Music - Sublime Sigur Rós

My favorite band. And I think the world's best, too, at the moment. hehe! Most of their songs never fail to make me feel emotional -- happy or sad or a combination -- or inspired, and except for one song they don't even have English lyrics. Gah!

My favorite album of theirs: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Don't worry, I couldn't read it either. Lol! It means "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly".

I especially like the following tracks:

• Við spilum endalaust 
• Starálfur
• Hoppipolla - performed in the video above
• Festival - happy inspiring music; used in the Danny Boyle film 127 Hours
• Ára bátur - the song that made me a fan.. lol.  My utter fave... and amazed to learn that according to the band's website, it's "the largest musical undertaking in the band's career, as it was recorded live in one take with the london sinfonietta and london oratory boys' choir, a total of 90 people playing at the same time"
• Með Suð Í Eyrum
• Fljótavik - really atmospheric
  
• Góðan Daginn 
• Untitled #8 (Popplagið)
• Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur - another happy song
• Illgresi - the most meaningful for me... hehe!

 And below is the same song as used by a trailer for the BBC's Planet Earth series.

*sigh* Thank you BBC. Lol! Makes one want to go run and buy a DVD/blu-ray of this BBC series. hehe! If there's one best reason to get blu-ray, it would be this production. Anyway, needless to say, I've copies of the above videos in my iPod, too. Hehe!

Trekking and Me

As is evident in this blog, none of my travel experiences involved climbing or hiking or trekking mountains in the Philippines....only leisurely drives, picnics, explorations, and beach stays in Philippine destinations.  

It's only when I started working that I met people who do mountaineering, and even then, it didn't catch on with me.  I always feel it's too rugged an activity, especially with the heat and humidity, and ruggedness of such places in the Philippines.  And I know myself when it comes to these things.  I'm not that strong a person either and don't look forward to carrying a huge load on my back for a long period of time in such conditions.  Hehe!  So it doesn't interest me much to join local mountain climbing treks.  I always think it's too challenging for me and not worth so much effort.  I'm more of a leisurely explorer I guess.

Despite all these, I'm the sort who actually enjoys and looks forward to walking; as well as hiking in places where it's not too hot.  I owe this I think to having lived in a district of Manila and Makati where everything's within walking distance except for my school.  

At the same time, I like taking pictures.

My Travel Bug

Ever since I can remember, my family has always gone out of town for trips especially during my siblings' and my school vacations.  You wouldn't find us at home almost every Sunday during the summer school break.  At other times, they were spontaneous weekend day trips.  My dad is the sort who likes going out on long drives.  We either go to the beaches or Baguio or Tagaytay way back when.  We all loved and enjoyed these trips.  My dad takes lots of pics too.  

My mom also enjoys her travelling outside of the country.  Whereas my dad only usually does it for business or to visit relatives.  And us kids got our overseas vacations like they were our right of passage in the family.  So growing up, my siblings and I all ended up being travel bugs, some more than the others.  Lol.  It became one of my raisons d'etre for having gone into the career I am in now (IT with multinational companies... means opportunities to work and therefore travel as well, to overseas with minimal visa application hassle.. lol)

Shots of me in San Francisco, Germany, Paris, and Spain

Therefore, for me, as long as I get to explore/travel a city, a rural area, or a place with varying topography, or where I can shoot pics with interesting subjects, I'm happy.  I like this activity better than I do shopping.  And if I'm not shopping for Sanrio items, I best like shopping only when it has something to do with shopping for items for my travel, shopping for souvenirs, or shopping for home decor/items at the country I'm visiting.  Lol.

Music- Eddie Vedder - Long Road (Live Rendition)

...with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Reposting from youtube.

Check this youtube link to know more.

Music - Eddie Vedder - Long Road plus Better Days

My two current favorite songs...both by Eddie Vedder.  It's not always that you can find modern music that affects one so.  *sigh*  Reposting both from youtube.

Like one of the youtube comments stated, I heard Pearl Jam music back in university but have only now started to "really appreciate the artistic genius and sheer awesomeness of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam".

Eddie Vedder certainly is an artist and poet.  Hehe!  Having Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan collaborate on this version of The Long Road is a bonus too.  

