I'm Home

"It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the ores forever..."

Happiness is coming home after the long travel.

True Colors

Imagine yourself dropped in a neon world.



You look to your right and you see a different psychedelism. (If there's such a word.)



You think it's now normal that you see all in one color.



But then it starts to shift again when you turn around once more.



When all the while, this is the reality.

Azul

Neri's entry for this week's LP theme: Asul (Blue)

Asul ang kulay ng buhay. Sa kahit na anong unos na dumating, babalik ang bughaw na langit - mapayapa at puno ng lalim.

***

Blue is the color of life. After every storm that comes our way, the blue sky will always return - peaceful and full of depth.

Simulang Muli - Start Anew

From City of Friendship

Mabuhay at manigong bagong taon, mga kaibigan! Dahil freestyle ang tema ngayon, eto po ang punong wala masyadong dahon. Kung iisipin napakalungkot naman nito para umpisahan ang bagong taon pero ating tignan ang positibong aral nito - ang pagsisimulang muli ng pagtubo ng mga bagong dahon. Maligayang LP! :)

***

Happy New Year, everyone! Because LP's theme today is freestyle, here's a tree with a few leaves. It looks quite sad to start the new year this way but if we see this in a positive light, it's a lesson of starting anew in growing new leaves. Happy LP! :)

Share the Holidays

Domo shares his peppermint choc brownie to you. Hope you share your holidays to others as well, especially your loved ones. The season of giving is not just for presents wrapped in ribbons and glossy paper. Give your time. Share your love.

Happy holidays! :)

What the World Needs Now

Sing with me now:
What the world needs now is love sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of.

Sigh. That Carpenters song is so true. That's my sister's back btw. Hehe. She posed for me because she's proud of their school shirt.

A Play on Innocence

ito ang bagong panganak na sanggol na walang kamalay-malay sa mundong ginagalawan,
walang kamuwang-muwang sa laban ng mga puti at itim na puwersang
patuloy ang digmaan hanggang siya'y lumaki at magkaisip.

Ito ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito sa Litratong Pinoy. Andito pa ang ibang mga lahok para sa temang 'Itim at Puti.'

***

a newborn baby unaware of the world he's in,
innocent from a war of white and black,
continuously fighting till he grows into being.

This is my entry for Litratong Pinoy this week. Here's more from the theme 'Black and White.'

Tech Tags: digital photography, newborn, baby

Put Your Head on My Shoulder

I love hankies. They're a comfort to my empty hand.

However there's a superstition or a belief (I don't know where it came from actually) that you shouldn't give a hankie as a gift because it symbolizes tears therefore the recipient would have more time to cry, more time to grieve on sad stuff.

But we can altercate that by saying, we're giving a hankie so she (girls are more prominent weepers) can wipe away her tears. We're lending a friendly gesture, a shoulder to cry on. I think it's very sweet whenever I see someone cry and a friend offers his/her own hankie. That's a very personal moment indeed. (Except when the hankie looks overused and you-know-what. Hahaha.)

Good evening! Wipe away those tears and smile. :)

The Bag, The Watch and The Foot

The title explains itself. Hahaha. XD

This is the result of plunging yourself into a throng of people then thinking that it's not worth it. ^^

The World is Not Large Enough

The world is not large enough to contain our ideas, our ideals, our dreams. Dream big, as what David Cook sang. Conquer the world.

Tech Tags: digital photography, Mall of Asia (MOA), Manila, globe

China?

Looks like china but is it? Click image for its true color. ;)

This is an example of the adage: Don't judge a book by its cover.

We can apply two different analogies with this...

One, not all that glitters is gold. (Which is actually another adage. Hehe.)

Two, for something to be special, you have to believe that it's special. (From Kung Fu Panda! Just to connect my fave line. XD)

Tech Tags: digital photography, accessories, headband,bangles, quotations, Kung Fu Panda

You Drive

I think I'm getting into the habit of shooting pictures while riding the tricycle. This is the second time I've done this "in-transit shooting" and I really enjoy it. (Though most of the time I only get glimpses of jeeps and walls because, of course, we're moving. Hehe.)

Among all my trike-driver-hand shots, I picked this one because we're head on with another tricycle on the left. See? Trike on trike. :D

So what analogy can we conjure up this time? Hmm...

This brings into mind the notion that we are the drivers of our lives. There's always a map but it's our decision if we consult it or not. There are different highways and alleys we can enter and exit. But the essence of our ride is the destination. Are you on the right track, my friend? ;)

With that, have a wonderful evening and do sleep peacefully. ^^

Tech Tags: digital photography, tricycle, road, driving

Untouched

This will surely be one of my personal favorites.

