The trains that never moved: Metro Manila’s aging train system

LRT 1. Trains arriving at Monumento Station

It was 9:15 AM at the North Avenue Station of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT Line 3) and I was bound to meet a friend at 11:00 AM at a mall in Ortigas Center. I thought that by 9:00 AM, the line of passengers to get to the train would be shorter but to my dismay, it seemed endless. I waited in line but after an hour, I haven't even reached the bottom of the stairs that will lead me up to the main entry gates. I dropped it and went for a bus instead but 10 minutes in the bus I realised it was also not a good idea. So I opened a ride-hailing App and booked a motorbike that would pick me up on my pinned location and take me to my Ortigas. I made it 5 minutes early to my appointment time. The distance between North Avenue Station and the mall in Ortigas Center is only 9 kms. A marathon runner could definitely reach my destination ahead of me if I stayed in that line. Nowadays, every hour that the MRT operates is considered rush hour. There is no respite of people lining up. They even have a "Stop/Entry" method. This means lines do not move at all until all passengers in the platform are cleared.

More of San Francisco

Every where I go in San Francisco, there are so many things to see that inspires me to sketch. If I could, I would do an on the spot sketching. I have joined some of the sketchwalks organized by Urban Sketchers San Francisco/Bay Area. I met the very lovely Laurie Wigham, one of the pioneers of urban sketching in San Francisco. I have been to a couple of the sketch walks she organized and it was great to see fellow urban sketching enthusiasts Apart from urban sketching, I also try other ways of illustrations like taking a photo of a place and sketching it and sketching the interior of a coffee shop or restaurant.

Here are more San Francisco sketches I made:

Sketching Los Angeles

I visited Los Angeles for the first time during spring break last month and I had a great time walking the city and finding great places to sketch. Food was great too. I am thankful for my friend for adopting me for 3 days and touring me around L.A.

Here are sketches I did while I was there.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall . . . . #urbansketchers #urbansketch #urbansketches #usk #waltdisney #illustration #illustrations #sketch #sketchdaily #sketches #waltdisneyconcerthall #losangeles #california #disney

A post shared by J. Gerald Legaspi (@sigeraldto) on Apr 2, 2018 at 2:11pm PDT

San Francisco Sketches

In the past months, I have been quite active in making sketches of San Francisco and most of them were done on the spot at places like Mission-Dolores Park, The Ferry Building, The Presidio and at the Marina.

Here are some of my recent sketches. Follow my on Instagram @sigeraldto

Back in SF. This was sketched during a hike at the Presidio yesterday. . . . . . #urbansketchers #urbansketch #urbansketches #usk #waltdisney #illustration #illustrations #sketch #sketchdaily #sketches #art #dailyart #sketchaday #anartfeature #youtubers #igers #instagram #instasketch

A post shared by J. Gerald Legaspi (@sigeraldto) on Apr 6, 2018 at 5:45pm PDT

New York City Sketches

Last December, during one of the coldest winter the east coast has experienced, I went travelling in New York city and created a 3-part sketchbook. New York city is such an inspiring place full of architecture that you would want to recreate. Sketchbooks have always been my go-to souvenirs of my travel aside from photographs and postcards. I hope this becomes into a book someday.

A post shared by J. Gerald Legaspi (@sigeraldto) on Jan 20, 2018 at 3:30pm PST

San Francisco So Far

So far, here are some of the sketches and snapshots of San Francisco. It has been over a month since I moved here but Netlfix and Hulu is taking much of my time. I got a lot of catching up with TV.

Sketches of Ilocos Norte and Vigan

During the trip, I did not get to sketch on the spot as it was a tight schedule. I only managed to find time when I was at home and sketched my favourite spots in Ilocos Norte and the lovely hotel we stayed in Vigan, Escolta Homey Lodge, which is right at the center of Calle Crisologo. A video log at the end of all the pictures is included for you to see the mini sketchbook I personally made.

Trying to get the juice back on sketching. Here is a sketch of Bangui Wind Farm. . . . . . #illustration #illustrations #blackink #inksketches #inksketch #art #artoftheday #dailysketch #dailyart #watercolourchannel #watercolour #watercolor #watercoloursketches #sketch #sketches #aquarela #aquarelle #youtubers #igers #ig #instragram #instagrammers @instagram #bangui #windmills #windfarm #ilocos #ilocosnorte #waterblog #anartfeature

A post shared by Joseph Gerald Legaspi (@sigeraldto) on Jul 5, 2017 at 9:19pm PDT

Sydney and Melbourne, City Sketches and Adele

Australia. A country I never thought I would set my foot in to because I always say that it is too far but Adele changed it all. Ha! When it was announced that Adele will have a series of concert in Australia. I immediately decided to go because I may never get any more chance to see her perform live thus giving me the opportunity to visit Australia, specifically Sydney and Melbourne.

My visit lasted 5 days in Sydney and 6 days in Melbourne ending the trip together with the 77,000 people in Etihad Stadium, Docklands area in Melbourne just to watch Adele's last night in Australia. Can I just say that it is one of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life.

During my trip, I have done sketches of some of my favourite spots and scenes both in Sydney and Melbourne. Here are the pictures I have taken during the trip:

Solo Central Java and the Alila Hotel

Solo, in central Java, was a surprise for when I visited it. It was quite town yet still filled with character. I was there for a weekend and stayed at this amazing hotel, The Alila. I think just staying at the hotel was enough for me and lots of Nasi Liwet.

City Sketches: Paris, Marseille, Aix, Barcelona and Madrid.

During my trip to France and Spain, I have taken the time to sketch the places and things that I liked. I have posted this on Instagram and I have compiled it all here to show my sketches during my travel.

Port Vieux, Marseille

Sketches and Photographs: An Instagrammed chronicle of my first visit to Japan.

My first trip to Japan and I visited Tokyo and Hakone. I have never been so excited to visit the crazy city of Tokyo and I was also well inspired that I have made a lot of sketches during the trip.

Here are the sketches I have done and some of the photographs I have taken.

City Sketches: Macau

So I spent my Christmas holiday in Macau for 3 days before going to Hong Kong and I have done some sketches while I was there and I also added some more after returning home. Here are the sketches I made.

Surprising Macau: Christmas in this wonderful city.

Oh Macau, you surprise me with your charm. I never thought I would love your city but I did despite a very tight 3 days 2 nights stay, you still managed to deliver the best of a heritage-filled city and the cosmopolitan side of all the glitz and glam of your stunning casinos. Words are not enough for me describe you but here are my best shots of your city. Enjoy.