Images of Christmas in Philipines 2011

Just a collection of images while i go around everywhere in Manila during weekends, workdays and anytime i feel like it. I made this because i haven't done this before (like collect the pics into a blog and share it). Its a shame i dont have dslr for better picture quality (which reminds me how much i wanted to buy one). Photos are taken from either my Nokia 6267, iphone, samsung/cannon digicam with equally acceptable resolution (not that i have a choice) ..

Well, i realized how happy Christmas season in the Philippines is, and i would like to remember it even if i am away (or would be away in the coming years). I'll shoot anything that fancies me, and share it until There's not a single thing i could see that means Christmas.

My Christmas Collections from the Cheapest to the Posh

(all are mere opinion, no advertising intended)

Shang's Candylicious Sweet Christmas


Shangrila Edsa's Christmas Decoration is awesome. Starting from Doors to walls to ceilings. Its theme is candy /cake / bread or whatever you call it. Not entirely a Christmas symbol aside from the fact that ginger breads were often served during Christmas seasons. Nonetheless, creativity had it.


Shang's main entrace facing Shaw Blvd. Fom the inside.


Lovely isn't it? those big lantern like cakes, muffins and gifts, rather train of gifts, hang from above.


The basement's view from escalator would show almost the same style, hanging decorations with lighting, really nice effect.


From below, basement floor, food court.


From below left wing. Left wing is decorated with cakes and muffins, while right wing is decorated with toy cars and gifts. Also hanging.


The gingerbread house. Its as big as a realhouse. Kids can actually fit. But they cannot open or go in, only take picture from beside it. When the security guard isn't in bad mood, kids can get inside the ring and actually take picture beside the house. even touch it.


A bigger view. Dang, my iphone cam killed the quality.


Is it a tree or a cake? or a cake tree?


These snowpals are undoubtedly the most popular in the showcase, almost all kids and even older ones stand ther side for a picture.




High isn't it?


Genuinely creative. Gingerbread dolls apparently made of cloth, foam, and intricate details are really amazing..



Even the Escalator aisle is adorned with garlands and gingerbreads made of styrofoam, colored clothes, fancy pins, sequins etc.

This is my personal favorite, the purple giant clown. standing out amongst the rest.


Yummy cakes and muffins and other gigantic things that hung but definitely not edible at all.


Just passing by at Shangrila, ofcourse you wont miss Rustan's. A Class-A department store for the well-off ones. I did not bother to go in cause im in a hurry going home i just took some shots from outside. I did not bother as there's a great chance taking pictures inside is not allowed.
Well, Rustan's have this very classy posh appeal that makes me actually feel like im in Singapore's Ion Orchard or Tang's.

A touch of native combined with glass, makes everything very flashy, very classic and yet indeed very Christmassy

A Visit to Divisoria : October 2011

Store owners and Christmas Ornaments vendors started taking out their 'old' stocks of christmas decorations and put them on super low sale.Some items are not old, but new ones, but mostly old designs (its October FGS). Just like Fashion,Christmas decorations are also a trend.

At 168 Mall in Divisoria, this is infront the 168 admin office. it used tobe a place where people can just rest on some stools lying around but now they lease it for some Bazaar like this.

The Big Santa and the Foil Garlands are soo from yesterday

A cheaper variation of table top Christmas Tree. I remember doing something like this when i was younger, only that, those were made of "walis tingting" upside down.

selling old stocks before new ones come and outdate them

native beauty, anything that's made from native looks rather classy than cheap. its actually more expensive

Christmas Trees of Different Sorts

Table top, turning and optically lighted trees, table top native trees, they also have built in music system that plays caroles. i think those make good gifts bec its very handy. but who would give a xmas tree for a gift? (well i did lol)

Native slim pyramids, those are actually christmas trees that you can use as lamp post, ideal to put on sides and corners. Normally made with metalbase and abaca skins, adorned with smal flowers, xmas balls etc.

