Happy heart's day everyone! Today marks my first day of being a "Youtuber" and hopefully a more prolific vlogger in the days to come :)
I'm sharing the love through a video of our wedding album...oh, and today is already our 12th Valentine's together. There's just so many stories to tell of everything that happened in that decade but well, one of my fave has just got to be our wedding day :)
P.S. Thank you so much Daddy A for my lovely bouquet today. Totally unexpected..hehehe..kisses! :p
Hey everyone! Welcome to another mommymeowmeow.com & fam road trip! This day was pretty much jam-packed with activities - biking, swimming, playing soccer, riding cable cars. Name it, we've probably done it! And of course, making sure everything is properly documented through photos and video clips :)
I really love days like this...it's just so dreamy and in many ways, just perfect. Our A to Z family got to spend time with my parents, and with my younger cousins. Everyone's growing up/getting old so fast, I surmise it'll probably be just a few more years before they venture out on their own and who knows, maybe have a family of their own?! Hahahaha...
So we started the day at Nuvali in Sta. Rosa Laguna. It's a very nice place for adventure and nature lovers. Likewise, those who want to just chill would find this place to be really pleasant and relaxing. The place would welcome you with shops and restos but as soon as you head over to one of these Ayala subdivisions...just pure bliss! :)
In the afternoon we headed to Tagaytay Highlands to check on my overseas-based cousin's property. It was my first time to go around the development and it was just ah-mazing!!! Cable cars, lovely chapel, koi ponds, golf course and the works! Really has that rustic country club vibe going for it. Guess who we bumped into? Yepp....it was Serge Igonia, our wedding florist! Well because we weren't able to catch up anymore after the ceremony, I was glad to have that chance to thank him again for the amazing work he's done :)
Capping off this southbound trip with dinner at The Boutique Bed & Breakfast also in Tagaytay. Pork ribs, chili fries, mussels, baked chicken with juicy gravy and ice cream for dessert!! Yaaass!! Just so yummy! :)
A day truly well spent...looking forward to more adventures! :)
P.S. Photos shot from my trusty Fujifilm X20; edited through iPhoto / Picassa
Videos taken from my JVC Everio GZ-R50; edited through Everio Media Browser
Want to jump right into the video? Just press PLAY & enjoy! Wanna watch the HD version? Just click on the HD button to turn HD on! :)
NUVALI - Treveia
TAGAYTAY HIGHLANDS - Sierra Lago
Boutique Bed & Breakfast Tagaytay
Here's my cousin who took the electric bike for a quick spin
AJ, Selena, Erika, Ute, Moi and Tito Rowan..poolside at Treveia in Nuvali
My beautiful cousin, Erika
My Mom & Dad..cute love birds, aren't they?
Me and my sister....errrrr..mom :)
Soccer time for AJ and A
Me and my dearest chinito..mwaaaahh!! :)
Having our lunch at LZM restaurant in Nuvali. It's my first time to see a resto offer Filipino dishes in the Solenad area. Try it! Yummy and definitely affordable especially for big groups.
THE view at Tagaytay Highlands.
Me and my dear Z. Taking a ride on the cable car at Tagaytay Highlands
My brave baby..
The Madre de Dios chapel at Tagaytay Highlands
From bouquet to baby!! Okay, we were just walking around the area when I noticed a very beautiful set-up for a wedding reception. Lo and behold! It's Serge Igonia! So funny that he almost didn't recognize A hahaha :) Thank you again Mr. Igonia for all the lovely work you did for our wedding :)
Here we are going back up..
Me, my neice, my cousin and my mom
Just so calm..probably my favorite place here
Here at Sierra Lago, Tagaytay Highlands. Checking out the development happening inside my cousin's subdivision property.
This is one of the best summer days we've had for the year..so much love! :)
How about you guys? Summer still on your mind? What was your summer favorite?
During last month's check-up with Z's pedia, we were utterly surprised (myself teary-eyed) when the doctor said, **beep beep, magyayabang lang po ang mommy!** "Wow! So galing naman ni Z and she's so funny pa! She's much more developmentally advanced than a significant number of my baby patients!" Friends, pagbigyan na po ang proud mommy but I promise, that's really what the doctor said! [Well to be fair, we still have some catching up to do in terms of Z's ideal weight but that's another topic altogether]. Daddy A and I were all smiles until doc mentioned, "Dapat i-video niyo yung milestones.."
That's where I got the idea and I guess that was also the point when Daddy A's huge smile turned into a poker-face-I-heard-nothing look. Hahahaha... And so it got me thinking, "Oo nga, we have lots of photos but not much videos. Should we look into getting a camcorder now?"
The ever-prudent Daddy A said that the Fujifilm X20 mirrorless camera would do. After all, it was a huge expense investment from last year. My only beef was that, it took too long to track and focus for video...not good from a first-time mom's perspective. At times it could barely keep up with baby's dancing feet and the output became super blurred. And don't get me started about using the mobile phone for this task. Super low/no storage left for even a few pictures na siya talaga!
