River Cruise

Victory in Defeat

Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out. When the great oak is straining in the wind, the boughs drink in new beauty, and the trunk sends down a deeper root on the windward side. Only the soul that knows the mighty grief can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.

Edwin Markham

Casual Conversation

Life is Lived in the Valleys

No one lives on the top of the mountain. It’s fine to go there occasionally — for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That’s where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That’s where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks.

Arthur Gordon

Shades of Blue

Main Street @ Night

Streaking Light

Kindness and Decency

It is a good idea to be ambitious, to have goals, to want to be good at what you do, but it is a terrible mistake to let drive and ambition get in the way of treating people with kindness and decency. The point is not that they will then be nice to you. It is that you will feel better about yourself.

Robert Solow

Alone in a Hero's Place

Lighted Street

With nothing to do last night, I went out at about 11 in the evening and started taking pictures of the street near my residence. It was quiet with a few occasional roars of motorcycles passing along the street, probably the night owls just coming out or going back from a night out. As much as I like take pictures of people showing unbridled emotion, I like taking pictures of places, that are usually busy, but with no people around. We have often gone to places were people are abound and we don't see what whole place looks like with the absence of people. I like to take pictures of what we do not usually experience in our everyday life.

Crabby Crab

I took a photograph of this crab during one of our beach outing. Maybe it's just me, but I think this crustacean is trying to blend it's colors with its surroundings. I always intrigued by animals who can alter their colors. I was introduced to that idea through the times i was watching the Discovery or National Geographic channels.

Little Pagoda

One of structures that I admire most is a pagoda. These temples for me symbolize serenity and I like how they look. I first encountered a pagoda watching Japanese movies while I was a kid and have always admired these structures when they are pictured near lakes or gardens as we see in books showcasing the Japanese culture. This pagoda, for me, was also made famous by the final battle scene in Bruce Lee’s final movie, “The Game of Death”, where he has to go in every stage and fight an opponent until he reaches the top.

Pathway

Lost Little Lady

I love taking photographs at the People's Park because of the so many beautiful designs surrounding the area. Also, I can see in this place the various reactions of individuals touring the place. One such scene is this little lady alone, maybe she's looking for her parents or she's just looking around.

Rest for the Weary Farmer

Farmers, especially in coconut and banana plantation like the one pictured above, work the whole day under the heat of the sun. A few minutes of rest are essential for their body to recharge from the day of toil. However, in the farms, farmers have to improvise on where they could rest. Oftentimes there are no makeshift huts or tents in the middle of the farms for the farms to relax, so they just sit in the grass or on land hoping to replenish the energy they have used for the days work.

Nowadays, a lot of people have no respect for a hard day's work. We are constantly looking for money using the least amount of energy. I salute the farms for their work because they are doing a noble job of feeding the population, who just take for granted the food of their tables.

The sad reality today is that the farmers can no longer afford some of the foods that they produce. We have seen reports of rice farmers who cannot afford to buy rice anymore because it has become so expensive for their meager earnings. Also, several agricultural funds appropriated by the government do not reach most of the poor farmers because they were given to the rich landowners or went to the pockets of greedy politicians. Several farmers were just told to sign some piece of paper of which they have no knowledge about to make it look like they have received something. Let us not deny that these things happen.

Most of us cannot do anything about these things because we have our problems, but let us show that we respect these noble farmers because they are the backbone of this country. Let us not allow anyone look down on them because of their sometimes ragged appearance. Be proud of our farmers.

Cracked Earth

It looks like a canyon or a gorge from above but this was just a small crack probably from a minor earthquake that hit this site. With the earth opening upon, there are several roots that are exposed. This was taken somewhere in Calinan, Davao City

Guitar Man

This is one of the alien-looking statues at Davao City's People's Park. People who have been to the place have fondly called these statues as "kokey", a name derived from a alien character in a movie & television show of which the face resembles. This was supposed to be a native stringed-instrument player with their own version of a guitar.

