Photographs and Memories

My 'dream' house

2010-04-18T18:35:00.001-07:00

This was in Pila, Laguna. I took this photo because the trimmings on the patio looked very interesting. I realized later that I've seen this house in a dream. Now that's kinda weird.

Bangkok on a hot, sunny day

2010-04-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

It was a hot day just like today. Our last day in Bangkok on the first day of November, 2009. This was after a grueling week of work - stress and lack of sleep. A friend and I decided to take Sunday morning to stroll Grand Palace and the Sleeping Buddha. Take in the sights and get some photos that indeed we were in Bangkok.

Wicca the Cat

2008-05-11T22:29:00.005-07:00

We adopted Wicca when we shouldn't, too many uncertainties in our lives right now. But she was so cute and we didn't have the heart to throw her out. She's shown here being cautious of Nemo although Nemo's very mild-mannered that he played with Wicca after a week. Coral, the eldest cat, still can't accept her though.

All the lonely people

2008-04-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

Mornings at MRT-North. This is what I have to deal with most mornings and it really gets me every now and then. First lesson on riding the MRT, learn to deal with the crowd and find a strategy to survive it.

Friends are friends forever

2008-04-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

A few of my high school classmates at Mae's place. This was two days after our high school reunion. It was fun, lots of fun. I'm with people I can let my hair down and not worry about what they think of me. Most of them have known me for a long time and in the case of Mayette, we've been aware of each other when we were born and later became friends - classmates since elementary until high school.

High School

2008-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Our high school graduating class was around 54. Yup, we were a very small batch of two sections. And I'm proud that there were more than 30 that attended the recent reunion. This was my 1st year high school class photo taken during the Christmas party.

Looking back at sadness

2008-04-21T00:25:00.000-07:00

Camiguin taken from the ferry a few minutes before we got to the mainland. We left my Auntie's (Papa's sister) wake before the funeral to attend a cousin's (Mama's niece) wedding in Cagayan de Oro. It was an unexpected and fast trip to Camiguin. Although we knew Auntie's leaving us soon because of cancer, I was hoping she would still be here for her and Nanay's birthday in August.

Van Gogh

2008-03-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Reminds me of Van Gogh's Sunflowers although these are not sunflowers and these are just neglected flowers in my workstation. Looks pretty just the same...

Because it's cute... and can be profound

2007-12-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have Imagined. See what you think:

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"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grand-father does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." – Rebecca, age 8

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"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." - Billy, age 4

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"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
- Karl, age 5

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"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." -Chrissy, age 6

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"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." - Terri - age 4

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"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." - Danny, age 7

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"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" - Emily - age 8

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"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." - Bobby, age 7

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"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," - Nikka - age 6

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"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."-Noelle, age 7

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"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." - Tommy - age 6

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"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." - Elaine-age 5

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"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." - Chris - age 7

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"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." - Mary Ann - age 4

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"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." - Lauren - age 4

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"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little Stars come out of you..." - Karen - age 7

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"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." - Mark - age 6

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"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." - Jessica - age 8

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English Garden

2007-10-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a bright sunny day when we woke up so we decided to go to Seedling Bank and get a couple of plants for the garage. See, we don't have a car instead we put plants there. I found the flowers on the left and decided to plant them in one pot, sort of like an english garden in a pot. We got the flowers on the right at SM North the next day. Flowers can make me relax so it's a nice welcome when I get home after work.

MRT Sunset around Cubao

2007-10-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting to put my camera in my bag so I have to use my phone camera with lower pixels. This was last Friday on my way home, just thought the sun looked so beautiful that time. The fuzzy dots are from those MRT adverts' sticky residue.

Hydrangeas

2007-09-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

I love these flowers but our plants haven't bloomed in over a year. I was reminded of this photo when I saw a couple mopheads at our office building, which was a pleasant surprise to balance the stodginess. Locally, it's called Milflores. This was taken at Golden Gate Park a couple of years ago.

My rug!

2007-09-20T19:52:00.001-07:00

This is my rug. No one can take it away from me. Not even you!

To be a kid again

2007-08-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this photo. Reminds me of weekends at the beach growing up with neighborhood barkada: waking up early on a Saturday morning because you know it'll be a fun day; Staying in the water all day that Papa used to say I'd turn violet (as opposed to brown); having grilled food for lunch; going home very tired that I'm out by 5pm.

I miss being a kid right now.

Nurture

2007-08-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Been nurturing this plant since I joined this organization in June. The soil was so dry and there was only one leaf when I got it, another pamana from the previous occupant. It's looking a bit healthy now but it'll take awhile before it'll be lush.

Office Plant

2007-08-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

I inherited this plant from the previous occupant of my workstation. I plan to bring more plants in to get some oxygen circulating in this place. Nice, no?

My American Husband's Lakbayan grade

2007-06-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

My Lakbayan grade is B+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Where in the Philippines have you visited?

