day 670 - and for the discriminating palate...

Henry of Pelham 2009 sauvignon blanc to down the halibut entree i had at the party - smooth on the palate and easy going down. perfect pairing, i should say!

day 669 - fine herb-crusted atlantic halibut

my entree of choice during tonight's firm Christmas party at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. if you notice, i had a bite already before i took this photo. tsk! tsk! i see food and i forget everything else. i like it!

day 668 - late view

i like staying late at the office, and that is not just because i come in late. i just don't want to be jostling with so many people during the rush hours, morning or afternoon. it gives me time to start to unwind from the long work day. it gives me time to think. it gives me time to appreciate what's around me more. i know i miss a lot of things by being late, but i've been early all of my life and now that i have 'adjusted' my time, i enjoy it more. late is still late, one minute or one hour or one day; time that can never be gained back. but it's my time and i will spend it the way i want to, n'est-ce pas?

like appreciating this little Christmas tree at the lobby of our office building. there are more of this around the lobby so there are more to appreciate. this one in particular seems cheerier than the other ones. i'll photograph the other ones when there are less people in the lobby. and that would be on a weekend!

day 667 - i still got it!

there is someone in my life that i associate with the moon and he was such an unexpected part of my holiday last month. he was quite surprised that i still remember that night in school when he sang 'my foolish heart' to me. i was telling him this while winding up our jog one morning at the seaside. he was even more surprised when i told him that he kissed me first one night while we were walking on this very seaside. how could i remember all this, he asked. "i guess, you just don't forget the good things!" forty-some years and nothing's changed, the feelings i mean.

one time, he let out a 'what if it had been you and me?', staring out to the sea, a poignant expression in his face; his wife about ten metres away from us, angst in her face, and myself smiling like a cheshire cat.

"i still got it!" was all i could tell my friend when i got back from the run that morning.

day 666 - hangers on

surprised that (i was told) there had been some snow in november while i was away, and yet i find that some of the trees have not totally shed off their leaves, like this maple on victoria street. leaves are all intact and you have to yank them off the branches. just hanging on for dear life, i suppose.

day 665 - i'm back; this is how i know...

when you see these canada geese, you know you're home, or almost home. the cackle and the gaggle are just unmistakable, as well as the poopies you have to avoid stepping on - and they're not just little poops, they're freakishly big. don't be fooled by the green grass, for the poops are that colour, too!

day 664 - good morning, Canada!

the glorious canadian sunrise woke me up this morning. i've had only 2 hours of sleep as i couldn't get to sleep last night, still on manila or san francisco time, maybe. but i will fight off sleep the whole day so i will be too tired tonight and sleep my usual time and shake off this damn jet lag shit. am still woozy from yesterday's flight but i'm almost home. a very ambivalent feeling: wanting to go home and yet wanting to leave at the same time. growing old, i'm sure.

day 663 - on the way to home

friday morning, my goddaughter drove me and bff to the san francisco airport so i can take the plane back to buffalo. so, gotta cross the country to take my final trip to home. this is one of the spectacular views on the highway going to the airport. it was a bright and sunny day albeit a tad cold.

day 662 - an almost titlshift

almost, not quite. or probably not. i don't understand the concept anyway. but i like those bright red leaves on the bushes and there's so many of them along the highway driving from the san francisco airport to castro valley where bff lives.

day 661 - mother and child

jogged at the seaside this morning, taking in the warm breeze of manila bay. ben and i went past this lady and i told him that would make a beautiful portrait. about three metres after we passed the lady, i told him, "i want to take a photo" and i jogged backwards.

"excuse me, ma'am," i said. "may i take a photo of you and your baby?"

she gave me a polite smile, then said, "may i ask, ma'am, what it is for?"

i was at a loss for words. should i have told her i was going to post it on the internet? no, bad idea. haven't done the 'thinking on my feet fast' in a long time so i came up with: "it just reminded me of how my mother used to sun my younger siblings." brilliant idea, i told myself.

the lady hesitated, looked at her child, then smiled back at me.

