postcards from miss igorota

Miss Iggy in Emirates Palace

noreply@blogger.com (witsandnuts) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Sandy Iggy paid a visit to Emirates Palace post-Eid to check the Saadiyat (i.e. arabic term that means "a place that provides enlightenment") Museum exhibit; however, photo taking was not allowed but she's got bunch of interesting peeks for you.

That's a carpet on the wall showing the entirety of Emirates Palace.

Here's Sandy Iggy in the lobby which is really grand, the right photo showing a portion of the ceiling.

Above is the ceiling up close. Beautifully intricate.

Tried a camelcinno for the first time. Well, it tasted like... a capuccino, sweeter version. And of course, there goes the psyche of taking in a camel's milk which can make you more alert and observant of one's self as if you would transform into something foreign. Hahaha.

Moving to the other side, Sandy Iggy tried the gold vending machine which is itself gold plated. But "tried" meant not buying anything because the camelcinno costed a fortune, hahaha, but just tried navigating the (touch)screen.

The gold rates are said to be automatically updated since it's linked to the dealer's system.

It is reported that currently there are 20 gold vending machines installed worldwide.

Sandy Iggy posed by the hallway going to Sayad Restaurant (themed like you are dining underwater). Portions of the ceiling and walls are gold plated as well.

Emirates Palace is especially beaming at night (more photos here). The dome changes its colors every now and then. Lots of date palm trees within the area.

Sandy Iggy is really enjoying UAE's winter nowadays and recently did a concert marathon (performers Britney Spears, The Cult, Incubus and Sir Paul McCartney) as part of the F1 after-race concerts.

Miss Iggy in the heart of Mindanao

noreply@blogger.com (lauren) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Schoolgirl Iggy wasn't one to let her mind go dull during the semestral break, so she participated in the annual conference of the Ugnayang Pang-AghamTao (UGAT), the Anthropological Association of the Philippines. It was held in Central Mindanao University, located in the heart of Mindanao, Bukidnon.

The conference started early with registration...and Miss Iggy crushed on this cute guy who helped her pick a kit bag. "Don't forget your meal stubs, Miss Iggy!" said the nice lady at the back.

The conference hall was packed with participants who were interested to share their thoughts and learn about public anthropology.

During lunch, the Talahari Band shared their music.

After the long, tiring day, Miss Iggy and her friends went out for some pizza--a really big one!

There was a campus tour of the Central Mindanao University on the last day of the conference. CMU covers a wide area, so they had to go around by coaster. Miss Iggy and Lauren are both glad the hectic days are over!

The story of Musuan Peak goes like this: there was a pair of lovers who eloped and ran off to the hills. They jumped off a cliff, and where their bodies fell, grew a mountain.

The Central Mindanao University's strengths focus on agriculture and forestry. First stop: the Carabao Milking Facility! This one's ready to share her protein with the world! :)

The milking machine--but you can also use your hands of course!

The carabaos don't mind the tourists much, as long as they don't take photos with flash.

Waiting for their turn.

They seemed to take a mild interest in Miss Iggy.

With the star of the show!

Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without trying out the caramilk at the sales center. The chocolate milk was so delicious!

After the carabaos, Miss Iggy said hello to the goats! These young ones are used to the camera.

Presenting, the alpha goat, lord of the hut!

The university also had a rubber tree plantation and processing facility. Here's latex being tapped from the tree:

Bukidnon truly was beautiful, and Miss Iggy hoped she had more time to explore it. Oh well, maybe next time! :)

Postcards From Tallinn

noreply@blogger.com (kayni) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 01:08:00 +0000

In June, Merry Iggy and Kayni visited Tallinn, Estonia. We did a lot of walking around the Old Town. We didn't have an itinerary as we wanted to just experience the culture and the town on our own pace.

Here are a few photos from our adventure:

Merry Iggy enjoyed the narrow streets of the Old Town.

Merry Iggy poses at the memorial for MS Estonia that sunk on 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea. This unfortunate event claimed 852 lives and was one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century. (Source)

We also climbed the narrow and tiring stairways of St. Olav's Church.

Although the climb was exhausting, the view of the Old City is magnificent. This is our favorite view and we spent at least half an hour just staring at this Old Town.

