on leave

hi guys, i wont be able to post pictures in the next few days, i'm off to cebu and will share with you some photos when i get back :) hope you'll have a great weekend too

eggs?

they're not eggs but the ceiling at landmark's foodcourt in makati

spider boy

meet spider boy =) hehehe actually this is my nephew and his prized spider! i said prized because he pit this spider with his playmates' spider... a favorite game by filipino kids and even adults, difference is with adults they bet money whoever wins, while with the kids you just get the losing spider as food for the spider who won. they usually put the two spiders in a stick and let them pit against each other (sabong ng gagamba) and let them wrestle and the spider who gets wrapped with webbings first lose. my nephew have a styled match box as his spiders home and constantly take care and feed dead spider and water to his spiders, right now he has about 10 spiders neatly stacked in its own boxes. since we live in a city,you cant really catch a good spider fighter but the kids can buy spiders ranging from 5-100 pesos

cornucopia

mixed vegetables and root crops sold along hidalgo street in quiapo, yes that street is not only known as photographers haven but also with these vegetables and ukay ukay stores :)

lotto winner

i would really really like to be the winner of the 6/49 lotto draw tonight and most probably all filipinos are hoping for the same thing today, eagerly waiting the draw tonight because the lotto prize has reached more than 300 million and is the biggest prize in the history of lotto in the philippines. i dont really bet in lotto but with this huge jackpot i just have to try my luck... have you placed your bets already? you still have a chance to buy your tickets, and hurry because i've heard that as early as 8am people have been lining up the lotto outlet ticket sellers already. good luck to all of us :)

UPDATE: two lucky winners win the Php 347 million lotto jackpot with the winning number combination 06-34-20-26-12-33
sigh i didnt win bertn but i am still feelign generous, i'll give you belekoy just send me your address :D

belekoy

Belekoy is a sweet delicacy that is said to have originated from Bulacan, it is made of flour, sugar, vanilla, and covered with sesame seeds. i love eating this when i was a kid and even now its just that i am having a hard time finding belekoy anywahere these days, that's why i buy tons when i see it at pasalubong stores. belekoy is makunat or it feels like your eating nougat but it is gummier. thats why we have this phrase "makunat ka pa sa belekoy" for a person who is a tightwad or stingy.

a star

a star wheel, a detail of a calesa's wheel... calesa used to be the king of the street of the old manila


it seems i have a penchant for calesas as well, looking at my archive i saw a handful of posts i've done in the past with calesa |:) you can check all of them here.

santo cristo shrine

Santo Cristo Shrine at San Nicolas Street in Binondo. If you would notice it's like a mixture of Catholic and Chinese belief with sampaguitas and garland at the crucifix and also chinese incense stick and fruits are being offered here.

It is said the an image of the crucified Christ said to be found by a deaf-mute Chinese at the site of an old well in the barrio of Longos in Binondo. That crucifix whihc is better known as Santo Cristo de Longos is enclosed in a glass cover and can be found at the side entrance (Ongpin Street) of the Binondo Church.

interesting read: miracle of santo cristo de longos

PLM grand reunion

Got an invitation for the grand reunion of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila on February 27-28. Got this sticker from an Iska who happened to visit our office about a month ago, unfortunately i already have prior engagement on the said dates, but if your a PLM Alumni and is interested to join please mark your calendar for this great event.

PLM@42
"Apat na Dekada...
Walang Kakupas-Kupas"

February 25, 2009, Wednesday (Optional)
Warm-up Day: Alumni Golf Tournament
Venue: To be announced
Tournament Fee: To be announced

February 27, 2009, Friday
Pass-in Review, Symposium, Coffee-Music Hour, Fireworks
PLM Grounds, 8AM to 6PM

February 28, 2009, Saturday
Medical Mission - "Mula sa Puso", 8AM to 2PM
Cocktails, Dinner, Dance - Manila Hotel, 5PM onwards
Participation Fee: US$100 (for foreign-based alumni),
PhP2,500 (for locals)

I have also been receiving emails about the reunion so i am calling all PLM grads to join this special event.

here's a copy of the email:

I am pleased to inform you of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) Alumni Association' s (PLMAA) Grand Reunion on February 27 to March 1, 2009. The new PLMAA leadership took this long to be installed because of former PLM President Tayabas' intransigence and dictatorial management of PLM. Now we have a new President in the person of Atty. Adel Tamano (yes the very amiable and good looking Spokesperson of the opposition!). Things are improving at PLM. And we'd like to celebrate this change in a big way next year. Please see attachments for further details. I urge you to circulate this to as many co-alumni as possible to ensure the success of our Grand Reunion . Block off your calendars for this event.
Thanks

Peewee Apostol
President, PLMAA
2008-2010

trunk line 415-2272 local 3404

direct line 413-9162

To register please go to http://www.plmaaintramuros.org and click "Grand Reunion 2009"

on three

faith

Binondo church at night, or much better to say the fountain at the plaza in front of the binondo church :) check out my old post of this photo at daytime here

Perfect Beach Holiday!

