#200

random

By rommel on January 12, 2013 • ( 132 Comments )

Hi, my name is Rommel. You are viewing The Sophomore Slump v. 2.2. And this is my 200th post. Followers and alike, I hope you enjoy…

May I borrow your precious time as it took 471 days for me to finish this 200th post. I have a lot here so I go start with the meat of my 200th post. I beg of you to read them. Not just beacuse I browsed and sifted through countless of blogposts to compose this, but mainly because these are words that were put together by your fellow WordPress bloggers.

• In my mind, it’s not always about the end result — it’s about the journey, the experience, the stories behind the faces and the paintings. We are human, after all. If we can find ways to engage with each other through inspiration and meaningful conversations, then why not? Being able to use art as a vehicle to connect with each other is a beautiful thing.

— desiree on “The Heart of Community: Paint Ventura 2012“ from desiree east

• When I read blogs, it’s like traveling from world to world to world to world…The pretty change in themes, the shift of colors, the variety of writing voices…they make me lose myself in the beautiful thoughts of others.

— Gracious, “On the Reasons I Read Blogs“ from A Gracious Life

Pre-100th, I have variety in my entries. It quickly became a travel blog more than anything else. I also started doing Weekly Photo Challenge that greatly boosts readership for me, and so I do encourage it for other bloggers as well esp. newer blogs. Thanks to tita buds, my greatest inspiration in the blogging world… I admit I acquired a lot of pointers from her.

• Lessons learned: first, everyone, including stodgy parents and strict university chancellors, appreciates little shots of silliness in their life; and second, writing is at its best and most enjoyable when it reflects how one really feels, thinks and is.

— by tita buds on “Let The Sunshine In” from tita bud’s blog

• I like to think of each connection I make in our blogosphere as a window into another world, an opportunity to learn about other ways of life, other cultures, and to meet other people. Sometimes, the connections we make with these interesting strangers around the world are so real they can elicit the miracle of human empathy – gladness, sadness, joy and sorrow float from window to window with the speed of a ‘publish’ button.

— Meredith on “Blogging? A Window on the World” from The Wanderlust Gene

Shortly after my 100th, I got Freshly Pressed. “A” great accomplishment for a blogger. Being FP’ed wasn’t really what triggers my great following. I believe, really, it was after my visit to Philippine that my blog skyrocketed.

• When we travel we try to seek out unique experiences outside the loop of standard tourist itineraries.

— Madhu on “Laitian Ancient Town” from The Urge To Wonder

• There is no better way to learn about a new place than to be out there on the road taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the location….

  When I have finished I have gained a better understanding of the area. I have felt the earth under my feet and the wind in my hair. No longer am I just a tourist traveling through because I have gone where the locals go and I have been chased by their dogs. I am now part of the community.

— 7feetnorth on “morning run” from 7feethnorth

I am not that great with words as compared to many great bloggers. It doesn’t stop me from there. Blogging has become my television, my movie theater, my book, my museum, my music studio, and my street, my special spot. I realized my strength is more on taking pictures. I’m not a real photographer, but it did became my focus. However, I still believe that the very ingredient is my desire for traveling.

• I’ve never been interested in creating images that might look okay stuck to someone’s fridge; I need to make serious art, and that’s exactly what I do.

— Allan on “A Lens on Life“ from Modes of Flight

• In everyday life, repetition can often seem tedious. However, with creative use in photographs, repetition can give an image a real impact.

— Marianne on “REPETITION“ from East of Malaga

• … why we find everyday life in strange countries that we visit, far more interesting, and photo worthy, than we do our own everyday life…. We don’t usually go around taking photos of workers going about their daily routines at home, so why do you think that we do it on holiday?… don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t dream of going up to my local fish counter with camera poised at the ready. I guess it’s just so nice to visit a different kind of everyday life, and that’s why we take vacations.

— Adin on “Everyday Life” from A Day In Paradise

• Through photography my senses are being reawakened. When I photograph a bee I smell the pollen as it settles on its wings. A gull’s song fills my ears as I try to capture it flying overhead. The waves cool and soften my skin as I wade in for a closer shot. Zooming in on a strawberry its crisp sweetness smothers my tongue. Stopping to capture a moment, I see worlds that previously I had passed by.

— Jo Bryant on “Simple Pleasures” from Chronicles of Illusions

• P.S. When that little voice speaks, listen.

