#phonegap and #jquerymobile is probably the best and easiest combination to create a mobile app and running in no time. Literally. - Jan 26, 2012 - 09:31AMWhat's New?: Hey, how are you?
January 25, 2012 - New mobile version using jquery
So since I've been eagerly awaiting my Asus Transformer Prime tablet, I've been doing a lot of practice with the Android SDK, PhoneGap and jQuery mobile.
JQuery mobile is a really easy way to get a mobile app or page going in no time. Given all my back end hookups are templated, plugging in jQuery mobile to my data points took less than an hour.
All the transitions and themes were all done by jQuery. This saves a ton of time. All you need to do is define your html element with jQuery's data property and you're good to go. Here is the newest mobile version of my site using this library LesterFlor.com mobile.
The good thing about PhoneGap and jQuery mobile is the fact that you don't need to double your work in terms of front-end when it comes to developing for the web and mobile. Which is exactly the selling point of PhoneGap and related technologies. This comes as a real pleaser to me not having to delve into Java I do not know when developing Android apps, I can create my entire GUI with html, javscript and css. For the most part, even the PhoneGap API covers the needs of native Android API's needed, but until I delve deeper in Android app development I do not see a present need to go beyond the main Android activity class in Java.
So great learn for this week, just waiting for my actual physical Android device so that I can test out the API's that I can't reproduce in the emulator. What I'm finding is the emulator is only good for seeing the layout on your given AVD setting, but it can't do anything with Accelerometer, GPS and even Camera (although it worked once and then decided to never work again). These are often the highlights of an app, so not being to test these API's make the emulator pretty much useless. This is especially true publishing Flash to an APK, most of the the things I have been meaning to try will do nothing in the emulator for me.
It's taken almost 2 weeks of waiting for the Prime (and for good reason) to get to me, and I was advised by the place I ordered that it will probably take another week or so more. This thing is the hottest electronic device out now. I don't usually jump on bandwagons, but the specs on it read so well that I didn't want to settle for anything less.
January 18, 2012 - Flying through the sky with WebGL!
Again, this is not original work, but I can code this from scratch now. I think this is a big part of being a developer, not just being able to copy and paste others code, but be able to implement and understand what it is that you are typing. Fly through the sky!
The only part of this example that I did not create from scratch were the vertex and fragment shaders. GLSL is not very intuitive to me at the moment, and it will take some time for me to grasp this C language. But, in the meantime, I will keep on practicing and create more visually appealing experiments like this one.
It's hard to believe the shift I've set myself to since Adobe announced their strategies with Flash over two months ago. I have not fallen on deaf ears and have read the writing on the wall and plunged into the HTML5 bandwagon these past couple of months. I admit, I was hesitant at first, but I am truly enjoying the frameworks and capabilities that HTML5 is maturing into. Given the potential that a lot of the frmaeworks out there can do, and the prominence of more capable browsers (Chrome all the way), it makes even more sense now that Adobe changed their strategies.
I think of the canvas as the html equivalent of a compiled swf, which in principle it is, and perhaps in another world wide web life, it would've been very prudent if Adobe had made the flash plugin a native API of the browser. But obviously, not being open-source, this was far and few from realization, and it took open standards for HTML5 to come into fruition and topple Adobe's dominance.
I only use and work with Flash while at work. Everything you see before you is devoid of it. I have slowly begun to ween off Flash, but not forget nor not continue to progress with it. It is there like my beloved first car that gets me from point A to B. I know it has it quirks and intricacies, but I love driving it no matter what. If it fails to meet my demands for a particular trip, I have my newer car that I know will get me there; reliably and perhaps even more efficiently.
January 16, 2012 - WebGL experiments continue
More work with WebGL. I've been hooked on Three.js the last week or so practicing and exercising its API. These examples are certainly not original, but they are exercises in my current knowledge of the API. Check out this particle example, this panoramic viewer or this rendered text scene.
Not particularly useful, but exemplifies some of the simple and cool things that WebGL is bringing to enabled browsers (don't bother viewing this in IE). More to come as I get more proficient in the API.
January 5, 2012 - WebGL is amazing!
Check out this 3D rendered interactive earth, rendered with WebGL!WebGL EARTH. This is an amazing example of the capability of HTML5 and how it can leverage the GPU of the end-user's machine. Flash Player 11 may also use WebGL, but this was done completely in javascript and html. The implications of leveraging WebGL for HTML5 pages will be truly an amazing site to see once it matures.
Is Flash dead? I think it will eventually get there. Remember, Flash came into being as a direct result of the browsers of the era not being able to produce the types of effects that it could, but now that HTML5 is slowly being capable of all the things that Flash can do, there would be no reason to support it in the future. I think of Director and Lingo, and how those names are extinct anywhere in technical terms. Exciting times.
December 16, 2011 - HTML5 slide version of lesterflor.com
Check out this HTML5, keyboard event driven version of lesterflor.com version 5. This was inspired by a lot of HTML5 slideshow applications out on the web currently, and shows how HTML5 can make presentations as easy as Powerpoint. Personally I would rather use this HTML5 version, it is a lot more extensible and you can include a lot of things you could not embed in a Powerpoint presentation.
So HTML5 is also going to kill Powerpoint? Lol, I don't really care about that.
December 15, 2011 - Simple tip for finding Flash player build version
Recently I was given the task to identify problematic Flash player versions. So I said, no problem, that's why we use swfobject to define minimum flash player requirements before the end user is able to see flash content. But this wasn't about just minimum requirements, it was about *BUILD VERSION*.
As some of you may or not know, the build version of your flash player is the last number in the delimited sequence. So if if your flash player is 10.3.183.10 for example, 10 is the build version. There have been instances working on both recent and past projects when applications would not work as designed based not on major, minor or even release, but rather the build version.
So the task was to check for this build version. Now the important thing to note is that any client side checking of your flash player version outside a compiled swf will NOT include this number. So even using swfobject will not generate this number, the only way is to use the AS3 Capabilities class to produce the build version.
In my scenario, I make a socket connection to a db of known blacklisted flash players based on the user's player and it will then pass that via ExternalInterface to the wrapper for whatever javascript parsing is required. Just a quick and easy tip about the semantics of your Flash player version.
Look Ma, no Flash!
Hello there. This is lesterflor.com version 5. It is ironic that this is iteration 5 of my website and it is HTML5 based.
For those new to this site, welcome. I am a Flash framework developer in the gaming industry from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This site gives some info about me and my journey as a programmer/developer.
Given all the recent press about Adobe and the Flash plugin being dropped from *all* mobile devices, I took it upon myself to start familiarizing myself with the newer capabilities that HTML and the buzzword HTML5 has to offer.
First of all, I would like to make clear that I am not abandoning Adobe, Flash and it's related technologies.
I have been a very proud supporter of Flash and Adobe in the 10 plus years that I have been in the world wide web industry. I have been a strong advocate of Flash in my professional capacity as a web developer for many years, arguing and defending it's use in a multitude of projects that I've successfully been involved in all my years in this profession.