I'm glad to have come across these two songs. Thanks to youtube and the film Eat, Pray, Love (a movie I was expecting to hate but ended up liking much after reading the book then seeing the film..) Lol.

The Long Road by Eddie Vedder (with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)

And I wished for so long?

I cannot stay

Oh, the precious moments...

Cannot stay

It's not like wings have fallen...

I cannot stay

Without you something's missing...

I cannot stay



We all walk the long road

There's no need to say goodbye

All the friends and family

All the memories going round

Round, round, round...

I have wished for so long...

How I wish for you again



We all walk the long road

Cannot stay

There's no need to say goodbye

All the friends and family

All the memories going round

Round, round, round...



I have wished for so long ...

How I wish for you again

How I wished for so long...

How I wish for you today



Will I walk the long road? (3x)

Better Days

I feel part of the universe open up to meet me

My emotion so submerged, broken down to kneel in

Once listening, the voices they came

Had to somehow greet myself, read myself

Heard vibrations within my cells, in my cells

Singing, "Ah-la-ah-ah, ah-la-ah-ah"

My love is safe for the universe

See me now, I'm bursting

On one planet, so many turns

Different worlds

Singing, "Ah-la-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah"

(Spanish guitar solo)

Fill my heart with discipline

Put there for the teaching

In my head see clouds of stairs

Help me as I'm reaching

The future's paved with better days

Not running from something

I'm running towards the day

Wide awake

A whisper once quiet

Now rising to a scream

Right in me

I'm falling, free falling

Words calling me

Up off my knees

I'm soaring and, darling,

You'll be the one that I can need

Still be free

Our future's paved with better days 

My New Toy at Crazy Amazon.com

This is the camera when I first chanced upon the white version of it (finally) at past midnight Manila time on amazon.com about two weeks ago.  Only 1-3 amazon.com merchants (not amazon.com itself) selling  it with one item of it each in stock.

This was the cost of the same camera and model about two days later.  USD 833.50.

This has been the current price posted since about 3 days ago.  USD 1009.98.

Crazy.  I'm glad to see no one has yet bought it at the current price.  You can guess which one I got,  after looking around for this white version of it everywhere online.  hehe!  Bought it as soon as I caught it on amazon.com after days of amazon.com not even selling this white version and not seeing it available elsewhere online for purchase.  And my primary reason for choosing white was because it would be easier to find when I rummage for it in my bag.  Lol!   I really prefer the white one but I also don't mind if I end up with a black one.

See I was looking to buy a point and shoot camera with manual features like with DSLRs... handy

Fireworks at the Manila Bay, Feb. 2011

Some fireworks at SM Mall of Asia from the Portugal team about two weekends ago.  Fireworks were lit from a barge at Manila Bay.

There were a couple more really nice exhibitions with some fireworks resembling flowers and some bursting horizontally across the waters.  It was a great show and it would probably be much better appreciated if the fireworks were accompanied by music.  Hehe!

Only in the Philippines - Dance to Mamang Sorbetero

I was out shopping in Makati with an old friend who just arrived from San Francisco where she's been based for some 20 years now, when we came across the performance above.  It's a folk dance performance to the non-traditional old Tagalog pop tune Mamang Sorbetero.

It was performed by the salespeople at SM Department Store's Kultura store (where you can buy all things Filipiniana or other Philippines souvenirs).  It was really a pleasant surprise.  Sweet too.  We, like the other shoppers around, stopped to watch. I don't know what balikbayan or which adult Filipino at least wouldn't appreciate the performance or found it fun.  Hehe!

I thought at first the employees were just doing a short cheer or something 'cause that's what i think we first heard.

One of My Favorite Stores

That's one of my favorite stores. It's where I go in downtown Manila when I gotta have my Sanrio fix or for other kawaii things like charms and bracelets. It has more choices than  Gift Gate most of the time. Hehe! Been going there since it opened more than 10 years ago. :P Reminds me of Hong Kong.

c
crop of actual photo from cellphone cam as I Ieft the store

Bag and Keychain

Little Twin Stars plush/keychain on my useful little Goyard tote = even more cuteness!  hehe!  

another pic (cellphone pic)

Some people grew up on Disney cartoon characters.  I grew up on Sanrio characters like Little Twin Stars above or Hello Kitty, etc..  hehe!

