Dondi's Photo Albums

Welcome to PhotoDOM!

2006-03-28T09:38:00.000+08:00

These are my photo albums. Thank you for your interest in them! Please click on the links on the right to view the albums. You can click on any picture in the album to view the full-screen version. Enjoy!

Photos by Dondi O. Mapa

2005-08-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

Dondi

2005-06-11T08:23:00.000+08:00

Small Pool

2005-06-11T08:16:00.000+08:00

View by Night

2005-06-11T08:12:00.000+08:00

Bahia Restaurant

2005-06-11T08:08:00.000+08:00

Buko Bar

2005-06-11T08:07:00.000+08:00

PLDT Pres

2005-06-11T08:03:00.000+08:00

ACC Speech

2005-06-05T16:03:00.000+08:00

Intel Raffle

2005-06-05T15:54:00.000+08:00

IDC Speech

2005-06-05T15:52:00.000+08:00

IDC Audience

2005-06-05T15:46:00.000+08:00

JRU Speech

2005-06-05T15:29:00.000+08:00

JRU President

2005-06-05T15:27:00.000+08:00

Alumni Officers

2005-06-05T15:25:00.000+08:00

Intel SME

2005-06-05T14:48:00.000+08:00

Mactan Hotel

2005-06-05T14:47:00.000+08:00

Mactan Room

2005-06-05T14:44:00.000+08:00

Tokyo Shrine

2005-06-05T14:43:00.000+08:00

Tokyo Arch

2005-06-05T14:42:00.000+08:00

Intel Taal Briefing

2005-06-05T14:41:00.000+08:00

Tokyo Dinner

2005-06-05T14:37:00.000+08:00

Tokyo Plenary

2005-06-05T14:35:00.000+08:00

Intel Plant Tour

2005-06-05T14:24:00.000+08:00

Leyte Park Hotel

2005-06-05T14:23:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Main Photo

2005-06-05T14:22:00.000+08:00

Tacloban BPO2

2005-06-05T14:20:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Night Landing

2005-06-05T14:19:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Beach

2005-06-05T14:17:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Bell Tower

2005-06-05T14:16:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Cafe

2005-06-05T14:13:00.000+08:00

Tacloban Bridge

2005-06-05T14:12:00.000+08:00

Tacloban BPO

2005-06-05T14:11:00.000+08:00

Tacloban IT Park

2005-06-05T14:09:00.000+08:00

Tac Landing

2005-06-05T14:01:00.000+08:00

Dumaguete SPI

2005-04-25T01:21:00.000+08:00

Aeon's 16th

2005-04-25T01:19:00.000+08:00

Asian Broadband Campaign

Calatagan Map

2005-04-12T09:10:00.000+08:00

Click on the map below to view a larger version. You can copy the larger version to your hard disk for future reference.

This map assumes you already know how to get to Tagaytay. If you don't know how to get to Tagaytay, here's how: take the South Superhighway to the Sta. Rosa exit, then follow the signs to Tagaytay.

From Tagaytay, make your way to Calatagan town. The critical junctions where you have to make turns are marked in the map below.

The nearest landmark to the town is the Punta Baluarte resort. Once you see the resort, you are about 5 km. away from the town.

Click on "comments" below to leave a remark or ask a question. Please read the other comments too, your question may already have been asked by someone else. Thanks!

Aeon, my son

2005-04-04T01:38:00.000+08:00

My son Aeon was born on April 4, 1989. He's the eldest of my 3 children. Over the years, I've accumulated favorite photos of Aeon in pursuit of his life's passions. He's an environmentalist, a composer, a guitarist, a blogger (http://18march-band.blogspot.com/), an open water diver with advanced certification, and most of all, a loving son. I'm so proud of him.

