Aliw sa Aliwan (p1)

Aliwan Fiesta 2009
CCP Complex, Manila
25 April 2009

Aliwan Fiesta is an annual event that gathers different cultural festivals of the Philippines in Star City Complex in Pasay City wherein contingents compete in dance parade and float competitions, as well as in a beauty pageant. Organized by Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) together with Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the cities of Manila and Pasay, the event is dubbed as "The Mother of All Fiestas," with prizes totaling to P3 million. Aliwan Fiesta, which began in 2003, aims to showcase the richness of different Filipino cultures and heritage not only to the people in Metro Manila but also to the rest of the world. The contingents, meanwhile, aim to promote their respective regions both economically and tourism-wise. It was originally organized as a visual extravaganza for the Christmas season, but it has since been held during the summer months of either April or May. Aliwan is a Tagalog word for "entertainment" or "amusement." (Source: Wikipedia)

I have heard of this festival from the previous years, but it was only this year that I was able to see it after taking an invitation from photoblog friends. We first went to have lunch together (read previous post) and after, we walked to the sides of the Aliw Theater to check out the preparations of the contingents. I took quite a lot of pictures, so I will break down this festival into two posts, and this post will concentrate more on the images taken before the grand street parade.

Seeing how each contingents prepare, I already got excited with how much colors and culture this fiesta had. As soon as we stepped on the festival grounds, it was pretty much a photo frenzy for us, and even if we went there together, we just did our own thing when it comes to taking pictures.

I was able to take pictures of:

... the colorful floats. These floats reflects the rich culture of the Philippines, and a way to showcase Filipino ingenuity.




... the captivating beauty. Whether they're born in the Philippines, or has a foreign blood in them, the beauty of the Filipino woman will always stand out.




... the unity. Contingents were from different parts of the country, and seeing them all in one festival grounds just made me feel proud and happy to be a Filipino.

The grand street parade started a little past 4PM. Pictures from there will be posted tomorrow. If you wish the view the whole pre-parade album, please check my Flickr Site HERE.

Happy new week ahead!

*** Jenn ***

EBaliwan with the Litratong Pinoy Peeps

Dencio's Bar and Grill
Ground Level, Building 2, CCP Complex
Pedro Bukaneg St.
Malate, Manila
+63 (02)5527057
25 April 2009

Being a blogger, I love doing blog memes, and one closest to my heart is the "Litratong Pinoy" meme, because it is 100% Filipino meme - only Filipinos can join it, and blog posts has to be written in the Filipino language primarily, with the option of translating it to English if the blogger wants to. Since I joined this meme, I was already able to meet some of its members, and the meme just became sort of a family to us.

In celebration of the Aliwan Fiesta, the people behind the meme asked members if they want to have a get together first before the actual festival. It's been a while since I last saw them, so I confirmed my attendance, for it was a great chance to meet the members, as well as watch the festivities.

We were set up to meet at Dencio's in Harbour Square, but on the day of the get together, a very heavy rain fell, that made my brother and I hesitant on attending. After a few text messages sent to one of the members, my brother and I decided to push through. And it was a great decision because weather was good in Manila City.




A little background about the food place:

Since it was established in 1991, Dencio's is a brand associated with original
year-round Filipino grilled dishes that can only be relished in authentic Filipino dining atmosphere. As a pioneer in the bar and grill restaurant category, Dencio's set the trend of nipa hut style dining.

The Lorenzo group’s acquisition of the brand in 2004 breathed new life to Dencio's. Today, Dencio’s have fresher, cleaner and friendlier restaurants – the ideal gathering place for traditional Filipino get-togethers.

On top of its fresh new look that beckons to families, friends, yuppies and business groups, Dencio’s boasts of its best-selling sisig and a wide range of other delectable grilled items. Whether the occasion be a wholesome gathering or just a casual
get-together for unwinding and drinking, fast becoming staple favorites are
crispy pata, bulalo and sinugba served family style.

We were late than the call time, but they understood, as we were exchanging messages with them while on the road. As soon as my brother and I arrived, we already called on the waiter to take our orders. We decided to just order foods and share the bill afterwards, and we had:


Crispy Kangkong. A little appetizer, Missy chose this one - just something to munch on while we wait for the other foods. Sometimes, I feel ordering kangkong at a restaurant is a waste of money considering that a bunch of kangkong (swamp cabbage) were very cheap in the market. However, when I tasted this, it somehow took away that negative feeling. This was really delicious.


Fried Calamari. This dish wasn't soggy, which was good. It was cooked okay - very tender and the batter tasted so right. It was good with or without the dip.


Sisig. Probably a staple in most Filipino-inspired restaurants, this one was okay, but not exceptional. As soon as I tasted it, I already knew it wasn't as good as the ones I tasted from the other restaurants.


Sinigang na Hipon. Just so we have something brothy or soupy. The vegetables were cooked good - still crunchy, and the soup not really that sour - just right. However, I did hope they took time to take out the prawn's whiskers.

After a very hearty lunch, we went out for some pictorials. The restaurant was just next to the Manila Bay, so we took the time to shoot pictures at our hearts' content.


A Beautiful Day. When I put up this picture in my Facebook, some of my friends asked if this was really located in the Philippines. And of course, I am very proud to say that it was.


Row of Lights. I could just imagine what drama these lights can give once it turned night.


Marina. Despite the current economic situation of the country, some people can still have their own yacht.


Us. During Litratong Pinoy get togethers, doing a jump shot was a requirement. This picture was one of the many attempts at getting it right, because Lino just set up his camera on self timer (he forgot to bring his camera's remote). It took a while before we figured out when the camera actually takes the picture, and this was the best of the bunch. From left to right - Ianna, Missy, JenL, Buge, my brother, me, Ronnie, and Lino.

