Snapshots

     With having your first camera, you can't really resist the urge to take a picture of something, whether it be the most irrelevant thing at home or just anything you find colorful that definitely would look on a photo.

     Here are some snapshots from my Canon EOS 550D :)

my iPod nano splattered with mud 

while dancing in the rain

in painting, the first stroke is always the hardest

an unfinished business at home

I miss playing the piano

sister took a picture of her phone while i'm sleeping. caught you

my sister's abstract painting using poster colors

my overflowing luggage for Korea x_x

my lip balms for winter. sissy took this photo

ballerinas, angels and little girls

a good book I found in Fully Booked 

     The last photo is a book titled Lonely Planet's Guide to TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY by Richard I'anson. Ever since the JTA application and our spontaneous Palawan trip, I'm having this feeling my future income will allot a big chunk for travelling since I really love doing it and I'm itching to go to other places and take pictures myself :)) Of course I'm aware that such an activity's pricey that's why I'm determined to make my first millions in my 20's hahaha wild dreams :)). And to link travel to photography, whoah this really makes much more sense, especially since I already have my first ever camera. Aside from taking my barkada's vanity photos (haha), I would really like to try out something more than just pressing the shutter a gazillion times. And my flight to Korea (which is in three days) would be a great opportunity to practice. Creative juice, please!

     And I always wanted to create my own photo blog with photos decent enough to be shown in public :)

     As for the choice of book, I guess that investing on this kind of book would be more practical and worth it rather than buying a travel guide for Korea. At least I'll get to learn something. Aside from native Koreans that I bet would be happy to tour me around their country, I'm sure there are a lot of websites in the internet that will help me spot Korea's most anticipated events and festivals. In addition, the internet's more updated and I bet the published travel books for Korea will have little to say about Korean Pop Culture like the artists BigBang or SuperJunior (concert dates!) or even shooting places for some of Korea's television series :P

     And I'm not expecting to apply and remember all the techniques and tips I will get from this book as soon as I'm done reading. Photography is just like swimming where you'll learn by doing it and not just by reading a book. I'm reading this book out of leisure and not out of pressure. :)

     Hello to my newfound hobby and cheers to more photos and memories! 

JTA Musings 3: Plane Rehearsals

     I did this for several times already. After almost 3 years of leaving CDO for Manila, I guess my flight 5 hours ago would be the same as usual.

     But oh well. so much for frequent flyers.

     Today is just like any ordinary day until my sister said goodbye to me twice and even kissed me on the cheek (of course with saying "eew" after). So today might be something not ordinary since my sister doesn't normally do that. Nevertheless, I feel sleepy yet I still managed to drag myself to the showers to prepare for my 10am flight. After the shower, I proceeded with re-fixing my stuff to include newly-laundered undies and some clothes. Then I sat on my favorite dining chair to grab some spam and eggs for breakfast. See, it's just another ordinary day.

     By 8:30am I said goodbye to my brother which is so not me, then to our pet dog Kimmy (who's a German Sheperd btw) which was whining a little -could this be the dog's counterpart of crying? Then I got on the car and as usual, closed my eyes, ready to take a mini-nap while on our way to the airport.

     On ordinary days, I sleep. I always sleep on our car rides. 

     But this time, I can't since I happen to feel tears rolling down my face. WHUT THE F---. And before I could figure out how to wipe my tears and breathe properly without my parents noticing, let's just say my dad (who was driving) looked at me and my mommy gave me her hanky.

     Caught in the act. O__O

     Every female lead character in all the television series I've watched are always so good in crying without others noticing that I can't help but think why wasn't I able to hide mine. Ohh yeah, television series are scripted. Mine's not. But still I can't believe I cried in front of my parents (actually my mom's beside me at the backseat while dad's in front driving, but you get it right?). If there's one thing that I find it hard to express, it's will be missing someone. Well for me it's easy to say you miss someone -write on their Facebook wall, text them or tell them.  Maybe it's because the separation's already there, and all you need to do is just to acknowledge it by saying you miss the other party. But in this case -expressing that you will miss the other party - the separation's not yet there, yet you have to acknowledge it because whether you like it or not both parties are going to that direction of parting ways sooner or later. 

     And in my case,crying is synonymous to me taking off that mask and showing them what I really feel.

     At first I really felt shy about it, but 5 hours after my flight, I felt better knowing that I showed (or assured? haha) my parents that I will miss them. 

Why bother living when you're bound to hide your feelings?

uhm, it's just that some words are better left unsaid? :))

     Bottom line: All of this is just a rehearsal for my August 28 flight to Korea, from the way I pack my luggage to fit in all my clothes, from drafting my checklist, from spending each day as if it's an ordinary day rather than preparing for your own despedida, from carrying all my bags (2 luggages, 1 backpack and 1 camera bag), and from saying goodbyes.

     I guess I would never be able to perfect the last part. So much for rehearsing. Let's settle with spontaneity then! That would be much easier :))

     CDO, see you this December 30!

     PS: Crying has its benefits you know.It helps in cleansing out impurities from the eyes and it also helps out in releasing stress hormones which have negative effects on our bodies. No wonder we felt relieved after crying, right? :)

    

Biaño's: Pizza-Next-Door

     I guess CDO, especially Xavier University college students, are lucky to have an affordable yet good-tasting pizza within reach. I discovered this pizza last Tuesday when I went out to meet up with my highschool  gradeschool friend for some catching up and quality bum. Just like everyone else, we took a long time deciding where to eat that we almost settled for Jollibee! Good thing my other friend said something about me trying out the pizza which is just a walking distance away from their school. :)

     Who would've thought you'll find mini food haven in some unnoticeable alleyway and beside an internet cafe? :))

Biaño's bestseller

     Rule of thumb: when it's your first time in any restaurant or food store, either go for their bestsellers or for whatever your [reliable haha] friends recommend. And yes, my friend and I ordered the Fullhouse Pizza and fortunately it was really good and satisfying despite the toppings that keeps falling off since it looked like they were just sprinkled before serving. Messy but I can deal with it. It's a typical pizza overloaded with toppings yet it has its own unique taste and not the usual commercialized taste that we all know of  from all the well-known fastfood pizzas we know. You can say the taste's really homemade (gah, how do describe it). 

     What made their pizza really good is their melted cheese whose taste is distinct from the rest of the toppings unlike some pizzas where their cheese is just the thin (sometimes dry) yellow-colored layer painted on the crust before sprinkling it with any other toppings. No wonder my highschool friends love even the cheapest Ham n' Cheese pizza. Its cheese is soft and thick enough for you to savor its taste.

      And the price? Really affordable. Worth it.

I'll definitely try this one before leaving for Manila

Or this. Cheeeese.

Bacon. 'Nuff said.

This looks good too!

     So much for pizza. I guess I have to settle for the typical Yellow Cab, Greenwich and Pizza Hut pizzas when I'm back in Manila. No more budget-friendly, homemade pizzas for me :(


     Thanks Kyang and Pagc for introducing me to Biaño's! :D