Tiger City

I wonder how many cities use the tiger as their seal. I know Singapore uses that as well. Or do they use a lion? Anyhow , this is on the seal in one of the walkways in Mandaluyong City, here in Metro Manila. If you ask me, the tiger does not look fierce. He actually looks like he's yawning. Oh well. A sleepy tiger is still a dangerous tiger. What's on your city's seal?

On foot or on wheels

Here is a footbridge that's great for bikes too. MMDA stands for Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. It's a governance and urban development office, but most people know it as simply the department that puts up all these "beautification" projects like bridges and waiting sheds. Oh, and they have these MMDA officers whose joy in life seems to lie in catching traffic violators. These officers don't make best friends with sidewalk vendors and informal settlers either. When demolition jobs are required (and demolition means demolishing shanties or sidewalk markets, where many poor people live and earn their living), trust the MMDA will be there.

Spaced out

The Space Shuttle, as seen in Enchanted Kingdom, a theme park about 45 minutes south of Manila.

My 16-year old self loved these things. My today self does not.

Gold

I took this shot while waiting for mass to start inside the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz. There were so many things to look at in the altar I didn't know where to start.

Not quite theme day

I thought the City Daily Photo theme day for June was going to be about construction. I don't have funny signs (boo!) so I suppose this will have to do. I like the blue sky and the crane reminds me of a giraffe. Till next theme day!

Good luck

I don't know what these are exactly, but I'm guessing they're for good luck. Or prosperity. Either way we don't have one of these in our house. I'm betting a lot of the Chinese households (not to mention businesses) around here do, though.

Giant

The giant globe in front of Mall of Asia. The idea behind this globe came from the Universal Studios in the States, where there's a similar structure. Last year, the globe was turned into an LED globe also known as GlobAmaze, the first and only full global display in Asia. It's complete with high-resolution and full display graphics made possible by some 20,000 points of light. Now I haven't actually seen this globe come to life with its "high-resolution and full display graphics" but friends say it's pretty awesome.

Piracy

For as low as 40 pesos, or less than $1, you can already buy a pirated DVD here in Manila. The government actually created a department to eradicate the problem of piracy (the office is called "Optical Media Board") but I don't think it has been successful in quelling the tide.

History repeats itself

This is the painting that greets visitors at Club Filipino, an exclusive social hall and recreational venue in Greenhills, San Juan. Pronounced "Kloob" Filipino, Club Filipino traces its roots all the way back in 1898 when it was founded as an elite Filipino country gentlemen's organization. Over the years it has a developed a reputation as a meeting ground for progressive political figures. The painting here depicts the inauguration of President Corazon Aquino, who is known worldwide as a leader of the People Power Revolution against the Marcos dictatorship. She was inaugurated at Club Filipino in 1986.

The elections were held just recently and from the looks of it, another Aquino is going to be the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Corazon Aquino's son, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III ran for President. Guess where he announced his candidacy? Right here at Club Filipino. I guess history does repeat itself.

Smart is sexy

I was invited to the launch of HTC's HTC Smart, a new type of smartphone (my first event as a "blogger" yay!) Along with TechPinas, who is the premiere tech blogger in the Philippines today, I got up-close-and-personal with HTC's new line of smartphones that promises to "put people at the center" and to "integrate an intuitive user experience". The line includes the HTC Smart, HTC Legend and the HTC HD Mini.

HTC's brand new line of Smartphones

The phones are actually pretty sleek and sexy and I like the little touches, like that single tap that enables you to turn your web browser to landscape mode, or that smart zoom which enlarges and reflows the text for easier reading.

Everyone was allowed to test the phones, which was a nice feature of the event.

Rhian Ramos, an actress and the host of the event

Now I must say I'm thrilled to be invited to an event as a blogger. It was fun and I met other prominent bloggers. Being a blogger definitely has its perks. Thank you TechPinas and HTC!

* Photos courtesy of: Jaime Martinez

***

Speaking of blogging, I'm sorry for the intermittent posts. I've been incredibly busy lately. Hopefully my schedule eases up a bit this week so I can go back to regular programming. Thanks for staying tuned folks!

Manila sky

Here's the clock tower of the Manila City Hall. Every 15 minutes and every hour it chimes thrice and plays a melody. Two people check the clock to make sure it is in good working condition all the time. "If you can't run the clocks, how can you run a city effectively?" the city hall administrator said. Good point, I must say. Now as to what kind of melody and if anybody actually hears it, I couldn't be sure.

If nothing ever changed...

...there'd be no butterflies. That's what the mural says in this tunnel. Have a good Friday everyone!

Mini

From giant, let's go to Mini. Mini Cooper that is. I don't think you can miss this showroom of Mini Coopers right here. A giant sign for a mini car, how cute is that? Plus look at the right side, there's actually a real mini cooper hanging right there. I'll try and get a nicer shot of that little car that could. Before they take it down, or before it succumbs to gravity. Whichever comes first.

Giant

Running is a popular sport here in Manila. Practically every weekend there's a running event, usually sponsored by one big company. If you're into running (or any kind of sport actually) you've probably heard of Mizuno, a sporting company that makes one of, if not the, best running shoes in the market today (Incidentally, it's also the brand I use, and I must say they're very, very comfortable). Every year Mizuno sponsors a running event around April, and this year was no exception. Runners get freebies like shirts, bags, magazines and of course, the thrill of finishing a race with thousands of other running enthusiasts.

Everything starts here

... at Kilometer Zero I mean. Right behind this kalesa (horse carriage) stands the marker for Kilometer 0, which is the starting point for all the distance measurements for the whole of the Philippine archipelago. Most countries have a designated kilometer 0, which is usually in the country's capital. For us, our Kilometer 0 is right in the heart of Manila, just across Luneta Park, where our national hero Jose Rizal is buried.