i am a shutterbug

ever since i got a hold of my first self-bought camera (kodak advantix), i have fallen in love with taking photographs...

i found myself drawn to shooting landscapes - something I used to draw all the time when I was still without a camera.

Eventually, I moved up to digital - Canon Ixus. And i have fallen even more! Without having any film to waste, i took shots like there was no tomorrow. I have transformed from a careful, precise shooter to a trigger-happy shutterbug. Of course, not all the shots were fantastic but having the luxury of digital space i have managed to try all sorts of shots - centered, off-centered, wide, tight, colored, b/w, sepia... I have never missed shooting anything.

and just when I thought my Ixus was the best, I was introduced to EOS. Never mind the fact that it was bulky and heavy! I wanted one.

Seeing how fantastic this DSLR can shoot made me more curious. I realized there's more to learn. Aperture, ISO, f/stops, exposure... so I was off with my bulky new camera to Intramuros to attend a photography workshop so i can become a better photographer.

No longer do I love to shoot just landscapes.  Photographing people has become my new favorite, especially the tight ones.  I love being able to capture emotions through the eyes.  This picture below is that of a very shy local girl from Rizal.  We were on a road trip and happen to stop at one of the view decks in the highway and came across a group of kids who are selling local candies.  Of the three, the one on the photograph was the most shy. 

                     

I also love taking silhouette shots, like the one below.  Taken inside one Singapore Airlines flight.  I love how the light from the window lent just enough light to show my subject's face who was a colleague of mine.

another silhouette shot taken at dusk, during a hot air balloon festival.  Notice how the angle managed to outline all of the subject's facial features (hair, brows, eyelid, nose, lips, chin), identifying her unmistakably as a foreigner.

hey, hang on a 'sec.  Is that a naughty finger?

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Here are a couple of church pictures I took a few years back.

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But then again, I still love my landscapes.

gotta get going.  

there's more to photograph out there.

learning how to run

Backtracking several months back....   I remember everytime i tell people  "I don't know how to run", I always get a quizzical look "how can you not know how to run?  It's human nature?"  Perhaps they didn't realize that i was referring to the sport, running.  When I have enrolled myself in a gym years back, I have always struggled with the treadmill.  It intimidated me.  I felt like a loser everytime I step on it because I couldn't get myself to run even 4.5 km/h for 10 seconds without hurting my feet and my legs.  Seeing the others beside me do it, makes me feel worse.  So, I said goodbye to treadmills and hello cardio dance classes!  Sure, I wasn't the most graceful student everytime, but I got what I wanted - a good sweat and cardio workout.

But you know what, I still did not give up on the idea that I could run! Why can't I? Am I doing something wrong? Are my steps awkward?  Am I too heavy, perhaps :) (but that's another story).    Was it the shoes? I thought to myself "nah, can't be the shoes, I'm wearing Nike Free!" I have resigned the idea of running and turned to biking instead!

Hah!  I love it.  It gave me a chance to workout outdoors.  Something I haven't done before.  I love the wind on my face, i love passing scenes, i love passing runners, i love passing slower bikers, i also love being passed by the faster bikers too.  I biked around lakes, parks, and discovered the beauty of the UP campus in Diliman.  Outdoor workouts have been a weekend habit since.  I bike, while my husband runs.  He got into fun runs and I willingly went with him in all of his runs.  I saw him off at his gunstarts and met him in his finish lines.  This has sparked my renewed interest for running.  I thought it would be nice to run with him during his races.  

Last April, we went out of the country for a vacation so I have missed my biking routine for quite a while.  My husband got me a pair of adidas running shoes during the trip and retired my hot pink Nike free. When we came back home, I have decided not to bring the bike to UP and try running.  Using my new adidas pair, I have planned to walk/run/walk around the oval for at least one lap.  I was told to slow it down and take it easy.  And that's what I did.  I also ran up and down the stairs of Melchor and Palma halls to get my heart rate up.  As I increased my laps, I also slowly increased my running minutes while decreasing my walking time.     I slowly found my rhythm and have been increasing my running mileage since then.  To date, I have joined and finished 4 fun runs.  Last weekend, I have finished my 2nd 5km run 5 minutes better than my PR.  I have been on a high and can't wait for the weekend so I can replace my homemaker hat with my sports cap and put on my trusty pair of adidas and hit the road. 

I knew how to run afterall!

And yes, it definitely pays to have good shoes.

Launching my Blog

Alright, now that I finally have more time on my hands, I have decided to try blogging. It doesn't seem to be hard.  How can it be hard?  All you have to do is find a space, and type away!  


Now that I've got my blogspot set up, there is a need to fill it up with 'posts'.  Let's Go! 


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uh-oh.  


my mind is racing now.  What should I write?  What am I supposed to write about?  I have lots on my mind, but do I spill everything out?  There's too much on my mind.  There might not be enough space.  Yeah, I need to edit.  But what should I choose to include and edit out?


Ok, I will try to organize my thoughts.  Maybe I can find the magic topic hiding beneath the synapses. I am going to start by answering these questions


"What the hell am I doing with this blog?"  
"Who will read my blog?"  better yet 
"Who do I want to be reading my blog?"  
"What's my theme?"


Ok now... let's take it one question at a time.


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whaaa!!!  I can't do it.  Not now, I guess.


I'll park my keyboard for now.


maybe tomorrow.