Unspeakable joy.

Yesterday, while washing dishes (manually, we don't have a dishwasher), I was suddenly overcome with unspeakable joy. It's that kind of joy that seems to give light within the heart. Oh, so cliche, you say. Well, that's why it's unspeakable, it's very hard to put into words.

I'll just put it this way, even if you don't hate doing a chore as mundane as washing dishes, it still is a chore - repetitive, conducive for spaceout moments. Then you abruptly feel lighter, as if washing dishes is one of the most wonderful things to do in life! But that's not all, I also saw all the great things that happened in my life flash before me.

Now that I'm writing about that unspeakable-joy-moment, I ask myself, am I about to die? Is it a premonition of sorts?

I'm always going through a lot, I try not to dwell on it, even if I feel my soul wavering, because that's how life is: There are joys, there are sorrows. It's just that sometimes, one sorrowful thing can throw a weight that can seep the life out of you. What fools we mortals be, indeed.

My unspeakable joy moment just kicked sorrow's balls, and let me be for the entire day. So to honor that day, I'm posting this old photo that can be totally unrelated to the reader, but very meaningful for me.

My life with you is like living in a fantasy land, there are kind and caring creatures, as well as orcs and trolls.

What's the lesson for today? Kick sorrow's balls!

That's it for now.

:)

Angono photo walk

I usually take long walks. I sometimes look like a freak that carries a camera all the time, snapping pictures of whatever. Here's some snaps from a walk that (almost always) turned into a photo walk.

It's a good thing that Angono is not a densely populated town, because every time I take a walk, there's only a few people that I see. At the time I took these pictures, I was wearing house clothes and plain tsinelas while lugging a heavy Yashica film camera.

Nemiranda's Art Camp. I took this shot from the bridge over Angono River. As you can see, it is located in a very idyllic place. A perfect spot for creative minds while doing their artwork. I attended two art workshops last year in this place. The classes were taught by no less than Nemesio Miranda (Nemiranda) himself. He is a great teacher, and I feel like I'm doing him a disservice by not producing much art this year. Perhaps, next year, 2013, which is only a couple of days away, I'll be doing more artworks that can make their way in this blog.

This is an old "bahay na bato" which burnt down years ago, and the owners never got the chance to renovate it. I felt sad seeing this structure, this is just beside the Angono Highway. However, I am against the idea of demolishing it, I think it should stand as a testament of a time long past.

This used to be Nemiranda's art gallery, with the first floor used as a resto bar. Through the years, it has changed its purpose. Last time I checked, the rooms are being let as residential spaces and the first floor is rented by a funeral parlor. I once dreamt living in one of the rooms here, but it's always occupied by a renter. Still, I admire the architecture, and of course, the huge sculpture were both designed and made by Nemiranda.

That's it for now.

Angono street art (relief sculptures)

Instead of graffiti, Angono artists decided to adorn their street walls with various relief sculptures.  Well, they do have some walls adorned with creative graffiti art, but that's for another post.

This street, I believe, is the one that leads to or is Lucio San Pedro Street. You can't miss this street it's near the town proper, just look for the bust of Lucio San Pedro at a street corner from the main road, enter that street.

This, obviously, is a scene depicting Jose Rizal's moment of martyrdom, when he got executed in Luneta.

This one seems to be depicting the exultation of the Filipino family, its values and culture.

I love this one, merging different famous Filipino mythology stories. Can you identify the characters and/or symbols used?

This looks like a depiction of village life and camaraderie of a neighborhood.

(I have failed to take note the names of the artists who made these beautiful creations. I could update this in the future to include their names.)

Angono is a nice town to be lost in. You can just take a long walk, be lost and be surprised on what wondrous artwork you'll see round the corner. I advise you all to go out and explore, too.

That's it for now. Four days left before Christmas. :)

Intramuros in light-leaky images

I have mentioned several times on this blog that I have an old Yashica FX-D film camera. It is not in good condition, its joints are covered in black tape, film inside has a propensity to get stuck often, among other things. Most of the prints taken in sunny conditions get lots of light leaks.

Despite all of these drawbacks, I still love using it. Instead of seeing an image that is a close approximation of the real thing, I get to see them in a surreal light.

Here's some photos taken using my (not so) trusty Yashica. I used redscale film (or is it expired film?).

The film did give this vintage structure, a very vintage effect, without using Instagram or other filtering programs.

