• random writings

    wishing for a comprehensive jeepney transit map for Metro Manila

    where we deviate from the usual topics here in this blog today to raise this interesting idea I’ve stumbled upon recently. Every one of us knows how much commuting and the struggles (in the literal sense) behind it has been very much a part of the city and the people who have lived and/or visited it. Here in the Philippines, the commuting experience would not be complete without having experienced the excitement/discomfort of riding the fabled passenger jeepney. Having evolved from what was supposed to have been a temporary solution to Manila’s post-WWII transport woes, (since many of the old tranvia lines were destroyed by then) the jeepney has now been…

  • random writings

    spending an alternative Valentine’s affair: Chinese Lunar New Year

    Just when you thought Valentine’s weekend (which by itself is somewhat a rare occurence) would find yourself limited to being caught in crowds of couples flocking into the metropolis’ usual romantic haunts, and/or if you yourself do not feel like spending Valentine’s either, it was nice to get an alternative occasion to celebrate: the Lunar New Year which our fellow Filipino-Chinese brethren celebrated that same weekend. What better way to celebrate it than to pay a visit to the place which is the heart and soul of the Filipino-Chinese community: the Manila Chinatown.

  • random writings

    after the storm: a time to help and celebrate

    It’s been almost 2 weeks now since the metropolis was hit hard by a calamity of such magnitude rarely experienced in this part of the country. And while things today here are running almost back to normal, (almost being the operative word here) it is clear that the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy has left such a deep impact that may have changed the landscape of Metro Manila. Now people are raising the issue of safety in many parts of the metro in the face of a calamity of such scope as that of Ondoy. It is expected now that prices of properties on or near the areas most affected by…