Batangas, 1993

Siquijor, 1996

Scuba Lessons, 2001

Subic, 2001

Westgrove Laguna, 2002

Beach with Friends, 2002

Rockwell, 2002

Anilao, 2003

Grade School Graduation, 2004

Calatagan Lighthouse, 2004

First Guitar, 2004

San Antonio Parish, 2004

Snorkeling in Calatagan, 2005

2005-04-03T18:43:00.000+08:00

2002 golf lessons

2005-04-03T18:33:00.000+08:00

2005 sandbar

2005-04-03T18:23:00.000+08:00

2004 basketballer

2005-04-03T18:08:00.000+08:00

2001 sandbar run

2005-04-03T18:03:00.000+08:00

2004 tanon strait

2005-04-03T17:56:00.000+08:00

2004 Zoo

2005-04-03T17:55:00.000+08:00

2004 Pair at Zoo

2005-04-03T17:52:00.000+08:00

2003 Three Generations

2005-04-03T17:26:00.000+08:00

2004 Zoobic:bite me!

2005-04-03T17:23:00.000+08:00

2004 Tagaytay

2005-04-03T17:14:00.000+08:00

2002 horseback

2005-04-03T17:06:00.000+08:00

2004 waldorf

2005-04-03T17:03:00.000+08:00

roman comedy 2002

2005-04-03T16:55:00.000+08:00

baguio 2002 fvr

2005-04-03T16:42:00.000+08:00

baguio boy

2005-04-03T16:31:00.000+08:00

ccd

2005-04-02T22:47:00.000+08:00

riviera

2005-04-02T22:45:00.000+08:00

violin

2005-03-30T02:49:00.000+08:00

aeon in westgrove

Bahrain Travelogue

2005-03-27T20:07:00.000+08:00

I love to travel! When I travel, I meet other cultures, learn new things, and broaden my perspective, so that when I get back home, I often see things in a new light. My Bahrain (pronounced Ba-ha-rain) trip was certainly an eye-opener and mind-stretcher.

Most educational of all was making new friends and learning about their cultures and countries. The memorable experiences include dining with the minister from Bhutan, touring Manama with my Bharaini escort, dining with the Azerbaijani delegation, and sitting beside the ministers from Palestine and Pakistan for two entire days. These are experiences that enriched my life immeasurably. At first we would make small talk by swapping statistics on population growth and per capita GNP. Then later, we would start to open up and talk about the problems and opportunities facing our countries!

I learned that one of Palestine's biggest headaches is that Israeli Mobile Operators have more than 56% of the Palestinian market without even having a license! I learned that Arabic call centers serving the Middle East are sprouting up in Pakistan. I learned about the unique catalytic role that Bahrain played in the development of the Middle East.

Bahrain has been a trading center for thousands of years. Looking at it on the map, one can see that it served as an important link in trade routes between Sumeria and the Indus Valley. Forts such as this one below, located in Muharraq City, were built to protect the marine channels.

As can be seen from the interior of the Arad Fort, it has been painstakingly rebuilt using original materials such as sea stones, lime sand, and palm trunks.

Because of its unique geography as an island nation, sheiks and sultans would send their families here for protection in times of conflict. Eventually, Bahrain became the Switzerland of the Middle East; home to the bankers of the oil barons. Sidebar: how do banks here make money if interest is illegal under Islam? They charge an admnistrative fee, for example, when you borrow 100 dinars, you only receive 95 dinars, but you must pay back 100 dinars at the end of the loan term.

Bahrain was actually the first Persian Gulf state to discover oil. Because of limited reserves, Bahrain has worked hard to diversify its economy. So much oil has already been taken out that as early as 1965, it was estimated that almost half had been extracted, and that the oil would run out by 2005!

As a result, the country has consciously shifted to other revenue sources, chiefly banking and insurance which already account for close to 50% of GDP. More than a hundred offshore banking units and representative offices are located in Bahrain, most of them coming over from Beirut in the late 70s, when the Lebanese Civil War was going on. A major reclamation project is being undertaken in Manama city (the capital of Bahrain) to house a new financial services district.

Tourism is also being developed as a major source of income. An ambitious strategy of holding a Grand Prix in the Middle East is already paying off for Bahrain. I paid a visit to the track one evening. The evenings actually get quite cool, even chilly, and I was told that March is their coolest month. So if you plan to visit, come between October and April, and stay away from May to September. My friend Mohd told me that Manama becomes a ghost city in July, with everyone going up to the mountains in Syria to get respite from the heat.

