The Boon and Bane of Digital Cameras

The Boon and Bane of Digital Cameras

I  consider photographs of family and friends as treasures. I love looking at old photographs. Memories that I shared with people come alive when I look at them. Photographs become my prozac when I feel depressed and my company when I am unable to sleep till wee hours in the morning.

Unfortunately, capturing all those precious moments in one's life entail money. First you have to have a camera, buy films and have them developed. Sometimes, if your camera or photographer  is not that good , the photos don't come out nice and money is wasted.

With the invention of digital cameras, "junk photos" are things of the past. You just delete from your cameras' memory all photos not to your liking and you can click every conceivable pose and action to your heart's content without having to spend on developing them.

Nowadays, my digital camera is a “must bring” item in my bag. I love to document my activities especially when I meet up with friends. During the last year’s Simbang Gabi, I took photos for the nine consecutive days that I heard mass. Kapalan lang ng mukha no. But then, I found out that some people did like being photographed, ( it’s very Filipino like karaoke singing)  it’s just that they don’t have the audacity that I have. Ha ha ha. My children would like to disappear from this planet every time they see me doing this.

The term facebook means more than just a social networking site to a Filipino. Before, we used to term taking pictures as Kodak moments or Kodakan. But the term Kodak now is passé… its now.. pang  Facebook.. Iba ang Pinoy… We look for Colgate instead of toothpaste, always Scotch tape even if the brand is not, etc. Well,  “Being Filipino” is another topic. 

Going back to digital camera…, once you have looked at the photos, you just save them on your computer and that's it. Its seldom  that you have them printed and compile in an album. Looking at photographs from family albums and from the computer evoke  different feelings for me. I still prefer that I hold each photo in my hand rather than clicking from my computer. Besides, photos are sometimes my company. I can be with them anywhere, lying down, in the garden or even on the road when I am travelling. I keep them in my wallet, my desk or between the pages of my books. They also serve as my decors around the house. You can see them in every room except the dining room and kitchen.

Since my kids started using digital cameras, my collection of photographs had ceased to  increase. The last printed photos we had as family were those taken in Boracay in 2005. After that, all our photos are stored in the computer and each child has his /her own folder or website that trying to look at them would be a real task for me since I am not a whiz at computers.

When I conceived a project on making video presentation of the Comines family, the importance of  printed photos  was stressed. Not only it’s easier to select photos to be included, they come in very handy. I keep  our family photos in boxes, one for each child,  one for me and Bong and with the children, and one for relatives and friends. I did this because they are readily available  whenever a photo is needed in the school or video presentation. Teachers love to require their students to bring a family photo or do a story of their lives in photographs. Kaya nga nagka watak watak na ang mga albums ko. Since then, I stopped putting our photos in photo albums.

Anyway, with all my collection of photos, I still feel that I was not able to capture all those important events in our family life due  perhaps to laziness or  to the  dictum that"money dictates what has to be". I am now more bent on keeping printed photos so that the next generations may enjoy looking at them as I do now when I look at old photographs. What if  mawala ang facebook or maubos na and source of energy? Or earthquake at tsunami katulad sa Sendai.. or magkaWorld war III at mamundok tayo. Wala computer dun ha.

I once read from a contributor of readers digest that if her house is on fire, the first thing (besides  human lives), that she will save is their family photos. Don't we all agree?  

Bong in grade school wearing a Muslim costume

  A family pic when I was two years old. I am on the left..standing.

With my officemates at WESVICO..my first job. This where Bong and I met.

Taken during our field day ..I am at the center...tallest among the girls with big eyes..

Another photo of my WESVICO days.

