In approximately 52 minutes (as of the start of this entry) I will be twenty years of age. That’s about or 175,200 hours, 10,512,000 minutes, or 630,720,000 seconds that I have spent on this God-given earth (not accounting for leap years, so that calculation is a off give or take 5 days, so in essence it’s 7305 days, or 175,320 hours, or 10,519,200 minutes…you get the point).

One might ask what the hell is so significant about twenty. I can’t “legally” drink. I’m no longer a teenager, but not quite an “adult,” so what gives? I’m tossed into this limbo stuck between two lives, at least, if seen from one perspective. On the other hand, I’m still in college: free from absolute responsibility of my life, yet free enough to make own choices and explore avenues not yet seen. Yet it’s also a time of transition. It’s a time to start putting aside childish things in preparation for the future.

I was watching the movie Hackers (an unrealistic, yet distinct caricature of the internet subculture brewing in basements and garages all over the world) when Cereal pointed out a verse from the bible before waging war against an antagonist hacker with a plot to steal millions of dollars from a corporate giant:

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

-1 Corinthians 13:11

So the real question for me to reflect on this year is: How will i put aside these childish things and live like a man? The answer: I’ll tell you a year from now.

I had the opportunity to cover Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula’s fundraiser dinner as a second photographer alongside Mr. Francis Lacson. Being my first political shoot I was a bit nervous but also excited in capturing the evening in detail. Given the lighting conditions, using a 50mm lens was sufficient most of the time, though I switched between that and my 28-135mm lens to get a wider shot. Coupled with the flash, I was able to balance most of the lighting providing a properly lit shot. Some samples of the photos are here. For additional select photos, you can see some of them at http://www.chivukulanj.com/

It’s been officially summer for me for the past 20 or so days. Now the question you must be asking yourself is why I haven’t updated the blog lately. In a sense I’ve been busy or so spending time with the family, sleeping in, attempting to go to the gym, or if not that, traveling obscene distances for fried chicken. So why in the world would I be up at 3 in the morning. The answer, or at least what my good ‘ol friend claims is my body is wired to live in the west coast, so I should just move there (maybe so?) . As long as I’m running like this, I’m interested on hearing ideas on what to do this summer. The possibilities for the summer are endless and I’m excited to see what will come of it. 

A little taste of what I had on thursday:

Leave your ideas in the comments.