2007-06-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

My Lakbayan grade is B!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Nemo in a box

2007-05-27T18:30:00.001-07:00

This is a contested area. Coral likes to sleep on top of the box where we keep maps of the places we've been to while Nemo loooves being in it. Think it's cool. Can't resist taking this photo where he looks so cute.

Politically-Correct Berkeley

2007-05-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

We also bought this bacon at Andronico's that basically said 'These are happy pigs when they were still alive... blah-blah"

It's really interesting for a person like me who comes from a developing country that there are people in the developed countries who are really into these issues. This should not be taken in a bad way, I hope someday my country will be in the same place.

Bastet

2007-05-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Been collecting cats and cat-like figures for a number of years now since we got REAL cats. Bastet is a cat goddess worshipped in Egypt. Although she doesn't look like this statue I saw in Banaue, it still reminds me of her.

San Agustin Wedding

2007-05-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Asawa ko and I enjoy going to old churches. We like the quietness as well as checking out the architectural design. We were lucky in this photo to witness a wedding at San Agustin Church in Intramuros. This was taken two years ago.

Cats' Hot Summer Nights

2007-04-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Coral and Nemo thinks the table is the best place to keep themselves cool. Fortunately, We no longer use this as a dining table.

Half Dome

2007-04-24T03:55:00.000-07:00

The logo of North Face was the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Wala lang, I just needed something today that'll remind me of a time when I was really, really cold. It was around 6C when this picture was taken compared to 34C right now with 52% humidity.

Graduation fever

2007-04-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

Nope, I didn't graduate and I didn't take this photo. I stole it from my classmate Mike. I attended our center's graduation to take photos but didn't get the chance to run to Quezon Hall but really wished I did. Oble looks so cute with the Sablay. It'll be my turn next year.

Guimaras Sunset

2007-04-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Wonder if the sea in this site still looks as pristine as this after the oil spill. This was taken in 2003, a few years before the spill.

Angels we have heard...

2007-04-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

This was our Christmas decor at our entranceway last year: Angels and Advent candles. Just though it looked so peaceful which is kinda nice right now. I usually miss Christmas this time of year, dunno why.

Curious Nemo

2007-04-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Is this food???

MRT Rush

2007-04-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

I used my phone camera here so it's not a very clear photo but still you can see how crowded it was. I wasn't even able to get in this train. It took more than five trains passing me by today before I can get into one.

Where the heck are we...

2007-04-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

We took this what felt like a thousand-steps up in Calgary Hill, Coron, Palawan. Was rewarded with a view of sunrise on top. We then took the 'back road' down, all dusty and grassy but fun.

Victoria Peak, HK

2007-04-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

I saw this show on Travel and Living that featured Hong Kong and was reminded of this photo. This is one of the first photos I took from my ever reliable, now kinda old, camera. Amazing, no, how Hong Kong is so crowded with buildings that are so close to the shore.

Rainbow

2007-04-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

A rare day in Metro Manila when one sees a rainbow this bright. Took this photo from our third-floor balcony sometime November 2006. Yup, this is the view from our balcony. It doesn't look quite like we're in Metro Manila, does it? Well, except for THAT building.

Petunia Time

2007-04-07T04:48:00.000-07:00

It's summer and the Petunias are going wild with flowers. We usually buy Petunias in January and enjoy them until the end of summer. Manila's rainy season makes the plant stems rot.

Calesa

2007-04-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

I altered this into a black-and-white photo. It's an interesting shot of Vigan's town plaza with the calesa on the foreground. It does look like an old photo for a second...

April comes

2007-03-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

I would do anything to be in a beach right now. It's soooo hot in Metro Manila.

Lotus Shoes

2007-03-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Heard and read about it but never saw one before. It was a shock that some people still practice footbinding since shoes like these are still sold in Melaka, Malaysia. Just imagine the pain!

All Sweetness and Light

2007-03-19T02:14:00.000-07:00

They used to fight a lot but after several years of being together, they've finally accepted that they're stuck with each other.

Imagine that...

2007-03-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

Philippines is now the most corrupt country in Asia. It used to be Indonesia...

Cold

2007-03-05T01:53:00.000-08:00

It was the first time I've been VERY cold, 6 degrees celsius when we entered Yosemite National Park. I had to take a picture of the tree when it started thawing as the day got a bit warmer. Picture taken sometime towards the end of November, 2005.

Camiguin

2007-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

When I talk of Nanay, Camiguin can't be far behind. It's a small island north of Mindanao where the family comes from. We were originally from Bohol but my great-grandparents moved to Camiguin early on. It's a great place for a retreat and reflection. Nanay always says Camiguin means 'come again' because it's always calling you to go there again and again.

Nanay

2007-03-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

The picture was taken over a year ago, Christmas 2005. She was 98 years old then. The family had a big celebration on her 99th birthday in 2006 where she insisted she's 94 years old because 99 'is a very old person'. Says she's not THAT old.

The other picture is with her great-grand kids that are all close to her.

'nuff said...

2007-02-14T23:20:00.000-08:00

Election craziness

2007-02-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

"...and it's coming around again...." - Carly Simon

Cats on a picnic

2007-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Exciting tuna day!