Inside the walls of Intramuros, still continuing my post the other day...

Baluarte de San Andres also known as *Baluarte* (Bulwark) de San Nicolas or Carranza,
was reconstructed in 1733 with the addition of a bomb-proof arsenal for gunpowder
storage, a *garita* (watch tower) and barracks.
It was destroyed in 1762 during the British siege, but was rebuilt after the occupation and was
damaged again during the battle of Manila in 1945.
It was finally restored in 1987.

I'm not really sure if this is what you call a tunnel or a hide-out maybe during the war,
when i went there,the place was kind of desolated and there was no one I could ask regarding the history of this place.
It didn't occur to me then that I should check out what's inside, till I was posting this tonight.
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During fridays this place is always filled with people...
I'm referring to this street named Quiapo.
Walk around and you'll find this monument infront of Quiapo church in Plaza Miranda.
Quiapo church is famous for its Black Nazarene and its rich history.
While, Plaza Miranda marked a significant role in 1971,when Marcos was still the ruler.
During the campaign period, a political party called Liberal declared their
8 senatorial bets who were running for office at that time.
A crowd of not more than 4000 witnessed this event and while the politicains were
on stage, perpetrators throwed two hand grenade bombs, setting off a blast, killing
nine people and injuring more than 95.

This monument was unveiled on August 21, 2002, by our President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
as a commemorative marker infront of Plaza Miranda in honor of the nine innocent civilians
killed during the blast.


see the skies! this friday...
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" Clothesline "



I was going to post something that's related to yesterday's, but decided against it.
I opted for this foto instead.
As much as I have seen other cdp bloggers posted their views about this,
It has always been a concern whether or not we should hang our clothes to be seen by the public or not.
As much as the gov't would like to implement such rules about this.
It is inevitable where space and money is an issue.
What's your take on this? ^-^
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"Halcyon"

There is this other side of Manila that's not visited quite often.
This quiet corner where it seems to be deserted and abandoned.




Baluarte de San Andres is one of the tourist spots here in Intramuros .
It was built in 1603 to protect the real gate on its right flank and reinforce the south eastern
part of Intramuros. Further ahead you can almost see the National Museum .

Did you know that you have to actually climb this "wall" to get a better view.
Exactly where both of them were seated?
that's steep! a scary thing I'll never try...^0^
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What used to be a seemingly old dilapidated edifice, has recently been renovated into a more appealing
Art deco-ish theme.

The Miramar hotel situated along Roxas blvd., almost
right across the US embassy and museo pambata (lit. museum for kids) is a low-budget hotel
that has been in business since 1930.
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Along Makati, you will find the famous Ayala Ave. (sort of the wall street of NYC.)
It is the heart of the central business district where you'll find the Phil. Stock Exchange, landmark skyscrapers, posh malls and hotels.
This is Insular Life Bldg. which used to be Ayala House Tower.
It's not one of the tallest bldg. here but the structure is at its modern style.
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We saw this "Pagasa" ship docked infront of Fuji Maru and was intrigued why the ship was named Pagasa (which means hope in english).
Apparently, it's an auxiliary ship used in naval operations and was formerly a presidential ship.
I wonder if the president has tried it before...^0^

see the skies! this friday...
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...still bike...



There's something quiet about this picture that I'm fascinated about.

As much as i love taking fotos of structures and people,
I also like bikes in particular and honestly,I don't know why. ^0^
by the way, i spotted this outside south harbor, pier.

how about you, what kind of fotos do you like to take? ^-^
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*Roro* ferries are probably one of the most efficient and economical ways of getting around the
major destinations throughout the Philippines.

I've never got on a roro ride before but based on what i've heard, apart from the long hours of waiting...
It's surprisingly an enjoyable ride, while on board, you can even alight and had a glimpse of the view and the sea.

*Roro - means roll-on and roll-off, wheeled cargo gets on and off the ferry by a giant platform that also serves as the ferries main door.
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"Fuji Maru and Me II"

Once aboard, we were greeted with smiles and instant sanitizers. ^-^
Surprised to see that it was also quite big and spacious inside.
Because there were a lot of people, the elevator wasn't working, maybe afraid that it might get jammed, so we had to use the stairs instead.

We have to take our pictures as quickly as possible bec. we weren't allowed to stay in one place for too long.
So, the shots were either blurry or someone else's head upfront. ^-^
Finally, when we reached the upper deck, we had a nice 360^ view of the port.
Which was nice bec. It shows you another angle of metro manila.




the name of the ship printed on the lifebuoy.



view of the Port area



top part of the ship



boats for emergency purposes



partial view of the upper deck...



the cabin



bar/lounge area



the dining hall/room



also the lounge area



souvenir/gift shoppe

show your world... share it with us. ^-^
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"Fuji Maru" and Me



Pepperoni and I had no idea what fuji maru was till we saw it yesterday.
The other week, we were invited by our school if we would like to attend this annual cruise ship
youth programme sponsored by the japanese gov't.
together with the asean member-countries.



