Travel with me to England

Do not wait for special moment to celebrate, instead celebrate each day as special. - Eng

From my part of the world to yours ... Enjoy ! 

friendship

" friendship is never an obligation. walk an extra mile for a friend out of love and not because of the expectation of reciprocal gesture. give without remembering and receive never forgetting. it grows not in years but in essence. sometimes, it ends for no reason but simply run its course." - Eng

in my dreams

this is supposed to be my initial entry in poetic murmuring. every blogsite i joined, as a tradition,i composed a new poem to offer. however, "winter, spring, summer and fall" carries a significant and personal meaning to me.

each evening bestows a certain glow
for i know my dream will be of you
i closed my eyes and let you in
a dreamland where love never end

we laugh, we cry, we touch, we smile
the soothing warmth of your arms on mine
your tender kiss, that soft caress
the perfect love we were denied to keep

why in dreams we always talks
of all the things that mattered most
is it because in the real world
uttered words reminds us of what we lost

when the sun sets down, the moon adorns the night
my heart is beating wild, i am ablaze with delight
i can see you once again, feel you one more time
my reality is a dream of having you each night

like all things beautiful somehow has to end
mine is the inspiring beauty the morning brings
with eagerness i await for night to commence
in a tryst rendezvous, you and i, in a dream

by
eng

image taken from public domain

A time for everything....

To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

ecclesiastes 3:1-8

room for improvement

it must have been love...this desire that keeps burning, the itch that can only be relieved by pressing the shutter. i am willing to go the distance ( i'm a homey person, when i'm in nothing short of emergency can make me go out especially if its cold, gray and damp outside!!!), i do not mind crawling on fours, lying on my belly, get my white pants dirty ( tsk!! washing machine will not do the job well, need to handwashed it at the end!!), get myself wet from a fast approaching high tide because the camera is set for long exposure and i need to have that shot taken and be thick enough to suffer the odd stares from people who must have thought i was mad for taking a photo of a dried leaf on the pavement!!! i bear all those and more..oh! much, much more.

if i have gone through all those, then you can just imagine what the hubby has gone through for his unfaltering love for this craft we both come to love so much...Photography. he wakes up at the wee hours in the morning and drive miles away to get a glimpse of sunrise. he comes home late at night from taking a photo of a sunset ( sunset comes very late at summer time, the sun is still up @ 9:00 pm, you see). his breaks at work is spend going out to picture people on their everyday dealings with life - he is at the moment into street photography, amongst other things!. winter is the worst time and yet he still goes out there to capture each moment and freeze it eternally. and yes, he has gone through all those and more...much, much more.

we both take photography seriously and with ardent passion, he more than i. we will never be where we are now if we didn't push ourselves to be better. there were even a time that all you can see at home are books ( we must have borrowed all books available in our local library,lol!) and magazines ( they don't come cheap, you know!) about photography...him to learn all he can and me to look for inspirations. we make our own diffusers, snoot, reflectors and anything we can get away by DIY, we do. we both wish to travel more so we can show you more and learn more so you can enjoy the fruit of out hard labor.

above all that, we both believed there's always a big room for improvement. learning is a life-long process and we agressively in pursue of it, always. we appreciate all the thumbs up and the likes but above all we acknowledge an honest opinion of our works. we can only get better in what we do if we know where we have gone wrong.

a gift

I've been meaning to give myself a gift for ages but couldn't find the time to put it together. Finally, my week off has bear fruits. I had my poems printed..."Poetic Murmurings". After seeing one of my dreams in hardbound copy, I decided to give myself my early christmas and birthday gift as well. The second photobook, "Quotable Thoughts", is done and awaiting printing- i'll send it for printing next payday,lol! I'm in the process of putting together a third one, "Gentle Musings". Well, Christmas comes early this year.

opinion

everybody is entitled to his own opinion...i couldn't agree more. having said that, there must be a basis to which it was formed. an opinion is a judgement , a personal take rendered after a definitive consideration of a certain issue. a substantiated opinion - though may still be debatable - can stand on its ground having credibility on its side. whereas, an opinion expressed bare of scrutiny will not hold water at all.

baring an opinion is liken to freedom. there's no such thing as absolute freedom. one's freedom ends when it infringes someone else's. an opinion with nothing to show off is merely a hearsay. it is crying out for attention that is way beyond common decency. have you ever wondered why gossips always spreads through low whisperings and not on a voice that commands to be listened to? it is for mere reason that once bared it is what it is, a twisted truth. opinions that are based on facts are mostly announced publicly. no one has to be put to the gallows for expressing an opinion ( i could be wrong !!) but law will be served for those who initiates a hearsay - does defamation, libel, character assassination sounds familiar?

