Day 86 - The Other Fort

THE OTHER FORT - Entrance to Fort Santiago in (old) Manila. Small Jose Rizal park and museum on the other side.

And I say it's the other fort because the place known as "The Fort" is Fort Bonifacio, where my former office, along with a bunch of other offices are located. I always wondered if there are people who actually think that when you say "The Fort" you're referring to this one, Fort Santiago. Since this is literally a fort. But I don't think that people talk about this place enough for that to happen.

We went here today as part of an impromptu (for me, anyway) Manila tour with my cousin who's here on holiday from Germany. I thought we were just going to have lunch by Manila Bay but it turned to a short tour of Manila, not that I mind. Believe it or not, I've actually never been here before this.

We didn't get to explore the whole place, though. The other museums were closed since it's a holiday today (National Heroes Day), and we didn't have enough time because they still had to pick up my other cousin from Germany at the airport. On Wednesday they're all going to Boracay. They're heading to CamSur after that, and then to Palawan after that. Can you say holiday?!

Day 85 - Flute Choir

FLUTE CHOIR - Composed of my uncle and some of his former students. My uncle is the one on the lead flute (like I know the difference hahaha), wearing glasses and a light blue polo shirt

Wala kayo sa Photo of the Day ko!

Saan pa kayo nakakita ng impromptu/informal flute choir recital?! Sa birthday party lang ng tito ko nangyayari 'yan! Hehehe. Nah, I'm sure if you're a musician then you've seen something like this or have been part of it before, or something. But since I am not a musician, I'm happy to at least be related to one.

FYI, my uncle, before he retired, was the principal flutist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, which is short for "He's the best flutist in the Philippines". If you disagree, don't bother to tell me. I'll admit that I'm biased since I'm not a flute person and hello, he's my uncle.

Anyway... Today was his 66th birthday celebration and because he recently retired, it was also a sort of retirement party. Hence, his former students and other music friends attended. After the honoring speeches, he and his students performed 3 songs for us. This is a screenshot of the video I took when they played the William Tell Overture. It was a real treat. I mean, how many people can say that they attended a birthday party where there was a flute choir that played? Before this, I didn't even know that flute choirs existed. Shows how "cultured" I am. Hahaha.

To watch their performance, please see here: William Tell Overture on Flutes

Day 84 - Bay from the Bus

It's Saturday today and so I went to my Japanese classes in central Manila. Like normal people, I'm not too fond of commuting or traveling to far places, except if it's to an exciting travel destination, which central Manila is most definitely not. But I don't mind it all that much either. I think, compared to most, I'm already a very patient person when it comes to commuting in the city. Patience is key, if you don't want to be in a bad mood after crazy traffic, unbearable heat, and unscrupulous characters running about. If you're patient, you get to enjoy views like these.

This is Manila Bay, that you'll pass by every time you take the Coastal Road. I took this photo at around 8 in the morning from the bus I was in. The sky was clear and the color of the water was a beautiful blue. Despite everything, I still think that I live in one of the best places in the world. I know that's a very unpopular opinion (especially these days), but you'll have to forgive me. I live here. If I don't love it, who will?

Day 83 - Good-side Pasta

Was it last Valentine's Day that we received the same kind of pasta? This is a pyrex of chicken and mushroom carbonara (I don't exactly know if that's what you call it, but it's a white sauce pasta with chicken and mushrooms so that's what I'm calling it), made by my brother's girlfriend. I suppose it's some sort of farewell gift since she leaves for the U.S., where she continues her MBA studies as an exchange student on scholarship, tomorrow. The reason that the title is "Good-side Pasta" however, is because the last time she gave us this pasta, I had the impression it was so she could get on my mom's good side. A pretty good strategy, I guess, since the pasta is yummy. You could get anyone to like you if you give them yummy food, I think.

P.S. Today we learned that my sister passed the Sharepoint Elite Exam. Congratulations to her! But, I can't really take a picture of that so you're stuck with this boring foil-wrapped food.

Day 82 - Condolences

A friend's sister died and we went to her wake today. We asked the reason for her death and he said that even the hospital didn't have an answer. All they knew was that she was checked into the hospital Sunday night, and by Monday night she was gone. She was 31 years old.