After the tiring jumps, we all walked to the festival grounds to take pictures.

*** Jenn ***

ps - big thanks to my brother and to Lino for some of the pictures.

The Walk of Faith

The Road to Blessed Sacrament Novitiate
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
10 April 2009

A few days before Good Friday, I received a message of invitation from church org friends about doing a "Walk of Faith." Seeing it as a great chance for me to be with friends as well as contemplate on what the day is about, I said yes without hesitations. Our meeting time was at 6am in the chapel of Ciudad Real, but it was already around 7am when we started walking.


According to Joerime, they started doing the "Walk of Faith" nearly a decade ago, as their way of sacrificing and devoting their whole day to the Lord. All members of the church org are invited, but a confirmation was needed because the road to the novitiate belonged to a private person, and entering the gates, one must secure a gate pass. The walk was indeed long and winding, but it was okay, for there is strength in numbers. We got tired yes (especially when we had to take the uphill roads), but the thing of it was, we were also talking to each other and sharing stories, that diverts the tiring feeling.


After nearly two hours of walking, we reached the novitiate. They had an open space, where we settled in. After catching our breath, we gathered for some prayers and songs, and we catched up on everybody's life. I belonged to the "Newbies," so it was a nice time for me to get to know more of the people in the community. Of course, I also took in the time to capture some pictures, and this is my favorite:


Butterfly Coupling. We saw these butterflies on the ground, and good thing we weren't able to step on them.

One of my batchmates, Ran, was also into photography, and he took the time to teach me some of the things he learned from the lessons he attended from way back. I allowed him to use my camera so we can both capture subjects with different perspectives. It was a blessing to learn something new.


As soon as we settled, we posed for a group shot, and we went to our respective groups. We were given some questions for discussions, to allow us to tackle about things touching our spiritual self. In one way or another, it was a great time to learn more about each other on a much personal basis.

After the discussion, we had our lunch. We were told to bring our own lunch, but of course, it became a picnic ground and all of us get to share each others' foods. I actually didn't bring any food that day, so I was happy that Ran shared his food with me. :)

We were called inside the novitiate for some film showing, followed by mass. It was one of the longest masses I have attended, but it was one of the masses that I enjoyed tremendously because of the teachings imparted by the priest.

Late afternoon, it was time for us to go back. We still have a long walk ahead and we aimed to be back where we started before night time came in. Some of them walked quite fast, and us four - Ran, Daisy, Civ and I decided to walk a bit slower so we can feel the essence of the journey. We can basically walk this road once in every year, so might as well savor every moment of it.




Urban vs. Rural. The place where we were at was considered a part of the countryside, but it borders the city of Caloocan, so from the road, we were able to see the buildings.


Light and Shadows. Ran and I were the slowest of the bunch (because we were discussing a private matter that we didn't want others to hear), so when we saw our shadows, we called Daisy and Civ to stop for a moment so we could have some pictures.


Sun Setting. Before we reached the "end of the road," we were able to watch the sun set from afar.

The walk of faith was indeed tiring. But the gifts we have received on this day were things we will surely treasure. I am looking forward to the next walk.

*** Jenn ***

Photo Walking with my Sister

North Caloocan /
Tungko - San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
09 April 2009

First time to join Outdoor Wednesday meme. :)

Maundy Thursday, my sister and I thought of going to the marketplace near the neighborhood to buy some fish and vegetables because we knew come next day, the marketplace will be closed in observance of Good Friday. As a person who was doing Project 365, I took my camera with me so I could take pictures of things that would interest me. The marketplace is just about 5 minutes walk from our house, so we decided to walk, after all, we weren't in a hurry. Some pictures I took:


Bell. At the corner of the street was the neighborhood's chapel, and we were supposed to check out any programs, but the chapel was closed and we were told that most programs for the Holy Week was done in the main parish church. Looking up, I saw the bell, and took a picture of it instead.


Old High School Building. This was where I studied first year - third year high school, until the big building was constructed. The old building was left unattended, and it was so sad to see it like this.


Funny Sign. When we reached the market, we checked out the fish and veggies, and walking back, I saw a bike cart with this sign. It was so funny because it was supposed to be written as, "THIS GUY'S in love with you..." and not "DISGUISE in love with you..."

My sister was looking for something specific, and she asked if I would like to go to the market place in Tungko - located at the first town of the neighboring province. I told her it was okay with me, so we took a jeepney ride.


Tungko Church. While sister was looking for that something she was looking for, I told her that I would stop by the church first to say a prayer, and I took this before I left. During Holy Week, they cover the images with purple cloth. Sister didn't come with me because she was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts.

On our way home, we saw people walking. Back when I was young, there's a big church in this area that people visit during the Holy Week. These people would walk from their houses to the church, and back then, the road will be closed because of the amount of people walking. When the couple who owned the church died and management was turned over to the children, the church suddenly became independent and was no longer part of the Catholic Church. Still, there are some people who would still walk to the church as part of their Holy Week ritual.

Seeing people walk prompted sister and I to walk from here to home. And because we both had cameras, we took this as a chance to do some photo walking.




Leafless Tree. There was this very big open space on the side of the road, and we stopped for a while to take pictures of the trees and the skies changing color. I love seeing leafless trees!


Sky's Big Light. The night has taken over, and we were so surprised to see the big full moon. This space was under construction - and will be a site for a housing project.


Hiding Behind the Trees. My sister and I were just fascinated with the full moon, that even if we were walking home, we would stop and take pictures whenever we see something interesting. I call this the "Twilight Zone" picture. :)

It was a tiring walk, but a very fulfilling one. I am very much willing to do it again, if given the chance.

*** Jenn ***