ang pao

Ang Pao is a red envelope or red packet that contains a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions. This kid peddles ang pao outside the 168 mall for 10 pesos/pack, each pack contains 10pcs of angpao. It is sad to say and note that mostly it is children who peddles ang pao, plastic bags, sampaguita garland, etc. and sometimes even cigarettes!

PS. i dint know why instead o fthe usual V sign most people pose with, the kid crumpled his hands like that, when asked why he just smiled :)

168 mall

168 mall is located t the heart of Divisoria, the place has been pretty popular especially to bargain hunters because they really sell cheap but cute items such as bags, shoes, clothes, accessories, etc. 168 mall is always crowded even on an ordinary day, and most especially now that christmas season is here, most shoppers try to find the best bargain in town. oh by the way, in case you want to know, former first lady Imelda Marcos "shop" at 168 mall, i even saw her at 168 mall shopping with her tons of bodyguard.

free cellphone charging station

Filipinos are crazy about text messaging or SMS and it isn't any wonder to see anyone busy typing/sending away SMS wherever or whenever they are., doesn't matter wethere you're walking or driving, it is a common scene here in the Philippines. It is a very influential and powerful tool in the Philippines, where the average user sends 10-12 text messages a day. The Philippines alone sends on the average 400 million text messages a day or approximately 142 billion text messages sent a year, more than the annual average SMS volume of the countries in Europe, and even China and India. It is said that the Philippines is the texting capital of the world.

And being addicted to SMS or text messaging, Filipinos always have these empty or low battery problems. Good thing most food chain stores offer free cellphone charging, these charging stations offer charger for different cellphone but you have to be responsible in keeping an eye on your phone.

Photo taken inside Jollibee store at Tutuban Center Mall, Divisoria

mann hann

Photo taken inside the Mann Hann restaurant at SM Mall of Asia (MOA), it's chain of restaurants that serve Chinese Cuisine, can personally recommend that their food are good and inexpensive. They have also opened Mannang which caters mainly to Filipino food and is adjacent to their Mann Hann store at MOA.

feati university

FEATI University (Far Eastern Air Transport Incorporated), Sta. Cruz, Manila

FEATI University is a private non-sectarian co-educational higher education institution with a Catholic orientation established in 1946 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. FEATI was formerly known as the Far Eastern Aeronautics School.

guessing game

Let's play a guessing game! Can you guess what is this?

gwapotel

Gwapotel is a portmanteau of Guapo a Spanish or Filipino term which mean goodlooking and Hotel. Gwapotel Inn is run by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under the leadership of Chairman Bayani F. Fernando, and was put up in order to provide safe, decent lodgings for out-of-towners or Metro Manila workers on a frugal budget.

For only P25 ( P20 for a night’s stay, P5 for a bath) you can have a place to stay for the night. a place for transients... if only i'm a boy i'll try this gwapotel :) This Gwapotel is located at Abad Santos, a 3-story lodging house at Tondo, Manila, in the abandoned 2,800-sq.m. Emmanuel Hospital. The first Gwapotel Inn is a 4-story “hotel” on Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila.

Source: Gwapotel hit with transients, Gwapotel's capsule beds

dinos alive in manila

The Dinos Alive World Tour is in Manila, Block 5 SM Mall of Asia and will run from Nov. 28, 2008 - Jan. 11, 2009.

Life-size dinosaurs will leave Filipinos breathless because they are made to look real. Some will even be moving and breathing. This is going to be a close to real-life thrill. Read more here

Ticket prices for adults are P550, kids below a meter are P400 and the family package costs P1,600 (two adults and two kids, plus one free ticket) on weekdays. For weekends and holidays, tickets for adults are P600, kids below a meter are P450 and the family package costs P1,750 (two adults and two kids, plus one free ticket). You can buy your ticket here.

flower lamp

mac arthur's twilight

I love how brightly the street lamps turned out in this twilight photo (no this isnt manipulated in photoshop) , twas already getting dark when i took this shot but you can still see a tinge of orange in the sky, a soft blush left by the king sun. By the way, you would also notice that half of the lamps were stil not lit, most probably because it's still early then. Tomorrow the close up shot of the lamp on the right side of Mac Arthur bridge.

street lamp

The "new" street lamp at the center island of the Mac Arthur bridge.

