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From the beautiful Minalabac county. Coming from a far-flung barrio in the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines, touching an instamatic camera is a privilege, much more owning one. Back in the day, a Kodak instamatic film camera is a sign of royalty in a place where the sound of a church bell is the right cue for everyone to pause for a few minutes and observe a 3-minute silence. My first Kodak instamatic camera made me the heartrob in high school. But that was it - my first and last initiation in the world of photography. It took more than 15 years when I finally meet my first Canon DSLR using films and manual lenses. It was a cool reunion of me and photography. In 2008, I finally bought my first Nikon D3000. I fully understand that I really had a passion of this art. "Better late than never," says grandpa Al, our 80-year old building guard who now is my numero uno critic and photography fan. Grandpa Al is a retired vegetable dealer who used to hate being photographed thinking that it "steals" his soul -- an old superstition that dates back during the Spanish time. I would like to thank everyone for their inspiring comments. I admire many professional and non-professional photoraphers here at 500. I am humbled when someone is able to spend few seconds to look at my photos and gives a comment. Actually, it is me that learns more from your wonderful works. Thank you for your beautiful creations that truly help me understand the real beauty and power of photography.