TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE.....

Morrie Schwartz, Played by Jose Mari Avellana.....






Mitch Albom, Played by Bart Guingona.....






Just The Two of Us.....














There are certain books that I consider thought provoking and inspirational. Usually, these kinds of books appeal to our human emotions. The kind that tugs at your heart's strings and makes you open up to feel the gist of the story. Such books leave a lasting mark on the reader. The kind that makes one adapt the teachings that the book offers. A modern day addition to the great book, The Bible.

Mitch Albom is a writer that I didn't know about. I collect hardbound books as a hobby. Among my collection of books are a leather bound and signed copies of books 1-4 of "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling that came as a boxed set; a hardbound boxed set of "Lord of The Rings" trilogy which contained illustrations by Allan Lee and written by J.R.R. Tolkien; some rather recent releases of spy fiction books by Robert Ludlum (I didn't know the guy has been dead for quite sometime now!); some mystery novels of James Patterson; the rest of the "Harry Potter" series that are for commercial release until Book 7; Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "Da Vinci Code"; numerous photography books, a number of travel guides that focus on European countries and a lone John Maxwell book.

Successive deaths in my first cousin's family (they lost my uncle, two of his sons and a son in law in a span of five years) made me contemplate about my own life. And then one day, when I went to Powerbooks, I saw a title of a book which struck me, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" and written by Albom. What a rather eye catching title to name a book! I soon found out that the book was even adapted and turned into a movie to be shown on television. Since the book topped the Bestsellers list, I bought it and read it. I did enjoy reading it but there were parts of the book that bored me, I don't know why but I felt bored! In my opinion, the book's pace dragged a little. I then came across a hardbound, second hand but mint copy of his first book entitled "Tuesdays with Morrie" at a thrift bookshop and immediately bought it. And this was a better read!

This book falls into the category of books that I wrote about at the start of this page. It tells about Mitch's encounter with his former sociology teacher at Brandeis Univeristy, Morrie Schwartz who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurodegenerative disease which affects the cells of the brain and the spinal cord. It has two stories that mesh together. The first, the depiction of Morrie's suffering from ALS and his outlook about life while having the disease as he was being interviewed by Ted Koppel in Nightline. The second, Mitch's own relationship with Morrie, his mentor at Brandeis University and the way Mitch perceives how Morrie deals with his situation.

It was rather a subtle performance to watch. There were no other people on stage except the two. As Guingona plays the writer Albom, he also has to narrate portions of the act. There were no set changes. The play relied on the subtle positioning of the stage lights to indicate a change in time and place. It was fascinating to watch the interaction between the two great actors. They were so convincing in their portrayal of their roles that I was surprised to see Guingona shed real tears in the most dramatic scene! And the funny thing was that even we, the photographers who were shooting the rehearsal, were actually shedding tears that we have to pause for a moment as the water in our eyes started to blur our vision.

In the end, we were ribbing our colleagues who cried like a baby. I guess they can't help it as their current situation may be close to the plot, that of having someone close to them who are suffering from a terminal disease and have to be looked after.

I do recommend the book. It may be a heavy read for others and thus not to their liking but for those who seek some inspiration in the most trying time such as sickness and impending death, then this book might be it for you.

FIRE IN THE SKY.....

The fun thing about New Year's Eve is watching the sky for the fireworks display that the ordinary people put up from their houses. I remember the time when firecrackers didn't cost that much. And my adult relatives really splurged on buying these things as a source of entertainment for us kids way back then. I really wasn't into the loud sound producing variety. I have watched to much television showing injured limbs with blasted fingers when I was young, only to see it in reality when I became a nurse at PGH and had first hand encounters of treating such injuries. The loud sounding, noisy types are the major culprits for producing these injuries that I call the chicharon bulaklak. I prefer the colorful ones as it may seem more "user friendly" than the previous one that I described. The types which showcase a certain pattern or figure. It may produce a sound but it's not like the big bang noise of the bawang or superlolo. Rather, it produces a whistling sound, a sound which I can withstand without making me deaf. I may be wrong in terms of its safety but I'm basing my assumption on the fact that almost all the victims of the chicharon bulaklak injuries say that the noisy firecrackers were the main cause.