Spruce tree this reminds me how much i wanted to change our christmas tree this season. the materials used in christmas trees nowadays are so much different from my old tree. well, its 10 yrs more or less lol

Another shop from the same mall but in different area, Filipinos can make anything feel christmas by just putting it all together. halogen lights, led lights, garlands, wreaths etc.

~ Happy Halloween ~

~*~ Happy Halloween ~*~

Whimsical Whites will be open this weekend :

Saturday 10am - 5pm

Sunday 11am - 5pm

Fresh florals and spooky treats

Come join us for tea and cookies

Whimsical Halloween items

SpOoKtAculAr decor

We would love for you to visit Whimsical Whites this weekend! 

** Our Anniversary Sale starts Nov.1 - 15th **

20% off all items!!

~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~

Kathy & Kris 

Grave Encounters

I realize this admission will probably cause a ton of eye rolls in the heads of snobby film buffs across the globe, but I'm just going to say it — I absolutely love the "found footage" approach to horror filmmaking. That's right. All you film buffs can suck it!

This minimalist filmmaking style, which has now basically become an official subgenre of horror, has a sense of realism to it that allows for a very eerie and unsettling atmosphere that most polished Hollywood films fail to produce. Films like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and [REC] are perfect examples of the "found footage" approach being used to its full, scary-as-hell potential.

Grave Encounters, unfortunately, follows the blueprints of its predecessors a little too closely, feeling like a very obvious collection of recycled bits from the aforementioned films and even others like Session 9 and House On Haunted Hill. I'm not one to dismiss a film solely based on its lack of originality, but Grave Encounters totally misses the mark by forgetting what really makes these films work.

The plot revolves around a group of paranormal investigators who lock themselves up in an abandoned asylum to film an episode for their reality TV show. At first, the crew only seems interested in building up the asylum's history with a lot of juicy lies, courtesy of paid "witnesses" and a phony psychic. After having a few odd experiences while wandering around the decrepit building, the crew soon realize that faking the evidence won't be necessary at all.

Having seen a lot of the ghost hunting shows on TV, I know how fake some of them can be, so I thought it was rather refreshing to see this film poke fun at the unreality of reality TV. But at the same time, this obviously made all of the characters instantly loathsome. They're money hungry frauds decieving their audience. The host of the show, Lance, is fairly convincing as a parody of a typical reality show host and I appreciated that. But in order to accomplish this, he had to be incredibly pompous and irritating beyond belief. This of course is a major issue, considering he was given the role of carrying the entire film. The rest of the characters are just as annoying as they do absolutely nothing but childishly bicker back and forth for the majority of the film. If we hate the characters and can't relate to them, how are we expected to be entertained or thrilled by their situation? Simply put, we just won't care. And I didn't.

At first, I was actually somewhat entertained and intrigued by Grave Encounters on a very basic level and I enjoyed the reason behind the crew's inability to escape the building. Instead of their confinement simply being a result of locked doors and barred windows, there was a supernatural twist added that made things rather disorienting and stressful. I will admit that it did affect me. This cool idea, however, seriously overstays its welcome and becomes rather tiresome. Unfortunately, this is also true of every other aspect of Grave Encounters. The bickering characters, the running around, the apparitions with CG'd faces — it all gets extremely old and tiring very quickly and I found myself constantly checking the time to see how much longer the movie would last.

Grave Encounters marks the filmmaking debut of a duo who call themselves The Vicious Brothers, and this pretty much says it all. They're inexperienced filmmakers who like the prosaic and ostentatious (as proved by their name). The "found footage" approach is meant to be subtle and realistic and that's not exactly what we're given here. Grave Encounters may not work as a whole, but it does have its moments and it will be enjoyed by some. For me, however, it was a total chore to sit through. The Vicious Brothers are not totally without talent, they just clearly need a lot more practice.

RATING:

Grave Encounters

I realize this admission will probably cause a ton of eye rolls in the heads of snobby film buffs across the globe, but I'm just going to say it — I absolutely love the "found footage" approach to horror filmmaking. That's right. All you film buffs can suck it!

