Litratong Pinoy: PROTEKSYON (Protection)

Habang umaasa ang sambayanan sa Pangulo ng Pilipinas upang sila ay maisanggalang laban sa gutom, hirap, at iba pang mga kalaban, nakasalalay naman sa mga bakal na ito ang proteksyon ng Pangulo habang siya ay nasa Ang Mansyon, ang opisyal niyang tahanan sa Lungsod ng Baguio.

PROTEKSYON = PROTECTION While the rest of the country looks to the President to shield them from adversities like hunger and poverty, she relies on these metal gates as protection whenever she is in The Mansion, the official residence of the Philippine head of state whenever she is in the northern city of Baguio.

Baguio City, December 2008, using a digicam.

Monochrome Monday: WHOOPS

One of those moments, goofing off with my sister, in one of the exhibits in the Coke headquarters. We probably had too much to drink of that most famous of beverages. But then again, we're both loony even if we're just loaded with water =]

World of Coca-cola, Atlanta, Georgia, December 2006, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: Utensils

Of course the utensils, aside from their obvious utility, played second fiddle to the gustatory delight that was our breakfast during our weekend stay at Sonya's Garden, a bed and breakfast some 90 minutes away (on a good driving day) from our home in the metro. Yes, the mangoes looked so good, but they tasted so much better =]

Shameless self-promotion, admittedly, but the full story of our weekend in Sonya's Garden is available here. Good stuff, if I may say so myself.


Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay City area, February 2009, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: NAKAKAKILABOT (Hair-raising)

Ito ang libingan sa bakuran ng Kapilya ng San Pablo sa parokya ng Sangtatlo sa lunsod ng Nuweba York. May dalawang daang taon na ang tanda ng libingang ito kung saan nakahimlay ang ilang kilalang tao sa lipunang Amerikano.

Nagkaroon ng panibagong kahulugan ang libingang mula noong Setyembre 11, 2001. Dahil sa mga puno sa palibot ng bakurang ito, hindi nagkaroon ng matinding pinsala ang Kapilya ng San Pablo mula sa pagguho ng World Trade Center na katapat na katapat nito, di tulad ng mga nakapaligid na mga gusali sa kanya. Sa loob ng walong buwan, naging lunan din ang simbahan para sa mga bibigay kalinga para sa mga kawan ng mga pamatay-sunog, pulis, at mga volunteer na tumulong maghukay para sa mga labi ng mga natabunan sa pagbagsak ng mga tore ng WTC.

NAKAKAKILABOT - HAIR-RAISING This is the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel in the parish of Trinity, New York City. Many prominent Americans are buried in this 200-plus year-old site.

This place gained more prominence since September 11, 2001. Because of the trees surrounding this churchyard, St. Paul's did not incur any substantial damage from the debris of the fall of the World Trade Center twin towers (which was just across it), unlike the skyscrapers beside the former. For about eight months, it became home to firefighters, police personnel, and other volunteers who helped sift through the ruble looking for WTC survivors.


St. Paul's Chapel, Church St, New York City, December 2006, using a digicamera.

Monochrome Monday: GANDHI

At first, it was surreal seeing a likeness of Mahatma Gandhi standing in one of the most modern of United States' cities, far removed from his homeland India. But then again, the diversity of the residents of San Francisco and their generally harmonious co-existence are living testaments to what Gandhi has lived and died for. I'm sure he feels right at home in this city by the bay.

More details about this humble but powerful monument from the Embassy of India in the United States website.

behind the Ferry Terminal Building, San Francisco, December 2006, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: Rock

At the observation area at the other end of the Golden Gate Bridge (Marin County/Sausalito side), a slab of human-made rock is inscribed with the direction in the horizon which leads one's eyes to The Rock- Alcatraz Island- a place of infamy as a federal prison but is likewise a cultural and historical treasure trove, being the site of the US West Coast's first lighthouse and first fort, among others.

at the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, December 2006, using my Woca 120G toy camera.

Litratong Pinoy: TUYO (Dry)

Para sa mga nakadarama ng di pangkaraniwang pagkatuyot ng lalamunan, ang Absolut Icebar sa Stockholm ay para sa inyo.

Mula sa mga dingding, hanggang sa mga mesa, upuan, at mismong basong sisidlan ng inumin, ang buong bar ay gawa sa yelong hango sa Ilog Torne sa Swedish Lapland. Ang silid ay pinanatili sa lamig na -5C kaya't ang kapaligiran ay walang basa-basang lugar; kung mayroon man, marahil naikubli na ito ng mga pang-ibabaw na gawa sa balat ng reindeer.

