Oh, May

I thought it looked like Mickey Mouse.

Update #1: Morning Runs

Hi and sorry for the lack of updates. I admit I've been lazy. Also I've been spending a lot of time doing offline things, such as reading (a real book), browsing (around bookstores for real books), swimming and getting my tan on, and running. Okay, jogging.

I'm feeling pretty good about running (okay! jogging!) and building up my endurance. A friend asked me what my fitness goal was, and I said, "running 3k without stopping, or running a full 20 minutes." It's a good and attainable goal; I've been working my way toward that. I wake up at a little past five every morning, have my 30-minute run (and walk, okay), cool down, have breakfast, check my feeds, take a bath, and dress up for work before leaving the house at around 7:40 so I can make it to work before 9. It's a good routine, and I intend to keep it up!

I'm being motivated by the thought that if I get strong enough, I can climb mountains again without panting all the way up. I joined a mountaineering club ten years ago, and the climbs and the basic mountaineering courses were some of the most memorable moments in my life. It's good training, especially learning to pitch a tent in less than five minutes.

Update #2: Film Photography is Yes

I'm waiting for some rolls to be developed, scanned, and delivered. I still patronize Digiprint's services because for me, having film rolls processed by the bulk is cheaper and more exciting (okay, I totally just had to come up with something to make me feel better about the wait). I feel somewhat disappointed though, that Digiprint branches are now down to three (four?). Anyway, I'm looking forward to updating my film photography blog celluloid shots as soon as the scans come in. 

I don't get to shoot film as often as I used to. 

And sketch.

And write.

This has got to change, yes?

Update #3. Damn Write!

The general conclusion is I don't write (non-work related stuff) anymore. My notebook is full of blah, so I figured I should start "writing again" by posting my everyday thoughts. Yes, just like a notebook but more high-tech and more embarrassing should I commit a grammatical error. But does anyone care, really? Oh you do? Okay very well then, head on over to my Weebly blog the daily mews. I'll do my best to post daily, I promise. To all my would-be visitors, thanks for the virtual high five! (Why Weebly? For one thing it's awesome, neat, and is very mobile-friendly. I can blog on the go easily!)

Update #4. Early to bed.

I'm doing my best to get enough rest so I'm avoiding late nights as much as I can. If I don't have an article to edit, I read. This probably means I won't be able to do as much sideline work as I had planned. Oh well, but it does feel good to read again! I'm currently devouring Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs, the creator/producer of my favorite series Bones. Right now I have to finish something so I can sleep by ten pm. TTFN!

i am twenty-nine.

To welcome my 29th year of existence, I went up to Sagada with a bunch of strangers.

Well they were strangers at first, but as our trip progressed we all became fast friends. Ours was a merry bunch of doctors and med reps, a programmer, and a 'writer' (yours truly!).

The only person I knew was Rollie Valenzuela, a fellow film (and digital) photographer whom I first met way back in 2007 through Lomomanila. Rollie and his girlfriend Ling invited their friends to join a Sagada tour group, and as the date coincided with the weekend right before my birthday, I decided to go. I've always wanted to go to Sagada, so I asked my family that in lieu of any material gifts, they could just add to my trip fund!

Before heading up to Sagada, we stopped over Baguio for an early breakfast (it was around 3am, I think) at Good Taste. It was my first time there. All these years I've been going up to Baguio and I never knew such a place existed. After Baguio we headed to Halsema Highway, the highest roadway in the country. We stopped at the highest point and waited for the sun to rise over Mt. Pulag. After that, it was straight on to Sagada.

We had early lunch at Yoghurt House then a short rest at Traveller's Inn before doing the highlight of our trip: Cave Connection! It's a six-hour trek underneath the mountains starting from Lumiang Cave and emerging out of Sumaging Cave. It was really an overwhelming and challenging experience--I still have sore muscles! A funny/interesting/annoying thing happened in the cave as well, but that story's better told in person  (wink, wink).

After the underground cave trek we had our well-deserved dinner and rest. By 5am the following morning, we were on our way to catch the sun rise and the sea of clouds. Unfortunately, we were in a big cloud. Sea of fog, then. Oh well, there's always a next time, right? We went back to have breakfast and prepare for home (with a few touristy stopovers along the way). We dropped by the Bontoc terraces first and then Banaue, where we had a really, really slow lunch.

The trip home took quite longer than we expected, and I ended up celebrating the first hour of my birthday on the road. Yay!

There are still a lot of places we didn't get to explore around Sagada--I will definitely be back to see them! Anyway, on to the photos! I grabbed these from Yoh, Kat, and Rollie. As usual, my film shots will have to wait. :)

before doing the cave connection

we're still smiling! here we are with 'the queen'

ascending!

who wants to ride with me?

a little help

to the batcave!

good (foggy) morning!

yoghurt's a big thing in Sagada...

