age-old flip-flops

Whenever my husband and I feel the need to spend some quiet moment away from the city, we check on our Must-Visit-Places list, plan for our journey, break the piggy bank and pack our bags. On December 24 of 2007, feeling adventurous, we headed to Puerto Galera to celebrate the holiday season. We called it christmas the labski way because it was our first as husband and wife. Romantic, quiet and incomparable. Imagine celebrating Christ's birth in the absence of christmas trees but with the feeling of sand on your toes and the sea singing its own carols. To help us remember the sand and the sea on our first christmas, I took this photo of my age-old flip-flops with the beach in the background.


Title of the Photo: Age-Old Flip-Flops
Date Taken: December 25, 2007
Camera: Canon Powershot A530

i ♥ faces photo challenge - “on the beach”

It took me an hour, can you believe that! After scanning all the beach albums I have in my computer, I finally picked this one as my official entry in this week's I ♥ Faces photo challenge. With week 29's theme as On The Beach, the photos submitted are amazingly stunning! To be honest, it left me with a sense of insecurity, I almost didn't join! Now, enough of that drama. Whether it gets to the top of this week's photo challenge or not, here is my entry.

I took this photo of a new friend in May of this year. This was taken at Anawangin Cove in Zambales, Philippines. It's a pristine and primitive island with no amenities. To survive, you pitch in your tent, cook your meals using logs and dry leaves. Read my entry on How to Survive Anawangin Cove.

waiting

Waiting is an act I have never been good at because I am naturally an impatient woman. Back in February of this year, during our Boholandia adventure, I had to practice my patience as we waited for our turn to board one of the floating restaurants. Isn't it ironic to see a passenger jeepney doing the same act I detest! I just had to capture the scene, as the jeepney patiently waited for passengers, with that tall tower behind it carrying a huge clock.

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do
is the worse kind of suffering.
-Paulo Coelho

Title of the Photo: Waiting
Date Taken: February 16, 2009
Camera: Canon Powershot A530

i ♥ faces week 28 winners

Would it be a sin if I admit I felt a sudden rush of sadness knowing my photo was not part of the top 10 winners? But apart from the sadness, I felt glad for the winners too! To see the I ♥ Faces week 28 winners, go to this link. I have to admit another fact --- all those photos' compositions are truly remarkable! My all-time favorite is the one that says LOVE.

A first-timer, not being part of the top 10 photos in I ♥ Faces will not, in any way discourage me from joining the photo challenges. As a matter of fact, I have picked out my next entry for the coming week's challenge! I will be posting it tomorrow morning. For now, kudos to all the winners!

survivor israel in caramoan

Caramoan, a secluded paradise off Camarines Sur, has attracted every corner of the world after it was first featured in the Survivor French edition. After several months, the Bulgarians conquered the island next. Finally, curious of what the paradise truly offers, Survivor Israel has shot their own version of the reality show at the Caramoan Peninsula.

The shoot was conducted during the scorching heat of the summer months from March to April with a production cost amounting to a whooping $7 million. Survivor Israel brought in the Caramoan island 25 castaways plus a hundred-plus production crew. So what did the Philippines get from this reality show, aside from the world-wide exposure? Locals were asked to support the crew, with about 80 Filipinos coming from Manila and close to 200 native Bicolanos getting hired during the duration of the project. Now that's tourism at its finest, employing Filipinos while showcasing the country's vast and rich landscape.

Watching that interesting teaser above, my feet begins to feel itchy. It makes me want to drag my husband and friends to the island and have our very own survivor Caramoan experience!

Trivia: Survivor Israel will be shown (not in the Philippines) on October 2009. It shall be called Survivor Philippines, the first time ever for the show's season to be named after the host country.

UPDATE (July 28, 2009): As of press time, Youtube has deleted the teaser video.

be happy it's friday

Happier faces. Beaming smiles. Sunnier dispositions. Roaring laughter. What's the reason for all of these, you ask. It is the end of work week and everyone seems happier today than the rest of the week. It is Be-Happy-It's-Friday!

I'm sending out this Be-Happy-It's-Friday tag to 3 friends: Abie, Rocks and Khaye!

dilaw

It was playtime with my nephews and niece in our Subic weekend adventure in 2008. Armed with my point-and-shoot camera, I tagged along as they went to the playground of Subic Homes. On the green grass I sat, keeping an eye on them. Out of nowhere, I see this angle of Brandon enjoying the swing. I just had to capture it!


Title of the Photo: Dilaw
Date Taken: January 29, 2008
Camera: Canon Powershot A530