i am all in favor of freedom of expression in whatever forms. hey! i was even called ugly duckling before. i respected that as the other person's right. mine may not be a face that could launched a thousands ships but neither one that could sink them all. be careful what you say though, i draw a line to how far one can go in expressing one's opinion of me. there are things i don't take sitting down.

a piece of home

i was at an asian store yesterday to buy few stuff. i bought a couple of selecta ice cream, macapuno and buko salad flavours, amongst other things.. i always thought it is a store owner's job to see to it that he sells his produce but i was taken aback when he said " i don't know why you want to buy those, they are quite expensive". i looked at him as if he's gone mad..he should be selling it to me instead of discouraging me buying those items. i simply answered, " it brings me right back home".

i'd been away from home half of my life. its not of choice but of necessity. though my passport says otherwise, i am still a filipino down to my bone marrow. we may have sirloin and beef fillet but i still crave for tuyo and itlog na maaalat. i can afford to buy the best chocolate - lindt, in my opinion is the best out there - but i always long for the taste of chocnut and goya. i go out once and in a while with my little one for a snack of cappuccino and tiramisu ( for me ) and gelato ( for the lil one) and yet i will pay more to have kapeng barako, bananaque and sorbetes de kariton. i've tasted different cuisines but nothing beats my mothers cooking - simple, tasty home cooking. i missed the sound of the rain pounding heavily on our roof and kids playing in a heavy down pour - can't do it here, its way to cold and people may think we're nut case! the little one has all the modern gadgets and there's a part of me that wishes she knows how to play patintero, tumbang preso, chinese garter, shatong and luksong tinik.ahhh! home, there really is no place like home!

i don't know if you have seen the animated movie " ratatouille". there was a part when anton ego had a bite of ratatouille and memories of his childhood floods back in. that is exactly what the selecta ice cream does to me....its a taste of memory in a half gallon piece of home.

fragmented

if love is to last forever
then why ours has to end
not with joy and laughter
but in harrowing sorrow and despair

if sunset calls for romance
i'll bring a wine or two
to keep the mystique a bit longer
when the sun has lost its glow

if words fail to profess what i feel
i let the flowers eloquently speaks
no words is hardly ever needed
that its beauty and grace cannot expressed

if laughter is the best medicine
why am i still in pain
whenever the thought of you cross my mind
the moment ended up in tears

if memories can fill the gap
of the void you left inside
if tears can only bring you back
i'll made all the wrongs i did be right

eng
12august2011

Old Harry Rock

holding your tongue

no! don't be silly. don't take that literally but i bet it's easier to do just that instead of trying not to say a word/s in those few unguarded moments of outrage.

as i've grown a little older - and wishfully a tad wiser - i realized that words are indeed a powerful tool. it can make and break a man. it can bridge a gap and can also widens it. it can bring peace and can start war. words, spoken or not, leads to an action and draw a reaction. it creates a domino effect on people concerned. keeping in mind the effects it can produce, utter words are brought about by our current emotions. you expect pleasant conversation out of a happy person and vis-a-vis. did you ever heard a perpetual moaner saying something positive ? i don't think so. in moments of anger we say hurtful things. does it justify it? NO. because its a spur of the moment thing. it is not long lasting and given a day or two - after all has been said and done and the dust has settled a bit - you may find yourself regretting what you have said. yes, we can both argue, you have said truthfully what you feel at that precise moment and that somehow a burden has been lifted out of you - good for you! if its a burden, then its safe to say you have been carrying it for quite sometime now. you should have unloaded it the first chance you got when clearer mind is prevalent, isn't it? do not wait for that proverbial "last straw that breaks the camel's back" because by then all roads leads to resentment and anger.i had been that road before and if i could have done it differently i will. now, i am trying to hold my tongue when such moments arises. you may say...que sera sera, if a relationship will end, no matter what was said and done , it will end. true. nevertheless, it may not end in high notes but it doesn't have to leave a bitter taste in your mouth either. do not mire the memories by uttering hurtful words.

we may not have full control of our emotions as its a direct result of circumstances we are in but we can harness how we react when circumstances gets in our way. holding our tongue and counting to ten is a good start. remember, the only people who has the power to hurt you are those you love most and you hold the same power in your hands to those who love you most. so, think twice. NO. think thrice before you say a word because once its out, it stays out!

walking the walk and talking the talk

i read a blog few years back which i regretted not commenting then and still regret to this day. i couln't quote it verbatim but it goes about the writer's concern (?) and her views why seeking greener pasture elsewhere is not enough reason for parents to go/ work abroad and leave their kids behind to be looked after by close kins. i found myself in a "speak now or forever hold your peace" predicament and needless to say i chose the later regrettably - not for lack of conviction but rather not to make common friends uncomfortable with a long argument that will surely follow. just a note of warning, i am highly excitable and argumentative person...lol!

