Some trees shed their leaves once a season. Some trees do it on summer, some trees in temperate regions do it on Autumn before the Winter. Nevertheless, the shedding season turns them almost dead and ugly. The surprise comes after the shedding season, as if like a phoenix, spring backs to life, grow additional leaves and starts their flowering season and bounces back more beautifully than ever. Maybe that is how living things grow: they shed something for within, they hibernate for a while and bounce back better than ever. Maybe that is why human beings shed tears, time and again.
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Some trees shed their leaves once a season. Some trees do it on summer, some trees in temperate regions do it on Autumn before the Winter. Nevertheless, the shedding season turns them almost dead and ugly. The surprise comes after the shedding season, as if like a phoenix, spring backs to life, grow additional leaves and starts their flowering season and bounces back more beautifully than ever. Maybe that is how living things grow: they shed something for within, they hibernate for a while and bounce back better than ever.

Maybe that is why human beings shed tears, time and again.

Q:Why is Region 1 called the North when Region 2 and CAR are also part of Northern Philippines?

Anonymous

Good Question. Maybe because at one point of time these three regions were grouped into one big region. It’s like this: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur is just one big Ilocos province when Spanish Officials split them into Sur and Norte in 1818. It’s like that. Maybe the North recall remained with Region 1 because of popularity.

The Road to the North - Maharlika Highway, Manila North Road, National Highway. Oh just travel through it.

Locals here call it the Maharlika Highway or the National Highway, but it is also named as the Manila North Road. This long road branches from McArthur Highway (which starts in Monumento) in Metro Manila and Central Luzon to connect Metro Manila, Central Luzon and the Ilocos Region together. It was the only way out of Manila to the Northern Luzon Provinces until the North Luzon Expressway was built in the 1960s.

This highway connects the provinces and the town centers of Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Norte and it ends at Laoag City where the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26) starts. It gives travelers a nice view of the Cordillera Mountain Range to the right and the West Philippine Sea in some parts in the left. The Ilocos Region will not be served by expressways until the Tarlac - Pangasinan leg of TPLEx opens this year and the Pangasinan - La Union leg of TPLEx will open next year or 2015. As of now, I don’t see the rush to extending the expressways until Ilocos Norte - unless a huge traffic generator will be set up in the provinces. So there’s little chance of getting lost unless your talent is getting lost in unknown distrant lands because there is just one single Highway serving all of Region 1.

Unlike for expressways that is diverted far from population centers, this highway traverses all town centers where you’ll have a glimpse of town life away from Manila: Market Days, Carabao Carts, Agricultural Industries. There is no vehicular prohibition along the Highway so you’ll see every vehicle in use here, and unlike for the cities that have buses every now and then, buses here are limited save for morning and afternoon rush. You’ll have to wait for the next bus to arrive for 5 to 15 minutes.

Except for some part especially in the congested town centers were a speed limit ordinances are implemented, it gives you a nice fast ride. Faster than Metro Manila Buses, there are few Aircon buses so get ready to whip your hair back and forth, to and fro throughout your provincial commute!

The Last Antonio Building at Avenida Located at the corner of Avenida Rizal and Carriedo Street in the old Downtown Manila, this is the last standing building in the Avenida Area designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio after the Ideal Theater was demolished in the late 70s and the Galaxy Theater was demolished in 2008. Built in the early 1950s, modernist architecture (International Style) is starting to seep into the Philippine Landscape, the building employed curved bands (horizontal and vertical) to serve as sunshades. The building is also curved in a streamline in the corners, a style derived from the streamlined Art Deco that was prevalent during the late 1930s. The building is mainly used for commercial use, and it was one of the first buildings that enabled the old Downtown Area to revive economic activity in the area after the destruction of the war. It is still used as a commercial building though its facade facing the Avenida is already blocked by the elevated tracks of the LRT 1. PS: The original design of the LRT 1 was at street level rail tracks like the old PNR lines. But one Marcos swerve and it became elevated. Elevated tracks eliminated the conflict from other modes, enabling the trains travel much faster than if it is at street level. Enabling LRT to travel faster killed the Avenida and Escolta area.
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The Last Antonio Building at Avenida

Located at the corner of Avenida Rizal and Carriedo Street in the old Downtown Manila, this is the last standing building in the Avenida Area designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio after the Ideal Theater was demolished in the late 70s and the Galaxy Theater was demolished in 2008.

Built in the early 1950s, modernist architecture (International Style) is starting to seep into the Philippine Landscape, the building employed curved bands (horizontal and vertical) to serve as sunshades. The building is also curved in a streamline in the corners, a style derived from the streamlined Art Deco that was prevalent during the late 1930s. The building is mainly used for commercial use, and it was one of the first buildings that enabled the old Downtown Area to revive economic activity in the area after the destruction of the war.

It is still used as a commercial building though its facade facing the Avenida is already blocked by the elevated tracks of the LRT 1.