ongpin

This is the Ongpin Street at Sta. Cruz, where Manila's chinatown is. I also call this the golden town, why? Because, this is where you could buy inexpensive gold jewelries :)

tulaan sa tren

"... Manila tells me she is not dead; Manila tells me she will raise her voice from the grave. Already she has paid the price of an expensive song- the - "what-have-i-done-wrong" song-the flutter-stutter across water and vegetable paddies. What the emperor sees across the palace lawn the ministers will not disown, though lemons and eggplants ooze blood and children die in their play..." - from Sunlight on Broken Stones by Cirilo F. Bautista

After the successful "Berso sa Metro" campaign, National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is bringing Philippine poetry to LRT commuters through the "Tulaan sa Tren" project, with hopes that this project will reinforce its other readership promotion campaign in its efforts not just to get Filipinos to read more, but to read Filipino writers.

Aside from the colorful posters (like the one in the photo above), they are bringing it to the next level and commissioned local artists and read the verses which will be heard through the LRT station PA system (though i haven't heard it yet)

carriedo fountain

A fountain was originally erected at the intersection of Legarda, Nagtahan and Magsaysay Streets in Sampaloc to mark the inauguration of the Manila Waterworks that was funded out of the Carriedo Legacy. The fountain was then brought to Balara in Quezon City, infront of the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage Authority Building when the water agency’s main office was moved from Arroceros to Balara in late ’70s.


During the first term of Alfredo Lim as Manila mayor, he negotiated with MWSS administrator then Mr. Luis V. Z. Sison for the original Carriedo Fountain to be brought back to Manila. The MWSS administrator only agreed on the condition that The City of Manila had to allow the MWSS to have the fountain replicated before it was returned.

MWSS commissioned national artist Napoleon Abueva to do a replica of the original Carriedo Fountain that would stand on the spot where the original used to stand in Balara. It took a year for Abueva to come up with a beautiful rendition that won’t be suspected as a replica using plaster as chief material.

The original Carriedo fountain now stands at Plaza Santa Cruz.

to read more please click here.

Source: http://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com

church of sta. cruz

Sta. Cruz Church, Plaza Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines

Church of Sta. Cruz was built and administered by the Jesuits up to 1768. Adjoining was the Jesuit College of San Ildefonso, founded by Governor Alfonso Fajardo de la Tenza on January 9, 1724. The titular patroness of the church is Nuestra Señora Del Pilar, whose statue was brought from Spain prior to 1768. The confraternity of Nuestra Señora del Pilar was canonically founded in this church in 1743. On the surrounding plaza the British returned the City of Manila to Simon de Anda y Salazar in 1764.

pedicab

Pedicab or Padyak, a bicycle with a sidecar which is a human powered transportation in Manila and all through out the Philippines. Can accommodate a maximum of three passengers and can easily navigate the narrow streets of Manila, best alternative especially with the high prices of gasoline and when the streets are flooded, even Quentin Tarantino rode a pedicab when he was here in Manila.

plaza fair

Plaza Fair located at Plaza Lacson, Carriedo, Sta. Cruz, Manila

Plaza Fair is one of Manila's first shopping centers, thriving when Escolta used to be Manila's fashion hub. Just beside the Plaza Fair is Isettan Department Store and across it the firse ever sm store used to be called just Shoe Mart.

banana-que

Banana-que is my favorite merienda (snack). Banana-que is a deep fried saba banana and is coated with caramelized brown sugar in a bamboo skewer, it is really delicious, i prefer to eat it hot right off the pan because i love how sticky or gummy the caramelized sugar is, yummy!

Saba banana is the most widely-eaten variety of banana in the Philippines and they are available all year round. You can eat it uncooked when ripe and aside from banana-que there are a lot of dessert variation you can prepare using saba such as turon, banana chips,
and even as ingridients in ginatan, and nilaga.


