PhotoHunt: BAG

The Hunter hoists it newly bagged prey while standing guard on the Hameensilta Bridge, accompanied by the latter's three other sentinels- the Maiden Finland, the Tax Collector, and the Merchant. All four are creations of pre-eminent Finnish artist Waino Aaltonen.

City of Tampere, Finland, August 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: TIED

The wires for electricity, telephone, and cable television look like a tangled mess that for now co-exist peacefully. But I fear this maybe a dangerous situation for which community residents and leaders must act together and promptly.

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Another such concern is the issue needing concerted community effort is the dangers of excessive carbon emission and its harmful effects on the environment. Please watch the video below and spread the word about the magic number of 3-5-0.



Taguig City, October 2009,using a digicam.

Monochrome Monday: FOR WHOM THE (MISSING) BELLS TOLL

Where are the real, original Bells of Balangiga? Click here please to find out and help return them to the Philippines.

town of Balangiga, Province of Samar, September, 2006, using my digicam.

PhotoHunt: (FREE WEEK)

After a series of damaging weather disturbances, we have only our faith and spirit of cooperation to rely on to help our country get back on its feet and move forward.

One of the most popular sites for expression of this shared faith is the Basilica Del Santo Nino in Cebu City. This 274-year old church houses a half-a-millennium-old image of the Infant Jesus given to Queen Juana by the first Spaniards to land on the shores of the Philippines. Every January, the city converts itself into a massive staging area of various devotional activities expressed through song and dance, punctuated by shouts of "Viva! Santo Nino!"

The image itself is quite diminutive; it doesn't look an inch taller than one foot. However, that it survived being burned in a fire and helped spare the island of Cebu from war and natural disasters over the centuries have made it bigger in the eyes of locals and devotees.

These locals and devotees of the Infant Jesus in Cebu have a special way of bidding Him farewell before they leave His presence in the Basilica: with one arm outstretched to the air, palm facing the image, they would wave this arm ever so gently from side to side, as if to catch His attention, to feel His blessings even if afar and take these home with them, with an unspoken promise to come back and visit His home again...

view from the Pilgrim Center, Basilica Del Santo Nino De Cebu, Cebu City, October 2009, using a digicam.

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change / Litratong Pinoy: MAAGAP (Timely)

Bagaman maraming haka-haka sa dahilan ng kanilang pagkawala sa ibabaw ng mundo, sa dulo ng lahat ay ayaw kong danasin ng sangkatauhan ang kapalaran ng mga dinosaur. Sa bilis ng pagkawasak ng ating kalikasan sa harap ng ating bulagsak na pamumuhay, tayong mga tao rin ang lumalason sa ating pagkukunan ng pagkain, maiinom, at mapagkakakitaan. Ang kakaibang panahon at klima ay nagbabadya ng hindi magandang pangitain para sa ating kinabukasan. Ang panahon ng maagap na pagkilos ay ngayon na.

May magagawa pa tayo upang pangalagaan ang ating mundo! Narito ang ilang mungkahi:

1. Sumakay ng bus o LRT/MRT imbis na gumamit ng sariling sasakyan.
2. Kung mahangin at maaraw rin lang naman, isampay na agad ang mga nilabhan kaysa gamitin ang spinner o dryer ng washing machine.
3. Kapag hindi na ginagamit ang computer o anumang appliance, patayin na ito nang tuluyan.

Ang iba pang maaaring gawin ay makikita sa listahan ng Time Magazine na The Global Warming Survival Guide.

Sabi nga ng Simabahang Lingkod ng Bayan- Manalangin, Makialam, Manindigan- para sa bayan at sa sangkatauhan.

MAAGAP = TIMELY

There are many theories about how and why they departed from the earth; but one thing is for sure: I do not want humanity to suffer the fate of the dinosaurs. Sadly, the rate of environmental degradation reflects our utter lack of respect for our food, water, and livelihood resources. The erratic weather patterns and climate changes are red flags already that something is not quite right. The time for decisive action is now.

It's not yet too late. We can still do something to help fend off climate change, even in our own small ways. Here's how:

1. Ride the bus or any other mass transport instead of bringing your own vehicle.
2. Whenever it is windy and/or sunny outside, dry clothes on the clotheslines instead of using you washing machine's spinner or dryer.
3. Shutdown your computer or any other appliance and pull the plug when they are no longer in use.

More ways to be a hero for the environment can be found in TIME Magazine's The Global Warming Survival Guide.

As the mantra of the Catholic Church organization's Sabi nga ng Simabahang Lingkod ng Bayan goes: Pray, Participate, Make a Stand- for the nation and the planet.

American Museum of Natural History, New York City, May 2008, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: SPORTS

This blog is primarily intended to share the best of what I've seen in my journeys near and far. As I revisit my past posts, I often featured places or objects therein that caught my eye and made me think and/or warranted sharing. Usually places, usually objects, hardly any people made it to my posts.

But if there were Olympics for kindheartedness, for selflessness, for speed in packing relief goods or sorting through hygiene kits, these students would surely earn the gold medal. Hours after Tropical Storm ONDOY ceased pummeling the capital, they were already hard at work collecting food items, clothes, bottled water, among other necessities. Facebook status messages and Tweets were ablaze with call for help and voluntarism. They eased the pain of a disaster (which have likewise damaged many of their own homes) by their sheer will power to be of service to others.

I look to many directions for worthy features that showcase how beautiful work of human hands can be. Theirs' is arguably the finest =]

inside the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Dela Paz Hall / Medical Students' Union building, Manila, September 2009, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: TAMAD (Lazy)

Kapag nasa isang bakasyon, maaaring maging isang hilong talilong at ikutin ang lahat ng mga dapat bisitahing museo, parke, tindahan, atbp. O maaari rin namang magtulog lang maghapon sa hotel...