PH boy survives three days at sea - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

PH boy survives three days at sea - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

This is so sad. Makes one feel really bad and sorry for this 15-year-old boy, and the state of this country in general. Puts things in perspective for one's self, too, doesn't it?  I mean at 15, my siblings and I were 'chauffeur-ed' to and back from school/home (this is probably why I am not fond of driving...Lol) and had maids/'yayas' too.  Whereas this kid had to skip school and brave the elements to boot.  Risked his life basically, just so he and his only immediate living family can survive another day.  One wonders how often this 6th grader has had to do this and for how long has he been doing it.

Sometimes, if you yourself or you know someone who has petty hangups, angst, and what not, this makes one want them to read the article and tell them "Maybe you should read this and stop your drama. Get on with it won't you? Other people have worse problems worth immediately addressing than you do." Lol!

Just my two cents' worth. *shrugs*  Full article below in case the link becomes dead in the future.

Katy Perry - Firework (Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2010) Live

I don't know about you but I enjoyed watching this performance. That's Katy Perry performing her single Firework at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York last year. Great creative/art direction and production methinks.  Lighting design alone helped make things livelier, too.  This also makes one definitely agree that U.S. musical artists/performances oftentimes make for the best/most creative entertainment in music, too, in terms of wow/spectacle factor.

I first saw this particular segment only of the show on TV late last year. But I think I was more engaged with watching the dancers and the dance choreography. Fun song, cool choreography. Dancers kind of stole the scene somehow. Wanted to see more scenes of the dancers dancing to that music than of Katy Perry, actually. Lol! Though Katy Perry certainly gave a great performance as well. Hehe!

Enjoy!

Happy New Year - Happy Car Lantern

"You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July"

I love this one! I got this mini car lantern, or in other words, a little or mini "parol" for my car's dashboard, as a gift from my aunt. My siblings and I have one each. And mine never fails to make me smile or feel good with it blinking while I drive. I likey!

I created a video of it with my Mac's iMovie HD app...the first time I've ever really used this app after years of owning this trusty 'ol Mac. Good thing I didn't remove it from this PC. Lol!

So anyway, pardon the amateur and crude effort. I was really just trying out the app now that I have more interesting material. hehe! I used 3 video clips from my cellphone camera to edit this video file (above) with a clip of background music Firework by Katy Perry (kinda apt... lol). "Ignite the light, and let it shine...".Hehe!

Here's a clip of one of the other cellphone videos of the mini parol in my car with music from the car radio itself, and with some of my favorite Sanrio characters on the dashboard lol. Happy new year!

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography -- National Geographic

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography -- National Geographic

Lol. This is a great pic. What luck indeed! And those are really huge cattle, gaah.

Liking the Weekend

Just relaxing at home now, after all the new year's eve revelry. Got lazy and skipped a party. Hehe! Took some time out to take pics of my dog who kept me company alone at home, as I watched TV and kept him away from all the noise.

 

my dog, down on the floor while I 

lounged on the couch as I took pics

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!!!

..some snapshots of some of the xmas decor at home. hehe!

 

This snowman thingie was something I bought at a Xmas flea 

market in the Netherlands for 1 euro.  Hehe!

 

Roma, Italia - So That's What SPQR Means...

 Whenever I travel to new places, I take photos of their manhole covers. Sometimes with my foot on the cover. hehe! The name of the city is usually found on the cover. And taking a pic of them makes for a nice memento of the trip.

Anyway, in Rome, I noticed that the text of the city name "Roma" or "Rome" wasn't on the manhole cover. Instead there's text on it whose significance I didn't know: "SPQR". I remember I was a bit puzzled to read that text there but took some photos of it just the same.

a cropped shot of the actual photo (from my
cellphone cam)

I thought it might be the name of a utility company in Rome, just like when I saw my ex-employer's client's company name on a manhole in Lisbon. The shot of the manhole above, I think it was a manhole at PIazza Venezia or around the Capitoline Hill. And I've since forgotten about it and the "SPQR" text on it.

Sooo... now 5 years later, I watch Ridley Scott's Gladiator for the nth time and checked out its trivia on the imdb.com website. Only to come across that text again, be reminded of my shot of the manhole cover, and learn what the text means. Lol!

