Photo-Hunter: Colorful

I snapped this photo of a “colorful” mime during the 2008 New Year’s party at the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenue. I love her hair, don't you?!:D

More "colorful" photos at TN Chick.

P.S. This was posted in advance as I am out of town.

Sky Watch Friday: from my window

Sky-watching from my office window yesterday afternoon.

(Please forgive the ghost of my camera on the glass.)

Looking down, here's my view.

There's a 24-hour Mc Donald's at the right corner, a Jollibee and Buddy's Pancit Lucban at the building on the right. While on the ground floor of our office building, there's a Starbucks and a Seattle's Best Coffee. My attempts at dieting and cost cutting are going down the drain---I'm surrounded by temptations everyday!:D

More sky photos at Sky-Watch Friday.

P.S. This was posted in advance as I am out of town.

Litratong Pinoy: Liwaliw

the famous junction of Piccadilly Circus

Ang mga litratong ito ay kuha noong ako ay nag-“liwaliw” sa London mahigit 2 taon na ang nakalilipas. Isang linggo lang ang itinigil ko sa London at may kasama pang trabaho kaya sinagad ko ang pamamasyal. May nabasa ako dati na ang sabi ay, "The way to see London is from the top of a bus." Kaya naisip kong subukan yon---at para makatipid na rin, bumili ako ng London tour bus ticket. Sa halagang 20 pounds, umikot ako sa London mula umaga hanggang gabi---may 24 oras na bisa ang ticket. Ang mga tour buses ay may 90 stops sa buong London, pwede kang bumaba sa mga lugar na gusto mong puntahan at aabangan mo ang susunod na bus para sa susunod mong pupuntahan. At may kasama pang libreng Thames River cruise!

Gumising ako ng maaga at sumakay sa double-decker bus. Ang ganda ng panahon pero ang panahon pala sa London ay mabilis magbago, bigla na lang kumulimlim at umulan. At dahil walang bubong ang itaas ng bus, lumipat sa ibaba ang mga kasama kong turista. Gusto ko rin sana sumunod pero naisip ko, minsan ko lang naman ginagawa 'yon kaya itinodo ko na. Naiwan ako sa itaas, mabuti naman at may dalang kapote ang konduktor/tour guide. Sabi ng kasama ko, para daw akong baliw na nagpapaulan para makakuha ng litrato. Natatawa rin ako pag naiisip ko---naka-kapote ako ng pula at nangunguha ng litrato habang umuulan at tumatakbo ang bus. Di ba bongga?!

Russel Hotel at Bloomsburry, one of the grandest exteriors of any London hotel

The Palace Theater, a West End theater in Westminster, open since 1891

The Royal Opera near Covent Garden

These photos were taken when I wandered around London more than 2 years ago. My stay in London was only a week so I made sure I had time to see the city. I read that “The way to see London is from the top of a bus” so I thought of giving it a try---and to save money, too, I bought a London bus tour ticket for 20 pounds which was valid for 24 hours. The tour buses had 90 stops all over London and you can hop in and hop off at any place you’re interested in. A free Thames River cruise was included…great deal!

I woke up early and hopped in a double-decker. The weather was perfect that morning but with the unpredictable London weather, suddenly it became cloudy and rained. Without a roof, the tourists ran downstairs to avoid getting wet. I almost ran downstairs, too, but when I saw the tour guide had some raincoats, I grabbed one and stayed on top of the double-decker. It’s not everyday that I’m seeing London from the top of a bus! My colleague told me later that I looked like a crazy woman on top of that bus---there I was, in a red raincoat, taking pictures under the pouring rain. Well, what’s a little rain? The experience was well worth it! :D

bagong gising at excited sa pag-liliwaliw

More "liwaliw" photos at Litratong Pinoy.

Wordless Wednesday: Piazza Serendra

One of the sculptures at Piazza Serendra

For a couple of seconds, nobody was walking on this part of the piazza so I put down my fork to get my camera.

(So much for wordless! haha)

Davao beckons...

I have friends who blissfully ignore urgent emails demanding immediate attention, unruffled by piles of letters and Fedex envelopes forming small cityscapes, and serenely let telephones ring unanswered. I’m fascinated by their ability to tune in---or totally tune out---depending on their own terms and timetable. “Don’t be an OC,” they scoff. “That’s what texts and voice mails are for.”

They consider me beyond redemption because I sometimes respond to email at odd hours, even when I’m on vacation, or on sick leave. In some instances, when I replied to my American client’s email at 2 am, she responded immediately saying, “Luna, go to sleep!” or “Luna, go home!” I’d sometimes text instructions or concerns to my colleagues at 3 in the morning even when I know that they're asleep, and we’ll see each other at work in the morning anyway. So when I get obsessive, my friends and family agree that I’m overdue for a vacation.

I wasn’t always this way. Growing up, I spent summers with relatives living in a hacienda. Each time we rode in a bus to that place, with seemingly endless tracks of sugarcane fields on both sides of the road, I’d feel a sense of relief when we got off at an unnamed road in the middle of nowhere, which led to the hacienda’s main entrance beneath a long row of ancient acacia trees. As soon as I saw the wrought iron gate, I knew we were almost there---and from swimming in the river, running around in the fields, riding carabaos, hiking and camping, having fun. Even now when I think of that place and visualize the rustic gate and acacia-lined road, I seem to catch the sweet scent of muscovado, and I know its time to let go. The world will not stop revolving, work will still be work, emails and blogs will not go away...

So I’m “escaping” this weekend for a short vacation in Davao City. I’m turning off my computer on Friday and head out where the beach and the mountains meet. Right now, I’m already having that warm, wonderful feeling of letting go---the taste of adventure and scents of durian beckon!:D