SAN MIGUEL AVENUE, ORTIGAS CENTER. As a former working graduate student who works at day and goes to school at night, the rain has always become my source of worry because it will be so hard to go to the uni with a heavy rain and traffic. But don’t get me wrong, rainy days are the best when you’re just staying at home. And man, look at this photo!
SHANGRI-LA COMPLEX, MANDALUYONG CITY. An office view like this is something I miss as a government office girl. I have been dreaming to visit big cities like New York to see views of the urban jungle. Obviously, this ain’t New York, but this would do for now. Also, a condominium in Manila with a nice view like this sounds like a good idea.
These photos were taken by a Samsung S6 phone back in July 2015. Whenever I’m not traveling, I always make it a point to try take photos of anything interesting I’ll see around Manila, my home city. Looking back and assessing my photography skills, I feel like I’ve learned so much over the years and I now believe in the magic of patience and the saying “Practice makes perfect.” Still a long way to go, I am still practicing with the hope of taking travel and street photos for a living eventually, or perhaps ending up in NatGeo.
AYALA MUSEUM, MAKATI CITY. Annually, the Ayala Museum would open its doors to the public for one day, free of charge. On ordinary days, you will not see Ayala Museum this crowded, but as a museum lover, I am happy to see that people takes advantages of opportunities like this. Museums are meant to be enjoyed in a peaceful and quiet sense, but for this one day, it’s all fine with me.
VICTORY LINER TERMINAL, CALOOCAN CITY. To some foreign friends, “Manila” would mean something like Makati or BGC, but even though the land area of Metro Manila is so small, there’s a lot to it than the business districts. Caloocan City is one of your gateways to the beautiful provinces in Northern Luzon. It could be a little crazy for first timers, but having a Mom who grew up in the city and having lived here at some point in my life has taught me to be a more vigilant and protective person, if you know what I mean.
“SIYAM NA DIWATA NG SINING” SCULPTURE, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN. Being a graduate student also meant spending my weekends going to school and accomplishing school stuff. Weekend classes also meant morning classes and therefore gave me a chance to explore more of the beautiful campus.
THE ACADEMIC OVAL, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN. Even if I only spent two years for my MA in UP Diliman, I was able to fully enjoy the campus life, even if I’m not a full-time student. People jogging and biking and vehicles passing by the Academic Oval is just so satisfying to watch.
A KID DOING HIS HOMEWORK AT THE FOOTBRIDGE OF ORTIGAS STATION MRT. The kid’s mom is selling sampaguita garlands at the MRT Ortigas Station footbridge while he’s doing some school work. This photo was taken on a Sunday.
A HEAVY RAIN AT GREENBELT, MAKATI. Like I said, I love rainy days but the traffic jam in Manila could be crazy. Minus the Saturday crowd, I could use just sipping some coffee in a cafe in Greenbelt and just enjoy watching the rain. Best feeling ever. And apologies for bad photo quality.
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