With the sun on my face, the world at my feet, sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination. Posts about culture, the arts, photography, technology, the outdoors, travel, music and movies, etc.
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
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!!
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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!
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 Nuitsby 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*
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
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.
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.
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.
These photos, taken in the fall of 2005 with my cellphone camera, were of my arrival and first trip to France.
After bidding my Barcelona host thank you and farewell at the Barcelona Sants transport hub with kisses on each others' cheeks and some hugs, I took an overnight bus from Barcelona, and arrived in Avignon before sunrise.
exploring old Avignon on arrival
All the shops were closed. Not much cars and people on the streets. Everyone was still in bed. The night and the streets were quiet. I didn't know really where I was going and there was no one around really to ask. It seemed like I had everywhere to go and everything to see. But that I just had to have patience and wait an hour or two for daybreak before I can fully enjoy this freedom with more degree of equanimity.
Turns out I've been dehydrated for several weeks already. Exacerbated by travelling, and flights and not drinking enough water. No wonder then. 'Cause even I was wondering why I seemed to lack energy while on the road exploring, and was slow in movements until this week when things seemed to have gotten worse. It's like you have the flu but you don't have the fever. And the coughing was really strange and painful.
So I went to see a doctor yesterday and dehydration was the verdict + allergies. It's just soooo hot lately that the doctor says these days make it even more imperative to drink plenty of water and he means mineral water in my case; not juice, sugary liquids, distilled water or any other derivative.
So after the doctor's visit we went to buy the meds he prescribed and get me some mineral water. But which mineral water does my companion end up bringing to the car as we waited in the parking lot for her to return from the grocery? Evian mineral water. "Natural mineral water from the French Alps" so the label says. Waaaah! The few 1.5L bottles she got of those cost about as much as what we pay for our water utility bill. Lol! Or we could have gotten about two to three times more of the one- to two-liter bottles of mineral water from local brands with the amount we shelled out for these Evian ones. *sigh*
Good thing it doesn't seem to make me feel bloated, unlike most water I drink, especially cold ones (that's why I seldom drink plenty).Oh well. I'm a bit better now though. No more painful and hard coughing. Just have to drink that for a week more I guess.
I'm currently liking hearing this song from indie artist duo Angus and Julia Stone called Yellow Brick Road.
I first heard it being played in the car stereo while I was on the road in L.A. a few weeks ago. I liked the melody and it also had some words pertaining to California plus some pretty good guitar riffs that I thought "how apt" and made sure to research on it online. Lol!
The radio station playing it was 89.9 KCRW. It has since become one of my favorite radio stations.
screenshot of kcrw.com
They broadcast not just interesting music programs (like KCRW Eclectic24) but also cultural/arts review programs (deejays discussing/critiquing books, etc.) and news from NPR.
testing my Pogo: the 2" x 3" pics produced by the
device and the device printing my pic of the Eiffel Tower
I just bought a new toy called Polaroid Pogo. It's an ultra-portable photo printer which prints out 2" x 3" pics from a bluetooth enabled device (such as a cellphone or computer) or from a digital camera via USB.
I kind of had a few misgivings about buying one 'cause of a review I read by a photography person in the creative industry. But he was comparing it with a Fujifilm mobile printer which isn't available for sale anywhere except in Japan or eBay.