I can't deny that everyday i am dreaming of that perfect beach holiday. You know, just sitting by the beach and enjoying the summer sin while sipping my virgin pinacolada. You guys are probably thinking why am suddenly like this right? Oh, well i came across this site Granada Nicaragua Vacation Rental and i was just mesmerize by it's beauty. I kinda feel like at that moment i was there while browsing the site. Here's more very exiting while browsing the said site?, something pop-up from another window it's about San Juan del Sur Hotel which is also very interesting place as well.

Oh my geez, these South America vacations are tempting me, cause right now i am searching on Nicaragua real estate, you never know, i might buy a property in South America.

hope

there is always hope...

silouethe

"Someday, somewhere — anywhere, unfailingly, you'll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life."

happy hearts day

You may not see me the way I see you. You may not care for me the way I care for you. You may feel nothing for me even if I feel so much for you. And you may never ever love me even if I’ll always be here, loving you. Happy hearts day!!!

dam slabs?

saw this at the other end of the boating lagoon at the la mesa eco park, i'm not sure if there's water running in those slabs of concrete or what is the purpose of that, all i know is that i love how it looks and i took tons of photos of this :)


this is how it looks like from the other end of the lagoon.

la mesa eco park boat ride

La Mesa Eco Park's boating lagoon. Similar to the paddle boat ride of Baguio’s Burnham Park. Boat rental fee is 100 pesos for 30 minutes, maximum capacity of 4 person in a boat (could be 5 if you're with a kid)

taken for granted

“In all affairs, love, religion, politics, or business, it's a healthy idea, now and then, to hang a question mark on things you have long taken for granted”

circle

“We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time."

horse back ride

nope his photo was not taken at Baguio or Tagaytay where thy usually have these horse waiting for a ride at a fee of course. took this photo at the La Mesa Eco Park, they have these small horses, just right for kids.

lumpiang sariwa

a fresh lumpia (spring rolls) waiting to be rolled. there are lots of lumpia varities but my favorite is lumpiang shanghai. Lumpia or spring roll was brought by the Chinese immigrants from the Fujian province of China to the Philippines. the Chinese usually serve this special lumpia on chinese new year celebration which is usually spring festival, hence the name spring roll.

turtle

nature's therapy

“Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.”

so glad that the week is almost over and i am so looking ahead of the coming weekend, i have been very busy the past weeks and i really need to slow down and relax a bit. so i'll give you this photo to look at and be relaxed like me :) 

yellow door

yellow is not really my favorite color, but i love taking pictures of something yellow because they really do stand out from the background and looks good in photos. (you can check out my other yellow post here)

anyway this photo was taken at binondo (aka chinatown), a store sellign authentic chinese food and snacks.

orange

“The majority of (painters), because they aren't colorists, do not see yellow, orange or sulphur in the South (of France) and they call a painter mad if he sees with eyes other than theirs” -
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

bicho bicho

"Pengeng singko pambili ng puto
Sa mga tindera ng bitso-bitso"
~ Toyang by Eraserheads

Part of the Big Binondo Food WOK is trying out various food and eateries that can be found in Chinatown, and one of our stops is a store selling fried siopao and bicho bicho along Benavidez St. which is also known in the area for its food.

By the way, this bicho bicho really taste good. its taste like donut but better, you just fry it i think and then cut it into bite size sprinkle it with sugar and you're good to go! But some people prefer eating bicho bicho with lugaw or congee, and others also like to dip it in chocolate like churros.

kalesa

Kalesa - A kalesa (sometimes called a karitela) is a horse-driven calash (carriage) used in the Philippines. The word, also spelled calesa, predates the Spanish conquest and descends ultimately from an Old Church Slavonic word meaning "wheels." This was one of the modes of transportation introduced in the Philippines in the 18th century by the Spaniards that only nobles and high ranked officials could afford. They are rarely used in the streets nowadays except in tourist spots and some rural areas.

Source: Wikipedia