But alas, Adobe shocked the millions of Flash developers like myself on November 14, 2011, when they announced that they would no longer support the mobile version of Flash. Although not seemingly a big deal at first, the debate surrounded about the overall use of Flash in any context, mobile or not. So in a panic, like a developer's logical flowing mind would conjure, it spurred thoughts of the total demise of Flash for the web.
What place does Flash have if it would no longer be supported on mobile? If you are creating a project that is bound to be both for mobile and desktop, why bother developing 2 codebases when you can do it in 1? Since mobile Flash won't be supported, then that would mean that Flash in consideration is moot.
I am not new to HTML, Javascript or CSS. In my early days, I was a web designer, and these three key elements that comprise the buzzword HTML5 were my staple competencies. So now, it seems what once was old is new again, and I forced to revisit these competencies again armed with new standards and functionality that Flash back then was only capable of achieving.
Flash is not going away anytime soon wholistically. There are still many things that Flash can do that HTML5 cannot, but for the majority of "Flash" websites outside the context of the complex things (such as gaming) that Flash can do, there is truly no need to do them in Flash considering that they are achievable in a more accessible, and cross-platform way that HTML5 purports itself as being able to achieve.
In the end, it is a matter of my evolution as a developer. I should not have an attachment to any programming language or technology in my professional context. The web is a constantly evolving organism that follows the very rule of evolution - survival of the fittest.
January 25, 2012 - New mobile version using jquery
So since I've been eagerly awaiting my Asus Transformer Prime tablet, I've been doing a lot of practice with the Android SDK, PhoneGap and jQuery mobile. JQuery mobile is a really easy way to get a mobile app or page going in no time. Given all my back end hookups are templated, plugging in jQuery mobile to my data points took less than an hour.
All the transitions and themes were all done by jQuery. This saves a ton of time. All you need to do is define your html element with jQuery's data property and you're good to go. Here is the newest mobile version of my site using this library LesterFlor.com mobile.
The good thing about PhoneGap and jQuery mobile is the fact that you don't need to double your work in terms of front-end when it comes to developing for the web and mobile. Which is exactly the selling point of PhoneGap and related technologies. This comes as a real pleaser to me not having to delve into Java I do not know when developing Android apps, I can create my entire GUI with html, javscript and css. For the most part, even the PhoneGap API covers the needs of native Android API's needed, but until I delve deeper in Android app development I do not see a present need to go beyond the main Android activity class in Java.
So great learn for this week, just waiting for my actual physical Android device so that I can test out the API's that I can't reproduce in the emulator. What I'm finding is the emulator is only good for seeing the layout on your given AVD setting, but it can't do anything with Accelerometer, GPS and even Camera (although it worked once and then decided to never work again). These are often the highlights of an app, so not being to test these API's make the emulator pretty much useless. This is especially true publishing Flash to an APK, most of the the things I have been meaning to try will do nothing in the emulator for me.
It's taken almost 2 weeks of waiting for the Prime (and for good reason) to get to me, and I was advised by the place I ordered that it will probably take another week or so more. This thing is the hottest electronic device out now. I don't usually jump on bandwagons, but the specs on it read so well that I didn't want to settle for anything less.
January 18, 2012 - Flying through the sky with WebGL!
Again, this is not original work, but I can code this from scratch now. I think this is a big part of being a developer, not just being able to copy and paste others code, but be able to implement and understand what it is that you are typing. Fly through the sky!The only part of this example that I did not create from scratch were the vertex and fragment shaders. GLSL is not very intuitive to me at the moment, and it will take some time for me to grasp this C language. But, in the meantime, I will keep on practicing and create more visually appealing experiments like this one.
It's hard to believe the shift I've set myself to since Adobe announced their strategies with Flash over two months ago. I have not fallen on deaf ears and have read the writing on the wall and plunged into the HTML5 bandwagon these past couple of months. I admit, I was hesitant at first, but I am truly enjoying the frameworks and capabilities that HTML5 is maturing into. Given the potential that a lot of the frmaeworks out there can do, and the prominence of more capable browsers (Chrome all the way), it makes even more sense now that Adobe changed their strategies.
I think of the canvas as the html equivalent of a compiled swf, which in principle it is, and perhaps in another world wide web life, it would've been very prudent if Adobe had made the flash plugin a native API of the browser. But obviously, not being open-source, this was far and few from realization, and it took open standards for HTML5 to come into fruition and topple Adobe's dominance.
I only use and work with Flash while at work. Everything you see before you is devoid of it. I have slowly begun to ween off Flash, but not forget nor not continue to progress with it. It is there like my beloved first car that gets me from point A to B. I know it has it quirks and intricacies, but I love driving it no matter what. If it fails to meet my demands for a particular trip, I have my newer car that I know will get me there; reliably and perhaps even more efficiently.
January 16, 2012 - WebGL experiments continue
More work with WebGL. I've been hooked on Three.js the last week or so practicing and exercising its API. These examples are certainly not original, but they are exercises in my current knowledge of the API. Check out this particle example, this panoramic viewer or this rendered text scene.Not particularly useful, but exemplifies some of the simple and cool things that WebGL is bringing to enabled browsers (don't bother viewing this in IE). More to come as I get more proficient in the API.
January 5, 2012 - WebGL is amazing!
Check out this 3D rendered interactive earth, rendered with WebGL!WebGL EARTH. This is an amazing example of the capability of HTML5 and how it can leverage the GPU of the end-user's machine. Flash Player 11 may also use WebGL, but this was done completely in javascript and html. The implications of leveraging WebGL for HTML5 pages will be truly an amazing site to see once it matures. Is Flash dead? I think it will eventually get there. Remember, Flash came into being as a direct result of the browsers of the era not being able to produce the types of effects that it could, but now that HTML5 is slowly being capable of all the things that Flash can do, there would be no reason to support it in the future. I think of Director and Lingo, and how those names are extinct anywhere in technical terms. Exciting times.
December 16, 2011 - HTML5 slide version of lesterflor.com
Check out this HTML5, keyboard event driven version of lesterflor.com version 5. This was inspired by a lot of HTML5 slideshow applications out on the web currently, and shows how HTML5 can make presentations as easy as Powerpoint. Personally I would rather use this HTML5 version, it is a lot more extensible and you can include a lot of things you could not embed in a Powerpoint presentation. So HTML5 is also going to kill Powerpoint? Lol, I don't really care about that.
December 15, 2011 - Simple tip for finding Flash player build version
Recently I was given the task to identify problematic Flash player versions. So I said, no problem, that's why we use swfobject to define minimum flash player requirements before the end user is able to see flash content. But this wasn't about just minimum requirements, it was about *BUILD VERSION*.As some of you may or not know, the build version of your flash player is the last number in the delimited sequence. So if if your flash player is 10.3.183.10 for example, 10 is the build version. There have been instances working on both recent and past projects when applications would not work as designed based not on major, minor or even release, but rather the build version.
