One of the famous advertisements here in the Philippines is that of a multivitamin. I guess it was because of its tagline - Be Happy. Another known politician in this country used a similar campaign motto during the May 2010 elections - Gusto ko happy ka (i.e. I want you to be happy). I guess it's a common thought that everyone wants to be happy - may it be in one's personal life, love life, career or family life. I also share that thought - I also want to be happy. But I personally think that one's happiness relies on how one defines happiness. For one, I am happy with the simple things - lose 2-3 lbs, a 3-day weekend, good rest from a stressful week at work, digital scrapbooking, travelling to local and foreign places, and a simple hug and kiss from my little one Zion.
For my layout today, I feature my cousin Josie during our trip to Lake Pandin (as part of the Viaje del Sol trip) in the province of Laguna. To be honest (and she might get pissed with this comment), my cousin Josie is not really fond of smiling. She is normally the serious type, mukhang problemado sa buhay type of girl. There should be some good reason before she actually smiles, albeit laugh. It is during this rare occassions, during these more relaxing moments, when I actually see my cousin smile. And I am glad that I've got my camera ready to capture this kind of moments.
By the way, to my cousin Josie, belated happy happy birthday (last October 15)!! Hope to see you smile more frequently. :-D
Journalling: If you want to Be Happy, Be. - Leo Tolstoy
Credits for this layout: Citrus Twist Kit from Sprouting Seeds Studio; WordArt by Bethany Elegant WordArt.
For my calendar layout for the month of October, I am featuring a former colleague and friend from my former office - Catherine, or Cae as we fondly call her. =D. Cae is one of those friends whom I can describe as sugar and spice rolled into one package. Sugar because she is definitely a good friend to me back in our previous company. She was honest enough to tell me what was wrong with me and what people say behind my back - and I admire people, most especially friends, who are honest inside and out. She is also one helluva spice! =D Cae can make anyone smile and laugh with her antics and pranks. Everyone in our circle of friends had fallen victim to her kakulitan... and even our previous manager was not spared. :-D
To Cae, advance happy happy birthday (for October 11)! Wish you happiness and success in your new work and office! Meron ka na naman bago mabibiktima dun.. Hihihihi! And definitely, I wish that you will not miss your flight after you have rescheduled it. :-P
Journalling: "As we go on.. We remember.. All the times we had together... As our lives change, come whatever.. We will still be friends forever.."
Credits for this layout: Spontaneous Delight Kit by Carrie Stephens available at Shabbyprincess; Pictures taken by another friend Shy Arizala; Journalling taken from The Graduation Song by Vitamin C.
As I've mentioned in my one of my most recent posts, the main reason why I bought a DSLR camera was my son, Zion. For this reason, when I got my DSLR camera, he was also one of my first subjects in trying out the various features of the cam, especially the continuous shooting mode. I really find the continuous shooting mode a very great help especially if I have to take pictures of Zion while he is performing in school.
The pictures I used in this layout were from the "test shots" I took while exploring the features of my DSLR camera, most especially the various scenes (including the very challenging Manual mode) and the continuous shooting mode. The set of pictures on the upper right corner were the shots I took using the continuous shooting mode. I was quite delighted with the way the camera clicked continuously and the way it was able to take successive pictures of Zion, that if I scroll through those pics, it would appear as if Zion was actually moving (like the way they create cartoons!). I'll try to experiment and explore the other features of the DSLR camera. Hopefully, I'll get to post more layouts in the future using the pics taken from the cam. :-)
Credits for this layout: Little Star Freebie Kit by Andrea of Here A Scrap There A Scrap; WordArt from Random Thoughts by Linda.
About 2 weeks ago, my good friends and kumares came over to my place for some catching up and some bonding moments among girlfriends. One of my kumares, Bhang, came with her son, Enzo, who is my godchild. Incidentally, Zion was also at home that time, so both our boys were able to spend some together in their own chitchatting world and of course, in play. Their common interest? Plants vs. Zombies! The game had helped us, their moms, to calm them down, and prevent them from interfering with our own girl talk. Both boys enjoyed the game, and both willingly paused everytime we asked them to pose in front of the camera. :-)
Credits for this layout: Boy's Kit by Claudia Sachs.
After waiting and wanting for soooo long, I was able to buy my own DSLR camera. I actually bought it not because of the hype in DSLR cameras. I bought it because I was really pissed off with my old point-and-shoot camera which has a very very severe case of shutter lag. It was taking almost 5-8 seconds before the picture can be taken. So just imagine my frustration everytime I have to attend Zion's school activities and I wasn't able to take any good pictures of Zion while he was performing because of my camera's shutter lag. So to get more acquainted with the new DSLR camera, I am still trying out the different shooting modes of the camera as well as trying to play around with the manual mode. I must admit that since the DSLR has a looooot more features than the ordinary point-and-shoot camera, I am still learning about what the camera can and cannot do.
