THIS HOUSE IS FOR SALE.....

The Dining Area And Kitchen..... The Outdoor Garden..... The Living Room..... The Master's Bedroom..... The Garage..... I received a text message from John. He asked if I was available to shoot on the 10th of January, a Sunday. I asked what will I be shooting on that date. He replied that his friend planned to sell her house and wanted to have some photos which will serve as a remembrance of her property. John also wanted to have some pictures that he could use to show to prospective buyers of the house.

Although John came to the house a few days before New Year's Day to take pictures, an unfortunate event befell him. His camera was stolen as he left it in his car while it was parked at HMR Sucat during New Year's eve. The thieves forcibly opened the door at the front passenger side of the car. That is why he failed to notice the absence of his camera because his door opened normally when he turned the key. The sad part was not only did he lost the pictures of the house that was for sale, he also lost the photographs of the family outing that he took during their day trip to Laguna too. Hence, the S.O.S. text that he sent to Buboy and I.

I haven't taken that much architecture shots of houses but I have shot interiors of churches a lot so I feel that I won't be having any problems. The house, though showing some signs of aging, is a modern, spacious and elegantly designed property that it wasn't that difficult to photograph at all. In fact, its simplicity inspired me to capture pictures from every conceivable angle that I can think of. Even John sent me a compliment when he saw the images that I took in the cd that I gave him.

It was a pleasure to meet the owners. The couple were a joy to talk to as we discussed about topics ranging from their family to religion to the traditional Latin Masses. I have always wanted to attend a Latin Mass. I did once though, while I was at London years ago. Now that I have some information about the places where the Latin Mass is being held here in the Philippines, I might decide to attend one in the future. But I still have to go to Sikatuna Village in Quezon City to look for the parish where the mass is being held.

RIA AND AD'S DATE AT THE ALTAR.....

A Set Of Shots Of The Bride.....





The Groom.....






Dr. Ada Soriano With Her Husband And The Couple.....




There is something about shooting weddings that I find uplifting. I think it's the concept of romance, of two individual people about to be joined in marriage because of their love. And to be part of the team chosen by the couple to cover the event is an added bonus.

Ria and AD were a pleasure to take pictures of. They were married at the Archbishop's Palace in Mandaluyong. Reception then followed at Richmonde Hotel. I noticed the groom was not comfortable in posing for their formal portraits hence I asked if he was more comfortable doing informal poses. The shoot then sailed smoothly from there on.

An incident happened when I went to the groom's room to shoot his preparations. I was surprised when I entered the groom's bedroom. I saw a familiar face from my past. As I shot the groom's preparation, I tried to recall the name of this person. I was sure though that she was one of the doctors that I have worked with at the Philippine General Hospital. Then when I was finished doing so, I remembered her name. It was nice seeing you again, Dr. Ada Soriano! She happens to be AD's older sister. Cool!

CELEBRATING IN STYLE.....

The Celebrant And Her Family.....






Michael Jackson Comes Alive.....






I received a call from one of my cousins, Manang Petty one day. "Gusto mong pumunta maki-birthday?" she asked. "Sino ang magbi-birthday?" I asked in reply. "Si Manang Meriam mo at ang venue ay sa Quezon City Sports Club. Magkita tayo ng mga 5:30 sa Cayco. Sama ka?" she answered back. I consulted my brother and asked if he wanted to go. I called my cousin back and told her of our intention to go and tag along with her and expect us to be around the meeting place at 5:30 pm.

So this time, it's Manang Miriam's turn to celebrate. And for someone who is officially a senior citizen, I say her looks do not show it. I guess it is in our genes to actually look younger than our age. There may be some exceptions but overall, my maternal blood relatives have this trait.

I was looking forward to attending this birthday bash, as I recently just visited a sad event, attending a burial of someone, just to lift my spirit up a bit from the gloom of sadness. It made me stop for a moment and ponder about life in general, the alpha and the omega; the yin and the yang; the good and the bad; joy and sorrow. Man may never know when one's life is about to end but this is what celebrating birthdays are for, to give thanks to the Lord Almighty for giving as another year to tread this earth.

I secretly envy watching my cousins who belong to a large family. Every occasion becomes an informal reunion of sorts, with noisy kids and chatting adults. Also, the added bonus of having to rely on a much bigger support system when life gets difficult is also a plus. It may be chaotic but it can be loads of fun.

It was rather great to see Manang Miriam's other siblings who flew in from the United States just to celebrate this occasion with her. And Manang Miriam decided to go all out for this bash. It is a pity though that the weather did not cooperate as the rain started to fall. If it didn't rain, perhaps there would be more guests who were able to come and party with the celebrant too.

The highlight of the night was the appearance of some dance instructors who started to dance with everyone (well anyone who fancied dancing the swing). And in the end, the dancing just got longer when the instructors began to teach everyone (well as in everyone who cared to dance) the steps to line dancing.

We did went home around night time but it was quite evident that everyone had fun. To Manang Miriam, Happy Birthday! And thank you for celebrating this momentous occasion in style and including us. My prayers for your good health and until your next birthday bash..... c",)

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE - PAOAY CHURCH.....

