Scorching Passion

It has been too long since I last smelled your fragrance and tasted your aroma. You wouldn't know how much I missed the experience of the passion for you. There's the yearning to touch your tanned skin that covers the entirety of your alluring form and being. It's amazing how your scent tickles my nose and enticingly pulls me into you. The temptation is just too much to play with fire, with you rolling over those charred sheets of white and pillows of black. The touch of your soft legs and firm breasts just oozes with steaming heat and it makes me giggle with chill from inside me.

I'm just excited that I could get another chance to encounter you after a long wait. Just seeing you thrills my spirit with burning desire to taste the whole of you. I must admit that I've had too many of those like you in the past. Even though it's the same experience with each and every one of you, this longing that I have makes me want you all the more. And this season makes it even worse, one of the special occasions that only feels perfect if I have you.

I cannot wait to wildly tear any covering you have and indulge myself to the lusciousness of your body. I cannot wait to spread wide your chest and your thighs and tenderly sink my teeth to bite into your flesh.

You know I want you...

...Lechon Manok.

FYI:

To my Non-Filipino friends who read this, Lechon Manok is not a girl’s name. It’s roasted chicken – Filipino style!

Clear

November 23, 2009, a Monday, has been declared a holiday in our company --as with most of the other companies here in Japan. I didn't care much as with why it is a holiday, my only concern is that I have no work on that day and I can enjoy a rare long weekend [Okay I did a quick research just before I write this. It is Labor Thanksgiving Day and is celebrated as an imperial harvest festival called Niiname-sai].

A couple of nights prior to that particular Monday, I was staying up all night and until dawn. But I had to get up early, especially on Sunday because I have to go to church. Thus, depriving myself of sleep, which of course I do not really mind because I know I could still catch up with it for I do not have any plans for the following day but stay home and enjoy the holiday.

And catch up I did. I slept for 10 hours from Sunday night until Monday noon, which I feel is still not enough. When I woke up, I noticed that I have missed calls on my cell phone. Ronald Julian, one of my closest friends, called and so I gave him a ring and asked why he called. He asked me if I want to go back to the Skywalk in Yokohama and take photos of the Minato-Mirai with Mt. Fuji as its backdrop. The sky was very clear that day so I reckoned it's a good idea.

Almost a year ago, we tried to shoot the very same view because we had a fair weather and there was a clear blue sky. Well, that's what we thought. When we got to the viewing deck we noticed a very large cloud formation right between the city line and the famous Japanese volcano. We were so disappointed because we were not able to have a shot of the city with Fuji-san in the background. We settled for the Yokohama City's night captures but even that was disappointing due to gray clouds hovering on the entire skyline.

This time, the clouds just cleared the Kanto area of Japan so we were expecting a good view of Mt. Fuji behind one of the famous Yokohama City landmarks, the appropriately named Landmark Tower. Because I overslept, and I had to do the laundries before leaving my pad, I arrived in Yokohama at around 4pm. Ronald and I took the first taxicab en route to the Yokohama-Bay-Bridge-based Skywalk. While in the cab, we anxiously look at the horizon to check if we could still make it to the view deck just before sundown. At 4:30pm, at this time of the year, the sun is already setting down so we know that we have very little time to take photos of the view. Once we got there, after paying the cab driver, we hurried up to the deck.

We made it just in time to witness the sunset. There was a spread of thin clouds just below the tip of the scenic volcano. Just enough to catch the sight of the cone silhouette before the fading rays of the sun. Right there, we’re satisfied with what we saw and what we got. This scene that we have been hoping to catch at the flick of the shutter of our cameras just made us cast a smile in our faces and within us.

The photo above shows the view of the Minato-Mirai 21 (Port Future 21) from the Skywalk view deck, again with the silhouette of Mount Fuji behind it. The tallest structure being the Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan. In front of it lies the Cosmo World, an amusement park opened in 1989. It houses the Cosmo Clock, the biggest Ferris Wheel in the world at the time it was opened. On the right of the Ferris Wheel, three identical buildings with their height arranged in descending order, is the Queens Square Yokohama. The Pacifico Yokohama, one of the most expensive hotels in Japan –or maybe in the whole world, is on the farthest right in the photo. Aside from being a luxury hotel, it was made famous by its distinct crescent-moon shape. Also in this picture, but cannot be clearly seen, is Akarenga Kokusaikan (Red Brick Warehouse), a two-building red brick structure with its original facades (about 100 years old) refurbished from top to bottom.