THINGS I CAN'T PART WITH

Twice a year, I do  general cleaning of the house and  discard items that are just gathering dust. But there are items that I have accumulated through the years that I will never part with. Here they are:

Retail therapy is not for me. I am not an impulsive  buyer except when it comes to books. I love  buying books because reading gives me a different kind of high especially self help, spiritual and biographies. Some of these were bought when I was still single. I have read these books many times over. I will never part with them. My  biography books include... Morita, the founder of Sony… Lee Iacocca, the former President of Chrysler…. Marriot, the founder of Marriot Hotel Chain…. Oprah, who doesn't know her but its unofficial, Sam Walmart, founder of Walmart…Sophia Loren, Shirley Mclaine, Magic Johnson, Diana, Madonna, Michael Jordan (Unofficial),  Mary Kay, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Iyanla Vanzant, Kobe Bryant, Iverson, Adeline Yen Mah etc..   For inspirational books, I go for  Norman Vincent Peale, (the first inspirational author that I have read. My youngest son was named after him),   Og Mandino,Leo Buscaglia, Kahlil Gibran, Alice Potter, Zig Ziglar, Dennis Waitley, Suzy Orman, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. I love reading biographies because they are very inspiring kahit sugar coated pa. Unfortunately, not all biographies published abroad are not on sale here. I have to order from my sisters abroad or browse at Booksale for good finds. From Akio Morita, I learned the value of totally immersing your children in a place or situation that you would want them to learn from… from Lee Iacocca, the value of family and not giving up….from Sam Walmart, the value of living simply despite wealth… from Oprah, in beleiving in yourself… from Mary Kay, handling people… from the athletes, the value of perseverance… from J. Willard Marriot, the importance of going the extra mile in servicing your clients, etc.

 

These books are next to the Bible as far as importance is concerned. They keep me grounded and positive. When I am in a bad mood or sad, all I have to do is to read a page or two of these books. They are at my bedside for easy access. At the bottom is Simple Abundance by Bretnach. It was a bestseller when it was first published. I gave my own copy to my sister when she left for abroad.. Fortunately, I was able to buy from Booksale, a surplus book store. Bago yung nabili ko, di 2nd hand pero P300 Lang. In national book store, it costs almost  P1t.

As we advance in years, we get to be careful with our health. I was introduced to alternative/natural medicine through the books of Dr. Weil. Except the one by Deepak Chopra, (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind) these health books were given to me by sister. I have learned a lot from these books and I try my best to practice  what they say except that I still need my nicotine fix every now and then.

 

This is one of my treasured possessions. It was my first owned Bible. It was given to us as a gift by the sponsoring class when we joined the Marriage Encounter Weekend 23 years ago. It’s already dilapitated for being over used. I have lots of earmarks and other writings there. Every page especially sa New Testament, puno ng Stabilo kaya ayaw ko magpalit ng Bible kahit gula gulanit na. I love this English version Bible because it is easy to read. When I need further instruction or would want to know the background of the Chapters, I turn to International Bible given by my sister Bilen who is married to a Pastor. My favorite story in the Old testament is the life story of Joseph. Isaiah is too deep for me but I always include in my prayer that verse that says, "Your words don’t return to me void" when I am praying for petitions. In the New testament, I love all the Letters of St. Paul. I also love reading the Psalms, Sirach and Proverbs. I haven’t been through reading the Revelations. My favorite Gospel is the Gospel of St Matthew although St. John's version is the one often quoted. This Bible also served as my Marriage Counsellor for 23 years specifically those verses on Marriage found in the Letters of St. Paul to the Ephesians. When 2 people of different backgrounds and upbringing get married, chances are, there will be clashes. I have my share of emotional upheavals during my 31 years of married life. It's through reading the Bible and other books  that we get to understand and enjoy our differences…. that marriage is a partnership whereby each partner  gives 100 percent  and not 50-50. Kaya nga ang National Anthem ko kay Bong is the song "I Cherish." Lagi kong kinakanta yung portion na... “God has enabled me to walk with you faithfully, I cherish, the treasure of You” instead of making dakdak. So tatawa na lang siya. Sabi kasi, when you want to express something, you always use the word "I" and not "You" para the other person is not defensive. For example you say, "I feel that you are so strict with the kids...rather than "You are so strict with the kids".... The second sentence has an accusing mode. A lot of times, people do things the way they think is right without meaning to hurt but oftentimes they are  misconstrued. . Kaya, dapat, ingat sa choice of words. Bong is quite demanding when it comes to our children. He  always raises the bar when it comes to achieving something.   To avoid resentment on the part of the children,  I explained to them where their father  is coming from. Having such knowledge makes them appreciate/understand  more the things we do/expect for/from them. There was a time in my life that I only played  Christian songs. Due to my  children’s  exposure to this kind of music,   my eldest daughter  prefers  the song "Household of Faith” na wedding song instead of the more popular love songs. Sabi, ko sige at pag pinag-speech ako, imbes na speech eh, kakantahan ko ang mga in laws ko ng "Welcome to the Family" complete with gestures pa. Sabi ba naman, "Nyek". Maghahasik pa daw ako ng lagim." The Bible is also my Parenting Manual. Dito ko rin natutunan yung Honor thy Father and thy Mother because it is the first Commandment that has a promise added na, “so that all may go well with you and and may live a long life”. Alam na alam na ng mga mga bata ito. Maybe if you will ask them one thing they have learned from me, it will be this. I always remind them this. When George was still in grade school, he quoted this as one of the things he learned from his parents in his essay. On the other hand, I always remind myself not to get their ire. Nasa Ephesians din ito. Kasi siguro,  getting angry with parents, is one way of dishonoring them, so it might be a stumbling block to their success later on.

