Day 2 of 365

01.02.12

A few days ago I got into the groove of cleaning for the new year. In the midst of Lawrence's annoyance with my superstition I found solace in finding an old Vivitar camera a friend gave (I'm sorry, loaned "indefinitely") to us. The last time I had my hands on an SLR was in high school learning about film photography and developing my own photos in the darkroom. So with this little find I found sweet digression: fidget, tested and eventually came about to my New Year's resolution, geezzzz! I'm sorry again, I meant New Year's goals because according to Lawrence (his exact words): "I don't have New Year's resolution, I don't believe in them...I believe in setting goals." WOW. At this moment I felt like I just stepped out of an Anthony Robbins speaking engagement. So here's our New Years' goals:

Take the helm in our health: we felt like we weren't as healthy as we should have been last year so this year it's all about gym, juicing, decreased animal intake (this is going to be VERY hard) and spend time with family and friends (yeessss you guys are a part of our health).

Get in the water & get on the mountain: me and Lawrence are big on hiking and backpacking and as of December last year we are now certified open water divers so this year we are getting in the water and getting on the mountain as much as our free time can squeeze in.

Modern Lightbox Photography: just because I typed this last doesn't mean it's last on my list. Our business has given us so much more than we could have asked for last year. We reconnected with friends as well as made new ones. This year we are going to kick it up 10 notches by focusing and investing time and creativity on Modern Lightbox. All this made possible by ALL OF YOU. Cheers to a fantastic 2012!

Ahhh, the holiday season. Brings out the Tazmanian Devil a.k.a "Taz" in me. Eating everything in sight and even after all that eating, eating some more. So here's hoping that Lawrence will be able to roll my comfy self into the car after a fun day (and night) of binge eating with family and friends.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas filled with good food, great conversations, great company and memories to last a lifetime.

Cool Stuff

12.18.11

Yesterday after our dive, one of our dive buddies introduced me and Lawrence to this quaint coffee shop in Redondo Beach. All we can say is thank you because after a taste of their cappuccino we knew we would keep coming back to this place. And so today we did.

Let me give you a little premise about this post: our dive (our first beach dive) consisted of a California sea lion play "biting" on my fins. My girlish reaction kicked in and I get freaked out a bit. Anyway, my cousin hears of this incident and says that he admires (or was it envies?) how despite school and our beloved photography business I have free time to do "all this cool stuff" (his words). I read this over breakfast and 2 cups of cappuccino with the husband this morning.

I try to make the most out of life: every minute spent doing what me and Lawrence both love to do is something I feel so blessed with. The fact that me and Lawrence can share and enjoy certain hobbies is actually a blessing in itself. So while there are the big moments and even the small ones that grace our lives, be it taking an after dinner stroll along the block, movie nights or sitting in coffee shops having breakfast over great conversations, I think we're in a very good position to say that whatever we do...it's all cool stuff because it makes us happy and appreciative of life.

Things you may be interested in:

Happy Birthday Mom!

11.10.11

Today is a very special day. My mother is celebrating her ___th birthday! Knowing my mom, I can put a number on that line and she wouldn't mind. She's always been so confident and proud that way; nothing to hide, what you see is what you get. She also probably wouldn't be able to read this until she gets home from work. To her it's just another birthday but to me, it's a realization that although she's getting much wiser and prettier, she's also getting older. That is a beautiful thing in life. So let me tell you a bit about my mother:

She's a wonderful cook. She can "whip" something from scratch just by glancing at what's in the fridge. A task still very much a challenge to me.

Everyday without fail from the second I set foot in pre-school to the moment I received my college diploma she always asked: "How was your day?", "How was school?" Never failing to say, never expecting more than nods, "Ok's" or "It was good." At times (many times) her words are as assuring as a compass. A marker to let me know that everything will be alright, a sign that I'm home.

She bears more strength than any man I know or any man combined. She raised me, from the moment she began labor (mid-laughter) on that beautiful hot Fall night to this day, I have not seen anyone with that strength, courage, conviction, kindness and humility.

She's got a viciously contagious laughter that fills the room with warmth.

She'll give you her last piece of pie (even though she really, really wants it).

She'll take for nothing and give everything. All my life she's always given, given me so much more than what I could ask for or expect.

No longer the little girl I once was I made a pledge to myself that the closeness I had with my mother will only strengthen through time. I spend time with her as much as I can and try to call her everyday to see how she's doing, how her day went. "I love you's" are never overused and "Have an amazing day" is just icing on the cake. I've had and continue to have an amazing life because of my mother and everyday I'm filled with gratitude in my prayers. She's always wanted ONE thing for me and that was to be happy. Happy birthday momma! I love you for who you are and I'm so proud of everything that is in me...that is you.

Lahat nang pagpapakasakit mo sa buhay para sa akin...salamat sa lahat at hindi ko makakalimutan. Ikaw ang aking ilaw magbuhat noong bata pa ako at ngayon. Magandang kaarawan sa mahal kong ina.

***Since she's working tonight, me and Lawrence are surprising her at work with tokens of sweets and nothing but goodness

Love in Connecticut

10.14.11

We were hustling and bustling with excitement when we got a chance to attend our cousin Susie's wedding in Connecticut. What's even more exciting was that her wedding day was our anniversary! Since we were going to be at a wedding we celebrated our anniversary the day before in New York City. But this didn't mean that we were not about to party it out on Oct the 8th. We had so much fun catching up with family, eating wonderful food, drinking wine, exchanging pleasantries with Susie and Joe's friends and just having an awesomely good time. Susie and Joe got married on the Wadsworth Mansion on a hot BUT cool October day. Much love and happiness to Susie and Joe!