The Yokohama Bay Bridge, inaugurated also in 1989, is an 860-meter long bridge in the ports of Yokohama City. It houses the Skywalk viewing deck which gives one of the best vantage points looking into the Minato-Mirai 21.

What we hope to capture next in the Skywalk is the same scene, but with Mount Fuji clearly revealing its snow-capped summit.

Ride to the Future

Japan, probably the epitome of a country of modern technology, is one of the leading nations in the fields of scientific research.  With that being said, I am actually very grateful that I am here and that I was able to explore and experience the technologies [and the rich heritage, culture and tradition of course] of the Land of the Rising Sun.

The country, lying on East Asia, is very well known for many things. Anime (Japanese animation), Manga (Japanese comic books/strips), Samurais, Ninjas, kimono, ramen and sushi just to name a few. But there is also one other thing that really made Japan known throughout the world. Cars.

Japan is home to the world's largest automobile manufacturer in terms of sales; that being Toyota. And Japanese cars seem to be roaming the roads of the Earth more than any other nation-classified car. This continuously rising country is also home to the Tokyo Motor Show which is considered by the auto press as one of the Motorshow's "Big Five" alongside Detroit, Geneva, Frankfurt and Paris.

The Nissan GT-R

Tokyo Motor Show, or TMS, is the grandest automotive exhibit in Japan, usually held at the end of October to early November of each year, in Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, which has been its venue since 1989. It showcases the latest trends and innovations in the industry and gives a glimpse of the future vehicles in the form of concept cars, designs and technologies. The first motorshow that I have attended is the TMS 2007 wherein all the major carmakers from all over the world participated. I got a free entrance ticket and a meal coupon from my employer, so it felt a lot better going through all the hassles on the way to the show. It was one heck of an experience for me and I was thrilled to see the following year's exposition. Unfortunately though, the organized event skipped the year 2008 so we went on to look ahead to 2009.

Mazda concept cars have been seen as futuristic in appearance.

The company that I have been working for during the past three years and a half, again has provided two tickets, two meal coupons and reimbursable transportation allowances for two worth 2000yen each, for the 2009 edition of the much-awaited affair. I invited two friends (a fellow photographer and a friend from church), so they split the freebies. One gets the entrance ticket and the other gets the meal stub. The ticket and the stub are of the same value so they both get a fair share. I get the transportation allowance though.

Days before the show, I have learned that only Japanese carmakers will be participating this year, so it's quite disappointing as we will not be seeing Ferraris, Porsches, GMs and Lamborghinis among others. But to be fair, it's really understandable considering that the automotive industry is one of the sectors badly and hardly hit by the global economic crisis. And on the way to the show, I can't help but notice the vast difference of the commuters trying to get to the location this year as compared to that of 2007. Not very much people seem to be interested enough, or just to take time to see the displays and presentations. Unlike two years ago, when we really had a hard time getting on and off the trains; and took us about 30 minutes just to get out of the station. This year, it was rather easy and comfortable. Not that I'm complaining about it. But there's a sense of urgency that this current crisis is hitting every aspect of people's lives.

As they always say, the show must go on. And so shall we. The 41st presentation of the Tokyo Motor Show highlights the new breed of automobiles. The hybrids and the eco-cars. Hybrids, as most of us know it, are vehicles with the capacity to run on two or more power sources. The most common hybrid, which the term hybrid usually refers to, is a vehicle with a combination of an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor. Meaning, it runs on electric power and petroleum fuel. Eco-cars, or more commonly known as electric vehicles, on the other hand, are vehicles that run completely on electricity with the use of powerful rechargeable batteries. This has been the latest trend in the car industry as majority of the car manufacturers try to offer the cleanest and the most environment-friendly vehicles, as they [manufacturers] also try to solve or contribute in the pollution-reduction in our surroundings. Major players in the industry intend to project to the consumers the effect of using these eco-cars and hybrids and they do their best to keep the people aware of the purpose and impact of the latest and the future automotive products.

An EV (Electric Vehicle) Recharging Station

at the Nissan Exhibit Area bears the slogan "Zero Emission".

Still, the TMS wouldn't be complete without the conventional cars, the SUVs, the Crossovers, and of course, the jaw-dropping and ever-drooling sports cars and supercars. One of the highly anticipated supercars to date is on display in this year's show, the Lexus LF-A. It is Lexus’ first supercar that has been developed in the past 9 or 10 years.

