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Location: 344 St. Wat Bo Sangkat Sala Komreouk, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Thursday, November 16, 2017
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Monday, October 30, 2017
"Kodak Professional BW400CN is a high-speed chromogenic black and white negative film designed to be processed in C-41 chemistry and printed on RA-4 color papers."
Saturday, August 19, 2017
As I looked into my makeup dresser, I reflected on each item as to why.
Pink Sugar Lip & Cheek Tint
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| Php 349 Code Red & Purrfect Pout |
Long-lasting, highly pigmented and transfer-proof, this lip & cheek tint gives out a matte finish and can last you almost the whole day sans eating oily food. Love the scent too as it smells (and taste) like candy, maybe it is made of sugar? Even if its matte, it doesn't dry out your lips and I also notice that it gradually fades out - not leaving you with a colored line around the lips.
Honey I'm Good Brow Kit
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| Php 399 Sassy Brown |
When it comes to brow kits, I really prefer those in powder form as it gives me more control when applying. It was love at first swatch with this kit, the wax & powder are very pigmented & the staying power is strong.
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| Sassy Brown Swatch |
Our Lil' Secret Foundation
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| Php 399 Shade: Medium |
It's an all day coverage foundation and it does stay true to its claim. It gives out medium to full coverage and has a yellow undertone, perfect for a Pinay skin. As for its staying power, so far it stays put for the duration of my 8-9 hours work day even without primer. One thing I've noticed though is that it can emphasize dry areas of your skin - so make sure to moisturize or set a primer at least if you have dry areas.
Our Lil Secret Concealer
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| Php 349 Shade: Light Medium |
With its doe foot applicator, application on trouble areas like the under eye is a breeze. I love how blend-able the formula is & great in covering up dark areas as soon as you find the right match of shade.
So yep, enjoying so far the Pink Sugar products because I get what I pay for. I love how it is readily available in malls & how helpful their sales assistants are in guiding you on what shade to get & how to use their products. Sometimes we stereotype local products for giving us low quality but learn to explore, try out this brand & be surprised -- in a good way.
Monday, July 03, 2017
Before my trip to Melbourne a few weeks ago, I did a lot of research about their transport system and how to use the Myki card. Aside from checking their official site (https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki), I've checked out a lot of blog posts too as it can get really confusing on how to use the card.
I spent 3 days in Melbourne and below are some of the basic things you need to know about using the Myki card:
Where to buy?
I bought mine at the PTV Hub area as soon as I arrived at the Southern Cross station. Once you get off the Skybus & enter the station, you will see a ticket office on your right.
Update as of November 2018: You can now buy your Myki Card at the ticket office on your right, after you enter the Southern Cross Station from the SkyBus arrival area. They accept cash and card for payment.Aside from the PTV hub station, you can also purchase the card from other premium train/tram stations & 711 stores.
How much is the card?
The card cost $6 AUD after which you can top up with either Myki money or Myki pass.
For tourists, they recommend the Myki Explorer package ($15 AUD) which includes the following:
- Myki Card
- Myki Money $9 AUD
- Maps
- Souvenir Wallet
Topping up your Myki Card
A Myki card can be topped up with either Myki Money or Myki Pass (see which one is for you in detail here). For travelers, Myki Money is the choice here and the amount of how much 'money' to load will depend on your itinerary.
You can top up you card on Myki machines located in tram/train stations & 711 stores.
How much Myki money should I top up?
They have a 2-hour fare ($4.10 AUD) & a daily cap fare ($8.20 AUD). Maximize your Myki money by planning your itinerary wisely - identify which Zones the places you want to visit are located at & place them on the same day. This way, you can travel all day anywhere within Zones 1 and 2 for a fixed amount. Take advantage of the free trams around the area, and should you need to use your Myki, it would be more economical & convenient to use the daily cap instead of the 2-hour fare.
When to tap on and off?
If you are only traveling within the free tram zone area, no need to use your Myki and tap on or off. However, when your journey includes any station from Zones 1 & 2, you need to tap on & off.
Sample Scenario:
From CBD area -coming from D2 Central Pier station, you'd like to go to St Kilda Beach and the nearest tram station is Stop 136 The Esplanade (St Kilda).
1. From D2 Central Pier station, take Tram 35 (City Circle) and get off at Stop 1 Spencer St/Flinders St. As this is still within the Free Tram Zone area, NO NEED to tap on or off.
2. From Stop 1, walk towards Stop 124 Batman Park/Spencer St.
3. Take Tram 96 (St Kilda Beach) and tap ON your Myki Card.
4. Tap OFF your Myki card before getting off at Stop 136 Esplanade.
Note though that even if you forgot to tap on or off on stations you should have, the maximum amount it will deduct your Myki card is almost the same as the daily cap fare. So for me, as a traveler, it would be less confusing if you just take the daily fare & visit the places outside the free tram area on the same day.
Monday, May 15, 2017
I have plans to visit the land down under so we went to VFS at Ecoplaza Building in Makati to submit our documents to apply for an Australian Tourist Visa (Subclass 600).
Aside from checking directly on their site the documents required for this application: http://www.vfsglobal.com/australia/philippines/, there are also a ton of blog posts where you can read about the requirements. I've listed below what I recently submitted & what to take note of:
Required Documents
➥Form 1419
1. Make sure to use black pen or if you are not keen on writing anymore, you can just edit the PDF file & print like what a normal, lazy and millennial person would do.2. Paste 1 passport-size photo
3. No need to enter N/A for blank fields
➥Subclass 600 Checklist form
Same with Form 1419 except no need to paste or attach a passport-size photo➥Xerox copy of my NSO-certified Birth Certificate
See my post about the different ways of getting your NSO-certified birth certificate.
