PhotoHunt: DIRTY

Whenever the light turns red at this intersection about 10 minutes away from our office, I find myself looking at this distressed-looking house. Despite the ravages of time, its beauty is still quite visible, the intricacies of the architecture and workmanship more obvious when one gets nearer this still-imposing edifice. It's probably a century old but a few touches here and there, it may just sparkle like the way it did in its heyday.

Quite frankly, I'm suprised that this house is still standing. Many similar homes in the area have been torn down to give way to modern high-rise buildings. And to think that it sits on prime real estate! But I'm glad this home continues to exist; being old should not be automatically equated to it being dispensable. Too many buildings have suffered that fate. Economics and heritage can co-exist and should not always be each other's antithesis.

corner of Laong Laan and Lacson, Manila, February 2011, using a digicam.

Litratong Pinoy: PANGLINIS (Cleaning material)

May isang paniniwala na kung anuman ang gagawin mo sa unang araw ng bagong taon, ito ang magiging salamin ng kakahinatnan ng iyong buong taon. Ang mga baga-bagaheng ito basura ang tumambad sa amin matapos ang magdamagang kasiyahan sa pagsalubong sa bagong taon sa Gatlinburg. Masasabi ko namang hindi naging basura ang sumunod na 364 days matapos ang araw na kinunan ang larawang ito; sa dulo ng lahat, tayo pa rin ang magpapasya at gagawa ng paraan kung gaano kabulok o makabuluhan ang ating buhay =]

PANGLINIS = CLEANING MATERIAL

There's a certain belief that whatever you do or whatever happens on the first day of the new year, that will set the tone for the ensuing year. These bags of post-celebratory trash greeted us on January 1st in Gatlinburg. I can say confidently that the 364 days that followed this 'trashy' encounter is not the least bit trashy. After all, it is still up to us on how disastrous or victorious our lives will be =]

Gatlinburg, TN, January 2010, 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.

Four-Year Clutter

The beach wasn't as immaculate as I hoped it would be, this being my last chance to catch the famous sunset by the shores of Boracay. A lot of people were there ahead of me, taking over every possible available patch of white sand still available. At first I was a bit upset: how now can I take the best photo of the glorious sunset with all this people milling about, standing in my way, preventing me from taking the shot?!

But then again, to keep this sun to myself is awfully selfish, this gorgeous sunset being just too beautiful NOT to share.

--==+==--

As one sun descends beneath the horizon, so ascends another one to begin a new day. A new year. Here's to the start of my fifth year of maintaining this blog, a collection of random photos from my past, present, and future travels, interspersed with random musings and odd finds, online postcards from sojourns near and far.

This has become and will continue to be a fantastic portal for connecting with virtual buddies from Manila, Ireland, Singapore, Norway, San Francisco, and beyond. Thank you all for your kind words and appreciation. Thank you for making this corner a regular stop.

Thank you God for the gift of travel, the gift of senses, the gift of memories, the gift of adventure, the gift of restraint, the gift of insight, the gift of gratitude, the gift of wonder.

On to the next adventure =]

Station 2, Boracay Island, town of Malay, Aklan province, March 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.