Photography can sometimes be a waiting game, you spot an almost perfect scene only to find that a key ingredient is missing. The subject might be there, but the background may not. Or the background might be present, but the subject is nowhere to be found.

Such was my dilemma when I took the winning photo for the compact division of the 2014 Canon Photomarathon Philippines National Leg. I knew I have the requisite background, but somehow, my subject, a construction worker tying up reinforcement bars for a column, wasn’t acting out the image I had in mind.

►FIND THE CHEAPEST FLIGHT TO MANILA

Students from University of the Philippines in Iloilo giggle and talk in excited tones as they carefully mold soft clay into a coherent pot. We were in the province of Antique and Tibiao pottery was teaching kids the age-old tradition of making earthen jars. Since the platform where their creation was taking shape was laid quite low, I was able to take an overhead photo just as their hands all converged on the uneven clay pot.

►CHECK OUT: ANTIQUE TRAVEL GUIDE

I first heard about ASSIST’s photo contest titled Ten Photos to Shake the World with the theme A Showcase of Empowerment, Partnership and Innovation for a Sustainable and Inclusive Development from PiPho, a local photography forum.

The Antique image quickly came to my mind. I submitted it and a few weeks later, received a message that it was shortlisted out of the 400 plus entries for the contest.

A photograph I sweated over won second place in the recently concluded Make It Makati: Capture it as it Happens Photo Contest. I submitted five entries but only one got in.

With over 400 submissions entered into five categories; Artsy Makati, Green Makati, Party Makati, Sporty Makati and Techy Makati, being picked as one of the top entries was actually good enough for me. Artsy Makati received a total of 89 photo entries, and my image landed at number two. Not bad eh?

Makati City, particularly the Ayala Center has been known to photography circles as a no-man’s land. Whip out a big camera and a security would automatically appear by your side with a terse warning about shooting prohibition in the area. These restrictions were held down for more than a month as the contest commenced. Finally, photographers can shoot the beautiful business district to their heart’s delight. One can even bring tripods with no hassle from the guards! Imagine that!

With a hectic travel schedule, I sneaked in a few hours of my time to bring my camera and walk around the iconic district. With a travel appointment to Ifugao that same day, I only have a total of six hours to scout the area and produce decent enough photographs for the contest. It was now or never, the competition ends in a few days and I’ll be in Ifugao by then.

So I walked and walked; looking for unusual angles, wracking my brains for the categories.

The annual Philippine International Pyromusical Competition has been attracting photographers from all corners of the metro each and every Saturdays of the week like metals on magnets to capture its colorful skyshows. I guess it is but natural that a photo contest has been set up this year by the SM Mall of Asia for shutterbugs entranced by the fiery night glows.

The theme for the competition was “Capture the Spark”. The competition rules state that entries should capture moments that happen during the Pyro events like amazed kids, sweet couples and enjoying crowds. Being a photo and contest freak, I submitted seven entries for the contest.

It’s been years since I last attended the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Pampanga but the thrill of shooting these colorful giants was still the same as I stepped onto the dry grass fields of Clark one cold morning of February.

Every year, Caltex Philippines and Digital Photographer Philippines host a photo contest for photography enthusiasts during the festival. The theme for this year’s competition is Hot Moves - A Journey Like No Other. It focuses on the joys the event brings to the people attending the fiesta.

With high stakes, Php30,000.00 worth of Caltex Starcash Cards, Sony cameras and an annual subscription for Digital Photographer Philippines, every photographer was vying for the top photos of the day. Ten photographs were chosen each day, which automatically wins the lucky shooter Php3,000.00 worth of Caltex Starcash Card and a chance for the top honors.

The online photography community had been buzzing for months for the date of this year’s Canon PhotoMarathon. Speculations for the venue and date had been flying around the forums like ninja stars. And finally, Canon came out with it; 12^th of November at the Philippine Trade Training Center. Dang, I have work on that date.

