I don't usually have any visitor at home on New Year's Day, except for some nephews (exactly 12 of them), a few Uncles and Aunts (exactly 8 of them), my godchildren (exactly about...hmmm...9 of them, I think), and some friends and well-wishers (numbering about 10-20).
In the early morning of January 1, after all the smoke of firecrackers and whistle bombs had settled onto the ground as dust and smog, I woke up feeling lucky that I still have all my ten fingers intact, despite the fact that I didn't light a single whistle bomb, last night. Okay, I did light some Luces, but very small enough not to hurt even a small bird, let alone a fully-matured finger. Some people were not so lucky though, as they will welcome the New Year with fewer digits in their hands.
I was also glad and thankful to the Lord that I survived the hail of bullets sprayed into the air last midnight by some unlawful elements of society trying to celebrate the coming New Year by their unique and deadly way. But some people were not so fortunate. There were six reported victimized by stray bullets right on New Year's Eve.
Anyway, come New Year and there's my visitors coming and going out of the secluded privacy of my home. Thankfully I made some nice food preparations for all of them. Or to make it more truthfully, I pre-ordered them from restaurants or have them cooked by my mother: Spaghetti, Macaroni Salad, Biko, and Leche Plan. After all the visitors were gone, my kitchen looks like a devastated casualty of Hurricane Katrina. Mess all around. Thankfully all of them are paper plates and disposable spoons and forks, and they happily made their way to the trash bin afterwards.
There are more food and sweets in the refrigerator, threatening to kill me with High Blood, Stroke, Heart Attack and Diabetes. I already have a friend who got stroke last Christmas, but thankfully he survived, although his left side of the body was paralyzed. I wish he'll get well very soon.
Anyway, to escape raiding the refrigerator once more, I decided to walk around and exercise my legs to help reduce the amount of calories I punished my body for the past holiday celebrations. But where to go? Malls are open but the stores inside them are closed. So I just decided to walk where it's best to walk: Manila Bay.
It was already late in the afternoon when I arrived at the Baywalk. As usual, a lot of people are spending quality time with their loved ones in the beautiful seaside--just hanging around, small talk, eating left-overs of the last night's feast, and viewing the lovely Manila bay sunset. Me, well, I just enjoyed the cool breeze of air, and the sights I see around: the lovers, the vendors, whole families having picnics, and even some homeless people trying to sleep the New year out of their minds.
I took some photos too, not for anything, but just to capture away the mood of what it's like to be at the Manila Bay on the very first day of the New Year.
Hello 2009!
Malate Church, a few blocks away from the Manila Bay
Hugging the light
Caught in the act using Maximo Soliven's typewriter
I wonder if they don't fall over the breakwater. Some sharp rocks are below that wall.
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