AT THE END OF THE DAY.....

Rest In Peace.....






Final Viewing.....






The Family Left Behind....






His Loved Ones.....






A Pensive Mood.....






I may not be seeing what is left of my close friends in PGH that often nowadays but that does not mean I do not care about what goes on in their lives next. From a group of 11 people, only three of us have remained here in the country and the rest have established their lives abroad. A text there, a message in Facebook or a chat here keeps me updated about them. Before, I used to be able to go to PGH and pay them a visit. But since both have become settled in their married lives, priorities have shifted and going out like we used to do when everyone was single is now a rare occurrence.

Early this year, I was shocked to learn about the deaths of the loved ones of these friends of mine. One lost her husband to leukemia while the other lost her father to a presumed heart attack. I wasn't able to attend the wake of the husband of my friend since it was in an area I wasn't really familiar with (Pagbilao, Quezon) but I sent my condolences. But when the other pal lost her dad, I made sure that I would attend his wake out of respect for the family. After all, the man welcomed me, (and the rest of the gang when we were still complete) to his home years ago and I was grateful for that. Ate Rose joined me as we traveled to Lani's hometown. Since we arrived at sunrise, we felt we just have to be with Lani's family for the burial, which Ate Rose and I did participated in.

Right after Lani's dad was laid to rest, a sudden downpour occurred. It was the most disrupting event to happen. I hate traveling while it is raining. I don't want to waddle in flooded areas; I don't want to get wet if I have not set my mind to be. All I want is to return to my home as soon as possible. This is me being tired, I longed to be home. Also, this is me being mindful of contracting leptospirosis.

But I liked returning to Lani's hometown, even if it was for a sad occasion. My first and only visit was a decade ago. The three of us reconnected as we were able to engage in some serious conversations. I found out about the progress of Lani's kidney transplant journey while Ate Rose regaled us with stories about her daughter, Precious. I updated the both of them of what I have been doing this past few months. And we would fill each other about news concerning our other friends if we knew something new about them.

If ever the time comes that some of our friends return for a vacation, we would suggest a trip back to Lani's hometown. Besides, we would be occupying a huge house, just for us, the girls!

THE CAVES OF ZAMBALES...,..

As I explained previously, part of our assignment was to shoot some of Zambales' tourist spots. The group then headed to a series of caves, the most famous of which is called the Sagrada Familia.

According to some locals we have asked, the cave is a favorite place of local pilgrims, especially during the Lenten Season. People who seek solitude actually go the the cave and contemplate. However, some local youth also use the cave as a place to hang out in. These kids apparently often leave evidences of their activities inside the cave. Bottles of liquor, empty plastic bags and cigarette butts are some of the refuse that had been collected from the site.

But what really devalues the place are the presence of names written on the walls of the cave. These were apparently written by the visitors of the cave which serves as a memento of their visit. If only these people knew that writing on the walls of caves is prohibited by law.

ZAMBALES CHURCH NUMBER TWO.....

St. Monica Church of Botolan, Zambales.....






The Belfry.....






The Guardians Of The Narthex.....








The Nave Of The Church.....






Baptistery.....






As soon as we were finished shooting the activities for the morning program, the group decided to explore the neighboring towns to find places worthy of being captured in digital file. So we went to Botolan, Zambales to visit its church, The Parish Of St. Monica. The church was built in 1700 out of coral blocks that the townsfolk painstakingly carried from the sea. It is also believed that this church is considered the oldest church in the country.

My only wish for our nation's old places of worship is that locals should try and preserve the original structure and not alter the appearance in case the churches need repairs. These edifices are part of our history after all.

ISANG DAAN NA PO KAMI!.....

REGISTRATION AREA.....





CHIEF ORGANIZER DR. MENG C......





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 2002 (REUNION ORGANIZERS).....





DR. AND DR. R. JARA (THE SUNSET MONTAGE AS BACKDROP).....





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 1998 (HEADED BY FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. NEMIE N.).....





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 1999 (HEADED BY FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. IRIS THIELE T.).....






FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. CECILLE "JESSICA ALFARO" J. ENJOYING THE PROGRAM.....





FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. ETERNITY L. PERFORMING A DANCE NUMBER.....





DR. AND DR. A. DANS SWINGING TO THE MUSIC.....





EVERYBODY DANCE.....






"Never ever give your services for free." "Sir, paano kung matalik na kaibigan mo ang humiling sa iyo?" "Nasasayo na kung pagbigbigyan mo pero isipin mo, sino kaya sa inyong dalawa ang nakinabang ng husto?"

This is the first lesson that I learned from one of my photography instructors, if one wants to turn professional. It assures the novice professional that at the end of the day, he has money to put food on the table. I have always wanted to turn pro, but I'm not sure if I have the guts to ignore people who are close to me.

I was asked by Dr. Meng Chungongco to shoot the 100 anniversary of the Department of Internal Medicine of PGH, the area where I was formerly associated with. The sad part was that I was asked to do it Probono! Despite the grandiose atmosphere of the event, no budget was set aside for the documentation of the event through video and photography. I really had major reservations in accepting the offer. But the reason why I agreed to do it was out of friendship. It would have been nice to see old friends again. That made me relent.

Unfortunately, my file of pictures taken for this event were included in my laptop "mishap". It's a good thing that I have already given the cd to Dr. Meng before the incident happened. I know I took lots of pictures, but these were the ones I was able to recover.