Category Archives: Pets and Creatures

How To Fortify A Business: 3 Lessons I Learned From Mice

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Just like how old castles were built surrounded by a moat, it’s also the same for businesses. Moats were designed to fortify castles and make them impenetrable to any type of ground attack.

For businesses, what is your contingency plan (your business’ moat) when the economy crashes? There have been conspiracies going around such as a new ethnic weapon or bioweapon that China claims some countries already have that targets a specific race. However, the source of this intel needs to be verified.

Bulusan Volcano was placed on Alert Level 1 once again last October 25, 2023 due to increased activity. Mayon Volcano in Albay has been on Alert Level 3 since June 2023. Never-ending wars also fill the news lately.

So I thought, how do we safeguard our businesses so they can survive any type of natural disaster or war? We have to admit, when the Covid-19 pandemic happened, none of us were prepared for it.

By the way, you might be wondering why the article title mentions “mice” and yet I am posting a turtle cage. 😃 It is actually the turtle cage that I am trying to fortify against these rodents.

There is no one solution that will address all your business problems. In the case of my turtle cage, rodents just keep on finding a weak spot in my cage. Every time they do this, I have to devise a new plan to ward them off.

Here are some of the lessons I learned from fortifying our turtles’ cage that we can also apply in businesses.

Just one of my DIY projects at home last year built with the help of my husband. Unfortunately, only 1 plant survived because our pet turtles just love to play with the other plants inside the pen.

3 Lessons I Learned From Mice On How To Fortify Businesses

1. Adaptability

I think I already made more than 10 modifications to our turtles’ cage, and I thought I already solved the problem. But the rodents seem to be one step ahead of me. So, what did I miss? After carefully assessing the exterior of the cage, I realized that I’d been looking at the top part of the cage only. When I examined the cage closely and at a different angle, I saw other openings where the rodents found a way to get inside and eat our turtles’ food.

DIY Turtle Cage

Looking at the problem from different angles helps us target the root cause of the issue at hand. In a business, this might mean having to study customers’ profiles and take note of the best times to engage with them or advertise your product. Or you might consider changing the location of your business or operating hours.

Also, considering mobility solutions and alternatives as far as logistics are concerned will help your business adjust during a crisis. You might also want to include improving your communication strategies in the event that all communication lines are down.

2. Resourcefulness

When I designed this turtle cage, I was thinking of a low-cost project by making use of scrap and unused materials that I was able to rummage in our storage house. I also got the bamboo at the farm. The disadvantage though of using wooden materials is their durability. You have to change them every 8 months or so especially if they are exposed to different elements such as rain and sunlight.

Engineer/architect for a day. 😊

It’s all about maximizing what we already have that we can utilize to lessen the operating costs of a business. The IoT (Internet of Things) and technology can help businesses transition from traditional processes to a digital setup in terms of applying different marketing strategies and performing HR-related tasks.

We can also learn from doomsday preppers when it comes to cost-effective equipment such as using solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems especially if the business relies heavily on electricity and water use.

3. Think Long-Term

There is no better way to prepare than to anticipate what could possibly happen in the coming years. While we have no control over what could transpire in the future, a good amount of preparation might somehow reduce the negative impact of a crisis.

What we must prepare now includes acquiring assets that will not be affected by a volatile market. We can also diversify our investments so that in case one industry is heavily affected, our other investment can help sustain it. Also, saving for buffer funds is a necessity now. It is no longer an option, but a requirement. This is very important for every business to avoid acquiring debt.

Choosing your partners in the mission field is also critical at this point. This will include business partners and real-life partners. Business partners must support the vision, mission, and values of the company. If they are only after the profit, it could be an added strain on your business once you decide to end the partnership due to unresolved conflicts.

The same thing goes for your real-life partner. Choose someone who supports your dreams and goals and it would be better if he or she is not from the same profession. Tough times just like the COVID-19 pandemic tested every relationship all over the world.

