Rain

All hell breaks lose when it rains in Manila.  The already congested traffic comes to a complete stand still.  A plethora of taxis magically disappears into thin air as if the taxis were conspiring to gauge prices.  For a foreigner that doesn’t know how to get around the city other than using taxis, you are at the mercy of the weather and the taxi drivers.

“Mam’m, I have a lot of customers to choose from, you pay more yes?”  If you dare to refuse, you’ll end up on the street for another half an hour looking for another taxi driver that will readily take advantage.

This morning I went down onto the street like I have always done since moving to Rockwell.  Normally, it takes around 5 to 10 minutes to hail a cab.  However, in the rain plus the ongoing Christmas pilgrimage (this topic is for another day), getting a taxi is mission impossible.  After waiting for 5 minutes, I noticed this foreigner across the street from me competing for a taxi, so, I moved closer to the cross street.  After he noticed that I have moved in front of him, he moved too.  I changed my location again to stay ahead, and he followed.   This time, he didn’t just follow, he headed in front of me.  “How dare he?”.  I thought to myself.  I waved harder, raised my arm higher, and tipped toed more to gain more visibility, but to no avail.  The man was taller, had longer arms, and looked Caucasian which might translates into a better customer (or target depending on how you see it).  Thirty minutes had passed, we were still doing our dance for the amusement of taxi drivers.  The stranger walked across the street and asked me where I was heading.   “Ortigas.” I said.  “Me too.  Do you want to share a cab?”.  Out of desperation, I agreed.  We split up into different corners, continued our hail-a-cab cha-cha, another 20 minutes must have gone by and he got us a cab while standing in the median of the street.  We small talked until I arrived at my office building.  “I would never have gotten into a cab with a perfect stranger, but in the rain in Manila, it’s a different story” I thought to myself as I handed him the cab fare. 

The dreaded evening commute has arrived sooner than expected.  Andrew and I have been sharing a taxi to Rockwell in the evenings.  After the horrible wait this morning, I had no patience for a repeat of this morning.  “Andrew, let’s take the MRT.”  I suggested.  Andrew looked at me and said, “Have you ever taken the MRT before?”.  “Yes, once, with Marly” I said proudly.  He laughed, “only once?”.  He shamed me into silence.

The MRT cost P10 or $0.23 per person, which is about one tenth of the taxi fare when there’s no traffic.  After a short MRT ride, Andrew and I trotted in the rain searching for a taxi, jeepney, a converted motorbike to take us to the Power plant mall.  The taxis were full or heading to the wrong direction, the jeepneys were so packed that only the heads of the passengers were inside the jeepneys and their bodies were hanging outside the back of the jeepneys, and the converted motorbikes were packing five or six people when it was only meant for three or four.  Finally, two passengers got out of a jeepney, I jumped onto the jeepney with my Louis Vuitton bag tightly tucked under my arm, Andrew hopped in with his wet suit pant still hanging outside the jeepney.  We handed over P16 altogether and squeezed in for a hard seat in this hot, sticky, and polluted jeepney.  Andrew tries not to smile but I had this huge grin on my face.  This has been the best adventure that I have had in three months in the Philippines! 

The jeepney stopped after Andrew said something to the driver in Filipino.  We ended up right outside the Power plant mall.  As soon as we walked into the mall, there’s Salvatore Ferragamo, DKNY, Armani Exchange, and all the high-end stores.  The contrast of the jeepney and the mall was impossible to miss.  As I was about to exit the mall to head home, I thought, “If it wasn’t because of the rain, I would never have the opportunity to peek outside of my luxurious foreigner lifestyle bubble.  Thanks to the rain, I had the best commute of my life!” 

It's Over

My honeymoon with Manila came to a squeaky halt.  Maybe it’s because I am traveling every weekend so that I spend my free time away from Manila.  Maybe it’s because how disorganized work has been that I am taking out my frustration on the City.  Or maybe the romance was never meant to be no matter the city…  Of course, just like everything that bothers me, I have developed a hypothesis and I am going to test it and form a theory!

