living as a refugee

shifting gears from workplace to home has been tough lately. a flight of stairs and a gate help as reminders. and a sign that says "private" tells me i am entering "home". perhaps, others would love this situation where one does not have to hurdle traffic and pollution. but i miss my "cave" where i can spend some time listening to music from my gyrodec. somehow, the woes and sorrows of patients that repeatedly play in my ears are replaced by the big sounds of my favorite jazz and classical albums. and my family charitably grants me this personal space alone in that cave, just before dinner. and when i get phone calls, they know what to say, "sorry, my 'tatay' is busy resting". i miss home. and it will take one more month for renovation to finish.
the mind, however, will always find ways to cope. i am glad i have my other passion -- the camera -- and whatever visual delights i can take on. the wife understands, as usual. otherwise, she will have no rest either.

zen and the moskva 5

after three weeks, the medium format camera from ukraine finally came. i am thankful the post office did not charge anything over the usual Php35 fee for the rickety camera. i did give the old ladies hopia in appreciation. however, i was a bit disappointed to see that the rf focus mechanism off. calmly, i wrote alex_photo about it. he apologized and maintained that he tested it before shipping. i told him that i have sent it to jay for repairs. and, during the holy week, jay healed it with the usual gratis et amore. (thanks again, jay!) he said that some mechanism got loose with shipment, most probably.
so here are some of the photos in 6x9 format:


moskva 5 has a lot of caveats. and i had mishaps along the way. in spite of the double exposure safeguard, i goofed up twice. (i swear i advanced the film, or didn't i?) it is not for those who are trigger-happy either for there are a million things one has to do before the "decisive moment".
loading the 120 film and making sure the back is secure takes some care. in this case, i used the kodak tmx 100 which costs me Php275 for 8 shots! (i am saving the ilfords a patient gifted for later when i am better at it.) then there is the focusing, the setting of aperture, speed adjustment and cocking the camera.  (and, one has to adjust speed first before cocking lest you want to shorten the life of your moskva).
handling this camera entails three major things -- Presence Of Mind. you have to have all three! and, this is how i like my camera. the moskva 5 may just be the tipitaka of my photography.

edel's legacy

On this day, last year, my dear friend Edel died.

And, as I sat for my morning ritual, I wondered why they had to call the seat I was part of the TOILet when it is not for a job. Perhaps, the person who coined the word had to belabor severe constriction.
Calling the room comfort room is sorely inaccurate when it can't even approximate the immense satisfaction that goes with successful defecation.  I sat and waited until the gestalt moment came -- a realization of the great legacy Edel left behind.

He survived seven years of ALS when three is the norm. He clung even when others who dearly loved him wished he would pass on for his own sake.

Because he loved life. And on his first death anniversary, I ponder on his great passion for the earthiest as well as the most sublime. Those who had the fortune of knowing Edel as a friend/lover/enemy know what I am talking about.

Masarap mabuhay!!! Salamat, Edel, for that legacy.

Now I am ready. Off I go for the early morning mass, the columbary and the great breakfast to mark the death of a great lover of life!


carina in prayer
carina and dear friends
family and close friends pay respects at the columbary
breakfast at sulo
joy, marj and ted
daisy

the elderly fil-am beggar

"i hope you won't tire helping me, brother." his veneer of good english is rudely broken by the mire of his dire poverty. james cutter is a beggar at the quezon memorial circle. he is an american mestizo who he sits behind the restaurants, along the walk with a plastic cup in one hand. he is my usual last stop for the morning exercises. for days though he was out. joy and i thought something serious had happened to him. he reappeared yesterday with a new sign. he also showed his swollen knees and complained of asthma. he does not know that i am a doctor. i have not even introduced myself. but i wonder what his real story is. below is a photo i took with my zorki 1. (yup, i lug a film camera even with my exercises).

i wanted to tell him to delete "me" before asthma. maybe, tomorrow i will, when i see him.
these are previously posted photos of the gentleman:
above photo was taken with a rolleicord tlr.

he has a collage of photos he took of celebrities. i have not seen his camera. i hope it is also a rangefinder.

a 1957 camera delivers

the leica m2 and summicron 35 with ilford hp5 plus film processed on jay javier's home-brewed parodinal.

vincent de guzman's "skin deep" at the PETA theater.
the wife in our temporary home.

the developing solution spilled when my youngest son did the customary shaking of the tank. the fluid level is visible on the photos. i also forgot to set the scanner to black and white. it gave the sepia effect on the second photo. the first photo was shifted to black and white mode on photoshop. but my 11-year-old son and i had fun even with the mishaps. he always looks forward to our film-processing sessions.

my sleepy partner

she sleeps again. but she is ready to spring back to life anytime. and shoot photos. her devotion is as steady as the stars. and her sleep is but a twinkle.