Turon (see left side of the photo), is sliced saba bananas wrapped in a lumpia wrapper (spring roll wrapper) then deep fry it similar to banana-que, some even include ripe langka (jackfruit) with the banana before wrapping.

samalamig

The Samalamig or Palamig, from the root word lamig meaning cold, are prepared beverages that contain sago (tapioca pearls) and gulaman (gelatin), and are usually flavored with syrup from a wide variety of fruit extracts. As the name suggests, it is used to refresh and nourish everyone's thirst, especially during the hot Summer season. Usually served in plastic cups and small plastic bags used for ice, this typical Filipino beverage is being sold everywhere and to anyone who wants to satisfy the need to quench their thirst at anytime of the day. In a country filled with junk and low nutrition food, the samalamig provides the necessary vitamins and minerals needed to fill the nutrient deficiencies of the Filipino people. (Source: WikiPilipinas)

But nowadays samalamig aren't limited to sago and gulaman, you're buko juicehas been reinvented with different flavors as shown in the photo with artificial flavors orof taro,

nothing looks beautiful

nothing looks beautiful as nature's own beauty, and i will never get tried of watching at the sun sets and color the sky oh so magnificent

stores at manila north cemetery

As i have mentioned in my previous post in Manila North Cemetery that aside from the usual flowers and candles being sold, there were a lot of food stalls when i visited during All Saint's Day, that somehow i felt like i was in a mall or a tiangge area instead of inside a cemetery with so many food stalls and other stuff being sold.

This yummy lechon is being served by Mila's Lechon inside the Manila North Cemetery.

A long line of food stalls inside the cemetery, would you believe me if i told you that most fast food chain in the Phillipines were there including Jollibee, Chowking, Andok's, etc.

I even saw lots of food stalls selling kakanin or rice cakes.

And of course there were balloon vendors as well.

i bought myself a cellphone charm (skeleton with pink hair) here for only 20pesos

manila sphinx

i was actually surprised when i saw this sphinx mouseleum at the manila north cemetery. i expected to see this kind at the chinese cemetery, even at the la loma cemetery but not here

american eagle

Found this somewhat odd group burial at an off beat path from the main avenue inside the Manila North Cemetery. There is no historical marker or any commemorative plaque explaining about this group plot. I am guessing they are among the american soldiers who were deployed here in the Philippines during World War II, any readers out here who knows?

group plots at manila north cemetery

Aside from the famous personalities or notable burials at the Manila North Cemetery, there are also group plots here.

Masonic burial grounds

Military personnel that have served the country.


Group plot of the Thomasites, a group of American teachers sent by the U.S. government to the Philippines on August 12, 1901 to establish a new public school system, to teach basic education and to train Filipino teachers, with English as the medium of instruction.

Boy Scout Cenotaph, (in honor of the 24 scouts who died in a plane crash en route to the 11th World Scout Jamboree)

manila north cemetery notable burials

Being one of the oldest cemetery in Metro Manila, the Manila North Cemetery boasts of several famous personalities that is buried in its ground, including former presidents of the philippines, patriots, artists, and of course former mayors of manila. i just put in collage some pictures of the the tombs of these famous and notable person and i'm really amazed to learn that three former president of the Philippines is buried here. As much as i want to feature all their tombs here i have to select a few for the blog to load faster. In the photo above are the tombs of former Presidents Sergio Osmeña, Ramon Magsaysay, and Manuel Roxas.

Aside from former presidents, most of former Manila mayors are also buried at the Manila North Cemetery including Justo Lukban, Manuel Dela Fuente, Arsenio Lacson, and Antonio Villegas. There were also several national artists, patriots, and actors that were buried, the photo above shows the tombs of Jose Maria Basa, Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), and Pancho Villa.

Manila North Cemetery maybe big but if in case you want to visit these famous tombs just follow that main avenue street, most of them are within the main avenue (yes they have street names inside the manila north cemetery) while former presidents tombs are near the main entrance. If you are a fan of Da King or FPJ and wants to see his tomb just walk till the end of main avenue street and turn right, the Poe mouseluem is very easy to find, and if in case you get lost im pretty sure most "resident" can help you find your way.

Below is the complete list of notable burials at the Manila North cemetery.

