Haeroldus Laudeus

Happy National Day Bahrain

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:41:00 +0300

Empty: this is at Al Fateh Mosque during an afternoon prayer...

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:11:07 +0400

Empty:

this is at Al Fateh Mosque during an afternoon prayer time… the hallway looks empty because they are all inside doing their prayers…
perhaps i also feel empty because i have never prayed…

man at the souq: had a walk at the souq this evening testing...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:09:20 +0400

man at the souq:

had a walk at the souq this evening testing my nifty fifty… this is the water vendor. i didn’t include the bottle in the frame because i was trying to focus on his eyes and hoping to catch the bokeh at the back with my f/2 setting Aperture priority in auto iso.

Hasmin: a stare can say a thousand words…

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:48:59 +0400

Hasmin:

a stare can say a thousand words…

sa tapat ng flat namin…: isang maulap na...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:39:46 +0300

sa tapat ng flat namin…:

isang maulap na dapit-hapon…
nagmamadali akong umuwi
upang makapitik man lamang
ng kahit kaunti…
ngunit pag-akyat ko sa rooftop namin,
wala na halos natira sa akin
konti na lamang sa aking paningin,
sa akin ay pwede na rin…

S

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:57:55 +0300

dark nights and haplessness come to our lives in order to reveal...

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:08:46 +0300

dark nights and haplessness come to our lives in order to reveal the true colors of our friends…:

this has been edited using the new zoner pro with its updated tools..

exploring new programs to enhance my photo editing experience brought me to tinker with snow leopard programs such as Aperture, iPhoto, Lightroom and PS

ahh,
the things you can do when you find your focus…

pinoybands: draft poster 1

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:24:34 +0300

pinoybands:

draft poster 1

Secrets: This is my entry for the “Staged...

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:23:48 +0300

Secrets:

This is my entry for the “Staged Photography” workshop conducted by Swiss Photographer and New Media Designer David Siepert at Albareh Gallery.

I have chosen “secrets” as a subject of human interest for this workshop because i would like to focus on the trivialities of life as being hidden from the public eye yet they seem to scatter out inevitably and people just couldn’t resist to get nosy or talk about it.
People’s lives, celebrities, gossips, scandals and everything else tend to get everyone’s attention without any consideration nor even respecting the privacy of the person/s involved. i am also guilty of this at times when i couldn’t help but to pry on a certain situation or individual.

The picture depicts a woman hiding under her hat while showing a sign of silence with her forefinger as if saying that, “dont tell anyone what you see”.

What I Am After You.

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0400

I accidentally found this note kept between the pages of my old breviary. It brought me back fond memories of more than a decade ago and see how my life has drastically changed through these years…

Someone out there can rightfully say these words again to me… and i will never be able to explain fully the things that made me change my ways, my hopes, my dreams… and the things that came to be…

Once, I was young, enjoying the fruits of life. Happiness came easy as I received recognitions for my talents and not a few admirers. Yes, I had ambitions, dreams. They were like the stars in the midnight blue sky, twinkling every night. Every night I watched those stars, whispering “I will reach you someday.”

Life then was smooth sailing in the calm ocean with clear waters as pure as my dreams.

But alas, no matter how careful you are, doing things rightly, there will always be storms to test you.

I felt something within me which I could hardly define when I met you. It was a feeling that the sky would always be blue, the roses red and the sun a bright yellow.

With those undefined feelings I went through life, trying hard to take you with me to the end of the rainbow. But… you took me instead, made me a part of your life, just a part, a part to be remembered forever.

Being with you, I neglected so many things yet this did not bother me. The stars failed to hear my whispers. My will and determination to reach them eventually vanished. The undefined feeling ruled my life.

Everything was centered on you. It was for you, to you and by you. It was like a never-ending caring and sharing a bit of your life with me.

You let me sail with you, but the sailing was not always calm. The big waves madly splashed on us, separated us from one another until I was left on a island of burdens. It was dark, difficult. It was incredibly painful.

Once again I walked along life’s road - alone, lonely, bothered by the blissful moments we shared, puzzled with the first and last kiss you gently planted on my once untouched lips, broken with the loneliness in your eyes, thirsting for the touch and embrace you gave me before you finally said “Goodnight.” Now I am not exactly sure if you really did say the word I never wanted to hear: “Goodbye.”

I looked up in the sky one night and saw the stars I had ignored for a long while, invitingly twinkling at me as if saying “We are still here! Don’t you want to reach us anymore?” All the stars seemed to be celebrating something and I began to feel the fresh air that slowly melted the heavy burden and pain in my heart. And soon the tiny stars made my world bright again. The dreams and ambitions that once took the back seat gave me reasons to live.