So the task was to check for this build version. Now the important thing to note is that any client side checking of your flash player version outside a compiled swf will NOT include this number. So even using swfobject will not generate this number, the only way is to use the AS3 Capabilities class to produce the build version.
In my scenario, I make a socket connection to a db of known blacklisted flash players based on the user's player and it will then pass that via ExternalInterface to the wrapper for whatever javascript parsing is required. Just a quick and easy tip about the semantics of your Flash player version.
Look Ma, no Flash!
Hello there. This is lesterflor.com version 5. It is ironic that this is iteration 5 of my website and it is HTML5 based.
For those new to this site, welcome. I am a Flash framework developer in the gaming industry from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This site gives some info about me and my journey as a programmer/developer.
Given all the recent press about Adobe and the Flash plugin being dropped from *all* mobile devices, I took it upon myself to start familiarizing myself with the newer capabilities that HTML and the buzzword HTML5 has to offer.
First of all, I would like to make clear that I am not abandoning Adobe, Flash and it's related technologies.
I have been a very proud supporter of Flash and Adobe in the 10 plus years that I have been in the world wide web industry. I have been a strong advocate of Flash in my professional capacity as a web developer for many years, arguing and defending it's use in a multitude of projects that I've successfully been involved in all my years in this profession.
But alas, Adobe shocked the millions of Flash developers like myself on November 14, 2011, when they announced that they would no longer support the mobile version of Flash. Although not seemingly a big deal at first, the debate surrounded about the overall use of Flash in any context, mobile or not. So in a panic, like a developer's logical flowing mind would conjure, it spurred thoughts of the total demise of Flash for the web.
What place does Flash have if it would no longer be supported on mobile? If you are creating a project that is bound to be both for mobile and desktop, why bother developing 2 codebases when you can do it in 1? Since mobile Flash won't be supported, then that would mean that Flash in consideration is moot.
I am not new to HTML, Javascript or CSS. In my early days, I was a web designer, and these three key elements that comprise the buzzword HTML5 were my staple competencies. So now, it seems what once was old is new again, and I forced to revisit these competencies again armed with new standards and functionality that Flash back then was only capable of achieving.
Flash is not going away anytime soon wholistically. There are still many things that Flash can do that HTML5 cannot, but for the majority of "Flash" websites outside the context of the complex things (such as gaming) that Flash can do, there is truly no need to do them in Flash considering that they are achievable in a more accessible, and cross-platform way that HTML5 purports itself as being able to achieve.
In the end, it is a matter of my evolution as a developer. I should not have an attachment to any programming language or technology in my professional context. The web is a constantly evolving organism that follows the very rule of evolution - survival of the fittest.
About Me: Who is this guy?
I am currently a Flash framework developer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have been in the business of the internet for approximately 13 years. I started my career as a multimedia developer creating CD-ROMs using a legacy syntax called Lingo. At the time, I was fascinated with it and it fueled my inspiration to create interactive experiences on the computer. Running parallel to that was my inspiration in the web equivalent, called Flash. With Flash and html, I was able to deliver interactive content to more and more people, and that inspired me even further.
I then stumbled upon ASP.NET in an indirect way, being a front-end developer using XSLT to parse the SOAP that my fellow co-workers at the time would provide to me. These guys were my inspiration for the next wave of fascination - server side development. Through XML and XSLT, I wanted to know more than just parsing data, I wanted to know where this data came from and how it came to be. So, armed with books, self-learning and bugging my fellow application developers for info and nagging, I managed to get rudimentary knowledge of how things were done.
The front-end held true in my heart, but the back-end provided and provides me with constant challenge.
A couple of years later FLEX came about. It was like what I've been preparing to do all the years being some sort of hybrid. FLEX is still front-end, but it provided a structure and framework that lead to the back-end. Every swf I created from that point on had to have aspects of both. It had to have a cunning and interactive GUI, but it also had to be fully extensible and connected to some sort of back-end.
So here I am today, on the client-side, but still dabbling in the server-side, mostly middle-tier, but hey, I need to have a working context to explore even further. I will get there someday, just as indirectly as I got here.
I was born in Quezon City, Philippines from a military family. I came to Canada when I was 8 years old having lived in the United States for approximately 2 years prior to moving and settling to my beloved hometown of Toronto, Ontario.
I went to Brebeuf College High School then went to Centennial College to take my diploma in General Arts. After that, I continued my studies at York University, obtaining my B.A. in Sociology in 1998. I then proceeded to further my artistic talents by enrolling in the International Academy of Design and Technology receiving top honours in my graduating class of 2001 in Digital Media Design.
My Portfolio includes work for government organizations, creating multimedia applications, marketing material, content management tools and databases. I have created several websites for different organizations and e-commerce portals, having done design and development in multi-faceted capacities with skills ranging from extensive server-side and client side programming, to more artistic web design and print publications. I am currently a framework developer for a renowned, pioneering internet gaming corporation developing gaming software using Flash, FLEX.
I am a musician, the Flamenco guitar being my instrument of choice. I have been playing Flamenco for approximately 10 years, performing at variety shows for the elderly and sick at hospitals.
I have volunteered at a local public school for a junior and senior kindergarten class, helping children read, write and learn. I am an avid fitness enthusiast with my primary focus on Ashtanga Yoga. I am a dedicated pratctitioner of Ashtanga yoga, practicing 6 days a week in class or self-practice.
I have also been involved with various martial arts in my past, using mixed martial arts as a label to define the numerous styles and systems I've practiced. I was also an avid powerlifter and bodybuilder, but injuries and circumstances hampered my progress and deeper involvement in that arena, but always remains as a vivid memory.
I am a dog lover, and have a black Golden Retriever / Weimerainer Mix named Sabicas who is 10 years old. The proper term for him is a Goldmerainer. He looks like a regular lab, but much leaner, smaller, faster and agile. His name derives from one of the greatest Flamenco guitar players of all time Augustin Castellon Campos whose stage name was "Sabicas".
I am currently a Flash framework developer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have been in the business of the internet for approximately 13 years. I started my career as a multimedia developer creating CD-ROMs using a legacy syntax called Lingo. At the time, I was fascinated with it and it fueled my inspiration to create interactive experiences on the computer. Running parallel to that was my inspiration in the web equivalent, called Flash. With Flash and html, I was able to deliver interactive content to more and more people, and that inspired me even further.
I then stumbled upon ASP.NET in an indirect way, being a front-end developer using XSLT to parse the SOAP that my fellow co-workers at the time would provide to me. These guys were my inspiration for the next wave of fascination - server side development. Through XML and XSLT, I wanted to know more than just parsing data, I wanted to know where this data came from and how it came to be. So, armed with books, self-learning and bugging my fellow application developers for info and nagging, I managed to get rudimentary knowledge of how things were done.
