This is one awesome Facebook work. It definitely put a smile on my face…
Salamat Peysbuk!
Awesome Retrospective Made By Facebook
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Tag Archives: photography
Nengkoy, The Kengkengs & The Boy With Dirty Knees
While our family waits to celebrate the Christmas Eve of 2013, me and my monster “pamangkins” (nieces and nephews) along with Nengkoy, of course, did a little photoshoot.
We tried remaking the photo of a happy, naïve and innocent picture shot at the exact spot MORE THAN TWENTY years ago. My “kerengkeng” nieces and a nephew in this photo were the first batch of grandchildren of Nengkoy.
Then & Now: thatch, kim, erika, kate and denden with nengkoy
Complete with white ribbons, red shirt, white blouses, and green shorts the exact pose was recreated. What made me laugh hard about doing this photo is when my nephew Denden was dirtying his knees for the shoot since it’s so apparent in the original photo that his knees were super “dungis” (soiled).
These photo made me realize that when we were innocent children, we seldom think of the future. This innocence lets us free to enjoy ourselves. It also made me think that growing up is actually not a bad thing at all. Because it allows us to make a difference in the world, to find out who we are and to live the life we imagined as children…
Grabeng tuhod ‘yan! Ang dungis!!!
I Must Be A Thai In The Past
If reincarnation is true, I would like to believe that I am a Thai royal in the second to the last life before the one I am in now. I am saying this because every time I am given the time, money and god-given opportunity to travel to Bangkok, Thailand I would always grab it.
And every time my silky smooth feet would land in Bangkok, I never miss the opportunity to visit the Grand Palace complex. It is the very palace complex where the Kings of Siam reside in the past.
super sweat with vitamin D
that statue is so grand! i wan’t one
inside my home!
grandest of the grand
And every time I visit, The Grand Palace never ceases to amaze me. Aside from having so much vitamin D because of the blazing heat of the sun, I am always at awe at the beauty, grandeur and magnificence of its colorful history, intricate designs and fabulous architecture.
mind boggling!
feeling at home…
my inner being tells me, i once lived in this
royal complex…
I really wouldn’t mind getting back and visit this royal multiplex again. It is because it feels like I’m simply visiting back my once luxurious past life. Sawasdee!!!
Babalik ulet ako dyan. Por shur…
Ta Prohm: The Jungle Temple
One common observation about the multitude of tourists I saw when touring Siem Reap in Cambodia is that 98% of all of them regardless of their race are very young. They are the able-bodied, in shape and high spirited types of mortals. Well I guess possessing these attributes would be an advantage to any tourist who would explore the wondrous sights in Siem Reap.
This is especially true when I and my sister went to the magical temple called Ta Prohm. After being dropped by our hired driver at the eastern gate who told us that he will be waiting at the western side of the complex, I knew that exploring The Jungle Temple would require a considerable amount of strength.
Upon entering the gate and a 15-minute walk of a dirt road penetrating though the Cambodian jungle, we witnessed our first glimpse of a breathtaking out of this world sight. Just when we thought we’d seen the best along came Ta Phrom and it blew us away!
a lot of the temple is covered with bright green moss
making it look even more beautiful
nature taking over…
Seeing those massive trees, I knew that this spot has got to be my favorite temple among all the temples I saw in Khmer Empire’s Capital City of Angkor.
i think i want this tree in my office… 🙂
picture perfect sight…
my sister taking a short break…
It seemed like the gigantic unrelenting jungle trees married themselves to the stone buildings by hugging and caressing them which results to bizarre breathtaking form.
look at the lower right corner and see
how massive those roots are…
contrasting green moss and my red ensemble…
It gives you the feeling that after being left to nature for hundreds of years, the jungle decided to take over the temple and make its presence felt by outgrowing the numerous parts of the temple complex with very huge stems, branches and roots gripping and embracing the walls.
amazing!!!
clap, clap, clap!!!
Words definitely do not do justice for Ta Phrom.
Mapapamura ka sa ganda!!!
Serenity of the Stone Faces
The Bayon Temple located at Angkor Thom, approximately 1.5 kilometers away from Angkor Wat is one of the two wondrous bonus sites I did not expect me and my sister would visit when we toured Siem Reap, Cambodia.
