PhotoHunt: WAITING

A lone serviceman sits at a bus stop, en route to somewhere from somewhere, hopefully homeward-bound and not off to violence and bloodshed...

Between Helsinki and Turku, August, 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: PAINTED

Street art or vandalism?

along a main thoroughfare in Yogyakarta, June 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: LOOKING DOWN

The window of the erstwhile office of the Cape Bojeador lighthouse operator overlooks the billowing waves from the Luzon Sea, licking the windswept cliffs of Burgos town below.

the lighthouse at Cape Bojeador, Burgos town, Ilocos Norte province, May 2011, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: MISSING

This curious word adorns a rainspout in front of a building along Aleksanterinkatu in downtown Helsinki. Pohjola literally means "North" in the Finnish language. It is the name of a mythological location in the Finns' epic Kalevala, touted to be an inspiration for JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series. These, plus all the innumerable memorable bits and pieces of my Finnish sojourn around this time last year, is making my heart pine to be back there, where the sun is a midnight creature...

Helsinki, June 2010, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: KULAY ROSAS (Pink)

May mga bagay-bagay talaga na hindi magaya-gaya ng tao kahit na lubhang mahuhusay na ang ating mga kabihasnan, katulad ng katingkaran ng mga bulaklak, kanilang bango, kanilang kasutlaan...

KULAY ROSAS = PINK

There are just some things that humanity cannot mimic despite advances in technology, such as flowers' vivid colors, scent, and silkiness...

around the University of Tampere campus, August 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: Self-Portrait

Caught myself "standing on Mt Merapi", a tile on the observation deck of the Ketep Volcano Center detailing where the volcano is located among the many towering heights surrounding the center.

Jogjakarta, Indonesia, June 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: SILHOUETTE

The Merchant offers passersby his ware as he stands guard on the Hameensilta Bridge, accompanied by the latter's three other sentinels- the Maiden Finland, the Tax Collector, and the Hunter. All four are creations of pre-eminent Finnish artist Waino Aaltonen.

City of Tampere, June, 2010, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: EDUCATION

From new languages to unique food, interesting architecture to stunning nature, traveling is a most powerful teacher that initiates us to the wonder-filled world beyond our usual sphere of movement.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, June 2010, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: MALAPOT (Thick)

Ang mga kabahayan sa paanan ng Bundok Merapi sa Indonesia ay halos matabunan nang rumagasa ang magkahalong nagbabagang abo, bato, at putik sa isa nitong pagputok. Nang humupa ang pag-aalburoto ng kalikasan, naging sikat na pasyalan ito ng mga turista (kabilang na kami).

May kalumaan na ang litratong ito mula pa noong 2007. Oktubre ng taong ito, muling sumabog ang bulkan na kumitil na ng kulang-kulang 300 buhay. Nawa'y pumayapa nang muli ang Merapi.

MALAPOT = THICK

These homes at the foot of Mt Merapi in Indonesia were almost buried by the fiery mixture of ash, boulders, and water - pyroclastic materials that attract hardy tourists like ourselves.

This photo, taken in 2007, displays an active but rather quiet volcano. However, about three weeks ago, Mt Merapi once again unleashed its fury, killing some 300 Indonesians in the process. Peace, Merapi!

at the foot of Mt Merapi, at the outskirts of Yogyakarta, June 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: ALIVE

Summer colors dot the landscape near Hameenpuisto, the flora happily soaking the sun until two hours before midnight in this part of the globe at that time of the year.

Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: MINIATURE

Li Mingzhu's "Digesting Mao" - tofu on porcelain, part of a traveling exhibit by young Chinese artists at the Sara Hilden Art Museum.

Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: STRIPES

Airports are not always mere drab, uninteresting stopovers en route to somewhere more exciting or visually appealing. If you happen to be in Indonesia, pause for a bit and see the intricate handiwork that graces the ceiling of their main airport.

Jakarta, June 2007, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: MANIPIS (Thin)

Sumikat ito noong unang panahon, nang mas matatangkad, mas mapapayat, at mas matiisin pa ang mga tao... =]

MANIPIS = THIN

This became popular in earlier times, when people were taller, thinner, and had the capacity to endure pain more... =]

Velomania exhibit, Vaprikki Museum Complex, Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

Wordless Wednesday: CHASE

Paavo Nurmi, the Flying Finn, is prominently positioned in the grounds of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium where the Games of the 1952 Olympiad took place, embodying humanity's desire to be faster, higher, stronger, better.

along Paavo Nurmen tie 1, Toolo district, Helsinki, June 2010.

Litratong Pinoy: TAWID (Cross)

Ito na marahil ang pinakamalapit na pagkakataon kong "makapunta" sa Afghanistan, isang bansa na hitik na hitik sa kasaysayan at biyaya ng kalikasan nguni't sa kasalukuyan ay nilalambungan ng hindi kagandahang mga balita. Sa ngayon.

TAWID = CROSS

This is probably the closest I will ever be to Afghanistan, a country with a rich cultural heritage and an abundance of natural wonder but is, unfortunately, hidden in a veil of not-so-pleasant news. For now.

aboard a Finnair flight from Bangkok to Helsinki, May 2010, using a digicam.

Wordless Wednesday: FINNISH LINE

This is a view of Helsinki as seen from our sightseeing boat approaching the port. The skyline is dominated by the Lutheran Cathedral, with the City Hall, Bank of Finland Museum, Swedish Embassy, and the Presidential Palace nestled at the foreground. Market Square, with its various tents and stalls, is abuzz with summer activity as vendors sell to willing tourists and locals anything from Baltic herring and wood carving to magnets, strawberries, and fresh flowers.

Often referred to as the Maiden of the Baltic Sea, this capital city of Finland is one of the most walkable cities I've ever been to. It has a city center that is a curious but tasteful mix of the past and the future. And in the event that I have to be somewhere quickly or I'm just too lazy to take a stroll, the extensive tram system readily whisks me off to where I need to be.

off the coast of Helsinki, June 2010, using a digicam.

Wordless Wednesday: ALOFT

The Helsinki Central Railway Station is an icon of Finland's historic art nouveau / nationalist romantic architectural heritage. In it flows some 200,000 people daily enjoying the amenities of a modern train service, including Pendolino trains that fly on the rails at speeds in excess of 180 kph.

Helsinki, June 2010, using a digicam.

PhotoHunt: HALF

Should you meet a Prince, please tell him that we found Cinderella's missing shoe. No wonder she took it off: this footwear's five-FOOT-high heel must really be a killer. Prince, head on over to Finland to claim it. And claim her heart.

Shoe Museum, Museum Center Vapriiki, Tampere, August 2007, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: KASINUNGALINGAN (Untruth)

Nag-uunahang bumaba sa escalator ang isang pulutong ng mga manlalaro ng football. Kaya?

KASINUNGALINGAN = UNTRUTH

A cohort of football players are rushing down an escalator. Or are they?

Advertisement in Charles De Gaulle Airport - Paris, August 2007, using a digicam.

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.