The Eye of the Emirates

Walking along one of the man-made bays in Sharjah at dusk, your gaze can never miss a magnificent structure built near the shore. As the sun slowly retires at the west, its dying rays seemingly point to this iron giant. Man made lights turn on and continuously beg for attention while the gigantic ferris wheel's iconic image imerges from the lego-like sky skraper backdrop.



Standing proudly on Sharjah's Qasba canal, the 'Eye of the Emirates' has become a key attraction at Qanat Al Qasba. Her Highness Shaikha Bodour Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Qasba Development Authority, explains: 'Our vision was to create an impressive structure that would allow people to see and appreciate Sharjah's rich mix of tradition, culture and modernity. We are confident the Eye of the Emirates will become Sharjah's most visible icon and portray a fresh, vibrant image of the emirate.' And true to her word, the eye is now an icon.



The wheel was built in the Netherlands according to the latest technology and highest safety standards. It features 42 fully air-conditioned passenger cabins, or gondolas, attached to its external rim, with each gondola accommodating eight people at a time. Passengers enjoy a panoramic view of 25-30 miles, including breathtaking aerial views of Sharjah and Dubai.



Around this tourist spot you are embraced by a nostalgic atmosphere of cozy mediterranean and asian restaurants offering the best of their cuisine along with western snack bars. Children ride their bikes and skateboards while some younger ones tske their shoes off to play along the water fountain.

Boats used mainly for touring the bay area and some routes along the canal are tied to posts along a port that seems to boast an invisible tag with "mini Venice" in it.

Amidst the buzzling noise comes a distinct prayer song from the mosque at one corner. As you wipe the swaet from your brow, the warm arabian night reminds you that you are still in the UAE.

The one that got away

This is one of the articles I saved because it hit me in the head the very first time I read it. (ok, that was years ago) I just want to share it and maybe this write up might use its powers to change lives again. Here goes:



The one that got away

Source: The Manila Times
By: Mark J. Macapagal

In your life, you'll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There's the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you're with... and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it's that person with who everything
was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was
no fault in the person, there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn't fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you're
not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn't matter who you're
with, it just doesn't work. Small problems become big; inconsequentials become deal breakers simply because you're not ready and it shows. It's not that you and the person you're with are no good; it's just that it's not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you're ready. You really are. And when this happens you'll be
ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect,
they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your
life, but it'll work because you're ready. It'll work because it's the right time and you'll make it work. And it'll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you're finally making sense of things, and you find
yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want, and you've become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there's no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you're single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn't
matter. All you know is that you've changed, and for some reason, the one
that got away, is the first person you think about.

You'll think about them because you'll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You'll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?" That's what the one that got away is. The biggest "What if?" you'll have in your life.

If you're married, you'll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you're mature enough to realize that you're already with the one you're with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you'll think about him/her every so often, but it's alright. It's never nice to live with a "might have been," but it happens. Maybe the one that got away is the one who's already married. In which case it's the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you're old and gray and reminiscing. But if neither of that is the case, then it's different. What do you do if it's not yet too late? Simple...find him, find her. Because the very existence of a "one that got away" means that you'll always wonder, what if you got that one? Ask him out to coffee, ask her out to a movie, it doesn't matter if you've dropped in from out of nowhere. You'd be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away." You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won't make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it'll all just fall into place somehow and you know, I'm thinking, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you're the one that ALMOST got away."

The Junkyard Shoot

I was driving through Iligan City on my way home to Zamboanga when a good friend, "Al Bugs" called me and invited me to shoot with him. He is known to have instant model contacts so there was no hesitation in me when he made the offer. It was almost four in the afternoon when we met the models and drove off to a junkyard that was just a stone's throw away from the City's east-bound bus terminal.

The yard was full of junk. Old and new cars, some with government plates on them were slowly eaten up by ferrous oxide. I was wondering where all this junk came from and what they were doing in this place. A few strides along the strip gave me the answers. The City's traffic division had its office there and all the vehicles that were rendered useless in an accident were brought there. Cars, jeepneys, trucks and even a '08 Ford Escape that had a good head-on banging were rotting there.

