Around UST ...in One Hour or So

During my latest trip to Manila, I had the happy chance to see firsthand the campus of a university that was at least 400 years old... THE University of Santo Tomas.

It was really by a happenstance that when I joked to my friend to "Let me see Uste man bi!", he was very willing to do so. He was the perfect tour guide, for UST has been home to him for years. And so, I was the lucky recipient of some trivia and anecdotes related to this institution and its history.

Started the tour at the Main Building where the Museum was located 

It was past 5PM when we got there, so the Museum of Arts and Sciences was already closed.

No matter how we tried to open the doors, it wouldn't budge.

It didn't matter which angle we looked at it...it was still CLOSED! :P

Disappointed, but not deterred, we went up to the Director's Office...

...and found some artifacts displayed on its walls.

I also discovered this spot,
perfect for staging an ambush on people or classmates going up the stairs, hehehe! :)

the stairs where many leaders, heroes, and presidents of our country have trod

Next on our itinerary was the Faculty of Civil Law, where many prominent national leaders graduated from.

The lobby, filled with inspiring images.

Interesting murals depicted the virtues of Wisdom and Justice, 

both important in governing and in the field of Law.

King Solomon makes his wise judgement to award the baby back to its own mother.

from biblical stories to personalities known for their sense of justice and leadership

Can you find Lady Justice, the banished Adam and Eve, and  the first crime committed here?

We went next to the chapel.

Outside the chapel are the life-size statues
of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and
the Immaculate Heart of Mary (farther down the hall)

Inside the Chapel

Outside the church, Santissimo Rosario, there was a lot of parked cars.

At past five in the afternoon, we were fortunate to still have light even though there was a typhoon signal announced in the country. We took advantage of this and went around the school grounds.

the football field where thousands gathered for the message
of then Pope John Paul II (now Blessed John Paul II)
during the World Youth Day in 1995

The Quadricentennial Square has some holes on its ground,
so I'm guessing I'm standing on a dancing fountain that at the moment was turned off :)

It was said that the faces for these four figures
 (two students, a professor, and a Dominican priest)
were modeled after actors Piolo Pascual, Charlene Gonzales,
the daughter of the sculptor, and ...I guess I forgot the fourth one :) 

The sculpture TetraGlobal created by Ramon Orlina in the Quadricentennial Square

Rested a bit at the Plaza Mayor...my feet were killing me!
While various statues from above looked  upon me :)
My favorites were Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Appreciating the two fountains that flank the Arch of the Centuries:
Fountain of Knowledge, symbolized by the deer (behind me) and
Fountain of Wisdom, characterized by the owls (not shown) 

The veritable Arch of the Centuries
where  freshmen who were initiated enter,
and graduates march and pass through.

400 years of shaping people and futures!

I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to walk through this place, 

for it was a time for me to be amazed at the beauty of education. 

For something of quality that can be preserved as well as developed, 

this is a feat laudable and worthy of my respect. 

Thanks to my tour guide,

I will always have this hour (or so) to last me a lifetime...

or 400 years :) 

Visit this institution at your leisure, too. 

It is only a click away. :)

My Virtual Life 2

Been pretty lazy with blogging lately and missed a few months of it. But just wanted to acknowledge and thank my second follower,Veruka Nonsalati, who has taken the trouble to ask ME how she can subscribe to my blog. I, of course, did not know where where the "follow" button was...but between trial and error, she was able to fulfill her heart's desire. LOL.

If you wanna read HER blogs, here it is...be warned though, it doesn't make sense...hehe!

Thanks to my (two) followers...you keep me bloggin'....LOL 

Do you also want to follow me, but do not know how?

Well, you better ask Veruka...hahaha!

the real answer: 

just "Sign in" with your email or gmail or i dunno :)

...that's next to "Already a member?"

Around Intramuros in Two Nights and A Day

A couple of weeks ago, I took an unexpected trip to Manila to run an errand. I didn't expect it to be anything but a business trip. I had planned to stay in my hotel and just go to the mall to eat after my day was done. This is exactly what happened...at least, on my first day there :)

my very comfy bed and accommodations at Tune Hotel, Ermita

With a very pretty Banana Leaf staff

Roti Canai paired with Condensed Milk, and Ripe Mango shake

the happy remains of my PadThai :)

Lucky for me, my random postings on Facebook alerted some of my friends in Manila. Invitations for dates quickly poured in (I'm exaggerating a little bit, hehe)! Anyhow, before I knew it, my evenings were booked...and this is how the rest of my trip went ;)

After work, a couple of friends from college met with me at Casa Manila, in Intramuros

Started a stroll from the fountain area of Plaza San Luis, at dusk

Took a souvenir shot with a uniformed Guardia Civil at the Casa entrance

Had a bit of an evening walk by the Palacio Del Gobernador 
which was just by the Manila Cathedral 

We intended to go to Rizal Park and watch the dancing fountain lights, but it had started to drizzle so we decided to be safe and take shelter in the nearby mall.

