Picture This

Last month, my sister and I got to see the Deftones live in concert. She covered the event for Spot.ph and I tagged along as her photographer. Not the kind who has VIP passes and access to the photographers’ pit kind of photographer, though, just the kind who is capable of operating a camera and taking pretty nice pictures with a workable point-and-shoot camera cause he’s not really a hired photographer to cover the event. Actually, I’m not 100% sure if my sister even had to officially cover the event for Spot but I’m not one to refuse free tickets to see my favorite band.

When the band hit the stage, they came out swinging. They opened with the song “Rocket Skates”, a pretty heavy song with the perfect chorus for the crowd to sing along with. GUNS! RAZORS! KNIVES! The crowd went fucking nuts, man. You can almost feel the place shake as the audience jumped up and down for what seems like the entirety of the song. It was insane.

The band’s electrifying live performance aside, the other thing that really caught my attention was the sheer number of people taking pictures (and how much more awesome their cameras were compared with the ones my sister and I were carrying). There were a lot. A good portion of those who were really close to the stage had their cameras out, and the people behind them had their phones out. Heck, the people at the back, who might or might not have been seeing the stage in the first place, had their phones out. It was…something.

While I don’t have anything against taking pictures – I edit and take pics as a hobby and for a living – I often wonder why we subject ourselves to this ordeal of curating everything. Personally, if my sister didn’t need photos for her article, I wouldn’t even have brought a camera. Taking photos of my experiences often feels as if I’m vicariously living my memories and experiences from behind the camera screen/viewfinder. Like I’m just a spectator and not really involved in what’s going on in front of me or, worse, as if I’m literally making memories.

Whatever happened to just being there?

Again, I’m not saying that taking pictures of everything isn’t fun. Because it is. We can now take pictures of everything. That in itself is a wonder, really. But there are just times when I remember stuff and all I can really remember is “I took a picture of that”.

Las Casas Filipinas Acuzar: Inside the Houses

Getting the tour in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar lets you get to know the houses a little more intimately. You get to know their place of origin, their original owners, and, surprisingly, their place in Philippine history.

A person from the tour group we were part of commented that the houses were “rich and opulent” and I can’t help but agree with her observation. The houses are indeed gorgeous.

Each house is a sort of exhibit displaying several items from colonial to post-war Philippines.

My only real complaint with the tour is that it moves rather fast. I feel like I didn’t really have enough time to soak up everything inside the houses. But with more than twenty houses to visit and around five tour schedules, I guess they do need to speed things up. =)

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: Doors and Windows

Photos of doors and windows from our visit to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. It’s actually pretty amazing to see how door design changes through time!

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Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: The Houses

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar houses quite a number of 18^th to 20^th century houses rescued from our modernizing world. With more than twenty houses salvaged and carefully restored to their former glory, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar offers, quite literally, a pretty good view of our rich and colorful past.

You can go biking or carting around the make-shift town if you’re willing to spend money but walking is more than enough to cover the entire place in less than an hour without breaking a sweat. Be sure to take the tour, though. While it may not be the most informative of tours, it gives you access inside the houses and it provides an overview of the history behind the houses in Las Casas.

Just think of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar as a museum and a hotel and resort rolled in one convenient package. Whether you’re a history buff or someone simply looking for a nice relaxing place, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a place worth visiting.

Sagada in Black and White

The great thing about Sagada is that you really just have to walk around town to find something, at the very least, interesting. Take a stroll around town for several minutes or go all out and hike for several hours, go up the mountain top or dive inside a cave, get lost then find your way back! The more hours you spend exploring the place, the more interesting it becomes.

Anyway, these are just some of the shots I got from all the walking my girlfriend and I did in Sagada. It’s not much, I know, but that really gives me a reason to visit the place again. =)

Revisiting Sagada: Marlboro Country

Sagada’s famed Marlboro Country is quite a long way away from the town center but it is definitely a site worth visiting. Being one of the highest points in town, it provides a great view of Sagada and its neighboring towns from high up. It’s really a great place to just sit back, relax, enjoy the view, and soak up the mountain air. And, if you’re lucky, you might even spot a couple of wild horses on your visit.

To get there, you can either rent a vehicle to drop you off at the foot of the hill (then hike for several minutes to reach the summit) or, if you aren’t averse to physical activity, simply walk all the way from town. The choice is yours. =)

The climb up will take you about 30 minutes to an hour depending on your pace. It’s a pretty easy hike overall and shouldn’t really be a problem to anyone.

The view from the trail alone is actually something and will help lessen the strain you feel from the hike.

Additionally, the early morning fog gives the forest an almost ethereal feel. Or a Silent Hill-y vibe. Both works. =)

Once you reach the top… ENJOY!

Revisiting Sagada: Lumiang Burial Cave and the Hanging Coffins of Echo Valley

The last time I was in Sagada, I only got to visit the Masferre Country Inn, the Yoghurt House, and the Lumiang burial cave. I was too sick to go on so I had to cut my stay short. Travelling to and from Sagada took longer than my stay in town.

