tzeko.m

les petites tasse de thé spotted these teacups at the french...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:33:00 -0400

les petites tasse de thé

spotted these teacups at the french bookstore while on the way to dinner.

i posted the same photo in instagram but you know, because of the square format, i have to crop partially. this is the original shot taken with iphone camera and edited in snapseed.

challenges ahead taking a break from Guangzhou pics and let me...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:40:00 -0400

challenges ahead

taking a break from Guangzhou pics and let me bring you to Parangtritis Beach in Yogyakarta. the day after i came back from Guangzhou, i went to Yogyakarta for a short work assignment and spent a week there.

this beach is absolutely beautiful - almost surreal. the black sand definitely gives a contrast to everything and that particular weekend, the beach was so pack, if you blindfold me, ill probably bumped into someone every 10 steps. nevertheless, i took the opportunity to make do of the everything and got some great shots (this is one of them).

i will be sending this photo for the annual company photo competition and hopefully will retain my feat as one of the contributors of the calendar. (my photo was chosen as the august winner this year, woot! woot!). it will be a bold move to submit in a black and white pic as most of the past winners usually submit the-colorful-sunset-photo-which-is-boring-as-hell.. so let’s see how it goes.

hope everyone’s been eating and resting well this weekend.

life among the skyscrapers

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:28:27 -0400

life among the skyscrapers

running from the frame part 1.1 of the opera house series

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:33:59 -0400

running from the frame

part 1.1 of the opera house series

exterior and an invinsible gpoy (almost) part 1 of the opera...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:29:50 -0400

exterior and an invinsible gpoy (almost)

part 1 of the opera house series

10 days into June a lazy fill up post but here’s sharing...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:58:00 -0400

10 days into June

a lazy fill up post but here’s sharing some of the shots from instagram.

i know i still owe you guys a post on guangzhou opera house. be patient. coming up soon, i promise.

christianflorin: The standard of mobile photography is...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:37:53 -0400

christianflorin:

The standard of mobile photography is coming.

Check out VSCO’s website for more information on the new VSCO Cam iPhone app.

The amazing and fantastic VSCO cam is finally free. I am totally new to this (im comfortable editting with snapseed, btw) and have been playing around with the different filters available. check out the other cool features in this video as well…

heavyweights pretty foggy at the financial center one fine...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:44:17 -0400

heavyweights

pretty foggy at the financial center one fine morning…

movements have a great sunday!

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:10:56 -0400

movements

have a great sunday!

8pm 6pm here 730pm here on another note, my leica is driving me...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:36:57 -0400

8pm

6pm here

730pm here

on another note, my leica is driving me nuts especially the noise in low light. a few more months and it’s retirement time..

twilight the entire walkway leading towards the canton tower is...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 07:23:00 -0400

twilight

the entire walkway leading towards the canton tower is illuminated with color lights in the form of solid and dotted lines criss-crossing each other. a sight truly to behold.

super futuristic.

i wished i have a slightly tall platform so that i can stand up a little higher and take a panoramic view of the entire thing. it would be superb. ~~i can climb up the dustbin actually but, you know, when you’re in a communist country, it’s better to just obey the rules and everything.~~

canton tower - guangzhou’s pride let’s sway a bit off from the...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 02:21:00 -0400

canton tower - guangzhou’s pride

let’s sway a bit off from the old town and move on to the “new town”. the downtown cbd and financial center in guangzhou is beautiful and just like any cities, is filled with skyscrapers to modern architecture (like the one above, the canton tower) which is nothing but impressive. as the sun sets, tourist and locals alike will flock this place may it be for an evening stroll or meet up with friends or just sit by the side bench people watching while enjoying the marvelous display of lights every where.

one tip: go early by sunset or twilight before the sky turns complete dark. the “magic” hour before the sky turns dark together with all the lights switched on is beautiful. the entire place looks like the movie set for TRON. amazing!

gems along the alley a leisure walk around the old quarter of...

