Friday night lights along roxas blvd, taken around 6-ish.

see the skies! this friday...
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what is significant about this spot?




If China has a "No Spitting" sign and Singapore has a "No Durian allowed" inside the mrt.
In almost every alley and street in Manila you'll find this sign Bawal Umihi Dito and wonder what it means... I couldn't find an exact translation of this but it's simply: "No Urinating!"

I'm not proud to share this but here, most men in general has a habit of peeing on the dark alleys or anywhere for that matter...blame it on the uncontrollable call of nature...

This barricade was on the corner of US embassy and lurkers like me holding a camera is a definite no-no.
I was hoping to take a photo of the facade of the embassy when i stumbled on this bill. A few seconds later, a security guard on bike was roaming around and silently eyeing at me and my camera.
hmm... then i saw that there was another bigger sign: no loiterring,
no photography, no littering sign around the area.
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This is the facade of Binondo church.
Like most catholic churches here, this one is in dire need of restoration.
Fortunately, the street is having its annual "fiesta", the reason for its colorful streamers.
I have also shown the interior of this church on my last post.
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The reason for this grand monument standing infront of Central road is because of
Andres Bonifacio.- one of our great heroes, a filipino nationalist,
he is one of those who fought hard against the spaniards during the revolution.

The KKK flag which means
Katipunan (Union) is a secret society founded by Bonifacio himself.

This coming November 30,we would be celebrating Bonifacio day, which means it's a Public holiday for us also.
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yesterday afternoon, while i was busy in the office
.I caught manong outside taking a nap on his motorcycle.
Quite cool eh? He can balance himself without relying on anything.
"C'est la vie" for him... now i wish i could be as carefree as he is.
^-^
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Off the harbour, overlooking the bay is this scene I took around 4pm in the afternoon.

The expose bulb on the left and the railings creates a foreground to this picture.

see the skies! this friday...
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One of the well-known places here in Manila is the CCP or
Cultural Center of the Phils.
Open to the public in 1969 during the Marcos regime.
Back then, it was considered to be the best performing arts in Asia.
Some of the main highlights here are ballet performances from around the world, theatre, music competitions and some art exhibitions and workshops.

Although i'm not really a morning person, you would often see joggers/bikers around this area or even in the mid-afternoons.


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PICC or Philippines International Convention Center -located along the suburb reclaimed area of Manila which is at the corner of v.sotto and e.makabenta st. ccp complex.

This brutalist designed architecture built around the 70's by Leandro Locsin and his team was to promote state-of-the-art convention, meeting, concerts and social events.

The last time i was there was to attend my sister's graduation and there were hordes of people but on a lazy sunday, the place was just utterly quiet, not a single car in sight and i think there were just the two of us standing on the street, walking and taking pictures. ^-^


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Jeepney is one of the most convenient and popular transportation here in the Phils.
For less than a dollar, it can take you from north to south.
Although originally introduced by the Americans back in wwII.
This mode of transporation has been symbolic and is part of our everyday culture.

This gaudy looking jeep is a sample of what it looks like.It looks new and well-polished bec. i suppose this is just a display to show tourist or locals who passed by this area.

*But note for the faint hearted:If you happen to ride on one of our local jeeps... prepare for a ride of a lifetime! ^-^

Jeepney drivers here tend to drive so fast like you're chasing up and away to infinity and beyond.,but surely an experience not to be missed.

show your world... share it with us. ^-^

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Around 5-ish on a lazy afternoon, along the strip of Manila bay.

I caught two kids playing and running around the park, the other one was shouting "i'm mr.muscle-superman!"

He was carrying the branches and he seemed very happy and unaware of the fact that i was there taking a foto of him.

ah!...to be a kid again. ^-^

~ these past few weeks has been a very tiring and busy week for me.
yesterday, instead of staying home like a couch potato.
I decided to go out and take some fresh fotos.
I take it as a form of de-stressing my oh-so-very hectic week.
Now i think i overused the word week. ^-^

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i was browsing at my old fotos when i saw this eye catching painting that i took a while back.

too bad i don't know who the artist is...

happy weekend. ^-^
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Paint it red!



If you happen to be in downtown area, one of the things you'll notice is that most of the establishments and color themes are inspired by the hue of Red.
why red? well, for most of the chinese esp. those traditional ones, red symbolizes power, great luck and good fortune.
Superstitions says that it drives away the evil spirits and bad omens as well.