Anyway, 2008 is the year of the rat! And since I do not have a picture of a rat in my files (I have a pic of a rat that has been killed by my pet tomcat, I know it's gross so I deleted it!), I guess the most apt photos to signify New Year are images of fireworks, which I have!

And speaking of fireworks, one of the events that we photographers look forward to before is the World Pyro Olympics. It has been staged for the past two consecutive years now at the Esplanade and photographers asked each other about the news when it will return for this year. To our disappointment, it seems that it won't be held within the months of January and February. The organizers who brought the spectacle here (can't recall the company's name) said that people should wait for further developments and announcements. Hmmm, they sound like they are having problems huh! HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE!!!!!

MANO PO.....THE NAYON WAY.....

The Wacky Group Photo.....




Ito, Tunay na Chinese.....




Ito, May Pagka-Chinese.....




Ito, May Pagka-Chinese Din.....




Ito, Mukha Bang Chinese?.....




Ito, Mas Mukha Bang Chinese?....




Ito, Feeling Chinese.....




Ito, Nagpapanggap na Chinese.....




Ito, Ang Chinese na Best Friend ni Wanda!.....





I don't like to have my picture taken. That is why I became a photographer! But on a sunny day, when my mood tells me otherwise, I relent and this fierce persona gets out of me and decides she's the model of the day and begins to strike a pose! As I said, this happens rarely, okay?

So it's time for the annual Christmas Party once again. And Nayon Christmas Parties are like sleep overs for adult people. It seems that the Penthouse Suite of the Miramar Hotel is the favorite place to have the party and since it is a hotel room, we can stay overnight. And along side the party is the annual photo op. As a tradition, the club agrees on a particular theme during the party and everyone is required to dress according to the theme and have their pictures taken as a requirement to replace the banner photo on the Nayon website. Except for the 1950's scene which was done in Black and White and which was the follow up to the well known montage of 2003, I have not seen any photo at all that is worthy to replace the banner! We do have graphic artists in our midst, they are just so busy with their jobs right now. Until I get to see a decent group photo with me on it, I guess I just have to continue to dream on. Who knows, I might be in the mood and strut my stuff!

This year's theme is Chinese! C'mon people, do I look like one? If you think that's funny how about a pure bred insulares like Betty? Does she look like one? I'd rather eat Chinese Food than be one! A real Chinese bred in our group, Bless isn't around though as she has to be at her sister's wedding. And me be dressed in Cheongsam silk? I bet reed thin people like Kate Moss will look good in it not the curvaceous people like me! Oh well, I just have to suck it up and be a real trooper for this one.

ORIGINAL PHILIPPINE MUSIC.....

The Ad That Said It All.....





The Host For The Day.....





Martin's New Album, "Milestones".....





The man himself, Mr. Martin Nievera.....











"Sana'y ika'y muling makita ko. Damhin ang tibok ng puso ko!" Taken From "Kahit Isang Saglit" By Martin Nievera.....









I was suppose to meet my friend Lani at PGH yesterday to catch up on things about life, gossip a little and check out what is happening on her part of the world now that she is married. Just when I was on my way, I received a text from her telling me that she had to go home early and postpone our meeting since she had to do an errand for her aunt. For some reason, I kind a had a feeling about our meeting not pushing through so when she told me her news, I accepted it eventually. I was disappointed because I really wanted to see my old friend. It's a good thing though that I brought my camera with me, I guess I'll just have to take pictures of whatever catches my fancy. So off to Robinson's Place in Manila I went.

I noticed that rows of chairs, a sound system and a lighting system were placed in the middle of the mall along the Orosa entrance. It was cordoned off, a sign that a show was scheduled for that day and was about to start. My curiosity lead me to the roped area and read the ad that Mr. Martin Nievera shall be performing on that day. The mall tour is part of his promotion for his new album.

