CAMERA SHY

I was a little hesitant in using an Agfa Vista Plus film at this family's dinner buffet in Vikings at SM Mall of Asia. Although it's still my current favorite film, I was afraid it might saturate the photos knowing the kind of lighting the restaurant has. Surprisingly, the photos turned out fine and much in favor to my liking :)

I was fidgeting like a little girl in my seat because I've been watching people come and go, and waiting to see if there's still a window of opportunity to take some photos around, and of the food of course! I'm still learning and fighting with being conscious when taking photos because people stare, at times. I'd usually make sure I'm not bothering anybody, or no one is looking before I focus and fire away with the shutter. A different take on the adjective, camera shy, perhaps? Seriously, am I alone in this weird thing? :)

Have you sacrificed a great subject just because you were too shy to take the shot? :)

GRAY RAIN

Took the opportunity to snap shots of my brother's racing pigeons while they were out after a rain. This platform outside their birdhouse is their version of a veranda :)

The gloom mood seemed to have blended with their black and gray-colored feathers in contrast to the platform. Love the glassy effect of the water on them :)

BLOOM

It's always refreshing to see when some of the plants my mum keep in our roof bear flowers :) Yes, a little garden in the roof. My mum likes to think she has a green thumb, but because we lack the space for a real garden, she kept and let them grow in our roof. Over time, three pots became five, five became seven, seven became ten. There are probably less than twenty pots in our roof to date :)

I'm really not in particular to the seasons when flowers bloom, but I'm always pleased when they do :)

IL BEL FAR NIENTE

Exactly a month ago..

I still don't know what virus I caught from the previous night that I woke up in the wee hours of morning with a fever. Lucky for me, there's nothing much of activity that day. Nothing but to lounge and/or sleep in these beach beds.

Pretty much my definition of relaxation: lying down while listening to music, with leaves of trees shadowing overhead and a great blue ocean presented before me. Best moment!

"The beauty of doing nothing."  :)

IRONICALLY UNFORGETTABLE

We arrived at Malapascua Island an hour past lunch after a fun 3-hour van ride from Cebu City. The long sitting did not seem waiting at all because it was spent chatting with my friends and around some occasional boisterous laughter.

After checking in to our hotel and unloading our stuff, we walked around the island to find a place to eat.

We ended up grabbing our late lunch at Malapascua Exotic Island Dive and Beach Resort. Calamari, Sweet and Sour Pork, Spicy Shrimp Soup, and a platter of grilled pork, potatoes and eggplant.

When we got back to Ocean Vida, we were greeted with tables, chairs and bean bags already hanging out in the beach. Apparently, it was happy hour already! :)

I always say this, and I don't think I can stress it out more. I have a soft spot for that moment in happy hours where you just sit there, feel the wind in your face, glance at the people around, and simply inhale those special seconds of unadulterated joy. I always try to capture this moment as I know they don't always come back around.

Happy hour indeed. Unlike the nightlife in Boracay, Malapascua didn't have any loud music, fire dancers or singing bands. I also love Boracay for that, but it's refreshing to spend the night quietly relaxing. Here, you can actually hear each other talk without having to shout directly to each other's ears.

After rounds of cocktail glasses leaving and arriving in our table, I woke up the next morning with a fever and vague memories from the night before. I don't even remember going back to the hotel room. I hardly remember what went on half of the night that I was so baffled to see these photos of a puppy and our table when I got my film developed.

Don't even remember taking them. Proof of a fun night :)