Last year, it was gold. This year, it is autumn pink! A little back story of how the tree turned out. I was gunning for fluorescent pink. But when I sprayed my tree–which was pine green–the tree turned out to be a deep, warm pink: autumn pink to be particular. It is one of those happy mistakes that you encounter in life! And the tree is absolutely fabulous! Here it is, friends! Hope you share yours too. 
Death. A subject that some, if not most people dread discussing due to its morbidity. It is interesting how different people think of or approach death as a concept—death as the end of life, death as the beginning of life, death being part of life, and death as a bridge to rebirth. To explore death in terms of its impact on one’s life brings forth a tapestry of colourful and dark patches that provokes thought about death. Death from the perspective of the dying, from those left behind, and from the medical and spiritual fields make the concept of death profoundly fascinating and/or disturbing. Some romanticize it, some view it as extremely tragic, and some exaggerate it to a level of macabre. No matter how death is viewed, the mystique attached to it perpetually fuels the fascination and trepidation over it.
I just finished watching THE FOUNTAIN (2006), starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, written (with Ari Handel) and directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan). It primarily explores mortality and how love pushes one to face it. I particularly love the treatment in both writing and cinematography. It is told in a non-linear fashion with three different stories from three different periods in time, something that is quite interesting especially how Aronofsky managed to achieve convergence and create unification. As for the cinematography, Aronofsky teams up with Matthew Libatique (fellow Filipino, later re-teamed with Aronofsky for Black Swan) to mount shots of wonderful symmetry, extreme macro shots, and resonating visual motifs from each periods of time that aided in sustaining interrelationships of the three storylines. Aronofsky also exhibited mastery of the externalization of the psyche, taking the audience into the minds of the central characters played by Jackman and Weisz. One constant symbol in the entire film is the tree that appears in the three storylines. While it is presented as the tree of life, the context of its existence ranged from historical, spiritual, medical, to supra-natural—embracing the broad spectrum of perceptions about death and breaks the boundaries of science and religion with its ambiguous imagery.
Overall, the combination of non-traditional storytelling and exquisite (but sometimes over-indulgent) cinematography contributes to eliciting a response that relies heavily on the individual’s perception of and experience on facing mortality. The film may (or will), to a certain degree, provoke you to feel sad, angry, happy, relieved, resigned, hopeful, and even bored depending on your perceptions of and life experiences in confronting death. But generally, it hinges on the general mystery of death—what it is, what happens after it, and how does one cope with it.
Isang masayang Sabado sa lahat ng ka-LP! Narito ang aking mga piling larawan na nais kong ibahagi sa linggong ito.
Nakasabit na ilaw. - Ito ay kuha sa restaurant ng Crown Regency Mactan sa Cebu City. Naaliw ako sa pattern at texture! At hindi ko alam kung bakit ngunit iba pa rin ang binibigay ng film sa akin bilang photographer. Ito ay kuha gamit ang aking Vivitar v3000s at Kodak Elitechrome 400 na pina-cross process sa Digiprint.
Batang nakasabit sa puno. – Wala na akong nakikitang ganito ngayon. Mga batang nage-enjoy sa simpleng kasiyahang dulot ng paglalaro sa mga puno. Kuha gamit ang Vivitar v3000s at Kodak Tri-X 400.
“Ano yang nakasabit sa leeg mo?” – Yan ang laging tanong sa akin kapag dala ko ang aking TLR (twin lens reflex) na camera. Ito ay isang Pearl River na TLR na gawa nuong 1950. Nabili ko ito sa isang kulektor at ito ay nakakapag-kuha pa ng mga larawan gamit ang 120 na films. Salamat sa aking kaibigan sa pagkuha ng larawang ito.
Nakasabit sa Leeg. – Ito ang larawang isinabmit para sa aking finals sa Basic Photography Workshop na aking kinuha. Tinawag ko itong “Analog Warrior”…at yan ang aking mga film cameras. Kuha gamit ang aking Nikon D60.
Maligayang LP Sabado sa lahat!
Ang aking pagbabalik sa Litratong Pinoy!!! Ang mga larawang ito ang aking napili sapagkat ito ay kuha sa Boracay kung saan unang beses ako nakapunta. Pangalawa, umuwi ang aking shupatembang na sisterette mula sa Estados Unidos! Pangatlo, unang beses na kasama ang aking ina at esposo sa isang paglalakbay. Tunay na apat sa pinakamasayang araw ng aking buhay! Bakit ika nyo? Dahil lahat ng pinakamamahal ko sa buhay ay kasama ko…
Ang aking pamilya…
Sisterette…
Mudra….
Esposo…
Aketch…
Saya! Maligayang Biyernes sa lahat ng ka-LP!
Part of my arsenal to combat high triglycerides, bad cholesterol, and pre-hypertension is to do more walking everyday. Last night, H and I walked from Starbucks Intramuros to Park n’ Ride at Lawton for our usual trip home. I took my 7pm medicine (amvasc) before we walked so when I got on the bus, I was really huffin’ and puffin’ and a little woozy. I took a seat at the last row (the “six-seater”) and adjusted the two aircon vents and blasted some cold air to cool me down–which it did, and I thought I will travel in medication-induced peace until…
