Ponds to Ponder

Ceddy's Random

Hello Everyone! Ceddy here and I am back again for another blog. 

I've been focusing on my vlog lately and missed writing new content. But anyway, I am trying to bounce back in writing again.

There's a lot that I've been pondering lately. Starting from My career, personal growth, love, and finances.

I don't know where to start to write this content, but let me try. To begin with, I've been working in the Middle East - here in Abu Dhabi for 6 years. For the past 6 years of working in retail. The daily routine that I've been doing 6x in a week and a rest day. And I asked myself, Do I even have to do this for the rest of my life? I've been applying from other companies not related to the retail sector. Fortunately, I passed the exams but I always refused their offer letter since it is not a competitive amount of salary.

Career

It seems that the offer letter is not really competitive especially that it's pandemic and it's 2021. I didn't regret that I've been in the company for more than 6 years now. However, Most of my colleagues who left the company founded another job and were able to get a higher and competitive salary. And, while I'm here, stuck with the same salary and same position. I ask myself, Where did I go wrong? It's easy for them to find a job and a good offer letter but, I'm here trying but epic failure in the end.

Despite these unprecedented times, I am still grateful that I have a job. I have money to save for my future and to send money to my Auntie in the Philippines.

Personal Growth

Let's talk about my personal growth. Living and working alone far away from my Family is quite challenging. But as time goes by, I was able to stand out and moved out of my comfort zone. My personal capability to leave and work alone was, even more, better and I don't have the fear that I cannot do it without depending on others. Being matured enough to think about the important decisions and doing the things that I loved the most really changed the quality of my life. 

Love

Writing this topic, reminisced about my relationship way back in high school. If you may be asked, what is my orientation, Yes, I am Gay, proud to be a member of the LGBTQ community.   But during in Highschool fell in love with a girl. Yes, I am Gay. But in high school, I was a bit confused about my sexual orientation. Then in college, I figured out that YES!. I am Gay. Our relationship didn't last up. Only a couple of months. I tried to fit in with my so-called "society", to prove to them that I am not gay and I have a girlfriend. But then again, I learned that You don't have to prove yourself to others. You don't have to please everyone. I am just being myself and It'll be good to know who's down for that.

Our relationship lasts up for a couple of months. For somehow, there are sometimes that I missed her and when we see each other and go on for a date, I get "Kilig" of course. Hahaha. Enough of it. Lol. 

My Auntie is always asking me if when I'm getting married. Before I am ignoring her but the older I get, The pressure is surreal. She still on the level of denial that I am not gay and I am straight, and I totally understand. She always compares me to my other relative. One of our close relatives whom I called Uncle is Gay but was married and with 3 children. She always compares me to Him, that no matter what's my sexual orientation, I should get married and give offspring.*that cringes me to the bone (LOL).

But anyway, I don't want to disappoint my Auntie, especially that she is old now. And I considered that since she wants to become a grandma too. Let's see, and hoping for the best. 

Finances

Finances. Ah, working abroad means supporting my Auntie way back in the Philippines. My salary abroad is not much and if you compare working in the Philippines this present time, you can totally get this type of offer especially if you are targeting some jobs in Business Process Outsourcing Sector.

Sometimes, I'm thinking, what if I didn't accept this offer way back in 2015 and took the other job offer? I guess I've been promoted now and got an increment. 

What if I don't have to pay the rent and do need to send money to my country? I guess, I already saved a lot of money and traveled to other countries. 

What if? What if?

Ugh. But that is Life. I am matured enough to think about my responsibilities. Some People became successful at a very young age in their 20's, some are 30's. 

Working abroad is no joke and a lot of sacrifices just to aim for that dream. I may not be rich working a long time abroad but I am grateful that at least I have some savings and as a responsible mature human being.

And that's a wrap!

I hope you guys enjoy reading this content. 

See you next time!

Sony A6100 Mirrorless Camera Review with Sample Photos

Hello Guys! Ceddy here and welcome back to the blog! And for today's content, I am going to share with you my camera test review of the Sony A6100 mirrorless camera. 

Sony Alpha 6100 Mirrorless Camera

Level Entry Mirrorless Camera by Sony

This a level entry mirrorless camera from Sony. Its brother Sony A600 was debuted 5 years ago, and Sony needs to refresh its Mirrorless Camera lineup and they created its big brother - The Sony A6100, also followed by Sony A6600 - having more advanced features and a stiff price hehe. 

