GOOD TO BE HOME.

Arrived from Vancouver a couple of days ago and it was only a few hours till I did my favorite Manila activity: walk along Roxas Boulevard (above). Below, fellow walkers/Galleon Traders/artists/current The Living Room residents Eliza Barrios and Megan Wilson.

And it was good to see the city still in good shape. I know I have only been gone a month but it sometimes things can really change in such a short time. I was also glad to see a lot of artistic activity happening along the shoreline. Somewhere near The Diamond Hotel, I spotted a young woman making pencil sketches of the sunset (above). Very cool. Parang Paris.

A couple of bikers taking a break (above). Biking along the boulevard is really a great idea. After biking all around Toronto last month (below), I've been mulling the idea of getting a bike for Manila. And a helmet, of course. I have to explore this idea first.

Further down, I spotted another young lady (above). This time she was writing something in a journal. I could have been poetry, a grocery list, a cry for help, who knows? It was just cool to see someone so taken by the atmosphere of Roxas Boulevard that it compelled them to do a spontaneous creative act.

Finally, a group of students from PCCI doing a photo class.

Yup. The city is still doing OK. I need a haircut and a shave desperately though.

Next. The makeover.

TORONTO CALLING 5...

ART AND ARCHITECTURE AGO-GO...
This is Carlos Celdran reporting from Frank Gehry's spanking new Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Brave awe inspiring architecture. Still kinda unfinished but neverthless, amazing to behold.

Did you know he was Canadian? I didn't. I just thought he was brilliant.

TORONTO CALLING 4 and TALKING BACK...

And then it came to pass that I visited a cafe in the neighborhood called the Hotbox Cafe to have a glass of apple juice. I could describe the place to you in detail but I think the name says it all. It was a very cool place to say the least. Full of friendly hippy types and with a very lax smoking rule.

After visiting I took yet another walk around Toronto and noticed that the city not only had really interesting art to look at but brilliant words to say.

Way Cool, man. Way cool...

And after a brief walk through Trinity Bellwoods park to watch the dogs play, I headed back to um.. where was I again?

Oh yeah. I'm hungry. La la la la la...

TORONTO CALLING 3...

Caroline and I decided to take a walk to work yesterday. And aside from my aforementioned white elephant down the street, I realized that there was a hell of a lot of public art in Toronto to be seen. Some of it intentional, some of it not. I mean, my friend Daphne said that there was great art to see in TO, but I didn't realize how much.

And it seems that the elephant wasn't the only plaster animal on the block either.

And the art I saw wasn't only installed by institutions and government entities, I noticed that even private citizens were sharing their aesthetics with the world.

Outside a park near Yarmouth is a sculpture installed by a man who lived across the street from it. It's a "street lamp" I believe. Cute.

Some of the murals I saw on my way to The Kapisanan office.

A Philippine Princess Chair. I haven't seen one of these in years.

A cat on top of the world. There were lots of sculptures like this near the Chinatown area.

Wow.

I love any city that has a tram. I have yet to ride it and fulfill my streetcar desire though. The weather has just been too nice not to walk.

And finally, the Kapisanan Philippine Center at the end of Augusta Street in the Kensington Market area, a totally multi culti area of town filled with Latinos (my other peeps, whee), Koreans, Vietnamese, Thais, Portuguese, and what not. A perfect location for the cultural hybrid that is the Filipino. I even saw a Hungarian Thai restaurant called "Hungary Thai". Pad Thai and Schnitzel anyone? No seriously, I'm not kidding.

The lounge area, meeting table, and hall where I shall be working on props and doing rehearsals.

The Kapisanan board hard at work. I have to say that I am quite impressed by everyone that I have met here and am amazed by the Filipino-Canadian community spirit. The Kapisanan folk all seem to be competent, talented, and capable of multi-tasking and thinking out of the box. I mean, I am sure that there are some among them that could be an exception to the rule, but on the get go, they are all undeniably professional and have an exceptional work ethic. This is an org that is going to go far.

Next: I visit Hotbox Cafe...