My Earth Hour 2010 in Manila

Yesterday, Saturday, I had to do some physical work which sucks given that I wanted to relax before my trip to Singapore next week which is always tiring. So I decided that for the rest of the weekend, I was going to do whatever I felt like and relaxed. By the time I got home, there was a Godfather marathon on TV. I just could not walk away especially when the movie came on, it was at my favourite line ("Leave the gun, take the Cannoli"). I even cooked dinner so that I could catch the end of part II.

So by the time nightfall came about I was in the mood to get out and get some air. But the streets was really crowded and when the lights started to get turned off, I realised that it was Earth Hour. Not wanting to face crowds and in line with spirit of saving energy, I headed back to my apartment.

I live in a big apartment complex with a number of buildings and a big garden with trees in the middle. With all the lights turned off, it was so peaceful although there was heavy traffic outside and big crowd at the malls and restaurants nearby. You could even see the stars in the skies.

The weather was also perfect. It was cool and dry with a light breeze. It was so nice, I bought some refreshment at a nearby convenience store and just sat in the veranda area of the garden and just relaxed for the entire Earth Hour. It felt like sitting at a porch in a great country house - right in the middle of one of the largest city in the world. I even had flashback to visiting one of those old great houses of the British-runned rubber estates that my father took me to when I was a boy.

I don't have a great apartment but the surroundings is pretty amazing. Of all the things I enjoy more than anything else in this city is to be able to walk to work every morning in as fantastic a neigbourhood as anywhere in as great weather as it can get anywhere. No commute, no crowds, no traffic snarl, AND never late...

Talent III - Jovit Baldivino

This 16-yr old is getting over 2 million views on Youtube in 3 weeks of being posted. The reason is basically because he sound like a local real life fairy tale story Arnel Pineda (look it up). A lot of people are hoping he would be another one. In the end these things depend on whether he gets the right song writers and promoter to back him up.

More Chicken Rice and Singapore Food in Manila

Somethings in life is just very strange. When you find time and try and do or look for your favourite things, you have a hard time finding it. BUT when you don't have the time, suddenly you find these things you had been looking for but don't have the time to do it.

So is the story with Chicken Rice and Singapore Foods (i.e., spicy food) in Manila which I am naturally on the lookout for.

In the last two weeks I have found 5 places that serve Hainanese Chicken Rice
1) RASA - Araneta Colliseum at Cubao
2) Original Singapore Chicken Rice also in Cubao
3) Chocolate Kiss - UP Diliman Alumni Centre, Quezon City
4) Shiok - Fort Bonifacio
5) Toastbox/BreadTalk in Trinoma Mall

In additon, there is a former top hotel chef Stevie who does a delivery service

I have not tasted all of them because I don't have the time. Can't be eating chicken rice, nasi lemak, char kuay teow all at once in every meal can I?

No 3), was a real surprise but they had ran out of it when I was there for dinner but Shiok is just within walking distance from my office and have decent sambal! Don't have to die for lack of sambal anymore..

Beach Weather

The weather has been hot since the early part of February. I have mentioned that it feels a lot like Chinese New Year in Singapore and Malaysia but its actually not as hot and it last a lot longer. Its also dry, not very humid so it feel hot under the sun but in the shades, its actually pretty OK. Sometimes it gets windy and especially at night, its actually very pleasant.

I was at an event last week and there was this old telescope that was pointing to the hills at the north-east side of the city and when I peered into it, the hills were all brown. I remembered then its El Nino effect this year and then it struck me how much it looked like my brother's old house in Castro Valley, California.

I started hankering for the pool and the first chance I got I jumped into the pool, It then struck me, ITS PERFECT BEACH WEATHER. I started remembering Spring Break in Florida, California summers, Barbeques, wine coolers, beach volleyballs, ultimate frisbee, etc. This is the perfect time to come to the Philippines for the beach if you like those hot sunny weather that is not humid. Europeans go all the way to Spain and Greece for this weather. Japanese go to Hawaii and Maui in droves for this.

Unfortunately, there is no hollidays around this time of the year here and I work most weekends. I did manage to catch a good deal of pool time this weekend. But I am still dreaming of barbeques, wine coolers and tanned bikini bodies..