Migdal Bavel

 

 

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"Behold the Tower of Babel,
out in the glare of white sheet,
bold and brash like a winged sepulcher.

There it is!
Defiantly perched, full of pride.
Signaling the fall of man's might." 

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March 2009, a few days after the failed assault of a cab driver who tried to run off with most of my stuff, I decided to go out on a photowalk with some friends to calm my nerves. We went to check out the Quezon Memorial Circle which was right smack at the center of the infamous elliptical road in Quezon City (I'd like to call it the "merry-go-round road" by the way). I have been living in Metro Manila for quite some time but I was never been to such national landmarks. My reason? No time at all. If given the time, I would be broke. Give or take, either which. 

The Quezon Memorial Shrine is dedicated to the Philippine's second official president, Manuel L. Quezon. A sarcophagus is located inside the shrine which houses the remains of the former president. Quite visible from a few kilometers afar, the first thing you would notice would be the monument's three vertical pylons which represents the three main geographic archipelago of the Philippines (namely Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao). With a height of 66 meters (Quezon's age of death), the massive tower is surmounted by three mourning angels holding a wreath of sampaguita, the national flower. 

The snippet poem I made above was a direct homage to the biblical passage of the Tower of Babel. Ironically, Manuel. L. Quezon has been dubbed as "The Father of the National Language" and the Buwan ng Wika (Month of the National Language) was therefor wholly dedicated to him and that particular title.

"Looks like Isengard," used to be my initial reaction every single time I pass the elliptical road.

"...except for the Art Deco angels."

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Weapon of choice is my Diana+ Edelweiss and a roll of expired Fuji RMS slide120mm. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent.

Tellie Invasion

A product of boredom and some cardboard laying around my friend's house. I remember it was August back in 2009; it was raining all week and most of the time I was just watching some sloppy local tv shows.

To kick the habit and at the same time hype up my motivation, I met with my friend Jane Bernadette and we started conceptualizing some photoshoot ideas on a whim. Basically the things we used were the said cardboard boxes, tape, glue and markers. Top it off with some wig (my friends are into cosplaying) and our goofy expressions, we were good to go.

It was downright fun, albeit my neighbors' staring and the occasional rain.

Also check out the video we made from this shoot... in color! (hah!)

Weapon of choice is my sidekick Holga 120FN and a roll of expired Shanghai Black and White iso100 120mm. Images and videos are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. Like a boss.

At the rooftop parking lot

It was an afternoon of random and spontaneous curiosity that led us to a shopping mall's deserted parking lot. The only natural thing to do was take photos of that grand day of discovery. The parking lot stood there, very still and idle, while the ground below was a busy scene. It was indeed a memorable afternoon.

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"Were you somehow cut in half?"

Weapon of choice is a Holga 120FN and a roll of expired Shanghai Black and White 120mm iso 100. Negatives were scanned using regular flatbed scanner. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. Like a boss.

Humanizing the vacuum

I miss you old chum. You don't know how hard it is now that you left us for doggie heaven :( We love you dearly.

It's been weeks but whenever I'm in a middle of doing something, I stop and cry for the Nth time... >sigh<

Holga 120FN
Kodak BnW T400CN

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Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent.

Singapura 2010

Fisheye shots of Singapore from my 2010 trip. These were taken the day before my flight back to the Philippines, which by the way I almost did not make it. Long story short, I was drunk and my suitcase consists only half of my clothes, but in the end I got the other half after a month via a shipping cargo; thanks to my uncle Archie's family. Lesson learned: check your tickets every effing time and sober up before your flight.

Weapon of choice is my sidekick Holga 120FN with Fisheye Lens and a roll of expired Fuji Astia 100F, cross-processed. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent. Like a boss.

Pastel City: Singapore's Shophouses in Chinatown

Last year I had the rare chance to go visit my two uncles and their families residing in Singapore. It was also my first time flying to another country (or as I say, "unchartered waters") so everything was new to me, and a month's stay was definitely not enough. Nevertheless I took the full liberty to sip their Kopi, ate Roti Prata and rode the MRT from Raffles Place to Sembawang everyday as much as possible. Luckily I had my college friends who were also there to find some work. We went from one place to another not as tourists but as regular people. As much as possible, I tried “blending in the crowd” (think Assasin’s Creed lol) to intimately grasp everything that is Singaporean. I think it is the best way to get to know their culture and savor it by the moment.

Walking is also the perfect means to go anywhere specially in a very small place like Singapore. I advise anyone who plans to go there to do the same. Doing this gives you a lot of photo opportunity and the chance to discover uncluttered alleyways which leads to small public gardens, like we did for that matter!

And that is how me and my friends came to a marvelous place called Chinatown. Rows and rows of pastel shophouses welcome us just after emerging from Ann Siang Hill. The magnificent sight literally took my breath away.  Here’s a light read about shophouses, care of Ye Olde Wikipedia. So they’re basically like the classical Pinoy two-storey Bahay na Bato where the occupants live on the upper floor whilst during the morning the lower floor becomes their means of earning income. Unlike ours though, they have been excessively painting their houses and adding decor by the minute. Hah! The jealous bastard in me talks!

I had a clicking frenzy with my Holga upon arriving, and I could safely say that this was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.The only regretful thing was, I only took one extra roll with me and the itinerary for the day was just starting. But I know I covered the places that were significant in that area. It was a very euphoric moment after having my scanned films a month later. Seeing them on screen tripled my natural high. For the first time I had the urge to go back to that place with a full bag of arsenal films.

Weapon of choice is my sidekick Holga 120FN and a roll of expired Kodak Portra NC100, cross-processed. Images are NOT to be printed or used without my consent.