Night out

Manila has an awesome night life. For people who just want to chill out, the M Cafe is a pretty good spot. Have a good Friday folks!

Taking a break

All of us could use one once in a while.

Criss cross

The heat is so intense this summer but at least we get beautiful, clear, blue skies.

Ride for free

The bane of every jeepney driver's life - the freeloader. Or in local parlance, the sabit, which literally means hitcher. Most hitchers don't pay anything, the rationale being they don't get to sit anyway. Is it dangerous? You bet. But they don't care anyway.

Let's go!

A sign on this little cart of watermelons says "Just 10 bucks. Let's go!" (Sampung piso lang, tara na!) It's so hot in Manila right now, those watermelons look extra yummy (Pardon the blurry parts. I was inside a moving vehicle and we were in a part of Manila where it's wise not to open your windows and flash your camera for everyone to see).

Sail away

Presenting, Balanghai, by Leo Gerardo Leonardo, another one from the BGC art installation series (There are apparently 7 of them, not 5 as I'd originally said. Whoops! Five down, 2 more to go!). The Balanghai is a kinetic sculpture that moves with the wind and was inspired by balanghay, the name of the boat that carried the first Malays to the island. The sails represent the three major islands in the Philippines: Luzon (where Manila is), Visayas and Mindanao.

Gone fishing

I have no idea how anyone can just suddenly be inspired to buy fishing rods while driving in the middle of the urban jungle that is Manila, but hey, to each his own.

Circle of Life

"The Trees," by Reynato Paz Contreras. Meant to depict the circle of life, the sculpture is of three interlocking trees whose branches reach towards the sky, creating a dome. It's one of the installations in Bonifacio Global City. I've featured the other art installations here. There are five in the series. Four down, one more to go!

Sweets for the sweet

My friend Audrey runs a popular patisserie here in Manila, called Bizu. Bizu was named after the French word, bisous, which means kiss. After sampling their delectable cakes and pastries, you really will think of the word kiss. As in kiss your diet goodbye (Okay that was lame, but the desserts really are fantastic. They're almost too pretty to eat.). Here are some shots of their lovely, elegant branch in one of the metro's hottest mall, Greenbelt.

I love the chic interiors, with their lavender and pink motif and the warm, ambient lighting. I think I can sit here for hours, but I guess I better not!

If nothing ever changed...

...there'd be no butterflies. That's what the mural says in this tunnel. Have a good Friday everyone!

Urban oasis

Here's another watery shot and this time it's the facade of The Manila Peninsula, or Manila Pen for short. The Manila Pen is a five-star luxury hotel located at the Central Business District. I've never actually stayed there before, but I have eaten at some of the restaurants there and I must say their ice cream is fantastic as well as the pastries in this little restaurant called Jeepney Deli.

In 2007, a group of army officials stormed into the Manila Pen and seized the second floor of the hotel, calling for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. They rammed their massive tanks into the hotel lobby, destroying the beautiful glass doors and the marble floors. The siege, often called, the Manila Peninsula rebelllion, lasted for 6 hours, until other members of the military arrested the mutineers. By then, the rebels had already destroyed over $1 million worth of property. Thankfully, the hotel has been restored to its original grandeur, as if nothing ever happened.

Testing the waters

Manila Water, one of the biggest potable water service providers in the Philippines, regularly sponsors weekend races in Manila. Just last weekend, they sponsored a fun run around Bonifacio Global City, where they brought a couple of water trucks like this. After a marathon, what better way to cool down than to stand under one of these "showers?"

Mini

From giant, let's go to Mini. Mini Cooper that is. I don't think you can miss this showroom of Mini Coopers right here. A giant sign for a mini car, how cute is that? Plus look at the right side, there's actually a real mini cooper hanging right there. I'll try and get a nicer shot of that little car that could. Before they take it down, or before it succumbs to gravity. Whichever comes first.

Giant

Running is a popular sport here in Manila. Practically every weekend there's a running event, usually sponsored by one big company. If you're into running (or any kind of sport actually) you've probably heard of Mizuno, a sporting company that makes one of, if not the, best running shoes in the market today (Incidentally, it's also the brand I use, and I must say they're very, very comfortable). Every year Mizuno sponsors a running event around April, and this year was no exception. Runners get freebies like shirts, bags, magazines and of course, the thrill of finishing a race with thousands of other running enthusiasts.

