What sort of manipulation do you do to your photos before posting or displaying them? Do you approve to photo manipulations?

My college graduation picture has some enhancements done to it. The photo studio did it. I had layers and pounds of makeup on, and yet the studio still felt the need to enhance the photo. At least, the photo ended up with me still looking like me only the fairer-flawless-skin-and-darker-shiner-hair version of me.

In this blog, our photos are guaranteed to be as close as it can be to the original, wrinkles, blemishes and all of that included. The photo-shopping manipulations I do doesn’t include altering how we look like. The photo-shopping manipulations I do are for the purpose limited to better display. [View my photos ... ]

College Graduation PortraitMe at 22-years old.

The photo manipulations I do before posting photos are:

• Stamping. I label and stamp my photos with my ‘Life’s a Charm! http://lifesacharm.net’ most of them anyway. My purpose for stamping them is to protect our photos. Although I don’t think anyone would be interested to copy them because they are mostly personal or family photos, and not landscape or professionally taken photos, I still feel the need to stamp them for the same reason – because they are personal and family photos. If there is anyone interested to copy them, hopefully the stamp will remind them to ask permission first.
• Light and Color Adjustments. Adjustments  on Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness and those sort of adjustments, like Red-eye removal – simply for better display.
• Cropping and Resizing. Not all of us are pro when it comes to handling cameras. So I crop or trim our photos to establish and re-establish the focus of the photo. I also resize them to smaller resolution and size so that it will be easier to load.
• Collaging. I do collaging but not to alter the photo, like putting Brad Pitt beside me, or something like that. The purpose is also for better display of multiple photos.

However, I have to admit that I am very selective of which photos to post. I mean if we don’t look nice or at least presentable in the photo, or if it’s showing us in a very bad light, with questionable gestures, or so, you will never see it, except if you will go through my hard drive.

But in the media, we often read about airbrushing to cover or remove celluloid or other imperfections in their models, or those kinds of manipulation to make the model look thinner or skinnier, or with longer legs, or so. I understand that their purpose for doing that is to sell a product, or an idea, so everything has to look nice and perfect. Plus, I’m sure those models-celebrity do want to look nice in photos. But I think it has gone overdone! That – I do not approve! Too much manipulation is delusional.

Hubby reads my blog from time to time. One time when I asked him what he did that day, he said he read my blog from the very first one I published to the current – that’s 3-years worth of entries. I don’t think he really minds about me blogging about him and our family. So far, he haven’t discouraged me about my blogging. So far, blogging has not been a big issue between us. He just don’t comment.

My sister follows my blog, and a few family and friends. Most of my friends blog, too. Friends and family who do not blog, I have to email them that I have published something that I know they would be interested in – like if I published my son’s photo, or after an occassion or celebration, etc. And I update my Facebook status about my blog. Only a few of leave comments, which is fine, ’cause most of the time we talk about what I blogged about.

Although, I know a few who would raise eyebrows about me disclosing our lives online, my blog hasn’t really become a big deal for those I blog about. And since I blog about my family and friends and they can read about it, the only problem there’s been is that I am so limited to venting or blogging about the more interesting controversial issues. That sometimes because I want to remain truthful, it’s just difficult to blog about topics that are interesting and controvercial with no consequences. But then, do I want to change anything about my blog, my style of blogging, or the people I blog about or those reading my blog? Not at all.

Do you feel your age? How old are you at heart?

I think I have asked this question before but …

Anyway, I will be 32 next week, but I feel like I’ve remained 25 at heart because the truth is I don’t feel that I’m a day over 25!

When I turned 28, I was still working. With a few officemates, Japanese and Americans, we had a small birthday celebration for all the March Celebrants. I told everybody that I was turning 25! Those who really didn’t know actually believed me, and I never corrected that.

Now, I’m wondering if I can still pass up as 25 years old.  Eekkk … Maybe not.

Me and Matthew (3), Photo taken on Dec 8, 2009

We have been sick and since I’m pregnant, I’m so careful about popping pills. Well, actually I have only taken 2 colds tablet so far and stopped at that. Also, with my sick 3-year old, it’s also hard to find him medicine that appropriate for his age, and that he will actually take. For myself, I relied on home remedies.

Power of Salt

Gurgling with wam water with dissolved salt relieves sore throat. The relief is not too instant but it did the work. It also cleared my nasal passage. This is definitely the home remedy that I am going to try with Matthew when he is older.

I should have thought about the power of salt, since while we were growing up, when we had cough and colds, my mother would take us the the beach and go for a soak/swim for 30 minutes a day. We didn’t actually had to drink or gurgle the salty water, but I think being surrounded by salty water helped. Our colds and cough took lesser time to linger.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Also, for the first time I tried, gurgling with warm water with apple cider vinegar. Supposedly, it heals strep throat in a day. But it was just too strong for me. My teeth just couldn’t handle the acid.

Vaporub

Rubbing vaporub on our chest, throat and back helps us clam down, relax and doze off. Actually, I grew up with vicks! It’s always on my mother’s medicine cabinet. We also use if for rashes, bug bites, and even gas pains.

I’ve also heard that rubbing vaporub on the feet, and then putting on socks also relieves coughing. I always do this on Matthew when he is coughing at night. I can’t really say that it made him stop coughing, ’cause sometimes he’s still couching even after I do this, but I continue to do so.

9 days to go and yes I am thinking about Valentines day!

