Making your own NYC

I used to have a mindset before that if I don't get to New York City, my dreams of being a writer are off to the shelves. I even went to the extent of stating that the place I live is uninspiring for a creative mind like mine. What I realized in my pursuit for NYC is that I never really needed to go there, I already had NYC all around me.

First of all why New York? The Knicks suck, the traffic is also horrible, and it's really expensive to live there. New York breathes and smells creativity so being there would be any artist's heaven, the mecca of limitless possibilities. Then I found out it's the same here in Manila, we suck in international basketball tournaments, traffic is damned, and yes it is sometimes expensive to live here. Manila is the home to limitless ideas, just scan Google and you will always see a Filipino creating new stuff someway somehow, think of it as third world country DIY.

What I also loved about NYC is the lifestyle, the juggling of a sometimes boring job and a not so common career. Here in Manila I have been really fortunate to meet some people who do that, from theater people to musicians to website moguls. I see in them what I envy the most: living dual lives and just going out there doing what they love doing the most. But it's not all about that sometimes.

Sometimes it's just about going to a Chinese restaurant eating siomai at 12MN just because there's no other restaurant open. Or maybe it's about going to art and rock shows where most people don't go. Maybe it's about looking for vinyl records or Polaroid cameras and just taking pictures of your friends for no apparent reason. Sounds NYC? I am doing all of those things here in Manila.

What am I saying? You don't need to go to NYC to be creative or exploring the things you want to do. You make your own NYC wherever you are, from just walking at train stations at 11PM on your way to work to watching last full shows at cinemas. I realized I didn't need to see NYC for me to understand what being creative is all about, just the fact that I see NYC all around me was being creative already in the simplest sense. Inspiration is all around you, it's just a matter of fine tuning your eyes to it.

If I do get to NYC I would thank God so much He'd be annoyed by my gratitude. For now I would thank Him for putting me in a place full of inspiration. A place I call my home. Manila.

My first vinyl records

I finally got my hands on my very first vinyl. I tend to have this rule where I simply accept that your first catch ain't your best. This time though I can qualify this as an exemption. Why? First of all I really got them for a really low price. I was able to buy 5 records (2 of which are double vinyl) and spent only 200 php. The four was actually priced at 4 for 100 php.









What makes the other one special that it's worth 100 php? Oh nothing it's just freakin' EARTH WIND AND FIRE! And it's not just a normal vinyl recording, it's a LIVE CONCERT RECORDING!



If you want to get your hands on your very own cheap vinyl head out to Barangay Bangkal in Makati. Look for the garage sales there, and be really patient. I'm telling you it's worth it once you hit the jackpot.

Cross Processed?

I just want to share this photo with you guys. While tinkering on the manual settings (specifically the WB settings) and taking test shots I stumbled upon this photo. Now don't ask me how I was able to do it because honestly I cannot recall the settings anymore.

Anyway here's the photo.



It reminds me of using expired slide films and having them cross processed. Looks like Lomo right?

Controllerism

What again? Yeah that was my initial reaction when I first heard of the word. I first stumbled on controllerism after watching Attack of the Show where they featured the Vestax VCI 100 Arcade Edition. Never heard of it too? What it does is that it minimizes your usual two turntable - one mixer - one laptop setup into a dope piece of equipment, and when I say dope I mean $850 dope.

Now I don't have that amount of money right now but what it gave me is the new rush of pursuing my interest for DJing. I understand and accept that I won't be anywhere near how good these guys are but I think I can be on the level of I'm just doing this for fun. As I write this I already have a setup in mind: USB game pad and MIDI controller. Stay tuned.

Here's the video from AOTS featuring Ean Golden sampling the VCI 100.

Video Games - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Think it's too much? Heck yeah! That is why this is what I plan to do.



Let's see what happens next...

Through the Picket Fence

It's a jungle out there.

Fisheye 1 + Fuji YKL ASA 100