L-O-V-E [Ruby Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

Love is a friendship that has caught fire.  It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving.  It is loyalty through good and bad times.  It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

~ Ann Landers


Happy Valentine's Day!

Posted for Ruby Tuesday

Tree of Lights at Eastwood [My World & Ruby Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

Even when I promised myself not to get stressed-out from all the holiday frenzy,  I found myself running around in the mall and in the supermarket like a chicken with its head cutoff.  I hate last minute shopping!  But when the dust settled, and the leftovers have been put away, I finally had the time to see the sights and watch a movie.

After dinner on Christmas day, we drove to the nearby mall, Eastwood, to check out the scene.  This giant Christmas tree greeted us at the mall's courtyard.  It's about 25 feet tall and decorated with lighted fiberglass balls that look like M & M's.

@ mirandablue

The mall was pretty crowded--restaurants were full, and the theaters were jam-packed, too.  I spotted a live TV broadcast of GMA, one of the local networks; and a couple of the mimes by the base of the Christmas tree.

Here's the crowd outside Eastwood mall on the night of December 25th.

@ mirandablue

The Metro Manila Film Festival, a festival that features locally-produced films, started on Christmas Day.  I was in the mood for comedy but the theater was already full when we got to the ticket counter. So we opted to watch Rosario, one of the entries in the festival.  Set in the 1920's, Rosario is a tragic story of a liberated woman who was a victim of  her own moral choices and society's prejudices. The credible acting and attention to details, being a period movie, were impressive,  but the story was too heavy for me.  I needed a sugar rush after Rosario.:p

@ mirandablue

The crowd was thinning around 11 pm when we found our way to one of the restaurants.  We ended Christmas day with a sweet and light Riesling.  

I am linking to My World and Ruby Tuesday.

@ mirandablue

A night of music [My World]

@ mirandablue

One of the pleasant ways to spend a hot and humid Saturday night in Manila is to enjoy free outdoor performances.  There's the Concert at the Park at the Rizal Park open-air auditorium, a 24-string guitar quartet every Friday afternoon this November at Paco Park Presents, ballet performances, and film screenings at Cinema-in-the-Open-Air under the Cultural Center of the Philippines.  Malls have their own shows and they're also for free.  One of my friend's daughter is studying violin and she invited me to this free concert of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra at the Eastwood Mall.

The orchestra played a variety of classical pieces like Rhapsody in Blue as well as contemporary music such as Lady Gaga's Poker Face in orchestral arrangements. People at the mall stopped for a while to enjoy the music, even Fritz relaxed and listened.  The concert sure reached a sincerely appreciative audience.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Posted for My World - Tuesday

Liquid [Likido]

@ mirandablue

Pagbigyan mo muna ako.  Katulad ng aking 4-year old na pamangkin, naaaliw ako manood ng iba't-ibang kulay ng tubig na patalon-talon at sumasayaw sa kanta ni Lady Gaga.  Bawat palit ng kulay at galaw, dapat makuhanan ng litrato.  Tuwang-tuwa si YanYan, ayaw ng umuwi.:p

YanYan @ mirandablue

Tubig---pinakamahalagang likido at sentro ng buhay.  Likas yata sa tao ang maakit sa kahit anumang porma at kilos ng tubig.  Hindi nga ba nakakabighani ang hampas ng alon sa dalampasigan, ang dumadagundong na tubig sa talon, ang batis na tahimik na dumadaloy, ang walang-patid na agos ng ilog at patak ng ulan?  

At alam natin pareho na ang pagmumuni-muni at ang tubig ay laging pinagtatagpo ng tadhana.

                    *******************

Indulge me, please.  Like my 4-year old nephew, I am one of those who is mesmerized by this colorful  fountain dancing to the tune of Lady Gaga. I was as spellbound as this little boy at every color, at every movement.  He was having so much fun, he didn't want to go home.:p

Water---the most essential liquid and hub of life.  I believe that we have this innate attraction to any movement and form of water.  Aren't you fascinated at the waves that crash to the shore,  at the thundering waterfalls, at the quiet stream, at the never-ending movement of the river and at every drop of rain?  And we both know that reflection and water are always destined to meet.

More refreshing liquids at Litratong Pinoy

@ mirandablue

For Thursday Two Questions - you are invited to join and answer these questions:

1.  What are the things that mesmerize you?

2.  When was the last time someone or something held you spellbound?

Fountains at Eastwood Mall @ mirandablue

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?

Bridges of Eastwood City [Sunday Bridges]

@ mirandablue

Foot bridges in the middle of an urban jungle called Eastwood City, connecting the mall to residential and commercial buildings.  I like coming to this mall because of the pet-friendly environment--my dog loves walking around the air-conditioned mall.  There is a pond/water garden with dancing fountains and a small park where dogs and people can enjoy live performances.  

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Posted for Sunday Bridges

Dancing Fountain [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

Dancing to the tune of Lady Gaga's Poker Face, this colorful dancing fountain gyrated on the illuminated open park of the Eastwood Mall around midnight on Saturday. Eastwood Mall is located in Eastwood City, a quintessential live-work-play enclave.  Aside from restaurants, cafes and bars, specialty stores and cinemas, this complex houses high-end residential condominiums and BPOs; top corporations like IBM, Citibank and Dell also set up their offices here.  It's a happy place to spend a Saturday night in with friends and family.

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