Before my relocation, people have told me to start in Singapore as it is considered “Asia-Light”.  However, Singapore and Hong Kong are a little bit too easy in my opinion.  Both places have a lot of expatriates, one can get by easily with English, and they are both extremely commercialized and developed.  To me, they are not “Asia” enough.  Prior to accepting my job in Manila, I also had my doubts.  “Will the Philippines be ‘too’ much of a developing country which will be too challenging for me since I have lived in the US for the past 20 years?”  Upon arriving Manila, all of those doubts evaporated.  The food selection is diverse and immense, English is one of the official languages, people are friendly, the apartments can be extremely modern, and consumerism blends right in with the polluted air.  All these ‘Western” influences make everything seem so “normal” and “US” for those who are not careful.

The expectations were low before I moved to Manila knowing that it is not as developed as some of the other Asian cities.  I was pleasantly surprised by almost everything that I encountered over the last three months - the food, people, culture, prices, accessibility, convenience, etc.  Then, slowly, the disappointments set in when the traffic gets in the way of catching a flight, when not knowing Filipino directly translates into higher prices, and when the perceived friendliness is just that, perceived.

My honeymoon with Manila is over probably because my expectations have changed significantly since my arrival.  Manila did not set out to deceive my expectations but as a new resident of the City, I wanted to see and experience familiarity, comfort, and relatedness instead of what the City can offer.  Maybe this is the beginning of a new phase – marriage, where reality sets in and staying married will take hard work from both Manila and I.

Hometown

I am ashamed to say that I don't know much about my hometown.  Every time when I visit Taiwan, the primary objective was always spending time with family and friends so getting to know Taipei was never on my radar screen.  Since this has been the second time that I flew home over the weekend after I started working in Manila, I figured that I will take the initiative to learn a little more about my hometown, my culture, and where I came from.

The flight to Taipei from Manila arrived a little early to my surprise.  I had previously asked mom not to have anyone pick me up at the airport so I found my way to the bus station and bought an one-way ticket to test out the bus-taking experience.  A taxi ride from Tao-Yuan to my destination will cost me about $40 and the bus ride which dropped me off about 5 blocks away from home was $4.  Other than the unbelievable low cost, the driver was a warm and enthusiastic tour guide, and I was also the only passenger on this route and on his giant bus!

After lunch and spending time with family, I decided to take dad to a bookstore where we spent a couple of hours reading and browsing through books. I ended up with guides for Taipei and Taiwan, and dad ended up with tour books for Bangkok. Like father, like daughter?

Instead of just reading and understanding the books, I decided to experience the interesting places with my parents.  The next day, we visited Da-Dao Cheng (大稻埕) in Taipei.  Other than being absorbed in the historical buildings of Dee-hua street (迪化街) , we shopped for traditional Taiwanese lanterns and hand-weaved bamboo products, we also ate at a hole-in-the-wall Taiwanese noodle house for all kinds of small dishes!  Prior to lunch, Mom swore that she will never wait in line for 30 minutes for anything served from a noodle house like the one that I picked out from the book.  However, bites after bites of delicious small snacks, I think mom will line up again for the home smoked shark meat, barbecued and lightly fried pork, and the lightly salted chicken, noodles, and vegetables.


4pm came around quickly after another walk down Dee-hua street.  I left for Tao-Yuan airport on an air-conditioned bus for $3.  I can't wait for the next time that I explore my hometown with my parents!

Running amok

I often joke around with my colleagues that I am reading so much and spending so much time at work these days because I didn't study hard enough when I was in school, and this is payback time.  College for me was all fun and very little studying except before exams.  I think Jason will disagree and say, "you don't even study before the exams!"

