Cloudzilla

Seen while walking out of the Ateneo de Manila University campus on our way home at 6:00 in the evening a few days ago.

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Gray and green

The looming 35-story residential condominium along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, which I first wrote about in March, is almost done. Only the pavilion on the roof deck remains unfinished. It's called the Berkeley Residences and the developer is the SM Group of Companies, the same company that filled Manila, and many other parts of the Philippines, with enormous malls. The Philippines is still in the middle of its monsoon season and our skies look like this, or worse, almost everyday. It's a bother, but as long as there are no devastating typhoons, I don't mind much—just look at that wonderfully green grass!

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City of lights

I posted a similar view of Metro Manila from Timberland Sports and Nature Club in the past, albeit during the day. I've also revised my previous estimate—there's more than three cities that one can see from up there. It's amazing though how the metro looks so flat from the Sierra Madre's foothills. It was a cloudy evening but Venus still managed to shine through.

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City in a valley

A view of Marikina City and the mansion-like homes around the Capitol Hills Golf & Country Club under a bright blue noon sky filled with puffy little clouds. The city of Marikina is built in a valley between the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range and the ridge which marks the boundary of Quezon City. My father used to tell me how this fertile valley—a river runs its entire length—used to be nothing but rice fields. During the worst of our annual typhoons, the Marikina River always breaks its banks—good for paddy field agriculture but not for human settlements. In fact, Marikina City was one of the worst hit cities in Metro Manila during last year's devastating Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana).

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The last days of summer

During the past two weeks, Manila's daytime weather has still been that of summer: hot. But it has also started becoming very humid, and late in the afternoon, dark clouds would gather, the wind would become a little cooler and sometimes, rain would fall in the early evening. I saw this young man flying a kite in the brown fields of the University of the Philippines as the sun was setting behind the evening's rain clouds. Pretty soon, the grass of the fields will be bright green again.

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D'oh!

On the second day of our recollection last week, the first prayer period was at 6:30 in the morning. So I finally woke up early enough to catch a sunrise. Only to discover that, from the highest point of the Loyola Retreat House (which was the second floor deck), the sunrise was behind the trees and over the next hill.

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Curvilinear

The roof detail of the curved facade of TriNoma mall in Quezon City against a clear blue mid-morning summer sky.

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Bellarocca: Body & soul

Aside from swimming and golf, what else is there to do at Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa? Aqua sports, of course. You've already seen the kayaks on the beach in my Water, earth & sky post the other day. You can also choose to go snorkeling or windsurfing, and the aqua sports center also has jet skis and aqua scooters.

Because of the unusual mix of clouds here, this photo is especially for Sky Watch Friday.


You can take the hobie cat out for a sail, like the three women out there in the distance. If you choose water skiing or a banana boat, you'll be towed by one of these boats in the marina.




If peace and quiet is what you crave, Bellarocca has a meditation sanctuary, which is also where wedding ceremonies at the resort are usually held.




The main spa of Bellarocca is still being constructed, but I think that it cannot beat the location of the remote spa. It is set on one of the highest points of the island and the view is magnificent. Of course, to appreciate the view you have to be able to stay awake during a relaxing massage. Can you?




One of the best experiences at Bellarocca: the dining. The food is excellent. As usual, we found the serving sizes too big for us, especially since we enjoy having more than just one course; the staff were kind enough to split all the dishes for us, which we really appreciated. I love these wooden arches at the entrance of the main dining room, though we didn't have all our meals here. Tomorrow, my last Bellarocca post, I will show you where some of our meals were served.




Of course, Bellarocca also has more sedate indoor activities; it has a library and a lovely billiard table, and every room is equipped with internet access and a home theater system. But who wants to stay indoors on an island resort this gorgeous? BELLAROCCA SERIES #5

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Global support

This is a slightly different view of the residential and commercial condominiums in Eastwood City from the photo which I posted back in October. Eastwood was one of the first land developments in Manila that specifically targeted the business process outsourcing industry, providing their buildings with advanced high-bandwidth and fiber optic telecommunications systems. Dell International Services, which provides customer care and other support services for Dell users, has a center in the Eastwood City CyberPark.

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A glimpse of history

On the ramparts of the historic Fort Santiago in the old walled city of Intramuros, looking out towards the dome and clock and bell tower of the Manila Cathedral, at noontime during an overcast day.

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Big cloud, small sailboat

Watching a most unusual sunset on Manila Bay. The orange color seems to be blocked by the big cloud and the rest of the sky remained blue even after the sun had completely set. I loved that the sailboat crossed the bay while I was taking photos, and I waited for it to get to the exact position—just so.

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SEE IT SUNDAY: SUNSET

All in a day's work

Our office always makes it a point to document all our events, both for the university website and also for our sponsors. I don't know what our grounds maintenance personnel uses this platform for, but it's great for recording an event taking place in a huge field. And isn't that acacia tree top just luscious?



By the time I finished my circuit around the field, my office mate was already holding an umbrella up. Probably not so much to keep the heat of the sun off, but because she can't see what's on the LCD screen for the glare.



I wish I could send some sun and heat to those still in the grip of winter. Our evenings and dawns are still a bit cool, but Metro Manila is already hitting 32°C at mid-day!

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Metal awning

The headquarters of Nestlè Philippines at Rockwell Center in Makati City, right beside (or across, depending on your point of view) yesterday's PHINMA Plaza. I was too near to get the logo at the top but you can see it in last year's photo.

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I feel like howling

A full moon over the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Sofitel is located in the same complex as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and overlooks Manila Bay and its beautiful sunsets. Its flagship restaurant is Spiral, famous in the metro for its huge buffet spread. Its bar, 7Pecados by the Bay, I've featured quite a few times already.

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Sunny Christmas

Gold-painted rattan Christmas trees and balls on the glass driveway canopy of The Podium, a mall in the Ortigas Center of Pasig City.

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Wired sky

The evening's rain clouds limned by a rosy sunset, a little haze from vehicular pollution, and the ubiquitous power cables crisscrossing over your head. Welcome to Metro Manila.

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Empty isn't always bad

Bonifacio Global City in the City of Taguig is one of the fastest-growing mixed-use land developments in Metro Manila. It still has large tracts of empty land but almost everywhere you look, you'll see high-rise buildings going up. BGC is named such because the land used to be the location of Fort Bonifacio, the home of the Philippine Army. That in turn was named after Andres Bonifacio, one of the leaders of the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century.

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Dense

If you stand on one end of the plaza in front of Eastwood Mall (where the dancing fountain is) and look up, this is what you see.

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Across the street

Taken around noon from the roofdeck of the Loyola School of Social Sciences of Ateneo de Manila University looking east towards Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. The clouds are just beginning to gather in preparation for the rains that we experience every afternoon. Some of the university's roads and parking areas can be glimpsed through the acacia trees. The tallest building in the photo is Xanland Place, a residential condominium. It's the same building in my Evening sunlight post back in February when summer was just beginning.

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For my soul

After spending almost the entire week indoors at the Ateneo Art Gallery looking at some very strange artwork, let's step outdoors for a breather, shall we? Just another beautiful day looking at the boats docked at the Manila Yacht Club. This photo is from the archives. After three weeks of almost constant rain, my soul is yearning for some bright blue skies.

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