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A Street level point of view.
Images captured on September, 28, 2009- Ondoy +2 days.
I went to visit an uncle yesterday in another part of Quezon City. I had heard before hand that their house had been submerged in the flood near the M.H. Del Pilar Street/Roosevelt Avenue area.
Driving through the guard house the street was already covered in a thick layer of mud and trash strewn about. Cars parked out on the curb were enveloped in a thin layer of dried mud stain, obviously submerged during the flooding.
As the street led me down the slight curve to the right I was stunned in disbelief. Cars, both old and new models were piled high forming a wall blocking the whole street. A sight I will never forget.
I backed up, parked my car nearby and walked the 2 blocks to my uncles house.
It used to be the drive way. Flood waters receded leaving mud everywhere.
The chain link acted as a trash filter when the flood reached over the height of this fence.
Cleaning up but where to start?
Unlike our justice system, flood waters do not grant immunity.
Tidal surges left nothing unturned. Road too narrow for heavy equipment to dismantle the pyramid.
Despite the humanly impossible, clean up begins. Surprisingly, the residents were in good spirits.
“Hurricane Katrina dumped OVER AN INCH of rainfall in Louisiana for 3 hours and another 0.5 inches per hour over the next 5 hours on August 29, 2005. Ondoy dumped an AVERAGE OF 2.24 INCHES per hour for six hours… and is still going.” – Take a look at The Life & Times of The Renzie Man, he’s got good info.
A VIEW FROM ABOVE
Typhoon Ondoy, flood destruction worst in more than 42 years.
Typhoon Ondoy, flood destruction worst in more than 42 years.
DONATE DONATE DONATE. Check out this PAGE for detailed information.
Typhoon Ondoy Emergency Hotlines and Relief Operations, from Sour Politics
Do take a look at the links above. They have all the donation centers listed in one place if you need or want to donate. Many (quite an understatement) do not have houses to go home to and are left with nothing. Rich or poor, it’s all the same.
Now, if only (all the stories of purported ill gotten wealth) our gracious and humble madam president could give for the well being of those who lost during Ondoy. Fat chance but just maybe.
These images were all captured on September 26, 2009. Lucky for me, these were shot from the top of a building. They are just a conservative view of the flood waters that hit many urban areas throughout the day and well into the night. Especially in Marikina and Pasig City where rescuers had a tough time getting to victims. Even relief centers were not immune to the surging tide.
Ferrying people to dry land. The deepest part of Quezon Avenue.
Shot at around 1700. Before that only 8 wheeler trucks could move in the surging flood.
Quezon Avenue, The Great Eastern Hotel. Dry and safe where many stayed to wait for waters to subside.
This street, parallel to Quezon Avenvue, also flooded. Starting to go down at sunset.
More images in WEEK-ENDER #8, September 27, 2009.
“MANILA, Philippines – Tropical storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) left the country yesterday, leaving behind a trail of 95 people dead, 29 missing, and some 247,555 affected families.
The figures, however, could go higher as reports from the provinces have yet to reach the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) as of press time.” – ‘Ondoy’ leaves 95 dead; 247,555 affected by floods’ By James Mananghaya (The Philippine Star) Updated September 28, 2009 12:00 AM
More images of the devastation from Yahoo News.
Typhoon Ondoy devastates National Capital Region, Philippines
Not the strongest typhoon to hit the NCR but the most destructive.
The winds were not as strong as other typhoons but the rain fall was another story. Many areas were heavily flooded-homes were rendered useless as waters were as high as rooftops of 2 story houses. Stranding people on top of their roofs for 16-24 hours with many having to spend the night without food.
“The 16.7 inches (42.4 centimeters) of rain that swamped metropolitan Manila in just 12 hours on Saturday exceeded the 15.4-inch (39.2-centimeter) average for all of September, chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said, adding that the rainfall broke the previous record of 13.2 inches (33.4 centimeters) in a 24-hour period in June 1967.” – www.huffingtonnews.com
I grabbed my camera at 1300 yesterday, when the rain was at it’s heaviest to see what was happening at street level. What I found scared and surprised me (in that order). Before I chickened out to head home I snapped a few more frames.
As I type right this minute, rain is starting to fall once more and many, according to TV news reports, are still stranded in flood waters.
Quezon City, Timog/Scout area, 1347 hrs.
Quezon City, Timog/Scout Area, 1350hrs.
Quezon City, Timog/Scout Area, 1350 hrs.
Quezon City, Timog/Scout Area, 1350 hrs.
Quezon City, Timog/Scout Area, 1405 hrs.