Honestly, my world was different after you. You taught me one thing that no one else succeeded in teaching me, not until you did. You turned my existence into life. You unknowingly let me know that life is not just my dreams and ambitions. Rather, life is meaningful if you have someone in your heart who gives you the inner strength to conquer the difficulties, someone who you like to share the rest of your life with.

Yes, it was you whom I wanted to give my life to. But reality speaks that for now, you will never be mine. I had you once but you left me. Now, all I have are memories, giving me strength as I reach for my stars.

What I Am After You by Hannah M. Supetran

Shy Havis Amanda: Havis Amanda monument at the Trade square,...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:22:19 +0400

Shy Havis Amanda:

Havis Amanda monument at the Trade square, Helsinki, Finland. Architect Ville Vallgren, 1906. The monument symbolyze the birth of Helsinki.

Wiki Article:

Havis Amanda is a nude female statue in Helsinki, Finland. It was sculpted by Ville Vallgren (1855-1940) in 1906 in Paris, but was not erected at its present location at the Market Square in Kaartinkaupunki until 1908.

Havis Amanda is one of Vallgren’s Parisian Art Nouveau works. It is cast in bronze and the fountain it resides in is made of granite. She is a mermaid who stands on seaweed as she rises from the water, with four fish spouting water at her feet and surrounded by four sea lions. She is depicted leaning backwards as if to say goodbye to her element. Vallgren’s intention was to symbolize the rebirth of Helsinki. The height of the statue is 194 centimetres and with the pedestal it stands 5 metres tall. According to Vallgren’s letters the model for the statue was a then 19-year-old Parisian lady, Marcelle Delquini.

Vallgren himself simply called the work Merenneito (English: The Mermaid), but it quickly started to get additional nicknames. The Finland-Swedish newspapers dubbed it Havis Amanda and the Finnish Haaviston Manta or simply Manta. Havis Amanda is the common name used in brochures and travel guides.

It was unveiled on September 20, 1908. The work drew a lot of criticism at first, especially from women. Its nakedness and seductiveness were considered inappropriate. Not all groups objected to the nudity per se, but putting it on a pedestal was thought to subjugate women by making them appear weak and create sexual objectification and belittling of women (equal and common suffrage was introduced in Finland in 1906). Some women’s rights groups criticised the look of the figure as plain and some even as “a common French whore”, lacking pristine and innocence. The sea lions, with their human tongues hanging out, were said to represent men lusting after the mademoiselle. Vallgren considered himself a worshipper of women. Many in the cultural elite of Finland considered Vallgren an outsider and had judged his work even before it was finished. A good friend of his, Albert Edelfelt, was instrumental through his influence in getting the work ordered. Thanks to a small group of mainly Finland-Swedish supporters, the work gradually started gaining wide acceptance and natives started seeing it as the spirit of the city. Today it has been consistently voted the most important and most beautiful piece of art in Helsinki.

Every year on Vappu, Manta serves as a centrepiece for the celebrations. Students of the local universities put a cap on the statue on an elaborate ceremony. For many it is a “must see” event.

There is also an urban legend that Havis Amanda patronizes men’s sexual potency. Some men believe that washing face with water from one of Havis Amanda’s fountains and shouting thrice “Rakastaa!” (Finnish verb “love”) increases men’s sexual ability.

Estland: Estland is the modern name for Estonia in German,...

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:00:19 +0400

Estland:

Estland is the modern name for Estonia in German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and some other Germanic languages, with the notable exception of modern English.

Estland or Eistland in ancient Scandinavian Sagas and Estia, Hestia and Estonia in early Latin sources is the origin of the modern national name of Estonia.

got lost in Gamlastan

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:15:10 +0400

got lost in Gamlastan

Tyska Kyrkan: Tyska kyrkan (“German Church”;...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:15:10 +0400

Tyska Kyrkan:

Tyska kyrkan (“German Church”; German: Deutsche Kirche), sometimes called St. Gertrude’s Church (Swedish: Sankta Gertruds kyrka), is a church in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.

Journey to Gamlastan - City Hall of Stockholm: my long...

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:43:12 +0400

Journey to Gamlastan - City Hall of Stockholm:

my long exposure shot in Gamlastan, Stockholm

Johanneksenkirkko: Church of St John

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:08:45 +0400

Johanneksenkirkko:

Church of St John

Johanneksenkirkko B/W

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:08:45 +0400

Johanneksenkirkko B/W

jetty

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:17:16 +0400

jetty

catching a dream

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:17:16 +0400

catching a dream

poor man’s canoe

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:17:16 +0400

poor man’s canoe