Obsession With Photography

I have always loved photography. I have always been the type of person who would bring around a camera to all the places that i would go to. I remember bringing rolls and rolls of film everywhere when i was still in grade school. When i bought my first digital camera (a Canon Powershot), i was soooo thrilled. A 256mb cf was never enough. And when we bought our slr late last year, i was so ecstatic! But for the first couple of months, i didn't quite understand how to use it. I found it very frustrating. But after taking basic classes and getting tips from the experts (*a shoutout to the people from Pipho! :)), I am slowly learning :) But unfortunately my obsession is growing. I am not a very patient person. And right this moment i feel my frustration boiling over because i want to learn everything that i can about photography and PS this very second. I don't want to wait until tom because i feel like tom there are other new things to learn. ARGHHH. Impatient little me.

All i can say is --my camera and my Photoshop CS2 are my new best friends. And i don't think my day would be complete without using my camera, PS and without surfing pipho. hehe.


*today i am thankful for my bluey (my computer's name :P)

Oooooohhh I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Kat! :) I just hope it won't take me forever to finish this :)


TEN men you find sexy:
1. Joshua Jackson (my soulmate! haha)
2. Brad Pitt
3. Chad Michael Murray (yummy :P)
4. Michael Vartan (my ultimate crush)
5. Jason Shaw
6. Josh Hartnett
7. Wally Szczerbiak (my nba player crush :))
8. Orlando Bloom
9. Eric Bana
10. Ryan Phillippe

NINE people you will invite to a special party:
1. lhb
2. bulzy
3. kim
4. aine
5. mon
6. john
7. jo
8. chad :D
9. carms
*9 is so not enough! :) if i could put people that i do not know i would invite those in the list above :D

EIGHT sure fire ways to get my attention:
1. if you know how to sing
2. if you know how to dance
3. a big, sincere smile
4. if you like music
5. if you're "makulit" but NOT annoying
6. chocolates
7. fireworks (eh?)
8. sweetness (hahahahaha :))

SEVEN pet peeves:
1. stupidity
2. people who don't care
3. corruption
4. know-it-alls
5. uneducated people who think they're so smart (im sorry for being so mean!)
6. people who don't ask for directions
7. annoying people

SIX persons you look up to:
1. dad
2. mom
3. bill gates
4. walt disney
5. Natori
6. Lea Salonga

FIVE random things about you:
1. OC
2. i can get overly obsessed with any hobby that i get into (photography as of the moment)
3. i love to sing
4. frustrated musician :P
5. i cannot plug anything in an electric socket even if my life depended on it

FOUR most romantic songs:
*disclaimer--these were the songs that first came to mind. there are too many songs in this world that i love for me to just pick out 4 :)
1. ikaw
2. the promise
3. how did you know
4. say anything

THREE places you want to take a vacation in:
1. amanpulo
2. russia
3. maldives

TWO turn ons:
1. Eyes (I love the eyes :))
2. sexy/vainy (?) forearms-hands

ONE unfogettable moment:
Walking up the stage during my college graduation :)


*today i am thankful for pictures :)

A Trip To The Unknown

Yesterday lhb and i went with a group of other photography enthusiasts to a place called Liliw. It was definitely a trip to the unknown for me because i was never the outdoorsy type. But because i knew it was a place with waterfalls (which i love!), it was a trip that i didn't want to pass up. It was a long drive but i must say it was worth every minute. On our way to Liliw, we stopped along the road to take pictures of the fields and mountains. The sights that we saw along the way were breathtaking. I loved it. Once we got to our destination, we had to park our cars at a certain area, eat lunch then walk to the falls. It was around a 15-20 minute walk. To my amazement there were a lot of people. There were even people camping out. Being photo enthusiasts, we couldn't leave or bring our cameras just anywhere. And we couldn't just take and take pictures with the people in it. But with the number of people around, it was difficult to take a good shot from where we were. So a bunch of us left our things (with lhb at first) and only with our precious cameras in hand(and a few tripods), we walked across the rocks (which weren't tiny, flat and evenly sized!) and sat down (or at least tried to) near the water/river. Being the only girl in that particular group it wasn't easy at all to walk across. I had to give all my things to my other friends because i couldn't climb the rocks without holding on to the surrounding rocks. It was slippery! And when i got to the other side i literally wanted to just lie down and rest. But i couldn't because there was hardly anything to sit down on. And my sole purpose for going there was to take pictures, which i did. And i was very happy :) The people i were with were wonderful! They helped me take great pictures (great for my standards at the very least:)). Luckily lhb was able to leave our things with another friend of ours and was able to join us. After getting our things, we also went to the middle part of the river where the water was calmer and took more pictures. It was a fabulous trip. On our way back, we had dinner together. Then a few of us still went to a gasoline station to take pictures of the highway. We parted ways at around 1030 pm. It was a fun fun day :) I cannot wait till the next trip :)


