Lines. Straight, bent, crooked, curved. Alone, they often do not really hold any real significance. But when lines are stretched, bunched together, weaved, inter-laced, crossed, and/or cut, they suddenly create a new pattern, effectively creating a new life of its own. Very much like humans.
Carefree. I would hazard a guess that for this photo challenge, I will be seeing some jump shots, vacation pictures and lots of childhood snapshots. What these scenarios have in common is that feeling of freedom from worry and the opportunity to just be. But … Continue reading Carefree Moments
You can find them in a theater, a street wall, on a really old church scaffold. They can be a building, or an entire city. Some made by man, and all that is Nature. Some of them can move you to tears. Some will inspire you to dream. Some you won’t … Continue reading Masterpiece for Me
You, that they no longer adore, For they say you were once serene, pristine and beautiful. But to the eyes of one who is new, Your leaves are just as green, and your skies are just as blue. Pity that they missed to see, The beauty of … Continue reading Fresh Eyes
Like or Unlike it, Facebook’s presence in the cyber society is undeniable. Asked a question of whether it is a bane or a boon, I think it goes both ways. But ultimately, the answer lies with who uses it.
Just like other media form, we are constantly being exposed to various information and ideas in Facebook. Last Month, I decided to make a string of post called Writings on the Wall where I plan to write things that were inspired by what I see on my newsfeed. Basically, these are things shared by my friends and possibly, pages that I follow. Not all of these ideas are exactly positive or negative but they are interesting enough to evoke thought and emotion. Unlike my previous Facebook-inspired post, this one is just from a short quote that I liked.
“What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give.” Continue reading “Writings on the Wall: Nurturing the Seeds”
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On some days, I sometimes feel so negative and down that I can’t bring myself to look at other people and feel cheerful.
Then I get welcomed by this scene…
I feel so blessed knowing that I have some wonderful non-humans to share my good and bad moments. They are a constant reminder that everything will turn out alright. Just looking at them makes it so!
For more on this week’s photo challenge, click here. :3
Thailand as a traveler’s destination was an absolute dream. I don’t suppose a single post would be enough to elaborate on that. The four days that I spent in Thailand was so action packed and so frantic making me feel like every shot I took was the very definition of fleeting moments.
It has been more than a month since I went there. I thought my blog would have been flooded by post from my vacation at this time but it didn’t really know where to start. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to write about it. The hours just flew so fast and almost everything around me was screaming for attention. It was just wonderfully overwhelming, I was able to do lots of things and visit lots of places for a four day trip; that somehow feels like an accomplishment but it also made me feel disappointed.
I think I have a whole gallery of fleeting shots from the trip which hope to post real soon 🙂 As the image above would suggest, I am not exactly photo savvy. The focus is all wrong and the color was admittedly enhanced but I am really happy that I was lucky enough to catch this scene. Buddha has blessed me indeed. 🙂
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More Fleeting photos, the most interesting I’ve seen so far:
More fleeting birds, flying higher this time- the ever-budding bear
Amazing cave photo- Les Petit Pas de Juls
A cute kid in a Jollibee Party (you can’t go wrong with that!) –advocacine
Just wow! Love this. – Hamburg und Mee(h)r
Another bird picture, 1000x better than mine 🙂 – Shots and Captures
Prepositions or PRE-position
Tweak it a little,
put it here or there. but
always use them with care
Playing WITH space,
the challenge said.
Playing IN space,
is what I've read.
For a minute, I thought to write
about astronauts, moons and skies
Until I realized,
the SPACE was in disguise.
It was not outside, but rather within
this confusing world we live in.
alt_space_alt, alt_SPACE_alt!
Oh, so that's what it's all about.
Pre-position those prepositions,
Give that line,
a decent direction.
In, on, at and beyond.
Use them well to write a song,
Or
Read it right to know where it's on
within, without, over or among.
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April is NaPowriMo! (And I just learned about it ^^)
Filipinos, in general, are quite fond of old customs and tradition. Me, not so much. I often find them a bit paradoxical especially in a country who prides itself as a “catholic” nation who believe in evil spirits and other pagan tradition.Now I’m not about to raise a war on tradition because I do realize the part it plays on our culture, as a whole. I guess, I am simply of of those people who can’t embrace an idea who main logic is a bit fuzzy to start with.