Even though I don't remember much from college, several classes in Physiology did make an impression on me.  One of the topics were on thermoregulation and how 'automatic' our bodies respond to the changes in external temperature without our commands and without our control.  For example, when you walk into an air-conditioned room on a hot summer day, you do not provide your endocrine system with instructions on how the system should perform and react to the temperature change.  You do not walk out of a heated room into the snow with directions to constrict blood vessels to prevent heat loss.  The body adjust to the environment without your involvement, and it just does what needs to be done.  If the body needs commands to adjust to external temperature, a lot of us will be in a lot of trouble, especially the forgetful ones!  

Many of our bodily functions rarely need us or allow us to participate in their operations.  Our heart beats, our intestines absorb nutrients, our pupils dilate and constrict, and there are a lot of examples!  

Then, what about our emotions, thoughts, and feelings?  We think we have control over all of them because the emotions, thoughts, and feelings are "ours".  But our hearts, intestines, and pupils are also "ours", why don't we get a say on how they operate?  

In the past year, I have been "catching myself" a lot more than I used to.  I will be walking very fast with my shoulders back and chest forward.  Then, I will hear my footsteps, then I will choose to slow down.  However, before I have heard my own footsteps, I didn't have a choice to walk fast or to slow down because the walking-fast has been programmed into me as a reaction to some external stimuli such as stress.  How often can we catch ourselves when our mind, body, and spirit have been trained to react a certain way to various circumstances?  Are you sure that our emotional, thinking, and feeling systems are really "ours" and that our bodies are not just directing traffic without our commands? 

California~

Exhaustion finally hits me.  Maybe it's the work hours, maybe it's the flights, maybe it's the never ending hunt for a place to live.  I am finally exhausted, zapped, ready to just take a cab back to California.  Or take a cab to the airport then a flight to California....

Since my flights are on the weekend, I have to schedule the housing appointments on weekdays.  The appointments cut into my lunch hours and I have had absolutely no break from the work for two weeks now.  It has been work, house hunting, and travel.  So tonight, when I finished my housing "tour", instead of standing in the traffic-jammed cross street waiting for a taxi, I decided to be a human sized range hood and suck in all the Manila pollution.  I hiked back to my hotel and treated myself to a nice Japanese meal on my way home.

I am frustrated with the house hunting process because all the property owners think that expats have money therefore they should charge more.  I am also frustrated with the expats because they artificially inflate the housing prices when they live in a property that they will never personally pay for but will do so when the company subsidizes 65% of the rental.  Yes, it's naive of me to think that by "standing my ground", I will change something when I am living in an expensive hotel that I will also never pay for myself but will live here in the name of for convenience and safety when the company pays for 65% of it....

Today is my day of exhaustion, I declare.  And today is my day that I miss my non-polluted California air and the quiet and peaceful California night...  Just today and only tonight....

Fly Asia

I bought a 'Fly Asia' pass from Philippine airlines when I first arrived in Manila for about $1,000 for 6 short trips to various destinations in Asia to visit home, friends, to eat great food, and to practice my photo-taking skills.  Last week, my weekend trip kick-started, but Philippine airlines was on strike!  As I waited in the long queue to fly to Taipei, I doubted my ever-so-brilliant idea, when the plane delayed, I was sure that I had made a big mistake.  But the Hong Kong trip this week changed all of that!

This week, my expectation was more realistic than that of that last week.  I brought a book expecting 'unexpected' delays.  I lined up in the shortest line instead of the line that was designated for Hong Kong having learned from last week's experience and I got to the immigration desk faster.  This time, I had my immigration form filled out ahead of time with 750 pesos so I can skip the form-filling line and pay the airport taxes than those that were not as prepared.  Everything went smoother and faster even though the plane was still delayed.  With the preparation and expectation, I had time to read and shop at duty-free for famous Filipino deserts!

Manila to Hong Kong takes two hours by flight.  As soon as we landed, I could tell that I was in a different city.  In contrast with Manila, everything moved faster in Hong Kong including people.  People in Hong Kong are less patient but very goal and task oriented and super efficient.  The no nonsense Hong Kong culture permeated the air as we waited through immigration.  I, for once, appreciated the Hong Kong efficiency after having lived in Manila for almost two and half months.

