Sharing with you my passion for life through Food, Travel, Arts and Love. =) A devotee of Ms. Elsie De Wolfe: “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life.”
A good photograph is knowing where to stand. ~Ansel Adams~
Jen, my ever loyal foodie cum travel buddy often collects my photos. And once she noticed a specific pose and collected dozens of it which prompted me to come up with a blog entitled: “Sitting pretty.”
She studied Basic Photography out of her love for taking photos, especially mine. ahaha!
With all her vagaries, she came up and introduced to me another idea. She has collected my photos, standing behind nice walls. She was also the one who gave its’ title: “Picture, picture on the wall”.
She has spotted several walls already before giving me the idea. And included them in her Bucket list. I can’t help but just agree. I just love her idea!
On this wall! =) – 2015..Loved this instantly! However, there were passers-by and I pretended to be just texting. Then my friend took a pic of me! =) – 2014..After one of the nicest lunch I’ve had! – 2015..Is this a wall? lol!, 2014..Clark air base, Pampanga, 2016..This is in Rockwell, Makati, 2014..At Commerce center, 2016..Before watching the play at Solaire, 2016.Resorts World, 2010..They call it vertical garden.And they say not to cross your arms. #testosteronevscortisolAt Pinto Art Museum.. The inserted photo is a tree where the leaves on that wall came from..
At Costa coffee..Shangri-la mall…SM Aura…At SM Aura, Bonifacio Global CityAin’t sure if this can be considered as a wall, though I really love bricks. =) This is at Las Casas Manila
I got so inspired by the process, I initially came up with only a few, but with so much excitement, I am pretty sure this will have its’ nth and I shall continue counting.
“Turning my wounds into wisdom.”
~borrowed from Ms. Oprah Winfrey~
For the last few years of allowing myself to be directed to do the things I love. Focusing on activities like photography, traveling, gardening, blogging and subjects like lighthouses, spiral staircases, vintage door knockers, patterned tiles, black and white too (I got it from my dad), windmills, flowers, butterflies. Things that are man-made and created by God as well. I’ve discovered plenty from both.
One thing that fascinates me are bridges. One restaurant I’ve tried mounted photos of bridges which I must assume are from different countries that they have visited.
This has propelled me to gather all those bridges I’ve came across with through the years. Besides, bridges has inspired us in more ways than one, it was in a song: “Bridge over troubled water”, and it was even in movies (Bridges of Madison county, A bridge too far, Broken bridges, etc.). There was even a motto about it: “Do not cross the bridge until you get there.”
True enough, bridges for me are symbolic. It gives you courage. Or make you realized that you are brave and willing to take risks literally crossing the bridge or challenges of life per se.
First, you evaluate the sturdiness of the bridge, actually there are a lot to test. The wood planks you will set foot on, the ropes or chains that holds it to somewhere robust and hold it for a lifetime. How loose it’ll shake due to it’s suspension.
And how about the end of the bridge. What’s it like?
The depth of where you’re gonna fall, just in case. Knock on wood. (–,)
Are there other people who might block your way?
Even the distance, how long are you going to keep your guts intact so as to cross it and reach the end.
Enumerating this, isn’t it a symbol of life’s challenges?
Looking at bridges this way, I hold such appreciation to this man-made ingenuity as a means of traveling. Or crossing another land, another place. And to realize that in each adventure, “All it takes is courage.”
And since you were connected to the other end (bridge as connections), you felt to be a different person, a braver one perhaps.
Here are some of the bridges I’ve crossed over through the years.
Casa San Pablo, LagunaSingapore..Caleruega, Batangas..In Caleruega again..Canyon Woods, Tagaytay..Filinvest, Alabang…I asked the driver to pull-over so I can take this…=) San Juanico, bridge, Eastern Visayas..While here, the driver won’t let me. So I captured even the knick knacks in his dashboard… This is Mactan bridge in Cebu..Just a short one at Balay Indang… Tropical plants can be seen below.. The vines covering the canopy protected passers from the heat of the sun…=)
Determining what’s it like on the other end allows us to creatively determine our decisions whether to cross it or not. Or if there’s no other way to go to the other side. Evaluate the risks and courage to overcome fear in crossing them, especially if there’s no more turning back.
