How do you expect kids to listen to their parents when
Tarzan lives half naked,
Cinderella comes home at midnight,
Pinocchio lies all the time,
Aladdin is the king of thieves,
Batman drives at 200 mph,
Sleeping Beauty is lazy,
and Snow White lives with 7 guys.
We shouldn't be surprised when kids misbehave,
they get it from their story book!
- Copied from somewhere in the net
Mike is my photography mentor. And aside from being his lens-swapping and often-complaining number two camera, I am also his number one fan, inspiration, critic, model, and partner.
I may not follow everything he says, but I listen:
"Your hand will shake so always use the tripod when you shoot macro. It's not the expensive gadget that would make the difference, it's the eye. I should first know and imagine the picture I want to make, then I shoot it. We must start investing in filters. I want to be a good landscape photographer - I want to be better than George Tapan. Let us target one big photo vacation every year. It's time to upgrade our tripods. Remember we are not doing this for the money. Avoid over-saturated colors. I can make an ordinary picture great. What you just need is confidence. Babe, what do you think of this shot?"
I tell him.
Mike's exceptional works in his Flickr page
Mike's photo here : Cebu Sinulog 2010, this girl
Once, some few years back, somebody commented that with the way I carry myself, the way I go headlong into what I do and the attention I am getting from people (yes, especially from the opposite sex) - if I were in the Bible I would be Mary Magdalene.
If that comment was warranted, it's not for me to say. But Mary Magdalene.
That she was a bad woman is the misconception that I grew up with. Maybe because the statues in churches depicting her are garbed with a red long dress adorned with jewels, with long curly red hair and sometimes even wearing a pair of gaudy dangling earrings which must be donated by a well-meaning lady of the parish. This of course is a major contradiction to the gentle blue-and-white gowned statues of Mary, Mother of God.
Well, in an interesting way I like being Mary Magdalene. I think that with the various theories and discussions regarding her so-called secrets and the debates on her character assassination in the holy book, I would like to think that if indeed I were in those times, I would work and study hard as Mary Magdalene did so she will be one of the learned disciples, compared to those who didn't have a whit of what they were actually doing as they follow this man who claimed to save the nations.
Oh yes. The demons and the sin worthy of wearing the scarlet letter. Well she was healed by no less than Christ himself and if ever the reputation was true, she was the most famous of all those who were repentant. Not bad enough.
Now that I am a grown woman, I would want to pay my respects to Mary Magdalene. She anointed Jesus. She was at the foot of the cross as he was dying, which is much to say since the male apostles were nowhere to be seen because of fear. And the best gift of all, which others fail to see as the most important part in the Bible because of blinding prejudice - she was the one who tended Jesus in the tomb and in so doing, was the first person to discover that Jesus has resurrected. He appeared to her first! Top that!
More importantly, to all the women like me who love their careers, Mary Magdalene's major work started where Jesus' had ended. She rounded up the followers during their lowest point and it was her word - and I bet she had the best of public speaking skills and the strongest convincing powers - that made them realize and accept that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead as he has promised and that they need to continue to spread his message.
Yes, the lady has a very colorful curriculum vitae. I don't mind being her at all. A girl like that.
Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Feast Day: July 22
Considering everything, she is my rightful role model.
With her wit and wisdom, she has an answer and the matching philosophy to all my worries and concerns.
On my looks, or lack thereof: "For the glamorous look, choose plain-looking dining companions."
On my being so ordinary: "I am a pig, and as a pig, I have always stood out."
On my lack of culinary skills: "It is often said that cooking is an art, but I have had very few meals that I would hang on my wall."
On my fascination with fashion: "What if you were in Florida without your furs and there is a very quick little ice age?"
On my career that's going nowhere: "I am waiting for a really strong and meaningful female pig role."
On my MBA education: "Many people have been to schools where they were taught useful phrases, how much to charge and - most important - what to wear."
On my being a half of a couple: "Your future together holds such promise. Why ruin it by telling him your plans?"
On my diet: "Never eat more than you can lift."
On my wardrobe: "You cannot have too many gowns any more than you can have too many invitations to parties to wear them."
On my plan to go beyond blogging: "I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate writing attire and color-coordinated pen."
