View from on high

I've recently taken pictures of surrounding building tops from the offices or buildings I have been able to visit or chance upon. It may be a strange hobby - or subject matter, and I'm sure others might have thought it, well, unusual. So why my sudden interest?

Call it a vivid imagination, but have you ever wondered how the city would look like from the viewpoint of someone either swinging from building to building, or better yet, flying low - but not too low, of course... that you could see everything or everyone like the size of ants? Where vehicles looked like toys, or maybe even smaller? I have, hence, taken these pictures... to sort of put into perspective what artists in comicbooks might refer to as the bird's eye view.

To see, or at least, get to imagine, what a person who could do such feats would see - how they would see it, and consider... what would they be thinking as they passed above us, a populace that may be unaware of their moving silently (or not so silently) above us... possibly looking down on what we are doing, or ignoring us as they focus on other possibly more important things in their minds.

Here is my collection of pictures - ones that try to capture said feeling, such view. As you see these pictures, imagine yourself moving past these scenes, and consider - what first comes to mind as you witness such a view from above.

Could you easily locate your home from above? Would you be disoriented by the differing view? I can imagine how easily lost may people would feel from the ground - would their sense of direction be improved if they came form above? Or would they be further lost by the very different viewpoint? Consider, for example, do you remember what the color of your roof is? What is the closest landmark you can remember, how would this look from above? Could you spot it miles away, just by its unique shape?

Notice the beauty of each view - how the city seems to look very different from what you would normally see at the street level... how vast and open the space above seems to suddenly feel, as opposed to the close, cramped feeling one might experience with grounded vehicles and corridors.

Would you feel happier, or brighter because of this? Would you possibly feel a sense of superiority?

Would your perspective of the human race change, if you are able to do this and you know, for a fact that you were unique in having this skill or power, would your fellowship with everyone else be affected? I hope not. But not everyone might feel grounded - yes, ironic isn’t it… that one would have the need to feel grounded if he (or she) could fly?

Is this how a hero would feel? Would there be a certain smugness? Would a person's values change overnight? Would mine? I'd like to think that they won't. I'll still think of myself as the same, except for the simple fact that I could suddenly fly that is. But change my habits? Change my thinking? Change how I treat others? I'd like to think that my values are more grounded (there's that word again, I know...), more solid... similar to those instilled on a young boy who grew up from Smallville.

In connection to this, I remember reading one of the earlier profound lessons shared by Merlin to Arthur (I know I read it somewhere – I think it came from the Once and Future King – great book that); anyway , as Arthur, who was still a boy, was transformed into a bird, he flew on high and as he looked down, he saw how the lands looked from above - how the lines he expected to see – those normally found in maps, those that would normally discern one country from another; and segregated territories from each other… were surprisingly missing from above... making Arthur realize that there really were no separating lines, and that these territories were more man-made out of political convenience or arrangements. A lesson he would later use to consider consolidation rather than segregation.

It was, after all, at that point that Arthur started learning wisdom and a greater (though not yet global) perspective in life that others had not even imagined. So simple an idea… so wonderful a though, yet so different from the reality we live in.

Similarly, do we see city boundaries? Or like Arthur, would we just see a continuing mass of land, with countless roofs and patches of greens? Would the differences likewise elude us when viewed from above?

Lucky for us, there is software that can give us an idea as to how our city – and neighborhood would look like from above through satellite pictures – hence giving us that bird’s eye view perspective, and more. But that is limited to just one dimension – not having the option to look at things from different perspectives. I mean, can you imagine looking at the city through a 3-D version? Yes we have Google Earth, and Sim City to give us an idea about this. But something seemed missing in both – maybe if these two could be integrated?

Anyway, As I was saying, this gave me a different perspective… as it may do others. Now, what perspective that is, is really up to the person and said person’s action sometimes. Would you feel like Superman and feel the need to protect this city? Or be ever vigilant like Batman? Would you thrill to swinging from roof to roof like Spider-man? Would your (or my) interest be put to good use? Or would I use them poorly? Would I be the consummate voyeur - looking at windows and rooftops to see people doing things on the mistaken assumption that they are safe from prying eyes? The thought had occurred to me.

One definite advantage I can see, I won't be as affected by rising gasoline prices, and maybe I won't have to inhale too much pollution too. Travel from one place to another would simply be from point A to B, without worrying about traffic signs, crooked cops waiting to entrap you with their vague signs, nor crazy public transport drivers.

Mind you, this is not a flight (pun intended) of fancy. But I do wonder at times, heck I even dream it in some cases – about me flying... so I guess, its a flight of fantasy - and how it seems the most natural thing at that. No... I won’t be proceeding to a roof or ceiling to test that theory like Peter Petrelli of Heroes – I've a vivid imagination, but I’m still grounded on reality – thank you very much (but it is tempting).

