And I thought it was just for cooking

Last year, our national government announced a big push for taxi cabs and buses to convert their gasoline and diesel engines to biofuel or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines. I can't find data about how many have converted, but it must be a good percentage already judging by the number of different refilling stations slowly appearing all over the metro. In converted taxis, the LPG cylinder is located in the trunk of the car. It looks jerry-rigged and is not a pretty sight, especially in an old car that looks about ready to fall apart, but with lower nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter emissions—not to mention the lower cost per liter—who cares?

Legs

I just wanted another photo of Eastwood City Walk, the unique dining and shopping center whose design I like so much. It wasn't until I uploaded the photo that I noticed the two guys sitting across each other on the benches just beyond the arch.

Find more Odd Shots—or post your own—at Katney's Kaboodle.

Where is our blogger?

Here's a funny thing about Philippine national hero Jose Rizal: though he is considered a hero against Spanish colonial rule, he never asked for independence from Spain. In fact, a review of his writings showed that he wanted Spain to recognize the Philippines as a province rather than a colony. All he wanted was for Spain to recognize Filipinos as equals, with the same rights before the law, and the freedom of assembly and speech, as Spaniards. The civic group that he formed, La Liga Filipina, advocated reforms through legal and peaceful means. But because of the publication in Europe of his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, both of which were very critical of Spanish friars, he was declared an enemy of the state by Spanish authorities. Despite disavowing the revolution, he was arrested, court-martialed and executed by firing squad. Wielding a pen and ophthalmoscope rather than a sword and pistol, Rizal, through his writings and martyrdom, served as the catalyst for the Philippine Revolution. This painting depicting Jose Rizal's trial, imprisonment and execution hangs in the Rizal Shrine, a museum inside Fort Santiago.

Freedom of assembly and speech—that was all the protesters in Iran were exercising before their government began the violent crackdown against them. Freedom of expression—that was all our fellow City Daily Photo blogger from Tehran was exercising before he was arrested with hundreds of his countrymen.

Today, the CDP community is posting in support of his freedom and the freedom of all Iran. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

And if you feel strongly enough against the violence to lend your name to a petition to be sent to all members of the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Non-Aligned Movement, and all UN member states, then go to Avaaz's Iran: Stop the Crackdown page.

A bouquet of electrical flowers

Last October, I posted a photo of the unusual and pretty lamp of Bizu Patisserie in Greenbelt. I saw it again in their Promenade branch but against walls of a different design. Back then, I called it a splash of light but Olivier of Evry Daily Photo saw un beau bouquet de fleurs électriques (a beautiful bouquet of electrical flowers). I like his description better—so much more romantic. Maybe because he's French?


And because I'm sure that people will ask where the pastries are, they're here, here and here. Enjoy!

A bright spot

Looking south towards the hills of the province of Cavite from a ferry in the middle of Manila Bay, I saw clouds moving towards the east to join the rain clouds that were already over Metro Manila. The edge of the largest cloud was lit by the last rays of the setting sun. When we reached Manila, it was dark, cold and wet.

You can view the beautiful skies of our world through the Sky Watch Friday home page, but before you do, please spend a few minutes for one country whose people right now are facing a such a violent crackdown against their right to make their voices heard that I am sure none of them are even noticing what their sky is like, much less appreciate it. Please sign the petition of Avaaz (which means "voice" in many Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European languages) for Iran to
Stop the Crackdown.
The link is to the English page, but you can choose from thirteen other languages.

Mr. United Nations

Carlos P. Romulo (1899–1985) was a diplomat, politician, journalist, author and soldier. As a journalist and author, he was the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in the Correspondence category (1942) and is a Philippine National Artist for Literature. As a politician and diplomat, he served under eight Philippine presidents, from Manuel L. Quezon to Ferdinand E. Marcos. He was the president of the Fourth General Assembly of the United Nations in 1949. Somewhere in the seal of the UN, between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, there is a little dot that represents the Philippines. That dot is there because of Romulo. So it is quite fitting that this statue of him stands at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and United Nations Avenue in the City of Manila.

Island life

The best location for a Starbucks coffeeshop that I've seen in Metro Manila is the branch in Trinoma mall. It's on the 5th level roofdeck sitting in its own little island full of palm trees and green bushes, surrounded by a pond with tiny cascades and misters.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Can you?

Kamirori, a Japanese restaurant along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, serves uni (sea urchin) sashimi in cucumber cups with calamansi, a little plate of soy sauce and a dab of wasabi paste. Do you think you can eat it? I can't. This was my friend's order, not mine.

Glass nests

The headquarters of Nestlé Philippines in Rockwell Center, Makati City. To its left is the Joya Lofts and Towers and behind it is The Manansala. Both Joya and Manansala are upscale condominium towers developed by Rockwell Land and, like its other condominiums in the center, are named after distinguished Filipino artists. The dark blue, rounded glass tower on the right is the PHINMA Plaza, the head office of the PHINMA Group, an investment holding company involved in property development, education, finance and energy.

