Ways of Seeing

Days gone bye

2011-11-21T16:50:00.000+07:00

The first semester of my post-graduate course came and went like summer. Going back to school after 18 years took a lot of adjustments on my part and I'm just glad I was able to cope with it. Everyone says this semester is more relaxed, but I choose to remain alert and on my toes, just the same. From one pile of books and reading materials, I am looking forward to making another pile this semester.

Celebrate Life

2011-11-06T15:53:00.001+07:00

I always pass by this monument on my way to and from classes. I always wanted to photograph this using my DSLR but I haven't had the chance to do so. These shots were taken by my trusty point-and-shoot and processed in Photoshop. This monument was built to commemorate 100 years of UP College of Medicine. It is called 'The Celebration of Life" and it was made by National Artist Napoleon Abueva. (click for a larger image)

All Soul's Day

2011-11-03T09:27:00.000+07:00

We lit candles in front of our house last night, in observance of All Soul's Day. There was a light breeze blowing with the rain so my cousin shielded the lit candles with an umbrella. I took these photos before the candles burned down completely.

New Faces

2011-11-01T15:03:00.000+07:00

These are some of the people I go to class with at the Master of Public Health program of UP Manila. These were taken in the field trip I mentioned in the previous post.

Field Trip

2011-10-29T16:53:00.000+07:00

About a couple of weeks ago my class went on a field trip in Morong, Bataan, a province north of Manila. I wasn't successful in this trip, though, for reasons I will not elaborate anymore. But I managed to take a few good photos, using both my DSLR and point and shoot. This batch was taken using the latter. Please click for a larger image.

Reunion

2011-05-01T11:30:00.005+07:00

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dumaguete workshop, our batch decided to meet again after 15 years. We knew it would be a small reunion because some of us are either living in other areas of the country like Mindanao or abroad, like Singapore. Some of us also lost touch with the others, with no way of reaching out to them--which is too bad in this world of Facebook and all that social networking technology.

Last night, we had dinner at Adarna Resto. I chose it first because it is centrally located to us who confirmed, and second, I've heard so many good things about it through friends and the blogosphere. I tried not to place my expectations too high because I didn't want to be disappointed. However, I was secretly pleased when out of the 8 dishes that we ordered, I wasn't satisfied with 2 only. The grilled tilapia was too small for the price while the Guinumis was lacking in syrup. Maybe I should've just asked for extra?

Over-all, we were satisfied with the food. I especially loved the Pancit 1913, the adobo batangas, and the tokwa rebusado. We were also satisfied with the turn-out. 5 out of 19 fellows isn't bad... so salut to the dumaguete workshop!

The 5 of us who made it

(clockwise: Batanes rice, Tokwa rebusado, and Lumpia Sariwa)

(clockwise: Grilled tilapia, Adobo batangueno, Pancit 1913)

(clockwise: Grilled tilapia, Batanes rice, and Pancit 1913)

Ties that bind us

2011-04-29T16:09:00.003+07:00

When I was growing up, I would normally spend the Holy Week in my paternal grandparents' house in Candaba, Pampanga. Back then the Lenten season was a more conducive time for reflection because TV and radio stations did not air, people who went to the provinces arrived to this silence, and there was nothing festive associated with Lent. Unlike now. Having lived in a non-Catholic country for years drastically changed the way I observed Holy Week. This year, though, I stayed at home during Holy Week. Unconsciously, I reflected on my family: my father died late last year, leaving my mother and I--his only son. I thought of how we go on, fractured as we may seem now. I thought of the ties that bind us, as people, as families, as friends. I thought of blood, strength, faith, and desire, among other things.

Pamela

2011-04-26T08:46:00.004+07:00

After one year of studying at a university here in Manila, my younger cousin Pamela decided to go back to her mother's home province in Bicol to continue her university studies there. Pamela, who can be overly fond of taking her pictures via her phone camera, is one of those people who are naturally photogenic. I promised her one photo session before she left for Bicol but the session didn't happen right away because of many reasons. Yesterday morning, hours before she left, I stole her from the breakfast table for a few minutes of shooting photos in one of the upstairs bedroom in the house, which was being renovated. Here are some of the shots.

Graduation Feast

2011-04-25T11:45:00.005+07:00

Last month, a young cousin who's also my god-child graduated from university. She became the newest nursing graduate in a long line of nurses in my family--a list that includes me. I didn't have any gift to give her so I just volunteered to cook her graduation dinner, which the family and few friends shared. It is composed of dishes commonly cooked in my family, with my own touch.

Baked macaroni (for the Bechamel sauce, I used cream cheese
and a bit of Parmesan instead of cheddar and quickmelt)

Chicken pastel (instead of a bread crust, this was served with
garlic bread but guests opted to eat this with steamed rice.)

