Litratong Pinoy | Preno (Brake)

Madalang na madalang akong kumuha ng litrato ng mga sasakyan, kaya ibang litrato ang ibabahagi ko.

{I rarely take pictures of vehicles, so for this week, I will take the prompt rather differently.}

Ito ay isa sa mga litratong kinunan ko sa may Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center noong nakaraang taon. Maraming tao sa parke nang araw na iyon at may mga batang napiling maglaro malapit sa may lagoon, at dahil medyo delikado para sa mga bata ang maglaro malapit sa lagoon, maagap ang pinakamatanda sa tatlong bata para pigilan ang pagtakbo ng batang lalaki sa pamamagitan ng paghawak sa kanyang damit.

{This is a picture I took at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Rescue Center last year. Quite a lot of people at the park that day, and some kids wanted to play near the lagoon. Quite dangerous to play there, but the oldest of the three kids were quick to stop the young boy by grasping on his shirt.}

*** Jenn ***

Litratong Pinoy | Panlinis (Cleaning Material)

Kapag sinabing panlinis, ang isa marahil sa mga materyales na hindi mawawala sa tahanang Pinoy ay ang walis tambo. Maraming mga walis na gawa sa plastic, pero kung ako ang tatanungin, wala pa rin talagang tatalo sa linis na nagagawa ng walis tambo.

{When it come to cleaning materials, one material the Filipinos have in their homes is the soft broom. There are so many brooms made of different materials, but personally, I think no one can beat the cleaning abilities of the soft broom.}


Kapag nababanggit ang walis tambo, unang lugar na pumapasok sa isipan ang Baguio City, pero sa mga kalapit na lugar (gaya ng sa La Union), marami rin ang gumagawa ng walis tambo. Sa mga hindi nakakaalam, ang panlinis na ito ay galing sa damo. Pagkatapos patuyuin, tinatahi ang mga pinagsama-samang tambo para maging walis. Marahil alam na ninyo ito, pero sasabihin ko na rin... kung gusto niyo ng sobrang maayos na walis, bilhin niyo yung medyo mahal. Mas mahal, mas maganda ang pagkakagawa.

{When one speaks of the soft broom, the first thing that will come to mind would be Baguio City, but nearby places (like La Union) also benefit from making the soft brooms. For those who don't know, these brooms are made from dried out parts of a grass then sewn together. I guess you already know this, but I will say it, too - if you want a good soft broom, always get the ones that are quite pricey.}

Ang mga litratong ito ay kuha sa "One Town, One Product" fair sa San Fernando, La Union. Tuwing ipinagdiriwang ang araw ng La Union, ang isang parte ng kalye malapit sa plaza ay tinatayuan ng mga booths para sa iba't ibang lugar sa La Union. Bawat lugar, kanya kanyang produkto, at isa na roon ang walis tambo. Parehong litrato ay kinunan sa booth ng San Fernando, at sobrang natuwa ako sa pagkaka-ayos nila ng walis tambo sa kisame ng booth.

{These pictures were taken from the "One Town, One Product" fair in San Fernando, La Union. Every time the province celebrates is founding anniversary, a certain part of the road near the plaza is turned into a place for different booths for each towns/municipalities showcasing their different products. Both pictures were taken from the San Fernando booth, and I so liked that they used the brooms as ceiling decoration.}

*** Jenn ***

Litratong Pinoy | Liwasan (Park)

Kalagitnaan ng Mayo, kami ng aking nakababatang kapatid ay gumala upang mag-bisita iglesia sapagkat hindi namin iyon nagawa noong mahal na araw. Siya ang unang nag-lista ng mga simbahang aming bibisitahin, at dahil karamihan doon ay mga simbahang nabisita na namin noon pa, nagdagdag ako ng mga simbahang hindi pa namin nabibisita, kabilang ang simbahan ng Paco at Ermita.

{Mid May this year, my sister and I went to do our Visita Iglesia because we weren't able to do it last holy week. She first listed the churches we would visit, but seeing that majority were churches we have already visited from before, I added two churches that we still haven't visited - the Paco and the Ermita churches.}

Iniwan ko sa aking kapatid ang pag-plano ng byaheng ito, at matapos naming bisitahin ang simbahan ng Binondo, tumungo kami ng Paco Church, ngunit medyo nagkamali ang aking kapatid sa pag-search at imbes na sa Paco Church kami pumunta, dinala kami ng kanyang mapa sa parke ng Paco.

{I let my sister plan this trip, and after visiting the Binondo Church, we went to visit Paco Church, but she seemed to have researched the wrong map because instead of leading us to the church, the map led us to Paco Park.}


Ang hugis pabilog na sementeryo ay unang ginawa ang lugar na ito para maging sementeryo para sa mga mayayamang Espanyol, ngunit marami ring karaniwang tao ang inilibing dito nang manalasa ang sakit na cholera at kumitil ng maraming tao. Dito rin unang inilibing ang pambansang bayaning si Dr. Jose Rizal bago ilipat ang kanyang labi sa Rizal Park, at dito rin nakalibing ang tatlong paring martyr na GomBurZa. Taong 1912 nang itigil ang paglilibing sa sementeryong ito.