Things you may be interested in:

Fun on the Brooklyn Bridge

10.13.11

Ringing in a very late Autumn on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Love Stirred

"There is no us until we understand we
And I understand you and you understand me
Whether I'm from Mars and you from Venus
Let's sit on a pear and dip our feet in the sea
And agree that sometimes we disagree ya see

Love, it ain't absolute we know how we do
So the question is moved to the strength of the brew
The power of our kiss is how we get stirred
Love is when the line between me and you gets blurred
And the coffee tastes just right

The perfect amount of sugar and cream
How I like my coffee? Light brown
You know what I mean?
I hear a deep brown voice speaking softly saying
Let's make our coffee sweet and us

Got love like sleeping late on Saturdays
Like slipping into old slippers on Sunday Morning
We got love like French toast and Mondays off
All I need is promises you can keep
I don't need nothing deep

All the fancy things I can give myself

We be all we need, like, like coffee
I hear a deep brown voice speaking softly
Saying, "Don't ever leave"."

- Koffee Brown (Mars/Venus Interlude)

Weakness

"Fashions fade, style is eternal."

- Yves Saint Laurent

Happy World Photography Day!

Happy Friday & Happy World Photography Day! So this is NOTHING like the usual Modern Lightbox work BUT I love Wall-e. Probably love the toy Wall-e a lot more than the actual film because I can take him anywhere. Before going into wedding photography me and Lawrence got creative on the use of Wall-e. So with the help of my dear assistant and husband (he turned off the lights at my que) to achieve this photo, I give you Wall-e "summoning light". I had this up on my old Flickr account so this is very nostalgic as well.

On his fingers...

Close-Up

Had the opportunity to pow wow with one of our couple's who'll be getting married this weekend. We also had the opportunity to meet the flower girl. She is so adorable. Very shy at first but after a few minutes of warming up to her, that shyness quickly disappeared. She came in and out of the house with her clinking ankle bracelets so we knew when she was getting near. Before me, Lawrence and our couple (Chris & Srey) left the house, she wanted to show me this cute little magnet. You'll be hearing (and seeing) more of Judy. A lot of excitement going on this weekend and definitely excited about Chris and Srey finally tying the knot. So happy Monday to all of you courtesy of Judy and her magnet!

"Earth's crammed with heaven."

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In light of this past 4th of July's backpacking trip the creative bug bit as I was taking shade from the 95 degree sun. Lawrence was wearing his ring and although I don't usually wear mine while backpacking/hiking, I had it on. Found a pine cone near by and took this shot. Loving every married moment of our life.

Sierra Nevada: Big Pine Lakes

We were off this July 4th weekend on a backpacking trip to the Sierra Nevada's. Me and Lawrence just love the outdoor. There's nothing more relaxing waking up to and sleeping out in the backcountry. You truly are able to appreciate the grandeur that nature has to offer and at the same time be humbled with its vastness and sometimes unforgiving moments. We told ourselves before that we were going to be ultra-light backpackers but I guess it didn't happen this time. What did end up happening was lugging a round 25lbs/each on our backs through 6.5 miles in and 3,500 ft of elevation gain. That also means another 6.5 out. Yikes! Ohh and I almost forgot to mention that we were lucky enough to have brought insect repellant because those summer mosquitos were just relentless. I'd like to think they worked but coming back home, me and Lawrence both had a delayed reaction and eventually started to feel the wrath of their bites. In the end, it was all worth it. Would we do it again this time around next year? Absolutely.

A Note

July is going to be a very busy month. Work, fun, play-so many possibilities! Being the person that I am, I started cleaning out a wooden box which Lawrence kept everything and anything I gave him during the years we were dating (I'm talkin' high school folks!). Found 2 cards which I'm glad he kept. One was simple and the other long in words so here's the simple one. By the way, it's 4th of July weekend, I'm sure you guys have plans?! Have a great 4th everyone!

It's countdown to a July wedding we're doing. Nervous and excited at the same time, well...more excited. Came across this quote last night and thought I'd share. Loving life at the moment, every moment of each day. Have a great weekend everyone!

It's been gloomy around the neighborhood so Lawrence and I decided to make the most out of a chilly weather by visiting Downtown El Segundo. We stopped by a local coffee shop Blue Butterfly Coffee Co. and this awesome spoon caught my eye! All I can say is...we definitely agree.

Friends, Fun & Style on a Hill

Me and Lawrence attended our friend's wedding at The Castaway in Burbank, CA. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. It's been a bit chilly here in Southern California but yesterday was an exception. So much fun to be had and we were all very opportunistic about it. Here are a few photos from the pre-ceremony fun. I call this style since the gentlemen looked sharped in their suits and the ladies looked even SHARPER in their dresses.

Cookies, Cupcakes, Candy, CURE!

This past weekend we attended a friend's fundraiser event for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Our friend is a breast cancer survivor and every year she holds an event to raise funds to find the cure. The event theme was "Desserts and Martinis" and ohh boy was the set-up absolutely gorgeous! Armed with martinis and desserts we all tackled the scorching sun. What better way to document the event than sharing with you all beautiful eye candy (pun intended). Go pink!