weld

Elmen a very good friend and drinking buddy, works in a small shop, building tricycles 6 days a week. at times he needs to work on Sundays just to finish some jobs.
A very hard worker.

working from 8am to 7pm, 6 days a week....
he earns $25 to $30 for a week's work.

"ok na 'to. malaking tulong na din. kesa sa wala"
(this is ok with me. it's already a big help to us. this is better than nothing at all.")

a typical pinoy....hardworking, positive, resilient.
i salute you, Filipino workers.

muslim girl

i was shopping at Baguio market when this little girl approached me, asking that she'll carry my bag for some money. some kids are roaming around the city market doing the same ro earn some money for their family. i told her that i'll just take a photo of her and she doesn't have to carry my bag. she was hesitant at first and was shy to even look at my cam.

"isang kuha lang po ha" (just one photo sir).

i smiled and took a shot as fast as i can because i didn't want her to change her mind.
she burst into a sweet smile as i handed her some money.

she was so happy and surprised that i gave her 50 pesos (1 dollar). most of the time they get 10 or 20 pesos in every bag they carry....and most are heavy shopping bags.

"kuya nagkamali po kayo" (brother you made a mistake.)
offering back the money.

"no i didn't", i said.
that is really for you.

then i went my way praying that the photo i took of her was alright.

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the ice cream man

i took an "ice cream break" from chasing a photo for my entry in flickr 888. started a conversation with Manong Sorbetero (i asked for his name but i completely forgot it now....me and my senior moments) as he was preparing my ice cream.

it didn't take long before i got him to tell an incident he was still furious about. he said he got victimized by a practical joke of a certain tv program. they pretended they were arresting him of illegally selling ice cream inside quezon city memorial park. old as he is, he forgot about his permit and panicked right away.

he got furious when he was told it was only a practical joke.
he said he wasn't able to breath well and laid down on one corner for a few minutes.

"@#^$&*(*&^%@^* ng mga yan", he cursed them.
"kung ako namatay hindi naman ako babayaran ng mga yan." (if i died, i am sure they wont even pay me).

"ni hindi man lang ako binigyan ng tubig...mga walanghiya!" (they didn't even bother to give me a glass of water. shameless!)


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reborn

i have not been checking this blog for almost a year now.
i was in china so i wasn't able to even view this blog (blogspot is blocked in china).

now that i've been staying "longer" in manila, a flickr friend reminded me of this blog and asked me to "resurrect" it.
the past days i've been trying to log in to this blog but i cannot remember the account name and password i used for this.

senior moments, hehehe.

i asked blogspot to helpme retrieve my account name so i can change my password too.
so here it is....i was able to log in today and was so happy to put down a few words.

i welcome me back to photo blogging....hopefully my senior moments will not get in the way forgetting my password again.

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no time for being a kid

he gathers plastic cups and bottles in the streets of manila to help his family....barefooted. Junjun, 10 years old, is the 3rd among six siblings.

i followed him for a while and found a chance to talk to him
"saan ka nakatira?" (where do you live}, i asked.
"kung saan-saan lang po kami nakatira" (we live anywhere sir)

"magkano kinikita mo sa pagkuha ng plastic? (how much do you earn from getting plastic bottles?), i inquired.
"minsan po P60, minsan po P80...depende po" (at times 60 pesos, at times 80 pesos. it really depends sir - *about 2 dollars*.)

i invited him to have a burger with me and we talked about other things. after finishing up his burger, he bade me goodbye.

"sige po. thank you po sa sopdrinks at hamburger" (ok sir, thank you for the softdrink and hamburger)
"ok, ingat ha." (ok be careful). i smiled at him. with a heavy heart i looked at him as he went his way.

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old lady in quiapo

she was so happy when she saw the printed copy of the photo i took of her, a couple of weeks ago. happy that she called all the people she knew in the area and showed them her pictures. happy that she called me "apo" (grandson) many times...in between the endless Thank Yous she said to me. Happy that she gave me a hug and kissed me in the forehead to my surprise and everybody in the area's delight.

...four photos.
...endless Thank Yous.
...a lifelong joy.

i promise to keep on shooting.

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this grandmother is a newspaper and cigarette vendor
in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines

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the world in different lights

taken at SM Mall of Asia - the biggest mall in the Philippines
and 7th in the world. (Wikipedia)

(click the image if you want to view it large)

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