Self-portrait

I've always found it amazing how other people can take their camera phones, point it at themselves, and take a really nice photo of themselves without being able to check the view finder.

Practice makes perfect, I suppose.

This is such a photo taken by Mae, manager of the local watering hole we frequent near our office in Makati.

Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.

Native Parol

This is a picture of a parol I took a picture of last Christmas.

It's sort of like a local Christmas lantern thing for lack of a better description of what it is. You see a lot of this types of lanterns outside Metro Manila since these types of materials are more readily available and cheaper I'd wager.

Besides, Manilenos tend to favor the flashier types of parol. Ones with lots of flickering lights with enough colors to put a rainbow to shame. I like these kinds of lanterns though.

There's a certain elegance to their simplicity.

Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.

Glasses in the Dark

This is a picture I took at our favorite watering hole during one of our late night visits.

These are the glasses used for the various alcoholic concoctions the bartenders use as they make their magic as requested by their regular bar go-ers. Me I usually just have beer so I'm uncomplicated that way.

The glasses are actually upside down but I thought it looked better this way.

Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.

Random Snapshots

Photographs I took on the fly...


Click on the thumbnails for the bigger image.

Shots from a Japanese Restaurant

I forgot the establishment's place but it was the one inside the Makati Shangri-la Hotel at the second floor.

Click on the thumbnails for the bigger image.

Strawberries?

I encountered these...berries, for lack of a better word for them, during one of our monthly Komikero Meetings over at San Pablo, Laguna.

It was being sold by a guy in a bicycle with a sidecar converted to a sort of sari-sari store on wheels!

They actually look like very strawberries only much, much smaller. They're being sold per glass-full and eaten with some salt. Fellow Komikero, Johnny Danganan told me what they're called but, for the life of me, can't remember the name now.

They actually taste a bit sour which is jarring since one expects them to be sweet since they look so much like strawberries.

Once you get over your initial surprise however, they are quite a tasty treat.

Scenes Around the Metro

Various snapshots I took while going around the metro.


Guy with beer. Art exhibit somewhere in North Avenue.
Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.


Fake five peso bills in suitcase. Art exhibit somewhere in North Avenue.
Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.


Red lamp at 007, one of our favorite watering holes.
Click on the thumbnail for the bigger image.