Travel {Siquijor for Christmas}

“Just take my hand, lead, dance with me...and I will simply follow the blueness of the water, the white waves rolling free...where the earth beneath my feet and stars make my heart whole again...

in long and priceless moments of shared solitude...” 

― Oksana Rus

Siquijor is a gem, with its beaches and white sands and resorts that offer spectacular views of the water as you enjoy great food. I couldn't get enough of the new places to discover in this small tiny island when I came here with the family last Christmas. A few shots of interestingness before I call it a day. 

:D :D :D 

Personal {Family, Sunday Trips and Christmas}

It is only fitting that we are nearing Christmas Eve  and I'm posting about this trip which we took two weeks ago. For most families, Christmas means gathering around the table with family to enjoy a hearty Noche Buena with Christmas songs by Jose Marie Chan playing in the background. For so many years that was my Christmas but as I grew older, things ultimately began changing. I remember spending one Christmas alone because travelling to the hometown was out of the question due to sheer volume of passengers who are also making their way home.  This year, we are all home except for my sister who is the one spending Christmas in the big city, thankfully, with relatives. We did, however, got to spend time as a family when she came over for a two-day break from a hectic hospital schedule. It was a Sunday and for the lack of anything better to do, we all decided to go to Father Tropa's Zoo which is about an hour from Dumaguete.

The zoo houses different kinds of animals, from small hamsters to crocodiles. They have monkeys and spotted deer, hawks and crows and other animals that you wouldn't see in any other zoo in the island. There's also a museum manned by a crew of faithfuls who are very willing to chat with you and answer your questions about the zoo and its founder. However, what I love most about the place are the paths lined by tall ipil trees that drape over, meeting in the middle from both sides to create a beautiful canopy that shields visitors from the sun and creates the most lovely dapples of light as the sunlight hits the leaves. The zoo has pockets of these pathways and they are just beautiful. 

The place relies on donations and with all the animals they have to care for, the caretakers can really use all the help they can get. This is the holidays, after all, with families coming home from all parts of the country to spend time and just be together. If you are thinking of ways to do together as a family for the rest of the break, give the zoo a visit. More information on Father Tropa's Zoo Paradise here. 

Personal {Christmas Wreaths, Gifted Things and Memories}

“And these things

that keep alive on departure know that

you praise them; transient,

they look to us, the most transient, 

to be their rescue.

They want us to change them completely,

in our invisible hearts,

into -- O endlessly -- us! Whoever,

finally, we may be.” 

― Rainer Maria Rilke

Duino Elegies

Tried my hand at making Christmas wreaths to give the house even just a hint of Christmas cheer. Sadly the only thing resembling Christmas wreath materials that I have are an old headpiece and fake greens. I ended up making just another version of a floral headpiece. It definitely needs a lot more work before it can even pass as an imitation of a Christmas wreath, haha!

In the course of taking out my craft supplies I came across this beautiful faux book box with gold details given to me by Alma, an artist friend when she came back from Oman. It's one of the most beautiful things I have, so I kept it stored so that it's away from dust and dirt. I've always loved creative, nifty things so having friends who are so generous in giving me beautiful things that I never tie of looking at, that is something that warms my heart over and over and over again. I took a few shots of the box with two equally beautiful gifts given to me by Darwiza, another friend, when she came back from Dubai-- a journal with a USB! It has this wonderful brown color and the pages are buttery soft, I almost do not want to write in them. And of course, the leather notebook given to me by the hubby, back when he was still the boyfriend, after a night of fighting and making up in Moon Cafe.

When I was younger, I didn't see the point of taking pictures of things. But recently, I've begun to take a second look, especially with the help of a camera. Things are a little bit like photographs. You look at them and memories come flooding back, especially if the thing is associated with happy moments from the past. The difference, perhaps, is in the form. Stuff have corners, edges, smooth or rough, shiny or covered in gold embellishments or cheap canvas cloth. Of course, I am no fun of clutter, so keeping a balance is necessary, methinks. JP suggested a solution, which is to take a photo of something special if it's too bulky to keep. And so we circle back again.

Travel {Dreaming of Terra Cotta and Cobblestones}

The great affair is to move.” 

― Robert Louis Stevenson

Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes

A friend asked me about Vigan a week ago and it reminded of photos of our trip that I still had to go through. JP and I hit the ground running as soon as we got off the bus in Vigan. An hour after arriving we were in a calesa having a noonday tour of the town. Our driver, who also doubled as the enterprising tour guide, took us to the Bantay Belfry, Paburnayan or the pottery shop and the Hidden Gardens-- a lot to take in when I was shaking off the effects of the scenic 2-hour bus ride from Laoag. But it was a great way to discover the place up close in a few hours, especially for us who were only there until the next day. We also tried a few local delicacies along the way before stopping for native halo-halo at the Hidden Gardens.

The pottery shop was really interesting. You can even sit down and have a go at the wheel, see if you can make a decent pot out of a lump of clay. Looking back, I regret not taking the few minutes to sit down and get my hands dirty. One of the few things I learned on this trip:  try everything! I try to apply this as much as I can when we travel, but it is easy to forget, especially when you are pressed for time, money, both, or just tired. But by golly, it is really important to try as much as you can, or you'll regret not doing it, especially when you are scrolling through photos of the trip!

Taking a calesa tour is perhaps one of the best things to do when you arrive in Vigan. For P350 a tour, you get to have a quick look-see at what the place looks like before doing a more thorough exploration of the place the next day. I would advise doing it in the later part of the afternoon, when it's not too hot and people are going home. You'll get a good feel of the town and it's inhabitants when everyone's out and about, preparing to go home, stopping by the church or the market. A few photos of our first day in Vigan. :)

Personal {Of Storms and Comfort-Food Kind of Mornings}

“Sopping, and with no sign of stopping, either- then a breather. 

Warm again, storm again- what is the norm, again? 

It's fine, it's not, it's suddenly hot: Boom, crash, lightning flash!” 

― The Old Farmer's Almanac

It doesn't feel like there's a storm coming. The clouds are a brilliant blue, the birds are up in the air, and the sun is doing a great job of sending a lot of morning sunshine my way. Everything's all right with the world, it seems. However, a storm is coming. I guess one of the good things to come from last year's Haiyan is that people are more prepared now--water, food, fuel, charged batteries. Preparation can make all the difference, if we learned anything from the previous storms. This is going to be a strong  storm, according to  the news but hopefully, it will pass without taking any lives with it. 

I say short prayers to keep loved ones, stray dogs, and people living in danger-prone areas safe as I stir champorado, my comfort food of choice during rainy seasons and dull afternoons. It is warm so I'm not so sure about whether downing chocolatey boiled rice with a pinch of salt is the best thing to do, but it's here, might as well enjoy it. The tsokolate is handmade goodness by the mom of a friend and law school buddy (thank you, Carlis!). For P45 pesos a pack, it's a small luxury that I store away for days like these.  It is rich and creamy-- a few minutes out of the fridge, each piece was soft enough to grate lightly with a bread knife. 

Let's all pray that this storm will pass without incident. Keep safe and dry everyone!

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