After the walking and sweating, we proceeded to eat lunch and shop. A perfect day in Tallinn indeed.

Sandy Iggy's first Ramadan

noreply@blogger.com (witsandnuts) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:45:00 +0000

Hello everyone! Sandy Iggy's been so quiet lately because she had to go through a 'make over'. While she's protected from the sandstorm and Gulf's heat, she forgot that she's not immune to the waterdrops. Anyway, she's back!

Ramadan started on 1st of August and Sandy Iggy's taking it reasonably, i.e. no eating and drinking whenever she's outside the house, except if it coincides with the iftar to break the fast (dinner after the sun did set). Hence, she's taking biggie-monster meals before going out. :) On the other hand, she's enjoying the made-up Ramadan tents in the malls.

By coincidence, some pieces of Arabic fabric have so much similarity with the Iggy dolls' clothing. While we're not going to discuss in this post (though it's tempting) who copied who, this wonderful coincidence is bridging Sandy Iggy's homesickness to her homeland.

Even the camel's 'clothing line' matched hers!

Ramadan is a serene and happy occasion. To a certain extent, it's a combination of the observance of fasting during Holy Week and the cheerful air during Christmas.

Here's a trivia: did you know that Year 2011 as we know it is otherwise referred to by Muslims as Year 1432? That's because Islamic Year is counted from the date Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Madina (in Saudi Arabia).

Ramadan Kareem to our Muslim readers!

Miss Iggy in Oriental Mindoro

noreply@blogger.com (lauren) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:55:00 +0000

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. Schoolgirl Iggy took a break from the classroom to learn about the culture of Mindoro's indigenous peoples, the Mangyans, directly from the Mangyans themselves.

To get there, she took a RORO ferryboat from the Batangas Port from mainland Luzon to Calapan Port in the island of Mindoro. She went around the upper (passenger) deck to get a good view of the sea.

Goodbye, Batangas!

In the air-conditioned area, she found an empty seat in need of good company. It looked very much depressed, so Miss Iggy bought some peanuts to share.

The trip took two hours. Miss Iggy spent the time looking at the sea and the islands.

She heard the captain announce that they were nearing the port of Calapan. It's a good thing that Miss Iggy didn't get seasick!

Welcome to Oriental Mindoro!

These little green men helped pull their boat to port. They were so strong!

Goodbye, RORO boat!

After a quick orientation at the Mangyan Heritage Center in Calapan, Miss Iggy headed on over to the Tugdaan Mangyan Center for Learning and Development in Naujan, an hour away.

Tugdaan means "seedbed" in the Alangan Mangyan language. It is a high school for Mangyan youth, and has as its motto "Education for Self-Reliance and Community Service". Miss Iggy liked it very much.

Miss Iggy and the Peace Tree

Oh, what a pretty ~~flowe~~ spider!!! According to Miss Iggy's friend Ige, it's a white crab spider (they move sideways like crabs). This spider uses camouflage to hide from unsuspecting prey, like a bee.

Knowledge exchange! Here are Alangan Mangyan students learning about the Mag-antsi Aeta language. Perhaps they were translating "Miss Igorota is a funny traveler!" into their own languages!

It's planting time! The students of Tugdaan have a subject on agriculture--and, aside from "regular" subjects like Science, Math, and English, they also have a subject on Mangyan Culture--but of course!

Five minutes away from the school is this clear, cool river.

Miss Iggy wanted to swim, but she forgot to bring a bathing suit!

So she just made friends instead.

The school also has a food processing facility as part of its sustainable livelihood program.

This pineapple, like this hibiscus flower,

will soon be processed into jams, teas, and juices.

It has been said that salabat, or ginger brew, is the singer's best friend. Hmm...should Miss Iggy try it?

The jam that industrious hands built--100% organic and made with love for the land!

Miss Iggy learned so much from the Mangyans and their commitment to take care of the land and their culture--the experience made Miss Iggy more proud to be an Igorota!

Miss Iggy in Bratislava

noreply@blogger.com (Princess Ody) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:52:00 +0000

Back in March, Euro Iggy and her friends set out on several day trips to visit the nearby cities. First stop was Bratislava, Slovakia. Getting there was a breeze with Eurolines' fast and affordable bus - they arrived after 50 minutes with a fare of only €13!

