Black Soup Cafe may be small, but it set aside space for musicians to perform in, and welcomes exhibits from artists, whether established or new. I love that. The restaurant's full name is Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace.
When I was much younger, Miriam College in Quezon City was called Maryknoll College, after the missionary Maryknoll Sisters who founded the school. For most of its history, it was a school exclusively for women (and I think it is again, but I'm not sure). Management of Maryknoll College was transferred from the religious order to lay administrators in 1977, but it was only in 1989 that the name was changed. "Miriam" is the Aramaic name of Mary, the mother of Jesus and the school's patron, and is also a tribute to Sr. Miriam Thomas Thornton MM, who devoted fifty years of her life to the school. Miriam College has academic programs for preschool up to postgraduate levels, offers adult education classes, and has a school for the deaf.
Entablado, one of Ateneo de Manila University's student theater groups, is ending its season with a musical titled "Labaw Donggon: Ang Banog ng Sanlibutan," which is based on one part of a 28,000-verse epic poem from the island of Panay called "Hinilawod." The epic tells of the adventures of a goddess who chose a mortal to be her husband, and the adventures of their three sons, the eldest of whom is Labaw Donggon. Entablado chose to stage the play outdoors, selecting an area of the campus with a bamboo grove, which they integrated into the set. It was a great idea, and made Labaw Donggon's adventures feel more real.
Meet the new university president, Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin SJ, whom everyone calls by his nickname, Jett. He took over from the previous president, Fr. Ben Nebres, just two years ago, in 2011. Fr. Jett is a physicist with a doctorate in Atmospheric Sciences from Georgia Tech, and he just turned 53 last January 30.
Nami Resort in Boracay is located on Diniwid Beach, on the other side of the island from the inundated White Beach and Willy's Rock which I posted the last two Sundays. The cottages are built on the side of a cliff, and though the walk down to the beach doesn't look easy, the view from the rooms must be fantastic.
The most colorful Chinese guardian lion—also known as a foo dog—I have ever seen protects an artist friend's studio and flower shop. This particular lion is male, since his paw is on the world. Female guardian lions have their paw on a cub.
We call this small and simple bent iron and wood chair a batibot chair. Batibot means small but strong, which is an apt description of the chair. I think they're charming, but they're not very comfortable, especially if you're big or tall. They used to be found in even the humblest homes and streetside eateries, but have mostly been replaced by plastic monobloc chairs (that are equally uncomfortable but far less charming). The chair design has been around for a very long time, but other than that, I don't know anything else about it. Do you have a chair similar in design in your country? What is it called? I know curiosity killed the cat, but I hope not this time.
"The Postman" (yes, that really is the name of the sculpture) standing in front of the neoclassical building of the Philippine Postal Corporation's headquarters.
More than life-size cut-out standees of students, athletes, teachers, and the university president himself, serve as directional signs and cajoling reminders about the traffic scheme. These two lovely young ladies are members of the women's volleyball team. I took this photo last Saturday, so the number should be down to 7 by now. Honestly, how can one stay irritated about the change when faced with such beautiful smiles?
This volcanic rock formation with a Marian grotto near the shoreline in Boracay is nicknamed Willy's Rock because it stands in front of Willy's Beach Club Hotel, one of the island's pioneering resorts (established in 1975, long before Boracay became a byword for summer beach vacations). I've seen pictures of it fully exposed, but during high tide in the southwest monsoon season, it's a wet walk to get to the rock.
And what do people do when they get to Willy's Rock? Why, take souvenir photos of themselves, of course!
The view which greeted me when I stepped out of our office building a little before 6:00pm yesterday, taken above the roads, parking lot and cars. A few trees across the field not blocked by buildings had taken on a red glow from the setting sun.
CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY: UMBRELLAS • You won't have to look for the rainbow after a storm when you carry a rainbow around with you.
