Peace, love, sandy feet

"If there is a heaven for me,

I'm sure it has a beach attached to it."

~Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: CELEBRATING SUMMER • In an archipelago composed of more than 7,000 islands, summer isn't complete without a trip to the beach. Manila no longer has a beach—when our parents were young, it did—so we have to travel a few hours to get to one. This is the beach of the tiny and undeveloped Virgin Island just off Bantayan Island in the island province of Cebu.

Bespoke building

"If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be meetings."

~Dave Barry, American humor columnist

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: SQUARES • The windows of the Rockwell Business Center in Pasig City are made up of myriad panes of square glass. Even the pattern on its facade has squares.

The Rockwell Business Center was especially made for IT-based businesses. Which probably means that most of its tenants are call centers and business process outsourcing companies.

Grass triangles

"The Bermuda Triangle got tired of warm weather. It moved to Alaska. Now Santa Claus is missing."

~Steven Wright, American comedian

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: TRIANGLES • Four triangles of nipa palm leaves make up the roof of Sofitel Manila's Sunset Bar.

Tag-init, the hot season—also known as "summer" even though we don't have the other three seasons—arrived in the Philippines last week and our temperatures in Metro Manila are already hitting 32˚C/90˚F. I want to go to the beach!!!

Sparkling

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: DETAILS • One can spend an entire day at Cafe Juanita examining all the knickknacks which make it one of the most crazily decorated restaurants in Metro Manila. Whoever thought of draping a sequin shawl over a milk glass chandelier (and dumping some blue LED lights in the middle, too) is either a genius or a madman. Probably both.

Tiny icy panes

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: STREET LAMPS • The street lamp in front of The Wedding Lounge is probably part of the design of the RFM Corporate Center building, where it is located. It seems too low and too small—more decorative than utilitarian—to have been placed there by the city of Mandaluyong. Unless that little lamp is fitted with a very strong light bulb.

Quonset hut

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: FACADE • When the Jesuits decided to move the main campus of the Ateneo de Manila from Padre Faura in the City of Manila to the no-man's-land that was Loyola Heights in Quezon City in the 1950s, the first structure they had built was the gymnasium. It served as the storehouse of construction materials for the other buildings. Now called the Blue Eagle Gym, after the university's mascot, it continues to be the most visible landmark of the Ateneo de Manila—if only because it is currently the only building that can completely be seen from the road. And, yes, the design of the Blue Eagle Gym really is based on the lowly quonset hut. That inexpensive, prefabricated shelter served the Jesuits and the school well after World War II.

At your own risk

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: PEDESTRIANS CROSSING • A few people use the pedestrian crossing on Buendia Avenue near the corner of Taft Avenue (both major roads in the City of Manila and the site of two light rail stations), but they are more the exception than the rule. Most drivers don't mind the crossing either.

Red plastic

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: CAFE CHAIRS • Nothing pretty today, just some of those uncomfortable plastic monobloc chairs. At least they're a cheery, cherry red, and not the plain white ones that get so dirty-looking after only a few weeks. Metro Manila has lots of these tiny, streetside eateries which we call carinderia or turo-turo (from turo, to point, because that's all you have to do to tell the server what you want to eat), especially around public transportation terminals, whether for taxis, buses, jeepneys or tricycles. Obviously, you won't find them in posh neighborhoods.

Color wheel

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: UMBRELLAS • You won't have to look for the rainbow after a storm when you carry a rainbow around with you.

Mango fruit with leaves

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: MY STREET • This used to be quite a lovely clapboard house when I was younger. Then the original owners immigrated to the U.S. and the couple who bought it went into politics. That meant bodyguards and more rooms to accommodate them, so they built over the garage, and this was the result. The family has since moved to a more upscale, gated neighborhood where, last time I saw it, their new fortress is painted these same colors.

Heave!

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: THE WATER'S EDGE • A toddler trying to get out of the kiddie pool of the Makati Shangri-la Hotel without using the steps. It will be some time yet before he will be able to do it with grace.