Miss Iggy took the Prešporok Oldtimer to get to the Bratislava Castle, from where she had an amazing view of the Danube river and the neighboring countries Hungary and Austria

Miss Iggy and the St. Elizabeth memorial

Schöne Náci was a famous social institution back in the day. Nowadays, his bronze statue still is quite popular with the tourists

a must-try refreshment in Bratislava: their beer!
hey, it's cheaper than water!

Miss Iggy and the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava's opera house

Miss Iggy was fascinated by the inverted pyramid that is actually radio broadcasting building,
Slovensky Rozhlas

Miss Iggy enjoyed looking at the low, pastel-colored buildings

Merry Iggy Visits Germany

noreply@blogger.com (kayni) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:37:00 +0000

Merry Iggy accompanied Kayni on her Baltic trip. Merry Iggy and Kayni really enjoyed Germany and here are some postcards:

Merry Iggy took a photo at the marker of the Berlin Wall. Actually, another girl got intrigued with Merry Iggy and she asked if she could take a photo of her as well.

We strolled around the Brandenburg Gate.

We found the simple Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam very picturesque.

The Sanssouci Palace was quiet and suitable for an afternoon relaxation.

Posing at Sanssouci Palace grounds.

Enjoyed the Baltic breeze at the resort town of Warnemunde.

And, marveled at the Berlin Wall's history and art.

La Igorota en Donostia

noreply@blogger.com (The Becky) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:38:00 +0000

Wander Iggy at Playa la Concha.

Hola from Donostia, more popularly known as the city of San Sebastian here in Spain. Also found in the Basque country, Donostia is the capital of Gipuzkoa (like Bilbao is the capital of Bizkaia). San Sebastian is known to be a summer destination of royalties in the past, having been part of "La Belle Epoque". Today it boasts of being foodie heaven, having three of the top ten michelin star chefs in the world. We went there with two lists--one for the sights, and a rather longer one for the pintxos bars and restaurants we need to 'visit'. We have to *taste* for ourselves.

La la la la...Concha, as the name suggests is shaped like a shell.

we think the elves frequent this area when they decide whether fighting for Mordor is righteous. hehe.

View from *erm* below. Don't you just love these type of coastlines?

These hand rail designs date back to decades ago, they are said to be uniquely San Sebastian.

the haciendero/a vibes.

old town.

Pintxos crawl.

After visiting two more pintxos bars and a superb dinner we have concluded that San Sebastian is indeed a place where food is taken seriously. Of course we could have just taken Anthony Bourdain's word for it, but it pays to double check. And boy does it taste delicious.

Aguuur Donostia. Hasta luego!

Merry Iggy Meets Moominmamma From Finland

noreply@blogger.com (kayni) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:22:00 +0000

Merry Iggy was so excited to meet Moominmamma from Finland. Merry Iggy knows that Kayni loves to collect Hello Kitty and Moomin Valley stuff toys; the Moomin characters have been the hardest to find. So when Kayni finally found a store that sells Moomin products, she was so happy. Unfortunately, Kayni didn't have enough money to buy all the Moomin stuff toys, so we had to make a decision and chose Moominmamma to take home.

Merry Iggy and Moominmamma chatting about where they've been and where they're going.

Merry Iggy and Moominmamma are now safely at home in Maryland after two weeks of Scandinavian adventure.

Sandy Iggy's mosque-hoppping

noreply@blogger.com (witsandnuts) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 16:23:00 +0000

If there's such a thing as mosque-hopping, Sandy Iggy just did that. "Hopping" though didn't mean that she went in any of these interesting structures. Right after getting out of Saint Joseph Church, there's a neighbor mosque in Kaniza corner.

The succeeding photos were taken in the next 15 minutes or so. And guess what? Those were like (just) 20% of what she managed to catch in such timeframe.

While it's not too obvious in other mosques, notice the megaphones in each which are instrumental to the five times call to prayer in a day. In Sandy Iggy's homeland, she remembers the church bell's ringing to signal a time of the day.