➥Manager's Check
1. Most preferably from either BPI or BDO but you can get it from any bank as long as its a commercial & not a rural bank. You need to have an existing/active account with the bank before you can request one.2. As of this writing, payable amount should be Php 5,300. Note that amount indicated on the check must be in PHP
3. The Pay to the order of value should be addressed to Australian Embassy. They will not accept your check if it states otherwise.
4. Depends on the bank, but BDO charges Php 50 per check. You have the option to either pay it in cash or debit it from your account.
➥Xerox copy of my Passport pages
1. Make sure to xerox the front, back and all pages with stamps and visas on it.2. If you have an older passport with stamps and visa, xerox copy that as well even if it's already expired.
➥Xerox copy of ITR
➥Xerox/Printed copy of Payslip (1 month)
➥Bank Certificate
There is no recommended amount but remember that they ask for this information so they can be assured you can sustain yourself financially while you are traveling to their country. So depends on how long your stay will be, make sure your bank account - at least for the visa application - is enough for your day to day activity in Australia.
➥Latest copy of my credit card statement
Make sure it indicates the current credit limit➥Invitation letter & other supporting documents from your contact in Australia
1. My friend provided us with a Statutory Declaration (which serves as an Invitation letter) stating that she will be responsible for our stay/accommodation in Australia.2. Statutory Declaration form can be downloaded here.
3. Additional documents provided was a xerox copy of passport, copy of visa grant, school IDs, receipts, etc.
Basically for Visa Application, you just need to prove that 1. you have the financial capacity to visit their country during your travel dates and 2. you have no intention of overstaying & will definitely be back to your home country. So any other documents you can provide to help you on this will help.
Submitting Documents
Note: We applied & submitted via the VFS office and not directly to the Australian Embassy. It usually speeds up the process but you still have the option to apply directly or to the AU Embassy.1. You can have the option of either scheduling an appointment via their site or go there directly and queue as walk-in.
2. Upon entering the VFS office, there are specific lanes for each country of visa application, for Australia, it's the first lane on the left after the entrance.
3. After logging in and taking a queue number, you will be asked to enter another room (just beside the first counter) and wait for your number to be called. If you scheduled an appointment, you can go directly to counter 1 or 2.
4. Aside from the xerox copies that you will submit, its best to bring the original documents as well just in case they have questions. For us, they didn't even bother to check our original documents or passport.
5. On the manager's check, they will ask you to write down your name & passport number at the back.
6. You need to pay a processing fee of Php 637.00 (additional cost if you opt to subscribe to their SMS update).
7. Wait for the receipt & make sure to check if the name & email address to where they can send the VISA is correct.
The actual result is expected to arrive in a month but there instances when it can only take 3 days or 2 weeks to receive the result. Mine took 2 weeks and happy to say that it was approved :) Australia issues a label-free visa so you'd have to constantly check your email with the visa grant notice attachment. Make sure to print the visa grant or have a soft copy on your phone as you will need to show this at immigration.
Sunday, May 07, 2017
AGFA APX 400
Black and White Film Negative
ISO 400
*Unedited Photos & shot on a bright, sunny (morning) day
*Location: WaWa Dam Rodriguez, Rizal
*Thoughts: Milky/Light Gray, low contrast tone.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
So, I've been dabbling on film photography these past few days and have been researching on getting myself my own film scanner. Finding a photo studio who still does film developing & scanning is quite a challenge so I really want to buy myself a film scanner so I can have more control of my film scan results.
I was supposed to buy either a Canon or Epson Film Scanner but unfortunately they were not available at Trinoma so just to satisfy my urge of getting a film scanner, I headed over to CD-R King and was able to buy their stand alone film scanner for Php 2,800.
This film scanner does not require any application to scan films, just plug (either to an outlet or to your PC/Laptop using the USB cable), insert the film using the included holders and adjust the frames to display correctly on the monitor then save. It has a slot for a memory card where you can save the scans but it also allows direct saving to laptop/PC via its USB cable connection.
The box contains:
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| Stand Alone Film Scanner |
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| Film Holders (Negative, Slide & Roll Film) |
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| Plug, USB Cable, TV Jack Cable and Brush Cleaner |
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| User Manual |
Now for the comparison of scan results; I've had my film scanned by Kodak Express Digital Solutions (Trinoma).
Kodak:
CD-R King Stand Alone Film Scanner:
Kodak:
CD-R King Stand Alone Film Scanner:
CD-R King Stand Alone Film Scanner:
Kodak:
CD-R King Stand Alone Film Scanner:
As you can see, there's a lot of difference on the quality & color. But with it's price compared to high-end legit flatbed film scanners which ranges from 10K-15K, results are worth of its price. This is recommended for those starting with film photography who:
1. Wants to scan their own films but do not want to shell out too much money.
2. Don't have space for a proper flatbed film scanner.
3. Wants to conveniently scan their films without using any application.
4. Film Scanner you can bring anywhere & scan films anytime.
5. Does not require much editing & high-quality images.
6. No plans of printing the scanned images.
In my opinion, it's not too bad - in fact it gives a more vintage-vibe, don't you think?