Although I am not a fan, I often find it amusing to learn more about them. When in a social gathering, I try to uncover the rationale behind a certain custom by asking some older folks in the event. The answers borders from informative to those that are simply absurd.
Ushering the new year is no different. In fact, I would consider it as one of the most “custom” filled celebration. With hopes of attracting good luck and prosperity in the coming year, these customs are practiced each year and passed on to the next generation.
But if there is a certain tradition that I am willing to go along with, that would be the FOOD. Based on the effort exerted by an average Filipino household in keeping up with the customary dishes, I would say that they like them too.
A staple food in an average Filipino household during the media noche is the round fruits.
I’m not exactly sure why it has to be round but I am guessing that it has something to do with money. Having 12 or 13 types of fruits (the rounder, the better) would be preferable, although I am again ignorant about the significance of the number. My guess is that it is linked with a Chinese tradition, more like the Chinese Zodiac.
Basing on the sheer number of fruits on the table, you might think that this tradition isn’t bad given that the food served are nutritious, right?
WRONG. Health foods end here.
Enter the Best.Pig. Ever.
The Lechon, A slow roasted piece of heaven featured on Anthony Bourdain’s visit here. The crisp pork skin is enough for any hypertensive granddad to forget his doctor’s advice, OR even his last quadruple bypass surgery. This dish alone has often been found guilty for causing heart attack or hypertensive crisis during weddings, birthdays and holidays.
So why is it served despite being an obvious health risk? Well the taste is one. Not all of them are really that yummy though. But if you ever found one that taste really good, make sure you brought whatever medication that you will need because I can assure you that you will be back for more. Aside from the gastronomical benefit, serving Lechon on any occasion is a way to brandish financial wealth. The dish itself seems to speak for the host, “I do because I can.” For the new year, it is believe that in order to attract prosperity, one must have something to show for it, hence the abundant table setting, free-flowing booze, etc
Because it can be a bit pricey, one can also turn to its cousin, the Crispy Pata. It is just basically the thigh of a pig marinated and then deep-fried. This dish is cheaper than Lechon, but the cholesterol content may be even slightly higher.
Now we move on to the sweet part, the dessert. Of all foods served during this season, this is what i look forward to the most.
It is considered “good luck” to serve sticky foods for the New Year’s Eve dinner. This really sound lame but it is said that sticky foods are served so that the good luck will stick around longer.
My favorite is the Ube or the purple yam pudding. I just can’t get enough of its creamy goodness. There is also the Leche Flan, Palitaw and Biko (or rice cake) all of them packed with a lot of carbs and magic powder…SUGAR!
I can’t think of any other dishes since I am typing this post in front of a small tub of Ube. I consider myself sufficiently distracted.
I do hope that aside from the show of extravagance and wealth, moderation in the consumption of these foods be practiced. If there is one custom that I would like to keep, that would be the tradition of keeping me and my family health.
A sweet, bountiful and prosperous New Year to All!
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Oh, and here’s to me for completing the Writing Weekly Challenge! yey! thanks D
We don’t really celebrate thanksgiving in the Philippines but I guess our long Christmas and New Year’s celebration will be a perfect substitute.
2012 has been awesome. New job, new school. new friends and a new blog. After several calamities and tragedy, I know that a lot of people wouldn’t have much reason to celebrate this year. This makes me appreciate what I have even more.
A big thanks to my friends and family, readers, fellow bloggers and to all my followers( I never really thought that I’d even have one ^^).
I am most thankful for all the things that I learned this year. I felt that my brain got way too fat for me this year with school and work stuff. This has really been an inspired year for me.
Not everything was perfect, Not everything I did was a success. But despite or perhaps because of these things, I hope I was able to give a better version of ME to the world.
In a few hours, we will now be welcoming the new year. A new opportunity to reach our goals and to really soar.
This has been my 7 day of posting for the Weekly Writing Challenge, so I’ll keep it short. I still need to get ready for the New Year’s celebration. More jumping and shouting for me later this evening.
I wish everyone a FUN-tastic and safe partying tonight and more importantly, a blessed 2013!
Books, the real ones, will not last forever. The mere fact that they are made from paper makes them very, very delicate.