The last photo was taken at distant hour just to show how more appealing the mosques are at night. How strange that when something's abundant in our area, we tend to ignore it. Maybe, it's time to put an official album of the UAE mosques (there probably are hundreds in the Emirate of the Abu Dhabi alone!), all of the seven emirates. And of course, it's about time to send a postcard-like Sandy Iggy by the mosque shot to her lovely sisters. :)

miss iggy and panay's big bells

noreply@blogger.com (gingmaganda) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:03:00 +0000

miss iggy's back at panay church in panay, capiz, in the phillipines!

this time she made it up the belfry. a climb of almost 70 steep steps, this was no little feat for this little iggy. behind her are people from the mindanao region admiring the 300-year old bells.

here she is with the biggest bell, made from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople.

and inside the bell, where the current townspeople are still contributing to the bell's overall aesthetic.

for those who can't go up the belfry the church has installed a replica bell outside of the church. it doesn't offer the same experience as climbing up a steep and narrow staircase but it does offer a preview of panay's big bells.

it's been said that the louder the sound of a church's bells, the bigger its territory is. like old-school cellsites, these big bells serve an important role in sending signals to the townspeople that the church is in their country and awaiting their submission. wider clanging coverage means more land area and more prospective souls for recruitment. this is important when one takes into account that religion was used to colonize and enslave the Philippines for more than 300 years. and if these bells were made out of coins donated by the townspeople, miss iggy thinks this project was a very successful enterprise indeed!

miss iggy at the riverbank

noreply@blogger.com (gingmaganda) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:58:00 +0000

miss iggy went to the riverside in pontevedra, capiz, panay island in the philippines to watch a fluvial parade of saints. upon reaching the riverbank she found only one saint ready to set sail. she thinks the other ones got scared of the rain.

she found this jeepney parked across the riverbank and the jeep's route reminded her of iggy sisterhood bloggers conniechiwa, who hails from pilar, and sreisaat, who hails from roxas city.

and beside saint isidore's boat, were these boats named after one of the iggy sisterhood bloggers.

metaphysical reunions are the best!

miss iggy and the chocolate hills

noreply@blogger.com (gingmaganda) — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:59:00 +0000

to promote the Miss Iggy Hiking Society, miss iggy hiked up a short hill for this view of the world-famous Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, Philippines.

it was a short climb up a hill of more than 200 steps together with other tourists from all over the world.

upon reaching the top of the viewing deck, you see this kind of view as you turn around in a circle like a panting carousel horse.

the hills certainly are alive! the chocolate hills are called such because the grass that grows on them turns brown in the summer months. but with the past changes in climate, most of the hills are more green than brown. maybe they decided to become minty hills instead. to date, there are around 1,700+ hills scattered across three towns in bohol.

being in an archipelagic country of more than 7,000 islands allows its fans a showcase of the most interesting geological formations. on the way to the hills there were a lot of islands scattered around in the farmlands such as this:

which kind of shows us that the philippines was way underwater many millions of years before. miss iggy found this fascinating.

Miss Iggy at a Theatre of Happily Ever Afters

noreply@blogger.com (fortuitous faery) — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:42:00 +0000

Miss Iggy went on a photowalk right in her Jersey neighborhood last month. Her subject was this eye-catching theatre building which looks like a structure from a pop-up story book! She was excited to use her brand-new Diana Mini camera for the first time, too!

Bell and Barter is a non-profit corporation dedicated to theater arts aimed at acting for children. It's been around since 1972!

Miss Iggy recognized the characters gracing the theatre's walls!

She's a fan of Peter Pan!

Purple is the dominant color in the building...even on the pathways and stairs!

Once upon a time, Miss Iggy stumbled upon a temple of performing arts. With her new Diana Mini, she snapped away happily ever after!

One Spanish City a Day: The Wander Iggy Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (The Becky) — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Where does one go, on an Easter school break?
Out of Bilbao, perhaps?
West? Center? South?

Yes, we did. :)

The Becky and Wander Iggy embarked on their first ever woman-doll *solo* travel during the holy week break. They took the bus from Bilbao to Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela to Burgos to Granada to Sevilla to Salamanca, and back to Bilbao in six days.

This covered the provinces of Asturias, Galicia, Castille y Leon and Andalucia. 5 words to sum it up: trip of a life time.

DAY1: Oviedo

Oviedo, which is the capital city of Asturias as charming. No wonder Woody Allen loved it here. It was a mixture of old and new, without losing that authentic Asturias flavour (simply means: sidras (or cider) abound, and glorious ). Wander Iggy with the sculpture called 'The Traveller'.