*today i am thankful for new found friends and hobbies :) I am also thankful for the safe trip we had yesterday.

Chocolates

I didn't eat chocolates for like a week for the wedding. And i am so thankful that i can start eating chocolates again! Caramel Macadamia Nuts (thanks chad!!!!:) and Dark Chocos here i come!!! :) Yay :)

A Dear Friend's Wedding

The past week has been hell. But it ended with a wedding that i will always remember; V & G's wedding.

My day started with a schedule that hardly gave me time to breathe. A couple of months ago i was chosen to be the proxy of another friend of ours who lives abroad and couldn't come back for the wedding. I was really apprehensive at first because our friend who couldn't come back is one of G's best friends and i felt that i shouldn't be the one to replace her. But of course i was very happy to be a part of G's wedding. I've been friends with her since i was 7 yrs old. We've been in the same group of friends in elementary and high school. And we were in the same class for 10 years. There's actually nothing that i wouldn't do for this girl. Going back to my schedule yesterday, i had to visit my mom's grave because it was her death anniv, got something for the wedding, had an appointment with my hairdresser/make up artist at 10 am, had to go home get dressed and eat lunch; and we had to be at the hotel by 2 pm. I had a crazy schedule!!!

J (another bridesmaid) & i got there on time and watched as the bride was getting ready. She wore the most beautiful yet eccentric gown and it looked fabulous on her! And it was such a special moment for me seeing her getting ready. I've known her forever and being there, at that moment felt very surreal. I actually felt as if my heart was going to leap out of my chest! It was wonderful. When the other bridesmaids arrived and when the bride was done, we went down to have pictures taken. Then we went to the church. J, P & i rode with A. And J & I told them about our "dress adventure" the day before (Much to her dismay she had to wait around 4 hrs for her dress which wasn't at all finished when she arrived. --couldn't these people be any slower?! it was the day before the wedding for crying out loud!!!!!!!!! She only went to work in the morning for that. Her mom was with her and they were almost towed and had to pay the towing guys 500 just so they wouldn't get the car. I, on the other hand went there in the morning, saw my dress but couldn't fit it because there was this girl who took forever in the fitting room. So i talked to the secretary and we agreed that i should just come back between 3-4 pm. I arrived a little bit past 5 pm and much to my surprise the dress was ready but the sash wasn't!!! I had to wait around almost an hour just for that. And the bad thing was lhb was with me and he left the car for just a couple of minutes and our car got towed. Of course lhb got mad at me for taking too long and because the car got towed and we had to pay 1000! and J's mom got mad at her too. Thus ends our dress adventure :)). Anyway, after the mass (which of course again brought tears to our eyes!!!) we all went back to the hotel for the reception. There were games which thankfully i wasn't a part of (perks of being at the presidential table and perks of not being single! haha). It was really fun! And i am so grateful to J because i was with her practically the whole time. And she understood very well that i didn't want to hang out with my ex group of friends :P. But other than not having a lot of close friends there to hang out with, it was really a fantastic wedding :)

Congratulations V & G for a wonderful wedding. I wish them all the happiness and success!! :) May they always find God in the center of their relationship. And may their marriage be filled with many more blessings :)


*today i am thankful for a helping hand :) And i am thankful for my fab college friends. Last night made me realize how lucky i am that they are still a part of my life. I am thankful for lhb's XSgroup of friends. They have been like my own barkada for the past 4 years.. I miss them terribly and i hope we see them very soon!!! :) (I think weddings really make me feel sentimental! If in my own wedding only those really close to me would be there, i would be the happiest girl in the world :))

The Irony Of Life

Everyday our existence is altered as we go through experiences that shake our very core. We celebrate the happy moments. We grieve over hardships. But what happens when grief and happiness coincides? What happens when one life begins while another ends? How do we deal with it? How do we stop the pain?

