Remember October

At the beginning of the year I had a goal in mind. My goal was to travel to 5 Asian countries within the year and no one was going to stop me. No one stopped me alright, but I forgot to factor in my finances. I was too caught up in my own fantasy world that I forgot I have responsibilities and it includes paying them bills, bills, bills.

But, like what they say, "Every cloud has a silver lining." Ok, so, I don't really understand what that saying meant, but I guess it means something good. I may not have been able to achieve my goal of travelling to 5 Asian countries within the year, but I was able to go to some beautiful places within the country though.

One of which is Bicol. This is what you can call an impromptu trip because I never really planned it. My friend (and muse), Bangs, invited me to her hometown because she needed to go home to vote during the Barangay elections. She just mentioned some of the places that we are going to visit and I was in.

These are just some of the photos we took during our travel. (Yes, ang lakas maka-travel!)

Caramoan

Legazpi City

It's my turn to be in front of the camera.

San Bernardino

This year may not be the year that I get to travel abroad, but, going to such beautiful places within my own country made me realize that I am missing out on things. On to the next travel!

Hashtag #ROAR

It's been quite a while since Bangs and I did an impromptu photoshoot. Now that I'm back in the night shift and we have the same schedule, it's easier for us to do so. She just got a new pair of shoes from her teammate and she wanted to show it off. We didn't know what goes well with the pair of shoes she got, so I just had her wear my baseball shirt and she matched it with short shorts.

Location was a challenge since the weather has been crazy and all lately. Good thing a friend of ours invited us over to her place and we noticed this quaint little (well not-so little really) house in front of theirs. There was a tiger statue in their front lawn and all I can think of was Katy Perry's Roar, hence, the blog title.

We did the shoot early morning and every time natural light hit Bangs's legs it would just shine and shimmer minus the Twilight effect shiz.

I found myself another model. He's the little warrior who crept his way into my heart. I remember when we first met which is more than a year ago, he was cranky and had tantrums because he wasn't feeling well. Being the anti-kid person that I am, I got annoyed by him and I kept giving him a crazy fcuk quarter-aged person stare. Now, he is my favorite kid in the world.

He is Monch. I call him the little warrior because even when he is not feeling well, he would still play a lot and never lose his love for imaginary adventure. Ah, to be a kid again.

Here he is playing with his Tita Bangs. They have a love-hate relationship. Whenever he is not feeling well, he ignores Bangs and refuses to talk to her. But, when he's in the mood, he cannot get enough of his Tita Bangs.

Bangs is such a natural when it comes to kids. I, on the hand, am a different story. I have a default dislike for kids. It's like I was never a kid before. The screaming, the tantrums, the running around and the never ending questions just annoy the shiz out of me. Not for Monch though. This kid managed to let out the paternal instinct in me.

Now, if I can only be like the kid-lover that I am to Monch to every other kids out there, then maybe I would look at life differently. Maybe, just maybe.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

Now this is my peg when taking photos. Power lover lesbian moments like this is definitely a turn on. Don't get me wrong though, none of the muses here are lesbians. They are both in their own respective heterosexual relationships and that's that. It was awkward for them at first, but I was able get some good shots.

I've had Bangs as my muse for the past couple of posts and for this post I will introduce you all to Tina. I have to say that her beauty is very Filipina. It's just alarming though that according to her, the biggest insecurity she has is the color of her skin. Personally, I love the color of her skin. It's unpretentious and very natural.

This photo is my favorite shot of her. It's very in your fcukin' face hipster. Haha!

And of course, Bangs will always play a huge part in my shoots. Gawd, i say 'shoots' as if I'm the real fcukin' deal. That's my delusion, so you can just go suck an egg!

We were about to leave the place when we happen to pass by this wall. It's filled with jejemonic stuff (look close enough and you'll see what I mean), but it was too good of a backdrop to not take a few shots.

I'm looking forward to having more shoots with Tina. Next time we're going to take this power lover lesbians theme to a whole new level. I just hope that it won't be as awkward as this, so we can come up with better photos.

Clear Skies and Empty Spaces

What do you on a day when the skies are clear and you found an empty rooftop parking lot? Well, you go shoot. Good thing the mall had just opened and it wasn't filled with people yet. So naturally, we took advantage of the situation.

We did the shoot before catching a movie. It was Four Sisters and a Wedding that we watched. I have to say, Toni Gonzaga's character was a total laugh trip. Shaina Magdayao's character on the other hand was as boring as waiting for a torrent to download. Anyhoo, it's your typical Star Cinema produce. You don't need to think or anything when watching. Now, back to more photos.

As always, Bangs was a delight to shoot.

Let's Go to the Beach, Each

Disclaimer: All photos were taken using a friend's (Ochi Bernadas) camera.

These photos are from last year. I had no camera that time and I just borrowed from a crazy bitch friend of mine.

It was Doctora's 45th birthday and we celebrated it in his/her/its hometown, Alaminos. Since we already went to Hundred Islands last time we visited, Doctora decided to take us to Bolinao. It's about 45 minutes to an hour drive from Doctora's place, but the drive is super worth it. The place we went to is beautiful.

Luckily, there were no storm clouds in sight considering that we are still in the monsoon season.

The sun was at its brightest like summer minus the overflow of tourists. This trip is definitely one for the books!

And of course, I had an impromptu shoot with Bangs. We went exploring for a good spot and we ended up at the far side of the beach. It was a really beautiful spot. I think it was only the two of us who were there at that time.

That was a really great escape from the hustle and bustle of the metro. Provincial living is the way to be, I'm telling you.