An oasis from consumerism

A small pond within a small park in the middle of the Greenhills Shopping Center in the City of San Juan. It is right next to the tiangge (bazaar) and is outdoors, hence the covered walkway between buildings. I wonder if the thousands of shoppers that pass through the park everyday notice just how lush it is.

Urban or rural, natural or man-made, take a sightseeing tour of our world's diverse scenery!

Open invitation

A demolished building with the walls left standing is something that no graffiti 'artist' can resist. This is at the corner of Katipunan Avenue and Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City. Before the demolition of the low structures for another high-rise residential condominium, which is now suspended because of some legal dispute, it had the last mini-golf course that I knew of in Metro Manila. My husband and I used to play there before we were married.

A glimpse of history

On the ramparts of the historic Fort Santiago in the old walled city of Intramuros, looking out towards the dome and clock and bell tower of the Manila Cathedral, at noontime during an overcast day.

Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page and tour the skies of our beautiful world.

Refreshing

Fresh coconut water, anyone? He will first cut off the top, just enough to create a little hole from where to pour out the water—in a plastic bag, rather than a cup, and served with a straw. Then he'll cut the coconut in half and scoop out the soft meat and add it to your bag. Even unchilled, coconut water is very refreshing (although it's even better chilled, of course). When you've sipped all the water, the plastic bag is perfect for holding the meat while you eat it.

How many triangles do you see?

The dome over the entrance hall of the Manila Ocean Park. And no, you don't have to answer the question.

Where we went last Thursday

Three hours away from Metro Manila in the province of Bataan lies Anvaya Cove, the first leisure community development of Ayala Land. The Bataan peninsula is mountainous, and from the lookout point just inside the gates of Anvaya, all you can see are hills and a small glimpse of Subic Bay.



Anvaya is a residential community with four themed neighborhoods. But you don't have to buy a house and lot to get a membership in the Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club, which is what one of my girlfriends did. The main pavilion houses the Bamboo Cafe, a large lounge on the second floor called the Sambali Lounge, a game room, library, shops, function rooms and a clinic.



After going through the main pavilion, guests are greeted by this gorgeous swimming pool.



There are several pools at Anvaya, all connected. The two ends of the L-shaped lower pool are fitted with massaging jets. This side is covered, so even people sensitive to the sun can take a relaxing soak. The pool is multi-level and you can choose to stand, sit or lie down over the jets. The waterfalls and shooting fountains add to the massaging experience. Note the stone pedestal in the foreground; there are a few of them spaced evenly around the lounge pool, and some of them hide the machinery which powers the water jets.



The Bamboo Cafe is the main dining room of the club.



Beside the pool is an observation tower which, I can imagine, gives a fabulous view of the beach and club grounds. I apologize for not climbing up and taking photos from there, but I didn't want to make the effort—not after a three-hour drive and definitely not in the heat of noon. At the base of the tower is a bar named, not surprisingly, the Tower Bar.



While waiting for our lunch to be served, my girlfriends and I asked for a tour of the Veda Spa. It has indoor spa pavilions for individuals and couples, and the couples pavilion has an outdoor heated jacuzzi with a view of the ocean. It also has outdoor massage pavilions, all with the same beautiful ocean view.



The club's pièce de résistance: the wide beach of fine white sand and the clear waters of the South China Sea.



I don't think anyone will fault me if, after changing into my swimsuit, all thoughts of my camera and taking more photos completely slipped off my mind.

Day-tripping

THEME DAY: PASSAGEWAY • Alright, I'm cheating again here because we've left Metro Manila. We're on the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, better known as SCTEx, although where exactly, I have no idea. The SCTex goes through three provinces north of Manila: Pampanga, Bataan and Tarlac. Since it opened in 2008, day trips from Manila to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which is located in the province of Zambales, have become easier; it is 110 kilometers away from Manila but the trip now only takes an hour and forty five minutes compared to three hours before the road was constructed. Last year, I took a trip to Subic Bay with my sister and nieces. This time, my girlfriends and I went a bit farther. Come back tomorrow to see where we spent last Thursday.



