Saturday, January 06, 2007
A UST QUICKIE
I was telling Noel (a friend and fellow photography enthusiast) that I wanted to do a photo shoot inside the grounds of UST. He said, ”Let’s go!” His mother is a member of this famous university’s graduate school faculty and their car has a sticker that allows it to go anywhere inside the campus grounds. Perfect, thought I.
Unfortunately, yesterday was the first Friday of the month and a few days from the Quiapo Church’s Black Nazarene's 400th year celebration jubilee. The traffic at Quezon Boulevard from the Welcome Rotunda heading south was virtually at a standstill; taking us more than an hour to drive from Banawe to the Espana gate of UST. And to make matters worse, there was no place anywhere to park. Before realizing it, Noel had to go back to pick up his mother who also works as a chief editor at a textbook publishing firm in Banawe.
I asked him to give me just a couple of minutes as I got out of his car; made a quick 360-degree in search of a subject; and then aimed my camera on this structure. So, Sheilamarie, you’ll just have to enjoy this one until my friend and I go back to UST next week and try another photo session of the campus and its vicinity as you had requested.
By the way, I know we have a number of UST graduates here. Does anyone know or remember this building, which I had hastily taken a picture of and now also use as my laptop's wallpaper?
.
posted by Señor Enrique at 9:02 AM
22 Comments:
- said...
hi! i just want to ask if it's alright with you to have your blog syndicated at our website, www.philippinestoday.net? if this is okay with you, we'll just configure our settings to read your rss feed and your recent entries will appear. :)
- Señor Enrique said...
Sure, Kathy. I'll be honored.
Currently working on doing a make-over, but if we have to switch away from Blogger, will duly inform you of URL changes, if any, in the future. Many thanks!- sheilamarie said...
OMG!... my first reaction when I saw your blog title. Hahaha... Is that a picture of the church or the library?
So sorry though that it took you ages to get to UST, only to have problems with the parking. That's a frequent problem because of the location (Espana pa, nakuh po!).
The last time we had our vacation, I brought the Hubby to the Main Building to meet some of my professors. And he was lucky to even be given a tour of the museum inside :D
Eric, I spent 8 years of my life studying in this school. LOL! Thanks again... it brings back good memories :D Looking forward to your planned trip back to UST next week. LOL!- said...
Oo nga naman, Eric, the title... Or is it just my mind... LOL! But really, it's a nice, crisp photo - saka yung details ng building... galing talaga!
- said...
That does sound salacious, doesn't it? Sorry! Didn't mean it that way. Really! Hahaha.
Your site and a few others, for some odd reason, I can visit but cannot post any comment. And since you're one of my regular visitors, I thought the least thing I can do is reciprocate by doing a shoot of the UST campus. But Noel and I will return there, though :)
Eight years? Now I realize even more how significant this place is for you; not only for the learning you gained from there, but from the friendships and fun times you had.
Very nice campus!- Señor Enrique said...
I really should have given it more thought, Rhoda. But then again, once you get to be my age, you'd understand why the word "quickie" no longer gets associated to that, uhum, sort of activity. Hahahaha!
Thanks! It's an interesting building, by the way.- Señor Enrique said...
I just noticed that my name registered as Anonymous when I responded to Sheilamarie's comment. I really have to do something about this blogger mess.
- said...
Ha ha ha! Look at that reaction to your title. I also didn't associate that word to that other meaning. :)
Nice shot, btw.- sheilamarie said...
Eric, I didn't mean it that way, honest! LOL! 'Coz my heart skipped a beat when I read the word UST in your title, and when I saw the picture. But now that Rhoda's mentioned it... LOL! just kidding :D
yeah, 8 years (1/4) of my life growing up there :D a nice place to explore (and get good pictures from when you have time).
oh! and my mom graduated from ust med school in the 40's. so we do love the school, LOL!- said...
