The cyclist in the green jersey made a full stop along Makati Avenue to answer a call... And I wondered, who was calling?

I wager you that his wife called telling him to stop by the sari-sari store to buy an egg...! :)

The Millennium Transmitter (also called as the ABS-CBN Tower) measures 720 ft (219.5 m) delivering 346.2 kilowatt effective radiated power (ERP), a theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy.  The transmitter is located at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center, Mother Ignacia Street corner Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Quezon City and can be viewed almost anywhere in the city within 1 to 2 kilometer radius… or even more, except that the line of sight to the tower is usually blocked by the tall structures in the city.

I took this shot at about past 7PM at a distance of more than half a kilometer away. I used a shutter speed of 1/80 with an aperture of f/6.5 and an ISO of 800. The focal length is between 200 to 250mm.

Why is a Monday called the "blue day"? I guess it's because the sky is always blue on Mondays!

(8 photos)

Vertigo is an acute involuntary perception that everything around you is in a spinning motion as a result of a  dysfunction of the vestibular system. It is usually associated with nausea and vomiting…

I was sickeningly claustrophobic when I took this photo at the top level of a mall fearing that my camera will slip from my hands… Which became sweaty when I looked downwards realizing how far I am from the ground level.

Just trying making a “miniature” scene using “tilt and shift”. This method of modifying images to make them look like miniature toys is quite impressive.

Tilting is used to selectively focus on an area making the rest of the images in the photo somewhat blurred simulating a miniature scenery.

I’m new in tilting scenes like this though I’ve used tilting a lot for vehicles to make them look lke a ” toy matchbox”.

If you happen to drive along Gil Puyat fly-over going to EDSA, you will see several colorful columns that support the Kalayaan flyover going into Gil Puyat. On that day, the traffic was quite heavy "as usual" here in the Metro which gave me ample time to take some photos of the portraits in some of the pillars as I pass by stopping, and moving inch by inch. That's how heavy our traffic is here in the Metro.

One of the pillars has a vectral portrait with a text saying, "traffic enforcer ako". It means " I'm a traffic enforcer".

Another pillar shows a woman with a text saying, "call center agent ako" which means "I'm a call center agent".

And one pillar shows a man with a text saying, " karpintero ako" which means "I'm a carpenter".

There are other pillars with vectral portraits but the traffic moved on faster making me miss the chance to take photos of them... Maybe next time, let's just hope that the traffic will make me stop in front of those pillars which I have not taken any photos yet. :)

A wonderful sight I tell you so;
As I gape to the Sun going low;
In sunrise, sunset, e’er a good show;
Believe me, the Sun is always aglow!

The orb of gold upon the sky;

How I wish that I could fly;

If in unison please say ‘Aye';
As the Sun bids its goodbye!

By Ompong

The bluest blue sky I've seen... With no clouds to be seen!

The scene was magnificent... But mixed with an eerie color that seems to forebode horror!

It was about 6PM and I was at the Guadalupe Bridge in the City of Makati on my way home.

As the Sun was setting on the West, I saw the moon rising near the East. The reddish aura of the setting Sun made an eerie "blood red" color from where the moon was rising...

How could one look at the sun without being blinded;

To see the clouds, the sky without being reminded;

The wonder and awe of being alive;

Though nightfall will soon arrive!

Yes, I'm being poetic about this... In the city, it is quite a disappointment, often than not, to take pictures of the sky and even the landscape itself, without the city wires and cables somewhat ruining your photos.  Man's progress has changed and sculpted the land in a fashion that you can no longer appreciate what it is to commune with nature herself.

Going back to the picture, it is quite an arduous task to look directly at the sun without wincing your eyes... missing its "glory" high above the skies. A polaroid eyewear or "shades" may help but such a picturesque view will only be stored in your memories. Luckily, I had a polarizer filter when I took this shot plus the fact that I am inside my car on stop waiting for the signal light to go green.  My car windows are heavily "tinted" in black that anyone outside will find it difficult to see those inside. These "filters" tamed the brightness of the sun, which at around 3PM in the Philippines during these days, is quite blinding...

Disregarding the man-made structures and the slithering cables and wires, I found the view up above as "awesome"! If I only have a magic wand like that of Harry Potter's, I would wave it to have all the "ugly" man-made structures vanish for a while, even for just a second, giving me precious seconds to take a shot of the beautiful scene above me. Alas, the wand is just a fiction and living in the city built by man is a reality I have to face...!

What did you see first? The blue sky? The cotton-like clouds that are low? The tree? Or the building?

Bright blue sky looking down at me
I feel its warmth shining on me
But what affect is it having on me?
I don't really know, because I can't see.

Bright blue sky looking down at me
Makes me feel good, feeling free
Friendly feeling it gives towards me
I wish I could see it but I can't see.

Bright blue sky looking down at me
What are you trying to say to me?
What message have you got for me?
I can almost see it, but I can't see.

Bright blue sky looking down at me
I believe I know what you are saying to me
I can see that message you have for me
Perhaps it doesn't matter if I can't see.

Bright blue sky looking down at me
Your message has been received by me
"If your feeling good, feeling free,
Why bother if you can't see".

Bright blue sky looking down at me
I'm feeling good, feeling free
You've taught a valuable lesson to me
There are more ways than one to see.

Bright blue sky looking down at me
I owe you a lot for looking after me
How do I repay your kindness to me?
By helping others to see, as you taught me?

By Alastair McIntyre

The place where I am in the Metro Manila region (National Capital Region) of the Philippines is called Quezon City. It was named after our former president, Manuel L. Quezon. Quezon City or locally known as “QC” was the former capital of the country before it was changed to Manila City.

The street you see is the Quezon Avenue and the tunnel at the far right of the photo is the Araneta Underpass… You can zoom in at the photo to see the underpass. On weekdays, this street is heavily full of vehicles resulting to a very heavy traffic. It connects Quezon City to Manila.

This shot was taken during a weekend on the uppermost level of a mall along Quezon Avenue, the reason why traffic is quite lighter.

It’s officially summer as far as the sunset in the Philippines is concerned. The photos were taken at exactly the same time in almost the same location. Notice that the sun is now setting on the right side of the road and is still up in the horizon compared to the sunset last month (early February).

The photo with the reddish sunset was taken last Feb 11, 2015 while the photo with the yellowish sunset was taken today, March 2, 2015.

Many dream of working in the financial and business district of the Philippines called the Makati Central Business District (MCBD).

MCBD is formerly known for its "skycrapers", though there are now taller buildings that have been erected outside of the district.  Most of the corporate offices of multi-national companies are located in MCBD. As the population of professionals, expats, and office workers continue to climb year-after-year, MCBD is now cramped with people and vehicles that it will normally take about half an hour's travel just to get out of the district onto the major thoroughfares which is less than a kilometer away, specially during rush hours.

MCBD continues to attract professionals and office workers as well as foreign investors as a prime location to do business and expand their career.

If you’re a nature lover like me and is also confined in a jungle of cement, it is quite difficult to appreciate the flora and fauna with all the man-made structures around that seem to cover the beauty of the natural environment.

Though some see man-made structures as feats of art and marvel with awe at man’s engineering, I see most of them as an obstacle, a hollow block, or as a cemented wall that serve as a blanket hiding the elements of the universe itself.

While others take photos of these structures with nature only as a secondary focus, I take photos priming my lens to capture the trees and the colors of the sky instead, making man-made structures as just ordinary, supporting aesthetic elements of my main subject… Which is nature herself! The diva of my attention!