forever is a long time and so, here i am breaking my peace and tossing my two cents worth on the matter. its easy to pass judgement on someone when you are not in a circumstances they are in. if one hasn't experienced the neccesity of begging food from someone else's scraps of left over then you wouldn't know how lucky you are to be leaving a big portion of your meal untouched to be thrown away later. if you have never been exposed to life's series of unfortunate events - its trials and tribulation- then you are not in a position to even write anything about it because you have no inkling how it is. what you have is not even an opinion but an assumption. opting to do so shows how insensitive and ignorant you can be. it takes a strong will and a stronger sense of commitment and love to undetake such herculean and formidable task of leaving your love ones to give them a better chance in life. i am assuming they're not in the land of milk and honey to see the view but to work their socks off. i take my hats off to every parent who know and understand the true meaning of sacrifice. some people got it all and unluckily to some, something's gotta give.

talking the talk is something we all do everyday. it is as effortless as breathing in and out ( unless, of course, you had some breathing issues, lol). walking the walk is an endeavor only those with courage to do so will take the risk. ask yourself this ..... when the time comes, will you be able to walk the talk?

Swanage, England

moving on

life must be lived forward and reflected backwards and never the other way around. life goes on whatever you do and father time will assuredly not wait for no one. so, whether you decided to simply twiddle your thumb ( for lack of better things to do ), sulk in the corner ( a relationship gone sour?) or attain remarkable feats ( well done!!) ; life continue to happen and time passes by quickly than we imagine.

i know, it is easier said than done, the moving on phrase chiefly if you are on the wronged and emotionally vulnerable. life perpetually changes and we need to adapt if we are to survive. i learned to let go of few people close to me and severed the relationship because it doesn't work anymore. i accept the fact that each of us is his own person with different personalities. those differences should pull us together rather than rift us apart. if it doesn't, i guess its time to say goodbye and goodluck! the proverbial "familiarity breeds contempt" is the golden rule in any relationship yet it shouldn't be the reason for failing to commit. we meet new people everyday, an opportunity for a new relationship. we are given morning - to start anew. do not stop looking for diamond because you have gold. aspire for it. if ever you reached that crossroad in life, choose the one less traveled. you might discover a whole new world!
there's always a time for everything under the sun. make your's worthwhile.remember, indecisiveness is like a rocking chair, it moves but takes you nowhere.
P.S.
the above note may not make sense. i write what comes to mind, if it seems like fragmented pieces of a thousand thoughts, it is because they are.

where indeed?

i was asked by a couple of friends where does the words come from - referring to my poems and blogs or notes i had been posting here and there. i couldn't quote them verbatim but it was along that line.

where indeed? what i write are by products of life experiences ( both mine and few friends whose stories inspired me to jot down few lines to immortalized those moments of inspiration), memories of my childhood and some are just result of my over active imagination plus the fact that i love to read somehow makes it easy for me to express myself in a rhetorical way. i am not an eloquent speaker. i dreaded the thought of me giving lectures at workplace and engaging in small talks hence the love for written words emerged and rightfully so - otherwise, i have no means left to express myself clearly. sometimes, a word leaps out from nowhere and starts to nudge - in a manner of speaking. it won't leave me alone until i give in to that command to put it into writing - actually happened on few occasions though far and wide in between. i remembered when i was young ( i think i was around 8 or 9 then), my father used to send me to the nearest news stand to buy him newspaper on weekends. there, somewhere at the bottom corner in one of the pages of manila bulletin was a small segment with proverbs and quote which i religiously cut-off and kept to be read again and again. i was in highschool when i started reading paperbacks and haven't stop since then. it sure does helps to get a grip on one's commands of words and most certainly aids the flow of creative juice. another peculiar habit of mine when i started working and had ample of time to kill was go to national bookstore and just browsed card after card reading those heart-warming passages. i don't know why yet i was transfixed by it like a moth to a flame. i may have outgrown reading hardy boys, nancy drew plus a shelf full of mills and boon and collecting cut-off quotes and proverbs, but i never outgrown my love of reading and quotes. i can only wish the same for my daughter, that she falls in- love with it as i did....well, i still am!.

there are habits that dies hard and reading sure fits to that category! its fun, informative, mind boggling, thought provoking and you can enjoy it for free ( borrow it from the library ). i say acquire that habit and keep it going - it's not too late, never! who knows, it could be the catalyst that makes you write your own book and be the toast of the town.

