Photo-of-Interest Monday: That One Time I Went to Church

I took this photo on a cold early morning in December of 2012. This is the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church adjacent to the convent that houses what are know as the Pink Sisters with their distinctly pink habits.

Like I said, it was early morning and before that my parents dragged me out of bed in an ungodly hour so we could attend the 6:30 AM mass. It was freezing but it wasn't a complete deterrent to go exploring. I was lucky enough to get this shot of the church before people started coming in numbers. The sun has yet to completely rise at the time so you can see the soon-to-be-up sun's glow behind the church.

I actually didn't want to attend mass and i figured the parents wouldn't mind so much considering I've frequently voiced the fact that I am not religion specific but they had their way and I sat with them. I wasn't really able to understand a thing that was said because the church had subpar speakers, like someone was layering a hint of static on the audio coming out.

Also, they had humongous mosquitos that can bite you through your jeans!

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Kittehs!

This photo is part of the Caturday album I've yet to post on Facebook. The shot is a particular favorite of mine and fellow blogger tin2gg actually thought I planked on our street to get this shot, but because of attire restrictions, I just did a rather uncomfortable crouch.

Caturday was a Saturday that unfolded with my not having to do anything. Armed with my camera, Farrelly, I ventured outside to look for something to shoot. The cats on our street are rather friendly since my sister and I keep them fed enough. They let them pet you and they come when you call. And call I did. I sounded like a wheezing tea kettle and I'm pretty sure I bothered some neighbors, but I got my shots. 

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Bacon-topped Yang Chow

I was really hungry the day I took this photo. Also, a bit sick if I recall correctly. Normally, I'd rather not partake in food while under the weather but my favorite kind of fried rice from my one of favorite restaurants was at hand and I hadn't eaten anything else either.

My parents had left me to my own devices because of errands they had to run. Of course, they left me the fried rice and some other food too, but I was craving something greasy. A light bulb dinged to life in my head as I remembered the last pack of bacon we had in the freezer.

In quick succession, I defrosted and cooked the bacon, placed the fried rice in a bowl, then topped it with crispy bacon.

Alone in the house and not having to worry about propriety, I wolfed the thing down and became another notch on the blissfully fed and satisfied tally board. I was one happy female and I forgot about being sick.

I guess I could say that sometimes the cure for sickness is really awesome food. 

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Clouds

I took this shot during a on a Christmas holiday trip to Tagaytay with the family. After mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church (Pink Sisters), set out to find a place to have breakfast which ended up being Pancake House. Lucky for me establishments in Tagaytay like to take advantage of its generous views  so I was able to take this shot in the sun-drenched morning.

I've always like clouds. I would often keep my window open at night just so when I wake up the first I'll see will be the day's clouds. I like it best when it's an ocean of clear blue and white and I can make out shapes of t-rex, unicorns, and apples. Maybe if I find a high enough mountain, I'll be able to touch one and even taste, too; my theory of cotton candy cloud needs to be tested.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: TOR-TOL

This is  shot is one of the very first photos Farrelly (my DSLR) took the very day I got him. The subject, as you cans see, is one of my turtles. I can never really tell them apart, which is why I call them Thing 1 and Thing 2 and still I won't be able to tell you which turtle is which. 

I chose this photo for today's post because it looks my turtle is smiling at the camera, and I'm always a sucker for shots like this. It's probably just the way the turtle is angled towards the camera but to me that's a smile. I've never managed to replicate this shot ever again, which gives this shot a few more points on the "Why it's special" category.

Turtles are one of my favorite animals. The first pair I got when I was very young and I had to give them up for adoption when the family decided to move back to Cebu. My mother explained that I wouldn't be able to bring them on the plane, but now that I think about it she might've been lying; I'm going to have to look into that.

The second time I tried for a pet turtle ended in tragedy. My lone turtle drowned. How is that possible, you say? Well, turtles aren't supposed to stay too long underwater; my turtle upended it self in the terrarium (of course with water) and was unable to get back up. I found him the next day, and I was really depressed afterwards and figured maybe I should quit on the whole turtles-as-pets thing.

The two I have now are doing pretty good though. They have gotten quite big and I had to get them a bigger terrarium (an aquarium you can fill 15 gallons of water). I don't really know what I'll do when they get even bigger. I'd want to keep them with me, of course. But I f I can't I 'll just have to find them a better home. Maybe a good zoo or animal sanctuary.

