Thursday, September 22, 2011

September 2011 Rome, Italy Trip

Rome, Italy Trip
September 22 & 23, 2011

Rome (/ˈroʊm/; Italian: Roma pronounced [ˈroːma] ( listen); Latin: Rōma) is a city and special comune ("Roma Capitale") in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and the capital of Lazio (Latin: Latium). With 2.8 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi), it is also the country's largest and most populated comune and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Between 3.2 and 3.7 million people live in the Rome metropolitan area.[3][4][5][6][7] The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.[1] While it is neither the official mother church of the Roman Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, Saint Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world"[2] and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".[3]

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

The Arch of Constantine (Italian: Arco di Costantino) is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by spolia, the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings.
The Vatican Museums (Italian: Musei Vaticani), in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.
Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. The Sistine Chapel and the Stanze della Segnatura decorated by Raphael are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. They were visited by 4,310,083 people in the year 2007.[1] The Vatican Museums broke attendance records in 2011 with just over 5 million people.


Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars (populus in Latin, pioppo in Italian) after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.
The piazza lies inside the northern gate in the Aurelian Walls, once the Porta Flaminia of ancient Rome, and now called the Porta del Popolo. This was the starting point of the Via Flaminia, the road to Ariminum (modern day Rimini) and the most important route to the north. At the same time, before the age of railroads, it was the traveller's first view of Rome upon arrival. For centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826.

The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy. Standing 26 metres (85.3 feet) high and 20 metres (65.6 feet) wide,[1] it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

Fontana della Barcaccia (English: Fountain of the Old Boat) is a Baroque fresh-water fountain in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome, Italy, just below the Spanish Steps. It is so named because it is in the shape of a half-sunken ship with water overflowing its bows. The fountain was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII and was completed in 1627 by Pietro Bernini and his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The shape was chosen because, prior to the river walls being built, the Tiber often flooded and in 1598 there was a particularly bad flooding and the Piazza di Spagna was flooded up to a meter. Once the water withdrew, a boat was left behind in the square[1].

The Spanish Steps (Italian: Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe.[1]
The monumental stairway of 138 steps was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above — to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi.



The Pantheon (play /ˈpænθiːən/ or US /ˈpænθiːɒn/;[1] Latin: Pantheon,[nb 1] from Greek: Πάνθεον, an adjective meaning "to every god") is a building in Rome, Italy, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.[2]
The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.[3] The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft).[4]

The Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) or "Il Vittoriano" is a monument built to honour Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. The monument was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885; sculpture for it was parceled out to established sculptors all over Italy, such as Leonardo Bistolfi and Angelo Zanelli.[1] It was inaugurated in 1911 and completed in 1935.[2]


My travel buddies, Gina and Joseph, inside of Saint Peter's Basilica.

Travel buddies, with a Filipino priest, at Saint Peter's Square.


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

September 2011 Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy
September 20, 2011

Venice (Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsja] ( listen), Venetian: Venexia [veˈnɛsja] is a city in northeast Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.[1] It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks.[1] The city in its entirety is listed as World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.[1]

Venice is the capital of the Veneto region. In 2009, there were 270,098 people residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000[2] in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) (population 1,600,000).

The Grand Canal (Italian: Canal Grande, Venetian: Canałasso) is a canal in Venice, Italy. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. Public transport is provided by water buses (Italian: vaporetti) and private water taxis, and many tourists explore the canal by gondola.











The Grand Canal (Italian: Canal Grande, Venetian: Canałasso) is a canal in Venice, Italy. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. Public transport is provided by water buses (Italian: vaporetti) and private water taxis, and many tourists explore the canal by gondola.





The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark (officially known in Italian as the Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco and commonly known as Saint Mark's Basilica) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge's Palace. Originally it was the chapel of the Doge, and has only been the city's cathedral since 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, formerly at San Pietro di Castello. For its opulent design, gilded Byzantine mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro (Church of gold). 

Piazza San Marco (often known in English as St Mark's Square), is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza". All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called "campi" (fields). The Piazzetta (the 'little Piazza') is an extension of the Piazza towards the lagoon in its south east corner (See plan). The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together.







Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Dito Sa Puso Ko


Dito Sa Puso Ko…

Bakit ang daming tanong yaring puso ko,
Kung bakit ganito ang naging kapalaran ko?
Sadya nga bang ganyan ang buhay sa mundo,
Puro hapdi’t pasakit, ang hatid nito?

Bakit ang daming tanong ng aking isipan?
Lagi gulo ang isip at wala sa katwiran.
Kay sarap i-untog, sa pader kung minsan,
Pati buhok sa ulo’y, nasasabunutan.

Sige nga’t sabihin sa akin kung paano ang mabuhay?
Upang maging masaya at magkaroon ng kulay.
Nitong aking mundo na sadyang malungkot,
Na ikaw lamang ang makakapag-paikot.