— orples on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands” from Orples: How it came to be, and other interesting stuff

• That’s the human tendency, a person is only afraid of getting wet until he gets few drops of water on his body, just like a person is afraid of becoming a loser until he has anything to lose.

— Arindam on “I too had a Love Story” from Being Arindam

• Loosen a strand of needless time, undo the need to have a key.

— Felicia Flujan, “Undone“ from My Voyage Through Time

My respond to 7×7 Award: Entries are post-100th posts

1. Most Helpful: DIY: How to make a Parachute Bracelet – Thank you for all those who pinnedterest/pinterested this post.
2. Most Popular: – BLUE & Hands: Snorkeling in Balicasag Island – This is like a freshly pressed post. At one good period, it never left my Top Posts and Pages. It gathered 122 comments, 280 likes and 2,111 views!
3. Most Beautiful Piece: Once In A Blue Moon – I don’t really know.
4. Most Pride Worthy: My 7 Super Shots! – Figures.

• I may have faith enough to move mountains, but without love, I am nothing.

— Paula on “BIG“ from Lost in Translation

What am I going to paint? What is in you? Who are you? What do you want to paint about?
What are your true feelings inside you. What have been your true feelings? What have you been dealing with?
Ah ha! with that question I knew it was easy.

— Carla Saunders on “What Are My True Feelings? Expressing them in paint – Calistoga“ from Carla Saunder’s Blog

• In our now, every event that happens seems to be of vital importance, every step we take, every little thing we see, every person we meet, all that we touch, smell, come across; but then we move into our future and most of these small significances begin to slowly blur into oblivion. What we are left with are very few salient moments that remain vivid in our minds and hearts for so many different reasons. But what lies hidden in the blur carries so much significance. It may lay dormant in our unconscious, but it is very much part of who and what we are today isn’t it?

— Mimo Khair on “The Walk of Selective Focus“ from Images and Journeys of a Searching Mind

Continue….

5. Most Controversial: WTF! My pictures are on somebody else’s blog? – Ahhh, and I still don’t do watermarks. I tried but it takes me years to upload one picture.

6. Most Surprisingly Successful: A lot of Sweet Nothings in Black’s Beach aka Nude Beach – Go figure what the best search words and phrases for my blog. 😀

7. Most Underrated: The Jelly Experience [Exhibit III] – 😦

• Life isn’t perfect. And for a good reason. It’s only when you have the bad days that you appreciate the good. If not, what’s the difference? And like a block of really good dark chocolate, it’s the bitter bits that bring out the intensity and flavour of the cocoa.

— happysherlock on “One chocolate muffin at a time“ from bullfrogs symposium: a celebration of life

• Evil invades the most precious places of our souls. It robs us. It mocks us. It pits us against each other, and it knows no boundaries….as much as it takes away….it can not steal our hope and faith.
  

— Angelia Sims, Ripping The Veil from Living, Loving, Laughing

• Even in the midst of happiness and doing all the things we love, there is pleasure and there is pain. We pick our pathway and march on knowing that if we stay grounded; joyfully grounded, the journey will yield many wonderful experiences. To be happy where we are is to be content with both our good and bad choices. To be happy with who we are is to embrace our gifts and gaffes.

— Eliz on “Inspiration: A Taste on Balance” from Mirth and Motivation

I did Featured Blogs prior 100th but it really comes together more and more on later periods. I don’t do a lot of Award responses. I gratefully appreciate all of it. I do Linkage posts such as what I am doing now where I highlight other blogs, make testimonials and featuring them. I know a lot of bloggers who are doing the same thing now. It’s a great thing to do blog shares because it lets other bloggers see your appreciation to their hard-maintained blogs. There are plenty of Freshly Pressed worthy posts out there. I choose to share those that WordPress juries don’t see.

• We are a community, scattered throughout the interconnected global world that is fast paced and ever-changing. We are a community that celebrates diversity – customs, culture, languages, art and food. We are a community that shares our voices through poetry, music, dance, humour, art, and photography. We are a community that is strong, courageous and tolerant. We are a community that wants to be a positive force for transformation – together.

— Clanmother on “Celebrating Our Blogging Community” from Clanmother

• ” Being solitary, we learn to connect with ourselves before connecting with others, to be kind to ourselves so we can be kind to others, and when to let go. ”

— Amy, Solitary from The World is a Book

• Maybe we are all just looking for something to belong to. Perhaps we hope that one day we can live up to the standards we advertise with our words, wear on our shirts, our necks, our arms and our hands. But in the meantime….is it so hard to just give up our seat to a family…or help an old man move his car??…

— onestreetshy on “A state of Hypocrisy – A Rant Session” from One Street Shy

I’m responding to the Kreativ Award with 7 facts about me.