A friend of mine (PM) proposed (and got a yes!) just last sunday. I remember thinking how lucky they were to be so in love and so happy. I was texting with them, congratulating them and though i couldn't see them, i felt their overflowing joy. I was even saying that we should all go out and celebrate because we haven't seen each other for ages. It was a good day not only for them but also for those who heard about the engagement.

But yesterday morning (tues morning), lhb got a message from another friend asking for PM's number. At first i thought he was going to congratulate them. But then the messages started pouring in. PM's dad passed away. And we couldn't believe it. Losing a parent can put a person in the lowest of lows. And everytime a close friend of mine does, i still end up not knowing what to say. How do you tell someone that it will be ok but the pain never really goes away? How do you tell someone that despite the pain, he/she must attend to all the paper work just so the bank accounts won't be frozen, etc? I want to help but i know the best that i can do is be there.

At the wake last night, another friend told me that she actually just visited a friend who gave birth. Also a few of our friends just found out about the engagement last night. And of course we all couldn't congratulate PM and his fiance and simply be happy about it. How does one react? It's not a great feeling at all. It's so ironic how something so wonderful can turn out tragic.

I pray for the soul of PM's dad. May he rest in peace. And may PM's family continue to have strength for themselves as well as for each other.


*today i am thankful for life. I am thankful for strength. I am also thankful for the mistakes that make us realize our wrong decisions.

Another Shower To Remember

Last night i went to the bridal shower of another friend. Our first "plan" for the evening didn't quite work out the way we wanted it to. But we hung out and had an interesting time! I'm glad i was with that group of girls for that :) The second part of the shower was held at one of the girls's place. We were all feeling sleepy and hungry by the time the second phase rolled around (2nd phase = party with close friends), so we cooked and ate sausages (no pun intented :D). During the whole first phase, we were joking around with having sausages for snacks. So it was so funny when that was what we actually had. My friend's college friends were there. I think i was the only one not from their college (excluding the fiance!). I only knew a few people but it was fun. I had a great time! :)

This friend of mine and i had been friends since first grade. And we've had our share of problems in the past. In high school i wasn't such a perfect friend to her. We'd always fight. And for like a year we didn't even talk that much even though we belonged to the same circle of friends. And though we've been really ok the past couple of years, something didn't feel quite right. So last Christmas, i included a letter with my gift which said all the things that i never got to in the past years (like sorry and thank you). And i am glad i did that. I think (and hope) that things will get even better from here :) I love my friend to death and i am grateful that i still have her in my life (especially after all that had happened between me and my ex-circle of friends). I wish her the very best :)


*today i am thankful for funny moments :) and i am thankful that lhb's parents always remember me when they travel (it's always so touching when they do!!!). I am thankful for the dark chocolates ("chocolat extra noir, 72% cacao!" whooohooo!!!) that his dad gave me from europe :)

Life...

Quote from One Tree Hill:

"Most of our life is a series of images. They pass us by like towns on a highway. But sometimes a moment stuns us at it happens. And we know that this instance is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever"

I had a pretty stressful day yesterday. Having a business and having to pay for so much things isn't quite as exciting as it seems. It can get pretty frustrating. And i'm also stressed out because 2 of my patterns are due on monday. Hopefully i get to finish them on time because if i don't i would be forced to back out from the competition (i think). But that might take a load off my shoulders.

It's the weekend and i feel like my mind is going to explode because of all the things i have to think about and work on. But thanks to the people that i get to talk to, life becomes a bit easier. :)


*today i am thankful for laughter and good conversations :)
*haley and nathan : "always and forever" :)