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What a Week!

Juba, South Sudan (20 May 2012) — Whew! What a week! I’m looking forward to more things (good things I hope) to happen in the coming week. I feel grateful and what happened this past week helped me have more faith in more good things to come. The week began with the day I finally decided to take the leap and did my first road run in Juba. I have been thinking of running the main roads of Juba for quite sometime but fear of running “in the open” always held me back. Up to the last-minute I doubted myself (I already have changed into my running outfit and had done warm-up stretching) and I was still entertaining excuses in my mind. Anyway, I just made the sign of the cross and said to myself “Bahala na si Batman!” I was glad I made the leap. I felt proud of this simple accomplishment (overcoming my fear of running “in the open” in Juba). I felt proud that I was able to complete a running course that all the while I was thinking I could not finish. The route I took was a total of 15K course (more or less). And I did this all by my lonesome self!!! My decision to run the streets of Juba opened up the possibility for me to be free of the inconvenience of having to find a place to change clothes, arrange for transport (going to and leaving the UNMISS compound) and to some extent having to inconvenience colleagues/friends in the UNMISS so just I could run. I actually can do my run in the morning before going to the office. The road run (my discovery run) also served as a test run of the terrain and feel of the streets. In a weeks time, the Juba Marathon will be held and I intend to join and run my first half-mary. The run last Sunday gave me a feel of running a course that had some variety in the incline of the terrain which I was never getting at the UNMISS compound which is basically flat. I was so happy with my decision and the outcome that I celebrated the occasion by rewarding myself with a big breakfast and in the evening I cooked “Chicken-Pork Hamonado” for the all my colleagues living in the IOM guesthouse.

Chicken-Pork Hamonado — A simple dish but very delicious. Meat is slow cooked in a mixture of beer, pineapple juice (if none you can use Sprite or 7-up), black pepper, salt, soy sauce and dried basil leaves. Goes well with rice.

Monday came and the office was abuzz with excitement and anticipation. The whole operations team and the tracking and monitoring team were “all hands on deck” ready to meet and assist the South Sudanese returnees coming from Khartoum at the Juba International Airport. I was requested to be in the airport to take photos of the event. This was the first batch of returnees coming in by plane after some months of lull due to the ban imposed by Sudan on flights going to Juba. I’ve learned that from this day till about the end of the month, IOM will be receiving, transporting, registering  two batches of returnees (two flights) per day and receive, transport and register returnees that travel by barge along the Nile River. I was excited and honored to have been assigned to take care of the documentation of the event. The event was a big one and after having not photograph a big public event such as this one for a while (I’m more into running now than photography), I felt I was getting rusty and slow.  On the way to the airport from the office, I was worried and I kept reviewing in my mind some “checklist” and tried to pre-visualize some possible scenes. I was honestly feeling like I was starting all over again. However, as soon as the first returnees appeared out of the plane door and started going down the stairs, I stopped thinking and just started shooting. I was happy with the shoot and was even happier when, after sharing a few shots, our IOM headquarters in Geneva and administrative center in Manila requested for the high resolution shots (in addition to the sample shots I sent earlier) and informed me that these will be posted in IOM’s official sites in an image library.

Welcome Home! — South Sudanese returnees deplane at the Juba International Airport. They belong to the first batch of South Sudanese repatriated to South Sudan from Khartoum through the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A total of 164 individuals comprised the first batch of returnees. From the airport, they were transported to a transit station were they were provided with food and accommodation. Onward transport support will be provided by IOM for them to finally reach their final place of destination in various states in South Sudan

All Aboard — A father and child boards one of the buses provided by IOM to transport the returnees to a transit site where they will receive food and accommodation. They will stay in the transit site until they are ready to travel back to their place of final destination in one of the 10 states in South Sudan

Tuesday passed like a blur as I had to finish all preparations for a return field mission to Bentiu, the capital of the Unity State  (or the place where people are fighting, as our cleaning lady would describe the place). Wednesday to Friday I was out in the bush helping NGOs operating there prepare their project proposals for submission to IOM. Being in the bush for three days, despite being intermittently cut-off from the outside world (internet access is poor & cellphone networks suck) and having no access to conveniences otherwise commonly available in Juba, still presented me with valuable experiences worth cherishing. For one, the second visit to Bentiu reminded me of the kind of work I love doing. Being in the field accords me as well with lots of quiet time  otherwise drowned by deadlines, meetings, reports and other distractions when in the office. Despite the difficulties experience in the field, I always come back home feeling more grounded and more confident because of the added understanding of the real situation on the ground.

Unity State from the Air — An aerial view of the landscape of Unity State. Shot taken on my way home to Juba onboard a Canadian managed UN flight.

