Shutterscapes

The End

2012-01-01T12:35:00.000+08:00

Last ~~year~~, uhm month, I said that I will be deleting this blog and some others. Here's the lowdown:

I am welcoming the New Year with only 4 blogs, instead of what I currently have. My blogs - Life, the Way I See It, its contents and everything else that is related to it and my other blog - Darkanjel's Conversations will be transferred to My Thoughts Exactly.

As for Shutterscapes (this blog), I decided to close it as well and focus more on Nathalie Santos - Dayo Photography (formerly Psychemage Photography), documenting life, moments and memories. This blog will be both educational and personal.

I will also be keeping Halie's Kitchen and my wellness and fitness blog - Simply Halie.

Thank you for sharing this roller coaster ride with me. Happy New Year!

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Traditions Edited

2011-12-22T18:55:00.000+08:00

Here's the SOOC

And the Edited Photo

I guess by now you may have noticed that I really like Monochrome photos with a touch of vintage editing.

What I did:

> Resized and cleaned the photo

> Converted the image to black and white

> Applied the Butterscotch Vintage action from the CoffeeShop Blog

> Added some brown tint, adjusted to personal preference

> Added the frame

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Thank You!

2011-12-21T23:43:00.000+08:00

On the 1st day of January, I will be closing this blog. For the past two years, I have been greatly honored by your support, comments and your wonderful inspirations. Thank you for all your lovely thoughts and your encouragements.

This decision is not easy, but I would love to take my photography up a notch. By the 1st day of the New Year, I would be opening a new photography blog, which I hope would be more professional in all its aspect - posts, photos and editing quality.

Yes, I'm ready to take the plunge and I have all of you to thank. All the lessons I have learned from all your unselfish sharing of your skills, tips and other stuff (which made me see photography in a whole new different light) has helped me to gain confidence in opening a blog which will have a much more personal/professional touch to it.

I hope you will all accompany me still in that new journey that I am about to undertake.

Again, thank you for all your wonderful inspirations and I am deeply honored and grateful for everything that you have shared to me in the past two years that this blog has existed.

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Holiday Traditions

2011-12-19T15:35:00.000+08:00

It's that time of year again. Less than a week and we would all be celebrating the birth of the most wonderful man who ever existed.

What are the holiday traditions here in the Philippines?

We all start our Christmas with thanksgiving on the 16th of December. The way we celebrate it would be by a series of mass held either in the evenings or at dawn. This mass is called the Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi in the vernacular. After mass, families would go to stalls that sell Putobumbong (sticky rice cake) or Bibingka (rice cake with salted eggs and cheese made from rice).

We have so many traditions including going to bazaars, Noche Buena or Christmas Eve late dinner - usually held at 12MN to usher in Christmas; It is also the time when the kids are allowed to open up their Christmas presents from Santa. We have so many other traditions and there's only one way to sum it all up - these traditions leave a lasting impression on the kids, the importance of Christmas and what it's about and of course many good memories to share in the days to come.

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Christmas Edited

2011-12-08T15:55:00.000+08:00

Here's the SOOC again

And the Edited Photo

Also an entry for Texture Thursday

I was wondering how a Butterscotch tint would look on a colored photo. Here's what I did to try it:
> Cleaned and re-sized the photo> Used the Butterscotch Vintage action from the coffeeshop blog> Gave the photo a frame> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

TT | Trees and Celebrations

2011-12-06T23:26:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately I wasn't able to upload my SOOC. Anyway, for the edit here's what I did:

> Re-sized and cleaned the photo in Photoshop

> Converted the original colored photo to Black and White

> Added one layer of Kim's WarmSun Texture set at soft light

> Added another layer of Kim's WarmSun Texture set at multiply

> Added the name stamp, flattened and saved the image.

I just so love the vintage feel of the photo.

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Christmas SOOC

2011-12-05T15:16:00.000+08:00

Brightest Blessings!

Pixel Bender - An Attempt to Duplicate

2011-12-02T14:58:00.002+08:00

Here's the SOOC

And the Edited Photo

When I first saw the Pixel Bender effect on some of the photos that I see in other linkups I wondered how to do it using my prehistoric editing software. Unable to download the software due to some technical constraints, I tried duplicating the effect manually, using Adobe Photoshop7.

Here's what I did:

> Cropped the photo closer

> Cleaned the photo

> Duplicated the layer then went to filters>Artistic>Accented Edges (I tweaked the settings a bit until I was satisfied with the effect)

> Blended the layer using soft light then flattened the image.

> Applied the plastic wrap effect on the new photo (settings were tweaked as well until the desired effect showed)

> Added the watermark, flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

TT | Thanksgiving Glass

2011-11-29T12:58:00.000+08:00

Here's the SOOC

And the Edited Photo

We don't have Thanksgiving here in the Philippines, so I really needed to look for photos from my archives.

Why the photo?

It's a glass of wine that my hubby and I shared as our own form of Thanksgiving when we celebrated our wedding anniversary.

Here's what I did to achieve that look:

> Brought the photo to GIMP, resized and cleaned it.

> Applied the Old Paper filter to the photo. Flattened and saved the image

> Brought the photo to Photoshop and applied the Old Photo action to give it that sepia tone.

> Used one layer of Kim's Phoebe texture, set it at soft light opacity at 100%

> Added one layer of Kim's Golden texture, set the blending mode at soft light as well and adjusted the opacity to 50%.

> Flattened the image, inserted the watermark and saved it.

Brightest Blessings!

Reposting : The Art of Composition # 2: Lines - Fork

2011-11-23T22:00:00.002+08:00

The Edit Me Challenge will be taking a break and will return by 2012. For the meantime, I will be reposting some of my photos that I took from my challenge (which I stopped unfortunately) called the Art of Composition or Back to Basics : Learning the Art of Composition.

Let me introduce the challenge:

The second most basic and fundamental visual element in composition is LINES. An important compositional aspect of this element is that it forms edges, which may help in defining the boundaries of your composition.

About the Genre:

Forks, just like rocks are barely used as subjects in photographs. Often times, they are related as backgrounds or even props when setting up a plate of food that is to be photographed.

If you are unsure of what to do, try looking for the works of Andre Kertesz.

About the exercise:

Forks are simple subjects, yet their lines and curves can make interesting shapes and associated lines. You can experiment on this by taking photos of the fork from different angles under different lighting conditions.

To set up your Fork/Forks:

*Use a clean and simple background (Plain and solid colors would work wonders)

*Check your camera, make sure that it is set to black and white.

*Try shooting from different angles

*Shoot in portrait or landscape and see which orientation works best. Rotating the photo in any photo editing software is allowed.

*Adjusting brightness, contrast and sharpness are the only other manipulation allowed.

The photo was originally in landscape orientation, but I decided to try reorienting it. I think it's much better, how about you?

If this challenge inspires you, you might want to take a photo yourself and share it in the comments section.

Leaves

2011-11-23T00:11:00.000+08:00

Leaves SOOC

Processed with Kim's Texture

The lone leaf on a branch highlighted by more greens in the background inspired a vintage/rustic feel to it.

The editing process:

> Cleaned the image

> Desaturated it

> Ran a pass of the sharpen filter

> Added a layer of Kim's Autumn Burst Texture set blending mode at soft light

> Added a layer of Kim's The Work Texture set blending mode at Multiply, lowering the opacity to 50%

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot Edit and Submit | Droplet

2011-11-18T15:51:00.000+08:00

Here's my SOOC

And the Edited Photo

Although I love the bokeh on the first photo, I still preferred to crop it closer to focus more on the droplet and take out the clutter from the background.

How I edited the photo:

> Cropped, cleaned and re-sized the photo

> Ran the Summer Haze action and set the blending mode to soft light

> Ran the Sweet Bakery Glazes action and chose the Green Apple Glaze setting the blending mode at multiply

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Family Edited

2011-11-17T16:34:00.000+08:00

My SOOC Shot

The Edited Photo

I love toned photos, black and white, sepia and the likes. For the edit, I just used some downloaded actions including Isabelle La France's Soulful B&W Tint - warm mist set blending mode at color. I then gave it a painted look by experimenting with different brush strokes and blending modes. Finally, I decided to put a "mist" in the photo by using the Summer Haze action setting it at lighten.

Brightest Blessings!

Edit Me | Photo by Alita

2011-11-16T17:43:00.000+08:00

A lovely photo was shared this week by Alita of Alita Jewel's Treasures for the Edit Me Challenge. Here is her SOOC

My Edit

To get the results that I wanted I brought the photo first in Photoshop and then to GIMP

My Photoshop Edit

> Cropped, cleaned and re-sized the photo
> Turned it into Black and White
> Made a copy of the background and used the Pseudo IR Filter on the copy. Blended it at Color
> Used Isabelle La France's Soulful Black and White tint (I chose Blessing), which I blended at soft light
> Flattened the image and saved it

My GIMP Edit

> Ran the National Geographic Script setting the values at my own preference
> Ran the Pasty Cadaveric Look color and blended it at soft light
> Added the sprockets using the Decorate filter
> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

TT | Bokeh Hearts Phoebe Edition

2011-11-15T13:40:00.000+08:00

This is the SOOC shot

Edited with Kim's Phoebe texture

Here's the wonderful part:

I took the photo using my Nikon Coolpix P80 point and shoot camera. I don't have any filters or any other accessories to go with it, but I was determined to get some custom bokeh out of it, just to push that little piece of equipment to its limits.