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse. 

Photo-of-Interest Monday: All Up the Moon

Back in college, I would always jump on the chance to be part of the annual Stargazing night organized by the Science Club. It was a chance for me to hang out with my best friends in an fun yet educational circumstance and, most importantly, learn more about the heavens.

This shot was taken through one of  the telescope the astrologist brought with him. I was very excited to have one of these shots that I was the very first in line to peer through the telescope. I never forgot the wonder and the awe of that night. I thought, "What would be like up there?" For the rest of that night, as we waited for clearer skies and played cards and laughed, I contemplated on the chance to live on the moon. Of course in my imaginings my inability to breathe in outerspace was irrelevant, the appeal was to be closer to the stars and the planets. 

What if we were all able to just travel through space and visit all those vast and wonderful galaxies? Will all the time in the world be enough to see those places? 

The Earth, even the moon, is just a speck to the vastness of the universe. What less are we? In the face of such greatness, how would you be able to deny that there is something greater than all of us?

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

 

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Treats from a Homecoming

 

My Dad came home from Cebu over the weekend. He stayed for pretty much a day before he had to go back but it was really good to see him again. I miss him a lot. I wished he'd come home more often.

He brought home my favorite hopia from La Fortuna Bakery, which in my opinion makes the most awesome ones in the world. It is unchallenged in my not-so-humble opinion and I still keep on wishing that they would open a branch here. I mean, I'd go devout in the religion I was baptized in if it would mean a La Fortuna Bakery a mere few feet away from where I live. 

He also brought some Masareal, a sweet treat made of peanuts and sugar syrup unique to Cebu (I think.) I guess I like it so much because of the peanut component and, of course, the sweet part more than helps it appeal.

There you have it. Sweet treats from a homecoming.

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse. 

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Jackie

This is Jackie, a baby tiger. I took this shot of her December of 2011 at Island Cove during our Department Planning/Outing, so I'd venture to say that she's gotten pretty big by now, after all it'll be a year since I last saw this girl.

I happen upon her out of the cage in the early morning with colleague and fellow blogger Tin Tuguigui while we were out and about exploring the small zoo Island Cove avails to its customers. Naturally, we were drawn to the cuteness and started clicking away. 

I chose this shot because I liked how one side of her face is in shadows and  how the sun was hitting the other half. It was very telling of the fact that this was still a dangerous animal we were dealing with even though she was a cute baby animal. Even though she's a baby, she is capable of doing harm. Being a mini-tiger didn't mean that her claws and teeth were any less threatening, which is why we had foregone cuddling and petting, even though we wanted to so badly. The fact still remains that Jackie is a wild animal that acts on instinct; if she decided to take a bite or swipe at us, we wouldn't see it coming. 

That's kind of how life is, don't you think?

 This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

Photo-of-Interest Monday: Mango Flower and Macaroons

This is a photo I took during one of our events at work, Manila FAME. Right before I was about to leave to go on my afternoon rounds, a waiter-type person waltzes in with a tray laden with food. For obvious reasons I took the photo because it looked pretty. And also because I wanted to eat it so bad. I'm guessing beneath the mango floral arrangement is some sort of cake — cheesecake would be my best bet. Of course, macaroons are awesome, too. I mean, who doesn't like macaroons? They're arguably, in my humble opinion, one of the best bite-size foodgasm-causers. 

Another reason I took the photo was I admired the artistry it took to create what, as you've realized, I've taken to calling the Mango Flower. As someone who likes to cook and bake, I'm always curious and in awe of the work put behind food masterpieces. And wistfully I dream about the day I'll be able to recreate something akin to this. But of course I'd have to put in the hours and practice. Still, someday... [wistful daydream mode]

This has been a Monday post brought to you by The Purple Madhouse.

ManilART 2012: where in I reaped the few perks of work

I got the chance to visit ManilART a few weeks ago and here are some of my favorite shots. I was covering one of the booths there which was part of work's upcoming trade event and even though I was assured that I was allowed to take photos (not just the assigned booth but the whole gallery as well) I was a bit anxious while taking my shots. I half expected one of those security personnel, who take their job way too seriously, to tell me off.  

So here they are. The select few.