Holidays of Homesickness

A home will always be home no matter how messy the place is.

Being a single mommy and being away from home during the most important holidays of the year is no less than the most heartbreaking moments in my life.

After six months of being away from my five-year old daughter, going home for a day is like sneaking for lost moments. I went home after six months, but only for a day. After a day, I had to leave home to work. I spent Christmas away from my parents and my daughter.

Now, I am in a dilemma that I might spend the New Year still away from home. I had two booked bus tickets already. The first one, I was not able to use, I gave it to a relative. I have another one, I do not know if I will be able to use it.

Nevertheless, when I went home for a day. I was so sad seeing my kid missed me so much. She had to guard me in my times of sleep even during the day when she is expected to take her nap too. She even had to take pictures of me while I was asleep.

This article may not be about homesickness entirely, but about my daughter who practices photography using my mobile phone. I am glad that the pictures in this post are among her shots.

That's Pope Francis! He is visiting the Philippines in January 2015.

Mama's happiness. I dream that I will be able to buy a new one for her.

Not a facade but ordinary windows.

Caught by the angle.

Worn-out waiting to be worn again.

Living in greens.

The feet that touch the ground always.

A Polio-Free World

Source: +United Nations 

Polio eradication has prevented over 11 million childhood disabilities and deaths worldwide. Thanks to a 26-year effort, a generation of children has grown up free of the fear of polio.

Every child deserves to live in a polio-free world.

October 24 is World Polio Day.

Source: United Nations +United Nations 

Artistic June

Jar or  pot?

June is filled with arts for my kid. It is the start of classes again. She is excited to be back to daycare. She likes getting groomed everyday and then study.

Few days before going back to school, my kid focuses into the arts. She had to do color combinations from the basic poster colors that I bought for her. Aside from that, she loves the routine smartphone photography. I should have given her an SLR or perhaps a compact camera. However, smartphone is all what we have. Thanks to LG smartphone; we are maximizing its use. It is good for a start.

Clothesline 

Hammock

Silhouette

 Ginseng in 12 Noon

Spot the Moringa

Garden Fern

Upside Down

May Photography on Smartphone

Sunset in Red

Red Accent

I spent many days of May on vacation leave. When I am on leave, I am confined at home. Going out is seldom; we only make time to bond. At home, my smartphone catches the fast hands of my four-year old daughter. She does a lot of browsing on my saved photographs and does a lot of photography by herself. 

Not-So-Many-Rubles in Yellow

In this post, I am sharing some photos taken by my daughter. I keep a file of those photographs in all forms and angles so that when she has grown up, she will be able to trace them back. I am the one responsible for putting the titles to the photographs that I like from hundreds of them.

Missing Cup

Shades of Summer

The Lamp that Made a Magna Cum Laude

One of the winning entries to the 2014 Photo Contest in the observance of Fire Prevention Month.

The picture above does not show the actual lamp that made me a Magna cum Laude. Rather, it is similar to the lamp that made me a Magna cum Laude. It is a kind of kerosene lamp, an improvised and home-made lamp being fueled by kerosene.

Out of poverty, the kerosene lamp served as my light in my academic journey. I didn't had access to electricity until I was in early 20's when my family moved to a relative's house with electricity. I am so grateful for the lamp that I included it in my high school valedictory address.

I encountered the kerosene lamp again as I recently judged the photo contest of the Bureau of Fire Protection in the observance of Fire Prevention Month in March. With the theme, "Isulong ang kaunlaran, sunog ay iwasan; kaalaman at pag-iingat ang kailangan", photo contest entries came from all over the Philippines.

The lamp above reminds me of my past. I was like the girl in the picture. I experienced poverty but the lack of material things did not shatter my dreams. Now, I am part of the government's workforce committed to the protection of the country's economic gains through fire protection.

The picture below is another winning entry of the photo contest that I am referring to. It is another reminder of fire safety. On the other hand, it still reminds me of my childhood and schooling days. During that time, a candle was more expensive to use than a kerosene lamp. That is why my family had to prefer to use a kerosene lamp over a candle.

In my present job, it doesn't matter whatever lighting we use or keep. The more important thing is how we use those light safely so that we can still achieve our dreams amid poverty. 

Let us keep inspiring children and our very own children to continue learning and to keep the "light on." With that, they too, cannot just be a Magna cum Laude but perhaps a Summa cum Laude as well.