PS: The original design of the LRT 1 was at street level rail tracks like the old PNR lines. But one Marcos swerve and it became elevated. Elevated tracks eliminated the conflict from other modes, enabling the trains travel much faster than if it is at street level. Enabling LRT to travel faster killed the Avenida and Escolta area.

jaywalkersph: JaywalkersPH presents WATER SNAKE: CHINESE NEW YEAR PHOTOWALK  Join the Jaywalkers in yet another adventure in the streets of Manila this coming February 10, 2013 as we celebrate the arrival of the year of the Water Snake! Let’s all meet at 10:30 AM in Plaza San Lorenzo (in front of Binondo Church). Don’t forget to bring your gear, extra shirts, lunch/snack money and some passion to shoot. See you! Signup here: http://bit.ly/WaterSnakeSignup For more inquiries, contact us at jaywalkersph.tumblr.com/ask. Xie xie! Credits: Poster by Ian Calimbahin | Photos by Alexis Lim
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jaywalkersph:

JaywalkersPH presents

WATER SNAKE: CHINESE NEW YEAR PHOTOWALK 

Join the Jaywalkers in yet another adventure in the streets of Manila this coming February 10, 2013 as we celebrate the arrival of the year of the Water Snake! Let’s all meet at 10:30 AM in Plaza San Lorenzo (in front of Binondo Church). Don’t forget to bring your gear, extra shirts, lunch/snack money and some passion to shoot. See you!

Signup here: http://bit.ly/WaterSnakeSignup

For more inquiries, contact us at jaywalkersph.tumblr.com/ask. Xie xie!

Credits: Poster by Ian Calimbahin | Photos by Alexis Lim

Q:Good day po. Uhm, ilan po ba ang units na tinetake ninyo sa course nyo? Please answer po. Sorry sa abala. Thank you. :)

Anonymous

Hi. Keeping this for 24hrs or more for you anon. I still have 6 units left to graduate if you are asking that. If the whole CE Undergrad Curriculum in UPD, I think its 184 units.

Blogging Categories for 2013. So I guess, time to wake up and start blogging sensibly again. This is the main reason why I can’t blog during the last weeks of 2012. Saving up for 2013. More topics, more photos and more places. No Saturdays or Sundays. I guess that’s rest for all of us. Starts next Monday, January 7, 2013 8PM
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Blogging Categories for 2013.

So I guess, time to wake up and start blogging sensibly again. This is the main reason why I can’t blog during the last weeks of 2012. Saving up for 2013. More topics, more photos and more places.

No Saturdays or Sundays. I guess that’s rest for all of us.

Starts next Monday, January 7, 2013 8PM

Q:hi do you know why sampaloc manila was named. you know, "sampaloc" :)

Anonymous

But older maps label it at San Paloc. Yep, still not sure if the place was named after Tamarind or some Franciscan Saint with a nickname Paloc.

The last week of 2012 was an interesting week for me. I’m in Vigan and the woman is in the same place. We are breathing the same air, we are walking in the same place. Chances are, if we have the same interests, she might be doing the same stuff I’m doing in the same city: getting awestruck at a city that does not need the skyscrapers to show itself proudly.

So I’ve played a game of signs with the universe again: She, Me, in a city 400 kilometers away from the city where we first met. If we met, then it’s the universe telling us something and if not that’s it. The end.

We could have met at the Cathedral, we could have met at Calle Crisologo, we could have met at the Plaza. It didn’t happen. I guess, that’s the universe telling me something. It’s not the same anymore.

Well, I guess that ends things between us. Let’s leave the past behind, it’s already the new year.

The emptiness of the province gave me one thing. A good vantage of the fireworks display. If in the city it still smells gunpowder the dawn after the New Year Revelries, here it still smells fresh like no fireworks happened. Yes, I’m here at the province (Ilocos Sur) for two weeks already. I really needed a rest after that so physically and emotionally draining 2012, good thing I’m here. I have nothing to worry here except to eat and sleep and go to the city for some time. I visited Vigan City again last December 30, and tomorrow I’ll visit the Batac - Paoay - Laoag. I think I could live here permanently. I’ll blog everything about this when I come back to Manila next week. PS: You know that version of me that became increasingly angry and full of bitterness towards the world? I think I killed him already.
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The emptiness of the province gave me one thing. A good vantage of the fireworks display. If in the city it still smells gunpowder the dawn after the New Year Revelries, here it still smells fresh like no fireworks happened.

Yes, I’m here at the province (Ilocos Sur) for two weeks already. I really needed a rest after that so physically and emotionally draining 2012, good thing I’m here. I have nothing to worry here except to eat and sleep and go to the city for some time.

I visited Vigan City again last December 30, and tomorrow I’ll visit the Batac - Paoay - Laoag. I think I could live here permanently. I’ll blog everything about this when I come back to Manila next week.

PS: You know that version of me that became increasingly angry and full of bitterness towards the world? I think I killed him already.

Q:Hey kuya, any advice on getting into UP? with the UPCAT, I mean. Do you think it's necessary to enroll into a review coarse? I'm a junior and have been offered by a number of review centers. They're kinda pricey, if you ask me though.

Anonymous

I think it’s an added advantage, I think. But I have HS Batchmates that did not bother to review but passed at UP Diliman. Go and review, if you think they are expensive (I think yes), better ask out if they have installment schemes so payment is a bit bearable.

Sometimes, being able to enter UP is a matter of destiny. LOL.