This is just a simple frame but I kept this. It was given to us by Maridel Villavicencio, the owner of Kamayan, Saisaki and Dad chain of restos. Her family was a classmate during the Family Encounter Weekend we attended 15 years ago. Ang liliit pa ng mga bata nuon. George was only 4 years old at may kasama pa kaming yaya to take care of him. But it was worth it. We used to hold our weekly meetings and reunions in their spacious house in Greenhills and syempre, laging bongga ang food. I hang this frame outside the door of our house to remind us to live by this verse. Serving the Lord entails not only by being active in church organizations. You can serve Him by doing your daily activities like being a dutiful and faithful wife, being a responsible parent, being a caring daughter or sibling, being holy in the workplace, helping those who are in need, making other people happy....making the world a better place because of your existence.

Remembering the RMCHS Class of 69 IV-2

The friendship we developed in our youth particularly in high school is something very special… People come and go in our lives after high school but the people whom we have met in high school especially our classmates are forever etched in our memory… We long for them…. are interested to know how they have been… want to swap stories and  to connect  with them even after long years of separation.

Before the advent of  social networking sites, connecting with friends from long ago was not an easy task.  But  thanks to Facebook, we are now able to get in touch with each other  again… There was this study conducted by Harvard University  about aging people who were put in a controlled environment  wherein they get to hear only music and read articles published in their youth. There was also another group of old people that were not in a controlled environment. After some time, the results of the study showed that those who were in the controlled environment were more youthful in appearance and didn’t manifest the usual symptoms of aging.

This must be also one of the reasons why we find joy in meeting up with our high school classmates.  By travelling down memory lane with them, we feel young again despite our wrinkles and bulging tummies.

When I have finally re-connected with my high school classmates, I tried to look back and remember how we were in high school.  I don’t have the computer like memory of Lydia So but I will just write those things that I still remember…Anybody who reads this can contribute his/her anecdotes or things remembered about  the Class through comments.

If I am not mistaken, we IV-2s had been classmates since third year. We were actually the third section but since Quezon City Science High School opened, they recruited the Section 1 students to  be  pioneers  so  we became Section 2 and Section 2 became Section 1 with some former Section 1 students who refused to transfer to Quezon City Science High School.

What do I remember then of our Class?

a.    

• I  do  remember that we were a NOISY  bunch… Remember our English teacher who was a member of the Peace Corps.. Mr. Lawler?  We were so noisy one time that he really lost his cool. Ako pa yata ang sentro ng kanyang galit. Sino naman kasi ang hindi mawawalan ng bait sa klase natin. I also remember our Geometry professor ( third year ba to? )na nagkandalaiti sa akin and to this day I dont know why. I perfect ko nga ang  finals niya e di ayun, tumahimik siya. I wonder how  are they now.