(photo taken with leica m6, summicron 35, kodak 100 film).

























(photo taken with epson rd1s, voigtlander 15).

holen, turumpo at luksong-tinik

mga batang naglalaro ng holen -- uso pa rin naman pero may "battle be-daman" na. nais ko sanang turuan sila kung paano ang mas mahusay na paraan ng pagpapatalsik ng holen. nagpigil na lang ako dahil taimtim ang kanilang paglalaro. at sa pagsundo ng aking anak, napansin ko ang "kakaibang" mga laro ng ibang mga bata -- mga tradisyunal na laro tulad ng luksong-tinik at turumpo -- sa isang pribadong paaralan dito sa lunsod, sa manila waldorf school. (photo taken with epson rd1s, summicron35).

my third yashica gsn

perhaps, the law of attraction is operating here. the yashica electro 35 gsn was my first camera. i lost it some years ago. i longed for it. the lens of that camera is incisive! last week, i received, as a gift, the third yashica electro 35 gsn. it is fully operational. lens has some small spotty molds that will probably have no effect. the case and lens cap are in pristine condition. i have cleaned the viewfinder. light seals replaced. the yellow rf patch is intact. the light meter is working.

i better work on my wishlist while the law is still operating. i am dreaming of a leica mp. just one. ;)

gerry sabado knocked them all out!!!

besting 114 entries, gerry wins first and third place in the camera club of the philippines photo shoot. and, he gets to be the photographer of the month. congrats, gerry!!!

Yashica 35s

i received another yashica 35 GSN. this time it is the hong kong version. and now that i have two, i thought that it was ok to open one up.
the hong kong gsn's shutter release button is stuck, anyway. with the help of matt's website i did my major overhaul.

it was corroded all over.
but the baseplate was in mint condition.the plunger got cleared when i turned the screw ccw thereby loosening it a bit and getting the lever out of the way. and the shutter button started to work. it was so easy!!! but in the process i cut the flash sync wire. and since we have been internal refugees. i had to get back home to get my soldering gun and iron to fix the problem.
i also did some cleaning. the viewfinder including the patch came out clearer. and with renewed confidence, i opened the other yashica. but i still wonder where the yellow patch is. i can only guess where it is. and so, here are two yashica 35 GSNs ready for light proofing and shooting. the viewfinders are clear. the patch in the japanese GSN is murky. now where are my light seals? we just moved house temporarily because the old house is undergoing repairs and everything is in boxes still.
and i must say this was a big help: http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/electro_inside/index.html

rfilipinas sideline

on the way home from the photo shoot in pangasinan, we dropped by a market for some local cigars one of the members. a kind old woman had these beautifully aged hands that photojournalist luis and a few others were able to capture. see also http://luisliwanag.multiply.com/photos/album/41/RFilipinas_in_Pangasinan#45



photos taken with leica m6, summicron 35, lucky 100, parodinal 1:50.

rolleiflex photos again

thanks, uro! these are the photos i took from the tlr you gave me. they are of my favorite balikbayan-cousins with my mom. (rolleiflex tlr, ilford hp5 plus 120, parodinal 1:100).

a gift

the one i repaired is back to its owner. this one is a gift from a friend. and all it needed was a mcgyver fix. it is now ready to use.

it is old and shabby but everything is working. the lenses are a little fuzzy.
the latch needed repair. it would not shut tight. a stud on the body to keep it in place is missing.
so with the help of cyanoacrylate glue and a small screw, i made my own stud on the latch.
it can now securely close shut and protect the film inside. it can use some cosmetic though but that can wait. a roll of 120 film awaits in my drawer.

second roll on rolleiflex

james cutter of quezon circle.
joy on her mac.
my workplace.

salgado family.
mario.

prewar rolleiflex tlr, kodak tmx 100 processed with parodinal 1:100 for 15 mins at 20C, with side 2 of gershwin's porgy and bess RCA three LP recording.