mabuhay

the small city we left for the BIG one.

We're up north once again to the BIG city where my husband and I created a life away from everything we knew, grew up with and fond of. Everything is just the way we expected, busy streets, ongoing traffic, gigantic billboards, the buzz of a busy CITY life, 24-hours non stop.

WE arrived yesterday to a happy warm weather at 10:16 am exactly as the Pilot says we'd land. How convenient, 45 minutes of flight from my province to Manila. You know we used to take an overnight travel by bus for almost 13 hours with just two 20 minute break to stretch and eat at stop overs, we like the old fashioned way of coming and going by the BUS... but! that was when we were 'younger' - energetic and crazy for long road trips, especially when sitting side by side and cuddling all throughout the 13-hour ride not feeling any bigger hassle than just lining up for the comfort rooms. Well, at 28 we are past that phase if there's an easier way to anything, we'd be using that regardless how much we pay for comfort! Indeed it was worth it, I felt super nothing like when we take the bus that I felt like I had a 12-round boxing match with Pacquiao the next day, we even went to work minutes after we arrived! ... ^^ haha well...Sorry if I'm sounding like a person from Mars who hasn't heard of the Wright Brothers ever inventing this bulky, winged vehicle that flies. Actually, it's not my first time to travel by air, I've been to some parts of the world and back aboard the biggest aircraft there is... but my experience of leaving my hometown to the BIG city that took only 45 minutes by flight means a lot to me more than any of those other flights I took...it means that I am just that close to my roots and that I didn't get emotional of leaving the neighborhood I grew up with compared to how I'd be able to think and wallow for the rest of the 13 hour ride...the quick flight wont even let me gather my thoughts! It was too fast of a ride that I'm still beaming with happiness as my parents drove us to the airport and kissed us both goodbye and 'till we meet again.^^

A reckoning, that we must take this fast flight off the soil that makes us weaker ... maybe not weaker but SOFTER. You know, it's a different world out here in the BIG city.

Snapshots: Tokyo - Part 2- people and places

wedding march

bride

wedding guests

wedding procession around the temple

don't mind the camera guy!

glimpse


temple

wine for the gods

Spiderman's view

tombstones

obviously Japanese!

Tokyo lights

Cityscape Tokyo Tower ^^

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credits:

Husband

Japan

Snapshots: Tokyo - Part 1

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Photos that haven't seen the light of day since 2006!^^
Location: Tokyo, Japan

happier today!

Oh this is such a wonderful surprise! I was not planning to be on the bloggie world for a while since I'm working on some new "craft skill" which! I'm NOT getting good at-as-of-the-moment by the way.

It hates me like Martha Stewart have never started at the basics! But I'm no giver-upper! 'Practice makes perfect' and that! I'd bet to tattoo on my forehead if that doesn't work for me!!!

Anyway, at least something is making my day right, the lovely Debbie @ SINGLE Mom in a complicated world gave me this! I'm so happy, I'm brilliant. Like a ray of hope this gives me a chance to re-evaluate myself on what things I've been writing you about ... this blog is all over the place, but I assure you everything is REAL, HONEST and WARM. I am for peace, hope and love! This blog is about human life with a SOUL. So everyone who's for all these deserves a nomination too!

BUT, I must...I must adhere to the rules that I should just pick 7 to be named ... don't worry "others" I'm sharing mine with you!

here's my 7:

1.Erin @ From Miss to MRS...., she's got loads of fun read! Honest and Sincere. She's like your girlfriend that lives on the other side of the fence and you can come over to chat and have martinis. She's fab! ^^

2. Matthew @ Resurrected Ramblings, he lures you into his world when he writes. Such talent, I hate him! ^^. I wont be surprised if one day he'll create a new blog dedicated only to his awards, because I can sense there'll be more coming his way! I'm truly happy for him he deserves it all.

3. Luke @ Bath Artist's Blog, I've followed him for a while now and each time he features his art, I'm awestruck! His artworks are vibrant. He's got an eye to make a subject out of something ordinary and comes out brilliant in his interpretation.

4. Kinha @ Amiga da Moda, Because I love colors and life, she make palettes of lovely, happy colors in her style. She recently featured a collection of clutch bags and that! made me love her blog more! ... I'm so biased when given an eye-candy!^^

5. Stephen @ Nikon Sniper, his aim is to capture life and nature's wonders, he is doing a good job at it... it's the heart that makes his photos beautiful.

6. Renee @ Circling My Head, I just met her, NO she's not a follower... but I'm sooo glad that I found her, actually ... I stumbled upon her blog 'can't remember where, but you'll see why I like her, she is such an inspiration! I love people who loves life. I need people like her, whenever I feel down and I'm whining so much about it, reading through blogs like hers with so much passion for life and beautiful things, makes me feel better...that at least, if I don't see the world as beautiful as it is for a time, somebody does.