The light leak looks like a blob of light that's about to enter the darkened church.

For vintage, worn photo-looks, redscale film really does deliver.

I held the cam still for about a minute (or did I use a tripod? I forgot.), slow-shutter mode thingy (no, not HDR) to allow more light to expose the film, it then gave the image color even if the film is redscale. (Or, it could just be a freak accident that this one got color-y) 

I will sleep after I finish writing this post, and this photo made me think that it could be a great setting for a dream sequence, as long as it's not a nightmare.

Finally, this sculpture, for me, is just so moving. The subject is heartbreaking, dying of poverty and hunger. I guess, the film and the light leaks made the image a lot gloomier as it is.

What have I learned with this? Well, using a cheap, ready-made redscale film gives unpredictable "filters" on your photos. If you want a vintage, warm, worn look on your images without PS, this could greatly help in your project.

Redscale film by Lomography is one of my favorite types of film to use. The results on each frame, on every roll developed, is very varied, it surprises you.

That's it for now.

Youth (A random-people-on-the-streets post)

Some say that, technically, youth ends at the age of 35.
 

Here's a puzzle for you: Spot the elf. Hint, the elf is female.

Rush!

Lantern Parade 2012

I met up with some college friends that I haven't seen in years last Friday, December 14th, to watch the annual Christmas Lantern Parade in UP Diliman.

It was catch-up time, so we really didn't take lots of pictures of the lanterns/floats being paraded. It's just a nice feeling to chat with friends in person, we've all been busy with our own lives. We reminisced, laughed, talked and had a great time.

Here's a few snaps I took using just an ipod touch.

Flying fish!

I'm not sure what this is, just looks pretty.

A Nightmare before Christmas Rudolph

Alien abduction of a creature

Fantasy flying ship

Would you like to be kissed by this guy?

It just occurred to me that technology in photography has come a long way indeed. Almost everyone is lugging around photographic equipment, even kids have the expensive ones. Parades are great for photo moments, it's just that I got a bit dizzy seeing camera flashes from all directions.

I love going to the annual parade. I try each year to find time to watch it. As a spectator for several years, I realized that I really am getting old, but it's a warm, fuzzy feeling. Yes, I do see the world changing right before my eyes in my mundane existence, but gatherings like this one amplify those changes. Making me sit back not only to marvel at the beauty of change, but to also mourn losses.

It's almost Christmas. Have a happy holiday!

Reminiscing

We had lots of fun times in our own house that we, unfortunately, had to leave. My loved one told me, if the house had a heart, it felt that the house loved us.

Please don't call my glasses hipster glasses, I never knew that my geeky glasses would suddenly be a fashion item for some. I've been wearing glasses since I was a kid.

Some mobile stuff

Lately, I've been using mobile stuff to take photos. I still have a film stash, but I have trouble preparing my film cameras before I walk out the door.

Here's some photos taken during a morning run at our provincial capital.

empty ferris wheel

leaning statue of Rizal

Balaw-Balaw

Balaw-Balaw is a restaurant/art museum in Angono, Rizal. I lived for almost two years in Angono, and this resto is one of my favorite places in town (the other one is Nemiranda's Art Camp). I took lots of photos of this resto, on different occasions, but I'm not in the mood to upload all of them here. If you want to see this great art resto, you have to come in person.

Yummy Filipino dishes in generous servings + great artworks = HEAVEN (for me, at least.)

This photo is one of my favorite shots of my favorite artwork in Balaw-Balaw. The sculpture is very realistic. When I first saw it, it made me break a tear, I can't explain the feeling, but I had a melange of emotions upon gazing on this wonderful piece: calmness coupled with heartbreak and longing and other emotions that I can't put into words. I know my photography isn't great, but I hope you get the gist that this is a great work of art.

I could almost see her breathing.

Cosplay shots

These are old shots, I think last year, taken at different places and events. I used to lug around several film cameras, (these days I don't go out much) snapping pix of anything interesting using whatever I have available. From what I could remember, these were taken using my old Yashica SLR.

The first three pix were taken at a cosplay event at MOA. We got bored inside the cosplay area as it is dim and nothing much is happening. So we took a breath of fresh air and noticed more interesting stuff near the entrance.

Three maidens. I dare say, they all look great.

Anbu on a mission. 

A group of cosplayers trying to cross the street. My, what big swords you have.

Well, that's it for now.