Oo na, tanggap ko na…na sadyang ganito,
Ang buhay ko, pag wala ka sa tabi ko.
Ang mabuhay lamang ng masaya, ang tanging hangad ko,
Pag ikaw ay narito…dito sa puso ko.

Kaya nga, halika na at ako’y hawakan,
Akayin at dalhin sa landas na iyan.
Di ba, yan lamang ang patungong daan,
Patungo sa ating kaligayahan.

Mahalin mo sana ako, ang aking pagsumamo,
Upang ganap na makita, itong ating mundo.
Ikaw at ikaw lamang ang tanging mamahalin ko,
Iyong pagkatandaan, iyan ang aking pangako.


- Originally Written Dated December 2007

Photos Taken In Bohol last October 22, 2007

Friday, September 15, 2006

Pagmamahal Sa Pelikulang All About Love

Kung na-in-loved ka na at nasaktan, siguro gets mo ito. 

Maaring sa iyo ay baduy ang sinusulat ko, pero siguro naman, mayroon kahit papaano isang tao sa mundong ito, na makaka-relate dito, di ba?

Tatlo ang kuwento ng pelikula, tatlo na ang tema ay pa-tungkol sa pag-ibig…sa pagmamahal…kung paano ito umusbong…kung paano ito nawala…at kung paano nanumbalik sa bawat puso ng mga karakter ng pelikulang ito ang salitang “pagmamahal “.

Mas natutuwa akong nanoorin ang mga pelikulang tulad nito, na may laman ang mga dialogue…yun bang mapag-iisipan mo ang kahulugan nito at maiiugnay mo sa totoong buhay…maari sa personal mong karanasan o kaya sa isang kakilala mo, kaibigan mo man o mahal sa buhay.

Pero mas magiging makulay ang dating sa tainga mo kung sa iyong sarili ang pinatutungkulan nito, di ba?

Sige nga…tingnan natin ang ilang mga sinasabi ng mga karakter ng pelikulang ito. 

Malay mo…sapol ang puso mo dito, okay ba?

“Sabi mo dati, minsan ang sakit kailangang nakikita…nahahawakan, para mailabas… para maiwala.  Kaya ito, naisip ko na ilabas sa cassette na ito ang lahat ng sakit na       nararamdaman ko…so I can let you go…so I can lose you…”
Nangyari na ba sa iyo na naging bilanggo ka ng isang kahapon.  Yun bang sa tagal na panahong nagdaan, hanggangng ngayon ay tinatanong mo pa rin sa sarili mo kung naka-moved-on ka na nga ba o nandiyan pa rin siya sa puso mo at kaluluwa?

Naroon ang pangamba na mag-krus ang landas ninyo muli…na nasa sulok ng isipan mo, na habang naglalakad ka sa isang mall, makasalubong mo ang ex mo, may kasama kaya siya, asawa kaya o maging bagong lover? O baka naman, may anak na karga-karga…

O baka naman sa tuwing maririnig mo ang theme song ninyo, di mo mapigilan ang di maluha…ganyan ka ba?

Maging sa kuwentuhan man lang na kasama mo ang ilang common friends ninyo, sa isang hindi sinasadyang pagkakataon ay  nabanggit ang pangalan niya…

May kirot ba sa puso mo nang marinig mo ito?  Maikukubli mo ba ito sa pilit mong pag-ngiti sa mga kaibigan at kakilala? Maitatago mo ba ito sa iyong mga mata na hindi mamumula at dadaluyan ng mga luha?

O baka naman maging defensive ka lang, pero ang sugat ng puso ay naroon pa rin…

Bakit nga ba, kay hirap kalimutan ang isang taong minahal mo ng lubos?

Bakit mas lalong masakit kung malalaman mo na yung ex mo, naroon at may bago ng iba…masaya at bakit parang napakadali sa kanya ang mag-move-on?

Samantalang ikaw ay naroon pa rin at nalulunod sa pighati, na di mo malaman kung paano mabuhay ...mula nang kayo ay nagkalayo?
"Siguro nga…kailangan mong umalis. Minsan, kailangan mong gumawa ng mali…, para  malaman mo na hindi iyon ang solusyon sa problema mo."

Paano nga ba ang dapat gawin?

Sa pamamagitan ng pagtakas sa realidad ng iyong buhay?  Magiging bulag ka na lang ba para di makita ang mga sakit na dinaranas mo sa ngayon?  O kaya’y maging bingi, upang di marinig ang sigaw ng puso na mahal mo pa rin siya sa kabila ng lahat?...

Saan nga ba dapat pumunta?

Hindi naman pagtakas ang solusyon, hindi ba? Maaring ibig sabihin nito ay lisanin mo kung ano man ang ngayon, para makita mo kung anuman ang para sa iyo bukas...

