Manuel - Joy Wedding - March 18, 2010, Intramuros, Manila

A million cheers to Manuel and Ate Joy for a beautiful wedding on March 18, 2010. Ceremony was held at the historic San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila. Reception was held in Patio Victoria, also in Intramuros. It was attended by Manuel and Joy's closest, best friends and family. :)

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Nascimiento! May you be blessed with healthy children, prosperity, and everlasting bliss. :)

(Not) The First Kiss

First Dance

Party Time!

The Entourage

With host Dale Padilla! CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks for the invite!

Cheers!

Pacquiao - Clottey Fight: What Fight??

The Pacquiao - Clottey fight was a total waste of time... Too bad it got the third-highest indoor boxing game...

Clottey mentioned he was taking his time. Looks like he's expecting a 15-round fight...

In fairness to Manny, he gave his best punches to the Ghanaian, but it seems that Clottey is just too scared to be knocked down. Ugly. Simply an ugly fight.

It looks like the Gayweather fight will be as boring as these. Fraud and Joshua have the same tcheating tactics, they have the same boring blocking stance, they're both looking for good money, they're both scared of slugging it out with Manny. We'll expect more of the same from the Pacquiao - Mayweather sparring session.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey: The Event - March 13, 2010

Tomorrow is the main event. Two welterweight boxers will try to slug it out in the Dallas Cowboys arena. Manny at 145 1/2 lbs, and Joshua at 147 lbs. Who will be the the Welterweight King after tomorrow's contest?

So what do these fighters do on their final training day? Joshua trains harder, while Manny practices harder... for the after-fight party. :)

"Kaya join na lang kayo, let's all have a good time!!!!!" --Manny Pacquiao, Bonggahan

Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey: The Event

March 13, 2010

Dallas Cowboys Arena

Dallas, Texas

Mark and Cecille, March 6, 2010

Congratulations to my buddies, Mark and Cecille! The finally tied the knot on March 6, 2010, in Sto. Niño Parish, Quezon City. Reception was at Gazebo Royale, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

I'm glad I was witness to this memorable event. I was Mark's best man. :) Thanks buddy!

May your family life be filled with love, joy, prosperity and wonderfully cute kids!

Here are a few snapshots:

The Groom

The Bride

The Newlyweds

Bride and Groom with the Maids of Honor and the Best Man

Gazebo Royale

With Do and Nice

With Pete and Lala

With Bel

With yours truly

Shots!

Cheers!

Deadpan in the House

The great Edu is back in town! My good friend Do Oda has arrived in Manila for a month-long research for his Masters Degree in the Land of the Rising Sun. Welcome home, Mr. Oda!

The traditional Japanese pose. :)

OKPMS with tourist

Tienan, Bel, Nice, Do, Pete

Gong Xi Fa Cai in Capones Island, Zambales

February 14. While lovers are getting ready for their much-awaited Valentine's date and Chinese folks feast and welcome the year of the Tiger, we were about to conquer one of the most beautiful islands of Zambales. A 30-45-miunute boat rider from Pundaquit, Capones island boasts its white sand, rocky terrain and its old Spanish lighthouse that has become the main attraction for travelers and photographers alike.

We arrived the island at around 10am. The boat men were not able to take us to the easier trek to the lighthouse because they said the tide was high during that day. So we needed to take a 40-minute walk. The road was rocky and the weather was extremely hot. But that did not stop us from conquering the island. :)

The lighthouse's staircase was a bit shaky so we were advised to take the stairs one at a time. The view from the top was truly breathtaking. Our exhaustion just disappeared. The wind was strong and breezy. The view was terrific. The trip to the top was worth it.

Unfortunately, the lighthouse is not maintained that well and is fast becoming dilapidated. Walls had vandalisms of names and lovers and other nonsense information. Guys, we don't want to now that Ricky is in love with Donna, or if Jojo was there or not. We want the place as is, vandalism-free. Travelers and tourists, please, don't destroy the natural beauty of Capones.

Currently, the lighthouse of Capones is not functional because some people have stolen one of its solar panels. We hope that something gets done to bring it back to life. Calling the attention of the Philippine Coast Guard. We heard that one yacht collided with the island just a day before we got there. Could the absence of the lighthouse be the reason for the mishap?

Pictures in no particular order (Taken using my NSLR Canon Powershot A590IS):

The trek begins...

The Spanish Lighthouse

GQ

The Lighthouse

Uphill trek: Cardioooooo (Gasping for air)...

Destination: Lighthouse

The Capones Conquerors: Me, Ian, RN, Emman, Grape, Sheryl, Joan, Maan, Paola, Elsie, Ruel, Sheryll, Manny. Not in picutre: Mike and Joseph

Rock Formations of Capones

Capones Island

We survived the Trek!

Rocks of Capones

The gates of the Lighthouse

The View from the top of the lighthouse

Nice View

This concludes my 2-day Valentine's weekend trip. Ayos!

Capones Island

San Antonio, Zambales

Power Crisis 2010

When we say history repeats itself, we don't mean to take it literally. This year, we are back in the power-crisis status, after escaping it in 1992. What happens next? A Former Defense Secretary as President? :)

We are now experiencing rotating brownouts around Metro Manila. 2 hours of brownout per day per group just to avoid power shortage. This is in the midst of an extremely hot summer weather. No one's enjoying this, except the exporters and retailers of power generators. Business for them is once again blooming.

