Trip to Binondo 2012

At last, after years of waiting, I finally experienced Chinese New Year in Binondo!!!

It's a good thing that, for the first time (ever?), the celebration to welcome the year of dragon was declared a special non-working holiday by the Malacañang, and that's the primary reason why I can go there and got a first hand experience of the festivity.  And according to some, the declaration was basically the reason why the number of pinoys that trooped to Binondo, primarily Ongpin street, doubled or even tripled as compared with the previous celebrations.  Well, I do not have even the slightest idea as to how many people came that day, but I can tell you that a lot is an understatement.

I went there alone to shoot and at the same time, being a first timer, to be an usisero.  With the throng of people in Ongpin, no one will feel alone and no one can tell that I am an usisero. 

The moment I stepped out of the bus in Sta. Cruz and walk towards Ongpin, people in red and cameras flashing (literally and figuratively) are as common as the ponkans and oranges selling 5-for-P100.00.  It wasn't that hot, but you'll sweat with the energy of the place coupled with the endless walking and countless bodies that merged into that area.

My objective was to watch and shoot a dragon and lion dance.  The moment I heard a vicious beating of drums, I run towards to the area where the sounds are coming and found a lot of people circling around some performers, but they're not dragon/lion dancers, some kind of ati-atihan group that joined the business of giving and collecting envelopes to all in exchange for some dance and fire eating.  I stayed for a while, shoot some and walk away.

I saw some dragons "walking", and the mere sight of them excites a lot of people (including me) and before I can say dragon, people swirled around them and have their pictures taken.  I thought it was a main recipe for chaos and I was in the middle of it, so I excused myself and settled in the nearest corner, and took my time shooting.
 

 

It was after coming from Dong Bei (for a take out dumplings) that I got to witness a Lion Dance, the dragon performers just finished their part when I arrived though.  It was an amusing sight!  My adrenaline pumped with the beat of drums and cymbals, I almost forgot to take pictures as I was glued watching their routine, hehehe.

 

 

They performed in a newly-opened restaurant, and the coins thrown by the lion dancers to spectators were, understandably, more than the usual and the kids and oldies alike have a merry time catching them.

As I went my home, I walked again going the Sta. Cruz way, it was a long walk as I stopped every chance I got to see a dragon dance, and taking picture of other stuffs.  I also waited in line to get my share of shanghai fried siopao.  Oops, sorry, no picture of the actual siopao, I forgot hehehe.

If the next Chinese New Year falls on a weekday, will it be a holiday again?

Hopefully, so I can go back and dance with the dragon and lion again!!! :)

My father told me something in my dream...

I remember Lyn and I slept early that evening, and then I saw my father, very young looking and peaceful, he was wearing a polo shirt and he was with some people whose faces i cannot see, just white-blurry moving images surrounding my dad.

"Dinalaw ko lang kayo." he told me smiling.

He said something though I cannot recall what it was, or maybe I didn't understand, but I remember myself saying "Oo nga Daddy, sana nga."

I was about to say something and talk to him again but I woke up.

The next day, I told my wife about it and she said "Baka naman numero sa lotto yun, di kaya? hehe" I just smiled and remember that the lotto jackpot is nearing the P200 Million mark. I also told my mother about it and she said the same thing (lotto numbers).

It was only maybe one or two weeks ago when I found out what my dad's telling me and no, it's not about lotto numbers and I am not one of the two winners who split the more than P350million jackpot...

It's more than that, and an early birthday gift.

Yes, that's two lines for positive!!! Good news Pilipinas!!! We're going to be mom and dad soon. :)

happy c",)

minsan, me nagtanong sa akin: "hindi ba masakit?"

sabi ko, "ang alin?"

"ang katawan mo."


nagtaka ako, "ha? bakit naman?"