{The circular cemetery was first built for the rich Spanish people, but decades after it was built, lots of people were buried in the cemetery due to the cholera outbreak. This was also the cemetery where the national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was first buried, before his remains were transferred in Rizal Park, and this is also the final resting place of the three martyr priests. It was in 1912 when burials were ceased.}

Sa ngayon ang sementeryo ay isa nang parke. Nang bumisita kami, may mga ilang grupo ng kabataan ang nagsasagawa ng kanilang group discussion, ay may mga ilang magkasintahang piniling mag-date sa parke. Hindi man ito ang Paco Church na aming nais bisitahin, masaya na rin kami kasi nakita namin ang parke. Hindi rin naman naging sayang ang aming pagbisita sapagkat sa gitna ng parke ay makikita ang St. Pancratius Chapel.

{The place that was once a cemetery is now a park. When we visited, there were a few groups doing some discussions, and a few lovers as well. We might not be able to visit the Paco Church we wanted to visit, sister and I were still happy because we got to see this place. Actually, the visit wasn't "wasted," as in the middle of the park is the St. Pancratius Chapel.}

*** Jenn ***

Litratong Pinoy | Alagang Hayop (Pet)

Aso ang una namin naging alagang hayop dito sa bahay, pero nang ako ay makagat sa pisngi ng aming tuta noong ako ay pito o walong taong gulang, napagdesisyunan ng aking mga magulang na huwag nang mag-alaga ng aso.

{The very first pet we had here was a dog, but when our puppy bit me in the face when I was about 7 or 8 years old, my parents decided not to take care of dogs anymore.}

Makalipas ang ilang taon, may naligaw na pusa sa amin at dahil lagi namin siyang nabibigyan ng tirang pagkain, nanirahan na ang pusa sa amin hanggang sa magtuloy tuloy na ang kanyang lahi.

{A few years later, a stray cat found its way in our house, and since we started feeding the cat with left over foods, the cat decided to stay with us. The cat had its own litter, which we took care of, too, until we had so many cats to take care of.}


Ang pusang ito ay pinangalanan kong Oreo dahil sa kanyang kulay. Isa sa mga anak ng aming pusang si Teddy, siya ngayon ang pinakamalapit sa akin. Isang taon pa lamang ang pusa, kaya masyado pa siyang malambing, pero alam kong kapag nagsimula na rin siyang maghanap ng kapareha ay unti-unti rin siyang lalayo, kagaya ng nangyari sa pusa naming si Paborito.

{I named this cat Oreo because of its color, and is one of our cat Teddy's offsprings. Right now, he is the one closest to me, maybe because he was still young, but I know sooner or later, when he started finding a mate, he will be aloof as well, like what our cat Paborito is now.}

Napakarami nang litrato ng pusang ito... may ilang nakakatuwa, ang ilan nakakatawa, pero naisipan kong i-lahok ang imaheng ito sapagkat ito ang isa sa mga litratong kinunan ko nang araw na tinuruan kong umayat ng puno ang pusa kong si Oreo. Hindi naman siya naging matatakutin, pero nahirapan din siyang bumaba.

{I have taken so many pictures of this cat... some were amusing, others funny, but I decided to share this image instead because this was a picture I took when I taught him how to climb a tree. He wasn't afraid of heights, but it did take a while before he found a way to go down.}

Itinuturing kong mga anak ang aming mga pusa. Alam ko kapag naging malayo na siya sa amin, masasaktan ako... pero matagal pa naman 'yun, kaya ie-enjoy ko na muna.

{I treat our cats as if they are my own. I know, when Oreo started to roam around finding a mate, he will not be staying at home as often anymore, and I will be hurt... but, it's still far from reality yet, so I will just savor and enjoy the moment for now.}

*** Jenn ***

Litratong Pinoy | Kalsada (Road)

Ang litratong ito ay kuha sa Balaoan, La Union nang dumaan ako sa may Grotto ng Barangay Bungol. Nakakatakot tawirin ang kalsadang ito kasi dire-diretso lang ang mga sasakyan, kaya lagi akong pinapa-alalahanang mag-ingat sa pagtawid.

{I took this picture in Balaoan, La Union when I visited the Grotto in Barangay Bungol. Crossing this road is quite scary and risky because vehicles don't slow down in this part, so whenever I tell my Aunt I will be going there she would always tell me to cross the road carefully.}

Nagkataon lang nang araw na ito kaunti lang ang mga sasakyan, kaya nakakuha pa ako ng isang litrato sa gitna ng kalsada. Nakakatuwa lang makita ang bundok sa dulo ng kalsada. :)

{I was lucky that time that there weren't that much vehicles passing by so I was able to take a picture while in the middle of the road. Well, it was the mountain that took my interest, so I snapped.}

*** Jenn ***

LP - Kahit Ano (Freestyle)

Maligayang anibersaryo mga ka-LP! Napakabilis talagang lumipas ang panahon, pero masaya akong maging bahagi ng Litratong Pinoy ilang buwan pagkalipas itong itatag. Walang tema para sa linggong ito, kaya ito ang naisipan kong ibahagi:

{Happy anniversary, co-LPers! Time really flew fast, but I am so happy to be part of Litratong Pinoy a few months before it was established. Anyway, there is no particular theme for this week, so I decided to share this picture instead:}




Ang Tangadan Falls ay matatagpuan sa municipalidad ng San Gabriel sa probinsiya ng La Union. Ang San Gabriel ay isa sa mga lugar sa La Union na hindi pa namin napupuntahang magkakapatid kahit isang jeep ride lang ito mula sa aming lugar sa Bacnotan. Isa ito sa mga nais naming mapuntahan dahil nabasa namin sa mga Souvenir Magazines ng aming tiyahin na may mga magagandang nature attractions doon. Nang tumuloy ang aming pinsang si Mhai dito sa amin ng ilang araw, nabanggit ko ang San Gabriel sa kanya, at masaya niyang sinabi na may mga kaibigan ang kanyang kapatid doon at gusto rin niyang makasama kami sa paglibot doon.

{The Tangadan Falls is located in San Gabriel, La Union. San Gabriel is one of La Union's towns that we still haven't seen even if it was basically a jeep ride from our place in Bacnotan. We always wanted to set foot here ever since we get to see some pictures from the La Union Souvenir Magazines owned by our aunt, and we were very happy that our cousin Mhai said she would love to explore San Gabriel with us, too.}

Ang nabanggit kong lugar na nais kong mapuntahan sa San Gabriel ay ang Lon-Oy Springs, pero bago kami magbakasyon ng aking kapatid pa-norte, nag-text ang aking pinsan at sinabing i-search ko raw sa Internet ang Tangadan Falls, dahil iyon daw pupuntahan namin. Isa lamang ang nakita kong litrato, pero sapat na iyon para naisin kong makita ang lugar.

{I told my cousin that I wanted to see the Lon-Oy Springs in San Gabriel, but a few days before sister and I went vacationing in La Union, she sent me a text message asking me to search for Tangadan Falls on the Internet. I only got to see one picture, but it was enough to fuel my urge to see the place.}

Kasama ang aming pinsang si Mhai, kapatid niyang si MC, at ilang mga kaibigan, kami ay tumahak papunta sa lugar. Nauna na nilang sinabing aabutin ng mahigit isang oras ang pagpunta roon at kinakailangan namin sumuong sa gubat, pero sinabi naming nakahanda kami para sa biyahe. Tunay ngang naging mahirap ang aming biyahe, pero nang makita namin ang falls, kakaibang saya ang aming nadama.

{Together with cousin Mhai, her brother MC, and MC's friends, my sister and I trekked to Tangadan Falls. They already told us that the whole trek would take us more than an hour and we had to cross rocky water trails, forest areas, and uneven bodies of land, but we told them sister and I were prepared for this trip. Truly, it was a very difficult trek, but when we saw the falls, our happiness was just overflowing.}

Ibang ruta ang aming tinahak pabalik at pag-akyat sa mga bato nakita naming may isa pang maliit na falls sa bandang likod, pero hindi ko na nakunan ng litrato dahil binalot ko na sa plastic ang aking camera at cell phone dahil nagbabadyang umulan. Naging mas mahirap ang aming biyahe pabalik kaya hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko pang bumalik dito. Siguro, kahit hindi na ako makabalik, masaya na ako sa litratong ito, pero siyempre, ipinagdarasal ko pa ring makabalik dito.

{We took a different route back, and as we climbed the boulders, we got to see a much smaller falls, but I wasn't able to take a photograph of it because I already wrapped my cell phone and camera in plastic, as rain was about to fall. The trek back was much more difficult, and because of it, I don't know if I can still go back to this spot. I guess, even if I don't get to set foot here, the pictures I took were enough to make me fulfilled, though of course, I still pray for a chance for us to trek back here.}

*** Jenn ***

Salamin sa Mata (Eyeglasses)

Isang madaling tema ngayong linggo, pero medyo nahirapan pa rin ako ng konti kaya humanap na lang ako ng litrato sa aking files.

{Quite an easy prompt for this week, but I still had a hard time photographing one, so I decided to just get through my files.}

Ang litratong ito ay kuha sa Banana Island sa Coron, Palawan nang kami ng aking mga bagong kaibigan ay pumunta roon para mag-bakasyon. Ito ang aking kaibigang si Dianne, at nang makita ko ang mga repleksyon sa kanyang salamin, naisip kong kunan ito ng litrato. Mula sa kaliwa pa-kanan - si Kei, Leila, Ryan, at ako... pero hindi na nakikita ang aking repleksyon, kita na lamang ang parte ng aking camera. :)

{This picture was taken in Banana Island in Coron, Palawan when my new friends and I went there for a short vacation. This is my friend Dianne, and when I saw the reflections on her sunglasses, I decided to take a picture. From left to right - Kei, Leila, Ryan, and I... but my reflection cannot be seen, all you can see was a part of my camera.}

Mahigit isang taon na ang nakalipas... sana makapag-byahe ulit kami.

{It's been more than a year since this trip... I sure hope we can all travel out of town as a group again.}

*** Jenn ***