Late night dinner at Cafe Breton in Robinson's Ermita

Famed for their crepes, I ordered a somewhat tame one:
The Dracula  (LOL!)
It's got garlic, tomato, and cheese.

 After dining, since the night was still young at 10PM, Manila Standard Time (hehe, I made that up!), my friends and I decided to catch the last full showing of the movie....wait for it,wait for it! ....KIMIDORA 2!!! haha...


Eventhough I seldom watch movies nowadays for the sole reason of exceedingly unreasonable cinema prices (P180 per head!), this comedy sequel was worth it. We had a blast laughing our hearts out and groaning at the over-the-top scenes, where I always expect smart Filipino comedians/comediennes to excel at.


Coming out from the cinema, the mall stores were all closed. But the ground level activities caught our attention and quite entertained us for a while. Preparations for a car exhibit were being done for a Father's Day event.

I have always wondered how those cars get into the mall for display. Now, I know :)

I got a favorite.
A red flaming pick-up with a jacuzzi tub must be someone's dream come true :)

The following evening was one of a kind. I met with another set of friends, this time, from high school, and we went to a Madz concert in San Agustin Church. 


This would sound ordinary to some, but to me, this was, like, ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS moment. Why? Because I have been secretly wanting to get inside this church and museum since I last visited it and it was closed. AND to watch the famed Philippine Madrigal Singers, whose concerts I always seem to miss when they're on tour in the provinces? I say, it's FATE. Fate or maybe, JUST a small MIRACLE :)

The Madz in their trademark semi-circle formation 
at San Agustin Church, June 15, 2012 (7PM)

trying out one of the seats and being "one of the Madz" after the concert :) 

The reason why San Agustin is a landmark: It is Philippines' oldest church

with my high school classmates:
 Fr. Robert
(who made my visit to this church much, much richer 
with  his very knowledgeable comments)
and Tenor Ervin 
(who made this dream possible by giving us complimentary tickets
 to one of his performances with Madz) 

At the Museum, I sat by the humongous church bell 
that was taken down after an earthquake damaged the belfry in  1881
 and the tower it was attached to collapsed in 1927. 

Having a playful moment with Archangel Raphael,
who is said to have the happiest disposition among archangels
(I didn't know this before, so maybe HE was having a playful moment with ME? haha)

exiting from the Museum's entryway, hehe
(entrance is at P100, I think)

concert-goers waiting for the singers to come out after the concert at the Museum 's lobby

headed to Harbor Square for (yet another) late dinner in Iceberg's
and shared an icy dessert though it was raining  due to typhoon "Butchoy"

our Starbucks sweet treat: Green Tea and Berry Cheesecake
while catching up on the latest and not-so-latest dish
on whatever  topics that come to mind

It was beyond late when we had to end the night because Starbucks had to close at 2:30AM. Both my friends had full-day events ahead of them, so we zipped back to my hotel where they dropped me off. I had some packing to do, but just didn't bother and left everything up for the next day. 


Woke up at 10AM on Saturday (my last day) and realized I had to check out before 11AM or be charged another day by the hotel. I also realized I had missed calls and a missed date at 8AM!! It was by a hair's breadth that I was at the hotel's reception counter at 10:55 AM - showered, dressed, combed, packed, checked-out - decent and ready for another date!...well, the one I missed  :) 

It was time for lunch so a lunch-date was set in White Knight Hotel, a hotel and restaurant right in the heart and center of Intramuros. They had excellent food, if a bit salty for my taste. Wow, excellent but salty? haha...

With my "Accountancy" classmates
We have since moved on to other careers and fields.

 Outside the hotel restaurant, a tour was offered to us. Having hours still to spend before my flight, I was the only one willing to take a rather interesting tour. So, I geared up, signed the waiver, and surrendered my credit card :D

NOT getting a foot massage :( haha

all padded up, but not yet in complete uniform :)

Charlie tutoring me on how to handle this newest toy
which, by the way, costs P175,000 if I remember correctly

Me, gleefully going around outside the hotel premises...
trying to stop was the hardest to learn!

This looks really easy, and they tell you that it is, but when I stepped on it the first time, I had serious doubts that I would ever learn how to ride this in under 30 minutes. But, really, you get the hang of it as you go along...and it really is easy! :)

At the original site of Ateneo de Manila University before it was burned to the ground in 1932.
Presently, the Department of Tourism's Clamshell (at my left, not shown) stands on this site,
 where tourism exhibits and events take place.

with my tour guides

This tour also marked the end of my trip. What a blessing it was, to be able to experience new things in an old city...but what was most delightful was how I was able to see my old friends and spend new and such wonderful moments with them.

Someone once called me "lucky"...but I, at once, corrected her. 

No, I wasn't lucky...I was blessed.

Would like to go around Intramuros, too? 
Go on an EChariots Tour. 
It's fun and worth it. :)