I ♥ Sanrio! :P

Gaaah!  If ever there's a store other than a bookstore I should steer clear of, it's called a Sanrio store.  Lol!  :D

I had another Sanrio shopping spree over the weekend.  I really shouldn't be left alone inside Sanrio stores.  :P  Ended up forking out a lot of money again for Sanrio stuff.  Ack!  Above is a pic of my latest Sanrio loot!

My Carryon Trolley Bag

Last year, I decided to shop for a wheeled carryon that can be as light as can be but also as small as can be possible for me considering the things I bring and the sort of packrat I can be when I travel.  Lol.

I decided that this new carryon, for my size and build:

• may or may not have spinner wheels, as long as it's wheeled
• should be as light as possible but still be sturdy
• should be suitable for both business or adventure/leisure travel
• should have clean lines and not look too rugged: can look like a backpack but with no visible external straps flapping about; no mesh-like or netted pockets
• not look like almost every other kind of wheeled carryon (boring, rectangular, rigid, etc.).  So no Samsonite or something similar please.  Lol.
• not be made of hard plastic or shell sort of casing
• small enough to be under carryon regulations by all if not most international airlines
• but roomy enough for lots of pieces of clothing and other non-carryon gear (gadget chargers and batteries, etc.. anyone? hehe)
• has an outer pocket for a laptop, and should be on its front, not back
• one am willing to check in if required to (like with domestic flights with smaller planes)
• one I can stow in the overhead bin by myself

Hence, after checking out two different locations where they sell different brands of carryon bags, I settled on this Eagle Creek wheeled trolley, with the same color as in the pic.

 

http://www.eaglecreek.com/product/20200

Speaking of Which...

Once, on a drive to Tagaytay with someone from the UK, we were driving/travelling along traffic in Cavite via the Coastal Road from Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

I'm not sure but...

someone from the UK: Why is there the term "Executive" on the names of the subdivisions? I've been noticing many of them. (and sort of already pointing out to me one such offending instance).

Me: Huh? Damned if I know. I wish I knew why. *shrugging* Lol!!

But of course I didn't say the above. :P I replied that I don't know either and now that he mentioned it, I've also noticed the same thing unconsciously I suppose (growing up in the Philippines) but never voiced it out to someone yet. They aren't just in the south of Metro Manila but even north too, I'm sure.

We certainly have many strange unexplainable ways of adapting the English language that aren't really used in such ways by native English speakers.  The above sample is just one of them.  You might say before there was the jejemon, there was already a similar pre-jejemon use of English already in our midst, just like above.  That that's the jejemon way of the old.  The only difference being, these jejemons of old spelled words correctly.  Hehe!  :P

The "Welcome To..." Signage

Hello Kitty in Laguna, 13 Nov 2010

You know those "Welcome to " signs that we see sometimes over arches made of stone, concrete, bamboo, metal or a combination thereof whenever one goes to the provinces or even between cities in Metro Manila?

Well, this morning, on a day trip today going up north then back towards the south for photography and culture reasons,  I saw such a sign in Antipolo/Rizal (I still confuse these two) as we were driving up along the winding mountain path there:  Welcome to Moron.  

Huh?  

Moron?

And I said so, baffled, to my trip companions complete with the English pronunciation of it.  The town's name is Moron?  

While a trip companion laughingly rebuts me as soon as I said the above -  
It's Morong!  Silly girl!!

Me: Ay o nga pala.  
:P

Hahahaha!  :D 

Lol, I like This One

Heard this being played on FM radio on my way to work: Upuan by Gloc 9 featuring Jezelle.  It's pretty cool.. Lyrics aren't too senseless too, turns out.  It's got a socio-political message coming across pretty clearly.