How I got the custom bokeh:

> I bought one piece of black art paper

> Measured the diameter of the lens using the lens cap and cut the paper to size

> After sizing the paper, I cut the heart shape in the middle of the piece

> Taped the paper to the sides of the lens barrel

> Took a series of shots of my Christmas lights and I was happy that I got some custom shaped bokeh!

The edit was quite simple:

> Cleaned the photo using Photoshop

> Added one layer of Kim's Phoebe texture and set it at darken

> Added another layer of Kim's Phoebe texture and set it at soft light

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Family Portrait SOOC

2011-11-14T18:05:00.000+08:00

These people are like family to me. They make me laugh, angry but most of the time, they make me smile.

Brightest Blessings!

Another Monochrome Bloom

2011-11-12T16:54:00.001+08:00

I've been loving black and white photos of flowers recently and here's my newest photograph of yet another flower.

As I don't have a macro lens yet, I use my Nikon Coolpix P80 camera for all my macro shots.

The SOOC

Settings Used:

Focal Length : 7.4mm (35mm equivalent 42mm)
Shutter Speed : 1/125
Aperture : f/3.2
Flash : None

The Edited Photo

I edited the photo using PS using the following steps

> Cleaned the photo
> Sharpened it a little
> Used Isabelle La France's Soulful BW Tint - Ethereal blending it at soft light
> Ran a pass of the unsharp mask tool set at 100%
> Added the watermark, flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Macro Edited

2011-11-10T15:45:00.000+08:00

My SOOC shot

And the edited photo

Edited the photo using Photoshop.

As you can see the SOOC was quite dark so while editing the photo, I just thought about bringing out the texture and color of the flower.

In order to do this, I cleaned the photo and adjusted the levels to bring out the beauty of the flower. After cleaning it, I decided to go with a simple edit in order to not overshadow the subject with a lot of things going around it. To bring out the pink edges of the flower even more and soften the image a little bit after sharpening, I decided to use the Coffeeshop Blog's Sweet Bakery Glazes action and selected the Strawberry glaze then blended it using color.

Brightest Blessings!

Edit Me | Photo by Misty

2011-11-09T22:58:00.000+08:00

This lovely photo of a truck was generously shared by Misty from Through A Photographer's Eyes

And here's my vintage inspired edit

I was reminded of old stamps when I saw this photo. What I did to come up with the edit:

> Brought the photo to GIMP, scaled the image and cleaned it

> Ran the Black and White Film script; Choose the Kodak Tri-X and blended it at Saturation

> Ran the National Geographic script setting the slider for Shadow Recovery at my preference

> Flattened the image before running the Manny Librodo script

> Saved the image and brought it to Photoshop to add Kim Klassen's the Ladder texture, set at Darken

> Added the watermark, flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

The Number Two Edition

2011-11-08T14:29:00.002+08:00

Here's the SOOC shot

And here it is with Kim's Texture

There's just something about this that I love.

What I did:

> Cleaned and re-sized the photo

> Used the sepia toning action

> Added one layer of Kim's Phoebe texture set at soft light

> Added another layer of Kim's Phoebe texture set at multiply. Masked the center of the texture and erased the middle

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Macro SOOC

2011-11-07T21:20:00.000+08:00

Not having a macro lens does not stop me from taking close-up photos of things or even insects that I find interesting.

Instead of using my SLR for shots like this one, I opt to use my Nikon Coolpix P80 point and shoot camera and so far, it has not let me down.

Brightest Blessings!

From Color to Monochrome

2011-11-04T15:39:00.000+08:00

The original shot

And here's the edited version

Although I do love the colored version, I would still say that the black and white has a little more drama to it (sorry, I'm quite biased that way).

I processed the photo using PS7 and followed the following steps:

> Cleaned and re-sized the photo

> Turned the photo to monochrome

> Ran a pass of the unsharp mask filter at 125%

> Rendered lighting, adjusted the effects to my liking to get the vignette

> Saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Costumes Edited

2011-11-03T21:50:00.000+08:00

And once again, the SOOC

And here's the edited photo

The first thing that I have to say is that the edit could have been cleaner.

Inspired by what hubby said here's what I did:

> Cleaned, cropped and re-sized the photo in PS7
> Copied the background and added it as a new layer
> Masked the cosplayer to isolate her, inverted the selection and changed the background to monochrome
> Inverted the selection again to erase the cosplayer to show the background
> Inverted the selection for the last time and applied zoom to the background
> Finally used the soft edge glow built in action
> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Edit Me | Photo by Branson

2011-11-02T17:42:00.000+08:00

This week's lovely photo was shared to us by Branson of My Reflection of Something

And here's my edit

What can I say? The camera and the background totally inspired a vintage feel to it.

The edit would have been a lot easier had I chosen to use some of the actions and presets in Photoshop, but I decided to edit it the old school way.

Here are the things that I did:

> Cleaned and resized the photo

> Added a layer of Heavy Paper texture and set the blending mode at darken

> Added a layer of Kim Klassen's Autumn Burst texture, set the blending mode to soft light

> Flattened the image

> Made a new document and pasted the photo

> Made a new layer and filled it with white paint. I then applied Gaussian Blur at 5%, set the blending mode to screen

> Copied the original layer and shrunk it to fit

> For the new layer - used the drop shadow effect + bevel and emboss

> Added the quote

> Flattened the image

> Used the photo corner frame from Photoshop (the only preset action used)

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

My Town

2011-11-01T17:22:00.003+08:00

My SOOC

And here it is with Kim's texture

I always try to walk early in the morning, but one day I decided to dance to a different tune and go out for a walk in the neighboring subdivision before the sun sets.

That's a photo of what I see over from my town. A great view of the city, the contrast of the beauty of the sunset and then the lush greens surrounding the area where I live.

To edit the photo:

> Brought it to Photoshop. Re-sized and cleaned the photo

> Added one layer of Kim's And Then Some texture set at color burn

> Added another layer of the same texture set at soft light, opacity turned down to 75%

> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Costumes SOOC

2011-10-31T23:27:00.000+08:00

I thought I was able to capture a nice photo for today's theme but sadly most of the photos that I took were not good so I had to look for something from the archives.

I chose this photo because it was the first time that I ever used my SLR for a Comic Convention (within a few days after I purchased it).

Looking at the photo with some fresh lessons learned, I realized a few things:

> Too many distractions

> I can't tell where she ends and the crowd begins

> My camera wasn't my friend then

Resolution: 565 x 850

Flash Used: No

Focal Length: 22.0mm (35mm equivalent: 33mm...

Exposure Time: 0.050 s (1/20)

Aperture: f/5.0

ISO Equiv.: 200

Whitebalance: Auto

Metering Mode: matrix

Exposure: Manual

Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Memories Edited

2011-10-27T15:00:00.000+08:00

Again, here's the SOOC

And my edit

The process:

> Brought the photo in GIMP to clean and re-size it
> Applied the old paper filter
> Flattened and saved the image
> Brought the image to Photoshop
> Made a new layer, then applied a brush effect on the layer, blended the layer at lighten
> Applied the ripple frame
> Flattened and saved the image

I agree with everyone who said last Monday that these new plastic slides and swings are much better than the old metal ones that may be most of us are used to.

Then again, new slides or not, the fond memories that it brings are more than enough to make me smile any day.

Brightest Blessings!

Edit Me | Photo by Wendy Wright

2011-10-26T16:15:00.000+08:00

SOOC

My Edit

The photo looks so magical and I just wanted to give it that dreamy Neverland look.

For the edit:

> Re-sized and cleaned the photo
> Added a new layer, applied the Ink Outline Filter and blended the layer at Lighten
> Applied the Sweet Bakery Glazes action. For this photo, I decided to use two glazes, Vanilla - blended at saturation and Honey Glaze - blended at color
> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Gold Lined Bloom

2011-10-25T14:00:00.000+08:00

My SOOC looked like this:

And this is how it looks like after editing

As you can see, the SOOC looked really white with very few details. To make the details pop out more and to give it that golden-silver coloring, here are the steps that I followed:

> Opened the photo in Photoshop

> Re-sized and cleaned the photo

> Sharpened the image

> Used one layer of Kim Klassen's Fall-In texture, blending mode set to hue

> Added one layer of Kim's water stained frame texture, blending mode set to color

> Added the name stamp

> Flattened and saved the image

A delicate flower is my reminder that all my morning walks are worth every drop of sweat. Aside from staying on the road to health, it also gives me the opportunity to take wonderful photos of the beauty of nature every single day.

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Memories SOOC

2011-10-24T16:46:00.000+08:00

This week the prompt is Memories.

The photo above was taken September of last year when Hubby and I, together with my friend Jenn visited the Quezon Memorial Circle.

There were so many improvements made to the Memorial Circle but those improvements reminded me so much of my own childhood, the slides, swings and the bicycle ride around the place made me remember the times that my family would go out to parks, me playing, climbing the high slides, sliding my way down and of course the dirt that came along with it.

Camera Model: NIKON D5000

Flash Used: No

Focal Length: 28.0mm (35mm equivalent: 42mm)

Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250)

Aperture: f/4.5

ISO Equiv.: 200

Whitebalance: Manual

Light Source: Fine weather

Metering Mode: matrix

Exposure: Manual

Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

Brightest Blessings!

