It’s a round red toy
Fluttering around on a string
Wishing to be free but it always returns
On and on and on and on
Letting go, pulling it back, again and again
A thin strip, they call it a string
But oh it has a lot of pressure there
Yo yo yo yo
I never owned one.
I think of butterflies instead.
And finally we flick it back up.

(rengga done at the recent-est RBP)
-written by a group of people who love words :)
I'm glad to be able to contribute a line and have rengga. 

    Yesterday I did a shoot with my younger brother for his little prince competition for our village fiesta. We were asked to submit a photo of my younger brother as it is needed for the judges to select the most photogenic contestant. I gladly volunteered to take photos for my brother's photo (feeling photographer ang peg hahaha). 
    Here are some of the photos I took using our Canon S30 digital camera. So clearly it's not a dslr camera as we don't own one and I don't want to hasle my cousins by waking them very early. Yep, I did the shoot very early (6:00 a.m) :D I'm glad my brother's awake by then though and very enthusiastic when I asked him to stand up and change clothes. (vain kid! tsk3x) As the photos are not so crisp, I used an online photo editor to do some touch-up of the pics. Here we go:

Fresh Start~


Btw, the second photo above is the one that we've submitted for the contest.

My kind of neutral~
Here are some of the shots I took with my brother looking like a pro model with my dad's vintage glasses. ahaha. My mother didn't agree to submit these shots to the contest committee because my brother looks like a blind beggar daw. LOL



Hey Soul Sister~
     You wouldn't believe me if I tell you that it was my 4 year old brother who took these photos. haha. The perks of having a vain sister. I actually "slightly" force him to take photos of me. But then he willingly snap the camera like a pro. I have a feeling he'll grow up like me--> not-so-vain and feeling photographer ang peg. haha
     Gema shots lang to! As you can see, I'm just wearing my pair of slippers. lol. I love the backgrounds though. They're perfect for an outfit shot. Must have a decent shoot in this place some other time this summer.

     What I wore on my Sinulog laag with my best friend Love. This is extremely late, but here goes nothing! haha Seriously this is just my way of preserving our time together. I really had a great time praising the Lord and being with my friend at the same time. Too bad we didn't have the chance the go to the church that day because of too much people. (and of the procession) I know we would be walking for miles and go bumping with lots of people so I want to wear something comfortable yet fashionable.chos!



    One of my favorite necklace! It says "lucky", as I am trying to catch my luck on that day. haha. What I love most about this neck lace are the birds parallel to each other holding the banner. They look irresistable. I opted for this necklace since I don't wanna look too overwhelming since my top already had its pretty beads.

        I chose to wear these rubber shoes since I know we will be walking for a long time.

I knew exactly what love looked like- in seventh grade. Even though I hadn't met love yet, if love had wandered into my homeroom I would've recognized him at first glance. Love wore a hemp necklace. I would've recognized her at first glance, love wore a tight french braid. Love played acoustic guitar and knew all my favorite Beatles songs. Love wasn’t afraid to ride the bus with me. And I knew, I just must be searching the wrong classrooms, just must be checking the wrong hallways, she was there, I was sure of it. If only I could find him.

But when love finally showed up, she had a bow cut. He wore the same clothes every day for a week. Love hated the bus. Love didn't know anything about The Beatles. Instead, every time I try to kiss love, our teeth got in the way. Love became the reason I lied to my parents. I’m going to- Ben’s house. Love had terrible rhythm on the dance floor, but made sure we never missed a slow song. Love waited by the phone because she knew that if her father picked up it would be: “Hello? Hello? I guess they hung up.”

And love grew, stretched like a trampoline. Love changed. Love disappeared, slowly, like baby teeth, losing parts of me I thought I needed. Love vanished like an amateur magician, and everyone could see the trapdoor but me. Like a flat tire, there were other places I planned on going, but my plans didn't matter. Love stayed away for years, and when love finally reappeared, I barely recognized him. Love smelt different now, had darker eyes, a broader back, love came with freckles I didn't recognize. New birthmarks, a softer voice. Now there were new sleeping patterns, new favorite books. Love had songs that reminded him of someone else, songs love didn't like to listen to. So did I.

But we found a park bench that fit us perfectly, we found jokes that make us laugh. And now, love makes me fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies. But love will probably finish most of them for a midnight snack. Love looks great in lingerie but still likes to wear her retainer. Love is a terrible driver, but a great navigator. Love knows where she’s going, it just might take her two hours longer than she planned. Love is messier now, not as simple. Love uses the words “boobs” in front of my parents. Love chews too loud. Love leaves the cap off the toothpaste. Love uses smiley faces in her text messages. And turns out, love shits!

But love also cries. And love will tell you you are beautiful and mean it, over and over again. You are beautiful. When you first wake up, “you are beautiful.” When you've just been crying, “you are beautiful.” When you don’t want to hear it, “you are beautiful.” When you don’t believe it, “you are beautiful.” When nobody else will tell you, “you are beautiful.” Love still thinks- you are beautiful. But love is not perfect and will sometimes forget, when you need to hear it most, you are beautiful, do not forget this.

Love is not who you were expecting, love is not who you can predict. Maybe love is in New York City, already asleep, and you are in California, Australia, wide awake. Maybe love is always in the wrong time zone, maybe love is not ready for you. Maybe you are not ready for love. Maybe love just isn't the marrying type. Maybe the next time you see love is twenty years after the divorce, love is older now, but just as beautiful as you remembered. Maybe love is only there for a month. Maybe love is there for every firework, every birthday party, every hospital visit. Maybe love stays- maybe love can’t. Maybe love shouldn't.

Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to, and love leaves exactly when love must. When love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.” If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her. Turn off the music, listen to the quiet, whisper, “Thank you. Thank you for stopping by.”