"Bullshit! Don’t you dare talk to me about pain, Lia. Hindi lang ikaw ang taong nawalan ng minahal…at hindi lang ako.

Lahat ng tao sa  mundong ito…nasasaktan. 

At walang obligasyon ang mundo na protektahan ka…hindi dahil sa mabait ka o meron kang mabuting puso. 

Di ibig sabihin niyon ay makaka-iwas ka sa sakit… iiwanan ka o lolokohin ka. 

It doesn’t work that way.  Pero pinipili ng tao ang magmahal.  Pinipili mo paulit-ulit…, dahil kung hindi, para mo na ring pinili na huwag ng mabuhay."

Hindi ba dapat ganyan ang iyong maging pananaw?  Lahat naman tayo, nakaramdam ng ganito...kung paano ang magmahal...kung paano ang masaktan...at kung paano muling magmahal.

Dapat lang na tayo’y maging handa sa mga bagay na ito.  Ika nga eh, “take the risk of getting hurt, if you want to find the love you are looking for”.
"Hinahanap ko siya kasi…kailangan kong maniwala na mayroong tao na kayang magmahal ng wagas…ng totoo…ng tunay…ng habang buhay…masama ba iyon?"

Ako rin, gusto ko rin paniwalain ang sarili ko na mayroong tao na kayang magmahal ng wagas...ng totoo...ng tunay at ng habang buhay.

Walang masama sa paghahanap ng taong ganyan….lahat naman tayo, hindi ba...ganyan ang hanap sa buhay?

Natatawa nga ako sa sarili ko, dahil simula ng ma-adik ako sa panonood ng tele-nobela, doon ko nalaman na baka nga mayroong ganoong tao na mamahalin ako ng buong-buo.

Kasi nga po, karaniwan sa mga istorya ng mga tele-nobela na ito ay tungkol sa pagmamahalan ng tunay at wagas.

Tulad yung “Love To Kill”, hanggang kamatayan ay magkasama sila. 

Pati na rin yung “Love Letters”, naku, eh ilang baldeng luha ang nawala sa akin sa kakaiyak ko, isama mo pa dito yung kina Piolo at Juday, “Sa Piling Mo”.

Pero hindi ba, isa lang naman ang gusto natin sa buhay, yung maging masaya tayo?

"Handa na ito…(puso)…pasusunurin mo na lang ito…(isip).  Anak, ang puso matibay…nasasaktan lang iyan…gumagaling iyan…bumabawi…ituloy mo na ang buhay mo…"

Ganyan nga, maging matibay sa “suntukan” ng pag-ibig. 

Kung sakaling gumaling na ang sugat na iyong puso,  di ba, dapat lang na muling sumubok kung paano ang lumaban at kung paano ang muling magmahal. 

Dapat ay huwag nating gawing dahilan na nasaktan tayo minsan, para hindi tayo muling magmahal. 

Handa na naman ang puso, pasunurin mo na ang iyong isip sa larangan ng pag-ibig.

"Bakit nga ba tayo nagmamahal…
Nakakatakot na nakakatuwang isipin na handa kang gawin ang lahat, para lang     ibigay ang lahat, para sa pag-ibig…
May nagsabi sa akin…
Minsan, kailangang hahawakan mo yung   sakit…para mapakawalan mo siya.
Kaya ginagawa ko ito ngayon,
Ibinubuhos ko ang lahat ng hinanakit ko sa mundo…
Pakakawalan ko na at magsisimula ulit ako.
Hahayaan ko na ang sarili ko na masaktan.
Hahayaan ko na ang sarili ko na maging punching bag ng mundo.
Dahil alam ko, na ako man ay manununtok at lumalaban din.
Kasi iyon naman ang point, di ba?
Ang mabuhay at malamang…nagmahal ka…at minahal ka…"

Kay sarap damhin, kung malalaman mo na minsan ay nagmahal ka, nasaktan, at      handang muling magmahal…

Kaysa naman sa nagmahal ka, pero hindi mo nakayang lumaban dahil natakot kang     masaktan.  Dahil dito, hindi mo nalaman kung ano nga ba ang kahulugan ng nagmahal at nasaktan at muling magmamahal…

Hindi ba mas matamis isipin na kung magmahal kang muli, ay may panibagong lakas ka upang maipahayag mo ang pagmamahal mo sa buong mundo?

Hindi ba may ibang tunog na ang bawat halakhak mo sa tuwing kasama mo ang iyong mga kaibigan habang kayo’y nagkakape...

Mabanggit man ang pangalan ng dati mong minamahal, ay nakangiti ka pa rin at nagagawa mo pang magbiro…

At kung sakaling masalubong mo man siya sa mall, kasama man ang bago niyang kasintahan, taas noo mo pa itong babatiin at ngingitian na para bang ang nakita mo lang ay yaong nalayong kabigan o kakilala…

Handa ka nga ulit na muling magmahal…


Originally Written dated September 2006