After visiting Angkor Wat, our hired driver cum tour guide drove and brought us to this equally spectacular ancient capital city of Khmer Empire. The excitement started when our driver suddenly stopped and asked us to get out of the car and told us to walk our way at the south entrance gate of Angkor Thom. He told us the he would drive ahead and meet us at the other side of the ancient yet massive gate.
Upon approaching the south gate of the walled-city, we were greeted by fascinating giant statues lined up along the both sides of the causeway wearing assorted facial expressions. My sister Joy immediately noticed that the statues at the left side of the land bridge looked more pleasant while at the right side were scary. Upon my research the left side were considered gods (or devas) while the right side statues were demons (or asuras).
asuras…
excited at angkor thom south gate
Before entering the massive stone gate in which the peak has four massive faces gazing into four cardinal directions, we could not resist taking our respective photos. We saw our driver, got in the car and continued our journey inside to see and feel for ourselves the iconic Bayon Temple.
the bayon… a bizarre bonus treat
wow!
serene enigmatic smile…
my sister Joy… channeling the inner Lara Croft in her… hahaha!
feeling!!!
There are diverse versions on why Bayon was built. Some say that it is because of the overblown ego of the King who ordered that it be built and the massive stone faces with enigmatic smile be based on his own facial features. Others believe that the King dedicated Bayon to the universal god of compassion Avalokitesvara, thus, a testament of his deep spirituality. I would like to believe it’s the latter.
Moreover, the sheer scale and intricacy of the bas-reliefs found on the walls of this temple is also something to marvel at.
i actually wanted to bring this home to nengkoy
and hang it inside her house!
intricate…
Whatever the real purpose in the building of this bizarre temple, the fact remains that gazing unto those stone faces some strange serenity, calmness and quietude is emitted beneath my being.
Pag ako yumaman, magpapagawa din ako ng ganyan. Por shur…
Super Superlative Angkor Wat
Hail to the gods, kings and deities!!! Stunningly beautiful Angkor Wat is such a magnificent temple. It is the primary reason why I and my sister went to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
angkor wat
I know that there have been a lot of tired expressions uttered and written about this beautiful place. But now that I have personally been there, I now understand why people only have handsome things to say about this temple complex. It definitely needs to be added to every adventurer’s bucket list. It was quite thrilling to see the temple for the first time. Good thing we purchased our tickets late in the afternoon for the following day’s entrance because we were allowed access and get a glimpse of Angkor Wat and assess what’s ahead the following day.
yummy inside the temple
Angkor Wat definitely was not a letdown. The immensity of this temple is simply outstanding. It is so magnificent you would actually believe that it was built out from divine inspiration. It was fantastic! Here’s a few of my photos and see how enchanting this part of our world is…
stunning!!!
lucky tourists…
exceptional!!!
had fun touring with my sister…
this is my latest fb cover photo… aylavet…
Ang ganda ‘no…
Progression of Charming Saigon
Last weekend was my second time to travel and visit the beautiful city of Saigon / Ho Chi Minh. Progress has been so evident as compared to the last time I visited this southern city of Vietnam. The whole city obviously is in high spirits!
those high rise buildings were not there when i first visited. notice how clean the streets are? i’m envious…
Buildings are higher. The streets are cleaner. International branded stores and enterprises are now selling and operating. It’s now easier for pedestrians to cross the streets of Saigon because the lighted green and red men are now present (they already have “walk” and “don’t walk” light signals).
notre dame cathedral… still lovely…
still operational, still iconic, still tourist-filled —
saigon post office
saigon city hall… i love this shot!!!
One very evident observation about Saigon which still persists is that there seem to be no stout, chubby and flabby inhabitants in the city. Everybody looks so slim and slender which according to our Vietnamese tour guide when we went to Mekong Delta is attributed to the type of diet Vietnamese has. This makes me a little bothered when I was in Saigon. I am tubby, chubby and fleshy in this country!
posing for some “italian fashion magazine” (hahaha!) at the top of reunification palace
photo taken inside a mall. shopping malls are starting to proliferate. move over ben thanh market!
Anyway, though growth, progress and improvements are so apparent at the present Saigon, it’s good to know that its charm remains intact. The streets and boulevards are still lined with tall lush trees and the majority of the Saigonese remains pleasant, gentle and well-mannered.
Oo na! Mataba ako sa Byetnam!
