The Wandering Leon

In a few hours we will be celebrating Christmas so I chose to post the photos I took of of our city hall here in Muntinlupa. The government building's Christmas theme for this year is Alice in Wonderland and it has quite become a tourist attraction as some people go there to take pictures or just admire the bright lights. I passed by the city hall and I could not help but take some pictures.These were taken using my Nikon Coolpix L20 point and shoot camera's night mode. Merry Christmas everyone, may we all be remember the real reason for the most wonderful time of the year.

I bought this book way back in high school and it intensified my wanderlust. It's pretty mind boggling for someone to travel sans the comfort and speed of airplanes but I did understand what he was going for.  Here's a description of the book: By the time that travel writer Jeff Greenwald hit his late thirties, he had covered more ground than Magellan, Marco Polo, and Columbus combined. But he also came to a sobering conclusion: airplanes had reduced his exotic explorations to a series of long commutes. So he set out to rediscover the mass, the gravity, and the size of the world. His mission: to circle the earth without leaving its surface. What followed was a remarkable odyssey, as Greenwald scaled an active volcano in Guatemala, rode a rat-infested ferry across the Persian Gulf, dropped by Paul Bowles's flat unannounced, saved a baby snow leopard in Tibet, and spent his fortieth birthday marooned in the Sahara. And no matter where he found himself, he sent ...

All Saints Day is being celebrated in the Philippines today so people trooped to the cemeteries to visit their dearly departed loved ones. Since I do not have anything to post about this day, let me just post this photo. Ang mga Bugoy This was way back in college when our professor ask  us to visit certain historical places in the Metro. It was my first time to pose for a photo right beside a grave. In this case the old grave of Dr. Jose Rizal. And we were all smiles. What were we thinking?

  I had the privilege of meeting the gorgeous Shamcey Supsup, you must be familiar with her and all as she had recently won 3rd runner-up in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. A simpleton like me would never imagine that I would get close to her lest be in the same room with her. But thanks to the people from Pizza Hut Philippines, I finally met her along with other bloggers who were invited to meet her as part of their marketing campaign for the new Tuscani Pizza. Is Shamcey really pretty in person? Yes, svelte and tall, the kind of girl who I stare at from afar and know would never fall for me in a million years. Oops, TMI dear readers.    The new Tuscani Pizza actually reminds me of Yellow Cab's, not the pan pizza you grew up with but it is not also the thin crust variety. It comes in four variants: Supremo, Premium All-Meat, 3-Cheese Bacon and Spinach, Gourmet Chicken and Roast Beef. We sampled the Supremo and Premium All-Meat and all I have to say is it is tasty. As...

I have been living in Muntinlupa for the past 10 years (not counting the 5 years I spent back in grade school) and I am ashamed of the fact that I have not checked out the sights in this lovely city I call home. Had it not for my office mate Rai who mentioned that there is an interesting statue very near Festival Mall, I would have continued to be oblivious of its existence. The Triumph of Science over Death (Left) The statue I am talking about is a replica of The Triumph of Science Over Death , a clay sculpture made by Dr. Jose Rizal as a gift to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt. According to my good friend Wikipedia, (aside from Google) the original sculpture is now displayed a the Rizal Shrine Museum at Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila. Another replica, made of concrete, stands in front of Fernando Calderón Hall of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine along Pedro Gil St. in Ermita, Manila. To satisfy my curiosity and redeem myself for my ignorance of thi...

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) annual celebration of National Indigenous Peoples’ Month moves to Davao Region in Mindanao with Tagum City as its main venue. This October, Dayaw: Indigenous Peoples Festival 2011, under the auspices of the NCCA’s Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts and Mindanawon Foundation, in partnership with local governments, government agencies and the private sector, focuses the spotlight on the country’s indigenous peoples, celebrating their arts and ways of life, discussing important issues and making more people aware of the richness and importance of indigenous cultures. The leaders and representatives of more than 100 indigenous peoples of the Philippines will converge together for the five-day event in the first week of October to showcase their rituals, performing arts, cuisines, games, crafts and others. Additionally, they will be joined by delegates from six Southeast Asian countries in simultaneous excha...

I left my hometown back when I was four years old and did not come back till 2006 when I came for a vacation after resigning from my first job. It was a great trip as it energized me and gave me time to think about what I should be doing with my life. I came back in 2009 and have been going "home" for the past three years. I schedule my annual trip to Borongan every second week of July as it is the fiesta in our small barangay, Brgy. Pepilitan. Borongan's feast is held every September but I choose to come home for Pepilitan's celebration. Christenings are usually held during this time and I was even asked to be the godparent for a cousin's daughter last year. For the second straight year I traveled alone and thanks to an office mate, I was able to buy tickets at a promo fare. There is no direct flight to Borongan so Tacloban is the usual gateway to Region 8 (where Eastern Samar belongs to), from there you just have to endure the four-hour land travel to Borong...

They say this is the male version of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. A six-week journey of a lifetime crammed into one epic minute. How I wish I could do the same.

It was my second time to travel alone to my hometown, thanks to a friend I was able to buy a ticket at a promo fare for my annual trip to Borongan, Eastern Samar. A small city with a population of 55,141 (2000 census), it is not  on the top list of travel destinations of the Department of Tourism. Ask any traveler if they have been to my hometown and they most probably would ask, "Where is that?" The famous San Juamnico Bridge which links the islands of Samar and Leyte, Freshly caught octopus How far is Borongan from Manila? Solitary banca  Only recently, due to Tito Boy Abunda's popularity does the city gets mentioned in news outlets in the country. It is a place that is still waiting to be explored. I wish it would get its spot in future Pilipinas Tara Na music videos. More of my Borongan Homecoming in the next post. When is it? You can never can tell. :)

I am both sad and happy that I was in Dapitan last month. Happy that I finally got to see the place where the great Jose Rizal spent four years during his exile. Sad that I was there before the Rizal @ 150 Heritage Trail passport was issued. I could have gotten my passport stamped, now I need to go back and retrace my steps,  Boo hoo. Enough of my dramatic meanderings, if you have not been to the heritage city of Dapitan, then now is the time to explore the sites.With the country celebrating the 150th year of his birth, a Rizaliana inspired trip is a must for every traveler. We were in Dapitan as part of our office's planning and cultural immersion program. Hint, hint, it's up to you to guess where I work. Santa Cruz Beach - Punto del Disembarko de Rizal en Dapitan, Sunset Boulevard  On July 17, 1892, Rizal landed on Santa Cruz Beach at 7 p.m. with Captain Delgras and three artillery men. They walked through Sta. Cruz Street with a farol de combate to the Casa ...

For those interested to join the Lakbay Jose Rizal @ 150 Heritage Trail here are the sites where you need to go. National Capital Region 1.                    Prison Cell and Rizal Shrine Fort Santiago, Manila This was where Rizal was incarcerated during his trial from November 3 to December 29, 1896 Stamp site                   :                     On site Operating details                    :           Open Tuesdays to Sundays 8:00 am – 12:00 nn                     ...