•  We had the most beautiful Adviser.. Miss Carino. I didn’t realize then that she was just 5 years  our senior. Now, five year difference in age is nothing. Vilma Santos married Ralph Recto with a ten year gap between them. 

• If  showbiz then had Guy and Pip…Vi and Bot as love teams, we had our share of love teams too in class. Edna and Dading…Mitoz and Ado …Abi and Nancy… Malou and Willie.. Meron pa ba?

•  Flora, Patria and Me were always together.. As Lydia puts it, we were the Three Musketeers.. Since we didn’t have a love life and low in the social register ladder, we tended to just observe people and make kulit to our classmates . One of the guys we loved teasing then was Alex Agato ( Lord please bless his soul). We used to tease him kay Patria Galapon. I never found out if he really had a crush on Patria. Kasi sabi nya malagkit daw tumitig si Alex.

• Lydia So was the ever giggling one. Mahilig din ito sa tsikahan..In short and in long, tsikadora ring katulad ko. Ha ha ha. 

•  Floren  Reyes was one of the good looking guys in class but contrary to what Lydia might have surmised then, he was not my crush.. it was actually his older brother whom  Flora and I took fancy of.

• Elenita Dioso.. she was the prim and proper type..be- medalled Girl  Scout who lived just a stone throw away from our building. One of the heartthrobs and  an outstanding Boy Scout  who belonged to the lower batch  had a big crush on her. The name  is William,  an Amerasian. Tama ba ako Elenita?

•  Linda Billiones- siya yung high school girl na mukhang dalaga na.

•  Antonina Villarosa.. she was one of those who had a pretty face. I liked being with her kasi she is quite tall too. 

• Carmelita Tibung- another prim and proper type who had a very nice handwriting. Anybody who have heard of her?

• Jose Comia..  He was fair   and   his dad was a newspaper man at  Reuters. I came to know about Reuters through him. 

• Romualdo Dusaban… it was only years later that I realized na kamukha pala niya si Engelbert Humperdink.  Ha ha ha.  Teka, bakit ba nyo ba ako tinutukso kay Dusaban. Nakakahiya  baka akala niya nuon pinagnanasahan  ko siya. Ha ha ha

• Ramon Perez- the youngest  and  also one of the good looking guys but he looked so young  na pag naging crush mo eh parang  cougar  ang dating. 

• Edna Zaragoza… the beautiful  one.. if the standards for a beauty queen now were applied then, she could easily passed as Binibining Pilipinas. Then kasi, mga mola.. the likes of Gloria Diaz and Margarita Moran ang nanalo.  Now, papayatan na. We used to go to their house near  Nepa Q-Mart. In UP, I got to "know" Randy David through her though Randy was my teacher in Western Thought.

• Milagros Salazar… the gracious and sexy one..Ado’s “love of  his life.” Edna’s BFF. We have been classmates since first year… Her other BFF was Elizabeth Torre, the mestiza kid, sister of Joel Torre, the Chess grandmaster.

• Rene Figueras.. he was quite tall, silent type.. don’t remember any conversation with him. Looking at our class pic now, parang mas pogi ata siya kay Floren.

•  Amando Ocampo Jr- a leader.. I never intended to go to UP but  I was persuaded by the group to take the entrance. It was the last day and Mrs Enriquez was not in the office so Ado took care of it. I wont tell na how he did it lest it might incriminate all of us. 

• Flora Gamil- among our classmates, she was the one closest to me. She was the only one in our section who got honors  when we graduated.  We knew each other very well and had our share of mischief during those days.. If you only knew what we were doing then…

• Willie Cabato- I always associate him with Marilou Simpao.. He was one of those  who conversed with us girls. Lagi rin ito nakatawa. 

