Serenata in My Mind

Go away
I cannot hold still
not for long
I will succumb to you
once more.

You and I
we have history
and it was only
melancholy you gave
me.

I cannot turn to you
not here
not now
when I am fighting it
when I am finally saying no.

Serenata
you are only a tiny substance
good only when I allow you to be
this is only in my mind
only in my mind.

Go away.

I am.

Walking away.

Dreaming of a Tenzing Norgay

“There could be an Everest at every turn, every day; that's why we need a Tenzing Norgay. Edmund Hillary made it because he had Norgay.”

A friend of mine wrote me this message upon seeing the photos I took of Tenzing Norgay’s memorial cremation site.

I too took a moment and contemplated on the possibilities of Everest at every turn in every day, and imagined what it would be like to have a Tenzing Norgay to be with me every step of the way.

I onced dived with scuba in my back 35 feet under water in an island off Tawi-Tawi Beach, and I would not have made it without my dive buddy holding my hand giving me the ok sign at every turn. I was freezing not having worn a wet suit for the dive, but it felt wonderful because my dive buddy never let me go.

It must have been that way for Edmund Hillary having Tenzing Norgay with him, or the other way around.

It is not at all a bad idea to dream of a Tenzing Norgay, and I suppose reaching the summit is even lovelier when you share it with someone.

I too am dreaming of having a Tenzing Norgay at every turn
there is an Everest, but I am also accepting the fact that some Everest(s) are still worth climbing alone.

After all, in the end there can only be one room for me in my resting ground.

It Is Finished

I have finally reached a decision closing another chapter in my life and for the first time, I feel relieved. I am ready for the next chapter and I cannot wait to live it.

I am glad and thankful for I am surrounded with true friends who would not question my decisions and are very supportive. I am lucky to have real friends who would stand by me and are willing to lend a hand without asking for anything in return.

I have so much to thank for, and surprisingly, I am genuinely happy in my current state.

Time heals indeed. I have no question about it.

I sincerely hope that after tonight, I can finally say, it is really finished.

Point and Shoot

Part of my work is to take photos. I not only take photos for keepsake, but I take photos to tell a story. I am not a professional photographer,I just point and shoot, but I take pride in what I do. It is not just about the camera,mostly it is about the eyes that sees through the viewfinder. My eyes are the pen, the camera would be the paper, the photos are my stories.

I used to have a friendster account and I have posted there most of my photos of Tawi-Tawi back in the days when I was still with WWF-Philippines. Most of my photos were literally stolen. Irresponsible tagging without properly acknowledging the author, the person who took the photograph. Working for the Information and Education Campaigns of the Coastal Resources and Fisheries Conservation Project of WWF-Philippines, I have learned basic ethics in photography.

1. Respect for the subjects of the photograph.

2. Acknowledge the subjects of the photograph.

3. Acknowledge the craft by acknowledging the owner of the photograph.


There are at least two basic no-no's in photography;

1. Passing Off, which is a misrepresentation or taking advantage of the work of another by passing it off as one's own; and

2. Plagiarism, which is basically basing an image on the work of another without reworking, or using text authored by someone else without giving credit.

So for all those who want to have my photographs, I would not mind giving them to you if it would mean more people seeing what I have seen in these photographs, but please do give credit when due.

Tawi-Tawi is indeed a beautiful place and you can have some of my photos on your facebook wall, but acknowledgment would not hurt, would it?