Caged, huddled

They may not have known each other prior this. This unfortunate predicament in a harsh environment. Though, they may not have anything in memory to compare, but to be caged and looked at/passed over? Well, you get the idea. I was romanticizing a Dumbo-esque narrative when I saw these two huddled like it was a cold winter night (it was in fact a very hot and humid June). Accompanied mujacko to Cartimar in one of his window-shopping missions in service of his appetite for planted aquariums.

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Animated round(ness) of tea

One of the meetings with the executive committee back when I took on coordination for Asia-Pacific Rainbow. Kozui, along Morato, seemed newly opened then, designed to be fashionably laid back, at the same time Tokyo-metropolitan. Couldn't resist the cute roundness of the retail display. I think these were for sale (am not so sure now). Oh, and they have this cold soba that I found absolutely delightful.

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"Naive" effigy

Imagine yourself: you promenade in a mall on an ordinary working day, shoppers too few and far between, cleanliness almost antiseptic, displays static, precise, pristine. Then you see this all dramatically lit installation - you couldn't make it out from a distance, so you go closer. Now what do you make of it? A papier mache, no doubt, carelessly accentuated by possibly manila hemp given to the care of competitive bunch of caffeine-strung stray cats. Oh, could it be? But yes... *drumroll* IT'S ASLAN! (SM Southmall, theater area, promo materials for Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.)

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Homeless intimacy

Just one of those impromptu drunken nights with friends in Malate. En route from Nakpil alcohol-driven fabulosities to Aristocrat gastro-binge, at the edge of Remedios Circle, Gregg and his bagbag, in a spur-of-the-moment strange, emoted inspiration with (and for) the "real horrors" of Manila streetlife.

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Light up! Push button.

Colleague Noemi patiently waited at the check-out queue for her family pasalubong, and I was letting my camwhore eyes survey more of this Bangkok mall's goodies. I would argue that there is simply no way that one could ignore this oddity cum novelty. My imaginative inner eye was debating whether potential fascination with turning this lamp on and off is playful innocence for the "patutuy," or something more serious (and illegal) like man-boy love. Of course, I could be totally mistaken for this oddity's body shape. (Was in Bangkok for a civil society UNGASS meeting.)

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Dizzying hues of teddy bear parade

Maybe it's selective perception, or I'm seeing too much teddy bears in Bangkok's stores. As colleague Noemi shopped for some nifties for kids back home, after our Bangkok civil society meeting on UNGASS in May, I found myself loitering and "salivating" at rows of brightly colored teddy bears (and I wasn't even over yet from wanting a teddy bear from Jim Thompson's). Didn't have much shopping money, so the photo-op was the next best thing.

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Thai teddy royalty

Early in May, got a chance to travel to Bangkok again. Colleague Noemi from HAIN and I attended a meeting of the region's civil society to report on the country's experience in preparing the UNGASS progress report. I've seen most of the city (though not the usual tourist fare) because of various regional meetings and conferences; Noemi, curiously, seemed to take the tourist shopping bug to the hilt. In a mall, we window-shopped a Jim Thompson's - window-shop was all we could do, everything was very expensive. Card-carrying BM member that I am, I couldn't resist stealing a shot of this royally luscious teddy bear; note the brass plate, it suggests "collector's item."

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Sheltered by dark or leading towards light

Last April, on just one of those day trips to one of our project sites, Gumaca in Quezon (GFATM HIV and AIDS project). I was invited as resource person for the municipality's local AIDS council's "re-orientation." Had time to pay a short visit to the San Diego church with colleagues Ferdi and Marv. Image treatment here was an exercise of tweaking on Photoshop's oh-so-many functions; hands-on lecture care of my hunny.

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Miracle or glitch?

A glitch potentially for packaging of a miraculous event? Gregg and I took a short pilgrimage at the Pink Sisters' Convent, just a brief, healthy stride away from the Red Lion, where he, I and his bagbag stayed for an April Baguio vacation. After that, we made another "pilgrimage" for the more Eastern spiritual-philosophical variety at the Taoist Temple. This image, The Virgin of the Poor (invocation included below the image), at least, has better potential for a stampita.

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"Accident" framed and mah-velous

Gregg and I, specially on our campy, casual walkarounds, have this obsession of point-and-shoot of real life "artfully" framed. He calls them "accidents" and sometimes we could get quite, uh, competitive. Above is my response to this of Gregg's "accident". It was a sunny, cool morning in Baguio - during our quickie vacation with bagbag - when I happened on this: they were obviously in a hurry, anticipating the usual late afternoon brief downpour. I think Gregg was singing along his "dated" disco mp3 collection while in the shower.

