Week in Review

It's like coming home to a totally different world. Saturdays are now meant for BR activities with the gang such as having our nails done at nail spa, taking massages at urban spa, dinning at sumptuous Japanese restos - a far cry from the past five day's trucking experience *It will all be over soon - 3 more days and you "graduate" from this initiation.

April 15, 2008. After 5 or 6 sari sari store visits we chanced upon this medium sized sari-sari store. And being the over eager person that i am, i told my truck mates *yes, that's what I'm calling them now* that we should open this particular account. So walked up to the store, politely asked the owner if we could come in and proceed to enter, we did. Only... i would have never imagined that the main door would be anay-infested and apparently should not be touched much less be opened. I nudge it the first time and it wouldn't budge. Not wanting to piss off the owner by making her wait, tried my hardest to pull the door open. And then suddenly... Horrors! The entire door came crashing face down in front of me. Hmmm seriously thinking of raising my insurance coverage. 

Bus Ride Home

You're all about free speech - but don't you just hate it when you are trying to take some time to clear your mind about the days goneby and suddenly somebody gets up the bus and starts preaching straight out of a book. Before you get branded as an atheiest let's just clear that one thing first, you believe in the Supreme Being - You've always held that there has to be something infintely bigger than you and everyone else - a higher power that moves this universe - otherwise - why's it worth it?!? What you're totally against at are people shoving things down your troat.

Never been big on the whole religion thing. Spirituality, yes. Religion, hmmm. So when someone takes a stand and tries his darnest to convert you, you almost alway try to look the other way. You never understand the need of people to put labels into something they believe in. Why is it so important to have a label? Will that necessarily make you a better person?

And for whoever's sake, there's an appropriate venue for such - certainly not on a moving vehicle with cars whizzing pass by you at 120 kph - yeah nevermind also that you are barely audible sans a few giberrish sounds because all the windows are up and you hear everything outside - it belittles the message you wish to impart. And please when you start preaching don't follow it up by handing out envelops for donation. It just puts a question mark spotlight right smack your true motives.

Sigh - this is what you get for not waiting for the airconed bus to commute back to the hotel.

Location: Emilio Aguinaldo Hi-Way Tagaytay

Monk

Took this a few years back when i was still doing my photo essay about Buddhism. I was quite lucky to be able to find a monk who was willing to be followed around for a few days. Again this was shot using Pentax SF7 SLR and developed manually using F3 paper. I can't remember for certain but i think i used ASA 200 film here, because of the low lights i needed a film with a higher ASA - sacrificing a bit the graininess quality to avoid under exposure.