Kayo po na naka upo
Subukan nyo namang tumayo
At baka matanaw
At baka matanaw ninyo
Ang tunay na kalagayan ko

Tao po nandyan po ba kayo sa loob ng
Malaking bahay at malawak na bakuran
Mataas na pader pinapaligiran
At naka pilang mga mamahaling sasakyan
Mga bantay na laging bulong ng bulong
Wala namang kasal pero marami ang naka barong
Lumakas man ang ulan ay walang butas ang bubong
Mga plato’t kutsara na hindi kilala ang tutong
Ang kanin ay sing puti ng gatas na nasa kahon
At kahit na hindi pasko sa lamesa ay may hamon
Ang sarap sigurong manirahan sa bahay na ganyan
Sabi pa nila ay dito mo rin matatagpuan
Ang tao na nagmamay ari ng isang upuan
Na pag may pagkakataoy pinag aagawan
Kaya naman hindi nya pinakakawalan
Kung makikita ko lamang sya ay aking sisigawan ng

Kayo po na naka upo
Subukan nyo namang tumayo
At baka matanaw
At baka matanaw ninyo
Ang tunay na kalagayan ko

Mawalang galang na po sa taong nakaupo
Alam nyo bang pantakal ng bigas namin ay di puno
Ang dingding ng bahay namin ay pinagtagpi tagping yero
Sa gabi ay sobrang init na tumutunaw ng yelo
Na di kayang bilhin upang ilagay sa inumin
Pinakulong tubig sa lumang takureng uling uling
Gamit ang panggatong na inanod lamang sa estero
Na nagsisilbing kusina sa umagay aming banyo
Ang aking inay na may kayamanang isang kaldero
Na nagagamit lang pag ang aking ama ay sumweldo
Pero kulang na kulang parin ulam na toyo’t asin
Ang singkwenta pesos sa maghapoy pagkakasyahin
Di ko alam kung talagang maramingharang
O mataas lang ang bakod o nagbubulag bulagan
Lamang po kayo kahit sa dami ng pera nyo
Walang doktor na makapagpapalinaw ng mata nyo
Kaya

Huwag kang masyadong halata
Bato bato sa langit
Ang tamaay huwag magalit
Bato bato bato sa langit
Ang tamaan ay
Huwag masyadong halata
Huwag kang masyadong halata

Music - Ysagani Ybarra and Bilog na Naman ang Buwan

Hmmm... Sometimes, I am thankful for youtube.com.  'Cause I get to come across 'real' local artists.  Meron pala sa 'Pinas non.  haha!  jk!  There was Levi Celerio and am sure some others I'm not aware of.  Anyway, one doesn't have to shout and sing in a shrill voice and be popular in the mainstream to be considered a music artist. 

This is Ysagani Ybarra.  He's the guy who originally made the music and lyrics to "Bilog na Naman ang Buwan".  I'd rather watch performances like this any day, over those shown on Sunday noontime shows on some commercial local TV channels.  The latter are really utterly boring, unoriginal, rubbish drivel.

 

And here's Ysagani singing his piece "Bilog na Naman ang Buwan".  I'd say he's quite an interesting folk artist.

Music - Tropical Depression

Fun and talented Filipino band...

Sometimes, there are just some original Tagalog songs and bands that stand out.  Tropical Depression happens to be one of them. 

Papa Dom fused this traditional-sounding Filipino song to a more modern folk tune. It's cool. It's good to know that there is a talented Philippine band that adheres to their cultural roots still.

Photography - Yuri Kozyrev

I like this photo by Russian photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev on one of the articles for Time magazine's Aug. 16, 2010 issue. As soon as I first turned the page on the article with this photo occupying two whole pages (as the article's cover) I stopped and had to look at it again. It's so beautiful that here I am now, blogging about it. Lol!

After seeing the first photo above, I checked out the other pics in the article and I like all the photos featured in the print edition. I think this is the first time I've ever really noticed good photography in one article of Time. Hehe! The main photo of the article (above) is my favorite too, of all those featured. But all the photos are quite striking in light and shadow and composition.

The article is about Russia's internal civil conflict. See the photo essay here.  Above are just some of the pics used in the print version. They're quite dramatic and have impact (to me certainly).

I wish I had even a fraction of the talent and opportunities of photographer Yuri Kozyrev. hehe!

DMB - You Nailed It

Cool song.  Great songwriter and music.  Glad I have the CD.  Hehe!

The Space Between lyrics
Songwriters: Matthews, David J; Ballard, Glen; 

You cannot quit me so quickly
Is no hope in you for me
No corner you could squeeze me
But I got all the time for you, love

The space between the tears we cry
Is the laughter keeps us coming back for more
The space between the wicked lies we tell
And hope to keep safe from the pain

But will I hold you again?

