Don't Disturb!

I have always wanted to join Live Every Moment since Simple Life Photographs hosted "Flowers on Saturday," but weekends are my lazy days to blog, and I always kept forgetting taking pictures of the prompts. I feel lucky today because there is no specific prompt, meaning I can finally plunge in the fun. I am also linking this up to Camera Critters because I might be out tomorrow.

This is my cat Oreo. When he and his siblings were a few weeks old and they started opening their eyes, they used to sleep next to me, occupying a part of my bed. Now, they don't like to sleep near me anymore, but I realized that whenever he sleeps, we would always sleep like this - kinda like a human lying on a bed.

I just finished tending my little vegetable garden, and when I got back inside the house, I saw Oreo sleeping in the terrace and thought it looked cute, so I took a picture using my cell phone, which was always inside my pocket. I just took a picture for the Art of Composition meme so my cell phone was still in B/W mode, which I didn't bother changing, since I didn't want to miss the moment, should the cat wakes up upon sensing me coming near him.

Well, I guess he was really sleepy because he never moved even if I already took the pictures.

*** Jenn ***

5 Minute Friday | If I Could, I Would

I wasn't able to do anything online this afternoon because I watched the coverage of the Royal Wedding... and now that's over and that I was able to finish editing Facebook pictures for upload, I can now start writing for my blogs.

Topic for Five Minute Friday is, "If I Could, I Would..." and here's my take.




GO.

If I could erase all the negative vibes and the pains in my heart, I would. It would surely be great being in a happy state - away from everything that's pulling me down, but I do know that would be impossible.

If I could just forget every wrong thing people said and did to me, I would. It surely is nice to move forward feeling brand new, but just like me, I know everyone have their own scars they wanted to erase.

If I could be away with problems, I would. It surely is nice living a great life without having to think of responsibilities and obligations, but I know problems will always be there to test us, and that sometime we are the ones who create our own problems.

If I could be all these, I would... but I know I can't, and I totally understand, because problems, negativity, pains, and scars aren't things given to me to wear me down, but little challenges to test my faith and courage. Problems are part of all of us, and thinking hard about it, if there are no dark sides, life would surely be very boring.

STOP.

Wow, that is quite a long entry I got there for five minutes. :) The picture in this post is actually a scan of a 12x12 paper scrapbook I created in 2007. That was the year I lost my father, and I used the pain to create this layout, and a letter for myself. I really love this layout because I was able to finish this in one sitting. It was quite an easy layout to do, but cutting the letters I used in the title took sometime because I printed very small letters.

Anyway, being positive is a learning process for me. While I could say I am doing good at it - there are times that I really struggle, especially now that there is a little hatred brewing up. Well, not really hate, but I could say I am starting to dislike a person and I hate myself for feeling like this. I have already lifted up my concerns to God, and I know He will help me ease the pain. See... there is beauty in pain, because I can use it to come closer to God and to my family and friends by seeking their opinions and advices.

*** Jenn ***

Orange-y's Playtime

I have two sets of AA Batteries left for my camera, and it was quite unfortunate that I wasn't able to charge the other set while using another, so both of the sets were not available for quite sometime this week. Most people were sharing pictures from Holy Week, and I feel a little left out because I didn't go out to do Visita Iglesia (church hop - a tradition among Catholics here in the Philippines), and I also wasn't able to attend church services because all celebrations were done at the parish church and not here in the sub-parish. I did attend the Easter Sunday mass and we had our own time for reflections and contemplation, so I wasn't as guilty as I should be. :)

Anyway, my favorite shot from last week was this - a picture of my cat Orange-y I took last Sunday. This cat of mine was a bit aloof and didn't want to mingle with the other cats (he's also the one that always love to be indoors and could stay inside the room whole day if we allow him to), so after eating his lunch, he just went to lie on the desk in our terrace and played with this little plush toy. It just looked so cute - a male cat playing with a plush toy, so I quickly grabbed my cell phone to capture it. I set my cell phone's camera to macro, and it took a while for it to focus and capture the shot, and when I looked at the image, I was quite amazed seeing Orange-y sticking out his tongue like that.

I am happy Orange-y is feeling much better now... last week he was having a cold and a flu (well, he was so hot whenever I would carry him and he would just sleep all day and would walk a bit sluggish), and although he still wheezes from time to time, seeing him with so much life makes me a happy mama.

*** Jenn ***

Happy Monday | Siblings

I still am not done re-uploading the photo files I burned in DVDs, so there wasn't much pictures I could check for certain memes I am joining. This week on Happy Monday Challenge, the prompt is "siblings," and from the few pictures I had in Facebook and in Flickr, this was the first sibling picture I found:




Early this year, my sister and I found ourselves a little "addicted" to the soft ice cream being sold at a corner store near the entrance of the neighborhood. Every day, we would walk there to buy a cone of ice cream each, but we didn't want to walk back home with a cone of ice cream in our hands, so we would always stay at the store and eat our cold treat.

