Picks

is Soy's many loves. 

The CATHEDRAL 

February 18, 2012 

I love the drama of black and white pictures. There is soul in it. The photo above was taken by my cousin who is into photography. I like the way she captured the grand structure of this cathedral. The placement of the tree on the right side added some spice to the many stories that were written in the walls of this old church. It also spoke of this black and white's own story as invoked on its many shades. I likened the leaves of the tree to that of an ancient Chinese court calligrapher's strokes in an oil parchment. Like my cousin I am drawn to architecture, she is an architect by profession, maybe the reason why we instantly clicked apart from the fact that we share the same blood. For me, this is one of her best.


Streets of Mexico
February 21, 2012

I love to see the world. I remember when I was a kid I used to flip the pages of our calendar that bore the pictures of Parthenon, an Italian vineyard, some streets of Rome or a tulip garden bursting with colors. I had wandered those places in my young imaginative mind. That bug stuck with me when I started to frequent the old libraries attending public schools. And when I finally got my own earnings I did start the travel locally. My great European and American travels is yet to come. There is a lot to explore in the Philippines and the Asia. Since I am a sucker of history I always see it a point to include museums and historical spots in my visits. I have not been into a lot of places, but I always have some special memories in those that I had romanced. In this age of technology everything is possible. Way before when digital cameras were simply a thing of the future, you need to bank your trust on those old ones, hoping that the film won't exposed and that your poses are worth displaying, otherwise you will end up laughing at yourself or cringing by the look of your misplaced smile or the worst cursing Kodak for exposing your supposed model-like pout. Never mind the days you endure waiting with excitement for your film to develop. And oh, don't forget the albums to stock your most coveted treasures. Ahhh, the old days, sweet are they. Now, before I get nostalgic (which I do most of the times - I am a sucker of history remember), I have these plans of revisiting those places I had been to. I would re-discover Camiguin, Cebu, Baguio, Tagaytay, and Bohol (this comes first). I had re-discovered Manila partly. I still have to do some re-discovering of it take two. Let me share to you one particular shot we took.

I had this picture taken by my Ate Judith (she took the photo of the Manila Cathedral above). This was inside Intramuros. Drivers cum tourist guides hovered on us after we stepped out from our cab offering us the cheapest rides inside the "walls." We turned them all down because I already know what I wanted when I asked Ate Judith for this trip. I wanted to stroll the old streets of this once bastion of Spanish glory, and colonization. I got what I wished for. We strolled the streets (not all though, even horses tire and we only did it for half a day) from the arrays of casas of the old rich families, to those exclusive schools, the churches (San Agustin and Manila Cathedral) to the Fort. 


From those street shots she took, this one I liked the most. It looked like Mexico or Puerto Rico, or somewhere in the old quarters of those countries in South America, Cuba maybe. Seeing this I see myself transported to the past, imagining the streets filled with camisa de chinos and maria claras. And wondered what would I be feeling if I were among those who trudge these streets day in and out? What would be my reactions to the things I see before me? Would it be the same with what I have now? I wonder. What I have learned from this trip is the deep appreciation and understanding of our past, of my past. Sometimes, when we get too critical with things around us, we tend to forget the reasons why things we hate and abhor exists. There is a time when you come to understand that even evil exists for some reasons. I am becoming emotionally political. Anyways, that is just a part of me that completes the whole me. :D


Hope you enjoyed your read. Till next!