QC Circle : A park full of life.

When someone suggested that we should go to Quezon Memorial Circle, we were not that excited. We thought it was just like any other park with a small playground, an open space for sports(badminton, volleyball,..), and a path way for joggers. We planned to just drop by the place, see what's there, take few pictures and then leave. 

view from the entrance.

We were sooo wrong. The place was beautiful. At the center lies the mausoleum that contains the remains of Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines and his wife, First Lady Aurora Quezon. It has three vertical pylons (representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao). There are three angels at the top holding Sampaguita(Philippines' national flower). 

Early morning.

late in the afternoon.

after sunset.

top of the mausoleum.

The place is not only huge, but is also filled with people and activities.  You can see so many people having a good time. Aside from the joggers, many people came to hang-out, bike, play, practice something, exercise, relax, eat and do whatever.  

Every Saturday morning(5AM-9AM), the local government provides FREE trainings/classes for aerobics, badminton, football, and taekwando. You just need to signup. You even have the chance to win a mini raffle if you sign up. Isn't that great?!

BALANCE :
(fg)balancing a crystal ball from 1 arm to the other passing on his shoulders. 
(bg)doing handstand 

LAUGHTER, a natural energy booster.

"Nice way to meet new friends."
Those 4 kids sat behind him to watch. After a while, they started copying him.
He then offered to teach them. :)

Rugby Football

"Circle of Joy". - playground for kids.

Playtime.

FOOTBALL field.

Too eager to capture the kick, forgot to check if he was in the frame.

Goal or not?

Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work,
sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority. ~~Vince Lombardi 

There is a small street for vendors and food stalls. You can see a variety of goods:  

From Fishball, Kwek-kwek(Bulastog) & Isaw to Sizzling dishes.

From Tshirts, dresses & shorts to pajamas & boxers.

From balls for soccer & volleyball to bubble guns & souvenirs.

So many items to choose from. The prices are cheap too. :)

Cotton candy

At night, one of its attractions is the fountain. Amazing dancing fountain & light show!!! This made us stay longer that day.

Aside from all that, what really made our day was this couple. 

(SHE: awwwww..weddings... Seeing them, made me believe again in happy ever afters..)

Spending their once in a life time moment in QC Circle

No words needed. :)

We really enjoyed that day.  We think the local government really did a good job on this one.  

On this photowalk, most of the photos were captured using the Manual Setting. Yeiy! Some pictures came out good, while some needed the help of photo editors. haha! 

A day in a park full of life.

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Additional Info:

cost: FREE.

bike rentals : 60~100Php/hr

how to get there : 

                                1. From Quezon ave MRT Station, ride a UP Diliman Jeepney to Philcoa.

                                     Anywhere from EDSA, ride a SM Fairview bus to Philcoa.

                                2. From there you can just walk towards the tower.

Recommended : Super! for family bonding, date, exercise, sports, relaxing and more. They also have event center and  stage for programs and other activities.

Eco-friendly Photowalk

     First photowalk! Yeah!

Looking for a place for our FIRST photowalk is quite tough. We searched the internet, asked friends and searched some more. The place has to be memorable, the view must be breathtaking, and most importantly it has to be within our reach(in Metro Manila).

After some research, we picked La Mesa Watershed and Eco-park in Quezon City.  La Mesa Watershed and Eco-park is the heart of Quezon City and offers a variety of activities like swimming, biking, boating, fishing, wall climbing, zip lining, and more. It is one bus and one tricycle away(from shaw)! yeiy! 

So it was decided, we're going to La Mesa Watershed and Eco-park in Quezon City to practice our new hobby, "Photography".

 

    Indeed, it was a good place. Aside from the mentioned activities, it is also a good place for  unwinding. It's fun to watch so many people having fun.

You can also paint your own souvenir. You can pick from bags, t-shirts, figurines, and more. 

We chose to paint an eco-bag and it took as awhile to come up with a design. 

after several minutes..... light Bulb!!

We came up with a B-E-A-utiful concept but unfortunately we don't have the skills to translate it into reality. :D



Wanna see our masterpiece? 

Tadaaaaaahhhh!!!! 

The eco-bag costs Php60.00. FREE paint.

     The best part for us is the mini-forest. It's pretty cool to see a place like this in the metro.

     

Since this is our first photowalk and the first time to play with the settings of our cameras, we ended up using its auto and preset Settings to capture images. So, excuse our poor photography skills. We need more practice. :)

For the first time in many years, it feels good to get EXCITED again.
Looking forward to the next photowalk. :))))


A day well spent bonding with nature.