1. I once went out with friends so that I can learn how to play golf. At the end of the day, I only found out that I can juggle three golf balls. And that’s without prior practice or trials, I just instantly got it.

2. I hate people who are using their cellphone while driving.

3. A man knocked on my car window once after midnight. He signaled me to roll down the window so he can speak to me. At first, I was shaking my head saying no, but eventually did open it. He begged me to drive him. I thought about it. In the end, I let a hitchhiker into my car and drove him for a good 3 miles. I came back home with no scar, and the good ol’ camera stayed in the car.

…

If I admitted him into my world where could I turn
had this stranger turned out to be an evil spawn?

–Imelda on “The Samaritan’s Dilemma” from My Word Wall

What if there were two buttons each day that you could push, one marked PERFECTION and one marked SURPRISE?
Which one would you push?

— Russel Ray on “I’m pushing the SURPRISE button!” from Russel Ray Photos

Continue …

4. My greatest fear is …. expectation.
5. I’ve been blogging since 2008, first with Multiply.com
6. My most admired director is Christopher Nolan.
7. I never had a pet.

• I’m amused easily. I’m also a people watcher. Add these two together and you can have endless entertainment! Who needs television when you have a brain like mine?

— Latimer and Ridley on “Easily Amused” from M. Latimer-Ridley

• I would empty my mind so I can truly listen to what’s important in my life. I found my serenity and it was beautiful.

— The Island Traveler on “The Path of the Island Traveler” from this man’s journey

I started doing special posts just a little more than 10 posts ago. I did a DIY post, a poem post, a puzzle post, and posts that were overwhelming for me to compose like the Travel Whoas and Woes, My 7 Super Shots, etc. If you haven’t noticed it yet, my Special Reports are now a Page in my Menu Bar.

• I’m tempted to walk home. It would be a long walk but it would be a happy one.

— Juan Castillo Jr. on “Well hello peace” from Tales from a Nut Shell cracked open

• Amazingly, the mist of gloom from my day has suddenly lifted, perhaps because I made the effort to clear my mind and write without a worry. How nice it is to witness the world in color, dive happily … and finally accept whatever comes my way.

— Sunshine on “A splash of color to make you or break you” from Simply Charming

• …And it was good … disappearing … not quite like putting on The Ring of the Hobbit Tale but it felt near enough ….

— poppytump on “Simple Pleasures” from poppytump@number4

• “Can I have ranch dressing with that?” Luis, the lovely owner/waiter replied, “No, you cannot, you are in Italia and you will have Italian dressing. It will be so much better and you will like it.”

— Debra on “The things people say” from Bagni Di Lucca

I also did Flashback Friday. Most of my current travel destinations now are in California. flashback Friday is a way for me to revisit my travel destinations outside America. I also get to re-post my old blog posts and re-create it in different approaches. I get successful feedback every time to all my Flashback Friday posts.

• It’s interesting about concepts. They motivate people. If you grasp the concept, you can communicate it

— Marsha Lee on “Concept” from Marsha Lee

• We began our new life of living on the road with excitement, tempered with a dose of anxiety. Now, eight months later, our measured decision has been rewarded with contentment and simple happiness. As wanderers, we are blessed to discover, enjoy and explore so many places we’ve never seen. We have been in awe of the natural beauty surrounding us. The challenges we initially encountered were overcome. We think we’re ready to face just about anything down the road. We met new friends along the way, while staying connected with the old ones. The places we’ve been and the experiences we’ve had so far are memorable and inspiring.

— Mona Liza and Steve on “What A Year It Was!” from The Lowe’s RVAdventures

The Sophomore Slump 2 has acquired 1,625 followers, 8,919 likes, and 5,516 comments.

My Top Ten Posts of All Time:

1. Rose Valley Falls Trail in Ojai
2. Blue & Hands: Snorkeling in Balicasag Island
3. Ride the train, dance in the rain or feel no pain?
4. My Amazing Race
5. Bohol, Philippines
6. It’s More Fun in the Philippines (part deux)
7. Solitary Walk: Venice Canals
8. Virgin Island in Bohol, Philippines
9. A Lot of Sweet Nothings in Black’s Beach aka Nude Beach
10. My 7 Super Shots!