• Danilo Abinoja- we used to call him Abi.. He was not the boisterous type but he had always a half smile on his face.  Maraming may crush sa kanya diba? Lydia, naging crush mo ba siya? Aminin… Joke lang .

• Marilou Simpao.. though we wereMutt and Jeff when we were together, I would like to believe, that for a certain time, we became close. She used to come to our house. She had a beautiful  set of teeth and pang Miss Universe na smile. Yung love team nila ni Willie not as open as yung kila Mitoz –Ado , Edna Dading.. Parang may pagka hush hush pa ata. Tama ba ko Lyds.? 

•  Nancy Anonuevo-The Fil-Japanese girl..  very neat.. di nakukusot ang uniform at buhok. We used to go their place near Bernardo Park… learned a thing about Shintoism when we got there. Abi's apple of the eye then.

• Leonora Sy- Fil Chinese  classmate. I also loved her smile.. The Kim Chui of our class.. 

• Egay Ramos.. he was the high school kid who was quite mature for his age. Parang mama na siya pumorma. Tawa tawa lang.. di magulo. Parang may bigote na siya nuon.   

• Imelda Laurino- eto yung neneng nene nung high school.

• Dading Cortez- very strict ang look niya. Dollars ang tawa niya. He was the Class President, right?

I might not have mentioned all of us here but I really do remember each and everyone. It’s just that at the moment, I can’t write anything in particular about them.

To end this,  I’d like to quote:

 

High school life, on my high school life
Ev'ry memory, kay ganda
High school days, oh my high school days
Are exciting, kay saya

There are times, may problema ka
Kung ang homework, left undone
Pray ka lang, 'wag tawagin ka
Upang di pagtawanan

High school love my one high school love
Not infatuation or crush
Tunay 'to s'ya ang buhay ko
Di n'yo lang alam ako'y nagba-blush

Bakit nga ba ang first love ko
Ay di serious, so it seems
Kung alam lang ng first love ko
He is always in my dreams

Ang saya ng high school
Same in yours and my school
Di na mapapantayan
T'yak ganyan ang buhay na sadyang makulay
Alaala kaylan man

High school life, on my high school life
Ev'ry memory, kay ganda
High school days, oh my high school days
Are exciting, kay saya

High school life, ba't ang high school life
Ay walang kasing saya?
Bakit kung Graduation na'y
Luluha kang talaga?

High school life, ba't ang high school life
Ay walang kasing saya?
Bakit kung Graduation na'y
Luluha kang talaga?

Ang saya ng high school
Same in yours and my school
Di na mapapantayan
T'yak ganyan ang buhay na sadyang makulay
Alaala kaylan man

High school life, on my high school life
Ev'ry memory, kay ganda
High school days, oh my high school days
Are exciting, kay saya

High school life, ba't ang high school life
Ay walang kasing saya?
Bakit kung Graduation na'y
Luluha kang talaga?

   

REUNIONS

With the proliferation of social networking sites, getting in touch with old friends, relatives and former classmates has never been easier. As a consequence, reunions of all sorts seem to be a common activity nowadays because it is not enough that we just look at each other's photos in our facebook accounts, exchange messages or to chat. There's nothing like seeing each other in person to swap stories and relive the so called good old days. 

This lunch I met up with my ME classmates. We all took the Marriage Encounter in 1989 at Mirador Seminary in Baguio.There is something about being able to make friendship in a class atmosphere.The bond developed among classmates is quite deep.  In our case, the years of separation do not seem to diminish the closeness we developed when we were are still active in the BLD community.

Over lunch, we had a great laugh talking about our experiences... sharing beauty regimens.... places we have been to..... planning for a group travel in the future. Here are some photos taken during our lunch date:

Bong on the other hand, hosted a simple get together for his high school classmates in San Agustin Academy in Coron, Batch 69. When they saw each other, parang nagkaron mg rally sa ingay nila. Good that I can already understand the dialect because they talk mostly in Cuyunin. One of them is visiting from the USA.

