Nap Time Rocks!

facade

some hide behind sarcasm, wit, or charm. what kind is yours?

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paoay church, laoag | May 2010 | canon eos 400d rebel xti

iron will wisdom

the place had an unsettling feeling of old power, and surprisingly, great wisdom.

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Marcos Museum, Ilocos Norte | May 2010 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

so free yet so chained

this is the reason why i’m not a fan of zoos and animal attractions. well, aside from the smell.

it’s just so cruel how the animals are forced to work all day, eat nothing but fatteners and carry around  unnecessary weight.

i don’t care if they’re built for it. it’s just not right.

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people’s park, tagaytay | June 2010 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

messy beautiful

when things get boring, try looking at things at a different perspective.

like handing over the camera to a 3-year old, so this is what you get:

messy, colorful, bright. just the way it should be.

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UP Technohub, QC | April 2010 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti | photos by Mia

today’s reminder

as well as for the rest of my driving existence..

“Getting angry is actually punishing yourself with the mistakes of others.”

Lord help me.

the outlaw

the outlaw is finally in custody…

in the brief chase in tagaytay highlands, police was able to bring in the famed outlaw, Wide Eyed Mishka.

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Tagaytay Highlannds | May 2010 | Canon EOS 400D Rebel Xti

the old, old world

i’ve always wondered about how it would be like to live during the black and white spanish era.

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The Paoay church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. One of the 4 oldest heritage church sites in the country and UNESCO-preserved. May 2010.

This is why I love the Prime

what’s that in the background?

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50mm prime lens | Canon EOS Rebel Xti 400D | Antipolo | April 2010

Simple things

these days i’m not so hard to please. probably because of other things that (thankfully) provide so much contrast to what i’m blessed with.

like an adorable little girl who loves to pose for the camera…

who can also manage to lift a 2lbs dslr and take a photo…

and whose simple joy is to watch fireworks even from afar, whether from our 3rd floor bedroom window or atop the car in a parking lot hundreds of meters too far away.

i was so disappointed that we didn’t get to watch the world pyro olympics at MOA up close and that it took us more than an hour to get there, and that i had to walk a gazillion miles to buy food, and that our view was conveniently blocked by a bunch of trees.

but the way her face lit up with each colorful explosion, the way she squealed with delight at the big and small sparkles, the way she pointed at each one, i ought to have been ashamed of myself for missing the beauty of the simplest of things.

really, if you have trouble appreciating things around you because of problems or work, try sitting with a child. it never fails.

what simple thing did you appreciate this week?

the mini project

i’ve already promised to start a photo project this year. and inspired by the Lego man and Ickle & Lardee (go look up the sidebar for must sees), i must use whatever’s available.

like for example the unfinished miniature house my cousins and i made, one boring long break, that was supposed to be a gift to Mia. i say unfinished because with her ripping skills the cute little chairs that once stood are now all over the living room. the large LCD flat screen tv too, has been knocked off its base.

i really don’t mind since arts and crafts have always been my favorite subject. not that we had one in school. or did we?

anyway.

the view from not-above | used a 50mm prime lens

do let me know if you have ideas for this one.

nov 1

i always look forward to family get togethers. there’s none quirkier than my relatives, none more dysfunctional. lovably dysfunctional, that is.

and they’re never shy. grown up,

or not.

i feel so amateur looking at my photos and then looking at random Interesting Flickr photos. grabe, when will I be that good?

anyway, still practicing for now. be my model? =)

there’s a fountain

in the middle of the street.

oh Manila, Manila. you are one unique city. i love your character, smokey old Manila. but i will not live within your confines; i will stay away from you whenever i can.

but for now, since it’s december and it’s shopping season, i will let you lure me back one more time.

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Canon EOS | sRGB 1/200 sec. | F/11 | 34mm | ISO 400 |102309

it ends tonight

like i said, this blog has had nothing new in the last 2-3 weeks. so it ends now. i think, what am i supposed to write about? oh hey, i’ve forgotten, i take pictures too.

blue green is my favorite color. it’s melancholic in a lot of ways, but it’s different.

like how i want my life to be different in so many ways. i think, when will that be? and then,

“It’s never too late to do what is right.” -Charles Swindoll

i think i’ve done something right. i’ve donated blood, scraped up all remaining excess stuff in our house to give away to those who need them more, and did not complain how the stinking floodwater reached up to chest deep to spoil everything my brothers weren’t able to save (meanwhile, mia and i were stranded in Taytay).  but i still feel that it’s not enough.

hay, Lord. when will that be? and then,

“…how many times have I broken your heart? and still You forgive, if only I ask…”

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.

Cocktail, please! [i vs p]

i am so late (forgive me Patty!). but it’s still tuesday, so here’s my I vs P entry for the theme Cocktails.

i honestly had a hard time coming up with a photo, and i already had something in mind (something to do with the moon…) but i didn’t have the time. boo.

but let’s make the best of what we have, shall we?

the calm before the storm –empty cocktail glasses

it’s the calm before the storm. hihi. i honestly don’t miss those drunken days anymore.

but i’ll have my fill of this kind of cocktail at any given time, yes i will:

ocean cocktail

here’s a 1sheep2sheep cocktail for you!

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for those who missed it, this is my and best friend Patty‘s fun photo challenge weekly. next week’s Inspiration Word: (still deciding!)