Time Warp II - We love them birds!

Continuing with the whole Christmas cheer thing here's a blast from the past and the latest version of the pic (brother & sister, we should have another one taken when we are grandparents). The above picture is from sometime in the 70's, one of our Christmas dinners I'm sure. The one below was taken just a few days ago, Christmas dinner too. The bird may have changed (from duck to turkey) but my brother's love of birds has not.

Sorry if this post is totally unrelated to travel but it is about photography. I came across a treasure trove of slides which my mum and dad had, some dating back to 1959. I'm still in the process of scanning them but I couldn't get over how after all these years these pictures just brought so much joy to our family - the coveting look of my brother, the happiness evident on my sister's face and me licking my lips. Sure the composition maybe off, the focus not pin sharp and the subject totally mundane to all but the family but photography is not just about taking a pretty picture, it's also a log that hopefully survives time and which generations after us can enjoy. So bring out your camera, forget about whether your hair is perfect or whether your t-shirt has holes in them. Just smile and think about what your kids will say 30, 40 or 50 years from now . . . . . "Look, great grandad's hair looks funny and his shirt has a hole in it".

It's a Pinoy Christmas

I've experienced Christmas in Germany and London while growing up there and the white snowy Christmas and gifts and the happy times with the family were the greatest. I used to think that Christmas couldn't get any better than that until I came home to the Philippines.

Here Christmas is a total production, starting with the build up in September when you can start hearing Christmas Carols in the shopping malls, continuing with the numerous reunions you go to (high school friends, work, college friends, family, in-laws, etc.), the crazy decorations in the streets and the ridiculous radio countdowns - "Yes, just another 73 days to go before Christmas". Then you have the kids and not so kids caroling at your gate, the security guards at the buildings, bank and grocery store being extra nice and all this time the FOOD. Tons and tons of food of every kind at the reunions and as gifts being passed out from cakes to cookies to frozen steaks (yes, frozen steaks).

Let's not forget Simbang Gabi, the tradition of going to early morning mass (and I mean early, around 4:30am) for 9 days straight before Christmas day. It is said that if you complete the series your wish will come true and I'm happy to say I'm on my way to finishing my first complete Simbang Gabi - lotto jackpot here I come.

Back in London and Germany we had the midnight mass and then noche buena (which thanks to my parents they kept alive even in Europe) and then gift opening and that was it. Maybe one reunion in the form of my dad's office party. That was it.

It's a little mad in the Philippines during Christmas time, travel books give fair warning to people about traveling to the country during this time of the year and despite the traffic, the mad money spent on gifts and the hectic schedule I wouldn't have it any other way.

A very merry Christmas to all, wherever you may be.

Southern Leyte Landslide (Part II) - Life at the camp

Deciding to stay at the build site was our best decision of the trip. Not only was our daily commute practically nonexistent, but if we got tired during the day, which happened at least twice a day, we could "take 5" or sometimes "50" with no problems at all. Also, coming home to a home cooked meal after a hard day's work was easier since we only had to walk.

Our neighbors were the Philippine Army contingent that was tasked with security for the build site, always a good neighbor to have, and MERALCO, the electric company who had sent a volunteer team to build a house too. Here is where the kindness of neighbors really kicked in, as if it wasn't enough that we were building homes for the displaced. Our first day's lunch there was punishingly hot. There's really nowhere to hide from the midday sun on a build site where the roofs have not yet been installed and so we ate our lunch as quickly as possible and then proceeded to drink liters of water and soft drinks to replenish the liquids we had just lost. By the next day's lunch, when we were all but demoralized at the thought of another "hot" lunch, we came back to our campsite to see a newly erected trapal / tarp roof right over our cooking and eating area - care of the Philippine Army. Thanks lads, I knew they'd come in handy.

Our problem at dinner time was slightly different. The cooking was great and so there was no need to hide the food in the cover of darkness (been on some camping trips where it was just better to close all the lights and shovel the food in your mouth, this was not one of them) but since we didn't have electricity we had to do with our head lamps and flashlights. Enter MERALCO. Their team came over and connected us to their campsite's electricity supply, which in turn was connected to the build site. I can't imagine another time when a simple bulb spread so much joy. We also connected a simple doodad to it to convert it into an electrical outlet / bulb and before long we were a charging station not only for our cellphones but also of other camps, including the soldiers. What comes around goes around, thanks MERALCO and to our boys in uniform.

Southern Leyte Landslide (Part I)

Not sure if you guys remember the terrible landslide in Southern Leyte in 2006. The side of the mountain literally fell off and buried a whole municipality. Confirmed dead 250, missing 1,500 and the only reason they are not confirmed dead is because they were literally buried in 20 meters of mud and could not be recovered.

Okay, enough of the morbid details, I was able to visit the site and do a little good at the same time. Back then, the bank I used to work for was looking for volunteers to join Gawad Kalinga in building homes for the survivors. The trip would be paid for and the days spent there would not be charged to my vacation leave . . . . . in other words, a no brainer. The catch was we'd rough it out, maybe sleep in the local school or get put up with other people in the nearby towns. Not a problem, I brought my tent, sleeping bag and all my other outdoor gear and headed off.