Delicate Bloom

2011-10-21T11:10:00.000+08:00

My Entry for Favorite Photo of the Week

Flash Used: No

Focal Length: 9.8mm (35mm equivalent: 56mm)

Exposure Time: 0.0020 s (1/500)

Aperture: f/3.5

ISO Equiv.: 100

Whitebalance: Auto

What did I learn from this set?

1. I used to use the onboard flash of my point and shoot camera and adjust the shutter speed to darken the background and bring more focus to the subject. This time though I didn't use the flash, instead I used a faster shutter speed to darken the background.

2. Editing-wise, I adjusted the levels of the photo to show highlights and midtones while toning down the low lights even more to make the flower look like it's floating on a dark surfaced lake/body of water.

3. I also learned to control adjust the unsharp mask filter of Photoshop to bring out the tiniest and most delicate features of the flower.

4. In shooting flowers I realized that although capturing the beauty of a whole flower makes it more attractive, there are times that capturing only parts of a flower can add some drama to a shot.

5. Finally, angles, angles and more angles. Shoot from different angles, shoot a lot of photos and then choose the best ones no matter how hard it may be. It doesn't mean that I threw out the less beautiful ones, maybe I can make some photo-art from them sometime.

> It has been said in a lot of tips about shooting flowers to avoid shooting a bloom straight on. Looking at some of the shots that I decided not to post, I saw that most of the flower shots that I have which were taken dead on straight looked flat, with no dimension and not even detail. Shooting from a slight side-angle (like photo #1) gave me more details and a bit more color when it came to lighting. BTW, all the shots were taken using natural lighting between 8 and 9 AM.

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Pumpkin Edited

2011-10-20T12:40:00.000+08:00

Good Thursday everyone!

Here's my SOOC

And this week I decided to explore GIMP a little more to come up with this edit

For this edit I decided to be a little whimsical to make the pumpkin look a little more interesting. After the basic edit I played with some of the filters in GIMP then settled for the weave effect.

Below is a Youtube tutorial on how to use the weave filter in GIMP

After which I posterized it a little to give it that painted woven look.

Brightest Blessings!

Edit Me | Photo by Kristi

2011-10-19T14:19:00.000+08:00

This week Edit Me posted the challenge at its new home! And for its opening salvo, the photo was shared by Kristi from Live and Love Out Loud.

And my edit

The photo is so lovely so I decided to go for a simple edit.

My steps:

> Re-sized and cleaned the photo
> Used the healing brush tool to take out some of the blemishes
> Ran a pass of the Baby Powder Room action
> Used the Pioneer Woman's Bring on the eyes action
> Ran a pass of the CoffeeShop Blog's Creamy Chocolate Black and White action
> Added the watermark
> Flattened and saved the image

Brightest Blessings!

Textured Stars

2011-10-18T18:03:00.002+08:00

Please Mouse Over to See the Photo Before Editing

It's another free and easy edition over at Kim Klassen's Cafe, the only requirement, use any two of her textures.

For the shot:

I set up the shot against the light on the window sill using my white textured curtain as the backdrop.

Editing:

Before applying the textures, I edited the photo using the following steps:

> Resized and cleaned the photo

> Used the Sweet Bakery Glaze action from the CoffeeShop Blog (link for the CoffeShop Blog can be found at the resource page) and applied the Strawberry Glaze using the soft light blending mode.

Textures used:

> 1 layer of Kim's If Only texture at Darken

> 1 layer of Kim's Subtly Yours texture at soft light blending mode

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Pumpkin SOOC

2011-10-17T18:59:00.000+08:00

We don't have pumpkin patches here in the Philippines, I had to make do with this cute pumpkin/jack-o-lantern that I found in one of the malls for this week's prompt.

This photo has been shared here last year for Kristi's Photohunt.

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION

Camera Model: NIKON D5000

Flash Used: No

Focal Length: 35.0mm (35mm equivalent: 52mm)

Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80)

Aperture: f/5.0

ISO Equiv.: 200

Whitebalance: Auto

Metering Mode: matrix

Exposure: Manual

Exposure Mode: Auto bracketing

Brightest Blessings!

Shoot and Edit | Leaves Edited

2011-10-14T15:14:00.000+08:00

Before anything else, I'd like to welcome you all to the new home of my Shoot and Edit posts.

Last Monday, I posted this for my SOOC

And here's my edit:

What I did:

> Cropped and cleaned the photo
> Ran TheCoffeeShop Blog's Autumn Glow action which I adjusted until I got the look that I wanted
> Added a layer of Kim Klassen's Warm Sun texture set at lighten
> Added the watermark, flattened and saved the image.

You may notice that the watermark is different from this blog's actual url. I decided to put all my learning posts here and the more personal posts to my other blog.

Brightest Blessings!

Some Big Changes | From Personal to Learning

2011-10-11T17:02:00.000+08:00

This blog mainly consisted of photos that I enter for different challenges, but starting tomorrow I got a big thing to do - change this blog from personal to a learning photoblog. My personal photos and everything else that concerns photography will be moved to a new home.

Brightest Blessings!

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 5 High Angle

2011-10-10T17:05:00.000+08:00

I really don't take photos of anything while standing over it. But then again, there was this cute leaf on our steps and I can't help but take a photo of it.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | Challenging Day

2011-10-09T14:29:00.000+08:00

Here are my interpretations for this week's challenge:

1. Landscape

Also an entry for the 30 Day Photo Challenge Day 3: Clouds over at Click it up a Notch

Taken just before it rained quite hard. As you can see the clouds were looming and the sky was gloomy. Thankfully though as I type this entry, the sun is shining brightly.

2. Complementary Colors

Just thinking about it, the background gave it a little more color didn't it?

3. Black and White

Nothing like enjoying the day with the young little neighbor of mine.

4. Food

I'm currently on a diet and I feared that I won't enjoy food that much anymore. Thankfully a restaurant that we went to yesterday offered a great meal. 1/4 roasted chicken, salad and a serving of fresh fruits. I still enjoyed my day outside and my favorite activity - hunting for the best food deals out there while not feeling guilty about the kind of food that I eat.

5. Blank Space

We were at the pool early and it provided me with a great blank space to take a photo of.

And before I forget, I'd like to share with you my Day 4 Photo for the 30 Day Photo Challenge: Something Green

Brightest Blessings!

Day 2 | What I Wore Today

2011-10-07T14:45:00.001+08:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Working from home does have its perks. I mean who gets to wear shorts and a tank top to work everyday?

I have a weight problem and it's sooooo hard to lose all those excess pounds. Looking at myself I see that I do need to lose all the extra baggage. No it's not to fit better in those shorts and tank, but more on I need to lose the excess weight because I don't think it's healthy.

Real women have curves, that's so common. Let me write this another way; Real women have healthy curves.

Brightest Blessings!

30 Day Photography Challenge | Day 1 Self Portrait

2011-10-06T12:56:00.001+08:00

I have to admit that I have been experiencing some form of a low point in my photography. There are days that the camera just stays inside its bag and there are days that even editing seems to be a chore.

It's a blessing that I when I read Courtney's post on here blog, Click It Up A Notch I saw that she posted this challenge:

And here's my entry for Day 1

I am still so not comfortable posing in front of the camera, I still rather have my eye stuck on the view finder and click the shutter to take a photo of something else.

Self portraits are hard, especially when you don't have a tripod and have to settle for the next best thing. For this photo I decided to go down low and take the photo from a low angle shooting upward. I have to say, it worked out quite well.

If you want to participate in this fun challenge, please click the button below.

Also linking this photo to

Brightest Blessings!

This or That | A Red Zinnia

2011-09-29T16:05:00.000+08:00

What else can I say?

I just can't stop looking at this photo which I took last July.

Brightest Blessings!

Before and After Quotography | Time

2011-09-26T12:16:00.000+08:00

Before

After

I have asked this question so many times.

Also linking these photos to Mimibeth's Before and After Link Up Party.

Brightest Blessings!

Playing For Change | Music of Inspiration - Stand by Me

2011-09-26T11:09:00.000+08:00

If you love music and believe in its power to unite people despite our small differences, I'm sure you'll love this:

To learn more about this wonderful gift please visit:

Playing for Change Website

or Follow them on Twitter

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | The Clean and Simple Edition

2011-09-25T17:17:00.002+08:00

1. Low Key

Came from the archives from one of the shoots that I attended.

2. The Color Wheel, Monochromatic/Analogous Color

The colors of this little dragonfly were not just attractive, but the background kinda made it pop a bit more.

3. Circle

It was suggested that the participants take a self portrait for this item. However, I tried going in a different direction. Those small clear marbles have been a part of my collection for the longest of times and when I saw their shadows which were also circular, I decided to try and take a photo of them as well.

4. Scarf

Can you tell that he didn't really like posing for the camera, especially with a scarf around his neck?

5. Phone

Because of where we live, it is always easier for us to communicate if hubby and I have two phones each. Sadly, my old phone died on me. Then again, I'm a happy camper since I was able to upgrade my phone to a newer model of Samsung! Yey!!!

Brightest Blessings!

An Unexpected Blessing

2011-09-23T16:13:00.000+08:00

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

As I was reading some of the feeds on my Dashboard, I came across this post from Our Tiny Big Life. It talked about receiving blessings, grace from our creator. I was inspired by the amazing stories of all those who opened up their hearts and contributed their own stories of how at one point in their lives, they all realized that they were mightily blessed.

This was an unexpected blessing, since just yesterday, I decided to adopt a concept that says "This area is a negative vibes free zone." Meaning that I would love to focus more on the good things that life has to offer. So here's a little story about the blessings that I have received.

