City tour in Singapore, Singapore

Strawberry mochi at Sakae Sushi!

If I remember correctly, this was the 4th stack of plates.

Flamingoes

Emo Jam

I was in the office then I got a message from my youngest brother, "Kuya, punta ka dito." Where was he? Singapore. :| So I booked round-trip tickets to go there.  First thing I did when I arrived? I went to Sim Lim Square (or was it Funan? I forgot) to buy myself a Nikon D90.  You read it right. A Nikon D90. And here started my real adventures. I carry this little beauty around everywhere I go.

Night Photography at Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines

I contacted one of my college buddies, my thesis mate, Master Ian to schedule a photo-tripping session. We chose Manila as our subject. Of course, there's lots to see around Manila. We went to Hidalgo for a while to get an idea of how much our dream lenses are, to buy cleaning materials and a remote release for his D80 (dang!). Well, all I know is that I am going to buy me one of those little babies when I go back there.

Rizal Park (formerly Bagumbayan).

The Rizal Monument not only marks the location of nationalist Jose Rizal's grave.  In the early 60's the granite obelisk was covered with a 30-meter steel pylon that served as a marker for incoming boats and possibly for those losing their way on the streets.  Juan Nakpil, a National Artist, designed this pylon.  It was removed after 2 years for a number of reasons.

Over the colonization years of different countries, this are has been transformed from a "killing field" to cemetery to garden, and finally, to a monument of heroism.

Anyway, we were too late for the sunset, so we went to the rizal monument to take some night shots. Surprisingly, I have found that shooting there at night is sometimes more interesting than shooting in the morning. I know it's a nice place.. beautifully situated and the natural light any time of the day is awesome. But the light play at night and the vividness of the colors surrounding it contrasting all the darkness is just breathtaking (literally). After my first shot of the monument, I was hooked!

Backpacking in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines

The day after I arrived from Singapore I was on a bus headed for the summer capital (is it still?) of the Philippines. One week shy of the Panagbenga festival, and it was already a bit crowded. Baguio's always a wonderful place to practice photography.

You can find the album here.

Trekking at Gulugud-baboy, Batangas, Philippines

I'll take you back a few years. This was my first real mountain hike. I don't really remember much about the climb (because I always mix the memory of it with another similar experience), but what I do remember is how enjoyable a trek is when you're on the trail with your friends. We started the trek well into the afternoon and arrived at the summit in the evening. After a good night's rest, we woke up to greet the sunrise, morning stars and all. The trip down was a cruel reminder of the saying, "what goes up must always come down."

We arrived a bit late, so it became a night trek.

Myself at the summit.

Our camp.  During the night after a bit of rest we had to either find a dung-free spot where our tents could fit or "make" a dung-free spot ourselves.  Did I mention that we had to do that in the dark?

Mr. Cow-- the reason for all the crap. :P

Happy trekkers!

Sunrise at the summit.

A photo right after sunrise.

Photo before leaving.