goodbye 2012, hello 2013

                     It's 5:20 am here in Rome. I am wide awake, and there's a lot of subtle snoring going on in the room. It's now official, the year 2012 has left along with its threats of total human race extinction, and 2013 has been welcomed bringing with it hope of longer and brighter days. I celebrated the New Year by going all sleeping beauty on everyone and missing out on all the fun. Yes, at 11:45 in the evening of December 31, 2012, I tucked myself into bed, put on my earplugs, and set my sleeping mask. I zoned out for an hour or so, only hearing whispers, and bits of explosions coming from above the roof, oblivious to the chaotic fun happening outside. Well, at least I started my year right by sleeping rather than by being bitter. The reason for my lack of interest in the fireworks display this year, was that I didn't get to watch it from the city's top view, because my mom couldn't be bothered to come and walk with me there. Shallow, I know. Suddenly I wish for more adventurous parents, but then parents mixed with adventure screams total havoc, so, yeah, I guess I am thankful. And since I mentioned thankful, I would like to thank God for the wonderful year He has given me. 2012 has been nothing more than a year of dreams, and it's still all too surreal for me. Never in my wildest dreams have I ever thought of coming to Rome at such a young age-- thought it was only for the rich, famous, and those brave enough to really step foot outside their world-- but I realized it's for anybody really, anybody whose got a dream in their heart. Before I came here, I was already traveling across the Luzon and Visayas area in the Philippines, and that was an added bonus to my year. I met new people, made new friends, visited new places, and realized new passions, discovering more of me in Him in the process. Thank you for that interestingly fun-filled year, and thank you for the opportunities and the people You put in my life. Family, Friends, Mentors, everyone, thank you for keeping me and for standing by my side always. In memory of last year's New Year's Celebration, here are some shots taken during the first of January, year 2012:

                      May we all have a prosperous and overflowing year of blessings this 2013! For now I have to go to bed, because I need my beauty rest! I am starting the year with more love! Love lots!

portraits

                     Perfect memories are frozen moments coming alive through the feelings and emotions that linger with each photo. And true beauty is seen with each push of the shutter button.

                  I remember when I first got my camera I immediately got hooked to human interest, wherever I went with my camera I always took pictures of people, that's why I have tons and tons of stock photos with lots of human subjects in them. And now, I'm drawn more into nature, the sky, and the beauty of life. I am still trying to discover my niche in photography though. Cheers to the beautiful people above!

a beautiful countryside

                 YEY! More photos to post and work on! So my long wait's over, I'm finally going to post some of the shots I took while on several trips here and there to the countryside-- the home I once knew. Good thing I brought my camera with me when I got the chance to roam the place, because I take shots randomly. Honestly I'm not used to this three-sentence post, because it makes me feel inadequate, but then again I'd like to try the saying "Let the photos speak for themselves."

The sky has never been this blue and beautiful. You could just marvel and wonder at the awesomeness of its Creator.

Trips to the countryside always brings me good vibes and good memories. This is my cousin, we call her Cindy. By the bay, a few hours before sunset-- this is a happy picture. 

This is the bike of my bestfriend's sister, she's married to someone who works overseas, and that's her husband's name: ANDY.

                             More photos to follow in the next few days. But for now let me just say that when life let's you see in black and white instead of color always remember to see the beauty in neutrality-- at least that's what I say to myself especially now in my situation. Goodnight world. Goodnight God.

just visiting

            I've been gone for a while now, and have just recently visited my blog. For the couple of times I've been going in and out, I realized I haven't been paying much attention to it, and have in fact tucked it in with the rest of my once prioritized things to do-- which makes me sad, because this right here, is where a piece of my soul and heart belongs. Anyway, I've been so busy trying to learn htmls, codes, tutorials on creating websites and all of that stuff, because lately I've been having this idea of creating my own website-- that way it'd reflect and really show who and what I really am as a writer, as a person, as me-- but I haven't had luck with any of that, so, yeah there goes my personalized website. So much for progress. But I did learn though, only a little, and when I say a little, that would mean it's even smaller than little. I could laugh at my slow progress but it's really not that worthwhile as I think it is. Moving on, I am so glad to announce that I am officially not going to enroll this school year! Did I just type "glad" together with "not going to enroll" and all in one statement? Jeez. That sounded way off. But yeah, it's true, I won't be going to school because I have decided that going to school is way too stressful for me, so I'm going to take a time out from all the waves of stress and maybe relax, enjoy, and contemplate on the joys this life has to offer-- just kidding. The reason I'm not going to school this year is that I am going somewhere else, at least that's what I hope I do, go somewhere else and not get stuck in the house having nothing to do. Two months of staying in this house has made me so lazy I feel crippled already! And that is no joke. I feel like I'm this vegetable that needs rehabilitation and rejuvenation when its quite the opposite, I'm a young, lazy, fat-ass that eats and sleeps away while the rest of the world is busy catching up with its pace. This is the sad, unacceptable truth that I have to blind myself from everyday, imagine I've been doing it for a full two months now. It makes me sick. So to take away some of the guilt and the wasted hours I am posting this together with a few shots I took some weeks ago when I-- for the first time-- went outside of our house for real to hang-out with friends! Imagine that!