Couples {Buddy+Rona}

This is a long overdue post. The date might fool you, but I am actually posting this in 2012 (I'm feeling all Back-to-the-Future-rish right now), since I skimmed through the drafts in this blog and found this particular draft in dire need to be filled up and published. 

I noticed that I never posted the photos I took while attending Ate Rona's and Buddy's wedding, which they had in December 2009. The wedding was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and it had Ate Rona's touch down to the smallest details. Kat and I were tasked to capture photos of the details, from the flower arrangements to the table settings, and it wasn't really a difficult job, since everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by pretty. 

Their vows were also something to behold. The groom cried (and he didn't at all look like the crying type!). Ate Rona's dress was also uniquely and elegant, very her. The ceremony brought tears to my eyes and got me wishing my wedding would be half as beautiful. Here's to hoping!

Crossroads

Only a select few will get this seemingly disjointed post, but I am posting it just the same. Here I am again, after several months of being gone. Frankly, my journal is in my room and I'm too lazy to get up. So here I am, since apparently, there are some emotions that you just have to put into words. If you can't write it down using pen and paper, might as well blog about it.

This is a post about crossroads.

There are times that all the stars seemingly align and circumstances occur just to break the order that you have created for yourself. They are all good, and others may even see it as chances that you just cannot pass up. And they are right. There are some chances that you cannot pass up. But it could also mean letting in the possibility that the life you have envisioned for yourself is not going to be the life you are going to live. Just the possibility, mind you. Crossroads, remember?

The thought of choosing between two favorable options, I am realizing, is way harder than choosing between the lesser of two evils. I am inherently selfish, and for the most part of my life, seldom have I ever thought that I could have my cake but not eat it too. I have always thought that if you press hard enough, you can get what you want, and the next thing that you want, and the next thing after that. Alas, life, the great teacher, felt it apt that tonight was the night to teach me the lesson on choices-- that sometimes, you have to make a decision, choose between two lives that as a child you longed you would live. That is the great thing about being a child. You can think about the possibility of living many lives, imagine one life for one day, another the next. But growing up shows you that you cannot live two lives at a time. A few hours ago I was given a small peek at the life that I envisioned would be the perfect life for me three years ago--just a small, tiny peek at the possibility (not yet the reality, thank God!) But the incident got me thinking about all the possibilities, about the parallel world that would be created if I take one road instead of another, if ever I was given the chance. Would I take it?

I am very fortunate to have parents who never wanted to steer my life for me. They always went with my decisions and supported me all the way. Not all the time, but they were there when it mattered. And they were there when I made the decision to take up law. Now it seems like my 'balimbing' mind wants to go flying off to another direction again, and I can only wonder if my parents will still be as approving of my next move. A friend asked me, what I really wanted. I want both. Turns out you cannot have both. So I am a bit dreading the time when I'll find myself standing at the crossroads, when I need to make that decision that I could probably regret for the rest of my life. I am quite hoping that the moment at the crossroad never comes. Monday is a long way ahead. Perhaps a storm will come, shutting down all flights to the capital. Or perhaps, I will get a call, telling me that there is no need to come because the position has been filled. That way I leave this moment with no guilt, confident that it was not up to me, but up to fate. And who can argue with fate? It was simply not meant to be.

I want to cry when I think of all the opportunities that have passed me by. All the 'what if's' and all the possibilities. But it is true what they say, that for every road you take, you always have to take another. It is always up to you to make the best of the one you choose. And opportunities always abound. The question is knowing when to take one opportunity and knowing when to let one go, to pursue an even bigger challenge. In the end, I guess, it would always boil down to priorities. Times like these make you realize that you really need to sit down and identify what matters most, so that when its time to choose, you can choose the road you were meant to take.

Couples {Farrah+Victor}

This is an old, old, almost-forgotten draft, but since I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, I feel like this is the right time to publish. Farrah is a friend of mine, and when she asked me and Kat to take play-engagement photos of her and Victor, we didn't hesitate. This shoot was the second play shoot that I had done with Kat and planning it was both fun and exciting. I didn't have any prime lenses back then, oh, I didn't know any better! Just the opportunity to shoot live, willing models was such a thrill for me. 

Farrah and Victor were born natural models, fortunately, and even under the scorching heat of  the summer sun, they were willing to go through all the poses that we could think of and didn't hesitate to share their own ideas. We chose a great location, the Chinese temple located near the beach, so we had colorful reds, blues, and greens to play with. They even bought a couple of balloons with them for added color! I remember feeling so tired after this shoot, but it was all worth it. One afternoon of pure fun with great people and I got to practice my camera skills to boot!

Growing up

There are many things that you realize as you grow up. The few years of adulthood that I've had so far have revealed a lot. I now know that not everyone is a friend, that not all people can be trusted, but the worst first impressions can also be so far from the truth and the people who irritate you the most can eventually become the people closest to you.

I learned that people you see as friends may not think the same of you, and that the trust you place on other people may not be the trust they deserve. So much for so-called friendships. I have been blessed with honest and long-lasting friendships that I would never, not in a million years, trade for the world. It is just sad to see so-called friendships uncovered for what they truly are.

I am also learning that being the age I am, reality begins to hit so much closer to home. I just learned that the mother of a friend from high school suffered from a second stroke last Thursday and she slipped into a coma. I've always had this fear of my parents meeting some unforeseen danger, and this one pretty much hits close to home. I could not begin to imagine what my friend is feeling right now, but all I know is that seeing someone you love, someone you have depended on for most of your life, in the brink of danger and even death, nothing could probably be more scarier than that.

:(