Limitado ang maaaring pumasok sa bar- mga 20 lang kada grupo- kaya't mahigit isang oras kaming pumila bago nalasap ang kakaibang hagod ng iba't ibang halo ng vodka sa pinakakakaibang sisidlang pang-inumin.

TUYO = DRY For those suffering from a drought of a different kind, the Absolut Icebar in Stockholm is for you.

From the walls to the tables and seats, up to the glasses the drinks are served in, everything is made of ice from the waters of the Torne River in the Swedish Lapland. The room is maintained at a cozy temperature of -5C; hence, no spills or puddles in spite of the fact that everything is made from water. If ever there are such meltings, the rugs and seat covers made from reindeer hide would have soaked them up or something.

Since only about 20 people at a time are allowed to stay in the bar so we had to stand in line for at least an hour before we got the chance to experience the Absolut-ly interesting taste of vodka served in the most chilly of drinking vessels.

Nordic Sea Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden, September 2007, using a digicam.

Monochrome Monday: HOT AND COLD

As the sunrises over the islands of the Philippines, the contrast between the cool calm waters surrounding the central towering, almost perfect cone of the then-erupting Mayon Volcano (plume of ash and gas and all) becomes more stark. Or diminished...

A view worth waking up at 1 am for.
flying over the Bicol region, July 2006, using a digital camera.

PhotoHunt: Garbage

Items that typically occupy garbage bins and would have landed in landfills are given a new lease on life in this urban agriculture demonstration farm in a village in the middle of a city in the Philippines. Tires, plastic containers of condiments, soda bottles, sacks of rice, among others become home to organically grown fruits and vegetables, providing healthy alternatives to commercially farmed products and exra income for those who grow them.

Through the leadership of the local government, some 80% of the residents in this village practice garbage segragation. It has an Asian Development Bank-funded materials recovery facility (MRF) that boasts of a state-of-the-art composting facility which further lessens the amount of garbage they add to the Payatas open dumpsite. To further give proof to the Filipino saying "may pera sa basura" (there is money in garbage), the MRF is a self-sustaining enterprise earning hundreds of thousands of pesos a year through the sale of recyclable items recovered from households and organic fertilizer. The money earned by the MRF help fund its operation, pays for its workers, and supports the operation of the village's health centers.

This village is indeed a sight for sore eyes.

the village of Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City, January, 2009, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: BASA (Wet)

Habang nasa Sarkanniemi kami, isang theme park sa lunsod ng Tampere, bumuhos ang panaka-nakang malakas na ulang dala ng nagbabagong panahon- tagsibol papuntang tag-init. Dahil inaasahan namin ang sinag ng araw sa maghapon, hindi ako handa sa naturang pangyayari. Buti na lamang at mayroong tindang mga plastic poncho sa loob ng amusement park.

At sapagka't pakiramdam ko'y mistula akong dolphin dahil sa aking "kasuotan," minabuti kong tumayo sa tapat ng dolphinarium kung saan nagpapalabas "kami" ng mga tricks na ikinatutuwa ng iba at nakapagpapabagabag naman sa ilan.

BASA = WET While we were in the theme park Sarkanniemi, occasional heavy drizzle fell as spring shifted to summer. We were expecting the sun to shine throughout the day so I wasn't ready with my rain gear; good thing the souvenir shop inside the park sold this poncho-style raincoat.

Feeling some sort of affinity to dolphins because of my attire, I posed in front of the dolphinarium where "we" regaled "our" audience with a series of tricks that entertained many but bothered others.



Tampere, Finland, August 2007 using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: KANDADO (Lock)

Ang sinturong pangkaligtasan sa eroplano ay isa sa mga gamit na dapat laging tiyak na nakakandado. Pinsala sa katawan, o di kaya'y buhay, ang kabayaran ang sa hindi pagsunod sa patakaran ukol sa tamang pagkabit at pagsuot nito.

KANDADO - LOCK Airplane seatbelts in airplane seats are one of those things that just have to be locked and in place. Loss of limbs or lives is the price one will pay for not adhering to the regulations with regard to the wearing of the erstwhile cumbersome and uncomfortable seatbelts.

on a plane somewhere over the Philippines, August 2006, using a digicam.