Showing posts with label Zlatibor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zlatibor. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

God's beautiful nature is my healer!

My first snow...


And I really thought I'll never see it in my life!

Last week I lost someone very very dear to me. My family and I lost our beloved auntie Evelyn. She is my father's sister, and was acting mother to me after I lost my mom 2 years ago. She's been sick with asthma for as long as I can remember but her death was very unexpected, especially that I was just on the phone w/ her 1 week before that on my birthday. Like any loss, this was very devastating to me. This is the worst feeling one can have when you are far away from your family. No matter how I slice it, life is never the same without her. 

So one afternoon, Ivan had the idea to cheer me up a little. He told me to put my jacket & boots on, and that we would go for a little joyride! He brought me to Zlatibor, parked our car in our favorite spot up on a hill, gave me a bottle of beer to drink, and watched me cry until I could start smiling again :)

Onboard the car, we caught a glimpse of the highest peak of the mountain & wondered if it was snow caps we were seeing. We debated for a while & decided to carry on driving for 30 minutes more just to see if it was snow indeed.

And YES, it was SNOW!!
Even though we know that snow is coming (anytime now to middle of November it should snow in Uzice), the first glimpse of snow inspire a certain kind of uncontrollable excitement. Perhaps every South east Asian girl has fantasized about snow. I have enjoyed year round summer, occasional rain, and beaches which also meant no snow. And this was such a welcome change. 



It was magnificent! Nature at its best! 

Old Hollywood Christmas movies fueled my imagination of snow all throughout my childhood. And at that moment, that childhood dream came true. It could have been more magical if I had my whole family w/ me to share it with. It was great excitement mixed with anxiety.  But just the same, it was amazing. God's beautiful nature is my healer all these time. Through out all my hurts, God has made sure I was somewhere beautiful surrounded by friends and Ivan to remind me that things would get better.

Going downhill, I looked to my right, turned my head toward the sky and saw a beautiful message written on the sky, reminding me that, “Everything, like always, will be fine.”

God speaking to me.

I am still looking forward to snow coming in our town. By then I should feel better.

In the meantime, I am very thankful that autumn is here, and it is pretty as you can imagine. It's still early for the real fall colours but it is still picturesque.

All my pretty accessories are from Ivan's mom, Stojanka

In Zlatibor (not in the snowy part) while visiting a friend also last week
On our last shoot last Saturday in Cacak.
In Belgrade during an ocular visit.
In our free time, Ivan & I love to check places around for possible shoot locations.
Serbia is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and we are blessed to have amazing views just about anywhere. This last photo Ivan had asked me to lay down on the ground, and he worked his magic with all the chestnuts and the leaves. And I must say that I am very pleased with his style :p

Autumn, just like what the poem says, is a unique art. 

I feel lucky to be living in the midst of this fireworks display :) Nature's beauty truly heals.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

a blessed sunday

watching kids play during sunset up at Zlatibor Mountain
Today I heard my 1st catholic mass in serbian. In a small church of not more than 20 people w/ 9 kids and 9 adults (including me & the priest). A service that ran for 1 hour in pure serbian language. A service that was extraordinary for the kind of mass I grew up attending. But probably one of the most meaningful masses in my life. I felt blessed right in the beginning of the day.

And the rest of the day we spent exploring our favorite Zlatibor area. A 30-minute ride from Uzice.

more than 1,000 meters above sea level. this was at the ski center, in an open cable car!

the view on top of the hill after the cable car ride

If there is one thing we enjoy doing recently aside from photography, that is to take roadtrips, and watch the sunset. If we could do it everyday up on a mountain, we probably would. We have high moments in the car, but most of the time, we are both quiet, enjoying each others' peace.. and that's always the best part!

People-watching is my favorite. And my favorite lens for that is 105mm macro. Always sharp.
Ivan has taught me (since the first time I met him in 2008) to appreciate nature, and to love what is free. Today, and everyday I am thankful for everything, but most especially for our energy to enjoy life!







Monday, August 8, 2011

watching the sundown from the Zlatibor mountain

Pretty much in raw format,  using Nikon D7000 + 70-200mm; i increased brightness a little bit on my face. Purple orange sky all nature's work!

Last night in Zlatibor, the sky was MAGICAL.

I had one of my most intimate talks with my GOD while enjoying the sundown.

We did a time lapse of the sunset using my Nikon D7000 and when we find time we will edit & upload soon!