Tag Archives: Philippines

Quarantine Sky

21 Sunday Jun 2020

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If there’s one thing that I really loved during Metro Manila’s community quarantine, it’s definitely the cleaner air. Cleaner air, clearer sky.

BGC from my balcony
Mountains from afar

I appreciated my balcony more as I would work there for hours. A small table, a cup of coffee, and my work laptop – work from balcony starter pack. In between meetings, I would gaze at the mountains which I never noticed before the quarantine. Past the towers of Rockwell Center, I would see a bit of Manila Bay and the silhouettes of cranes at the Port of Manila.

Balcony workstation

How I wish the good air quality would remain as Metro Manila slowly awakens.

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I was supposed to publish this back in June 1 as the capital transitioned to the General Community Quarantine. Sadly, 20 days after, I am disappointed to report that the air quality has progressively gone worse. My air purifier has been getting PM2.5 readings of 20 – 30 lately whereas it hovered from 2 – 8 before.

Coping with the Quarantine

17 Sunday May 2020

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When it was announced back in March that a quarantine would be implemented in Metro Manila due to COVID 19, it was only natural that people were uneasy. Hours before March 16, the roads were abuzz with people heading to supermarkets.

Never noticed those mountains pre-quarantine

Thankfully, I did some trips to the supermarket the week before in anticipation of a pending lock down. Our company had also communicated work from home arrangements describing how we will be conducting our business during the quarantine.

The quarantine should only have lasted for a month. Sadly, the number of cases kept on rising so we ended up being in quarantine for two months and a half.

So what did I do within that period?

Continue reading →

Makati at Night

16 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by in Photographic Pursuits, Random

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Makati, the city where many college students dream of working in after graduating. Being the premier financial district of the country, Makati City is host to a number of local and global companies. The country’s bourse, the Philippine Stock Exchange, also found its home in the city. High-rises and skyscrapers form walls on both sides of Ayala Avenue, the financial district’s main artery.

One Friday night, I went there to meet up and have dinner with an online acquaintance. Coming from a client’s office in Pasig City, the travel time to Makati was short and I arrived earlier than expected. Fantastic, I thought, I could take photos of the Ayala-Paseo area. The financial district’s allure at night is just wonderful. Continue reading →

Walking Around BGC

01 Tuesday May 2012

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Walking around cities has become an activity that I enjoy doing. There’s a certain joy that exploring places on foot brings. I usually have my trusty point-and-shoot with me to photograph random city scenes.

Towering skyscrapers, pocket parks, and upscale shops.

BGC as seen from the flyover leading to Kalayaan. This photo was taken last year.

Those are just some of the things one would see in Bonifacio Global City, or BGC. What used to be a camp of the Philippine Army is now a bustling business district that’s continuously evolving. Continue reading →

Impromptu Manila Tour

02 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by in Personal, Random, Thoughts, Travel

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These past few days, I have been going through different websites, journals, and online photo albums looking for photos of pre-war Manila. I was very much frustrated at how beautiful Manila was and how horrible it is today. Before, Manila was dubbed as the Queen City of the Pacific. It was the city to go to in Asia. Now, it is just known as a place filled with trash and people with bad intentions.

I was wrong, well, half wrong. Continue reading →