Pentax Q: The Unboxing

I bought my Pentax Q from Gadgets Specialist. I found their ad in Sulit.Com.

I was very hesitant to buy online because of doubts on after purchase service but was convinced to buy because they claimed to have an official receipt and 1 year parts and service warranty.

I texted the number posted in their Sulit ad ( 09081747414) and immediately got a reply but from another number ( +639228179183).

Two hours later I have on my hands my new Pentax Q.

The item was delivered by Sir Ron. He was courteous and the transaction was smooth. He arrived earlier than the time he indicated and carefully explained the features of the camera.

It turned out that they are the same entity as CameraHaus, the official distributor of Pentax in the Philippines.
Now, here are the contents of the package I purchased from Gadgets Specialist aka Camera Haus.



1. Camera Neck Strap
2. Camera Body with battery
3. Standard Zoom and Standard Prime lens
4. Camera Bag
5. Camera Connector to PC and TV
6. Battery Charger and Cord (the plugs of the cord are like two poles not the usual flat type so you still have to buy an adaptor.
7. Silkypix Photoediting software installation CD
8. Warranty cards
9. Operating Manual
10. 8gb Transcend SD card (not shown in the picture)

We will not be doing the Pentax Q any justice if we will not discuss its size.

The Pentax Q is a little bit smaller in width compared to a pair of sunglasses.



With the Standard Prime Lens, it is almost as thick as half of the pair of sunglasses.


And it reaches to the other side with the Standard Zoom Lens.



And it can be held comfortably with one hand even with the lens facing you (perfect for selfies!)


Stay tuned for the first shots and the start of my long journey in manual photography :)

Pentax Q: My New Camera

Yay!
After months of searching for reviews online and lurking camera stores, I finally purchased a camera to substitute my phone camera.

I have been taking pictures with my Galaxy Note. It takes great photos and offers a lot of apps for post processing.

But it:
-doesn't do well in low light

Selfie at a night party.

-doesn't offer any zoom power

Jason Mraz Concert in the Philippines. I was in Upper Box A.

-can sometimes be scary to take out because it might get snatched or something.

A bit grainy picture of the Manila Bay post sunset. I was so scared to take out my phone I lift my bag with it

I just knew I had to get another camera.

My first love was the Samsung Galaxy Camera having a powerful zoom with access to all the post processing apps.
But being a clumsy girl, tt was a big and awkward camera for me to hold. I almost dropped the display while trying to shoot and with one hand. Eeeks.
And then there's the price, P25,000 for a camera? Cannot be.

My second choice was the Fujifilm S2980. It was at the other end of the price range amounting to only P7,000. Image quality is not that stellar but for the price, I could live with it. Plus it offers more manual controls compared to other cameras in its price range.

The turn offs were the size (it is almost the size of a DSLR) and the AA batteries. I have doubts with regards to the power. I also find it sad because the rechargeable batteries and charger are not yet included.

My third choice was the Pentax Q. I first saw it while looking around for a camera. My initial thought was that is was a scaled down model of some camera. So I was shocked when the saleslady told me it is a working camera.

Of course, I googled it and I fell in love. It is dubbed as the world's smallest interchangeable lens camera.

According to a lot of forums and reviews, the only negative thing about it is its price. It was launched 2011 in the Philippines wih a hefty P39,000 price tag for a single lens kit. WOW.

Well, it is now only P17,000 for a two lens kit so I went ahead and bought it!

Stay tuned for my next posts on the unboxing, first impressions and features!

Mani Monday: Glittery Red

Last June 20 was my father's 48th birthday. In celebration, my mom and dad cooked the best kare-kare and best palabok in the world. It was a small celebration with just my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Pose for the pic Ate Anne!

After the kalderos of the best palabok and the best kare-kare in the world were scraped to the bottom, my kikay ninang, Ninang Cel (the gorgeous sexy lady who also brought the J. Co donuts. Haha) and first SL, Ate Anne suggested that we clean and paint our nails.
Yay it's Mani Monday time!
This week's Mani Monday is red with dots of silver glitter and the reverse for the accent nail.
And, another thing to note, this is the first time that the mani on my right hand is better than that on my left hand!
Maybe with a little practice, I can make both hands better!

Yay for Mani Mondays!
Yay for more practice!

Love And Hate Relationship

It was one of those mornings when it takes a lot of self control not to wring someone's neck. I wanted to fill this post with morning rants but I have a better plan.

