Dried flying lizard cure

I was walking downtown and passed by this street vendor selling this. I glanced at the sign and said in my head, "tamumukaw.. tamumukaw.. tamumukaw". After passing two shops, I did a doubletake and said to myself, "tamumukaw??" I went back and asked the guy if I could take a photo. I also asked him what a tamumukaw was. It turned out, it's a flying lizard that's a cure for asthma and cough. I asked how it's eaten, he said you just nibble on it. But he was laughing so I asked if he would eat one. He said, only if I eat one too. It's true though, kids with asthma get to eat this lizard and it's believed they're cured of asthma forever. The tamumukaw is hard to catch, but it's not an endangered species yet. The catching of this is allowed by the DENR since it's used for medicinal purposes, but vendors need to have a permit to catch and sell the flying lizards.

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Old bench (with chicken)

(Photo by JFD)

U.P. Tacloban's Oblation

The Oblation at the University of the Philippines, Tacloban.

Malakas at Maganda

Philippine legend says that man and woman came from inside a bamboo that was split open by a lightning. They were called Malakas (Strength) and Maganda (Beauty). Notice how they were both created AT THE SAME TIME. I guess that's why we've had 2 women presidents already. Women are matriarchal and influential in our society. And the men are just as macho.

Grilled bangus (milkfish)

A photo of a photo exhibit

Yesterday, I went to the mall because I heard there was an exhibit of local food products (haha), but it was the last hour of the last day, and the food had almost ran out. The exhibit was called Bahandi. And they were closing up. I went to another exhibit, a photography exhibit of the Camera Club of Leyte and Samar, and that's the photo above. (I didn't know there was such a club here, although one member is a friend of mine, a very serious photographer.)

I didn't like the first prize winner, nor the second, I like the basket photo at the bottom more. It's all subjective of course.. That's why I don't trust art competitions. Do you ever want your art to be "judged" by another? Usually even, by a lesser artist than you are?

Fake designer sunglasses for sale

65th Leyte Landing Anniversary

65 years ago, Gen. MacArthur landed in Leyte as he promised and drove away the Japanese troops. A battle ensued until the official surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. Every year the Leyte Landing is commemmorated by officials with many Filipino, Japanese, American and Australian war veterans attending. It's one of the big events in Leyte's cultural activities. It always make me wonder why we love to celebrate wars. We have war festivals and war museums. The peace treaty signed between the US and the Japanese aboard the USS Missouri that ended World War II is not even remembered.

But anyway, this year, the Leyte Landing will be celebrated again at the scorchingly hot McArthur Park in Palo, with the President of the Philippines attending. But it will also be celebrated at the new a/c Robinson's Mall, so I wasn't surprised to see a replica of the McArthur monument at their entrance. It was nicely made too, better sculpture even than the original bronze at the park. When I touched it, I was surprised that it was sculpted from styrofoam. It is amazing, don't you think? I didn't get the name of the artist who did this tho.

Wooden wheelbarrow

Sto. Niño Church: Interior and Altar

With the original 'miraculous' Sto. Niño statue on the altar.