"okay, but please, no usog."

usog meaning no 'spell'.

for a while there i thought she was going to make me wipe saliva on her baby's tummy or foot.

ben, all this while, was just watching me "in action", amused at my 'boldness' as he called it.

but i got my photo!

day 660 - going to jala-jala

a good friend invited us to spend the day at her private resort in the mountains, about an hour and a half south of manila. this is one of the views overlooking laguna de bai, the water a murky gray as the bay has now become a fishing ground where the native fishes are farmed and raised.

day 659 - japanese umbrellas

at the robinson's mall (otis).

day 658 - bubbles

lots of it, at the mall of asia. the kiosk was selling 'bubble guns'.

day 657 - at the market

fresh shells, locally called 'conches', are sold on the side of the road at the market, along with vegetables, eggplants shown here.

day 656 -it's raining in manila

and it's a bitch when that happens.

day 655 - how beautiful is this?

the sun, the sea, the sand, the waves, the boats, the coconut trees.

day 654 - les coconuts en la playa

i am missing the beaches. ever since i went to jacksonville in 2010 and heard the ocean waves after such a long time, i've been wanting to be in the water. funny thing is i cannot even swim, except of course if my life depended on it, i can and will. but i've been pining for exactly this thing: coconut trees, little dampa, the virgin sands, the waves's songs, the call of the sea wind.

day 653 - la playa

shot of the water as the tide ebbed. i miss palawan. i definitely would consider living there when i retire.

day 652 - good food, excellent company

my good friend ludi invited us over to her home for a sumptuous dinner consisting of super large shrimp cooked in a delicate spice, kare-kare, fried spring rolls, fried shrimp cake, empanadas, and for dessert, fresh ripe mango, banana, melange of tubers in coconut milk, puto bungbong and bibingka. holy camoley, i was thankful i wore a really loose dress. i was so full i thought i was going to die. that's ludi in striped top and my other good friend, liz.

day 651 - "it's cloud illusions i recall..."

" i really don't know clouds at all." - joni mitchell

taken while we were touring the honday bay islands. there is something about the relationship between the clouds and the water in this part of the world, and i want to be part of that relationship.

day 650 - come, sit with me here!

and let's just watch the tide as it recedes; listen to the sound of the waves as they kiss the shore; feel the salty air as it caresses your hair, and watch that guy in the green boat as he...what the...he's peeing in the water!!!! give me the fucking camera and i will take a photo. quick! shit! he's done, dangit!!! (note: true story)

day 649 - nice!

it is nice to just sit there and relax while you're waiting for something much nicer to happen like a sumptuous lunch of grilled seafood and steamed vegetables. while we're at it, let's add a glass of white wine to the menu. then you sit back and relax and just listen to the waves. that is nice.

day 648 - there's my future home!

well, i wish. that's a private beach, owned by some big shot who paid a lot of money to have his own beach. i'd buy my own someday, too!

day 647 - paradise found

oh, yeah, baby, this is paradise. as you can discern, i was in the water while taking this pic, but quite careful not to get the camera wet. the tide's just coming in. the water is cool and clear and clean. the air is balmy and sweet. and the freaking sun is so hot it burned my shoulders, but not enough to get me all blistery. i am definitely coming back here soon!

day 646 - at the 'mall of asia'

the 'mall of asia' or MOA as the locals refer to it, is billed as one of the world's biggest commercial mall. it might have to be between position 4 and 7. it is quite huge, built entirely on the reclaimed lands along manila bay. the two ladies who were helping us at home (in local parlance, they are called 'maids'), told us they haven't been there at all and they were quite excited when my friend lulu announced we will take them with us to that mall. so i recorded their visit in photos and i made them pose everywhere. i even took random photos and also asked them to go up the tall escalators them come back down as i took their photos. they were quite excited. here, they posed on a random kiosk selling Christmas decorations. alma was wearing an orange top and layda was wearing yellowish striped blouse.

day 645 - not a secret garden

my youngest sister has two gardens, back and front. this is the front part of the garden. she has trees and plants and shrubs and bushes, she even has a mini-holly. there she is in the middle of the front garden. there is also an unused swimming pool, a small one where they have some kind of fishes - catfish, i believe. she has quite a green thumb as she had made most of the plants come back to life again and put the garden in order. that is no mean feat, i think. and i am proud of her.

day 644 - a forest?

looks like it, right? but i'm not in the islands yet, we're still in manila, having just arrived last night. this is right in the middle of the financial district in makati city, my old haunt, where lulu and i along with our other friends used to hang out. as you can see, there's a big building in the background.

day 643 - rihanna in manila?

no, she's not really rihanna. she's not even a she, if you know what i mean. she's a "touter" for one of the restaurants by the sea side and that's a menu she's holding. the deal is for the customer to come in to their restaurants, pick the food fresh and the restaurant will cook it any way the customer wants. i took a liking to this person because she looks so sweet. i feel sorry for men who want to be women, especially when you see that they should be women and not men.

