I survived another wet and wild Sunday. But at least this time, the venue and entertainment were different. I’ll get to that, but first things first, and the first thing was the Candy Walk.
Let’s try another video from a street along the way.
Sorry for the abrupt ending. I thought I had just paused the video, but when I tried to restart it, it had shut down.
Swan told me she was making payments on a lot in San Isidro, so I asked to see it.
I intend to help Swan build a small, simple house on her lot. I have thirty years on her, and when I go, at least I’ll know she has a place to stay.
And now for the different part of my Sunday. Every year, the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars holds its big fundraising event, the Beach Bash. It’s a weekend extravaganza culminating in the Miss Beach Bash beauty pageant on Sunday evening. This year, we were on the beach at the Outback Resort.
I made a video of each gal’s introductory walkabout. Feel free to speed through the twelve minutes at triple speed.
The event offered beer cards–450 pesos for six beers. I bought two cards, which might explain some of the commentaries in the video above.
Here are a few shots from the swimwear competition:
So, the pageant kept me out until the ungodly hour of 9:30 p.m. When we got back home, the vanilla ice cream in the freezer wouldn’t stop calling my name. Turns out, the only way to shut it up was to eat it. And so I did.
Today’s episode in The Story of My Life is from my “friends with benefits” chapter. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but looking back is almost painful. Until I happened upon this post from 2020, I’d forgotten all about this Mary (there was another that came after her). I have no idea what happened to this one; she just disappeared when I stopped funding her. Who is using who in this type of situation remains an unanswered question. Mary was a starfish in bed, and I learned later that a lot of what she had told me (i.e., I was her first foreigner) was bola bola (bullshit).
I haven’t posted the political memes here that I share on Facebook in a while, but these achieved the goal of triggering my lefty friends:
Alright, enough of that nonsense. Today on YouTube, we go back in time to a Manila I might have actually enjoyed.
The joke is on me:
And there you have the story of my Sunday. Today is Hash Monday, so a new hiking adventure awaits! And hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll be getting my laptop repaired. See you then!
Sorry for the abrupt ending. I thought I had just paused the video, but when I tried to restart it, it had shut down.
Less tilt this time, so it’s a win. I can tell, though, that you’re still not planning ahead with your shots. I’m still seeing lots of sudden glances (i.e., sudden, whipping camera movements) and moments where you either fail to capture the central action or turn away before the action is completed. If you can, please try to make your camera work steadier and less distracted-looking.
There’s nothing wrong with applying your photography skills to your video work. I generally like your photos and think you have a natural knack for how you compose your shots. A lot of stuff is happening instantaneously in your head when you snap a picture, e.g., camera tilt(!). Without even realizing it, every time you take a shot, you’re quickly asking yourself a blizzard of questions like, What is the subject of this shot? Is it better to center it perfectly or to make it more dynamic by having it a bit off-center? What’s the most important aspect of the shot’s subject? Is it the girl or, more specifically, the girl’s happy grin as she receives candy? I can see you mentally asking and answering these questions as you compose and snap your photos.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with applying that skill to your videos. But with videos, since time is now a factor because these are moving images, your brain has to go from 2D to 3D, so instead of asking yourself, What’s the subject of this shot?, it might be better to ask yourself a “3D” question like “What event am I concentrating on?” E.g., if Swan is giving out candy, focus on her and the people who receive the candy, but without wavering from Swan since she’s the source of the generosity. See the story happening in front of you. Let it play out all the way. Videos like the ones you’re making are a strung-together series of little stories, little events, each with a focus. Stay focused and try not to pan back and forth distractedly. If you can compose your photos, I’m confident that you can learn to compose your video images.
It’s down at the end of this road
Damn, look at the gap in that brick wall. Just like in Korea. Older Korean houses all show off bad architecture and shoddy building skills (with the exception of traditional housing/buildings like hanok, Confucian schools, and temples).
But you can see Easter Mountain from here.
So is this the shot of Swan’s lot? If not, where is it?
I ordered fish and [c]hips from the Outback kitchen—lousy Dory fish. I ate only half and gave the rest to Swan and her group.
Is Dory really that bad? I’m not sure I’ve ever had it. Is the problem taste? Texture? Something else? Ideally, fish & chips should be made with a firm whitefish like cod (the gold standard) or tilapia (a bit thinner but not bad).
Eleven contestants this year. I knew two of them–Hershe from It Doesn’t Matter and Barbie from Green Room.
I was going to grouse that you didn’t point your acquaintances out in this picture, but you do point them out in pics and a video later on. “Hershe”… is that her compact way of presenting her pronouns?
Feel free to speed through the twelve minutes at triple speed.
Only up to 2X on my phone, alas.
Barbie is well known for her tattooed ass. I really don’t like it.
Well, she’s young and kind of firm now. In forty years, as she sags, the tattoo will go from shorts to long johns.
I’m surprised the Facebook goons didn’t flag this one
Maybe they’re waiting for someone to report you, Soviet-style.
I hope the Hash went well.
“I ordered fish and hips…”
It only smells like fish.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Cheers
Thanks for the tips and suggestions to improve video quality. I have been taking sort of a dashcam approach–you see what I see. A more focused effort will help reduce the Helter-Skelter effect. I’ll work on it!
I failed to get a shot of the actual lot that Swan is buying. It’s on the end of that road on the right-hand side. The lot next door has a footbridge, which is concerning. Will the lot be underwater in the rainy season? Swan wants an elevated foundation, but still, having to wade in and out wouldn’t be fun. I’ll go back for a look after the rains come.
The Dory fish I had was flaky and had a dull taste. The fish and hips fans say Dory is the worst fish to use for this dish, but it is inexpensive and plentiful, so you see it a lot.
As far as I know, Hershe is her real name. I teased her when we first met by asking if she was bakla (trans) and calling her “he/she.”
Yep, that’s the problem with tats–they don’t age well!
DS, HaHa! I didn’t see that, but yeah, that Dory girl needs to wash up down there!
>Yep, that’s the problem with tats–they don’t age well!
Never been a fan of tattoos, especially on females. A tattoo that seemed like a good idea when you are 20 possibly doesn’t seem as good an idea when you are 60.
A doctor friend told me: “I’ve seen a lot of naked people and have seen a lot of tattoos. Ive seen a lot of good tattoos and a lot of old tattoos. But I have to see a good old tattoo!”
Brian, yep, I like women with a natural look. And a tattoo won’t stop the aging, it just makes it worse.