It was maybe a year or two ago that my daughter who is working overseas told me and her mom that she was interested to join a Kendo club for her physical exercise. I thought it was a good idea and we were happy to support her desire. I have never really understood what Kendo was all about but that it was some kind of martial arts or a sport that has something to do with a sword—a samurai sword. But of course my understanding was only based on what I saw in pictures or in movies. The samurai sword has been replaced by a wooden sword. I now know that it’s made of bamboo. And it can be quite expensive. They have a Japanese word for this bamboo sword but I forgot what it’s called. They use a lot of Japanese words in this kind of sport. I also now know that a samurai is a person. It’s not the sword haha!
A few weeks ago, my daughter was on vacation and she visited a local Kendo club in Quezon City and the whole family went there too. It was our first time to see our daughter wearing a Kendo outfit and practicing with the rest of the local club members. It was interesting to observe what they were doing. One of the leaders of the club invited her to join their practice and it was interesting to see our daughter being taught by the Japanese Kendo master of the club on how to improve her skills. After the 4 hours or so practice, the Kendo master thanked our daughter before the club members for attending that day.
It was great to see something like this after the passing of many decades. It reminded me of my younger days. When I was about 14, my brother and I joined a Judo-Karate club and it was fun. When I came to Manila for college, I was again learning Karate from relatives for about a year or so. Thankfully, I have never used it to hurt anyone until now that I am 60. It was good physical exercise. Here are more photos.
This photo of my lovely wife was taken at The French Baker inside the South Supermarket in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. I was kind of hungry and I was looking for a place to get some snacks. We found this place right after we bought some groceries at the supermarket. A nice, quiet spot to relax and sip coffee after a long drive from the province. And as usual for me, I take snapshots of my lovely wife haha! Who wouldn’t?
I love photography as an art expression and ever since our younger days, she has been my photo subject. I usually just take snapshots of her haha! Here’s a photo below when she was about 22 years old. Back then, I took this shot with a Nikon camera with a 50mm lens. It was then a time when I was still beginning to learn about photography and I was fascinated with my newfound hobby. I’m still learning up to now. And of course, my lovely wife was and is always a willing photo subject haha!
Last November 2013, a group of photographers organized a “photoshoot activity for a cause” to help victims of the calamity caused by Typhoon Yolanda. I learned about this from a friend so I joined. I wanted to learn more about photography and in some way help as well the calamity victims. This was my first time to experience a model photoshoot along with other photographers. It was a great experience. I learned a lot and it exposed me to the world of models and other photography hobbyists and professionals including make-up artists. The donations were turned over by the organizers to ABS-CBN for the Typhoon Yolanda victims.
In this particular shot, I now know that I made a mistake in setting my ISO so high at 1600. I discovered that my kind of camera becomes grainy even at ISO 800. I now only limit myself to ISO 400 because of this experience. Other cameras can handle higher ISO better than my camera can.
Oh well, it was my first experience in photoshooting with a real model along with other professional photographers. I did learn a lot.
I was once assigned in Mindanao and I did a lot of driving from one place to another. For some seven years in 2001 to 2007, I often drove from Davao City to Cagayan de Oro City and back through the Bukidnon-Davao Road. There was a time back in 1985 that this national road was really a dangerous dirt and gravel road with potholes here and there.
I experienced that kind of rough ride decades ago in a 4-wheel drive Suzuki Beaver which was really not designed for a comfortable ride. It’s an off-the-road type of vehicle. The road was eventually paved all the way from Davao to Bukidnon and all the way to Cagayan de Oro reducing travel time and making the trip more enjoyable. At minimum speed, it usually took me about 5 to 6 hours of driving one way.
Mountain Resort
One thing that my wife and I really enjoyed each time we traveled through the Bukidnon-Davao road was our stopover at Seagull Mountain Resort. We enjoyed the serene, quiet and cool atmosphere out there. It’s like being transported to Baguio City for half an hour or so every time we stopped there to rest. People who are unaware of the place would be surprised to know that it’s actually a cool place with pine trees all over the area. It’s a mountain resort where weddings, banquets, seminars and retreats are held. A great place to rest after a long drive and maybe grab a bite or sip coffee quietly in a cool and quiet environment.
The place is high up in the mountainous area of the Marilog District in Davao City. Next time you happen to pass by this area, try dropping by at this mountain resort. It’s a nice place to just rest and relax from a long drive and maybe meditate and think about life if you are alone.
As I was driving at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) on our way home from Manila to Pampanga with my family, my daughter who is on vacation from work suddenly said, “Let’s go to Barasoain Church.” She actually saw a road sign indicating that this tourist spot was just nearby at the next exit. My daughter is kind of the adventurous type and loves history and so we exited NLEX and entered the historic city of Malolos in Bulacan. So spontaneous haha! Well, my daughter is on vacation so I gave in to her wishes quickly. I wanted her to enjoy her vacation.
Barasoain Church and the Malolos Constitution
Well, no regrets because it was great to visit one of the old churches built some centuries ago during the Spanish times. It was our first time to visit the place and we were sure glad we did. No regrets. It was great to learn something about Philippine history. There are actually many centuries-old churches that can be found throughout the Philippines. The Spanish friars must have made it their main preoccupation to build beautiful churches using sometimes forced labor among the common people. Anyway, this church was unique because of its historical significance in the history of the Philippines. It was here that the first Philippine Constitution was created. It was called the “Malolos Constitution.” The first congress session was held here.
I did hear and learn about these things during my high school days but visiting the place itself made me appreciate our Philippine history much better. It’s good to visit historical places once in a while if the time permits.
My wife and daughter took some shots inside and outside the church. There was one man who was amusing and somewhat annoying at the same time. He seemed to be a “caretaker” of the church and he kept following us. We were somewhat annoyed because he always showed up in our pictures haha! Photobomber! Anyway, I guess it was his way of being a “tourist guide” haha! And maybe he was also just making sure we would behave in the church as good visitors ought to be. We had fun and it was great we did that side trip to Barasoain Church.