I kneeled in front of my boss, begging for a quick notice leave. Luckily she’s kind enough to let me go.
Straight from a nine-hour night shift, I headed straight to the venue, led by throngs of red-shirted photographers milling over the gates of the PTTC. A huge Canon inflatable camera flanks the front of the building as drumbeats electrify the air.

The lobby was filled with an ocean of photographers wearing the free Canon shirt and caps registering for this year’s event. Later on Canon’s head honcho would be announcing that the Philippines got the top spot in Asia for the most number of participants for this Photomarathon at 1,600++ photographers.

It was again time for the annual walk for photographers around the world. With 1,117 registered walks comprising of 27,924 individual shooters, to say this event was huge was an understatement.

Walks were being filled off one after another but I held off joining for a bit, waiting for a more interesting one to come out of the woodwork.

Gruppo, a group of photographers from PiPho had registered a morning walk at Quiapo’s Muslim Area. This place had ceaselessly intrigued me every time I pass it, but was unable to check it out due to security concerns. I’m unsure if those concerns are valid, but that’s the impression I had when people talk about the area.

The walk leaders apparently have spoken to the elders of the community and were given a go signal for the group to photograph the Golden Mosque which is the center of the Muslim community in Manila.

I registered with no hesitation and got one of the coveted slots, the sign-up sheet was full in no time.

The itinerary of the walk was to shoot Manila’s three iconic temples; the Muslim Golden Mosque, the Basilica de Minore de San Sebastian and the Abbey of Our Lady Montserrat. It was quite a different photowalk to what I’ve been used to which usually revolves more on street photography than shooting architectural interiors of churches.

Although I had photographed quite a number of churches around the country, I can’t help but think how such photos would fare for the contest since the focus really of such is on street photography.

The day of the shoot arrived and I was surprised at the turnout for the event. The past two Scott Kelby walks that I’ve attended combined had lesser attendance than this current one. It seemed everyone was excited as me to shoot those three churches.

The shoot commenced at eight in the morning and ended at noontime. The day was cloudy with storm predictions announced the previous day. The group was able to shoot the Muslim Golden Mosque and San Sebastian without a hitch, but rain did dampen our walk as we were heading towards the San Beda Church. It did not let up even after we wrapped up.

Participants were then asked to submit fifteen of their best images, five each church for judging (stupid me submitted five images only, not listening closely to the instructions hehe). Ten of these would then be given prizes, and the top one would be the group representative for the Worldwide Photowalk.

For two years straight, I have won the Scott Kelby walk for the locale I’ve joined; Camanava in 2009 and Pasig City in 2010. This year, although I would of course like to continue my winning streak, I was not that confident of bagging the top slot.

The competition was so tight, the entries were really really good and I really had a hard time choosing my submissions since most of my photos were architectural shots and its quite hard to get emotions from architecture without people (again I forgot to ask the walk leader if it was okay to submit photos outside the churches or photos with the temple not the focus of the image, which it turned out was allowed).

So I submitted my five with hesitation, flew to Puerto Princesa and just left everything to the judges.

The winners were announced some weeks afterward and I wasn’t really shocked not to find my name among the top ten. I was puzzled though that there were only nine names on the list.

I congratulated the winners and was pleasantly surprised when our walk leader replied that I was also part of the ten. Wow. So that missing name was mine haha. The awarding was done a week after and I got the 7^th place.

Although I may not have gotten the top award for this year’s leg of Scott Kelby’s walk (breaking my two-year streak hehe), I was still pretty elated that I at least got a place among the top ten. And more than the award, I got to walk inside the Muslim side of Manila and even got to photograph it; a prize enough in itself.

It’s thirty minutes before the first of November and I am scrambling like mad to finish my application form and publish this post so I can join the most comprehensive northern tour of the Philippines, Lakbay Norte 3.

This epic trip sponsored by the North Philippines Visitor’s Bureau will bring media groups and six lucky bloggers through the northern lands of our country.