DAY 2: Santiago de Compostela

Being the capital of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela is famous for being the final destination of the Camino de Santiago (St James' Way). Pilgrims arrive in hoards, all happy and excited. It's all positive energy everywhere, where you can see a very diverse type of people hugging and chit chatting.

This archway leads to the square fronting the cathedral. Walking in you can hear Celtic music playing in the background, completing the whole magical experience. NB: It's been known that Galicia shares some of it's history with Ireland.

Being the foodie that she is, Wander Iggy made sure we tasted the Pulpo Gallego.

Verdict: all worth the long bus ride.

We stayed in this hostal which has this view from the dining area.

DAY3: Burgos

Short stop to Burgos on a Good Friday morning. Burgos is known for its many churches.

and El Cid Compeador. :)

Wander Iggy's baby sister demanded to have pictures of herself taken.

And that they must be solo pictures.

DAY4: Granada

Venturing towards the South, mainly Al andalus, it was a different Spain altogether. It was a very fascinating moment--all these striking differences sinking in, giving you a better picture of the country.

Wander Iggy at the Mirador San Nicolas, overlooking the Alhambra.

DAY 5: Sevilla

Sevillas was like a scene out of the movies, during the time of the Dons y Doñas.

Wander Iggy checking out the Alcazar.

Our first Flamenco performance ever. Very memorable night.

DAY 6: Salamanca

On our way to Bilbao, we stopped by a few hours at Salamanca.
Okay, we had our regular Salamanca fare-- pinchos de planchadas. :)

miss iggy and easter eggs

noreply@blogger.com (gingmaganda) — Sun, 08 May 2011 09:58:00 +0000

big easter eggs are big.

Philippine jeepney and tricycle

noreply@blogger.com (witsandnuts) — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:31:00 +0000

(Sandy Iggy in her Abu Dhabi home with the Philippine jeepney replica and Star Wars' Princess Leia and R2-D2.)

One of the things that Sandy Iggy misses about the Philippines is riding the jeepney, including the honking, crazy driving of some drivers, the videoke-like music on board, and all the things that make you say, "only in the Philippines!"

And here's another colorful carriage back home, the tricycle. She absolutely likes this card from Papemelroti which was sent by Jersey Iggy. It speaks a lot about the life in the Philippines and its residents.

Merry Iggy Visits Chocolate World

noreply@blogger.com (kayni) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, Merry Iggy visited Hershey's Chocolate World (PA). Merry Iggy knows Kayni is a sweet tooth, so while Kayni ate chocolates, Merry Iggy posed for the cameras.

Enjoying the company of Kisses.

Merry Iggy looks so small beside the World's Largest Hershey Bar.

Beside World's Largest Twizzlers.

Beside the 1 LB Reese's.

Lots of kisses from the Largest Kiss.

Of course, Merry Iggy and Kayni went chocolate shopping afterwards.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark

noreply@blogger.com (fortuitous faery) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Holy Week in Miss Iggy's homeland, the Philippines, would include the Catholic tradition of going to different churches for prayer, a Lenten pilgrimage usually done on Good Friday or within Holy Week. This is known as "Visita Iglesia," or Church Visit. Miss Iggy had the opportunity to visit one landmark of a cathedral in Newark, New Jersey: the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacret Heart--right in the heart of the city of Newark.

Built in 1899, this majestic monument of Catholic faith for New Jersey folk was designated as an historic landmark by the New Jersey Historical Society in December 1974. Two years later, it was recognized nationally as a National Historic Site.

Miss Iggy wishes everyone a solemn Holy Week and an Egg-citing Easter Celebration!

miss iggy at casamata hill, bangued, abra

noreply@blogger.com (gingmaganda) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:27:00 +0000

miss iggy took in the sights of the town of bangued in abra, cordillera province, philippines from her viewing post up at casamata hill national park. casamata hill offers a panoramic view of the town and a glimpse of the abra river by the mountainside. also popular as a picnic area and a rendezvous point for lovers, casamata hill also boasts of the shrine of Mary and the Infant Jesus (Our Lady of Peace and Victory/Our Lady of the Holy Rosary) for the devout believers.

for more places to see in bangued, kindly visit this site, lovingly put up by a team of true-blue banguedenios.