From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: Passage a: a road, path, channel, or course by which something passes b: a corridor or lobby giving access to the different rooms or parts of a building or apartment. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

SEE IT SUNDAY: DIRECTION

First Filipino Saint

Lorenzo Ruiz (c. 1600–1637) was a Chinese Filipino layman with two sons and a daughter who lived in Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. Falsely accused of killing a Spaniard, he was granted asylum on a ship with three Dominican priests. When the ship landed in Japan, the group was arrested for their Christian faith and tortured. Lorenzo refused to recant his faith and was finally subjected to the horrendous form of torture called tsurushi. After two days hanging upside down in an enclosed pit, he died from bleeding and suffocation. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manila in 1981 and canonized in 1987. This statue of him stands in the small Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in front of the Binondo Church, which is formally titled the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz.

Glass slivers

The facade and main entrance of the Ateneo de Manila University's new Rizal Library faces west. To reduce the heat inside and the need for air conditioning, the only glass on this side is a corner window whose frame sticks out beyond the wall, and the tall, narrow window of its main stairwell.

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

90 proof

Philippine alcoholic beverages have traditionally been made in backyard operations and you couldn't get any unless you went to the regions which produced each kind. A few companies now produce them commercially, both for local consumption and for export. This bottle of lambanog in a woven wicker bottle holder is available at Kultura, located in all SM malls, and makes for a great gift and souvenir.



Lambanog is produced mostly in the province of Quezon from the sap of coconut flowers which is cooked, fermented and distilled. Do not ever make the mistake of serving or storing lambanog in plastic containers—its alcoholic content is enough to melt plastic.

Same old, same old

Krista by Pablo Baen Santos, 1984, oil on canvas. One of the pieces in the social realist collection of the Ateneo Art Gallery currently on display in the exhibit "Fractions of an Intangible Whole." From the exhibit notes:

This work depicts inang bayan (Philippine motherland) with a crown of barbed wire around her mouth like a gag. The work simultaneously embraces the themes of nationalism, censorship and the strong influence of the Catholic tradition in the Philippines. The Philippine flag and a sea of protesting bodies forge the backdrop as the female Christ holds her clenched fist in defiance.

One year shy of the silver anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, not much has changed in Philippine politics. In many ways, it is even worse than during Marcos' time. Corruption is rampant and has filtered down to all levels of government, public education is a joke, poverty levels have not improved, environmental degradation is uncontrolled, and journalists still fear for their lives. Even if we manage to elect an ethical president in May, there will not be much to celebrate during the revolution's silver anniversary. It will take much, much longer than a year to apply breaks to the downward spiral that our country has gotten itself into since that historic moment.

The mice will play

Just before guests were expected to arrive at the gala night of the sarswela "Walang Sugat" at the Ateneo de Manila University, the ushers in their formal Filipiniana clothes took turns posing in front of the photo wall made of wood and capiz shell. These panels echo the windows and screens found in old Spanish colonial houses, rarely seen nowadays except in a few preserved historical homes. I loved how Nico and Tonette were so un-selfconciously enjoying themselves hamming it up for the photographer that I decided to snap a photo of them myself.


Last Saturday's gala was a work night for me too so I didn't watch the play nor get other photos. I hope to watch this weekend and since they're allowing photos, as long as you don't use a flash, expect a few from me in the near future. In the meantime, I have a little information about the sarswela form here, and the university website has some photos of "Walang Sugat" here.

---

May I please ask you all to help me welcome Mia of Life in Manila.... and elsewhere to CDP? Mia lives and works in the southern part of the metro, and works for a foundation that supports many social development and charity organizations, and you'll be seeing many photos from her that I will probably never have on my blog. Mia is also a personal friend of ours and this is her nth blog—she keeps starting one then stopping, starting and stopping, you get the idea. If she gets a warm welcome from the community, then just maybe, she'll be inspired to continue this latest one. Thanks, everyone!

Understated playfulness

One of the ceiling lamps of Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant in The Block (a mall in Quezon City). Much more subdued and elegant than the brightly-colored lamps in their branch in The Podium (a mall in Pasig City), but just as playful.

We'd rather sit, thank you

So far, we are the only culture I've encountered which serves cocktails where guests sit around a table. Have you ever experienced such a thing?