Flowers in Desert...

May or Mayo ang pang limang buwan sa taon nang gregorya at alam nang karamihan ay ang buwan nang mga Pyestahan, Santacruzan at Flores De Mayo... Dito sa gitnang silangan ay wala akong alam na okasyon o ano mang pagdiriwang na ginaganap tuwing Mayo, (Eh ano pa nga ba naman ang buhay dito no! Asa ka pa!) hindi tulad sa atin na masaya at halos lingo-lingo ay may kasayahan sa Plaza, at lalo na kapag Santacruzan ang usapan... May mga galing pa sa iba’t-ibang lalawigan upang sumagala at mag eskorte.

Samantala bago mapunta sa mga bulaklak nang Reyna Elena at Reyna Emperatriz... ibang bulaklak muna ang Ibabahagi ko, tutal ay napapanahon naman kaya mamumulak-lak po muna ang aking blog.

Isama ko narin po itong nag-iisang insekto na napagtripan namin... Hindi ko inakalang makakagawa ako nang ganitong kuha... At dahil sa resulta nang isang kuha na ito ay lalo akong nagkainterisadong magkukuha nang MACRO...

Ngayong nalalapit na ang aking pag-uwi, tiyak na mapapalaban ako at ang aking camera... mas maraming subject at mas malaya akong makakuha nang kahit ano... Lalo na sa aking mga chikiting at sa kapiyestahan ni San Isidro Labrador, Pulilan, Bulacan... Sana makapunta si master sa amin, at si kneeko naman ay tiyak na malabong makapunta, sa kadahilanang sya ay abala kaka-awit sa France. Good luck sa inyo Pre! Sana sa mga susunod ninyong paglalakbay ay makasama na ako...

PAALALA! huwag kalimutan ang pasalubong namin...

Flores de Mayo at Santacruzan

Flores, from Spanish flores or "flowers," also known as Flores de Mayo (flowers of May), Flores de Maria (flowers of Mary) or alay (offering), may refer to the whole Flower Festival celebrated in the month of May in honor of the Virgin Mary.

In the Tagalog region, this custom and celebration started after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 and after the publication circa 1867 of Mariano Sevilla's translation of the devotional Flores de Maria or Mariquit na Bulaclac na sa Pagninilaynilay sa Buong Buan nang Mayo ay Inihahandog nang manga Devoto cay Maria Santisima (The Flowers of Mary or the Beautiful Flowers that in the Meditations During the Whole Month of May are Offered by Devotees to Mary the Holiest). (http://www.filipino.com.au/categ/culture/floresdemayo.htm)

A Santacruzan is a religious-historical beauty pagent held in many cities, towns and even smll villages throughout the Philippines during the month of May. One of the most colorful May-time festivals in the Philippines which depicts the finding of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. Many movie and television personalities participate in the events and are featured as major sagalas and escorts. (http://www.intas-travel.com/incentives/fiesta_floresdemayo.html)

The festivity commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena (Reina Elena) and her son, the newly converted emperor Constantine. After the Holy Cross was found in Jerusalem and brought back to rome, there was a joyful celebration for thanksgiving.

Nine days of prayer (a novena) in honor of the Holy Cross precedes the Flores de Mayo or Santacruzan. This festival was introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines and has since become part of Filipino traditions identified with youth, love and romance.

Source: http://www.hagonoy.com/lbcorpus/halbc007.html

Gadgets...

I bought two slightly used SIGMA lens early of this Month from Sir Ricky S. Santos who is one of our senior member of Desert Foxs. A telephoto zoom lens SIGMA 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO and the another zoom lens which is SIGMA 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC that can be use from wide angle to telephoto, zoom lens that can capture a wide range of subjects.

He sell it to me including the filter for a very cheap price kaya I grab it agad. 'Coz nakakapanghinayang naman kung hindi ko pa bibihlin pareho... And another reason is it will help me to enhance more my skills... Kaya I think for a freshman like me okay lang na pag-aralan ko muna and to master how to use these types of lens bago ako bumili nang ina-aspire kong Canon lens which is EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM and Canon MACRO lens. Medyo may kamahalan nga lang kaya for sure imposible ko pang mabili ang mga yan sa ngayon...