I visited Kim, Derek, and Samantha while I was in Hong Kong.  I had my first Hong Kong "high tea" at the newly opened Ritz on the 100+ floor.  Ships, barges, and helicopters moved gracefully below us as we sipped our tea and enjoyed our finger-licking yummy deserts.  Afterwards, Kim and I window-shopped, chatted, caught-up on a year's worth of life-changing experiences while we weaved through the city for photos.  The next day, we lined up and ate at the Tim Ho Wan Michelin star dim sum shop, rested, and I left the Yan's on Sunday afternoon.

It was a short, compacted, but fun trip! Now, I am looking forward to my next flight this coming weekend!

Work-Life Balance

People talk about work life balance all the time but what does it really mean?  I left the office tonight at 8pm and this has been a normal time for me since I started working in Manila.  I wake up at 6:30am and have my giant hotel breakfast around 7:30am, and arrive at the office around 8am or a little pass that.  I usually work non-stop until I remind myself that I need to take a break, or I will stop around lunch time.  After lunch, it's more work until at least 6pm.  Half of the time that I have been in Manila, the work hours stretch into 7pm and 8pm.  There were several 9pms and one night that almost ended at midnight in the office.  Today, when I left at 8pm, I felt balanced.

Not having Jim, cats, or parents in Manila has made working the focal point of my life.  Unlike the previous job, even though the work hours were shorter, it was definitely less balanced.  In the past, I had to rush to and from the office through traffic on highway 50, I had to make it to the happy hours, I had to run errands, and I had to deal with all the administrative issues on my own at work.  The shorter hours did not translate into a less stressful lifestyle, there was always a lot more waiting for me to do and never enough time.  Working in Manila with no commute, I don't have to worry about transportation and traffic. Food is so accessible and affordable that I can cook when I feel like it and eat out when I need to spice up my evenings.  With no family around, I have very little to worry about other than my tummy and my happiness.

When the focus of ones life changes from one to the another, can the concept of work-life balance also change?  Is it healthy now that I am spending so much time at work according to the work-life philosophy?  Does long hours during workweek coupled with exciting trips on the weekend qualify as balance?  Being content on a day-to-day basis with one's work and personal life, is this the definition of work-life balance?

Boracay

Jim was in town for about ten days and we visited Boracay during the low season.. The trip was only about an hour and half away from Manila, but the difference was unmistakable.  The plane flew over the white sand beach and the clear blue ocean before it landed in Caticlan Boracay Airport.  On the Boracay island, we stayed for 4 days and 3 nights, we fed our tummies and roasted our skins!

Boracay is famous for its amazing clear oceans and powdery white sand beach.  The legend is that during the hot sunny summer days, the white sand will remain cool to the touch instead of melting into silicon chips.  What I thought was amazing about Boracay is how many different kind of people the island accommodates and entertains.  There are amazing corals and oceanic creatures for divers.  There is ocean breeze for the wind surfers and para-skiers.  The white sand and calm waves make perfect toys to entertain children.  Party goers have sections of the beach for loud music and cheap drinks and families have quiet sections of the beach for wholesome family gatherings.

I guess Jim and I must be the eating and drinking type.  Jim and I sat by the beach to people watch and lounged on beach chairs whenever the weather permitted.  We quenched our thirst by drinking local beers and kalamansi soda.  When feeding time comes around, we went into town for seafood and other interesting venues such as the Hobbit House and Obama Grill.  And the smartest thing that we did was diving when the rain started!

Boracay was tons of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who visit the Philippines!  Boracay really opened my eyes of how beautiful Philippines is, I think I will explore the country more than I originally anticipated!!!

Party Time!

