First Photos

The very first time we were photographed together. I went to this apartment, straight from watching a concert (John Mayer!) and pitched in to organize for a student festival.

                                                                                                                    November 10, 2006

I don't remember talking to him at all, except on our way back to the station to catch the last train to our respective dorms. It was past midnight and a friend told us we might as well walk together since I was still not familiar with that neighborhood (having been in Japan for only two months).  But he was such in a hurry that he suddenly ran and left me in the middle of the road. As in, kumaripas nang takbo at iniwan akong mag-isa.
  


First meeting with his family. This was actually taken a few hours after I met them in the place where they stayed. I read somewhere that couples out on their first date should do something or go somewhere exhilarating to give them that feverish, joyous, adrenaline(?) rush that guarantees instant bonding.

With Jon's uncle, mom and dad, on the way to a Spiderman ride

  


First meeting with Jyn, shortly after arrival at the airport.

Dear Jyn, we're gonna miss you on the 28th... :(

Jon's first meeting with my family. I told them if they wanted to see him, they should go to Manila to fetch me after we arrive.

Isinama ang  buong barangay. Hindi naman excited...

Ginkgo Loco

It all started with this logo which I saw on FB, which shows a couple`s names- both starting with the letter "P"- intertwined, with a single "P" for both their names formed into the shape of a seahorse.How cute, I thought. Might as well get one for ourselves, by ourselves, with a symbol or object that is a nod to our common interest or past. 

So that`s how the ginkgo leaf idea came in. In Japan, the ginkgo tree is a symbol of  longevity, hope, and resilience.   Each autumn sees the university awash with its vibrant, yellow-gold leaves...

This yearly phenomenon sends the students, especially the Pinoys, in a picture-taking frenzy. I can`t explain it.

Anyway, here are some designs we came up with (technically it was the G who drew them).

First version. I didn`t like the fonts, the leaves I thought too curly, and why so many?

Other versions:

And still another one. 

The Todai reference on this one is too obvious, we could get sued, hehe. I like its simplicity, though.

In the end we had to let go of the idea. But it was fun for the most part.

Our Polaroid Selves

Discovered this wonderful app called Poladroid which instantly converts digital images into Polaroid-like photos. I love Polaroids. I once attended a party hosted by my lab in Tokyo, where they had this clever idea of having an instant souvenir album for the affair by having everybody's picture taken by a Polaroid camera, after which each one could just write his or her personal message on the sheets where each person's picture is pasted.

I had a great time toying around with the app!  Here are some of my favorite "snapshots":