PhotoHunt: ITCHY

How I wish my neck is as agile as theirs, to take care of nasty itches all over =]

Sea World Florida, December 2009, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: ORANGE

The long 400-plus-mile, eight-hour drive to Florida from South Carolina was soothed by the Sunshine State's free-flowing offering of their finest OJ at the Welcome Center. But first, the customary pose beside the sign declaring we've arrived =]

State Welcome Center at the border between Georgia and Florida, December 2009, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: PAMILYA (Family)

Ang mga Simpsons ang isa sa pinakakilalang pamilya sa buong mundo. Higit sa 20 taon na ito sa ere at mukhang mananatili pa ito sa ating mga telebisyon. Nakakatawa talaga ang marami sa mga kaganapan sa buhay nina Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie, at kanilang angkan: ang iba ay hindi kapani-paniwala, ang iba naman ay tila salamin ng lipunang ginagalawan ng marami sa atin.

Ang ating mga pami-pamilya ay para rin talagang isang tsubibo sa karnabal: minsan nasa itaas, minsan nasa ibaba. May mga pagkakataon na gusto mo nang kumawala subali't hindi maaari dahil patuloy ang pag-inog nito. Gayunpaman, sa dinami-dami ng magkakahalong sakit at ligaya, sa dulo ng lahat, sa palagay ko ay pipiliin pa rin natin ang ating mga pami-pamilya.

Minsan di ko kayang mabuhay kasama sila, pero mas mas madalas, mahirap mabuhay na wala sila.

PAMILYA = FAMILY

The Simpsons would arguably be one of the most popular families in the world. For 20 years, their eventful life has unfolded inside our TV screens and they're likely to have another season starting in the fall. The lives of Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie and the rest of their clan are just hilarious: some scenes are outrightly inane and impossible, some are mirrors of our own (mis)adventures as families and societies.

Life in most of our families are like carnival rides: sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. There are times you'd want to jumpship but you just can't because it just keeps racing up and down its tracks. Be that as it may, for its mixture of hurt and happiness, at the end of it all, I'd bet my neck most of us would still choose to be born into the families we are in now.

Families: can't live with them, can't live without them =]

Universal Studios Florida, December 2009 using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: CUDDLY

The Sesame Street gang will always have a special place in my heart. They practically baby-sat me when I was young, helped me learn the alphabet, fortified my knowledge of numbers. They also taught me some valuable kid-life lessons on friendship, being a sibling, and the reality of a multi-cultured, multi-species world (birds, elephants, and monsters CAN thrive beside one another!).

For those and a host of other sentimental reasons, I would not have forgiven myself if we weren't able to catch their performance at SeaWorld this past Christmas Day. They did not disappoint. It was such a treat to see them perform their tricks on stage, complete with their signature giggles and sunshiny-ness.

The half-hour performance was indeed a delight for kids and those still young at heart =]

SeaWorld Orlando, December 2009, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: JIGGLY

Arrrrrrrrr

While he attempts to look menacing, he's still just one big jiggly guy in the hands of the professional and the volunteer balloon holders of the Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal Studios Orlando.

Orlando, December 2009, using a digicam.

PhotHunt: BULKY

I really wanted to take Scooby Doo pictured here home with me but that simple task proved to be a logistical nightmare. To begin with he is almost three stories tall =] The excess baggage fee would have been staggering. And Shaggy, I'm sure, wouldn't let Scooby Doo out of his sight =]

Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, December 2009, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: MAKAPAL (Thick)

Hindi alintana ng libu-libong tao at ni Shamu- ang bidang killer whale- ang lamig ng panahon nang sama-sama kaming nagdiwang maghapon ng araw ng Pasko. Si Shamu na ang naging kinatawan ng gawaing pangangalaga sa mga yamang tubig ng Amerika sa kanyang paninirahan sa SeaWorld Orlando sa Florida. Higit pa sa pagbibigay aliw sa kanyang mga natutunang kilos at laro, sinisikap mapabatid sa lahat ng dumarayo sa Florida ang kahalagahan ng kalikasan at ang pagkakaugnay-ugnay nating lahat- tao, halaman, dagat, lupa, hangin.

MAKAPAL = THICK

The cold weather was hardly noticed by the thousands who came to spend Christmas Day with Shamu, the killer whale. Shamu has become the icon of conservation ever since SeaWorld Orlando became its home. More than entertaining the public with tricks and games, SeaWorld endeavors to teach all those who visit Florida the importance of nature and conservation by showcasing the interconnectedness of humanity with plant- and animal-life, the sea, the air, the land, and all those who inhabit them.

Shamu Stadium, SeaWorld Orlando, Florida, December 2009, using a digicam.