brommel
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Golfing on the edge

Bring plenty of golf balls!
Photo with uncle and aunt and two ‘shagging ladies’ from March 2005.
Labels: Lake Taal, Philippines, private, sport
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Rural Philippines

Carabao photo from somewhere in Bataan in May 2007.
Labels: animals, Carabao, Philippines, rural life
Monday, May 28, 2007
Driving insane – the art of creating new lanes

Photo from Lubao, Pampanga in May 2007.
Labels: Philippines, rules and regulation, vehicles
Sunday, May 27, 2007
China off track

Labels: brommel's best, China, poverty, vehicles
Friday, May 25, 2007
TV Dress Code for Believers

[24:31] 'And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to GOD, O you believers, that you may succeed'.
Correct me, if I am wrong, but to me these words tell me that women ‘shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary’. In my understanding, when people talk the mouth must be visible because if you cover the mouth you would exclude the understanding of the deaf, therefore the mouth should never be covered since it is necessary (especially when people want to understand what is being said while watching TV). You might want to cover your nose if you can still breathe but not your mouth. I hope that this also nullifies the sexual drives of all male servants and all the other males in our expanded while globally watched households.
Photo from January 2007 of Haq TV, 'the most comprehensive Islamic channel keeping viewers in touch with the modern dynamics of islam (...)'.
Labels: religion
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Bubble toes

How many bubbles do you count on her toes?
Photo from May 2007 in Anilao, Batangas.
Labels: Batangas, beauty, Philippines
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Underwater acrobat
Labels: Batangas, Philippines, scuba diving
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Leaf fish
I wonder why some countries are not using such a fish as their national emblem.
Labels: Batangas, Philippines, scuba diving
Monday, May 21, 2007
Monday Morning Blues with a Spanish Dancer

Labels: Batangas, Philippines, scuba diving
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Congratulations, United Nations!

Anything else to add?
Front page of Manila Bulletin (19 May 2007) announcing that the Republic of the Philippines was reelected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Labels: Philippines, politics
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Please don't kiss me

Labels: Manila, Philippines, vehicles
Friday, May 18, 2007
Brain available?

Labels: advertisement, Philippines
Thursday, May 17, 2007
World largest broom or how best to clean a road

This self explanatory photo provides the answer to 'how to best clean a road':
- Cut a palm tree,
- store the palm tree into the jeepney in the most effient way,
- start the engine of the jeepney, and
- drive in the middle of the road.
Pictures of the 4th step will follow.
Labels: Batangas, cultural innovations, Philippines, vehicles
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Now, fun has a new figure

The ad is about the beauty dream the rich are thinking to live and the poor are hoping to live.
EDSA Photo from this morning.
Labels: advertisement, beauty, identity, Philippines
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Max Soliven is immortal

Ironically, the election-related news from today can’t be covered by the person they are about, emblematic journalist and Philippine Star publisher Max Soliven. He died on 24 November 2006.
Max Soliven did not only die in two cities. He could also have voted yesterday, being still on the San Juan voting lists as his daugther, Sarah Soliven, discovered.
The question remains, is the state of affairs in the Philippines a journalists’ heaven or hell?
Photo borrowed from ABS-CBN, 15 May 2007 with thanks to Gü.
Labels: elections, news, Philippines
Turn the lechon: National sport of the Philippines

- The rules and objectives of the sport are known in fairly great detail in the country.
- The sport is widely played/watched/consumed in the country.
- The sport has a long history of popularity....
BTW, turning the lechon—the hidden national sport of the Philippines— is much more interesting and rewarding than other sports such as cricket where boredom is placed into rules and streched over too many days.
Photo and clip from Hermana Mayor, Zambales in February 2007.
Labels: Philippines, pigs, sport
Monday, May 14, 2007
Iboto

This morning, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano (known from the ‘Hello Garci scandal’), and very important in this entertainment-driven country the actress Susan Roces were the first to vote. May Iwa, Ehra, Karel, Joyee, Amanda and Eula all win (please click on the photo above to see the candidates better). I am sure the six beauties will guarantee a better future for the Philippines.
Photo from this Monday morning (14 May 2007) along EDSA, Mandaluyong. Note there are no cars on this usually fully jammed intercity highway. Gloria was kind enough to provide a holiday to her folks. Why on earth can the Philippines not vote on a Sunday? Is it not the goal of all politicians to make the economy more competitive?
Labels: beauty, elections, Philippines
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Banca beggars along the highway

At all four piers you will encounter ‘banca beggars’ asking the passengers to throw some coins overboard.
Photo from Matnog, Sorsogon in April 2007.
Labels: ferry, Philippines, poverty
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Imelda, the nude President and the pope's chair

The picture below puts Imelda into perspective. On the very right, the chair made for the 1981 visit of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines (note on the very left the similar, but somewhat smaller chair used by President Marcos for the grand mass in Manila). Still, central to all of it is herself, the ‘Rose of Tacloban’.
April 2007 photos from ‘Santo Niño Shrine and Heritage Centre’ in Tacloban—Imelda's home town—on the

Labels: celebrities, Philippines, religion
Friday, May 11, 2007
Gorge yourself and you might cover the same space as this billboard

Labels: advertisement, Batangas, fat, Philippines
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Middle of the road

Labels: Bicol, Philippines, vehicles
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Don't follow this tricycle

Labels: Bicol, karaoke, Philippines
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Glamorous Elections
Wherever you are these days in the
Often popular songs with easy to remember lyrics in praise of the politician are being used. These songs are so powerful that common people would remember the name of a candidate, not his capability as a leader, just how captivating and promising his slogans are.
Politics are quite similar to show business in the
Since all candidates use the same tricks, campaigns turn into brainwashing. No chance to escape. If you try to escape, make sure you know where you are heading to, road signs are mostly buried under election posters.
Photo from somewhere in Agusan del Norte, Mindanao in April 2007.

Labels: elections, Mindanao, Philippines
Saturday, May 05, 2007
No chance for fair elections in the Philippines!

If the Philippine government declares the elections on May 14th honest and fair, why not sending elected senators and congressmen as observers to the 2008
Labels: elections, news, Philippines, politics, U.S.A.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Can you imagine the noise?

Labels: ferry, karaoke, music, Philippines
Thursday, May 03, 2007
How a pig's life ends

Labels: animals, Philippines, pigs, weird
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Traveling in time

Photo from Camarines Sur in April 2007.
Labels: Bicol, Carabao, Philippines

