Picture Memories of Serendra And High Street

After a few days of watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) shows such as UrbanZone (which features prominent urban areas in and around Metro Manila and focuses on land properties such as houses and condominiums) and Tablescapes (bold new adventures into non-traditional Filipino cooking), I gathered again some inspiration to dig from my picture files and look at my best photographs I had taken the first week of January this year. The two mentioned tv shows still featured Christmas episodes from last year. With that in mind, I’d like to share some photographs of my memorable visit to developing expanse of Fort Bonifacio with a friend.

Christmas decorations were still on display in different areas of Fort Bonifacio particularly in Serendra and High Street. It was first visit to these places since I’ve left Philippines to work abroad. I was awed and surprised by the beauty of the modern architecture applied in constructing the condominiums and retail stores below - something similar or better than I’ve seen around Greenbelt in Makati City.

Here we are at Serendra.

At the entrance, we are greeted by this bowl shaped water fountain.

These look like giant marbles to me. Hopefully nobody decides to roll them out into the streets and start playing games with them.

There are specialty retail stores such as this bakeshop (which I think focuses on cupcakes as the store’s name implies)…

…and several restaurants such as this one. A few walks further and we passed by some popularly blogged and featured restaurants like Mamou and Thai at Silk (I would have tried these out but I decided to have lunch with my friend at the nearest eatery - Chinese food catered - in nearby Market! Market! mall. I’m such a cheapskate).

Here’s an elegant use of a glass sculpture and some metal tubes to create a unique water fountain within Serendra estates.

Welcome to Polu Kai Grill, Hawaiian themed restaurant - all smiles and grinning from the wooden masked mascot.

After lunch, we headed towards the sprawling High Street opposite Serendra. My friend went first inside the huge bookstore building of Fully Booked. While waiting, I saw this snappy dog (looking every bit like a stuffed toy) looked after by its smoking caretaker. I asked permission from the caretaker if I may take a picture of the dog. He allowed me; I happily snapped this photo of the canine. Say cheese.

By the way, what type of dog (class / family / breed) did I just take a photograph of?

A red vase-like installation at the entrance of High Street. You know, somehow this reminds me of the old days when I use to see my relatives play Bingo with these hand shaker shaped like a bottle but made of thin woven plastic threads. I can’t remember the exact name or term used to call these shakers.

There is a free flowing fountain inside the concrete walkway of High Street.

Here’s an unusual fountain structure made up of a big chunk of rock supported by curved metal beams. The water trickles down around the rock simulating a soft rainfall. This serves perfectly as a background for personal or group pictures. And oh, that’s odd, we’ve got a strange round green sculpture wrapped in fiber like materials placed randomly near the fountain.

Dusk is coming, and those vase-like installations glow fiery red within. They also serve as display lamps besides being simple park decorations.

Another decorative fixture in the garden park is one of these red Capiz star lamps which glow softly, adding a touch of Christmas color to the green foliages around.

I once saw these in an episode of UrbanZone wherein Daphne Osena playfully shook on of these red tubes and a chime-like sound was produced. These are floor mounted chimes created by Filipino sculpture Reg Yuson (as indicated by the sign below these). Collectively, these were titled as “Presence”.

I’m taking a picture of what’s inside one of these chimes.

Tags: Christmas, Fort Bonifacio, High Street, Sculptures, Serendra

20.Jan.08 Christmas, Interesting Places, Photo Series Comments (5)

Christmas Memories At SM Mall of Asia - Part 2

Now we go outside of SM Mall of Asia. The last visit I had of the mall was in the year 2006, December. Since then, I noticed a lot of improvements especially along the promenade and breakwater overlooking Manila Bay.

East side of SM Mall of Asia is the Global Fun Carnival amusement park featured in the previous post (see the giant Ferris wheel).

Meanwhile, this the giant steel globe mentioned in the last post stationed at the rotunda of streets and intersections fronting the mall.

This is another look at the spherical structure resembling the entire globe.

I was shooting this photograph from one of the multi-level parking floors of the mall.

Below are the bright colored public jeepneys. Each of these vehicles ply to distant regions in Manila, Makati, Pasay Cities and even to the nearby province of Cavite. So there is no need for visitors and shoppers who don’t own vehicles to walk farther towards Baclaran to get a ride back home.

