shaped bokeh in 1-2-3

You don't have to be a photography guru to know that bokeh is pretty. But bokeh in your favorite shape? Awesome!

For me, the unaltered bokeh is still the sweetest, but there are lots of great photos in the interwebs showcasing it in different shapes (most often, hearts, because the interwebs are gay like that -- and I mean that in a nice way because I love my gay friends). At first, I thought they were all digitally manipulated, but then I came across this nice tutorial on making shaped bokeh, and wow, it is possible without photo editing, and it's really easy!

I decided to mess around with it one afternoon, cutting the fuss and just experimenting, until I boiled it down to just three simple steps.

trip: CdeO jeepney ride

"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases." -- William Hazlitt 

Who doesn't love traveling?

I have a love-hate relationship with it, actually. I love to travel because... well, what's not to love about stepping on new places, gaining new experiences, and getting to show off exciting photos on Facebook?

But I 'hate' traveling because, let's face it, the expenses are usually a pain in the ass.

Maybe my financial woes are the reason I developed a 'humble' eye for beauty and excitement. Wherever I am and whatever I see, I try to find something beautiful or exciting about it. Divisoria in the afternoon, the sound of radio static, a strand of hair catching the sunlight. Mubo'g kalipay. :)

So it's not surprising that I would turn a simple jeepney ride into a photoshoot. Yes, I hopped into a jeepney front seat and just took snaps while the Filipino ride rolled from Cagayan de Oro's uptown to downtown. 

Here's the journey. Starring Dan.

shirt-printing: avocado!

My sister Makz and I were enjoying our homemade avocado cooler (avocado + condensed milk + ice) last Sunday when I remembered something: shirt-printing with avocado pits!

The parenthetical "ice cream" phrase on that shirt was printed using -- that's right -- the pit (seed) of an avocado. Avocado pits have some rust-colored juice inside them that can stain most fabrics. Using a needle, I took advantage of this stain to 'print' on my old t-shirt. Yep, that's all-natural ink right there.

nailed it

Ah, vanity. When it strikes, no one is safe -- not even this self-proclaimed non-conformist.

One vain itch that I don't particularly like but sometimes give in to is the impulse to paint fingernails. I firmly stand by the belief that clean, natural nails are the prettiest. Besides, wearing nail polish makes me feel like I can't use my hands as much, and that sucks.

But yeah, I do give in to the occasional impulse. But when I do, I make sure it's as far from girly as it can get. Yup, that means wearing only dark colors. More specifically, black.

green heart

Living on my own in a rented space has made me crave for hobbies. Not that I don't already have gazillions. I guess it's the homebody in me that started to itch for a cute living creature to take care of.

Unfortunately, I've proven to myself that I cannot take care of mobile living creatures. Firstly, I travel at least twice every year -- that's why my two goldfish, Popoy and Basha, had to gulp their last breath (at the hands of a caretaker). Besides, I realized that I can't really bear to hold animals captive in such a tiny bowl. Secondly and more importantly, I do not even own this house and cannot control things that happen when I'm away at work -- that's why I cannot own a bubbly, carefree little puppy, either.

The idea of keeping a mini-terrarium has appealed to me for a while now (what better way to use Popoy and Basha's bowl!). So when I saw a mini-flower shop stand set up at Divisoria for Valentine season, I swooned. I went right ahead to look, not at the flowers, but at the potted bonsais.

And imagine my joy when I found this little fella waiting for me on Valentine's Day! Thank you, Dan!

Camiguin love

I've been totally psyched to see great photos in the Camiguin Tourism Office's Facebook page. Having been born and raised in this island, I never fully realized how beautiful Camiguin is until I went away for college and my friends were like "You are so lucky!" Needless to say, living in the city made me really fall in love with my homeland. I can say without a doubt that Camiguin is my favorite place in the world.

It's not because of the tourist spots (well, not totally). There's a quiet charm to this island, something that feels so homey and just plain nice.

Probably it's the fact that we can just go on a boat ride on any given summer day and it's instant heaven.

Happy World Nutella Day!

February 5 is World Nutella Day!

Nutella is pretty much like heaven for a breadivore like me, so I couldn't pass up the chance to try out some simple goodies using this well-loved spread for brunch.