Well, I've been longing to have my own professional camera, filming and taking photos but producing excellent results is my aim. So I decided to buy the Sony A6100. I bought the camera for the price of $800. For aspiring content creators, It's optional to buy these types of cameras. Trust me, I'm using my iPhone and my DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for vlogging and taking high-quality images. As for me, I want to take it to the next level and decided to upgrade my tools. It's not necessary to buy such expensive cameras, as long as you have great, informative content then you are good to go. 

Hefty Price, But Worthy Investment

Yep, $800, a bit pricey for a camera, other content creators preferred to use an affordable Canon or Go Pro. But I decided to choose Sony as they have an excellent product reputation especially in creating Mirrorless Camera. 

Mirrorless Camera or DSLR?

Mirrorless Camera (Sony A6100)

Sony A6100 can be categorized under the APS-C (Advanced Photo System Camera) Mirrorless E-Mount Camera. So basically, the lenses are interchangeable. You can use other non-sony branded lenses, If you have an existing canon lense, for example, you can use it on this camera. It's very light but the downside is the limited usage of lenses and accessories. 

The only thing that I don't like about this camera is the weight, it weighs .87 pounds without the lens and the longer I hold the camera while filming, my arms are getting number after,  on the other hand, I find it very handy to hold.

Sony A6100 Mirrorless Camera 

DSLR Camera (Canon EOS 4000)

On the one hand, DSLR is bulkier, the advantage of using multiple lenses, and the ability to use the optical viewfinder in low light conditions. Since it's bulkier, It's difficult to use it with one hand. 

Build Quality

The build quality of the camera is (of course,  the Sony way) It feels good in the hand, and the handgrip is so comfortable, just a solid grip.

4K Video and Image Quality / Memory Card

For the video footage, In order to utilize the 4K feature of this camera, You need to purchase a separate UHS SD CARD. I have 2 SD HC Ultra Memory Card, one is 32 GB and the other one is 128 GB. You have to cash out a little for the UHS Memory card, and they're a bit pricey compared to regular SD HC. It's just funny because I can film a 4K video in my iPhone 11 without any additional memory cards.

The image quality that this camera produced is excellent. It surpasses my expectations, but for the video quality, it's great but not excellent. I find the video unstable especially if I'm doing a vlog inside the car for example. For pre-editing, it takes hours to render and stabilized that shaky footage. 

There's a lot of mirrorless camera stabilizer these days. But that's another story. Speaking of Stabilizer, I am also using a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 for my on-the-go vlog. You can check my review by clicking here.

Anyways, here are some of the images made possible by Sony a6100 Mirrorless camera. 

Do note: These images are in the raw file and it was edited using Adobe Lightroom.

Enjoy!

These sample images were taken at Hudayriyat Beach in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

If you're not in the mood to read this content, then you can watch my quick unboxing review here.

And that's a wrap! If you like reading this content, consider subscribing to the email newsletter or you can subscribe to my Youtube Channel or follow my Facebook Page for the latest published content.

Thanks for reading!

Stay safe and God Bless 😊

-Ceddy

Candc DC-C9 Cardioid Microphone Quick Unboxing Review 

Hello Guys! Ceddy here,  and welcome back to another quick tech unboxing review.

I recently purchased a mirrorless camera which is a pretty big investment for my vlog, I really took into consideration investing in these kinds of stuff as I can see potential and a good steady income from creating such good content, anyways.

 This is the Sony A6100 Mirrorless Camera:

I love the quality of the video and the images it produced. However, one thing that I noticed was the sound quality, especially if I vlog or record outdoors, there is something quite missing though the video quality superb, upscaled to 4K Resolution, There is a downside to its audio quality despite having a Dolby Stereo feature. 

Having a good video should have good audio, that's why I purchased this Cardioid Microphone. 

Some of you are not familiar with this brand, but you know the brands such as Rode which is one of the leaders and well know brands when it comes to producing great audio equipment, interface, wireless, and software dedicated to rode devices. And their product line up (in my opinion) is a bit pricey. 

So I consider purchasing a Cardioid Microphone which is very affordable yet has some similar features that it can offer. 

This is my Quick Unboxing Review of Candc DC-C9 Cardioid Microphone.

You're not familiar with this brand and it sounds like the product is generic.  To be honest, that was my first impression too. But upon using this cardioid microphone, I can see no difference between using other brands, (even though I never tried rodes, but hey, as long as you have good audio quality, then I think it's a good bargain for me to have this accessory)

The Packaging

What's on the picture is just as same whats the product inside, sounds redundant? Hahaha 

Here are some of the pictures...