Quezon City skyline, 1611 hrs.
Quezon City, Quezon Avenue corner West Avenue, 1615 hrs.
Quezon CIty, Quezon Avenue corner West Avenue, 1635 hrs.
As if the state of calamity wasn’t enough, a raging fire tore through part of the city last night. I witnessed the fire going on for about 3 hours before being too sleepy to check. Fire fighters, government and volunteer, were all out rescuing flood victims in other parts of the city. I do hope some arrived to put out the blaze but this morning at 0600 that area was still billowing white smoke.
Quezon City, Arenate Avenue/Banawe Stree Area, 2005 hrs.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 2009: CANON MARATHON HAS BEEN CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO TYPHOON ONDOY.
Training for the big day.
According to my Apple Dictionary the word marathon is defined as such:
noun
a long-distance running race, strictly one of 26 miles and 385 yards (42.195 km).
• [usu. with adj. ] a long-lasting or difficult task or operation of a specified kind : the last leg of an interview marathon that began this summer.
• [as adj. ] of great duration or distance; very long : marathon workdays.
Based on this definition my palms get slightly sweaty. 42.195 km is a distance that will most likely take an average person 4-5 hours to run. Average meaning no vile vices, sleeps 7-8 hours a day and eats right with body weight matching their height. The numbers are not from some statistic but just a guesstimate based on a friends track record. Seems the running task at hand is a little daunting to me.
It’s that time of year again for Canon’s Photo Marathon Asia. This marathon is open to all Canon DSLR and point & shoot users. Plus a new video category added just for ’09 for all the 5D MK II and 500D owners. This is actually a 1 day event lasting from 6 in the morning til past 10 pm. Competing against strict contest criteria and deadlines, a maximum of 900 photographers will get the chance to win per theme in an assigned locale by Canon.
Participating Asian countries are: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Philippines. These countries are divided into 2 regions. The first 6 countries get the “6 Countries, 6000 People, 1 Competition” and the latter 3 labeled it the “Go further, Get More Photo Marathon 09“. Go now and register if you are up for a sweaty blistering challenge. Think of this as a great exercise in shooting on the go- think guerilla warfare tactics managing through the jungles of Mindanao. Except when tired and thirsty you get the chance of walking into a 7-11.
Image from http://goto.canon.com.ph/photomarathon2009/
Some countries start early October so join up and give those sensors a good work out! Trust me, it will be fun. How many days in a year do you ever get to see so many photographers running around shooting Canons?! See you all there and don’t forget to bring some towels cause it’s gonna get sweaty.
Real photojournalism at it's finest at the expense of the misterkodaker mobile.
Lastly, I would like to give a heart felt pat on the back to a friend who survived this and is doing ok, phew, that was a close one!
Yes, this photo is real. Good thing he always travels with a camera.
The incident is under investigation and I truly hope my friend receives proper compensation (a refund or a brand new one!).
Woke up this morning and started on my routine. I got my nice warm cup of coffee (yes, warm, hot would just kill the taste of my black drink) and get going on the news. I check quite a few web sites just to get the blood flowing. One of my favorites, Time.com, has got an excellent photo essay section that I love to stare at. One page in particular got me amazed and laughing in no time.
In the digital age of photography post processing or editing images are an easy chore to most experienced photographers. All you need to do is turn on the Mac, hook up the pen tablet and open up an image editing software. Five to ten minutes is all it requires for simple post processing. A complex editing and composites chore would take a little over four hours, depending, of course, on how big the job.
A cityscape of Quezon City, Philippines, June 2008. I replaced the polluted, cloudy and grey skies with blue and fully white clouds from another image that I took. Original images were captured on my Canon G7 point and shoot.
Back in the days of film, this chore would have been pretty complicated and time consuming. Walk into the dark room, switch on the red lamp, choose several negatives and proceed to dodge, burn, copy, paste, etc. All manually achieved! Cut means getting a pair of scissors and snipping away versus just a few clicks on the mouse. Depending on the complexity of the chore it would probably eat up a few days. This is just for one photo.
According to http://www.time.com, here are the “Top 10 Doctored Photos“. Some of the images are obviously from the film era. It’s just amazing thinking how they manipulated photos back then. Check it out and enjoy. Especially that one with Oprah Winfrey.
VAN GOGH IS BIPOLAR: PART 2
Image from Van Gogh is Bipolar
“If you’ve ever had a week when you feel depressed, anxious, agitated, angry or one where others commented on your bad mood, then you know that even now our moods fall prey to outside — or inside — influences. Fortunately, we can control one of the biggest culprits: the food we eat.