These fickle, fuddled words confuse me
Like, will it rain today?
Waste the hours with talking, talking
These twisted games we're playing

We're strange allies with warring hearts
What a wild-eyed beast you'll be
The space between the wicked lies we tell
And hope to keep safe from the pain

But will I hold you again?
Will I hold?

Look at us spinning out in the madness of a roller coaster
You know you went off like the Devil in a church
In the middle of a crowded room
All we can do, my love is hope we don't take this ship down

But the space between where you're smilin' high
Is where you'll find me if I get to go
The space between the bullets in our firefight
Is where I'll be hiding, waiting for you

The rain that falls splash in your heart
Ran like sadness down the window into your room
The space between our wicked lies
Is where we hope to keep safe from pain

Take my hand 'cause we're walking out of here
Oh, right out of here, love is all we need, dear

The space between what's wrong and right
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you
The space between your heart and mine
Is the space we'll fill with time

The space between
The space between

These are Days

"Then you'll know how it was

meant to be.

See the signs and

know their meaning..."

I am not feeling well today. But things are looking up more these days. Some aspects might not be how I'd like it to be but certainly one area is going where I want it to go. Hehe! Therefore I might be saying "Au revoir" to some and "Bonjour, ça va?" to others soon. Some closed doors really open windows. Hehe!

And this song These are Days by 10,000 Maniacs keeps me on this upbeat state of being. ;) The song might be about a woman's sexuality and pregnancy, but I'm applying it to my happy days concept.  'Cause I know how it was meant to be. I see the signs, and I know their meaning.  It's true.  Lol!  These are days indeed!

Lyrics here:

These are the days

These are days you'll remember

Never before and never since, I promise

Will the whole world be warm as this

And as you feel it,

You'll know it's true

That you are blessed and lucky

It's true that you

Are touched by something

That will grow and bloom in you

These are days that you'll remember

When May is rushing over you

With desire to be part of the miracles

You see in every hour

You'll know it's true

That you are blessed and lucky

It's true that you are touched

By something that will grow and bloom in you

These are days

These are the days you might fill

With laughter until you break

These days you might feel

A shaft of light

Make its way across your face

And when you do

Then you'll know how it was meant to be

See the signs and know their meaning

It's true

Then you'll know how it was meant to be

Hear the signs and know they're speaking

To you, to you

Day Off

Today I woke up with my legs cramping one after the other. The hell! lol.

I think it's been more than a year since I last experienced waking up with a really really painful leg cramp. It's one of those least tolerable experiences ever! Gaaah! Hate it when it happens. So it was a shock this morning when it happened again after so long. And even after it went away, I can't stand or walk without still feeling pain from the strain of it. Which means I couldn't drive to work, and even if a driver brought me to the office, I'd be walking funny it's gonna be awkward. Add to that a tummy cramp too. I seem to cramp everywhere today. Had to take a sick leave from work 'cause of these. I guess these are being brought about by the onset of my monthly visitor then. Dang. Men have it got it easy. Grrr! :P

In the meantime, with these terribly inconvenient cramps, I'm just listening to some tracks by one of my fave music groups Groove Armada as I write this. The instrumental ones good for calm driving (totally need this when driving in Metro Manila! You need all the calm you can get.): Inside My Mind (Blue Skies), Lazy Moon, Paris, and Your Song (not the remix one) which has been my favorite Groove Armada track ever since I downloaded it about 10 years ago. Hihi! One has to chill when driving in Metro Manila. *sigh*

Another calming driving music: Les Nuits by Nightmares on Wax. Below is its video on youtube.com.

The setting of the video above reminds me of the railway station in Diemen, the Netherlands, where we parked our car after driving from Germany to the Netherlands, to take the train to the Amsterdam Centraal station for a weekend Amsterdam trip.  I won't be surprised if it indeed was shot there on location.

Anyway, gtg. Got an interesting call. Things seem to be going as planned too. :P Hope it's a good sign on the road to a celebration for my long term plans. *wink*

D-d-d-dragons

I wanna buy these dragon figurines from Lladró and Swarovski. 

This one's Lladro the Dragon by Lladró, US$ 560.00

 This one's from Swarovski,  US$ 400.00.

I wonder when I'll get them?  Lol!

