Where your he
e does eart lie?
1 Place st
This photo of my husband, Joseph and eldest daughter, Marga was taken four days after I gave birth to our second daughter. Since I am still recovering then, I captured and immortalized this precious moment as they were happily playing and having fun in the water. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also... Submitted by Marvi Leal BRUNEI
“Let me fly high and if ever I fall, your love will catch me.�
Where does your heart lie? TO ANSWER THIS question, we need to open up our lives to people and reveal an inner fragment that opens up to our past, present, and future. Our hearts lie in the people, places, and things that we deem most important. It lies in a home - a place, person, or thing - where our hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. A place where we simply are happiest. For some, their heart lies in the people they love: family, relatives, friends. It beats to your wife's tender loving care, your husband's careless whispers, your daughter's romantic woes, your son's enthusiasm, and your baby's giggles and first words. We go and leave only to realize that riches can't found elsewhere; it's with our family. Some hearts are with friends, people whom we share so much of ourselves. These are people who take care of us, people who understand, people who take us into fun, funny journeys we've never gone to. These are people who become our family, when our real families are nowhere near us. For some, their heart lies in a place - a hometown where childhood dreams reside, a house where we experienced our firsts, a city we visited and never left, a province we always go home to, a nation we left, a country we turned to. Some are currently living where their heart lies. Lost in the wilderness, in the scorching heat, in the freezing winter, in the dry spell, in the new land. Some are, for the moment, closing their eyes envisioning their feet on that vital ground yearning to walk again the streets of home. Never forgetting where they come from and where they are headed to. To some, home lies just around the final bend of a place that floods the soul.
Home is the place that goes where you go, yet it welcomes you upon your return. For some, their heart lies in things: memorable, significant things that remind them of who they are and of what they do. A rosary for a strong faith, letters of loved ones that were painstakingly handwritten, strollers of newborn family members, passports that remind them of leaving and of returning, favorite dishes cooked by loved ones, the Philippine flag for unwavering nationalism... and so many other stuff that remind us of something important in our lives. During bouts of nostalgia and homesickness, they remind us who and what we're working for. They are never forgotten because they symbolize emotions that lead us home.
Our hearts... they actually lie all over the place. Our hearts are with the ones we love. Always.
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“Ring”
Can´t explain the joy, tension, and excitement when asking someone you love to be together for the rest of your life. Submitted by Jeffrey Jornales SOUTH KOREA
“Babalik Ka Rin�
Gaano man kalayo ang narating, sa iyong pinagmulan, babalik ka rin. Simply no place like the Philippines. I'm coming home...
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Submitted by Mark Brian Caidic SAUDI ARABIA
“Paglisan” Ikaw ang tahanan ng aking puso... Ang tanging pabaon ko sa aking paglisan... Submitted by Darwin Puyot SAUDI ARABIA
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“Pluma at Talaarawan”
This diary is where my heart is. It's a place where I can freely express myself. A place for happiness and solitude. Every time I write in my diary, I feel comfortable… like someone is always there to listen and offer a sense of belonging. Submitted by Raymond Ramos UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“The Light Is What Guides You Home”
A place of shelter, warmth and confidence... Home is the place where hearts are sure of each other...
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Submitted by Mark Brian Caidic SAUDI ARABIA
“My Love Maranatha�
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Before you were born, I carried you under my heart. From the moment you arrive in this world and before I leave it, I will always carry you in my heart. Submitted by Marvi Leal BRUNEI
“Journey for Survival�
I took this photo when I was travelling from Cebu to Manila by ship during my short vacation in the Philippines. I saw this woman riding a
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boat while at the same time carrying her baby. I was so touched and sad upon seeing my shot as I reflect my life and the life of most Overseas Filipino Workers who have left their family and loved ones for a risky journey in other countries for the survival of our respective families at home.
Submitted by Norlito Calis SAUDI ARABIA
The impeccable smiles from the faces of these children captured my heart while trailing across the jaywalk of Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan.
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Childhood has always been the best part of those playful years where I feel young at heart, far yet close to home.
“Happy and Innocent�
A place where I can find peace, love, and happiness, where I feel safe and secure. Where I can grow and develop with encouragement and without fear of intimidation and criticism. And most importantly, home is where I am welcome and accepted in spite of my flaws and failures. Through God is where my heart truly lies.
