maintenance

beauty

you're such a beauty... i think i'm falling for you

happy birthday pepe!

Dr. Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda

June 19, 1861 - December 30, 1896

Remembering the national hero's birthday today. (Photo taken inside the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago)

our lady of guadalupe shrine in fort santiago

as mentioned in yesterday's post, that tunnel is the way that will lead to the hidden chapel inside fort santiago - the our lady of guadalupe shrine, a very small and quaint chapel.

Reducto de San Francisco Javier.  This tunnel and ravelin were added in 1773 during renovations in Fort Santiago.  This area protected part of the riverside area and the seashore.  Cannons were placed on platform on top.  Gunpowder and ammunition were stored in chambers below.  This fortification was restored in the 1980s and has been converted into a shrine for the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Enshrined herein is the replica of the image by Juan Diego wherein the tru image of the Blessed Mother was miraculously imprinted before Bishop Zumaraa of Mexico in 1531 and occasioned the instant conversion of natives to Christianity.  A replica was brought to the Philippines in 1565 by Friar Urdaneta in the Legaspi expedition and also occasioned the same instant conversion our Blessed Mother under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared by Pope Pius XI on the 16th of July 1935 as the Heavenly Patroness of the Philippine Islands.  

the way

this is the way to the hidden chapel inside fort santiago - the way to the shrine of our lady of guadalupe 

the notebook

"I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough. " ~ The Notebook

happy 111th independence day

happy 111th independence day my dear country - Philippines!

The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred on June 12, 1898 in the Philippines, where Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo (later to become the Philippines' first Republican President) proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain after the latter was defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.  (source: wikipedia)

Note: Photo taken inside the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, saw the guard goofing around with his colleague and asked him to do the same pose again, after a few request, the guard willign obliged and posed again hence the "shoot out: stance :)

each day

"Under what clime or what skies, has tyranny claimed a nobler victim?"

~ Congressman Henry Cooper of Wisconsin, at the House of Representatives on a debate whether to grant autonomy to the Philippines, and right after reciting Rizal's valedictory poem, "Mi ultimo adios" in English: before members of U.S. Congress (1902)

barrels

visit fort santiago

Enter the realm and discover a bit of our history - go and visit Fort Santiago. You can view my previous posts and take a sneak peak here. Fort Santiago is one historical place you shouldn't miss when in Manila, it was restored and now has a beautiful park and this is where Jose Rizal wrote his last poem - Mi Ultimo Adios - and the Rizal Shrine houses staff that belonged to our great hero. Worth visiting also are the ruins and the dungeons which was used by the imperial Japanese troops during world war II as cells.

How to go to Fort Santiago: take the LRT and alight at the Carriedo Station. From there ride a jeepney going to Pier and tell the driver to drop you at Fort Santiago, dont worry all the drivers knows the place and its just across the Manila Cathedral.

vintage warcraft

Saw this poster at the Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, just in front of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) building.... thought it would be nice to visit Fort Santiago again and have a look at these vintage warcraft.

The Vintage Warcraft exhibit is open daily from 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m. and will run until May.

faceless

cannons

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein

shhh i need more sleep

These cats were so cute sleeping side by side and attracted my attention but the guy in the photo below ruined the moment because he started calling the cats attention seeing that i was so intent in taking their photos, maybe he was envious that i didnt asked him to posed for me instead. Anyways this is one of the galleries inside the fort santiago selling native products and paintings.

two towers

Still lurking in the park, from here you could see the two towers of the Manila Cathedral. I've shown one of the towers up close in this post.

bench

If only this bench could speak it would say unto me: "I'd ask you to sit down, but, you're not going to anyway... in case you get tired, I'm just here. "

This is one of the benches lining up the mini-park at fort santiago's entrance, normally people just walk on by and proceed on seeing the ruins first, then eventually go back to the park and sit on the waiting bench.

in memoriam

First day of October and theme day again for the Daily Photo community which is cemetery or tombstone. Though my photo is not exactly taken from the cemetery it can be considered as a tombstone.

On this site lie the mortal remains of approximately 600 Filipinos. Their bodies were found inside a nearby dungeon which had inner doors of massive iron bars and outer doors of iron plate on wood, where victims of the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese Imperial Forces were imprisoned during the last days of February 1945. The appearance of their bodies suggested starvation and possible suffocation.

From the photo you'd notice people going down in the said dungeon, the place have this eerie feeling knowing what monstrosity took place here. Really appreciate Abraham for giving me this link of a sad history which will make you cry.

Check out the following blogs to see cemeteries around the world
St. Louis (MO), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - New York City (NY), USABoston (MA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Hyde, UK - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Toulouse, France - Arradon, France - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Joplin (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Seattle (WA), USA - Baziège, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Anderson (SC), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Nashville (TN), USA - Tenerife, Spain - Manila, Philippines - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Jacksonville (FL), USA - River Falls (WI), USA - Chateaubriant, France - Quincy (MA), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Lubbock (TX), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Moscow, Russia - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Minneapolis (MN), USA - New Orleans (LA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - London, England - Paderborn, Germany - The Hague, Netherlands - Selma (AL), USA - Sunderland, UK - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Stavanger, Norway - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Portland (OR), USA - Forks (WA), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Wellington, New Zealand - Montpellier, France - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Evry, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - New York City (NY), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cypress (TX), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Zurich, Switzerland - Budapest, Hungary - Paris, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Grenoble, France - Zurich, Switzerland - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada -

walls

"“Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

Part of a wall going inside the dungeon, interesting how these adobe stones attract the mosses.

dungeons

Dungeons used to be the storage vaults and powder magazine. Because of dampness caused by the humid weather and the nearness of the vaults to the Pasig River, the Spaniards decided to build a new vault. The vaults were converted into prison cells and storerooms.

The photos shows the stairs/pathway to these vaults, but most of these passageway is closed to the public. You may find it suffocating but it's actually a bit cold in these areas.

nickname: pepe

I know I should have posted this before doing the Rizal Shrine series, sorry I forgot that not all who happen to visit this blog knows Jose Rizal that much. I’m not going to give you his biography here but you can check out this official website and wikipedia’s entry here that will give you an insight on his remarkable life.

This is the closeup photo of Jose Rizal's status at the Plaza Armas, which you've already seen in this post.