World Light Expo 2007 II (pictures dump)

the last post is just hard to top and since i have a lot of pictures taken, magpapagalante na ko, i'll share what i have hehehe.

the above archway leads to Macapagal avenue..

(to the tune of paper roses) paper lantern, paper lantern

a glimpse to a member of the terracota army

Entrance fee: P30 (yata)

a 3D theater

entrance fee: P30

dragons (just one, or four, of the lot)

tail of the dragon

dragon cups (me pipino sa mata, beauty secret??)

pagoda hoppers

turkey-ish

dragon ulit (this time red)..

dolls

(kung black lang yung hair, sadako resurrected!)

ah eto... (walang mai-comment hehehe)

these dolls/mannequins are actually moving..

sarimanok? (newly-hatched ba o bulaklak yung inaapakan nya?)

children

poste lang po, isama na natin, kawawa naman.

World Light Expo 2007

they had the soft opening last Feb 13, 2007. i went there last night and the damage was P300.00 for the entrance fee. take note, that's only for the entrance. aside from the Pagodas, the Korean and Chinese circus, the well-lighted archways, the water screen laser show, the little fireworks and other lighted structures, you have to pay an additional P20-50 for the -18 degree centigrade Harbin Ice & Light Festival (na hindi ko napasok, mukhang pinapalamig pa yung tent hehehe), the 1st Qin Emperor's Terracota Army (na nasilip ko lang kasi pinipinturahan pa yung ibang "sundalo"), me mga mini-rides din na napagtyagaan ng ibang "adults" at nung sumakay na sila parang napaisip sila kung bakit sila sumakay hehehe.

some facts i extracted from the Expo brochure i got upon paying the entrance:

• Gross Production - Usd 6 millions
• Gross Staff hired - 10,000 persons
• Production period - two years
• Job creation in the Phils - 12, 000 persons
• Number of bulbs used - 2,000,000
• Design Team (Philippines, Korea, China, Italy) - 200 staffs

the Expo is open everyday from 4:30 pm onwards (up to 1 am on weekends), Feb 13-April 22

Adult (over 4 ft) Php 300.00

Child (below 4 ft) Php 200.00

Children under 3 years old - Free

Parking is on the Macapagal Avenue side. If one is coming from Makati, take EDSA going to Mall of Asia then turn left upon reaching Macapagal Ave. You can also go there by boarding the bus with the signboard MIA Baclaran and go down on or before the Coastal Mall.

yellow t-shirt wearing staffs can be found around the area, you can approach them for some queries and you can even ask them to take your pictures.

the colorful pagodas and the long-bodied dragon made of ceramic/plastic plates, cups and spoons are prominently on the center of the Expo.

when i went there last night, i saw korean food stalls with the London Bridge-inspired lighted structure as its "landmark" and Indo's, strategically located near the stage where the circus and some performances are being done on an hourly basis. i didn't bother checking the food and the price as i am more interested in taking pictures than eating. hehe

there are more to see there that these pictures may not be able to give/impart, if you think the P300 entrance fee is a "expensive but-a-once-in-a-lifetime-experience", then by all means, go there, but if your idea of the expo is a star city theme park and that you can ride-all-you-can with your P300, don't go.

but this one is a nice way of appreciating other culture. and a very good opportunity to practice and/or enhance that photography talent you have. and perhaps, a huge project like this might never happen again in the very near future.

and this is for the benefit of Pangarap na Lupa Foundation (Children with sight impairments)

(my random thoughts, how much are they going to pay Meralco for the huge, huge, huge amount of electricity they will use for that 2M bulbs?)

