Quote 144 - Lead Me

Moment 72 - Silky Water

I was anticipating a good sunset one fine afternoon. Since the sky was clear and the clouds were no longer around after a couple of cloudy days, it would be a great chance to catch a sunset that afternoon.

I arrived early at the beach and the sun was still far from setting. But from the looks of it, it seemed that this will be an epic fail for my purpose. Even if it was still far from setting, the glow of the sun was already soft and the clouds on the horizon started to build up. Under ordinary times on a clear summer day, the heat of the sun can still be felt thas particular time in the afternoon. But this time, it looked like the sun had lost its touch.

And when that magic hour arrived, the sun simply hid behind the clouds. The clouds proved to be overwhelming and the rays of the sun could only be seen on the distant clear part of the sky. All the clouds seemed to converged altogether in the lower part part of the horizon, totally blocking the sun.

With the failed opportunity, I only content myself in shooting the waves until eventually I found something worthwhile. I chanced upon a shoreline with pebbles on it and I started to experiment with my camera. It was hard to shoot given the limitation that I was not able to bring my tripod. And the greatest challenge that I had to endure was to keep myself steady for sometime while the waves hit me. 

Though my original intent was the sunset, I ended up with something uncommon. My little experiment paid off and I did not go home empty handed.

Quote 143 - Feel Proud

Random Thought 72 - Faces

In our existence, people do come and go. For some, we could barely catch a glimpse of their faces. Others will linger for awhile but eventually will leave, too. There are only a few of them that will stay within their lifetime.

In the process of people passing in our lives and vice-versa, there are so many experiences to learn, so many stories to share, and so many unforgettable moments we can treasure. The more we are involve in their lives, the more memories are built.

I have to admit that with so many interactions I have and with so many faces I've seen, I can barely recall most of them. Maybe for reasons like less interaction, growing old, no particular bonding moments were established, and no communication over the years.

I hope that I'll be forgiven by those individuals if I can no longer associate names with their faces or worst, I can no longer recall them at all. Maybe a short introduction and a bit of recollection could help bring back those memories once shared.

Food Trip 71 - Chicken Inato

During my short stay at Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Eric brought me to a well known dining place near the airport. We had our dinner at Balay Inato which serves tasty chicken inato in the area.

In this part of the country and in some areas in Visayas, chicken inasal is called chicken inato. I guess each region in the country knows how to prepare chicken inato. The distinct result could be determined by its taste and texture.

Well, true enough. The chicken inato meat was tender. Its taste is okay. You just need to find a good mixture of sauce to enhance its taste.

Exploring Philippines 71 - Marinduque (Post 6 - Gasan and Buenavista)

After watching the Morion parade that Thursday morning, we set to explore the two neighboring towns of Boac namely Gasan and Buenavista.  Gasan also observes the Moriones festival and we were excited to find out how the Morions of Gasan differ from that of Boac.  In Buenavista, we were to visit the famous Bellaroca resort.

Our first stop was at Gasan. It was already past 10 in the morning when we arrived there.  Unluckily, there was not even a single Morion along the streets of Gasan that time. Instead, we were brought to the former pier of Gasan and enjoyed  our spare time in the hanging bridge.

Since there was no activity in the town of Gasan, our hosts decided to bring us to the next town of Buenavista.  Along the way, we stopped at an overlooking place where we had a glimpse of Bellaroca resort from afar.   Bellaroca is a white Santorini-architecture inspired resort and spa and is located  at an island in the town of Buenavista.  I have no idea about Bellaroca resort before and my colleagues informed me that it is such an expensive Greek looking resort with an overnight accommodation of 20 thousand pesos. Wow!

When we arrived at the docking station where visitors are transported to the island, it was good that we were allowed to take some pictures without much restrictions.  From a distance, the resort stood still and inviting. But then, only the affluent have the privilege to enjoy what it offers.  For ordinary citizens like us, all we can do was to take some snap shots of this resort.

According to the local news correspondent Mr. Pete Magturo, there are issues that surround the resort.  Such issues like the payment of tax and the livelihood of airport porters.  The matters are sensitive and up to now, they are still lobbying to address these issues.

Anyway, after our short stay on that port, we had our lunch at the town proper of Buenavista.  We happened to see some Morions on the street who were on their native costume.  They were heading towards the town of Gasan to participate in a Morion activity that afternoon.

Upon our return to the town proper of Gasan, we passed by at the municipal building.  We were given enough time to roam around and take as much pictures as we could.  We saw different gigantic Morion statues stationed within the premises of the municipal grounds.  That time, there were already several Morion participants who were preparing early for a festivity that afternoon.  As usual, we had so much fun hoping from one statue to another and asking for some pictures to Morions who paraded their native costumes with so much pride.

Poem 71 - Where is the Girl

Where is the girl
I used to know
Who's not afraid to love
Whichever way she go.

Where is the girl
I used to care
Who has all the courage
Beyond any dare.

Why did you go away
And hide from me
When things turned bad
You're in total dismay.

Why did you give up
And throw away easily
The special thing we shared
Simply vanished away.

Where is the girl
I used to cherish
Who's got a good outlook
And won't labor in anguish.

Where is the girl
I used to cuddle
Who's braver than me
In facing any tough battle.

Why did you fold
And retreat in the darkness
When trials beset us
Your spirit becomes a mess.

Why did you leave
And let your heart grieve
The faith you had before
Why did you cease to believe?

Where is the girl
Who's firm and sturdy
Where is the girl
Who's the envy of many.

Where is the girl
I value so dear
Where is the girl
When love is in despair.

Quote 142 - A Matter of Time