Showing posts with label alphabetically-likes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alphabetically-likes. Show all posts

Thursday, October 14, 2010

What I Like About...Names

As I redesigned and organized this blog, I realized that I lack the letter "N" in my alphabetically-likes series. I wondered what happened to the "N" blog and then I remembered that I pulled it down because it contained so many personal details. I was warned by some friends not to put out on the web so many personal details.

So today, I decided to fill in the missing "N". I still am going to write about names, but this time, the names will be generic and not personal. I will write more about the reasons for giving the specific name.

Anyway, I find names fascinating because there is always a story behind the use of a certain name. Why were you given a specific name? I discovered several reasons. If the reason for your name is not in the following list, then please add it here. I would like to hear from you.

what is in a name?
Here are some reasons why you are given a certain name:
  • Your name is based on the saint's feast day on the calendar. This is especially true those who are Roman Catholics. So for example if your birthday is today, you might have the name "Callistus" because it is St. Callistus' feast day today (Oct 14).
  • Your name is based on the favorite actor or actress/author/singer/idol of your parents. So for example, you might be named Harry (Potter) or Charice (Pempengco) or Angelina (Jolie) or Oprah or John Lloyd (Cruz) or Rafael (Nadal).
  • Your parents hope that you will turn out to be the next scientist or world leader or philosopher so you are given the name "Einstein" or "Indira" or "Corazon" or "Descartes"
  • Your name is combination of your parents' or grandparents' names. So it might be "Jonel", a combination of John and Elizabeth, or "Jumila", combination of Justo and Milagros
  • You are born on a specific day of the week or month of year, so your name is "May" or "Tuesday" or "January"
  • You are born on a significant date or day, so your name is "Millenium" or "Ondoy" (typhoon here in the Philippines) or "Katrina" (hurricane in the USA)  
  • You are the junior of your parents. So you are John, Jr., or Marian, Jr. I know of certain families who name their children as John, Jr, John II, John III, John IV, etc. 
  • All the names in your family start with the letters of your parents names. All the boys follow the father's name or the girls the mother's or it can be the other way around. So if your parents names are Peter and Mary, then maybe your names are: Paul, Pedro, and Pistachio; or Martha, Maritess, and Marilyn; or Patricia, Peggy and Paula; or Mario, Maximo, and Medardo
  • Your parents stayed in some foreign country or studied some foreign language and they fell in love with some of the foreign sounding names like: Keira (Irish), Mahinhin (Pilipino), Akiko (Japanese), Celio (Portugese)
  • Your parents consulted numerology or horoscope so your name must exhibit a certain vibration or must sum up to a specific number, etc. So your name is "John Paul Castro" which comes up to the number 11. Number 11 is characterized by high spirituality, intuition, etc.
  • Your parents were hoping for a baby girl or boy so they prepared only for girls' or boys' names. Then you turn out to be of the opposite sex (this was before the advent of ultrasound) and your parents did not bother to find another name but just changed the sex of the name. So your name was originally "Teresita" but you turn out to be a boy, so now you are named "Teresito"
These are just some of the reasons I gathered why you are given a specific name. If you know of other reasons, please add them here in the comments. Thank you!

I wrote a longer article about names. Check out this link.
What-is-In-a-Name-How-Did-You-Get-Your-Name

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

What I like about ... zzzzz

It's "Z" day today, so this is the last of my alphabet series for this "what I like about..." blog. I will have to think of some new series next time. Can you suggest any theme?

I could not think of something that starts with "z" except 'zebra' and 'zinnia'. However, I have nothing much to share about zebras except - their stripes make good subjects for photos. Zinnias on the other hand are flowers and I have talked about flowers several times in this blog and also in my photo blog, http://aphotoaday-saanva.blogspot.com/search/label/flower

So today, I thought I will share about 'zzzzz' or sleep which of course does not start with 'z' but is nonetheless always represented as 'zzzz'.

Everybody loves to sleep. It's always so hard to wake up somebody from their sleep. This is especially true every morning as I try to wake up my kids. I have to knock on their doors several times before they finally stand up and get ready for work or school. They just love to sleep.

I also love to sleep, so I wrote about it in my hubspages. Please check out my article there. http://hubpages.com/hub/sleep--do-we-need-it

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

what I like about ... yarn



It almost the end of the alphabet for this alphabet series of what I like. It's "Y" day today, and "y" made me think of my yarn collection.

I love yarns. I love working with them. I love their colors.

I keep a box of yarns which I open every now and then to look for something to work on like some crochet or knit project or simply to tie something with. I usually use a combination of red and green yarn to tie up some Christmas packages or a blue and pink yarn to tie up gifts for birthdays and anniversaries.