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Session's handprint of fame

I dunno, I've shown this pic to other friends, and some felt some kind of "dread" about it, almost like a build-up sequence or foreshadowing shot of a b-grade scream flick. It's actually embedded on Session Road's sidewalk, short distance from Pizza Volante. Taken during my quick vacation with Gregg and his bagbag on April.

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Prickly delish!

Gregg's bagbag got some time-off last April from his humanitarian work overseas. Gregg and I joined him for a quick vacation in Baguio. We made sure that we go to the most exotic places in Baguio; on the first day, we went to SM City. Baguio, almost always the brightest of the plantae variety, seemed to have a new commercial obsession (since a year or two back) - cacti. This bunch just a fraction sampling what could be meters long of stalls before SM City's entrance. Illuminated with natural fluorescence of a strange bright but cloudy afternoon, these cacti seemed "very delicious."

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Dipped

A meeting on monitoring and evaluation of HIV and AIDS was called at the Imperial Palace Suites in Quezon City. I've noticed that effort's been given at detailing avante-garde swankiness in the hotel, including this, uh, vase(?) I must have missed the fashionable interior decor train. It's at least a humongous ensemble, definitely commanding some attention.

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Art naturally

Nope, it isn't some abstract artwork. It's definitely not a zebra borne of inter-species mating. It's a detail from a trunk of a tree inside Sycip Garden, where us neighbor-friends had a Sunday photoshoot. You have to admit, though, the patterns are quite compelling. And the image has very good potential as desktop wallpaper. More images HERE.

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Only words left

A candid shot of emanon during the Sycip garden promenade and photoshoot with friends. The garden was peppered with bronze plates of quotations from Washington Sycip (who else) such as on the bench beside emanon. I don't remember what the plate quoted, but from this frame, it looked like emanon was speaking with the bench, the bench teleprompting its reply via the bronze plate. More images HERE.

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Progress, but journey's much longer

Asianchubi invited us neighboor-friends for a Sunday promenade and photoshoot. We ended up at the Sycip garden in Legazpi Village, Makati. We were supposed to help him build up his photography portfolio. Of course, we went clicking away as well with our respective cameras. There were so many interesting things in this park to frame and capture such as this stone turtle, nicely placed at the head of a tiled path. Reminds me of that quotation about it making progress by just sticking its neck out. More images from this promenading cum photoshoot HERE.

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Kitty doormats yawn "welcome!"

April 9 was just another lazy, mostly nothing day. I couldn't quite recall why I was just being a lazy oaf at home; it's a weekday. (Then again, my office is just across the street from my place.) Even the welcoming committee at my doorstep forewarned would-be visitors of the household sleepiness.

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Consumerist, colorful, cute

I dunno. I'm such a sucker for cuteness and color. In store displays, I'm easily drawn to "rainbow" line-ups. I discovered these inside Surplus Shop in SM Makati. The subject matter was kinda apt at the time as well: I was on my way to meeting up some BM guys at yet another SM mall, Megamall. Bridging two malls, there's the MRT.

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Silhouette in blue

There's really so much blue glow around Music Match in Tomas Morato, where BM have spent several of its videoke-cum-socializations recently. Stole a quick snap at true-blue chaser raiko, who for much of the night kept on doing this: drink, laugh, chatter, sing along, then walk out the door, pose and chat on the phone. Must be bluffing on his whereabouts or some sorta. In fairness, whoever was on the other end of the line must not be buying the bluff. *lol* Don't worry, I could've said, raiko's with me and I'm one of the "good" guys. *lol*

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(Just) a strip of blue light

My homage to Dan Flavin. (Or simply yet another spur of the moment snap on a specially drunken, chockfull of videoke night out with the guys at BM.) In my light reading moments, usually care of coffee-table art books bought at Booksale, I once discovered what really minimalism really meant and Flavin's work could probably be the best examples for appreciation to heretofore dunzo on anything art.

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Soulless frolic

Went with BM neighbor-friends for dinner in Megamall. Passed by an exhibit at the Art Center. Found the sculpture striking, not solely for its menage a trois starkness, but also probably for how seemingly it represented some "unpleasant" experience and interesting juxtaposition of meanings offered by other works in the collection.

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Friendships fresh and new

More of that experimental, peephole-frame shot. Dramatis personae: bioman, wisigoth and blindnes, roommate-pals, who have taken residence at the "Pink Apartment," which was under the care of hunky-chub-young-daddy (and "honorary" BM) Paeng. Taken at People's Park in the Sky in Tagaytay. More pictures HERE.

