I've said (or thought) "I'm back into writing and blogging" so many times in the past that I've lost count. It's pretty much how I also feel about another favorite hobby of mine, running. I have this on-and-off, love-hate relationship with blogging and running. Well, maybe "hate" is too strong a word. It's true that the very thought of running in the cold early morning air often makes me feel like throwing the covers over my head and doing a Rip Van Winkle. But it's also true that many a day has felt incomplete for me without a run, or without a blog post.
Speaking of running, I'm on a forced hiatus right now. I had ignored for too long the pain in my right leg, and just kept on running and playing badminton like there's no tomorrow, until I no longer could. The pain has developed into a full-blown running injury called a shin splint. The cure is simple but very hard to do: quit running and let the leg rest for at least two weeks.
And so I have stopped running. For about a week now. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have succumbed a few times to the temptation to play badminton. Last Saturday, I played badminton for about six hours, and the result of this foolhardiness is more pain and a limp, which become very pronounced when I go up and down the stairs.
In search of another hobby that won't put strain on my legs, I have turned to photography. This has been a latent interest of mine for quite some time (my daughters say I'm interested in everything), and now seems to be the perfect time to give it full lien. I also happen to have this digital SLR camera that's been lying around the house for years now. I might as well put it into good use.
To start off, I downloaded a number of great photography books from the Internet. These books cost a great deal (easily over P1,500 when I did some browsing at National Bookstore), and I feel very lucky to be able to download the electronic versions for free and read them on my iPad. I was also able to find the manual for my d-SLR on the Internet, a very handy reference to take the place of the real manual which I've lost.
I've been taking a lot of practice shots, mostly of our dearest beatzu named Cookie. Here's a sample.
Speaking of running, I'm on a forced hiatus right now. I had ignored for too long the pain in my right leg, and just kept on running and playing badminton like there's no tomorrow, until I no longer could. The pain has developed into a full-blown running injury called a shin splint. The cure is simple but very hard to do: quit running and let the leg rest for at least two weeks.
And so I have stopped running. For about a week now. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have succumbed a few times to the temptation to play badminton. Last Saturday, I played badminton for about six hours, and the result of this foolhardiness is more pain and a limp, which become very pronounced when I go up and down the stairs.
In search of another hobby that won't put strain on my legs, I have turned to photography. This has been a latent interest of mine for quite some time (my daughters say I'm interested in everything), and now seems to be the perfect time to give it full lien. I also happen to have this digital SLR camera that's been lying around the house for years now. I might as well put it into good use.
To start off, I downloaded a number of great photography books from the Internet. These books cost a great deal (easily over P1,500 when I did some browsing at National Bookstore), and I feel very lucky to be able to download the electronic versions for free and read them on my iPad. I was also able to find the manual for my d-SLR on the Internet, a very handy reference to take the place of the real manual which I've lost.
I've been taking a lot of practice shots, mostly of our dearest beatzu named Cookie. Here's a sample.
And I've enrolled in a short photography course at UP that starts two days from now. I'm super-excited! I would have loved to take the course together with my daughter Jigme, but she's too busy with schoolwork, and perhaps not as interested in photography as I am. We did agree that I'd teach her whatever I learned in the course. She's very artistic and loves to sketch, and I'm sure she'll enjoy photography too when she gets to experience it firsthand.
So that's what I've been doing these days. I hope to get to write more and blog regularly again while I'm more or less forced to stay off my feet. That way, I could also put into full use some of the idle gadgetry that's gathering dust in a corner somewhere, like this bluetooth keyboard that I'm now using while typing on the iPad. It all has made me realize once again how fortunate I am, and how there is so much to learn and to do. Learning, like living, never stops, no matter what your age is. And so here I am, embarking on a new hobby, staying off my feet, but definitely not sitting still :-)
1 comment:
We've got lots in common MJ. I'm a frustrated photographer myself but good for you, you're doing the first step how to be one. Ako, hanggang pangarap na lang. Haaay.
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