Back in the US, whenever we throw a party, the preparation and the cleaning will take two days and the party will be a whole day itself.  In Manila, the preparation is done by the helpers and the clean up is also done by the helpers.  The temptation to share a great meal, have friends over, or just enjoy a simple dinner at home becomes  attainable.   Each weekend, there seems to be an endless supply of things to do.  A party somewhere to attend, a get together to celebrate a special occasion, and an excuse to eat tons of food and amazing deserts. 

Since I arrived, besides from looking at properties, I attended parties at different homes.  Mid-autumn festivals for the Chinese families, mid-autumn festival for 'foreigners', weekend family get together parties,  newbie happy hour invites, and welcome to Manila lunches and/or dinners.  Every weekend, I roll back to the hotel stuffed and spoiled by all kinds of party food, try to remember the names of people whom I have met, and search in my memory for where I have been...  Was it Green Hills? What is the name of that restaurant in Mikati? I thought  that person worked in the same company as me? 

It's common to receive two to four invitations for parties over a weekend for an special event.  And it is also conceivable that after a weekend of partying, a massage session is required to get ready for the weekdays.  I am going to try not to go that far, but Manila is definitely a town for those who enjoy entertaining and those who enjoy being entertained! 

1st Month

Work has occupied most of my weekdays and weekends for the past 4 weeks and finally I get a breather.  This is the first weekend that I relaxed and enjoyed the City and the lifestyle!

Friday night started out with some tsimis (gossip) with Marly at the hotel lounge.  We listened to live music, drank our P500 ($10) free flowing wine, and chatted up the girl next to our table.  We met again for our weekend breakfast with a slight headache.  

My schedule suddenly opened up due to rescheduling so I headed to Podium for lunch, a movie, then a bookstore.  I found Julius Caesar for P30 and another English book for P50.  All told, P80, less than $2!  Since Caesar was so thin, I figured I'd start the book with some Golden Spoon yogurt P120 (more than the great work by Shakespeare of course!)  By the time I left the mall, Caesar was killed and by the time my agent came to get me at the hotel, my $1 book was almost over...

After a whole day of relaxation and house hunting, what do I need?  A nice long two hour massage, perhaps? 

I drifted into sleep early and woke up energized and determined to not confuse my activities and be at every place on time despite Manila traffic.  Cheryl picked me up at lunch and we visited Gale's house on the Wack-Wack golf course.  I have never seen a house so resort-ish in my life!  The house was featured on a magazine!  The chef cooked amazing Japanese food and I was surrounded by this amazing, happy, and big family!  Before the family game started for the mid-autumn festival, I was hauled over to see more properties in the area.  

Then, it was dinner at Sharon and Kevin's place.  The house had high ceilings, decorated with simple, elegant, natural art pieces and furniture.  "This is what I am looking for!" I told the host and hostess.  The dinner with Sharon and Kevin's friends were fun, easy-going, and delicious!  How I miss the sound of sizzling pans, aroma filled kitchens, and dinner conversations with friends!

Manila has treated me well so far after the first month.  It's been challenging, exciting, stressful, fun, and interesting!  I'm  cautiously optimistic that I will really enjoy this City!

House (Rental) Hunting

The newbies at work (including me) talk about housing a lot.  Whenever we meet someone new, we use the opportunity to find out their housing situation.  Where do you live? How convenient is your neighborhood?  How's the traffic in your area and are there any alternative transportation such as the MRT?  And the most personal, how much is your rent and your electricity bill?  The people that meet the newbies ask similar questions too.  Where did you come from? What brings you to Manila? Where are you planning to live? Do you have kids, family, or a car? The old birds will always provide forceful suggestions too.  You have to get a car if you want to live in that neighborhood.

House / rental hunting hasn't been easy.  The condition of the places has ranged from over the top to outright scary with the kitchen ceiling being someone else's illegal patio floor.  The prices of the properties have been all over the place too, a 120 square meter house for $800 to 50 square meters for the exact same amount.  Of course it's the neighborhood but the range has been so far apart, it's impossible to choose.  Are they quoting me this price because I am a foreigner or are they quoting me this price because of the location?  It must be both but what is my foreigner premium?  And is there room for negotiating my foreigner premium since I am an "Asian" foreigner?