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Inspiration or ecstasy or both

'Nuff said... that's worth the "wholesome" print. *lol* tiny gamely posed for an "experimental" peephole-frame shot during this day trip to Tagaytay with BM-based neighbor-friends. (Was he aware of this at all? Not so sure now.) Taken at People's Park in the Sky, a.k.a. Palace in the Sky, a failed Marcosian project ca. 1980's - "hubris!" my hunny says. More pictures HERE.

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"...it's Super Tumbler!"

I'm sure kids would have ogled and tugged on Mommy's skirt for one. My inner-kid eye was stimulated. But my outer-adult sensibility kinda argued - there is something disconcerting about this. The blazing yellow-and-red logo on translucent blue could have made the point... why need to add the, uhm, "belted underwear"? Oh, there's a Batman version of this as well. (Joined newly found neighbor-friends at SM Mall of Asia.)

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Canine nonchalance

On February, some members of Bigger Manila, with mujacko as lead, trooped to far-flung Tandang Sora, Quezon City for a mini meet-up of aquarium fanatics. (I could claim, at least, I'm a non-practicing fanatic at the moment.) Visiting a somewhat guru on the topic, we were treated to a free-wheeling lecture on planted aquarium setup and maintenance, all the while admiring multitudes of plants and fish in aquariums of every size and shape. Well, I think the loyal pets of the non-fish variety have heard all this before, but they still joined the chat of the biochemistry survey, nosebleed sort. More pictures of the meet up found HERE.

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Feline comfort

On my last night in Davao, together with staff of Tropical Disease Foundation (who through the GFATM project organized the RAAT training-workshop), PNAC and DOH, went for dinner at one of the City's popular restaurants serving inihaw na panga. It was one fine night, a bit cooler than Metro Manila, despite the usual all-too-familiar citylife hum around. The stray cat seemed to agree; it found a warming and comforting shelter temporarily.

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Mga Taklobo at Lumad

Went to Davao City in January to assist Philippine National AIDS Council as resource person for the training-workshop of the Regional AIDS Assistance Team. One night, for dinner and socials, the trainers and organizers went to Jack's Ridge. Upon arrival, we got a briefing of the Ridge's geological history (topmost), and greeted by the "welcome committee" (above).

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Where's the resort?

Went to Puerto Galera for our organization's mid-term assessment meeting and company outing on January. My last vacation here (which was actually a special outreach project) was 2003. So much has changed, I noticed, including this early morning panorama from the veranda of the cottage where I stayed. Just then, this scene just felt like I never left Metro Manila. Fortunately, the urban smog hasn't immigrated yet.

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Breathe into shape

It was a sad New Year's Eve for my sister and the in-laws. Her mother-in-law passed away just before new year; the wake was at a parish church in Las Pinas. While loitering about the churchyard, this frame formed in my mind's eye. The clouds seemed to take form mimicking the treetops. Then again, the treetops also seemed to "breathe out" the clouds.

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Dimmed, shaded, caged

While waiting for Makati's New Year celebrations, just loitering around Greenbelt. In a newly opened wing, I peered in one of the new shops. Glam femininity to the hilt, but the symbolisms offered sobering thoughts - I was having a "Mona Lisa Smile" moment.

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Concentric glow

While waiting for Makati's New Year celebrations, just loitering around Greenbelt. It's the top view of one of the newly installed lamp posts.

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Beauty faded

One of the old theaters along Avenida Rizal in Manila, somewhere between Quiapo and Recto. I loved how the facade looked. Took this picture back in August 2004, when Gregg and I first walked through the area that then Mayor Lito Atienza closed to vehicular traffic. The theater's gone now... well, so has the Mayor Atienza's pedestrian enclosure. Incumbent Mayor Alfredo Lim restored vehicular traffic in the area.

Welcome "moon"

In September 2004, I attended a short course on HIV and AIDS sponsored by Japan's ministry of health and welfare, Research Institute for Tuberculosis and Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention. The night I arrived in Tokyo, the Ikebukuro district was celebrating some kind of harvest festival. I was trying to get a picture of the parade when I realized the guy blocking my view was the better photo-op. More pictures of my stay in Japan are here.

Swan lake

Burnham Park in Baguio, one time when I was invited to lecture on peer counseling for the LEAD for Health project. A specially misty afternoon, accompanied by one of the peer educators, Ayie. I extended my stay for a few more days, and I thought I made the right decision.