Vienna Vixen Iggy walks around town

noreply@blogger.com (Princess Ody) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:32:00 +0000

For the Miss Iggy photo walk on April 2, Vienna Vixen Iggy (a.k.a. Euro Iggy) armed herself with the Diana Mini camera and explored an area in Vienna's 2nd district.

Taking the U1 subway line, Miss Iggy got off at the Nestroyplatz
station.This station has been operating since 1979.

Not only did Miss Iggy enjoy the beautiful Spring day because of
the warm weather, but also because of the beautiful blooms and
cherry blossoms around the city!

She marveled at the beautiful old buildings in the area


Miss Iggy wasn't the only one enjoying the sunshine. She found some bike enthusiasts testing bikes in front of a bicycle store.

Contributing to the relaxed vibe of the area are the many benches
around. Miss Iggy liked these ones at the actual Nestroyplatz.
There's a drinking fountain and a statue of Johann Nestroy facing them.


Miss Iggy and Mister Johann Nestroy, an Austrian author and comedian.

The old buildings made the street look like a period movie set!

Miss Iggy was amazed to find out that Theater Nestroyhof is more
than 100 years old.

Adding to the retro charm were closed/abandoned stores like this.

Closed laundry shop

Leopoldskirche

Bull's eye

Hipster glasses

Sandy Iggy loves Corniche

noreply@blogger.com (witsandnuts) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:16:00 +0000

Sandy Iggy avoids the outdoors lately because of the occasional sandstorm in the UAE. That's a signos that summer is approaching. While it doesn't hurt that much like in its neighbouring countries, it is best to always be armed by sunglasses and other protection. But Sandy Iggy misses the Corniche already. Gladly, the weather cooperated and granted that one fine day for the photowalk with her sisters.

Corniche is a favorite of those who are fond of solitary and joint walks anytime of the day. At the back is one of the usual informational campaigns about the activities happening in Abu Dhabi. Surprisingly, it has no English translation. We've gotten used to seeing documentation of almost everything in Arabic with an automatic translation, side by side. (Even the subtitles in the cinemas which come in Arabic and French for English movies.)

(That interesting architecture is a restroom.)

There are not too many billboards (yet) in the emirate. They normally pertain to government project announcements and information related to the royal family. That corner as you see in the photo is reserved for the late Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE. (Even non-Emiratis regard him highly because of his selfless approach to governance in the past, even before and after the discovery of oil in the UAE.) Lately, the shift to billboard advertising seems to have started and so far being tolerated by the government.

This fountain area is actually a part of the underpass. I haven't tried going down though.

The tourists doing a whirlwind trip in Abu Dhabi frequent this side of the Corniche because it is near to the Heritage Village, Marina Mall, and Emirates Palace.

That's the skyline of downtown Abu Dhabi.

That's a distinct roofing style of the restaurants near the beach. And ooops, Sandy Iggy had to stop. A young lady wanted to give her a flower.

Sandy Iggy posed by the Corniche Beach. The flower came in perfect timing.

On her way out, she was startled... ran... and climbed! There was a barker!

Doggie: Sorry, I scared you. I wanted to know if you're human or not.

Sandy Iggy: Have you not met a doll before?

Doggie: I had. But I got confused because you have a baby. I didn't know dolls can have babies.

Sandy Iggy: Hahahaha! Of course, that's possible.

After an interesting conversation, she found herself laying on the bed of... flowers. Errr, Sandy Iggy is not sure what kind of flowers are these.

There is an abundance of not so familiar flowers in the UAE. But these are not homegrown.

(That's Emirates Palace at the back where Sandy Iggy must head next. Captured, too, were those fishing and crabbing.)

The government has allocated funds for the maintenance of these plant/flower boxes. It is interesting to note that the flowers being planted change quarterly. Sandy Iggy cannot help but think of the balance in God's provisions. The well of oil and flowers don't come in one place. Life becomes more beautiful because we all need each other.

miss iggy grows a moustache, joins a picnic at the park

noreply@blogger.com (lauren) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:26:00 +0000

With classes over (yay!), Schoolgirl Iggy went with some film photography-loving friends to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City for a potluck picnic party and a fake moustache-themed photoshoot. She hoped that the park would be more accessible than during Miss Iggy's previous visit in June last year. She needn't have worried because luck was on her side--the park was open, the sky was bright, the wind blew a cool breeze, and her friends were there waiting with lots of delicious treats!

