Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure

That moment you let your hands click the shutter because your eyes saw something that delights your senses – a couple of lichens growing, showing life amidst decay, turning hope into joy.  That moment that your hands itch to touch the soil and dig, plant a seed or two  and let them grow. It evokes memories and you smile at the thought because you found a treasure. Afterall, they say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – See more at: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/11531/22-quotes-by-photographer-ansel-adams/#sthash.TvgVQSMf.dpuf

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – See more at: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/11531/22-quotes-by-photographer-ansel-adams/#sthash.TvgVQSMf.dpuf

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” – See more at: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/11531/22-quotes-by-photographer-ansel-adams/#sthash.TvgVQSMf.dpuf

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Infinite

I love the sea although  it was quite sometime since I visited one. Gazing at the distant horizon, I am always in awe of the one great Hand who created it. There is always that feeling of peace inside my sometimes troubled heart every time  I see something like this.

And William Blake described it beautifully  when he said:  “To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/infinity.html#rS6YXiIGAmAdRXAJ.99

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/infinity.html#rS6YXiIGAmAdRXAJ.99

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Good Morning

The  anticipation

And the excitement

That an early morning brings –

Feeling the sun on your face

And silence whispers,

“What a beautiful world.”

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside

This comes a bit late I guess,  but I love the weekly photo challenge for this week. It connotes a lot of things,and  I would like to share two shots I took of my favorite places which I still visit every now and then, when  I have time.

I love this clean look of the long corridor of  Santo Domingo Church leading to the  main altar. There was a time when we used to come here a lot to visit my adopted son who is now a Dominican priest.  It is the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

And this is Santisimo Rosario Parish, located inside the campus of the University of Santo Tomas where I spent my  high school and college years. For us Thomasians, it is simply called the UST Chapel.  Back when I was a student, I used to attend daily student masses here.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreshadow

That moment when   the clouds hide  the sun’s brilliance but then you know that in a while, the dazzling light would show its face  and everything in your world would be right again. Life shadows are there to show us a promise of what is to come – maybe, something new to discover, to appreciate and admire.

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: The World Through My Eyes

I have always loved choosing a particular photo or several shots I took  through the years that would depict my interpretation of the Weekly Photo Challenge and I love what WordPress has come up with this week,  The World Through My Eyes. What a lovely subject to focus on. And I wish I could also try using more font choices here just to emphasize a post or make  the blog look great. I digress.

Next to my garden shots (flowers and blooms mostly), clouds are my favorite subject. I am in awe of seeing cloud formations and always  asks myself, “What secrets are you hiding? Are you happy just drifting and pouring  your heart as rain when things get so heavy?”

Life sometimes is  like a cloud. It is a never-ending process of discovery. There is always a bright  floss cotton candy  that you’ll see high above then all of a sudden, it changes its course and begins to darken.  I admire the way it floats, heading somewhere beyond,  then you get to ask again, “Is it also bright and sunny in your part of the world or are you enjoying the sudden summer rain drenching  your feet in puddles  and laughing your heart out like a child?”

Happiness sometimes is also fleeting, you shine one moment and cry the next. Then you’ll  see a lovely rainbow slowly breaking in the horizon, amidst clouds and sunshine.  And you hear the silence speaking to you softly whispering, God is near! And you smile because you are happy.

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

Nothing comes to mind for this challenge except for these three  photos that I took  of one of my favorite places, Caleruega.

This is the main hallway of Caleruega with this lovely curved staircase made of wood.  And at the back of this staircase is a Koi pond with all those colorful Koi fish merrily swimming in the background.

I do love this lush, green garden with a curve pond for more Koi. I would love to come back here and just absorb the serenity and quiet of the place.

For more of this, kindly visit this link.

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says

Okay, here we go, another challenge for an amateur photographer like me. I’d like to think though that there will always be shots that speak of those moments when you thoroughly enjoyed something and wish there would be more opportunities to visit again.

I remember this. My kids and I celebrated Mother’s Day at an Italian restaurant then went to Avilon Zoo for the first time. It’s been years since I visited one. We enjoyed feeding the rabbits and having pictures with Jenny, a friendly orangutan  trained to shake hands with visitors.  A joyous celebration of feeling like a child again and  enjoying  it with the kids.

Taken during our first visit to Caleruega. We were so eager to feed the Koi fish at the large pond  and watched  their golden bodies merrily swimming.  That was the start of our love affair with Koi fish and had them in our small pond three years ago. It was sad that we lost them all during the flood last year.

We passed by this place on our way to Caleruega , would have loved to explore it but around that time, I think it was closed to the public. Just the name itself evokes peace and serenity.  It’s actually a center of spirituality run by the Salesians of Don Bosco where one can hold retreats, recollections and weddings.

For more of these challenge, you can visit this link.

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: In The Background

When you dream, you could open feel that you are on top of the world and the clouds and blue sky are never far from your reach.

And when you commune with nature, you are really closer to God.

And the beach could be a big playground for those lovely thoughts. It is  lovely to see how nature channels you back to peace, tranquility  and silence.

See more posts here.

Read Full Post »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

This post came a  bit late but I can’t surely ignore it, can I?  Mine says Dreams and Escapes (with an S at the end).  There are several pictures  I took that would exactly describe what the word escape means to me but the following three shots stand out.

CALERUEGA. This is one of my favorite places. I could stay here and just listen to the silence or write a journal while admiring the view and feeling the cold breeze touch my cheeks.  That’s my daughter busy with something. I remember, we brought that tripod and three digital cameras,  mounting  one permanently to the former while we were exploring the place.

PUNDAKIT BEACH, SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES.  I remember those days when we used to go on road trips discovering new places . If only for the serenity of the place, I would come back here and see the sunrise or admire a wonderful sunset.  Beyond those mountains is Anawangin and overlooking this one is Capones Island.

TANAY. December 27, 2009, my first trip out-of-town after six rigorous sessions of chemotherapy.  Can I endure the exhilaration of going down these trails and climbing up the mountains of Tanay? I did it with flying colors, a brief escape from the fact that I was so depressed while undergoing treatments.

The beauty of nature gives us that feeling of oneness with the universe, a form of escape from pain and heartaches.  I always love this phrase posted  in  every corner at Caleruega which I have adopted in most of my blogs, Close To Nature, Closer To God.

Read Full Post »