in any case, when she saw me holding a camera, she right away struck this pose. i told her i was going to have the photo printed (she asked to see it after i took her photo) and she can sign it for me. of course, i forgot all about it and never went back there when the restaurants were open. maybe next time, i'm sure she would still be there.

day 642 - first sunrise in manila

it is already the 12th of november here in manila but in canada it's still the 11th. but we woke up quite early even though we went to bed at almost 3 o'clock in the morning. when i got out of the bedroom to see what's in the offing in terms of breakfast downstairs, i saw this, sunlight from the sunrise. i couldn't see the sun exactly but its light on the vacant kitchen is enough to make me feel giddy.

this is the second floor kitchen of my friend lulu's house. it is a big house with 4 bedrooms, including the master bedroom where lulu and i are staying, and a library, one full bath, one full size shower and toilet, and one toilet with shower capacity, a kitchen (what you're looking at) a mid-size dining room with built-in cabinets and a large terrace. as i said that is just the second floor.

day 641 - bart in the distance

lulu and i were in the lounge at san francisco international waiting for our flight to manila via tokyo. they have a beautiful scenic view of hills around the airport. and at the edge the 'bart' can be seen as it ferries off passengers and well wishers.

day 640 - take off!

whilst waiting for my flight to san francisco at the buffalo international, i tried to take photos of planes landing and taxiing off. here's a more successful take off i took. colourful plane, isn't it?

day 639 - and the day is done...

watching the sun set on this day, my last day before i leave for a holiday that seems uncertain for me. i don't know what i will find there, if i will find a new life or the possibility of a new life. but it still keeps knocking on my head: what is so wrong with this life? i suppose our searching is never really over. as the sun sets, so does it rise again in the morning.

day 638 - patterns

lovely patterns on fall leaves against other leaves and the blue skies.

day 637 - the better view

but still no moon. but there's a bird in flight!

day 636 - but where's the moon?!?

i was trying to shoot the moon this afternoon while the sun was shining brightly. they were just five buildings apart on the horizon. as usual, i was using manual mode. but for some reasons, the shots would come out this way. the sky should've been really blue but instead came out grey. now as i upload this, i understand why. can't use the manual on the moon when it's not dark. correct? or maybe not. but this still came out pretty cool, huh?

day 635 - beam me up, scottie!

sunlight through green and golden red maple leaves.

day 634 - reflections

a small mirror on the wall of our favourite greek restaurant. i took a shot with the owner's picture and part of a mural reflected on the mirror. was going to post it on 365 that's why the framing, but as usual, got rejected so it landed here.

day 633 - i heart yeh, matey!

found this girlie skull and crossbone thingie glittering in the bright sunlight on the pavement during my lunchtime walk to the waterfront. nothing like a pink crossbone, eh?

day 632 - three windows

while waiting for the streetcar to go uptown for lunch, this was the building across the street.

day 631 - happy hallowe'en!

the grandkids weren't impressed! hahaha! this is not my home though. if it's mine it wouldn't be this gaudy.

day 630 - burning

no, it's not a fire, just the sunset, it's all.

day 629 - zombie pumpkin?

saw this pumpkin on a window display of a healthcare store. talk about warts and all.

day 628 - used up beauty

the leaves of this young tree are slowly falling off...reminder of things to come.

day 627 - lunchtime repose

it's cold and grey and the pigeons are enjoying the non-presence of humans at the little park near the market. most of them are on the grass but this group is probably the head honchos so they get to rest on the branches.

day 626 - sparkly

this building looks like a large sparkling diamond at dusk. you have to be there to believe it.

day 625 - the look of fall

in the city, of course, this is how fall looks like. shimmering yellowish-green leaves in the afternoon sunlight.

day 624 - cindy's shoe

this little plastic shoe was too small to be noticed by anybody. but i did, but then a person with a camera looks at things (or pavements) with a different pair of eyes. i wonder if the prince eventually found it as i left it where it was after taking my shot.

day 623 - on the rocks

just a bunch of rocks found on one of my treks. love the red leaf.

day 622 - "vaga"

the word is actually "vagabondo". it is an italian restaurant that serves divine pasta. this...this...this thing is in front of the building and right in view of the diners at vagabondo. i can't quite understand sculptures; they hold no appeal to me.

day 621 - come in and get out!

same passageway, both in and out. i say this photo is brrrrrilliant!