So, until I accidentally find a flying carpet, or they finally invent a jet pack for one's back just like in James Bond, or a device that just defies gravity for whatever reason, these pictures will be as close to my seeing how I would view the world while flying... that is, if I could.

Aquarium update - July 2008

I went to Caritmar last Sunday, on the off chance of finding some fish that I was looking for. This place isn't the usual place I would go to because it really is rather out of the way with my usual routes... and I normally ply the Greenhills area, or Mandaluyong - but Pasay? Nope. I'd need a strong incentive to go there. Sunday was different though - we; that is, the kids and I, had nothing to do, so we decided to go to my dad's place in Paranaque to get something. Unfortunately, we were unable to get what we went to get, but lucky for me, I had our portable hard drive at the trunk of the car, so we went and delivered it to their uncle Dict's place in Makati - for him to check if it was still okay (turns out that it was, the problem being the casing and not the hard drive itself - lucky for me and our stored data). However, since Uncle Dict wasn't home either (we just left the hard drive), I decided to try out Cartimar in search for that elusive Cardinal Tetra - a fish I have been unsuccessfully trying to source for nearly a year - and I even tried 'Ask Yahoo' about where I could find them, which goes to show how much I was willing to try unorthodox (at least to me) ways to find a store that had them. Anyway, someone did answer Yahoo Questions, telling me that there were Cardinals in Cartimar, and I was somewhat skeptical of this answer, so I just ignored it. Still, we were already in Makati, which was a relatively short drive to Cartimar, and since there was nothing to do at home... off we went that Sunday afternoon - hoping, but not expecting, to find Cardinals. I was somewhat surprised to see the place upgraded in some places - though not all stalls were affected, but I was impressed with some of the shops - and their prices were hardly Cartimar-oriented these days, meaning they were not exactly cheap. Just to give an example, one aqua shop was seling Crystal Shrimps (first time I've seen them) for 1,500 pesos each... definitely an eyebrow raiser, specially when you think that one shrimp is hardly an inch long. They're colored a bright red-orange and white, so they somehow resemble the color patterns of Koi fish. Cherry shrimps were at 50 pesos each - again rather costly... and this time, they're roughly a centimeter long - easily ignored. But this shop was also selling discus, with small ones priced at 400 pesos each, and I did not bother to ask how much the bigger ones were (roughly the same price as the expensive shrimp - maybe more). But I did not get anything from them - I just placed things into memory for future reference. I, then started searching the different stalls for possible Cardinals, but it seemed that none of them were carrying such... I then tried the smaller stalls - those side by side to each other in the less glamorous stalls - but no go. So I resigned myself to getting a few Neon tetras which I saw in just one stall - reasoning out that if I could not get Cardinals, well... neons were as close to them as I could find. Let me explain... from afar, you'd think these two were of the same breed - same shape, same bright color, but for one tiny detail... the Neons have a bright blue hue on top of a red hue that disappears towards its stomach to the head - in other words, the red stripe is not fully presented at its bottom. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have said red stripe all the way from right after the fish's head up to right before its tail - a solid stripe, not disappearing. Now that you know, see if you can spot the Cardinal from the Neons in this page. Mind you, the differences do not end there - for example, Neons prefere colder climate, and cooler aquariums, while Cardinals like it warm (hence are great companions to Discus fishes, who like the same temperature). Neons are frail, while Cardinals are sturdy. Neons can breed in captivity with no problem, while Cardinals, on the other hand, have not been bred successfully - or those that have been bred in captivity lose their bright hues; which explains why they are hard to find in pet shops - they have to taken from their normal breeding grounds in the Amazon river.

Anyway, if I could not find Cardinals, then Neons would have to suffice. I bought some plants to place in the aquariums - it seems that the stall owner said they were onion-like plants, though to me they seemed like vallisneira, which happen to be long thin leaves - and having a bunch of them could help form a great natural backdrop of greens for my aquarium.

For good measure, I also got me four female Sword tails to supplement the three males I have at home, and likewise decided to add some Pink danioes. If we were leaving catimar, I thought that at least it would not be empty handed... and the trip would not be a total waste.

Then, just out of the blue, I tell the kids that we might as well look at the other shops - get to know what they have, and then I spot a rather nice and well maintained shop with small fishes (you can't miss it because its at the corner), and as I look around I see Rummy noses - hmmm... I was thinking that I'll be needing some of that too, then as I look up to scan the other partitions, I notice a small sign saying 'Cardinal' - but no cardinals were in it. Why am I not surprised?

So, out of the blue, I ask the lady if they had no more cardinals - and she says they STILL DO! She then shows me eight - they were in the row right behind what I was looking for, full sized by the looks of them and tells me they have more upstairs! I asked how much, and they cost a fairly reasonable 80 pesos each. Bio Research sells them for 140 to 170 each! - man, what a rip-off... and lucky I did not buy form them when they had - and they rarely have, by the way. In a too good to be true feeling I automatically ask if they give discounts for anyone getting 10 pieces... and she says, yes... 75 pesos each.

You could guess that this was my moment of truth, and after a very brief moment's hesitation; all two seconds fo it, I bought 10. She then tells me that they also have Otos (Otocinclus), and mine died a few months ago; so I got two - then I asked if they also had shrimp - they did. This kind of shop was what I 've been looking for - they had the fished I wanted and were professional in caring for their fishes - she even took time to cover the Cardinals' plastic with newspapers to either keep them in the dark - less stress from the travel with bright sunlight, or so the plastics won't be stuck with each other.

I honestly didn't know what to do with my Neons now, but resolved to place them in a separate aquarium from my Cardinals - can't have them crowding around... besides, the shop I got the Neons from were - lets jsut say, not as serious with the quality fo their handling fishes, so I did not want to put these two groups together.

I have to say that watching my Cardinals is a joy, and I'm just glad to have found them. The Sword tails look happy (at least, the males do), the Danios look fine - though my Neons looked unable to adapt (they are a rather frail breed), and have since disappeared - either dead or eaten.

Ah well, it may sound a bit cruel or insensitive of me, but they were just replacements for cardianls - and not too costly at that, so I don't really mind their loss. As for my plants, I'll be fixing them maybe later to make their environs better - but for now, the plants are in the aquarium where there are Clown Loaches and Red Tail Sharks, which is where I also added the Sword tails, Danios and Neon Tetras. In case the plants have snail eggs - and I start having snail infestations... these fishes will make short work of said snails.

I would have wanted to show off my awuarium, but I've had difficulties taking pictures of my aquarium fishes - always getting blurry pictures - but for the sake of this entry, I'll try again. As it is, the pictures above were lifted from the internet.

Now, to mention my current inventory of fishes, in my 35 gallon community tank, I hvae the following : Red Tail Sharks (2), Tiger Barbs (4), Clown Loaches (4), Sword tails (7), Pink Danios (4), Spotted Talking Catfish (1), Neon tetra (0) - none survived the transition.

In my 23 gallon octagon tank, I have the following: Cardinals (10), Rummy Nose (1), Ottos (2), Albino Corys (3), Ghost Shrimps (M.I.A.), I suspect that some of these fishes are responsible for them being unseen... they could be in hiding, or they could be pushing daisies... so far, I've only discovered three of them, and that was only because they went out of their hidey holes becasue they smelled food.

Now it can be told - how I destroyed my first aquarium

This happened several years ago, and its repercussions are still being felt up to now. The 35-gallon aquarium I have is actually a ‘hand-me-down’, but its by no means my original aquarium. though my original was likewise a black-bordered aquarium, like the one I have right now, it was basically newer and its glass was not as scratched as the one I have right now.

So what happened to my original aquarium? A simple case of gravity and stupidity, really - the first being a natural law, the second; borne out of a belief (poor gamble really) that I could beat the gravity odds.

See, I was cleaning the aquarium - and I mean, really cleaning this one, so I removed the fishes… got the gravel into a pail to clean it up, removed the water of course and cleaned the filter. Now,since our water pressure was basically weak that day, I had some difficulty holding the hose in place, as the water was trickling into the aquarium.

Feeling a bit impatient and tired of holding the hose, I looked for something to keep it in place, but could not find anything that would hold the hose in place. What I found, actually, was a small dumbbell and decided that if I could balance it at the aquarium’s corner, as it holds down the hose, I could then do other things while the water filled itself up.

Unfortunately, gravity had other plans… I had just let go of the dumbbell and taken a few paces away, when the dumbbell slips form the corner, and in true Murphy’s Law fashion, it falls into the aquarium, hits the bottom, and goes through said bottom… spilling the already accumulated water (possibly 5 gallons of water)
onto the floor. So… I had to act fast or just keep my fish in the large water container where I had placed them. Lucky for me, I remember my dad having an old aquarium, which, for some reason I was not privy to, ws no longer being used. So I asked for it… drove to Paranaque… loaded the old aquarium… drove home and cleaned said aquarium.

So as I said earlier, this stupidity with the dumbbell… its still being felt, at least, until I get to buy a new aquarium. What was I thinking of? Boy… did I learn a lesson.

In the past, i was too embarrassed to mention this… but now, I can easily laugh about the experience. So what made me bring it up now? I've been transferring blog posts from here to my mirror blog, and I came across several old aquarium blogs. Naturally I remembered this, and decided to share it.