If you’re in the medical field, I suggest not choosing someone who’s a medical professional, too. Medical staff alongside military personnel are always the frontliners whether there’s a pandemic or a war. You would need someone who is strong-willed and yet can offer you the comfort and encouragement that you need as pressure and stress start to take a toll on your mental and physical health.

Choose someone who will make sure when you get home, you will be able to get the much-needed rest and nurturing that you need. Or someone who can write your reports for you because you are already too exhausted working 8 hours straight in full PPE (plus an hour of overtime work) and braving the city’s traffic going home. And you still have a Zoom meeting after dinner. This was me, btw, to my husband (a registered nurse), during the Covid-19 lockdown. 😉

The small turtle is hiding beside the big one. The male turtle is an aggressive introvert. lol He’s aggressive enough to pursue our female turtle, but too introverted to interact with people. 😄

Speaking of partners, we found another turtle, a young male just this year. And it looks like he’s going to be a good partner for our female turtle. Though I think the age difference between them might be an issue now because he tried to mate her, but he’s still too small and her shell is too big for him so he failed. lol It looks like you still have to wait a little bit longer, young man. 😉

P.S. We plan to release these turtles inside our farm once they’re able to multiply. I want to make sure the young turtles are already big enough to defend themselves from predators before releasing them in the wild. Otherwise, their chances of becoming extinct are high, especially since locals poach them for food.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

So, This Mama Hen Chickened Out

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Yes, this Mama Hen is a chicken and refused to go back to her previous owner. She’s probably scared of being court-martialed for going on mutiny and being sentenced to death by grilling.

Rogue Chicken

I’ve been shooing and chasing her around the yard a hundred times (that would be precisely 100 steps), but to no avail. She keeps on coming back and even chooses to lay her eggs under our garden plants.

There’s something about the numbers “7” & “8” lately.

So, I asked her to get to the bottom of it all:

Me: Are you scaredy cat?

Mama Hen: Well, obviously not. I’m just a chicken.

😂😂😂

To be honest, we’ve already asked the neighbors if the chicken’s theirs, and they said “no.” So we just decided to keep her and her 7 eggs if ever they hatch.

The chicken that came from nowhere.

I already ordered a chicken net online for the old chicken coop (used previously as a turtle’s cage) that we have here, so her future chicks won’t be scaredy cat of being eaten by real cats.

It looks like this Mama Hen was sent as an unexpected blessing because poultry farming is also one of the projects that we plan to pursue and integrate into our farm. I already created a business plan for it, I’m just waiting for God’s perfect time when to start if it is indeed part of His plans.

Mama Hen chose this perfect spot to lay her eggs. It’s just challenging to “redesign” her cage. But glad to see she’s all dry even during rainy days.

So, Mama Hen should really chicken out because she will be my very first case study for backyard poultry farming. Though I think the probability of her becoming a dearly beloved pet is 99.9%. 😉

What To Do

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What to do when you see your cat playfully rolling and rubbing herself on the floor exactly at the spot where your pet dog frequently urinates and defecates?

And before this, you have been smothering THIS CAT with kisses, rubbing your face all over her body, and letting her sleep beside you in your bed.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Yes, I think you counted how many letter “A”s there are in that word.

And yes, you can imagine my face. All I could blurt out was, “What is wrong with you?!” 😱

If my cat can answer, she’d probably reply with, “You loved it anyway, Mum. You didn’t even notice I was wearing THAT perfume all this time.” 🥴

So, who is crazier?

Is it me who asked the cat what’s wrong with her? Or is it the cat who loves the scent of urine and feces for her perfume? 😃

And now, she’s evicted from my room. lol Poor creature. Well, only until I’ve given her a full sponge bath. 😻

Let’s Play The Name Game: I Am CHRISTine

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When I was young, I don’t know what came over me when I asked my Mom how come I was the only one among her five children who wasn’t named after them, our grandmas, and our grandpas.

My eldest sister has my maternal and paternal grandmas’ names in her 1st and 3rd names. My second sister has my Mom’s name for her second name.

My third sister has the combination of my Mom and Dad’s names for her 1st name and our great grandma’s name for her second name. My brother has the names of my Dad, my maternal grandpa, and my paternal grandpa for his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd names consecutively.