Paifang or pailou - is a famous traditional Chinese architectural archway.
It is usually made of stone or bricks and the walls may be painted in white or red, or decorated with coloured tiles.
The chinese characters above read from right to left says: 金門 which literally means golden door.
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in almost every corner of the street, you will find vendors tending to their stalls selling foods like the one on this photo.

on your lower left are deep fried Banana-Q's (on sticks) coated with caramelized sugars.

on the upper left are deep fried Turons which are also made from banana, mostly mixed with langka or jackfruit wrapped in lumpia wrappers.

the ones on the right are Camote- Q's
fresh camotes are also deep fried and coated with brown sugars.

among the three, my favorite would be the Turon.

i love the crunchiness and the sweetness of langka inside it. ^-^

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you might be wondering what's so special about this guy...



In here, we would likely call him as Kuya (brother) or Manong.
He's a vendor selling feather dusters and hand made "walis" (broom).Silently, I was about to take a photo of what he's selling, but he saw me and thought that I was going to buy one of his brooms. Caught in the middle, i sheepishly asked if it's okay for me to take a photo of him instead? Without a blink of an eye, he said: sure! why not and happily gave me this smiling pose.
the result: i end up taking his photo and not his goods. ^-^
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are you a fan of d.c comics? superheroes? kawaii japanese anime? ^-^








as hordes of people came rushing in yesterday,
for an all out comic event, selling collectible trinkets, war-action figures and cute little hoodies.
whoa! they may look ordinary toys to some but don't be surprise at how much it costs, they can be quite steep!
but for those avid collectors, i bet that's just icing on the cake.

anything you find interesting perhaps? ^-^
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this is an aerial view of manila bay going south.
the brownish grey bldg. on the left is Bangko central ng Pilipinas.


excuse for my rather short post,.work was hectic these days plus my japanese exam 2morrow. ^-^
see the skies! this friday...
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This is the facade of National Museum, established in 1901 and located along Padre Burgos St. near Rizal Park.

It's designed in 1918 by an American Architect named Daniel Burnham.

What used to be a congress bldg. Today, it houses the arts, archeology, anthropology and some of rare artifacts and ornaments.

Among the many displays here is the San Diego galleon and famous works of Juna luna called
"spoliarium"...
-which takes pride at the National Art Gallery and also works by Felix R. Hidalgo, Napoleon Abueva and more.

Funny thing though, i passed by this place almost a hundred times but never got the chance to see what's inside or even have a field trip when i was still studying then. I hope i can visit it sometime and of course, share it here.

Oh well, this cdp blogging has given me a bigger insight and made me more aware of the sights and things that i need to explore.

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another church that's worth visiting is Malate church.

This is the main facade of the church, also a Baroque-style with a blend of Muslim architecture.

It has Solomonic columns on the second story. But, unlike other Baroque churches at that time, it has no *belfry* standing on either of its side.
*belfry - space for bells: the part of a church steeple or a tower in which bells are hung
This church was built originally on this spot in the sixteenth century by the Augustinians, It is dedicated to Nuestra Senora de Remedios (”Our Lady of Remedies”), the patroness of women in childbirth.
I have shown a partial side of the church before and i wish to show you more of its interior.

Inside it has good ventilation and spectacular stained glass etching depicting the life of Jesus Christ.

show your world... share it with us. ^-^
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Whenever i go downtown, i make sure i visit Binondo Church.

After all, this is where i was baptized.

I'm always fascinated at its structure and its interior.

Its gilded and marble columns, beautiful fresco paintings, baroque inspired interior and how it was restored and preserved.

Upon posting this today... i googled some surprising facts about this churchs' history.

Binondo Church has changed a lot through the years...

Its history has overcome wars, natural calamities and colonization..

Its name has been changed time and time again.This is one of the oldest churches to date... since 1596. Founded by Dominican Priests.

Its original name was Our lady of the most holy rosary parish or the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz.

One of its significant early architects was Domingo de la Cruz González.

It has a Spanish and European Baroque style more or less, inspired by the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The octagonal bell tower on top of the altar however, is the only significant remaining part of the original structure.

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lovely greens eh?

now how i wish it was summer here. ^-^

At a posh mall in Cubao, just an Mrt away, you'll find this getaway indoor garden, where you'll find : a small pond, a wooden bridge and nothing but luscious greenery. Nothing but serenity...

a pity though, this place used to be a resto before but now, it's partially unattended.

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a view of the Sta. Mesa creek.

the weather: just perfect...

normally,

this creek would seem very calm and reposed.

but last week, when typhoon ondoy/ketsana hit Metro Manila, water has reached up to its limit, causing great flooding and devastation around this area.

While most of the residents here are still traumatized by last week's typhoon, esp. those in affected areas like Marikina, Rizal, Muntinlupa etc. as relief operations are stillongoing.

Some houses and establishments in Pateros, Taguig etc. are still submerge in water.It will be weeks before the water would subside.
And tomorrow, I think all of us are dreading bec. another one called Pepeng is coming and sources says it will hit hard, maybe not directly in Metro Manila but mostly in northern part of Luzon.
I pray for everyone's safety...

see the skies! this friday...
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