One Last Photograph

AH LIFE lesson 019

2007-05-26T18:16:00.001+08:00

We should struggle vehemently against darkness.

Days of darkness-night are short-lived. I knew it. My soul-height taught me this truth sublime. Days of darkness-night are short-lived. I knew it. My heart-depth taught me this wisdom sublime. Days of darkness-night are short-lived. I knew it. My smile-breadth taught me this God-lesson unparalleled. - Sri Chinmoy

Yet Another Typical Day

2007-05-20T11:03:00.000+08:00

This may look like a typical day where tricycles are aligned on the streets but this day is in fact the Election Day. It was taken last May 13 at Binalonan, Pangasinan during our way home after my mom and dad had finished voting.

AH LIFE lesson 018

2007-05-20T10:53:00.001+08:00

If cockroaches had survived different casualties, why can't we?

I saw this unknown specie lying on our sofa bed a week ago so I might as well share it to everyone. What do you think this is guys? I bet this is some sort of a weird looking cockroach, isn't it?

Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive; I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give and I'll survive. – I Will Survive

AH LIFE lesson 017

2007-04-27T19:09:00.001+08:00

Feeling nostalgia isn't so bad after all.

I can't find any interesting subject to represent my entry so I ended up using this shot that I took a couple of weeks ago. I've been out for a week doing some baby sitting stuffs. Anyway, Nikki and Jadel encourage me to write a poem so I might as well share it to everyone. Try checking my links if you want to visit their blog. This isn't my thing so pardon me if you think it is lame. Lol.

My heart was broken by a boy
He treated me like a toy
And now it is finally mend,
He ended up as my friend.

Have you ever felt a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past? Well, I do. The picture here has a nostalgic impact to me. It reminds me of my childhood in the barrio where I used to play with this boy (he isn't the one that I'm talking about in the poem!). Hehe. We share each other's toys and sentiments; he let me share his toy gun and I let him play tea cup party with me. Oh, so much for nostalgia.

AH LIFE lesson 016

2007-04-18T13:05:00.001+08:00

Thought that life is a bed of roses? Think again.

2007 election is near. I believe that a person capable of position is someone rational enough to glimpse a clear perspective of this shot.

Sometimes I come in mind that life is but mere hopes and dreams. Well, I hope that someday people will rise from the ashes of broken poverty. Not all of us can afford to buy a bed that will lay our back at ease. We should be thankful to be fortunate enough not to spend the night living on streets. Open your eyes. This is reality.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. I have a dream today. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

AH LIFE lesson 015

2007-04-16T17:02:00.001+08:00

You have to dig harder than that.

There is no such thing as "instant" except for instant noodles. Lol. Anyway, if we want something in our life, we need to work hard on it because it's hard to achieve it in the easy way. For instance, if you're looking for a buried treasure, you need a shovel to dig it up. We couldn't just sit around and wait for it to be unburied. We need to exert a lot of effort and face many trials in order to succeed just like Manny Pacquiao did when he knocked down Jorge Solis yesterday. I'm not an avid fan of boxing but watching Pacquiao's glorious triumph inspired me to be victorious in another way. Still, I congratulate both the athletes for showing such an incredible fight.

I don't have an amulet. What I know is that God gives gifts to people. And He gave me the gift of a strong punch. I will use it to give glory to Him. – Manny Pacquiao

AH LIFE lesson 014

2007-04-14T00:35:00.000+08:00

Learn when and where to let somebody enter your life. One wrong move and you'll be toast.

Do you still remember your history regarding the Trojan horse or were you sleeping during that time? Lol. This legend taught me how to be aware of my surroundings and not to give my trust easily on anybody. There was a time in my life when I let myself be fooled by someone who happens to be my friend. I don't want to give too much detail on what happened. Anyway, I bought an album of Katharine McPhee and I just want to share the lyrics of the song entitled Over It.

The photograph of the gate interprets the legend of the Trojan War except that there's no phony horse in it. Lol. The closed gate also reflects the meaning of the song which is unwillingness on something or someone. Enough of this entry, it's getting redundant already.

I'm over your lies and I'm over your games. I'm over you asking me when you know I'm not okay. Wanting you to be wanting me; no that ain't no way to be. How I feel, read my lips because I'm so over. Moving on, it's my time. You never were a friend of mine. Hurt at first, a little bit but now I'm so over. I'm so over it.

AH LIFE lesson 013

2007-04-13T00:09:00.000+08:00

Unzip your lips and express yourself by trying not to hurt someone physically.

Click here for a simple illustration that I made a year ago.

People could show there sentiments in many ways. Some prefer to write and others choose to shout at their highest pitch. Here's my way of delivering my concealed antagonism:

This Nobody is trying to survive the sarcasms of her boring life by taking photographs of her unlikable environment in the province. This Miss Goody-Two-Shoes rambles about everything of almost anything and is in fact the "taklesa" one in her family. This Algebra Girl happens to have more functional neurons on her right side of the brain which involves love for arts rather than the left hemisphere of the brain that is meant to associate with numbers. This Heartless of Music may not vocally sing in front of an audience but dramatically hums a melody for mending her broken heart that was emotionally murdered brutally by someone she once loved.

