A Year in Travels April 2013 | Back in Coron, Singapore Supertrees and Aliwan Fiesta

The little city with big developments, Singapore, is always an interesting to visit. I’m always looking forward too new sites and structures I would see whenever I’m there. But last April’s visit was more of a job since for the first time I was able to talk about Photography and the Philippines to a foreign audience. It was an enriching experience to say the least. We did allot a day to explore what’s new in Singapore since my last visit like the Supertrees at the Gardens by the Bay and the Helix Bridge.

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Marikina Book Museum and Ethnology Museum

Facade at the Book Museum

I met a few travelers who likes to collect items they find meaningful and unique when visiting places. Some would collect coins, some ref-magnets, others would be a coffee shop mug. For Atty Dominador Buhain, co-owner of the popular text book and law book printer, REX Bookstore, his fascination with books led him to keep any literature he would encounter throughout his travel across 211 countries in the world and the 76 provinces in the Philippines. To house his collection, he built what he calls the Marikina Book Museum and Ethnology Museum. It certainly piqued my interest when I found out about it. Being a book lover myself, I’m interested to see what he has on his collection.

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Aliwan Fiesta 2013, Revisiting the Philippines’ Mother of Festivals

Aliwan” is a tagalog word which means to amuse or entertain. A term fitting for this so-called “Mother of Festivals” called Aliwan Fiesta, running annually in Manila for 10 years (since 2003) which aims to gather some of the best festivals in the country and present them in one place. An ambitious task but successfully realized by Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Maybe it’s the cheery and festive nature of Filipinos that made it successful every year.

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Philippine Jeepney Arts Festival and Parade 2012

For at least a couple of hours, people at the streets of EDSA and Ayala Avenue got a surprised and delighted look when they saw a group of colourful and artistic jeeps roam the streets. For a while they stopped what they were doing and stare, take a picture with their mobile phones or simply admire the moving steel canvasses zooming past their sights. About 43 rehabilitated jeeps have undergone a makeover in the hands of a few creative volunteers for the first ever Jeepney Arts Festival. Reviving the Filipinos creativity and ingenuity represented by the Philippine Jeepney.

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Manila: MV Logos Hope Continues the Charity Mission

It was 3 years ago when I wrote about the last voyage of MV Doulos before it was de-commissioned in 2009 in its last port, Singapore. I was delighted to hear that a new ship is continuing its tradition of spreading knowledge, hope, help and charity around the globe. MV Logos Hope is the fourth ship to be utilised by GBA Ships, a German charitable Christian organization (previously MV Doulos, MV Logos II, MV Logos). It finally found its way to the Philippine shores, visiting Cebu first and now docked at Pier 15 in Manila until March 14, 2012.

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Manila: A More Festive Chinese New Year in Binondo 2012

Ongpin was filled to the brim. People were flooding in all corners, drumbeats pounding in different directions, dragons dancing on top of the crowd and fireworks call their attention. I could really feel the festive atmosphere here. It was 2 years ago when I last visited Binondo on a Chinese New Year and it certainly wasn’t like this before. Perhaps because from now on, the first day of the Chinese New Year would be a holiday to the delight of everyone, Chinese or not. We met with some of our fellow photographer friends who attended our previous Backpack Photography Photo Tours to enjoy and capture the revelry in China Town.

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Makati: Bright Lights Beckon this Holiday Season at Ayala’s Symphony of Lights

Captivating. Dazzling. It’s really an experience watching the Ayala Triangle Symphony of Lights. I brought some of my relatives there and I was amused seeing the awe-filled look on their faces. This is another thing I like about Christmas, a lot of free entertainment for everyone like this light and music show and it’s becoming a new tradition in the likes of the COD Christmas display decades ago. And technology indeed has caught up in capturing the light spectacle. While I enjoyed shooting the lights, I also enjoyed looking at the people watching them.

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