thinkin' of you...

i cried a river of tears
alas! the pain remains
the wind whispers a name
and i am taken back to then

love if true never ends

no time can mellow
neither distance can tame
oceans apart and miles away
in thoughts and heart.....

forever you'll stay

Eng
18february2011

same pole repels

i often wondered why some people brings out the best and few the worst in me. the hubby has his theory on that; he says some unfortunate souls and me shares a very dominant characteristics hence we repel. that got me thinking. so, i don't get pretty well with ---- because me thinking that she thinks highly of herself and a pretencious b*%$ ( pardon my french, got carried away in describing what might have been me!!) which translate, i think highly of me self and a ....- well, you get the point!

i like a good and healthy argument and if someone is as passionate as i on a certain subject and don't see eye to eye, it could potentially turn to a heated argument......lol! the reason i might have ( emphasis on might have..here) dislike someone - at this point in my writing it is still inconclusive - is that i myself possessed the same appalling attibutes. OUCH!!! reality sucks and more than that, it really bites! by now, i had to concede that there is a slice of truth to my hubby's hypothesis, if i'm to be truthful. sometimes, i am so preoccupied of trying to pull the wool out of someone else's eyes blinded by the fact that mine -figuratively - are abundantly covered with it. often times, i learned life the hard ways and the truth harder still. it isn't a pleasant encounter coming face to face with your frailty. it makes me fell vulnerable to elements i tried hard to protect myself from. it exist to served as a shell to keep the soft core within safe. those rough edges though an intrinsic part of me can also be a stumbling block that pulls me down - relationships wise. to sand my rough edges to smoothness - if not to perfection - requires a painful process of admitting to myself there are part of me that needs to change NOW. i look at my daughter and feels a tinge of guilt. kids always looks up to their parents and copy the kind of behavior we display around them. the apple will not fall far from its tree. i want her to fall gracefully on a favorable ground with less of weeds and more of good healthy soil. isn't that what we all want for our kids? for her sake this old grumpy dog can still be taught new tricks, not an easy task but its worth a try.

you may have different say on the matter, that's absolutely fine. i want to be proven wrong if thats what it takes to see the light.

a juicy couture party

a friend has asked me if i can take photos of her party bags and giveaways for her 2 daughters who shares the same birthday month. she came one day and brought all the regalias for the shoot, party theme: juicy couture.

to be truthful, never heard of juicy couture until that day!

the invites

the giveaways

the blings and get-up

cheer's to a great party for these two kids and to midori sour....a drink i gotta have again and soon!

pondering thoughts

once in a while, quiet moment renders me on reflective mood; musing about life in general, love in particular and even the most mundane of things we take for granted...like a flower blooming and the sound of birds singing. and yes, you can say "here she goes again, babbling away incessantly".....Touche!!

sheer knowledge of one’s self is the cornerstone of how we perceive life and whatever it brings us. it is where true power comes, an inelienable freedom begins and unquenchable noesis relies. the most potent tool a man can have is knowing your own strenght and defeating the frailty of your limitation. it is by knowing yourself that you can explore the possibilities and opportunities life has to offer. character isn’t made in the ease and repose of life neither in the the stillness and quietness of time. it is build in extreme adversity, in the moving ridge of tribulation. it will come forth triumphant, victorious and undefeated in the face of massive asperity. it is the defining moment in one's life that makes you who you are, a path that you and you alone will tread not to pull you down but to bring out the best in you. it is what seperates a man from a boy.

we should see life as how we would like to live it. paint it as how you envisioned it painted, add your own colours into it. sing a melody you wanted to bring into harmony with life and in turn, it will sing that melody back to you. move gracefully and in rhythm with life. don’t be too hard on yourself, in time you will find the beat flowing easily.

in life, nothing is ever written in stone.marvel on it day by day, savour it moment by moment.breath as if it is your last, laugh as much as you can, love as deeply as you live, derive pleasure from it as if there’s no tomorrow. in tranquility and prosperity, be thankful. in rigor and sterness, be prepared. .....when the wheel of life turn, you'll never know where you will end.

Inay

when i'm in pain
i think of you
your gentle hands
that soothes my brow

when i achieved a thing or two
i know you're proud
as no one else
beams as bright as you

when i am hurt
i know you knew
i can feel you are hurting
more than i do

you lost two sons
and a husband, too
but not your enthusiasm and love
for us who's still with you

i run out of words
to vividly picture you
from a daughter to a mother
inay, no one compares with you

Eng
19June08

This may be personally written for my mother but motherhood is a universal dictum. to all mothers, the world will never be the same without you in it...happy mother's day!