Supremo, once more

I posted the art installation entitled " Ang Supremo" in a previous entry before, but I felt the photo didn't do Ben-Hur Villanueva's art work enough justice. Here's another angle to it, and this time it features Lakambini, wife of Andres Bonifacio.

Bulletproof

I don't know why a taxi operator would ever want to put these bullet hole stickers on their cabs. Wouldn't that be bad for business? It's not exactly the most reassuring sight.

Red, white and blue

I'm able to blog, email and surf the world wide web thanks to this company right here. The Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company is the largest telecommunications company in the Philippines. Subsequently, it's one of, if not, the biggest Internet provider in the country. The Americans were actually the first owners of PLDT. Back in the 1940's, during the American Occupation and the Japanese invasion, the US Armed Forces destroyed its facilities to prevent the Japanese from using them to communicate overseas. Today it's a wholly Filipino-owned company, and its headquarters can be found in the Ramon Cojuangco Building, right in the heart of the Central Business District in Makati.

Lunch is served

Filipinos love to eat. We eat a whole lot and we're very proud of our native cuisine. One of the traditional ways in which we serve our food is called binalot, which literally means, wrapped. That's it. No frills, no fuss. Binalot is simply food wrapped in banana leaves. Binalot isn't practiced so much in the city anymore, what with the advent of more conventional ways of serving and storing food. Some speciality restaurants still offer this though, but they're fewer and farther between.

Binalot comes with the usual Filipino fare like adobo, rice (our staple food) and additional sidings of tomatoes and salted egg. I got the daing na bangus, or milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic. Binalot is eco friendly too! Plus it saves you time washing and drying the dishes. Once you're done, you're good to go.

Supremo

This is yet another art installation in Bonifacio Global City (I've featured one here and another here. There are five of these scattered all over the area and looking for them has been like a treasure hunt of sorts). This 3-meter high brass-bronze installation by Ben-Hur G. Villanueva is called "Ang Supremo." It is a tribute to Andres Bonifacio, generally considered to be the Founder of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The scene shows Bonifacio holding up a torn "cedula" or resident tax certificate, in defiance of the Spanish colonial rule. Andres Bonifacio is called The Great Plebeian. Despite (or maybe because) of his humble beginnings, he was able to lead the Filipinos in the struggle for independence.

Three down, two more to go!

No Vacancy

In SM North, a mall in Quezon City, the parking lot is dotted with rows of red and green lights. At first glance, you might think they're Christmas lights, but actually they're signs for drivers looking for parking spaces. Red means a parking slot is occupied, and green means a parking slot is vacant.

It's my first time to see this scheme implemented in a parking lot anywhere and I think it's a simple but ingenious service to customers. I wish other malls would pick this up.

Everything starts here

... at Kilometer Zero I mean. Right behind this kalesa (horse carriage) stands the marker for Kilometer 0, which is the starting point for all the distance measurements for the whole of the Philippine archipelago. Most countries have a designated kilometer 0, which is usually in the country's capital. For us, our Kilometer 0 is right in the heart of Manila, just across Luneta Park, where our national hero Jose Rizal is buried.

Summer is here

I posted this particular store window in a previous post. I like how they've changed it and given it a cool, green, summery feel.

Food on the go

You've probably heard of balut, or duck embryo. It's regularly featured in shows such as Fear Factor, where contestants are required to eat all manner of bizarre food. Anyhow, street food here really isn't for the faint of heart (or stomach). But if you're not feeling particularly adventurous, some stalls do serve pretty regular food on the go. This particular food cart sells fish balls, squid balls and kikiam. Fish balls are usually made from the meat of cuttlefish and usually served in skewers. The squid balls are served similarly, and they're both usually dipped in sweet and sour sauce. Sometimes vendors would sell kikiam, which are deep-fried ground pork and vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheets. If you're up for quail eggs, you might wanna get kwek-kwek (or tukneneng) which are quail eggs deep fried in orange batter. I'll take all these over balut any day, thank you very much.