The pictures I've used in this layout were part of the experimental shots I took using some of the shooting modes of the camera. My two willing victims were my son Zion and my own brother Philip. My brother Philip is a frustrated military student who just took the ROTC (Reserved Officers' Training Corps) now he's in college to get a feel of what military life is all about. Oftentimes, he "trains" his own nephew (my son) Zion and they get to play soldiers like what they're doing in the pictures. The "photoshoot" was very funny and relaxing as the two boys willing goofed in front of the camera.
Credits for this layout: 7 Colors Kit by Rainbow Designs Format; WordArt from Kellies Kreations;
I know I lagged again in updating this blog with more digital scrapbook layouts. *sigh*. Again, I was busy adjusting at work. Have this high productivity number of hours to meet. Plus, I was being asked to do some additional admin. tasks which sometimes eats even my time at home and with my son. Oh well.. proby guys can't complain that much... *sigh*... Hopefully all this effort at work will earn me my regularization come January 2011 or hopefully earlier.
Anyway, having my girl friends Weng and Bhang here at home about a few weeks ago was a very good respite from my work-from-home weekends. It has been 2 years since Weng and I have seen each other because she was working in Dubai (UAE). It has been several months since Bhang and I have seen each other since she was studying hard for her 2nd college degree which was Nursing. The weekend together was a great time to bond and catch up on each other's lives. It was also a great time since my son Zion was able to play with Bhang's son (my godson), Enzo. The two boys had a blast playing Plants vs. Zombies, while my girlfriends and I shared stories and updates while munching on pizzas and soda. I hope there will be a repeat of this the next time Weng comes home for a vacation. :-)
Credits for this layout: Plentiful Kit by Shabbyprincess; WordArt from Bethany's Elegant WordArt.
It has been some time since I created a layout which featured my son Zion. I was busy creating layouts which featured my friends from my former workplace, the places I visited last summer, and some family layouts, but not Zion solo. So for my layout today, I am featuring my son Zion. The close-up shot used in this picture was taken during Zion's 4th birthday party last summer. It was taken by my officemate-friend Shy, who served as the party's photographer.
They say that all kids are beautiful, especially in the eyes of their own mothers. I know this may sound conceited, but I really do think that there is something in my son's stare that can make me really feel fulfilled as a mother, and as a person in general. Perhaps it is my mommy-side that is speaking, but everytime I look at those pair of small brown eyes, a certain feeling of peace, happiness, and fulfillment settles in me.
Journalling:
In Your Eyes
... i can see my dream's reflections
... found the answers to my questions
... i can see the reasons why our love's alive... You and I
... we're drifting safely back to shore, and I think I finally learned to love you more....
Credits for this layout: Mango Tango Kit by Delicious Scraps; Larger Mine, Segoe Script, and Howser fonts available Dafont.com; In Your Eyes song by George Benson; Shy Arizala for the picture.
I apologize for not being able to do some digiscrapping for almost a month. I was quite busy job-hunting and responding to job interviews for the past weeks. But I guess, all the time lost in digiscrapping allowed me to find a new job, in one of the very reputable I.T. companies, not only here in Manila, but also in the world (sorry but I can't mention it here in my blog). It was definitely a God-given blessing-in-disguise. :-) Well, now that I've finally submitted most of the job on-boarding requirements, I am hoping that I could do some digiscrap layouts again.
I also know that we are already in the middle of the month of August. Nevertheless, I would like to share my August calendar layout with everyone. For this month's calendar layout, I featured another good friend, Geraldine. Gepotz, as I fondly call her, will be celebrating her birthday this month. She is a very good friend since we were back in the 6th grade. We were classmates again in high school, we eventually went to the same university, and we also took the same college degree. Gepotz is a very well-grounded lady whom I have always counted on for her objective opinions and level-headed advice. Similar to my mom (they have the same birthdays), she has a practical outlook on things, but she always has this soft spot for people close to her like her family and friends. To my very good friend Gepotz, happy happy birthday (on the 29th)!! God bless! Stay cool! *hugz* :-)
Credits for this layout: Doux Bruissements Kit by Au coin de l' Objectif; Evening Sphere WordArt available at Lien Clickphoto;
One of the famous advertisements here in the Philippines is that of a multivitamin. I guess it was because of its tagline - Be Happy. Another known politician in this country used a similar campaign motto during the May 2010 elections - Gusto ko happy ka (i.e. I want you to be happy). I guess it's a common thought that everyone wants to be happy - may it be in one's personal life, love life, career or family life. I also share that thought - I also want to be happy. But I personally think that one's happiness relies on how one defines happiness. For one, I am happy with the simple things - lose 2-3 lbs, a 3-day weekend, good rest from a stressful week at work, digital scrapbooking, travelling to local and foreign places, and a simple hug and kiss from my little one Zion.
