Photography Archives | Page 4 of 9

Old Mongkok

May 16, 2013

Hong Kong is old.

It’s filled with neon lights and every corner seems to be so bright, no matter what time of day. It’s a city that feels so lived in. How many people must have walked the streets, day in and day out, every day, every minute of it. It’s a city that never sleeps, and it’s a city that never turned off its lights.

I’ve been to Hong Kong thrice, and everytime I’d think that there’s nothing more to see. And everytime I am proven wrong. There will always be new people to meet, and new things to try. I will always have a first time. Hong Kong taught me how to deal with all kinds of people, even with those I don’t really want to deal with.

Hong Kong is old, but I love how every nook, every cranny seems to tell a story.

This time, I’ve been told of the story of Mongkok. I saw it beyond its image as a shopping district. It’s a place full of youth, spending all night with friends, taking photos and chatting in the middle of the street. It’s a mix of the commercial attractions with the old buildings and cheap hostels. It’s a combination I really like, for the mere fact that the old knows how to combine with the new.

It’s nice to see Mongkok in a new light.

Baby Factory

May 7, 2013

My boyfriend once asked me if we have a factory of babies at home. I seem to always talk about babies all the time! Well, we sadly do not have a baby factory, it’s just that I’m from a pretty big family. There’s always someone getting married or someone getting pregnant. It’s a blessing really, because babies are the ones who make family gatherings the most fun. I love kids, too, so that’s a plus.

Also, I call them babies despite being in grade school already. I don’t know. I feel sad when they grow older and they’re not cute anymore. Just smart asses who always get the best of me. Haha.

Meet Mikaela Princess. We had multiple celebrations last Sunday and one of those was her birthday. She just turned 4 and she’s also starting to be the resident brat of the family. I’ve talked about her once here. She’s so adorable, though, that even when she throw tantrums, we just stare at her with awe. She’s cute, cute, cute.

And here’s another photo of her continuously proving that she can be bratty but she’s just too cute to resist.

Meet Mariel. She pouts like that all the time and you feel like pouting yourself, too. And when you see her, you just say “Ngusooooooo” and she does that. She’s so pretty!

Ngusoooo!

And finally, the newest addition to our family! She’s Kyra Yzabella and she still doesn’t have a nickname. People call her different monickers, and no one can’t seem to agree what to call her. Her mommy just calls her Bebe, and that’s fine, too.

She’s Kynan’s little sister, and ever since she was born, Kynan no longer goes to our house to play. But I don’t mind. I can’t wait for Kyra to grow bigger and older and she’ll come over to our house to play, too. Hello, new playmate!

And they’re ex-babies, because they are now ladies. But Gianna still seems like a baby sometimes because she’s so soft and fair and she wears white all the time! They’re still cuddly, though.

And below are my grandparents who are no longer babies, of course, because they’re my grandparents. Haha. But they’re still child-like sometimes, and they’re incredibly adorable together and I love them. And they’re pretty much the CEOs of the baby factory so their photo belongs here. Heh.

Seoul Strangers

April 30, 2013

My favorite thing about the strangers I met in Seoul was the fact that they’re all so well-dressed! My friend wasn’t joking when she said that Koreans follow cut-throat fashion! I seriously felt under-dressed. Nevertheless, they’re one of the nicest and friendliest people I’ve encountered in my travels. They always have a smile to give to strangers and they bow whenever your eyes met. I felt so kilig. Heehee.

Since I love kids, I definitely enjoyed oggling at all the pre-school students! It’s amazing how the kids seem so independent. I’m so used to seeing kids here in the Philippines always accompanied by adults wherever they go. So I was amazed at how a class of about 20 students were only guided by a teacher or two. I wished I learned that kind of independence early in my childhood years! (I gained my ~independence~ after college, and I fought hard for it. Haha.) But then again, there’s a sense of security in Seoul that’s quite hard to feel here.

Too bad I didn’t make any friends, though, the way my friends who went to Seoul did! So when I go back, I will make sure that I’ll make a Korean friend. Haha.

Spring Last Year

April 27, 2013

My photography teacher back in college advised us to avoid cliche subjects such as flowers. But I can’t. How could I ever resist such photogenic subjects? 🙂

It was spring when we went to Korea last year. And everywhere you look, there were flower boxes and trees brimming with flowers! How could I not take photos of all the pretty flowers?

I have yet to experience winter and fall, and summer is pretty much the only season in my country. But I have this gut feel that Spring has all the potential to be my favorite. It’s like the perfect season to be outdoors. it seems like everyday is just perfect during spring, you know. It’s not too cold and not too hot , too. Perfect season is perfect.

I don’t wish for much but I wish there’s spring in my country. 🙁

Black and White Thursday

March 22, 2013

For months I’ve been meaning to photograph the area around my dorm and around my office but ended up only taking photos of Dela Rosa. There are still many parts of Makati that I haven’t explored but I can say that I know Dela Rosa pretty well. I’ve been living and working here for more than two years and felt quite comfortable walking to and from work.

I like it for its quietness and how it seems to insert nature in every corner possible. Trees aligned the streets and there are flower boxes in almost every building. Though Manila heat is my everyday complain, there’s always a shade to protect me from the harsh sunlight.

I used my phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, to take the photos and the app Snapseed to edit them. After all, I bought this phone because I said I wanted to take more photos. I have seen photo samples from iPhone, Blackberry and Samsung Galaxy phones, and it’s no surprise that I ended up purchasing this one. I haven’t regretted it yet, in fact, I am thoroughly satisfied.

However, I sometimes feel like without editing, the photos are too sharp and the colors too vivid. So for now, I made all photos black and white, because really, who can go wrong with black and white?