I was Bought And Paid By George Soros - [insert sarcasm here]

Open Your Mouth And Say .... Ahhh

Yesterday was my first visit to the dentist this year. It feels like the other day, but in reality, I met this doctor in 2010 when my regular dentist almost damaged one of my front teeth. 

My former employer's health insurance recommended this doctor after I contacted them to report my dissatisfaction with my regular dentist. After the initial visit he assessed the situation, made recommendations and was able to save the tooth through a root canal. The work was completed in less than one hour, during my lunch break. To my surprise, the job was completed painlessly. 

Despite being traumatized as a child by a dentist, during the initial visit this one eased all my fears away and gained my trust. I can honestly say that I feel like I've won the lottery; my dentist is the best. 

Platypods Behind the Scenes

The more I experiment with the Platypod eXtreme, the better the images look. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Platypod is becoming a great addition to my photography arsenal. They can be used with DSLR's, GoPro action cameras, and smartphones.

Platypods are excellent photography tools because they are compact, versatile, and stable alternatives to traditional tripods, especially in situations where tripods are impractical, such as in tight spaces or areas where they are not allowed.  Since Platypod offers unlimited creativity, I am looking forward as to what the future holds during this phase to get new and unique shots.

It Was A Nightmare

Original photo created by John Wilhelm the photoholic

It's been a while since I had a nightmare. It is 2:40 am, and I just forced myself to wake up from this dream, now I can't sleep.

One of the top things on my bucket list is to ride a motorcycle in Europe. 

On this particular nightmare, I am gathered with a group of people somewhere in a strange European country. Everyone around me is speaking with a British accent.

In the meantime, I am worried and began talking out loud that we needed to hurry up and get moving soon in order for me to get out of there before sunset. In the nightmare, I am not sure where we are, and where are we headed. I am also concerned because I am riding a scooter that I've never ridden before, and don't know how to turn the lights on. 

All of a sudden, without any warning, everyone gets in a bus, and I am left outside. The bus starts moving and I had to grab a pole to avoid being stranded on the road. All our scooters are secured on a trailer using straps, and attached to the bus. While the bus is running down the road, I am standing on the bus rear fender holding for dear life.

After arriving to the next destination, I kept reminding everyone, that soon will get darker and I don't feel comfortable riding a scooter without lights. 

By the time I get out of the building my biggest fear has come true. It's already pitch dark, and is also raining. And to make things worse, everyone is gone. I am alone with the scooter without lights, standing in the parking lot without a rainsuit. I have no idea where am I, or where I am headed next. 

I did the most logical thing I could think of, I forced myself to wake up.  

And Yes, The Ice Cream Was Delicious

The forecast for Philadelphia includes a wet weekend, with showers and steady rain continuing into Monday. Yesterday, before the rain arrived, I decided to head on over to one of my favorite spots, the Schuylkill River near Boathouse Row.

This is a historic and scenic area in Philadelphia known for its row of 15 Victorian boathouses, which house rowing clubs and are a popular spot for rowing, walking, and viewing the illuminated lights at night.

I was hoping to capture a few behind-the-scene images of my GoPro Hero on a Platypod eXtreme. Surprisingly, maybe because of the weather conditions, the area was empty. Faster than the blink of an eye, I took all the pictures I needed, just in time before the rain arrived.

Before heading home, and to celebrate the successful photo walk, I purchased a "Swirl" from the ice cream truck parked in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. A "swirl" is a combination of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in a cone. And yes, the ice cream was delicious. 

Behind The Scenes: Platypod Ultra and the Top of the Rock

For my birthday, to celebrate myself indulging on my interest and passion of photography at my own pace, I went on a NYC photo walk. Visiting NYC was not only a photo excursion, but more of a way to celebrate my birthday in one of my favorite cities in the world. 

Crowded locations often prohibit tripods for several reasons. The Rockefeller Center Top of the Rock observation deck is no exception. On this photo walk I took with me the old trusty Platypod Ultra since I know tripods are not allowed at Top of the Rock. 

This was one of those rare occasions where I was able to remember to take a couple of "behind the scene" images. The only difference is that this time I used a smartphone to do it. I hate to admit, but I was in the group of people who always denigrated smartphones as a tool to take photos. That way of thinking changed for me that day. 