"tinadtad ka kasi ng kaguwapuhan eh!!!"


wehehehe.

pagbigyan nyo na ako, birthday ko naman eh. :)

awards!

last december, during Yapak's christmas party which i was not able to attend because it falls on the day that we will watch Avenue Q, i was nominated for some awards (nine categories, i think) and i was able to bag three of those! holy camote, how did that happened is beyond me hehehe. the certificates were given to me just recently, and i was like, wow! i could be happier if there's a cash prize too, but there's none, so yun, wow lang. hehehe.

i got the Early Bird award because i am a bird, este, i am always early (like 30 minutes early) whether it's a regular training run, preclimb meeting or other activities, and then i'll end up waiting for at least an hour before we can start whatever's on the agenda. kainis no? i am always reprimanding them (in a nice way of course) for coming late, and remind them constantly to be at least considerate of others who are making an effort to come on time. ayun, ganun pa rin sila, manghihingi na ako ng fine next time.

Endurance award! Yahoo! Education defined endurance as a noun, it is the act, quality or power of withstanding hardship or stress; the state or fact of persevering; continuing existence, duration. in short, i am superman! i am a superhero! YATTA!

Rookie of the Year. naks! sounds like i am an outstanding newbie, a newcomer who brought in slam-banging dunks, gravity-defying drive to the hoops or that perfect treys from the rainbow country or the mind-boggling steals and the no-look pass... wait, that's basketball! i am a rookie mountain climber, and i am the best for the year... what? every newbie's given a rookie of the year award? you mean, ALL OF US? and, this is generic? waaaaaah

hehehe, bitter.

seriously, i am thankful for those, it means that they noticed and took note of my efforts, and the sweat and muscle pains and sacrifices on climbing mountains were rewarded. to my YAPAK family, even though you already saw and know how idealistic i can become, how opinionated and how i can be a fighter for what i know is right, thank you, thank you, very much appreciated. :)

there is just one thing that the group hasn't explained and justified to me yet, WHY I DIDN'T WIN IN THE VIDEOKE KING CATEGORY?!? where is justice, where is justice??? hehehe, maybe it's their one way of saying "pwede bang KAMI NAMAN ang kumanta?"

oh, i'll include that in my targets for 2008, to win in the videoke king category! promise. lol

happy weekend everyone, we'll be in Anawangin for YAPAK's teambuilding, kanpai!!!!

Targets

new year's resolutions...not!

neither a meme (but if you want to do the same, you're tagged hehe).

it has been seven days after the dawn of the new year, and this kind of stuff is already late for some new year hubbaloos but what the heck? it's only seven days and not seven months, anyway...

these are some of the things that i need to have/to do/must have/must do (they're like the things i must force myself to do/to have/must do/must have):

1. Driver's license - i know, i know, kinda weird for a man (and at my age!) not to have one but it's the truth, i don't have it because i still don't know how to drive a car, period. :) another confession, i am "driving" a scooter in the province without a license but only around the neighborhood (yeah right, like driving around the area will not make me a law breaker...)

2. Passport - the shock factor here is on a lesser degree compared with the first one. my mindset before was why would i get one if i don't need one? tingininginiiing! reality check: what if i need one??? and asap??? what if i was asked by the National Geographic or the Discovery channel to be a travel bum and be paid for it and the only requirement is a passport? waaaa. i'll definitely get mine this year. :)

3. Photography class - i need one, and i have to do it the old-fashioned way, with a film SLR. sad to say, i cannot make a dSLR camera a priority, at least for this year, as there are more important things than a dSLR camera, but who knows, baka maisingit hehe.

4. More blog posts - i'll just do it. and also, i need to put a little sense to what i am posting hehe.

I think the above will do for now, i still have a lot in my mind but those need to be placed in the backburner as most of them involve money and 2008 is not the year to splurge on stuffs of lesser importance/relevance to/for the future.

*winks winks*

any target/s for this year?

Questions (and they're 38).

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Lyn, we were talking thru video call/phone (sosyal no? hehe) when something fell behind her, nagulat sya, napasigaw, akala nya ipis. wala lang natawa lang ako sa reaksyon nya. :)

2. What were you doing at 0800? checking my inbox

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? checking my inbox

4. What happened to you in 2006? my first time in pagudpud and boracay

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "NO WAY" when a co-mountaineer asked me to just throw my camera so she can take my picture.

