HOT HOT HOT

OMG!!! It's Frakin hot today. When I arrived last thursday nite from the Philippines, the first thing I noticed as I stepped out of the airport was how hot the weather was and how it is MUCH hotter here than it was there.

That's global warming for ya. And the republican party still dismisses this phenomenon. Wake up!!!!!!

I'm back

I'm back from the Philippines. After a grueling 12 hour and fifteen min flight, I managed to get back to San Francisco and now have three days to shake off jet lag before starting work again.

Still tired so I will let write some more later.

Random observations

I've been in the Philippines for about 2 weeks now and here are some things that I've noticed as I go around.

Some movie theaters offer assigned seatings for a little higher price.

You can bring in outside food (like this idea)

Lane divider lines don't mean jack shit when driving out here, every man for himself and the whole road is yours for the taking.
(oddly, I have yet to see an accident)

Clothes run in small sizes over here.

Food is real cheap.

Luxury items cost the same, if not more, when converted to US dollars.

Taxi drivers are the same breed of inconsiderate drivers everywhere you go, same as the ones in the United States.

Rich people are snooty.

You can go to a mall and be able to find a dermatologist, bank, food court, and a car wash, without leaving the bldg.

Fresh Buko (coconut) juice is the bomb.

Rich people always bring an aide when shopping, you can always tell by seeing them walking behind their employer, holding like 7 bags of items from different shops.

The weather has been pleasant, even though lately we've been hit by a tropical typhoon, but at least the wind is a bit refreshing.

People here are all into name brands when it comes to clothing.

When jeepneys are over their capacity, some passengers hang outside the rear entrance of the vehicle, holding on to the roof.

Rich people's bodyguards are dicks when it comes to driving on the road, like they own the road and everyone is beneath them. I would like to get my monstrous UPS truck and run those sons of bitches over. (oops thinking out loud again)

This country has over 90% literacy rate, 3rd behind the UK and the US. (although a lot of people in the US are still "ignant")

Happenings

Bird's eye view of the Mall of Asia, located in Manila (3rd largest mall in the world)


Well let's see now, I've visited a lot of shopping malls here, have done my share of damage to my bank account balance (which was low to begin with).

I've enjoyed spending time with niece and nephew (6 and 1 yrs old respectively). They are cute but my niece is a little diva princess. Whatever she wants she demands but in a cute way, Ahh... youthful exuberance I say.

I went to watched the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The show was titled "unpublished dances of the Philippines series 5". It was a nice show, different from what we normally see from filipino dance companies. There were vignettes on the different babaylan roles and how they were adapted to dance by the different tribes. A whole scene of celebration for a young muslim prince as he was circumcised and thus started his road to manhood. Unlike the garden variety of dances that one normally sees from "traditional" folk dance groups, it was refreshing to see dances that you normally wouldn't see unless you spend time with certain tribes and see them it their most basic form.

I went to Tagaytay province and saw Taal volcano. Took my niece to ride a horse around the track.

Lastly all it seems that I'm doing a lot of here is eating. I've never eaten Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on the same day. I normally would have liquid breakfast and lunches and then eat dinner. I definitely can feel it (weight taken on)

I think I'm gonna run a few laps around the neighborhood before the rain begins again.