Going back to 1994, I was in my first semester in college. I thought I was pursuing my dreams of becoming a computer engineer. I was enrolled in a good school, had really good friends, a great guy whom I was with for about 2 years then and best of all, I was free to learn things.

One drab day, I got stuck along with thousands of other students along the area where my school was located. It was raining hard that morning but classes were not suspended. College kids still scrambled to go to school even if there were floods in different areas of the metro. Afternoon, the government agency which was responsible for declaring class suspensions decided that the rains were too strong and that the floods would not subside and that it would be better to suspend the classes for the rest of the day.

That's where the misfortunes started happening. I was out waiting for a ride that never came along with all the other students from different colleges and universities around the area. To cut the long story short, I got home 8 hours late, which earned me a slap on the face from my mother who did not accept the explanation I gave her despite the fact that I was dripping wet with a broken umbrella in my hand.

I rebelled and paid the price dearly. I had to shift majors because I wasn't doing well and I had to transfer to a different school.

Fast forward a few years and I was well on my way to graduating from college. During the time I was doing my OJT I felt a strong, stabbing pain in my gut. I said to myself it was nothing, conditioning myself that I was just tired because I took more subjects than what was allowed. I was just starting to feel the pressure since graduation was just a few months away.

No doctors, no hospitals, no nothing. I needed to finish school. No, I wanted to finish school and nothing would stop me from doing so!

A month after the first signs of pain I started having my period twice a month and still I said NO.DOCTORS. Until one day I just wasn't able to get up from bed to even walk the short distance to the bathroom. The pain was unbearable. I was confined for a few days, went through a battery of tests, getting IV fluids since I was dehydrated for some reason.

After being released from the hospital I went back to school, studied, went to my OJT and went about with my life. One friend asked me if I was pregnant then because my tummy was swollen, but no I wasn't, again, I went about minding my studies and trying to finish college. About a week or two after the mid-terms I was feeling the pain again and I can't deny it. I was losing weight, fast. My body was rejecting all forms of food. I can't eat without throwing up, I was suffering, yes but I was still determined.

Another bout with hospitals and tests and the doctors found out that my ovary (right) was causing the pain. No there was no cyst in the ovary, it looked like the ovary itself became the cyst. It was swollen beyond anything that the doctors have seen that time. They said I was to be scheduled for immediate surgery. I said NO. I.HAD. TO.FINISH.COLLEGE. I didn't go through all that trouble of overloading my units, writing letters to my Dean, the school Registrar, etc asking for their endorsement and recommendation so that I may be allowed to overload my units, enroll in requisite and pre-requisite classes at the same time just to fail.

Finals came and I was answering my exams even if I was in pain with specific instructions from my doctors that should I show any signs of pain or if I faint, my mom should immediately take me to the hospital for surgery. Oh, I was close to fainting because of the pain, I saw dark spots dancing in front of my eyes then, but again, I was determined. After the exams, my mom (who by the way went with me to school every single day after they found out about the cyst) asked for someone to hail a cab and off we went straight to the hospital. I arrived at the hospital thinking that I would still be going home, you know just to relax a little. I finished school! I am graduating! Let me please, please celebrate that victory. No, my doctors said that I should not go home, I needed to stay in the hospital and I will be prepped for surgery for the following day.

I was in surgery for about 7 hours (I think) and to this day I carry this scar which is around 12inches long on my stomach. But, I survived even though I said goodbye to all the people that I loved before I went inside the operating room.

All those are behind me now. I am married for 8 years, still waiting for our small bundle of joy, but happy.

So what does this sob story have anything to do with being unexpectedly blessed today?

The posts that I have read made me realize these things:

> I am blessed to have survived the surgery. The doctors said that I was lucky that the cyst did not burst which if it did would have yielded a much different result. I wouldn't be here typing this out.

> I am blessed to have married my best friend. The most wonderful man on earth. (We all feel the same way about our husbands. I apologize for bragging about mine)

> I am blessed to have a tiny space on the internet where I can share things that I know, learn from others and be honored to meet wonderful people.

> I am blessed with life and love.

> We all have our stories to tell and I am blessed to be able to read yours.

> And most importantly, it also made me see that for everything there is a reason. Maybe I'm seeing some of those a little clearly now. Thanks to all those around me.

I share this story with all of you with wishes that you and of course all those who are dear to you may be continuously blessed every single day.

Brightest Blessings!

Thursday Brownies | Brown Moth

2011-09-22T13:35:00.000+08:00

I have been blessed here at where I live. I have seen so many beautiful things around me. The sun rising from behind the mountains, a time when you can see the rains looking like curtains being drawn over the windows, the moon rising and so many other good stuff.

The best thing though, I see dragonflies on my plants, butterflies on my plants every single day and just like what that photo - some big moths inside my home. What more can a girl ask for then? Happy Thursday!

Brightest Blessings!

Creative Quotography | Sunrise

2011-09-19T13:59:00.001+08:00

It seems thtat I am only able to take a photo of the sunrise when ever I don't feel good. But when I do, I rarely go back to bed at once since I feel like there's just so many things that I could see once the sun is up.

A great Monday to everyone!

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | The Sepia Edition

2011-09-18T12:38:00.000+08:00

I wasn't able to participate in last week's hunt, but I was still able to jot down the items for this week. Here are my interpretations:

1. Street Photography

I was pulled into photography by my love for photo journalism, being able to tell a story with a photo and evoke feelings from viewers.

This photo was taken from my archives when I went with a few friends to document the plight of our countrymen somewhere in Manila.

2. From a Distance

The photo of the monument was taken from a distance. I'm glad that my kit lens gives me the 18mm option which allowed me to take a photo from a wider angle.

3. Sunday

Today, a friend of mine will be leaving the country to start a new life in the U.S. The only thing that I can send her and her family's way would be this prayer and the hopes that their travel would be safe.

4. Liquid

Quite a bit of a stretch really, but that's liquid soap. =)

5. Behind

You may be tired of seeing my face on Scavenger Hunt Sunday. I hope you'll forgive me for showing you another photo of the woman behind the lens.

Brightest Blessings!

LP | Maliit - Small

2011-09-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

Napakaliit ng langgam na ito, pero napakasakit niyang kumagat. Mabuti na lamang at kahit paano ay mayroong zoom ang aking camera at yun ang aking ginamit para hindi ko kailangan lumapit sa langgam na ito.

English Translation:

This ant is tiny, but when it bites, you'd definitely feel it. It's a good thing that my camera has a zoom capability which made it unnecessary for me to get physically close to this tiny insect.

Thursday Two Questions:

1. What insect are you most afraid of?
> I have arachnophobia. I mean, spiders aren't considered to be insects, but what can I do, I'm irrationally frightened of them.

2. Do you like sharing your thoughts on your blog?
> Really depends.

Brightest Blessings!

WW | Giveaway Details

2011-09-14T12:42:00.000+08:00

In relation to MY FIRST GIVEAWAY, here are the themes for this month. I have mentioned that in order to qualify for the giveaway, you should be able to complete all of this month's back to basics challenge.

I have been busy with some private tutoring the last three weeks and that is why I wasn't able to post all the challenges in time. To accommodate this small glitch, I have revised the rules of the giveaway.

Please compile and post all your entries for this month and post it by September 30th. By the end of the month, I will be posting all my shots for the challenges slightly edited using the MY MEMORIES SUITE.

The winners will be announced by the 2nd of October (Sunday, 12NN Philippine Time).

Here are the challenges for this month:

> Heads in the Street

> Birds in Flight

> Leaves

> Fallen Trees or Objects

> Body of Water

*NOTE: All the photos on this post were from the book The Art of Composition by Bert Krages.

The Rules

1. Join the Back to Basics Meme by the end of September (please put all your SOOC photos for this month on one post) and follow my blog.

2. Like My Memories Suite on Facebook

3. Follow them on Twitter

4. Leave me a comment here to let me know that you are joining.

What's in store for the overall winner?

1. The top winner for the month of September (voted as the best SOOC) gets a copy of the My Memories Suite absolutely FREE!

And I will be giving these to all those who participate:

2. All participants (except for the winner) will receive a $10.00 discount coupon for the My Memories Suite and another $10.00 discount coupon for downloads. A total of $20.00 discount! By the way, the coupon code that you will get is free to share with your friends and family.

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Reflections

2011-09-14T11:11:00.000+08:00

I tried to give this prompt a personal touch. This is a photo of myself in front of a mirror, seeing myself for the first time in a long while.

When I first saw the prompt I immediately thought of this healing and prayer book that was given to me by my sister. This quote from the book really reflects my feelings and how I see who I am and others now.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | The Dreamy Edition

2011-09-05T12:11:00.002+08:00

Another week flew by so fast and from what I see on the calendar, it's the 5th day of September! Anyway, here are my photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday, which unfortunately for me this week is a combination of old and new photos.

1. Stairs from the archive

I never thought that this photo would look quite good when processed this way. That's not a house, it's actually a mall with a Villa feel to it.

2. Macro

Another great product of my Nikon point and shoot camera.

3. Clouds

The skies have been gloomy for last couple of weeks and it's only today that the sun is peeking from behind the clouds. However, there's still this dark overcast and I get this feeling that it's going to rain again and I'm about to lose my broadband signal, again!

4. Abstract

Romantic and dreamy...