To cut to the chase, I bought a copy of his new cd which entitled me to the free concert, which I waited for to start (the ad said 5 pm but Martin showed up at 7 pm!), which enabled me to take shots of him, which made me fall in line for his autograph and souvenir photo, which made me come home late that night and which made me wonder just what exactly did he do to wreck his marriage to Pops? He isn't exactly a handsome guy but he just oozes with charm and wit! Hmmm, I guess any girl will really fall for that!

Me and my friends in high school used to go gaga on him and Pops. They would watch concerts that the two starred in with each other or doing their solo gigs. Some buy fan magazines that feature either of them. I would stay late at night and watch Penthouse Live every Sunday evening at channel 7. Failure to watch the show means I won't be able to share in the gossip the next day with my friends as we decipher clues in the show that will prove that a relationship does exist between the two (when it was still a secret). They only admitted that something was going on between them when they announced their engagement and Pops was pregnant with Robin.

I have never watched his concerts before and when I heard him sing live, I was blown away! He really has an awesome singing voice and he has the ability to engage with his audience by the way he interprets and sings his repertoire. The guy may have his flaws but he is still such a fine singer!

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY.....

NAYON Members Join The Procession.....





An Image of St. Joseph With The Baby Jesus.....





Different Images Of Mother Mary.....


















As a Roman Catholic, I never fully understood the value of Mother Mary in my life before. My concept of her was she was just a statue being passed around. During my years as a child, a statue of Mother Mary was being passed from one house to another. The exact tradition was this statue was supposed to stay in a house for a week, the family members are encouraged to pray the rosary during its stay and when the end of the week has come, the image was then sent to another house. Who's statue was it? I don't know. Before it came to my neighborhood, where did it come from? I don't know.

I studied in a Catholic school, Nazareth School when I reached my high school years. The school was under the Daughters of Hijas de Jesus, the female equivalent of the Society of Jesus which is better known as the Jesuit Priests. It was in this school that I soon became aware of Mary's importance in our life. Lectures about her life were repeatedly expounded to us in class and the more I got to know her background, the more I appreciated her contributions to the faith. It made me aware of the significance of these dates: September 8 and December 8, the former as Mary's birthday and the latter as the day she conceived Jesus (Immaculate Conception). These days are designated days of obligation by the church, a time when Catholics are obligated to go to Mass which is celebrated in her honor.

Every first Sunday of December a group whose name I can't recall, organizes a Marian procession with the route covering the streets of Intramuros. This procession is significant for it gives the Filipinos who have panatas to Virgin Mary, the chance to come and offer their prayers to her. A total of 50 to 70 statues of Mary from different parts of the country come to Manila to participate in the event. Even well known images like the Our Lady of Manaoag from Pangasinan and the Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia from Naga in Bicol can be seen in this procession. I do admit that I don't even know the names of most of the statues. Most of them are considered antiques, being hundreds of years old.

My first time to join the on the spot photography contest was the inaugural staging of this event. Cash prize was 50,000 pesos for the winning entry. Ahh, those were the days when sponsors were generous and an event like this landed on the society pages of broadsheets. And because film photography was still the norm and photoshop still didn't exist, photographers really had to use their imagination and creativity to come up with photographs which we thought were our winning entry. And with all the photo clubs that were under the FPPF, it was our photo club, NAYON which got the most number of top ten entries. This record, has not been challenged by any other photo club since then. Thus, even if there are no more generous sponsors, even if cash prizes are no longer being given away, even if the event seems to have lost its luster in these days of commercialism and fast paced lifestyle, we at NAYON still continue to shoot the event. As Buboy puts it, "Ito ang panata natin. Tatapusin natin ang taon sa pamamagitan ng pagkuha ng litrato ng mga imaheng ito at sisimulan ang darating na taon sa pagpapakita ng mga litratong ito."

Well said Buboy! Here is a glimpse of the different Virgin Mary that joined the procession last Sunday.