6. How many beverages did you have today? so far, a mug of coffee, three glasses of water...

7. What color is your hairbrush? no hairbrush just a comb and it's black.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? P7.00 jeepney fare going to the office

9. Where were you last night? in my bed

10. What color is your front door? dark brown :)

11. Where do you keep your change? in my pocket, and then all the P5 & P10 will go to my alkansya (my target is to have P6,000.00 from all the 5's & the 10's by the end of the year, and so far so good)

12. What’s the weather like today? cloudy, no, it is now sunny

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? cheese, ube-macapuno

14. What excites you? weekends

15. Do you want to cut your hair? right now, yes.

16. Are you over the age of 25? (eyes rolling) yes.

17. Do you talk a lot? no, tahimik talaga akong tao that's why im mistaken as suplado pero hindi naman, tahimik lang talaga ako, i am a man of few words, i am not the type who can talk non-stop, me bilang ang pagsasalita ko at pag lumampas na ako sa quota ko for the day, tatahimik na ako, ibig sabihin, morning pa lang, tahimik na ako, kaya di talaga ako masalitang tao, tahimik lang talaga ako, nagkukuwento rin naman ako pero di masyadong mahaba kasi nga tahimik ako at di masyadong masalita, sabi nga silent water runs deep, ayun, silent talaga ako pero yung "deep" part parang wala yatang ganun hahaha. ano ba ito, no lang naman ang sagot di ba? :)

18. Do you watch the O.C.? O.C, what O.C? obsessive compulsive? ah orange county. NO.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? wait, does steven spielberg counts?

20. Do you make up your own words? i sometimes talk gibberish but i do not know how to make my own words

21. Are you a jealous person? sometimes

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. (looks at phone book) Acor.

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. (looks at phone book) Kit.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? (looks at phone book) number lang kasi mali yung natawagan nya (sayang P7.00 nya hehehe)

25. What does the last text message you received say? "Gud am, natatakot. she wil undrgo all lab procedures 2day as op prep. Bro kailangan namin at least 10pipol 2 donate Type AB blood" from a friend who's mother will be undergoing an ovarian operation soon. please pray for her.

26. Do you chew on your straw? no, but it can be a good substitute for toothpick in the absence of one. hehehe

27. Do you have curly hair? no, well... (wag na lang hehehe)

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Shangri-la mall (Cine Europa na!!!)

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? smokers in a PUV who doesn't give a damn to other passengers.

30. What was the last thing you ate? hotsilog for breakfast

31. Will you get married in the future? of course, *wink wink*

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? i just saw Memoirs of a Geisha in dvd.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? ah marami :)

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? this morning

35. Are you currently depressed? no.

36. Did you cry today? no.

37. Why did you answer and post this? i was tagged by Jho and this week my blog is now ONE YEAR OLD!!!!

38. I'm tagging Verns (uy, first time kitang i-tag ha), Single (ikaw din first time), Hazel (so you will be forced to post something hehehe), Belle (just returning a favor hehe) and Manny (para me intermission sa mga movie review).

(wag na magtanong kung para saan ang picture, gusto ko lang me picture, ano ba?! hehehe)

Happy weekend everyone and Happy birthday to my blog. KANPAI!!!!

My 100th (plus five), second of two parts

technically, this is my 101st post, but since this is the part two of my 100th, it is still somehow the 100th, or something. basta. :)

this is regarding the plus five, and this post has been waiting for more than a month already and i thought it's better to post it as my 100th (as a milestone) or the 101st to usher the next 100. whatever the reason (or the excuse? hehehe), this is it.

it was june 4, lady cess posted her answers on the hot seat questions and even with the warning that she'll be asking tough questions and those who will join the tag will regret doing so, i asked to be interviewed (at yari ako dito hehe).

so here they are:

1. Do you now have a real dog? If you don't have one yet, what's preventing you from getting one?

I still don't have, but in Quezon, we already have. Right now, i cannot get a dog of my own because since I am (still) living alone, no one will be left to take care of him/her if am at work.