The front-end held true in my heart, but the back-end provided and provides me with constant challenge.
A couple of years later FLEX came about. It was like what I've been preparing to do all the years being some sort of hybrid. FLEX is still front-end, but it provided a structure and framework that lead to the back-end. Every swf I created from that point on had to have aspects of both. It had to have a cunning and interactive GUI, but it also had to be fully extensible and connected to some sort of back-end.
So here I am today, on the client-side, but still dabbling in the server-side, mostly middle-tier, but hey, I need to have a working context to explore even further. I will get there someday, just as indirectly as I got here.
I was born in Quezon City, Philippines from a military family. I came to Canada when I was 8 years old having lived in the United States for approximately 2 years prior to moving and settling to my beloved hometown of Toronto, Ontario.
I went to Brebeuf College High School then went to Centennial College to take my diploma in General Arts. After that, I continued my studies at York University, obtaining my B.A. in Sociology in 1998. I then proceeded to further my artistic talents by enrolling in the International Academy of Design and Technology receiving top honours in my graduating class of 2001 in Digital Media Design.
My Portfolio includes work for government organizations, creating multimedia applications, marketing material, content management tools and databases. I have created several websites for different organizations and e-commerce portals, having done design and development in multi-faceted capacities with skills ranging from extensive server-side and client side programming, to more artistic web design and print publications. I am currently a framework developer for a renowned, pioneering internet gaming corporation developing gaming software using Flash, FLEX.
I am a musician, the Flamenco guitar being my instrument of choice. I have been playing Flamenco for approximately 10 years, performing at variety shows for the elderly and sick at hospitals.
I have volunteered at a local public school for a junior and senior kindergarten class, helping children read, write and learn. I am an avid fitness enthusiast with my primary focus on Ashtanga Yoga. I am a dedicated pratctitioner of Ashtanga yoga, practicing 6 days a week in class or self-practice.
I have also been involved with various martial arts in my past, using mixed martial arts as a label to define the numerous styles and systems I've practiced. I was also an avid powerlifter and bodybuilder, but injuries and circumstances hampered my progress and deeper involvement in that arena, but always remains as a vivid memory.
I am a dog lover, and have a black Golden Retriever / Weimerainer Mix named Sabicas who is 10 years old. The proper term for him is a Goldmerainer. He looks like a regular lab, but much leaner, smaller, faster and agile. His name derives from one of the greatest Flamenco guitar players of all time Augustin Castellon Campos whose stage name was "Sabicas".
Projects: Flash and other programming stuff
This section focuses on some Web and Interactive projects that I have worked on recently and in the past. This is only a small sample of things I have done over the years, ranging from personal projects to corporate initiatives and applications. My goal is to create the most visually and logically appealing Flash application that can be, having a strong GUI, but also harnessing strong programmatic infrastructure to deliver a "complete" application.
The examples feature a mixed usage of HTML, Javascript, Flash, FLEX, CSS and various other codebases and frameworks I have used.
I am constantly evolving my skills to adapt with the expansion of the semantic web and learning through the enjoyment of RIAs (Rich Media Applications) and power and versatility that it poses for the future of the web.
The next evolution is more HTML5 and WebGL seeing it as another window into a more dynamic and rich media existence on the internet.
I've also included some back-end web applications I've built, mostly on .NET using VBScript as the codebase. I've successfully integrated these .NET applications to front end applications like Flash, FLEX, AJAX and XSLT. I also do a lot of PHP, which is the product of what you are currently seeing before you.
This section focuses on some Web and Interactive projects that I have worked on recently and in the past. This is only a small sample of things I have done over the years, ranging from personal projects to corporate initiatives and applications. My goal is to create the most visually and logically appealing Flash application that can be, having a strong GUI, but also harnessing strong programmatic infrastructure to deliver a "complete" application.
The examples feature a mixed usage of HTML, Javascript, Flash, FLEX, CSS and various other codebases and frameworks I have used.
I am constantly evolving my skills to adapt with the expansion of the semantic web and learning through the enjoyment of RIAs (Rich Media Applications) and power and versatility that it poses for the future of the web.
The next evolution is more HTML5 and WebGL seeing it as another window into a more dynamic and rich media existence on the internet.
I've also included some back-end web applications I've built, mostly on .NET using VBScript as the codebase. I've successfully integrated these .NET applications to front end applications like Flash, FLEX, AJAX and XSLT. I also do a lot of PHP, which is the product of what you are currently seeing before you.
Sketches: I used to draw a lot until keyboards ruined using writing implements......
Before I delved into any graphic design, I used to do a lot of freehand art and sketches. Although it has been a while since I have drawn, it remains a part of my repertoire that I hope to revisit again someday. Most of my sketches came from my imagination, refining them as they took shape and ultimately into character. Shown is a small collection of art that I have found over the years in old scrapbooks and piles of papers.
I began drawing as a natural expression as a child, and I took it further than a normal childish pastime to a regular hobby. When the world wide web came to be, I found the multimedia applications of the day very intriguing and initially took a passionate fondness for Phtotoshop to extend my artisitic capabilities. I was then introduced to Flash and found a way to make my artwork come "alive" as the animations were a way for my art to speak more than its static sense.
Before I delved into any graphic design, I used to do a lot of freehand art and sketches. Although it has been a while since I have drawn, it remains a part of my repertoire that I hope to revisit again someday. Most of my sketches came from my imagination, refining them as they took shape and ultimately into character. Shown is a small collection of art that I have found over the years in old scrapbooks and piles of papers.
I began drawing as a natural expression as a child, and I took it further than a normal childish pastime to a regular hobby. When the world wide web came to be, I found the multimedia applications of the day very intriguing and initially took a passionate fondness for Phtotoshop to extend my artisitic capabilities. I was then introduced to Flash and found a way to make my artwork come "alive" as the animations were a way for my art to speak more than its static sense.
Marketing: Industries, e-commerce and speculation
This is some work I've done when I worked as webmaster in the e-commerce side of the web. I managed the email marketing intitives, created content and managed the email lists, deployed email marketing campaigns.
I also did print work, featuring pieces that were published in an internationally reknowned home decorating magazine. I also created numerous banner media that were displayed on both organic and pay-per-click initiatives over the web.
In my humble beginnings in pursuing digital media, Photoshop was one of the very first programs I ever used to create my first digital artwork. I have featured some Photoshop work that I created in my past using only paint functions and filters to create the effects and pieces shown. This section features some of the work that I created during that era of my career.
This is some work I've done when I worked as webmaster in the e-commerce side of the web. I managed the email marketing intitives, created content and managed the email lists, deployed email marketing campaigns.
I also did print work, featuring pieces that were published in an internationally reknowned home decorating magazine. I also created numerous banner media that were displayed on both organic and pay-per-click initiatives over the web.
