First, it was criticized by the Church, but stopped short of banning it.

Second, it was rated R-18, because 'only mature people will be able to know that it is in fact, a fiction after all.'  And the Chairman of Movie Censorship saying that it's being shown worldwide, so why can't we.

Third, it was shown on its opening day, May 18.

Now, a day after, it's banned.

It's only in the Philippines, just shows what kind of people in power are.

There used to be a comedy sitcom titled "Only in the Pilipins," how pathetically stupid what people do in their day-to-day life, it's not funny anymore.

...

The film has been rated low, very low so far.  It's 'rotten' in Rottentomatoes.com, getting only 17% positive reviews.

...

"For Christ's sake! If this movie sends a single shockwave through true believers then one can only assume that their faith rests on pathetically frail foundations. Choosing to picket cinemas that screen The Da Vinci Code makes about as much sense as picketing a Monopoly board for a perceived unfairness over property rents. Nobody has cause to worry about this preposterous confection, and that includes the studio trying to sell it: the air of hallowed secrecy thrown about the project should guarantee success for at least a couple of weeks." -The Independent, Online Edition

Today, I finally got to see one movie from the TFF -- First Snow, at Pace University.

Festival (http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org) runs only until May 7.

It features clips and full movies from directors all over the world.

I also saw Colin Farrell in person... and a Filipina director that made a Family Short Film (while I was eating in a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Manhattan).

Very nice weekend with a very nice weather... now I'm listening to The Blue Man Group in DVD-Audio...

some pix:


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I might go again this coming weekend for more :)

Finally, I've got to the top of Empire (again), but this time at night.

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and some daytime shots

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and where the Twin Towers once stood...

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10 days, 9 nights in Vegas was just too short

all of a sudden, it's back to work in NY

i thank my cuz for driving me around... we went to bars and a sushi bar, casinos, played bowling, had hard drinks, made hard drinks, played games, took pics, went to a shooting range, etc.

it's been 10 years since i was there...

now i'm planning to go back in a few months...

i just miss it... but reality is, i'm in NY, and i have to work

thank god it's friday again, :)

The famous Vegas Stratosphere, standing tall at 1,149 ft.... with some insane rides on top of the tower (like Insanity, pun intended), without glass at all.



and spinning you on top of Las Vegas

4 days before I head the west coast, my new ultra-zoom camera arrived... I have to commend Beach Camera for a super-fast delivery via FedEx for 2 days... I selected free shipping which normally takes 7-10 days (according to their website), but probably since I live close to where they're based, I got it in 2 days...

Thanks Beach Camera!

Next, my decision to select Black vs Silver ultimately boiled down to none other than tin!  Biased though in silver color, I agree it's more modern looking and not old-school... but if I chose silver,  it's only by a thin margin, I think black is still the color of professional photography, maybe I'll be there some other time.

So I've finally purchased my dream camera, and we're both off next week...

My previous camera, DMC-LZ2, has been a worthy camera for me... but it's all about the lens... I find the Leica lens too tempting to pass by again... I was supposed to get the DMC-FZ5 mid-05, but I figured the time is ripe for an upgrade, and glad I waited.

And I restate... it's all about the lens... if you don't know Leica, you don't know photography.



This ultra 12x optical zoom just doubled my capabilities (from 6x optical in DMC-LZ2).  There's an extended zoom option, but that cuts down the megapixel size to 3 from 6.  And of course, the buzz of it all is Panasonic's proprietary Mega Optical Image Stabilizer.

Noise can sometimes be an issue, but Neat Image takes care of that well. 



With this hybrid point-and-shoot and SLR-type camera, I definitely had to put in use all my knowledge in taking pictures--so far.  This is a very capable camera allowing you to select F stops only, shutter speeds only, or combined.  It even has Panning mode!



It even includes a ring and lens hood for additional attachment of filters, etc. but with the included shoulder strap and lens cap, the world is waiting to be taken.

NOTE: The pix above were taken using the DMC-LZ2 with noise reduced by Neat Image.

It has been a 'warm' winter... didn't even get any snow for the winter month of January... It has also been one of the warmest in years...

and then i woke up in snow...

Wowowee... a popular game show in the Philippines, giving money as much P1M (~$19K) claimed more than 66 lives after a stampede erupted due to fears of a bomb threat.  Audience rose more than the average of 5K because of the show's anniversary doubling the jackpot, among other prizes.

And yet, show host Willie Revillame wanted the game show to continue...

What a sad state of affairs.

I've been wanting to upgrade my point-and-shoot camera for a dSLR-type digital camera for quite a while now.

Top-of-the-line DMC-FZ20 (and little brother DMC-FZ5) of 2005 became the best-rated 12x optical zoom cameras, according to Consumer Reports, ranking 1 and 2.

At the end of the 2005, Panasonic released the DMC-FZ20 upgrade, which is the DMC-FZ30, bringing up the total megapixels from 5 to 8, among other upgraded features.

And out came, DMC-LX1, the 1st wide-screen digital camera with joystick operation.

It became obvious to me that their next step is to upgrade the DMC-FZ5...

And I'm not disappointed.  To be released this March, DMC-FZ7 features 6MP, stabilized Leica 12x optical zoom lens, the new joystick operation for manual adjustments, added pre-set modes, etc.

DMC-FZ30 is quite "too professional" for me (and a little big)... DMC-FZ7, though, is just... perfect.

Finally, a New Yorker here that has finally seen a Broadway show--The Phantom of the Opera.