see spike da dog.

my last unusual view from our manila balcony, taken during the rainy months of 2008, around august. i thought this image looked like a puzzle; the lone high-rise building looked like it came out through the small curve at the edge of the cloud directly above it. whether it’s sunrise or sunset, i love how a single place could offer so much visual variety.

last saturday’s news had me camping out in the (chilly) open in an attempt to photograph the moon with my little point-and-shoot.  i was not sure what i’d come up with, what with such an unusually cloudy evening.

saturday, january 10

around dinner time, from the garden. hoping for the clouds to go.

at around 10pm, a fleeting view

sunday, january 11

early evening. bright moon peeks through the black clouds over the rooftops.

during the usual al fresco dinner

i took about a hundred shots; this should have been my last. at around 10pm, i went out again looking for spike da dog. when i looked up, the sight took my breath away — a perfect white circle within a wide, silvery circle.* i had to lie down flat on my back (on the pavement!) to fit the great span of circular light into my camera screen.

i chose to share the picture below because it captures the colors the closest.

*see moon dog, moon ring, moonlight effects

thank God for these beautiful sights!

popular with kids around the philippines, the lusis (sparkler) illuminates the new year’s eve scene.

since i missed this year’s giant lantern show in pampanga, i’m posting pictures of those i saw in december 2007.

all those gorgeous colors and shapes in just one lantern
(from barangay dolores. i remember how much i liked san nicolas’ but dolores’ seemed more photogenic ).

behind the scenes

the thing is hoisted in front of a big truck. average lantern is 18 feet in diameter, about half a million pesos to build. funding usually comes from cash donations and labor of love.

back view: manually operated, the revolving cylinders reminded me of those tiny “drums” i see inside music boxes.

one cool morning at the beginning of the christmas month, these chestnuts, pod, flowers and all, fell to the ground.

pampanga, december 2008

a rusty coal iron sits under a mahogany tree.

pampanga, october 2008

On our way home on halloween a year ago, I started taking snaps of the usual street scenes. Here, a vendor offered glowing devil’s horns to passing cars. Stopping at the red light along Aurora Boulevard before turning right to Araneta Avenue, my heart stopped at the sight of this figure lying just a few feet away from our car window.

In the dark, what looked like a corpse wrapped tightly with a blanket was a homeless person sleeping right outside the bridge. As though this wasn’t enough to break my heart, when I switched my camera mode to view, I zoomed to find the person’s arms holding a baby whose head nestled peacefully on his/her chest

pampanga, august 2008

i lived near megamall some time during college and a few years of my work life. ever since i have enjoyed occasional walks along the art floor and visits to the galleries. it’s been a while since my last trip, so it was nice to be able to swing by in august and see what’s new. my apologies for the photos — i wasn’t sure if taking pics was allowed, so i was sneaking “one shot deals.”

these amazing works received recognition at the 25th kulay sa tubig annual watercolor competition.

the path, ronald jeresano

al fresco, margarita lim

by noli prinsipe

i think i was too mesmerized by this particular painting that i forgot to take note of the title. it looked so real i could almost feel the burning flames. it received the hall of fame award.

non biodegradable, demetrio dela cruz

not sure if this one won, but i thought it’s amazing how the artist painted everything including the minute prints (product details) at the back.

more award winning works here.

manila, august 2008