Rowing Stones

ROWING STONES

Tabuco Bridge, Bikol River, Naga City

The title isn't a parody of the band, "Rolling Stones". I saw few stones piled in their banca as they were rowing past the Rosales Bridge while taking shots of floating water lilies. I wondered. Good, I was on mountain bike. I followed them by the boulevard by the bank of the river. I couldn't believe I could over take and wait for them by the next bridge. Roughly, the two bridges are 500 meters apart. Wow, this is the shot! The "bankero" was even wondering why I'm taking their picture. The amazement in his face is not clear anyway.

Ms.Kalamay & Kutsinta

Ms. KALAMAY & KUTSINTA

Panaganiban Drive, Naga City

"Kalamay" is Bikol for "rice cake /pudding". "Rice cake" - it's equivalent to too many in our dialect: "suman, balisoso, kalamay, kutsinta, sapin-sapin, palitaw, palupsi, biko, latik". I miss the days when we had kalamay and kutsinta for breakfast.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

A.M.D.G.

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM

(For the Greater Glory of God)

HS Class of 2007

Ateneo High School, Football Field

Finally, I confirmed I don't have acrophobia. I took this shot holding tight on the cross

(see the facade pic, just imagine I fell down)

atop the school portico (Four Pillars). This shot is part of the yearbook pages.

AMDG - I just don't know why people sometimes make fun of this motto of our founder.

Some say AMDG stands for "Ang Mga Demonyong Gutom".

Some would say AMDG is for "An Magsakay Digdi Gadan (Anyone who boards [rides] dies.)

The Tao and the Taoist Temple

The Tao and the Taoist Temple

Bikol River, Naga City

Sometimes, biking with a camera dangling from my neck brings me luck.

One morning, I happened to pass by Lt. Delfin Rosales Bridge

and caught this picturesque scene. I immediately stopped and dragged my bike

to the side and took this shot.

The dome in the background is the newest structure in the face of Naga City -

the Taoist Temple. Places of worship of various religions have started to sprout in the city.

My General

MY GENERAL

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Oil on Canvas, 9in x 12in

"Fundador, sois Ignacio,

General de la compania real de Jesus,

Hueste belicosa y fiel."

I'm productive in idle times. (Ironic) I finished this painting in the darkest hours after the ravishing devastation left by Super Typhoon Reming. There was no power for almost two weeks so I productively used boring hours by candlelight, painting portraits of Ignatius. I finished three! He'll (Ignatius) be glad at what I've done! He he...

This painting of St. Ignatius I copied from an "estampita" given to me by a Jesuit.

Eventually, I gave the painting to the Jesuits in the school. I took a picture before saying goodbye to my work.

Now, the portrait of the founder hangs in the Jesuits' bulletin board.

Pussycat & Doll

PUSSYCAT & DOLL

Sophia & Ming

Metamorphosis

METAMORPHOSIS

Saint Joseph School, Naga City

This is not a choreographed snap. The boy, probably aware

I was taking his photo, immediately made these funny distortions.

Well, my presence in the kinder 2 was part of our

Advance Educational Psychology subject in my Masteral Studies.

Observing how the teacher uses Human Behavior theories

was our major purpose.

The Foundation

THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH

Ateneo High School, Covered Courts

Despite James Cameron's recent controversial testimony

that may have fallback on Christian faith,

I strongly believe that Christ was risen from the dead

to save mankind.

The Eucharist is a constant reminder to all faithful.

The picture above is taken from one of the First Friday masses

of the Atene High School community. Having First Friday mass

in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a mark of all Jesuit schools.

Behind the ciborium and chalice are the standards of the school

and the Society of Jesus. Celebrating the mass was the late

Fr. Michael Rooney, SJ. (Requiescat in Pace+)

The Three Magi

THE THREE MAGI

Naga City

Metaphorically, they are the Three Kings.

They won't give gifts. You'll give them gifts.

Sleepless

SLEEPLESS

Naga City

Naga's been awarded recently as one of the country's

Most Child Friendly Cities. But wait, ponder on this.

Early one weekend, after biking, I took this picture

while taking a sip of fresh buko sold beside a

business establishment where these two kids were sleeping.

I would have wanted to buy them fresh buko,

but it seemed they were sleepless.