For Jenny Fried

Sunrise from my balcony, Friday 5 May 2006

just three more photos from Philippines

So, it was pointed out to me how remiss it was of me to have missed, in my previous photo sprawl, two specific people from the Philippines, Tita Riya and Tita Tessa, both of whom are beautiful and wonderful and definitely worthy of inclusion on this website.

Tessa with Randii

Tita Riya

during this weird crying/laughing fit they were having while I was trying to check my email

I really hope this is to your satisfaction Titas.

The Dining Room at Dusk

At the doorway the buffet tables stretch out like wings, weighty with dishes of meat bits.
The others are seated in pods under the yellow lights.
The sky outside is singing in pinks and oranges.
The trees hum along, light green, soft, glowing.
There is already no empty seat next to you.
The staff wear bowties and say sir and carry bright orange glasses of Fanta which here in the Philippines is called "Royal".
The birds ride the updrafts.
On the basketball court the Japanese are dancing in a staggered formation. They are below a streetlamp, their thin arms catch the light as they jump, windmill, flick. I watch them from the tinted glass of the window.
I was expecting, falsely it seems, to find young kids in love.
But there is something else, something better.
There are coloured paper flags on a plastic string.
There are the eyes, sparkling during kiitos.
There is you, over there, laughing as you slurp your soup.
There is tomorrow.
There is tomorrow.

What Good Looking People Look Like

I realise this bunch of photos are likely not so interesting to most outside of CISV. This, however, is about as accurate a representation of my time in and around Manilla as you could get. Basically, you understand, the entire purpose and pleasure of my trip to the Philippines came down to the people I was with for the two weeks. There were slightly over a hundred of us at APRW and JASPARC, but when you count people at the Mosaic workshop too, and all the Philippines chapter people I met outside of the two workshops combined, I probably met and spent time with about 150 new, extremely quality people in the two weeks that I was there. Here is a tiny sample of the 800 or so photos I took of faces and crowds, mostly during some of the many (many) photo snapping sessions we in the Asia Pacific region are becoming more than famous for ...

Anna, JP and I. These two were on my 2002 village in Norway when they were 11. Such a massive delight to see them again.

with Anna.

with JP.

Kat with a bubble.

with Rica.

Hana (Egypt) and Ica (Philippines)

with Astrid (Denmark)

with Shinpei (Japan)

Marika (Japan)

with Mitzi.

Jollibee Number One Fanclub: Yasumi, me, Yumin.

with Bebbe (Sweden)

Pilar guesses How Many Choconuts.

Randii and J.A. sing karaoke.

Hana and Tiiram take the mic.

the handsome Juanca (Colombia), surrounded by admiring Filipina women

with Donna.