Choices

"A cup of tea is a cup of peace."

~Sen Sōshitsu XVI, 16th tea master of the Urasenke family

We finally have TWG Tea Salons in Manila. Those mostly yellow cans on the walls, reflected on the large mirrors of the dining area, are just a few of the more-than-a-thousand tea varieties available at the shops. To be honest, I find the food too expensive (though I've finally satisfied my curiosity about scones), but I'm just very happy that I finally have a place to go to for some good loose leaf tea. And as long as one doesn't buy their fancy cans, the cost of TWG's teas won't break the bank.
 

Fishy reflections

"I'd rather be a big fish in a specialized pond than a little, little fish in a more generalized big pond."

~Leonard Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc

Big, lovely koi in the pond at the center of the little park at Rockwell Business Center. Reflected in the water on the right side is the building which I posted for the May 1 City Daily Photo theme day.

Evening lights

9 Spoons, the 9th floor restaurant of The Bayleaf Intramuros, overlooks the Club Intramuros Golf Course and has commanding views of the historic, neoclassical government buildings along Padre Burgos Avenue. Our table had a lovely view of the Manila City Hall and its distinctive clock tower. Aside from the lights and bayleaf-patterned screens of the restaurant, also reflected in the window is the keyboardist who provided the evening's pleasant dinner music.
 

Mother and daughter

To save on the cost of packaging, Mom & Tina's Bakery and Café (see yesterday's post) uses only blue and white on their boxes and jar stickers, but a full-color version of their charming logo is painted on the faux brick wall of their Regis Center branch. Their space here is narrow (which also makes taking pictures of the interior difficult), so to visually expand it, one wall is entirely covered with a huge mirror.
 

Bene, good, 좋은, masarap!

Caffé Bene, a Korean coffee shop chain, is now in the Philippines. So far, they only have one branch, located at Eastwood City. I only had a sip of it, but their Misugaru Latte, a roasted multi-grain drink, is really good. I want to go back soon for a full mug, when I'm not so full from a leisurely lunch with friends—their enormous honey bread concoctions also looked very tempting.
 

Green on green

The open-air pavilion beside the pond in Rizal Park's Chinese Garden.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Zero

Kilometer Zero—that point from where all distances in a country are measured—in the Philippines is right across the Rizal Monument. Does your country have one and do you know where it is?

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Brothers in arms

Installed on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Philippines on September 6 of this year, the Filipino-Korean Soldier Monument at the Rizal Park was created by Filipino sculptor Juan Sajid Imao. The text on the plaque in front of the fenced area where it stands reads:

A fitting tribute to the Filipino soldiers who fought side by side with the Korean soldiers during the Korean War (1950–1953). About 7,500 combat troops known as the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea or PEFTOK, the 4th largest force under the United Nations Command, were sent to defend South Korea from a communist invasion by North Korea. The monument shows two Filipino soldiers helping a wounded Korean comrade to symbolize the greatness of the Filipino spirit despite the war and the special camaraderie shared by the two nations.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Forces

The headquarters of the Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas (Philippine Navy) is dwarfed by the headquarters of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines). Both are along Roxas Boulevard in the City of Manila.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Pink behemoth

For ten months back in 2008, Filipino artist Impy Pilapil's large, outdoor sculptures for the exhibit titled "Interactive: The 12 Senses" were on display in the gardens of the Ateneo de Manila University. Many of us were very sad when they were dismantled because they added such bright spots of color to the campus. Happily however, two pieces were retained. The bamboo Chime Halo was reinstalled when the new Rizal Library was finished last year and this one, Surge, was never removed. One of the Ateneo Art Gallery curators told me that it weighs a ton, which is probably why the artist decided to keep it in the university.




I'm glad. I think it looks great in the rock garden beside the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership along my favorite brick path.

Did you see me reflected on the glass window of the first photo? :)
See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Warm

A row of lovely floor lamps at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Secular relic

After Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal was executed by the Spanish colonial government in 1896, he was buried in the Paco Cemetery with no identification on his grave. One of his sisters went around the cemetery and, seeing freshly turned earth on one grave site, asked the caretaker to mark it with "RPJ," Rizal's initials in reverse. After the Philippines declared independence from Spain two years later, she retrieved her brother's remains, which are now enshrined at the Rizal Monument in Luneta, the place of Rizal's execution. One bone with a bullet wound was enshrined separately in a glass urn which is kept in a glass case at the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, where Rizal was imprisoned before his execution.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Golden path

It wasn't until I tried taking pictures of a sunset from start to finish that I realized that the sun's reflection on the water lasts for only a few minutes. Taken at the Manila Bay looking towards the hills of the Bataan Peninsula.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Flight of fancy - not

The Manila Domestic Terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is currently used for the domestic flights of Seair and ZestAir in and out of Metro Manila. It's quite small and, despite a relatively recent refurbishment, still rather plain and dingy-looking. But at least the new gray tiles are kept well-polished.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Art and money

I've noticed that some of the most extensive art collections in the Philippines, both paintings and sculptures, are owned by banks. One of these days, I have to find out whether the bank buys them as investment pieces or if they're accepted in lieu of cash when an artist or collector defaults on a loan. I didn't get the name of this sculpture or its artist, but I saw it in the lounge of Banco de Oro's head office when our university hosted an event for alumni employed by the bank.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

The little salon that could

Here's another post about something much closer to home. The salon I go to regularly is Marita's Wellness Center and, based on the name, I think you can guess that it's also a spa. It is located in a big house that got converted into a strip mall three blocks away from our house. If you look carefully at the reflections, you can see a tricycle waiting shed at the street corner, a couple of tarpaulin signs bearing the phone numbers of other establishments in the converted house, the restaurant and bar on the upper floor, and some of the spa attendants milling around outside (they were buying snacks from a vendor). It's nothing to look at outside or inside, but Marita's offers many of the services that big salons and spas have, at a fraction of the cost. It also has some services that even the big salon chains don't have, like eyebrow threading. After three weeks of lots of walking, I'm going to spend some quality time at Marita's this weekend. Anybody else care for a foot spa and pedicure for only 300 pesos (less than 7 U.S. dollars)?

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Hide-and-seek

I have to confess that I have a thing for bathrooms and powder rooms (which we call the comfort room or CR for short). I dream of the day when we can have all of ours renovated to look like those featured in Good Housekeeping, but until then, I love peeking into those in hotels, restaurants and posh homes, even if I don't need to use them, just to see how they're decorated. This is the powder room at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay. Both the attendant and I hid behind walls while I was taking this photo—a fat lot of good that did us.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Funhouse mirror

This is one of the huge, mirrored supporting pillars inside The Podium mall in Ortigas Center. They make for such crazily fun reflections, young children immediately run to them when they enter the mall.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Leisurely breakfast

I've already shown you the striking spiral sculpture and staircase of Sofitel Manila's Spiral restaurant. We are looking inside from its outdoor dining deck, which is perfect for an early morning breakfast when it's not the rainy season. The sound of falling water from this ornamental reflecting pool and from the waterfall of the lagoon-shaped swimming pool is very soothing.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Hot off the griddle

Filipinos don't need much of a reason to gather around food. But balikbayan (returning countrymen) family and friends are always an excuse to eat at the best restaurants. So when a friend from college visited from Canada, a group of us got together at a teppan or hibachi room of Kimpura, one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Metro Manila. You can see some of my friends reflected in the mirrored walls.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.