Totoo nga ang paalalang sinambit sa akin ni masterbetong na "ihanda ko na ang aking bulsa!" Talagang magastos nga pala ang pag-aaral nang potograpiya... Ngunit gayon pa man ay masasabi ko na ring isa itong oportunidad sa akin at pwedeng pagkakitaan. Lalo na sa kagaya kong manggagawa sa ibang bansa na umaasa at inaasam na sa ating lupang tinubaan parin pumirme at magkaroon nang pangkabuhayan...

Some of my shots...

I need to post this photo's... It's been a long time since I edited those but, now ko lang po siya na-upload, 'coz ngayon lang po ako nakakasingit paunti-unti dito sa office...

Here are some shots which was taken inside my room, actually medyo marami-maraming shots din po ang nagawa ko that time but I choose this three first to be posted 'coz It shows three different compositions which is the MOVING, LIGHT & MACRO.

Ito naman pong shots na ito is comparison or difference between night and day shot nang Mosque, which I've seen everytime I open my window... At first medyo nagiging alarm clock ko because of the early morning shouts calling all for prayer... then later nasanay narin ako... Five times ba naman everyday nagsisigaw isabay mo pa yung Mosque sa tapat namin, ewan ko lang pag hindi mo pa nakabisado...

The last three shots I've made was taken during the despedida of our friend Edgar Reyes. First we went to Edgar's apartment to help him pack some of his belongings and syempre nandoon na rin yung hakot nang pamana and I remember na maganda nga palang kunan ang round about from his window, so after namin mahakot ang amnig mga namana, we go back to his apartment and I took several shots. Medyo po may kahirapan sa kadahilanang hindi ko po nadala ang aking tripod and handheld lang kaya blur ang pagkakakuha... Then the next one is habang naghihintay nang order napagdiskitahan kong kunan ang glass then naisip ko na idag-dag sa composition yung scoop... And the other one is the PATAYA's mixed sea food which is not that expensive but taste expensive... Siguro kung sa atin mo ito bibilin medyo mahal... because of the common recipe or ingredients which is sea food.

Medyo pinagsabay-sabay ko na ang pag-post nang pics it's because medyo marami-rami pang shots ang kinakailangang i-post... Trigger happy kasi eh! Kaka-adict... Kaya watch out for more and hope ma-ayos ko agad before end of April.

The 5th Heritage Festival

At last! Another mission accomplished... Napatunayan na naman ang kasabihan sa atin na "Kapag may Tiyaga, May Nilaga" Hehehehe... If there is will, there's a way nga naman talaga, Kasi nga naman, kahit na nagloloko ang aking P.C. at medyo po busy dito sa work, naisisingit ko parin na kahit paunti-unti, ay na gawa kong ayusin at lagyan nang borloloy ang mga shots ko sa ginanap na Heritage Festival Exibit here in Al-Fanateer Conventioan Hall, Jubail, K.S.A.

It took almost a month para piliin at ayusin ang mga shots na ito upang aking maibahagi at pagmalaki narin na nagkakaroon na nang improvement ang aking mga shots... Masayang libangan at pag-aralan talaga ang potograpiya at sa tingin ko ay mahaba-haba parin ang aking babay-bayin upang ma-arok at makamit ang talagang tagumpay... Para mapagkakitaan narin! Hehehehe... Kaya sa ngayon, ito po ang ilan sa aking mga obra (Kuno)...

Slamat nga pala kay Ginoong Neil Inf. Ortega na nagtiyagang samahan ako upang maisagawa ang mga kuha kong ito... Kahit na hindi na sya mangiti sa inip at gutom na dinanas namin... Hehehehe! Ginoong Neil, wag pong madadala ha!? Sa susunod food preparation naman ang hanapin natin para busog tayo while taking shots...