Pictures are a blessing
I don’t see myself as a photographer. I write, I manage stuff, and so far I prefer to hone my skills there. What I don’t have (and so far have no desire to claim) is that certain anal attention to detail that most professional photographers embrace.
I just like how a story can be told in one shot.
In any case, uploading and organizing photos from my last trip, and a previous event, have been a good reminder for the more turbulent parts of life. Picking shots to show points out, “Look, it’s not all crap. It might even get better from here.”
More shots can be viewed at my photoblog: miiShots. I am also on instagram as miicam.
The Off Button
How was Mother’s day? I hope as you guys tweeted, took pictures, shared pictures, you really made that day count.
My friend, Pepper, observed a family who just…couldn’t find an Off Button. I’ll let his message speak for itself.
As the Thai telco ad pointed out, sometimes you have to disconnect to connect.
An Open Letter to the Family in Italliani’s
Dear Family in Italliani’s,
Yesterday, I was dining with my family at Italliani’s Greenbelt when I saw you. It was Mother’s Day, and almost everyone, your family included, was with their moms.
The point of celebrating Mother’s Day was to make the mothers of the family feel special, all warm and fuzzy inside, and for the family to show their gratitude to the woman who brought them into this world.
Yes, you were with your mom. You were with the maternal head of the family, a woman whose face showed wisdom and experience. You were with your lola. You were also with laptops, iPads, and Galaxy Tabs, and let’s not forget your iPhones and your Android devices, all of which were turned on and placed on the table. And what was lola doing? Sitting in silence and forking slowly at her salad.
Family at Italliani’s, I would have understood if you were trying to contact some relative abroad through Facebook, Skype, or Facetime. That would have made your grandmother smile. But Tetris Battle? Bejeweled? Please. You should be ashamed of yourself, not only for making this old lady feel out of place on her holiday, but for also being so rude as to use so many devices in a restaurant. This wasn’t Starbucks. You were NOT in a coffee shop, idling away and just trying to kill time. You were in a restaurant, having lunch with your lola… on Mother’s Day.
Family in Italliani’s, you deserve a high five. On the face. With a steel chair.
With much annoyance,
Pepper
[Review] The Avengers
I can’t review this movie objectively since I am its target market. I’m personally not a big fan of Marvel and DC comics, but I grew up with my share of 1960s Marvel cartoons and Superfriends. To top it all off, this movie is directed by Joss Whedon, who I’ve loved since Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Thing is, in the adaptation hype of the last few years, it’s very rare that the directors get it right (ahem Michael Bay and Transformers). For once, they picked wisely, as Joss Whedon is a comic book fan and has penned work for X-Men and Superman/Batman, to name a few. The Avengers movie was clearly Joss Whedon’s love letter to the comic book. You can see it in every frame.
Personally, I love it. Geek or not, give it a watch. It is at the very least, fun. In this infernal summer heat, you need fun.
Go. Book your ticket. Drag your friends and family. Just watch it.
[Day 20] A hobbie of yours
Pictures by the ever-lovely Rej Rosero.
Typo is not mine, I blame the original meme writer.
But yes, I am a geek. You can witness all fangirl geekery in its un-glory over at the fan tumblr. You can also catch me at Committee Geekfight once a month.
[Day 19] A talent of yours
I would like to say storytelling, but it’s a talent I’m still trying to hone.
This calls for a writing sample. I wrote this as a copywriting exercise in the agency I used to work for. The challenge was to write a story based on this news article. I was also given this (rather disturbing) tribute as a peg. Isn’t it amazing how you can look as if you know someone just by tracking them online?
The instructions were: write about the incident, and it has to mention that the victim’s eyes were donated to the blood bank.
Part of the 30 Day Writing Meme. Next is Day 20: A Hobby of Yours.
Short Story: The Wake
Pa couldn’t sleep the night through, not since Josh, his son, died.
It was the second day of the wake, a good few hours after the guests left.
His wife, exhausted, slept in the chapel pantry. Pa decided to take a smoke outside the chapel, his breather from being surrounded by people and the sickening-sweet scent of funeral flowers.
He lit up a Marlboro Red. As he inhaled the first smoke, he realized he’d been a smoker for twenty years now. Funny, he mused, that he has yet to be diagnosed for anything more serious. He smiled at his own wit, which hurt.
He still expects his son to show up.