Here Comes the Rain — Rain clouds gathering on top of the Council of Traditional Leaders Center (COTAL) in Bentiu, Unity State. Rains in Bentiu have arrived late this year. While rain is anticipated by the community (as this would benefit farmers), the rainy season in Unity State also signals the months of difficult travel. Most of the roads in the state becomes impassable even by 4×4 vehicles.

Saturday morning I did my second road run in the streets of Juba. I did an easy 6K because while I was on field mission, I failed to run at the UNMISS compound there because I was not stationed inside the compound. It was a big hustle for me to travel to the UNMISS from the WFP compound (where I was able to get accommodation). This morning I did another 6K road run along the Airport Road and UNMISS road.

What a week! Lots of things happened and lots of things I am grateful for and proud of. I look forward to another week with faith in the good that it will bring. I still don’t have news as to the status of the Juba Marathon but will try to get more detailed information before Saturday. I really hope it will push through this time. I look forward with excitement and anticipation to finish my first 21K on Saturday (wearing the Amigos Curiae singlet).

Film Grain Mode

Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (18 November 2011) — I’m still in the “My Color Mode” of my Lumix LX5. This time I played around with the “Film Grain” feature. Last night we got invited to a birthday party and I took this opportunity to give the “Film Grain” feature a run. While waiting for the celebrant to arrive, I took the liberty of going around the house to take photos of very interesting fixtures and decorations that were abundant in the living room and dining room.

Happy Birthday -- the birthday celebrant who just arrived from the airport. His mom organized a surprise birthday party for him. Former classmates and friends (my son Diego is one of them) were invited without the celebrant knowing.

Buddha and Mary -- A small dining table found in between a bust of Buddha and a statue of Mary.

After looking at the shots taken that night, I think I am hooked on this feature.  I so love the grain that is generated in each shot. I also love the contrast produced. Looking at the photos, I see more blacks and whites rather than different gradients of grey as what is produced by the normal monochrome feature of the camera. Before, when I want to produce black and white photos, I utilize the channel mixer feature of Photoshop to mix (as it were) a balance between the blacks and the whites . Most often however, I feel frustrated in not being able to get the “right” level of contrast between the blacks and the whites. The photos most of the time, end up with more greys than I would like to have. With the film grain mode of the Lumix LX5 less time is spent on post processing. For the set of photos I have taken that night, I only did minor adjustments in Curves or Levels and resized the photos for easier viewing on the net.

Come, rest a while --- This is what this scene seem to be saying. Found this in in the living room and looking at the shot after uploading into my computer, it looked like an exhibit in a museum rather than a fixture/furniture in a house.

Money Horse --- A horse and coins, two symbols of power and strength. I saw this figurine also in the living room and took several shots from different angles. This is my favorite.

As I have been accustomed to, I kept the lens focal length to its widest (24mm). I find zooming a point and shoot camera a bit slow and sometimes less precise. I’d rather use my legs to zoom in or out of a subject. In film grain mode, the camera keeps the ISO at a constant 1600 regardless of the light levels. Shutter and aperture are automatically adjusted by the camera. Since the ISO was constantly in ISO 1600 (cannot change this though when in film grain mode), I didn’t worry about the relatively low light level of the indoor lights. Shooting in black and white also removed my worry about getting correct white balance. There is no need to deal with color cast brought about by mixed light temperatures. All I did was concentrate on composition, play of shadow and light and make sure that the focussing point selects the part of the subject I want to be in sharp focus.

Double Shadow -- A wooden sculpture of what looked like a Thai dancer found in the living room located directly opposite the main door to the house.

Chow Time! -- For the boys.

Chow Time! -- For the girls.

Pinhole Photowalk

Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (16 November 2011) — Since I discovered the “My Color Mode” feature of my Lumix LX-5, I am still fascinated with one effect the camera can produce and this is the effect of a pinhole camera. Since I discovered this, I never had the chance to use it extensively since yesterday.

Every afternoon, after school, my children attends Kumon sessions. The Kumon center is located a good 2.5 to 3 kms away from our house. Yesterday our vehicle was used by my wife for she needed to attend a meeting downtown so we were forced to walk. I decided to take photos as we walk to the center. I set the camera to the pinhole effect and fired away. Here are some of the shots I’ve taken that afternoon and early evening on our walk home.

Our Morenga -- Morenga or known in the Philippines as "Malungay" or "Kalamungay" in the Visayan dialect, we planted in front of our house. Good source of iron and vitamin C.

Neighbor -- A photo of our neighbors house. Their house got completed almost at the same time ours was completed and they transfered almost at the same time as we did two years ago.

Strolling Strollers -- Nannys on an afternoon strolling of their wards around the subdivision.