"Miss, I don't have any furniture so I need a furnished apartment"  I said.  "Oh, it's ok, I will show you the unit and take you furniture shopping."  I stopped insisting since I am not going to rent from this landlord anyway. "Madame, most furnished apartments provide a washer and dryer, are you planning to put one in?"  I asked.  "There's a laundromat here in the mall downstairs."  I stopped there so I don't start a negotiation process with the landlady.  "Mr. are you going to provide a TV, a desk, and washer and dryer?" I had my hopes up for this modern but small unit.  "I can provide the washer and dryer" he hesitated.  "You know, this place was designed by a designer and I spent a lot of money and you'll be the first one to live here, if you choose to.  You are very lucky."   After we walked out of the property, the real estate agent told me that the owner has overspent on his unit and his high asking price is firm. So the search continues...

I don't know how long it will be before I give up the search and just stay at my beautiful yet expensive service apartment.    The rent is $4,000 a month and the company split it with me.  It's modern, clean, with breakfast, parking, and cleaning services provided.  There is a lap pool with under water music, a nice size gym, it's 3 minutes walk from the office and it's in a quiet, safe, and convenient neighborhood.  I know I have to move out for my psyche, but do I really?  House hunting in Manila is a challenging adventure and meeting the investors / owners are definitely an interesting experience!

Firsts

As I stood in my hotel room and stared out the floor to ceiling window, I see the black cloud that's rising up, getting ready to engulf the high-rises in front of mine.  This is the first typhoon that I am experiencing in Manila.  Since my new friend, Andrew, suggested that the rain will be on and off for the most day as the typhoon swirled around Manila, Marly and I stuck with our plan and headed out to the Organic Farmer's Market anyway.

Most people taxi around town since the weather is either really hot and humid or it is pouring down rain.  In the name of adventure, Marly and I bought our 'first' one hundred peso (about $2.5) ten rides MRT pass.  We figured out the direction of the train and arrived in Mikati in precisely eleven minutes.  Compared to being stuck in a taxi, the MRT was so much more relaxing.  Arriving in Mikati wasn't the problem, finding the Organic Farmer's Market was the issue.  None of the locals that we asked for directions knew where the market was.  It must be a foreigner's thing, I thought.  We finally stopped at a hotel lobby for directions, the receptionist managed to give us the wrong directions after about ten minutes.  Marly must have done this a lot and suggested that we check online to confirm.  Sure enough, the direction was off but this also meant that we had to walk further.  We chatted, we walked through Greenbelt 5 to Greenbelt 1, and eventually arrived at the Lagaspi Organic Market where some locals and foreigners gathered.  I had my first fresh coconut juice from Manila, bought some cheap vegetables and fruits, and checked out some interesting arts and crafts from the market.  The walk was long and the market was hot, so we headed out to find Marly's future apartment and to survey the neighborhood.  

I have no idea how far we have walked but I haven't sweat this much in so long!  We ended up at a coffee shop in Marly's future neighborhood (she doesn't know that it's her neighborhood yet, but I can tell) for drinks and to cool down. The sun and the occasional drops of rain made us decide to take the taxi home instead of the MRT.  After our adventure, I headed to the indoor poor at the hotel to relax so I am ready for another week of work at the office.

Marly, after doing her nails, will be bringing the pictures of her potential new home to show me and we will be sharing our first bottle of wine together in celebration of our first Manila adventure.

Wishful Thinking

The most cheerful people that I have ever met are people from the Philippines.  They laugh hard at your jokes, they focus on their families, they are pleasant, and you can hear their laughter from miles away!  Granted everyone is different but I have had the pleasure to meet the very cheerful ones!  Why are they so happy?  Where does that come from?  After living in Manila for three weeks, I have a little theory...