Say "Cheese!"

This is my last photo about the Ateneo de Manila University event in Intramuros last Sunday, I promise. I just couldn't resist taking this shot for two reasons. First, the cop with our two 'pious and devout Indios.' He was a member of the Highway Patrol Group that escorted the motorcade, and he spent the two hours before the mass taking photos of everything with his camera phone. He also asked a colleague to take his photo while posing with all of the classic cars and with as many of the student-actors that he could waylay. I think he ended up with more photos in his cellphone than I did in my camera! Second, it's also not everyday that I see a Jesuit scholastic (student) lugging around a camera.

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And now it's time to remind all CDP bloggers out there to vote for the August theme! The theme for July 1 is Empty. You still have nine days to capture an image for it, if you don't have one yet.

Vroom!

I mentioned on Monday that after the mass, procession, groundbreaking and breakfast in Intramuros, the motorcade started and that the first stop was a mall along Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila which used to be the location of the Ateneo de Manila from the 1930s. The highlight of the motorcade were these beauties, parked in front of the Manila Cathedral before everything started. Let's get one thing straight first: I don't know anything about cars, so please don't ask me anything about them. I had to take photos of their logos just to identify them correctly for this post. Neither do I know if they are the correct cars for the era. All I know for sure is, they got everybody ogling them in Intramuros and people clapped when they arrived in Padre Faura.

MG – That's all the logo I could find on the car


MG – Couldn't find the model on the car either


Mercedes Benz 190 SL


Chevrolet Camaro SS 350


Karmann Ghia – With automatic stickshift


Mercedes Benz 280 SE – Also automatic


Ford Mustang 289

Horse-drawn

To complete the effect of being in mid-19th century Manila, the procession in Intramuros from the Manila Cathedral to the San Ignacio Church ruins included two types of vehicles in use at the time. The carruaje (carriage, pronounced kar-wah-heh) were used mostly by the upper classes. Our young 'European lady' took a ride around the cathedral while the mass was going on. During the procession, two carruajes transported the cardinal, the head of the Philippine Jesuits and the president of the Ateneo de Manila University.



The tranvia (tram) was used as public transportation by the middle and working classes. The tram was also horse-drawn and could sit about a dozen people. Unfortunately (or fortunately—the poor horses!), the Intramuros Administration doesn't have any of those anymore and this modern version is motorized and can sit much more than twelve. It transported our school officials, some of whom looked like little kids when they were boarding, grinning from ear to ear.

Patroness of the university and of the country

The Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the Ateneo de Manila University and of the Philippines. So it was not surprising that the short procession from the Manila Cathedral to the ruins of the San Ignacio Church in Intramuros last Sunday included a beautiful statue of her on a richly decorated carroza (float). Both the statue and the carroza are much more ornate than the one the university uses every December.

Mid-19th century Manila

During the Ateneo de Manila's grand sesquicentennial kick-off event last Sunday, student-actors were recruited to re-create the atmosphere of 1859 Manila. They came in period costumes, walked around the Plaza de Roma and the Manila Cathedral, talked to each other about things that would have mattered to people at the time, and generally acted as if they were residents of mid-19th century Manila. Meet some of the very interesting characters of old Manila:


The pious and devout female Indios (natives), probably spinsters, were walking around the plaza praying the rosary. Sometimes, they entered the Manila Cathedral to pray inside too.



I forgot to ask if she was a Peninsulare (Spaniard born in Spain) or an Insulare (Spaniard born in the Philippines). She could even have been an Indio from a wealthy family who has traveled to Europe. On second thought, scratch that last guess. I don't think she would have been allowed to walk around unescorted if she weren't European.



When it comes to cockfighting, race and education don't matter. It brought together these Mestizos (half Spaniard, half Indio) and Indios. The three on the left are obviously Ilustrados (educated) while the one on the right looks like a peasant.



Two members of the Guardia Civil (civil guard) were patrolling the area the entire time.



A wealthy Chinese merchant was also walking around the plaza, probably to meet with European traders. He wouldn't have had his home in Intramuros though. If he were a Catholic Chinese, he would have lived in Binondo just across the Pasig River.



Two students of the Escuela Municipal de Manila, a primary school for about 30 sons of Peninsulares and Insulares, were running all over the place. Neither the Guardia Civil nor the strict spinster friends caught them.



In 1859, the city-subsidized school was turned over to the Jesuits. In 1865, when it was elevated to a secondary school, its name was changed into the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In 1902, during the American colonial period, the government stopped its subsidy and it became a private school for boys. Six years later, in 1908, the school finally dropped the word 'Municipal' from its name. It has been known as the Ateneo de Manila since then.