Pool Fun

Robert Capa said "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." Getting in the pool with a non-weatherproof/waterproof camera just to get close might be a little nuts, then again, who can resist kids as cute as these?





Andrés, Caroline, Daniel (and Brooke), that was fun! Thanx for having me there!

Welcome To The World, Amanda Marie!

Just a quick birth announcement... Albert and Angie, my brother and sister-in-law, have a new baby! Amanda Marie, named after her two grandmas (Amanda for Angie's mom and Marie from Marissa, our mom) was born on the 12th of July at 10:53p.m. PDT weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz.

Preciosa!

with Kuya (older brother) Andrew...

Congrats, A&A! Lots of besos y abrazos para los sobrinos from la tía!

Blast from the Past: Escaped or Captured?

Just thought I'd share with you this image taken from the time before I had the nerve to call myself a photographer... A blast from the past, if you will.

Nikon FM3A, Kodak 400TX B&W negative film, Toledo 2006_R1: Frame#14

Escape, Capture. Those are the two words that pop to mind when I look at this photograph. And both words are apt descriptions, depending on one’s interpretation. This was taken in Toledo in 2006 in one of those narrow alleys snaking throughout the city proper. I liked the pattern on the ground but I needed something else in the frame to make it look more interesting. In my head I knew exactly the image I wanted. The question was, would I be able to execute it properly? Man and child came into view. I knew it was going to be a one-frame chance to do it, maybe two at the most (turned out to be only one frame... my camera was the type that not only had to be advanced manually but had to be focused manually as well, and let me tell you, manual focus can be a 'b-i-t-c-h' sometimes). The man, seeing that I was trying to take a photo probably thought that he was in my way, so he hurried his pace to get out of the way. Unbeknownst to him though, my idea was to "place" him and the child exactly where they ended up in my frame. Of course, I didn’t know if my plan had worked until I developed the film. And holy macaroons, it did! Let’s just say that there was a little bit of my version of Larry and Balki’s The Dance of Joy in the darkroom… Thankfully I was alone at that time, HA! ;-P

So, what do you think? Which do you prefer – the notion that they were “escaping” or the idea that they were “captured”? While my intent was the latter, I think at the end of the day, it was both.

Well, I hope you liked this little Blast From The Past! Maybe I will come up with more... In the meantime, Happy Sunday to all!

From My Window...

Van Gogh always painted the scene outside his window, it didn't matter where he was - be it in a mental institution or his childhood home. Well, lucky him, 'cause save from the windows I photographed a while back, there's really nothing remotely interesting with the view from MY apartment. Geez, I can't even tell if the guy in the building across the street is cute because there's a huge tree blocking the view. Actually, I can't even tell if it's a guy, HA! Ok, I digress...
One afternoon though, I was lucky enough to stumble upon this...

Needless to say, I made a mad dash for the camera...
Have a colorful Thursday, everyone!

43

If you are someone who normally/occasionally checks out this blog or had looked at this blog before, especially late last year, you would already know that five months ago, my Mama went home to Heaven. Today would have been her and my dad's 43rd wedding anniversary. Well, I know Papa still considers it to be, so let me rephrase my previous statement. Today IS my parents' 43rd wedding anniversary, and in honor of that I thought I'd share with you some photos from last summer, their last time together in Madrid.

Happy times... In front of Puerta del Sol...

This next one was taken on Mama's birthday...

Chillaxin' in Parque del Retiro...

Another one in Retiro...

Maybe I will share with you the album I custom-designed for them some other time. But in the meantime I just want to say that while it's still hard for me to look at my Mama's photos, I will always, always be thankful that I had the chance to capture these images. I will cherish them forever.

おはよう (Ohayoo), Japan

(Photographer's Note: Due to unavoidable circumstances, this post was not published last year as initially planned. Apologies to K&M...)

Japan... a land of contrasts, where modern and tradition co-exist with seamless ease, where people bow in greeting while toting the latest technology in their pockets, where you might see a kimono-clad person walking side-by-side someone in avant-garde, almost anime-like fashion. And so, if Japan is a land of contrasts, then my friend, Kyoko, is the quintessential Japanese. She is traditional in the sense that she has high regard for custom, possesses an incredible work ethic that the Japanese are famous for and is a stickler for proper social etiquette (in Japan anyway... Hey, no PDA in front of the parents!), but quite unconventional in her choices in life. Kyoko took Shakespeare/English lit in college, had previously lived and studied in Spain, worked in a Brazilian bank (where she learned a bit of Portuguese too), and is now married to a Peruvian named Miguel.

A common tomodachi (friend) introduced Kyoko and Miguel at a small gathering. Miguel said that he was pleasantly shocked by the fact that not only could this pretty Japonesa speak Spanish, but also that she does it really well, and that she's able to utter those palabrotas (swearwords) as well as any Spanish-speaking person here, there and everywhere could, must have impressed him (and endeared her to him) ‘cause he never let her out of his sight after that meeting. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Kyoko wanted Miguel to experience Spain, so they used the few vacation days that their busy working sked would allow. They were able to squeeze in a super-short photo session with me and we chose Plaza de Oriente for the shoot. After an encounter with some very persistent Chinese people doing massages (Miguel wanted to get a massage, and he did, Kyoko didn’t but relented after being pulled to a chair by the Chino) and having a brief spat about being charged way too much, we happily snapped some photos…

Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu, Kyoko & Miguel - That’s one of the five things I remember from Japanese class ;-P - for the amazing albeit short time we got to spend together. See you back in Madrid soon!