Thu, 30 May 2013 10:18:00 -0400

gems along the alley

a leisure walk around the old quarter of guangzhou lead me to various small alleys that cut across the main roads. along these small alleys are quaint houses (equivalent to the hutongs in beijing) where the locals live their daily lives. many of them own small businesses based on the nearby attractions - incense/prayers offerings stalls if nearby to a temple or kitschy souvenir shops if nearby to any monument or landmark, you get what i mean?

sometimes along this alley too you get to experience the chinese way - locals spitting everywhere and some were squatting by the sidewalk eating their bowl of noodle soup. it’s an eyesore and very unhygienic but oh well, if you are travelling, always have an open mind and be prepared for all these culture shock.

always respect the locals and their way of life.

when emergency there are 3 main elements in this photo and i...

Wed, 29 May 2013 09:42:00 -0400

when emergency

there are 3 main elements in this photo and i happen to like them all - my favorite pic.

one last shot from the chen family ancestral temple before we move on to something else..

chen family ancestral temple, part 2 the exterior of the temple...

Wed, 29 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

chen family ancestral temple, part 2

the exterior of the temple was pretty much filled with antique brass statues, shady trees and lots of bonsai. every corner, you could see workers busy sweeping the floor or trimming the bonsai plants across the huge pavilion. the cold after rain breeze that fills the pavilion definitely makes it easy to walk around without perspiring much. i spent almost 1.5 hours checking out the various halls and the garden located behind the main hall (where the accidental gpoy shot was taken).

better understanding of this beautiful place here

after checking out the temple, i walked around the neighborhood and ended up at an old alley that brings much of a surprise.

chen family ancestral temple, part 1 taking photos might be an...

Tue, 28 May 2013 23:59:00 -0400

chen family ancestral temple, part 1

taking photos might be an easy task, but coming back with more than a thousand of them and sorting out, editing and try to connect them to create a story might be the most difficult task. i spent the last 2 nights browsing all the photos i took in guangzhou, separating them into different folders while trying to recollect all memories - i almost bang my head to my computer screen. too stressful.

anyways, everything’s done (sorting part) and i’m ready to share some of my shots with you guys. it will be divided into different parts of my travel (from attractions, to crazy out-of-this-world architecture found in the business/financial district, to the quaint suburbs area and of course, a post dedicated to the food i ate over the past 5 days.

the photos above were taken at the Anchestral Temple of the Chen Family - one of the main attractions here in guangzhou. i was there on my first day and was blown away with the intricate design / carvings found in this temple built during the Qing Dynasty (all these “dynasty”, “emperor”, “concubine” terms sound so cool! aha!). i was there early in the morning and lucky me, there were not many tourist but a lot of art students were scattered all over the place doing some hand sketch of different parts of this beautiful temple. each of them were seated in their little corner, quietly, while giving full focus on their masterpiece. the light was gorgeous after the rain and the serenity and calmness of this temple makes it a perfect start of my adventure here in guangzhou.

p/s: get ready for part II where i might have a cameo appearance!

The XX - Together this track exclusively from the soundtrack of...

Sat, 25 May 2013 22:33:00 -0400

The XX - Together

this track exclusively from the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby - one of the best soundtracks I’ve listened in a while.

have a great sunday!

tea galore raw or roasted, dragon well to pu er, they have it...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:21:20 -0400

tea galore

raw or roasted, dragon well to pu er, they have it all..

first four hours … in guangzhou and my first impression...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:41:00 -0400

first four hours

… in guangzhou and my first impression were:

there are a LOT of people
high rise condominiums are everywhere (just like hong kong)
it can be hot one minute and pouring in another
i still run away when i smell this special tofu being sold by the road side.

p/s: 3rd pic - the lady with one leg trying to cross the road. i was observing her and was speechless to see how fast she can “run” with one leg while carrying a metal chair as a support. respect!

once upon a time in Guangzhou, China i’m back! while i...

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:03:00 -0400

once upon a time in Guangzhou, China

i’m back!

while i sort out the thousands of pics i took throughout the 5 days, i’ll leave you with a snapshot of all the pics i posted on instagram while im there (except the bottom two on the right). enjoy!

facebook is block in china, twitter is block in china, youtube is block in china, blogspot is block in china, wordpress is block in china… god knows what else they block there… but thank god i can still access instagram to keep me sane.