Time to revive this blog. This will be my temporary web site where I’ll post photos as well as thoughts on other things. Please stay tuned.
On Human Respect
“Do I allow myself to be dominated by human respect?” – one of the questions asked in the examination of conscience. Sounds odd especially when we go back to the fact that respect is one of the virtues that is mentioned over and over again in just about any situation in the contemporary world. Thus the question: what exactly is meant by human respect? The word “hiya” in Filipino comes close to pointing out the meaning of the term human respect. A form of the word hiya is the adjective “mahiyain” which means shy, meek & timid. As a noun, hiya can be translated as shame. Putting things into context, what the question really asks is this: “Am I letting shame determine my actions?” Taken further, “Do I stop myself from doing good deeds because I am ashamed by them?” When we think of confession, we usually think about the wrong things that we’ve done. The purpose of this question about human respect is to help us think about those times when we could/should have done something good but we opted not to, simply because we were concerned about being judged by others or being put on the spot especially if the act in question is an unpopular one. This same question can also be used to reflect on our own circumstances and situations – are we more concerned about the approval of others than the (intrinsic) moral value of an act? Understandably, there will be practical consequences which may weigh in on the matter, but these should not divert our attention from the core issue. This does not mean that we should just totally disregard the phenomenon of shame and the care of others. They must be taken into consideration, but they should not be the deciding factor on whether we should do something or not. Human respect is valid and important, but, we should not allow it to rule over us. There will be times when we will have to make very difficult decisions, sometimes at the risk of putting ourselves at odds with others, but all for the sake of what is good. When there is a conflict of values, it is always best to choose the higher value.
On a personal note, the above question has been a bit of an eye-opener. I have a good number of questions, thoughts, ideas and reflections brewing within but I would rather keep them to myself (even if they do seem to be worthy of sharing). Why? I’ve said that I’m exhausted, not in the mood, too many “other” things to do, they’re not important, nobody cares, etc. Upon further examination, the above question led me to the real reason: I was thinking too much about the negative reaction of others – I did not want to be judged in a manner which I did not like…but it was really me judging my audience. So after getting into a slump, hearing words of encouragement from my wife, and some thinking about today’s feast day and gospel, here is the first essay in (what I hope to be) a series. This is badly written on purpose (to show a personal struggle of expressing ideas in words), but it still serves as a warm up for other things to come.
To summarize, here’s the twitter version:
Don’t let shame prevent you from doing what is truly right and good.
Reverb’s Jazz Workshop
Some photos from Reverb’s Jazz Workshop this afternoon. Enjoy!
Ray and Karen Get Married
Ray Serion and Karen Ong are the people behind HAPADOG – the japanese hotdog place over at Alabang Town Center. They got married yesterday, January 2, 2013 and I was fortunate enough to have witnessed the event. I knew that it was going to be one big and beautiful wedding so I decided to take the opportunity to take some photos while I was at it. After the whole ceremony, there’s the traditional petal shower as the couple walks outside the church and this time around, they had balloons too. Being a guest, I opted to stay far back so I won’t get in the way of the photo/video team as they do their work. I opted to use the Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM lens but ran into some problems because people would stand in front of me or their balloons would block my view. Even if I stood on the gutter to gain some height, there wasn’t much I could do if somebody got in the way. Fortunately, they kissed a few times and I was able to capture this moment just as they ended their kisses. You could see the passion and joy in their faces even after all that kissing. So congratulations and best wishes to Ray and Karen as they begin their journey as husband and wife.
Dessert by Bizu
I attended the wedding of Ray Serion and Karen Ong last night and it was a huge and beautiful wedding. While the event was pretty massive, tiny little details were attended with great attention by the couple and the team who put everything together. One of the highlights of the reception was the dessert station and here are some photos of what was available for the guests that evening. Enjoy!
Cheers to 2013
These are leftover beers from the last Beer Jelly held at Briggy Hall. On the left is an Espresso Stout and on the right is the Winter Solstice. Not exactly my favorites but it’s not such a bad idea to welcome the new year with good cheers over a couple of beers. Happy New Year!
People Photos
People are always an interesting subject to take photos of and this post is all about their photos. My professional work has blessed me with many friends and I always appreciate their presence and company. At the same time, I’ve also been blessed with opportunities to capture a moment of their life and preserve it in a photo. These are just some of the photos of people I’ve taken through the years and as far as photography goes, neither is there a single theme nor style present in all of them. Perhaps I could simply refer to these as snapshots of people that I’ve encountered during those times that I had my camera along with me. While I was digging through my files to pick out my favorites, I was reminded of the events which took place during the time that these photos were taken. People photography may be challenging but also very much rewarding.
2012 Hot Air Balloon Festival
This is Daisy, the happy hot air balloon. The yearly hot air balloon festival gets bigger and bigger. They dubbed it “the weekend of everything that flies” and it’s always a fun day for everyone. For events like these, a long lens really comes in handy. A 70-200 or longer lens (prime or zoom) is a nice companion to have to get better shots. For the budget conscious, both Canon and Nikon offer consumer grade 55-200/250/300 lenses with IS/VR for their APS-C DSLRs and they deliver pretty good results too. We drove out early in the morning to make it in time for the balloon flying but didn’t stay around for too long.
Hiraya’s Christening
Last September of 2012, I was asked by a friend to take photos of her niece’s Christening. Hiraya, the child, was baptised at Christ the King Parish in Greenmeadows Avenue. It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon with occasional rainshowers. It was a bit dark at the baptistry but fortunately the video team brought some lighting equipment to brighten things up. A child’s Christening is a significant day for the child and the family because it marks the child’s entry into the Christian world. In a certain way, it also sets out the path which the child will take as he/she grows up. The family and the community are there to guide the child as he/she takes on this journey.
Christmas Figures
Christmas figures also make for good subjects to photograph and I found these two on top of the piano at home. I decided to give them a wipe and put them on a table by the window for a quick snap and this is the result after a little post-processing in Lightroom. Anyhow, Merry Christmas!
Dean Mejos 