The Long Weekend

We spent the long weekend visiting an old town where I spent five years of my childhood (and early teens). It’s been a long time since I visited that place. It was just too bad though that we were unable to visit the compound where we used to live and the school I went to during our residence there. Security is very strict, and since most of the people we know who lived there before have moved on to other places as well, so we didn’t have any excuse to use to get in and visit.

It would have been nice to go around the housing once more and let our kids run across the vast fields of grass (and golf course surrounding the houses) like we used to do when we were kids.  It would have been a great photo opportunity and relive and take photos of memorable places of my childhood… Yes, all were would haves.

Anyway, we still had fun visiting Mt. Samat and swimming in a newly opened resort.

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Sailing High In the Sky.

Exhilarating. Liberating.

That is how I’d best describe the experience of parasailing.

We went to Subic last Saturday to try out this adrenalin-pumping adventure. I was pretty nervous and wondering if I would be able to push through with this considering I have fear of heights, but I did it.

Once up in the air, it was a mix of different emotions…  a feeling of freedom, nervousness, excitement, fear, fun, anxiety, thrill and strangely peace.

The wind was quite strong during that day so even at only half the 600-ft maximum cable height, you’d be dancing and swaying up in the air.

It was an awesome breathtaking ten-minute experience!

And even the (speed) boat ride out to the sea was fun and invigorating in itself.

PhotoHunt : Blue

Another photo taken from one of my favorite beaches. Boracay. This was taken in 2005 by my sister when the whole family went there for a summer vacation.

This is an unedited sunset photo… Everything looks so blue – the sky and the waters. The whole ambiance just gives me a feeling of calmness. I guess it is true as people commonly put it, blue is a color that represents calmness…

PH#13. Photohuntin’ since August 2008.

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PhotoHunt : View

My entry for this week is late as we were out during the weekend. Better late than never.

“Unfortunately, our senses are limited, therefore our view of the world is limited. This is not a problem unless we start believing that what we perceive is all there is to be perceived. It is not.” – Peter McWilliams

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this week’s theme was how we all differ in our views about life and the world around us. So I wanted to share the photo and message above. Our perspective on things is often limited to our learnings and experiences, and often it is just part and parcel of a bigger picture. It is not a complete and clear image of what life really is about.

Photo taken at Boracay, 2005. The effect was a result of some moisture that built up on the lens due to the airconditioning of our room.

PH#8. Photohuntin’ since August 2008.

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PhotoHunt : Road

Flashback. Eight years ago. These photos bring memories to the days when I used to travel a lot.

The first photo shows a very empty road (except for that one person standing) leading to the some side stairs going to the actual stairway in the Great Wall of China. Or at least that is how I remember it. I recall we took a different path so we could climb the Great Wall. Oh boy, was it really some climb! I didn’t even make it to the peak or last tower. Some of my friends did, and it took them very long. I didn’t even manage to make it halfway as my thighs started to get cramps already. I found it hard to go up since the steps are uneven and some quite steep.

The second one shows the climb on the Great Wall. Far off in the distance, the photo shows some mountain roads leading to I don’t know where. 😀

Being here makes you understand why this is considered as one of the seven wonders of the world. The place and the story behind it is truly amazing! And I’m glad I had the chance to visit…

PH#7. Photohuntin’ since August 2008.

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PhotoHunt: Beautiful

“Things are beautiful if you love them.” – Jean Anouilh

Phew! I find this week’s theme quite tough. I mean beautiful is a relative word, and for me there are so many beautiful things around us.

So, anyway, I finally decided to post these two photos. I didn’t want to stress myself out deciding which one to use since I couldn’t really make up my mind.

The first one is an acrylic painting done by my five-year old daughter of her favorite stuff toy and pretend pet, Fluffy. I love art. I can stare and stare and admire paintings all day, and never get tired of it. There is something about the beauty of art that lifts the spirit and soothes the soul. At least, that’s what it does for me.

“Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The second photo is a peacock with its tail fanned out. A rare sight for many of us, but we got a chance to admire its beauty when we visited the Residential Zoo in Tagaytay few years ago. Some animals were free to roam around the place, and were not locked up in cages. The peacock was one, and we kept on trailing after it taking photos and waiting for it to spread its tail. The wait was worth it. This is really one of nature’s beauty.

PH#5. Photohuntin’ since August 2008.

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