Me? Well, my parents told me they ran out of relatives’ names to name me after. Poor me, right?

Who Am I?

So, how did the young me respond? I was sullen and bitter. Well, what could you expect? That was pretty harsh for a grade-schooler to take. And the great revelation never stopped there, of course.

They told me I was adopted, which explains why my brother (born before me) and I have a 5-year gap. What’s worse, they told me I was thrown by an “unknown mother” over the fence in our backyard.

You see, we have two adopted cats back home who went through exactly the same situation. Maybe that explains why I felt closer to our adopted cats than my siblings. We can relate with each other and it’s like I am more bonded and have a deeper connection with them.

So you know how this picture went. The teary-eyed baffled me was looking for a defender. And of course, I looked pleadingly at my parents and siblings. They were all laughing. Ahhhh, cruel, cruel family. Tsk, tsk.

Okay, before you start to believe everything I am sharing, this is the part where they reassured me that it wasn’t the case. And they provided more ‘substantial evidence’ to prove their point.😁

The Real Deal

My Mom went on to explain that I was born in December, which is Christmastime, so they retained the word “Christ” in my name. My second name was lifted from the Hawaiian “lei,” which is a garland of flowers presented upon arrival or leaving as a symbol of affection.

But explaining that to a child still won’t have that much bearing – I still felt left out. I found it easier to accept that I was adopted. Why? Because it wouldn’t change anything. I am grateful that my parents now gave me a better life and such a wonderful family. Not a day passes by without me thanking God for this greatest blessing.

A Better Chance At Life

And I’d still thank my biological Mom (if ever) for making the most difficult and painful decision of giving away a child. A child whom she carried for 9 months in her womb, went through all the hassle of labor and childbirth, then left her baby to people she doesn’t know but she believes can give her child a better future.

Because she made the right decision, and that makes her deserving of the honor given to any parent who wants nothing more but the best for her children, and more importantly, for giving me a chance at life. But no, I wasn’t adopted. So let’s cut this here.

A New Identity In Christ

Going back to the name game, am I still resentful about my name? When I became a born-again Christian, that all changed.

If my siblings tease me now, I have the greatest answer as a defense:

“I am a daughter of GOD, because I have CHRIST in my name (and in my life), and He is the Great Father who owns all the heavens and all the earth. Therefore, I will inherit all the heavens and all the earth. Beat that. Ha!” 😂

“Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names…” – Philippians 2:9

Yes, CHRISTine is thy name. And indeed, as ABBA sang it, “the winner takes it ALL.” CHRIST has won it all for us. 😉

img_2006

Truly a sister in Christ and God’s daughter,

P.S. If you’re a parent or a parent-to-be, do prepare an answer when your kid asks your choice for his/her name. 😃

 

 

God of Wonders

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Have you ever wondered why we have pebbles and not just big rocks?

Tin Ginete

Pebbles

How about flowers made from all sorts of sizes, shapes and colors and not just one?

Tin Ginete

Bromiliad

Why is it that a tiny creature such as a bug, has such a beautiful, golden green color as its shell?

Tin Ginete

Golden Bug

Colossians 1:16 NLT

“…for through Him, God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.”

“He works in mysterious ways.”

How often do we hear this phrase? Very often to most of us and maybe to some this will be the first time you will read about this. In this article, allow me to let you delve deeper how God works and the amazing things that He has done not just to me but to the people around me. As much as I want to keep all things private in my personal life, I believe God wanted me to share some of them as a testimony of His Grace and His Love.

If you are to read my previous articles, it’ll give you an idea what are the current struggles that I am going through. And yes, I was on the point of hopelessly giving up. I am engaged and my fiance and I were planning to tie the knot next year. The quicker the time passes by, the more conflicts arise, the more challenging the trials become.

One of them is saving for the wedding. We both wanted a simple and intimate wedding for two reasons – it wouldn’t be costly and we wanted to share it with those who know us really well. But I am in this situation wherein I could not contribute anything to the expenses with the meager allowance I am getting out of my sister’s generosity to help me finish my graduate study in UP. I am in my last part of my graduate study finishing my thesis and I was advised by my thesis adviser that finishing it will require me to go full time in my master’s degree meaning I cannot get married this year or get a job.