Anyway, I found a table for us, and while sister was lining up, I saw these two siblings (their father was with them, so even if I don't know who they were, I knew they were brothers) who were also eating ice cream. The younger brother wanted to tell something, but he felt a little shy to say so because their father was there, so the older brother just leaned over to listen.

This may not be captured wonderfully (I used my cell phone here by the way), but I did like that I was able to capture a nice candid moment.

*** Jenn ***

Happy Monday - April Showers

I already featured the story HERE, but I didn't show the picture behind the story, so I decided to share it today for the Happy Monday challenge, since the prompt was all about "April Showers."




That's my sister showing off the Tangadan Falls, a place we visited together with two of our cousins and some of their friends. I am not much of a traveler, but I could say I have checked quite a lot of places already, and of all the challenges I have faced as a traveler, this would have to be the toughest ever. So tough, none of us were willing to go through it all again, even if the "pot of gold" at the end was a paradise like this one. I guess for now, I will just be satisfied with the pictures, but of course, given another chance in the future (like next year kind of future), I might go through it all again.

Of course, I was very thankful about the trip, and I guess for this year, this was the most rewarding trip I made. There are still eight months to go this year... will this be topped by some other trip? Only time will tell.

Happy Monday everyone!

*** Jenn ***

ps - I encoded a wrong year for the picture... it's 2011, not 2010. Will just replace the picture tomorrow morning, it's way past my bed time.

Joy of Luck - Day 07: My Rainbow

I wanted to take a fresh picture for this last prompt, but I couldn't find the time and the inspiration to do so, so I will use an old picture.




Day 07 - My Rainbow.

"At the end of the rainbow, you'll find a pot of gold...."

...so goes the first line of the song, "The End" by Earl Grant. When I was a kid, I used to wish I could see the end of the rainbow and find that pot of gold and I would buy lots of candies with it. Of course, as time went on, I realized it wasn't real, though I got to learn as I mature, that rainbows aren't necessarily those seven-colored stripes we see in the sky. Rainbows are something that gives us hope, that gives us a promise for a new day, kinda like when God showed a rainbow as His promise to never destroy the world by flood again.

Currently, I am having a lot of monsters in my head. Discussing the details would take up all the space, but even if I am not going to tell anything about the problems, these problems are slowly eating my mind. For the past few days I have been coping up with heartburn because (maybe) of slight indigestion (I am also involuntarily throwing up after eating for reasons I don't understand), and I always get a little crazy whenever I hear the phone call or when I hear motorcycles passing by. Last week has got to be the "worst," as I start and end my day with thoughts that I am not supposed to think about.

Last weekend gave me a little time to breathe... and though the problems are still there, I know I just have to lift all my worries up to the Lord, and trust Him that everything that is happening is something I can deal with.

As for my rainbows, well, I am pretty much a simple person, so I am praying to have a little piece of land I could cultivate. Just this morning, I discussed with sister the thought of me taking care of some livestock, but yes, as simple as this seem be, it's a big mountain to climb. Should I pursue my dreams of becoming a farmer Jenn may mean giving up the city life, and even if I am a country girl at heart, I am not sure if I can actually leave the idea of giving up certain things, including living away from my family.

I also pray to have a family of my own... I will be 31 next month, and I still am single. I sure hope Mr. Right is somewhere near, as I am waiting so long to finally meet him.

Lastly, I pray to have a good life. A good life that is not necessarily having all the riches of the world, but good in a way that I am happy and fulfilled with the simple joys God has showered me.

*** Jenn ***

ps - The Joy of Luck class has ended, and even if it took sooooo long for me to post all my take to the lessons, I am glad that I was able to get into my inner self and reflect about some things.

5MinFri - If You Met Me...

Last week, I had no connection, so I wasn't able to join. I am happy that this week, Internet has been nice. This week, the prompt is "If You Met Me." Ready?




Go.

The very first thing you'd notice about me would be my size. However, despite my extra large frame, I seem to be fading in the background because I am fairly quiet, especially during gatherings. Well, at first I could be really timid - I am not really the type who voice out a whole lot of opinions and points of view, but as you get to know more of me, I think I have a little sense of humor and that I am a little crazy at times.

If you met me, you might consider me a walking contradiction because I love organizing my things alphabetically and I arrange my files according to their dates, yet even if I have this OC-ness, I am a pretty messy person literally. I just hate cleaning, so at times my room turns into a storage area.

If you met me, you'd see how I cherish my very few relationships. I don't have that much friends, but I do hold on to those few people. If you met me, you'd see how I love and respect my family. If you met me, you'd see how sweet of a person I am, and If you met me, you'd see how much I strive everyday to see the goodness in all things.

Stop.

Really? That's all I was able to write in 5 minutes? Awwww....

Anyway, time may not be enough, but if you check back here once in a while, you will surely get to know more of me though my pictures and words. Isn't it great to be a life artist? I just love celebrating life!

*** Jenn ***