On my way to the exit elevator, I took four or five pictures handheld using my cell phone. The images were captured through glass windows. Glass can be one of the hardest things to take photos through. Out of those images, I blended three pictures and created a panorama image of NYC. Some of these smartphone images can rival those taken by my digital Nikon DSLR. 

The moral of the story is, don't knock it until you've tried it. Let me humbly say that I learned a valuable lesson.

Behind The Scenes: Smartphone on a Platypod eXtreme

For weeks, I've been planning to visit the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've ever seen. I was hoping to capture a couple of low-angle pictures inside the cathedral using the Platypod eXtreme. 

As expected, this cathedral is very crowded. Catholics and tourists from all over the world come to Philadelphia to admire the sacred art, the cathedral stunning architecture and the significant religious and historical importance.

To avoid the crowds, I arrived at 9:00 am sharp. It was ideal to take photos, only the maintenance cleaning man and I were the only ones there. I had the cathedral all by myself. I noticed that most of the lights inside the cathedral were off, so I sat in a cathedral pew to kill time. 

At some point the maintenance man was cleaning in my area. I asked what time the cathedral lights usually are turned on since I was hoping to take a few pictures. He noticed I was holding my camera and asked me how long it would take me to take the photos. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes, I replied. The gentleman was so kind, that he turned on the lights of the entire cathedral. His kind gesture surprised me. 

On my way home I realized I forgot to take "behind the scenes" pictures". I didn't see the maintenance gentleman again either; to thank him for turning on the lights. 

I think the Platypod eXtreme has been of the best photography tools that I have added to my camera gear.

Platypod eXtreme at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Esta mañana visite la Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul en Filadelfia. Llevo semanas planeando como fotografiar dentro de la catedral usando el Platypod eXtreme. 

Esta catedral es muy concurrida, turistas de todas partes del mundo vienen a Filadelfia a visitarla. Estuve el jueves pasado, pero habia una boda programada y no pude tomar fotos. 

Hoy llegue antes de la 9:00 de la mañana y estaba ideal para tomar fotos, el hombre de mantenimiento haciendo limpieza y yo eramos los unicos alli. Me di cuenta que las luces dentro de la catedral estaban apagadas, solo estaban encendidas las luces mas minimas. Me sente en un banco de la iglesia a matar el tiempo. 

Al preguntar a que hora prendian las luces, el hombre de mantenimiento al verme con las camaras en la mano, me pregunto cuanto tardaria en tomar las fotos. Solamente de 5 a 10 minutos le respondi. Fue tan amable que el caballero encendio las luces de toda la catedral para que yo tomara las fotos; ese gesto tan amable me sorprendio. 

De camino a casa me di cuenta que se me olvido tomar fotos de "detras de la escena". Tampoco vi mas a el empleado de mantenimiento para darle las gracias por encender las luces. Asi es esto, en cuestion de fotografia no todo sale siempre 100% perfecto. Gracias a Dios no todo fue una perdida, me gusto como quedo la foto del celular Samsung con el Platypod eXtreme dentro de la catedral. 

Pienso que el Platypod eXtreme ha sido una de las mejores herramientas de fotografia que he añadido en mi arsenal.

BREAKING NEWS: Bad Bunny May Be Releasing New Album During Super Bowl

BREAKING NEWS: 

I hear that Bad Bunny will be releasing a new album during the halftime show. 

Bad Bunny new album is called "Release The Epstein Files". 

Typepad Had Decided To Call It Quits

I am not totally upset that my favorite blogging site decided to shut down. After all, it was the main site I've used since 2009, and learned all the tricks of what blogging is all about. 

Even though I've been blogging in one way or another since 2004 in other venues, during my early Typepad blogging days, something told me to start saving my blog posts on an external hard drive. I am glad I did. In hindsight, backing up my content was a very wise decision on my part. It would be a herculean job to save all the blog posts and pictures I included on all those posts, after so many years. 

Yes, Typepad was an excellent paid, subscription blogging service, but reality is that they ceased operations last night (September 30, 2025) and permanently deleted all user content.  I don't plan to dwell too much on it, life moves on. Blogspot has been a great blogging outlet for me, so far. And best of all, it is free. 

Typepad blogging platform is dead, long live Blogspot.

Part 2: Restoration of my 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD

The motorcycle title finally arrived two days ago in the mail. It has been officially transferred to my name. It only took three weeks to come in the mail. This motorcycle has been sitting in storage since 2010. 

