Venus and Antares Seen from Southern Philippines

I haven't been writing on my blogs lately because I'm busy. Anyway, another power outage last night forced me to go out and watch the stars. I missed the close approach of Venus to Antares, Scorpio's heart, on October 16. But I was glad to see the pair of celestial objects still close together last night.

This was a view of the southwest as seen over General Santos City. You can see that very bright object that appears close to the trees. It's Venus. Below it is the red supergiant, though it appears like a dot from us. That's Antares. They call it the heart of the scorpion. Unfortunately, the clouds obscure some of the stars of the constellation Scorpio. Can you make out the cosmic teapot in the upper part of the photo? This exposure renders everything bright, as though it was daytime. It would have been very nice we could see stars during the day.

I don't know what to think of these two photos. Our veranda is still under construction, so there's stuff here and there. A sudden urge to go abstract came to me last night when I went upstairs. Are these even abstract photos? 

I couldn't let the opportunity to take another snap of the full moon pass. It was just there hanging in the sky, perhaps waiting for some earthling to behold its lone grandeur. Most people don't realize the sheer significance of this object. The earth would be a totally different place if the moon weren't here, and that's not because the evening would be less romantic without those moonlit lakes or that silver glow the moon casts upon the trees and hills. You probably wouldn't be here to worry about it anyway.

Stunning Photo of Nina on Her Show at Veranza Mall, GenSan

Luck was with me during Nina's show at Veranza Mall. I was glad there was enough light that allowed me to take snaps of the singer at considerably fast shutter speeds. Anyway, when I tried pressing the shutter as those green lights swayed across the stage, the image below happened.

Nina Gives a Free Show at Veranza Mall

I missed Jed Madela's performance on Veranza Mall's opening day. That was a frustration. So, I made a promise to myself that whenever any of my idols would perform anywhere in the city, I would be around. My mistake was I didn't check Veranza Mall's show schedules. But I was lucky.

My family and I had dinner at Mooon Cafe, and we were hearing the live band playing while we helped ourselves to the buffet. Then we took pictures beside the famous waterfall just like everyone else did. We were about to leave when we heard the emcee yelling Nina's name. Like most who were there, we hurried towards the stage only to be stopped by a raucous crowd in front of us.

She first sang a slow version of Alicia Keys's current hit Girl on Fire, which stirred the crowd. She sang a couple other songs, such as Adele's Someone Like You, Pink's Just Give Me a Reason, Tina Arena's Burn, and two or three other songs I can't remember. She finished her show with a spine-tingling rendition of Through the Fire. Her high belts drew screams and howls from a stupefied crowd.

I didn't take videos because I wanted to enjoy her performances.

Thank you for visiting this page. Please ask permission if you are going to use these photos. Or at least, credit me as the source.

Veranza Mall, GenSan's Green Mall

Okay, so we went to the opening of another mall, another teen hub, in the city. The interior is very much like SM City's. Of course, the architecture is different. Take a walk on their veranda and you'll get a different feel. Wooden structures are there. The roof is made of glass. My only gripe is that rainwater was dripping from the veranda ceiling, because it was drizzling when we went there.

The mall is bragging it's huge man-made waterfalls. They say it's the biggest. I don't know whether it's the biggest in the country. Surely, it attracts shoppers, most of whom wouldn't mind taking selfies with either of the waterfalls in the backdrop.

Veranza Mall is an extension of KCC Mall. If you're at KCC, you can walk to Veranza by taking the pedestrian conveyor located between Jollibee and Pizza Hut on the second floor.

The Summer Triangle and the Milky Way

I waited for a few months to finally see the beautiful band of the Milky Way across the night sky. According to the EarthSky.org, you can locate this band, this hazy band of our home galaxy, by looking for three stars that form an asterism known as the Summer Triangle. I saw it last night.

This is how it appears over the southern Philippines at 10pm. That bright star in the upper right is
Altair. The one above that pole is Vega. Deneb is one in lower part of the photo. The brighter region of the Milky Way extends southwards from this asterism.

This is the galactic center. Had it been truly dark, I would have taken a better exposure. This is why it is never recommended to take night sky photos in the middle of the city. Light pollution doesn't allow you to increase exposure. If you tried, you'd get a washed out night sky photo.

Some people look at the sky at night and ask, "where's the Milky Way?" 

Baby, we're in it!

Abstract?

Recently, I have been looking at patterns and presenting subjects in nonconventional ways. I don't know. I just wanted to play with composition. I'll say no more. Just look at the photos, and feel free to say anything in the comments section.

2013 Supermoon Seen from Philippines

Supermoons happen each year. They are also called perigee moons because of their marked closeness to the earth compared with other full moons. A perigee moon can appear 14% bigger in the sky and 30% brighter. But to anyone's notice, it really doesn't stand out from any other full moon. Here are some of pictures of the June 23, 2013 Supermoon as it appeared over Gensan, Philippines. It was actually raining during that night, but the skies cleared up a bit and the moon showed itself though briefly. I took the opportunity.

My Birthplace

Two days ago (May 9, 2013), we buried our grandmother in Lun Masla, a humble barangay in Malapatan. I've been to this place several times for more than 20 years. Our mom used to take us here to visit grandma and grandpa and relatives, but lately I've been too busy with work that I skipped visits.

On my grandma's burial, I saw the town again. It relatively looks the same over the years, with some changes and a few more shabby shacks. It was another chance to see everyone in the huge family--my grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family friends were there.

During the procession, the crowd passed by this old manor where grandma and grandpa (who is still alive) used to live. This is where I was born and used to spend summer vacations at. This house reminds me of the good old days.

Not so far from this house is a wetland that teems with water hyacinth. What was once a pond is now showing signs of ecological succession (or so I guess) and is now turning into a vegetation-covered wetland, more like a marsh. The townspeople of Lun Masla call this Lamak, and I don't know what that local word means. It was good to see this spot again.

We left this place again, but this town will always have a special place in my heart not only because this is where I was born but also because I have fond memories here.

Full Moon Rises Again

One nice thing about the full moon is that it rises so majestically over the eastern horizon just as the sun has set. For avid sky observers, it is such a dramatic scene. Well, it is a dramatic scene if you catch it. We don't always see a rising full moon here because of unpredictable sky conditions. Sometimes it's too cloudy to see it.

Here are some shots of the rising April full moon.