Square shells

Anyone who's visited My Manila for any length of time would know that I have a thing for light fixtures, whether they're chandeliers, table lamps, or wall sconces. The chandeliers at the Banyan Pavilion of The Blue Leaf, where our friend's wedding reception was held, may be simple but they're huge. The look like they're made of capiz shells too.

New home

A young friend of ours got married last Saturday. At the reception, instead of the newly-married couple walking to each table for photos with their guests, the guests were called up to this cute stage where the couple was seated on the lovely, rustic wooden bench.

Wings

It's not everyday we see a ginormous can of Red Bull in our office parking lot. Unless you're looking for a cardiac arrest, drinking that much of the energy drink in one sitting is definitely not recommended.

Playful

I really like the bright and mixed up splashes of color used on the facade of Eastwood Mall.

Building blocks

One of the brick walks of Eastwood Central Park, flanked by the colorful Eastwood Mall and the 1800 Building (an office building), leads to the Excelsior (a residential condominium building) across the street.

No vendors allowed here!

Vendors outside the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish church selling peanuts, corn, dried fish, suman and kakanin (Filipino delicacies usually made out of sticky rice), and palabok (a rice noodle dish). I guess the church's rule against vendors isn't very strict.

Is it or isn't it?

For as long as I can remember, this was the location of the Infant Jesus Kindergarten School. There is no longer any sign, so I assumed that it is no longer here. But a Google search for the school still points to this address (or one in Hamilton, Ontario), so I'm in a bit of a quandary. Maybe I should ask my husband to walk there during a school day when he doesn't have a class to help me satisfy my curiosity.

"Official" graffiti

In a country full of politicians who slap their names and faces on publicly-funded projects every chance they get, Quezon City's politicians are probably the worst. They don't even wait for projects—if there's a blank wall, it'll end up with one local politician or another's name, in the guise of public reminders. Similar to Vincent Belmonte's sign, councilor Jessica Castelo Daza says that "Cleanliness is a sign of a progressive nation." I guess neither realize that cleanliness isn't just the absence of garbage.

Today, we troop to our voting precincts for national and local elections. I honestly still don't know which local candidates to vote for.

Three days

I spent the last three days at Betania Retreat House, run by the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary, in Tagaytay City in the province of Cavite. Three days with no internet, no cellphone, and no gadgets (I took this photo when our retreat group arrived, then put away the camera too). Three days of meditation, contemplation and prayer. I hope they will be enough to get me through another year with patience, serenity, and grace.

Coffee and chicken

There's a new Seattle's Best Coffee and Kenny Rogers Roasters in our neighborhood.
  They're pretty small to have such an enormous sign.
  I like how the sign looks small against the big sky, though.

Love triangle

Carlo loves Jane, and so does Cherry. I wonder who Jane loves.

Day off

Trellis Restaurant, which I posted about back in 2009, has been in our neighborhood since 1980. The quality of the food has never changed throughout those three decades. One other thing about it has not changed either: it remains closed during Sundays. In a city where many families gather together for lunch out after Mass, it's quite surprising.

Body treats

Our neighborhood is full of small businesses located in converted houses. Aside from restaurants, spas are also very popular. One of them is Asyenda Beauty & Wellness, which offers different kinds of massages, facials, and salon services. Most of them are very inexpensive too. How does a one-hour full-body massage for US$8.50 sound to you?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

One of the iconic images associated with the Philippines is the colorful jeepney. For many years, however, there was a scarcity of these motorized works of art on our streets—most of them were either painted with a single color or left completely unpainted. I'm finally seeing more painted jeepneys again, but mostly in the City of Manila.