Ornate

It’s no secret that I am very interested in Korean history and culture. This is the primary reason why in my travel bucket list, South Korea was the first country I listed that I want to visit. Last year, I was able to cross out that item off my list. That trip to South Korea marked my 1st overseas travel and what a gamble it was considering I had to apply for a visa.

South Korea has a very rich in history and it has done a very good job of preserving its historic places.  The presence of several palaces in the heart of Seoul amidst modern infrastructure is a testament to that. Of the five (5) palaces found in Jongno, my favorite would have to be the Changdeokgung Palace. The  palace complex is especially lovely during autumn.

While walking around, I chanced upon these quarters with a very ornate roofing. Imagine the detail placed in designing them.

Check out  this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge with the theme Ornate.

Door

It’s so hard to blog these days. I don’t  know if it’s a matter of my busy schedule or simply because I don’t have the drive. Anyway, for some “I am alive” post, here are some “historical” doors I want to share with your guys. Most of these are doors in old Spanish houses across the Philippines.

https://instagram.com/p/4tHPaxqE3d/?taken-by=milaiski

https://instagram.com/p/4vaZ6yKE3m/?taken-by=milaiski

https://instagram.com/p/ehCbEwKE8D/?taken-by=milaiski

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

See a variety of doors at Daily Post.

Reward

I am not into parties, branded bags, shoes, clothes, jewelry etc. etc. So, how do I reward myself?  TRAVEL!

Somewhere in El Nido.

As this quote says: “I would rather own little and see the the world than own the world and see little of it.” 🙂

In the outskirts of South Korea.

See how others define “Reward” at Daily Post.

Palawan and the Rule of Thirds

Of the basic photography techniques, the “rule of thirds” is my favorite. It’s one, if not, the only technique I bother to familiarize, practice, and painstakingly try to polish. If perfectly executed, it can bring a photo into a whole new dimension.

For this week’s photo challenge, I did not take new photos (when did I, anyway?) but instead share some of my old shots where I tried to employ “rule of thirds”. These photos were taken during a travel to Puerto Princesa, Palawan last December.

One of my stops in the city was a butterfly garden but it was not the butterflies that caught my attention but a dragonfly. I rarely saw dragonflies now in Metro Manila. 😦

Rarity.

Puerto Prinsesa is known as well for its beaches. I had a chance visit the islands around Honda Bay, one of which is Starfish Island where I took these:

Waiting is the name of the game.

Freed.

The “rule of thirds” is a such a joy to practice right? I could probably post tons and tons of practice portfolio. Hah! But for more astounding photos employing the technique, check out Daily Post.

Radial Symmetry

There are several kinds of symmetry, one of which is radial symmetry. Echinoderms a.k.a. sea stars (or the less technically correct term starfish) exhibits this kind of symmetry. Trusty old Merriam-Webster defines such as “the condition of having similar parts regularly arranged around a central axis”.

Some flowers also have radial symmetry, case in point:

Imagine if human faces have radial symmetry. Heh!

Check out Symmetries at Daily Post.

Depth

I couldn’t just let January pass by, right? The week is seeking depth. And so am I.

It would be so wonderful if depth involved such colors or the creatures…

They can be lurkers and predators but it could be worse than having no companion at all… in a place so deep and cold. Visualize Depth.

Yellow

I love the color yellow. It’s so alive and  warm. It  also reminds me of so many things… a bright sun, a delicious sunny side up, and a cute duckling among others. For this week’s theme, let me share some beautiful pictures from my trip to South Korea last October. I can still not get over how beautiful autumn is and I probably won’t recover anytime soon. 🙂

Lovely colors. 🙂

Simply stunning, right? 🙂

These trees would look lovely with Christmas lights! 🙂 It’s almost Christmas everyone. How are going to spend the holidays?  I am off to my hometown tonight for much deserved break.  Hope I can still squish another post before the year ends. Happy Holiday! 🙂

Check out more “Yellow” posts at Daily Post. 

Minimalism

Of wondering…

 

 

In appreciating

 

 

More minimalist photos at Daily Post.

Relic

A old Spanish lighthouse overlooking the Guimaras strait:

This is considered to be the 2nd oldest lighthouse in the Philippines. Basing on its appearance alone, it might have stood witness to thousand of stories, and survived several weather disturbances.

It saddens me that since the lighthouse is made of metal… it will surely rot with time. One day, Guimaras will just wake up realizing the their lighthouse has already been a part of history.

More “Relics” at Daily Post.

 

Retreat

The water is on the move. It’s about to retreat:

(Taken at Baler, Aurora)

 
This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme On the Move.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Object

The Gentle Giant

The Bangui windmills.

A Ball of Energy

Bolinao sunset.

Intricate Matter

A chandelier in Pagudpud.

 

Random shots from my photo stable for this week’s challenge entitled, “Object”.

From Lines to Patterns

(From top clockwise: (1)Tacloban City Stadium in Leyte, (2), Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur , (3) Bantay Church, Vigan City, and (4) Tabaco Monopoly Park, Laoag City. 

Lines and patterns in random places and structures…in a stadium, in a street, in a park and a church. They  are everywhere…sometimes we are just to busy to notice. But when we do, they evoke a certain kind of seething amazement.

This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme “Lines to Patterns”.

Inside Out

I went inside an old bell tower wondering if there’s something interesting waiting for me. I was surprised to discover that there was just a staircase leading to the top most floor where a bell used to be located. And beside the staircase was window, offering another perspective of the outside world.

Outside, I wondered what’s inside. Inside, I realized I’ll be just looking back the outside world I come from.

This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme Inside.

A Masterpiece

I contemplated on whether I should climb that 500+ steps to the top of a hill. It was steep and from the start I already guessed I was going to have a hard time. They say something brilliant was waiting for me at the top. So I went but  almost died from the climb. Yet after that calvary… this welcomed me:

This small church and magnificent tree was perched at the top and promised solace to anyone who dared to climb. On their own, these two were not exceptional. However, just thinking how the builders of this church carried the construction materials all the way up, and how this tree found its way here, I must say there they are unexpected masterpieces. When I stood by  the tree and turned, I saw another masterpiece which I know man can’t imitate in any way… this:

The world is so full of wonderful masterpieces, right? 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone. Do check out all the eye candies at Daily Post.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgia

The challenge this week provides such a great opportunity to “bring me back to the past” moments… very similar to the ‘throwback Thursday’ and ‘flashback Friday’ trends we observe in social media platforms these days. The pictures I am sharing this week are taken on the road while on my back to Manila from Subic. Here’s a glimpse to the rice fields of Pampanga and Bataan:

Rice fields make me miss my childhood days so much. As a kid,  I and my brother would often accompany our grandmother during lunchtime when she would bring food to the workers. Our rice fields were just located about two kilometers from our house, so it was just an easy walk. Because we grew up in this setting, we became familiar with the different methods of planting rice, as well as the processes (harvesting, etc) that come after. We also did strip cropping in some of our land so I have experienced planting and harvesting plants of all sort from tomatoes, corn, peanut, water cress, calamansi, rice, mung bean, etc. Oh.. how I miss the simple yet efficient rural lifestyle. Such a contrasting difference to the hectic yet stagnant life here in the big city.

Check out what nostalgia means for other bloggers at Daily Post.