So I started researching from my favorite Amazon.com and whittled down my option to three, based on the specifications listed and also the verified customers' reviews. For a few weeks I went back and forth with the different reviews for Canon VIXIA HF R500, Sony HDRCX240/B & Samsung F90. Medyo hard din pala to research on camcorders because it's not as extensively reviewed as cameras like DSLR's, mirrorless, micro 3/4, etc. There's also the variation in naming conventions across international markets. Take for example Canon's offering which is named Vixia in North America which is called Legria in Asia. Ganern! :)
But the good thing, at least for us (excited and excitable) parents, is that it seems that there really is a camcorder/videocam segment devoted to us so we can document our children's milestones. Features would even include baby mode! If you need more "artistic", documentary feel shots some also have grainy chrome modes or time-lapse feature which is just so cool!
The following were also important considerations for me:
1. Budget - I would've been okay with my Flip Video (which was a freebie at an event, by the way) but it broke down already *sigh!*. Considering we just bought a camera last year, we wanted something that wasn't too expensive. Preferably something in the less than USD $300 region.
2. Features - Full HD is a must! Good optical zoom and image stabilization are also preferred knowing that we would be doing mostly hand-held shots. I also wanted something that can take good videos in low light and good battery life.
Did I want wi-fi? Not really, since I presumed the transfer rate would be ultra slow. How about internal memory? Well that's a plus if offered!
How about one with an optical viewfinder? We decided we were okay with the LCD screen (for our needs). Hot shoe for external microphone? Not really part of our list.
3. Baby Proof - As a rule in our home, everything should be baby-proof. And that should include our gadgets. We want to be free to explore as we make and capture memories, without having to ever worry about spills, bumps and the likes.
4. Warranty - If we were buying from abroad, we definitely wanted to have International Warranty so that we will still be covered here in the Philippines.
5. Ease of Use - I have no delusions of being a pro videographer. We just want something that's nice, easy to use and plug & play as much as possible. Should also work with Windows Movie Maker / iMovie or have its own bundled video editing software. A light, handy and solid form factor would be great as well!
We were lucky that my brother was in Hong Kong at the time and had the chance to shop for us. While I we were so bent on getting the Canon Vixia / Legria, the lack of international warranty became the deal breaker for us. Good thing, the salesperson at Fortress Hong Kong was able to recommend an alternative that would've fit our needs the best.
Introducing - the JVC HD EVERIO. If you would notice it's not even included in my original list of options but what drew me to this particular model (aside from being recommended by the Fortress staff and by my bro) is its Quad Proof feature - meaning, it's water-proof, dust-proof, shock-proof and freeze-proof. How amazing is that?? I was hesitant at first because the Canon had more reviewers (and I assume, more buyers) but I trusted my brother's opinion on this. So we gave the JVC Everio a try and so far so good..we love it!
Just to be clear, I'm not saying this is a perfect camcorder; it also has it share of drawbacks. Some due to its very nature of being a quadproof videocam. Like its internal microphone's performance for instance, which is a bit restricted because of the water-sealing feature. I also wasn't impressed with its performance in low-light conditions. If you want the nitty-gritty's, blogs like Reviewed.com and Videomaker.com provide complete and transparent technical reviews for us to appreciate so you can be guided on your buying decision making process. But again, over-all, we're happy because the JVC Everio is more than enough for our family's particular needs.
JVC HD Everio GZ-R50
Here's a sample video I've edited using the JVC Everio bundled software. If you wanna know how long it took to make, it's roughly the entire time of the recent Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
I enjoyed dabbling with it and I hope I can do more and better work with the iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. Enjoy watching and stay tuned for more Mommy Meowmeow Vlogs coming your way! :) [Thought bubble: now how about that glider? Hehe *wink, wink* Daddy A!]
Ours also came with a JVC Everio bag and a Transcend 16G SDHC card courtesy of Fortress HK.
Thanks are in order to my Bro A and Ninang V for shopping and getting this for us in Hong Kong. Thank you so much also to my Dad R and Mommy M for deciding to give this a gift to their dear apo :)
**In the spirit of full disclosure, there are affiliate links on this post, which means that I may get a commission if you decide to purchase anything from Amazon. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands :)
Wife to "my loving chinito" Arch. Andrew, homeschooling Mommy to our bright-eyed and beautiful Little Miss Z and also to our cutie ball of laughter Baby E. Prof to my students at the university and a Licensed Real Estate Broker too!
Food, fitness, travel, oiling, and a good read are my cheap thrills and absolute pick-me-uppers.
Happy to explore love and life - then in black and white, and now in technicolor!
mirrorless camera would do. After all, it was a huge 
and whittled down my option to three, based on the specifications listed and also the verified customers' reviews. For a few weeks I went back and forth with the different reviews for 
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