St. Augustine Church of Paoay, Ilocos Norte.....






Temples of Angkor Wat?






From Another Angle.....





Visitors Inside The Church.....






The Restaurant Across The Church.....






Pinakbet Pizza Anyone?






I Suggest You Improve Your Service.....






Feel The Heat.....






I haven't been to Paoay Church or St. Augustine Church of Paoay in a long time. And the last time I was here, I didn't have a camera with me hence I failed to take pictures of the church. And I just tagged along with my cousins who where suppose to be going to Laoag to do an errand.

The church was the second in our itinerary for the day. But we had to eat first since we have not eaten breakfast yet. A restaurant which was just across the street was the only place to eat. However, service was slow that we could not wait that much longer anymore and were famished. We ended up eating at a turo-turo which had some cooked viands left. Me? I was happy to have chicharon with kamatis, bagoong, lasona as my lunch.

The weather became extremely hot that I developed headaches as the day wore on. By the time we were at Fort Ilocandia, I just had to take a nap inside the van while the rest of the gang went to the Malacanan of the North, which was actually the summer house of the Marcoses during their reign.



The New Bridge.....






The Historic One.....






Excuse Me, Bless.....






A Study Of Light and Shadow Series.....





















Planning a Shot.....






A Jump Shot.....







It is actually the day when we have to return to Manila. And one of the things we missed shooting was the Quirino Bridge which connects the town of Santa to Vigan. I was impressed with the way we tried to catch up the time as the driver literally stepped on the gas and the van flew by. We momentarily stopped by Vigan to buy pasalubong and to eat Vigan empanada. We were way ahead of schedule of catching the sunset at the bridge.

IN AND AROUND STA. MONICA CHURCH, SARRAT, ILOCOS NORTE AND OTHERS....

The Church Of Sta. Monica In Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.....






The Altar In Different Views.....









Statue of Sta. Monica.....






Detailed Interior.....















Open Sesame!






The Belfry.....






One Of The Stations Of The Cross.....






The Parish Museum And Convent Ruins.....





















The Real Adobe Up, Close And Personal.....






The Edralin House Of Ferdinand.....






On the third day of our trip we went to Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. Compared to other towns which features a well known church, one can say that this was off the tourist track. For one thing, Sarrat is not a town close to the national highway like for example Sta. Lucia, where the church can be seen from the national road instantaneously. I am not so sure if this church happens to be the largest in the whole of Ilocos Norte but its massive structures can make this church lay its claim to being one.

One can not mention the church of Sta. Monica without mentioning the name of the late former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos immediately after it. Marcos was born here in Sarrat. And during his term as president, his daughter, Irene Marcos was married to Greggy Araneta in a very ostentatious and grandiose wedding ceremony. Imagine a red carpet that stretched for kilometers and there was even a talk of opening up a private airstrip for guests to use when arriving for the wedding. How ironic that two months after the wedding,on August 7, an earthquake of intensity 7.6 affected Ilocos Norte and destroyed the altar and belfry of the church.

A huge hotel like building was erected and served as the guesthouse for those who attended the wedding of the former presidential daughter. Nowadays, the building has been transformed into the municipal town hall which houses the offices of the local government.

THE MAJESTIC LIGHTHOUSE IN THE SKY.....

The Plaque On The Wall.....






A Few Steps Over.....






From The Courtyard.....







BOO!!!!!






Shadow Markings.....






Rooftop.....






Picture! Picture!






Iron Circle.....






Down Below The Lighthouse.....









The first lighthouse that I have been into was the one on Capones Island, Zambales. Lighthouses provide an unrestricted view of the area and is great to take aerial shots of the surroundings. It also provides a sense of history, as one begins to know of tales that a lighthouse played during a certain time in its past. And I also noticed that a lighthouse's "age" can be ascertained by its appearance, i.e. is it modern or old; is the paint on the walls peeling off or freshly coated; are there any junk parts laying around its quadrangle or are the old parts still in use?

The lighthouse of Cape Bojeador in Burgos, Ilocos Sur was built during the Spanish era. It was first lit on March 30, 1892. It sits majestically on top of a hill named Vigea de Nagparitan and can be seen as far as the town of Pasuquin on the southern end and Bangui at its eastern side. It stands 65 foot tall and has an octagonal stone tower. The lighthouse was put up by the Spaniards to serve as a guide for those galleon ships that entered the country from its homeland of Spain. Up to the present, the lighthouse continues to do so.

Today, it is now one of the tourist attractions of the town of Burgos and the structure itself has been declared a National Historical Landmark on august 13, 2004 and a National Cultural Treasure on June 20, 2005 by the Philippine Government.

Now I have also heard stories about ghosts that supposedly hunt the lighthouse. And these stories were not from the average Joe but from local television shows. It seems that the caretaker of the lighthouse has been a witness to these paranormal sightings. I spoke to him about it and he was noncommittal. I guess he just did not want to scare the people around us by affirming my querry. The line was so long when we went there that it took as about 30 minutes to wait for our turn to go up. Perhaps this is just my imagination working overtime but the window that I took a picture of and posted gave me the shivers while doing so! Creepy!