The Lexus LF-A

Also on display is the Nissan Fairlady Z Roadster, which is launched with the 40^th Anniversary Edition of the Fairlady Z. This machine, which I got the chance to feel the cockpit, is one beautiful beast. I just love the curves of this sports car and the peculiar details it presents.

The Nissan Fairlady Z Roadster during a test drive.

The Fairlady Z Roadster Cockpit.

Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle

Nissan Qazana

The Qazana Rim

Honda highlights its own line of machinery with the introduction of the Honda Skydeck, the Civic Type-R Euro and the CR-Z. Also in attendance is the popular ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), a humanoid robot created and developed by Honda. This is actually my first time to see this robot up close.

Honda Civic Type-R Euro

Honda CR-Z

Honda Skydeck

ASIMO

ASIMO dancing

Meanwhile, Toyota showcased their exhibit with the FT-86 and the FT-EVI. There is not much that I know about these cars and pardon me for not doing some research. (I just want this entry get done already…if you noticed it’s too long already!)

Toyota FT-86

Toyota FT-EVI

And, a car show would not be so if there were no Race Queens and other girls who strut their stuff along side these heavy machines. Tokyo Motor Show is no different of a car show as it is also the abundance of beautiful and sexy ladies. Then again, comparing to 2007’s run of this show, it would seem that hot, beautiful and sexy girls are also affected by the crisis as there were very few that could be seen in this year’s car show.

There are just too many kinds of vehicles and technology showcased in this year’s presentation of the Tokyo Motor Show. The very impressive and innovative developments in the car industry is just simply outstanding, yet, all in all the show itself is not as promising as before. Fortunately, Japan, the automotive industry in particular, is already recovering bit by bit from the economic slump. Hopefully, as always, we are looking at a brighter future of automobile innovations.

One of the non-car type vehicles in the TMS, the Honda CB1100

The brake system of the Honda VFR 1200F up close

More pics here.

Three Words: Finger

Now, to finish the Three Words entry, I am writing about the last word in the series that represents another one of my passions, one of the greatest and most popular sports ever created: BASKETBALL. I know what some some of you might think upon reading the word finger (Oh yeah, you green-minded ones), but I used this word to represent the sport mainly because one needs to use his/her fingers to shoot the ball in the goal. Plus, it rhymes with my other two words, shutter and trigger. Okay, enough with the explanations and the excuses, I'm starting to sound a bit defensive already.

Finger

For most of the little boys, especially in the later generations, basketball is part of everyday life. Most, at an early age, have become familiar with the rules, the trends and the big names of the sport. Well, I am not one of those boys. I was not interested in basketball, I didn't want to play basketball. In fact, I hated it. My time was spent drawing and sketching, making my own comics and stuff, watching cartoons and animated TV shows when I was just a kid. I was mainly interested in art (a passion I'd always have but seldomly use in the recent years - a passion which can also be represented by the word finger). My mind was so blown and fascinated by the vibrant colors and creative images of comic strips, cartoons and animation, that all I ever wanted was to draw. I had to admit, my greatest dream still would be the dream that I used to motivate myself when I was still a growing child, that ultimate dream of mine is to become an animator or an illustrator. I have never imagined myself becoming a professional basketball player. Well, that never happened. Both of it.

Basketball entered my life when I was in fifth grade, when my classmates listed me up in the class's basketball team for the intramurals, probably just because I was one of the tallest guys at that time. I didn't even know how to play the game. I know the aim is to shoot the ball into the hoop. That's it! I was almost as dumb as a dog trying to meow. I didn't even know how to shoot the ball!

Since then friends and neighbors were inviting me to play for a league or a team, again, that's because of my height. They always put me in the center position. During my first years of playing basketball, all I did was rebound. Once I get the ball, I'd wait for the point guard to get to me then I hand him the ball...job's done.

When I entered high school, that's the turning point of my love for basketball. I became friends with these guys that I really never thought to be basketball enthusiasts. One is very good in lay-ups, one is in dribbling and shooting the ball. They try to teach one another the skills that they're good at, and they try to teach me and our other friends, too. From there I started to familiarize myself with the rules and the different aspects of basketball. I started to become interested in watching basketball games like the NBA and the PBA. And since then, I try to improve by joining teams in different leagues.