Rat race: Moving quickly, Focused, Thinking of the goal And not paying attention To family, to friends, to those around me.
I have lost my soul, My humanity, My sense of self. I have become one with the pack as I move towards a goal Set by another.
Rat race: When will it end? When will I be free? Of the strings that pull me along and Of the demands that take away
My serenity, My joy, My companionship. I wish to break free of the group, of the rush to finish first, of the rat race. So I can be free to be me.

— Colline on “The Rat Race“ from Colline’s Blog

• Just prior to the sun bidding farewell, laughter and the pounding of horses’ hooves can be heard as campers enjoy a sunset ride along the lake. Locusts, crickets, and all matter of creepy-crawly creatures move to the rhythms of the night. Coyotes circle around, whether to howl at the full moon or to serenade us, who can know? Their cadence quickens to a piercing cacophony of shrieks and howls. Most likely they are banding together for the kill, hopefully not one of the shy jackrabbits we see bounding around our camp site. Such is the symphony at sunset in these parts.

— LuAnn and Terry on “Symphony At Sunset” from Paint your Landscape

Thank You for the continuing support to The Sophomore Slump 2. Thank you for all the likes, comments, following, re-blogs, shares, and thank you for your posts and your friendship. I hope you enjoyed traveling with me. I hope you continue to ride along and see what I see through my lens.

• I thanked the mountains for teaching me to see things in a higher perspective. The green leaves of the trees and grasses over the mountains taught me to appreciate and respect what is left on the earth’s surface and to live by the mountaineer’s creed: to take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, and kill nothing but time.

— Sony Fugaban on “Life Lessons from My First Solo Travel” from The Stories of My Wandering Feet (& Mind)

The upcoming, future posts, I will be taking you to Malibu, Santa Barbara, San Diego Contemporary Museum, LACMA, Joshua Tree National Park, Palm Springs, Buenaventura, Fremont City, Los Banos, Muir Beach, San Francisco, Point Reyes, Palm Springs Aerial Tram, Half Moon Bay, 29 Palms, Route 66, Coachella Valley, San Juan Capistrano, Hoover Dam, and many more …

 How can you end something

thats got you questioning your heart and mind?

— PJ on “Trouble Heart“ from Poetic Journey

• The best things that I did and learnt this year are –

  • Meeting and interacting with locals on all travels. This took our holiday on a whole new level by helping us experience places like locals and actually discovering so many more exciting things for ourselves.

  • Experience of our visit to the Floating Village in Siem Reap.

  • Breaking bones with a typical Thai massage (a must do though and I’ll go again if possible).

— Snigdha on “2012, the year that went by and 2013, the year to come” from GetSetAndGo

Thank you for viewing my 200th. For those who are included that are not on my Featured Blogs yet, I will be adding you as my Featured Blogs. For those I didn’t include, please don’t be discouraged. I got so many blogs I here. This is post is too hard to finish. I hope you understand. If not, you all enjoy reading the quotes. Know that I will be keeping an eye out for your blogs. Thank You, more power and have fun blogging.

You are all invited for the After-Party on San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. 😀

And last but not the least, I HATE YOU ALL!

[Disclaimer: I stole the quotes from the bloggers. I included links to their blogs, but didn’t ask permission. If I quoted you, you can ask me to retract what I shared here.]

Silence can be found in the noisiest place
if only you seek.

There is gold  right here shining through waiting for you
you can just reach out.

Love waits for you now pure everlasting caring
ask it will be yours.

— Gilly on “January Small Stones #5″ from Lucid Gypsy

I will let …

Kat B. on “Important Life Lessons that Family Travel has Taught Me” from Travel. Garden. Eat

end this post. Hit it ….

1.  Hearkening to Mary Oliver’s sage advice, be amazed and allow yourself to experience the wonder of things.

2.  Don’t give up; while the journey may be long and hard, the goal is often worth the effort.

3.  Teach your children that our natural world is more entertaining than any movie or video game.

4.  Be kind to everyone and everything, wherever you are.

5.  Be adventurous and stretch the edges of your comfort zone.

6.  Appreciate the little things in life.

7.  Set your plans aside from time to time and just enjoy the present.

8.  Let music fill your soul and mark your memory.

9.  Don’t dwell on the past, but study and respect what we have learned from those who lived before us.

10.  La vita e breve — life is short.

Categories: random, Special Report

Tagged as: random, Special Report, Top Ten