Thursday, July 31, 2008

happy-go-lucky

i'm on a lucky streak, i tell ya! 

  • went to Morongo Casino for my birthday for a little Rest and Relaxation, and won 2 nights in a row on the penny slots!
  • a lady at Morongo gave me 35 cents (she said she didn't want it); i played it on the 5 cent slot, spun 3 times, and made $200!
  • got lost on the way back to L.A. (don't ask) only to find out that we missed a major car accident on the freeway we missed
  • received three wedding inquiries in a row (one after the other, in one day); 3 is my lucky number!
  • lost 3 lbs. this week!
  • brother found $5 on flying past him, and swears that it's due to my string of good luck
i'm sure there's more, but i can't remember. i think my luck will still run till the end of my birthday weekend. stay posted!!!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

it's my birthday! i'm 36 yrs. YOUNG!









this is the cake my loving hubby had made for me for my birthday! let me tell you the background to this story.


i have been hearing about this cake for DAYS. i have never seen this man get so excited about a cake before. this cake has been the anticipation of the week. he's been sneaking out of the house for 2 days, secret phone call conversations, EVEN the neighbors were invited to just VIEW the cake (not eat, VIEW) the night before my birthday. i was instructed not to peek, and look at the cake until my birthday.

so of course, this morning, i was excited to see my surprise. and i love it. it's beautiful. it has purple in it (which always reminds me of my youth....i was a purple-a-aholic....hey! it was the 80's). and i love it because it says...."darling wife." he's learning, folks....

but seriously, i love my cake. and johnny says we owe it all to Christine's Creations. thank you for my wonderful chocolate, white fondant cake! she does custom orders, so if you need a custom cake for that special "darling," let me know. i'll pass on her info to you! 

thank you,  johnny, for my wonderful cake surprise!


Friday, July 25, 2008

sideways grin


sideways grin, originally uploaded by Master Foto G.

my style of photography is to capture images or moments that tell a story. or at least provoke an interest to what the story may be about.

since it's summer, and i just came back from a summer hawaiian festival, called Ho'olaule'a (annual hawaiian fest w/ music, food and booths), i would like to post one of my favorite pix of the summer, so far (because it's still not over yet!) i love this picture because it displays what my style of photography is. capturing true, real moments.


i took this picture with my 200mm lens, and i don't know how many feet i was away from the stage, but it was pretty far. if anyone has watched polynesian dancing, you know that when the troupe or dance studio, or halau, performs, they're in unison, and uniformity. here, you see this dancer, out of "line," to present this beautiful grin. to me, this shows the spirit of performing, especially polynesian dancing, and really enjoying what you're doing.

the art of photography is seen in the interpretation and perspective of the viewer. to me, not only do i see someone who is having fun, but also the embodiment of the spirit of aloha.

that's what i hope our clients feel when we provide photography services for them, via my photography, our service, our personality and attention to our clients.... our aloha.

Monday, July 21, 2008

some more pix from Ho'olaule'a (Alondra Park)

i bought one of these. wearing right now! i love wearing flowers in my hair. it always puts me in an extra carefree mood!


here are more pictures that remind me of summer.


summertime

summer always reminds me of going to the park, bbqs, plate lunches, kids playing and running around in slippers, uncles jamming music, and aunties "talking story." going to the annual Alondra Park Ho'olaule'a reminds me of just that.  johnny and i just came back from the event, and even though it was hot, we had a great time, just being there. there is live music and entertainment from different hula studios, or halaus, and plenty of food and booths to visit. going to the different booths reminds us of going to the Aloha Stadium swap meet in Oahu, Hawai'i, perusing through the aloha gear and crafts that remind you of "back home." my dad was born and raised in Oahu, one of the islands of Hawai'i. even though i am filipino, my brothers and i were raised with 2 traditions, filipino and hawaiian influences. so hawai'i, because it holds great significant to my childhood and culture, is considered, "back home," to me. 