Bustling Bus-less Busted Manila
city buses around the metro
I am a daily witness to the decaying City of Manila through the swarming and infestation of mendicants and homeless people on its streets as well as the unforgiving traffic jam you would encounter daily. Going to your destination via roads of City of Manila would agonizingly be delayed because of traffic. I am so sure that the speed of rumor is faster than the speed of your car’s speedometer when you are to drive on the streets of Manila.
But guess what? Last Friday it only took me 30 minutes to go to Manila Post Office building from my office in Malate to get a personal parcel then back. Within that 30-minute period, I was even able to shoot a few photos of the iconic Manila Post Office building. Going right at the center of City of Manila was a breeze. This is because of the new local government’s tightfisted drive and stingy ordinance of no longer allowing bedlam-causing buses in the city.
inside the majestic facade of manila post office
the soon-to-be-extinct profession
To further substantiate this surprising development, when I and my family went yesterday up north to Manaoag, Pangasinan, we decided to pass through the City of Manila. We passed the often-vehicle-filled Roxas Boulevard, the panic-infusing Lawton area, the traffic-choke-point Quiapo, the chaotic jumble streets of Dimasalang, Dangwa and La Loma. To our amazement, we were out of Manila and reached the north express way in less than 30 minutes.
Still further, when we came back to Metro Manila later in the day, we decided to pass through the often-dreadful and jaywalker-infested Taft Avenue. And still, we passed through Taft Avenue with so much ease. My sister could not contain herself and asked how much buses were eliminated for such a road to move vehicles at an unexpectedly speedy pace.
This truly is a very welcome development. Congratulations to the new City Mayor Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada and his Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno for growing some balls in disallowing those monstrous buses in the city.
May pramis… Pramis…
Rare Photos: A Mother’s Day Special
Unless done and taken by a well-known or critically acclaimed photographer, a photo is often appreciated on what it contains. Unless you tell that it’s shot by a popular photographer, only few or even no one would ask who took your photo. May it be a good angle of your face, a suddenly slim-looking body or a surprisingly sweet smile it’s always the person on the photo who receives raves and praises and never the photographer.
So to appreciate a work done by a nonentity in the field of photography, let me post two rare photos taken by her. These photos are preciously exquisite because the one who took it is often the one photographed and never the one behind to click the camera. These photos are so rare because she never shoots photos for she doesn’t know how to operate a camera.
These photos were taken from our recent trip abroad. In our trip to Japan, I and my family were able to accumulate more than a thousand images and snapshots to chronicle our delightful adventures. And out of these voluminous shots, only four photos were made by her. I will post only two of these four shots since the “qualities” and “characters” of such photos are basically the same. Again and let me reiterate that she is always the one photographed and never the one who photographs.
no. there’s nothing wrong with your vision.
it actually looks very artistic.
love this shot! “may nginig paktor!!!”
These rare photos were taken by Nengkoy.
These photos are stupendously extraordinary because it took us long arduous minutes to prolong our smile, held our breath and stay motionless on a pose. We need to stay still and wait for Nengkoy to peep through the narrow viewer and at the same time find her index finger to the camera’s shutter to shoot these atypical pictures. The waiting to hear the clicking camera to shoot these motionless moments were so gruelingly prolonged, all of us in the photo kept quiet which made the room so silent it hurt my ear.
After four shots, we gave up, no one complained and quietly proceeded to call a waiter to order our dinner. Actually after these shots were taken, I felt exhausted!
Happy Mother’s Day Nengkoy!!!
Kakaibang talento hatid sa inyo ni Nengkoy sa araw ng mga Maders…
Kamehameha Powers Of My Monster Nieces & Nephews
These photo memes are starting to become so popular here in Japan. Since me and my family have limited time, I and my silly nieces and nephews might as well do what typical Japanese are doing. It`s called Kamehamehaing. This photo technique is based on Dragon Ball Z`s kamehameha powers.
inside the fukoshima inari shrine (with monster nephew dennis, photo taken by monster niece thatcher)
kobe tower as the background (with monster nephew luis and niece erika, photo taken by monster niece kim)
erika kicking my butt in kobe harbor (with monster niece erika, photo taken by monster nephew luis)
In the western world the photo meme that is starting to become viral is called Vadering, based on Star Wars` character Darth Vader.
our vadering version… (with monster nephew dennis, photo taken by monster niece thatcher)
Both are basically the same, but I like the drama of Dragon Ball Z better.
I`d rather do this than the silly planking or the catatonic like owling…
Nakikiuso…
Nengkoy 