Sometimes I just look at my box of yarns if I want some cheering up. Their colors are usually enough to brighten what otherwise would have been just an ordinary day.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

What I like about ... xylophones

Things or places starting with "X" are rather rare. I can only think of X-ray, Xenia, and xylophone.

Even if x-rays are important as diagnostic tools, I cannot say that I like them. Xenia is a flower that looks like mums. Since I love almost all kinds of flowers, there is really nothing about Xenia that I can pinpoint as something I specifically like. So I am settling for xylophone.

What I like about xylophones is their sound. It is very refreshing and inviting. Every time I hear their sound, I am always reminded of either bells or the gurgling sound of a brook. I love it especially if I hear the sound early in the morning. I feel that a bright and lovely day is unfolding if I hear the sound.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

What I like about ... water


It’s “w” day and water immediately came to mind.

I will not talk about the obvious importance of water in our life except to say that – our cells consists of about 70% water, so it’s but logical that if we lack water, then we will not function efficiently at all. We can even die of dehydration or lack of water. Having said that, I will talk more on the other reason why I like water.

I like water because its presence in any scene always adds some interesting point in my photos. Taking a picture of water in its many forms – as a droplet, as moving force, as part of the scene, as rain, or even as a simple puddle, has always been challenging. I will post the many “faces” of water in my photo blog. Please follow me over there by clicking on the link below.
http://www.aphotoaday-saanva.blogspot.com/

For today, I will just post one of my favourite water photo – that of raindrops. I called this photo "angel tears".

Monday, May 18, 2009

What I like about ... van Gogh

It's "V" day today and I immediately thought of Van Gogh.

I got to know Van Gogh first through Irving Stone’s fictional biography, “Lust for Life”. I was so moved by the drama of his life such that I poured through many art books in the library and looked at whatever pictures of his paintings were there. There was no internet at that time yet (late 60's). Through the book, I got to understand van Gogh better and appreciated his works more.

I cannot say that I like all of Van Gogh’s works. However, I appreciate most of them especially because I learned of the circumstances under which those works were done. Sometimes I wonder however why he has so many self portraits wearing different kinds of hat. Did he paint these because he was egoistic or because he could not afford to pay any model? My guess is probably both.

My favourite works are his popular “Sunflowers” and of course “Starry Night”. However, I also like his less known “Landscape at Dusk” painting. I love the way he captured the essence of dusk through the colors he used.

Van Gogh's passion for his art is the main reason why I like him and his works. The title, "Lust for Life", that Irving Stone used in his book is an apt description of van Gogh's life.

Friday, May 15, 2009

what I like about ... umbrellas


It's "U" day today, so I thought of umbrellas.

Umbrellas are so versatile. They can be used as "parasol" or for the sun, or "parapluie" or for the rain. They can even be used as canes or as weapons. For those of you who have watched the tv series "The Avengers", I'm sure you still remember the character of Dr. David Keel and his ubiquitous umbrella. And who can forget Mary Poppins and her umbrella with the talking parrot?

I love umbrellas because of their bright and beautiful colors. I know umbrellas used to come only in black but the present day umbrellas are just so colorful. Don't you agree?

Umbrellas also come as single fold or double fold or even triple fold. The shorter they are, the more handy they are and they can easily fit inside a handbag. However, if you don't have a bag, then the folding ones are also more likely to be forgotten somewhere. I can't remember anymore how many umbrellas I have lost this way. So now, I just carry around the no fold or single fold umbrella. I am less likely to forget them if they are big.

Umbrellas are of course favorite gifts or give-aways of companies or even politicians. Every time you open the umbrella you become a walking advertisement of the company or the person. Isn't that ingenious?

I simply love umbrellas, don't you?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

what I like about ... tableaux

Today is "T" day and right away I thought of "tableaux." I love looking at tableaux. They present scenes or groups of people or even photos in such a creative way that make an immediate impact on the viewer.

Tableau is the reason why I joined HP's tabblo.com. The website has presented a way that awakens the artist in us. It allows one to put together photos and text in a creative way. This is not a paid promotion of their website at all. I just want to let you know that I love using the website.

You can check out one of my tableaux by clicking on the link below. You may also want to look at my other tableaux by clicking on the "next tabblo by saanva". Saanva is the name I am using in this website. Saanva was coined by my son, Milo, when he helped me with my first ever website. It simply comes from the first few letters of my name and designation, "Salvacion Angtuaco Visual Artist".

This is the link.
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1719080/

What do you think?

Sunday, April 26, 2009

What I like about ... sunshine


"S" is for sunshine.
Who doesn’t like sunshine? Aside from its obvious importance as energy, light and heat source for all living things on earth, I like sunshine because of the ever changing mood it produces on people and things.

We are of course familiar with SAD or seasonal affective disorder (also known as winter blues) which is usually brought about by decreased sunny days, but of course that is not the reason why I like sunshine.