That place was just a perfect location for a shoot. Just next to the traffic division was an army camp. Battle-tested soldiers cheered on as the models started posing. One came near and tried to ask for one of the models' mobile numbers. It took less than a blink of an eye to make Al strike a deal- mobile number for some poses with his service firearm. That was the easiest way to disarm the soldier! I guess the "Abu's" should change their tactics then. LOL! Too bad for soldier boy, Ms. model gave him a random mobile number!

Ever wanted to distract traffic? here's what you should do:


It was fun to shoot but without strobes, the sun was dictating the duration of our session. We ended up in Chowking (thanks for the food, Al) and realized we did not have a "group hug" just before we parted ways.

Ancient Ayuthaya Ruins

Ayutthaya (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya) city is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. The city was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong, who came here to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri, and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana (Thai, Ramakien).

In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army. Temples were set ablaze and Buddha's statues were decapitated. It was indeed a black day in the city's history.


Fast forward to the present. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A full day's tour throughout the ruins would not be enough to grasp the greatness of the ancient city that now exist among the shadows of its ruins. Thais are proud to show off the ruins of a place that possessed such splendor. The ruins have become a photographer's haven and over a million tourists have visited the different temples.

If you're traveling in Thailand, don't let this place go unseen!

Toilet quickie: A "glam" shoot

"If you've got it, flaunt it!"

 I happen to have a hot cousin who was willing to become my "victim" or "experiment" on the lens.

 

The model: This beauty and brains has a long name probably because of the R.N. that follows it. Call our hospital from the country you are in and you'll be talking with someone who has a pleasingly modulated voice and who speaks perfect English and french! 

 That someone looks just like her, except for the fact that she'd probably be wearing a white uniform and a nurse's cap...

  The location: We went to this cool place just because she discovered an interesting COUCH inside the RESTROOM of the establishment. We called the establishment and asked if we could shoot in their restroom. hey gave us a "yes" but when we actually started shooting, the manager came and asked for a certain percentage. She apparently thought that we were shooting for a magazine!

  Photographer's fee: Nothing much to ask for. I had a prior shoot before this that took place at King's park and lasted the whole day. Since this shoot was just one to end my day, all I wanted in return was a good Thai meal.

View from the Rooftop

Walking around the vicinity of Bangplad, Bangkok at night shows no different thing from anywhere in Bangkok. The street signs, food vendors, folks eating pad thai or tom yum are sights seen throughout the metropolis.

I wanted some place different to point my lens at. This night was windy and a hint of thunderstorm was at the distant Bang Na area. Only one thing came to my mind: Lightning shots!

The perfect vantage point was of course, across the street from home, the place I go to everyday to earn my baht- the Hospital! Rising ten floors up and with the fifteen-floor building under construction, this hospital was like a giant compared to the buildings around.

I wasted no time and went up the the rooftop. The hum and vibration caused by the three giant water coolers was nothing compares to the wind blowing from the majestic Chao Phraya River which was 3 blocks away from the hospital. It was drizzling when I got to the top and I was having second thoughts because I knew thunderstorms in Bangkok were practically electric storms and all the steel frames over my head would surely attract a lightning bolt.

I decided to push on with my plan: to capture lightning in my camera's digital memory. The only risk I thought of at the moment was only being shocked by a million volts. Not that bad, huh?

I stayed for almost two hours on top, trying to catch that ever illusive lightning shot. Well, as the night slowly deepened, All I got were lousy lightning shots and a few city scapes and cloud shots that might be worth keeping just to remind me of that one boring, rainy night in Bangkok.

A Minor Room Shoot

I had worked in the Operating Room and Delivery Room for two years. It is a work area where one has to think twice about sterility before touching anything. The sterility of everything inside plays a big role in the success of the surgery performed and negligence can even end a patient's life.

Ever since I got into photography, I have always played with the thought of shooting in an Operating Room because the idea of neglecting the sterility of the area and equipment just for one time always lingered inside my head. Not that I wanted to cause harm to any of the patients, but just the thought that not everyone has the opportunity to do a shoot inside the OR.


