Holiday Gift Ideas: Shop Early!

Hello, lovely readers! 

Bells are ringing, children are singing.

Oh wait, did I hear that Christmas is coming?

BER months are indeed fast approaching. 

Now, what are we buying?

Buying for gifts, you’re asking.

Never worry about anything because here is a little something. 

So there went my futile attempt to be a poet.  😀

Seriously though, holidays meant a lot of things but it is synonymous to this word as well – rush. Everything is in a rush. How do we avoid this so-called “rush” ? The answer is this – prepare and shop early.

Buying Christmas presents in advance and scratching them off your long list is such a life saver. I usually do this often during the holidays.

But first, who are our recipients of these awesome gifts? On top of the list is our families of course, followed by relatives, friends and coworkers or bless someone randomly.

Then again, another dilemma is this question – “What will I buy for each of them?”  

Honestly, thinking about choosing the right holiday gift ideas can be cumbersome and overwhelming. But allow me to make choosing a lot easier for the lady recipient: How about a tote bag?

Very simple, eh? BUT this isn’t your ordinary tote bag. These are custom-made from photographs of anything and everything by yours truly. I love to share so I am sharing these for you to have for keeps. No art is ever called art without the artist’s individuality showcased in it, as they say. These printed tote bags carry each in itself a particular story – a memory so to speak. So, I am sharing to you a bit of my life’s journey in each item. Do bring me along in your journeys too – wherever they may be and whatever it may be. 😉

This one tote bag for example illustrates a photo during our first summer vacation as a couple in Zambales, Philippines. If you were enamored by the pristine waters and pure, white sand, you can actually plan a trip and head on over there to see the beauty for real. You don’t just have a photo as memorabilia, but also a bag which will remind you always of the beauty of the place for as long as you often use it.

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Another in the memory lane is this precious red rose (which I preserved for sentimental reasons) symbolizing an everlasting love – the first I received when hubby and I were still dating. Thought about editing it to make it look more rustic and not look like your typical red rose because it’s a special one for a special you.

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These are also some of the bags featured in this recently created collection which is a variety of different kinds of themes and concepts from black and whites to macros and landscapes:

If you want to browse for more tote bag designs, you can check out more of the collection in this website:

http://shopvida.com/collections/christine-lailani-ginete-rome

Oh, and if bags aren’t that alluring, the other collection I am starting might capture your interest like these awesome sleeveless tops:

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Happy shopping and wishing you all a VERY advance happy holidays! 😉

P.S.

I’d like to thank VIDA for this one great and wonderful opportunity and most of all to God for bringing in people to share what they can share and help the community. This is also in support of the Literacy Programs that VIDA offers to their makers to learn to read, write and do basic Math skills.

Stay tuned for more upcoming designs, my dear readers. Let’s continue sharing our God-given blessings and bless others too! ❤

Much love,

Tin

The ANOINTING OIL and More Memories

It was after our family vacation with my husband’s family last weekend that I got hold of something interesting. We went to Baguio City in the upper north of the Philippines where the weather is particularly colder than in any part of the country.

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A portrait at the Baguio Botanical Garden c/o Brian Rome Photography.

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Brian Rome Photography

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My aunt-in-law, Tita Bebe, in an Ibaloi/Kankanaey native, traditional costume. 🙂

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I never could get this husband of mine to do a serious pose. Like never. 😉

It was a well-spent vacation full of laughter, travels and food ventures. One adventure that we didn’t miss was a visit to the famous haunted house in Baguio City and the bamboo art exhibit.

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My bro-in-law, Buds, and the facade of the haunted house. 🙂

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Spacious living room.

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Bamboo art work and handicraft.

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The living room.

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It was Bud’s idea to visit the haunted house.

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Up we went to uncover the house’s mystery.

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The Master’s Bed

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The Fireplace

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The staircase of the haunted house.

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It was his idea to reenact our wedding day.

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Unfortunately, I can only do the “real kiss” of the newlywed couple once. 😉

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No serious pose indeed. Oh wells. 😀

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His signature pose.

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Baguio Escapade 2015

We also stayed at Hotel Veniz which is located near the heart of the city popularly known for its night flea markets. My husband and I pretty much enjoyed buying stuff at such an affordable price – it was a hassle though packing them up as it added to our already bulky baggage. But it still was fun haggling for lower prices and yes, eating street food. Now this last part I must definitely say THE highlight of our last night there.

We were all tired after the vacation and it was during the last day at my in laws’ house where I got hold of one of the most interesting pieces of memorabilia that I didn’t quite expect after receiving my first memorabilia from the Holy Land which is the Spikenard Magdalena perfume thru my husband’s Dad.

My mother-in-law gave me Bible Land Treasures’  The Anointing Oil as one of their presents which I am very grateful for. A good God we indeed have. 🙂

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The Anointing Oil

If you haven’t read my article on the Spikenard Magdalena perfume, you can read it up here and it also explains a little bit about the Anointing Oil:

The Holy Perfume: Spikenard Magdalena

As of right now, I haven’t had the slightest idea as to what God’s purposes are why I have to get hold of these two important elements in the bible which is significant in our history on how Christianity started – particularly that of Jesus and the Cross. It is very humbling though that God gave me this privilege to be able to know these elements for real, have an idea how they smelled, what they look like and where and how they were used.

The Anointing Oil smelled more delicate and milder than the Spikenard Magdalena perfume which is a combination of frankincense, myrrh and spikenard. It also has a lighter color as compared to the perfume and less concentrated. I have used the perfume twice already but I haven’t used the anointing oil yet.