Gran Via this morning...

was cold and somber, with this thick fog that would not lift... The Torre de Madrid, normally a commanding presence right smack where Gran Via ends and calle Princesa begins, was nowhere in sight. It was the exact image of how I feel at the moment - melancholy, uncertain of what's to come. How about you, reader? Have you ever come upon a scene or seen/taken a photograph that reflected how you felt at that very moment?

New Year

... is about fresh starts, clean slates, new beginnings. It is about the road not yet taken. It is about continuing journeys and making new ones. May your new year be as happy, exciting and promising as you imagined it to be. Just make sure to be ready for those rainy days too... And as they say in that 1993 bob-sled movie - "Cool Runnings, Peace Be The Journey!" Feliz 2011!

photo by Andrew

I want to end the year with a different photo, so I thought I'd share this one...

My nephew Andrew, whenever asked what he wants to be when he grows up, answers "I want to be a grown-up". Yes, folks... He doesn't say he wants to be a doctor or an architect or a fireman. Not even a profession involving cars and trucks, given his love for them. Of course, he's barely five years old. But that's what he wants: to be a grown-up. Now, if only grown men would have the same aspirations, huh?

But once in a while, when he sees my camera, he eagerly asks if he can hold it and take a picture. Or should I say, pictures. He doesn't do that a lot with point-and-shoots. He likes the massive beast that I call my "office". Anyway, this photo was taken by Andrew with my camera... Hey, who knows if we have a future grown-up photographer in the works? ;-P


Note: Crocs are his favorite footwear... We have a photo of last year's Crocs too.

Images From My Mama's Last Two Days...

My Mama went to Heaven on October 30th. My Papa, sister Aline, brother Albert, nephew Andrew and I were there as she drew her last breath at exactly 12:25 p.m., marking the end of a brief but painful struggle with cancer.

She was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of colon cancer which had already metastasized to the liver (90% of which was affected). We were told that based on findings, she might have been carrying the disease for about two years now although it didn't manifest until a couple of months prior to her passing. She and my dad even visited me in Spain over the summer and aside from the aches and pains and other things that one would associate with aging, there was no clear indication that she was sick. We had a great time together. Little did we know that there was this dark cloud looming over us.

She had surgery on October 14th but the surgeon (who happened to be my uncle - my mom's cousin) found that it was already inoperable. The tumor in the colon was already attached to the pelvic floor and that the liver was already riddled with lesions. She was administered her first and only round of immunotherapy (a type of chemo) on October 19th. Unfortunately, her body didn't respond to the treatment. By October 24th, we were told that we were looking at one to two weeks and to prepare ourselves with what was to come. To know that a loved one is terminally ill is already heartbreaking. To be told that you have such little time with them is indescribable. To have to choose her casket even before she died was something that I never imagined doing, I wanted to run out of the funeral home when we got there. The day before her she passed, we started saying our goodbyes.

Even in pain, she was still a "mama"... She would ask us if we had already eaten or would tell us to get some food when she knew that we still hadn't. She would share her popsicles and ice creams with us. She would tell us to get some sleep. She would ask "pagod ka na?"/"are you tired?", worrying about my comfort, as she leaned against me during those times when she wanted to sit by the side of the bed after lying on her back for a long time. She said she'd cook my favorite food and some molo soup when she got better. She would notice the tiny stains on Papa's shirt (that he got from cooking meals). She even worried about the expenses at the hospital. A "mama" 'til the very end...

The following photos were taken during the last two days of my dear Mama's life.

October 28th: We set up the computer so she could Skype with family in the Philippines...

Her sister Carrie and niece Kitkat on Skype...

The tag that the nurses scanned whenever they had to take her vital signs, get her blood sugar reading, administer pain medication, etc.

October 29th: Asleep... She started sleeping a lot as her state declined...

with my Papa...

Me holding her hand...

Mama and Aline...

with her youngest, Albert...

one and only grandson, Andrew, kissing Mama...

with her younger brother, Tito Butch...

Tito Butch and sister-in-law Tita Minda saying a prayer...

I miss you already... But I know that from your special place in God's house right now, you know that you were, and will forever be, loved.

********************

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank our friends and relatives for the prayers and show of support, love and concern. Many thanks to Tito Butch, Tita Minda and the rest of their family for taking care of us while we were in Virginia; to Fr. Gaudi for the spiritual guidance and the help with coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.; to the Singleton Funeral Home for their services and for making the arrangements for her transport back to the Philippines; to the Filipinos in Virginia who came to the small viewing we had and to Tita Daisy and Tita Marissa for the food they prepared for our small gathering after the viewing. To all the doctors (Dr. Mario Stefanini, Drs. Joseph and Daisy Claustro, Dr. William Hunter and the rest), nurses, nurse aides, respiratory technicians and other medical staff assigned to my Mama at Clinch Valley Medical Center, our heartfelt gratitude for the care you gave her (and us) during her stay at the hospital.