Nap Time Rocks!

momarazzi

n. pl. mom-a-raz-zi – A mom who doggedly pursues her children to take photos

Much like the paparazzi who have become notorious in Hollywood for stalking celebrities and making their lives miserable, I must confess that I belong to the growing community of parents who pursue, nay, stalk their children day in, day out, to take photographs. The thought of a single day, field trip or activity going undocumented simply does not bode well for me.

Photos of children are so vastly different from other types of photography.
Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/8-tips-for-mom-a-raz-zo-photographers#ixzz0PaQckRJF

i love this article perfect for the stage mom in me! haha.

the August that was, konti nalang

just as i start to ask, “can someone please explain wild August to me!?” (barring any more mishaps during the weekend), He sends me this answer:

August 28, 2009

VERSE:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
– Romans 8:28
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+8:28

THOUGHT:
Bad stuff happens in life. Satan has a part to play in the bad
stuff. Our own sins and their consequences also play a part. The
rebellion against God and the spiritual weakness in those we love
bring hurtful things into our life. Sometimes, God even disciplines
us to awaken us out of lethargy or to correct some sinful problem
in our lives. Yet in all these things, we have an incredible
promise: If we love God and are seeking to honor his call in our
lives, our Father in heaven will work out all of the things going
on in our life for our good.

PRAYER:
Father, I appreciate your promise to work out all things in my
life, both good and bad, for my good. I ask, dear Father, for faith
to believe this promise is true during painful and difficult times.
I ask for patience, O God, to hang on to my convictions when trying
times persist. I believe your promise, dear LORD, and look forward
to what you will eventually make of me when you are finished with
your work. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20090828

those who had the unfortunate chance to talk to me lately this month (or those i actually spend most of my working days with) would know what kind of misfortunes i’ve been surrounded with this whole month.

it’s been unreal. first my mom’s operation, and then the work-related theft. not that it matters to me personally, but tita cory started it off on Aug 1. stress, stress, stress.

then again, like His promise, all things will work out for the good.

Lord, it just gets tiring, you know?

Note to self: about my ‘therapist’…

“We make the fatal assumption that we are ok in what we are doing and in our priorities. all we lack is adequate resources… the place of solitude not a private therapeutic place. It is the place of conversion.” – Dare to Journey, Henri Nouwen

i used to think God was my personal therapist and prayer time is an unbilled session with Him. until i came across the Henri Nouwen devotional. so often have we tried to fit God into a box so He can just be an instant solution to everything. sort of like a genie that didn’t live in a bottle.

but i’ve discovered He cannot be and will never be a convenient crutch to me. He has an agenda much bigger than what i can imagine.

“[God] is seldom impressed with our definitions of what is important.” -Henri Nouwen

and my heart broke again

reposting a call for help, from a friend, Shiela Catilo’s site, Moms For Moms:

—

shot April 2, 2009
photos by Jorem and Sheila Catilo

I’ve always loved photographing children. It’s such a joy to be able to capture them whether they’re in their most innocent or most mischievous moments. But this experience was different, and definitely one I would never forget.

Last Tuesday, Jorem and I went to the Dr. Jose Fabella Hospital with Rea Gomez-Harrow to shoot some pictures to post on the Moms for Moms site. It was probably the hardest shoot I’ve ever been through in all my years of being a photographer.

“Are you ready?” She asked, as we walked across the entrance of the ER right after a woman was brought out of the ambulance in a stretcher, her legs stained with blood, ready to give birth. There were pregnant women everywhere – in the hallways, sitting on the steps, walking around just waiting for their turn. I knew I had to brace myself for this.

The scent was familiar. It’s only been 6 months since I got out of the hospital after giving birth to our first baby. Had I been there a couple of years ago, it would have been different. But as we walk into what was 4 rooms full of maybe a hundred of bassinets or more, I felt my knees weaken and my heart crumble. I look through the viewfinder and get ready to shoot, but all I see is a blur as tears start to well up. My heart was pounding to the rhythm of infants crying in chorus. I turn my head, three babies are sharing one bassinet while the other had two. One baby’s face is already pushed against the other’s knee. Can he still breathe? I look the other way and one baby’s arm is as thin as my finger. There are tubes and needles, bottles of fluids running through their tiny bodies. Due to the lack of linens, three newly delivered babies share what looked like an old hand towel to keep them warm. Each was labeled with a medicine box cutout attached to their wrists with a string like a piece of evidence. It was hard to believe all of it was real. I knew there were going to be a lot of babies, but not like this. It was beyond what I expected. To say it was heartbreaking would be an understatement.

