MY SARISARI STORE

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Starting with a white canvass...

With the objective of promoting culture throughout the city of Manila, Instituto Cervantes organized a competition open to all painters and aficionados, inviting all of them to participate in the activity of seeing Intramuros with new eyes. Every participant had to register before painting and their canvass presented in blank for inspection. Time span for painting was from 9 am till 3 pm.

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Registration.

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Looking for the right spot.

Intramuros.

Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of Manila. Its name, taken from the Latin, intra muros, meaning "In the walls" also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish Period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself. 

In 1570, Spanish conquistadors led by Martín de Goiti, Juan de Salcedo and Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Manila. Citing the rich resources, strategic economic, political and military importance of Manila, Legazpi declared Manila as the new capital of the Spanish colony in the Philippines. The planning of the city of Manila was commenced by the Captain General - Governor, Miguel López de Legazpi, who established forts, roads, churches and schools. Its design was based upon a medieval castle structure and covered 64 hectares of land, surrounded by 8 metre thick stones and high walls that rise 22 metres. 

Intramuros was completed in 1606 and it served as the center of political, military and religious power of the Spaniards during the time that the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Inside Intramuros there are several Roman Catholic churches, like the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church, convents and church-run schools, which were usually being run by religious orders such as the Dominicans, Augustinians and Franciscans. Only Spaniards and Mestizos were allowed to take part on political issues and take residence inside the walled city, Christian natives and ethnic chinese were also allowed inside, but Spanish officials prevented them living there. The vast majority of the natives and ethnic Chinese residents lived outside the walled city.

I am now working on a "Halloween" and a "cemetery" series that I might or might not post in the second half of November depending on their respective quality. On November 1, I will take a short vacation in the South of Luzon and my blog will be on auto-pilot. I will not be able to visit your blogs due to the lack of internet access there.

In the meantime, I will post some pictures from the “paint on the spot” contest organized by the Instituto Cervantes.

Instituto Cervantes organized some very exciting events those past few weeks. There was dance, music, a Spanish Film Festival, literature, an "on the spot" painting contest AND a photo contest.

Congratulations to Instituto Cervantes for bringing so much culture and art to Manila.

The photo contest’s theme was  Manila, My Manila. First prize was a Nikon D70 + 30,000 pesos (about 550 USD) and a Nikon F55 + 10,000 pesos ( about 185 USD) for the audience choice prize. Every participant could submit two pictures. 

There were more than 350 entries. My entries were “Siesta” and “Say Cheese”. I ended among the twelve finalists with my “Siesta” picture but two other contestants won the cameras. :-(
As a consolation prize, my picture will be exhibited in Casa Armas (a Spanish restaurant) in Greenbelt 3 together with the photographs of the other 11 finalists.

Siesta.

Say "cheese"!

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Be not afraid.
(Last picture of this series.)

Opposition leaders waiting to deliver their speeches.


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The crowd enjoying the speeches...
Tomorrow is my last picture of this series about rallies. It looks like there will be many more rallies here in  Manila.  While  politicians are fighting each other for power the life of the average Filipino is getting worser. 

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President Arroyo is compared to former president Ferdinand Marcos.

I am a destabilizer !