a WOW wedding

My niece, pinky, tied the knot with sheerman last October 26, 2008 at Fernwood Gardens.. it was one great event!!.. superb!.. a wedding with a WOW factor.. shempre, i was in-charge eh.. haha!!..

but seriously, despite some pressures and minor glitches, which guests hopefully didn't notice.. (except for the archbishop's arrival), the event was a real success.. they were were amazed and awed with the flow and details of the celebration.. and that didn't come from me.. honest!..

for those who were present on the event, go say your piece.. for those who didn't make it.. judge it based on what you'll see.. and hear.. but you still have to wait for me to upload everything.. including photographer shots of the entire celebration.. check out the video by jason magbanua, who's evidently one if not the best wedding videographer we have now.. astig!.. idol!..

i am working on having the video uploaded to be viewed online.. whether through youtube or other video-sharing portals.. i am also getting in touch with jason magbanua to have the onsite video posted on his website..

by the way, for those who wanted to have a digital copy of their shots from the photo booth, please go to the fotoloco site... or to flicker...

so, whenever you go online, do drop by multiply account to check if the photos and videos are already available.. thank you..

CARAMOAN, Camarines Sur

Presenting the Caramoan Peninsula!..
A newfound paradise in Camarines Sur..

Nope, i haven't been there.. i got the photos i'll be showing you from Google..to the rightful owners of the photo.. my apologies for using them.. i cannot acknowledge you since i've got these photos only for personal use and to show to some friends how beautiful the place is.. and that was way before i decided to come up with this blogspot.. nevertheless, thank you so much...

As of this writing, the place isn't that accessible yet.. since it is still so "virgin".. still underdeveloped.. still unexploited.. you have to go through a "not-so-long" bus ride from Manila (or take a 45-minute plane ride), then another van or jeepney road tip to the port and then a boat ride to the island. but most, if not everyone, who have been there, said the trip was worthwhile.. Caramoan is indeed the place to be.. let the photos speak for themselves..

** Some recent "important" happenings in Caramoan Islands **

-- Just this summer of 2008 (for about three months), the French survivor series was filmed in the island.. and there's a "buzz" going on that Survivor America is also considering filming here.. as well as two Hollywood films.. but of course, these are unconfirmed report..

-- PGMA spent a night on one of the islands (Gota beach) along with her cabinet officials and some congressmen.

-- Caramoan is also being referred to as the "next Boracay".. but as tourism secretary, Ace Durano puts it.. "...this will be better than Boracay." So, let's watch out for that..

Now.. friends.. let us discover, explore and enjoy the natural beauty of Caramoan..

Wakeboarding Madness

Have you heard about Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Pili, Camarines Sur? most probably, you've had?.. you might have been there already.. so, how do you find it?.. some says it's one of the best wakeboarding spots in the world.. ("The Best Cable Park in the World!" -- according to Wake Magazine, Australia and New Zealand's No.1 wakeboard magazine, January 2007 issue).. i can't agree.. because i haven't been to any other than CWC.. but as a true-blue bicolano.. yes, I do agree! (said with conviction!)..

For those who haven't seen the place yet, here's an aerial shot of the complex which i got from thier website, cwcwake.com.

a closer look at one of the blue, red and green "boxes" in the previous photo. those are container vans converted to trailer homes which you can rent for as low as P1,000 for the green trailer (2pax) and P2,850 for the red and blue trailers (4pax) for 24hours.

this is also the trailer home where we stayed..

inside shots of the trailer homes

these cabanas are available for P1,250 (2pax) for 24hours

if you prefer a more private ambiance, you can opt for the Villa del Rey Villas or The Mansion Suites

below are some personal shots of the wakeboarding area

if you're interested to visit, you can contact:

Bicol Office

Provincial Capitol Complex,

Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur

(054) 4750689; 4754784

email: info@camsurwatersportscomplex.com

or through

Manila Office

Unit 2401, #139 Corporate Center,

Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

8170831

or you can visit the following websites for more detailed information and enticing photos

www.cwcwake.com

www.camarinessur.gov.ph

www.camsurwatersportscomplex.com

hey!.. i don't get any fee or commission here, okay?.. this is pure public service.. hehe..

Landscapes

These are some of the landscapes that i usually see in my everyday life...

Cagsawa ruins with Mayon @ d background

Lake Buhi Resort

Mayon's Silhouette
Mt. Isarog
Pecuaria
Skyscrapers @ Manila Bay
Manila Bay sunset Mt. Iriga (Mt.Asog)
Countryside

i'll just add more.. soon!..

IRIGA sunrise

i seldom catch the sunrise... so, this is a rare moment which i had to capture...