I like sunshine because of the happy mood it brings to people. Do you still remember John Denver’s song, “Sunshine on My Shoulder”? It goes like this...
“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high....”

Then there is the Beatles’song, “Here Comes the Sun” with the lyrics...
“Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right....”

And of course, one of my favourite songs, “I’ll Catch the Sun” by Rod Mckuen...
“I'll catch the sun and never give it back again.
I'll catch the sun.
And keep it for my own.
And in a world where no one understands,
I'll take my outstretched hand,
And offer it to anyone...”

There are many other sunshine songs, but I think those three will suffice to prove my point. Sunshine does make everyone happy, right?

The other thing I like about sunshine is its effect on things. It can also change the mood of things and I speak especially of the mood in photographs. Since I love taking pictures, I am very much aware of how sunshine changes the mood of scenes and even portraits. For example, the presence of filtered sun rays through the leaves usually gives a dreamy effect to a photo. Or photos with backlit effect can be very dramatic.

I can go on and on about the effect of sunshine on photos but I think I should stop here already.
I just want to reiterate that...
I like sunshine ... isn’t it obvious?

Saturday, April 18, 2009

what I like about ... ribbons


It's "R"'s day today. I have already posted several "Rs" before...roses, rainbows, reading, just to name a few. Still, I did not find it hard to come up with another "r". So it's "ribbons" turn today.

I like ribbons because they are so... colorful, graceful and versatile.

One can do so many things with ribbons...
... we can use them for tying hair,gifts,books,and practically anything that needs tying up.
... we can also make them into decorative pieces...just as themselves, as ribbons... but we can also make them into flowers, buttons, markers, beads
... then, they can be made into borders, frames, tassels, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and other doodads...

Yes, ribbons are so versatile. One wonders what happens to a world without ribbons.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

What I like about ... quests

“Q” is for quests. This is what immediately came to mind when I thought of “q”.

Quests always remind me of heroes, of knights in shining armour, of impossible dreams.

Just look at Don Quixote and his impossible quest, or Sir Galahad and his quest for the Holy Grail, or even Frodo and his quest to destroy the one ring. All these fictional characters had to undergo numerous difficulties in their quests but all of them became triumphant in the end.

But stories of quests do not have to remain as fiction. We have heard of many true-to-life stories wherein somebody overcomes great difficulties and obstacles and emerged as present-day heroes.

Quests bring out the heroic feeling in every person. They make us dream bigger dreams and we become stronger and more determined in the pursuit of our goal.

Quests remind me of the lyrics of the song, “Impossible Dream” from the movie “Man of La Mancha”...
... “ This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.”....

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

what I like about ...patterns


One of the many things I look for when I compose my shots during photography is to look for patterns. So when I thought about "P" as my topic for today, I immediately thought of patterns.

We find patterns everywhere... in things at home, in the office, in school, in nature.

Just look at how crayons are packed or how bottles are stacked. Take a look at the leaves, or the flowers, or the stones. Observe the things in your closet, or your bag, or your desk. You will find patterns there, everywhere.

The challenge in photography is to present these patterns in such a way that they create pleasing pictures. This is the challenge that always excites me. That's why I love taking pictures.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

What I like about ... orchids


"O" made me think of orchids. I love orchids. Even the simplest of them always look so attractive, so elegant, so graceful.

Orchids always remind me of exotic places...tropical rain forests...colorful maidens...

Orchids also remind me of special occasions ...weddings, debut, proms, graduation, inauguration, anniversaries, beginnings, endings.... We always make corsage and floral arrangements for these occasions.

Among the flowers, orchids also have one of the most exotic names ...
...Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Cymbidium, Masdevallia, just to name a few.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

What I like about ... magic

I have already posted two “ms” before ... mother and morning. So I had to think of another “m” for today. And I got it ... magic!

Who does not like magic? I love magic. I love the mystery ... the fun ... the excitement ... the discovery....

Isn’t it fun to ask the question - “How did he/she do that?”

Don’t you feel elated if you figure out how something is done “magically”? That’s always a high point for me ... discovering how a certain trick or magic is done.

Magic makes me...
... feel good
... excited
... alive
... eager to learn
... young

Magic is ... magical!

What more can I say?

Monday, April 6, 2009

what I like about... lamps


Lamps are one of those objects that also never fail to attract my attention. So my "L" day reminded me of lamps.

Why lamps? Well, when lighted they always draw attention of course. Plus their designs are most of the time graceful and symmetrical. Some designs are minimalist while others are ostentatious and sometimes even outrageous.

When looking at lamps, I feel that I am also looking at some architectural design.

However, the one thing that I like about lamps is the shadows they create. The interplay between light and shadows always fascinates me. I can create many stories with this interplay.

