Make room for what you love
I love aerial photography
Me captured by my sidekick Ronald inside a Cessna
I love aerial photography
Me captured by my sidekick Ronald inside a Cessna
“There is a place of perfect peace in each one of us that nothing can harm or disturb. It is waiting for you in this very moment.” ~ Christopher Foster, The Happy Seeker
“There are no shadows in darkness. Shadows are created by light, and only exist in the presence of light. Refusing to acknowledge our shadow leads us to deny the presence of light in us.” ― Franco Santoro
“Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” ~ Albert Einstein
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” ~ Helen Keller
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.
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~ Groucho Marx
“But I try to steal other moments. Sometimes I get up very early in the morning and enjoy a quiet house and cup of tea before the craziness begins. Other times, I’ll take a quick walk on the beach. You can find peace in a few minutes.” ~ Cindy Crawford
“It is with hope that each sunrise I give her cheers her more today than yesterday, and that she will accept my messages of hope and love. This is for a very outrageous character who gives everyone around her a renewed zest for life just as she does.”
Thank you, Davao City Government, Mayor Sara and Vice Mayor Rody Duterte, for this wonderful honor. (My years of hard work — labor of love– are finally recognized since I started as a journalist in 1994).
“Life is painful and messed up. It gets complicated at the worst of times, and sometimes you have no idea where to go or what to do. Lots of times people just let themselves get lost, dropping into a wide open, huge abyss. But that’s why we have to keep trying. We have to push through all that hurts us, work past all our memories that are haunting us. Sometimes the things that hurt us are the things that make us strongest. A life without experience, in my opinion, is no life at all. And that’s why I tell everyone that, even when it hurts, never stop yourself from living.” ― Alysha Speer Learning from another woman’s survival, and getting inspired with her story of pain and determination. My prayers are with you. Soar high, Robyn Lee. Fishermen captured at sunrise in Whitesand Beach, San Ignacio, Manay, Davao Oriental © Jojie Alcantara
“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun.” ~ Unknown Nina from Germany, a returning tourist to Davao City Punta Dumalag © Jojie Alcantara
“It’s a battered old suitcase and a hotel someplace and a wound that will never heal.” – Tom Waits
“If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.” ~ Jennifer Jones My fun portrait taken by my editor Stella Estremera Sculpture of little boy by Kublai Milan in People’s Park
Wikipedia explains synchronicity to be a state of being simultaneous; an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.
PHWOW : Do you have any tips for travelers who visit Davao for the first time?
Me : Don’t hesitate to ask around. The guy beside you may have just gone through a unique Davao experience he can recommend. Read blogs. Many Davao bloggers give a lot of tips and places to discover. Mine is http://www.dabawenya.net.
My childhood days were filled with memories of playing on the beach. No tourists. Undiscovered paradise. This used to be my playground.
A little treat to myself by having nail art which I have never done before because I have small, short fingernails and in my line of work, the nail polish won’t last long. Lots of art designs to choose from! A little pampering doesn’t hurt, especially their new Organic Foot Spa.
“Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.” ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism, on his concept of “The Decisive Moment”