Bontoc

with Ling and Kuya Edmond (? I'm sorry I'm bad with names) of vagabondpinas :)

of course I took Miss Igorota along for a homecoming! (note the crocodile)

a little bit nervous

sunrise with Mt. Pulag behind me, at the highest point of the Philippine highway system

my breakfast of yoghurt pancake, scrambled eggs, and a slice of bread

we didn't use the monopod in the cave--it was easier to move around with our hands free.

gas lamps served as our light source inside the cave 

my trusty sandals, or the (un)lucky pair

Ling climbing down a slippery pile of rocks

Rollie & Ling!

excuse my feet, but I was really glad they did so well in the cave :)

I had an awesome time.

Much as I would have wanted to sleep in on my birthday, I had to go to work. Oh well. It was good that I went to work though, because I was given a birthday cake! We ate the cake at home. :)

My maternal grandmother always makes birthday posters for everyone. I think I got my crafty skills from her! I'm holding the Tous les Jours chocolate cake from the office.

My mom and my niece!

five candles for a big high-five!

We also had a really fat Brazo de Mercedes cake.

Big thanks to my family and friends--everyone--and of course, to the One up there, for making this all happen :)

Post Office Building & the Metropolitan Theater (the second time around)

Two years ago, I joined a walking tour of the Post Office Building and the Metropolitan Theater. It was conducted by Mr. Lawrence Chan of the Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club. You can read about the tour here:
Part 1: At the Post Office
Part 2: The Metropolitan Theater

I joined the tour again because I read that the tour has been "upgraded" to include several other spots in the Intramuros area. I was particularly interested in the Maestranza walls and the interiors of the currently-under-renovation Ayuntamiento building. Unfortunately, some people who were able to go in the building during the previous month's tour got abusive and started selling photographs of the place. Tsk tsk tsk. So, no more free tours in the Ayuntamiento for now. The management will start charging people once the building is opened to the public. Oh well.

Before the tour officially started, we had a "class picture" with Mr. Andres Bonifacio, for whom the plaza is now named.

Photo credit: Mark John Dañas

Gargoyles and a plant.

The Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club was having their monthly meeting and auction. It was interesting to see the items they had. It was also a great event to do some people sketching. We got to meet an army vet--one of the group that was able to capture the famed Yamashita.

A brief lecture on philately, a pop quiz, and walking along the cool interiors of the post office was a good way to start the afternoon.

The PhilPost mascot's name is Pipoy.

Interesting plant that made its home under the gargoyles.

After the Post Office we made our way to the National Press Club building for a short lesson on art deco...

and then we said hello to the Queen.

There was an interesting story about Isabel II of Spain and how our currency (with Mexico, of course) came to be called "pera."

We did a little more walking, past the place where a monument to Magellan used to stand...

...until we reached

the Maestranza Curtain Wall!

It's been under renovation for quite some time now, and I'm glad I got to see it before the place is opened to the public. I hear they want to turn the area into an outdoor events place with al fresco restaurants. Inside the wall is just as amazing:

Galleries and spaces for exhibits!

I hope the restoration turns out really well and is meticulously managed by the Intramuros Administration. We really need more spaces like this.

It was nice to just stand here. I tried to imagine the Pasig as a clean body of water.

We continued walking, going past the Ayuntamiento (which will be occupied by the Bureau of Treasury) and dropping by Bahay Tsinoy. 

Letran.

It was getting quite dark so we hurried on over to the Metropolitan Theater. We wanted to try to catch the sunset from the balcony, so off we went!

Anyone up for a game of midget basketball? It was weird seeing this inside the theater, but hey, stranger things have happened there! ;)

Up to the balcony we went, and...

Renovating the theater is taking such a long time. There are some issues here and there, but we did get to see most of the renovation work being done in the Grand Ballroom. Thanks to Boysen and their donations of (what else?) paint, the Grand Ballroom is now colored...

GREEN!

I call it "elementary-school classroom green" or "mental-institution green." Please forgive the blurry photos; I had been shooting purely with film and I had no tripod with me. Anyway! Yes, it's green.

At least the floor is all solid now, and there's no more danger of falling through the lower floor.

There are still plenty of things to fix in the theater. What's sad and frustrating about this is that some people who use the theater don't take care of it--just recently a certain primetime soap shot some scenes on the stage and damaged some of the wooden floorboards. Up to now they haven't done anything to fix it. 

I wonder how the Met Theater will cope in the coming months and years. I still want to see it in a much better state (it may be impossible to see it restored to its former glory; that era has ended anyway) and used as a theater. By school groups perhaps? A new dance + theater company? It's a nice thing to hope for, but I think they have to get rid of that half-and-half court first.

Mr. Lawrence Chan conducts regular tours of heritage spots in Manila. If you're interested in the Royal Postal Heritage Walking Tour and his other events, you can contact him at l_rence_2003@yahoo.com or through his mobile +63 919 390 1671. :) 

[Camera used for the photos: Nikon F80 SLR, loaded with Fuji Superia 100 film.]