Just take a look at the shadows created by this lamp. What does it remind you of? I'm sure something comes to your mind, right?

Thursday, April 2, 2009

what I like about ... kittens


It's "K's" day so I thought about kittens.

What I like about kittens is they start as shy and cautious individuals but once they become familiar with the surroundings then they become playful and fun to be with.
This is what happened to this kitten. For the first few weeks, it always stayed close to its mother and would only look at me with soulful eyes. It never budged from where it was, beside the mother. Later, it started to explore its surroundings and ventured away from its mother. Then it played with anything I would place near her.

Why is it that when kittens grow to be cats they become less playful and actually boring? Cats just sleep practically all day. They don't play anymore. Do you notice the same thing with your cats and kittens?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

What I like about ... jokes

Hello, I'm back.

I spent the break visiting Boracay, my favorite island here in the Philippines. I also visited my mom.

It was a fun and fruitful break and I'm now eager to resume this blog.

So we are now in "J" and the first "j" that came to mind is ...jokes.

Who doesn't love jokes? I think almost everybody likes jokes except of course if the timing is wrong and the joke is on us.

Anyway, a good joke is always fun and can "break the ice" in any occasion.

A good joke always brings... laughter, happiness, lightness, sometimes even tears, but tears of gladness of course.

I still remember a teacher in college who would always crack a joke in class. However, she would always start laughing at her own joke and we never really understood what the joke was about. Still, all of us would join her in laughing but our laughter is really never about the joke but more because we found her so funny as she tried telling the joke. Ha ha ha. She always looked so funny as she would double over in laughter with tears streaming down her eyes. It's just so sad that for such a happy person, she died a violent death. God bless her soul.

We always like a good laugh.... The popularity of the following shows is proof of this...
...funniest home videos
...candid camera
...bubble gang
...friends
...etc.
We joke about almost anything or anyone...
... our own self
... mother in law
... neighbor
... school
... church
... dogs
... babies
... homework
... husband/wife
... elderly people
... anybody... anything

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

What I like about ... ice cream

"I" is for ice cream!

Is there anybody here who does not like ice cream?

I love ice cream. I love its rich, creamy sometimes fruity flavour. I have a friend who eats her desserts first (especially if it’s ice cream) before even starting with the main course. I don’t do that however, I really reserve my ice cream as the last food I will take in a meal. Then I will leisurely eat it and enjoy every spoonful of this wonderful food. If it's in a cone... I would finish the whole cone too.

When I was in college, my friends and I would visit an ice cream parlor once a week. Every week, we would try a different ice cream concoction or flavor. We had sundaes or parfaits or splits... and all kinds of flavor. We even had a hearty laugh when we once ordered a supposedly "birthday suit or special" (I forgot the exact name) and we were served two scopes of ice cream with a banana (with cherry and cream on top) between them. Ha ha ha... naughty... naughty.... I think they changed that to 3 scopes of ice cream later. Those were fun days!

There was a time when (because of health reasons) I was advised by my doctor to stop eating ice cream and all kinds of cold food. So everyone would laugh at me when I would order “ice tea without the ice”. Ha ha ha.

I managed and even got used to not drinking or eating anything cold but I really missed ice cream during those times. It’s good that I have recovered from that health problem. Now I can have my ice cream. Yipee!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

What I like about ... hourglass

It’s my “H” day today. So I thought about “hourglass”.

Hourglass or its other variations such as the 3-minute egg timer, or the timers used in “Boggle” or “Pictionary” or even those table top message discs with colored sand have always fascinated me. It’s really the movement of the sand that I find fascinating. I would always watch intently as the sand flows to the other end of the glass. I would even check if the 3-minute egg timer really completes its flow in 3 minutes. How crazy can I get?

Anyway, do you have any “H” thing that you like? Please share it here.

Monday, March 9, 2009

What I like about ... gardens


"G" means garden for me. What about you, do you like anything that starts with "g"?
I love gardens - both well kept ones and naturally occurring ones.

My garden is so small, you can go around it in 5 minutes. However,it has sustained my photographic adventures. Most of my flower photos are taken from my garden.

I visit my garden regularly and I always discover treasures like:
... new buds or fully bloomed flowers
... spiders and other bugs
... butterflies and other flies
... snails including their colorful eggs
... mushrooms and other fungi
... leaves that have unusual formations
... birds
... frogs
... blades of grass with sparkling raindrops
... spiderwebs
Oh, I can go on and on about the many treasures I find in my garden.

Aside from serving as the repository of many subjects for my photography, a garden is also a wonderful stress reliever. When I'm working in my garden, I usually lose track of time and I feel refreshed as I discover new buds in my plants. There is something so enchanting about watching a new seed come to life and become a beautiful flower or tree.

I also love visiting public gardens and other people's gardens. They are always so refreshing and beautiful to behold.
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