At most, I’m thinking about the last valentines I’ve had. I think I need to browse through the photos of years past to verify if I’ve remembered correctly. I always mix up valentines day with my birthday.

My fondest valentine gift was a plant that hubby gave me. It thrived for years. If it wasn’t complicated to bring it here to the US from Japan, I would have brought it with us. I gave that plant along with my other plants to a friend, whom I know will take good care of it.

NOTE TO HUBBY: This is not a hint-hint that I specifically want something this coming valentines day. A kiss will do.

Is there any dish or food you won’t eat?

I have shared before that hubby don’t eat any dish that he knows and senses has ginger or pineapple on it. My 3-year old toddler, Matthew, is so picky with food that I really do have a problem feeding him something healthy!

I, on the otherhand, because I have a mild case of lactose intolerance, can’t have too much milk or ice cream. But I can’t think of any food I won’t eat based on taste. But, on regular days and moods, I don’t go crazy over desserts or anything sweet. I usually go for chips and salsa over cakes. What I would hesitate to eat too are those with thick sticky texture – those that when you eat it, it feels like it’s going to get stuck in the throat – any food like too much cool whip, whipped cream, cake frosting/icing, dumpling, etc.

I won’t dismiss any food or drinks topped with whipped cream but you won’t see scooping the whipped cream to eat it. You’d rather see me mixing it up thoroughly or scrapping it off if there’s a lot of it. And, whenever I see people eating whipped cream straight from a can, I feel like choking.

I admire those who blog regularly, those who seem to have a blogging pattern because they seem to be organized people. I am assuming of course that along with maintaining a blog, they have an actual life, family, career, whatever they are blogging about…

I do not have a blogging schedule. I am blogging more lately because I have a new laptop to use and a baby coming, so I have my pregnancy to blog about. The cold season also doesn’t really give me much to do but to stay indoors and blog. And it is also at this same time when there are so many holidays to blog about, the start and end of the year.

However, if listing and entering giveaways is considered blogging, then that is the most regular blogging pattern I follow, to list and enter giveaways everyday through my contest-giveaway site.

My name is Charlotte. I was sort of named after my father. His name is Carlos, and his friends call him Charlie. My mother saw my name in a baby book. She liked the sound of it and it’s the feminine version of my father’s name.

I think my name is old fashioned! At one time while I was working at Yokota Airbase, I met a friendly 65 (or probably more) year old retired Air Force. When he learned my name, he said he liked it, reminds him of his Grandma who bears the same name. I felt like banging my head on the wall.

Unlike here in the US, my name is quite common and easy for Americans to spell and pronounce. In the Philippines, it’s not too common that while I was growing up, nobody seems to know how to spell my name. And it’s worse in Japan because Japanese can’t pronounce r and l right after each other, much less spell it.

I think, my own struggles with my name is the reason why I have too many considerations on naming our kids. I can’t say that we have finallized a name for Baby#2 after all this time and after all the possible name combinations that we are considering. But I have been slowly leaning towards the name that hubby have always wanted for the baby in the first place – Mark Anthony. Nobody in the family has that name, traditional, easy to remember and to spell, and sounds great and prestigious. But then, we’ll most probably finalize the baby’s name when it’s time to write his name for the birth certificate.

While in Florida, the day after Christmas Day, Hubby and I went out to watch 'Avatar'. If there are some things that we both enjoy doing, that's watching movies ... and being silly at the photo booth. Photo taken on December 26, 2009, after watching a movie.

Six years later, hubby and I, together – we have survived crossing continents, relocation, having 1 child and 1 more coming. We are still hoping for more years to count. There are more familiarity now; and we are more comfortable with each other now compared to years back. We still kiss ‘Good Night!‘. I may have lost some mystery but I still manage to make him laugh once in awhile. And he still silly and never ceases to amaze me.

We used to celebrate our wedding anniversary on March by dining out at our favorite steak house. But as time goes by – Matthew came along, work and reality get in the way that celebrating our anniversary more often gets postponed or it simply becomes an ordinary day.

I honestly don’t mind not celebrating our anniversary because whenever we can, we go out on movie dates, which I enjoy very much.

This is a re-post first published on Dec 21, 2007 @ 17:44.

Do you think you have a different or extra-nice behavior at Christmas time? What extra-nice gesture do you do?

People should be nice all year round, but it is at Christmas time that people seems extra-nice. It’s probably the Christmas spirit in the air, the cheerful decorations and the bright lights that gives us the warm feeliing and makes us smile; the anticipation for togetherness for families and thought from gift giving. And for the Christian faithfuls, Christmas is the reminder that God has manifested His love for us though the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. And what better way to acknowledge this but by being extra-nice! For some people though, for these same reasons, they become cranky, sad, stressed and anti-nice!

I have seen my own relatives extend ‘forgiveness‘ at Christmas time. I grew up among relatives and I have witnessed so much ‘drama’ among them(us), but come Christmas time and they start talking again from months long of not talking, ignoring and avoiding each other.

As for me, Christmas time is when I try to reclaim friendships, and try to make more friends or become more friendly (I am polite, courteous but not specifically friendly!) Also, it is when I am most outgoing, happy and excited!

Added 14:23 Dec18,2009:

I found my friend Lori’s answer funny! I just had to add her answer, which she posted in Facebook:

Not so extra nice ~ maybe extra ANNOYING! lol I luv anything Christmas cheery… Cookies… decorating… taking holiday photos?!!! It’s just a great way to build up to the big day! – by Lori

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