If you ask the residents of Manila - what don't you like about living in this City?  I think most of them will say, "the traffic!".  The congestion in Manila is infamous and is probably one of the worst amongst large Asian cities.  A five kilometer ride can easily take 30 to 40 minutes in bad traffic conditions, an average runner can complete that same distance in his / her running shoes with the same amount of time, if not better.

Since I am new to the city, every time when I get in the taxi, I ask the driver, "how long will it take?"  The answer is always, "oh, it takes ten minutes without traffic, but right now, it will take maybe 30 minutes".  I have asked and the drivers have answered without fail - this amount of time with no traffic and this amount of time in current condition.  I ask myself, "How often do the drivers experience no traffic (if any) and why do they always tell you the no traffic time first?"  My theory is that it is wishful thinking on the drivers' part.  They have to believe that they will get to the destination, without obstacle, in a certain amount of time so that when they are faced with bumper to bumper traffic, their road rage doesn't take over.  Maybe, like the drivers, the Filipinos that I know have been trained to be hopeful and to see the brighter side of life so that they are not depressed by the poverty and inequality that surround them...

Day Dreaming

Dad has been complaining about not having places to go other than the malls around my hotel.  But we have been going to places with his friends...  Every other day, we go out to eat with his friends after work and I have been exhausted.  So on Saturday, I had the hotel breakfast buffet, came back to the room, started surfing on the web for interesting sites to visit.  I day dreamed about having cocktails on exotic beaches, hiking through the mountains, riding in a jeep with other tourists, and I started wondering about travel safety and how I could fit in.  "Maybe I should learn some Tagalog first?", "if I just look like an American tourist with a cap and backpack, I would look like a poor student?", or "maybe I should join a tour?"

I fantasized about my journeys each time when I found a different travel blog or new advertising page for the Philippines.  Then, Dad popped my bubbles with his infamous questions, "where are we going to go today? staying at the hotel again?"  I get so annoyed with him whenever he asks that question, I am just so exhausted from work everyday, why would I want to go anywhere but just chill out at the hotel?  Then, irony presented itself - all the searches for amazing beaches, mountains, and tours require me to get out of the hotel.   Maybe a little exploration wouldn't hurt?  I got ready, herded my parents out of the hotel, took a taxi and arrived at Little Tokyo in Mikati.

The restaurants formed a little Japanese restaurant village which provides outdoor seating for the patrons in the square / garden.  We picked the yakitori specialty restaurant and devoured 18 meat sticks, 2 sticks of grilled chilies, a Japanese asparagus salad, a cold tofu dish (my favorite), and two Asahi beers (my second favorite).  A Japanese guy walked in with a book, sat down at the bar by himself.  He lit his cigarette after ordering his food, and started reading.  I like it that eating alone in a Japanese restaurant is the norm not the exception and I also like that the cigarette smoke was sucked into the vent for the yakitori.  After we stuffed ourselves to the brink, we visited Greenbelt 3 for further exploration.

This morning, dad didn't ask the 'annoying' question that I anticipated that he normally asks.  But I am asking myself, "where do I want to go today?"  Visiting new places is just as much fun as day dreaming, but a lot more filling and delicious!!!

Domesticating Me


I know how difficult it is to move to a new place, not knowing anyone (or knowing just a few people), and not have a definite return date back to 'home'.  I know the sadness of missing loved ones (including cats) can negate the excitement of moving to a new place.  I know the annoyance of not having everything work the same way as it is back home can ruin the opportunity to experience an exotic culture.  I know the confusion of a different language and local customs can relinquish the desire to learn and the capacity to feel secure.  However, I also know that the sadness, frustration, and confusion will persist until the choice is made to embrace a different lifestyle.  Therefore, I have been trying to localize or 'domesticate' myself quickly, so desperately, it is so comical, even to me!!!

