Personal {Pepito in November}

Living in another house is making me appreciate the family and just having them around. Although I live nearby, not being able to see the dogs or hear familiar voices when I wake up in the morning takes some getting used to. Days like these I'm thankful that I got to take some shots of the dogs when I last visited home. I'm missing the furry toddler the most and his annoying persistence at wanting to play ball whenever he sees me. 

Here's Pepito in November.

Personal {Gratitude 2.0}

“Find the light. Reach for it. 

Live for it. 

Pull yourself up by it.

Gratitude always makes for straighter, taller trees.” 

― Al R. Young

There are days when I just feel so blah although I haven't the slightest clue why I'm feeling that way. I'm sure a lot of people have those days too. I notice that these feelings come in full force when I forget to be grateful. The little things that irritate, that irk, the stuff that take me almost to the point of blowing my top, no matter how trivial or insignificant, somehow become mountains of negativity. It is easy to see them despite the mountains of goodness that are in front of me. The good thing is that saying a prayer of gratitude literally takes seconds and just like that, you can start to feel  better again. 

I've tried it, it works.

No need for pills, for feel-good music, nay, not even an unopened Snickers bar (*gasp!). It's amazing how switching to an attitude of gratitude can make things feel a bit better, if not so much better. 

I am the least thankful person I know. It is easy for me to go into an internal monologue of complaints while waiting for a pedicab in the hot sun. I get irritated when the Internet starts to crawl, or when I'm reminded of the things I lack that could make life so much easier for me. But then, I am also fortunate in other ways than most people, and the good things outnumber the bad a hundred times over. So what is  there to complain about?

Right now, I am particularly thankful that the little guy above is trying its darnedest to stay alive, despite the unceremonious uprooting and my forgetfulness with the watering. I sure hope he pulls through!

A happy Monday to everyone!

Personal {Pray}

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction
that I had no where else to go.
My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

Personal {Old Lenses and New Spaces}

Be easy. 

Take your time. 

You are coming 

home 

to yourself. 

--The Becoming

The adapter for my Olympus lens arrived today. I bought it from a guy in Manila who thankfully ships directly from Manila and not from China, like the other sellers I talked to. I could not contain my excitement and had a little bit of difficulty focusing on work while wondering if the next bike coming through was the LBC guy or not. True enough, it arrived at 1 PM, exactly 24 hours after it was shipped! (Thank you, LBC!)  Working this old lens again was something that I really missed. There's something about old things, especially old things that you can use to take pictures! They seem better somehow, more substantial, despite the nicks and scratches, and despite the age. After I got this lens I knew that I would never be able to part with it, and true enough, I keep finding ways to keep on using it. Feeling the weight of the metal and glass in my hand after months of tucking it away felt like coming home.

Which was just fitting since I was home. Home in a new house that I was slowly putting our stamp on, slowly turning into some semblance of a space to be filled to the brim with happy and loving memories. I have spent the better part of the past weeks making the space livable and prepping it for JP's arrival come February and not having a camera with me to take random snaps was really starting to get to me. With a broken camera and an old, battered lens, I finally was able to take a few shots and I was in heaven!

A few shots from this afternoon :D

Featured { Baby and Breakfast}

Alice in Wonderland featured in Baby and Breakfast!

Read the review on this enchanting birthday celebration for Raffi's first here.

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