HOT!

not me, but the weather is.

just two weeks ago, we had this christmassy cold weather and then now, we are starting to perspire and in the middle of the night, you felt hot and then you have this sudden urge, uhm, yeah sudden urge to take a bath.

lol.

is it already el niño? or summer is just early (i hear the beach calling...)? mukhang double time na ang kelangan sa pagwo-work out (as if...) to have that model-body look (walang pakialaman ha hehe). seriously, the again sudden change in weather just highlighted the unsatisfying-forever-complaining nature of men (and women). kapag malamig, nagrereklamo, kapag mainit, ano pa bang maririnig? syempre, reklamo din.

at kasali ako dun.

i have the body whom i called the sweat capital of the world. kapag nasa labas at konting galaw lang, pagpapawisan na, imagine how i look like when it's hot or when i am jogging or when i am playing badminton? scary! and i am not even chubby! hehehe. hindi naman gross tingnan pero parang dehins normal na sobra akong pagpawisan, the good thing is pinaglihi yata ako ng nanay ko sa pag-inom ng tubig kaya nare-replenish naman yung nawawalang liquid (parang gatorade, is it in you?). and i usually have excessive sweating sa bandang noo lang, leeg, front and back of my body and not in the armpit (now that is gross hehe).

on a typical day, while sitting lazily and randomly pressing the keyboard in my office, i usually consume about six to eight glasses of water, and that's before lunch time. add about the same number of glasses hanggang makauwi ako ng bahay sa hapon. buti nga di pa nagtataka dito sa office kumbakit bumibilis yata yung pag-replenish at pag-order namin ng tubig hehehe. sa loob ng mahigit walong oras na pagtitig ko sa monitor ng computer ko, at least 14 glasses yata ang naiinom ko, hindi pa kasama ang kape at yung tinutungga ko sa bahay. tapos nagtatanong ako kung san ko kinukuha ang ipinapawis ko? lol.

from what i know and what i read, sweat is the body's way of cooling itself, whether that extra heat comes from hardworking muscles or overstimulated nerves. (trivia: our external genital organs has no sweat glands, kaya no sweat, go figure! hehe). and there are two kinds of sweat glands: Eccrine (the most numerous type, found all over the body) and Apocrine (mostly confined in the Axilla/armpit and the anal-genital area. These two sweat glands have the same way and/or process of producing sweat, they only differ on the content: while both glands produced sweat with have sodium, chloride and potassium, Apocrine-produced sweat has protein and fatty acids which make it thicker/milkier and yellowish in color. hmm, kaya pala minsan parang me stain yung damit natin no? uy, itse-check nya yung damit nya. hehehe

i really do not have the right to complain na pawisin ako, ganyan na talaga eh, minsan di lang komportable at kelangan ko pang magdala lagi ng extra shirt in case of emergency at para na rin fresh (naks!) ang pakiramdam. and take note also, na hindi lang panyo ang dala ko araw-araw kundi towel. at dahil sa dami ng t-shirt o polo na nasusuot ko araw-araw, ibig sabihin doble rin ang dami ng labahan ko!!! hehehe at yun ang nakakalungkot dun. lol.

anyway, comforting isipin na kapag pinagpapawisan ka ang ibig sabihin daw ay healthy ka at normally functioning ang katawan mo. yun nga lang, marami ka laging labahan. hehehe.

you really cannot have it all :)

smoke gets in your eyes

hay naku.

ranting naman tayo. not a very good way to start a day but then...

whenever i ride the jeep, if possible, i always like to be seated in front, you know the one beside the driver. mas komportable kasi kahit pang-isahan lang yung upuan, ikumpara naman sa eight-seater sa likuran na ang pinagkakasya ay sampung elepante! hay. this morning, i got my favorite seat (at mahaba/malaki yung upuan, kahit tatlo pede), ang problema lang: sunog baga si manong!

it was not the first time seating next to smoking driver, but this early? naku naman ser, almusal ba yan? and to think most of your passengers are elementary students? bad example po yan at bad din sa mga makakalanghap ng ibinubuga mo!

i don't exactly have problems with smokers, in fact, once in a while i puff. ang ayaw ko lang at ang nakakainis ay yung mga walang konsiderasyon at hindi namimili ng lugar ng pagsusunog-baga nila. and the sad part of it, sila pa itong madalas na nagagalit kapag pinakikiusapan o sinisita. ano daw ba ang pakialam natin? kuya, bosing, ser, kami rin po walang pakialam senyo, kung hindi nyo po ibinubuga yang usok nyo sa amin, ay wala po tayong pag-uusapan. kung lulunukin nyo na lang sana yang usok, naku everybody happy di po ba?

