pitter patter

there's nothing like the pitter patter of tiny feet in the house. my kids are at a stage where they like to dress up like mom. they're always ransacking my shoe closet, which always nearly drive me crazy, although often, i find it really adorable when they manage to walk in heels with their really tiny feet barely filling half of the shoe. today, they've been up to it again, which reminded me of these old photos i took of some of those times, still using auto settings.

it has taught me that we, as parents have such a big responsibility in bringing up our kids, because how they will become depend so much on how we raise them...because one day, they also have a task of filling up our shoes...and hopefully, when that time comes, we have prepared them well for the long walk ahead on life's highway.

erin in mommy's shoes taken using a point and shoot camera (olympus) sometime in early 2008

aizel in mommy's shoes taken sometime last month

aizel's feet in sepia

erin's feet in black and white

fairies

i have decided to spend more time with my kids, and do away with the computer for a while. i am still taking photos though, and i try to be more experimental this time, avoiding the use of auto settings.

tonight, as i put my little ones to sleep after reading them a fairytale, i noticed these two fairies (one sitting [photos 1&2] and one standing with the long hair [photo 3] on their tallboy. with subdued light from their night lamp, i explored different depths of field. photo number 2 appears blurry than i had hoped for. i want to blame camera shake...haha! and photo number 3 has made me realize this fairy actually looked weird rather than cute, up this close.

if there's one thing i've learned, it's that, there is still so much to learn about photography. the more you learn, the more exciting it is for the one learning. i am enjoying this even though i feel i have not improved much at all. never mind, it goes to prove, it is not the end result that matters, but the journey to get there.

little tot's stuff

because all i see nowadays are my kids' stuff scattered everywhere...the kids' mess that i constantly have to clean up, on a never-ending basis. the things that remind me i am so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy kids who color my world, who drive me nuts at times, but always put a smile on my face. and although i get so tired, the mere sight of them happy is enough to chase the blues away and put the energy back on my day.

the kids' sandpit in the backyard

their favorite musical toy

the kids' bling-bling ( hair accessory that they sometimes use as a bracelet)

valentine

my dear vinot,

because i know i am a better person because of you...

because i am so happy, i've never known such happiness until the day i met you...

because i feel your love in the gentleness of your touch,

in the warmth of your smile...

in the wickedness of your laugh...

and in every little thing that you do...

because your love sustains me,

i must be truly special to deserve someone like you...

to the man who loves me in a way i never thought possible,

the bestfriend,

the biggest fan,

the most honest critic,

the partner,

the husband,

the better half who makes me whole,

the soulmate,

the kindred spirit,

the one true love of my life...

a big thank you

for being my valentine...

every single day of my life.

i love you...

more than you'll ever know.

love,

your kitang

a ten-year old card accompanying a bouquet of roses for my birthday, displayed on my computer desk

resilience

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly."- Richard Bach

If there is one thing I am amazed about the Aussies, it is their resilient spirit. Despite the tragedies of the last weeks (with floods in the north and bushfires in the south), this nation has stood united, and the outpouring of support and donation is just unbelievable. Even the flood victims have declined the donations originally collected for them, and instead, have requested that they be sent to the victims of the bushfires, because they reason that, at least, they still have their homes, while the others have lost not just their homes, but their loved ones as well. And even the ones who escaped the fires have said, they are not victims, they are survivors. Amazing indeed the human spirit...to show resilience in the midst of grief and utter loss.

If there is one thing I am proud of, it is to be a part of this beautiful nation (but i am also proud to be pinoy...because, i think we, as a people are as resilient as the caterpillar... coming out of its cocoon to spread its butterfly wings).

flame

Mother Nature is so generous as to provide us with infinite beauty around us. Everyday, she has in store for us a different view. The sunsets are never the same...the heavens, always a joyful work of divine art... All these, in the hope that we may look up... notice... marvel... appreciate... and give thanks.

Although I have posted similar photos before, they are not quite the same. That is why, I have learned to always look up, so as not to miss a beautiful ending to another day, that we will never ever get back again.

These flame-like shots were taken on a cloudy day, just as the sun was slowly setting on the distant horizon. I chose to upload these shots to give HONOR, RESPECT and DUE REMEMBRANCE to the hundreds of lives lost during last saturday's bush fire in Victoria (Australia), where entire communities were literally wiped out from the map. Homes and properties reduced to ashes...people burnt down to their painful deaths, trying to protect what they had, or trying to flee the raging inferno.

I am sad. I am in mourning even though I do not know a single soul (of those who perished or of the grief-stricken loved-ones left behind). Sometimes, when mother nature goes in rage, there is nothing we can do. I only ever hope that the theories that it may have been deliberately lit by arsonists is wrong...because if not, these people deserve the same kind of wrath or an even worse kind of death for their "mass murder".

aerial perspective

inspired by everyone's conscious effort to better oneself, and to acquire more knowledge and skills in photography, i decided to do some reading of my own. because i find it amazing that everyone in my network seems to know a lot, and i happen to be the only one still using auto settings, how embarrassing that may be. i went to the public library to borrow some digital photography books, and even bought two for reference at home. during my readings, i came across aerial perspective, and i remember these shots i took of the "table top mountain" from "picnic point". i think these are what aerial perspective is about, although i could have done better, if only i was equipped with the right know-how and skill. but never mind, there's always room for improvement.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."-JOHN MUIR

"There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough to pay attention to the story."- LINDA HOGAN

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."-RACHEL CARSON

calm

i find a sense of calm watching ducks paddling in a pond. the ripples they create in the water provide much needed serenity amid the noise and haste of this fast-paced world. sometimes, it is easy for us to forget that our souls get weary...and sometimes, all it takes is a couple of dancing ducks to splash and create ripples to mend our broken hearts, renew our worn-out spirits, refresh our vexatious minds or to simply just entertain us.

Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling the dickens underneath. -Michael Caine