Trick or treat (give me something good to eat, if you don’t, I don’t care, I’ll put down your underwear!)!!!

Gone are the days when Halloween was all about ghost stories as well as TVs and bar faucets turning on by themselves, when lightbulbs flickered and turned off while scary music lingered on in the background (imagine “Are You Afraid of the Dark” setting). Gone are the days when we would look forward to watching Noli de Castro’s Magandang Gabi Bayan for that scary November 1 episode on spooky stories. Nowadays, when November 1 comes up, the first thing that comes to mind is either trick or treat or costumes. [Haay….where did the old traditions go?] Well, our village has been holding a trick or treat every year for the past 7 or more years. But I am not to complain, though, because children [and adults] look forward to this activity with much excitement. Kids decide carefully and meticulously on what costume they will be wearing this year. Some creative parents even take the time to create costumes for their kids (I think this is more because we were deprived of such activities when we were young). And watching the kids in their costumes go around the streets and saying “TRICK or TREAT!” in their loudest voices is actually fun!

Assembly at the clubhouse…children of all ages (even those who are 40 years old) come for their treats.

Save the cheerleader, save the world: Princess Wendy tries a few cheers

Pumpkin girl with a pumpkin bucket (and would you like some pumpkin soup with that?)

A happy princess and an unhappy pirate…

 Lance enjoys his second treat or treat.

 Everyone brought their own bags for the goodies (from experience, you must bring a BIG bag).

 Eat the candies in moderation guys, unless you want toothache or toncilitis!

HAVE HAPPY [AND SPOOKY] HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

(PS, These are my first shots with my new camera…I’m still getting the hang of it.)

Shoot me if you can

One thing I love, along with traveling, is taking pictures. Not only that, I love looking at pictures, even pictures of people I don’t even know! Ha! That’s how I love pictures! I come from a family with a whole cabinet dedicated to albums!

My Canon Ixus 750 has been my (and my family’s) companion for almost 3 years. It has lived a full life, and as my mother says, “sulit na sulit.” It has traveled along with me, my family, and my friends (it has been to Eruope THREE times already, more than I had!). It has been there with me during special occassions and has seen a lot of action in my life! Even with the simple everyday things, it has been with me. Really, I love my camera. It has become a companion for me.

My latest trip to Europe must have taken it’s toll on my beloved Ixus 750. Smoke sometimes comes out of the flash bulb when I take pictures using the flash. And it now takes a second or two for it to take a picture when using the flash. So, I decided to buy another camera…well, not to replace my existing one, but to have a back-up.

It took me weeks to decide about what I would be getting. I asked so many friends what and where to buy. My first and foremost consideration is price. Hello! Cameras are so expensive! So I wanted the cheapest quality camera. Second, I had to decide whether I’ll get a digital point-and-shoot camera or a digital SLR camera. Decisions! Decisions! What should I buy? Well, technical advice aside, for a picture-loving person like me, the best advice I got from a friend was, “Bibili ka rin lang naman ng camera, bilhin mo na yung maganda. Dadagdagan mo lang naman ng konti. And for someone like you who loves to travel, it will be worth it.” Okay, okay! So, here’s my new companion…an addition to our photography family.

Yes, I bought the cheapest quality digital SLR: The Canon EOS 1000d. They say this is a good camera for beginners like me, and Canon is certainly a good brand. And I’m happy with my decision. I’m still in the process of transitioning to digital SLR, and I must say I’m having fun. The first pictures I took were amazing… I can really see the difference in quality. I can now feel the thrill that professional photographers feel when they hold there camera. Masaya pala talaga! [Does that mean I’m now in the photography circle? Hmmm…] And one freebie for this camera is actually photography classes…and that’s great for people like me who do not even know what spot metering and aperture are! [I knew I looked stupid when the Canon lady was explaining some of the features to me. I tried nodding to look like I knew what she was talking about. But I bet I wasn’t able to fool her.]

As for my old camera, we will still be together [it’s actually good because now I have both a digital point-and-shoot and a digital SLR]. I know I will still be using it…it has sentimental value (we’ve been through a lot!), and I am not going to get rid of it that easily (well, if it conks out…that’s it).

Expect more pics in the future!