I can only hope for my fiance’s savings at work which are not enough. We attended the Marriage Preparation seminar and it was discussed there that leaving your spouse to work abroad and earn enough to provide for your family is not the solution. You have to be with your spouse always because that is the commitment you have made when you got married – only death can do both of you part. My fiance considered about this option of working abroad. It became one of the conflicts we had to deal with. He was determined, I tried talking him out of it but to no avail. Until I came up with the decision that we would have to cancel the engagement for the meantime then pursue me again when we are both financially ready.

He doesn’t want to sacrifice the relationship over a career abroad. And yet both of us have no clues how to get married without having to borrow any single cent from anyone. We both agreed to just take things just as they are, leave them be and trust God for provisions. But sometimes it doesn’t come as easy as it sounds – pressure from friends and families asking about the wedding can sometimes be the cause of again facing that conflict wherein temper gets loose, impatience creeps in and negativity overtakes our thoughts.

Every night I would pray and I can’t help but cry out my pleas for help to the Lord. I waited but no answer came, we are still both in the same situation. But it was during those times that I did nothing but pray every morning and every night, devote more time to bible reading and gathering all devotion I could get. I know it is only through His Word that I will get my strength and courage and not give up. I always keep in mind that this relationship is different than my previous relationship because God gave me this when I was already a Christian – this was not a mistake. I will use my free will to honor God by honoring the commitment and by holding on to the beautiful promise that He wanted for both me and my fiance – to fulfill the Holy Matrimony.

Then came more conflicts which involves the families, attitudes, habits, relations with other people, priorities, the past mistakes, temptations, goals – every weakness we both have, God brought them all out into the open. The relationship was like a battle ship attacked from all sides by canyons, tossed to and fro in the sea.

But there is a God.

And I was grateful I was saved. One time when we broke up, someone from my past (an ex boyfriend), contacted me after 2 years of no communication. 4 years ago, we broke up violently to the point that I attempted to commit suicide, never had the chance to apologize to each other and yet I thank him for he is the reason why I got saved and I am where I am now. Exactly the time that my fiance and I decided to call things off, my ex boyfriend called me past midnight and told me he was dared by his best friend. I can tell that he was a bit drunk and this is what he told me,

“Tin, I am leaving for Australia for good. I just want to tell you that if you haven’t been too possessive on me, I would’ve married you.”

His best friend, in the background, shouted this, “You rocked his world!”

Well, I don’t know if I should be happy with what I heard but I took it as our formal closure. I could not remember if I got the chance to apologize because I was tongue-tied – he was telling the truth. Because exactly at that moment when my fiance and I broke up, it was for that very same reason, AGAIN. After he said his goodbyes, I can’t help but cry.

God, at that moment, was telling me that I need to learn from my mistake or I will end up losing another person I love and a precious relationship that could have been lived out beautifully. It was a sign to save the current relationship I have before it is too late – a reminder. It was my being possessive to the point that I was jealous of everyone around him that ruined the relationship and I could not enjoy my moments with him anymore. God does not want me to go through the same mistake because He has saved me from that already.

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

I know I am being put to a test right now – to prove that indeed I am new in Christ and the old has gone. It is through my fiance that God was finishing the work that He began in me – how to learn to trust someone who has a past as dark as mine and yet is not yet devoted in his faith. But I know too that through the tests, God will always be with me to make sure that I overcome the greatest weakness I have – my insecurities. I was just amazed that God reminded me of what I wrote in the placard during my Foundations for Victory class’ last day presentation.

Foundations for Victory is a month-long class after your water and holy baptism which we call in church, the Victory Weekend. Its purpose is to equip you in your spiritual journey by establishing your faith with the biblical foundations. And last night, I took a photo of what I wrote in the placard which was the old me before salvation versus the new me after salvation:

Tin Ginete

Only God can make you feel secure. 🙂

Philippians 1:6 NLT

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

I can tell for certain that this relationship was given to me not to see me fail again but God wanted to help me overcome them consequences now that I am already saved. But my question was always this, “Father, my fiance is not a devoted Christian, how can we make our relationship work if You are not the center of his life?”