I believe owning a dog is not as simple as getting one, it also entails responsibility. One should not only be a pet owner, but more importantly, a responsible pet owner (those two are worlds apart, and i want to be the latter). I think my situation right now is not very ideal, it would be very unfair for the dog.

2. You said you can write a love letter in a flash. Write a short love letter for your special girl. Content should be about your appreciation for a sweet gesture she has done for you just recently.

Now, this is tough. Love letter (and in a flash pa ha) is something i haven't done for the last 15 years! do i still have my mojo when it comes to love letter as i claimed to have back in high school? do i still know the works or mine were just plain corny? (corny, corny!) i don't know, but let me try. (okey, inhale...exhale...inhale...)

hi honey,

six years ago, you told me you don't want to enter into a relationship because you don't want a complicated life, but now, you told me you regret saying those because, as complicated as it may, the six years that we had was worth all the complications.

i may not be the most ideal boyfriend, but you always makes me feel like i am one. i may have a lot of imperfections but you've always been forgiving for those. kapag nagsusungit ako, you told me not to, kasi sabi mo lalong pumapangit ako (hehehe). i like it when you make face, kapag nagpapa-cute ka o di kaya pag namimilog yung mga mata mo.

you've always been so supportive and appreciative, and one time, sa wakas, you've praised my cooking! i know you're not really a fan of my cooking, but when you say "it's good", that was something. and when i said "pwede nang mag-asawa?" you just smiled. :)

the six years that we had was such an amazing six years of knowing and loving each other, and i'll never get tired of discovering more and falling in love more as days go by. and when that time comes that i'll hold your hand forever, i'll be the happiest, and you know that.

i love you.

okey, can i exhale now? whew!

3. Name one thing that you did for your girl that is so unlike you but you did it anyway mainly because you are impulsive.

Ok, mababaw lang ito, but it's so not me.

A couple of weeks ago, i went with lyn in Watson's for her kikay stuffs. after she did her thing (and me carrying the stuffs) and while passing the perfume section on our way out, I spotted the Paris Hilton travelling bag that she has been eyeing since she saw it first (and almost bought it) in Cinderella a couple more weeks back but i prevented her from getting it as i thought it was not practical, but this time, in a 360 degree-like turn of event, I even talked to the salesperson and inquire about it! Just like in Cinderella, the bag comes free if you bought two 100 ml Paris Hilton perfume or any other perfume from the same company. She was really giggling with excitement and really into buying it but she was also thinking what she'll do with two perfumes (make that two expensive perfumes!!). So i butt in the sales talk and dared the salesperson that if he can show us a perfume for men that can be combined with the Paris Hilton perfume, we'll get it. At the back of my mind, kalmado ako "huh, tingnan natin!". and as always, i was wrong!

at heto, the salesperson came back with TWO bottles of Perry Ellis (black and blue) and ONE bottle of Paris hilton for men. patay! lyn was grinning and she said "oh, pili ka na hehe". sus!

the hugo boss fanatic in me was trapped with either a perry ellis or a paris hilton as the only way out. i didn't like the paris hilton as it was so...paris hilton! i just settle in with the perry ellis blue as it's what i like best among the three (but hugo boss motion is still the bomb).

we split the bill but i ended up paying more as my perfume was more expensive than hers (even with the 40% discount!) and she get the free bag! i kid her that i'll borrow the bag on our next trek (and drag it along the rocky/muddy trails hehehe), sabi nya "subukan mo!" hehehe, oh well, like i wanted to be caught with a paris hilton bag! utang na loob! :D

another impulsive/budget-breaking expense, but at least, she's happy. :)

4. Among the far-flung places you just visited, which one do you like the least? Why?

Baguio. Don't get me wrong, the city of pines is such a cool place, but the traffic and pollution make you feel that you're still in Manila. It was no longer the same baguio that i saw the first time 19 years ago, when the fog is really a fog and not smog, when pine trees still smell like pine trees, when mines view park is still breathtaking (now, andami nang bahay) or when ukay-ukay is not yet the major attraction. Baguio is a classic example of too much urbanization/commercialization over preserving the heritage (oh, manila is on top of the list don't worry) and in the process, losing its once enchanting charm. i last heard that people of baguio are now starting to fight further concretization (my own word) of the summer capital of the philippines.

sana di sya maging extension ng manila and i also hope Sagada won't suffer the same fate.

