"A-pic-w/a-stranger-a-day" ^_^

"Strangers are just friends who haven't met yet!"

One of my best-friends, Eaves, gave me the most challenging dare of all. A dare that is pretty fun but kind of bold in nature. I accepted the dare not because I know I could accomplish it, but because it could really teach me a lot. It's also one of the dares with the longest time frame.

The dare was to take a picture 'with' a stranger or anyone I get to meet at a certain place- my call; a picture a day until my birthday. Actually, I only needed 25 pictures. Well, you know the drift. But I wasn't allowed to tell the 'strangers' that the pics are for "dare purposes".

“That way, you get to meet 25 strangers before and on the day of your birthday; that would either change your life or theirs...” as my friend told me. She’s really something, right? Hehe
 

And thus, I took the challenge; even though I thought I don’t have enough guts to do it. I guess that's also the reason why I got really pumped up to do the challenge; it could really help me build up my guts to approach strangers. And believe me, there were times that I had to deal with reporter-like people; you know, those people who'd like to know the whole story. There were also those who take things negatively and simply ran away from me as if I was some kind of scum. Haha. I bet that those who said yes were left wondering what the heck I was going to do with their pictures. Haha. Well, that was fun and really memorable.

I haven't lost faith in human nature and I haven't decided to be less compassionate to strangers. Armistead Maupin

And without further ado, here are the pictures I've taken with those people who became the subjects of this dare...

* As I mentioned in my previous post, some pictures got “accidentally” deleted…

- pic1/thumbnail1

 > the guy I'm with is the kind-of-snobbish and intimidating guard of the building where I worked before. He wasn't really a stranger, right? But since we did not interact even once before that pic was taken, I considered him a stranger. Guess what... After what I did, "Manong" became really friendly; he always smiles whenever he sees me (even after I resigned). *winks and smugs

- pic2/thumbnail2

 > the second guy was a police officer who was supervising the traffic (I think) that day. I had to muster a lot of guts and confidence because maybe, the officer would find me suspicious. lol. It turned out I made him feel shy; he even considered himself a "star/celebrity" after the pic was taken. I left him with a big grin on his face. Good thing he didn't ask for my mobile#. hahaha

- pic3/thumbnail3

 > taken with a salesman on the grocery department of a mall near our office. He's the first, and the most hard-to-get, so-called reporter. He kept on asking things that forced me to tell him it was for project's sake. I decided to look for another subject but I was too shy to make the move as I saw other men looking at us with that malicious grin. When the interrogation ended and the pic was taken, I was approached by other salesmen hoping that they too can become "stars" of my project. Of course, I left with a dark blush on my face.

- pic4/thumbnail4

  > with the corn vendor? nothing special happened; except for the fact that there were many eyes because we were on a busy street.

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  > the kids playing on the street near our apartment. When my mom randomly checked the images in my mobile phone, she asked me why I had a picture taken with her students. Small world? :D

- pic6/thumbnail6

  > a kind of "chaotic" image as the ladyguard (of Sm Delgado's grocery department) was trying to stop the saleslady from becoming an accomplice. lol

- pic7/thumbnail7

> inside the grocery, with athletes (swimmers) from Aklan. I almost burst out laughing when I saw their reaction as I approached them. They were roughhousing on that side of the store so they thought I came to reprimand their behavior. hahaahaha *evil grin

- pic8/thumbnail8

  > Aha! She is perhaps the only person in this dare that I got to make friends with after. Well, she wasn't really a total stranger as she was a schoolmate (younger than I). And one more thing, we were kind of "connected". Let's just say, she's the present of my past? lol

- pic9/thumbnail9

 > hmm.. the new guard? taken when I went home late from the office. I thought he was only a temporary substitute. and yes, he was blushing :))

- pic10/thumbnail10

 > pic from a public toilet. I initially intended to have the pic taken with her mom; but she refused and asked her little daughter to pose instead.

- pic11/thumbnail11

 > with the bored saleslady

- pic12/thumbnail12

> the fruit vendor was really funny and flirtatious

- pic13/thumbnail13

 > the girl that bought a waffle before me

- pic14/thumbnail14

 > at mcDonald's

- pic15/thumbnail15

 > at the church

- pic16/thumbnail16

> at Shakey's; where we had lunch before the videoshoot. Indeed, my friends witnessed this picture taking with one of the smirking managers. haha

- pic17/thumbnail17

 > at the laundry shop

- pic18/thumbnail18

 > with two Koreans at the Mall of Asia, Manila

- pic19/thumbnail19

 > with a street kid. Guess what... he asked me to pay for him, even just 5 pesos lol

- pic20/thumbnail20

 > with a worker from Moostbrand

- pic21/thumbnail21

 > kids (siblings) I "cornered" in front of my Aunt's house in Manila

- pic22/thumbnail22

 > saleslady at Sm City. Geesh, I really had trouble taking this pic. Lots of "drama" x_x

At last, I'm done! Now, I'm dead tired. ciao! :P