Maybe it was because the hospital was ill-equipped to handle a case like hers. I guess I can say criticisms to our country's health care, etc. But at this point, it doesn't really matter. I'll just pray that she rest in peace.

This photo was taken outside the chapel in Imus, Cavite, where the wake was held.

Day 81 - Idol!

Me and Rafe Bartholomew, journalist and (Philippine) basketball enthusiast

I skipped some more days! T_T Oh well, starting today I really will take one photo a day. Although this was technically taken by my friend J. But my camera was also the one used. Anyway...

This is me with Rafe Bartholomew. I attended his book signing in Powerbooks at Greenbelt 3 today. In case you don't know who he is, he's the author of that book he's holding, Pacific Rims. It's about Philippine basketball. And I know, I'm not a big fan of basketball, but I am a fan of the Philippines (it's my country, duh) and the things that are written about us, especially when they're positive (kasi konti lang 'yun haha). :) Plus, I'm a fan of good writing, and Rafe Bartholomew is a really good writer. I wish I could write like that, too.

For my review on his book, see my main blog.

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Short anecdote: While waiting for this book signing event to start, a writer from a business magazine (I forget the actual name) approached me and asked if he could interview me about the book. Anyway, his first question was, "Are you interested in basketball?" and I had to answer, "Um... No."

Hahahaha. Call me a poseur :P Ano ba, hindi naman required na interesado ka sa basketball para magbasa ng libro tungkol sa basketball ah.

Day 80 - Party Food

Shrimps, crabs, adobong pusit (inside covered dish), and barbecue. All cooked by my aunt for my uncle's birthday. Ang sarap!!! :D

Actually, I attended two birthday parties today. One for my cousin on my dad's side, and one for my uncle on my mom's side. So I had two choices on what photo to post: My cousin's birthday was at a posh "exclusive" restaurant in Antipolo, Laya Restaurant, where we were served a 6-course lunch. My uncle's birthday was at their house, with this somewhat traditional party-sa-bahay meal.

Obviously, I chose the picture of the home-cooked meal. Don't get me wrong, the food at Laya Restaurant was really great. Pang-international ang level. And I love eating at restaurants, really. I loved the experience we had there. But... alam n'yo na. Iba talaga ang lutong bahay! 'Yung kinakamay mo lang 'yung pagkain tapos wala ka munang pakialam kung may sauce sa mukha mo kasi nasa bahay ka lang naman... At masarap talaga magluto 'yung tita ko. Hindi man siya nag-aral sa international school or wala mang maarteng presentation 'yung niluto niya, dahil kilala niya kami at alam niya kung anong gusto namin, masarap talaga. :)

Pero sige na nga, para makita n'yo rin 'yung kinain namin sa Laya. Heto picture nung main course. :)

Grilled Herb-Marinated U.S. Hanging Tender Steak with Spiced Crushed Potates and Mixed Greens in Asian Dressing

Day 79 - Fully Booked

Oh no! I skipped a day! Two days, to be exact. Wala na kasi talaga akong maisipang kunan sa bahay and I've grown tired of talking about my unemployment. So I forgot to take pictures for August 18 and 19. But... there's no rule that the 365 days should be consecutive days... Meron ba? Anyway, even if there is, for the sake of honesty, I won't invent pictures for August 18 and 19 and will just go straight to this one.

This is the view from the 2nd floor of the Fully Booked bookstore in Bonifacio High Street where I killed some time before going with my former officemates to dinner at Off the Grill restaurant in Timog, QC. (I know, anlayo!!!)

It's one of the best bookstores in the world (IMO), simply because it's just so big! It has 4 floors, 5 if you count the basement, and obviously, lots and lots of books. The layout is great, and there's a Starbucks inside! Really, any bookworm's dream bookstore. :) I love coming here.

Day 78 - More Stuff I Don't Understand

I went to the mall with my dad today to buy power cables for this UPS. I took this picture to know exactly what kind of cable I'd need to buy. Because I'm such a technology idiot (or perhaps, a general idiot), I need pictures like these.

The bells and other various stuff at the top are souvenirs that my mom's collected from her travels. They're displayed on one of the tables at home where I temporarily placed the UPS.