Here’s the nitty gritty from their site:

On January 22-30, 2012, the North Philippines Visitor’s Bureau (NPVB) in cooperation with Manila North Tollways Corporation and Victory Liner will be holding Lakbay Norte 3. A 9-day Media Tour of North Philippines.

During this event, NPVB will bring a bus load of media participants from broadsheet, TV, travel magazines, and blogs to produce over 100 articles and features about North and Central Luzon.

This year, NPVB will be choosing six lucky bloggers to join the much awaited Lakbay Norte 3: Outdoor Adventures of the North. This familiarization tour is inclusive of transportation around North Luzon from Manila and back, food, lodging, and activities included in the itinerary, excluding personal expenses. Winners who do not reside in Manila will have to fly themselves to Manila at their own expense.

Should you still have time to join (there is still 21 minutes before the deadline as of this writing), feel free to visit their site here: Lakbay Norte 3

Here’s my entry that got me a plane ticket to Holland this coming October from Digital Photographer Philippines, KLM Philippines and Lonely Planet Philippines.

The original shortlisted six photographers (Ann Francisco, Dan Pagulayan, Ela Paje, Joel Garcia, Joseph Leh, and yours truly) that were picked from the hundreds of entries for the On Assignment Europe, were given two days to shoot the walled city of Intramuros, write an article about it, and fit the photos on the given layout by Lonely Planet magazine.

The article would determine the final two winners for the weeklong Holland Assignment.

The shoot was grueling but fun. I was on site before the sun rises and didn’t stop shooting ‘til the sun went out for both days, my feet was totally crying out after the shoot.

I’m now presenting the output from the shoot here as a big thank you for those that supported and believed in my god-given ability to win this contest. A heartfelt thank you, my dear friends!

I also wish to thank the people at DPP and KLM for putting up this huge and very unique contest. And the sponsors too of course, Sony for the Sony NEX camera, Phottix for the tons of camera accessories, JT Photoworld for the Tamrac camera bags, and KLM for the iPad 2’s and the all expenses paid 7-day trip to Holland.

I would also like to congratulate Joel H. Garcia, my photography idol, who got the other slot for the final two! Not only do I get to go to Holland, but I also get the chance to shoot with my hero.

 

To view all the excellent outputs from the other five photographers click here: The Final Images
And to view the video announcement of the two winners of the contest click here: And Then There Were Two

TIME-TRAVEL TO BYGONE DAYS INSIDE MUSEUMS

Old dresses, antique furniture, ancient artworks, sacred primeval church artifacts; get lost in the world of long-gone eras in any of the six museums inside the walls of Intramuros.

For minimal fee, you can imagine yourself like a Don at the luxurious turn of the century house in Casa Manila, check out the religious artifacts of San Agustin Museum, learn about the historical role of the Filipino-Chinese community at the Bahay Chinoy through its dioramas and relics, watch the 333-year Spanish Regime rush by at the Light and Sound Museum, and wonder at Rizal’s genius at the Rizal Shrine.

DASH THROUGH COBBLED STREETS ON HORSEDRAWN CARRIAGES

An intensive tour of the side streets of Intramuros would not be complete without riding the vehicle of choice back when the Philippines was still under Spain’s mighty rule.

Hop on and ride at the back of the carriage or be more daring and ride with the kuchero out front. Let the slow saunter of your horse of choice lull your way through the historical corridors of Manila as your guide-cum-driver rattle outs historical tidbits about the places you pass by. There is no better way to tour Intramuros than through a Kalesa.

RETRACE RIZAL’S FOOTSTEPS TO MARTYRDOM IN FORT SANTIAGO

Enter the one of the oldest and most popular fort in the city and relive the country’s National Hero’s greatest achievements; from his lyrical poems, comedic sketches, intricate paintings, morbid sculptures and most importantly his masterpiece, Noli Me Tangere. Everything Rizal is on display here.