7. Cinema Obsessed.com, because I'm a movie junkie, their features are fun and informative to people like me. It also brings nostalgic memories of when the movie came out, I like bringing back good 'ol memories of how they used to make movies.

Now, here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

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oh gee! I still have the 7 interesting things about me to write, do I even have one?! I'm boring as a plank....hmmn... I'm digging through memory lane, but if there's anything extraordinarily interesting about me....I may have to say these:

1. I was born in the Province where the Mayon Volcano is seen from my backyard. Lived there most of my life, 'til I'm 24.

2. My years in highschool were spent studying triple maths, triple science and triple literature, part of an "experimental" curriculum that includes College subjects. talk about Lab rat. ^^

3. I joined a rock band in College! I was singing. WAS singing.

4. My first ever SNOW experience was in Italy, I was already 26.^^

5. I work as a curtainwall designer. Curtainwall, the glass/granite/aluminum cladding you usually see on skyscrapers. I'm with the company that will do the four diamond towers on the ground-zero in New York.

6. I love sketching, my hands know what to do when given paper and pencil, or crayons or oil pastels, it moves without me controlling it!

7. I'm scared of reptiles ... lizards, snakes ... 'gators. I don't hate them, I just don't want them near.

Thanks, that's all. I hope that is interesting enough. My seat is heavier than I thought, so I wouldn't do that much lifting!


Anyways, thanks again to Debbie for the award. I truly appreciate it! *hugs*

Have a good week everyone!

I am watching you.

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And in the midst of 2 controversies that should topple off the present administration from its seat and choke on the bill for expensive dinners that they had, we're like orphaned children not sure of what to do, where to go and who to trust. How do we put ourselves together after a loss of a good leader? She would have known what to do, she would have called upon people to step up against the abusive use of power and corruption, against insensitivity. That while these people we call "public servants" dine for a few hours that costed over a million pesos, an old man unable to fend for himself died last night of HUNGER... it costed him his life to have NOTHING. No food, no shelter. HUNGER, it is a cruel way to die ... to be deprived of a BASIC necessity for living, it is disturbing.

It was on the news, that man. That I was teary eyed for such a sad news. That I, having the prevelige to eat "more" than 3 times a day and could choose to control when to eat merely for " dieting" or "losing weight" feels so guilty for the food that I have not properly consumed or have left to stale. If I feel this way, I suppose these PEOPLE that we put into power feel worse for having failed in their DUTY... but who believes that they do??? NOBODY. They'd probably just consider him as part of statistics, people die. They've been burying people who live on the streets for years. He is no different.

That thought just made me sick to the stomach.

We are like orphans ... we needed that voice, we needed that someone who would say the opinion of the masses out loud and without fear. She would have spoken our truth and reason. But she is gone ... I know. This is the 3rd time that I've mentioned of bidding goodbye to her. Accepting reality that without her and the people who walked beside her, we must carry on with our OWN VOICE. We no longer have that someone who will do it for us...that while I go to work and continue living life as I know it with parties and karaoke. She and people like her, rally on the streets, hold press conferences, risk their lives for our causes. We cannot sit still and watch the world go 'round without IT noticing US... and though the STREETS are still too overwhelming for me to take, I will start with myself and mean to change my life for others. I wont be SELFISH. I promise.

I have every right to be heard because 30% of my monthly salary goes to tax! (eyes rolling...) and I wont let some dirty politician take VIP parking spaces!!! or get VIP services when we pay the same!!! Being in POWER is NOT a RIGHT but a PRIVELIGE, a TRUST given by the PEOPLE. It is a job, a commitment ... it is NOT a free BANK account!!! You owe your POWER to the people, you ARE NOTHING without the PEOPLE and if you don't believe in this you probably have STOLEN your way to get up there.

Full Solar Eclipse

A friend of mine who's in Delhi, India is so fortunate to capture these photos and wrote a short account of it.

Photos by: Dona Diaz, July 22, 2009

"This morning I got a rare chance to witness a full solar eclipse here in Delhi. Said to be the longest eclipse of the century and only to happen again in the year 2132. I'll be dead by then.I'm extremely happy I took pictures, waking up so early was just so worth it..."

-Dona Diaz

Location: Delhi, India

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click here for the full feature:

Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in daytime darkness

Source: Yahoo! News

Dear Michael Jackson,

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(though we know this WALL won't reach far from where it stood) =(

We're showing Love as best we could.

Sincerely,

Philippines

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P.S.


somebody's got the wrong info... truly sorry ' bout this!