kapag ipinaliwanag kaya sa kanila ang epekto ng second-hand smoke, mage-get kaya nila? baka bugahan pa ulit ako ng usok. hehe. this time usok na ng tambutso ng jeep nila. lol.

in our society, tolerance is sometimes the best way for you not to be in trouble but with undisciplined/uncontrolled smoking in public places especially on a jeep/bus, tolerance will get your health in trouble. the not-so-good effects of smoking in our body have been told and explained many times and in every possible means, but why is it that the public awareness on the effect of second hand smoke is not as widely "promoted" as the former?

cigarettes produced about 12 minutes of smoke, only 30 seconds of those were inhaled by the smoker and the rest the smoke? they linger on air for the rest to breathe. i chance upon these facts on the net:

Second-hand smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals. Many of these chemicals are known to cause cancer. Chemicals found in second-hand smoke include:

• carbon monoxide (found in your car's exhaust)
• ammonia (found in window cleaners)
• cadmium (found in batteries)
• arsenic (found in rat poison)

it also adds:

No amount of second-hand smoke is safe.

Second-hand smoke causes sore eyes and throat, nasal irritation, headaches, coughing and wheezing, nausea and dizziness. You are also more likely to get colds and the flu. Breathing in second-hand smoke can also trigger asthma attacks and increase you changes of getting bronchitis and pneumonia.

If you are exposed to second-hand smoke for a long time, you are more likely to develop and die from heart problems, breathing problems and lung cancer.

scary, isn't it? now, if anyone can make a shirt with a design like this:

i'll order from you, just make it in black or red, and large size please (ok lang kahit medyo fitted).

hay, and we have the Anti-Smoking or No-Smoking Law (ayan, di ko na tuloy alam kung alin ang alin). naging mabait ako kanina, nagtiis na lang pero hindi maaaring hindi maramdaman ni manong driver na gusto kong sarilihin na lang nya yung usok nya: nagtakip ako ng towel (hindi panyo ha) at umubo-ubo ng konti to my left. deadma ang lolo nyo! tigas ng mukha no?

anyway i breath easily after i reached my destination but of course without me coughing harder towards his side.

pasensya na manong, di kasi ako puno ng mangga na pinauusukan para mamunga o gusto nyo batuhin ko kayo ng mangga?

peace. :)

shadows

old pictures. i just thought of sharing, in the spirit of valentine's day. hahaha.

and the circus comes to town

just to paraphrase the PDI headline.

on the eve of Valentine's day, when lovers and/or would-be lovers are busy applying some finishing touches on the supposed romantic V-day date, making sure no stones are left unturned, making that last minute booking/confirmation to this over-priced restaurant that shouts so much of "love" it actually cut thru your bank account or getting this double/triple priced flowers that has chemicals to go with the sweetness and the what-have-yous, guess what the other "lovers" of our much-publicized, limelight-hugging, showbiz-material politicians are doing?

putting (better ata ang pesting) up posters, baby, posters!

as i passed the roxas boulevard-baclaran area this morning, a new attraction is grabbing the attention from the huge billboards and MMDA metro guapo pink fences, and every passing eyes are roasting (roasted!) on the spanking and brightly colored posters of Ping Lacson and Kiko Pangilinan, and their million-peso smiles are now again "livening" up the otherwise filthy manila reclaimed area!

and it's just the morning after the deadline for filing their candidacy so we just have to brave the remaining 89 days and beyond....

i have been thru a lot of elections and being a pinoy, i should have been used to this circus we call election. but no, not really, i am still and will always be pissed off by politicians who're (remove the ') trying hard to look very nice, very accomodating and very matulungin on their photoshopped pictures (nagpa-facial kaya sila?) with their sparkling teeth brightly shining like their luxury cars.

i think i have to stop here, just the thought of typing the things that they will do and will want us to believe again will drain me no end. and i still have work to do.

i just can't help but say something. maybe i can turn this into an election blog??

no, no, no.