The photograph that I used in this post is a light bulb surrounded by woven wood that was taken in a restaurant a week ago. I am not good at expressing my feelings through actions or words. I'd rather take a photograph and give it a meaning to convey my true emotion. Every time I look at this picture, I feel enlighten even at my darkest moments. And oh, notice how I made this entry as my profile? Ooh, I'm blabbing too much nonsense now.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Soren Kirkegaard

AH LIFE lesson 012

2007-04-12T00:05:00.000+08:00

Get updated with General Information and be aware of current events.

A recent investigation shows that there are signs of water present beyond our solar system! As I was browsing the web, I saw this article in Yahoo News about the abundance of water on a planet outside the solar system. I got excited about the news so I just want to share it to everyone. Click here to read the full article.

By the way, the photograph above was one of my first attempts in photography that I shot before. I decided to make it as a subject for this entry because if you enlarge the image, you will notice some water droplets on it. At least, it is somehow related with this entry, ayt?

The presence of water does not exclude the possibility of life, but it doesn't mean it's there, either. – Travis Barman

AH LIFE lesson 011

2007-04-11T20:08:00.001+08:00

If you exert a lot of effort to something such as acting, dancing, writing, modeling, singing, photography, or sports, the outcome may not be as good as the professionals but it will always be remarkable if it is done by heart.

I came up with this photograph of a road and did a little post-processing on it a couple of months ago. I just realize that in every downfall whether you stumble or fall off a cliff there is always this helping light on your dimmest path. I thank God for his consistent help in showing me the right way whenever I feel lost. Hey, so you are still reading huh? Aren't you bored with this entry? Lol. Let's go back to the topic. The road to success is built with bulkiness rather than the finest sand in the universe that we all want. I bet you are yawning at this moment now.

Ok, so off the topic. I babysit the whole day. And I say it is so tiring even if all I had to do is to watch the purple dinosaur, Barney, for 11 hours straight! Being a nanny is fun except for the part when you have to change the diaper and hold some tainted stuff. I still have my humongous appetite on me despite of those waste materials of a baby. I bet you know what I am talking about.

There has been much tragedy in my life; at least half of it actually happened. – Mark Twain

AH LIFE lesson 010

2007-04-10T16:30:00.001+08:00

There is more to life than what your eyes can see.

There is nothing much special in me. I am just an average kiddo who loves taking photographs. I am not an actress, model nor a singer to look up with. My life is as boring as counting a herd of sheep. I have nothing to boast and no wonderful experience to share. I may not be like the skinny models in the magazines, the oh-so-beautiful girl next door, and the writer full of feelings, but I may be the boring girl who feels excitement in her boring life.

So for those of you who are wondering why I chose this photograph for my entry is because I barely notice this plant every day I walk into our house. I just pass into a bunch of log on my way home not knowing that there is a plant hidden inside. I just realized it was there when my niece come across to it and pull it over. Now I know where to start my life and I could say that this isn't a boring world after all. I'm going to start within; looking from the inside and not just rely on what I see.

One way or another I want to inspire people with my photographs and shout the whole world that there is more to life than what your eyes could see.

The man who has no inner life is the slave of his surroundings. – Henri Frederic Amiel

AH LIFE lesson 009

2007-04-08T23:28:00.000+08:00

Learn to look back.

I am already 15 years old and I have spent my childhood years living in a nearly civilized place in the province. My family and I went to Binalonan to visit our ancestral house there. The house was built some time in 1945 after the World War II. It is nice to look back from where I was born. The place is not so big but the lawn is wide enough for me to play with my friends when I was a kid. I could still remember the time when my grandfather will give me that old two-peso coin every time I perform in front of him as if I was in a theater. This is my first visit ever since my grandfather died before the millennium strikes. No matter where I go and no matter what country I visit, I will always go back to where my heart screams. We may not live here anymore but this house will always be my home and someday I will bring here my grandchildren and let them perform just like my grandfather did to me.

I've learned that the people you care about most in life are sometimes taken from you too soon. - Anonymous

AH LIFE lesson 008

2007-04-06T11:53:00.000+08:00

Show your true colors.

We all have our own insecurities - weight, height, skin tone, etcetera. So why do we need to lessen our self-esteem if we could be beautiful in some other way? Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty teaches us how to appreciate the things that we have rather than to feel pity for ourselves. 95% of Filipino women are worried with their physical appearance especially when they get a flip of the beauty section in fashion magazines. We don't have to be conscious if we see a lot of skinny models with flawless skin. We just have to appreciate what God made us to be and take a deeper look of the beauty within.

Show me a smile then. Don't be unhappy, can't remember when I last saw you laughing. If this world makes you crazy and you've taken all you can bear, you call me up because you know I'll be there. And I'll see your true colors shining through. I see your true colors and that's why I love you. So don't be afraid to let them show your true colors. True colors are beautiful like a rainbow.

