Pond Reflections

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Straight Out Of Camera

Netted Shadows

A serendipitous shadow of the nets over my hoya leaves!

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

SOOC

Shadows

These two photos are taken at the same time in front of our terrace, one on the cement floor and the other on the grass. Which do you prefer? But of course the shadows are not the same, the objects producing the shadows are not the same too! But they are both SOOC! 

I wonder if the hot environmental temperatures at 35°C can be conveyed with these shots.

http://shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/shadow-of-reality.html

Fun-tastic Shadows

Photos from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and Gumasa, Sarangani, Philippines. It was a 1-week vacation shooting waterfalls, beaches, old houses, people, things, plants, animals, visit to indigenous peoples, and whatever things we fancy.  We had several transportation system too: planes, boats, raft, motorcycles, tricycles, jeepneys, vans, zipline and walk on foot. We woke up early to chase sunrise, went home late sending off sunsets. We played, went swimming, laughed and ate a lot. How wonderful if this is our job, just like our two friends who let us join them while they work. We spend time and money to have fun, they have fun to have money. 

...and these are some of my shadow shots!

my signature shot

Also linked to Mosaic Monday or at 

http://www.dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Shadows from our Colonizers

One weekend, I strolled inside the property, under the coconut trees and near the small ravine where forest trees were growing tall. Birds have been returning to our piece of land since those trees were left growing wildly, after the death of my father. Mixed with these trees are 2 tall Lagerstroemia speciosa, 2 mango varieties, an endemic tree producing the Manila elemi resin and a lot more trees i already consider as collections. I saw lots of other medicinal vines growing on top of the canopies. I have been wishing for a long zoom lens to document birds roosting there.

In some clearance on the ground some pineapples are growing. I remember planting this when i was still in high school. This is the red Spanish variety whose fruits are smaller and more fibrous than the common hybrid Smooth Cayenne introduced by the Americans. However, as kids we love eating them when not yet fully ripe, the stage with more pleasing taste. Enterprising Filipinos, extract fibers from leaves of this variety to produce the 'piña cloth' for our Barong Tagalog, the national dress for special occasions. ''Pina" fiber is expensive and elegant. I hope you see our Barong Tagalog on TV during formal occasions. When foreign dignitaries visit the president, they use Barong Tagalog also for respect to the host country. It also makes beautiful and elegant wedding gowns, table runners, pillow cases, linens, curtains.   This weekend i will again harvest 3 more fruits left on the plant. I guess it is more nutritious and healthy than the other two varieties. I will be healthier next week when i get back.

already ripe fruit, Red Spanish variety

 almost mature fruit, Red Spanish variety

still immature fruit, Red Spanish variety

Three pineapple varieties are now here in the country. This Spanish variety together with the Queen variety was brought by the Spanish colonizers. . The 'Queen',  which is more elongated and less fibrous, is good as table pineapple, but difficult to transport because fleshy and easily bruised. The 'Smooth Cayenne' variety, the most common for export, was introduced by the Americans . This is the variety being used by Del Monte and Dole pineapple for canning, and also more common on the tables. It is now one of the country's major exports. The Japanese being our third colonizers, brought other things, but not pineapple.

Shadow Shot Sunday Posts

Reflecting on my reflections and my shadow

Banaue Ethnic Village, Banaue, Philippines

The last shadow photo is a big pond full of Azolla. These are tiny nitrogenous plants floating on the water surface, very rich in protein and used as feeds or decomposed to organic fertilizers. ( I specifically described this because a commenter felt it is rather hot and dry, which actually is the opposite of the actual setting). If not described, it really looks like gravels.

Photos down memory lane

I've just been back from some family responsibilities. I accompanied my 15 yr-old niece to take the review classes for the University's entrance exam next year. We were far from home and just stayed with some friends, where i also stayed while writing my dissertation a few years back. I took some days leave from the office and just roam around and compare the differences in sceneries during those student days and now. It was some walk down memory lane. I realized we need to just do that once-in-a while, just forget office and life responsibilities and just leisurely and lazily do what we want. Or maybe just do nothing at all. In this case i had fun taking photos and think of the 'good old days'.

These partner rows of royal palms (Roystonea sp.) were already maybe 50 yrs old, though some are replacement when typhoons blown some of them. These are University landmarks already, the university being erected in 1909.

An old Ficus elastica tree near the Biological Sciences Building. This witnessed a lot of student happenings in these grounds.

The above Ficus elastica with L-clockwise: main trunk, grown adventitious roots, hanging adventitious roots from top branches, massive root systems already protruding above ground.

Another lovely tree with pink flowers in summer. The fallen flowers are in lovely contrast with the green grasses. 

This tree was not yet conspicuous during those student days, now with its profuse yellow flowers, one will be enticed by the sweet fragrance when near the Biological Sciences building. I am not sure of its ID, but maybe it is a jasmine tree.

Since the university is at the foot of a mountain forest reserve, which is also a dormant volcano, humidity is very high in the area. This provides conditions good for agriculture, forestry and beautiful healthy plant growths leading to lush biodiversity. L-clockwise: Casia fistula in full bloom, 
Samanea saman in its unshaded splendor (century-old), oil palm, luxuriant Mussaenda 'Dona Trining', a philodendron unabashedly climbing a tree, and a palm trunk profusely harboring a lot of epiphytes, saprophytes, symbionts, etc.

Some more landmark plants. L-clockwise: the football-baseball-volleyball field, a wall of Indian trees to cover the tennis courts, the bougainvillea with white and red flowers in one plant (Bougainvillea 'Mary Palmer'), the much loved hibiscus representing lots of hybrids produced in the university, the golden shower symbolizing the university color- green and gold.

Left-clockwise: Mt. Makiling peaks slightly protruding above the tree tops as viewed near the SEARCA grounds, private dormitories outside the gate, newly added lights along the royal palms at mid-campus, Development Communications bldg, Humanities bldgs with additional chairs on its grounds, the Biological Sciences bldg with a big octopus tree beside it. 

University Library being more useful to students before the digital age and the WWW

Banners in the campus "Iskolar para sa Bayan" means the scholars are for the country! It is the foremost university in the country and partly subsidized by the government. Admission is very highly competitive and much coveted because of the quality of education but lower tuition fees.

...and i love this scene! Wouldn't you love walking barefoot on pink flowers on the green carpet!!!

I would like to link this post to Shadow Shot Sunday because of the last photo. Thanks to the host of this meme, Hey Hariet.