After arriving we decided to stay on the building site as all our team members brought tents and after a brief struggle with setting up one mega tent (didn't come with instructions) we were ready to build a house. Turns out that being a VP in one of the largest financial institutions in the world means squat when it comes to building houses, for one we didn't have anyone to delegate the work to and we didn't have a conference room to map out our strategic goals and measures. Luckily each team gets assigned a supervisor and in a bizarre twist of fate us cubicle bred office workers were now in a meeting with our new boss, let's just call him Manong. In true management guru style, manong sat on his stool and gave clear cut directions in the fewest words possible. He also let us happily build a wall and when it was clear that it wasn't going up right, he'd step in during the most crucial moments and fix things himself - in a kind of lead by example kind of a way or maybe he just thought it would be easier to fix things himself rather than getting us to fix our mess. Either way, this house was going up. It was a real eye opener, you may have all the best intentions in the world for wanting to help out but when push comes to shove and you have to dig a ditch, mix cement or put up a wall, there's no substitute for good old fashioned nose in the dirt hard work. Good thing we had home cooked food to comfort us. . . .now if we only had a home to go with the food.

Manila Photos

Just a quick announcement, for those guys taking Jetstar Asia anytime soon (as in December). My cousin wrote about Mall of Asia which it turns out is only the third largest mall in the region, China has the two larger ones. Photos care of me.

Time Warp or (Don't you guys ever pay attention to what you wear?)

Here's something funny, you know how us guys always get away with wearing the same clothes while girls would rather be skinned alive than get caught with the same outfit twice. Well, the two photos for this entry make the point all too clearly.

The photo above was taken in 2003 and the one below in 2004 when we did Europe again on what I call the "Mother Trip" (with my mum and my mother in law). See anything weird?? Dang I love that shirt.
PS I believe I also wore the same pants . . . . and yes, I loved them too.

Russia Article

For those who have access, I wrote about my Russia trip in Sense & Style Magazine - Dec/Jan issue. Call it whatever you want to call it but seeing my work in print really brightens my day, pick up an issue, there's just something different about holding something physically in your hands
rather than scrolling down the screen on the net . . . (but please continue reading my blog).

Sailormoon Ninjas

Japan, Land of the Rising Sun, Hara-kiri, Samurai, Ronin and Ninjas and let's not forget Sailormoon. I'm not sure what my obsession is with the land that introduced Hello Kitty to the world. Maybe it's their ultra healthy and minimalist cuisine or their very inventive - hi tech gadgets. On the other end of the range it maybe those crazy game shows ala Takeshi's castle or the endless Animes they produce. Whatever the reason, Japan was my dream destination and the few days we spent there were heaven and did not disappoint.

We took in the temples, the old streets with traditional tea houses spotting the odd Geisha on her way to the next appointment, and went to Harajuku to take in the punk rock / school girl anime dressed kids . We rode in the shinkansen, ate from bento boxes and went (window) shopping in Ginza.

There was so much to do and I can't wait to go back to visit the graves of the 47 Ronin, buy Pocari Sweat from a vendo machine, join an Aikido session in a Dojo, watch a Sumo wrestling match and hang out with the in crowd in their ultra chic bars. Let's go back. . . .

Zipping in and out

I gun my sports car into a turn, the response is immediate as I put my foot on the pedal powering out of the turn. The white scarf of the beautiful woman in the passengers seat is flying in the air revealing her long slender neck. Another curve is coming up fast and a bus comes out to surprise us. I squeeze the car through into the only space left, an incredibly small place between the big bus and the knee level brick divider that separates the road and hundreds of feet of air, steep cliff side and ocean.

It turns out that my sports car is really a small sky blue compact Renault Punto but the beautiful woman beside me is in reality beautiful and the road is exactly what it is, the famous coastal road of the Amalfi region. My wife dragged me on a train ride down to Naples and wanted to rent a car to go on this incredible road trip. At the train station, where I had wanted to rent a Ferrari and live out my previously mentioned fantasy, the Italian rent-a-car guy informed me that the best he could do was a Ford Focus hatchback, and at twice the price of the Punto. I swallow my pride and we head off using a very well marked map that came with the car.

It turns out the compact car was made for this ride. The roads are insanely tight and buses make the small two lane roads even smaller. The views though are spectacular and after while one gets used to the small roads, buses and tight turns. I press on the gas once more and head off down the next turn, the sun reflecting off my white tux . . . . . .

Brooklyn Bridge

On a trip to the US, I had planned to take pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge. Photographed a thousand times over with the spectacular cable matrix running the length of the pedestrian walkway, I was wondering how best to capture a unique picture of it. As it turned out, traveling with family, our itinerary never took us close to the bridge. So much for taking unique photographs of it. The follies of the tourist photographer.

Luckily, a boat ride around Manhattan island was on our itinerary and it passed right under . . . you guessed it, the Brooklyn Bridge. I hardly call these unique but they're a different take on the bridge.