Remember the saying "The world gives you what you give to the world?" I thought that if I write all about the things that happened this morning that I hate, the world will echo this hate to me. Well, I don't know about you but I don't want more hate in this world. I want love. I want more love.

So, instead of writing:
-I hate (negative thing no. 1)
I will write:
- I love (opposite of negative thing no.1)

Sounds easy right?

Here's my list:
-I love strangers who think of others when riding a jeepney. I love the way they sit properly so that you can be comfortable too.
-I love jeepney drivers who leave the terminal to let other drivers have their share of passengers.
-I love men who use their hands to help old ladies get on the jeepney and not pretend to accidentally touch ladies next to them.
-I love proper and orderly jeepney terminals.
-I love smokers who do not smoke while walking so the person walking behind him will not have smoke all over the face.
-I love a sincere "Good morning."
-I love arriving earlier than expected.

Whew! That felt a lot better. From now on, instead of ranting I will continue with this love and hate relationship.

Happy Friday!

Mani Monday: Independence Day Mani

Mabuhay ang Kalayaan ng Pilipinas!

This infamous phrase was shouted by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in the balcony of an ancestral house in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898. It concluded the centuries long fight and struggle from Spain.
That day was also the debut of our national flag sewn by Marcela Agoncillo.



This is the inspiration for this week's Mani Monday.



For a country, independence means being able to protect its people and their welfare while being able maintain good relations with other countries.
For a person, independence means being able to make your own decisions and being able to stand by it.

So now, the inevitable question: is the Philippines an independent country?
Maybe not yet. I think we are still in the middle rung of the ladder to independence. An independent country is comprised of independent people bonded by a common love to their motherland.

So until every Filipino can say with his head raised with pride, "Ako'y isang Pinoy sa puso't diwa!", the Philippines will be one person shy from being independent.

Mani Monday: Lace-y Black

It's been a very busy week for me. Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines. Well, I promised myself I will not let work-related stress invade my blog so let's move on from that.

So, this week's Mani Monday is drawn in black lace over SanSan Precious Platinum and Klik Colorless.

Mani Monday: Lace-y Black Nail Art

For each nail, I painted the diagonal half  with the Precious Platinum and the other half with Colorless.
Then, once dry, I drew on them with Permanent Marker.
I, then, topped it with more colorless. I should've skipped this step though because the mark of the marker cracked and the nail polish bubbled.

Oh well, lesson learned.

 I actually am getting the hang of doing my nails every Sunday for my Mani Monday. Maybe next time I will post step by step instructions with pictures (once I get my new camera!).

I cannot say the same for the rest of the week though (YET). But I will try my very best!

Taste It Tuesday: Homemade Milk Tea

It is that limbo once again between the summer and rainy season. It rains sporadically making the weather hotter and more humid. Ugh!

What better way to beat this moody weather than a tall glass of cold milk tea!

But a P150 price tag makes it a little less enticing. So, I decided to make my own.


Here's the process I used: (it's fairly easy!)

1. In a pan, boil 1/2 cup of water with 2 teabags. I used Lipton Peppermint Herbal Infusion. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to taste.
2. Once it came to a boil, pour it to a tall glass half full with water.
3. Add another 1/2 cup to the pan with the teabags and heat until boiling. This is to ensure that you have extracted all the infusion.
4. Pour it to the glass and add ice cubes. You can also put in inside the freezer for a few minutes to make sure it is extra cold.

Here is my final product:



Paired with pork adobo and 2 cups of rice, perfect dinner!

Maybe I can experiment with flavors too using flavored teas! Oh, oh and I can also try making my own pearls!

Definitely excited for the next Taste It Tuesday!

Mani Monday: Italian Nude

It's Mani Monday once again!
I found a nail polish from Klik named Italian Nude. Do Italians really turn this pink when they are nude? Haha.

I decided to pair with an equally sexy color, Caronia Black Satin with a dot of SanSan Pink.

I came up with this design:


Writing this now, I realized it looked like a gothic Santa hat. Haha.

For my toes, I didn't want to be all matchy-matchy but I used the same color scheme. My toes are teeny tiny. Taping was a bit difficult but a success nonetheless.
Here is the result:

My toes look like piggies. Haha. But I'm proud of them. They look like baby toes. Haha

Yay for another Mani Monday!