Mask of Zorro

Taken from Nanay's Nikon Coolpix...Jacob does not know how to do this trick yet, he can't rotate his hands properly...

Another trip to the hospital

Ito yung rubber na nilagay ni Jacob sa kanyang ilong...pagkapasok ay ayaw nang matanggal. Samakatuwid e sa ospital na naman ang bagsak. Kalahating araw din kami sa emergency room at kailangang patulugin si Jacob habang tinatanggal ng doktor, baka kasi sya maglikot e lalong pumasok at mapunta sa lungs yung rubber.

Life is Great Photo Competition

This picture won a prize (cash and a camera) in the Great Eastern "Life is Great" Photo competition 2008.

Olive is now using the camera...

Mga lola at lolo ni Jacob

Kuha noong May 4, 2008 - birthday ni Lola Nanay sa Pampanga

Graduation Concert ni Jacob

Graduation Party ni Jacob

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click here for more pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/noel.manalang/GraduationConcert#

Interview ni Nanay

Habang kami ay naghihintay sa Kid's Corner ng Shangri la Sentosa

Jacob & his friend Thomas (part 2)

First time manood ni Jacob at ni Olive ng stage play...libre ni Ninong Owen

Ate

hehehe

For more old picures visit http://picasaweb.google.com/noel.manalang/OldPictures

Best Photograph of the year

Best Photograph of the year

or

Best Photographer of the year

I guess the photographer was trying to apply the rule of thirds here...:-)

This was taken years ago...(I think in the early 90's)

- Photographer was trying to capture the whiteness (or the grayness) of the wall here

Tintin and Tita Lita

Jacob & his friend Thomas Train

Jacob sings...eto ay isa sa mga unang kanta ni Jacob....kayo na lang mag-decipher kung tama yung mga lyrics nya

Jacob's 4th Birthday

Jacob's 4th Birthday
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Picture taken by Ninong Owen
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For more pictures, please visit http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/noel.manalang/JacobSBirthday

Nueva Ecija

Nueva Ecija Trip

For more pictures, please visit this site http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/noel.manalang/NuevaEcija

Showertime

notes to follow...

Nanay's Birthday

May 4, 2008

Nanay's 70th birthday

To view more pictures please visit http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/noel.manalang

To Manila and beyond!

...uuwi kami ngayon sa pinas...mga 20 days ko ring di makikita 'tong blog ko..sa May 20 pa balik namin

wala akong makitang picture na appropriate sa topic so ito na lang muna...palitan ko na lang pagbalik namin...kuha to sa East Coast habang kami'y naghihintay ng ibang lagalag na dumating

Photoshoped

Just trying the power of layers in Photoshop
This picture was posted before (in full color).
I'm still a novice in this Photoshop thing, I don't know if i did this correctly.

Sana pag uwi ko sa Pinas magkasabay kami ni Clay (pinsan ko po si Clay) para maturuan nya ko ng basics.

Elephant Fountain

I have taken Jacob's picture in this Elephant Fountain several times and this is the one I like the most...although there seems to be a lot of mistake in this photo.

His left hand looks amputated due to hand movement. Some people would actually prefer this blurred hand because it connotes movement. Another thing is the focus. The camera focused on the elephant and the leaves and not on Jacob. This is actually not the camera's fault but the photographer's. I should have used manual focus instead.
I guess what I really liked about this is that it captures the moment, not only of Jacob's but also the moment when the photographer was trying desparately to get a good shot.

35 years old

Today I turn 35

There is still war in Iraq...

Environment is still deteriorating...

Pollution is everywhere...

There are still bombings around the world...

Whaling is still tolerated in Japan...

Still no clear solution to the Spratly issue...

Gloria is still the president...

Pluto is no longer a planet...

North Korea is still a communist country...

China is booming...

US is in recession...

USD1.00=PHP42.00...

I am still working here in Singapore, happy but doesn't have enough money...

Father & Son

I'm getting older and Jacob getting bigger.
I can see the lines on my face are more defined now, my skin getting rougher...already lost the youthful look during my school days.
Owen suggested me to have Botox treatment...supossedly to relax the muscles but it does not matter to me now. My priorities have changed. It does not matter anymore how I look.
Everything that I do now has been focused on one thing...my family. I guess life's like that...just like what we say in tagalog..."Ganon talaga".
This shot was taken in our mock-up studio or should I say semi-professional studio. Owen prepared the lightings and the background curtain while Roger took the shot.

Big Earlobes

I'm not referring to the elephant...i am referring to Jacob's earlobes. Olive said he took them from Inang, his grandmother (Olive's side).

More Road Signs

More road signs

I don't have to tell the story here...just click on the picture and start reading the signs...

Road Sign no more!