Sa isang seryosong banda-

Ang pagtawag sa isang tao (o aso!) bilang "tamad" ang isa sa mga pinakaayaw kong pagsasalarawan. Naniniwala ako na may mas malalim na paliwanag sa likod ng bawat sinasabing "katamaran"- pagod, takot, kamangmangan, malabong panuto- kaya ang inaasahang pagkilos ay hindi nakikita. Ang pagtawag sa isang tao (o aso!) bilang tamad ay paraan ng pag-ismid sa sitwasyon, pagkibit ng balikat, pagsuko na na wala nang magagawa- "e tamad sila." Kung mauungkat lamang natin ang tunay na dahilan sa kawalan o kabagalan ng pagkilos, matutuon natin ang ating lakas upang tugunan ang natatanging dahilan/mga dahilan upang mahikayat natin ang kanilang mas matamang pastisipasyon =]

TAMAD = LAZY When on vacation, you can act like Speedy Gonzalez and make a whirlwind tour of all museums, parks, shops, and convert everything to a must-see sight. Or you can just stay in your hotel room and spend an entire day in bed...

On a more serious note-

I resent anybody (including dogs) being labeled as lazy. I believe there is always a deeper reason why a person or animal does not act in the manner, speed, or timing s/he/it is expected to. Inaction may be because of fear, tiredness, poor instruction/direction. To label somebody as "lazy" is to take on a defeatist attitude, akin to saying "they're lazy and we can't do anything about it." If we shift our energies towards uncovering what lies beneath the seeming inaction, we can implement specific measures to increase active participation =]

Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay City, February 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: WORDS

Unless you were a submarine or at least an amphibious vehicle, there was really no reason or way for any land vehicle to park in front of the Medical Students' Union building the previous Saturday as Tropical Storm Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana) unleashed its torrential rains in the Philippines. I believe at the height of the storm, the drainage system inside the University was so overwhelmed we had to walk in ankle-deep flood waters, blurring the sign painted on the asphalt road.

But we are still lucky. Many parts of the National Capital Region and surrounding provinces were- are- still inundated with up to chest-level waters. There is, thank God, a spontaneous outpouring of kindness from everyone from all over. We're experiencing a resurgence of generosity amidst jadedness in this dog-eat-dog world. Kids breaking their coin banks to donate their life's riches. People braving powerful river currents, saving dozens of lives at the risk of losing theirs. Newly-weds repacking a huge amount of food in their wedding banquet so that people in evacuation centers get to eat as well. The stories go on and on.

No words can ever quite capture how a disaster can suck the life of any victim. But the survivors' spirit cannot and will not be drowned. As Albert Camus once said- In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

(I am currently volunteering in two organizations aiming to help some 10,000 individuals affected by tropical storm Ondoy. Just today, our team took care of more than 500 patients in a free clinic and gave out food and supplies to 1,500 families. And with the super-typhoon just hours away, we anticipate that the number of people needing assistance will just increase. We need all the help we can get.

Please click on the DONATE button above to share in this mission. $1 can buy at least a kilo of rice, $2 will a good quality mat so they don't need to sleep on the damp cold floor of the evacuation center. Any amount, when pooled together, will be of enormous help.

Rest assured 100% of donated money will be spent for the flood victims. Regular updates with regard to how the money is being spent will be sent to donors. Let us be the conduits of God's loving kindness =] Thank you very much!)

in front of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Dela Paz Hall / Medical Students' Union building, Manila, September 2009, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: LINIS (Clean)

Mistulang mga ilog pa rin ang mga kalyeng malalapit sa aming bahay dito sa Taguig City makalipas ang apat na araw mula nang maranasan ang bagyong Ondoy. Ang mga bahay at sasakyan ay pinasok ng magkahalong tubig at putik. Matrabahong paglilinis ang kinakaharap ng mga tagarito; salamat pa rin dahil mayroon pa silang mga bahay at kotse na lilinisin.

Nawa ang bagyong ito ay magsilbi ring paraan upang magkaroon ng pambansang paglilinis ng sarili, pagwaksi sa mga luho at di makataong paggamit ng mga kakarampto na rekurso mula sa kalikasan, at pagdagdag sa pangmatagalang pag-aalaga sa bawat isa.

TUBIG-BAHA, HINDI MO KAYANG LUNURIN ANG AMING PAGKATAO! MANANAIG TAYO, PILIPINAS =]

LINIS = CLEAN The streets near our home look more like rivers than roads. Flooding persists even though tropical storm Ondoy has left the country some four days ago. Knee-high muddy waters have insinuated themselves into the homes and vehicles of those living in this area; we are still thankful though that they have homes and cars to clean.

May this storm be the catalyst through which we will undergo a process of "national cleansing," to purge ourselves of the unnecessary lifestyle of excesses, of total disregard for our limited natural resources. May this also instill in all of us an enduring sense that we are each others' keepers.

FLOOD WATERS, YOU WILL NOT DROWN OUR SPIRIT! WE SHALL EMERGE VICTORIOUS, PHILIPPINES!

(I am currently volunteering in two organizations aiming to help some 10,000 individuals affected by tropical storm Ondoy. We need all the help we can get. Please click on the DONATE button above to share in this mission. $1 can buy at least a kilo of rice, $2 will a good quality mat so they don't need to sleep on the damp cold floor of the evacuation center. Any amount, when pooled together, will be of enormous help. Rest assured 100% of donated money will be spent for the flood victims. Regular updates with regard to how the money is being spent will be sent to donors. Let us be the conduits of God's loving kindness =])


village of Ususan, Taguig City, September 2009, using a digicam.