This minimalist filmmaking style, which has now basically become an official subgenre of horror, has a sense of realism to it that allows for a very eerie and unsettling atmosphere that most polished Hollywood films fail to produce. Films like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and [REC] are perfect examples of the "found footage" approach being used to its full, scary-as-hell potential.

Grave Encounters, unfortunately, follows the blueprints of its predecessors a little too closely, feeling like a very obvious collection of recycled bits from the aforementioned films and even others like Session 9 and House On Haunted Hill. I'm not one to dismiss a film solely based on its lack of originality, but Grave Encounters totally misses the mark by forgetting what really makes these films work.

The plot revolves around a group of paranormal investigators who lock themselves up in an abandoned asylum to film an episode for their reality TV show. At first, the crew only seems interested in building up the asylum's history with a lot of juicy lies, courtesy of paid "witnesses" and a phony psychic. After having a few odd experiences while wandering around the decrepit building, the crew soon realize that faking the evidence won't be necessary at all.

Having seen a lot of the ghost hunting shows on TV, I know how fake some of them can be, so I thought it was rather refreshing to see this film poke fun at the unreality of reality TV. But at the same time, this obviously made all of the characters instantly loathsome. They're money hungry frauds decieving their audience. The host of the show, Lance, is fairly convincing as a parody of a typical reality show host and I appreciated that. But in order to accomplish this, he had to be incredibly pompous and irritating beyond belief. This of course is a major issue, considering he was given the role of carrying the entire film. The rest of the characters are just as annoying as they do absolutely nothing but childishly bicker back and forth for the majority of the film. If we hate the characters and can't relate to them, how are we expected to be entertained or thrilled by their situation? Simply put, we just won't care. And I didn't.

At first, I was actually somewhat entertained and intrigued by Grave Encounters on a very basic level and I enjoyed the reason behind the crew's inability to escape the building. Instead of their confinement simply being a result of locked doors and barred windows, there was a supernatural twist added that made things rather disorienting and stressful. I will admit that it did affect me. This cool idea, however, seriously overstays its welcome and becomes rather tiresome. Unfortunately, this is also true of every other aspect of Grave Encounters. The bickering characters, the running around, the apparitions with CG'd faces — it all gets extremely old and tiring very quickly and I found myself constantly checking the time to see how much longer the movie would last.

Grave Encounters marks the filmmaking debut of a duo who call themselves The Vicious Brothers, and this pretty much says it all. They're inexperienced filmmakers who like the prosaic and ostentatious (as proved by their name). The "found footage" approach is meant to be subtle and realistic and that's not exactly what we're given here. Grave Encounters may not work as a whole, but it does have its moments and it will be enjoyed by some. For me, however, it was a total chore to sit through. The Vicious Brothers are not totally without talent, they just clearly need a lot more practice.

RATING:

The Threats Coming

Dear Readers,
Okay this is morbid but i frankly tell you, this chain of posts may be able to help me after i am gone or anybody relevant to me or my father, for that matter..
How so? let me begin with a story.

A child(dsm) was born on 3rd june from a semi - spanish father(dm) and a cebuana mother(cv). child became boy and yet still to young and unfortunate, but both parents were earlier separated. the father was a womanizer and had another child (dms) with another woman(n), but also never settled instead found another woman(luz).(and who knows if there are any other women in between). the mother(cv) found herself a good man (rt) and settled a new family, with (rt) she raised 4 more kids (rt,ot,ct,st) now all grown up wives. the boy became a man, married a woman 31 years ago, raised their family with 2 daughters beautiful daughters. the man is my father, and of course i'm one of the daughter, i mean beautiful daughter. ha-ha.

I had a vague memory of my grandfather, but i know he was existent in our lives when i was younger. I was born in Pasig, we lived there for roughly 4 or 5 years, those were the first few years of my life, before we moved to Mindoro. I remember how my grandfather looks like, he's a mestizo, he had sunburnt most of the time, when i was still a kid, he was very macho. Oh he's a playboy afterall, how can he look dull? He would visit us once in a while and bring me a lot of Popsicles with monggo or buko. I remember him hugging me, and the scent of beer coming from his breath mixed with his strong masculine perfume is something i cannot forget. I was 4.

