Memories Under The Starry Night

If you've been following this from the start since Nuvali, you're awesome! Thank you for spending time with me on this journey.

The day has been long, the thoughts heavy and the memories dragging. I found some temporary respite when I went to Sky Ranch being able to somehow keep a broken vow. I now am homeward bound. But it's not as simple as going straight home. My last stop in this journey-- Starbucks Tagaytay.

Overlooking The Lake. This was taken last November 2010 on the second floor balcony of Starbucks Tagaytay. This was the first time I set foot in Tagaytay.

I recall the first time I went to Tagaytay. My siblings and I initially planned to go to Enchanted Kingdom. When we got there the place was closed (looking back, I think it was because we were too early.) and my sister, on a whim said, "Big bro, let's go to Tagaytay?" and so we did. I guess it was amazing that we didn't get lost considering that the cellphone coverage was lousy at the time, so GPS wasn't exactly great, and my sister only vaguely remembers how to get there. We went on, pushed on and followed the signs. Not bad since I had no idea how to get there at the time. The first place we stopped on when we got there was this particular Starbucks branch. So this place holds some memories for me. 

And so I have returned to this special place. This time though, it was vastly different. For starters, it was night time. The view was different, but I dare say, it was even more amazing.

My company for the night on this cozy spot enjoying the cool breeze. Aside from my camera, of course: My chatty, Instagram-happy cellphone, a tall cup of coffee and my trilby. Because reasons. I need a hat. Because.

I went to the railing near Starbucks and had a great vantage point overlooking an awesome view. Below is the picture of the railing. I had my mini-tripod and I managed to place it on top of the railing with me holding it down to make ensure it doesn't fall.

Off Limits. Taken November 2010. The irony is that the guy with his foot on the railing is actually the guard. During the day, I'd say that the view is already lovely. When it gets dark though, it gets a bit more challenging to capture its beauty. But it is well worth the extra effort.

As I look up and watch the starry distant sky with the cool breeze blowing on my face, I can't help but recall a few lines from a song as I recall someone:

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Well, at least I cared enough to ponder that. Things are not the same anymore, and this journey goes on. I should try to as well. It may not make sense now but hopefully, eventually it will.

Shot RAW. This was a long  exposure shot taken from a cliff side railing. I placed the camera on a mini-tripod and shot for a few seconds. I held the camera down while it was shooting since it was a bit windy and I don't want th thing falling down the grassy cliff side. It really helped that I shot with RAW as well. It allowed me to pull some details like stars and the lake surface not initially visible on the JPEG shot.

Tilting the lens upwards gives a good view of the night sky. Applying a filter I got for Dark Table really brought out the stars. Just the way I like it. When I shot this it was practically pitch black beyond the bushes and the window on the right with some lights at the distance and that's it. I soaked this for a good 30 seconds to get this much detail in the dark, and it turned out divine!

And so after this I went on my journey home. Back to reality, somewhat refreshed, with one less burden on my mind that haunted me. Things may no longer revert to how they used to be from the bright and happy days I miss, but I was fortunate to have a few pictures of those to keep.

Some lesson I have on this night somehow was, while the night is cold and long, like a long exposure shot, I have focus on the infinity in front of me and stay steady and strong, just keep believing and persisting no matter how long, eventually the brightness of better days will come out no matter how dark the night may be. And hopefully find some beauty where eyes initially failed to see...

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)