sto. niño de tondo

This is my first time to visit this church again (can't remember the last time, could be a decade ago) but I can still remember when my mother used to bring us here on it's feast day which is every third sunday of january. We would wait in the long line of devotees of Sto. Nino to climb the stairs and have our turn to touch the antique image of the Sto. Nino. Though, this time when i visited the stairs to the image is close and we just got in time before the caretakers closed the church. I wonder why churches are always closed...

By the way, did you know that the Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia (about 94% of Filipinos are Catholic) and that we have lots of old churches which can be considered as a museum of sort, and one of them is this church. To know more about the history of the Sto. Niño de Tondo church click here.

central market

I visited the Central Market last Sunday and i was surprised to find it rehabilitated... and was a bit disappointed at how it looks now, it somehow lost its appeal to me (or i am just too fond of anything old). I know that there were some talks about rehabilitating it since the building is ready to collapse and all but seeing the new market is a shock for me, it now just look dull. Though i appreciate them putting up this stained glass.

I dunno, it's just that when i went there i was so eager to take photos of how lively is that place, selling everything and anything you can think of (just like Divisoria). I still just cant believe how very different it is now from what i remembered it as a young child. My mother used to bring me here when she wants to buy potted plants (well the closest thing you can be with nature in this urban jungle is a potted plant) or when we'll need decor for the house and stuff, this is where we go. Sigh!

deserted

Your eyes don't deceive you, this usually busy street is unusually deserted yesterday... all because Manny Pacquiao had a televised untitled match over Marco Antonio Barrera dubbed "Pacquiao Barrera II: Will to Win". Most Filipinos were glued to their television sets watching and waiting for Pacman to beat Barrera, which he did!

Boxing is really loved by Filipinos especially if the match involves Pacquiao, and whenever there is a Pacquiao game, it becomes a national event.. where people from all walks of life unite and watch with anticipation, and you can credit Pacman for a zero rate crime for the whole duration of his fight.

I wish Pacman will have a match this December, then i can do my Christmas shopping on that event to be sure i'll have all the stores by myself :)

palacio del gobernador

Palacio del Gobernador is the official residence of the Spanish Governors-General until the 1863 earthquake, when it was destroyed. The site lay in ruins for almost a century until the Land Bank of the Philippines built the current building in 1978 and is now home to the Intramuros Administration, Comelec Office, and other government offices.


This particular photo was taken last May 2007 election, hence you see a military man guarding (though he was busy texting when i took the shot)the place. The office of the Comelec was transfered here after their main office was razed by fire on March 2007.

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 -