Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: PAUSE




Sometimes, oftentimes, the best journey to take is the timely swim into one's faith, heart and soul. Even the Lord didn't see Himself as exempted from this powerful exercise.

Have a blessed week, everyone!

Betis Church, Guagua, May 2009, using a digicam.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

PhotoHunt: FRESH



Discarded food containers and tires get a new lease on life in this urban agriculture model farm in the middle of a huge metropolitan area of Quezon City in the Philippines. Fresh fruits and vegetables are grown in this farm, including varieties known only to grow in uphold locales with cooler climates, thanks in part to its soil enriched with products from a very successful composting program.

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

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Another fresh idea whose time has come is EARTH HOUR 2010! Switch off your lights tonight, March 27th, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm and do your bit in saving energy that can ultimately help save our planet.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Litratong Pinoy: PLASTIK (Plastic)



Aamin na ako- isa sa mga malalaking kasalanan ko bilang manlalakbay ay ang pagbili ng sandamakmak na de-boteng tubig. Maraming pagkakataon, lumalabis din ang aking binibili kaya may kung ilang mililitro rin na natitira sa bote at natatapon na lamang.

Kaya ngayon, kapag may pagkakataon akong maglakbay nang malayu-layo, nagbabaon na lamang ako ng tubig sa aking lalagyanang pwedeng paulit-ulit na gamitin. Kung nasa lugar naman ako na baka hindi ligtas ang tubig, bumibili ako ng de-boteng tubig, pero yung isang litro na o higit pa at hindi yung tingi na 330 o 500ml. Nagsasalin na lamang ako sa aking baunan mula sa litrong lalagyanan para hindi na makadagdag pa sa basura at nasasayang na tubig.

PLASTIK = PLASTIC

I confess: I am one of those travelers who are too fond of buying bottled water. A lot of instances, I buy more than I can drink so much so that several milliliters up to whole bottles of water get wasted and end up in rubbish bins.

I have resolved that whenever I travel, I bring my own reusable water bottle to store my water needs for that journey. Also, if I'm in a place where the water quality is suspect, I buy water in bigger containers- say, 1 liter, if not more- and from there haul my daily needs into my reusable water. That way, I don't add to the water wastage and the rubbish of the world.

Tagaytay City, January 2009, using a digicam.

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This week's entry is in celebration of World Water Day last March 22nd. We still have a lot of problems with regard to access to water in many areas around the globe but there are success stories to celebrate as well. Read them all at WATER.org.

Also, this week's entry is in celebration of Earth Hour which we hopefully we can all join on March 27th. Switch off your lights for one hour- on Saturday, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm in whatever part of the planet you are in- and take the symbolic step in choosing to make the world's future better. More info on Earth Hour can be found in the World Wildlife Fund - Philippines' Earth Hour page.

As a sign of my commitment to Earth Hour, here's a clip of the flash mob dance we did last March 6th. I'm somewhere there in a green and orange shirt, I think =]



Saturday, March 20, 2010

PhotoHunt: THREE


Regardless of their evolving font size, these three letters, whatever type of original vehicle they are attached to, have come to symbolize timeless luxury, quality, safety, and style.

the BMW Zentrum in Spartanburg, January 2010, using a digicam.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Litratong Pinoy: HIBLA (Fiber)



Isang malapitang pagtingin sa nawawala nang industriya ng paglalala ng mga Subanon. Ang produkto ng kanilang mga kamay ay hindi lamang mga tela para sa damit o kumot kundi habi ng ating sama-samang kalinangan at kasaysayan.

HIBLA = FIBER

This is a closer look at the dying weaving industry of the Subanon tribe. Their looms not only produce fabric for clothes and blankets but they also form part of the fibers that holds our common culture and history together.

Malasag Eco-Tourism Village, May 2009, using a digicam.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: SPLASH




Array of cloths on display in the Textile Museum at the Vapriikki museum complex, a testament to Tampere's colorful history and leadership in that industry.

city of Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

PhotoHunt: SPIRAL


"Bottling Fantasy," a kinetic art piece, showcases the delightful array of soda goodness as they traverse the winding, up and down, twisty course of fizz on rails, housed in where else but the World of Coca-Cola.

Atlanta, December 2006, using a digicam.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Litratong Pinoy: LIKAS (Human nature)



Kitang-kita ang tiim na pagsasalo ng sining at pananampalataya sa mga dingding at haligi, sulok at patag na bahagi ng Simbahan ng Betis sa Pampanga. Matutunghayan sa buong gusali ang mga lilok at pinta ng mga tagpo sa Bibliya, at mga banal na katauhan, gamit ang lente at kalinangang Pilipino.

Ito na nga talaga ang Kapilya ng Sistine ng Pilipinas.

LIKAS = HUMAN NATURE

The inextricable merger of faith and art is very evident in every nook and cranny of the Betis Church in Pampanga. Out to inspire and mesmerize are the paintings and sculptures depicting scene from the Bible, and holy men and women, captured and rendered by way of a uniquely Filipino lens and hand.

This is indeed the Philippines' Sistine Chapel.

in the town of Guagua, May 2009, using a digicam.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

PhotoHunt: FOREIGN



I wish I can tell you more about what's inside the museum but doing so may cause your computer to self-destruct in 5... 4... 3... 2...

Proceed here at your own risk.

Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

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But here's something that knows no boundaries nor nationality and concerns us all:

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Litratong Pinoy: KALIKASAN (Nature)



Sa kalagitnaan ng tag-init, luntian ang mga nakapaligid na taniman at kakahuyan. Sa katirikan ng araw, nagniningning ang lagaslas ng tubig mula sa talon na ito sa bayan ng Kapatagan sa Hilagang Lanao. Malayo sa pangunahing mga daanan, isang magandang sorpresa ang naturang talon; kagaya ng kabuuan ng Mindanao, na tago ang ganda sa likod ng mga kalabisang kwento ng dahas at ligalig.

KALIKASAN = NATURE

In the middle of summer, the surrounding fields and forests are lush and green with life. With the sun at the day's apex, the rustling waters of this falls glimmer and play a melody like no other. They cascade in the town of Kapatagan- a precious gem hidden in the interior of the province of Lanao del Norte, a good distance from the national highway. It is a symbol for the entire island of Mindanao, a treasure that many Filipinos sadly under-appreciate as it remains entangled in an excessive barrage of negative news and bad publicity.

town of Kapatagan, province of Lanao Del Norte, April 2007, using a digicam.

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SPEAKING OF NATURE: If you find yourselves at the SM Mall of Asia on Saturday, March 6 at 5pm, head on over to the SM By the Bay fountain area and get to see something *special* courtesy of the World Wildlife Fund-Philippines =]

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: HAIL





One of the best surprises San Francisco offered the last time we were there, the Palace of Fine Arts, a memento from the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915.

Marina District, December 2006, using a toy camera.