5. Smile from the archives

This young lady was one of the stars from a festival that I attended last year. Since there was not much to smile about this past week, I thought of sharing this photo of a young lady with a great smile which reaches her eyes.
Brightest Blessings!

My Very First Giveaway!

2011-08-31T14:53:00.001+08:00

I'm excited to announce my very first giveaway!

If you're the type who enjoys being creative, this giveaway is perfect for you. This giveaway is sponsored by My Memories Suite, a digital scrapbooking software.

What you need to do:

1. Join the Back to Basics Meme for all the Saturdays of September (This coming Saturday, the theme is Heads in the Street, instructions can be found HERE.) and follow my blog.
2. Like My Memories Suite on Facebook
3. Follow them on Twitter
4. Leave me a comment every Saturday that you are joining.

What's in store for the top entries?

1. The top winner for the month of September (voted as the best SOOC) gets a copy of the My Memories Suite absolutely FREE!
2. The second winner gets a $10.00 discount coupon for the My Memories Suite and another $10.00 discount coupon for downloads. A total of $20.00 discount! By the way, the coupon code that you will get is free to share with your friends and family.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | The Postcard Interpretation Edition

2011-08-28T10:58:00.000+08:00

The weekend is almost over...

...why are weekends so short?

Anyway before I forget about this week's scavenger hunt Sunday because of whining about the shortness of the weekend, here are my interpretations:

1. Old and New

A photo of our paper money and two coins. The ones on the left are old and the on the right you see the new versions of both money. I can't remember when the twenty peso bill was printed, but I can say that the new 20 peso bill looks a little bit better than the older one. As for the 1 peso coin, the one on the left was minted around 1970 and the newer of the two was minted last 2009.

2. Night Photography

The rainy season makes it so difficult to get a decent night shot. However I was able to take a photo of the stormy evening last night.

3. Music

One of my favorite singers is Mariah Carey and one of my favorite songs is My All which she sang. I have a copy of it on my phone which also serves as my MP3 player.

4. Cheesy

This one came from the archives but processed using the new things I've learned over the past couple of months. The look was inspired by posters from a restaurant which made their food photos look like they were paintings. By the way, that's a cheesy version of baked nachos, if you want the recipe, you can go HERE.

5. Sun

Again because of the rainy season, I decided to go for a different interpretation for this prompt. One of the local cellular service providers here in the Philippines chose the brand name SUN. To make the photo a little more interesting, I decided to use an old sunset photo for the texture. I hope it didn't come out bad.

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Dreams

2011-08-22T13:55:00.000+08:00

Every one dreams, every one strives, but what are dreams exactly?

We see dreams differently, in a multitude of ways and sometimes in our own private ways, not so different from our individual dreams now, are they?

Brightest Blessings!

I Heart Faces | Pet Week

2011-08-22T13:01:00.001+08:00

My first time to join I heart faces.

The photo above is of Jazz our four year old, sweet and lovable half-breed (half local and half border collie). What I love about this photo is the expression on his face. He doesn't like being in front of the camera and that look that he gave me today as I tried to coax him to pose for me is new. But the message is still the same, "Please take that one eyed ugly thing out of my face."

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | Hanging By a Thread Edition

2011-08-21T22:40:00.000+08:00

It was a busy week, again. And I was only able to take the photos that I needed for this week's hunt today. Without any long and winding introductions, here are my interpretations for the items on this week's hunt.

1. Geometry

Some lines formed by shadows and a little bit of illusion processing in GIMP with a final touch of the Spherize tool in Photoshop makes a cool looking geometrical abstract photo.

2. Brushstrokes

I have this cute little Chinese calendar and I decided to take a photo of one of the characters.

3. Hanging by a Thread

I'm terrified of spiders but I can't pass this opportunity to try and overcome the phobia. If you're wondering how I was able to take a photo of the spider, I cheated by using the zoom capability of my point and shoot camera.

4. Collage

Not exactly a collage, but I hope it does the trick.

5. On the Dotted Line

Please cut the coupon here

Brightest Blessings!

WW | Cheering Up with a Flower

2011-08-17T13:43:00.002+08:00

When you're down and troubled, there are times that when you look at a simple bloom and you smile.

For every dark cloud always has a silver lining. Smile and be happy there's still some good left in the world.

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Colorful

2011-08-15T16:34:00.000+08:00

I love Black and White photos, but there are times though that colors just grab me and I feel this way:

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | My Monochromatic Interpretations

2011-08-14T12:30:00.001+08:00

How come the days fly by so fast? Yesterday I sort of panicked a little since I still didn't have some of the photos that I needed for this week's scavenger hunt. Thankfully though I was able to snap a few photos before I went to bed.

Anyway, here are my interpretations for this week's items

1. Against the Light

It was late at night when like what I said, I realized that I still didn't have some photos for three of the remaining items on the hunt. I saw the moon and I wanted to take some photos for this prompt using the moon as my source of light. Unfortunately it was a no go, if I used the moon the foreground would be dark and if I slow down the shutter speed, the moon would look like a blob over head. I had to content myself with the light from the lamp post and a few branches of a tree outside to use for my subject. It didn't turn out that bad (I hope). =)

2. Frame within a Frame

I've been swimming with some of the neighbors for the last three weeks and yesterday was not an exception. The corners of the hut made a nice frame within the frame formed by the tree trunk and the lamp post! When I saw this arrangement I asked some of the kids to pose for me which as you can see, they readily did.

3. Best Part of My Day

I'm too lazy to exercise by myself so in the spirit of wanting to be healthier, I decided to swim in the village's pool every weekend. The best part of my day, when I have some people with me willing to jump into the water for a great photo!

4. Buttons

I've had my Nikon Coolpix P80 bridge camera for over two years now and it still never ceases to amaze me. As you can see on the photo I took a shot of the small button on a pair of jeans. If I'm not mistaken it's less than a centimeter in circumference and the coin right next to it is only about a centimeter and a half.

5. Ink

I wanted to take a photo of my tattoos but it was kinda hard because they are both on my dominant arm. I decided to get a fine tipped pen and take a photo of it instead for this prompt, much easier.

For those who want to jump in and join the fun of Scavenger Hunt Sunday, next week's items are:

Geometry
Brushstrokes (ACoLab prompt)
Hanging by a Thread (Anika's suggestion)
Collage (Anika's suggestion)
On the Dotted Line (Anika's suggestion)

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Anything

2011-08-08T23:30:00.000+08:00

Before I go on about my entry for this week's quotography, I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to Nicolasa for including my photo and quote as part of her top three entries.

This Monday, I'd like to share something inspirational with you guys:

If there's one thing that can put a smile on my face is seeing my small flower/plant box in front of my home so colorful because of all the flowering plants that I have.

The reason for me choosing this quote is: My mom before she moved to the U.S. had so many flowering plants at home. I saw her cultivate and nurture plants ever since I was a child. I adored and admired that skill and thought that I would love to have my own flower garden someday because of it.

Just like the quote: "Bread feeds the body, indeed" - this part is true for me since my mother taught me how to cook. "But flowers feed the soul" - this part is also true for me. Seeing my flowers bloom does feed my soul, not only because it reminds me of the beauty that was given to us, but also because that part of me which misses my mother also calms down when I see them. These flowers and the quote remind me of her, her skill and everything else that I have learnt from her.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 08.07.2011

2011-08-08T00:15:00.000+08:00

Happy Sunday. Without any long introductions, here are my photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt:

1. Seeing Two/Double

I fell in love with these two cuties. Hubby went out to play the big boys' version of cowboys and Indians today, I decided to tag along. While resting, I saw these two puppies. Who wouldn't fall in love with these cute ones?

The brown puppy likes being scratched behind the ear and the black puppy likes being scratched on the belly. After hearing this from the owner, I obliged, these two fell asleep immediately which gave me more than enough time to photograph them.

2. Whatever

The picture says it all.

3. Sweet

A very sweet family portrait.

4. Space

When you're trying to do a jump shot, especially when the subjects are actually jumping into a pool, you have to remember to ask them to give each other some space.

5. Bright

Good lighting conditions + a colorful dragonfly = A brightly lit and crisp photo!

Brightest Blessings!

Fabulous Favorite

2011-08-05T15:11:00.000+08:00

Arriving home one night I saw this butterfly/moth on the floor. I scolded my dog a little thinking that he caught the poor insect and pawed it to death. My dog looked at me as if he was saying, "Nah, I didn't do anything. Did you?"

I decided to put a stool over it, so that the legs of the stool can protect that butterfly from the paws of my dog. I then noticed that the small hole on top of the stool lit up the butterfly as if there was a spotlight on it. I got my camera and snapped away.

The butterfly cooperated and after the "shoot" it flew and rested on the door. Thanks butterfly!

Brightest Blessings!

My First Photography Workshop

2011-08-03T14:03:00.002+08:00

I saw the ad for this workshop on Facebook a couple of months back. When I read all about it, I talked with husband and I asked him if I could attend it. I'm blessed with a very supportive husband! When he heard about the schedule and after finding out that the fee was within our budget, he encouraged me to go and have fun.

That was my first workshop, ever. I'm glad I attended because I learned things and I got to shoot with some really good mentors that day. If by any chance there's another workshop which is within budget before this year ends, I'll be sure to attend it!

While there is nothing wrong about learning on one's own, there are times that it's much better to have a real mentor with you who would help you out when you get confused. =)

After attending the workshop last January and then joining an online class about February, I decided to share some of the tips and tricks that I have learned as I went along my journey. It is fun to take photos and edit them to our heart's content, but then it is also fun to go back to the basics of photography one time or another.