In my humble beginnings in pursuing digital media, Photoshop was one of the very first programs I ever used to create my first digital artwork. I have featured some Photoshop work that I created in my past using only paint functions and filters to create the effects and pieces shown. This section features some of the work that I created during that era of my career.
Print: Paper and ink...
In my marketing endeavours, I delved a little bit in the world of print while working in e-commerce. I made several spreads, some for nationally published lifestyle magazines, and also large scale murals for exhibits and shows.
This section shows some of the print work I completed, and the contexts in which they were displayed.
My work was featured in "Brushstrokes" magazine, "Strictly Home Decor" and a number of other print material for the e-commerce companies that I was involved in.
In my marketing endeavours, I delved a little bit in the world of print while working in e-commerce. I made several spreads, some for nationally published lifestyle magazines, and also large scale murals for exhibits and shows.
This section shows some of the print work I completed, and the contexts in which they were displayed.
My work was featured in "Brushstrokes" magazine, "Strictly Home Decor" and a number of other print material for the e-commerce companies that I was involved in.
Technical: Capabilities, but not limited to...
Some programming languages and programs that I frequently utilize. Some or all of which have been used to create the site that you see before you.
I consider myself to be a hybrid of both back-end and front-end development. I have a strong affinity for both, depending on the project to be completed. I do not consider myself more than the other, as both subjective and objective aspects are needed to form a holistically complete application.
Technical Competencies:
Back-end: PHP | ASP.NET(VBScript, C#) | Java | Ruby | Rails 3.0 | SQL | ColdFusion
Front-end: HTML(4,5) | DHTML | XHTML | | XML, XSL, XSLT | Javascript | Actionscript 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 | CSS(3) | MXML (Flex 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, 4.5 SDK) | AIR (3.0) | ECMAScript | jQuery | DOM | E4X | OOP |
Frameworks: PhoneGap | Robotlegs | ThreeJS | EaselJS | Starling | Nape | Android 4.0
Source control: VSS | Perforce
IDE's:
Eclipse | NetBeans | Flash | Flash Builder | FLEX Builder | Pixel Bender | Dreamweaver | Photoshop | Illustrator | After Effects | Premiere | Bridge | Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio Express | Microsoft SQL Server | SQL Workbench | BEA Workshop | PHPMyAdmin | MAMP | XAMPP
Other Assets:
Video editing and streaming conversion (FLV, F4V, WMV, MPG, etc.),PDF generation and interactivity using ECMAScript ,Photography, content management developement and utilization, search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, web analytics
Some programming languages and programs that I frequently utilize. Some or all of which have been used to create the site that you see before you.
I consider myself to be a hybrid of both back-end and front-end development. I have a strong affinity for both, depending on the project to be completed. I do not consider myself more than the other, as both subjective and objective aspects are needed to form a holistically complete application.
Technical Competencies:
Back-end: PHP | ASP.NET(VBScript, C#) | Java | Ruby | Rails 3.0 | SQL | ColdFusion
Front-end: HTML(4,5) | DHTML | XHTML | | XML, XSL, XSLT | Javascript | Actionscript 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 | CSS(3) | MXML (Flex 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, 4.5 SDK) | AIR (3.0) | ECMAScript | jQuery | DOM | E4X | OOP |
Frameworks: PhoneGap | Robotlegs | ThreeJS | EaselJS | Starling | Nape | Android 4.0
Source control: VSS | Perforce
IDE's:
Eclipse | NetBeans | Flash | Flash Builder | FLEX Builder | Pixel Bender | Dreamweaver | Photoshop | Illustrator | After Effects | Premiere | Bridge | Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio Express | Microsoft SQL Server | SQL Workbench | BEA Workshop | PHPMyAdmin | MAMP | XAMPP
Other Assets:
Video editing and streaming conversion (FLV, F4V, WMV, MPG, etc.),PDF generation and interactivity using ECMAScript ,Photography, content management developement and utilization, search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, web analytics
Friends: dogs are unconditionally our friends
Christmas eve 2011
Is it Christmas yet?
This face tells it all, anticipating gifts, and the opportunity to steal something from the kitchen table. This is a pic of the brat before heading out to my parent's place for Christmas eve dinner. Seems like he was trying to give me a hint in hastening our departure.
Mischief
The name of this canine's game is *MISCHIEF* Sabicas will do everything in his power to cause and stealthily cause mischief, namely, theft.
Sabicas is the greatest "dog-burglar" that ever lived, you only need to lose attention of him for several seconds before he catches wind to your misperceptions and by then, he would already stolen something, namely food.
He will do everything in his power to steal food, even if it is at the cost of severe punishment. The reward of stealing to him outweighs any punishment, as he has done this countless times with no sign of letting up.
Synopsis
My dog's name is Sabicas (Sah-bee-chas). He is named after one of my most favourite flamenco guitarists, Augustin Castellon Campos, whose stage name was "Sabicas".
I got him from a farm in a rural part of Ontario from an ad in the newspaper. He was advertised among his perhaps 8 or 10 siblings as a Labrador Retriever. When I go to their home, all of them were running about scurrying as the breeder showed me them. To their surprise, they all were startled and scurried back to their mother in a nearby corner.
As they all scurried, all but one which seemed to sneakily try to avoid detection by crawling between my legs. I looked down and saw this black, tiny, floppy-eared little imp cute as ever, trying to go back his mother. I reached down and picked him up, raised him up above me to get a good look and just melted at the innocent looking face of this floppy-eared creature.
As he was being prepared, I stood outside beside his mother, a Golden Retriever. Her demeanor seemed very placid, and she seemingly smiled as I petted her. As I was driving off, all I could see was the entire pack running after my car, as if bidding a final farewell to their brother, and a mother seeing one of their children off.
As he grew, Sabicas exemplified traits that would earn specific nicknames, such as spoiled brat and sneaky thief. Regardless, he is the most loving, caring and intelligent dog I have ever known or owned. He has kept me company through the hardest points in my life thus far, unconditionally.
Sabicas will be 10 years old this December 2011. Regardless of his age, he is and will always be a puppy to me. No amount of greying whiskers or eyebrows can separate that perception to me.
Christmas eve 2011
Is it Christmas yet?
This face tells it all, anticipating gifts, and the opportunity to steal something from the kitchen table. This is a pic of the brat before heading out to my parent's place for Christmas eve dinner. Seems like he was trying to give me a hint in hastening our departure.
Mischief
The name of this canine's game is *MISCHIEF* Sabicas will do everything in his power to cause and stealthily cause mischief, namely, theft.Sabicas is the greatest "dog-burglar" that ever lived, you only need to lose attention of him for several seconds before he catches wind to your misperceptions and by then, he would already stolen something, namely food.
He will do everything in his power to steal food, even if it is at the cost of severe punishment. The reward of stealing to him outweighs any punishment, as he has done this countless times with no sign of letting up.
