THE STORY OF FOUR COUPLES.....

Joy Virata And Miguel Faustmann In Action.....








































I had the chance to go, watch and shoot the dress rehearsal of Repertory Philippines' opening salvo for 2010. The play is called "Duets" which was written by Peter Quilter. What is unique about this play is that the four couples whose stories unfold are portrayed only by two thespians who are the pillars of Rep's stable of actors. They are Joy Virata and Miguel Faustmann. Enjoy this romantic comedy and check out how the actors get in to character as they tell the story. Ana Santos-Bitong directs the play. It runs at Greenbelt 1 theater from January 15-31, 2010. Kindly call the theater for the run times of the show.

CHRISTMAS 2009.....

Rockwell During Christmas.....







Across The Hall.....







Little Christmas Tree.....







Self Portrait.....







Name Tag.....







Christmas Balls.....






An Experimental Shot Of A Christmas Tree Ornament.....






Last Christmas season, I had opportunities to shoot with the theme "Christmas Season" in mind. For one thing, I was able to secure a pass (with John's help) to shoot in Rockwell Power Plant Mall. The pass was good for a day though and it coincided with a planned Christmas show featuring Repertory Philippines' talents Jack Salud, Michael Williams and Menchu-Lauchengco Yulo. Lea Salonga's brother Gerard conducted the orchestra that played for the singers. Though I would have loved to really go out and shoot, I could not do so since Pop is around.

Just like all malls at this time, Rockwell during Christmas is magical. The lights on the trees outside the mall makes the place festive and alive. The Christmas tree outside is also eye catching. And people flock to the mall just to enjoy whatever festivities it offers. So the next batch of photos are dedicated to this pursuit.

During one of the days when I find myself alone in the house, I pick up my camera and shoot the Christmas tree in the living room. I noticed these "Merry Christmas" trinkets which had crystal beads on it. When the tree lights are switched on, the lights reflected of these signs and it reminded me of a marquee sign outside a movie theater.

COMING OVER.....

An Invitation.....





The Original Photo.....





It's the first Sunday of the year 2010. And it's proving to be a very busy week for me ahead. I have a shoot on Tuesday and I need to start post processing my Marian entries for the club meeting this Sunday. In between, I have to run errands for my mother before my dad goes back to the US. Aside from this, my cousin called me up asking me to make a tarpaulin banner for our grandchild who is turning a year old officially this coming Friday but will be celebrated on Saturday which coincides with the Black Nazarene parade in Quiapo which some of the club members may decide to cover and shoot. Whew! Who doesn't want to attend birthday parties? The problem with this one is that I have to go home to Sta. Lucia in Ilocos Sur on Saturday for this party.

I don't know, I think I just have to pass this up. I really do not enjoy traveling for that long. Hmmm, I have to sleep on this.

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.

CHURCH NUMBER FIVE

The Belfry.....












The Pulpit.....






The Altar.....





The target for this day was to go shoot the caves called Sagrada Familia. Now I had been to Barcelona before and I have seen the original Sagrada Familia, a church which is in the center of Barcelona and designed by Antonio Gaudi. However, he was not able to live long enough and see his creation reach its fruition. As far as I know, the church is still undergoing repairs and shall be completed by 2026.

Anyway, the local Sagrada Familia is actually a cave which seems to have an image of the Holy First Family etched on its walls, if one is to look closely. There are seven caves in all but the other four are rather difficult to get to. add to that the added danger of actually encountering some members of the New People's Army, who apparently use the other caves as their hideouts.

We then proceeded to Masinloc, Zambales and went straight to their parish church, the parish of San Andres. The weather was not cooperating though as it was cloudy. I decided not to get a whole shot of the church since the church's color blends with the sky. I concentrated on detail shots and the interior instead.