Today, nutritional scientists are finding that certain foods are fixes for less-than perfect moods. Use their knowledge to kill two birds with one legume: Eat well while designing the mood you want.
Van Gogh is Bipolar only serves all natural and authentic happy-hormone-producing foods (Not to mention market fresh, as well-MPD). Van Gogh FOOD helps you stimulate the production of deficient neurotransmitters- dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in your brain.
In layman’s term- Van Gogh FOOD triggers the release of happy hormones in your body.” ~ copied and pasted straight from Van Gogh is Bipolar.
Click for larger size.
The recent trip to the “more than your usual art gallery and cafe” was right after a lengthy photo shoot and I was beat. It was mid afternoon hot and humid with a slight drizzle of rain. Just wanted to sit and stare at the wall.
I then ordered up some good mood food and drink to alter my catatonic state. Apprehensive whether it would lay it’s claim. I ate the light salmon open faced sandwich washing it down with a nice cold glass of mangos with milk and honey. One of the most refreshing beverages I’ve had in awhile. Especially now when all refreshing drinks are frappe this and frappe that all made with powder, sugar and crushed iced. If you want one of these shameless star bucking drinks just head on over to a branch and pay a fortune.
Sure enough, after devouring the meal I felt a surge in my happy hormones. I felt more relaxed and energized, not to tackle another photo shoot but just to go home and play with my son.
Here are the directions to VGIB when you want to try the mood altering food. The menu describes it all in detail so go with an open mind. The cafe is easy to find but do read my Van Gogh is Bipolar: Part One before you go. I do have more images to upload but been a bit busy during the week to edit them. Stay tuned for the final installment of VGIB: Part 3.
Van Gogh is Bipolar: Part One
Whats your story? Choose a number and fall in line...
A quiet empty space is a great place to sit and contemplate ones journey into tomorrow’s unknown adventure. Where details adorning the walls bring a question or two while telling a mysterious story of art and personality. It will inspire the mind and enliven a weary spirit.
Bring a book or better yet a notebook to jot down ideas and thoughts. Or maybe a few friends that don’t laugh like hyenas on a rampage. The walls reek of a creative meltdown so just rub on the whitest part to get the juices flowing. Whispers and smiles are encouraged.
A mixture of old and older the atmosphere feels of haunts from yesteryear. This quaint little cafe is nestled in one of the villages in Quezon City, Philippines. Sure, it might sound like another cafe destined to either soar to independent success-away from those overcharging, overhyped coffee fast food chains- or die miserably trying. Either way, not everyone will see the point here but please do email me if you are interested. The owner will be happy to supply you with an address. Van Gogh would have been happy as hell if he had this down the street.
Fantastic art all around. Don't analyze just take it in.
Used the props on the table as framing tool for this abstraction.
Need anything? Just pull the cock.
The kiddies looking forward to the show...
A TV phenomenon taking the world by storm! Except the group has been around since 1999. I wouldn’t have noticed the Hi 5 show if I didn’t have a toddler. Which he watches religiously every weekday morning. Often times requesting Hi 5 by name and interacting with the show’s song and dance numbers. I highly recommend it. Hi 5 is multicultural and does not have any weird characters polluting kid’s subconscious.
The new Hi 5 (new members for 2010), are all from Australia that had a recent meet and greet mall tour in Metro Manila. We attended the one held at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City.
Dressed in bright colorful costumes Hi 5 ran out on the make shift stage while all children were chanting Hi 5 with a rhythmic clapping getting louder and louder. They sang and danced for a better part of half an hour. Entertaining children of all ages but from what I noticed, there were more adults than kids!
The fun begins.
The whole show was a blur for me. I was running around trying to get a good angle until the song “Happy Monster” came on. It was nice of them to perform that one as it’s my son’s favorite of all the Hi 5 tunes. I lowered my camera and tried to see how my toddler was doing. Sure enough, with all the other kids, they were swinging and dancing to the beat!
Right when they finished their last number the group stepped right on up to the edge of the stage to shake hands with the kids. Good thing my wife was right there to lift my son up to get a high five from Fely Irvine (the girl in red jeans), who’s Filipino/Scottish. Good on ‘ya, kiddo!
Right after the show the group accommodated the first 50 attendees for a photo shoot on stage. We didn’t stick around for that as we were way past the number 50. Maybe next time…
Blaring out the popular Happy Monster tune.
I am glad the security guards let the unofficial photographers shoot the event.
Capping off the show with their signature Hi 5 pose. A great time was had by all.