Valentine's dark side

while browsing the yahoo news, i saw this feature on flowers (read: valentine's day):

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- It's probably the last thing most people think about when buying roses -- by the time the bright, velvety flowers reach your Valentine, they will have been sprayed, rinsed and dipped in a battery of potentially lethal chemicals...

the rest of the article here.

and you thought your husband/boyfriend/brother/friend is sweet???

hahaha. seriously, i think it's just not about flowers, the same is also true with vegetables and fruits and even meats and poultries.

so what else is safe to give? to eat?

and don't slap your boyfriend with that over-priced flowers, just think of the thought and the effort and money (ok, the money is just me lol)...

windows

while waiting for lyn and with nothing to do, i play with my cam like the amateur that i am. there's a better angle than this but i just made with the limited window space i had.

action packed pre-valentine weekend

for one, tonight's the much anticipated game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup between my Brgy Ginebra Gin Kings against its sister team, San Miguel Beer. so much irony in this championship series: the Kings head coach (Uichico) was the former coach of san miguel, and it's his first championship game/series outside his former team, rommel adducul is also playing his first championship against his former team (ginebra).

the Best Player of the Conference will also be decided by the series as it is being closely contested by both Mark Caguioa and Danny Seigle, the main men of both teams and the two leading contenders for the plum with Mark leading Danny only by a hair.

aside from the games 1 and 2 (on sunday), what makes the weekend action-packed? getting tickets for games 3 and 4 will surely be not for the weak heart and i am dedicating half of my saturday securing one, imagine travelling from imus to araneta coliseum (times like these, getting ticket from the ticketnet is not advisable, going to the venue in at least three days advance is closer to getting the real thing).

and sunday, ah this sunday, feb 11 is a special day *wink, wink* if i don't remember the significance of that day, lyn will kill me. i think i'll post a separate blog on that, by the way, that's our sixth year anniversary and i have so much stuff in my mind that i don't know which one to pick, which one to do and i am feeling that my brain is on a hibernating mode (it's not even cold)...

but, i think i can pull this one off *crossing fingers*... good luck to me. :)

(hmm, the title of this post...)

the last three years...

this morning, while i am standing on the aisle of a Pasay-bound bus on my way to the office, a thought just crossed my mind: how was my life for the last three years?

one may ask what's so significant with those years? you see, of my almost 10 years of working (and thereby living) here in Manila, eight years of those were spent on four different apartments, all in Sampaloc, with my cousins and some kababayans from Quezon. the last apartment that i/we stayed on was actually good, it has three rooms, a spacious living room and kitchen, a big laundry area and it's gated. the best thing about that apartment was, it's just a step away from everything: wet market, the church, grocery, drugstore, the LRT 2, you can call a taxi anytime, there's fastfood, ATM's, it's even near a bus terminal that service the Manila-Quezon-Bicol routes! so what's more can i ask for?

privacy.

not that i/we don't have it there, it's just that i always have this "craving" to live alone, to mind my own self (the loner in me), and does not have to worry about my roommate or housemates. maybe i just want a certain freedom to do things my way like what tv show/s to see (ang babaw no?), how i want the toilet to look and smell at, you know the little conveniences that you have in your life in the province that you simply do not enjoy here in Manila. it's not really about comfort, it's, uhm, well, it's really is about comfort! hehehe. but don't get me wrong, i have no problem and did not have any problem with my housemates, i just wanted a space and more importantly, a future to look at.

then one time, a school mate invited me to see their house and another schoolmate's house in cavite, and that was it, the wake up call, the right timing, the opportunity, this is it! i asked for their agent for an appointment, an orientation, a tour of the area, a background of the developer and anything that my little brain can think of.

