Litratong Pinoy: ESTRANGHERO (Stranger)

Pihadong kilala na sya ng mundo- o kahit sana ng kanyang mga botante- sa dami ng kanyang mga nakapaskil na poster para sa halalan. Nanalo kaya siya?

ESTRANGHERO = STRANGER

Most probably, the world knows him already- or at least hopefully the constituents whose votes he is courting- with this huge number of election posters. I wonder if he won...

along Airport Road, City of Paranaque, May 2010, using a digicam.

Wordless Wednesday: TERMINAL

This is an abandoned train station in one of the districts of Manila. I have a soft spot for trains and train stations because my grandfather was a train engineer for more than three decades. His job (plus my grandmother's homemaking acumen) sustained a brood of 6, giving them lives much better than theirs, college diplomas and all.

The train service in our country has suffered a steady decline over the last several years- this station a sad symbol of which. However, recent efforts- from acquiring new trains to repairing dilapidated railways- have renewed interest in this once-efficient and uber-reliable means of moving people and improving commerce.

Maybe it's not a terminal case after all.

along Quirino Avenue near Pedro Gil Street, City of Manila, May 2010, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: MOTHER

This hardy-looking, wagon-driving, tough-as-nails pioneer mom seems out of place in Brooklyn. But I guess as mothers are wont to do, they conquer new territory for their cubs, blaze trails for us and with us, prying open portals to opportunities they've never had, ushering us into lives that are far better than theirs.

Because of or despite having kids like these-



Thank you to all moms for all that you do. Thank you for putting up with our tantrums and inanities. Should it be meant for us, may we become even just half as great a parent as you have been to us-

somewhere in Brooklyn, May 2008, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: BULAKLAK (Flower)

Nagkalat sila nang biglaan, umuusbong sa halos kahit anong sulok, sinusubukang kuhanin ang ating pansin sa pamamagitan ng kanilang kulay, nagsusumamong lapatan ng kahit na saglit na sulyap. Nguni't sa halip na kagiliwan, marami- kundi lahat- sa kanila ay nakakainis, nakakasira sa ganda ng paligid, dumaragdag imbis na iniibsan ang dumi ng lunan na kanilang nilalapatan...

Sino sa kanila ang bulok na at dapat nang itapon? Sino ang sariwa at karapat-dapat na ating itampok at bigyan ng pagkakataong pagandahin ang Pilipinas? Ang paghahambing sa mga kandidato ay makikita sa http://www.scribd.com/cfgomezmd.

Habang tayo ay nag-aaral nanhg mabuti kung sino ang iboboto, nagsasanay magkulay ng mga bilog, atbp, tambalan rin natin ng pagdarasal ang ating mga praktikal na paghahanda para sa nalalapit na halalan. Ang Panalangin ng Botante ay maaaring mahanap dito.

BULAKLAK = FLOWER

They're everywhere, blossoming in every free available space, attempting to grab our attention with their burst of color, imploring for us to grant them more than a millisecond glance. But instead of delighting us, most- if not all- of them are just plain irksome, as they add to the already polluted environs they are stuck on...

Who among them do we ought to pluck out of our system? Who among them refreshes our sense of hope for our country? The candidates compared can be found here http://www.scribd.com/cfgomezmd.

Inasmuch as we are studying the profiles of candidates intently, practicing our shading skills, etc, let us not forget to seek the guidance of Divine Providence in this democratic exercise. The Voters' Prayer can be found here.

along the National Highway, Taguig City, February 2010, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: BLACK

Aside from the fact that it IS a BMW vehicle, the interesting artwork surrounding this bike warrants from visitors in the BMW Zentrum in Spartanburg a second look. This exhibit is called The BMW Art Bike: Freedom on Two Wheels Through the Eyes of Native American Artist Lynne F. Burnette. Mr Burnett hails from South Dakota and is of Sioux ancestry. This bike is just an example of his love for his native culture and art, largely influenced by his youth in the Rosebud Reservation in White River, SD, spent under the care of his grandfather Eagle Leader. But, arguably, Mr Burnette's most important work is the National Native American War Memorial in Charter Oak, Iowa, a collection of art pieces honoring the Native American who passed away in the service of the United States Armed Forces.

Spartanburg, January 2010, using a digicam.