Even before last week's Dia del Libro, I can't say I am a stranger with Makati and its premises. Prior to landing my current job as a paralegal, I once worked for one of the offices in this area as a legal transcript editor when I was in my mid-20's.
Last week was the first time in seven years that I set foot in Makati again. While some things, transportation wise haven't changed (oo, ma-traffic pa rin), some thing on the other hand did. Just like the places near my former workplace. Case in point was Ayala Triangle Gardens. This area of the park now has an inviting signage and landscaped pavements. Back in the day I was employed in this business district, I would watch frisbee practices or walk around this part of the park to detoxify my stressed mind before going home in the morning (I used to work in the graveyard shift back then).
This part of the park is the area that faces the office building where I used to work. Save for the lights hanging by the trees and the restaurants, this part hasn't changed a bit. Even if I haven't visited here for a long time, this place still reminds me of London's Hyde Park just like the old times.
Pardon that pawisan look, (this summer heat is a hassle I know!). This is the exact area of the park where I had my own "bahala na si Batman" moment. I agree that in times of confusion, sometimes, all a person needs is a quiet place to think and contemplate. During the time I was weighing the pros and cons between staying with my job in Makati and relocating to Quezon City to accept a challenging but better-paying job in a US advertising company, it was in this place where I made the decision and "took that big leap" to decide to leave Makati and being a legal transcript editor and relocate to Quezon City. While my stint in the US advertising company did not last that long as I hoped and wanted, I was not left empty-handed either. Just months after putting an end to life in the graveyard shift, I was accepted in another company, in the law firm where I have been gainfully employed for half a decade now.
Returning to a place that was once part of one's past could sometimes be both refreshing in the way that it's nostalgic too. I plan to be back sometime though I hope it would be on a day when the weather isn't as unforgiving as how it is these days.
Last April 23 was International Book Day. A week prior to the event, I have found an article regarding this year's celebration of Dia del Libro. It is an event spearheaded by Instituto Cervantes and given that it was a weekend, I am free to travel somewhere and attend to this event -- no questions asked. :-)
So what really is Dia del Libro? As explained on the website of Spot.ph:
The tradition of Dia del Libro began in Barcelona, Spain as part of St. George's Day on April 23. It is also the day the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes and English poet William Shakespeare died-- April 23, 1616. With such significant coincidence, UNESCO declared April 23 as "World Book and Copyright Day" in 1995.
The event was held at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati. Aside from participating publishing companies where you can buy books and be entitled to a 20% discount, ambassadors from countries like Spain and Venezuela were also present to grace the event. This year's Dia del Libro also featured paintings from a pop up museum of Museo del Prado.
One of the highlights of the event was this invitation to people in the venue to join in re-writing the book Don Quijote -- by hand. Next to the experience of joining a foreign celebration, this writing challenge was actually the main reason I decided to attend this year's Dia del Libro.
The activity proved to be a challenge -- but an exciting one at that. Each participant is being told "dos minutos para escribir" which means that each of us are given just two minutes to write a part of the book. And if you think that's already challenging, the real catch is once I was seated facing the book -- the manuscript is purely in Spanish!
Similar to once you purchase a book in the event, after a participant finishes the two-minute deadline, he/she is given a red rose as their way of saying thank you and because it's part of the Spanish tradition in commemorating the event. There were other events that day including a cultural show but I had to beg off because next to the scorching summer heat, I still had some commitments to attend to. But if you were to ask me how I found the event given that this is only the first time I attended, I'd say it was fun to have experienced something new and maybe, I'll be going again next year.
Back from what has been a 10-day night shift at work. And since it's a weekend, I took the liberty of time to explore the metropolis and look at what I found:
Since I started working at one of the country's busiest business districts, this place, the Ayala Triangle Park had pretty much caught my inquisitive thoughts. And since I am getting out of the office in the morning for this week and with the weekend in the works, I decided to fix a trip to this piece of sanctuary in the city.
And well, the trip was all worth the planning and the wait. A version of London's Hyde Park just a few steps away from the office. It was such a quiet venue perfect for finding serenity after a week's load of busy stuff at work. Who would have thought that in such a busy CBD like Makati lies a patch of solitude. The one that's pictured above was the exact location of where I was this morning. There, during my visit was health buffs for a walk and a bunch of guys from a Frisbee team having their practice at 7 a.m.
Oh, and I found another wonderful view in this park. I better return there to have a photo of that spot taken because it's really wonderful. I admire it to bits!