I’ve never seen so many babies all in one place at the same time, and seeing them in this condition just didn’t feel right. But this is how it’s always been in Fabella. Everyday, mothers flock to this place to give birth because it’s the only place they can go to. Due to the sheer volume of women giving birth each day, some have to go home a few hours after delivery while others who can’t share a tandem bed with 2-3 others to be able to rest. According to a social worker we talked to, some of them don’t even want to leave. To them, it’s a roof over their heads, a soft bed and regular meals. For their children, it’s a far better environment to survive in for their first few days of life.

It’s a sad reality to face, but it’s real nonetheless. So if these images move you to help, please do with what you can, in any way you can. Feel free to repost, link or contact us about it.

Help us help Fabella.

- Sheila Juan-Catilo

Ikea heaven in QC, almost

it’s no Ikea, but it’ll do

Dexterton Corporation (for such a cool portfolio they could’ve thought of a more apt name), the Philippine version of Ikea i think. there’s one in Greenbelt and one in QC.

nevertheless, any store with interesting stuff in it is still worth loving (and checking out).

Palawan, part 2

i’m all the more convinced how blessed the our country is with natural wonders. if what i saw in puerto princessa are some of nature’s 7 wonders, then the world hasn’t really seen much of what we have.

grabe, sa busuanga lang, the islands there are.. hmm. i don’t even have words for it! that’s in busuanga (at Club Paradise in march). walang sinabi ang Hunda Bay. no,  didn’t misspell that. basta, Unda ang root word niya pala. well, at least that’s what it says on the tourist board at the port.

Brgy. Sabang beach front, lunch stop over

like i always say, nothing beats traveling with good company. my trip to palawan wasn’t exactly all r&r. but one thing i like about this group is we all have the same philosophy: all work and no play makes a dull employee! hehe.

ang buko, bow. lunch at Brgy. Sabang stop over

if i gained another pound, blame it on the seafoods. hay, i love the food there. fresh, big servings, and mura! we had beach front buffet lunch on the way, and that was such a good way to start the week.

a natural rock outcropping found on the way to the underground river cove

i promised myself that i will take pictures of the scenery in palawan, even if cliche or how many times it’s been photographed by a million other people. i still had to have them too.

i won’t post much of what i saw inside the caves of the subterranean river; i’ll save that for later.  it’s enough to say that it deserves to be on the 7 wonders list.

the mouth of the underground river caves

the ‘cathedral’ formations inside will actually have full impact when, you’re standing at the wharf (before boarding the boat going to the underground river), you see 2 lumps of mountain looming starboard of the wharf. it’s almost impossible to believe that they’re almost completely hollow inside. our guide said that of all 8.2km of the river, there’s a dome area as big as Makati City. sort of like the grand finale of the river tour. unfortunately though, only 4.2km is navigable for tourists so we only got to see 2 of the highest peaks of the caves. even then, it’s such an overwhelming experience.

an authentic Vietnamese meal, w/ homemade rice noodles and the best garlic toasted bread

tired and appetites worked up, never mind the stench of the river all thanks to bat crap and urine, we stopped over at the Vietnamese Village. it used to be a settlement site for Vietnamese refugees and now there’s just 2 families living there making a living out of making rice noodles for Pho Hoa. trivia but they do have a restaurant there that make the best noodle soups.

the king crab, the biggest crab i’ve seen by far

also a must try is The Legend’s Tours package, which brings you to all of Puerto Princessa’s must see places, and a side trip of buffet lunch (food will always, always be part of our itinerary) at the Pandan Island beach front (again). fishermen there offer the fresh catch of the day like rock lobsters and king crabs.

unfortunately though, some of their catch include momma lobsters and momma crabs that still have their (millions of) eggs attached to them. the locals usually set them free.

so there you go for now. if you plan to visit puerto princessa (or busuanga, that’s why this is my Palawan, part 2), and you want to know what the best things to do there are, ask me.