Visitors can also literally follow Rizal’s footprints from the time he wrote and hid his famous Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell) letter in a night lamp up to his execution walk which is imbedded on the fort’s brick-paved plaza.

PUT YOUR GOLFWEAR ON AND TEE OFF AT THE GREENS

Hit that ball from morning ‘til evening at the only golf course in the country that allows golf punks to play even at night.

The 18-hole course is bordered on one side by the massive walls of Intramuros and the iconic Manila City Hall at the other. The course is not as large as the sprawling ones on the city outskirts, but is as challenging. With sand traps, water holes and the walls of Intramuros itself as obstacle, finesse would be the keyword for those in the green.

Built in 1907, Club Intramuros Golf Course it is the oldest putting green in the Philippines.

DEFEND AND FORTIFY THE BALUARTES

There are five massive defensive bulwarks inside Intramuros and each one is open for viewing.

Visit and imagine how these now deserted fortifications were once scenes of hard fighting during the war. With heavy cannons over turrets and parapets still in place, it’s not hard to.

One of the most popular of these is the Baluarte de San Diego found on the southernmost corner of Intramuros. Go past its picturesque gardens, up into a flight of cramped spiral stone staircase and be awestruck by a colossal moss-ridden circular ruin that would open before your eyes as you ascend. One would think that this may have been a dungeon of sorts, but a quick look into a guidebook reveals a much more mundane use for this remarkable ruin, a foundry.

DISCOVER HIDDEN GARDENS

After the city’s destruction in 1945, Intramuros is still undergoing reconstruction up ‘til now and there’s still a lot of old and unused buildings sprawled all over its fortifications. And although most of these crumbling ruins are off-limits to visitors for obvious safety reasons, one can still have a peek inside these once magnificent structures through its barred windows.

From skeletal remains of post and beams, to imposing anti-air guns, classic dilapidated automobiles, banyan-covered walls, and abandoned bicycles; once in a while you’ll get lucky and discover a secret garden. You just might be surprised with what you’ll discover inside these abandoned shells of history.

 

COUNT AND DOCUMENT SCULPTURES

Have a handy notebook and a list up all the sculptures you’d be passing by, you’ll definitely lose count of them.

The city inside the walls has them all; from the flamboyant statue of the King Carlos IV of Spain, to the graceful monument of St. Thomas of Aquinas, the imposing Monarch Isabel II, the past Philippine Presidents, and the larger than life National Hero, Jose Rizal.

FILL YOUR SHOPPING BAGS WITH SOUVENIRS

Cute ref magnets, hand-woven bags, funky key chains, tribal wooden sculptures, cheeky t-shirts, tasty sweets, colorful paintings, historical books, postcards, paper toles, ceramics and everything else in between; Intramuros has them.

Like most tourist center, it has innumerable souvenir shops that run the gamut from the ordinary to eclectic, the affordable to the ultra pricey. One can never have enough keepsakes and the city within the walls has something for everyone to bring back home.

TASTE HISTORY

Along its sidestreets, inside villas, and deep within the actual walls of Intramuros lies food places for all walks of life.

Relish history with your taste buds for the finest in Filipino cuisines inside Bahay na Bato restaurants. Chow cheap but tasty street fares along the university areas. Cool down under the nooks of the walls of the city for expensive gourmet coffee. Dine al fresco along the lamp-lit streets for an evening of romance.

Intramuros is an all in one foodie haven sprinkled with a dash of history.

LET YOUR JAW DROP, VISIT THE CATHEDRALS

Hold on to your jaw before entering the two of the most impressive churches in the country.

Built in 1607, the San Agustin Church is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the oldest standing church in the whole of the Philippines. Its cream-colored exterior looks deceivingly simple, but once you get past its intricately carved wooden doors, you’ll be supremely awed by its Trompe l'oeil three-dimensional styled painted interior. Rare is the person who would not do a double-take on those painted walls.

