Category Archives: Visualizations

Pinoy Christmas

What would constitute a Pinoy Christmas?

Below is a checklist of things Filipinos love to do during the festive season of Christmas:

  • Misa de Gallo and that includes puto bumbong, bibingka and tsokolate-e
  • putting up Christmas decorations and playing Christmas songs as soon as the -ber months come (and yes, these Christmas decors in the malls are displayed alongside candles for All Souls’ Day)
  • food! be it a big slab of ham or a small one, queso de bola, fruit salad, pasta or noodle dishes, special meat dishes, and even the “borrowed” roasted turkey, a Pinoy Christmas is equated with feast (and lots of medications for queasy stomachs after the binging)
  • shopping: whether one shops at the poshest specialty stores or haggle with salesgirls at the Divisoria, gift giving is a responsibility one takes to heart. And yes, no matter what happens and how little the budget is, people are none the wiser and say “It’s the thought that counts”
  • borrowed traditions: like the turkey, Pinoys are adept at borrowing traditions and acting like these have been their practice for years (insert rolls eyes emoticon here, LOL) : Santa Claus, jour après Noël, Christmas stockings, Christmas village with mini houses and even moving skaters on frozen pond (miniatures and not the real ones)

Ok, bring the snow and let’s all have a white Christmas then, at the mall of course 😀

Facebook Profile Photos as Cartoon Characters

“Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday (Dec.6) there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is to show that you are strongly against violence on children.”

Holly Hobbie

Holly Hobbie for me. It was a toss between her and Tiny Poem of Sanrio but I chose Holly Hobbie. I’m not sure why since I had more Tiny Poem goodies back in the day.

There were those who think this is silly-childish to do. Well I don’t. Come on, lighten up people, while we can’t exactly change the violence being done to children, at least we raise awareness that this violence is real and is happening all over the world.

So, go, change your Facebook profile photo as cartoon characters and have some fun 🙂


Captured Moments

Been looking through my photo archives the past few days. One was to look for a baptism photo of our youngest child for a school project. The other was for choosing files to be uploaded in an online server. Reason for this was so I can get my photos anytime and anywhere I need to go online even without using my personal laptop with me.

It seems to me, as I travel through the past via the photos that there are very few photos with me in it. Not because I don’t want to be captured because I need effective diet pills to trim down but because I’m always the one “capturing the memories.

For me, photos are not just there to prove one has been to a certain place or has met an interesting person or has eaten a certain dish with the photos to prove a point. For me, taking photos is a way to “freeze” time and to capture a fleeting moment: be it a warm smile, an elusive butterfly or a lovely sunset sky.

I don’t care if others tell me I have more photos of flowers and the sky than of people standing in line for a photo opp. I kid you not, someone told me that.

One of the movies that touched my heart is “The Lovely Bones” where Susie, the lead character said:

“I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found how to stop time and hold it. No one could take that image away from me because I owned it.”
— Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones)

Do you love taking photos?

Eavesdropping

Typically overheard at the plus-size women’s clothing section at a department store:

Woman 1: I really need to lose weight fast.

Woman 2: Have you ever thought about trying weight control medication?

W1: I’m scared. I’ve read a lot of that online. Does lipofuze work?

W2: You gotta ask you doctor about it. And if it does, tell me so I can use it too.

Weight management is probably one of the more immediate concerns of women, especially for those over 40 where the metabolism has slowed down. I know this for a fact and please, don’t ask why 😀

One of the main reasons why women want to lose weight is not for vanity’s sake but for health concerns.

I hope 😉

Ilaw sa Kisame

Marami pala ang pinatutungkulan ng “FRAME”.

Malamang sa dami nito, me maiisip kahit na sino bukod sa larawang nasa picture frame. Basta sa akin, ayokong maging “framed” ako sa kung ano mang hindi magandang sitwasyon 😉

Lights

Sa reception yan ni bayaw nung kasal niya Miyerkules nung isang linggo. Sa kisame ng lugar ng reception nila, nakita ko ang mga naggagandahang mga ilaw na naka-frame. Ang ganda din ng mga ibong may ilaw.

Type mo ba na may ilaw sa kisame?

Ako oo, huwag lang sobrang maliwanag at sobrang bigat kasi baka mahulugan ako 😀