Pork asado (I got rid of all the herbs and peppercorns by straining the
sauce over a fine sieve; tastes the same, but looks infinitely better!)

Buffalo chicken wings (to prevent a cheese overdose, I made cucumber raita instead of a bleu cheese dip; one guest liked it so much she used it in the other dishes too!)

Practice Portraiture

2011-04-15T17:47:00.003+07:00

If I'm going to pursue photography as a profession, I'd probably focus on portraiture as my speciality. I have always been fascinated by portraits. They convey so much with so little dynamism in imagery. I think the best portraits are produced when there is a clear, albeit fleeting connection between the subject and the photographer. To practice my photography/portraiture skills, I frequently use my friends as models. What better people to use, than those who've been close to me for many years?

Zen-spotting

2011-04-06T11:59:00.003+07:00

Around 1998 a friend bestowed upon me the monicker of 'Zen Bitch'. During this time I was working for an institution doing work on esoterica, a vegetarian who meditated regularly and did yoga from time to time. Hence the 'zen' part of the nickname. As for the 'bitch' part, well, I think people kind of assumed that I was bitchy because that time I was becoming more assertive, in both my professional and personal life. Fast forward to now and the friend who fondly came up with my nickname is no longer a friend. Without clearly knowing why, he grew to resent me as the days went. I ceased communicating with him to avoid his insults and baseless tirades against me.

The nickname, however, stuck. And when I travel, I try to do some zen-spotting, and photographing these before they completely leave my field of vision.

one hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
whose name I forgot

that mall in Bangkok, Thailand
where I loved to shop in the last 6 years

Funny Signs

2011-04-01T16:27:00.006+07:00

When I travel, I sometimes feel a bit of agoraphobia when I am surrounded by new sights and sounds. My heart tightens as if I'm hearing something incredible for the first time and I can appear to be either ecstatic or spastic. Many people who see me in this condition think I am too excited, and after which they either join me in my 'tripping' or leave me be until I calm down or relax a bit. Over the years I've taught myself to relax when I am in a new surrounding. My method is, I look at and read signs--street names, shop-names, product names on billboards-- and try to see which of the signs are funny, especially after one applies a particular sub-text to it.

To illustrate, look at the following photos:

I'm still wondering what 'sazetamum' is...
Bangkok, Thailand

anyone?
Bangkok, Thailand

too obvious for words (at least, for Filipinos)
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

yes, i'm back!

2011-03-28T11:40:00.005+07:00

Alas, the new home of my photoblog is plagued by a seemingly incurable case of spam commentitis... no amount of filtering can seem to prevent the flow of spam comments to my hapless blog... this contributed to my abandonment of my project 365 after only 251 photos... there are other reasons of course... maybe Jayson will install a spam filter that really works... maybe i'll take up project 365 again at the start of 2012... as for now, i just want to share some of my best photos... next to my other blog which bears my domain name, this is the next best platform to do so... anyway, enough of explanations... hope y'all enjoy these photos!

Moving away

2009-06-23T13:44:00.004+07:00

As I mentioned in Zen Bitchin', I am moving my 2 blogs into their new homes, now that I have gotten myself my own domain name.

I hope you join me in the new home of this photoblog.

Check out my first post HERE

See ya there!

Rainbow connection

2009-06-13T11:35:00.006+07:00

Rainbow Connection is the name of the volleyball team that some of my friends organized for the annual Sportsfest organized the association of Filipinos here in Cambodia (called SAMAPI). This team has been joining for the last 3 years (I think), but this is the first time that I am involved (as co-manager). The team has mostly-gay members (hence the name). 'Third Six', a phrase coined in one of the games by one of the members, is a more memorable name in my opinion, though. I'll post the other team members next time.

Romyr

Toefi

Vic

Vince

Liezl

Tush

Don

Romyr

Vane

Robin

Vane (with Vince & Vic)

Robin (with Vince)

Moving objects 2

2009-06-12T11:49:00.005+07:00

Last Sunday, my friends' volleyball team played its second and third games in the annual SAMAPI Sportsfest. Our team lost 1 of the 2 games, but our team had the distinction of having not one but two official photographers: my friend D and I.

Beautiful strangers 4

2009-06-11T09:58:00.004+07:00

Beautiful strangers seen in my recent trip to Saigon. Hmn, this is really fast becoming a habit (hahaha)...