The Manila Cathedral on the other hand does not hide its grandness. Its Neo-Romanesque exterior boasts of huge recessed arches, a colorful rose window, a soaring belfry and a massive copper dome filled by eight pairs of stained glass windows. This is the wedding rites capital of the Philippines and has joined together countless famed couples on its altar. The cathedral is best seen right after the sun sets down the horizon and the church lights starts to glow.

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After the images were displayed on the Digital Photographer Philippines website, Ryan Capulong, a member of the forum posted a comment that totally got what I was aiming for with the article. Thank you Ryan, I couldn’t have said it any better.

From the Digital Photographer Philippines website
http://digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=42894&page=6

My vote goes to Christian.

The Cover
Christian and Ela's covers, just by looking at them, instantly tells me that they are magazines wherein Intramuros is featured. So that, if I see the cover in the magazine stand and was probably planning to go to Intramuros, I would take notice of those covers. Don't get me wrong, but Dan's, Ann's and Joseph's covers also shows Intramuros in the cover but the composition which struct me most was Christian and Ela's. Joel's take was in a different angle which was really good and refreshing but it gave me an impression that the magazine is focusing on something more specific to culture rather than the overall sense/features of Intramuros. Christian's take was classic but it gave an inviting feel to it. It presented a photo that is somewhat mysterious and to me, if I hadn't known, it would look somewhere like a dungeon in Corregidor although the title says Intramuros. Maybe it is the contrast of dark and light and the guard walking towards the light that took me to take a closer look at it. Ela's take was also classic but the colors blue and yellow combined seemed to calm my senses. So, if I were to pick two, I would've picked Ela's and Christian.
The Full Spread
Man, Christian's full spread was just dynamic. Very nice composition and exposure. I also liked that he included some human element to the photo which made me feel as if I am standing there and looking at the cathedral. Dan's and Ela's have the birds' eye view approach which was really amazing and I would vote for them too if I can. They presented views I never thought would be possible to view when in Intramuros. Ela presented another way of looking at Manila from Intramuros which was really nice. Dan, I'm still researching on the place you shot this angle from. Looking at the map right now. hahaha.
Coherency
Now this is where I decided Christian would be my first vote.
Christian thought about his numbering. He invited us to take a closer look at the magazine through his cover, presented us an iconic landmark which was the Manila Cathedral (full spread), took us to the museums (#1), then let us ride with him in cobbled streets (#2) to play golf (#3), retrace Rizal's steps(#4) and educate us about the walled city(#5), invited us to the secret gardens (#6), appreciate sculptures (#7), and finally buy souvenirs (#8). Then maybe tired of the long walk, invited us to eat at Intramuros' food places(#9) to replenish ourselves and finally visit the Cathedral (#10) and thank God for Intramuros and all that it has to offer. That is how I read his 1-10. Pretty coherent and it presents a storyline - remember God (full spread), appreciate history (#1), roam the streets (#2), play(#3), retrace our culture (#4-7), buy memorabilia(#8), rest and eat (#9), and finally thank God (#10).

For the final shoot-out between the six photographers chosen for Digital Photographer Philippines, KLM and Lonely Planet’s On Assignment: Europe, we were asked to do a full article relating to the ancient walled city of Intramuros.

Included in the article are cover photos, full two-page spreads, and four pages of words and photographs.

One component of the judging would be Like votes in Facebook which constitute ten percent of the total score, and I am asking a favor from you, my dear readers, if you can actually give out a few seconds of your time and vote for my cover photograph online (voting ends tomorrow noon).

Please Like the KLM Fanpage first at this link: KLM Fanpage
After which, you may now Like my photo here: My Entry

Ten percent may not sound much, but with the ultra stiff competition from the other five contenders, I’m gonna need every points I can get.

Photos from the article is already posted at the Digital Photographer Philippines Forum and I’ll post them here once the I get the go ahead from them.

Thanks much! Apir!

