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.

Dressed to the nines

The second floor landing of our office building got all dolled up with a lovely faux indoor garden for its blessing yesterday.

This is my fifth location in the twelve years that I have worked in the same office at the Ateneo de Manila University. I just have three things to say about it. One, I really hope that this is my last move; it's just so stressful, especially when you're the one who has to manage it. Two, I'm very, very thankful that this time, I didn't have to manage the building's renovation, unlike back in 2008. And three, I'm going to miss our jungle (though maybe not the bugs and pythons).

Keeping it cool

I was so delighted by Basilio Restaurant's cocktail glass, I just had to take a photo of it. The glass is made up of two pieces: the conical top holds the liquid, which fits into a bowl-shaped base which can hold ice. A most novel and ingenious way of keeping the drink cool without getting it diluted by adding ice. One just has to take care not to miss the base when setting one's drink down.

100% Happiness

I've never bought shoes from TOMS. And it's not because I think they're expensive or I don't like them. Unfortunately for me, the local distributor doesn't carry the women's styles in my size. I like their outdoor shop in TriNoma mall and its colorful mural, but I especially love their One on One Movement: for every pair you buy, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.

And in case you're wondering about the title, it's what TOMS calls its guarantee. I can guess that that's what the kids feel when they receive their free pair of shoes. After One Day Without Shoes and we get home to clean and rest our cracked and tired feet, I think that's what we'd feel too.

Thumbelina's bouquets

Since I'm absolutely awful with plant names, it's kind of useless asking me what these flowers are called. Each flower looks like a tiny bouquet of even smaller flowers. When I was much younger, I remember seeing only all-yellow or all-white ones. I like this dual-color variety so much better, and I love how the gardener mixed the baby pink/ fuschia and yellow/orange bushes together.

White and brights

With just a few more tables outside and in our low-ceilinged corner, tiny Ted P's along Maginhawa Street in Sikatuna Village isn't the most comfortable place to eat in, but it's bright and cheerful, and the only place we know that serves whole-wheat pizza. I swear by their Tina Pizza—tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, garlic and tinapa (smoked fish) flakes. Yummm!

Serenity amidst confusion

A gazebo over a tiny pond in the Chinese Garden of the Rizal Park.

I was going to wish you all peace, prosperity, success, good health and happiness in this year of the Water Dragon, but I just found out that the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar is not necessarily the same as the first day of the Chinese astrological calendar. The Water Dragon year begins on February 4 and until then, we are still in the Metal Rabbit year. I must say that I find it all terribly confusing. So a simple

Happy Chinese New Year!

has to suffice.

Vision

In the garden between the Loyola House of Studies and the Loyola School of Theology is a statue of St. Ignatius as a pilgrim beside the Cardoner River, which runs through the town of Manresa in Catalonia, Spain. It was here, between 1522 and 1523, that Ignatius had one of the most profound experiences of his life.

From The Life of St. Ignatius page of the Jesuits of New Orleans Province:

He continued towards Barcelona but stopped along the river Cardoner at a town called Manresa. He stayed in a cave outside the town, intending to linger only a few days, but he remained for ten months. He spent hours each day in prayer and also worked in a hospice. It was while here that the ideas for what are now known as the Spiritual Exercises began to take shape. It was also on the banks of this river that he had a vision which is regarded as the most significant in his life. The vision was more of an enlightenment, about which he later said that he learned more on that one occasion than he did in the rest of his life. Ignatius never revealed exactly what the vision was, but it seems to have been an encounter with God as He really is, so that all creation was seen in a new light and acquired a new meaning and relevance, an experience that enabled Ignatius to find God in all things. This grace, finding God in all things, is one of the central characteristics of Jesuit spirituality.

Spotlight

…on my favorite flower: white lilies.

Sweet dreams

One shark soundly and peacefully asleep amidst the frenzy of activity of its fellows. At the Manila Ocean Park.

Street walker

When sightseeing, nothing beats walking around if you want to see details and get to know a place well. It's even better when you have a knowledgeable guide with a gazillion stories. Meet Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks, one of several outfits that offer walking tours of Manila. He specializes in five areas: the Spanish-era walled city of Intramuros; San Miguel, where Malacañang Palace is located; Binondo, Manila's Chinatown; the Chinese Cemetery, with its flamboyant funerary architecture; and the campus of the Far Eastern University, with its Art Deco architecture. I really need to schedule more walks with him. If you ever visit Manila, I suggest you do too.

Pink

Pink Patio is a Chinese restaurant in Binondo, Manila. The food is good but the furniture is nondescript and not particularly comfortable, but I do love the atrium in the middle of the building (even when the sky is overcast). The atrium and the building's pink paint give the place its name.

In case anyone has heard of it and is wondering, the beach resort with the same name on the island of Boracay is owned by the same family, although the restaurant is the original Pink Patio. The resort's name has been changed already, though, and is now called Patio Pacific Boracay.

And one

I almost didn't notice that yesterday was my 1,000th post! So, just for the fun of it, I now mark my 1,001st post with the silver sphere on top of the Philippines' Kilometer Zero marker—with my reflection on it. The girl in yellow behind me is my cousin taking a photo of me taking a photo.

New generation

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP, Central Bank of the Philippines) released the redesigned Philippine Peso (PHP) bills on December 16, 2010. Compared with the older bills, the colors of this set are more vibrant and the numerals more prominent, making them easier to identify for tourists and visitors, and the design is also more consistent from one denomination to the next. Each bill features prominent historical Filipinos flanked by two images of objects, events or places which are also of historical importance to the country. I had to borrow the three larger denominations for this photo—they're not widely circulated yet; the government estimates that it will take three years for all the bills to be changed.

For those who are interested, here is the complete description of the bills, with links to Wikipedia for those who want even more information:

• 1000 - blue; Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, Josefa Llanes Escoda; Centennial of Philippine Independence; Medal of Honor

• 500 - yellow; Corazon C. Aquino, Benigno S. Aquino, Jr.; EDSA People Power February 1986; Benigno S. Aquino Monument

• 200 - green; Diosdado P. Macapagal; EDSA People Power January 2001; Aguinaldo Shrine; Barasoain Church

• 100 - violet; Manuel A. Roxas; Central Bank of the Philippines 1949; Inauguration of the Third Republic July 1946

• 50 - red; Sergio Osmeña; First National Assembly 1907; Leyte Landing

• 20 - orange; Manuel L. Quezon; Filipino as the National Language 1935; Malacañan Palace