our matriarch

my mom can rule a country. seriously. she’s the best dictator while micromanaging. there’s some sort of ={ and >=( there, but this week has been nothing but realizing a lot of stuff about being The Matriarch of the house.

i think almost all mothers — who were born in an era when courtship didn’t mean just sending text messages (in shrtct txt lingo), everyone knew the value of hard earned money because they actually worked for it, and Values isn’t a subject — are like that.

when my mom got confined at the hospital for dyspepsia and gastritis (because of the gall stones i think, forgive my lack of medical knowledge), i had a taste of that. it was difficult, really, to take on all the responsibilities of having to cook pinakbet only to fail miserably, do the laundry and find that the washing machine hates me, keep the house in order, and make sure mom had what she needed in the hospital.

i realized she gave so much of her time to make sure we had everything we need. and with it came so much pressure, so much stress, so much sacrifice. no wonder she gets grumpy when we forget to pick up after ourselves or during the weekend when i fail to take over the kitchen. now i know, because i was almost like that the past week.

my mom’s home now, but still confined to the bed and the couch. on another note, i thank God for family. these are the times that you’re thankful to have a big clan who’s always there to check on you and help out. i thank God for my brothers (one of which is even handier at home than i am) who willingly help out around the house.

so mom, even if you can’t read this, i still want the rest of the world know that you’re appreciated, you were missed, and that i will now try to cook during weekends even if i have much to learn.

tayo na ulit

because i’m back! bati na tayo ulit

as always, Rexi didn’t fail me though there were times i wish i had a Canon D10 or an Olympus mu, only for convenience of course.

but the photos have to be processed, archived, and uploaded first. so ito muna.

Break muna tayo

… kasi I’m going to Palawan tomorrow and be home Friday pa!

the underground river (that stinks pala, by the way) awaits me and Rexi. that’s my camera (Canon Rebel Xti kasi, ngayon lang nabinyagan for more ‘poetic’ license). hihi.

and i’m super excited to take photos.

so break muna tayo blog, ha? see you Friday.

Simple [i vs p]

i was too dazed to notice that i posted a photo for a different theme from P’s. haay.

so here it is, (sorry P!) my Simple entry.

we adults always say, ‘if only i were a kid again, life would be much simpler.’ i’m afraid i’d be guilty of saying that. it’s sad how sometimes growing up robs us of the best experiences in life. it sounds cliche but it’s true.

now that i have a kid of my own, the reality of it sort of kicks me in the butt. for a good cause, though. i wouldn’t want mia to grow up knowing how her mom is grouchy and always tired and never willing to play with her when she comes home from work.

always busy, too rattled. like this week past. when i forgot that our theme was not Ancient, but Simple. haha.

no, i wouldn’t want that.

so i’ll always try to be a kid at heart. simple, true. but most of all, fun.

Ancient [i vs p]

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No room for error

TILL YOU ARE ENTIRELY HIS

Let your endurance be a finished product, so that you
may be finished and complete, with never a defect.

James 1:4

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=jas+1:4&sr=1

Many of us are all right in the main, but there are some domains in
which we are slovenly. It is not a question of sin, but of the
remnants of the carnal life which are apt to make us slovenly.
Slovenliness is an insult to the Holy Ghost. There should be nothing
slovenly, whether it be in the way we eat and drink, or in the way we
worship God.

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the external
expression of that relationship must be right. Ultimately God will
let nothing escape, every detail is under His scrutiny. In numberless
ways God will bring us back to the same point over and over again. He
never tires of bringing us to the one point until we learn the
lesson, because He is producing the finished product. It may be a
question of impulse, and again and again, with the most persistent
patience, God has brought us back to the one particular point; or it
may be mental wool-gathering, or independent individuality. God is
trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right.

We have been having a wonderful time this Session over the revelation
of God’s Redemption, our hearts are perfect towards Him; His
wonderful work in us makes us know that in the main we are right with
Him. “Now,” says the Spirit, through St. James, “let your endurance
be a finished product.” Watch the slipshod bits – “Oh, that will have
to do for now.” Whatever it is, God will point it out with
persistence until we are entirely His.

-My Utmost For His Highest

it’s hard to follow Him, but then again, the rewards are beyond measure.