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Having shared this, I am now in need of your heartfelt prayers for the Spirit’s leading where these elements can be put into good use, not just for me, but for others as well – that in serving God’s will and purpose. 🙂

Some Photography Tips on Anything MACRO

 

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I particularly love macro shots. I believe it is one area of photography that I learned first before I even began learning all about the “rule of thirds,” etc. 🙂

My favorite would be this macro shot of Made in Candy‘s “I Love You” candy which is about 2 centimeters big in diameter. I only use a regular 32mm lens and if there is one item in my birthday wishlist that I would like to have, that would be a telephoto zoom lens. *wishful thinking* 😉

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Cactus

I oftentimes use manual focus because I get to choose which part of the subject I like to highlight as well as the areas where I would put more emphasis on. Bokeh is also a favorite photography tip of mine when taking macro shots. It doesn’t completely blur the background and your background still has texture and patterns on it. Although a “clean” background does have its benefits too especially in pictorials and if you wanted to give extra focus on particular details of the subject like the texture of the fabric, intricate design of a piece of jewelry or to highlight the makeup of the model.

Just like in the photo below, I wanted to achieve a smooth progression of my subject and the background. The subject (keys) are detailed enough so to highlight them I opted for a soft blur contrary to a bokeh background. Always use your camera’s f-stop feature to change aperture settings and achieve a blurry background. I tend to do this manually as well.

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“Keyboard”

But as for me, I don’t really follow rules in photography. And neither am I a professional photographer. I simply point and shoot and rely on my eye for the aesthetics. 😉 I cross-process my photos though using Photoshop but I only use it for color enhancements. And I watch tutorials re tips in capturing challenging photos i.e. moving objects, waterfalls, long exposures, etc. Keep in mind as well reminders from professional photographers you randomly meet during pictorials and events or even from a friend who is more experienced in this field.

If you love photography or just starting to love it, I suggest just go with what you enjoy taking photos of. In time, your shots will become better. Just keep on taking photos, keep on learning and keep on exploring. 🙂

MAY the Flowers Be with You

Yes, it is “Flores de Mayo” or Flowers of May. 🙂

It is a yearly tradition celebrated during the month of May here in the Philippines. If you want to know more about this tradition, you can check Wikipedia’s article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flores_de_Mayo.

But this blog post is not going to be about the tradition per se but the flora and fauna photos I took one summer in my hometown in Bicol. That is because I love communing with nature THAT MUCH. Anywhere that has luscious greens, colorful flowers and a beautiful scenery – you will see me scrutinizing everything with the lens. But Mom’s garden is my usual favorite “playground.” 🙂

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The tiniest ground orchid I have seen.

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Cymbidium Orchid

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Forgot to ask Mom what is this called. 😀

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Cattleya Orchid

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Dendrodium Orchid

But this last photo fascinated me the most in this collection. Not because it is an extraordinary specie but the concept of the subjects proved to be quite interesting for me. Although that is me – I just have a knack for making the simple to complicated and the mundane to absurd. 😀

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Hydrangea

I was just reminded by the obvious contrast between these two subjects: a fresh flower and a wilted one. I only remembered one verse while staring at the two:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

And with that, I end my article. 😉

Together, Forever

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? 😉

Bright and Bold

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.” 🙂

Asian Ancestry

Chinese Old Man and Little Boy Marble Bric-A-Brac

Chinese Old Man and Little Boy Marble Bric-A-Brac

I was rummaging through my old photos and found this – a photo of a bric-a-brac that serves as a memorabilia of my ancestors. A few months back, I was looking for a subject to shoot at and stumbled upon Mom’s collection.

She loves collecting antiques. Being the inquisitive me, I find pleasure adoring the marvelous carvings of every sculpture.

If there’s another hobby that I would like to learn, it would be sculpting. Isn’t it amazing how sculptors can create a miniature, 3-dimensional replica of a particular figure that is very well-proportioned?

Yes, they say it is all about proportion and an eye for the aesthetics. These are the creations made possible by them whom we call,  “the artists.”

This is a masterpiece that is quite hard to achieve but interesting to learn. Indeed, having this skill is a gift. ☺

For more photography ideas, you can read through this article: Beauty Captured Through A Lens: My Photo Collection

Flora and Fauna – Explored

A trip to the garden is always the best breather for me. Yes, communing with nature so to speak. Must be the reason why my thesis back in college centered on regionalism and nature’s role in our lives. Here are macro shots of some of Mom’s beloved plants back in our hometown. 🙂

Ginger Plant

Ginger Plant

Cone-Like

Cone-Like

Fernish

Fernish

Wriggling Flowers

Wriggling Flowers

Rose Bud

Rose Bud

Blue Bells

Blue Bells

Cattleya

Cattleya

Bangkok Calachuci

Bangkok Calachuci

Vine

Vine

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Lilies

Malaysian Mums

Malaysian Mums

Vanda

Vanda

Stitch Away

Stitch Away

I can’t help but be fascinated by the color combination as well as the lovely stitches and crochets on one of our pillow cases.

The very reason why I used it not for its intended purpose (sleeping) but as one photo essential. 😀

Beauty Captured Through A Lens: My Photo Collection

Here are some photos from my collection. These photos were taken starting year 2010 when I have decided to try photography as another hobby. It turned out that I am having quite a lot of fun with this new hobby of mine. 😉

I have been taking photos of basically anything that I see since then. Yes, there is something new to learn out there everyday, indeed. 🙂

“Dusk By The Sea”

“Santal”

“Little Bud”

“Wilt”

“Hydrangea”

“Ivy”

“Coral 3”

“Coral 2”

“Coral”

“Little Tube”

“Jar”

“Shade”

“Door Handle”

“Chain”

“Globe”

“Baluster”

“Shells”

“Cone”

“Weave”

“Vase”

“Chair”

“Ratan Lampshade”

“Russian Dolls”

“Sticks”

“Twigs”

“Ratan”