I think that's the new library Eric. I've never been inside myself because the Conservatory was the only college stubborn enough not to move our scores and discography elsewhere.
Anyway, if you go back to UST, if they let you in, climb to the fifth floor of the Education Building and go to the west side, the sunset with the view of the main building is just spectacular. :)
Oh, you can tell the guard that you're going to inquire about piano lessons on the fifth floor. He'll let you in. ;)- said...
That's a nice "quickie" there... hahaha.
You should try to go back there. UST has really nice old buildings as well. Hope to see your shots there.- said...
I cannot really remember which building this is because UST itself is so huge and it was night time when I was toured around the campus! I went there for their Paskuhan celebration because my good friend is studying there. I love the architecture of this university and I'm very, very much intrigued.
(:
But this is a nice photo, very crisp and colors are beautiful!- Amadeo said...
Cannot UST be approached at the back, travelling through a road that was known as Laong Laan?
As I recall that was an easier route when we were fetching my sister who went to UST high school. Less traffic and jeepneys ply the route, too.- Amadeo said...
One more thing. When I first landed here in San Francisco with its many beautiful and ornately-designed older buildings, its residents would proudly declare their capabilities to withstand the harshest earthquakes to which the area is prone to.
And I would also point to them that we had similar old buildings in the old homeland that were also built as earthquake-proof, and the most known was the UST main building built in the 20’s.- said...
hi again!
i tried adding your rss feed to www.philippinestoday.net, but unfortunately your format is atom.xml - it is not recognized by our format. sorry. anyway, let me know when you move to a new url. maybe then there would be no problems.
i've added you to my links, btw. :)- Señor Enrique said...
Oh, come on, Irene! You're much too young still to have the same reaction I do ... hahaha!
Thanks!
I know, Sheilamarie. We all could use some laughter every now and then :)
Your mom graduated from here, too? That is wonderful. Did you take up medicine as well?
Hmmm ... we might just try that, Toe! Many thanks for the tip :) In fact, I'll suggest to time our return visit with the sunset. It is really a wonderful campus.
We will, Ferdz. Also, no one stops you from taking photographs of the vicinity. Compared to my old school, MIT at Intramuros, I had to ask the guard for permission and then he had to ask another, and ad infinitum until it took almost an hour before someone came to escort me, but I had to clear with him first what I can shoot. Too much!
Wow! Missed that event, Kyels. That would have been a more ideal tme to visit the campus and take some pictures.
Yes, you are correct, Amadeo. Or from banawe, we could have taken Dapitan Street and since his car has a sticker, we can enter any gate. But we got so caught up in talking about cameras we just foolishly drove to Quezon Avenue.
The administration building is earthquake-proof? Didn't know that; neither was t mentioned in an article I read a while back that it took sheer determination for the friars to build it, because they didn't have sufficient funds. I should dig up that article.- Señor Enrique said...
Ooops, that's too bad. Okay, Kathy. I'll advise you when it's done. Thanks!
- said...
Eric, I noticed, you seem to emphasize a lot on your age... Age is just a state of mind. Sige ka, lalo kang tatanda pag palagi mong sinasabing matanda ka na... hehehe.
Seen your Fort Santiago pics, by the way. They look great, pero bakit parang may gloom... Oh well, maybe it's just my mood while viewing them...- Señor Enrique said...
The gloom you speak of might have been set off by the last two photos, Rhoda. If so, my intention was to reflect the ending of the day (it was late afernoon).
Very perceptive of you, though!- Señor Enrique said...
Oh, one more thing, Rhoda, I actually self-effacing at times; thus, my poking fun at my advancing age ... hahaha!
- sheilamarie said...
Hola Eric! Wanted to follow in her footsteps, but didn't have the drive :P took up premed tho, b.s. psych, now turned psycho. LOL
- Señor Enrique said...
It will take sheer determination to go through medical school, I'm sure. But I'm sure you're happy with your choice :)