* Maria Agoncillo-Aguinaldo, wife of Emilio Aguinaldo. Her tomb once occupied the center of the Mousoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion, but was exhumed and reburied at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.
* Gregorio Anonas, Doctor of Law, statesman and Economic Infrastructure Builder under the Commonwealth Government
* Arcadio Arellano (), an architect
* Jose Maria Basa (1839–1911), a patriot and friend of Rizal
* Doctor Bonifacio Basa Arevalo - First President of the Sociedad Dental de Filipinas or Philippine Dental Association (PDA), Artist/Sculptor
* Don Juan Arevalo - Captain, Buried at Mousoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion, Assembly Member (Declaration of Philippine Independence, Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, 12th day of June 1898)
* Jose Corazon de Jesus (1896–1932), a poet known as Huseng Batute. Lyricist of the famed protest poem Bayan Ko
* Tomas Cloma, president of the Philippine Maritime Institute, now PMI Colleges. His mausoleum is shaped like a ship, titled SS Last Voyage.
* Doña Narcisa Buencamino vda. de Leon (Doña Sisang), Founder and matriatch of LVN Pictures, Inc. (The "L" of LVN)
* Marcelo H. del Pilar, Philippine author and propagandist. Formerly buried at the Mousoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion under the name Plaridel, it was later exhumed and reburied in Plaridel, Bulacan.
* Pio del Pilar, Philippine revolution figure. Buried at the Mousoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion
* Manuel Earnshaw (1862–1936), a former resident commissioner to the US Congress
* Manuel Elizalde, businessman. Brother of bandleader Fred Elizalde
* Isauro Gabaldon (1875–1942), a former senator and resident commissioner to the US Congress
* Pedro Guevara (1879–1938), a former senator and resident commissioner to the US Congress
* Francis Burton Harrison (1873–1957), a former American governor-general
* Amado Hernandez, Philippine literary icon and labor leader (National Artist)
* Atang de la Rama-Hernandez, wife of Amado, kundiman singer, actress, and Philippine National Artist
* Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (1853–1913), a painter
* Justo Lukban, a former Manila mayor
* Arsenio Lacson (1911–1962), a former Manila mayor
* Henry Lawton, US general in the Philippine-American War. Later exhumed and reburied at Arlington National Cemetery.
* Benito T. Legarda (1853–1915), a vice-president of the Malolos Congress and first resident commissioner of the Philippines to the US Congress.
* Ramon Magsaysay (1907–1957), a former Philippine president. His wife Luz Banzon Magsaysay is also buried with him, as well as his immediate family members.
* Isidro Marfori, famed Spanish-language Philippine poet
* Tomas Morato, first mayor of Quezon City
* Gregoria de Jesus-Nakpil, wife of Andres Bonifacio, later wife of Julio Nakpil
* Juan Nakpil (1899–1986), a national artist for architecture
* Julio Nakpil (1867–1960), a composer
* Jaime Ongpin, former Secretary of Finance under President Corazon Aquino.
* Sergio Osmena (1878–1961), a former Philippine president. His wife Esperanza Limjap Osmena is also buried with him.
* Quintin B. Paredes (1884–1973), a former House speaker and senator
* Pedro Paterno, 2nd Prime Minister of the Philippines First Republic (Malolos Govt.)
* Fernando Poe, Sr. (1916–1951), a movie actor
* Fernando Poe, Jr. (1939–2004), a movie actor, presidential candidate and national artist
* Gonzalo Puyat, Philippine businessman and tycoon
* Manuel L. Quezon, Commonwealth President. Formerly buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Later transferred at Quezon City Memorial Circle. His son Manuel Jr. now occupies his father's tomb. His wife Aurora Quezon was also buried in a rather undignified tomb, but was exhumed in 2006 and reburied at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
* Claro M. Recto (1890–1960), a former senator and Spanish language author
* Narcisa Rizal-Lopez, sister of National Hero Dr. José Rizal. His parents, Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda, were once buried there (near Manuel Roxas and Manuel Quezon), but they were later exhumed and reburied in Calamba, Laguna.
* Manuel A. Roxas (1892–1948), a former Philippine president
* Gerardo "Gerry" Roxas, Sr. (1924–1982), a former senator
* Gerardo A. Roxas, Jr. (), a former representative of Capiz, son of Gerry.
* Trinidad Roxas, wife of Manuel Roxas and First Lady.
* Epifanio de los Santos (1871–1928), historian. The famous Metro Manila avenue, EDSA, is named after him.
* Andres Solomon (aka "Tugo") , rotund Philippine actor
* Pancho Villa (1901–1925), famed boxer
* Jose Vera and wife Dolores Vera, Philippine movie moguls (Sampaguita Vera-Perez Productions)
* Manuel Velarde, Jr. - composer of the popular Philippine hit Dahil sa iyo
* Antonio Villegas (), a former Manila mayor. Formerly buried in Reno, Nevada, USA.
* Teodoro Yangco (1861–1939), former resident commissioner to the US Congress and businessman (Yangco Market).

manila north green park

Manila North Green Park is the city's answer to the ever increasing need of space for the dead. It's an apartment type tombs but a bit different than those that you will find in the public cemeteries like La Loma and Manila North Cemetery. It's more like a condominium type, the buildings a three-floor and there a 5 row of crypts on top of another.

