Despite a roller-coaster year, December started of with a blast for me. A friend of mine was clearing out his collection of old rangefinders. and decided (bless his heart) to give me two of them!!! *happy cartwheels* So before the school break ended I got the happy notice from the post office to claim the package which contained the two cameras that he sent all the way from Belgium. One is a Yashica Rangefinder Electro 35 GSN and an Olympus XA2. I never imagined I would get a film camera this early, but I did, and now I cannot wait to try them out. Both cameras are rangefinders, which means I have a few hours of learning ahead of me, but still, can't wait!!! More blessings came as the days wore on, including a cute little coin purse from Nikki and two New York Times bestsellers from my sister. Happy! This is turning out to be the best Christmas ever and the break has not even ended.
I can only hope that you all are enjoying the holidays as much as I am. It is never about gifts, but knowing that you are loved and showing love in return. I wish everyone a great holiday. Cannot be excited enough for the New Year and all the excitement it brings.
Good vibes all around!
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| Another Oly for my collection! |
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| Yashica Electro 35 GSN |
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| Thank you, Nikki! |
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| Cannot wait to get started on these. Thanks Memoy! |
Christmas Day 2012 is about to come to a close in a few hours. Just like that, we are on full speed ahead to a new year. Everything has happened to quickly this past year, and there has been a lot of events that made me happy, made me sad, made me appreciate how fragile life is, and made me see how beautiful it can be as well. I am especially thankful that I got to spend Christmas with my family this year, and for all the good things, the tangibles and intangibles that came my way.
Good vibes all around.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Despite a couple of bad news that greeted my holidays I ended the day with a thankful heart and a new perspective on set-backs. I keep reminding myself that minor struggles often seem so large when you are fighting them, but when you look back, when time has given you the right perspective, all of it, especially the negative things, seems so small. The important thing is to focus on the things that matter, like friends, family, having a roof over your head, being and knowing that you are truly and genuinely loved, and knowing that you can give that kind of love in return. Everything else is just superfluous fluff.
Which brings me to the topic of my friends. Ah, my friends. We are finding it hard to meet up as frequently as we used to, but moments with them always leave me feeling fresh and energized. This holiday, it was my house for the holiday party, and we started a new tradition of giving one gift each to the rest, pretty fun if you are at the receiving end, not so much if you are flat broke and the thought of giving to six or seven girls is not something that is financially feasible for you (but we managed). Of course, it was the usual night of eating, catching up, reminiscing, taking lots of pictures, despite the fact that some of us were missing. The food was great, the companionship even more so. So as I bid them goodbye, the cool gravel under my feet and the whiff of Christmas air in my nostrils, I realized again, that I am more than blessed. I may not have a perfect life, but my cup runs over.
I spent the first Saturday of December in Salagdoong, Siquijor. I love how blue the water is over there. The huge rock located to one side of the resort is a popular jumping point for adventurous souls, and there's a pool and a restaurant those who want to lay back and just have a good time. I stayed in one of the rooms on the third floor, where I had a double-occupancy room all to myself. I initially liked the idea of a solitary weekend all by my lonesome, but the lack of Wifi and TV in my room put a stopper on my happiness somewhat. I can hole up in a room as long as it is cool and it has TV and an internet connection. Other than that, I am likely to curl up in a ball and start reminiscing about the most depressing moments of my life. I started to read Anne Frank's diary on my phone, but knowing that she was going to die depressed me even more. So I opted for the lighter romance novels in my phone, which made me cry happy tears in the middle of one sappy story.
Since the Wifi does not reach the top floor, you have to go down to the lobby to check your messages. Power went out a couple of times during the night, which is apparently common on the island. Oh well. I had a good night's sleep, though, and the food in the resort is good, although bottled water and ice cream are pretty expensive.
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| road to the resort |
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| Good food, fresh vegetables! |
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| garlic chicken |
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| walking up to the hotel, you see interesting lines created by the shadows |
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| Second floor looby of Hotel Agripino |
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| new portion of the resort |
If there is anything to be learned during this trip, is that Salagdoong is best enjoyed if you are with a rowdy group of friends. Perhaps doing a solitary trip is good if you just had a really toxic week and you want to recharge. However, Siquijor is all about beach and sun and fun, all three, in my opinion, better spent with company.
More information on Salagdoong Beach Resort and the hotel
here.