Synopsis
My dog's name is Sabicas (Sah-bee-chas). He is named after one of my most favourite flamenco guitarists, Augustin Castellon Campos, whose stage name was "Sabicas". I got him from a farm in a rural part of Ontario from an ad in the newspaper. He was advertised among his perhaps 8 or 10 siblings as a Labrador Retriever. When I go to their home, all of them were running about scurrying as the breeder showed me them. To their surprise, they all were startled and scurried back to their mother in a nearby corner.
As they all scurried, all but one which seemed to sneakily try to avoid detection by crawling between my legs. I looked down and saw this black, tiny, floppy-eared little imp cute as ever, trying to go back his mother. I reached down and picked him up, raised him up above me to get a good look and just melted at the innocent looking face of this floppy-eared creature.
As he was being prepared, I stood outside beside his mother, a Golden Retriever. Her demeanor seemed very placid, and she seemingly smiled as I petted her. As I was driving off, all I could see was the entire pack running after my car, as if bidding a final farewell to their brother, and a mother seeing one of their children off.
As he grew, Sabicas exemplified traits that would earn specific nicknames, such as spoiled brat and sneaky thief. Regardless, he is the most loving, caring and intelligent dog I have ever known or owned. He has kept me company through the hardest points in my life thus far, unconditionally.
Sabicas will be 10 years old this December 2011. Regardless of his age, he is and will always be a puppy to me. No amount of greying whiskers or eyebrows can separate that perception to me. Music: What is this thing called Flamenco?
"Flama" in Spanish means flame or fire, and "enco" or "endo", is a suffix which means a quality-of, or having a-similarity-to, or pertaining-to. So, it is suggested the word originated from flame and fire in order to convey the deep, flaming, passion expressed in Flamenco music, song and dance.
From its roots in eighteenth century popular theatre, most flamenco performers were professionals. Originally they learned from other performers much in the manner of an apprenticeship. Some artists were and are still self-taught but it was then, as now, more usual for dancers and guitarists and singers to be trained. Today, most guitarists undergo rigorous professional training and often can read and play music in other styles like classical guitar or jazz and many dancers take courses in ballet and contemporary dance as well as flamenco.
Flamenco occurs in four settings - the juerga, in small-scale cabaret, concert venues and in the theatre.
The juerga is an informal, spontaneous gitano gathering (rather like a jazz "jam session"). This can include dancing, singing, palmas (hand clapping), or simply pounding in rhythm on an old orange crate or a table. Flamenco, in this context, is organic and dynamic: it adapts to the local talent, instrumentation, and mood of the audience. This context invites comparison with that other creation of a dispossessed class, the blues. The Gypsy Blues, or even the European Blues as a means of providing a frame of reference to those new to the genre.
One tradition remains firmly in place: the cantaores (singers) are the heart and soul of the performance. A Peña Flamenca is a meeting place or grouping of Flamenco musicians or artists. There are also "tablaos", establishments that developed during the 1960s throughout Spain replacing the "café cantante". The tablaos may have their own company of performers for each show. Many internationally renowned artists have started their careers in "tablaos flamencos", like the famous singer Miguel Poveda who began in El Cordobés, Barcelona.
The professional concert is more formal. A traditional singing performance has only a singer and one guitar, while a dance concert usually includes two or three guitars, one or more singers (singing in turns, as flamenco cantaors sing solo), and one or more dancers. One of the singers may play the cajon if there is no dedicated cajon player, and all performers will play palmas even if there are dedicated palmeros. The so-called Nuevo Flamenco New flamenco may include flutes or saxophones, piano or other keyboards, or even the bass guitar and the electric guitar. Camarón de la Isla was one artist who popularized this style.
Finally, just as with its precursors, there is the theatrical presentation of flamenco. However, it is now an extended and sophisticated performance in its own right, comparable to a performance of ballet
Palos
Flamenco music styles are called palos. Songs are classified into palos based on criteria such as basic rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, form of the stanza, and geographic origin. There are over 50 different palos flamenco, although some are rarely performed. For a complete explanation, see the main Wikipedia entry on Palo (flamenco).
There are traditions associated with each palo. Some of the forms are sung unaccompanied, while others usually have guitar or other accompaniment. Some forms are danced while others are not. Some are the reserve of men and others of women, while some may be performed by either. Many of these traditional distinctions are breaking down; for example, the Farruca is now commonly performed by women too.
Palos are traditionally classified into three groups. The most serious forms are known as cante jondo (or cante grande), while lighter, frivolous forms are called cante chico. Other considerations factor into classification, such as whether the palo is considered to be of gypsy origin or not. Forms which do not fit either category are classified as cante intermedio.
Compás
Compás is the Spanish word for metre and time signature in classical music theory. It also refers to the rhythmic cycle, or layout, of a palo.
The compás is fundamental to flamenco. Without it, there is no flamenco. Compás is most often translated as rhythm but it demands far more precise interpretation than other Western styles of music. If there is no guitarist available, the compás is rendered through hand clapping (palmas) or by hitting a table with the knuckles. The guitarist uses techniques like strumming (rasgueado) or tapping the soundboard. Changes of chords emphasize the most important downbeats.
Flamenco uses three basic counts or measures: Binary, Ternary and the (unique to flamenco) twelve-beat cycle. There are also free-form styles including, among others, the tonás, saetas, malagueñas, tarantos, and some types of fandangos.
Rhythms in 2/4 or 4/4. These metres are used in forms like tangos, tientos, gypsy rumba, zambra and tanguillos
Rhythms in 3/4. These are typical of fandangos and sevillanas, suggesting their origin as non-Gypsy styles, since the 3/4 and 4/4 measures are not common in ethnic Gypsy or Hindi music.
12-beat rhythms usually rendered in amalgams of 6/8 + 3/4 and sometimes 12/8. The 12 beat cycle is the most common in flamenco, differentiated by the accentuation of the beats in different palos. The accents do not correspond to the classic concept of the downbeat. The alternating of groups of 2 and 3 beats is also common in Spanish folk dances of the 16th Century such as the zarabanda, jácara and canarios.
There are three types of 12-beat rhythms, which vary in their layouts, or use of accentuations: soleá, seguiriya and bulería.
peteneras and guajiras: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Both palos start with the strong accent on 12. Hence the meter is 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11...
The seguiriya, liviana, serrana[disambiguation needed ], toná liviana, cabales: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The seguiriya is the same as the soleá but starting on the 8th beat
soleá, within the cantiñas group of palos which includes the alegrías, cantiñas, mirabras, romera, caracoles and soleá por bulería (also “ bulería por soleá”): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. For practical reasons, when transferring flamenco guitar music to sheet music, this rhythm is written as a regular 3/4.
The Bulerías is the emblematic palo of flamenco: today its 12 beat cycle is most often played with accents on the 3, 7, 8, 10 and 12th beats. The accompanying palmas are played in groups of 6 beats, giving rise to a multitude of counter rhythms and percussive voices within the 12 beat compás.