Panda's Desire

This was just a fun shot for me. With nothing to do, I started to practice my shots with Panda and Tigress. Taking several pictures individually and together, I practiced on angles, lighting effects. I'm new at this but it's fun. Well, I made Panda look creepy. This photo made him look like a stalker to tigress..hehe. Fun shot though. : )

Group = Individual

If we all reacted the same way, we'd be predictable, and there's always more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple: Overspecialize, and you breed in weakness. It's slow death.

from Ghost in the Shell

Bananas Galore

Pisang Mas processed for export.
These bananas are similar in size with the Señorita Variety

Morado & Pisang Mas

Only Free to Expand Within Boundaries

There are countless ingredients that make up the human body and mind, like all the components that make up me as an individual with my own personality. Sure I have a face and voice to distinguish myself from others, but my thoughts and memories are unique only to me, and I carry a sense of my own destiny. Each of those things are just a small part of it. I collect information to use in my own way. All of that blends to create a mixture that forms me and gives rise to my conscience. I feel confined, only free to expand myself within boundaries.

from Ghost in the Shell

Menacing Crocodile

The crocodile featured in the photo above scared the heck out of me. While I was taking its picture, it jumped a bit towards me like it was about to attack. My initial reaction was to run for cover and leave my companion. I forgot where I was and even shoved my companion a bit because I was really scared that it will eat me. Maybe, I was watching too many movies on the attack of animals. I was very embarrassed on what I did because the crocodile was surrounded by barbed wires to protect the visitors of the Davao Crocodile Park and to think that I shoved another to get for cover. In this photo that I took before the supposed attack, I found it to be menacing and probably hungry for a bite. Thankful that the bite wasn’t me... : )

Without Wondering

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars... and they pass by themselves without wondering.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Coins Abound

Here are samples of the coins circulating in the Philippines. The coins were located in my "coins container". That container usually has a lot of coins, usually in the smaller denominations. This is where most of my money is stored. Lots of coins but few papers. Sad but true.

Belief in Something

"It is possible to believe in something
and still fail to live up to it."

From House M.D. Episode # 219 “House Vs. God"

Fly in a Flower

Waiting for You

Having someone waiting for you gives a little bit of happiness.
Whether he(/she) comes or not.

From Monster - Episode 60 "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

Waiting

Is she waiting for something, just enjoying the view of the sea or contemplating about her life?

Well, I don't know what she is doing, I can only guess and those are my assumptions. Maybe, she didn't notice that she's under the Philippine flag but she looks patriotic near it.

Ladybug

I really don't know what this insect is at first. This photo was taken somewhere in Eden Nature Park. The reason why I took this photo was that it looked like. The quality isn't very good, not sharp enough. Only later on when I browsed to this picture that my officemate pointed out that this insect was a ladybug. I need to refresh my memory on that subject in high school that deals with insects. Well, I forgot the name of the subject that I need to remember.

Standing Guard

This person is in-charge of the safety of the passengers when the boards and exit the boat because the boat is continuously moving due to the waves. He prepares the long board, pictured next to him, for the passengers to cross while guiding them as they board.

I took this picture without his knowledge while we were waiting for other passengers before going to a resort in the Island Garden City of Samal.

Shape of a Smile?

I'm smiling now, aren't I ?
It's just something I learned.
I learned to make my face in a shape of a smile.

From Monster - Episode 49 "The Cruelest Thing"

Eden Nature Park - Tinubdan

Tinubdan is one of the new attractions found at Eden Nature Park in Toril, Davao City. It promotes the culture of the indigenous people that form part of the ancestry of this city.



Once you climb the stairs leading to the small house a wonderful scene will welcome you, a beautiful garden surrounded by playful children.

Betrayal

If you don't want to be betrayed by anyone else, then you have to doubt the person that you least want to doubt.

From Monster - Episode 50 "The Rose Mansion"

Carmelite Cross

Blue Jaz Beach Resort & Waterpark

We went to this place about two weeks ago. This is one of the new resorts in the Island Garden City of Samal and is located at Barangay Caliclic, Babak District.

This resort boasts of new and wonderful amenities for your family and friends to enjoy like swimming pools, for both kids & adults, a mini trampoline and much more. Also, their restaurant offers good food. However, it is advisable for people with limited budget to bring their own food. The place also provides some area for you to do your barbecuing.

The Coconut Pilot

I'm afraid to climb that high without support from any rope. When I was a child, I climbed half this coconut's height once at my grandfather backyard and once i reached the top, i had difficulty going down. My whole body was trembling with so much fear. Thinking of all the negative things that might happen should my hands let go of the tree, I just stayed on top and hugged the tree with everything ounce of strength I had. Eventually, I got down but with many scratches in my hands and feet. I find it easier to go up than to go down

I'm so fascinated with people who can climb such heights with little of no fear at all. Someone like the Frenchman dubbed as "Spider-Man". He could climb the tallest structures on this planet without any support and I'm very intrigued on how he could scale such height.

The picture above is what we funny called as the "Coconut Pilot". They climb day in and day out for the coconut either to get the sap, to be used for liquor, or cut down the nuts for copra. This was taken in one of the areas we get young fresh coconuts for export somewhere in Calinan, Davao City.