Sisters Framed

Sisters in Puerto Princesa, 2010

At the end of last month I spent a few days in and around the city of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, a long narrow island flanking the west side of the Philippine archipelago.  No doubt in large part because of the strong marketing effort exerted for the Underground River, this province has in very recent years become more of a tourist destination for Pinoys and foreigners alike.

What attracts me to the place, however, besides its natural beauty, is a lively community of people working in organic farming, the healing arts and other new age endeavors.

These pretty sisters living at the B&B we stayed in were very curious about my big camera so they were not shy when I turned it on them. I was standing on the other side of the red metal staircase that took us to our rooms on the second floor.

Partial to Mosaic

 

Birds Mosaic, Makati, Philippines, 2010

This is one of six mosaic plaques adorning the otherwise drab wall that encloses the LRI Design Plaza in Makati (the financial district of Manila). I captured this one today as I was leaving the building full of upscale home decor and antique shops, art galleries and chic restaurants. If you live in Metro Manila, like good design, and haven't been there - or in a while - I can heartily recommend you go explore. (Tony L, this plug is for you :-D )

Public art of any kind appeals to me (save the occasional, what is that?), but I must admit to being quite partial to this ancient decorative art form. The earliest mosaics were made with natural pebbles and then came tesserae - small pieces of ceramic, glass, smalti or mirror. I like them all. Mosaic art must be firmly embedded in my collective unconscious.

So if you share my enchantment, stick around, I'm likely to post more mosaics now and then. Then again, what the heck, even if you don't... just stick around. What do you say?

Admiring the View

Astoria and Youngs Bay Bridge, 2010

Happy Indepence Day to my American friends! In your honor I post this wonderful view from the highest point in Oregon over the town of Astoria and Youngs Bay Bridge. I spent three days exploring this charming area in January with THE expert: my lovely friend Sheryl, who blogs about this town daily. Needless to say, we both carried our cameras and had a hoot.

If you want to see more interesting bridges, or post your own, go to the internet meme Sunday Bridges hosted by Louis.

Reflections on Yulong River

Karst hills along the Yulong River, China, 2007

This photo I took on an Easter weekend getaway to Yangshuo, a charming tourist town near the better known city of Guilin in Guangxi province, is posted to join the internet meme Weekend Reflections hosted by blogger James. For a list of other participating blogs, click HERE.

Oh Canada!

Salt Spring Island, BC, 2006

I'm a day late. Happy Belated Birthday, Canada! Now you are 143 years young.

I love Canada. I love its pristine and majestic beauty; its wide open spaces and towering mountains. I love its cultural mosaic and its open society. I sometimes love its more easygoing approach to life, but always its relative lack of anger and hysteria compared to its cousin just south of the border.

And it serves me well to carry a passport from a nation no one hates and many admire. Thanks in part to Norman Bethune and his ilk. I bet more Chinese than Americans know who this great Canadian doctor was.

But I'm a day late because I've been gone so long and needed a friend to remind me.

A Man and His Rooster

Dapitan, Mindanao, Philippines, 2008 

The first post. Sigh. Why should that feel a little nerve-wracking? Is there a niggling fear that this first one sets the tone for posts to follow? No, why should it; I shan't let it!  Let's decide now that on this page you will find a continuous work in progress, a constant reinvention; hey, just like me. Let's just go with the flow and see where that takes us.

So what is this man and his rooster about? Of my 1000s of photos, this is the one that came to mind today. I'm in no way a fan of cockfighting, yet I'm certainly not about to start a furious diatribe. I am in the Philippines and sabong, if not the national sport, is certainly one of the most popular (along with basketball and boxing) and a favored form of gambling.  These roosters, although fated to a tragic end, when raised and groomed for the fight, are pampered as much as any pet poodle.

Today was the first day on the job for the 15th president of the Philippines. The people solidly voted for Noynoy Aquino, son of the popular slain political leader Ninoy Aquino and his widow Cory, the first president after People Power drove out dictator Marcos in 1986.

The color yellow was always the campaign motif for the beloved Cory who died recently, and it was naturally adopted by her son to continue the thread of good feelings.

So this yellow rooster is posted in honor of the new hope of the nation.  I hope P.Noy (the president's new nickname) has a deep well of fight in him, as he will badly need it to deliver on the promise of real change and good governance. The Filipino people are certainly worth the fight. Thumbs up to you, P.Noy!