Boarding Gate 101

Isabelle Scheltjens:  Remember the name! I was just done with the first half of my tour inside the city’s Museum of Fine Arts when I headed for the centrum to check out this cool, new way of portrait-making using a technique called  glass fusion .  It’s the melting together of tiny, square bits of colored glass, one on top of another, to form a singular piece or “pixel” and thousands (yes, thousands!) of those pixels to form a picture.  In this case, the result is a portrait, that when viewed from a distance appears only in sepia.  Very fascinating AND intriguing. Finding the art gallery that housed Ms. Scheltjen’s exhibit was pretty easy.  It was located just across the town hall.  And even on that day itself that there were a gazillion of people who came to celebrate Ghent’s annual ten-day festival, I found my way. Facade of the gallery The moment I entered the gallery, I immediately realized that the artist herself was there....

I haven't had an In Pictures post for a few months now and I think one is in order. For this week, I am featuring a glimpse of the SoCal beach culture, in Sta. Monica and Venice Beach, California, which I visited a few months ago.  I actually didn't plan to go to Sta. Monica, as I was going to take the hop-on, hop-off bus from Hollywood and go around Los Angeles. Somewhere in Beverly Hills I saw another bus that goes all the way to the coast, I boarded it and I ended up on the beach. Since it was unplanned, I was wearing jeans and felt so overdressed.  Ocean Boulevard The first thought that came to my mind when I alighted from the bus in Ocean Boulevard was that I am going to see the Pacific Ocean from the other side! I crossed to Palisades Park, which was built on top of the coastal bluff parallel to the boulevard. The tree-lined parked has lots of people milling about - tourists, buskers and locals doing about their business.  Cue in the Baywatch ...

The Philippine government just announced the dates of public non-working holidays in the Philippines for 2015. You may plan your trips accordingly . January 1, Thursday - New Year's Day January 2, Friday - Additional special non-working holiday February  9, Thursday - Chinese New Year February 25, Wednesday - EDSA Revolution April 2, Thursday - Maundy Thursday April 3, Friday - Good Friday April 4, Saturday - Good Saturday April 9, Thursday - Araw ng Kagitingan May 1, Friday - Labor Day June 12, Friday - Independence Day August 21, Friday - Ninoy Aquino Day August 31, Monday - National Heroes Day November 30, Monday - Bonifacion Day December 24, Thursday - Additional special non-working holiday December 25, Friday - Christmas Day December 30, Wednesday - Rizal Day December 31, Thursday - Last day of the year infographic by gov.ph

Since my childhood - when I started reading books like Kidnapped , Treasure Island , Swiss Family Robinson , Robinson Crusoe , and my all time fave Gallows on the Sand by Morris West - I've always been drawn to the idea of being marooned in a desert island. I would imagine myself living off the land and fighting pirates for survival, then finding a cache of treasure somewhere - typical boys stuff.  Balicasag Island is not a desert island by definition, since it has local residents numbering several tens of families. The island though, comes close to what kind of desert island I imagine myself to be marooned in.  Balicasag, from the sea Our trip to Balicasag began early in the morning, immediately after going to the part of the Bohol Sea to see the dolphins. The boat ride didn't take that long, about less than an hour. As we approach I could see the lighthouse and the clusters of mangroves and huts built along the white-sand beach that encircle the round-shape...

Metro Manila and the rest of the Philippines are experiencing unusually heavy rains and strong winds due to Typhoon Glenda this week.  Here are some important info to remember and take note in case of emergencies: Red Cross: If you need to be rescued, call 143 , (02) 527.0000 or (02) 527.8385-95. Put a white blanket outside your house so that rescuers can easily locate where you are (Philippine Red Cross) National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council: Website:   ndrrmc.gov.ph Twitter:  @NDRRMC_Open Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ndrrmc-Opcen/103742183037609 NDRRMC hotlines:   (02) 911-1406, (02) 912-2665, (02) 912-5668; +63917-8916322 Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Twitter:   @MMDA Website:  mmda.gov.ph MMDA metrobase hotline: 136 Flooding control: 882-4177, 882-0925 PAGASA (Weather bureau) Website:  pagasa.dost.gov.ph Twitter:  @dost_pagasa PAGASA hotl...

Mexico is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country's rich culture and history, tropical beaches and other natural attractions made it a magnet for travellers around the world. Here are some of the considerations to take when visiting the country. Visa Citizens from select countries,  listed  here ,  do not need a visa when entering Mexico for tourism purposes.  Citizens of the countries that are listed  here , however, need to get a visa from the nearest Mexican embassy before they can enter the country. These countries include, unfortunately, the Philippines. However, there is an exemption for this. If you have  a valid United States visa  (or traveling from the USA) and the purpose of your trip is tourism, business or transit, then you can enter Mexico through any port of entry with no visa necessary.  Travel documents to Mexico Filipinos with no US visa need to submit several documents when...

Leave it to a geek traveling to faraway land to find time and visit a museum full of dinosaurs. That's basically what I did when I visited the City of Angels. I swung by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to see the famed Dinosaur Hall of the museum, right after I saw the space shuttle at the California Science Center (spaceships and dinosaurs? It must be geek heaven!). Facade of the NHM Located in Exposition Park, the NHM can trace its roots way back in 1913 when it opened as the Museum of History, Science and Art. The artsy part of the museum later became the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA, and the geeky part became the NHM.  Prehistoric monsters ready to pounce at the gallery The main draw of the museum for me are the dinosaurs, and the rest are icing to the cake. Many of the specimen displayed in the museum were taken from the La Brea Tar pits, the area in LA where natural asphalt were oozing from the ground, thick enough to tra...