Posts filed under ‘The City’
Birthday in Jail??? Ohhhhhh Alcatraz…
So my Mom came to visit me as a surprise for my Birthday. What a great surprise it was especially since Justin was in Manila so it was nice to have family to hang out with. So what did we do the evening of my Birthday – spent it in Jail – at Alcatraz.
We took the night tour of Alcatraz which was great as you got to see Alcatraz in the light of day and night. It was pretty cool to see. When I was younger, I remember watching a story about an Alcatraz escape on Unsolved Mysteries. Did you ever see that episode? A clever bunch carving holes in their cells to escape and making dummies to fool the guards as they worked. Here is a good summary ” The dummies were made from soap, concrete powder, and stolen paint. One of the guys worked in the barbershop and swiped some hair to paste on the dummies’ heads for an extra touch of realism. For eight months, Morris and the Anglin brothers left their cells at night to drill out the ventilation shaft and collect the items they needed for their escape.”
If you are ever free, taking the night tour also has some perks – extra discussions, special sessions and off the beaten path tours that are not available during the day sessions. We were lucky enough to get included in a tour of the Dungeon and the Chapel – two areas normally not open for the general public to explore on their own. For both locations, we were locked into the chambers so no one else could follow us in. With hardhats and a single flashlight held by the tour guide, we headed into these secluded locations.
The cells were much smaller than you would think
View of Recreation Yard through a small peep window in a door
Darkness falls – view from Alcatraz
Psych Ward – super eerie section of the jail
Down at the end of this hall are the isolation chambers
Down in the Dungeon
Stairs coming up from the Dungeon
When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay…
Well I have some exciting news to share with you! I wanted to let you know that we are in the process of moving. Our house sold really fast and I have been having trouble deciding what I wanted to do as far as where to live next. This year I have a number of weddings across the US so I will be pretty mobile. Justin, my husband will be traveling to Manila a lot for work so I was torn between staying in Raleigh or moving closer to him so traveling to see him would not be a 25 hour trip one way from Raleigh.
I just finally decided that I am going to move to San Francisco to be closer to Justin and more centrally located. My phone number/email/website/blog will all stay the same. The only contact info that will change will be my mailing address & I will keep you up to date on that. I’ll be traveling all around the US for weddings and back to Raleigh numerous times so it will be an exciting year! More to come…
Road Trip!!!
Justin and I will start our road-trip in early February, date yet TBD. Once we head out, I’ll try to write posts each night so you can track our progress.
Have something you need to mail to me? My current address is good through the first week in February. Make sure that if you do have anything to pop in the mail to me to send it out soon. Otherwise, you can send it to my new address. I will have my new address available shortly.
Manila & Japan
If you have not already noticed, I have all my photographs online from the Philippines and some arial shots from Japan. Here is the link to view them. Below are a few more of my favorites. I can’t wait to go back again!
Shots around Manila
Photographs from Sabang, Palawan
On our hike to the Underground River – See Justin in the far left corner of the image to understand the magnitude of the mountains.
He was posing for his portrait.
On our way on the Subterranean Underground River – currently it is in 1st place for one of new 7 Natural Wonders of Nature
Shots around Sabang
Awesome Restaurant – Green Verde
Nagoya Airport, Japan
Mt. Fuji
New Friends…New Adventures
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Janah and Tilde. We spent the day together at Janah’s family home and exploring Intramuros – the walled city. I had a great time. I am so glad I had the chance to meet Janah and Tilde and hear about their journeys and what they have planned next.
Janah is an interior designer who lives in Manila. I love her work! So pretty, fresh, and clean. I got to see some of her concepts as well as some photographs from finished work. If you live in the Philippines and are looking for a great interior designer, please talk to Janah!
Her studio space where she works is such an inspiring location. As you enter, the red doors energize you. The floor is made of larger tiles of different elements – wood, stone, etc. which ground you. I absolutely loved the screens on her windows. They are Capiz Shell Screens. Traditional 1940s window screens in the Philippines. Right outside her window from her desk is a large cement pond filled with coy fish. How relaxing and inspiring of a location to work. As we sit and get to know each other, a white and gold cat jumps up on the rim of the pond to take in the wonders below the water. Surprisingly, he does not indulge in the buffet of fish within paws reach.