I remember last December 2006 when hundreds of white parol lanterns hung on wires attached in zigzag patterns across from one roof of the building to another. At night, these lanterns shone brightly like stars on a clear night. Last year 2007, the lanterns were replaced with mini-Christmas lights wired across these buildings (see those thin wirings in the pictures above). I like the parol lanterns better; wished they still used those instead of the current smaller light bulbs.

Now I was taking pictures here of the fountain found behind the mall in the promenade. This was another chance for me to play around with the quick shutter speed of my Canon camera (still a beginner with using a DSLR camera).

Some group of friends enjoying their stay, sitting at the walled breakwater. Beyond them, there is an island (or possibly the large land area of Bataan; I’m not sure about this)…

…and I moved closer by the breakwater to take pictures of it along with the serene waters of Manila Bay.

So the developers of the esplanade decided to add sculpture constructs such as this huge anchor.

I’m not sure what these suppose to represent, but for me these look like parts of surfboards. I guess these would look best at night when they’re lighted (there are light fixtures below aiming at each one).

Tags: Breakwater, Christmas, Esplanade, Fountains, Manila Bay, Promenade, Sculptures, SM Mall of Asia

13.Jan.08 Christmas, Interesting Places, Photo Series Comments (4)

Christmas Memories At SM Mall of Asia - Part 1

Good morning. I’m back working at Singapore again after a long vacation from paradise Philippines. Oh yes, I still have fond memories (thank goodness for digital photos) back home. I haven’t fully immersed myself lately at work while having this feeling of longing for my family, new and old friends, and our home I cherished so much. Maybe a couple of days from now (starting this weekend) I’ll soon accustom myself back into reality here.

Anyway, here’s some photographs of our family trip in the gigantic SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. It was the Christmas season; much of the interiors of the mall were decorated in Christmas ornaments in the color scheme of red and gold.

Ah, nostalgia moments again.

At the entrance, Christmas trees in different sizes were erected with ornaments of red and gold colored orbs. I like this photograph which also features the giant steel globe construct outside near the parking lots.

The towering mall’s Christmas tree that almost touches the mall’s skylight.

A closer look at the Christmas tree.

The tree is decorated with hundreds of bow-tied teddy bears, red and gold orbs, and poinsettias. The use of the bear toys added its appeal to the throngs of children around accompanied by their parents or guardians.

There were giant Christmas gift boxes placed around the tree much to the delight of the people who liked to take pictures with the backdrop of the colorfully wrapped giant gifts and the Christmas tree.

More Christmas trees:

On the second floor stood this magnificently unique Christmas tree (created for ABS-CBN Bantay Bata 163 foundation) made out from native materials such as wood and bamboo and decorated by mini-red parol lanterns, wooden angel ornaments, and what look like multitudes of colored papers which upon inspection…

…were inscribed inspirational messages and greetings to people such as kids (most especially), families, loved ones, friends, our country, etc.

Example of the message:

Mga bata,
Maging matatag at manalangin sa Panginoon. Merry Christmas!
(translation: Be strong and pray to God. Merry Christmas!)
May B. Tan 10

Other written messages:
To all the kids,
Have a very merry Christmas + a happy new year
From del Mundo

Hi,
Sana lagi tayong magsaya kahit hindi Christmas… Aral tayo ng mabuti for our future. Godbless!
(translation: Wish we always be happy even if it’s not Christmas… Study well for our future. Godbless!)
Dave/Mars

This is an example of the ubiquitous red and gold Christmas wreath used inside the mall.

Such wreaths can be found along escalators.

Other wreaths were used as decorations above SM’s huge skating rink (Filipinos love to skate here even if we don’t have snow year round in our tropical country).

Other pictures:

Here, I’m looking over the top of the fantasy carousel.

Most of the people that I know love Krispy Kreme’s very soft (and yet very expensive) doughnuts that are quite too sweet for my taste. I came to know about this through other blogs and prodding from friends who mostly come here to Singapore with boxes of these doughnuts.

And who wouldn’t know (among Filipinos) this guy? The original and the only Jollibee himself (and not to be mistaken from Jollibean).

More to come.

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Tree, Jollibee, Krispy Kreme, SM Mall of Asia

12.Jan.08 Christmas, Interesting Places, Photo Series Comment (1)