Walang Magawa

"Walang kang Magawa." We Filipinos are fond of saying this to other person who do things that you think it’s a waste of time not realizing that such activity might have meaning to the other person.

As I have said in my first blog, one of my passions is writing.  I write long letters, journals, prayers etc. I share quotes through text if the message struck me or jokes to make people smile. I write blogs too. When I do these things, it’s not because I don't have other things to do. It's just pursuing my passion and doing them gives me a sense of fulfillment rather than just letting the world pass me by.

Living one's life does not only entail earning a living, doing household chores and giving service to others. It is important that we also do things for ourselves. Even Jesus commanded us to love ourselves. And what is the best way to express this than doing things that make us happy and fulfilled without hurting other people? One should take time to laugh, pamper oneself,  and be a fool once in while. These activities when pursued doesn't mean wala kang magawa.

Aside from from WORKING, we should

"Take time TO THINK,  it is the source of confidence.

Take time TO PLAY, it is the source of youth

Take time TO READ, it is the foundation of Wisdom

Take time TO BE FRIENDLY, it is the road to happiness

Take time TO DREAM, it is the source of Inspiration

Take time TO LAUGH, it is the music of the soul.

Take time TO LOVE,  it is the ultimate joy life can give

Take time to PRAY, it is the key to everything good".

Here's some food for thought.

“The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

 Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the varicose veins, the wrinkles,  and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my father)! but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I  would never trade my amazing friends, m y wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating anything I want even if it increases my cholesterol count,  drooling over David Cook, watching the complete episodes of Glee or Desperate Housewives in one sitting, watching telenovelas ,Willing Willie, The Buzz, for wanting to dress up like Toni Gonzaga or for buying plants at a whim.  I am entitled to a treat,  or  to just be ME.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or  sit in front of the computer connecting with friends and relatives thru facebook till 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70's & 80's, and listen to music not only of my generation but also of the present like Billionaire and the music of Bruno Mars.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

 They, too, will get old.

 I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)”

MAY WE ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON OUR FACES AND IN OUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! 

The blogger in ME

Writing is one of my passions though I dont consider myself a good one. But then I have this need to put my thoughts into writing, thus, I write long messages in facebook, I could not help to make comments , and write long emails. I also keep three notebooks... a gratitude journal..  a notebook of what to do lists and a separate notebook for ideas and thoughts I come across in my reading moments that I would like to remember or to share with.

Last year, I created a blog but was not able to update because I have forgotten my password  so I created this new one. This is my first entry.

Every time Chinese New Year ushers in, media of all forms come out with predictions for the New Year and feng shui tips. Three of the tips that caught me were these:

1.Put water fountain in your home to prevent money dryness days.

2.Dont put your credit card in the same wallet that you put your money.

3.De clutter your home to let energy flow in.

I have been doing all three unaware of the feng shui benefits. I dont put my credit card in my wallet lest when my wallet is snatched, there goes also my credit card which is for me means more loss because it has greater value because of the credit limit.

 I empty the house of unecessary items, or items not used for quite a time twice a year because  

first, I have a very limited space

second, I am not a hoarder 

third, I hate clutter.

I love the sound of water...it is very soothing.. it can be very relaxing just by listening to it. In fact, many meditation tapes are full of them. So, I decided to put up a mini water fountain in the garden. Aside for its calming benefits, it's a nice focal point for the garden.But due to the dengue scare, I had it emptied for quite a time until last week.

I have been experiencing a sort of money dry days  for the last five months because the buses had not been plying for the same period. It had been difficult getting it registered so there is no daily boundary coming in for me.

When I read the first feng shui tip, I decided to resuscitate the fountain but put it in a different place. Good that I was able to discover an anti mosquito repellant made of nim tree. I put this liquid in the water. I am also planning to put a janitor fish to eat the lumot or mosquito egg if ever.

I dont rely my fortune on feng shui alone but it doesnt hurt also if I again put my water fountain. This is my resuscitated water fountain