and after thinking and weighing down (and up) all the pros and cons of moving to cavite, like giving up or lessening or cutting on some of my yuppie life's fixtures like night-outs, movie marathons (i watch movies almost on a daily basis), cd's, gadgets, magazines (ok, fhm and pulp) and books, and considering the finances and how hard (my own term is madugo/bloody) it would be on my wallet and my little savings in the bank, i was a bit scared, i was like a drug-dependent individual doing some rehabilitation and the withdrawal is just so tough!

thankfully, the accountant in me prevailed! initially, i just think of it as in investment but later on I looked at it as the foundation for my future, for my own family to build, for me to look onto later that, hey, i accomplished something in my life.

the last two or three years, as i expected, has never been smooth sailing, there were initially equity and then become monthly amortizations to attend to and there are also some bumps on the road that made my confidence and faith a little shaken.

the year 2005 has been somewhat a tumultuous year for our family, it was then that my father suffered from a stroke and his lifetime savings has been drained from it and it was also then that i almost give up on my little house and close to selling it to add in to the finances because my savings was also dried up, but my mother strongly told me not to. "we'll get through without resorting to selling things, have faith and everything will be alright in God's time", those were her words and we hold onto it.

my dad has now fully recovered (though he's no longer as strong as before, he's healthy and that's all that matters), and somehow with the help of friends and prayers, we made it. i learned that we should never lose hope, we should always hold onto our faith and our family and just like my mother's word, everything will be alright in God's time.

and my house? that's where i live now. i am still living alone there and sometimes having too much space for myself can be boring and saddening.

but the boredom and sadness will be gone, soooon.

What is the 2007 World Light Expo?

For the last three weeks or so that i've been passing the Coastal Mall area in Roxas boulevard/baclaran area, construction has been on-going and non-stop to that vacant lot across the said mall and sandwiched by the Roxas boulevard and Macapagal Avenue.

As i pass again yesterday and this morning (as i live in Imus), I am amazed at how things or those non-stop construction has become or starting to look at: there seem to be a white and lighted archway, pagodas, an eiffel tower imitation, a church (?), statue (again ?) and a big white tent. Those are the things that i can see when i pass by the area, together with the tarpaulin that says: 2007 World Light Expo Philippines.

Just the thought that there will something like the World Pyro Olympics again in Manila excites me no end. But really, what is the 2007 World Light Expo?

As i searched the net, i found this site, i think it's the official website of the event, i just haven't explored it yet because it takes too long for the site to settle itself! But from the looks of it, it's like a park, a themepark with pagodas, churches, ferris wheel (!) and fireworks!!

Oh, i just viewed the site, and I found this:

*The first exhibition overseas under the title of "Korea Wave", in the nation.*Cultural festival under the theme of "Light", enabling the entire world to share sympathy.

*Donating some of earnings to the Philippines government, for the expense of visually-challenged children in the Philippines, who can't see light. - Making 'light' symbolize as hope.

*"Light" is selected as the official cultural event in the Philippines Institution of Culture & Entertainment.

*Promoting as the field of festival with the aid of the highly-sophisticated lighting and science technologies by South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

*Securing the solid position as the contacts of Korea Wave in the Philippines, as the core cultural event of the world EXPO-Philippines 2006, and, at the same time, facilitating the increasing number of economic exchanges based on cultural exchanges.

i think it's going to be fun and educational and entertaining and spectacular. i hope it opens soon (the website indicated that the expo will be from Jan 12-Apr 15 2007).

kids

it's always nice to see my nephew everytime i go back to Quezon, it make you feel how it was being young: carefree, full of energy and no worries about the world. but when you've grown older, you have to worry about almost anything!

i think kids are nice photography subjects, the innocence, the playfulness, the energy. you can capture them all, and their eyes can tell you a lot. oh by the way, my nephew (i have two, the younger one is not in the picture, he's playing somewhere) is the one on the left, the other kid is a neighbor/playmate.

i love to have more of these shots.

Sunday travel

last weekend, i went to Quezon to visit my family. to make use of the five hours of bus ride, i took some pictures of the scenery while the bus is running, so sorry for some blurry shots. there should have been more, but just like the first picture, i slept the rest of the way. :D