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My Manila will be on autopilot from November 1 to 5.  Be well, be good.

Lofty past

THEME DAY: ELECTRICITY • Metro Manila still has some old utility poles (which now carry telephone, cable television, and internet cables, aside from the original power cables) which are made out of whole tree trunks.

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers interpret this month's theme. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Ride me

THEME DAY: ANIMALS • Even when fully mature, the little brown horses of our kalesas, which are still used as public transportation in some parts of Manila, rarely grow taller than the average Filipino male (around 5'4" or 163 cm). This patient beast, and his colorful burden, was waiting for commuters in front of the Binondo Church.

Kahol! Miaow! Kokak! Taktalaok! See more animals from City Daily Photo bloggers around the world.

Shower

THEME DAY: PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2011 • Since I stopped blogging and taking photos for much of the past year, this choice was easy. I love it when I manage challenging shots like this—the light, the distance, the symmetry, having to look straight up, no tripod—with my itsy-bitsy camera. The original post is here.

See the best of City Daily Photo bloggers around the world. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

May you be showered with blessings today and throughout the new year.

Land under construction

THEME DAY: UNDER CONSTRUCTION • The Cultural Center of the Philippines (including Sofitel Manila and Harbour Square which are in the same complex), SM Mall of Asia (currently the 4th largest mall in the world), and many of the luxury residential condominium buildings in Pasay City with fantastic views of Manila Bay and its gorgeous sunsets, all stand on land reclaimed from the sea. And it looks as if the sea is still trying to get some of it back.




What is man constructing all over the world? Let City Daily Photo bloggers show you. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Off

THEME DAY: FOUNTAINS • Just my luck that the fountains in the large decorative pool at the Rizal Park weren't on when my cousin and I went on an impromptu photo walk. Even the swans should have been spouting water—I took a close look and there are pipes inside their mouths.




Get your (virtual) feet wet in fountains all over the world with City Daily Photo bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Spanish carriage for a Spanish city

THEME DAY: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION • The kalesa is a horse-drawn carriage introduced to the Philippines by the Spaniards in the 18th century. It is still used as public transportation in certain parts of Manila, especially in the district of Binondo, but fancier ones like this—more properly called a carruaje—are used mostly for sightseeing in the old walled city of Intramuros. This man was waiting for tourists at the nearby Rizal Park.




See what people all over the world use as public transportation. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Marked

THEME DAY: GRAFFITI • The city government of Pasig spent quite a lot of resources prettifying the area under the elevated portion of Meralco Avenue for pedestrians. As usual, someone couldn't resist defacing the painted supporting pillar. This is the kind of graffiti that I detest. People who do this always remind me of dogs marking their territory, but at least dogs protect the territory they've marked. I don't think these vandals do.




Vandalism or street art, see graffiti from all over the world with City Daily Photo bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Narrow opening

THEME DAY: OPEN AIR MARKET • Alright, I'm cheating a bit for the City Daily Photo theme day today. Metro Manila has several well-organized upscale weekend markets nowadays (markets where rich people don't mind being seen at), but I was too lazy to go out on a Sunday morning just to take pictures since it's the one day in the week when I don't have to wake up early for work. So here is a view of a quite unintentional open-air market: an alley in Manila's Chinatown in Binondo. Contrary to what its narrow, busy streets look like, Binondo has one of the highest land values in the metro. So it is hardly surprising that stores and vendors use every available space to set up their merchandise, and that includes alleys and sidewalks.




Go virtual shopping with CDP bloggers around the world. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

A puff of wind

THEME DAY: BRIGHT COLORS • The outdoor Sunset Bar of Sofitel Manila has a small platform for performances and cultural presentations. The row of satin banners which serves as its backdrop is reminiscent of the colorful sail of the traditional Mindanao Muslim boat called the vinta. Quite appropriate since the hotel is right beside Manila Bay.



The colors of the rainbow—and more—from CDP bloggers around the world. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.