Latest Pictures (San Francisco and Walnut Festival)

Here are some newer pictures that I took this month. The first set was from a walk-about in San Francisco. I tried to capture what I feel is the heart of the city. I first went to Pier 39 and ended up at Coit Tower. I have to say that my favorite pictures are the Bay Bridge. Just the way the ambient light hit the bridge made the shot look great. During this walk-about, I wanted to take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a foggy day.

This set is from the the Walnut Festival in Walnut Creek, California. I went to this event with a couple of friends to practice my photojournalism skills. These are some of my favorite shots.

R.I.P. Lolo Joe

I’ve been meaning to write this blog since I got back from the Philippines, but I’ve been so busy with the video I was making for the past two weeks and school. As many people know, my grandfather passed away in July of 2008. My immediate family, uncles and aunties, and a few cousins did an emergency trip to the Philippines just to participate in my grandfather’s funeral. I’m not sure if you saw my pictures on my myspace account, but many people think it was a vacation. In a way it was because in the Philippines, a funeral is a happy event. In America, a funeral tends to be gloomy, but in PI, we throw parties. It seemed like the only people who actually cried was the immediate David clan, but it was for a very short time.

Even though my grandfather and I weren’t close, I had SO many great memories of him. He is truly the backbone of our family. He was always a happy person. He had great PR skills, and made a friend every where he went. I still can remember him around age 75, he danced a Hawaiian dance at my cousin, Ate Di’s wedding. I mean, he went full out; getting low to the ground and backup. I remember everyone just enjoying watching him. Even nearing age 90, he would go to the senior citizen’s club house, and get his groove on. He truly loved dancing. I think because of his personality, he lived so long. Unfortunately at the age of 93, he passed away.

It’s been a few weeks since his death, and I find myself in an emotional rollercoaster. Some days I’m just fine, but some days, I’m just down and out. It was especially hard for me for the first two weeks because since I’m not a great public speaker, I put my skills in video making to use. For my dedication to my grandfather, I put together pictures and videos through out his lifetime, and wanted to show it the family on the 40th Rosary day. There were so many times I got teary eyed when I was making this video and wanted to stop, but I was determined to finish it. American society says men don’t cry, but come on, if someone close to you died, wouldn’t you cry?

These are my final thoughts for this blog… I will truly miss my grandfather. He left us with so many great memories that he won’t be forgotten. He will be talked about for years to come.