Lugar (Place)

Madalas kong sabihin na ang Vigan City ang aking paboritong lugar, at kahit may mga bagong lugar akong napuntahan sa taong ito, hindi pa rin iyon nagbabago. Totoo, medyo pangkaraniwang siyudad sa probinsiya ang lugar na ito, at hindi sing ganda ng mga mala-paraisong lugar sa Pilipinas, pero kahit ako ay hindi rin maipaliwanag kung bakit gustong gusto ko rito. Kahit makailang beses na akong nakapunta rito, lagi pa rin akong naghahangad na makabalik.

{I always say that Vigan City is my favorite place, and even if I have visited new places this year, nothing has really changed. True, this place is quite an ordinary city in the province (taking out the heritage village), and not as pretty as the paradise-like places in the Philippines, but even I cannot explain why I just love this place so much; and I always long to travel there, despite the many times I have been there.}

Sa taong 2010, dalawang beses lamang ako naka-byahe rito. Ang litratong ito ay kuha noong Marso. Bihira kong kunan ang parteng ito ng siyudad, kaya ito ang naisip kong ibahagi ang litratong ito.

{For year 2010, I traveled there twice. This picture was taken last March, and I decided to share this picture instead, because I rarely take a picture of the city from this vantage point.}

Sa susunod na taon, hindi ko alam kung ako may makaka-byahe muli rito - pinaplano kong umiba ng direksiyon para naman marami akong ibang lugar na mapuntahan.

{Next year, I don't know if I will be traveling here - I plan to change directions so I can go to other new places, too.}

Manigong bagong taon, ka-LP!

{Happy New Year, ka-LP!}

*** Jenn ***

Makulay (Colorful)

Tuwing huling linggo ng Pebrero, ipinagdiriwang ang Foundation Day ng La Union at isang araw sa isang linggong selebrasyon, nagkakaroon ng Electric Float Parade, bago idaos ang taunang Mutya ng La Union. Sa paradang iyon, bawat munisipalidad ng probinsya ay may kanya-kanyang float na dinesenyuhan ng iba't ibang makukulay na ilaw at ilang palamuting sumisimbolo sa munisipalidad.

{Every last weekend of February is when the province of La Union celebrates its founding anniversary. One day of its week-long celebration, there was an Electric Float Parade, which was a way of presenting the candidates for the Mutya ng La Union. For this parade, each municipalities have their own float designed by different colorful lights and decorations representing the municipality.}

Ito ang unang beses kong manood ng Electric Float Parade. Hindi naging maganda ang araw na iyon para sa akin sapagkat alas-sais pa lamang ng gabi ay nakatayo na ako sa tapat ng plaza upang hintayin ang parada, na dapat sana'y alas-siyete ng gabi magsisimula. Sa kasamaang palad, alas-diyes na nagsimula ang parada sapagkat hinintay pa nila ang mga artistang kabilang sa mga hurado at hinintay pa ang gobernador ng probinsya. Sobrang nainis ako, pero ginusto ko namang makita ang parada kaya wala rin akong dapat i-reklamo. :)

{This was my first time to watch the Electric Float Parade. It wasn't a good day for me because I was already standing in front of the plaza at 6 o'clock in the evening knowing the parade will be at 7PM. Unfortunately, it started at 10PM because they still waited for the celebrity judges and the governor. I was really annoyed, but I really wanted to see the parade so I have no reasons to complain. :)}

Sa lahat ng dumaan sa blog na ito, Maligayang Pasko!

{To everyone who hopped in this blog, I greet you Merry Christmas!}

*** Jenn ***

Moth: Up Close

In August, I joined a photo hunt which had "butterfly" in the list. It was really rare for me to see butterflies in the neighborhood because our place is urbanized, so when I saw this critter in our garden, I was ecstatic.

Unfortunately, it wasn't butterfly, but a moth.

Still, I took delight in taking pictures of it, and it was a very willing model; I took my camera real close, and I did use the flash to capture this, yet it stayed there the whole time. This was originally shot in color, I just converted it to black and white using GIMP.

*** Jenn ***

Christmas Village

Well, it's the Christmas season... so obviously my posts for Ruby Tuesday until the end of the month, or possibly until the first week of January (because Christmas season ends on the first Sunday of January here in the Philippines) are connected to Christmas.

When I went to buy some food items to take home from Iloilo during my recent travel, the store didn't have much decorations, but they were playing Christmas tunes and on one corner of the store was a Christmas Village. I love looking at Christmas villages, because I know each piece has to be bought, and the village is somewhat up to the creator's imagination.

It wasn't the most beautiful Christmas village I have seen, but it was really pretty. Actually, even if the store crew has already packed the goods I bought, I stayed in the store for a few more minutes because I was watching the figures dance and yes, I also took pictures.

*** Jenn ***

Flowers at Fort Santiago

When K and I went to Fort Santiago, the place looked bare; maybe because it was the day boxer Manny Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito that most Filipinos were in the comforts of their own homes, watching a history making event. Anyway, even if there were very few people, we still took delight in roaming around, while telling K bits of the country's history.

While walking, this flower took my interest. We have a similar looking flower in our own garden, only that ours are orange, and the leaf of the flower different to this one. Obviously, I don't know what the name of the flower is, but I do find it pretty.

*** Jenn ***

Nail Lacquer

I blogged about a food picture, so my share for SOOC Sunday is something I took from the same folder.

My sister went for a pedicure and while waiting for her, I entertained myself by reading magazines and taking pictures. When the staff handed her the basket of nail polish and my sister made her choice, I asked if I could have the basket so I could take pictures of it as part of my "documentation."

There were three divisions in the basket - one for Orly nail polish, the other for locally manufactured nail polish, and the other one for OPI. I lined up for from each division, and I was happy about this shot - the one I did for Orly wasn't as good as this.

As always, I set my camera to macro and I used the "center weighted average" for the focusing. I was glad it blurred the fore and back grounds, making one of the bottles sharp.

*** Jenn ***

Sunset at Baroro River

This picture was taken last March, I was in La Union for my dad's death anniversary, but since I went there after the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City a few days earlier, I just couldn't see myself being at home. I went out for some church hopping, something I always do whenever I was there.

I took this from the window of the bus. Buses in La Union were slightly smaller than the ones here in Metro Manila, and majority of those mini buses had no air conditioning system, so all the windows are open, which allowed me to put part of my hand out to take this picture. Of course, I did it with caution, as there were other vehicles passing by.

The body of water is the Baroro River, by the way.

*** Jenn ***