a good week

[from a bouquet of peonies i bought sometime last May, they're still lovely dried]

i'm on my second week at work already and so far, i'm loving being busy and having the flexibility of going home early thus avoiding the rush at the bus stops in the afternoon. part of my schedule's flexibility is being able to keep my volunteer work every tuesdays. the boss' fine with it, the old ladies at the charity shop are happy to still have me, and i'm thrilled i'm able to keep both jobs so everything seems to be going really well so far! 

[from my flower box in the garden] 

for the first time in over 3 years, i watched the all-ireland football final match between Dublin and Kerry. everyone seemed to be talking about it the last few weeks so i tuned in to the telly last Sunday afternoon not wanting to be left out of course! it was very interesting to have a peek into the world of GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) as it is so much a part of the Irish culture and society. because Dublin has been our home for the last 3 years, i cheered for Dublin evidently. though a bit louder than how the husband and the cat wanted it to be especially at the last 7 minutes when the game's momentum turned and Dublin emerged victorious. i couldn't have picked a better timing!

i was able to do one wash load this morning before i left for my volunteer work but didn't have the time to hang them dry. i left them to the husband who apparently has a few days off from work and just enjoying his vacation la balcono. when i came home this afternoon he told me there's only one dress left in the line as it was still damp. i found my dress hanging like this. i can't imagine how our laundry line must have looked like earlier. someone was obviously in a hurry to get back to his playstation. 

it's terrible, isn't it? but the worst thing is, i laughed out loud when i saw it. 

in conclusion to my strangely happy start of a week,  here's a picture of tom who never fails to make us smile and giggle on a daily basis. we'd be lost without him! 

have a lovely week everyone.

xx

update!

[at home, tom is the boss] 

i'm finally back working again albeit part-time. which is good because it means i still have time to pursue what i really want to do - taking photographs. i don't know how long it will take me until i feel good about my own photographs but i'll get there. someday. anyhoo, with jobs so difficult to find if not impossible at all with the current economic climate, i'm very happy to be working again. every little penny counts! 

we finished early today at work so i walked through St. Stephen's Green for a bit of peace in the midst of the noise of the city. and to people-watch.  i ended up watching these cheeky pigeons awaiting bits from someone's lunch. very entertaining i must say!

lovely carriage outside St. Stephen's Green. i spy a wool blanket on the seat!

walking towards my bus stop, a huge chalkboard along O'Connell Street caught my eye. i just saw it today and i spent a good while reading. i looked it up online soon as i got home and learned that it's an I AM AFRAID  project by meandhimandyou with ABSOLUT Fringe. 

here's what it's all about (from their website):

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Project Info
There is a feeling of fear and uncertainty in our country. As a result of the greed of a select few, the majority of the Irish public are afraid. They are afraid of losing their jobs, afraid of never finding a job, afraid of not being able to pay back loans, afraid their kids will have to emigrate, to name just a few. The Irish public face many challenges today, as a result there is an urgent need for radical change, new ideas, imagination and inspiration in Irish society. How much stronger would the city feel if everybody shouts their fears. Therapy on a city scale.

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true, true...couldn't agree more!

and for our final picture of the day:

have you tried blogging with a cat sitting on your lap, with his head resting on your left wrist as you type? this cat thinks my lap is his couch. unfortunately i tend to agree with him most of the time! O_o

i guess i need to order chinese now, the family is starving!

xx

not so random...

five weeks ago, i attended a short course at the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar. the course ran for 4 weeks, for a few hours every Saturday. each class usually has a maximum of 6 places, but there were only 3 of us in our batch, all girls.  one was a young Irish girl, the other a lovely Mexican girl and of course, i'm filipino. shows a lot the diversity of Dublin's society these days. we had the nicest teacher in the world too, and how he has opened the complex world of photoshop for me! i started out completely clueless about photoshop, and i'm quite proud i have finally grasped the basics of it. Masks and Layers scare me no more, thanks to JP.

i'm not so sure how it happened but after our first class, my Mexican classmate S and I walked out together from the gallery, wandered through the farmers market of Temple Bar, sat down in a coffee shop and talked over cups of espresso and cappuccino for three hours. if my phone hadn't beeped with a worried message from my husband why i'm not home yet, we wouldn't have realized how late it was.

we did exactly the same routine x 3 more saturdays. something about her that just clicked with me and vice versa, it's amazing! maybe it's our love for photography that connected us, maybe it's our cultural background both sprinkled with Spanish influence, or maybe it's because we're both foreigners here, i don't know. all i know is that our feelings for kinship is just so strong we decided to meet again last saturday, despite the class being finished already. we're meeting again of course, and collaborating even for a project. i am excited for the possibilities of the things we can craft together!

it's not everyday that you forge a friendship with someone who has exactly the same interests as you do, who inspires you and at the same time is so much fun to be with. no sir. that a special friendship was born over random talks of apertures and f-stops, adjustment layers and lightings...over mexico and the philippines, a smattering of spanish words and english translations, of love stories and friendships back home - my faith is renewed that the world is not so bad after all. 

here's another one who makes my world much, much sweeter...

{tom on my notebook pretending to blog}

have a fab week everyone! i'm off to volunteer work tomorrow and anticipating for a fantastic news when i get home. ta! xx

lomo love

{me & my favorite dress again + lomo smena}

film is still very much alive.

while i love my faithful digital Nikon, the old soul in me constantly longs for old school photography. with old, i just mean photography as they knew it in the last 50 years or so and not as old as this; a great article by the way about The Wonderful World of Early Photography from the archives of Neatorama. 

that said, the 35mm film camera i won on an auction in ebay indulged my guilty pleasures.

the following photographs were taken by my Lomo Smena last winter.

the excitement+anticipation building up as i slowly use my 36 exposures is just priceless.

recently, the husband got me a new toy through the wonderful (read: inexpensive) world of Lidl. a negative scanner! now i can just get my roll of film developed at the camera shop, dash home and scan them through my scanner. shallow i know, but happy days! ^_^

eats

when one lacks culinary skills (and patience), one makes do. strawberries, cream and...frozen pastry!

squidgy chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream. so yummy yet so simple to make anyone can do it, even me. recipe here.

and for working in front of the computer, i like it simple.

have a lovely sunday everyone. xx

trip to town

was in town today to meet with a friend and the sky was a gorgeous blue! the leaves have started falling too and the cooler breeze is telling me autumn is close by.

Trinity College Dublin

finding Bewley's Cafe in Grafton Street bursting at the seams as it was lunchtime, we turned off a lane at Johnson's Court and found this quaint barbershop along. the warm and friendly owner, having seen us taking pictures from outside welcomed us in. here's a video from vimeo of The Irish Barber:

The Irish Barber from Tiago Gil Batista on Vimeo.


on another note...

i love this book!

beautiful photography and writing by pia jane bijkerk.

hey

oh yes we do.
but we'll get to that later.

first, my recent favorite picture of me and my darling cat. nothing like a burst of sunshine after a rainy morning to dry your wool blanket outside + a fluffy cat following you around to make one's day.
poor thing, just one of the things he endures for us really.

have a great weekend!

xx