The next step is to put the bike together; find a used wooden pallet from my local dealership, and ship it to Puerto Rico. Once the bike restoration is completed, the ugly LTD look will be gone, and it should look very similar to the one shown in the picture. I am really looking forward to getting things started. 

Part 1: Restoration

I Back Up My Files Religiously

The other day, I spent a couple of hours backing up my hundreds of favorite photos. I need to remember to back up my files more often. I keep three copies of my data, to protect myself against data loss.

Acabo de pasar un par de horas haciendo copias de cientos de mis fotos favoritas. Necesito recordar hacer copias de mis fotos con mas frecuencia. Para protegerme contra la perdida de datos, mantengo tres copias en diferentes lugares. 

Remembering 9/11

Remembering 9/11

Picture taken on July 2001

Behind The Shot: Tribute In Light

As you know, NYC is known for its spectacular skylines. When it comes to photography, there is no other place like NY. New York City is an unparalleled photographic location.

For many people, a beautiful landscape image serves as an escape to a peaceful place away from the noise, congestion and stress of civilization. As I’ve mentioned many times before, photography has been an excellent therapeutic outlet for me. For several years, I've been trying to capture a good picture of the Tribute in Light in Manhattan, (lights aiming skyward in two column as a remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks).

In 2016, I captured the Tribute in Light from Brooklyn Bridge Park, the DUMBO neighborhood near the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. There were hundreds of photographers lined up in a small park along the water between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge. I was happy with one of the final images of the New York City skyline that night.

The following year, I took the afternoon off work, and headed to New York City to try capture the Tribute in Light from the Exchange Place Waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey. This was a once a year photo opportunity, the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

I arrived early in the evening, there was still plenty of daylight to find a good spot and setup my gear. To my surprise, as you can see in the image posted at the bottom, only a handful number of photographers were lined up at the Exchange Place Waterfront waiting for the blue hour.

As soon as the Tribute of Light illuminated the NYC skyline, I took dozens of images hoping to capture at least a couple of good pictures, then catch the PATH train back to Manhattan. I didn't want to miss my Greyhound bus back to Philadelphia.

The bus ride took two hours each way. Once I arrived home that night, I selected a couple of images for post-processing editing to give my images a crisper vibrant look. The final image was edited using Adobe Photoshop Elements with the Topaz Adjust filter applied. I am quite happy with the final result.

The trip was all worth it, and I had tons of fun! Enjoy!

Parte 1: Restauracion de la 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD

Han pasado 7 años y muchas cosas han sucedido desde la ultima vez que escribi some el tema de restaurar una 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 LTD clasica que compre en el 2019.

Esta semana pasada, finalmente transferi el titulo de la moto a mi nombre. Si todo sale bien, y no hay problemas con los documentos, en un par de semanas tendre el titulo nuevo en el correo. 

Esta vez, para no interrumpir el proceso de la restauracion, voy a tratar poco a poco ir mencionando el progreso de lo que he estado haciendo con la motora. Por ahora, los planes son de preparar la moto cosa que cuando la envie a Puerto Rico, se haga mas facil de trabajar en ella. 

A la semana de comprarla, tuve la dichosa suerte de encontrar en Marketplace de Facebook un Kerker 4-1 en excelente condicion, y practicamente casi regalado en Inglaterra. 

Esta tarde empeze a desarmar los carburadores, y ya mas o menos se las piezas que voy a necesitar para ponerla en optimas condiciones. Tan pronto la motora este en Puerto Rico, pienso inspeccionar y reconstruir el motor cosa de que quede nueva otra vez. Para ser una motora que ha estado guardada en un garaje por los ultimos 15 años, la moto se ve en muy buenas condiciones. Como dice el refran, "Roma no se construyo en un dia."

When The Past Meets The Present

The future is an unknown, but a somewhat predictable unknown. To look to the future, we must first look back upon the past. That is where the seeds of the future were planted. - Albert Einstein

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and the Platypod Ultra

For the first time in a long time, yesterday I visited the garage storage unit where I keep my motorcycle to tryout a few GoPro mounts to see how each performs. This is also the first time that I have used the Platypod tripod in three different situations within a week. It performed flawlessly at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at Elfreth's Alley last Wednesday, and at the garage storage unit yesterday afternoon.