In my tutorial (read: learning) photoblog, I decided to go back to the basics of photography, composition and a little editing by means of the Back to Basics photo meme that I host there. If you have time and look at that page to scan some of the older posts, you will find posts that talk about getting to know your camera, getting to know your camera's ISO handling capability, your slowest acceptable handheld shutter speed, etc.

Starting last Sunday (July 31st) I have posted an exercise in composition which was inspired by the book called The Art of Composition by Bert Krages. Every Sunday there after I will be posting more exercises and a linky will be open starting the following Saturday (which will be open for a whole week). The first result of this exercise will be posted by Saturday (6th of August).

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Weddings, Anniversaries, Marriage - LOVE

2011-08-01T12:34:00.002+08:00

This shot was taken almost a year ago when my friend asked me to cover her wedding.

Of all the shots that I took, this one is included in my favorites because that simple act of exchanging rings just told a great story.

As for the quote, I decided to use that message that my hubby and I wrote more than 8 years ago when we decided to get married ourselves. That quote was included in our invitation cards for the ceremony and I'm proud to say that every word in that quote still rings true after 8 years of marriage.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | Pattern Edition

2011-07-31T16:35:00.000+08:00

I was lucky enough to attend an event yesterday which was hosted by Thermos {brand) Philippines. While I was there, I decided to take photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt.

Here are my photos:

1. Walking Empty Streets

The typhoon season here in the Philippines makes it hard for people to go out of their homes and enjoy the weekend.

Yesterday while waiting for a ride, I saw this empty path. Although devoid of vehicles and people, I still love the plants that line the sides of this narrow path.

2. Repeating Patterns

One of the things that attracted me to this scene is the fact that the water fountain had repeating patterns on its own. But I thought that the reflections of everything around me on the marble divider of the fountain was just way to beautiful to not take a photo of. Aside from the repeating patterns, there was a repeat of those patterns on that shiny marble slab.

3. Floor

I know I looked funny when I took a photo of the floor of the venue. What can I do? I saw symmetry and it was so attractive!

Yes, the people who organized the event were looking at me as if wanting to ask me, "Why in the world are you taking a photo of the floor?" Who cares? I got what I want, they could have stared at me for as long as they liked, at least I got what I needed.

Just to clear things up. No, I didn't sit on the floor or did anything similar. I placed my camera on the floor, turned on its live view function and snapped the photo while looking at the LCD screen. But still, who takes a photo of the floor?

4. Then and Now

Whether you believe the photo or not, the photos on the left frame are of me when I was a child.

5. Fingertips

Hubby's hobby is not photography but he couldn't help taking photos of the products that were on display yesterday during the event. Uhm, if you're looking for the fingertips, I'd stretch it a bit and say that it's the one on the shutter release button.

Next week's items are:

1. Seeing Double/Two
2. Whatever
3. Sweet
4. Space
5. Bright

Happy Hunting!

Brightest Blessings!

Pet Portrait | Jazzy

2011-07-29T15:47:00.000+08:00

I saw my dog silently sleeping underneath the steps of the stairs. I don't know there's just something about the way he slept that made me get down low and take a photo of him.

It could be the frame formed by the legs of one of the stools or it could be he's just so cute. Well, please allow me to be biased and say that he's just too cute.

Brightest Blessings!

LP | Malaya: Free

2011-07-28T15:14:00.000+08:00

Minsan napapag-isip ako kung ano ang pakiramdam ng kalayaan dulot ng paglipad. Siguro kung saan-saan na ako nakarating, pumasyal at dumapo.

Pero hindi ba't bilang tao napakarami na rin nating kalayaan para hangarin pa ang kalayaan ng paglipad?

English Translation:

There are times that I can't help but think of how it must feel when you are free to fly. I think if I have that freedom, I would fly every where I want to, go where ever and rest where ever.

But in retrospect, as a human being, I already have so much freedom to even ask and question why I was not given the freedom to fly.

Thursday 2 Questions:

1. If you were given wings for 24 hours, where would you go?
> I'd fly to Italy and explore the country.

2. What is one freedom that you can not even dream of losing?
> The freedom to express myself. I would be devastated if I can't express my thoughts in any way possible.

Brightest Blessings!

Evardome - Capalad Nuptials

2011-07-27T13:04:00.002+08:00

Aside from being excited for my friend who got married August of last year, I was also excited that she asked me to capture that precious moment for them.

The wedding took place mid-week and I only had less than a week to prepare for it. It was an experience that I will never forget.

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Families

2011-07-25T10:33:00.000+08:00

Before I completely forget, I'd like to say Thanks to Nicolasa for including my photo as one of her favorites last week.

This photo was taken November 2010 when my sibling and I together with our respective families saw our parents off at the airport for their flight to the U.S. You can see from the faces of my brother, my sister-in-law and my sister-in-law's daughter, they have been crying.

It was a sweet moment, to see all of us together that night, but aside from the touching farewells and bon voyages, we were still able to bring out some of our nutty side and laugh. Sweet, nutty, salty and sometimes even sour, hey, that's family life.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 07.24.2011

2011-07-24T19:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a fun Saturday for me. Hubby and I went out to watch the last installment of the Harry Potter movie. While waiting for the movie to start, hubby and I decided to have lunch which gave me enough time to hunt for some of the items for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

1. Music to My Ears

One of the things that I find calming is the sound of running water. The rain drops on the roof and the sound it makes when it hits the concrete streets really is music to my ears.

2. Hat

Hubby readily posing for this hat shot yesterday!

3. Clear

This was taken through clear glass. The "floating" garden of the mall was closed due to the rains. However, the clear glass panes that surround the garden makes it possible for people like me to take photos of what is called the Oasis, the pond and the man-made falls.

4. Out of this World

I was stumped with this prompt and I was wondering how to best take a photo that would fit this item on the list. Thankfully the roof of the waiting area of the cinema had an occulus which was surrounded by a dark colored ceiling with some pin lights strategically scattered.

5. Sprinkles

An art project can look real cool when some glitters are sprinkled on them, don't you think?

Brightest Blessings!

LP | Masaya - Happy

2011-07-21T13:55:00.000+08:00

Masayang araw ng Huwebes sa inyong lahat!

Ang larawan sa itaas ay kuha nung ako ay imbitahan ng isang grupo ng mga kabataan na mahilig mag CosPlay. Masaya silang nagpose at nagpakuha ng kanilang mga litrato at nung kami'y pauwi na, makikita sa kanilang mga ngiti ang kasayahan na dulot ng isang araw ng pagsama-sama ng mga magkakaibigan.

English Translation

A good Thursday to all of you!

The photo above is of a group of youngsters who enjoy CosPlay or costume play. This group invited me last year to be one of their photographers for their shoot of scenes and characters from the anime called Getbackers.

They happily posed as photographers snapped away. At the end of the day, you can still see happy smiles on their tired faces because they enjoyed a day of bonding with their friends.

Thursday 2 Questions

1. What is one small thing that makes you happy?

> I feel happy when my dog decides to lie down beside me when I'm working in front of the computer.

2. If you could wish for one thing with an assurance that it would come true, what would it be?

> A bundle of joy.

Brightest Blessings!

Birthday Quote

2011-07-18T14:44:00.000+08:00

Birthdays herald good times with friends and family. It is also the time to say thank you for all the blessings that we have received from the past 364 days.

For those who celebrated and will be celebrating their birthdays this month, Well Wishes to All of You!

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 07.17.2011 | The Black and White Edition

2011-07-17T11:40:00.001+08:00

Another fast week and we are past the mid-point of July. How time flies! It's Sunday again and time to head on over at Ashley's blog for another edition of Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

Here are this week's items:

1. Black and White

I kinda thought about cheating on this item by just taking a photo of something that is black and white and editing it. I decided against it and here's what I've got:

I took the photo in black and white. To give it a more monochromatic look I just decided to use the invert function in Photoshop.

2. Reflections in Glass

A neighbor's car was parked near our home and when I saw the back window, I thought of this prompt.

Love the reflection of the sky, the trees and some roof top on it.

3. Headlights

I wasn't able to go out at night, so I had to take this photo during day time

4. Seeing Double

Really cute cats

And I think the cat walking thought that it saw two of itself when it was walking towards the sleeping pair. This was originally of two separate photos, the first one is of the sleeping cats and I just added the walking cat in the background.

5. Bare

Bare feet on pebbled walk way

We went swimming yesterday and it was really fun!

Brightest Blessings!

Eastwood City

2011-07-12T12:57:00.001+08:00

The first time I set foot in Eastwood City was 2001. Back then it was made up of a few office buildings and some restaurants. Nine years after, this is how it looks like

From the New Eastwood City Mall

Megaworld and Cybermall

Eastwood City Walk

Near the Central Plaza

Our Favorite Restaurant

The place where the new Eastwood City Mall stands today was once a vacant lot made into a parking area.

Today, the city is a thriving community of business, recreation and residential condominium towers. The Business Process Outsourcing companies in the area has provided more than 30,000 jobs to people, whose employers include companies such as Dell and IBM. The cyberpark is listed as an approved IT Center by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, making export-oriented companies located therein eligible for certain incentives from the government.

For transients, today Eastwood City is home to a luxury hotel which is located behind the new Eastwood City Mall and within close proximity of different restaurants.

