…We finally rode the van, and 45 minutes later, I knew I was there. The atmosphere is very different. The place has the probinsya ambience already. Sweeping view of the mountain, small stores and eateries at the sidewalk.

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I’ve been to the Walled City countless time, but it was my first time to see Baluarte San Diego, La Manille’s first line of defense.

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DJ Tiesto last friday was phenomenal. The light show was great! The venue was amazing. We were basically within the walls of a fortress/dungeon but it was open air. We didn’t take any photos since I didn’t bring my camera with me and my friend’s camera was stolen by someone from his pocket while we were coming inside the venue.

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June 24 was Manila’s foundation day. What better way is it for me to celebrate this day than to have a tour at the Great Wall of Manila: The Walled City of Intramuros. To the Saniards, they call it, La Ciudad Murada.

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Chugging through the Rhine Riverbanks

As we were sitting on our last day of train travel in Europe, I was disappointed to learn that the train we were taking back to Cologne en route to Belgium was not the express one. However, the disappointment slowly dissipated as we chugged through small, sleepy towns along the Rhine River. On the opposite bank, we saw different quaint little hamlets with their respective church steeples, and the occasional old castle overlooking it. At one point, a train was going through one on the other side, in the opposite direction we were going. It brought to mind those little play towns sold during Christmas as holiday scenes that come with lights, which are set up as part of the Christmas décor. As I took in the very scenic ride, I couldn’t help but look back at the last two weeks that we had just spent. Traveling may have cost us a fair bundle, but one just can’t put a price on that kind of time spent with a loved one. I know I almost sound like a MasterCard commercial, but there’s really nothing like shared experiences to further build friendships and relationships.

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They arrested terror suspects in Florida and foiled a plot to bomb and flood the New York subway. America is under seige from homegrown and foreign terrorists. It is a dangerous place to visit.

Why is our government not issuing travel advisories so that Filipinos would be guided accordingly in traveling to the US in the same way the US, UK, and other countries issue travel advisories for their citizens against traveling to the Philippines?

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I just came from a Binondo foodtrip with Ajay and Vina. We braved the heavy downpour just to taste the best of Manila’s Chinatown.

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sm city baguio, veranda side…

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igorot statues from igorot garden, baguio city, philippines

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This year’s theme for the Kadayawan – Nagkahiusang Katilingban Bisan Asa sa Kalibutan (One People Anywhere in the World) – is a tribute to Davaoenos here and abroad.

The thankgiving festival on August 14-20 will feature the usual activities, including the much awaited streetdancing and floral float parade.

In addition, as many as eight schools will hold reunions for their graduates particulalry enticing those working and living abroad to come home for the festivities.

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Watching a concert in a dungeon/fortress…another first for me!

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after a few shots and donuts, we closed the session of the day…

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The Fisherman of Binmaley By Restituto C. Basa

On the town of Binmaley, beside the town hall stands a statue of a fisherman. A fish basket is tied to its waist, while he carries on his back a huge fish. The statue is an apt symbol of the town. Fishing is the first and foremost livelihood of Binmaley.

Its location: The town lies along the coastline of the Lingayen Gulf. More than one half of its land area is swampy. Binmaley has a land area of 6,120 hectares.

Binmaley is the wet land of Agno Valley. The wide river channel between barangays Naguilayan and Manat is the Agno River on its way to the Lingayen gulf.

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Greetings!

I am Masantaka Ajiro, the President of Japan-Philippines Volunteer Association with offices in Japan and in Davao City. I am a Buddhist Bishop in Japan and I have come to love Davao City and call it my second home. My association has been extending donations and volunteer services to the different areas in Davao City. We have been in existence for 15 years now. Our thrusts are the following:

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Location: Jordan, Dead Sea
Date Taken: 2006-03-29
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, 18-55mm EF-S Lens
Exposure: f/16, 1/400 seconds

http://www.tetbautista.com/blog

it’s been a while since i visited madinat jumeirah. not knowing any restrictions, we took out our “big guns” and started shooting for subjects… then we headed down near the artificial lagoon when we were stopped by the guard…

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Location: Jordan, Dead Sea
Date Taken: 2006-03-19
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, 18-55mm EF-S Lens
Exposure: f/32, 1/80 seconds

www.tetbautista.com/blog

what did we do in muscat? just went to pee.

hit the brakes

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/22, iso: 200, focal length: 27mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

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PINOYexpats Meet

Early the next day, J dropped us off at the downtown Starbucks for breakfast. I could hardly contain my anticipation in meeting Ruth and Raquel. Meeting two of the brilliant thirteen (naks, syempre kasali kami ni Melissa doon! Hehe!) that make up PINOYexpats was something I was really looking forward to. It was like seeing old friends. These are the people that I probably have emailed to the most in the last couple of years because of all the brainstorming email sessions that we have before each issue. So there we were eating all the fatty Starbucks pastries and chatting on, sometimes reverting to Tagalog, as Hubby patiently listened and looked on. The conversation did not disappoint, and I didn’t really expect it to. After all, how can people who are such fun to read be bad conversationalists? Too bad, the other nine members couldn’t join us!

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