Footbridge in Lake Danao

@ mirandablue

A wooden bridge that leads to a picnic hut at Lake Danao in Camotes Island.  Lake Danao is the largest lake in the Visayas and Mindanao at 680 hectares.  Camotes is a group of four low-lying islands east of Cebu.

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Dark [Photo Hunt]

@ mirandablue

Dark clouds hovering over the full moon.  I hear bats flapping nearby.

Never fear the shadows.

They simply mean

that there's a light

somewhere

nearby.

~ Ruth Renkai

@ mirandablue

The dusky night rides down the sky
and ushers in the moon.... 

Posted for Photo-Hunt

On fire [SWF]

@ mirandablue

Right in the middle of the city, I found a small slice of paradise up on the roof.  I caught the sky on fire one late Sunday afternoon.  At night the stars put on a show for free, sings Carole King.  And darling, you can share these all with me.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandabue

Posted for Sky-Watch Friday

Pasta a la Carbonara

@ mirandablue

 My version of spaghetti a la carbonara.  A simple pasta dish so easy to prepare with great basic ingredients of cream, bacon, ham, cheese, mushrooms and cream of mushroom (I skipped the eggs as requested by my mother).  I added the fresh basil in the sauce as an after-thought, the flavors blended well.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil, add bacon and cook until crisp, then add the diced ham.  Mix in the cream of mushroom  and the sliced mushrooms and bring to boil.  Add the all-purpose cream, salt and pepper to taste and Parmesan cheese.  If you prefer it with eggs (makes a richer dish), beat eggs in a bowl and drop your hot (newly boiled) pasta into the beaten eggs.  The heat of the pasta will cook the eggs.  A raw egg yolk can also be served on top of the carbonara sauce, and stirred into the pasta.

Pasta carbonara needs to be served hot, freshly cooked.  This makes a delightful Sunday afternoon merienda.

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Noise/Ingay

                                                                                                                                                       Cebu City, March 2010

Alam ko na sa maraming kalye dito sa atin, tricycle o motorsiklo lang ang pwedeng sakyan.  Convenient ang mga ito at hindi mahal.  Pero sa totoo lang, nakakainis ang ingay na dala ng mga tricycle at motorsiklo.  Ang iba hindi pa makuntento, may mga nakakabingi pang speakers na nilalagay sa kanilang tricycle. Noise pollution ang isa sa mga problema na hinaharap ng mga urban dweller.  At mukhang hindi na mababawasan pa ang ingay sa ating paligid kundi madadagdagan pa.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

I know that many of our streets are accessible only to tricycles and motorcycles.  These are convenient and inexpensive mode of transportation.  Sad to say, the noise these machines bring is annoying and disruptive.  Some has even loud speakers that could wake up the dead!  Noise pollution is one of the problems we urban dwellers face.  And I don't think noise pollution in our neighborhoods would be reduced in the near future.

For Thursday Two Questions:

1.  What do you consider the most annoying noise?

2.  What is your favorite sound?

Solitude [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

@ mirandablue

A solitary fisherman near the mangrove forests of Bohol.

Man cannot discover

new oceans

until he has courage

to lose sight

of the shore.

Posted for Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Patapat Viaduct

@ mirandablue

Before leaving Pagudpud and going back to Laoag City, we drove to Patapat Viaduct, a 1.3-kilometer concrete coastal bridge at the foot of the cliff of the north Cordillera mountain range.  Driving through the winding mountain road without traffic was a delightful experience.  This viaduct rises 31 meters above sea level, offering scenic views of the lush Cordillera mountains and the enchanting Pasaleng Bay.  It connects Maharlika Highway from Laoag City to the Cagayan Valley region.

Maharlika Highway is a 2500-kilometer network of roads, bridges and ferry services that connects the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao.  It starts in Laoag City and ends in Zamboanga City.

@ mirandablue

Before the viaduct was constructed [during the Marcos administration], landslides were a common occurrence in this area during rainy season making this stretch a dreaded one-way road. In the 1960's, a footbridge perched on the mountain slope was the only link between the provinces of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley.  The etched footbridge can still be seen at the upper part of the cliff.  

This was the farthest point of our Ilocos road trip---about 580 kilometers from Manila.

