His affair with the city is depicted in his blog where he takes artistic snapshots of mundane matters and other facets of Manila we didn’t know about. Most often, the photos tell a thousand words and that has made him relate to a growing number of readers who are either homesick or connect with his experiences. He coined "Wish You Were Here" as if writing on a postcard, " to share with Stateside friends observations about life in Manila." As a bonus, his site garnered the hotly-contested Photoblog of the Year plum in the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards. Let’s get to know more about Senor Enrique in the following interview:

A. I started blogging way back in the mid-’90s, but it was meant as a private journal amongst some of my colleagues and friends in the industry; I was then a senior systems engineer at an IT company that specializes in Internet infrastructure design and web hosting. We shared information on current and emerging technological trends, as well as personal updates on this one blog site.

"Wish You Were Here" I started during the latter part of 2005. My original intention was to use it as a medium wherein I could share with Stateside friends my observations about life in Manila. The title, pinched from one of Pink Floyd’s hits, I used as a standing invitation for them to come to Manila and visit me.

Eventually, the site began to attract some local and homesick Pinoy bloggers (expats living abroad) who became regular visitors. Incidentally, some friends from the States did fly over to visit me.

A. Blogging inspires me to keep learning. Most of my readers, much to my delight, are incredibly sharp and fond of sharing their knowledge so, their fine attitude made blogging an even more engrossing preoccupation.

Manila has also gone through various transformations during my many years of absence, including the changes of street names, which made the city’s landscape seemingly foreign. I had lots of catching up to do, as well as getting myself reacquainted with the city’s multi-faceted charms -- landmarks, culture and history. And every time I make a new discovery, however trivial and mundane, I would always blog about it, which also appealed to many readers, especially those who used to live or visited Manila often.

Blogging also gives me the opportunity to be of service to others. A prime example of which was the article I posted about the brand of shoes I favored as a child, Ang Tibay Shoes, which made mention of the true rags-to-riches story of its founder, Toribio Teodoro. Subsequently, some of this man’s great grandchildren came across my article and introduced themselves in the comment box. The end result: they held a party to meet one another for the first time.

In another development, some of my features on Rizal Avenue in particular and Manila in general have become resource materials for some of the Ateneo’s anthropology students, as well as for human interest/lifestyle writers of our local broadsheets. Actually, I was hoping one of these writers would someday discover my Ang Tibay article because not only would it make a wonderful copy, but it will also showcase the power of blogging.

But the most poignant were those emails and comment postings from our OFWs who said they visit my site to assuage their homesickness, while others were appreciative of the way I present Manila which they could proudly share with their foreign friends.

Essentially, it is my readers -- both known and unknown -- that fuel my blogging energy. They all inspire me to constantly update the site, because much like merienda foodstuffs offered to guests, I must post new entries to make their every visit a pleasant experience.

A. Since I haven’t replaced or updated my site’s template for almost two years now, it may appear that I favor content over design. Not so, for the current template remains to serve my purpose.

I’m quite cognizant that my site is only one of the many that an average reader would visit on a given day; therefore, I have to present a site that is easy on the eyes and extremely navigable to boot. Moreover, besides the aesthetics of the template, text presentation is also an important element to keep in mind. This I learned from my early online experiences which predated the Internet. At that time, there were only bulletin board systems (or BBS) -- loosely organized and independently-operated. The dial-up modem available at that time was only clocking at no more than 50 kbps; thus a new style of writing came about in which brevity became de rigueur. To date, I see to it that my paragraphs contain fewer sentences compared to the usual paragraphs found in print publishing.

I also keep in mind that bloggers are mostly of above average intelligence; thus the overall aesthetics and content of my site must somehow appeal to their senses, which inspires me to constantly improve my writing and photography skills.

A. I have nothing against earning money from one’s blog site, and I wouldn’t mind making money from my blogging efforts, either. Actually, I have some ideas for some articles and photo essays but they remain relegated on the back burner because they require a certain amount of money to produce. This is how such generated income would come in handy. However, my preference has always been to strike a lucrative deal with a corporate sponsor (with a global reach like Starbucks or Nikon). I’m just not fond of those Google ads that tend to litter a site.

A. First and foremost is a desire to be of service to your readers; second is the enthusiasm to share your discoveries; and third is the appetite to keep on improving your skills. These are the primary elements to embody. And then simply trust the universe to provide you with rest -- ideas, decisive moments and various auspicious opportunities -- that you can share with your readers.

A. I don’t leave home without, at least, taking along my point and shoot digital camera. That is because I never know when an opportunity might present itself that’s worth sharing with my readers.

As for doing street photography, I shoot first and ask for permission later. This is not meant to be discourteous; however, sometimes if you asked first, the subject will tend to pose for the camera which can only make you lose the charm that comes with candid shots. Of course, I don’t take any picture that would somehow compromise or embarrass a subject, but nonetheless, more often than not, the local Pinoys don’t like their pictures taken without them wearing a beatific smile while looking right at the camera. So a method I use as an option is to linger around the environment and take their pictures with their much-studied poses so as to appease them, and in between, look for and take those alluring decisive moment shots.

But nonetheless, I would recommend to any blogger who is also a budding photographer to check out the affordable workshops at FPPF (Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation). This organization offers some of our finest local instructors such as Ador Pamintuan, Ed Yap and Ed Santiago (one of our country’s well-respected photojournalists).

A. There are so many in-country, but I would love to someday document every barangay in Manila -- its points of interests and some of its colorful residents. As for outside of the Philippines, Antarctica has always fascinated me despite my aversion to cold weather. It is one destination that would make me jump up to pack my bags and jostle those standing in my way.

A. That for your every regular visitor who posts a comment, there may be another hundred or so who regularly come to enjoy your site, but are much too shy to leave an imprint.

A. I’d like to keep focused on life in Manila, but expand it by featuring more of the city’s charming personalities -- both public and regular characters -- who give the city its unique sense of identity.

(For comments and inquiries, email annalyn.jusay@gmail.com)

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