Better yet, appreciate all that comes to it while crossing. It could be a crystal clear brook below, or huge trees standing mighty proud and looking at you while crossing, or in my case, even encountering a harmless dog proving to me that it is safe to cross. =)
Ferreiros-do-dao-tondela in PortugalBrooklyn bridge in New York!Ourika valley/ Camel trekking in Morocco! =) Courtesy of: http://cameltrekking-4×4-trips.com/excursions.htmlPhoto of this hanging bridge at Masungi Georeserve grabbed from: http://travelingcouple.net/masungi-georeserve-tips-and-reminders/
They say that if you dream, you better dream big!
And if you might have encounter one awesome bridge, please do share it (them) with me. I’d really appreciate it. =)
Every time I see a lighthouse. I am mesmerized. There is something in them that makes me wonder and prompts me to wander and dare myself to new discoveries and experience as many towers I can.
The first time I saw one, right in front of me, is in Ilocos Sur:
CAPE BOJADOR
With my soul buddy…<3
I fell in love with it instantly. I wanted to embrace the whole concrete stone post if I physically can. Seeing it right in front of me, made me speechless in awe. My heart, soaring! It’s like a potion poured all over me, intoxicating my heart and my mind. Even my soul I guess. I am mired with questions like what’s it all about lighthouses that I am so fascinated by them? It was a relief to have found out that I am not the only one crazy about Lighthouses!
I reached this point of thinking that it has something to do with who I was in my past life. I wanted to do regression soon. I am extending my apologies to my uncle priest (just in case this blog will reach him), as past lives isn’t part of our Catholic faith’s orientation.
I have been seeing myself being in a place where a lighthouse is standing tall. Mighty and proud. Like a man waiting for me ready to engulf me in his strong arms. For several ocassion, I kept seeing a very beautiful woman in my dreams with her black waist-length hair softly flowing behind her, she’s in a long burgundy gown with black and gold trimmings, I see her going up in a spiral staircase with its bricked walls and bronze lamps in every turn, one of her hand holding a flame lit torch and the other holding up her long silk ruffled skirt maybe to keep herself from tripping off while climbing up.
Courtesy of: lighthouse_stairs_by_rtyson.
Ah, I ain’t dreaming of fairy tales in a deep slumber, she’s no Rapunzel, her hair as I remember isn’t gold. And upon reaching the top. She patiently waits on the windowsill as if anytime a man will wave at her and lovingly call out her name and she will run fast as she could towards his direction and welcome him with open arms. Is it me? I do not know. What I only know now is my-addiction-with seeing one at every opportunity.
The desire gets stronger after each encounter. I even noticed in my past scrapbooks, and pictures of lighthouses is a common thing
I must admit, fascinations like this is telling us (me) something. That is what I wanted to dig up. Like a universal feeling of self-discovery, It’ll somehow help me to know myself more. I have seen 7 all in all and apparently I intend to keep on counting. There are more than 50 in my country alone.
CAPE SANTIAGO, BATANGAS
CAPONES LIGHTHOUSE, ZAMBALES
Capones Lighthouse…
BASCO LIGHTHOUSE, BATANES
Basco, Batanes… It’s raining..
MAHATAO & SABTANG LIGHTHOUSE, BATANES
Mahatao Lighthouse, Batanes… Still raining…Huge pebble stones…
Not until I felt the contentment and bravely I will say: “I’ve seen enough. I can rest now.” If such can answer my questions, I also do not know. It’s as if in one of them? I will find the answer to my questions. Or getting deeper, I will find out who was my man from another lifetime. Who I was? What was I am capable of doing? And I guess the answers will lead me inside the arms of the man I will call mine in this lifetime.
Huge possibility that it will give me peace. Writing this in my work area, with only the sound of my keyboard accompanying me, a dog whimpering from time to time under my chair, a cat in quiet slumber on the couch behind me and the sound of silence (its half past 2:00 am) I just can’t help but smile and dream while still awake of my next encounter or where would it be… (–,)
While malling, I spotted this..Soul sis gave me this notebook! And I so ❤ it!During grocery, I saw this. And it was funny that I got a friend from Faro.. =)
Gift from Jen.This one too but my dog tattered it. ehehe
And two more in Pangasinan, one in Cagayan as recommended by my soul sis and Guisi from Iloilo. Whew! There’s a lot! ❤
Just last year, I was able to visit “Cape Bolinao” – the second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines.
My heart skip a beat seeing it. =)The lighthouse of Alaminos, Pangasinan
I do not intend to complete all the light houses in my country, I have 5 more remaining in my bucket list. =) Any suggestions? =)
On Purple Wings 