Blue glow

The Picadilly Star Corporate Center, a 26-story office building in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), isn't particularly eye-catching during the day, but it is at night, especially when one is looking up.

On the wall

The Spanish era walls of Intramuros are wide enough in certain areas to accommodate a simple stage for public cultural presentations organized by the Intramuros Administration.

Hold on for dear life

Several years ago, Metro Manila's traffic enforcers were told to be strict against people hanging on to the back of jeepneys, what we call "sabit." But with cops no longer enforcing that rule (I'm not even sure if it was a law or not), commuters are back to their old ways. And no, not all the sabit you will see in our streets are getting a free ride; most of them actually pay the fare.




This was taken through the windshield of our car, so I apologize for the reflections which make the picture look fuzzy.

Loyal to Loyola

Working as I do at the Ateneo de Manila University, this was one photo opportunity that I couldn't pass up. The Jesuits in the Philippines used to have an elementary and high school in San Pablo City named Ateneo de San Pablo. They closed it in 1978, turned it over to the Diocese of San Pablo, and the new diocesan school was named Liceo de San Pablo. The now homeless Ateneo de San Pablo alumni set up a foundation which, in 2006, opened the doors of a new private school named Academia de San Ignacio de Loyola. If I'm not mistaken, the animal on their shield is one of the wolves of the Loyola coat-of-arms.

The lake caused by selfishness

While most of our officemates slept off our delicious lunch back at Casa San Pablo, four of us decided to go on a drive around Lake Sampaloc (Tamarind). Though it is only one square kilometer, it is the largest of the seven interconnected freshwater crater lakes of San Pablo and is located right in the heart of the city.




Mount Banahaw looms over one side of the lake and there are many smaller hills all around it.




With overcrowded fish pens studding the lake, the overuse of commercial fish feed, and numerous makeshift huts without proper waste disposal systems on stilts along its shores, Lake Sampaloc is considered threatened and needs rehabilitation. The Friends of the Seven Lakes Foundation is working towards that and educating the communities around the lake, but I think that the city government of San Pablo also has to be stricter in implementing environmental and building laws in the areas around the lakes.




In case you're wondering about my title, it is based on the Legend of Lake Sampaloc.

Charm

Aside from Mrs. Vinya Gomez Alcantara, what I found most charming about Casa San Pablo were the sculptures and antique furniture and knick-knacks found in, out and about the guest rooms and cottages.




Charcoal clothes irons used as banisters.




A serenely smiling sun greets visitors near the entrance.




A fish on a balcony facing the path to the swimming pool.




A young boy starting to fall asleep on a bench. Whoever the artist was, I think he captured well our experience of Casa San Pablo.

R&R

Welcome to Casa San Pablo, a garden resort in San Pablo City in the province of Laguna, where our office had its annual R&R last Friday.




Before WWII, it was a 7-hectare coconut plantation owned by the Azores-Gomez family. After it was divided among the six siblings, one daughter cut down all the coconut trees in her land and planted fruit and pine trees in their stead. Now, her son runs a small but lovely resort and artists' haven on the same land.




Vinya Gomez Alcantara, now in her 70s—and the funniest, most charming and life-loving widow I have ever met—still lives in the same compound where she grew up, in a gorgeous house just across the lawn from the guest cottages.

The first cross

The "Planting of the First Cross" by Philippine National Artist for Painting Vicente S. Manansala (b. 22 January 1910, d. 22 August 1981) is a cherished part of the National Museum's visual arts collection. From the museum's notes:

The painting depicts the planting of the cross in Cebu in 1521 with Ferdinand Magellan, Spanish soldiers and the natives with intricate tattoos known as pintados. The original cross can still be found in a special kiosk in Cebu City. This mural painting is one of the best representations of historical artwork in the collection. Manansala’s rendition is an amalgamation of the traditional and modern techniques in painting. It also manifests his mastery of transparent cubism. The artwork was commissioned by the national government in celebration of the 400 years of Philippine Christianization held in Cebu in 1965.

Wheel of life

The colorful, playful, paper cut-out style artwork in the second floor lobby of the Philippine Educational Theater Association's PETA-PHINMA Theater provides a whimsical contrast to the equally colorful but much more serious mural on its ground floor.

Roar!

The dinosaur playground at the Rizal Park. It is at the side of the park nearest Taft Avenue (named after William Howard Taft) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1.

Asong Pinoy

A new sculpture in the plaza of Eastwood Mall pays tribute to the Aspin, short for Asong Pinoy or Filipino Dog. The Philippine native dog was called Askal—Asong Kalye or Street Dog—until the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) decided to take up its cause more aggressively, which required a special public relations campaign and a new, more socially acceptable name for this short-haired, medium-sized hunting dog. The plaque on the base reads:

Silent Companion

By Seb Chua

In honor of the "Aspin", the Filipino dog… Companion, playmate, protector, friend

Without words, Beyond words…

Living in his own homeland, yet often homeless.

Seen everywhere, yet overlooked,

Voiceless and invisible.

The Aspin dreams of the day he will find a safe, loving home.

He looks up to a human, and hopes for humanity.

Will they see him and speak for him?

To all who give voice to the Aspin,

Who have called his name and welcomed him into their family,

Share in this quiet tribute.

New beginnings, part 3

Let there be lights in the vault of heaven. The central chandelier at the new Commonwealth branch of the Loyola Memorial Chapels, where the wake of the mother of one of my dearest friends was held.

New beginnings, part 2

Fired with hope. After 18 years of leading the Ateneo de Manila University as its longest-serving president, Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ ("Fr. Ben" to many of us) is retiring. During his 71st birthday, the staff and the communities of his many social outreach projects paid tribute to the man whose battle cry is "nation-building." The name of the event? Benfire, of course.

New beginnings, part 1

Canadian Geese. The Goose Station (a play on "dégustation" and the fact that the chef-owners love foie gras and feature it in many of their dishes) at Bonifacio Global City, where our college group had a despedida dinner for our dearest Vic and Cecile who have migrated to Canada in search of a better future for their children.