I have already heard this crisis around 7 years ago. In 2004, there was a feature article in an investigative magazine, Newsbreak, about the possible power crisis in 5 years time. 6 years hence, the power crisis is here. It was brought out 6 years ago and people in government did not react. Now, in the most crucial, unprecedented period in Philippine history, the period when we are about to test a long-awaited automated elections, authorities will not tell us that we have insufficient power. Coincidence? Perhaps. As our dear Secretary of Energy said, "It's Force Majeure. Act of God. If you want to blame somebody, blame God."

Sir, with all due respect, I can't blame God on this one. God has given us the signs of power crisis several years back. God has given us the brain to process the problems. And now, we have to blame it on force majeure? I don't get it...

Now, there are talks of emergency powers to fix the crisis. First, Mindanao. Then, if things get worse, emergency powers will be necessary in Manila. What happens then to the May elections?

If Sec. Reyes wants to keep a good legacy in the cabinet, he should make things happen in the next few months, the last few months remaining in his term. The first thing to do in solving the problem is accepting it. We should first accept this problem and not blame it on the Supreme Being. We have a few months left before the elections. Time is running out...

Just Conquered Anawangin!

I was planning on going to Anawangin since 2008. And it was only on Valentines' weekend of this year that I was finally able to see the beauty and mystery of the famous beach in San Antonio Zambales.

It was amazingly mysterious how the pine trees got to live in a not-so-cold climate such as the beach shores of Anawangin. You normally see these trees in Baguio while strolling around Camp John Hay, but to see such trees living in the hot beach sides of Anawangin is really a marvelous site. This is one of the major highlights of this cove, making it a talk-of-the-town among photgraphers and travelers.

When I saw it on February 13, it was no longer as mysterious as before. This is probably because a lot of campers have already discovered the beauty of Anawangin. People have already flocked the Pine-tree-rich cove. Campers and photographers hovered the vicinity, while avid sun bathers and swimmers gathered in the shores.

Well we can't blame them for coming because this is one of the very few quality beach destinations near Manila. If you want a good beach you need to travel by plane or by boat. But this one is just a 3-hour drive away, especially now that the SCTEX has been opened. Also, going to Anawangin is relatively cheap, with jsut a little over P2,000 as your budget, all in.

Of course I wouldn't want to waste the opportunity to take pictures of Anawangin's beauty. I took a few pictures using my handy NSLR (Not SLR):

Pine Trees!

Anawangin Stream

Bach Front

7-Eleven Anawangin Branch

The Anawangers: Emman, Paola, Maan, Grape, Joan, Me

The Anawangin Swamplands

A boatman rests under a very young pine tree

Happy campers under the pine trees

Boat ride to the Cove

Fine white sand, pine trees, urban legends. These are just few of the reasons why Anawangin Cove in San Antonio, Zambales is one destination hotspot in the country today. Thanks to Emman and his F21 Photography Club buddies for tagging us along and using us as subjects. Good choice pare! :)

Apostol's Newest Angel

Congratulations to Dondon and Ichi for a healthy, 8.6-pound bouncing baby boy! He sure is lucky he will be pampered, spoiled and loved by his happy lolos, lolas, titos and titas, and of course his ever-excited mommy and daddy!!! :)

We shall be named Joaquin Carmelo. And now, he is officially blogged. :)

Welcome to Earth, dear Deng, Jhun-jhun, Quito! Be good. :)

2010 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Finally, I was able to witness the dazzling display of hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes taking flight in the 2010 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta held at Clark Air Field, Pampanga.

We left Manila at past 3am just to make sure that we witness the preparations and take off of the participating hot air balloons coming from all over the world. We were lucky to have arrived Clark a little past 5am amidst the traffic, and we got to see from outside the gate the sky diver carry the Philippine flag as the Philippine National Anthem played.

Maan gave us free two tickets since their company was one of the major sponsors of the event. Since we were four, we needed to get in the long line to buy two more tickets. We were lucky to have been sold two tickets while in line, and we entered the venue just in time. Teams were already preparing for flight!

Getting Ready for the Flight

As were approached the hanger, the balloons were already inflated, just awaiting final touches before take-off. Our photographer friends fired away, while I, along with my NSLR (Not an SLR) camera, took a few pictures myself. :)

The sight of these balloons taking flight was truly amazing. Balloons that looked like beer, a turtle, the sun, and many others hovered the air shortly after we arrived. Thank God for the lady who sold those tickets. If not for her, we would have witnessed only the paragliders and the stick dancers.

We took a short stroll of the airfield and took a few pictures of the planes and jeeps that were also on exhibit.

Pong Pagong: Weeeeeee!

The Beer Took Off Quite Earlier Than the Rest

Cheers!

I took a picture with a military man who could be a relative for he carries the Candelaria surname.

Taking the time off from work: Me, Grape, Maan, Paola

Halleluiah!

The early wake-up call was all worth it. And in this Valentine's weekend, our days was just beginning. At around 9am, we left Clark and headed to our next adventure, Anawangin Cove, Zambales. :)