Day 77 - Power Board

After shelling out Php2510, I get to keep this cool-looking broken powerboard. Oh, and my computer's monitor is now fixed, too.

Day 76 - Midnight Snack

I snuck in the kitchen late and found this to snack on -- Hershey's Milk Chocolate w/ Almonds. The milk is just the usual milk. I've developed a (bad) habit of eating junk food at late hours while watching TV. I know. It's depressing.

Day 75 - First Day

My Japanese classes started today, and so I realized that I'm in way over my head because the teacher no longer used English/Tagalog for instructions. Everything's in Japanese and I could only understand about 50% of what was happening. Kill me now.

This is a photo of my filecase. That's a Japanese-English/English-Japanese dictionary (AKA the bible), my orange pencil case, and an envelope for my 1x1 pictures, which I had to submit for the school's file on me.

Day 74 - ATC Garden

Had the chance to go out today (I forget why) so I did all I could in ATC. I saw a movie (Step Up 3D -- It was pretty good to see in 3D :) ) and hung out at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee shop.

This is the view from the window beside the table where I sat. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located right in the middle of this open area of the mall, where there's a garden and a playground.

Day 73 - Rainy Garden

I've been indoors for the past few days not just because I don't have work anymore* but because it's been raining everyday. This is our "garden" at home. As you can see, the floor is wet.

*I really should stop talking about my unemployment. It's not something I should be proud of.

Day 72 - Required Reading

My textbooks for Japanese class. I'm already on Elementary 4 but I'll need to review all my Elementary 3 lessons as well to be able to understand what's going on in Elementary 4. Good luck to me.

Day 71 - Gachapons

Have you ever seen so many gachapons? Maybe if you live in Japan, you have. In my case, this is the most no. of gachapon machines I've seen, or at least the longest line I've seen.

I took this picture in Robinsons Mall in Ermita, Manila. I know, what was I doing there, right? Well, I had just enrolled to a Japanese language class. But before I could do that, I had to find the school first. Since I'm a direction idiot, I asked my friend K, who lives in Manila, to come with me and show me around.

Afterwards, we saw Tekken at this mall. The movie didn't really disappoint me since I was expecting it to be bad, but I guess I really should've just waited for it on HBO or something. Still, K and I had a good time as we also went to all the bookstores we could find. :) BTW, K is unemployed, too. She quit the same job I did, but 2 months before me. Hence, why she was able to show me around Manila in the middle of the day on a weekday.

Day 70 - My New Friends

These are the stuffed toys at the foot of my bed. Because I'm unemployed and boring, they were the only interesting subjects I could find today.

Day 69 - Bilao't Palayok

This enormous bilao't palayok are at the front of a restaurant named the same, at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It was recommended by one of the ladies we went to Honda Bay with, because of their delicious clam soup, so it's where we had lunch on our last day in Palawan.

The clam soup was indeed delicious, and this display at the front was a lot of fun to take pictures of. And the ambiance of the place was very very native Filipino, with bamboo chairs and tables. But I'd say that on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd only give this restaurant a 3. It's only open from 12nn 'til 2PM, they didn't have mango shake, and the baked clams were a tad disappointing. Oh, but who wants to talk negativity? Alright, their guyabano shake was very very good, and the clam soup was very very very good, seriously. It was actually worth all the trouble. :)

Day 68 - Beach Umbrella?

The weather was strange when we went to a tour of the Honda Bay Islands in Palawan, today. It would be sunny and very very hot one moment and raining and very very cold the next. You can even see how one side of the sky in this picture is dark, and the other side clear. Luckily for my friend K, her umbrella is both waterproof and has UV-ray protection. If I didn't know better, I'd say the makers of the umbrella made it specifically for days like these.

I took this picture while we were walking at Snake Island. The beach is more than a mile long so we didn't reach the end, but nevertheless had fun walking on the sand.

Day 67 - Woods from the Dark Side

After seeing the famous Underground River of Palawan, we went and did the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour for an extra P150 each. It was something new to do, since the last time I was in Puerto Princesa was in 2004, and this tour only started operation about 2 years ago. Although I wasn't really all that crazy about seeing a bunch of mangroves, I learned to appreciate it when we were there.

