10 years ago I fell madly in love.

today i’ve buried the remains.

I’m free. again.

truly free.

Sometimes we clearly see what the message is and feel almost as if enlightened by what this person brought to us.

And sometimes, people might show us something that tempt us away from whatever is present in our lives. Some people might interpret it as a test. But I believe it is meant to bring us awareness. It’s not a test in the sense that we must overcome that temptation at all costs. Kinda like “The Devil is tempting you”, no.

We need to understand why we were tempted in the first place. Maybe that tells us that something isn’t quite right in our lives the way we thought it was, or we wouldn’t even be tempted by it. It is a moment to realize where we stand and if we truly are where we wish to be. Or, did we take a detour, got lost along the way and forgot about it because we simply got comfortable where we are now?

Some people come into our lives to wake us up, by showing us something that we were aiming for, or something that we want or need and is currently missing but never fully realized it. It doesn’t necessarily mean that this person is the one holding our answers or the one that will lead us to the right path. You might never even see them again.

You choose what path to take. You might conclude that, all things considered, you prefer to stay in your current situation than to risk leaving it to pursue something else.

Just make sure you don’t seattle for less than you deserve because you’re comfortable. I believe situations occur to push and remind us of the direction we want to be heading for. It can dig up a need you ignored and push you into giving it the thought it deserves.

You discover yourself and keep on evolving!

Ignoring such triggers can cost us precious time. I know that it cost me!

WTF?! When harassed, who doesn’t just love to hear this gem from someone close to them: “Maybe you did something to provoke it.”?!

NO! FUCK NO! Do I really need to shout out loud how wrong this is?! Really? The sad thing is, this is more common than we ‘d like to admit.

The sick mentality that the vagina is always the one to blame MUST END! Vaginas don’t need to provoke to be harassed or victimized!!

If a woman’s to blame for being harassed on the way she looks, well then, why don’t we implement the mandatory use of burkas as well?! NO! because that doesn’t solve the damn problem!

Why not?! Because it’s not a woman’s fault if someone can’t control themselves!

“The vagina made me do it!”, cause you know, women have that hypnotic power that cause men to do whatever she wants, including raping and brutalizing her! Of course! It’s every girl dream! Isn’t it??

If a guy has his shirt off and a girl is all over him she’s the slut. If a girl

Mainstream seems to in some sort of way to idolize men-whores, “oh he’s such a stud” or “oh, he’s such a MAN” (ew)! Girls, are just depreciative sluts and whores. WHY?! Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this?? Either we call everyone a dirty whore, woman or man, or we admire and swoon over all of them regardless of gender. Am I the only one to think this is fair?

How can people fight for equality and still judge based on these archaic standards?!

I’m revolted.

(credit: photo by weglet)

Courage to live.

Courage to speak.

Courage to fight.

- Women need to be the first to fight for themselves and each other!

Why are we so quick to blame the mistress?
Why are women so quick to blame themselves?
Why are we so quick use the word slut or bitch?

Why do we blame it on the victim?
- No matter the circumstances, nothing justifies violence of any sort.

Why are we so quick to accept things like: “Women are manipulative”?
- That’s wrong! People are manipulative, not just women.

- Men are responsible for them selves and for the choices they make. They aren’t children!

Why must women be perfect? Why are women demanded perfection?
Why can’t women be forgiven by their flaws as much as men are?

Why must women sacrifice themselves?

Why can’t women choose?

Why must women must be a certain way to be accepted?

Why do we still live by such old/archaic notion of gender?

Enough!

Supposedly this is art. It was an assignment for college.

Illustration in photoshop. College assignment: make a new cd cover for an album at our own choice.

People we feel we can let our guard down without fear of being taken advantage of.

People who stand by us no matter what, even when they don’t understand it.

Friends so similar to us that are a part of us already. People who seem like an extension of ourselves.

Those who make us who we are, because we can be who we truly are with them.

Those who show themselves to us. And those to whom we represent the same.

The people that put a genuine smile on our faces.

There’re no walls between us. We hide behind no mask.

Our souls are wide open, desperate to connect.

We get to know each others’ core.

We build a bridge between us.

It takes courage to show vulnerability, even though it’s usually accidental.

It takes strength to, when in need, reach out to others.

so long nice to know that you
once were a major part of me
love comes and ruins everyone
so whats so whats the point of it all
nothing stays forever
we try to keep it together
until we fall apart again

Song by Moving Units, Pink Thoughts; Album: Hexes for Exes (2007).

This summer was quite the photographic discovery within a social environment for me. I’ve been getting in touch with analog photography and I was more socially active than usual.

It started with a Fujifilm waterproof disposable camera. I was going to the beach with some friends and I’ve always been curious to try some underwater shots. So a disposable camera was the best thing to experiment with it.

I feel in love with the 35mm and I love the effects of waterproof shots as well. Too bad I only started halfway through summer, not having that many days left to shoot more of it.

With a analog camera around people don’t have the chance to get all obsessed about how that frame turned out (eg. if their face looks weird or something alike). And I think that created a much more relaxed mood when the camera was being used. Then there’s the wondering how all the frames turned out and a certain eagerness to finally see the results. And it’s always a nice get together to have everyone see it!

Sure, digital is convenient and cheaper as you don’t need to pay for film and development. But I believe that takes away a bit of a thrill. Don’t get me wrong I love digital as well. But for different things. Always carrying a nicely sized digital camera everywhere we go is great. We never know what we might encounter and there’s always moments when we wish we had a camera around. It’s great to check the results of your experiments and works right away, and of course provided you with much more control.

But being out with friends, I think analog beats digital any day! I guess the element of surprise has been undervalued.

I must confess, I’m all crazy with playing with film right now, so maybe I’m a bit biased.

I’m still waiting on two 120 rolls to be developed, and I’m expecting a bunch of rolls, of both 120 and 35mm, to arrive from lomography.com, along with a 35mm back adapter for the Diana F+. With it I can use both films. Because I love the classic 120 format, but the excitement of having your roll done in one hour after being dropped at the store is simply addictive!

Anyway, I’ve updated the photography section. Reorganized the old stuff and added new photos in the instant film and 35mm film. So check it out now!