As the title implies, this image hasn't been touched or edited by any application. (But then, I can only count the edited images in this blog on my left hand.) But what makes it stand out among my untouched images is that I haven't even used any custom settings in my camera to get this green and gray shot.

That's what I also like with a few people --- untouched. Pure hearts, sincere souls. So rare can you find such individuals; that it's a treasure to have such friends.

I'm blessed to find some untouched gems on my way. Have you found yours?

Tech Tags: digital photography, pebbles, leaf

If It Fits

I'm a sandals fan. I go for comfort.

I remember the movie "Hanggang Ngayon" starring Regine Velasquez and Richard Gomez. Richard's father told him there that the right partner is like a pair of tsinelas (sandals). Even if you wear shoes at work or at play, you'd still want to wear those comfy tsinelas. You'd always yearn for your tsinelas.

Another foot-relationship analogy comes from my ex-boss. He said that marriage is like shopping for footwear. Dating and pre-marital relationships are like trying out the shoes (or sandals, what-have-you's). Marriage is the actual buying. No return, no exchange.

Tech Tags: digital photography, marriage, relationship, sandals, footwear

I Missed Church

Click here to view inside this church.

I wasn't able to go out today because of the storm. Well, I can go out but I don't want to be drenched. Thus I missed Sunday mass as well.

It's not that I'm a devout Catholic. (Sorry, but I'm not. Really.) I'd rather think of myself as a spiritual person than religious.

But there's that gnawing mindset that you've grown up into, which in turn molded part of your conscience. So I've grown up reminding myself to attend mass every Sunday and feeling empty when I don't.

Why not Monday?

Children's Joy

This is a rough shot from my Nokia phone. I beheaded Jollibee! Waaah! Sorry, Jollibee. :(

I took this photo just this evening after watching a movie (by myself). I was on my way to the mall's exit when I passed by these children playing musical instruments at the Jollibee fast-food chain. What really dragged my feet towards them was the violin. I've always admired violinists because it was my childhood dream to play the violin. (But then I have a lot of childhood dreams. Hindi naman masamang mangarap nang marami, di ba? Hehe.)

I've never approached strangers so I can take their pictures. (I just take shots without them knowing. Har har har.) But because I didn't have the power of zoom in my hands, I asked them if I could take their picture after donating in their box named Children's Joy Foundation. (I'm convincing my conscience that I did not pay them for the picture.)

I was too shy to ask for their names; what I only knew was they came from San Fernando, Pampanga. Perhaps one day I can visit them... if I find them.

***

I have a soft spot for orphans.

That was since I visited a local orphanage back in high school because of an outreach program. We were told to bring toys for the kids and play with them. I picked a frail little boy of five in a sando shirt. I can't recall now if his name is Paul. At first, we were both shy and didn't know what to talk about. Until I played swing with him and that made him smile. I held his hand while we walked around the vicinity and got food and drinks. He sat on my lap while we watched the programme my classmates prepared for them. We were silent most of the time but I felt we both enjoyed each other's company.

The visit lasted for about four to five hours. The time came for us to go. My classmates and I said our goodbyes to our "children". Most of the kids didn't want us to leave. Tears welled up on Paul's eyes and he held my arm firmly. I hugged him and promised I'd be back.

Our class went back to the bus so we could go home. The kids waved us goodbye. When I got seated, I saw Paul waving his arms to me as well. I waved back to him despite the clutching sadness in my heart. I wanted to cry. I knew I would be breaking my promise.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

So after our visit in Bayanihan Park, let's head back home. :D

This picture is one of my early takes in shooting... at anything. Hehe.

Yup that's our "trap" door, er, gate. XD
I was shooting at anything and everything in our small frontyard and I came upon our rusty gate. Our beloved rusty gate. I showed this image to my parents and they were repulsed. I loved it. (Not their disgusted reactions, but the shot.) ^_^

Funny how we see the same thing but have different perceptions, ei?

Have a happy Wednesday, everyone. May we see beauty despite the ugliness that surrounds us. Ciao! :)

P.S. Don't worry, we're painting the gate since yesterday. Details on that tomorrow. ;)

[Update 19 June 2008]

Details on the Project Paint Gate (PG). Sorry to redirect you to my personal blog because it's a mighty paint story, which cannot fit here in my photoblog. Hehe. Hope you can hop there for a while. Good day! :)

Tech Tags: digital photography, gate, rust

Darts

This dart board can symbolize a lot of things.

But for this post, the board can be likened to a heart. Pierced by every individual that comes by. Yet the game goes on. And at the end of each game, the darts come off the board. Ready to take their place again in another match.

Tech Tags: photography, darts, board game