Instead of shopping for clothes, souvenirs, and going to fancy ethnic restaurants, I went to the mall for nail clippers, facial cleanser, and tooth paste.  To be sure that I am localized, I asked to join the Mega Advantage card to collect points.  I don't even do this in the States but to feel like a local, I had to.  I went to a modern Filipino cuisine restaurant, Mesa, and ordered what sounded authentic - Palabok.  Grilled fish on top, etc.  As it turned out, the dish was quite seafood-ish.  Now, I finally understand the reason that Racel doesn't like fish!  I also ordered green mango juice without syrup, and that was a mistake also!  As I observed the patrons of the restaurant (for next time), they ordered a fried fish that is beautifully presented, a porcelain pot with some kind of soup in it, and succulent pork dish...  So my fishy noodles and sour mango juice - What do I do?  Well, chili and vinegar went well with the fishy noodles and the sour mango juice washed down the spicy fishy noodles without a problem...  That was an interesting lunch experience but I can't stop here.  To be a true local, I had to have a local cell phone.  However, without an address, cell phones, credit cards, and Mega Advantage cards are all out of reach.  To domesticate myself, I used the hotel address even though I am not staying for long.  Hopefully, the bills and point statements will arrive at the right place.

As soon as I walked out of the mall with my essentials, cell phone, and Mega Advantage card, the rain started picking up...  But guess what, this time, I am carrying an umbrella during the rainy season, just like the locals!

Rain drops falling on my head

I have to admit it was a little lonely living in a hotel room waiting for the first day of work.  I have read all that I can for the job, Edward's family had kindly showed me around.  So, on Sunday morning, I decided to be a little adventurous - I walked about three blocks away from the hotel (compared to the usual two blocks) and ended up at the Podium mall.  

After gathering all the necessary supplies, window shopping, and people watching, I found myself standing outside the mall waiting for the rain to subside.  It is rainy season here in the Philippines.  It had rained on and off ever since I have arrived.  "No big deal", I thought, "the rain will stop in no time and the hotel is only three blocks away".  The longer I waited, the harder it rained.  To make it back to meet tita Cely, I bought an umbrella to shield me from the rain.  Little did I know, it was the rain puddles that were going to get me wet.

As I hopped, skipped, bounced, jumped, and leaped over the small and big rain puddles to avoid being splashed by 'recycled' dirty rain water, I noticed that there were so many people doing the same thing.  We were balancing our umbrellas, shopping bags, and purses while focusing and strategizing for the driest route. It was as if all of us were coordinated in a rain dance, and that put a smile on my face...  "If there was a song that goes with this, it would be perfect"- I thought to myself.  Then, there it was, "Raindrops keep falling on my head.....  But there's one thing I know, the blues they send to meet me won't defeat me, it won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.  Raindrops keep falling on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red.  Crying is not for me. 'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining.  Because I'm free, nothing's worrying me".

The Move

I quit my job this past February, the official quit month was March due to accumulated vacation days. I am not quite sure what the logical reasons were that I quit but I know I felt that I wasn't progressing and going to work had become a waste of time.  Yes, so I basically got up and left (with a two week notice of course) but I never thought that I was the kind that has the courage to pick up my things and leave without regrets...  Now that I look back, it just wasn't meant to be.

The day after my official end day, my new employer called to interview me.  Stars must have aligned themselves...  I interviewed in the Philippines, accepted the job offer, and asked for three months off before starting. So here I am, in the Philippines!

The preliminary meeting with my boss was great, I get an office, an assistant, and a lot more money than my old job, and I get to live in Asia.... I am not encouraging anyone to quit their jobs but sometimes you have to fight for what you want in life to get it.  Right, Danielle?

Leaving the work that I have committed myself to for 9 years wasn't easy and packing up my belongings and saying goodbye to my friends and family in the States was even harder.  When I landed Manila, I asked myself, "what are you doing here?" But I know things will work out for the best and I am looking forward to share my Manila experience with all of you!

Bye for now and hello from Manila!