saranggola...

it is a sunday... i decided to go out with micah and head over to the park... when we reached the place, she suddenly got so giggly and started giving out excited laughter. the reason: the park was filled with colorful kites. some of the kids were running with it trying to make it airborne. vendors of kites were everywhere. families gathered together staring at their kites while it was fluttering and moving skyward. truly, it was a sight to behold. the park teeming with people on their afternoon walk interspersed with the colorful interplay of the lightweight material of the kites.

postscript: i still am wondering how to upload pictures without compromising quality.

glum -- in between laughter

i was at a friend's house for a get together before a friend leaves cambodia for good. i took it to myself to take photos. As the night wore on - out of nowhere - i asked mr e to take a photo of me -- one single shot and here it is...

aglow...

i discovered quadtones in one of my readings. sort of tried it on one of my photos and i liked it. it definitely will stay.

i took this photo during one of the gatherings amongst friends celebrating the birthday of bea. i saw micah playing gleefully with michelle with the light source coming from the open doorway and the light bouncing off the floor. this photo was originally taken in color and i decided to convert it to black and white and topped it off with a quadtone finish. the effect is truly amazing.

look who's here II... samapi sportsfest 2009

taking photos of people really gives me this certain sense of satisfaction that can't be compared when i take shots of scenery or other inanimate objects. i took another look of the file folder of the shots taken during the second sunday of the samapi sportsfest and decided to have another little compilation of fav shots.

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bayon temple, angkor

"Bayon Temple is the spectacular central temple of the ancient city of Angkor Thom, which is located just to the north of the famous Angkor Wat in Angkor, Cambodia.

Angkor Thom was built as a square, the sides of which run exactly north to south and east to west. Standing in the exact center of the walled city, Bayon Temple represents the intersection of heaven and earth. Built around 1190 AD by King Jayavarman VII, Bayon is a budhhist temple but it incorporates elements of Hindu cosmology.

Bayon is known for its huge stone faces of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, with one facing outward and keeping watch at each compass point. The curious smiling image, thought by many to be a portrait of Jayavarman himself, has been dubbed by some the "Mona Lisa of Southeast Asia." There are 51 smaller towers surrounding Bayon, each with four faces of its own."

...this temple is one of my favorite in the angkor temple complex. ...notice the woman in white seated at the left corner of one of the photos - it shows how massive the temple is... micah was ten months old then when this photo was taken.

source of info: sacred destinations

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ta prohm temple, angkor

"...Ta Prohm reminds us of the awesome fecundity and power of the jungle."

"Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD. Originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), it was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII. It was described in one of the inscriptions that around 80,000 workers (including 2700 officials and 615 dancers) built this temple.

Great trees tower above Ta Prohm. The vines cleaved massive stones in two and spread over the top of temple ramparts especially at the strangulating root formation on the inside of the easternmost gopura (entrance pavilion). "Tomb Raider tree" (Lara Croft was filmed here) in the central sanctuary, where Angelina Jolie picked a jasmine flower and was sucked beneath the earth.

Visitors are no longer allowed to climb the 39 towers and corridors are impassable ...that's me underneath that massive tree.

source of info: sacred destinations / lonely planet

look who's here... samapi sportsfest...

one of the joys attending an event is that it gives me an immense opportunity to capture facial expressions of people. i enjoy taking photos of 'persons' more than inanimate subjects. these photos were taken during the 2009 samapi sporting event in cambodia.

micah at samapi sportsfest...

...sat beside me, pulled my camera, poked at the lens leaving smudges, ran after the tournament ball, asked for water and be carried, cried a bit here and there as she was being noticed by friends, smiles and kisses, a giggle and a grin... largely, she had fun at the sportfest...

unexpected subject on a sportsfest...

all i was thinking when a friend informed me of the samapi sportsfest was to take photos of the pure energy of the players and, of course, the jeering (cheering) crowd but surprisingly got more of what i expected.

we arrived at the place still devoid of the players and organizers. i set up my gear and placed myself strategically located facing the gate of the venue (a school at the corner of sihanouk and monivong street) where i could see participants - players and non-players - arriving. i took this opportunity to take shots. thanks to my fast trigger reflexes, i captured these... using my 300 mm tele...

miss samar at angkor wat temple complex

it took a while before i was able to post these photos but am sure glad i finally did. these photos were taken six months ago on her second visit to cambodia. what a sport (thanks ga), i am so glad that she conceded with my request of her playing along with my camera. as we were going through temples after temples, it sure is good to have a little fun time. here are the shots.

she was crowned miss samar 1988.

night out in phnom penh...

after seeing these 'shrines' countless of times for the past four years, it has long since been a plan... to go around phnom penh at night time and take shots of the different sites. together with a friend, hired a tuktuk and finally did it. here they are...