The local government realized that the sign below (blog below) is not effective and it has to be replaced. It was replaced by this one (left picture). This is definitely effective in stopping traffic especially during the night. As you can see, road lights were purposely removed and they made the road narrower to make this electric post more effective in stopping unsuspecting drivers...

Road Sign

Road Sign...

I wonder if this road sign still exists. Maybe it was already erased and replaced with "SPOT" or "TOPS" or "POTS".

How do you pronounce this anyway?

Babang's Stop-over

I was browsing my old files and happen to find this video,

taken by Babang during her stop-over in Singapore.

Her timing was perfect, we were able to go to church together and attend the ash wednesday mass (Ash wednesday 2006).

Good Friday in Singapore

Good Friday, 2008

St. Joseph's Church, Singapore

We managed to visit three churches today, Good Shepherd, St. Peter & Paul and St. Joseph's Church. We were aiming for seven but Jacob cannot take the heat of the summer sun. We ended up in 7-eleven buying drinks and some Dimsum. Then we headed to Seng Siong to buy Olive's ingredient for Longaniza.

Good Friday here in Singapore is very different from Good Friday in Philippines specifically in Pampanga. I'm used to seeing flagellants who walked miles and miles while whipping themselves. Men & Women carrying crosses with covered faces. They have this belief that God will not forgive their sins if people recognize them or see their faces. Real blood flowing from their knees and back, real people getting whipped and real people nailed to the cross.

When we were kids we even make our own cross (made from Bamboo) and carry it around, not on the streets though but around our house. We did not know the deeper meaning of this custom then. We just imitate what we see. We were curious and thought that God will also forgive our sins if we carry the cross and walk around the house barefooted.

Picnic sa Sentosa

March 8, 2008

Sentosa Singapore, taken during the Team Lagalag get together. It was really fun.

Sarap ng Spaghetti at Bopis ni Nanay. Sarap ng Puto at Kutsinta ni Winnie lalo na kung isasawsaw sa dalang Binagoongan ni Reyn.

Mabentang mabenta ang Fried Chicken ni My at Dy, Mangga at Chips ni Mys & Shiela.

Natuto ding lumangoy si Jacob (mag pretend na lumalangoy sa gilid) sa dagat.

Goats at the Zoo

August 19, 2006. Jacob was two years old then.

Taken with the then new Nokia N70 mobile phone.

Jacob's Christening

Taken during Jacob's Christening

I miss the Lechon, Pata tim (Pork legs cooked with pineapple juice), Dinuguan, Maja Blanca, Inihaw na dalag/tilapia, Nilagang mais, Gatas ng Kalabaw, Balut, Adidas (grilled chicken feet), Helmet (Chicken head), Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog, Halo Halo at marami pang iba.

We are going home two months from now...I'll make sure I eat all these before be we go back to Singapore

Tonet, Babang & Monina

This was taken during Erwin & Kat's wedding. For more pictures please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/noel.manalang/ErwinSWedding

Kuya Mario's wedding

One f the last pictures taken by our Samsung Camera before it was sold to Victor

This was taken after the wedding reception of Kuya Mario

(from left to right) Mika, JayR, Babang, Monina, Tricia, Jenny, Kaye & Tonet

After the wedding

I have always wanted to post this picture. It was taken when our wedding celebration was about to finish.

The picture is blurred but it is one of those picture that I always want to look at.

(left to right) Ninang Nina, myself, Olive and Ninong Owen

Scarfed Ladies

(left to right) My mother, Tonet, Olive and Jenny.

Taken when they visited us in Singapore.

I am just glad that I wasn't there when this picture was taken. Otherwise, i'll probably be included in this picture wearing a scarf.

I think Junie was the one who took this picture.

Jacob the Toddler

Jacob the Toddler

July 6, 2005

Forrest Gump Joke

Finally Forrest Gump died and at the Pearly Gates, he was met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, Forrest approaches the gatekeeper. St. Peter said, Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone'. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.
Forrest responds, 'It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was'. St. Peter continued, Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.
First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
Second: How many seconds are there in a year?
Third: What is God's first name?' Forrest leaves to think the questions over.
He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and says, Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers Forrest replied, 'Well, the first one... which two days in the week begins with the letter 'T'? Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow.' The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, 'Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer.
How about the next one?' asked St. Peter. 'How many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder,' replied Forrest, but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve.' Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?' Forrest replied, 'Shucks, there's got to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter. 'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind...but I will have to give you credit for that one, too.
Let us go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name'? 'Sure,' Forrest replied, 'it's Andy.' 'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. 'Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God? Shucks, that was the easiest one of all,' Forrest replied. 'I learnt it from the song, 'ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDYTELLS ME I AM HIS OWN.' St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: 'Run Forrest, run.