FINALLY, IT'S OVER!!!!!

"Gusto Mo?".....






A Decent Table Spread.....






Me And My Family.....






With Mama And Glad.....






My Best Friend......








My step niece celebrated a milestone when she graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Perpetual Help College Delta System. What is more important is that her mom, her step father (my brother) and her half sister who are now living in Edinburgh, Scotland came over to share in her achievement as my step niece happens to be the eldest daughter of her mom.

I guess the real test shall be the Nursing Board Examination. It is the one that really matters the most as passing the test gives the candidate a license to practice one's profession. The brouhaha though of years past involving allegations of cheating by some review schools which involved a modus operandi of actually giving the actual test papers to their reviewers in the guise of a final test underlies just how difficult it is to past the test. And each time around, a check of the percentage of those who failed to pass seems to get higher and higher than those who passed.

I hope she does well when the time comes, for her sake and her future as well. Congratulations to you Germie.

RUNNING CANVASES OF ART.....

Ray of Light.....







Pop Art.....







Three Dimension.....







Wild Horse.....







Who Is Harley And David?






A Play Of Lines And Shadows.....






A Jeep's Interior.....






Speeding Streaks.....






If you think about it, I am always amazed with how our kababayans can be so gifted in the arts. Too bad though that only a handful of these gifted people realize their dream of pursuing it with passion, reasoning (whether rightly or wrongly) that there is no money in art; that art won't be able to put food on the table everyday. But there are those who find opportunities with art. What separates them is their choice of canvas. And nothing catches the eyes more than seeing these "running canvases of art", the jeepneys!

Ever since the American troops began to leave the country after WW II was over, the Filipino's ingenuity transformed the American vehicle to a Filipino transportation icon. The story goes that a man named Leonardo Sarao actually found a way to escape poverty by transforming the military jeep left behind by the troops to a transport vehicle that we now know. The built of the jeep then was a little bit crude, so to hide the blemishes, he hired a painter, Anastacio Francisco (who later on quit to put up his own company, Francisco Motors and became Sarao's direct competitor) to paint the external and internal portions of the vehicle with art.

Today, foreigners never leave the country without taking that jeepney joyride. I wished though that I had the foresight to take a photo of the jeepney years ago, to show its evolution. And may these photos of the jeepney today be my own homage to this unique Philippine icon.

CAMPUS SEARCH.....

The Men's Finalists In Their Formal Wear.....




Some of the Female Contestants.....




Strike A Pose!.....








At Last The Production Dance Number Is Over.....




These Guys Are Getting A Workout.....






The Opening Act was More of a Production Number....




Don't They Really Deserve Their Title?




Presenting The Major Winners.....




The Zany Shot.....





One of my fellow photographers from the NAYON Photographers' Club asked us to shoot a sort of beauty pageant that will involve college students of Metro Manila schools as contestants. Sad to hear though that the shoot will be Pro Bono, an exchange deal with the club being considered as one of the sponsors and will therefore be acknowledged throughout the shoot in exchange for our services of shooting the event for free. Oh John, the things that you do in exchange for folio photos! c",)

The event was the Mr. and Ms. Philippine Youth 2008. This campus search has produced the present crop of stars of Philippine cinema at present. Past winners include Dingdong Dantes and Jolina Magdangal. A few more names were mentioned but these two were the prominent ones.

In an age when an instant claim to fame can ensure someone of a better future in the entertainment industry, it does not come as a surprise to me that a lot of young people cast their lot in such contests. My fellow photog and close friend Buboy even recognized some of the contestants who joined in other contests of this nature before. I guess these kids really prefer to be in the limelight rather than finishing up college and having a good solid foundation. Different strokes for different folks!

PHOTOGRAPHING GOOD FRIDAY.....

Enlightenment.....





Station of the Cross.....





Crucifixion.....





For this year, I went out during the Holy Week and decided to go to a part of Manila that I haven't spent some time for Lent, Intramuros. The area has the two high profile churches in its area, The Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church. These churches are well known more for being the "fairytale wedding churches venue", the ideal church for a couple's fairytale wedding. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore these two churches, the sense of history that it contains and of course its architecture. What I wanted to find out was how did these churches observe Holy Week. I know that basicaly from one Catholic church to another, the rituals stay the same. What I wanted to see was how these churches opened its doors to the people in the observance of Holy Week.

Peace be with everyone.

ST. MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH IN KAWIT, CAVITE

The Church.....






The Plaque.....





Retablo.....





Bell Tower.....





The Believer.....





The Altar.....







Agony in the Garden.....






A Historical Record.....




After we had our lunch, we proceeded to look for other places to photograph. The town church and the Aguinaldo Shrine were recommended to us. It wasn't difficult at all to search for it as both were near the restaurant.

The St. Mary Magdalene Church is one of the oldest churches ever built. It was first made of wood in 1638. The church is a silent witness to our history as it is where a baby named Emilio Aguinaldo was baptized. In fact, the ledger for baptisms that has the name of the general can be seen displayed in a corner inside the church.

Today, the church has been remodeled to withstand the ravages of time. Though I am for the preservation of a church's original design structure, I guess it can't be helped if modern elements were incorporated during the renovations.

A gracious lady who had been cleaning the altar allowed us to take photos of the church. We stayed and took pictures until it was five in the afternoon. There wasn't any time left for us to go to the Aguinaldo Shrine. The light was fading fast so we decided to go home and just visit the shrine for another day.

So, how did we find our way home? Simple, we followed these big buses that ply the Cavite-Lawton route and we were back on track.