2 people i miss most

written 04.20.07 4:25pm

Napagsarhan ba kayo ng Hollywood?.. hehe..

Gone are the days when we would share outrageous stories,
corny jokes, and funny faces...
Altogether in one place...

Gone are the days when we would discuss some serious matters...
Face-to-face...

Gone are the days when we would indulge in "food trip"...
"Giling" time!..

Gone are the days when we would scavenge for food...
Breadsticks time...

Gone are the days when I would see them struggling
with their cousins to catch money from Wawa on New Year’s eve…

Gone are the days when we would dine out
and they end up laughing at me when I fix the “kalat” on our table…
OC-OC!... They would call me…

Gone are the days when they would come to me to ask for my help
with their school stuff… paperworks… or anything for that matter…

Gone are the days when we would stay up all night
just reminiscing our “so-happy-childhood-days”…

Gone are the days when we would walk into the bathroom,
each carrying her own basket of toiletries…
Dormitory style…

Gone are the days when we were just learning household chores…
it was a trial and error experience…

Now, they do their own chores…
Now, they miss the “chichirya” from the “sari-sari” stores…
Now, they no longer use shampoo nor toothpaste sachets…
Now, they do their own nails and stuff like that…

Now, they resort to more instant and microwaveable food…
Now, they live on their own…

Everything’s different now…
Why? Because for some reasons…
They’ve gone to Uncle Sam…
And experience white Christmas…
But they found out that there’s truth in the saying,
“There’s no place like home.”...
Yet, they have to stay there…

We only communicate through phone and the internet…
Thanks to technology… It made situations like this simpler…

I know this is not easy for them…
It requires a lot of sacrifice… A lot of effort… KAYOD!!...
It just pleases me to know that they’re safe...
They’re doing well… And they’re happy…

I miss their giggles and crazy antics…
Their tantrums and “senti” episodes…
I miss the TOXIC days…
How I wish we could be altogether again…
Just like our Baguio escapades… Remember?...
Moments like that… they seem so precious now…

I miss you PINGKAY and BINING… “LIPUNGOW!!!

being a photography enthusiast

i love taking photos. it has been a hobby eversince.. since the good ol' film camera days.. though i never thought of having photography as a profession. it is just something i like to do.. it's more of an outlet.. an expression of my deeper emotions.. (naks!) i take snapshots of anything.. from butterflies, to kittens, to children.. i also take still photos.. flowers.. chairs.. as well as landscapes and other outdoor shots.. i also enjoy capturing candid moments.. from sunrise to sunset..

right now, i am still contented with my compact digital camera.. i have to.. because i am still raising the money i need to buy a digital SLR. mahal eh!.. hehe!..

and since i don't have the time (and the resources) to travel.. my subjects are confined to the four corners of our house, my family and friends' houses, the city where i live, and when lucky, during out-of-town travels.. plus anything i come across with.

I posted some photos here. sadly, these are only few of the many.. some files got corrupted.. mostly, we're my considerably "best" shots.. and.. to make matters worse.. i don't have any backup at all.. double jeopardy!.. but of course.. lesson learned!..

please don't expect much.. i don't have any formal training in photography.. i am not a pro.. so please bear with my shots.. wala lang.. trip-trip lang.. napa-pindot lang sa shutter..

this is just my way of sharing my snapshots.. whether you like it or not.. hehe.. so.. come on.. and have a glimpse..

My First ShutterBlog

according to an old song -- "a picture paints a thousand words..." if that's the case, then there's no need for me to write weblogs on this site..

but since my site's title is shutterBlogs that means, there should be blogs.. it should have been singular -- shutterblog -- but somebody else is using it already so i have to settle with my current title.. actually, my original title would have been shutterbAg.. okay.. okay.. i know.. it should be shutterbUg.. kaya lang i coined that term to use instead of gallery.. since i can consider myself a shutterbug.. (pagbigyan nyo na ko..) eh, i thought of changing U to A.. to make it bAg.. and what's a bag?.. it's something where you put your stuff.. so parang it's something where i put my snapshots.. parang compilation or collection of photos ba.. =) corny!.. well, i don't know if i was the first or the only one who thought of that word ("shutterbAg").. but im quite sure.. im not.. so i don't totally take full credit.. but i am definitely sure i didn't plagiarize.. i really thought about it.. same goes with my title ("shutterBlog/s").. when i checked it with Google.. there where already several hits.. but let me reiterate.. i didn't plagiarize..

now, to live up to my title.. i'll continue adding more photos and i'll try (but i can't promise..) to write blogs whenever i have the chance..

please consider this as my first.. ciao!..