Gabe and Maiah

I really don’t know why, but this will always be the most memorable photo shoot for me. Even though the pictures were taken a long time ago. Maybe, because I really had fun shooting this, or maybe because it was really sunny and everything was so blue and breezy. Or maybe, because of the people I was with. Or probably because I was in Moalboal.

Big Balloons at Pampanga

In 2011, I was not able to go to Pampanga’s 16^th Hot Air Balloon Festival because I was so busy wasting my time at work. So I promised myself that I should be there for the 2012 event. It was not that easy though, because there were a lot of changes where I work and I almost cancelled the trip. But I told myself, “WTF, to heck with that fickle minded company”. And, I really went to Pampanga on Feb. 8, 2012. 

Our first night was weird, because we stayed at a small pension house called 9fiveO at Field Avenue and we just found out that it’s inside a convenience store. I thought it was cool since you get to buy anything you need downstairs and the place doesn’t cost that much. The room was only P1, 400 per night. My first night at Pampanga was not that special, we just ate dinner at a mall, went back to our room and oh by the way, there were a lot of hookers at every corner of the street near the place where we stayed.  LOL!

On our 2^nd day, we woke up very early so that we can find a good spot for the 17^th Hot Air Balloon event. It was a cold early morning and I loved it. We paid an entrance fee of only P250 each and a few hours later; they let the big balloons fly. That was the first time I saw hot air balloons and it was really amazing. I was such a Happy Litse that day. At 10 AM, we left the event for our other trip and it was in Subic. So from the place where we stayed, we went back to Main Gate near Jollibee (it’s a terminal near Field Avenue), rode a Clark- Dau jeep for P8.00 each, we stopped at Caltex Terminal then went near Mabalacat Terminal to look for a bus or van that will go to Olongapo. We took an FX ride for only P130 per person and goodbye Pampanga we did! This trip was not costly, I guess I already enjoyed Pampanga for only P1, 300.  I am so coming back and here are the balloon overload!

The Girl who cried Wolf

 

When you want to tell your friends that you think you're pregnant, you can do it on your birthday. In that way, nobody wants to shout at you, beat the crap out of you or even believe you. That's what happened to us, when she told us that she might be pregnant, we didn't believe Tata.

The reason why we didn't believe her is because she's the she-male version of the story, "The Boy who cried wolf"; but in a more modern and harass way. Tata has been my friend since high school, so that's like 12 years of being stuck with her. All we did in high school was laugh over corny jokes,  do pranks to each other and steal lollipops. Crying over boys was not our thing. So, if you have been pranked for 12 years, you'd hesitate to believe very serious matters coming out of her mouth.

It was her birthday when she announced it and we all just laughed, only to find out a week later that it's really true. O_O So I guess, it was a good thing that she played the Boy who cried wolf very well, because of that I was able to understand and cope up with the situation in a not so serious way. After that, my perception to the story changed, I learned that the boy did those not because he was just seeking for attention, he was actually trying to tell the people to prepare because the future might get rough and a little panic drill once in a while won't hurt if you just play along.

Growing up with Alessandra Isobelle

Alessandra Isobelle - who is she? Well, she's the daughter of my friend. Mommy A and I have been close friends because we've been together at work since March 29, 2010. We were seat mates in training days. Sitting next to her was the biggest decision because whenever there were exams, I could always copy Mommy A's answers. She's kind of an adult wiz since she wins trivia games and her house is like the best library ever.

Anyway, let me go direct to the point, she got pregnant a few months after training. For me, it was a blessing in disguise because at that time I was still trying to learn more about photography and I really wanted to experience preggy photoshoots. So, on her 8th month, I told her about my thoughts and good thing she was okay with it. At Exposure studio, I did my first preggy photoshoot and it turned out the way I want it to be and I loved my shots.

After a month or two when she gave birth, we decided to have newborn photoshoot and a year after Alessandra was born, we did another photoshoot. I felt so excited since I haven't seen the baby for a year because she stayed in Iligan, Philippines. I can say, she's all grown up because when I saw her, she was already running and can already imitate faces you make in front of her. Time flies so fast, I should not be shocked anymore if I'll be the one taking pictures of her on her wedding day. LOL