we visited the Sassy Sister Crafts booth. cutest craftiest gifts! they were so kind to custom design a basket o' goodies for a client of ours. check out their blog! they're so creative and if you want to experience the "spirit of aloha," they definitely bring that spirit to their business and the customer.

another great find was the Little Dragon Girls booth. i love the concept. it's my latest rave! the concept of the clothing line is to promote confidence and pride in one's self, one's culture: the belief that there's a "little dragon" in all girls. that's a great message to give to all little and young girls. tapping into our "dragon" or that fiery side inside of all of us, BEING and LOVING your SELF, leads to bigger, better, brighter opportunities, success, as well as happiness and joy. check out their site. i guarantee you'll love the designs for that "little dragon" girl in your life! below are a sample of some of the cute clothing they have!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

movie review: hancock


here are my movie reviews of the week!



i watched 2 movies: Hancock, starring Will Smith, and Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie.




Hancock is about a homeless superhero, who lives in Los Angeles. he is a reluctant, irresponsible hero, who meets up with a publicity relations guy, played by Jason Bateman, and sets out to clean up his image and mold him into the superhero that he was meant to be. at first, i wasn't motivated to watch this, BUT i do love superhero movies, and i heard there was a twist to it, and i love twists. unfortunately, i figured out the twist within 20 minutes of the movie. and...kinda fell asleep on the slow parts. i didn't miss much, because i figured out the twist (and you will too), and confirmed it w/ the hubby afterwards. the special effects were cool, there were some parts that were humorous and Smith is believable as a homeless superhero dude. Los Angeles needs a hero like Hancock! Bateman did a great job, too. but i found Charlize Theron, who i really like as an actress, very dry and not believable. she is a supporting actress, but i felt like her role blended in the background, even though her character is very important to the story (she plays Bateman's wife). i don't think this was a huge blockbuster hit, especially knowing that it's going up against the other action films, like The Mummy, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Incredible Hulk. so i'm going to have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars.



Wanted, on the other hand, i loved! when i go to an action film, i expect it to be action-packed all the way through. i think the story was interesting, as well, and you could say that it is a sort of superhero/fantasy flick. imagine being able to curve a bullet with your mind, and have the agility, strength, and skill to kick some butt! Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman play special assassins who bring balance to the world by receiving assignments from a "loom" (think greek mythology, with the 3 sisters of fate) that instructs who needs to be killed to achieve this balance. James McAvoy plays the rookie, who receives training from Jolie, Freeman, and other sorted characters. Jolie plays her typical Lara Croft/Mrs. Smith-esque character. no surprises there. Freeman is always stellar. McAvoy was believable as playing the EveryMan/Ordinary Joe, the guy in the cubicle that hates their life and wanting to do/be something else. i liked the action, and there's quite a bit of violence (yeah, assasination and torture...not my mother's movie). but it's so entertaining, i didn't want it to end. 5 out of 5 stars.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

baby shower centerpieces


these are so cute! lil' booties. they act as a centerpiece, and then, use the booties later. also comes in a vase that you can use! now that's my kind of gift! cute, practical, and reusable! 


for more info, email celina from Pampered Sweets: myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

Sunday, July 13, 2008

pampered sweets: another hit!





celina from Pampered Sweets came through again. this past weekend, i was in charge of planning and leading the games for my cousin's baby shower. so i thought it would be nice to have some spa cakes and cake rolls made for the winners. each of the cakes above (top 4 pix) have a towel, bath gel/lotion, and/or loofah inside them. so you can enjoy them as a display in your bathroom, or pamper yourself and have a mini spa day. 


the diaper cake (bottom pic) is the one i had personalized for my cousin, mel. i wanted an asian-inspired theme cake, one that i have not seen before. because at the time, we didn't know what the sex of the baby was, we opted for neutral colors, yellow and green. it makes for a great centerpiece. it's funny because i overheard someone say, "wow! nice cake!....oh, it's not a cake after all!" as they tried to swipe some icing. this is what is inside this "cake."

