The City of Opportunity – Part 2

To continue where I began… here are several other shots I took as I conquered one of the world’s culture capitals.

One among the Horseguards British Army at Westminster. I didn’t manage to take a closer look. See that warning board at the right side? That’s exactly the reason why! lol!

If only I had enough free time, I would probably choose this place as my runaway. This is St. James’s Park and is located beside the Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

“…The flower that wilted last year is gone. Petals once fallen are fallen forever. Flowers do not return in the spring, rather they are replaced. It is in this difference between returned and replaced that the price of renewal is paid.
And as it is for spring flowers, so it is for us.” ~ Daniel Abraham, The Price of Spring

Floriferous Shrubberies in the Spirit of John Nash, St. James’s Park, Westminster, London

On my way to London Natural History Museum… Excited to see some dinosaurs!!

Hello there big fella! To see this angry dinosaur in motion, everyone has to fall in line and guess what? Nobody wants to move forward. I don’t want to either since I was struck with amazement!

And off to another location! Departing London Natural History Museum.

There are only two things I’d like to do whenever I crave for Asian food. That is to visit Aroma (Chinese buffet) or rush to this place called “China Town.” It is located north of Leicester Square.

I rented that Barclays cycle and it charged me £30… only God knows why 😦 I guess it was because of the area coverage.

Flowers with oh so vibrant colors!

I never fail to appreciate flowers especially roses.

At first sight I already had an idea what this place might be called. So it is “Little Venice” located north of Paddington. There were boats everywhere and it really feels good to just sit and relax on their side benches.

London eye is always beautiful to watch by night time. Though I got no camera tripods somehow I managed to pull out this shot. I know the quality would’ve been better with the tripod considering that it was icy cold during that evening.

Here is another shot of London Eye as I strolled down the Hungerford Bridge.

Big Ben rings every hour and I think it’s scary.

This is the Houses of Parliament taken at the Westminster Bridge. ———— So I guess this is the end of it.  Thanks again for looking!  Time to think again for my next post tomorrow.  Cheers!———

The City of Opportunity – Part 1

After creating one post under the category – Traveller’s Den,  I realized how much I need to travel more.  There are still so many places here in my country that are waiting to be visited and discovered.  Well, I guess I should secure a stable job first before I lay my hands around those exciting and wonderful scenarios.  By the way, I’ve been dreaming about this next destination:

This place is located in Surigao del Norte, Philippines.  From where I am right now, it’s actually reachable by land and the travel time is around eight hours. I’d like to give credits to this photographer: junsjazz.

Okay, since I can’t give you more of those sweet summer captures yet.  How about sharing some of my photos when I was living miles away from my home land?

The next place I will be featuring is  the so-called city of opportunity.  I personally think this is true.  Never have I encountered such massive job adverts coming from London agencies and companies over the internet!  People are always looking for someone to hire in London.  I think it’s even impossible for one to be jobless living in that busy city!  Other than career opportunities, it’s the experience that is really different.  I may have regrets for staying in London for more than a year but I can’t deny the fact that it taught me greater things I’ve never realized before.  My life turned upside down because of this place… but so far in a good way.

LOCATION:  LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

One of the world’s famous landmarks – The Buckingham Palace. This place is indeed full of tourists.  I visited this place spring of last year.  Fronting the palace are the beautiful landscapes and blooming flowers which are full of life! It kind of reminds me how everything looks dead during winter.

See? I was really overwhelmed with the beauty of these flowers!

Heading toward The Household Cavalry Museum. At the back is the London eye which I will be posting as we go along.

This is the Admiralty Arch. I was amazed how this huge building was created magnificently. At the top part of the arch there is a Latin inscription that says: ANNO : DECIMO : EDWARDI : SEPTIMI : REGIS : VICTORIÆ : REGINÆ : CIVES : GRATISSIMI : MDCCCCX :
It means: In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910

Right at the heart of Trafalgar Square is London’s National Gallery. No entrance fee was required but you can donate any amount of money if you wish to. I’ve learned to appreciate art pieces somehow but I find some of them quite eerie. One painting that really remained in my consciousness was the one by Paul Delaroche’s entitled “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.” Just for you to have an idea of what I’m talking about, check the next picture.

This is the oil painting I’m referring to.  See that man with a scary humongous axe?  He’s looking at the poor girl as if saying “another boring day with another head to chop.” Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia.

This man was performing when I visited Trafalgar so I decided to take a picture of him. He has this ball that he uses to let it glide smoothly from one body part to another while synchronizing it with his choice of music.

I was supposed to be killed by this human statue but I ended up smiling instead. I don’t know how to react! I can’t help but remember that I used to see human statue street performers on TV only and people would suddenly jump off the ground after knowing they actually weren’t real statues! lol!

This is the 2012 London Olympics Countdown. Too bad I was no longer there during the event.

Pryor’s Bank Bishop’s Park is located just beside River Thames right after reaching Putney Bridge. This place is quite near to where I was residing and I find this location very relaxing and romantic at the same time. If you walk towards the inner part of the park, you’ll see the All Saints Church and it’s quite creepy if you ask me.

I don’t know what’s making this church creepy, I guess it’s the dead trees fighting its way back to life… and those gravestones your seeing right there are making a perfect combo well suited for holloween.  This is the All Saints Church and I just learned that this was said to be one of the shooting sites of the film “The Omen.”

Putney Bridge connects the gap between the road leading to Putney High Street and Fulham. That high-rise structure you’re seeing right there is called Putney Wharf Tower. There was this old woman I used to care for and she lives in the 12th floor of that building.  I can remember how magical the view was. You can see the entire Putney and experience the sun dancing as it rises. Though one event made me so mad about this tower… it was when the lift wasn’t working.

This is the Pryor’s Bank Cafe. At first I thought this was an inn because the structure is too big for a cafe. I would love to get a coffee if only they were open. Unfortunately, they weren’t operating at that time for some reason.

Poor me but I honestly don’t know if this is a cherry tree. I tried to compare its flowers to the usual cherry trees I’ve seen but their features are somewhat different. It doesn’t matter though, the beauty is still incomparable.

This is a sculpture of a mother and child named “Affection” located still at Bishop’s Park and was crafted by Herman Cawthorn.   I remember tagging my mom in this picture when I posted it in Facebook to remind her that Mother’s day in England was fast approaching.

Here is another sculpture which I failed to recognize. I’ll be doing an in-depth research about this soon or if you can give me an idea I’d be happy to hear from you. As far as I can remember, this was located right in front of All Saint’s Church.

As you can see, there are red poppies placed at the bottom part of the cross. This serves as a remembrance of their lost loved ones during the First World War. ——This is the end of “The City of Opportunity – Part 1” post.  A continuation of this entry will be released tomorrow.  Thanks everyone for looking! ~hugs and kisses.

The Virgin Island

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Many people don’t understand the joy and excitement travelling does to each discoverer.  It isn’t the fun alone but rather the experience and the new things you get to encounter.  It’s like breaking away from the chains and living the day like there’s no tomorrow.

Let me show you some photo shots I personally took.

LOCATION:         CAMIGUIN ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

This is a sample of God’s perfect creation. Katibawasan falls is located at the mountainous side in the island of Camiguin.

Mantigue is a small island detached from Camiguin. The sand is literally powdery white! You can stroll and check out the entire area within minutes. Sumptuous food also awaits you here.

Here is another picture of Mantigue as we went to the farther side of the island.

This is the Port of Benoni, one of the island’s existing ports. That boat can take you from and to your point of origin.

Try catching this heart-melting sunset in one of Camiguin’s famous beach resorts.