Third generation

The history of the St. John the Baptist Parish Church dates back to 1894 when the Spanish Vice-Royal Patron of the Philippines issued a Royal Decree establishing the parish of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). In 1896, the church was designed and constructed by architect Luis Arellano. It was damaged during the Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century but was restored soon after. In 1951, the church was expanded under the direction of architect Otilio Arellano, a grandson of Luis, who kept the original nave and facade. Most Manila residents know the church better as Pinaglabanan Church, after the street in San Juan City where it is located. The two figures flanking the doorway are San Pedro (Saint Peter) and San Pablo (Saint Paul).

Historical tour

The tram-bus used for tours in the historic walled city of Intramuros recalls the days when the city had a tranvia system. During the Spanish era, the street railway cars were horse drawn and operated by the Madrid-based Compañía de los Tranvías de Filipinas. Then in 1905, during the American era, it was turned into an electric street tramway system operated by the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company. This tram-bus was parked inside the Puerta de Santa Lucia (gate of Saint Lucy), one of the original entrances to the walled city. Built in 1603, the gate was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945 and restored only in 1982. Reflected in the rear window is one of many new buildings in Intramuros built using Spanish architectural designs popular in Manila during the 18th and 19th centuries.

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

Bright and sunny

Sometimes, I walk out of our house and see this sunny yellow Volkswagen Beetle parked near our pedestrian gate. It probably belongs to a friend or relative of our neighbor because I don't see it everyday. It looks quite well maintained though I've noticed a few rusty spots in its trim, especially on its 'eyelids.' It's such a bright and cheerful spot of color on our black asphalt street that it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

White and blue

THEME DAY: THE TENIN TECHNIQUE • I've posted quite a lot of photos of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù but, until today, never of its side—with air vents rather than regular windows. The angled passageway leads to the corridor just outside the front of the church. Kneeling on a tree root under a large acacia tree to take this photo, you also get a bonus: seeing how dry and brown the crabgrass of our campus gets during the summer months.



Today, the City Daily Photo blogging community pays tribute to Eric Tenin of Paris Daily Photo. Five years ago today, Eric started his one-a-day photo blog of Paris. He has never missed a single day and he has inspired many people from all over the world to create daily photo blogs of their own cities, fostering friendship and understanding along the way. Eric has become known in the community for his low angles and skewed compositions, and our imitation of his style today is our way of celebrating and thanking a wonderful person and a great blog. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Pampered

When I posted photos of the lovely suite that we stayed in at the Sofitel Manila over the Valentine weekend, I mentioned that the rooms were just the start of a fantasy. The pampering continued with an evening appointment at the hotel's luxurious Le Spa. This photo of the spa's lobby was taken from the reception desk, looking out towards the corridor.



We were a few minutes early for our appointment, so my husband and I were led to the wonderfully scented and relaxing waiting room…



where we were served sweet fruit tea in a black iron pot, with warm moist towels to wipe our hands.



When our spa room was ready, we were led up a stairway. You may have noticed by now that I have a fascination with lighting fixtures, and I just loved the pattern created by the bamboo shades on the landing.



The stairs led to a smaller lobby on the second floor, where all the spa rooms are located. You can see the open doorway of one on the right.



The dimly lit couple's room has a large bath strewn with rose petals overlooking the hotel's gardens and lagoon-shaped pool.



The pressure used by my masseuse was just right for me, but my husband says that he would have preferred a heavier and more vigorous treatment.

Triangle North of Manila

Ayala Land, the company that developed the beautiful Anvaya Cove, also has several malls in Metro Manila and in other urban centers all over the Philippines. In general, their malls are the loveliest and most architecturally interesting in the metro, as we've already seen with Greenbelt 4 and Greenbelt 5 in Makati City. TriNoma is their first mall in Quezon City and though I've already featured one of its fountains and the island Starbucks at its rooftop, this is the first time I managed to get a photo of its curved facade at the corner of Mindanao and North Avenues. I took this on a weekday two hours before the mall opened and the hordes of people usually found at this entrance haven't arrived yet.

Story time!

The Filipino sarsuwela is a dramatic form that is rooted in the 19th century Spanish sainete, a comic skit with music, and zarzuela, a play that alternates song and dance with dramatic prose. Its typical theme is romantic love and "Walang Sugat" (no wound or not wounded), the play that I mentioned last month, features the problematic love between Julia (Laura Cabochan) and Tenyong (Arman Ferrer), who have been friends since childhood.



The sarsuwela typically incorporates commentary on the social, political and economic issues current at the time of its writing or performance. When Tenyong's father is arrested by the Spanish army as a rebel and dies in jail after being tortured at the order of the friars, Tenyong decides to join the revolutionary army to avenge his death.



Julia's widowed mother does not approve of her daughter's relationship with Tenyong. She has higher hopes for Julia, wanting her to marry Miguel, a rich but stupid nephew of the parish priest. While Tenyong is away, the mother pressures Julia to accept Miguel's proposal of marriage.



The sarsuwela usually features more than one pair of lovers. The secondary pair is typically the earthier and more comic relationship, compared to the main couple's loftier and purer love. In "Walang Sugat," the lusty and comic foil is provided by Lucas (AJ Constantino), Tenyong's manservant, and Monica (Delphine Buencamino), Julia's maid.



Miguel's father (Mike Coroza), is a widower, and one scene shows him courting Julia's widowed mother (Sonia Roco), trying to convince her that they can still experience love and companionship in their old age.



When Julia receives a letter from Tenyong's general that her lover has died fighting, she finally says yes to marrying Miguel. On the day of the wedding, a heavily bandaged Tenyong is wheeled in on a cart. He is pronounced by a medic to be on the brink of death and the parish priest is called to hear his last confession. Tenyong announces his dying wish: to be married to Julia before he dies. Thinking that Julia will be widowed immediately and that her marriage to Miguel will still push through, Julia's mother and Miguel's father agree.



I think you can guess what happens after the wedding ceremony: Tenyong jumps up from the cart, walang sugat! And during the final dance, the director Ricky Abad makes one grand gesture that would not have been out of place during a performance more than one hundred years ago: the church's facade opens up into a sunburst containing the words of the Malolos Constitution, which established the First Philippine Republic.



The wonderfully quirky, cartoon-y set, which emphasizes the lighthearted and comic aspect of the sarsuwela rather than its political and social commentary, was designed by Philippine National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal, faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University's Fine Arts Program.

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