The experience somehow showed me how our subdivision and immediate environ (the place we normally see everyday) looks like through the eye of a pinhole camera. I kept the focal length of the lens to its widest (24mm) and utilized my feet for zooming. In a pinhole mode, the shutter speed and the aperture are in automatic mode. ISO setting is also automatic but goes up to ISO 400 only.

Leicester Road -- One of the road post found in the HIllsborough Pointe Subdivision.

Ampatuan House -- One of the houses (uncompleted) allegedly owned by a member of the Ampatuan Clan of Maguindanao.

Waiting for a ride -- Construction workers waiting for their ride home outside the subdivision after a hard days work in constructing houses in the subdivision.

I Will Follow You -- A student from Xavier University Grade School walking home to one of the many subdivisions located around the campus of the university.

No Littering -- A view of the Xavier University High School Building from the other side of the road.

As soon as we reached the highway (Fr. Masterson Avenue), I experimented on panning shots of vehicles passing by. Here are some of the “successful” ones.

Electric Jeepney -- Yes! The Pueblo de Oro, the developer/company that established the township has a jeepney powered by electricity. The jeepney plys the major roads around the township. Why can't we have more of this for the city?

Red Car -- A red sedan cruising along the Fr. Masterson Avenue.

Bicycle Lane -- Streets in the city still does not have designated bicycle and motorcycle lanes thus they share the main road with all the other bigger vehicles.

On our walk home, despite the sun having already set, I continued to take some shots. Of course most of the shots came out blurry as I didn’t have a tripod. However, I continued shooting handheld and tried my best to keep my hands as steady as possible.

Kumon -- The Kumon center where my children goes to for their mathematics exercises.

Night Class -- Xavier University High School Campus at night.

Hump Ahead -- A jeepney passes by a warning sign of a hump ahead.

Brothers Walking -- Diego and Gabriel walking ahead of me on our walk home as a taxi passes through.

Home Sweet Home -- Home at last. A signage in one of the post of our front gate.

Running

My running shoes placed in our Lanai to dry

Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (16 Sept 2011) – I was into running way back in 1983-84. I was actively running daily and even joined a few 5K marathons. I stopped running when I got involved in swimming around 1985 till 1990. From that time I have never came back to running till now.I’m still into my fifth day of running again (actually at this point still jogging) and I’m still in the process of allowing my leg muscles to get used to do a continuous routine motion for an extended period of time. Following running experts advice,  I have to start slow and slowly build-up as I go. So I’m taking it easy,  jogging at least two rounds and a half around our village. I’ll increase the time or distance (number of rounds/laps) in time.

It is amazing to note however how running, like the other sports I have been involved in like swimming and badminton, has been elevated into a very scientific endeavor. Back in my highschool days there was no talk about specially designed running shoes to compensate for over or under pronation, high arch stride and whatnot. Heck, no one gave a damn about overpronation and underpronation in the first place. There were no high-tech watches to monitor your pace, heart rate and distance. There were no miCoach and Nike+ and iPod nano’s and iPhones that you can use to monitor your running by downloading a software from the net. Way back then, all one has to worry about was to ensure that one has a good pair of running shoes and you go out and run. Wear what you have available. There were no climacools. If I remember correctly there was only Botak. There were no designer running hats/caps and flashy Oakley running sunglasses. Now you have a baker’s dozen of brands to choose from Adidas to Nike to Asics to Brooks to Saucony.

Of course the sport has evolved over time and part of its evolution, adopted technology that is available to enhance or improve the sport. A few days back, I read a shout-out of a former colleague during my swimming days wherein he mentioned that he went back to swim again after many years of absence from the sport (he is into Scuba Diving now by the way) and he had to literally remove his “old” swimming paddles when he saw the newer and more high-tech equipment that the newer swimming generation is using now. I found it funny but made me think too that “new” does not necessarily mean “better.” Having the latest gadgets does not necessarily and automatically translate into making one a better runner, swimmer, or photographer.

When I was scouting for a good running shoes a few months back, it was only that time that I got bombarded by a lot of information about available gadgets, accessories and equipment related to running. The options are just enormous. One can easily drown and to a certain extent forget that these are just tools to help one improve or achieve a specific output or goal. True, the sport has evolved and technology has found a more efficient and better way of making running more enjoyable and less injury prone. I do admit that the temptation to have this and that “high-tech” shoes or gadget or apparel crossed my mind only to be tempered by the reality that I’m still about to re-start running. As of this writing I am still into my fifth day of jogging (not yet properly running even). Who knows, I might stop after a few months down the road for whatever reason (i.e. schedules, work, etc.) and thus waste resources on something that I won’t be using to the hilt.

So for now, with a good pair of running shoes, I’ll enjoy my running/jogging and hit the road for as long as I can. Besides, all this talk about these newer and high tech gadgets and accessories just makes me feel — darn old.