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Published: December 27th 2007
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The junk truck
This is the view of phillip's neighbors More Wedding Preperations
Like I thought both dad and I woke up early. It is about 5:30 AM, Manila time. We are sitting in the next room reading and writting because phill is still asleep. People outside are starting to stir again and come to life.
Metro Manila is a bunch of cities all around the actual city manila. It is the commercial heart of the country. Everyone comes here to work or go to school. Apparently it is very expensive though. I'm guessing not unlike New York City. It is now light outside and I can hear roosters crowing in the middle of this huge city. Someone is also playing shania twain.
The linoleum in Phill's apt is colored to look like carpet. Now someone is blasting UB40's Red Red Wine. I like this song. Every so often you can hear dogs barking and people sweeping. I woke up this morning with my back-my whole body- hurting from sleeping on an air mattress. I am fighting off the urges to want to go home. I need to learn how to embrace things that are different. Enjoy what I can learn from them and experience instead of resisting
In the Internet cafe
This is Phill checking his email change. I think that is what I get for having such a comfortable bed at home. It makes me miss it more.
Chona's sister's name is Christina but they call her Ate Tenit. Her kid's names are Josh, Liam, Ethan, and Edjid. They are all boys and are very cute but shy.
We had oatmeal for breakfast. I had to eat mine on a plate because phill only has one bowl. It worked out just fine. We went over to chona's and she was at work but her sisiter was going to give us a ride to the PBO to get phill's church membership records so he can get permission to get married in the Manila temple. We went to a little grocery store down the street. They had a mix of American food, Filippino food and other imports. It took forever because Phill is undecisive. It was cool to see the different stuff they have. We found some canned balut. It is one of the grossest things I have ever seen. Balut is half developed duck embryo. The people eat it here as a delicacy. Gross! We got a few grocieries then came back. Dad, Phill and
A typical street
This is us making our way from the internet cafe to the gas dealer I went to a local internet cafe for a bit. Where I found out that I have overdraft charges to my bank account. Oh JOY. I'm not sure why. I am so sick of having no money. It distresses me. I didn't look at my bank account though because it didn't seem secure at a cafe.
We then went and bought a propane tank for Phill's stove from a random gas dealer. There aren't big stores here. It seems like eveyone is selling stuff out of an itty bitty shop most often connected to their house. The gas man had a long hallway with gas tanks on one side and bins of rice for sale on the other. He also had a pile of coconuts. At first a man came out with a really cute baby. He then went back in and gave the baby to somebody else and then went to find the actual man selling gas. While we were there a little girl came by laughing at the gas proprietor and making fun of him saying he doesnt speak english. It was cute. We were quite the scene, three big white people trying to by gas in
the middle of a neighborhood. We finagled a bit with the man (who wasn't wearing a shirt) Then the boy who had the baby, delivered it with a dolly to the apt.All the school Children wear uniforms which usually consist of a calf length plaid skirt and white blouse for girls and trousers and a shirt for boys. You can see them wandering the streets.
After we got the gas we went to chona's work, Chow King. We ate lunch, it was really good and we were starving. We Ordered a combination plate and some side orders. We had rice, some noodles with vegis, crispy egg rolls, some beef teryaki stuff, and fried dumplings. For dessert we ordered Halo-Halo (pronounced hall-o). It their version of the icecream sundae but is way different. It conssists of chipped ice in a bowl with sweet milk poured over it. On top of that they put all sorts of weird toppings. Coconut, beans (different than in the US), fruit, bananas, tapioca balls, a chunk of flan etc. Most of the stuff is stuff you couldn't find an equivilant to in the US. On top of all that is two scoops of icecream. One
is dark purple and is flavored by a type of sweet potato and the other is corn flavored. it reminds me of corn cereal. It was actually really good. I think they might sell a packaged version at the oriental market I go to at home I will check when I am there next.
Chona wasnt done with work yet so we wandered around a bit. I found a lesportsac purse at a street market so phill bought it for me. It was only like $6 but apparently we over payed. Normally the real ones in the US are like $80. I needed a new purse anyway, my friend back home will cough when she finds out how much I paid. I know it isn't a real one because the workmanship is real shotty. Dad really needed to use the restroom. We had to buy toilet paper because they just use a cup to splash themselves clean. I guess they are all wet from the humidity anyway. I think dad and phill got sore guts from lunch. I'm real glad I didn't. We went and got chona and went home for a rest.
After our much needed rest
Halo-Halo
Kinda like an icecream sundae but nothing like it at all we went to Makati City hall to get the wedding license. Marriage is pretty important here becasue divorse is illegal. They had lots of papers to fill out and they had to go to a two hour wedding prep class. The ladies helping us were being silly. The city hall is huge, many floors. Every time you go into an important building including shopping malls you get a pat down for safety. From there we took a taxi to the mall of Asia. It is the biggest mall in Asia. We were really tired but walked around a bit. It is built right off the bay so they don't make it too many stories so it doesn't sink into the ocean. That is what chona said. It was a lot like an American mall just a lot more stores that are smaller. We found a Philippines handicraft store and dad bought a mask for my sister Alisa, who collects them. There was lots of great stuff but I was scared to buy anything. I might find something better and cheaper later. I was tired so I cuoldn't make decisions.
We found a department store and phill picked out some
Street beggar
You can't give these kids money because they are run by a gang necessities. There was about a billion people working there waiting to help you out. There were also other people with microphones doing demonstrations with the products. It took forever. I've noticed that everyone here wears uniforms and lots of makeup when they work with the public. Chona says it is so they look better to the public. It then took forever to get a taxi, we had to wait in a line. We got in a small taxi but they said we were too heavy so we had to get in the next one that was bigger. Dang big Americans. When we got home we dropped off the stuff and phill and I went over to chona's to hang out for a while. I was tired but didn't want to go to bed too early, then I would wake up really early again. We watched some of the movie waterworld and some of another movie. Finally I made Phill go home because Chona needed sleep. We pretty much went right to sleep. This has been a very long day.
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PinoyBackpacker
Proud to be Pinoy
About Mall Of Asia
I'm Filipino and from what i've heard, no one enjoys shopping at that mall. It's too freaking big. Even the hardcore mall rats steer clear of that mall. I've been to that mall too and don't plan to go back. SM Megamall in Pasig City (that's just 3 MRT stations away from the Ayala Station in Glorietta) is enough for me.