5. An easy one. Describe the Zherwin we can expect to see 5 years from now.

In five years (uhm, maybe earlier than five years? hehe), a family man.

-----------------------------------------------------------

and it's done!

i know, i posted this late and most of you already had a share or two of being interviewed, but if you still want some not really brain-twisting questions, i can give you some, but follow the rules:

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me".
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

:D

My 100th (plus five), first of two parts

This is my 100th post. yihaa!

it was October 17, 2006 (almost nine months ago) when i had my first post, and it was October 19 when i got the first comment on my third post. the first few weeks i was just blog-testing, and i really do not have a grip on what i am doing, i only wanted to return to writing and i felt i needed some practice for me to get back in shape (as if, hehe) and then, you can see me posting about the Philippine Idol and Amazing Race 10 (and even britney spears hehe) and by that time i am not sure where my blogging is going or if my purpose of going back to writing is being achieved by those not really impressive posts. oh well...

but it's a different thing when the New Year comes, enter the 2nd World Pyro Olympics.

my interest in blogging reached a new high when the realization came that i can learn a lot from fellow bloggers, especially about photography, and that i can post all the photographs i've taken without anyone complaining (so far, wala pa namang nagrereklamo hehehe). my first take on fireworks i thought was good, and then i saw some bloggers' shots, ewww, i was ashamed of even posting mine! hehehe. i searched the net on how to improve my works, and it gave me a LOT of how/what-to-do's. wow. and compared with the previously-unoriented shots, the results of my next two days of shooting were more than satisfactory. see them here and here.

february was the turning point. ahem. i posted about the pba, some pictures, the World Light Expo, more pictures and it was also the time that i started ranting and ranting and began liking what i am doing (hmm, reklamador?). and more importantly, i visited more blogs regularly and actually leave a comment on their posts. it was sngl's that i regularly visit (somehow i can relate to his rantings hehe) and then there was verns who's very articulate and very funny at the same time, then there were abaniko (ang galing na photographer nito), the pride of catanduanes belle, leah (straight from canada), the super duper busy but macau-bound hazel, the sapatero by day and ninja by night mon at nataranta na ako sa biglang pagpick-up ng traffic! i really like what i am seeing, i like the interactions, the comments were all inspiring! and before i knew it, nadagdagan na ng nadagdagan ang blogfriends ko. :)

i didn't realize that it's going to be this fun, i continue posting more rantings, more pictures, more travels, more pictures and get this, meeting some blogfriends is even more exciting. and oh, more blogfriends on my blogroll: the superwriter toe, the law school-bound rhodora, super mom sexy mom, the scientist from japan (hai) kathy, fellow lea salonga fan gina, jhoanne (who's on hiatus), stay at home mom (at me utang pa kong post sa kanya hehe) lady cess, fellow flickrista koolitz, book lover lazarus, the new kuwait resident fingertalks, the manilenya in canada melai, the transformer fanatic and photographer watson, the pride of davao tina, kababayan and movie reviewer manny, a toronto resident ey, backpacker and fellow caviteño owen, photographers/travellers ferdz and lino, great teacher bugsybee, UP jogger atticus, cebu bai intsik, photojournalist sidney and some celebrities/probloggers/great writers/awesome photographers from anton to yuga, from jim paredes to noemi, from bo sanchez to howie severino and jove francisco, from lori to elber to markku, from former officemate ate dins and even to pinoy rickey. :)

whew! andami nun!

not so long ago, i thought my blogging would be over, good thing, i was wrong. and look, i am now on my 100th!

to be continued...