Again, I was basing everything on what I see and hear, not trusting God and His plans. I always rely on my own understanding and yet again, I was reminded:

Proverbs 3:5 NLT

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”

During the Marriage Preparation seminar, we had a workshop wherein the couples have to answer a set of questions and these are the questions.

 1. Is it God’s plan for me to marry? Why? How do I know this?

2. Is it God’s plan for me to marry the person I am with? Why? How did God reveal this to you?

After answering, I told my fiance that I am not going to read his answers at that moment, I’ll just read them during our wedding. But after the several conflicts we have had and on the verge of losing hope for the relationship, I re-read our Marriage Preparation booklet and I stumbled upon our answers – I read my fiance’s. I got another confirmation from the Lord – we both have similar answers. And his was even more beautiful:

1. “Yes. God wanted me to experience His blessings (having children and a happy family) because I am His child.”

I cried, I was humbled. I was so wrong. How could I even doubt his faith when faith is a personal relationship with the Lord? It is between you and Him. How could I be so doubtful, so assuming, not trusting the Lord and His plans? How could I judge him so wrongly?

But then, there came the enemy filling me again with doubts: Are you sure your fiance wrote it sincerely? Or he was just playing along with the questions and he knows what answer he is expected to write to please you?

Doubts. Enough with the doubts. Enough with the deception that the enemy has been trying to lure me ever since. Enough with my insecurities. I know my God. My God is the greatest God and He will do anything to keep me and my faith. I may have fallen at times but right now He requires me to stand and fight for Him until my last breath – put into practice what He has taught and trust in the Spirit’s leading. It is not for me to know what happens in the future, He just wants me to trust and obey.

And God stayed faithful and just. For His wonders never stopped there. It was at this point that my fiance and I had the biggest miracle we could ever imagine. I was on the point of sacrificing my master’s degree so I could follow him when he works abroad just so we would not sacrifice the relationship, or he works abroad, I stay here and finish my master’s degree but sacrifice the relationship. Tough decisions to make they are, and yet God gave the answer – better opportunities at his workplace. It was our only hope.

My fiance was reluctant at first if he will get it, but I told him to take the chance. Told him God will give it to you if it His will for you and if you sincerely pray in your heart that you want it because we both need it – not for ourselves but for Him because we wanted to honor the commitment, we are willing to make sacrifices to uphold that commitment. I told him that prayers are so powerful if you believe in every single word that you have uttered in that prayer and believe in God. So there we were praying for each other, encouraging one another when making choices prove to become so difficult.

John 16: 24

“You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”

And then….YES, it was given. At that moment, I cried with joy. How faithful indeed is the Lord! My fiance gets to stay with me, I get to finish my master’s degree, we both can be secure with our future. He indeed deserves all the honor and glory and I will forever be thankful to my Lord, my Savior.

Doubts may creep in that it is not meant to be but I will continue hoping and I will continue praying. I always pray that God would protect both of us from the attacks of the enemy for I know there are forces in this world that contest that which is good and pleasing which came from the Lord. As it is written:

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

The kind of salvation that I am praying for my fiance may not be what is happening now. But it is only for God to know what happens in the future. All I know is that both of us are being transformed every single day to become the persons that He wanted us to be teaching us the essence of what it really means to be a Christian – to have patience, to have peace, to be faithful, to love selflessly, to sacrifice, to endure, to forgive, to be prayerful and most of all to know God personally and deeply through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I could still remember the early times in our relationship and after the first few conflicts, I shared to my sister in Christ whom I admire deeply on how she handled her relationship and is now happily married, that my fiance is not yet devoted in his faith. And her answer was, “Be patient, Tin and pray.” After all this and what is to come, I can only be so very grateful that I have a God who is this:

Revelation 1:8 NLT

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

And with that, I know I am secure. 🙂

I Feel Good

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image

Givin' some cat lovin'.

