THE NAKAWALOCKDOWN / BEACHWATCH MASH-UP WE NEED (Ep. 1)

Ok, so if the Australian states are gonna keep blocking each other from inter-state travel, we're just gonna keep it in the family and go intra-state every summer weekend.   There is freedom within, there is freedom without, ika nga nung Masikip na Bahay.

Kiama

We've passed through this popular, picturesque town before and learned our lesson then:  if you want to see the famous Kiama blowhole, you best come in with the tides.  Otherwise, the blowhole will just be, you know, a hole.

this time...so much blow

Gerringong

We were actually driving along the freeway towards another place when our car broke down and we had to pull over into an unfamiliar exit and rather than it be the opening scene of one of those wrong-turn/lost traveler horror flicks it turned out we had actually arrived in Gerringong which was the probably poshest, nicest, least scary place you could think of...

(comes across old cliffside cemetery)....OR WAS IT??

Culburra

Yep, we're back at Coolbura, and it was as IG ready as ever 

as were we

RIZALEVEL UP

Neither new clusters nor wet weather would prevent the Consulate and Fil-Com from joining Rizal Day 2020 events ...  

...and just to keep up with Canberra PE/CRANIAL AGAIN's elevated production values, we even had drone shots!

(well, actually.....)

(yeah, i don't think we should call my man a drone; public service is its own reward)

DISTANCE SEASON TO BE JOLLY

Sadly but not surprisingly, the annual holiday greetings of the Department's posts and offices have mostly moved away from the glorious photoshopped scenes of yore. 2020 being what it is, salutations around the world have gone heavy on Stay Safe themes and imagery -- but at the same time managed to give out good vibes and seasonal cheer! So for group poses you had the "Social Distancing Indoors"...

...the "Social Distancing even though Outdoors"...

...and the "Social Distancing even though you can't tell if Indoors or Outdoors because yay Photoshop"

Also...lots of masks! As in, you can tell the levels of local mandates! From must-wear-masks if "Inside Together"...  

...or "Inside Apart"...

...all to way to "Outside Apart"...

...and even up to "Outside Might be Photoshopped so Cover Up Just to be Sure"... 

...as well as the "Inside/Outside Stay Masked but I guess you can also Take It Down for a Second if you're not confident about your Smize" gray area.

And all the new digital design tools and toys have given rise to all sorts of novel greeting formats, such as my new favorite "Separate-Yet-Connected" mosaics...  

...the inescapable Zoom meeting photo...

...plus GIFs, of course...

...and all the way to a merry mosaic/zoom/gif mash-up! 

And while ever-improving production values and skills will inevitably push the medium towards more slick and savvy filmmaking...     

...my heart will forever belong to the true "Indie" artist

"Indie" as in...what exactly's going on here?