This year – after years and years of planning – I finally got to revisit Sagada with my girlfriend. Funny enough, we were both pretty ill throughout our stay but that didn’t stop us from exploring Sagada.

Anyway, over the years Sagada’s got really, really, ridiculously famous for these things: its scenery, its eating places, its burial sites, its caves, and that one movie with Judy Ann and Piolo. While the whole caving/spelunking thing isn’t really our cup of tea, we did spend quite a great deal of time hiking, getting slightly lost, finding our way, then hiking some more.

And eating. Definitely, eating.*

But it is really the burial sites that I associate with Sagada. You can partly blame that on my degree in anthropology and partly in that part of me that goes “Oooh! Coffins! Coffins are cool! Let’s go see coffins! Come on, guy! C-O-F-F-I-N-S!!!”

Situated several hundred meters from the town center, the Lumiang cave is probably the most accessible (and probably most famous) tourist spot in Sagada.

For a lot of people, visiting the the burial cave will be the highlight of this short trek. But the for the more adventurous traveler, Lumiang cave is only the beginning of their journey to Sumaguing.

For people like us who don’t really like spelunking, the Lumiang burial cave is a pretty good place to end one’s trek as it’s one eerily beautiful place.

Seeing the stacks of coffins piled on top of one another is at once slightly creepy and awe-inspiring. The place actually feels pretty sacred. Holy, if you will.

Additionally, the burial site also gives us a glimpse of Sagada’s burial tradition from way back. So, not only do you get a pretty nice cardio workout on the way down here, you also get to learn about the local culture. An exercise for the body and the mind! How fun is that?

The next burial site is on the other side of town, in an area called the Echo Valley. This is where you’ll find some of Sagada’s hanging coffins. While nowhere near as old as the ones in Lumiang, the burial site in Echo Valley is proof that some of Sagada’s older tradition remains. Well, for some local groups at least.

The way to Echo Valley is slightly more grueling than the hike to Lumiang cave. It’s not terribly harder, mind you, just… less easy.

Since my girlfriend and I didn’t hire a guide to help us get to the coffins, we had to trust our guts and simply follow paths that might lead us to the burial site. Obviously, we did find one that led us to the coffins but it wasn’t an easy one. There was point where I actually felt like I was Bear Grylls leading my girlfriend to the path we chose to follow. Well, a fatter Bear Grylls with less-than-average survival skills and less propensity to drink one’s own piss. Anyway, a seasoned tour guide actually saw us ascending to the burial site and jokingly asked us “what the hell are you guys doing there?”

Still, it was all worth it as I did get a shot of the coffins from below. The more adventurous part of me had a field day.

Again, these burial sites in Sagada are a tangible part of their culture – past or present. You owe it to yourself to visit them if you ever visit Sagada. They are must-see locations, in my humble opinion, not just for the sights but for what the locals have to say about them.

*^{Chronicled on our food blog. Click the links to learn more about the Misty Lodge and Cafe, the Yoghurt House, and Gaia Cafe and Crafts!}

New Batch of Pet Photos!

Britney:

Kuroi-chan:

Jing:

The stray cats that we also take care of:

Scenes from the 2012 UP Lantern Parade

Here are a few pictures I took from this year’s Lantern Parade. While they are all from the parade, they are more focused on the people rather than on the event itself; more of a behind-the-scenes look at the event than a parade coverage, really.

If you liked what you saw, there are a few more pics here.

Tama Na Ang Drama Album Launch

Inaya ako ng aking kapatid na pumunta sa album launch ng Tama Na Ang Drama (ang pangalawang album ng Ang Bandang Shirley) noong nakaraang Sabado. So, sumama ako. Siya daw ang magbabayad ng pamasahe e.

A las ocho pa lamang ay nasa B-Side coutyard na kami sa The Collective sa Makati. Sobrang aga. Iyong mga fans nga na first name basis ang relasyon sa banda ay naunahan pa yata naming dumating e. Pero oks lang naman dahil matagal-tagal na rin akong hindi napupunta sa ganitong uri ng mga events at unti-unti kong nari-realize na nakaka-miss din palang makakita ng… ano nga ba iyon? Tao. ‘Yun.

Ang opening act nila ay si DJ Joey Santos. Hindi ko siya kilala. Pero nung nagsimula siyang tumugtog, alam kong trip ko yung music niya. *wicky wicky*



Pagtungtong ng Ang Bandang Shirley sa entablado, daglian napuno yung harapan ng stage. This is it. Dumating na ang stars ng gabi. Rakenrol!




Hanggang ngayon ay pinagagalitan ako ng aking nakababatang kapatid dahil nakalimutan kong bitbitin ang aking wide angle na lente. Wala tuloy akong shot ng mga tao sa binansagang “mushpit“. Magsawa kayo sa litrato ng banda. =)





Masaya kaming umuwi ng aking kapatid. Solb na solb ang 20+ na set ng banda. Natuwa sa mga luma at bagong tugtugin na narinig. Ang pinaka malaking tanong lang sa aming isipan ay kung bakit hindi pa sila superstars. Boom!

P.S.

May ilan pang litrato dito.

xoxo