"Flama" in Spanish means flame or fire, and "enco" or "endo", is a suffix which means a quality-of, or having a-similarity-to, or pertaining-to. So, it is suggested the word originated from flame and fire in order to convey the deep, flaming, passion expressed in Flamenco music, song and dance.From its roots in eighteenth century popular theatre, most flamenco performers were professionals. Originally they learned from other performers much in the manner of an apprenticeship. Some artists were and are still self-taught but it was then, as now, more usual for dancers and guitarists and singers to be trained. Today, most guitarists undergo rigorous professional training and often can read and play music in other styles like classical guitar or jazz and many dancers take courses in ballet and contemporary dance as well as flamenco.
Flamenco occurs in four settings - the juerga, in small-scale cabaret, concert venues and in the theatre.
The juerga is an informal, spontaneous gitano gathering (rather like a jazz "jam session"). This can include dancing, singing, palmas (hand clapping), or simply pounding in rhythm on an old orange crate or a table. Flamenco, in this context, is organic and dynamic: it adapts to the local talent, instrumentation, and mood of the audience. This context invites comparison with that other creation of a dispossessed class, the blues. The Gypsy Blues, or even the European Blues as a means of providing a frame of reference to those new to the genre.
One tradition remains firmly in place: the cantaores (singers) are the heart and soul of the performance. A Peña Flamenca is a meeting place or grouping of Flamenco musicians or artists. There are also "tablaos", establishments that developed during the 1960s throughout Spain replacing the "café cantante". The tablaos may have their own company of performers for each show. Many internationally renowned artists have started their careers in "tablaos flamencos", like the famous singer Miguel Poveda who began in El Cordobés, Barcelona.
The professional concert is more formal. A traditional singing performance has only a singer and one guitar, while a dance concert usually includes two or three guitars, one or more singers (singing in turns, as flamenco cantaors sing solo), and one or more dancers. One of the singers may play the cajon if there is no dedicated cajon player, and all performers will play palmas even if there are dedicated palmeros. The so-called Nuevo Flamenco New flamenco may include flutes or saxophones, piano or other keyboards, or even the bass guitar and the electric guitar. Camarón de la Isla was one artist who popularized this style.
Finally, just as with its precursors, there is the theatrical presentation of flamenco. However, it is now an extended and sophisticated performance in its own right, comparable to a performance of ballet
Palos
Flamenco music styles are called palos. Songs are classified into palos based on criteria such as basic rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, form of the stanza, and geographic origin. There are over 50 different palos flamenco, although some are rarely performed. For a complete explanation, see the main Wikipedia entry on Palo (flamenco).
There are traditions associated with each palo. Some of the forms are sung unaccompanied, while others usually have guitar or other accompaniment. Some forms are danced while others are not. Some are the reserve of men and others of women, while some may be performed by either. Many of these traditional distinctions are breaking down; for example, the Farruca is now commonly performed by women too.
Palos are traditionally classified into three groups. The most serious forms are known as cante jondo (or cante grande), while lighter, frivolous forms are called cante chico. Other considerations factor into classification, such as whether the palo is considered to be of gypsy origin or not. Forms which do not fit either category are classified as cante intermedio.
Compás
Compás is the Spanish word for metre and time signature in classical music theory. It also refers to the rhythmic cycle, or layout, of a palo.
The compás is fundamental to flamenco. Without it, there is no flamenco. Compás is most often translated as rhythm but it demands far more precise interpretation than other Western styles of music. If there is no guitarist available, the compás is rendered through hand clapping (palmas) or by hitting a table with the knuckles. The guitarist uses techniques like strumming (rasgueado) or tapping the soundboard. Changes of chords emphasize the most important downbeats.
Flamenco uses three basic counts or measures: Binary, Ternary and the (unique to flamenco) twelve-beat cycle. There are also free-form styles including, among others, the tonás, saetas, malagueñas, tarantos, and some types of fandangos.
Rhythms in 2/4 or 4/4. These metres are used in forms like tangos, tientos, gypsy rumba, zambra and tanguillos
Rhythms in 3/4. These are typical of fandangos and sevillanas, suggesting their origin as non-Gypsy styles, since the 3/4 and 4/4 measures are not common in ethnic Gypsy or Hindi music.
12-beat rhythms usually rendered in amalgams of 6/8 + 3/4 and sometimes 12/8. The 12 beat cycle is the most common in flamenco, differentiated by the accentuation of the beats in different palos. The accents do not correspond to the classic concept of the downbeat. The alternating of groups of 2 and 3 beats is also common in Spanish folk dances of the 16th Century such as the zarabanda, jácara and canarios.
There are three types of 12-beat rhythms, which vary in their layouts, or use of accentuations: soleá, seguiriya and bulería.
peteneras and guajiras: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Both palos start with the strong accent on 12. Hence the meter is 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11...
The seguiriya, liviana, serrana[disambiguation needed ], toná liviana, cabales: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The seguiriya is the same as the soleá but starting on the 8th beat
soleá, within the cantiñas group of palos which includes the alegrías, cantiñas, mirabras, romera, caracoles and soleá por bulería (also “ bulería por soleá”): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. For practical reasons, when transferring flamenco guitar music to sheet music, this rhythm is written as a regular 3/4.
The Bulerías is the emblematic palo of flamenco: today its 12 beat cycle is most often played with accents on the 3, 7, 8, 10 and 12th beats. The accompanying palmas are played in groups of 6 beats, giving rise to a multitude of counter rhythms and percussive voices within the 12 beat compás.
Yoga: Ashtanga yoga is my anti-religion
Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript "said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy" (Jois 2002 xv). The text of the Yoga Korunta "was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Since 1948, Pattabhi Jois has been teaching Ashtanga yoga from his yoga shala, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Jois 2002 xvi), according to the sacred tradition of Guru Parampara [disciplic succession] (Jois 2003 12).
Ashtanga yoga literally means "eight-limbed yoga," as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:
Yama [moral codes]
Niyama [self-purification and study]
Asana [posture]
Pranayama [breath control]
Pratyahara [sense control]
Dharana [concentration]
Dhyana [meditation]
Samadhi [contemplation] (Scott 14-17)
The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are considered external cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, defects in the external practices are correctable. However, defects in the internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana—are not correctable and can be dangerous to the mind unless the correct Ashtanga yoga method is followed (Stern and Summerbell 35). For this reason, Pattabhi Jois emphasizes that the "Ashtanga Yoga method is Patanjali Yoga" (Flynn).
The definition of yoga is "the controlling of the mind" [citta vrtti nirodhah] (Jois 2003 10). The first two steps toward controlling the mind are the perfection of yama and niyama (Jois 2003 10). However, it is "not possible to practice the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama when the body and sense organs are weak and haunted by obstacles" (Jois 2002 17). A person must first take up daily asana practice to make the body strong and healthy (Jois 2003 10). With the body and sense organs thus stabilized, the mind can be steady and controlled (Jois 2002 16). With mind control, one is able to pursue and grasp these first two limbs (Flynn).
