Above the skies
This year alone I rode in a chopper three times over Davao region, doing aerial photography in the traditional way.
This year alone I rode in a chopper three times over Davao region, doing aerial photography in the traditional way.
“Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.” ~ Karen Armstrong
“Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.” ~ Barbara de Angelis
“Be confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren’t. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are – and aren’t – that you will truly succeed.” ~ Anon
“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I will always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” — Peter Pan
The famous Shibuya Crossing is a very large pedestrian area outside Shibuya Station, considered to be one of the busiest in the world. The Shibuya Scramble, as it is popularly called, is a must-try in your bucket list when you visit Tokyo.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Andre Gide
Here’s another fun summer activity for your kids at Robinson’s Abreeza Mall, Davao City. See you there!
“Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself.” ~ Author unknown
Model Belinda Suaco-Tan in a bridal gown she has designed, and wore for my Index Salon wedding shoot.
“Being brave isn’t about being unafraid. It’s about functioning through the fear.” ― Jessica Andersen, Lord of the Wolfyn
“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
“There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?” ― Dalai Lama XIV
“No matter how small you start, always dream big.” ― Stephen Richards
Silkwinds April 2014 Cover by Jojie Alcantara This is my cover photo of aerial Boracay waters in April 2014 issue of Silkwinds, the inflight magazine of SilkAir (Regional Wing of Singapore Airlines). I shot the fishermen and boat from a helicopter over Boracay. This is my second aerial photo on cover of an international airline magazine.
“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela When I am down, and my grumpy self surfaces due to several reasons — period, boredom, depression, low self esteem or just being flat broke — I take time out to travel on a short or long trip, and let myself be engulfed by the sheer beauty of the world around me that we often fail to acknowledge or even notice. If I keep moving forward, my worries are left behind. Seascape of my ancestral place in Manay, Davao Oriental © Jojie Alcantara 2013 * * * *
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
“If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can’t accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” ― Rosalynn Carter
When you visit Davao City and have enough time for a sudden road trip, try Mati City (3 hours away by private vehicle), my place of birth. Endowed with one of the longest and most beautiful white coastlines in Mindanao, Mati involves zigzagging through well-paved roads that snake up and down a cliff (locally called ‘Badas’) overlooking the deep blue sea.