AH LIFE lesson 007

2007-04-03T21:12:00.000+08:00

Having an older brother is fun!

My brother kept on teasing me how much I am interested with guy stuffs since I was a little kid. I dress like a girl, act like a girl, and think like a girl; nevertheless, there is still this boy-ish part of me.

I was six when I started pressing the computer's keyboard and playing gun games offline. When I was nine, I became fond of role playing games like Red Alert II, Counter Strike, and Star Craft. Three years after, I became addicted with online games like Ragnarok. Time has gone by and now I know how to hold a gun (the real one, of course). I learned this skill from my brother during a shooting course in SM two years ago. Moreover, I know how to play billiards. Actually, it was just a beginner's luck when I beat my bro during a one-on-one tournament.

Cars are added to my growing number of interests. Wait till he finds out that I am selling car accessories and subparts. Interested, anyone? I still need to work on with the "sales stock" technique. How long would I be in this kind of business? I don't even have any idea on their prices, names, and brands. I just want to earn my own money so I could by that digital camera that I have been eyeing for a couple of months now.

Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments. – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

AH LIFE lesson 006

2007-04-01T15:52:00.000+08:00

If you were to gamble, bet your life and play wisely. You'll have something big in return if you hit the jackpot.

Life is like gambling. You should know you what you are holding on. Life is a game. Never hold back your defense and have a trust-worthy offense. In the board game, Game of the Generals, the spy is the highest officer in all. It is funny how the lowest ranked officer is the only one who could knock down the spy. And inferior officer is called the private. I have this sensational feeling every time I play Game of The Generals. Why? It is simply because this game is fun and a bit electrifying not knowing where your enemy's flag is. I fear the thought that the world is our battlefield because we don't need to be afraid of the dead but the living.

The real reason for not committing suicide is because you always know how swell life gets again after the hell is over. – Ernest Hemingway

AH LIFE lesson 005

2007-03-30T18:25:00.000+08:00

God positioned our brain at the top to be the superior one.

Some hearts are meant to be broken, shattered, and crashed. Someday we'll find that someone who will bring those pieces together and thanking the person who once rip our heart. My friend told me before that I should never try and hold back my feelings for someone especially when I know it is the right thing. We can never escape the inevitable. The harder you fight it, the deeper and stronger the feelings would get. And I prove that wrong. There are things that we wanted so badly that we end up losing it. All I can do is to go with the flow. And I'll be sailing smoothly afterward.

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life. – Burton Hills

AH LIFE lesson 004

2007-03-28T20:54:00.000+08:00

All's well that ends well.

There are certain memories from the past that we can't help but to reminisce. Some contains countless laughter and others are mere sorrows. For a person like me who believes in the so-called "destiny", such circumstances that we encounter in our journey are inevitable.

Kirstein is one of my best-est friend since I-don't-know-when. She left us along with many other people who valued her a lot. She departed the country together with her family maybe to seek a better future in the States. She said she has no choice and we all respect her leaving. No more corny jokes to ride on with and no more company on my way home. I couldn't handle this illusive thought that our 'kada will be facing our senior year without her presence.

There is this fate that keeps on holding on. I know she will come back. And oh, I will also miss working with her on photo shoots. The following images were taken a month ago.

Praising what is lost; makes the remembrance dear. – William Shakespeare

AH LIFE lesson 003

2007-03-26T19:14:00.000+08:00

Love can wait.

I don't haste when it comes to love. There's nothing to haste about for a 15-year old kiddo like me. Somehow, many people feel that they are left alone in this world because they don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend of some sort. But the things is, you just have to explore life in order to figure out that there is more to it than being involve in a relationship. Don't be like the cat in the photograph where he just sits there and feel lonely. Love comes in the right time and place. Just enjoy it and like they say, live it to the fullest!

I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life. - Anonymous

AH LIFE lesson 002

2007-03-24T14:32:00.000+08:00

Doing some chores helps you burn calories.

Since the evolution of men, women have to do the household chores. They are not allowed to go to work and apply for a job. Their task is to keep the house clean. Cleaning the garbage is a hard thing to do if you don't have a mighty companion, broomstick and garbage can. They may look useless, cheap, and a plain old junk but they will never fail you when it comes to cleaning. I'm losing my point here. I just want to share that if you want to remove that excess fat that makes you conscious, go and get a chore!

After all, it is hard to master both life and work equally well. So if you are bound to fake one of them, it had better be life. – Joseph Brodsky

AH LIFE lesson 001

2007-03-22T18:51:00.000+08:00

Savor every moment as if it is the last.

This is probably my nth blog. I couldn't help but create another one and so the list goes on and on. I want to add a little tweak in this blog by starting this project with the code name "AH LIFE". From this day on I will post the things that I have learned from the past 15 years of my existence. It includes photographs related to the lesson that I have learned. I just want to share it to everybody and I hope I can inspire everyone with these lessons. I am not a spiritual adviser or some sort. My subjects for my next entries will probably be about love, money, and maybe the simplest things on Earth.

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. - Stephen Vincent Benét