I was immersed in a digital conversationwith Mark. I told him I had this piece which somewhat parallels with the strife going on in Mindanao.
This is titled "Santum."
Despite being poached by a self-proclaimed culturati, I am continuing my Larawan Series.
I'll just give you some few words. Let the visuals speak the rest.
TO WARD OFF negative cosmic energies, I placed this plant atop my steel cabinet. The small bamboo pen holder with intricate hand paint is a gift from Kaj during their CEGP convention in Davao. "DITO NA US..." - passive audience in our yesterday's college intramurals. Who cares about opening ceremonies? 
MOCHA CHOCOLATA YA-YA - Using Canon G9 12 megapixel digicam proved easy to capture this beauty from a distance. In these days of whitening madness, she is such a breeze! Hail to the Brown Beauty!
SHOOTING Marvin while encoding, with the plastic bushes as foreground.
STILL FIL-JAP - Rasel's test shot of Canon G9, with Nick as his candid subject. Nick's camera-friendly Filipino-Japanese features come to the fore, despite the oily-ness, 
WOMAN WARRIORS ready for the battle at the field, take their Oath of Amateurism. Prelude to our school's intrams.
LOCO OVER LUNA - Fair moon rises over downtown Virac which is sparsely littered with faint lights. Taken last Saturday at CSC main building rooftop.
CLOSE - Elaine and Elvin ensconced in two divergent thoughts - she on the paper, while he, on his almost bare bod on the wall news.
CLOSER - I almost spied. Hehe.
My final day at Asian Social Institute dormitory last July 18 egged me to bring images back home. And from a city transient's eye, this is all that I could get - a view from the 4th floor of ASI dorm.
The sun bathes Leon Guinto. Gold and golden rays bordering on tangerine and red.
The far end of the 4th floor hallway offered me a simple view of Leon Guinto on a Friday morn.
What an exhilirating way to end a week's stay in Manila with this ubiquitous view from the top.
I had the opportunity of serving as research presenter in the 17th Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) International Conference on July 14-17, 2008 at the Manila Hotel with the theme Changing Media, Changing Societies: Media and the Millennium Development Goals.
MY TURN - presenting my research paper in the parallell track session with fellow presenters, Dr. Xu Xiaoge of NTU, Singapore, Mr. Tony Lambino II of the University of Pennsylvania, USA and Mr. Ashok Kumar Panda of The Times of India Group, India.
I was one of the speakers in the parallel track session titled Partnering Media to Promote Millennium Development Goals. I presented my research on Electronic Governance in Region 5 State Universities and Colleges, together with speakers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, The Times of India Group in India and University of Pennsylvania, USA.
A plethora of lectures, both plenary and parallel. Dr. Mads Suva presents her study titled "Journalists mitigating hunger."
I likewise established linkages with fellow communication researchers for an enriching collaborative undertakings and exchange of studies in our field.
Dynamics with the audience after our respective presentations.
Dr. Indrajit Banerjee, secretary general of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said during the inaugural session and welcome program that 170 papers from 25 countries across five continents were received by AMIC. They were screened, evaluated and trimmed down for final selection in the plenary and parallel sessions. It is indeed such an honor to be chosen as one of the research presenters in this prestigious international gathering.
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE WORLD - delegates from across Asia and the Pacific, including US, Europe and Africa. Top photo, second from left, is Sofia Kartika of Indonesia who presented a study on how women in her country use blogging to empower their lives and support the cause of millennium development goals.
SIDELIGHT WONDER - Lovely usherettes from St. Scholastica.
AMIC's annual conference rotates around countries in the Asia and the Pacific region. The 2009 event will be held in the amazing continent of India.
MOVING FORCES - Philippine point person of Asian Media Information and Communication Centre and Fulbright associate, Chi-chi Robles, chairing the opening session. Former Philippine President FVR keynotes the ceremony.
The event provided me a rich opportunity of infusing various studies and projects in the field of technology, communications and media undertaken by numerous professional journalists, communication scholars and academicians from elsewhere around the world.
PROUD TO WEAR MY COUNTRY I.D. - There was a running joke a day after my presentation that the Philippine bet in the Miss Universe pageant lost her bid due to her opening spiel in the traditional parade of Nations: "Mula sa lupaing kapos sa bigas; kaban ng bayan limas na limas, dahil sa mga opisyal na mandurugas, PILIPINAS...! True to form.
This is one of Ma's modest collections of Vanda. This was taken one weekend afternoon. It spreads its royal bloom in summer, punctuating the scorching heat of May.
I am awed by the elements in its surrounding.
From a worm's eye view, the bursting purple petals stand out in the blue skyline peppered with cirrus clouds. The "pataririk" tree (I dont know if this is indeed its true name) shares a space in the frame, adding harmony to the composition.
This Vanda is not as pampered. It rarely receives a mist of flower and roots-inducing fertilizers. However, it gets plenty of sun and rain.
It has remained beautiful in the midst of scarcity.
Well, just like Ma -- she draws her strenght from tempests.
They have disabled the friendster connection in the kingdom where I work. They blocked the virtual community. They never know how this has helped me much in disseminating important academic announcements because the students, whenever they would go online, would park first in their friendster accounts.
Friendster has been an effective communication medium, a potent student awareness platform. And then the word of mouth will multiply a hundred and thousand times. And the goal of reaching as much students in so short a time, (lesser cost and labor) would be achieved.
Tsk. How pathetic was the move to "firewall" this tremendously powerful virtual social network.
Alvin Toffler said: "the illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."
I have always my high regards to people, especially those in their senior years, who are not afraid to innovate and remain open to the wonder of new things.
And I pity those who remain ignorant to things of great, and greater importance.
Rev. James Bramston forwards that "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast...."
Eraseheads, Matt Monroe, Hagibis, Bee Gees, Hotdog, Jed Madela, Andy Williams, Marco Sison, South Border, Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano. And some more. These greatest contributions of music to the world harmoniously co-exist in my Windows Media Player.
At any time of the day, when I am buried in office work, they would randomly croon their greatest hits.
And then a symphony of varied musical genres would fill my office nook.
Alapaap. September Morn. Love Story. Annie Batumbakal. Emotions.
They would fill my nook like perfectly embedded transitions in a movie maker. Some rock. Some pop. A sprinkling of old, and a bit of blues.
Ah, music. They tame the savagery of work.
What comes to your mind when you see an empty chair in an equally empty room? This one, for me, conjures images that are replete with meaning.
So poignant was the imagery that I got stirred to photograph and immortalize it with these words....
Oda sa Salumpuwit
Dahil ayaw mong sumabay sa daluyong
Ng paglikas; mabigat ang mga kargamento,
Na mas lalong pinabigat ng mga pagtanggi,
Nakita mo kung paano nila hinugot
At hinablot ang mga nakaugat nang mga alaala.
Walang habas nilang binunot hanggang
Sa dumugo at malantang tuluyan ang
Mga natitira sanang pag-asang makalaya,
Dito sa ikinandadong pinto Baka bukas, tuluyan na nilang burahin
Tanaw kita, ramdam ko ang iyong
Agrutong, ang patalikod na dabog,
Ayaw mong ipakita sa akin ang iyong
Mukhang ‘di mailawaran ang naghalong
Lumbay, poot. ‘Malupit sila', sabi mo.
Ang anumang natirang gi-ok,
Kaya isulat mo na sa dugo ang kasaysayan.
To paraphrase Comandante Guevarra: "We stay because we believe. We leave because we are disillusioned...."
*Tribute to the Amazon Belles, all lovely in many sort of ways. Photos taken by GSR on May 5, 2008
