Sinulog 2010 was a blast!

Sinulog 2010
Every Third Sunday of January

Sinulog 2010 was an endurance test for me. It was my first time to participate in the Sinulog event – really participate by going out into the streets and practice my skills in taking pictures while experiencing the weather being crazy and all.

It seemed clear in the morning but rained a little; became really hot around noon until 3 and then rained hard again. I woke up early but was still too tired to even move because of the weather being perfect for lounging around. It was raining the previous day which made me wonder how the Sinulog procession and the Fluvial Parade went since I also had plans of taking snaps of the event but coward at the thought because of needing more rest time.

Oh yeah, Sinolug 2010. haha

 z
preparations

Meeting time with my fellow Hulagway Photo Club members was 7am at Mcdonalds Jones but I arrived late because of a battle I had to face with the cold tank water which was a silent torture when taking a bath.

After I put on some clothes and rode a jeep going to the downtown area, I stopped over at Gorordo as the roads were already closed. I walked to University of San Carlos-Main instead because of plan changes. Some of the members of our Hulagway Photo club are also members of Cebu Photo and we met at Jollibee-Main. We started walking and taking shots while the weather was just humid. But alas it rained — and down the water from the sky went.

We found a shade to cover our cameras and gear them up with plastic. The garbage bag did serve its purpose by wrapping the device — thought that the purpose of it was to wrap ourselves for us not to get wet.

Anyway, I’m glad to go out with people who like to take pictures. It’s nice to learn new things because of being surrounded with these guys. There’s something about the energy that feeds you of people who also share the same passion as you. You get along easily.

 
on with the dancing!

 
all fingers ready

By mid-day the sun was high up, really up that the heat scorched. Everybody was feeling the Sinulog beat with people out in the streets and waiting for the contingents and floats to parade. Took some snaps with my new 50mm camera bought at Pixel Pro in Park Mall and had a bit of a time since I had issues with the Auto Focus not working (thanks to Diego, it worked when we were about to go home).

 

When the contingents danced, I could see how they had to endure the changing climate. Their parents/guardians/teachers whichever, helped in ensuring that they could still perform to the public. I didn't really notice the drama behind these parades before as I didn't even bother to watch as a spectator. But now I've seen the value of how the dancers and people behind them prepare ahead of time for the biggest festival in the Philippines only here at the Queen City of the South.

I have more appreciation for the people organizing each aspect of the fiesta.

smiles and frowns – priceless

artists, I was this close

Blooper: I kept on shouting "Hi Iza, Hi Iza!!" to catch a celebrity's attention so that she would turn her face towards me and I could take her picture. I kept on wondering why she couldn't notice when I was already screaming and I was just half a meter away. I later realized that the girl I was calling for was Isabel Oli and not Iza Calzado. No wonder she chose not to turn her head; she was trying to be polite by ignoring me rather than telling me straight that she is NOT Iza Calzado. To think that I was so confident that I had the right name. Bummer.

 
red people

scarecrow, gorilla, sponge bob and the Fuente Christmas tree

We walked from USC-Main to Abellana and stayed there for awhile. Walked again going to Robinsons but this time we had to go through the crowd. Staying at Robinsons was of perfect timing because it rained hard around 3pm. When the rain subsided, we took more pictures and just stayed near the Fuente Osmeña circle until dinner time.

The walking was exhausting but good in a sense that I was able to partake in this event since the previous years, I usually just shy away from the maddening crowd. We grabbed a bite to eat but we passed by some folks who brought snakes and were offering 20 bucks for a snapshot. I welcomed the opportunity as I seldom get to hold reptiles.

20 bucks for the picture was worth it for me since I had fellow photographers with DSLR cameras to take the shot.

After Sinulog, I've

• developed some canker sores because of the extreme heat; got some sunburn too.
• met photographers from other Photo clubs in Cebu which is good.
• realized the purpose of the garbage bag and wondered why I didn't bring an umbrella.
• been able to hang a snake around my neck
• learned to adjust 50mm lens manually and only got it fixed (thanks Diego!) when we were done for the day.
• took pictures in RAW, now I need to clean my hard drive or purchase a passport in order to have more storage for my photos and
• right now, I'm suffering from colds because of the changing climate — and I thought I was invincible.

Sinulog 2010 was a blast despite only being able to participate in the main event which is the Mardi Gras. The spirit that people had despite rain was really uplifting in a sense that people just wanted to have fun and didn't let the weather dampen the mood. Next year's plans are well under way and hopefully, I'll take part in the week-long celebration.

Viva Pit Senyor!