The Platypod Ultra tripod is lightweight, compact and incredibly versatile. It is one of the best accessories additions to my camera gear. The phrase "never leave home without it applies here". It appears that the Telesin Windshield mount is the GoPro mount I am most eager to put to use. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of video footage it produces. 

This long weekend, the first Monday of September, serves as the unofficial end of summer. There are still plenty of riding opportunities near Philadelphia before winter arrives. I am looking forward to it. 

Elfreth's Alley and the Platypod

Elfreth's Alley is a National historic landmark street in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, dating back to 1703. 

Yesterday morning I decided to visit Old City trying to capture a couple of pictures using the Platypod Ultra. It is one very crowded and busy street that attract lots of tourists. The historic landmark is labeled the “nation's oldest residential street". 

I knew the alley would be empty if I showed up very early in the morning. In less the 20 minutes I was able to take some pictures without any interruption. I went out for breakfast afterwards; and made it to my apartment before 8:30am. Mission accomplished! 

What A Difference A Hat Makes

One thing about digital photography that always amazes me, is how easily you can edit a photo taken several years ago, if there is something in it that you don't like. You can make some minor adjustments, edit the colors, add some new elements to it, and voila, it looks like a brand-new picture. 

Let me explain what I mean. This self-portrait picture was taken in 2018 after I attended an all-white theme birthday party in the Bronx, as you can see in the pic at the end of this blog post. I kept the image literally hidden in a flash drive. There was something about the white beret I chose to wear that night that I didn't like. The all-white suit was fine, but the white beret looked awful to me. In my opinion, the white beret hat ruined the picture.

Last night, as I was browsing at some of my old pictures, I decided to bring this seven-year-old image back to life. And if possible, maybe try to improve and restore it. 

I began by replacing the white beret with a Panama dress hat. I quickly realized that by just replacing the beret hat, the image became aesthetically pleasing. A simple hat replacement served as a fashion accessory that matched my personality. It is amazing what a difference a hat makes. 

The final touch was my decision to replace the jacket color. I admit that that's not my area of expertise, so I found a person online that does photo editing for a living, and he added a light blue color to the jacket for me. So, all it took to improve this old picture, was to replace the hat and add a different color to the jacket. 

I am extremely happy with the final result.

Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Platypod

Visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art last Saturday hoping to capture a couple of images using the Platypod Ultra for my Nikon DSLR. This is my favorite museum in Philly, a must-see attraction in the city. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is considered one of the most significant art museums in the country. 

My Favorite Photo Shoot Location

For over ten years I lived in Brooklyn, New York. Twenty years after I moved out of Brooklyn and relocated to Pennsylvania, was the first time I visited the Brooklyn Bridge/DUMBO area. It also happens to be almost around the same time I purchased my first digital DSLR.

There is no coincidence that getting into photography, and visiting the Brooklyn Pier area had something to do with the other. I have visited the area dozens of times since then, always chasing the perfect postcard picture. 

The Brooklyn Pier area is my favorite photo shoot location, especially during sunset. I find the views of downtown Manhattan from Brooklyn to be iconic and truly breathtaking, particularly from DUMBO and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The Manhattan skyline view at night, is one of the best I have seen of all the cities I have visited. 

The other day I was thinking that it's been a year or two since my last visit to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It is time to start planning another photo shoot trip.

La Violencia Nos Roba la Juventud Puertorriqueña

¿Hasta donde va a llegar la criminalidad en Puerto Rico? Hay demasiada  violencia y criminalidad; es como si vivieramos en el tiempo de los vaqueros en el oeste salvaje. Hoy en dia muchos jovenes andan armados hasta los dientes.

Yaxier Medina Nieves, de 18 años, en posesion de un arma de fuego sin licencia, fue arrestado ayer por el asesinato de un veterano en Aguada. Anthonieska Avilés Cabrera, de 17 años fue arrestada ayer junto a su madre, acusada de asesinar con un arma blanca a otra joven adolescente de 16 años.

La violencia nos roba la juventud puertorriqueña, y lo triste es que no hay una estrategia de prevencion concertada. ¿Que nos pasa Puerto Rico?

Celebrate World Photography Day - August 19th

Today is a day to celebrate World Photography Day. It's a day for photographers, both professional and amateur, to share their work and passion with the world.

Siblings Throwback

Siblings Throwback 

When We Were Kids, And Life Was Simpler

El Baul De Los Recuerdos

Cuando Eramos Niños Y La Vida Era Mas Simple