Good Memories... Captured!

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 For my Blogaversary  special, allow me to tell you a tale of a girl who found meaning and inspiration with just a click of a finger.....

"What is the greatest gift you can give to someone?"
-- I remember my student asking me this question 2 yrs ago and I remember answering.. "giving something which I made myself." After that she said, "No teacher, A GOOD MEMORY!"  I was stunned! It was so simple.No money involved! ahahha It was so true. A good memory indeed is the greatest gift we can give. After that, my life changed! I made a vow to myself to strive and make as many good memories as possible.
This is actually one of reasons why I started this blog a year ago. There were 2 things actually on why I've decided to start this blog. #1: I wanted to immortalize my adventures for I have such a bad memory =) and #2 I wanted to practice again after I quit writing feature essays since 6th grade! I got really frustrated then so I just wanted to prove I can somehow do it!


2010 is very special to me for now I live a life way way way different 8yrs ago. I'm more mature now on how I view life. I have more control over my future. I feel I can express myself more and most of all, I found a new passion and that is discovering the art of Photography.


I started Eam's Secrets a year ago. Posted my 1st ever entry last June 10th and wrote about the 1962 Tambayanan where Jr and I would hang out almost 3 times a week! Eversince I got some comments on how great my pictures looked, I started being interested in it and of course I only concentrated on food for that was where I was good at ('til now).  When I bought my 1st Sony T2 Cybershot, I never stopped clicking eversince! Food, gigs, my pets etc.

It was not until this year when I decided to really study and learn the art and the technical side of it. Thanks to my elementary school seatmate turned good good friend/#1 blog fan/photography partner Frank Ruaya.. he's actually the one responsible for everything....(yes you really are! Grrrr!!)He seems to have this gift in tapping my talents....and pushing me to do better. He's even the one who suggested to try to write about other stuff other than food. He does a great job in motivating people so I really really respect him a lot! Because of him,  I became more confident with my articles and photos. We're just soooo addicted to pictures!  We share a lot of common ideas and beliefs about art and and life etc. I love hearing how he sees a photo in such a different way. I became an instant fan! His forte I believe is on portraits! I believe he's got a lot of talent waiting to be unleashed! I'm lucky to have met him again. Never thought we'd be friends again after 16 years. I'm just really lucky this year I guess! We would even have some sort of photo war where we would continuously take photos at each other using our respective cams...I believe he always wins! hahahaha

With the help of some of my camwhore friends namely LA and GREG, I finally decided to get my own DSLR camera last April 22. It's a Nikon D3000 cam. Named it Maggie and the rest was history!

Since then, my weekends became more colorful and meaningful for I get to share and capture precious moments with my friends. I wanted to understand my camera more so I enrolled at Sir James Nicolay's Basic Photography  class. I had to learn all about Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO etc. Phew! I never thought it would be that complicated! It's not easy to understand the settings. Using a DLSR is way way different from a point and shoot cam! With more time and practice..I know I'll be able to finally befriend the light.

I never thought how a simple photo would create such an impact on people. At first, I just wanted to take more pictures of food, people and about my misadventures but as time passes by, the more I aim for more meaningful and thought provoking shots. I began to seek for stories rather than plain subjects.Through my cam, I'm able to show people how I view the world in a different perspective. I can now make people see the things which ordinary beings would take for granted. Life started to have more meaning and I became more appreciative of my surroundings.

Let me show you some of my shots so far.. I'm still a beginner .. I know I need more practice!

My 1st ever macro shot using LA's Nikon D40 cam

A candid photo of me taken by LA on my 1st ever time to use a DSLR cam.










Here are some of my shots from my Portrait 101 class ....

   My teacher said I was more interested with the flower than the model. hehehehe

I love how the sun touches her skin. I'm proud to be morena!

Here's a candid shot I did while my classmates were so busy taking photos for our activity. hihihihi









 My teacher told me I was obsessed with objects and that my ideas were somewhat
"out-of-the-box"  Here are some of the objects which I find fascinating...

Forget about  people for a while... Frank and I find this photo fascinating for it captures the essence of this bright and colorful festival

A very simple subject with a profound meaning.. 

A nostalgic photo... reminds me of my grade school days.

I find this photo very playful.. very genuine..no pretensions...i wonder how many hands have used them.

I know this defies the rule of thirds and I'm not really sure which is the subject here but I like the beauty amidst the chaos in this photo.

There is something with this bench which fascinates me... funny how a simple object could give you
mixed emotions... feelings of sadness, longing for someone, emptiness perhaps.

I wanted to put my soul into this picture so I've chosen my favorite ornament to represent me.

There is still freedom amidst the darkness for each creature who seek the light.. I find this photo very symbolic.

Eversince I started this hobby, I've been more appreciative of my surroundings. Here are some of my landscape/nature shots..

Photos taken during my Basic Digital Photography Class held at the Technohub

I'm now a big big fan of cloud formations! I see them as God's paintings!

A candid photo of my mom under pretty clouds during a sunny sunny day!

Sunsets are just so magical! How I wish people would stop and appreciate them more. Here's a shot I took at the QC Circle during the magic hour.

People would often consider this as a useless weed.. but when you look closely, it's impossible not to see its hidden beauty.

..This just goes to show that we should all look closer and deeper to find and appreciate the hidden beauty inside every creation.

Perfection in brilliant tangerine!

Victim #1: the unknown mean cat I found wandering in our yard telling me to mind my own business!

Victim #2: A lazy little pup we met at the Fort! So adorable!

Food of course has always been my favorite subject....

Lucban's pride.. their famous longanisa!

Maggie's 1st food trip at Polly's

Nothing beats a delicate cup of  French Creme Brulee at the ROC while brainstorming!

A classic example of Man Vs Food.

Pasta on a dreamy romantic night...

Pasta on a bright and sunny day!

Crunchy colorful bruschetta's to tickle your taste buds!

The classic Filipino Bibingka... I love the heat of the charcoals plus the movement of the hands!

People make the world go round as the song goes.. so here are the portraits I've done so far..



Meet my cool "nanay" LA Dacula!











also.. meet "tatay" Greg Valerio... The enthusiasts  who introduced me to Photography








Candid photos of  street musicians during the Pahiyas Festival...

 An iconic shot I made showing the different side of my friend Frank in colored and black and white

Another yet iconic shot capturing Badeth's "naive yet funny mean girl" image

A simple and sweet shot of my new friend /fellow blogger Krissy in black and white.

A fun and colorful photo of my good pal Michelle Villas

A classic pretty pose by Blashnel (Frank's niece)

 Feel the Love... the hands says it all!

Of course being a camwhore myself, I also wanna be included in photos.. here are some shots of me taken by my good friend Badeth Compuesto (Frank's niece) Good job girl!!!!

Flowers are just so nice to look at!

I look so happy in this photo!!

This was during our fun shoot at the QC Circle! Great friends+camera= pure bliss!

I've always wanted a shot of me while writing... it's not really about writing but more of capturing my creative moments. I always write down all my ideas.. I usually write my crazy doodles and ideas at the back pages of my notebook while in class! I remember being caught by my teachers once in a while! hehehe I love this shot a lot for it shows the real me... a very creative being!

Care for some tea?

This photo is actually Frank's shot while we were having dinner at the ROC.

Capturing moments.. that's what it's all about! Moments, memories of life!

If only I knew the proper words to describe how I feel.. perhaps you can somehow feel them when you see my shots.

In the coming days, I expect to capture better pictures and come up with more creative concepts so I can share them all with you!

I hope I have given you good memories once again! See you next time!

ciao!