Lladró Great Red Dragon figurine

This one from Lladró looks fierce.   The price is quite fierce, too.  USD 25,000.00.  Gaa!  Lol!

Venezia, Italia - The Maze to Piazza San Marco

This I believe is my all-time favorite photo that I took.  It was a slightly drizzly fall day in Venice, and I was going around in a maze trying to find Piazza San Marco.  The map I bought at the railway station didn't help any even if it cost me €11 or €18 (whispers:  pretty souvenir though, with a high quality plastic packet/cover, hehe!).  But losing my way was still worth it 'cause I ended up exploring other areas and streets in Venice and came across the scene above.

It was of two people walking ahead of me.  They were in coats and hats.  And given the gloominess of the day, the aesthetics of Venice, and some dark underpinnings in the atmosphere of the scene, I had to capture this very Venice but not touristy scene (with a cellphone cam, alas, 'cause it was faster to just flip it out and shoot); before the two people walking ahead of me totally disappear from view.

I just love this photo and the characteristic Venice scene I feel it was able to evoke.  Glad the shot made it in time. And yeah, I made it to Piazza San Marco eventually.  :P

See my other Venice trip photos here and here.

Venezia, Italia - The Surreal Train Ride

After a Eurostar Trenitalia train ride from Florence, the scene above was what greeted me as I stepped out of the railway station in Venice.

Railway stations are of course similar wherever I went in Europe.  But on this Venice trip, I was really unprepared and quite stunned to behold the scene I captured above once out of the station.  Really unexpected, unique, and beautiful I just had to photograph it.  Hehe!

However, I must also say, there was one other moment I wish I had thought to photograph on this Venice trip. Like railway stations, a train ride is just about like any other train ride, except this one I took to Venice.  Because in the train on the way, as it got nearer to the station, there was an absolutely surreal scene.  So surreal and rather incredible that it just totally failed to enter my mind to photograph it.  It was like a scene off Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away...the train ride over the sea, minus the characters of course, hehe.  My train was seemingly gliding over the waters off Venice.  And I saw some gondolas and Venice structures afar.  Incredible.  I was really awed, so awed I failed to photograph it.  Lol!  Worth a return trip one day though, if only to record that train scene.  Perhaps next time.

Firenze, Italia - Of Whimsy, Cafe Bars and Gelato

Below are some of my favorite Florence, Italy trip pics.

I arrived in Florence on a rainy October night, after a long bus ride from Avignon, France.  I must say that my Florence trip is among my favorites.

The place is full of character.  Even the pension I stayed in used to be a religious property, along Via dei Seragli.  It's situated just across one of the old bridges spanning the Arno River.  And along the way, you get to walk past a few antique and design galleries with pieces I think you'd only find in Florence.  Very interesting indeed.

I like this photo 'cause it's a bit whimsical.  The Duomo is behind me and amid the gloom, there comes this burst of color and even more character from a lady's umbrella behind me; an umbrella with clouds against a sky blue background.  It's colors broke the gloominess of the photo's color theme as a consequence of the day's rainy fall weather -- a clean pop of white and blue against this gloomy backdrop.  Pretty fun seeing it.  Only in Florence I guess.  Lol.

2.  My cafe bar breakfast

Villeneuve Lez Avignon, France - A Recollection

Below is a collection of favorite photos I took while exploring the old part of the little town of Villeneuve Lez Avignon in France.  It's just across the River Rhone from the city of Avignon.  Avignon is actually the first city I went to on my first trip to France during the fall of 2005.  Not Paris.  So it has quite a memorable hold on me.  It also wasn't very touristy around that time I arrived, as compared with Italy, or Paris itself.  I was the lone tourist exploring the place, except for 3 Swiss visitors at Fort St. André.  Hehe!

 me and my map in hand, at the portal to Fort St.  André

1.  What seems to be an old church

Above is a bit of an arresting site.  I had to stop in my tracks and take a shot.  It seemed to be an old structure that was probably a church some long time ago, given the presence of a belfry at its top.  Or maybe it was actually still a church.  Add to that the structure of a low stone well in the foreground and I just had to photograph it.  hehe.


2.  Perspective of two schoolgirls walking

Two French schoolgirls probably walking home.  I like this scene and perspective when I chanced upon it.


3.  Old provincial French street