When I got to college, I tried out for my school's varsity team. I never made the cut. But that experience just gave me a different dimension to my game. I am not really that comfortable with playing the center position. I discovered that I am a natural guard. I play best in the shooting guard or small forward position. At half-inch shy of being a 6-footer, I am pretty big for the position in small-time amatuer basketball leagues. I am not really good, but my love and dedication for the game has given me some acheivements. Something I wish I have accomplished when I was still a young boy. I was thankful, nonetheless, that I was able to achieve them. Maybe I was just a late-bloomer.

Up until now, even though I hardly played the game for about a year now, basketball has always been, and will always be, a love and a passion that I will share and play with my neighbors, my friends, my cousins, my brother and my dad.

Three Words: Trigger

Like what I've said in my previous post, I am posting the Three Words entry into three parts. I wrote about my latest hobby addiction last time, photography; and this time I will be talking about a passion that has been with me since I was a kid.

Trigger

Airsoft and airsoft guns originated here in the Land of the Rising Sun in the 1970’s when the Japanese government made it illegal to own or possess a real steel firearm. The Japanese had a lot of interest in firearms and weaponry though, so manufacturers produced replicas of real firearms that shoot plastic pellets or BBs(ball bearings). With a wide range of models of these guns, any gun fanatic or enthusiast can surely get the class that he/she likes. Third party manufacturers, mainly for aftermarket/upgrade parts has been popping out like mushrooms on the ground as they try to offer the best modifications to almost any airsoft weapon. This has been limited by the Japanese government due to some incidents involving the use of airsoft guns for pranks in the public. Therefore established is the Sword and Gun(or vice-versa?) Law, which limits the power of any airsoft gun to just 0.98joules(approximately 98m/sec using 0.20g BBs). The average stock gun has a ballistic speed of 84-86m/sec.

Just about any boy has played “cowboys and indians”, and I was no different. I grew up playing toy guns, improvised or not, with my brother and my cousins around our neighborhood. It was fun, having to imitate those heroes from TV like the Lone Ranger and some animated shows.

Airsoft is just about the same, only this time it’s “toys for the big boys”. This extreme sport is an honor game of honesty, strategies and camaraderie. Known to be a “gentleman’s game” (though its widespread popularity has influenced and encouraged many ladies to join), airsoft is a military simulation game using toy/replica BB guns with a general rule of having 2 teams trying to outplay one another either by “killing” the opposing team’s members or capturing the flag of the opposing team.

Any player who got hit by an enemy(or a teammate in some cases) is considered out/dead. The player who got hit should acknowledge and call himself/herself out of the game by shouting “HIT!” then raising his/her hand(and the weapon) for other players still active on the game to know that he/she is already dead thus will not try to shoot at the dead player anymore. Generally, any hit on any part of the body(including gears and everything attached to the player’s body except the gun) is considered a hit. Only direct hits are counted therefore discounting ricochets.

Airsoft games also put so much priority to safety. A player should have at least a proper eye or face protection before he/she can play the game. Other accessories like grenades(working or dummy) are optional.

As for me, I have been introduced to airsoft at an early age. I was in 6^th grade then when these spring powered airsoft guns, mostly handguns, started making their way to public markets in the Philippines. Gas powered guns are also available but they are too expensive. I remember buying my first ever airsoft pistol, a Colt M1911A1, on December of 1993. We’ve done some skirmishes with friends and some relatives.

But I have never played organized airsoft until February 29, 2004, when then fellow newbies, one veteran pointman and myself formed a team based in my hometown Cavite, the Special Warfare Airsoft Group (SWAG). It pays homage to the real SWAG (Special Warfare Group – the Philippine equivalent of the US Navy SEALs) a branch of the Philippine Navy, also stationed in Cavite. From then on, I was practically playing on every weekend possible. When I came here in Japan, I got acquainted with fellow Filipinos whose passion for airsoft is just as deep as mine, thus we formed the first ever recognized Filipino airsoft team in Japan. We named it Team PAIN Japan (Pinoy Airsofters In Japan).

Three Words: Shutter

Okay...so I feel like I'm on the groove and in the mood to blog and to write so here's another entry. As you can see, the title of this blog is Shooter's Bounce and below it the words Shutter, Trigger and Finger are written. Three words that connect to my being a shooter. These three words actually represent my major hobbies being photography, airsoft and basketball, respectively. Not one being on top of the other. I love these hobbies almost equally.