It was quiet, and the boatman sang to us. We went to the middle of this forest and it was actually kind of creepy. The first thing I remembered was the TV show Tales from the Dark Side, which still has the creepiest theme song I can remember. But I was reminded of Lord of the Rings as well.

Apparently, that's one of its features. The next day, when we told our tour guide that we went to the mangroves, he asked us, "So did you see the forest that's just like the one in Lord of the Rings?"

K and L both looked at me and asked, "Is it really like Lord of the Rings?"

I realized just then that I was in the unique position of confirming exactly that, having been one of the (I'm assuming) few people who have experienced both the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour, and the Lord of the Rings Tour in Wellington, New Zealand. I nodded and told them that it was. And then to myself, I wondered, "Hey! Why hasn't anyone made a Lord of the Rings type epic movie in the Philippines that showcases our amazing landscapes?" I mean, Peter Jackson definitely put New Zealand on the map with that movie, so it is possible for even just one movie to drastically change the tourism of an entire country.

Gosh. Me and my idealistic/naive self.

Day 66 - Taking Pictures at the Tarmac

PLEASE AVOID TAKING PICTURES AT THE TARMAC - says the voice over the intercom before you're allowed to alight the plane. But being naturally pasaway, we take pictures anyway.

I suppose this isn't an original shot considering that airlines have found a need to remind people not to do this as much as they remind people to stow their tray tables and keep their seats upright when preparing for landing, but it's really fun to see people so excited as soon as they've landed on a place they've never been to. I mean, what fun is traveling after all, if you don't have photographs documenting the whole thing?

These are L (with the camera) and K, by the way. 2 of my former officemates but friends until present ;)

Day 65 - Where's My Monitor?

After 2 years and 5 months, a part of my computer finally gave up on me. Unfortunately, it's the entire monitor. It won't turn on even if I change the cable and plug it into different sockets, so I guess it's going to need some official repair. My dad finally took it out of my room and put it back into its box to take it to the service center, except that the service center has just told me that they don't actually "receive" units and are supposed to pick it up themselves.

Grr. Don't you just hate it when things give up on you and you have to go through this tedious process to have it fixed? :(

P.S. I'd apologize for the mess, but who will I be kidding? My desk/work station/computer table/life will be messy whatever I do anyway.

Day 64 - A Toast to the Couple

I guess I was bored and wanted to do something new while waiting for my friend at the mall, so I went and got my very first manicure. And before you wonder what the connection is to the title of this post, that is actually the name of the color of nail polish that was used. I guess the more common name of the color is "champagne", but since it's a little pinkish, that's what they put on the bottom of the bottle.

I was hoping to get blue or green polish, but the place I went to only had reds and pinks. Oh well. Maybe next time I'll be luckier.

Day 63 - Party Pictures

Last Friday, our office had its annual Fiscal Year End party. We were required to wear "Red Carpet Attire", hence the "fancy" dresses. I know Red Carpet Attire should mean formal long gowns, but come on, it's not like we all can afford to dress up and have our hair and make-up done in the middle of the work day. So we ended up wearing mostly short dresses, which are still fancier than our usual clothes anyway.

We also had a paparazzi wall so it'd look like a real official event. Hehe. Anyway, we had fun taking these pictures and so I got some of them developed (hard copy) to send to our former team leader/supervisor M, who now lives in Dubai.

The lady at the post office said my card will take 7-10 days to get there so I haven't gotten any response from her yet, but I'm hoping that she likes it. :)

Day 62 - My Godson

For her birthday, and because her son did so well in his exams (he got perfect scores in Math! so, it's kindergarten, but who cares? a perfect test score is a perfect test score!), my friend X took herself and her son out for a movie. Because I happened to be in the same mall at the same time (totally by coincidence), I joined them for lunch at Amici, the newly opened restaurant that I'd been itching to go to.

Other than pasta and lunch food, Amici also has ice cream, so we ate that, too. In this picture, my godson M is eating mint and chocolate ice cream. As for his expression, I have no idea what's going on. He just made that face as soon as he saw my camera :P