Technology

When I was a kid, a day wouldn't be complete without playing with my neighbors. At that time, we would all gather in the street, play all sorts of games - from ball catching, to hopscotch, to jumping ropes.

Because of technology, the term "game" has a new different meaning now. Kids would often just stay indoors and play computer games. Even if they're out, some kids would still stay detached from the world because they're busy playing their portable game gadgets, like this kid. I took this picture when I attended a baptismal party - I found it so interestingly weird that even if most kids were busy playing with the balloons, he would just stand there and play with his PSP.

*** Jenn ***

San Lorenzo Ruiz's Tree

It was in 1636 when Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions (missionaries) went to Japan due to problems he had with the Spanish authorities. They were arrested and persecuted because of their Christian religion. They were tortured - hanging by their feet, by submerging in water until near death, and by water torture. Needles were also inserted under their finger nails and they were beaten until unconscious. These methods made some of Ruiz's companions recant their faith, but Ruiz never did.

In his words, Ruiz said, "I am a Filipino and a devout Christian. I would rather die a thousand deaths than renounce my faith."

On September 27, 1637, Ruiz and his companions were taken to the "Mountain of Martyrs", where they were hung upside down into a pit known as horca y hoya, or tsurushi. This mode of torture was considered as the most painful way to die at the time because it involved the use of rocks to add weight to the person being punished. The individual being tortured suffocated quickly while being crushed by his own weight. Two days after, Ruiz died from hemorrhage and suffocation. His body was cremated and his ashes were thrown into the sea.

In 1981, he was beatified in Rizal Park - the very same time the statue was presented. It was created by Italian sculptor Tomasso Gismoadi as his gift to the Filipino people. Lorenzo Ruiz was was canonized in 1980, making him the first (and so far the only) Filipino saint.

The narra tree in Quirino Grandstand next to where they put the statue was planted by Pope Paul VI, when he visited Manila on 28 November 1970.

*** Jenn ***

S - SM Mall of Asia Bay Area

Wikipedia says, "SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the second largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world. It has a land area of 42 hectares and has a gross floor area of an approximate 390,193 m² (4.2 million square feet) and 407,101 m² of total area. The mall is located at Bay City, Pasay City, Philippines just near the SM Central Business Park, the Manila Bay and the southern end of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue). The mall attracts a daily foot traffic of 200,000 people."

Aside from the shops in the mall, there is also a Science Center, an IMAX theater, and a convention center. The mall also has a huge space where concerts are held. For this edition of ABC Wednesday, I would share pictures from the bay area of SM Mall of Asia.










At the back of the mall is where the bay area is located. Most people stay there to relax, enjoy the view, and just enjoy the day. These pictures were taken last January - the first time I visited the mall (it's located very far from where I live). They say the bay area hosts a great sunset view, but since it was a cloudy day, all I got were sunrays bidding the day goodbye. On weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), the bay area gives people a fireworks show at around 8PM.

*** Jenn ***

Up Close

Continuing the orchid posts for this month on Today's Flowers...

This was taken last March along the Session Road in Baguio City. Prior to this shoot, my cousin and I just checked out an exhibit featuring flower pictures by Baguio City based photographers. Cameras weren't allowed inside the exhibit, some some of the images I saw seemed to stay in my head, that as my cousin and I walked along the Session Road, I stopped by a kiosk selling flowers just to try if I could do it, too.

I kinda set the camera too high - there wasn't much space below the picture, but I think I made quite a decent shot. Next time, will try to practice more and more.

*** Jenn ***

Birds in Courtship

Every late afternoon, we are always serenaded with the birds' chirps. Since we have a big tree in our front yard, birds often come there to relax, meet, and stay for the night. At times, too, they would flock the roofs of our neighbors and/or stay by the electric cables.

Last April, I was trying to take pictures of Earth Day related images, but it rained during the day, so the only time I was able to take pictures was late in the afternoon. I loved that my point and shoot camera can handle images even if I already maxed out the optical zoom and I was already zooming more digitally, so I was able to take these pictures. Since it was already getting dark, I changed the white balance of the camera to tungsten just to see the details of the birds. I also upped the ISO to 800 because my camera was having a hard time freezing objects on low-lit environment.

I found it really cute when the bird was courting another bird and giving it an insect as a gift - kinda like humans, too, eh? It took me quite sometime to capture all the images, and my arms and armpit were already hurting, but it was worth it.

*** Jenn ***

Light Piercing

A picture taken last March, a time when my sister and I visited the MV Doulos during its stay in Manila. The oldest sailing passenger ship that is also converted into a floating bookstore was in Manila for the last time. Based on the articles I read, the ship will be de-commissioned next year, so we didn't miss out of this event.

Sister and I didn't buy any books, but we did buy MV Doulos items such as bags, pens, post cards, and key chains. The money collected were actually given to charity - and the ship is sailing all over the world to sell books and other items for charity. The ship is run by volunteers from all over the world, too.

*** Jenn ***

R - Rain

A very few places I visited start with the letter "R," and I think I already shared those places in my previous ABC Wednesday post, so I have to think harder this week, as I decided to share only places for this round of ABC Wednesday.

As I flip through my files, I came across this picture. This was taken last October during my Coron, Palawan trip with friends. We stayed in Bulog Islands for an overnight, and a few minutes before we packed our things to continue our island hopping, we spotted some rain. Heavy rains are coming our way, we had to pack quickly and get on the boat if we don't want our things to get wet.

The rain took on a different course, but we experienced some rain showers. Good thing we were already in the boat. While traveling to the next stop, there were rains here and there, but we were happy the rains didn't really ruin our holiday.

*** Jenn ***