Excellent hotels abound to cater to visitors from other Middle East countries, as well as to the numerous expatriates working in the Gulf. In Bahrain alone, there are over 1,000,000 expatriate workers (compared to less than 500,000 native Bahrainis). There's also a lot of good shopping, especially in the Muharraq Souk where I found this treasure trove of percussion instruments. I promptly purchased 5 new additions to my collection. :-)

But back to the story of oil. When the steam engine was invented, it was good enough for railroad engines, but was unable to scale downwards. It was too bulky and uneconomical for automobiles. So the search for oil went global. In 1932, the Socal company, now known as Chevron, discovered oil in Bahrain, and the wells have been pumping ever since. Bahrain's first oil well is called Jebel Dukhan, or "Smokey Mountain". Sure is different from Manila's Smokey Mountain :-)

I had a chance to visit the Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa House in Muharraq City, the old capital of Bahrain. The shaikh lived from 1869-1932 (prior to the discovery of oil) and was the 7th ruler of Bahrain from the Al Khalifa family. The present King of Bahrain, and 10th in the family line, is his great grandson, His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Isa bin Sulman Al Khalifa.

The present king transformed Bahrain into a constitutional monarchy by holding a public referendum in 2001. The new charter passed overwhelmingly, transforming Bahrain into a constitutional monarchy governed by a king who rules over a bicameral legislative body. The constitution states that the office of King automatically passes from father to son, making Bahrain unique among the monarchies of the Gulf area.

The house, built in the late 1700s, is quite simple, yet shows ingenious architectural touches.

The photo above shows a two-story structure. During the cold, rainy season, the king and his family would live on the ground floor, which was well insulated against the wet, driving rains. During the hot, dry season, they would live on the second floor, which was well ventilated with numerous windows in each room! The tall structure on the right is a windtower - it would catch the wind from any direction, cool it through contact with the thick walls, and then channel the wind into the rooms of the king and his family. Voila - air conditioning!

The photo above shows the entrance to the prince's room - a beautiful door surrounded by arches, arabesques and perforated walls. The photo below is the entrance to the king's room (with my friend Mohd inside the room). I invite you to click on the picture in order to get a full-screen view of this wonderful work of art!

Bahrain Summit

2005-03-27T20:04:00.000+08:00

On March 21 and 22, 2005 I attended the 3rd Asia IT Ministers Summit in the Kingdom of Bahrain. For details of the summit, click here: Day 1 and Day 2.

Venue of the summit was the Bahrain Convention Centre

Meeting our host, His Excellency Shaikh Ali bin Kalifah bin Salman Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation, Kingdom of Bahrain

Hall where the summit was held; I'm in far left corner

Getting some e-mail done during the debates

Making a point during the country presentation

Gala dinner at the Bahrain Ritz-Carlton; I'm at far end of the dignitaries table

With Philippine Ambassador Ed Maglaya at the Gulf Hotel lobby

Taking a tour of the Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa House in Muharraq City

Taking a tour of the Arad Fort in Muharraq City

For more pictures of the summit, please click here.

Bon Voyage ALM

2005-03-27T18:59:00.000+08:00

Holy Week 2005

2005-03-27T18:05:00.000+08:00

On Good Friday, our family was blessed to be invited to meditate on the Stations of the Cross at Balai Taal, a private subdivision in Tagaytay. The breathtaking natural surroundings were the perfect counterpoint to the inspiring meditations.

The First Station: Jesus institutes the Holy Eucharist

The Second Station: Jesus is condemned to death

The Third Station: Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns

The Fourth Station: Jesus carries his cross

The Fifth Station: Jesus meets his mother

The Sixth Station: Jesus falls

The Seventh Station: Simon helps Jesus

The Eighth Station: Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem

The Ninth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments

The Tenth Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross

The Eleventh Station: John and Mary at the foot of the cross

The Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross

The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb

The Fourteenth Station: the Resurrection

The Final Station: R&R (Rest & Refreshments)