Working in a prestigious plastic surgery hospital where patients come from all over the world has even made the idea of shooting more appealing to me. (just to me) I have resolved to do the shoot without the knowledge of supervisors because I knew that I would get a big NO from them. All I needed was the perfect timing and the right models who would cooperate and who knew what not to touch inside the room.

Alas, an opportunity to do my somewhat evil desire has come! One of the minor rooms in the ER was scheduled for general sterilization the next day and that meant that no cases were to be done in that room all night.
If an emergency case came up, it had to be done at the other room. My models? I got a registered nurse and a practical nurse who also loved the evil thought I had. Lucky me!

Plans were laid and at 2 am when the supervisor was up in the 10th floor and my colleagues were in their somnolent, drowsy mood at the counter, with my lookout (one of the models' brother who was on duty) in place, we snicked into the room and had our 30 minutes of shooting.

At 5 am, a team came in and started the sterilization process, leaving no trace of bacteria we brought inside.

That THING!

What's a "Volkswagen Thing"? Wikipedia says:

The Volkswagen Type 181 "Kurierwagen", It is known as the "Safari" in Mexico, the "Trekker" in the UK and the "Thing" in the US. It is a small military vehicle produced from 1969 to 1983 by the Volkswagen company. This vehicle was used by the German Military During the second world war. The name literally means "courier wagon".

This car was featured in Hollywood movies. Drew Barrymore was driving a yellow Thing in 50 first dates. It was lifted in a garage in one scene of Ranaway bride with Julia Roberts. The Simpsons, Hitchhiker, The Fog, Surf Ninjas are among the long list of movies with the Thing.

My cousin in Libungan, North Cotabato came upon an old, dilapidated Thing in one of the yards of a car collector in Cotabato City. It was for sale and he got it for a real steal.

Fast forward months later... The Thing is now a red buggy with chrome engine and a real eye candy, thanks to my cousins' efforts. Twice it was offered to be traded in for a Mitsubishi Pajero and twice the offer was denied. I hope to take more shots of this thing on my next visit.

Pictures in this blog are actual pictures of my cousin's Volkswagen Thing.

Million-dollar fiddle?

Stories of dusty, old violins found in odd places and turning out to be million-dollar Stradivarius fiddles have always amused me. The Stradivari family is known to have handmade the best sounding bowed instruments of their time. Violins are known to improve their tone as time slowly plays its magic in the wood and varnish. That is why old violins are more expensive than new ones.

Imagine the sound of one Stradivarius violin that time has worked on for centuries. Would it be awesome to hear one played right in front of you? Would it give justice to pieces written by the legendary composers who lived during the same era the violins were made? How much does a four-century old violin cost? Millions.

Now, here's one story of a "strad" that sounds too good to be true. read on...

It was 1985 when my dad was taking up his MA in Mass communication at the University of the Philippines at Diliman, Quezon city. He had this dormitory room and when he started cleaning up the room, he saw this old violin on top of his locker gathering dust. Apparently, no one owned it, so he claimed it for himself and decided to buy strings and a bow for it. He then enrolled in violin class at the same university. When his violin teacher saw this old work of art, he wanted to buy it from dad for a handsome amount. Realizing that this might actually cost more than the offer, dad decided to keep it. It bacame our family's violin.

This masterpiece had "close calls" in our possession. My sister left it in the car for 3 days and most of the time, the car was parked under direct scorching sunlight. We discovered a crack at the back side of the violin! Dad carefully applied wood glue to save this violin. Since then, it never sounded the same. We kids got a good wigging for not caring for the instrument as one should.

It is not uncommon for violins to be labeled or branded "Stradivarius", as the name has been used by other manufacturers. However, it is generally believed that there are less than 700 genuine instruments extant, very few of which are unaccounted for.

One can trace their whereabouts at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius.

The label in our violin says: Antonios Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1713. There are a lot of knock offs around and we have no clue if ours was genuine or not, but the thought that MAYBE this one is real and costs a million dollars always intrigues me.

Pictures in this blog are actual pictures of our violin.