A month ago, Digital Photographer Philippines announced that they would be sending two photographers to Europe, completely free for a week, to document the Netherlands in conjunction with KLM Airline’s 60th anniversary in the Philippines. KLM would provide the means for the photographers, and the photographs would then be used for a full article in the Lonely Planet Philippines magazine.

To get picked for the assignment, one must present an essay as to why they would have to be chosen, a portfolio showing their work, and an inspiration photo with the theme “Journey of Inspiration”.

I was traveling out of town when my sister texted me asking if I ordered a Canon camera. Confused, I asked her why, as I never did buy one. She said that a camera had been delivered at our house and it was addressed to me. Opening the parcel, it turned out my photo was picked as one of the monthly winners for Living Asia Channel’s photo contest.

Living Asia Channel is a local travel station on cable TV; actually one of the five channels I’m usually tuned into besides NatGeo, Discovery, TLC and History Channel--whenever I have the rare chance of watching TV that is.  

Along with Canon, they are currently running a photo contest with the theme one-shot moments; seize life with Canon. Anyone with a Canon point & shoot camera (sorry no DSLR’s allowed) can submit their travel-related photographs; four photos are then chosen from the pool every month and each winner given a Canon Powershot A490 camera as prize.

I attended this year’s Canon Photomarathon, their annual on-the-spot photo contest, thinking I’d get myself a free t-shirt. As it turned out, I got a whole lot more than what I wished for.

The annual Canon PhotoMarathon has always been the most anticipated event for every Canon user across the globe. Register online, sling your camera around your neck, be present at the day of the event and they’ll take care of the rest. Canon shirts and caps for free, your lunch and dinner on them, and a few more giveaways and discounts from the participating sponsors. What more can you ask right?

Well, you can always aspire for the top prize of course.

Everyone wanted to win the Canon 5D mkII camera that they’re giving away to the top photographer of the day. But not me, I’ve set my goal on winning the Canon 1000D camera instead. Not really by choice, as only those competing using a Canon DSLR is entitled to win the mighty 5D. With no EOS DSLR, us lowly point and shooters must settle for the entry level Canon 1000D.

But who cares, right? I’m happy even with just the free shirt.

The contest goes like this; three themes were to be announced for a whole day of shooting. To complicate things, these were given in semi poetry-like tomes. You can just imagine us scratching our heads trying to decode it, let’s face it we’re no Robert Langdon, we would have preferred it if the theme was given as is; let landscapes be landscapes, not some four line rhyming poem. Well, I admit that it did add a bit more challenge to the contest.

The first theme, as far as I understand, was about landscapes. We were given two hours to take photos anywhere we like, we can even go as far as Palawan if we had a chopper, but we have to be back before the time ends, else it would be all for naught.
 
Since the venue was at SMX, I was rarin’ to go to Paranaque’s Coastal Road to photograph something I’ve been seeing along that stretch of highway when riding a bus to Las Pinas City.

The second theme is nature’s life cycle, I think. Off we went to Manila Zoo where everyone else was too.

The third theme totally got me stumped. After minutes of discussion and pondering with my shooting buddy, we concluded (hesitantly) that it was about portraiture . And we have that already covered from our first shoot, yey! That means we can finally have lunch as we skipped it to shoot the second theme. Rest time finally.
 
The event lasted the whole day, and it was really a circus, it was like The Amazing Race for photo junkies. I totally loved it.

Some singing, dancing and party contests were held while we waited for the judges to pick this year’s winner. We waited and waited, ‘til finally the three winners were announced for the EOS Category. Boohoo, no point and shoot category winner was announced.

But, I’m still cool, the day had been a blast. And besides the cool shirt and cap, I also got to bring home a Canon 70-200mm lens mug which was a surprise gift from Canon, a lenspen, an 8-gig Sandisk thumbdrive, a Lowepro camera pouch, an EOS Magazine, a bottle of alcohol, a pack of instant coffee and a whole lot of new friends. Pretty good deal right? Well, it was to become sweeter two weeks after the event.
An e-mail arrived from Canon; the photo I submitted for the landscape theme, stamped with a 1st Prize ribbon. Man, how sweet is that?