If you're interested to live in an area where everything is easily accessible, you may want to check out Eastwood City.

Contact them at:

Address:

Eastwood City Information Centre, Eastwood City 188 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue (C-5), Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Philippines 1110

Tel. No.:

(+632) 421-0000 Fax No.:

(+632) 421-3960

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Anything

2011-07-11T13:13:00.000+08:00

One food that really stuck to me was this - Pizza (in any form, shape or size). Last Saturday, hubby and I went to a restaurant that serves what they call panizza. At first we were asking ourselves what the heck it was. We decided to take the plunge after bouncing off other food ideas, we ordered a serving and when it came with small bowls for tomato salsa, some greens and sprouts, we were like "What the hell were we thinking?"

After the first bite though, we were saying "Hmmm, panizza, thin crust, pan pizza or what ever, it's still pizza and it's delicious!"

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 07.10.2011

2011-07-10T16:33:00.000+08:00

And here are my photos for this week's Scavenger Hunt Sunday

1. Things that Look like the Letter of the Alphabet

Looking for some stuff that looks like any letter of the alphabet, I came across this hook. My favorite letter - J.

2. Weather

It has been gloomy the past week and as of typing this post, the rain has been pouring non-stop since Monday! I'd like to say Hello, rainy season. Goodbye, water problems. However, I can only say hello to rains because we're still having some problems with our water supply here at home. =(

3. Bling

Can you say, princess much? That's how I felt when hubby gave me this bear and bouquet of roses when I got promoted at work some couple of years ago.

4. Tangled

If there's anything that's really tangled here at home, that would be the serving of my spicy shrimp and garlic in olive oil pasta.

5. Dark

I know it's not really dark, but what can I say? I love that dark, well done baby back ribs barbeque that we had for lunch yesterday.

Brightest Blessings!

Flower Power

2011-07-08T18:07:00.000+08:00

This is one of my favorite photos this week.

The story behind this is, I almost gave up on the seedlings of these flowers. I planted them in three different pots and I did not see any sprouts for about two weeks.

I thought I lost my gardening touch and was ready to empty the pot when I noticed that there were sprouts in each one of them! It's been a month now since I almost gave up and seeing these blooms remind me that there is no reason for me to do so.

Brightest Blessings!

Paper Heart Photo | Sunset

2011-07-06T22:46:00.000+08:00

I am not a morning person.

Although I do welcome the sunrise and the new day it brings, I welcome the sunset with open arms more. I love the darkness that it brings, for me it is not something to be scared of. Instead it is a symbol of peace, rest and reflection of the day that was.

It's 10:46PM here in the Philippines as I write this post, I bid you all good night.

Brightest Blessings!

Marikina City | Immaculate Concepcion Parish Church

2011-07-05T15:18:00.000+08:00

I have been trying to find the perfect home for my Philippine Destinations posts, I've tried opening up a travel blog, then transferred its contents to my personal blog after closing the travel blog.

But that light bulb moment came after I took a break from posting my "travel" photos. I'll start posting them here from now on!

Since I don't want a repeat of posting, I'll start with a place that I went to last April 2010.

One of the traditions here in the Philippines during Holy Week is called Visita Iglesia (visitation of different churches). Last year, we went to one that is quite near our place, the Immaculate Concepcion Parish Church.

The landmark

Riding a jeep, you just need to look for this big market on the right side of the street.

The Church Facade

The Church Aisle and Altar

This church is one of the oldest and most populated parishes in the city.

Address : Bayan-Bayanan Ave., Concepcion Uno
Telephone : 948-4507 or 941-4870
Year Founded : 1958

Brightest Blessings!

Photography: Is It Really for Those with Money to Burn?

2011-07-04T18:05:00.000+08:00

I have read time and time again that photography is an expensive hobby which is more or less suited for those with money.

I don't believe this for a single minute. If you are passionate about something, the cost takes second place. I'm not saying that one should just go out and buy the most expensive SLR body that money can buy along with all the lenses and flash units that you can afford. It's just that I believe that the expenditures when it comes to buying gear can be avoided if only one knows what to buy and why the reason for buying what ever gear it is that is out in the market.

I'm not ashamed to say that I still work using the kit lens of my SLR because I'm still perfecting my technique and also, I'm still trying to figure out which field I would be most interested in.

I may or may have not improved over the years, but here are some shots that I took while learning photography and processing for the last two years.

Taken with an old compact digital point and shoot camera

Taken with my Nikon P80 - Model Shoot

My first model shoot using my D5000

Food Photography using my Nikon D5000

Brightest Blessings!

Fil-Am Friendship Day | 4th of July

2011-07-04T15:54:00.001+08:00

Before I go to my post, I'd like to thank Nicolasa for including my "Summer" photo and quote in the top 3.

For those who are wondering why I chose the quote, the story is:

The Philippines was a former colony of the United States of America from 1848 to 1946. Before the establishment of our country's independence day celebration on the 12th of June, we celebrated our independence day on the 4th of July.

Former President Diosdado Macapagal moved our independence day celebration to the 12th of June which was the date that Malolos Republic declared our independence from Spain. President Macapagal then designated the 4th of July as the Filipino-American Friendship Day as a way to commemorate the joint efforts of the American and Filipino soldiers to liberate our country from the occupation of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

In this light, please allow me to greet you

Happy 4th of July and Happy Filipino-American Friendship Day!

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 07.03.2011

2011-07-03T19:56:00.002+08:00

Before anything else, Happy 4th of July weekend!

And now on to the photos. This week's items are:

1. Pop of Color

I thought about doing a pop art post processed photo, but I forgot to download a tutorial. Excuses, excuses - LOL! I just decided to do a selective coloring processing on this photo, but with a twist. Instead of just coloring the flower and flattening the image, I decided to give the colored layer an embossed look and then blended it at multiply, just to make the color pop out a bit.

2. Crossing Thresholds

To date, a major threshold that I crossed in my life, getting married and moving to a new home. The photo is of our wedding bands framed by our front door.

3. X- Ray

Please mouse over to see the original photo

A most interesting, but definitely challenging item.

To achieve the faux x-ray look:

1. Create a document with a black background
2. Paste the photo that you have chosen to turn into an x-ray film
3. Invert the photo and use screen as the blend mode at 70% opacity
4. Desaturate the image
5. Adjust the image's hue = 0, saturation = 50 and lightness = 50
6. Create a new transparent layer, fill it with green and play with the blending modes
7. From here, experiment until you get the look that you want.

4. Toy

I took the photo after playing with my dog. He was trying to snatch the ball from me and when he got it, he ran for the sofa outside. We never thought that he would be selfish with that ball because it took us a year of introduction before he actually got to play with it. Oh and that's after we tied a clean sock to it, too.

5. Hidden/Farm

Can you find the hut hidden behind all those trees?

Brightest Blessings!

Red, White and Blue

2011-07-01T14:02:00.000+08:00

This week's suggested theme for Foto Friday is Red, White and/or Blue.

I originally thought of sharing a photo of the Philippine flag since it has the same colors, but I thought why not try something different.

Gathering some flowers from the plant box in front of my home, I was able to get two of the needed colors, red and white. Thankfully there's a small blue bowl around which I used to contain the flowers.

Brightest Blessings!

Wet | Basa for LP

2011-06-30T19:22:00.000+08:00

Ang litratong ito ay kuha pa noong nakaraang Enero. Isa sa mga kaibigan ko sa Facebook ang nagimbita para sa isang photowalk sa Ulingan.

Ang mga taong ito ay basang-basa ng pawis dahil sa pagtratrabaho nila sa ilalim ng matinding sikat ng araw.

Siguro higit sa litrato ay may isa akong mahalagang bagay na natutunan sa aming pagpunta sa Ulingan. Ang hindi magreklamo dahil lamang sa maliit na bagay. Ang mga taong ito ay nagtratrabaho araw-araw sa isang lugar na hindi kaaya-aya, ngunit hindi sila nagrereklamo, bagkus ay ngiti pa ang isinalubong sa amin nung kami'y dumating.

English Translation:

This photo was taken last January when we went for a photowalk in the charcoal factory.

These people were sweating profusely because they were working non-stop under the heat of the sun.

If there was one thing that I took home more than a bunch of photographs, it would be - STOP COMPLAINING! The people in the Ulingan (Charcoal Factory) work in poor conditions every single day, but during my brief time with them, I have never heard any one complain, instead, we were greeted by these people with warm and welcoming smiles the time they saw us arrive.

Thursday Two Questions:

1. What sparked your interest in photography?

> I was always the photographer in the family. Never in front of the camera, but always the person behind the viewfinder. I guess I could say that what rekindled my interest in photography are the things that I see out in the streets - Photojournalism/Street Photography would always be my first love.

2. If given the chance to really go professional, what field would you choose?

> Tough choice. I would love to be a photojournalist and a food photographer during my spare time.

Brightest Blessings!

Smiles | Just For Kids

2011-06-28T19:39:00.001+08:00

I shared this photo in my other photoblog. The smiles on this girl's face is just so priceless that I can't help but share it here again.

This child was one of the many children whom I have met during a trip to the charcoal factory in Manila. What I most appreciate about them is the fact that they can smile amidst all the not so beautiful things that they see around them.

Brightest Blessings!

Quotography | Summer

2011-06-27T14:12:00.000+08:00

Summer has come and gone here in the Philippines and the rain that we have experienced the previous weeks made it difficult to capture something that said "SUMMER."

