Lotus in morning mist
The lotus flower represents long life, health, honor and good luck. In Buddhism, lotus flowers symbolize purity of speech, mind and body rising above the waters of desire and attachment.
The lotus flower represents long life, health, honor and good luck. In Buddhism, lotus flowers symbolize purity of speech, mind and body rising above the waters of desire and attachment.
“Making one person smile can change the world – maybe not the whole world, but their world.” Bagobo Kids Tibolo Tribal Village © Jojie Alcantara Foot of Mount Apo, Barangay Tibolo, Davao del Sur Taken in 2010 * * * *
“I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with.” ~ Plato
The first time I caught sight of her, she was carrying a baby. She said it was her grandchild so I was surprised because she looked so young despite the lines on her face. But this Bagobo tribeswoman up in the remote hinterlands of Kapatagan obliged me with such a genuine smile that even with freckles and no makeup, she is strikingly beautiful. I took this photo of her when she was looking out the window of her hut. 2008 © Jojie Alcantara Kapatagan, Davao del Sur
Best viewed in large image here “It is a pity indeed to travel and not get this essential sense of landscape values. You do not need a sixth sense for it. It is there if you just close your eyes and breathe softly through your nose; you will hear the whispered message, for all landscapes ask the same question in the same whisper. ‘I am watching you — are you watching yourself in me?’ Most travelers hurry too much…the great thing is to try and travel with the eyes of the spirit wide open, and not to much factual information. To tune in, without reverence, idly — but with real inward attention. It is to be had for the feeling…you can extract the essence of a place once you know how. If you just get as still as a needle, you’ll be there.” ~ Lawrence Durrell, Spirit Of Place: Letters And Essays On Travel Lake Rosario is situated halfway up in the Mount Apo Protected Area Park, at a higher elevation blessed with cool climate …
“I live in the space of thankfulness – and I have been rewarded a million times over for it. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That’s because what you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Children of Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe in the highlands of Tibolo Village in Sta. Cruz. They are friendly, cheerful and a curious lot. This image finished finalist among 12700 entries in the December 2011 monthly photo contest of Betterphoto.com. © Jojie Alcantara