I grew up pretty fast. But i grew at the thought that my grandfather abandoned my dad. He was left at such an early age, during those years that broken families were not a trend and single parents were not an acceptable social status. Many years ago, lolo mestiso died,but the death of my grandfather is something that sadden me only bec i knew how my dad felt. He was abandoned, but never was an orphan to his dad, but now he is. Well, Blood is thick, as the saying goes.

Now.. many years after his death, my father has begun a journey in looking for some assets left to him and his mother. He has been working on getting documents and evidences many months ago. he has consulted lawyers.

Setting : a portion of the property left by my grandfather (conjugal property of lolo and lola) has been sold despite the HOLD ORDER to release title and or sell..
the property was sold to rom(ds) wife of ant(ds) daughter of an "alleged (DL)" (BLK).. the property being conjugal, and the hold being in place, my grand mother and father filed a case to adverse claim.

BLK is a known person in Marikina, he is rich and powerful. This is the start of the threat. to deal with a person like this may not exactly be the best move. My father have long known about this, since we don't have any means to pay a trusted lawyer before, he gave up hope in claiming his rights over the properties left by my grandfather.

Last Monday October 03, he went to San Mateo to file the case.
(Everything Beyond this will be in Tagalog)
Ang bilis nga naman ng usad ng impormasyon para sa mayayaman (at makapangyarihan) ano? Imaginin mo.. hindi pa tapos magfile ng kaso ang papa ko sa munisipyo, pero eto ang kinakasuhan.. tinatawagan na ang abogado ng papa ko.. ibig sabihin?? may tao ang mayamang DL na si BLK sa munisipyo?? hindi naman nakakapagtaka.. ikaw na ang maging 'makapangyarihan' at 'Alleged' DL. Alleged kasi hindi sakin nanggaling yan at wala akong basehan, pero galing yan sa paniniwala ng karamihan!
So nakipagkita si BLK sa abogado ni papa na si Atty Agui at nagkausap sila doon, well hindi daw magandang usapan ang nilabasan, dahil bastos daw kausap si BLK..(Mahinahon na tao c Atty Agui at ang kanyang mga proyekto ay para sa mahihirap).. Kahit noon pa, ayaw na sana ni Papa na habulin ang parte ng lupa na nabenta kay BLK, delikado daw kasi, pero ngayun, nagbago ang isip nya, gusto nya kasing mapakinabangan ang mga naiwan sa kanya ng kanyang ama. para naman guminhawa ang buhay namin. Ang sabi ni BLK, alam daw ng kapatid ni papa ang tungkol dito, at eversince, alam daw ni tita (dms) and pagbebenta ng lupa sa kanya.. Kung totoo ito, mabuti pa ang anak sa labas ano? may napakinabangan na..Subalit, nasa America c tita (dms) kaya sinulatan sya ng papa ko thru email, naka cc po ako at kapatid ko ang nagtype. Sa email ipinaalam ni papa kay tita (dms) na nagfile sila ng kaso at sinabi ni BLK na alam nya ang mga transactions ng bentahan ng lupa.Kahapon ang email(october 6)
Ngayun, wala pang reply si tita (dms)

Nakakatakot talaga, dahil indi namin alam ang iniisip gawin ni BLK, diba nga 'alleged DL' sya?? Napakaraming pwedeng gawin ng isang taong mapera at 'alleged DL'.. Kung totoo ang 'allegations' tungkol kay BLK, ipinagdarasal konalang na sana, ilayo sa disgrasya si Papa, sana maging patas ang batas, sana maging patas si BLK. Masamang pumatay ng tao!

Ngayun october 07 2011, tatawag c papa sa court para alamin from the clerk kung tapos na ung document na kelngan nitong itype dahil dadalhin un ni papa sa RD ng Marikina, ipapaannotate daw ung certificate..

Sana maging okay ang lahat..

(Somewhere in this blog u will find what those Symbols mean) for security and confidentiality purposes i will not be able to publicly give out names and identities. this is a personal blog, however this is also publicly accessible)