Yes, it feels good to be reunited with your baby love. I mean your dearly beloved pet. 😉

Peekah is like a baby girl to me. I rescued her and her sister when they were just 3weeks old. I raised them both as if they were my own kids. Unfortunately, her sister Peekie died and we don’t know the cause of her death because it was so sudden.

Any sudden loss is heartbreaking. Because you didn’t have time to prepare yourself for it i.e. how to slowly detach yourself emotionally, acceptance, etc.

But like any grievances, time will heal them. So it was just me and Peekah. I am still grateful Peekah survived tho I know that she, too, will be staying with me temporarily.

But I guess one thing that always amazes me and one thing I thank God for is the emotional bond that a person and his/her pet shares. They both were created differently and yet there is this one thing that binds them both and that is the emotion.

It is the heart that is responsible for our emotions tho governed by the mind. Cats can’t talk but they have a heart. It is just amazing how much value God put in our hearts may you belong in a different kingdom so you could connect with another specie from another kingdom.

Peekah still can recognize and remember my voice though I get to see her only about twice a year. I could see how excited she gets every time I arrive and I call out her name.

And yes, the kind of bonding we had when she was still a kitten and what we have now is still the same. And if I need to name what emotion is responsible for that, it would be this: LOVE.

You may call me mushy and all but that is just the way I am. I need not apologize for that, you can just ask my Creator why He made me this way. 😉

That Dragon Who Flies

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Dragonfly

Dragonfly

A dragonfly. 😉

Sinister-looking, definitely not. But folklore and culture have it that dragonflies signify danger. I haven’t seen one in a while and neither am I superstitious so please allow me to just marvel at this little beauty right here.

Next to butterflies, I am fascinated by dragonflies. They are one of the most delicate creatures to ever glide this planet. Look closely at their wings. I can’t help but think that they look like women’s stockings that will easily tear with just an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny tiny scratch.

I must admit though that I am guilty of keeping them as captives when I was way too young to value each and every creation on Earth. Now, I am even more guilty when back home, all I could see now is but just 1/3 of their population years back.

Tsk, that must be the danger that they signify – extinction of their breed come the future generations of the human race. What do we have to marvel at next?

Just like the dragons, our kids will only have their imagination of them flying around, spurting fire, evil most of the time – of which none of them can be proven true unless they came from a generation when to me all dragonflies are real, dainty, fragile and yes, precious.

Together, Forever

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Couple Butterflies

Couple Butterflies

I am always a big fan of anything extraordinaire. Though a male and female pair in the Kingdom Animalia is far too common, I find it extraordinary to see butterflies that are a “couple.”

Yes, I found this pair of butterflies wandering and roaming together all the time around our garden in Bicol. As it is difficult and challenging to capture them when they are in motion especially during daylight, I took advantage of the opportunity to “hunt” them down one night so I could capture a photo of them. Lucky me, I found them perched on this particular plant “side by side.”

Aren’t they the sweetest and prettiest pair? 😉

Sentinels on Guard

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Peekah & Peekie on Guard

Peekah & Peekie on Guard

Here are my babies acting like “grown-ups” by closely keeping watch of the door. 🙂

But not really. Why?

When someone passes by, this is the first thing they do – SCAMPER! Yep, run away with their lives as if it is going to be their last day here on Earth. 😉

Bright and Bold

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Tiny Butterfly

Tiny Butterfly

I often wondered how fragile these small butterflies are (only about half an inch big) and how fortunate I am to capture moments like this one seeing them perched on a leaf or a twig before they set off to their endless flights roaming around nature’s bounty.

As technology advances each and every single day, the role of each and every single thing in this world, living or non-living, becomes not just as a part of an ordinary food chain, food web, habitat or niche, but yes, as something to marvel at and celebrate its beauty amid the vast expanse of grandiosity and extravagance.

That is, as captured subjects underneath that lens – photography.

Yes,  mediocrity is where I intend to be bright and bold like this teeny, weeny butterfly. The mediocre – “peace and quiet.” 🙂