I would like to think that I am one of those folks who take really good care of their books. I make sure my hands are clean before I read them. I have long since waged a war against dog-ears. I also conspicuously do background checks on people who wants to borrow my books (just to make sure 1) that they would actually read the book, 2) they know how to use a book properly, and 3) that they will be RETURNING the book in a timely manner. I cover most of my books, some I leave as is because covering may just do some unnecessary damage to the book. (more…)
Completing the Weekly Writing Challenge of writing a post for each day in an entire week has been amazing so far. I couldn’t have come at a better time. Coinciding with the Christmas and New Year holiday, time is not really a problem for me. I do my choirs in the morning, read, relax and do other stuff. This is a rarity. Often, my reason for the lack of a blog post for more than a week is lack of time. Now that I have enough in my hands, I now face the dilemma of finding a topic that would inspire me to write. I would like to put an emphasis on the word INSPIRE.
Anything under the sun is a topic but not all of them would really make me want to grab my computer and start typing. The daily prompt has really been a big help. Unfortunately, something inside my mind often rejects the idea provided to me. I can’t seem to find the spark. I have a lot of ideas, things that I believe would be interesting enough to blog about. But just when I am about to, my interest slowly fades away.
I guess this what separate would-be-writer like me from the dedicated writers and bloggers I get to encounter in and out of WordPress. Thinking about it, it does not just apply with writers. I find that the best people to work for/ with are those people who are just plainly inspired. Try watching any sport. You will find that the most tenacious athlete are those who have a deeper motivation to succeed. A keen spectator will easily weed out a fighter who is simply there for the money from an athlete who is hungry for a win.
As a student, while my classmates pray to pass the exam or to get good grades, I usually find myself praying for inspiration. I believe we are given all the right tools; the right idea, the right words, to do what we want to do. However, sometimes, we get complacent, sidetracked. We find excuse to make exceptions; but, before we know it, the excuses has now become the norm.
This simply writing exercise had taught me couple of things. It has been fun so far, but challenging as well. Perhaps, most of the things I write or will write are will not be considered the best. BUT just simply making the effort to participate is already a step forward.
The new year is just a day or two away. I bet the social media and even the blog world will be full of new years resolution for 2013. Taking in my experience in the writing challenge, I will simply take it one day at a time. Failure does not come in a day, nor does success for that matter.
So for the new year, I wish everyone, from my fellow blogger to my friends, to have a year full of inspired moments.
For the Daily Prompt:
Franz Kafka said, “we ought to read only books that bite and sting us.” What’s the last thing you read that bit and stung you?
When it comes to reading books, I can be a bit “polygamous”. I usually commit myself to reading several books at the same time. Right now I am in between books. On my way to work, I read A Dance with Dragons by George R R. Martin and when I am at home, I read Casual Vacancy. In addition to this, I also read and re-read a couple of short stories to past the time. Answering the first part of the question is a bit difficult to figure out for me so I think I’ll go to the second part first.
So, what does it mean to be bitten and stung? Imagine being stung by a bee. You don’t just shrug and move on. You stop, take notice and perhaps even scream the pain away. Heck, you might even a shed a tear or two. I guess for a novel/book, it must be something that screams for attention, something that draws you in. a story that leaves a mark, albeit a figurative one. (more…)
I have long since decided to stop watching the local news. In fact, I avoid it like a plague. This is a far cry from the girl who used to brag about the things she saw featured on the news. Exciting stuff really, like knowing the names of different government officials who gets replaced every now or so depending on the whim of whoever is in charge. Or the meaning of most the acronyms of different organizations, both of those who are popular and obscure. But take those away and what is left are the ever-present news bits about everyday suffering, from poverty to corruption to crime of unimaginable cruelty. After a long day from work, this is not what I what to see on TV. This is definitely not what need.
My love affair with reading has started after wandering on the pages of my first few books. The feeling of excitement and wonder from a phrase here and there never gets old. But words and phrases did not appear from thin air. With every typed letters and words lies a conjurer of thought. A craftsman. A writer. A wizard.
Yes, I love reading and in turn reserve a certain degree of respect for those who inked the words that I so enjoy. Of course not all writer are the same. Some I have grown to love and revere, and some I care nothing for..
Fly for Icarus 