“Living in God's Heart�
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Submitted by Raymond Ramos UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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From Top to Bottom:
“A Day With My Wife” Submitted by Ronald Arago QATAR
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“A Mother's Care” Submitted by Teodora Bucao SOUTH KOREA
“Loving The Passion”
Submitted by Carlo Adrillana MALAYSIA
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“Pabaon ni Inang Mahal”
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Submitted by Anna Jean Sicat UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“With 'Lil Sis and Cousin's at Nanay's”
Submitted by Geraldine Pineda UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
15 “Best Laugh” Submitted by Carlo Adrillana MALAYSIA
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“Panggatong o Lapis” Submitted by Ronald Dacillo SAUDI ARABIA
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“A Mother's Love” Submitted by Walter Trinidad UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
“Shepherd in the Wilderness”
Submitted by Larrin Lau SAUDI ARABIA
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From Left to Right:
“Twilight”
Submitted by Ronald Arago QATAR
“Bonding With My Inang”
Submitted by Garry Castro SOUTH KOREA
“Sa May Burnayan”
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Submitted by Norlito Calis SAUDI ARABIA
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“Love Will Keep Us Through”
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Submitted by Irish Francisco CANADA
“Virgie” Submitted by Jonathan Carpio SAUDI ARABIA
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“Hands” Submitted by Salden Eltagonde SAUDI ARABIA
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Clockwise from the Left:
“Mga Liham Ni Ina” Submitted by Danilo Jacob Jr “Petronas Love” “Water Taxis”
KUWAIT
Submitted by Clarissa Marie Piano MALAYSIA Submitted by Abdel-Aziz Masjiril BRUNEI
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MOST LIKED (Globe Kababayan Awardee)
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“Seaside Date”
Submitted by Ronald Dongdong SOUTH KOREA
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“Alaala Sa Aparador”
Submitted by Joseph Endonila SAUDI ARABIA
MOST POPULAR “Innocent Look of a Child” Submitted by Nonalyn Librodo SAUDI ARABIA
About the Judges )PEBA Where The Heart Is( NALEN AGUILAR aka Manilenya is a multi-hyphenated super woman
living in Canada. She likes to write, take photos and take long photo walks. She also develops and designs websites. She writes and post her photographs in the following sites: http://www.anna-ism.com, http://annaism.tumblr.com, and http://manilenya.com. The latter won the sixth place in the Pinoy Expats/ OFWs Blog Awards in 2008.
SAMUEL GRADO is the President of the Filipino Photographers in
South Korea (FILIPOS), the pioneering Filipino photography in that country. A graduate of the Univeristy of Visayas, Mr. Grado is a respected photographer with various awards under his belt. He was the 1st prize winner at the FEWAlimpics in Action, Presidents MUG Award Photo Contest and his photos have been featured in several photo exhibits in South Korea.
JON GUZMAN is continuously sharing his creativity and artistry in the
Middle East as a graphic artist and website builder. A member of the prestigious International Shutters Organization, he is now extending his passion to photography, and doing a good job at it. His works have been featured in various exhibits. He is currently working in a dairy and juice company in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
KAREN LIPARDO has been a photo enthusiast as early has her col-
lege days. She started attending photography lessons when she moved to Dubai, but specialized her photography enthusiasm in producing macro shots. She received a "Macro Queen" award from her peers in the photography class for mastering digital macros.
About the Judges )PEBA Where The Heart Is( JOEL AND ANN SALAZAR are
parents of 3 makukulit but sweet and lovable kids. They're the dynamic duo behind a few blogs under the head blog www.kadyo.com.One Step At A Time (http://www.kadyo.com) and Apple of My Eyes (http://appleofmyeyes.kadyo.com) have been dishing funny, witty, and inspirational entries for years. And of course, they also feature wonderful photos that depict their happy family life and landscapes that evoke emotions and reflections.
ERWIN SERRANO is one of the known photographers in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. He 'who shoots, not for art's sake and sensationalism, but to convey stories the way he sees it.' Win's photo of a child was one of the Top 10 photos in PEBA's Photo Contest 2010. His photos were also included in exhibits held in Dubai and in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, and featured on "The Gulf Through the Eyes of a Filipino Photographer, a coffee table book by Illustrado Communications FX-LLC. He is the current Director for Membership of the Cameradie Photography Club International based in Riyadh.
KEITH AND PINKY SY have recently moved to the outback of Australia
from the desert of Saudi Arabia. They claim they're not professional photographers but their photos beg to differ. They're doing such a good job in photography that you'd think they've been doing it all their life. Their blogs talk about a lot of things: family life (http://chinois97.wordpress.com), photography (http://leapsphotoalbum. wordpress.com), life down under (http://theozsys.com), and kitchen tales (http:// tkkt.wordpress.com). Apart from these, we can learn a thing or two from this dynamic couple about hoping for the best and taking leaps of faith.
THE PINK TARHA is composed of four ladies working in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia and have been blogging in http://www.thepinktarha.com for three years now. Their blog has been dishing out entries relevant to discerning ladies in the Kingdom, serving as a "kikay" and fun lifestyle guide. They have attended several photography seminars in the Philippines and in Saudi Arabia. They are the ladies behind this year's PEBA "Where The Heart Is" Photo Contest.
Acknowledgments We would like to thank all who joined this year's PEBA "Where The Heart Is" Photo Contest. Your photos are all amazing and beautiful. Thank you for sharing a part of your life to us. You will receive a certificate of participation via email this month. We hope you join future PEBA photo contests and we hope you continue supporting PEBA. Our hearts are filled with immense gratitude to the judges who shared their time and energy in grading each and every photo. We did give them a hard time (166 photos to judge, no less!) but they delivered brilliantly. Thank you very much! Thanks to all the PEBA officers who gave this fulfilling opportunity to us. We appreciate the trust you gave us in handling this project. We had a lot of fun chairing this photo contest. We'd also like to thank Globe Kababayan for sponsoring this event. Thanks to all of you who viewed and liked the photos. Also to those who sent in their questions, comments, and suggestions. We appreciate the feedback. This has been a wonderful project for us and it's been very fulfilling to be of service to the Filipino expats/OFWs community. Much Love,
THE PINK TARHA Ladies
www.thepinktarha.com