The heat is on in Saigon

2009-06-10T13:05:00.007+07:00

These photos were taken in the one-day walking tour of Saigon that I did with a friend last week and chronicled HERE. Hope you enjoy viewing these as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Street corner
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Roundabout near Cho Ben Tanh
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

City Museum
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

City Museum, foyer
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Pasteur Street
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Jollibee
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

The Lost Cathedral
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

War Museum
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Notre Dame Cathedral
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Notre Dame Cathedral, after the rain
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Post Office, interior
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Post Office
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Cityscape, Dusk
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Opera House
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Opera House, Evening
HCMC, Vietnam C2009

Moving objects

2009-06-06T15:07:00.006+07:00

The prospect of photographing moving objects (and people) has always filled me with apprehension. Using my old Canon point-and-shoot to do this was much easier than with my Sony DSC N2. It took me quite a while to get used to its settings. The results were still dodgy, though. But now that I have decided to take my hobby further with the purchase of a DSLR camera, I can at least enjoy what it can do for me. The perfect way to do this is during the annual SAMAPI Sports Fest, where my friends and I formed a volleyball team. I am co-managing it. Last Sunday, I brought my camera to the game. However, my output has been severely low because instead of taking photos, I was focused on cheering for my team. We lost the game, unfortunately. But I enjoyed taking these few photos nonetheless.

Oudong

2009-05-31T11:04:00.005+07:00

Oudong was the capital of Cambodia from the early 17th century until 1866 when the capital was officially moved to Phnom Penh. Recent history also tells us that these hills were the site of some of the Khmer Rouge's protracted resistance against the Vietnamese army in 1979. There are several stupas, temples, and other structures that cover at least 3 hills. The remains of at least 2 Khmer kings are in the stupas in Oudong. The oldest structure here dates back to the 13th century. The walk up the hill can leave you breathless--both on a literal and metaphorical level. I first came here in 2004, about a month into my 'Cambodian holiday' (which has stretched to 5 years--hahaha). The view is still spectacular, I must admit.

View from the foot of the hill
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Monkey, on the walk up the hill
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Main structure
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Detail, main structure
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Older stupas
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Details, older stupas
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Donation bowls
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Bannisters
Oudong, Cambodia C2009

Koh Ker part 3

2009-05-27T09:16:00.005+07:00

This is the final installment of the temple photos I took in Koh Ker. After Prasat Thom, there were still a lot of temples to see in the loop that took me in and around Koh Ker. And since Koh Ker is just one temple complex (a big one at that), many of the temples resemble each other. I mean, if not for the temple guide I was reading (and some information from my driver), I wouldn't really know one from the other. Maybe, if I visit this site again, my perception will change. But for now, I have selected the most remarkable temples in my opinion.

Prasat Thneng, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Linga at Prasat Balang, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Balang, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Chreng, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Elephant at Prasat Damrei, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Damrei, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Ang Khna, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Vane-ty

2009-05-26T01:53:00.004+07:00

Two weeks ago my friends and I went to Cambodia's former capital, called Oudong. It is also called Oudong Mountain because it sits on top of a, hmn, hill--not a mountain. Two of us brought our cameras while one was content to be our only cam-whore. Enjoy!

Phnom Penh after dark

2009-05-25T15:45:00.005+07:00

Phnom Penh is a city of parks. One night a couple of weeks ago, Derick and I took our almost-identical cameras for a spin around Phnom Penh. We'd been talking about going out at night to take photos of some of Phnom Penh's parks and monuments. Personally, I viewed it as an opportunity to practice using the various settings of this new camera system that I'm using. I had a somewhat rough start, but over-all I was satisfied with these photos that I selected.

park across Wat Phnom
Phnom Penh C2009

Hun Sen Park roundabout
Phnom Penh C2009

Buddhist Institute
Phnom Penh C2009

Nagaworld Casino & Hotel
Phnom Penh C2009

Hun Sen Park clock tower
Phnom Penh C2009

Moon over Nagaworld
Phnom Penh C2009

Moon over Cambodiana Hotel
Phnom Penh C2009

park across Cambodiana Hotel
Phnom Penh C2009

Koh Ker part 2 - Prasat Thom

2009-05-16T14:07:00.004+07:00

Koh Ker's 'premium' ruin, as described in many temple guides, is Prasat Thom. By itself it is also a temple complex, because you have to go through a series of gates and other smaller structures before being able to see this imposing 7-tiered pyramid. Yes, it is a pyramid. Something new for me in Cambodia. It actually reminded me of the Inca pyramids. I learned that before, people are allowed to climb the pyramid, which can provide a nice bird's eye view of Koh Ker. During my visit, restoration/ conservation projects were being carried out so climbing the stairs is now, for the mean time, verboten.

Part of the gate, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Minor temple, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Another gate, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Minor temple, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Corridor to inner gate, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Still another gate, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Thom, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Prasat Thom postcard shot, Koh Ker
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Roof detail, Prasat Thom
Preah Vihear, Cambodia C2009

Beautiful strangers 3

2009-05-15T18:41:00.004+07:00

Here are more of the guys I spotted while temple-hopping in Siem Reap. Hmn, this is fast becoming a habit...

Ta Prohm
Siem Reap, Cambodia C2009

Angkor Wat
Siem Reap, Cambodia C2009