I'm posting a photo that I have taken last May (the last month of summer) and that's what I've got. A photo of the SUNRISE! The colors are absolutely splendid!

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 06.26.2011

2011-06-26T20:24:00.000+08:00

Sunday, time for another round of Scavenger Hunt Sunday with Ashley

The items for this week:

1. Windows/Doors

Instead of photographing houses, I decided to go for a car. Ain't my neighbor's car pretty?

2. Eyelashes

I love, love, LOVE this shot. Can you try to guess whose eyelashes are those? They are definitely not mine!

...giving up? That's my hubby's gorgeous eyelashes!

3. Paint

I decided to give those paint cans a painted look. Redundant? Hmmm, I thought so, too. =)

4. Leaf Veins

Those little things are not that easy to photograph. I really had to sharpen this one to make it stand out.

5. Faceless Portrait

Blurry? Yeah, it is. Although I kinda like the effect.

Brightest Blessings!

Broken?

2011-06-24T14:55:00.001+08:00

Friday once again and I'd like to share these two photos with you guys

Hubby treated me to visual and appetizing feast last Saturday. The place that he took me to is called Pan de Amerikana located along the stretch of what is known as Katipunan Avenue here in the Philippines.

What I most love about this place aside from the food is the theme. This restaurant is known as the first [and only] upside down restaurant in Asia. On the first photo: An upside down [broken] Range Rover, well it's not totally broken, at least the headlights still work. =)

On the second photo: A [broken] baby grand piano hung upside down along with some living room and dining room furniture! Cool, ain't it?

Brightest Blessings!

What We Need | Kailangan for LP

2011-06-23T12:44:00.000+08:00

Ano nga ba ang kailangan ng tao?

Siguro bukod sa pangaraw-araw na kailangan ay kailangan din nating makita ang kagandahan na nakapalibot sa atin. Kailangan natin ito sapagka't napakarami sa atin na minsan ay nakakalimot na maganda ang buhay kahit na minsan ay may mga hindi magandang pangyayari tayong nakikita sa ating paligid.

English Translation

What do people need?

I guess aside from our basic needs, we also need to see the beauty that is around us. There are times that because of all the ugliness and the suffering around, we forget to see that life is beautiful. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the simple, yet beautiful things that life has to offer.

Thursday Two Questions

1. Is it easier for you to address your wants or needs?

> From a practical stand point, it is easier to address the needs, but from my personal standpoint when it comes to saving money, it is easier for me to save for the things that I want. =)

2. What is the one thing that you really want to have before the year ends?

> A new lens and a flash. =)

Brightest Blessings!

The Gift of Innocence | Just for Kids

2011-06-21T18:31:00.000+08:00

If there's something that really warms my heart, that would be the laughter and joy from kids playing outside. If I do have kids of my own, I would love to give them the greatest gift that I could ever give them - the gift of innocence, joy, laughter and times without worries.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 06.19.2011

2011-06-19T17:26:00.005+08:00

Time to post this week's photos for Ashley's Scavenger Hunt.

1. Emotions

I have a Celtic Tarot Card Deck and there are times that I do tend to draw out some cards when I need something. This week it reminded me that it's okay to reminisce about the past, but to never allow regret to consume me.

2. From a Flower's Point of View

Shooting from behind an open flower makes me wonder all the time. The question in my head: "If flowers have eyes, how would they see the world?"

3. Natural Frame

We went to the first and only upside down restaurant in the Philippines yesterday. Here's how the windows of the restaurant look like:

4. Letters

An activity sheet that I used to use when I taught first graders. Alphabet time!

5. Bliss

It has been raining here most of the week and there is nothing more blissful than drinking a mug of hot chocolate while watching your favorite TV show and eating hotcakes.

Brightest Blessings!

Sacrifice of the Hanged Man

2011-06-17T13:44:00.000+08:00

I own a fabulous Celtic Tarot Card Deck and it has guided me through some of the toughest times.

The past two weeks have been trying on my patience, my personality, my resolve. And drawing the Sacrifice card means so much to me. It just reminded me to relax and let go, to stop feeling the need to be in control all the time, especially of my emotions...

It's scary, but all I can do is hang on tight and let my life be turned upside down for the meantime.

Brightest Blessings!

A Windmill and A Bakery

2011-06-15T20:37:00.002+08:00

That's a photo of the facade of the bakeshop found in the city of Shoes here in the Philippines.

The bakeshop serves the popular Filipino breakfast bread called pan de sal. Aside from their great tasting and low priced bread and food, the bakeshop is also popular because of their giant chessboard and chess pieces found inside the premises. It was just sad that the day hubby and I went there, we were not able to see the chess pieces up close because there was a kiddie birthday party being held in that part of the restaurant.

However, if you do travel to the Philippines and

If you want to taste authentic 1950's PAN DE SAL (mega sized wheat P5.50, giant Pandesal Pan Amerikano P55, mega-sized ensaymada P10), MARIKINA DISHES (everlasting and waknatoy), FILIPINO DISHES (ILOKANO-longganisa-papaitan-igado,dinakdakan, pinakbet,sarabasab,dinengdeng, steamed okra,dinuguan BICOLANO-express-laing, tinomok, bicol callos, pinangat, CEBUANO-sinugba, KAPAMPANGAN-sisig bangus-sisig rice-sisig pork, BATANGENO-tawilis), STEAKS (T-bone and Porterhouse), SEAFOODS-plapla bawang, bangus belly, PASTA (carbonara,spaghetti, bolognese, baked macaroni ), BREWED COFFEE , ICED TEA , FILIPINO BREAKFAST MEAL (Daing, Longganiza, Tocino, Tapa), CHINESE (chopsuey, lumpiang shanghai) MUSHROOM delicacies(crispy mushroom).......................

If you want to dine in a garden setting (waterfalls, treehouse, rope bridge, koi pond, traviesa benches, old antique wood tables, batibot chairs and tables, tropical rain forest plants, wishing well, Italian colonnade European ruins).............................................

If you want to play chess for free (using tournament sized table pieces or the jumbo-sized 3 and a half feet high plastic chess pieces imported from New York City)........................................

If you want to see a life-sized wind driven Netherland windmill..............................

if you want FREE Wi-Fi connectivity.....................................................

PAN DE AMERIKANA is the place to be............... its right at the heart of Marikina near World of Butterflies (open from 6am to 7pm everyday except Sundays 6am to 3pm)
A new restaurant branch in katipunan Ave., Quezon City was just finished and had just opened. It is considered as the FIRST and ONLY UPSIDE DOWN RESTAURANT in SOUTHEAST ASIA.

SOURCE

Brightest Blessings!

Sweet Quote | Pets

2011-06-14T14:00:00.000+08:00

I love this furry little guy to bits. We have gone through so much, he was diagnosed with liver problems about 2 years ago which was the reason he got hospitalized for about a week. My husband and I were both willing to give up our hobbies, sell our gear just so that we could raise enough funds to pay for his bills.

I guess our little Jazzy didn't want that to happen, because of some miracle, we were able to pay for his bills, bring him home and raise him.

Today, he's a happy, healthy and lively dog who loves to get a hug, play or bark at those who dare go near our home.

Brightest Blessings!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday | 06.12.2011

2011-06-12T13:41:00.001+08:00

The weather is so indecisive here, one time it's going to be really hot, next moment it's going to rain and this weather made me feel a little woozy.

And here are my so woozy photos:

1. Long Exposure

This one is from the vaults. Fireworks, I love them! I just processed it in GIMP and applied the Fake HDR script.

2. Shapes

I hope you can still see the different shaped crystals!

3. Green

Gum balls! I tried the green one and I love it. It wasn't too sweet nor was it too sour.

4. Fruit

One of our neighbors was actually able to grow a pineapple plant in a pot and I got so tempted to take a photo of it.

5. Childhood Memories

1st photo - I was around a year old and as my family told me, it was not hard to make me smile in front of the camera. Talk about baby camera hog!

2nd photo - that was a photo from one of my birthday parties. Since life was a little easy back then my mom and sister used to plan for my parties every year. My sister was the one who would go to the bakeshop to buy me a nice looking and yummy cake while mom was always busy cooking all the delicious food to serve to guests.

3rd photo - me and my favorite teacher (1st year high school) during our practice for HS graduation. It's nice to find this since I thought I lost most of photos from High School.

Brightest Blessings!

Lights, Camera, Action!

2011-06-10T14:59:00.000+08:00

This week, the theme over at Foto Friday is Action.

Here are some of the shots from my archive:

A colorful line of performers rehearsing their dance steps.

That's a photo from another group during their actual performance.

Brightest Blessings!

Put on the Brakes! - Preno

2011-06-09T12:14:00.000+08:00

Napakaraming parte ng isang sasakyan. Ang isa sa mga pinaka importanteng parte ng sasakyan ay ang preno. Napakahirap naman kasing mawalang ng preno ang sasakyan lalo na kung nasa biyahe ka. Nasan kaya ang preno?

English Translation

A vehicle has so many parts and one of the most important part of any vehicle are the brakes. It's quite dangerous when you're on the road and you find out that your car's brakes are faulty.

Thursday Two Questions:

1. Have you ever been out on the road and then find out that your car's brakes are not working properly?
> Thankfully the times that hubby and I are on the road the car that we use has never had any problems with its brakes.

2. How often do you have your car's brakes checked?
> The family car that we use has its brakes checked every six months, especially when we expect to use it for long distance driving.

Brightest Blessings!