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Dispatch: AirAsia Philippines 1st Branded A320 Plane Arrived in Clark

AirAsia Philippine's First Branded A320

AirAsia Philippine's First Branded A320

Exciting travel times are ahead for us travelers as Low-cost Carrier giant expands its wings establishing its 13th hub in the Philippines. AirAsia has been in operation in DMIA (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport), Clark for many years now. I even remember having my first international flight via AirAsia to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from Clark. The difference now, is that AirAsia Philippines is co-owned and operated by Filipinos this time.

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Dispatch: A Flagellant at Angeles

Angeles Flagellants

Angeles Flagellant (Olympus E-PL2, 40-150mm at 100mm, F5, 1/250, ISO 200)

It was a Bloody Good Friday at Angeles, Pampanga. We were there to witness the Siete Palabras (The Seven Last Words) re-enactment which is a first at Barangay Lourdes, Angeles City. It was chaotically interesting I could say. But alongside there were numerous flagellants. At first I thought I couldn’t handle the gore, the pain of seeing them punish themselves and their blood splattering all over the place but it was interesting to observe their practice of this old Filipino tradition.

Dispatch: NatGeo Earth Day Run 2011

NatGeo Earth Day Run 2011

NatGeo Earth Day Run 2011

Earlier this morning I joined the 10k category for National Geographic’s Earth Day Run 2011 at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). There were more than 10,000 participants on this run under the collective category of 3k, 5k, 10k and 21k. Finished the 10k route in over an hour and 9 minutes which I think is good enough since I didn’t really have proper preparation prior the run. It was a well organized event with fireworks signaling the start of the run,  marshall are in the right positions while water stations are there when you need them with enough water for everyone. The  run would also help build the Mind Museum at Taguig. Here’s a quick shot I took during the run using my Nokia N8.

Dispatch: Olympus E-5 at Nagsasa

Olympus E-5 field tested at Nagsasa, Zambales

Olympus E-5 field tested at Nagsasa, Zambales

So I let my little powerhouse Olympus PEN E-PL1 take a rest and take the new Olympus E-5 DSLR out into the wild. It was a fun weekend trip to Nagsasa in San Antonio Zambales and I get to expose this camera to the elements. And all I can say for now is that if you are looking for one rugged DSLR camera that can withstand the outdoors, this one’s it.

Dispatches: Multiple Marcoses

It’s the last day of Lakbay Norte 2 and we’re currently waiting for our Cebu Pacific Flight back to Manila. The day is pretty slow and some of the sights are already familiar, like the Paoay Church and lake and empanada In Batac. The new place for me of course is the newly restored Malacanang of the North. It’s been an exciting 6 days up north and as expected, there are always something new to see which I’ll definitely go back to. In the meantime, I’m yearning to go back home and sleep on my own bed.

Dispatch: Rediscovering Ilocos Norte

Like I always said, the north always had a lot in store everyone I go back here. The weather was a lot friendly as we finally saw the chalk like rock-formations of Kapurpuran in Burgos against a blue backdrop of the sky. We also visited a salt making facility and the famous biscocho in Pasuquin. While we did the Sand Dunes last year, doing the sand boarding is still as fun. Our last night up north ended with some songs, drinks and games.

Dispatch: Close to Nature at Adams

Patches of blue sky and sunlight shone through the clouds today while we were at Adams. It’s a province up north that I’m glad to have finally set foot since I’ve been wanting to visit the place. We had a trek to Anupig Falls, got to taste some ants and ant eggs and sip some local wine. There were uneventful lapses on our way to Laoag but all is well at the end of the day.