Befriend the Raindrops

I chose this photo because I appreciated a lot of qualities about it.

I liked how the photographer has captured a good angle of the bird in its kind of dramatic position – perfect for the mood of the image. I liked the view of real raindrops captured in a shot – it must have required a very fast shutter speed.

It’s a good depth-of-field shot, only it’s a shallow one but it justifies the image because obviously, the subject is the bird so the focus has to be on the bird. And I’ve always liked depth-of-field shots, for some reasons I can’t quite figure out yet. Maybe because they make the picture a little less boring and ordinary and they add drama to the scene.

And the cherry-like fruits looked good on the contrast of the background, plus the bird’s color blended with that of the background too, which emphasized only two colors in the picture which also look good when combined, as I see on the picture.

I find the picture dramatic, with the “alone” bird and the raindrops and the red fruits around.

I see serenity in the picture.

I do admire it.

Shout for Freedom

Let's face it. Our country's decades of democracy is faced in a grave turmoil today, hence, menacing our own freedom. Yes. The freedom that our countrymen have bravely fought for is now in the verge of jeopardy.

On the night of June 2, 2009, a hundred and seventy Members of the House have passed a resolution with the aim of changing the country's Constitution. Today, it is famous for its many names. HR 1109. Constituent Assembly. Charter Change. All of these states one sole intention: to overlay the path for changes to the Philippine Constitution. Apparently, they have made an intentional attempt to endangering the constitution- the constitution that they have sworn to protect when they were appointed to their position. Evidently, this is an act of betrayal and infidelity to the charter, the vast majority of the mass, and most importantly, to the state itself.

Joining the No to ConAss mass rally last June 10, I instantly understood the importance of being socially involved in the state's battle against the nation's injustices. They were right. We have to make a move. We have to fight. And if fighting means having to go out to the streets and shout out our anger and rage for us to be heard, then that is what exactly we must do, and will do.

Our right to democracy has clearly been stepped on to. Let us fight for our freedom and our democracy while we still have it in the grip of our hands. If we don't act, then we let that very privilege slip right from our very own palms.

No one else will if we do not take the initiative of taking the lead.

still pretty much the same...

Just last night, I was busy doing nothing in front of the computer so I figured maybe I could just check out my friendster instead. And I did find some new comments from my friends. They were just some usual checking-out-on-me kind of comments, just like any other else. Ordinary. Nothing really special and new. I read through them and then something caught me off guard. Someone I've known back in high school asked me about an old common friend of ours...an old friend that happened to have made a very big mark in my precious past. I didn't expect that a simple "kumusta naman mo?" could catch me breathless for a moment. All of a sudden, I felt like a wave had come after me. I didn’t know what it was that I felt, or why I was even feeling that way.

And then it hit me.

For over a year, I have struggled hard to keep myself going after a…well, let’s just say, a painful closure with a friend that I used to treat so special. And it took me a very long time to finally say that I have moved on. But I guess there is still something that I want to feel- something more than just moving on. I knew that I was over it. I knew that I have moved on, I've felt that- at least, this is what I know. Or I thought so.

But then again, maybe getting over is a different story, isn't it?

As much as I have tried moving on, I did try on on going all the way to getting over, too. But I guess, I was only good at the first part. Maybe that second part was something that I failed to do- something that I didn't even notice all along. And I didn't realize that until last night.

But of course, if I let myself spend another bloody night thinking about this issue that doesn't even make sense- and it shouldn't really make any sense to me at all, I might as well end up feeling that same stupid pain again.

Although, I must admit- and I would be a hell of a liar if I don't- that I haven't gotten over this whole thing...yet. Maybe the feelings are still pretty much the same. Maybe the emotions are still there. But it sure won't be there forever. Eventually, it'll all go away. I know it will.

And he is gonna get the hell out of my freaking system. x

a call for Her: our Mother Nature

For years, we have made so much use of what our nature has to offer. And even up to this hour, we consume of what our mother nature has left.

We never stop from being parasites.
Yes, a parasite, that is.

For hundreds and hundreds of decades, our nature has been the major source of everything that we need for survival. And yet, we have caused it an unbelievable picture of damage. Trees are cut down, mountains have nothing left but empty soil, air has been terribly polluted...and water... we could hardly drink any of it. What has happened to the environment?

The Millennium Development Goals have started to come out in the purpose of making an action against this environmental crisis. In a list of eight goals, the seventh has caught me more than any other goals discussed. It talks about Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.

I firmly believe that above everything else we have in this planet, it is the environment that plays a major role. Before we could do anything to repair what has been destroyed, we have to repair and rebuild first the environment, because the environment is where everything comes from. The food that we eat, the water that we drink, the air that we breathe, even the clothes that we wear-we all need the environment to be able to have all these.

People who live in the third world countries suffer from water deprivation. They could barely drink water. Imagine how fortunate we are that we are provided water clean enough for us to consume.

The seventh goal: Ensuring Environmental Sustainability, for me, is a very important goal.
I believe the discussion that we had regarding this goal was enough to awaken us all end open our eyes and lend our ears to the call of Mother Nature-that all of us has the responsibility to protect Her.

develpoment: as i define it in my own way...

Development is a vital transformation that occurs and seeks to empower an individual in order to effect the change to some wider group of people, and eventually, leads to the creation of an all new innovative society. Development is something that all of us must have, and we all must let it start within ourselves and have the will to possess it, so that in the near future, we can be prepared, brave and capable enough to hold the key to a way more progressive innovation within our community, our society, our country, and later on, to the world, our planet-the Earth!

communication: crystal's point of view

communication is not just merely sending a message from a sender to a reciever through a medium..but rather, it's a realistic activity that occurs with or without an apparent interaction between two elements..communication is hearing even when no one makes a sound...it's seeing even when everything is invisible...it's reading even when nothing is written...and it's looking beyond what everybody could see...communication is grasping and understanding even when you think there is nothing there to grasp and understand...because no matter how silent it may be...communication happens...between us and everything around us.