To perform asana correctly in Ashtanga yoga, one must incorporate the use of vinyasa and tristhana. "Vinyasa means breathing and movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namskar there are nine vinyasas. The first vinyasa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyasas" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
"The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Synchronizing breathing and movement in the asanas heats the blood, cleaning and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and disease from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat of vinyasa then carries the impurities out of the body. Through the use of vinyasa, the body becomes healthy, light and strong ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Tristhana refers to the union of "three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Posture: "The method for purifying and strengthening the body is called asana" (Jois 2002 22). In Ashtanga yoga, asana is grouped into six series. "The Primary Series [Yoga Chikitsa] detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series [Nadi Shodhana] purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D [Sthira Bhaga] integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility and humility. Each level is to be fully developed before proceeding to the next, and the sequential order of asanas is to be meticulously followed. Each posture is a preparation for the next, developing the strength and balance required to move further" (Pace). Without an earnest effort and reverence towards the practice of yama and niyama, however, the practice of asana is of little benefit (Flynn).
Breathing: The breathing technique performed with vinyasa is called ujjayi [victorious breath] (Scott 20), which consists of puraka [inhalation] and rechaka [exhalation] ("Ashtanga Yoga"). "Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Over time, the length and intensity of the inhalation and exhalation should increase, such that the increased stretching of the breath initiates the increased stretching of the body (Scott 21). Long, even breathing also increases the internal fire and strengthens and purifies the nervous system ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Bandhas are essential components of the ujjayi breathing technique. Bandha means "lock" or "seal" (Scott 21). The purpose of bandha is to unlock pranic energy and direct it into the 72,000 nadi [energy channels] of the subtle body (Scott 21). Mula bandha is the anal lock, and uddiyana bandha is the lower abdominal lock ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Both bandhas "seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Mula bandha operates at the root of the body to seal in prana internally for uddiyana bandha to direct the prana upwards through the nadis (Scott 21). Jalandhara bandha is the "throat lock" (Jois 2002 23, n.27), which "occurs spontaneously in a subtle form in many asanas due to the dristi ("gaze point"), or head position" (Scott 23). "This lock prevents pranic energy [from] escaping and stops any build-up of pressure in the head when holding the breath" (Scott 23). Without bandha control, "breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Looking Place: Dristhi is the gazing point on which one focuses while performing the asana ("Ashtanga Yoga"). "There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). In the practice of asana, when the mind focuses purely on inhalation, exhalation, and the drishti, the resulting deep state of concentration paves the way for the practices of dharana and dhyana, the six and seventh limbs of Ashtanga yoga (Scott 23).
Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript "said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy" (Jois 2002 xv). The text of the Yoga Korunta "was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Since 1948, Pattabhi Jois has been teaching Ashtanga yoga from his yoga shala, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Jois 2002 xvi), according to the sacred tradition of Guru Parampara [disciplic succession] (Jois 2003 12).
Ashtanga yoga literally means "eight-limbed yoga," as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:
Yama [moral codes]
Niyama [self-purification and study]
Asana [posture]
Pranayama [breath control]
Pratyahara [sense control]
Dharana [concentration]
Dhyana [meditation]
Samadhi [contemplation] (Scott 14-17)
The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are considered external cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, defects in the external practices are correctable. However, defects in the internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana—are not correctable and can be dangerous to the mind unless the correct Ashtanga yoga method is followed (Stern and Summerbell 35). For this reason, Pattabhi Jois emphasizes that the "Ashtanga Yoga method is Patanjali Yoga" (Flynn).
The definition of yoga is "the controlling of the mind" [citta vrtti nirodhah] (Jois 2003 10). The first two steps toward controlling the mind are the perfection of yama and niyama (Jois 2003 10). However, it is "not possible to practice the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama when the body and sense organs are weak and haunted by obstacles" (Jois 2002 17). A person must first take up daily asana practice to make the body strong and healthy (Jois 2003 10). With the body and sense organs thus stabilized, the mind can be steady and controlled (Jois 2002 16). With mind control, one is able to pursue and grasp these first two limbs (Flynn).
To perform asana correctly in Ashtanga yoga, one must incorporate the use of vinyasa and tristhana. "Vinyasa means breathing and movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namskar there are nine vinyasas. The first vinyasa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyasas" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
"The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Synchronizing breathing and movement in the asanas heats the blood, cleaning and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and disease from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat of vinyasa then carries the impurities out of the body. Through the use of vinyasa, the body becomes healthy, light and strong ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Tristhana refers to the union of "three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Posture: "The method for purifying and strengthening the body is called asana" (Jois 2002 22). In Ashtanga yoga, asana is grouped into six series. "The Primary Series [Yoga Chikitsa] detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series [Nadi Shodhana] purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D [Sthira Bhaga] integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility and humility. Each level is to be fully developed before proceeding to the next, and the sequential order of asanas is to be meticulously followed. Each posture is a preparation for the next, developing the strength and balance required to move further" (Pace). Without an earnest effort and reverence towards the practice of yama and niyama, however, the practice of asana is of little benefit (Flynn).
Breathing: The breathing technique performed with vinyasa is called ujjayi [victorious breath] (Scott 20), which consists of puraka [inhalation] and rechaka [exhalation] ("Ashtanga Yoga"). "Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Over time, the length and intensity of the inhalation and exhalation should increase, such that the increased stretching of the breath initiates the increased stretching of the body (Scott 21). Long, even breathing also increases the internal fire and strengthens and purifies the nervous system ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Bandhas are essential components of the ujjayi breathing technique. Bandha means "lock" or "seal" (Scott 21). The purpose of bandha is to unlock pranic energy and direct it into the 72,000 nadi [energy channels] of the subtle body (Scott 21). Mula bandha is the anal lock, and uddiyana bandha is the lower abdominal lock ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Both bandhas "seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Mula bandha operates at the root of the body to seal in prana internally for uddiyana bandha to direct the prana upwards through the nadis (Scott 21). Jalandhara bandha is the "throat lock" (Jois 2002 23, n.27), which "occurs spontaneously in a subtle form in many asanas due to the dristi ("gaze point"), or head position" (Scott 23). "This lock prevents pranic energy [from] escaping and stops any build-up of pressure in the head when holding the breath" (Scott 23). Without bandha control, "breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Looking Place: Dristhi is the gazing point on which one focuses while performing the asana ("Ashtanga Yoga"). "There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). In the practice of asana, when the mind focuses purely on inhalation, exhalation, and the drishti, the resulting deep state of concentration paves the way for the practices of dharana and dhyana, the six and seventh limbs of Ashtanga yoga (Scott 23).
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Got questions? Drop me a line, I'd be happy to hear from you.
Please note that I am currently in a full-time capacity, so any contract opportunities will be evaluated based on the project.
So let me know what you want to achieve and let's go from there! Hope to hear from you soon.
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