@ mirandablue

Posted for Sunday Bridges and My World-Tuesday

Orange [Photo Hunt]

@ mirandablue

An orange-colored flower called "Cosmos" and a blazing orange sky from my window at sunrise.

@ mirandablue

Posted for Photo-Hunthosted by TN Chick

Twilight [SWF]

@ mirandablue

Between sunset and dusk is twilight.  My favorite time of day.  The blue hour.

The good times are all gone

The night keeps coming on so strong

You can't hold on, no matter what you do

Will there be someone who cares for you

When the blue hour comes?

Good times don't last forever

Sometimes its now or never

Darling, reach out to me

I will always be there for you

When the blue hour comes...


~ Roy Orbison

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Posted for Sky-Watch Friday

Seafood Salad

@ mirandablue

Yam Talay or mixed seafood salad at Jatujak in Mall of Asia.  It's my favorite Thai restaurant these days.  I eat at Jatujak when my taste buds are bored with the usual fares and need a little excitement.  I haven't explored the rest of the menu yet and I am trying a few dishes at a time.  This was our second appetizer--a seafood salad with a mixture of shrimps, mussels, squid and fish with onions, cilantro, with sweet and spicy lime-vinegar dressing.  Incredibly scrumptious!

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Silent, quiet [Tahimik]

         @ mirandablue         Silent Companion by Seb Chua

Gusto kong bigyan pugay si Seb Chua, ang gumawa ng sculpture na ito sa Eastwood Mall.  Istatwa ng aso at tao na tinawag n'yang "Silent Companion". 

click to enlarge

Nakakalungkot ang kalagayan ng maraming aspin na pakalat-kalat sa kalsada.  Naturingan na "man's best-friend" pero bakit maraming umaabuso sa aso?  Nag-aalala ako kapag umuulan kung may nasisilungan ba sila.  Nakakakain ba sila at hindi pinag-mamalupitan?

Ang pag-alaga ng anumang hayop ay isang responsibilidad.  Nagugutom, nauuhaw, nasasaktan at nangangailangan sila ng kalinga.  Sana h'wag balewalain at pabayaan na lang.

Si Fritz, ang aking tahimik na kaibigan at kasama.  Naghihintay at masayang sumasalubong sa akin sa pinto, taga-gising ko sa umaga, nakakapawi sa pagod, nakakapagpangiti at nakakapagpasaya sa akin, at tahimik na nakikinig lang sa mga hinaing ko.  Hindi man s'ya nakakapagsalita, alam n'yang mahal ko s'ya.  At sa pagkawag lang ng kanyang buntot, alam kong masaya din s'ya.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

@ mirandablue                                                                                                             Fritz- My Silent Companion

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.”

For Thursday Two Questions:
1.  Would you prefer silence or angry words?
2.  If your dog/cat could talk, what would he/she tell you?

Stormy [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

@ mirandablue

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. - Vincent Van Gogh

We weathered another strong typhoon yesterday.  Packing winds of 260 kilometers per hour, super-typhoon "Juan" (international code name:  Megi) hit northern and central Luzon provinces on Monday destroying homes, crops and infrastructures.  The storm is now on its way out but rains continue to pour.  Traffic was monstrous on my way home this evening.  "Juan" is the 10th and the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

These photos were taken in late August along the rough shores of Santa, Ilocos Sur.

@ mirandablue

Posted for http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com and http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

Pagudpud Bridge [Sunday Bridges]

@ mirandablue

This bridge greeted us before we entered Pagudpud, our destination.  I am not sure if this is the bridge that crosses Bolo River, a river that separates the towns of Bangui and Pagudpud.  Shooting the rapids and kayaking are popular in Bolo River.  Exploring Bolo River is for another trip.

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Miniature [Photo Hunt]

@ mirandablue

A miniature "calesa" or horse-drawn carriage 

Calesa was one of the modes of transportation introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines in the 18th century that only ilustrados or rich Filipinos and high ranked officials could afford.  They are rarely used in the streets nowadays except in places frequented by tourists and in some century-old preserved cities like Vigan. The miniature horse is carved from wood and the carriage was crafted from metal. I took these photos in Granpa's Inn and Calle Crisologo at the Heritage Village in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.  

@ mirandablue                             Grandpa's Inn, Vigan

 My sister with the real calesa at Calle Crisologo.

@ mirandablue                                                                                                        at Calle Crisologo, Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Posted for Photo Hunt