We were reluctant at first bec. we had to go all the way to the pier- which was on the south harbor side.
(on a sunday, it's really a hassle...) but, persuaded by our teacher about how fun and exciting it is
we finally said yes...
Lunch time: The weather wasn't cooperating with us, on our way there, it was cloudy with some
drizzling rains but for awhile, we were lucky it stopped and soon the scorching heat of the sun
was blazing again and then there goes my headache! ^0^

Fuji Maru is a japanese cruise ship and for the next 53 days, youth representatives (asean)
on board will travel and visit other countries as well.

Apart from the ship and the quick tour aboard.
I was kind of disappointed bec. we haven't had the chance to meet anyone from the youths which was the main purpose of this event.















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Bridge going to Makati while stuck in traffic. ^-^
happy weekend guys!
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" cArOuSeL "


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You know Christmas is fast approaching when you see fancy lights, adorned trinkets and christmas songs playing on the mall and radio.





"Parol" are star shaped inspired lanterns displayed during the yuletide season.
It comes from the spanish word called farol. It is a very traditional and cultural
thing for the filipinos.
It symbolizes hope and light over darkness.
Analogy : Christmas tree= Parol

They are usually made of bamboo sticks and papers, then it can have a whole lot of variation.
Prices don't come cheap, they can differ from sizes, shapes and designs.

This isn't the best that i've seen yet but when you see incandescent lights, just flickeringly bright, don't you just feel the warmth of christmas inside your heart? ^-^
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It's been weeks now that I've been craving for this *Macapuno Tart* and still can't get enough of it.
So here's a scrumptious foto for you...desserts anyone? ^-^

*Macapuno is a variety of coconut palm that does not contain
water inside the coconut shell.
The "meat" of the coconut is a soft jelly-like substance
The fruit looks like a regular "niyog" (coconut) except it is bigger.
Farmers have a way of knocking on the nut to determine if they have macapuno or niyog inside.
Its meat is as thick as the niyog but softer, making it easy to grate.
It's cooked with sugar, sometimes with dayap for flavoring and usually served as a dessert (either with candy, cake or ice cream).*

Ps: I finally found a recipe for making this tart...

Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. fine salt
1 1/2 shortening or margarine (chilled)
1 cup cold water

Mix together flour, salt & sugar. Cut-in shortening, using a pastry blender or 2 knives. When it turns into cornmeal size, add water gradually while mixing lightly with hand. Then, roll out on a board and using a round cutter, cut to fit muffin pans. Grease muffin pans before fitting in dough.

Filling:
* 3 cups sweetened macapuno (or macapuno preserves)
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine
* 6 eggs yolks
Melt butter in a low fire. Then, fold in macapuno and beaten egg yolks. Blend well. Fill in muffin pans with molded dough bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 15 minutes or until tart becomes light brown.
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this is the continuation of AOF ( Anime Overload Festival) that I posted yesterday.


do they look familiar? ^-^
who doesn't know Mario and Luigi from a famous nintendo game.


argh! lifting the kid just to show how strong he is...


feisty maid cafe costume with a gun!



the kids at the cosplay, oh! love their wigs! ^_^


more of j-pop memorabilias for sale...
i was thinking of buying that cute fan on the left, but was shocked at its steep price! For sale at P750, that's about 15$ each. ^-^ yikes!
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This year's AOF (Anime Overload Festival) convention was held at the SMX convention centre
which is near the Church i mentioned last week.



Sister pepperoni has been nagging and begging for months that we should come see this anime event
and yesterday, we finally did.
Boy! was I amazed and shocked to see that there were hordes of mostly "teens" who
attended this event, there were photographers, event organizers, the friends of those friends
who were there and the list goes on...
A lot of eager cosplay contestants are already outside either taking a break or
posing for some good shots.

*these are the characters from bleach*

The entrance fee inside was P100 each ( free photo prints, gaming, some manga readings as well).
The function room was big enough but still the place was packed with people.



When we were there, the events had already started, on the stage was the karaoke singing competition.
While listening to them, we went on to the other side to see what some of the booths were selling.
Although, some of the memorabilia and cute items were really pricey... they were all kawaii-ness. (cuteness!)



Thanks to sis pepperoni, she hinted me some of the kawaii and death defying characters I will share on this two part series.

* this is the character from Deathnote*







and some very weird mummified outfits as well...^-^


For those jap-fanatics out there, this event is certainly your cup of tea,
which i bet you would enjoy! ^0^
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Along this side of the road is an ordinary coffee cup,
someone must've forgotten to put it on the trash..
But did you know...This very peculiar "Bee" cup is a well-known fast food chain here?
I'll post more of this soon! ^-^

Meanwhile... happy weekend to all!
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