Blogs from Metromanila, Philippines, Asia - page 7

for those of you I was unable to contact before I left, I am now back in Manila. I will be here until December 28th conducting new hire training. I have a laptop this time, so hopefully I'll update this blog more than last time. One of the things that I'm really looking forward to doing is experiencing Christmas here. In the states, we usually start with the decorations and holiday music around thanksgiving....here...they start before Halloween....It's that huge...All of the malls are already in full holiday mode with trees, lights, music and fake icicles everywhere....It's quite odd to be in the South Pacific and hearing "walking in a winter wonderland" Somehow it just doesn't seem to fit.... Anyway, I'm off to sample the local flavors for dinner and have a few Red Horse (beer).... read more

We came from Plaridel, Bulacan heading towards Quezon City to look for the famous La Mesa Dam or Echo Park. The place is a total nature in the heart of the City. Why go to distant places when in the city itself there exists a beatiful paradise? From the airport, the Park is approximately 20 kilometers. With a bus fare of less than P35 only or taxi fare of around P300, you can already visit a heart-warming nature fresh Echo Park. It has swimming pool, restaurants, refreshment bars, flower gardens, butterfly garden, and a lot more. Come and visit Echo Park! ... read more

Life here in Manila sure is different from the states. For one, the humidity is about 80-90% and the temp ranges from 75 at night to 95 during the day. With these temps and humidity, there is no way you can NOT sweat all the time. Another difference is the traffic. In Metromanila there are lines on the road and some street lights, but no one seems to follow them. On the way to the office yesterday, for instance, I saw a family of 5 on a motorbike meant for 1. there were 2 kids in front, then dad, another kid, and then mom. To make matters worse they were traveling about 35-45 mph going THE WRONG WAY IN TRAFFIC!!! As a pedestrian it definately behooves you to have excelent reflexes as crossing the street is ... read more

April 17, 2007: Lut with SJA ‘67 and Psych friends There was some confusion about dates when I would be seeing SJA ’67 and going out with the Psych group. Fortunately for me, both groups wanted to go to Merk’s in Greenbelt 3 to watch the New Minstrels (a 60’s/70’s band comprised of people our age). Dodo was supposed to pick up Ade and me at the Podium at 6pm. I wanted to do some shopping before that (bubble wrap, sheet protectors, Pinoy veggie cookbook - all National Bookstore stuff… ahhhh, National Bookstore will always be part of my Philippine visits). Podium is small and not really that exciting, so I decided to go to Shangrila after lunch and then just walk to Podium after shopping. Fortunately, Dodo suggested that she pick Ade and me up ... read more