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.

Monochrome Monday: CUT

A boy has his hair cut by a barber practicing his trade in an outdoors community salon beside the Pasig River.

I once had a barber who cut my hair once every three weeks since I was three years old until I was 25. When we moved from my hometown to a metropolitan area some 30kms away, I opted to go have my hair taken care of by barbers in a shopping mall but it has never been the same.

I hope this young one will continue to enjoy the expertise and extra TLC of their local barber.

a Gawad Kalinga village in Mandaluyong City, 2007, using my Woca 120G toy camera.

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: PABORITONG LITRATO (Favorite Photo)

Isa siya sa mga batang makukulit sa isang mahirap na barangay na aking pinaglilingkuran noon. Kasama ang mga batang doktor ng pamantasan, nagpupunta kami sa kanilang barangay upang makipamuhay nang pansamantala, makilahok sa kanilang mga gawain, magbahagi ng mga praktikal na karunungang pangkalusugan. Madalas makikita namin siya nakikipagharutan sa kapwa bata, aali-aligid sa mga matatandang kausap namin habang nagtatalakay kami ng mga usapin tulad ng TB, nutrisyon, o bakuna. Kapag sinasabihan namin siya sa isasailalim siya sa isang simpleng pagsusuri, kakaripas sya ng takbo papalayo, iiwan lang sa amin ang kanyang ginintuang ngiti- isang bagay na hindi ipinagdaramot at nag-uumapaw sa gitna ng kahirapan ng kanilang lugar.

PABORITONG LITRATO = FAVORITE PHOTO He is one of those mischievous kids living in one of the lower income community of informal settlers I previously worked with. With the medical students of the university, we go to their village for short immersion sessions, swimming in their daily routine, sharing practical health information through health lectures. We often see him playing with kids his age, loitering at the periphery of our health activities while we discuss topics as basic as TB, nutrition, or the value of immunizations. When we'd encourage him to come over so we can do a simple health check up, he'd run away as fast as he can, leaving behind his golden smile- something that is of great abundance and selflessly shared by almost everyone in his community despite the trying economic times.

in an urban poor village in Pasay City, 2006, using my Woca 120G toy camera.

Litratong Pinoy (LP): ANG PAGWAWAGI (Victory!)

Ito ang Ang Pangingibabaw ng Agham Laban sa Kamatayan (The Triumph of Science Over Death), sinlaki-ng-taong lilok na halaw mula sa orihinal na gawa ng Pambansang Bayani ng Pilipinas na si Dr. Jose Rizal. Ang dalagang may tangan na sulo ay nakatuntong sa isang bungo, isang paglalarawan ng pagwawagi ng mga makabagong paraan sa panggagamot kontra mga karamdaman.

Ang istatwang ito- binansagang Lady Med- ay matatagpuan sa harapan ng pangunahing gusali ng Kolehiyo ng Medisina ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Maynila. Ang orihinal na likha ni Rizal, may taas na humigit-kumulang 18 pulgada ay matatagpuan naman sa Dambana ni Rizal sa loob ng Kuta Santiago.

ANG PAGWAWAGI = VICTORY

This is The Triumph of Science Over Death, a life-size rendition of a sculpture originally done by the Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. The woman with a raise torch is perched atop a skull, symbolizing the innovations in the health care field that has saved the lives of countless people.

This monument- fondly called Lady Med- stands in front of the main building of the College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila. The original sculpture done by Rizal- which is about 18 inches tall- rests among the invaluable memorabilia in the Rizal Shrine inside Fort Santiago.

Calderon Hall, University of the Philippines College of Medicine, Manila, 2006, using my Woca 120G toy camera.

Litratong Pinoy (LP): BAGO NGA KAYA? (Is it really new?)

Ang mga bahay sa itaas ang simbolo ng Gawad Kalinga, isang integrated community development program na naglalayong iangat ang antas ng mga mahihirap sa Pilipinas at maibalik ang kanilang angking dignidad at pagkatao- mga katangian ninakaw ng kahirapan. Nguni't higit sa pabahay, may programa rin sa kalusugan, edukasyon, kalikasan, pagkakakitaan, at kapayapaan. Sa kasalukuyan, may humigit kumulang nang 1,500 pamayanan ang Gawad Kalinga sa buong Pilipinas, kabilang ang ilang pamayanan sa Papua New Guinea at Indonesia.

Sa mata ng marami, ang konsepto ng Gawad Kalinga ay bago sapagka't napagbubuklod nito ang iba't ibang volunteer mula sa larangan ng edukasyon, negosyo, mahihirap, at mayayaman. Bago nga kaya ito? Marahil hindi dahil kung tutuusin, isa syang malaking gawaing tila bayanihan, ang maraming mamamayan nagtutulungan, hindi lamang upang mailipat ang isang bahay nguni't para mapaunlad at itaas ang antas ng maralitang Pilipino- gawaing hindi na nga bago sa mga Pinoy.

Ang mga iba't iba kong kwento tungkol sa Gawad Kalinga ay matatagpuan dito.

BAGO NGA KAYA? = IS IT REALLY NEW? The homes above are the symbols for Gawad Kalinga, an integrated area development program that aims to restore the dignity and humanity- characteristics stolen from them by poverty. More than homes, Gawad Kalinga builds communities with health, education, environmental, even peace programs. Currently, there are about 1,500 Gawad Kalinga communities all over the Philippines as well as in other countries like Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

In the eyes of many, the concept of Gawad Kalinga is a novel one in the sense that it gives an opportunity for various sectors- students, professionals, executives, the rich, the poor- to come together and be volunteers for the least among us. But is it really new? In a sense, it isn't because for the longest time, Filipinos have imbibed and lived out that spirit of Bayanihan or cooperation. This time though, we are not merely lifting a hut and transferring it from one site to another; rather, we are uplifting lives and transforming them to become the best Filipinos they can be.

My other tales and reflections about being a volunteer for Gawad Kalinga can be found here.)

a Gawad Kalinga village in Towerville, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, 2006, using my Woca 120G toy camera.

Lightened

Enough said.

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco December 2006, using my WOCA 120G toy camera.

Crossing Roxas

I often use Roxas Boulevard when I go to my UP work, especially during Thursdays when I ought to be off the road most hours of the day because my license plate ends in 7. Roxas usually has traffic enforcers busy making the traffic flow better and they hardly have time to see who's violating the number-coding scheme. And so I was brazen enough to drive ever-so-slowly as I approached this pedestrian crossing, to capture this frame. Little did I know, this will be one of the last photos I will ever have of Honda and our critter-friends...

Roxas Boulevard, sometime October or November 2006, using my WOCA 120G toy camera.