It was also the weekend that the Miss Iggy sisterhood would be taking a photowalk and shooting in film, and so Schoolgirl Iggy was so excited to have her photos taken with Lauren's Diana Mini and Nikon F80 cameras.

Schoolgirl Iggy's contribution to the feast was a big pack of biscocho--crisp and crunchy bread topped with butter and sugar. It went well with the pasta!

Hey look who has a moustache!

They had spaghetti, sweet corn, munchkins (donut holes!), iced tea, cake, and baby potato salad.

Bon apetit!

*BURP* Schoolgirl Iggy was so full--but the party was just starting! It was now time to show off their ~~makeup~~ moustaches!

Such fine-lookin' ladies!

What a handsome couple!

My, what a big mouth you have, señor!

She had on a sequined moustache--classy!

Schoolgirl Iggy had fun watching them take funny pictures of each other.

When the moustached hilarity died down, they decided to go to the lagoon. It was full of aquatic plants.

The view was really beautiful!

Miss Iggy also posed with all kinds of film cameras!

A Yashica rangefinder (the owner was kind enough to let Miss Iggy have her own!)

A Lomography Colorsplash camera and a Gakkenflex TLR

The four-lensed Actionsampler and a personalized Red Holga

A blue Blackbird, fly and a Lomography Horizon Kompakt, which can shoot a cool panorama

Miss Iggy is the best!

The photographers liked Miss Iggy so much,

they requested to have pictures taken with her.

She felt like a star!

Ooooh, a Polaroid! Miss Iggy was very curious about it, so..

she had her Polaroid taken with her friends (that's Lauren with the glasses!).

"Be careful, Miss Iggy!" Lauren exclaimed when she climbed a tree to enjoy the view of the park. She was an expert in climbing, of course!

And this is what Miss Iggy advises everyone, in support of the Prophecies of the Analogue Future.

It is always important to take a breather and appreciate nature.

Hey! Miss Iggy and Lauren won a postcard in the picnic's raffle! It says:

"Expect the unexpected and the excitement of experiment." Cool!

Schoolgirl Iggy and Diana Mini

film cameras lined up, along with posters of the Prophecies of the Analogue Future.

The park is one of the best places to relax in (next to her cool mountain home, she thinks). Schoolgirl Iggy is looking forward to her next day out with friends!

Merry Iggy Visits Kenwood

noreply@blogger.com (kayni) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:15:00 +0000

Last weekend, Merry Iggy (Miss Iggy from Maryland) and I strolled underneath countless blooms of Cherry Blossoms in Bethesda, MD. There are several places in Maryland where one can witness the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom and one is in Kenwood. Unlike DC's park like setting, Kenwood's Cherry Blossom trees are absolutely charming because of their residential setting; it is more quiet and idyllic. Merry Iggy and I wandered the streets and marveled at the pale pink Cherry Blossoms.

The streets were lined with these Yoshino Trees; their flowers are already pale pink which means they're almost ready to fall off the tree.

Wandering the streets of Kenwood was fairytale like.

We thought this tree has character.

Getting up close and personal with the flowers.

Merry Iggy and I spent three hours at Kenwood and we both agree that the Kenwood experience is magical.

Soon, all the Cherry Blossoms will be gone but we look forward to their beauty again next year.

Chicago's Navy Pier

noreply@blogger.com (fortuitous faery) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Jersey Iggy is in the Navy! Navy Pier, that is! She was at Chicago's downtown waterfront attraction in June last year.

She felt dwarfed by the Ferris Wheel which reminded her of Vienna's own Riesenrad that Vienna Vixen Iggy told her about. Right next to it is a musical carousel which delighted kids of all ages.

Navy Pier is right next to the mighty Lake Michigan which takes you to the neighboring state of Michigan on the other side. Tourists can ride the various lake ferries in high speed or cruise-friendly pace. Miss Iggy recommends the architectural boat tour which takes you down Chicago River nearby with informative trivia on the famous buildings of Chicago's skyline.

As she strolled along Lake Shore Drive, she was content looking at the many yachts docked by the shore, thinking, someday she'll be cruising the world in style!