1 green carters onesie 
1 bottle
1 green carters receiving blanket
1 Gerber pacifier
1 travel J&J shampoo
1 travel J&J lotion
1 travel J&J powder
1 teething gel
1 travel pamper wipes
1 sample Gerber baby wash
1 disposable huggies washcloth
1 sample huggies lotion
1 sample dreft baby laundry detergent

i would have posted this sooner, but i wanted it to be a surprise. can you believe that 3 tiered diaper cake held up for a whole month!!!! it is very well-made, and you would think, especially diapers, it would fall apart! that's what i like about her products. they are made well, not sloppy or cluttered like others i have seen, but clean and simple looking. 

i will post more pix of other cute baby centerpieces/gifts she makes. they're so adorable!

if you want more info on these personalized, one of a kind creations (because she makes them by order, none of them are pre-made), email her at myislandgirls@sbcglobal.net

tell her, GUEN sent ya!

new promos!!!



if you, or anyone you might know could use our services, tell them to contact us! we will be announcing our Referral Program soon! 


(engagement portrait session value: $250; portrait package value: $262.50)


Thursday, July 10, 2008

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Tim & Olivia: Album Showcase



view the album i am designing for my latest wedding. it was a lot of fun doing this one. actually there were so many great pictures from the reception that i wasn't able to fit on this. let me just tell you, there was a lot of energy on the dance floor!! my kind of party! 


click here to view their album!

TTC updates

j. and i went to our first fertility consultation last mon. it was really nerve wrecking. basically, he's in the clear. let's just say he's been considered "above average" by the doc. me, on the other hand, well, there's some work laid ahead of me. and apparently, many tests. i have to work on losing weight, eating healthy, and managing high blood pressure and blood sugar. that's not it (if that wasn't enough, already),  i have to get an ultrasound (which is today), a histogram (where they do an x-ray and shoot a "contrast," or dye, to see if there's any blockage in the reproduction pipes, per se), a blood fasting test, and also, go to the dentist. doc says that periodontal disease may affect fertility. yeah, i read or heard that somewhere. 


out of all the tests, i'm dreading and most scared of the dentist. anyone that really knows me, knows that i'm terrified of dentists and dental work. i'm freaking out. there is a real clinical phobia of dentists. yes. it's based on a past experience when a doctor did not listen to your needs as a patient, and therefore you went through a lot of pain. that's me! i won't go into it now, but it was pretty gruesome, in my book, and that memory is burned in my head. 

so, today i go to get my ultrasound. wish me luck. 


Sunday, July 6, 2008

our lady of lourdes church, los angeles & luminarias restaurant, monterey park, wedding photography: tim + olivia





after 11 years of relationship, 5 years of being married (via vegas chapel), and 2 beautiful babies later, tim and olivia smith married in the church, this past saturday. even under 99 degree weather, the day was filled with love and affection for this couple. they married at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Los Angeles. it was a beautiful, traditional style-Catholic wedding. it reminded me of when my mom talked about her wedding, the padrinos, or sponsors, stood with you and your spouse-to-be, on the altar, as a spiritual witness to this sacrament. another touching element to this story is that olivia, the bride, used to go to school at that church, and that having it at that particular church held great meaning to her. the church has not changed since then, and the picture you see above, with the Lady of Lourdes tile mosaic, are one of the religious artwork that held special remembrance and significance for the bride. and i think the picture came out gorgeous.


later the party followed at Luminarias Restaurant, a spanish inspired restaurant, complete with mariachis, luminarias (of course) and a terrace with a beautiful sunset view. later i'll post some fun pictures from that lively reception, complete with serenades, tearful moments, and....the bride, getting down on the dance floor!

thank you olivia, and tim, for letting us capture your special moment.