helicopter Show

• CIAC Fire Fighting Exhibition

• Radio Control Aircraft Flying

• Skydiving Exibition

• Angeles City Flying Club Ultralight Bomb Dropping

• Kite Team Philippines Choreographed Kite Flying

• AOPA Aircraft Flyby

• Aircraft Balloon Bursting Competition

• Aerobatic Show

• Airplane vs. motorcycle race

• Paragliding Exhibition

At around 6.30, the balloons were inflated. I was amazed actually on how the do it. I saw big fans that helps them blow air into those massive cloth-like material.

Before the balloon lifted, there was a dramatic singing of the Philippine National Anthem and then three skydivers fell from the sky carrying the Philippine Flag. It was a very patriotic moment.

Then one by one, the balloons lifted off. It was breathtaking. Then several paragliders flew above our heads. On some instances these guys flew so low that we could even reach them if we want to. hehe. I was hell confused on what to do. So much happenings that I am confused what to see first!

The best thing: Gideon lent me his uber useful Nikon Binoculars! haha. I so love it. I can see things beyond what my naked eyes can reach, even the creatures that flies overhead.. and much more.

After the giant balloons went away, we waited fo the next events. We even checked the aircraft at the hangar, lots of them actually. I looked closely at some, tried playing with the cool propellers. hehe. Dream come true. Small planes in front of me, so personal.

By 8am or so, the light plane exhibition and flyby started. I dunno. I cannot comprehend. Im like a kid in a toy shop who doesnt know what to do. Argh! That was surreal.

After my jaw dropping, we ate at the nearby array of food shops, Hotshots was the choice. Then we went back to checking everything. Light planes, photo exhibits, helicopters, fighter planes, tanks and cannons, sigh.. I wanna cry. And yeah.. planes kept soaring over our heads.

By noontime, we went to the hotel to get some rest. I noticed I got some tan lines, hehe. On the way to the hotel, I can still hear those planes above us.

Recalling what happened that day, I dont know where to start! haha.

I miss dad. I remember our toy planes before. I remember our parachutes. I remember our kites.  I remember the plane rides. Sigh.

Thanks to Digital Photographer Philippines for scoring us the pass. Thank you Gid and Dhez for the day. Cant wait for next year. Haha.

Better late than never. haha. Middle of January, where this post is attached, was  a spectacular Cebu experience. Saying my thanks to the few sweet Cebuano souls who made my and James’ Sinulog flyby unforgettable.

Chris Vincent, Karlo, Christian, and Paul - thank you guys.