Janah mother calls to let us know lunch is ready. Lunch was wonderful. There was squash soup, fish and tofo, rice, prawns and noodles, fruit (mangos of course!), and to finish off with banana bread and coconut ice cream. I discovered a new fruit – the Philippine Lemon. It is like a mini lime from the States. It is used often to add zest to dishes. This time it was used for the noodle/prawn dish. Very tasty. All of the food was prepared by Janah’s mom and the coconut ice cream was made by Janah’s father. Everything tasted great and I ran out of room too quickly. 
It was so nice of Janah’s mom to invite me to lunch. It was a great experience to get to meet her family and share in a meal together.
After lunch we headed back to Janah’s studio and talk more about life experiences – where we have been and where we are headed. Tilde is an artist currently living in Japan attending Kyoto Seika University. She is originally from Denmark and met Janah in Barcelona while studying. Tilde is visiting Janah for a long weekend and their excitement to see each other and old memories from Barcelona flood their thoughts. As most can relate, it is hard to go from seeing friends each day to living so far away. They were very excited to be in the same location again.
Tilde’s is crafty in multiple media. From painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. she expresses her ideas in unique ways. The titles of her work also give you a great glimpse into her motivation and thoughts on a piece. Here is her website. She has had her work on display in Denmark, Japan, and Spain to name a few locations. If you are interested in having a piece commissioned, please let me know and I can get you in contact with Tilde. She would love to create something for your wedding or to symbolize a special moment in your life. Here are some examples of her work:
I also got the chance to meet Angelito, the President & CEO of Admix Incorporated and the Marketing Communications Director at First Academy of Computer Arts. It was very interesting to hear about his experiences and future projects.
Janah, Tilde, and I then headed out for Intramuros. It was built in the 16th century and is the oldest district of Manila. Meaning ”within the walls” describes the tall walls surrounding the area which was considered Manila during the Spanish colonial time. We wondered the old streets, stopped in some of the historic churches, and even a small cafe with a very european fortress feel. I tried San Migeul – a local brewed Filipino beer. It was great to spend time with Janah and Tilde. I hope Tilde enjoys the rest of her visit!
Rizal Park
Intramuros
These children playing on the street were so camera happy. They loved Tilde taking their photographs. Tilde got their mother’s address and will be sending them their photographs.
The Cafe
Intramuros – The Wall
Want to see more photographs from my trip? Here is the link.
First Look at Manila
Here are just a few of the photographs that I have taken of Metro Manila. I hope to get out to take more this weekend. The week has been filled with work and not much free time to explore. The weather is VERY warm and humid. Yesterday the weather outside was actually nice and not stagnantly hot. For it being the “rainy season” I have not seen much rain yet (knock on wood somebody, please…). It is interesting to see what businesses form the US have made their way over to Manila – Starbucks, 711, California Pizza Kitchen, KFC and of course McDonald’s – aren’t they everywhere??
Some fun facts about the Philippines:
~ There are 7,104 islands that make up the Philippines (I had no idea!)
~ 90.5 million pop (2008 estimate)
~ Covers 115,830 square miles, which makes it equal to the size of Italy
~ Regarded the “text capital of the world”. About 350 to 400 million text messages are sent daily by 35 million cell phone subscribers in the country, which is more than the total daily text messages sent in the U.S. and Europe, together. Wow!
Want to see more pics? Check out my gallery for more pics from the trip and details about the locations.
LA & Santa Monica
Justin and I headed to Los Angeles for a short escape to the west coast. This was my first time to LA and Santa Monica. My favorite part of the trip was renting bikes and riding them along the beach.
Asheville Field Trip
Justin and I went out on a field trip to see what we could find. Here are some things that caught my eye.
Happy Birthday Justin!!!
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland
Justin and I went to the Detroit Tigers game when they were playing Cleveland at home. This is such a great stadium. Here is some history behind the different stadiums that the Tigers have played. Also as an FYI – they have a pretty impressive fireworks show on Friday nights. Always love going games at Comerica Park.