According to the flyers i got the crypts they are offering are the first of its kind in the Philippines, and the wall are of granite. And they are offering a cheap but decent burial sites. there are still lots of spaces available left when i checked the place but most probably it wont be long before those apartments are filled.

Too bad i lost the flyer the that was given to me but in that flyer is the plans and how much you have to pay for a space and a contact number as well.

manila north green park

as i've mentioned in my previous post it seems that apartment tombs is here to stay, a cheaper option for the poor and the city's answer to the ever increasing need for more space in the cemtery. this "building" is just one of the many "boxes/apartment" space available in the new Manila North Green Park, just beside the Manila North Cemetery.

haunted

“We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place.” ~ Daniel Boorstin

doors of perception

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception” ~ Aldous Huxley

i dont know what is it about doors that i love, especially old intricate doors. they always make my mind wander off and let my imagination run wild... anyways i found this door in an old somewhat abandoned mosoleum inside the La Loma Cemetery, if you click on the photo you would notice that the chains locking the door are already covered with rusts.

also, i would like to congratulate President elect Barack Obama - the 44th and the first black President of US, wishing him all the best and hoping that he can keep his promise, indeed change has come!

there's no forgetting

If you should ask me where I've been all this time
I have to say "Things happen."
I have to dwell on stones darkening the earth,
on the river ruined in its own duration:
I know nothing save things the birds have lost,
the sea I left behind, or my sister crying.
Why this abundance of places? Why does day lock
with day? Why the dark night swilling round
in our mouths? And why the dead?

~ Pablo Neruda, "There's No Forgetting (Sonata)" from Residence on Earth, II

manila north cemetery

The Manila North Cemetery (or Cementerio del Norte), which measures 54 hectares, is considered the biggest and one of the oldest cemeteries in Metro Manila. Beside it are two other important cemeteries, namely the La Loma Cemetery and the Manila Chinese Cemetery.

The place is still full of people who wanted to visit their departed love ones when i visited the Manila North Cemetery last Nov. 2 and what i immediately noticed is how the living live with the dead, yes there are people who live inside the cemetery and besides the cemetery is surrounded by a residential neighborhood.


The flower vendors inside the Manila North Cemetery, and i could say that their business were doing good especially during the undas or the all saints day celebration when Filipinos flock the cemeteries to pay a visit to their dead loved ones. Mind you its not only flowers and candles that were sold inside the cemetery, there were a lot of food stalls and other stores set up that it feels like you were inside a mall, really! (i'll create a separate post on the vendors and food stalls inside the Manila North Cemetery during Undas)

But what's most interesting in this place is that the Manila North Cemetery has the most number of politicians buried here, from presidents to senators, heroes, artists and even actors of the country. (I will create a separate post with photos of the tombs of notable burials at manila north cemetery)

"The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God." ~ Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman

apartment tombs

According to some death is the equalizer between the rich and the poor but i dont think so.  I visited La Loma Cemetery and Chinese Cemetry yesterday and i just cant help but see the starking difference between the graves, yes there are nice moseleums at La Loma cemetery too but the oppulence of the tombs and moseleums at Chinese Cemetery are in a different level. 

Anyways, this is what apartment tombs look like, photo taken at La Loma cemetery, a cheaper option for the poor and the city's answer to the ever increasing need for more space in the cemtery.  i think this type of tombs are on lease for 5 years and you have to renew your contract with the city government so that the remains of your loved ones will stay there undisturbed, otherwise they will be exhumated and thrown i dont know where.  will the vertical type or the regular tomb be replaced by these apartment type of tombs in the near future?

theme day: books

its theme day again and it's all about books today. took a photo of two books that is nearest to me and include my hello kitty chain in the photo as well since today is hello kitty's birthday as well :)

please check out 178 blogs all over the world that have participated in today's theme day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants