Let's play on the hotel's hallway!

The kids - playing on the hotel's hallway... probably to the glee of those monitoring the closed circuit video camera but to the dismay of other temporary residents of the 16th floor of Diamond Hotel, Manila during the night of May 23, 2008.

The game - Patentero - is quite simple really: one is made to guard an imaginary line "drawn" across the hallway and prevent other players to cross over. If and when another player will attempt to cross, the "guard" needs to tag this player and when successful, the other player is now the new "guard".


Then, just repeat the process over and over, until somebody or everybody tires of the game. And the winner is one who is the guard less times over.

The kids - Ima (11), Isco (6), Marielle (7) and Kira (turned 6 the following day) -played patentero as quitely as they could, but barely!


That's Kira wanting to have her closed up picture taken.


Marielle making known her strategy to Isco! What's the big secret?