This was supposed to be a single entry entitled just “Three Words” but I forgot to pull the handbrake when I was writing this so I decided to have it posted in parts, or else this will be the longest three words you’ll ever read, I suppose.

Shutter

I have been into arts for as long as I can remember. Photography, being an art, and being around a lot of people whose passion revolves in the very colorful universe of cameras -- be it film, digital, classics or high-techs, point and shoots, SLRs (single-lens reflex) or even toy cameras – I was easily hooked and my own passion for landscapes, portraits, street photography, macro shots and several other kinds of photography has grown.

But it really all started on December 10, 2006, when I met the man we fondly call Manong Ben, a photographer (I’m not actually sure if he’s a pro but his shots are definitely not those of amateurs) who did a photo cover for our then newly formed Filipino airsoft team here in Japan on our first ever jungle game. I saw him unloading from the trunk of his car what seemed to be an aluminum hard case withholding a radioactive bomb of sorts. In there lies his Pentax digital SLR and a couple of lenses, I guess.

He shot us with his camera as we shoot enemies down from the hills, the forest and the grasslands. After each set he would show us how the pictures turned up and it was really impressive. (You can find some of his shots here. The photo on the banner is also his shot during that day). It was then that I told myself, if ever I would get myself a camera it would be a DSLR.

DSLRs have gotten more popular and photography has really taken a whole new popular culture worldwide in the past couple of years. And being in Japan, where technology and gadgetry is fast evolving, one will see the swarms of cameras and its almost required accessories at about anywhere in and out of the cities.

I had to admit that DSLRs are relatively pricey on the consumer line. I actually had to save up for about 2 years before I could afford one. My eyes were already trained on two major players in the camera business, Canon and Nikon. But I am actually inclined on buying the latter. Though it was a Canon that my hands first got its grip on, I ended up buying the freshly released Nikon D90 last September 21, 2008 right at the heart of technology in Japan – Akihabara, Tokyo (Japan’s electronics town district). It was really a matter of personal choice and not the performance comparison as I have always believed that Canon and Nikon are both great brands and have their own pros and cons.

Since the acquisition of my own camera, I have been shooting almost non-stop. I haven’t actually found my forte yet but recent activities and acquaintances lead me to enjoy fashion and glamour (portraiture) photography. Still, my dwelling with this new found passion is in the exploration stage and there are a lot of things to try and to be learned.

Empty

Last April, I signed up at Blogger to make my very own blog. At that time I don't have anything in mind to blog so I told myself,  I'd just leave it as it is and once my creative juices start flowing I'd come back and start blogging. Days, weeks and months passed by and from time to time my mind would start to work on some things which are blog-worthy for a starting amateur blogger such as myself.  But I have never thought of blogging them because...(drumroll) I forgot I have a blog! Yeah, you got it right.

I just happen to bump into my blog account when recently(okay, that was just last night) I visited one of my friend's blog. I noticed on the upper right part of the page, my email address indicating I am signed in...and there's a dashboard tab! I checked it out and found out that everything is just as I left it(of course).

And so, I started setting it up from the lay out to the colors, etc. I realized that this blog of mine has been hanging empty for the past six months, so I have decided that my very first post would be a poem I wrote last July entitled Empty. I hope you'll like it. Here it goes...

Empty
(2009.07.08)

empty as a bin
deep in a shallow tin
a slightest nudge brings
echoes to the rim

traces of the trash
marks left wouldn't pass
decorated with a glaze
but inside is a maze

deceiving case of filthy plenty
overwhelming spilling dirty
garbage endlessly unloaded
stink been lid-covered

constantly a boastful scrap
to a distance pitching junks
fell upon by own debris
shy away until steady

braced along a mighty steel
punctured to a wall and sealed
fragile immobility
rubbish-full though empty

My blogger friend actually put some melody into this composition. He initially intended it to be some rap song but he ended up making it into a ballad. He made it just up to the first verse though, ha-ha! I'm still hoping he could finish it sometime soon; he's really put a good melody into it.


This now concludes my very first blog entry. Pardon me for this, because I really don't have anything to blog right now. I just forced myself to write this entry just to make me officially a blogger, ha-ha!

'Til next time(I really hope there is a next time). Ciao!

PS.

Happy birhtday to my friend, Kathy, who's living in the U.S. right now. I know you'll read this...I'll make you read this! Harhar!