I came to the Canon Photomarathon, looking to score a free shirt, and through a whole day of fun shoot, bought home an additional DSLR camera to boot. Swashbucklingly sweet, I’d say. Thank you and ‘til next year Canon!

Taking the City Winner title last year from the CAMANAVA leg of the yearly photo walk held by Scott Kelby around the globe, I never really expected to win again this year. As the saying goes, lightning only strikes once. So I instead chose a city where I think I would get more interesting photographs.

The Philippine National Railway leg was full, the Antipolo City leg which really piqued my interest was too far away, and so was the Tanay leg, the Binondo, Manila group was also filled to the rafters and I already did my share of walks there anyways.

Digital Photographer Philippines, the country’s leading photo magazine and has been hosting the On Assignment competition since its inception four years ago. This year, they upped the ante for those wanting to be included; those that have been chosen for the previous OA’s can now pitch for OA7, talk about competition eh?

The one-week, all expenses paid shoot co-sponsored by Caltex and Nokia would take place at the southern part of Luzon, the Bicol Region. It would be a whirlwind of shooting and eating from Albay to Camarines Sur. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

This is my first time to campaign for On Assignment, and to my total disbelief, I was one of the lucky eight photographers who got picked for this year’s amazing journey. With all the of DPP’s heavy hitters pitching, I totally brushed off my chance to get in for OA7. First timer’s luck I guess!

Below is my pitch for this year’s On Assignment. Wouldn’t have made it without my mom’s support, thanks again mom!
 

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“Oh yes nice place, I’ve been there.”

That’s my 5-foot tall, 60-year old, soft-spoken mom with her usual line whenever I ask her about a place or have just been to a photo Safari and showing off my photos. From the run-of-the-mill tourist ridden locales to the virtually unknown rough-road/no-road places, she’s been there. I literally feel like a little kid whenever I talk to my mom about traveling, she seems to be the ultimate wanderer. Point anywhere on a map of the country, and again she’s been there.

I spent more than twenty years of my life lazily flipping channels over our couch or cooling off at the malls; the wanderlust has never really turned its mysterious eye over me until the year I bought my first camera. Everything changed after that.

Never did a month pass that I wouldn’t be out of the house, my camera slung about and tripod towed. Exploring everything from the small park near our house, the gritty streets of Manila, the usual weekend-getaways, the far-off places of the countryside; I'm taking it all in with a new eye. My television became rusty, the hours of flipping through the tube was replaced by my computer’s Photoshop; my favorite channels, now photo websites; my toy collection, now cameras and lenses.

It has been three years since my life did a total turn-about and it was not about to wane down.

Inspired by a talk given by master traveler Ferdz Decena over DPP’s 3rd year anniversary, I finally decided on opening up my own travel site, Lakad Pilipinas. Online barely six months old, it already boasts of more than sixty entries; that’s almost ten entries a month and I haven’t even gotten to post my prior travels yet.

This is what I will bring to the OA7 team. My fiery passion for the craft, my gift of seeing what others cannot, my eagerness to journey where no one dares to go. My heartfire for Photography and lust for Travel.

Let me have the opportunity to listen to my mom say even once that I have traveled where she has not and hear her utter “I’ve never been to so many beautiful places in just a week’s time.”

Pick me and make my mom proud. Choose me and I will make DPP and Lonely Planet proud.

The oldest university in Asia, The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, is celebrating its fourth centenary this coming 2011. The UST Main Building, the Central Seminary, the Arch of the Centuries and the University’s open spaces are being declared as National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum. Various activities are also being held by the university to celebrate its 400 years of service to the Filipino youth; one such activities is the UST Quadricentennial Photo Competition.

The contest, opened for both alumni’s and students, was held from the 1st of January to the 31st. Over 400 entries were submitted in the course of  the month and judging was to be made by two respected photographers, Jun Barrameda and Noli Gabilo.