hello from manila 27

i spent most of the day glued on my PC. manila's summer is a tough nut to crack so i tend to minimize sun exposure as much as possible. but most of the time, i could not and i am very tanned now. in the afternoon, i visited a favorite tourist spot called SM City Bicutan where i watched the youth performing the wushu, taekwondo, karate, and ballet. i enjoyed halu-halo.

although i gripe on our very advanced internet technology, taxi drivers, traffic, robbers and all, there is one talent most pinoys have that amuse me. filipino entrepreneurs are very creative and resourceful in making billboard signs. so i took time to walk about a kilometer or so from the mall to home. i ended up eating walastik, a kind of rice in combination with beef and soup. it is similar to pares, although i never knew why it had been called so. the photos below caught my fancy during the entire stretch.

i bought some philippine-made products such as dried mangoes that i shall bring to japan late this week. i hope that they will sell during the international food fair in the university. of course, the philipppine booth of the filipino students will sell the all-time favorite barbecue. tomorrow will be the start of my three-day training for insurance, from 9 until 5. sister sledge will join me in this new venture.