Street Life

Our daily heroes... come rain or shine.

They brave the streets to bring home meager sum to their families so there's food or atleast rice to eat. I salute these people because it goes to show, that Filipinos are diligent lot and would do everything in their capacity to earn a living.

Heroes aside, another thing that's worth mentioning is the word "shopping" -- a universal term whether you're from asia, north america, africa, europe, australia & new zealand, even the Arctic Ocean!

Metro Manila is dotted with malls, supermalls, megamalls and mall of asia. BUT, did you know that you can also do your shopping in the street? Take a look at a day in the life of a road warrior.

MORNING...

Forgot your breakfast? No need to worry, you can grab some rice cake (puto & kuchinta).

Traffic s**cks! Need to while your time away... How about reading a newspaper and be updated with the latest drama in politics?

While you're at it, you just remembered that you forgot again to go to the carwash last weekend. Dirt is building up and it's about time to give your car a tender loving care. Here's someone who can wash it with a sponge and a soap. And he can do that while you're stuck in the traffic.

Of course, you don't stop at just having your vehicle cleaned. Cleanliness is next to Godliness... so, how about buying a broom and a dustpan (in stainless steel! ) along the way.

LUNCHTIME...

You can hear your stomach growling...as much as you'd like to eat rice, you just can't do that while driving, right? So the next best thing is to devour fruit instead. Guava is in season.

Oh my, you're so thirsty with all that fruit. Don't worry, the guy with a styro carries your fave drink, be it a cola, water, juice or even an energy drink!

AFTERNOON...

* Getting bored texting, reading the newspaper, listening to the music, looking around...

ah... how about some warm peanuts for snack.

Or candy perhaps from the "takatak boys"? That's how we call in general the street sellers of cigarettes and candies. Takatak is actually the sound of the wooden container when these men move it up and down to attract attention from the motorists.

Finally, home sweet home.

P.S. I have to tell you that the highway market follows the season's trend. I once purchased a Santa Claus hat during Christmas time. Every summer, they sell life jackets and goggles. Long stemmed red roses are available during Valentines and I'm sure with the upcoming Halloween, Trick or Treat costumes will be the rage.

Christmas in September

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow"

Photo courtesy of makefive.com

This tune greeted us when we went to the kitchen for a super early breakfast late last week. Hubby can't believe his own ears... "*%&(#*! The neighbors are crazy. Who would play Christmas carols in September?". Little did he know that the music in fact came from my parents' room. You see, my mom loves Christmas so she likes playing the music as she gets dressed for work.

That afternoon on the way to the immigration office, we passed by those grass with white cottony flower. Told him again that, that's a sign that Christmas is in the air because eversince I was a child, my parents told me that you can only see those during the BER months.

After attending to some errands, we then dropped by a mall and yes, you guessed it right. Christmas trees and trimmings were now on display and even the guy selling karaoke microphone was belting out Christmas tunes.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Photo courtesy of in-cebu.net

And on the way home, colorful lighted reindeers were being sold in the sidewalk.

True, true... nowhere else in the world can you find Christmas as early as September. That's only here...in the Philippines.

Philippine Product Depot

I will scour the corners of the earth (in this case Metro Manila) to locate that worldclass Filipino products. I have to admit, when I was younger, using Philippine-made was not a passion. The more I became wiser and farther from my home country, my appreciation for local produce became an obsession.

It was really a pleasant surprise to stumble upon the first ever Philippine Product Depot (HK Sun Plaza in D. Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City - near the Mall of Asia) considering that the location was not really that accessible and comfortable versus the other malls in the city.

Brace yourself for this trip though. Don't expect full blast airconditioned rooms nor well lit environ. The products on display somehow compensated these conditions. I was in awe looking at those stunning Cebu-made furnitures, food / deli from all over the region and handcrafted mother-of-pearl vases! What's more amazing is the reasonable price. They didn't rip our already empty pockets.

I learned that this is a Department of Trade & Industry initiative. Thumbs up DTI. When you have time, visit the showroom and support the proudly Philippine made products.

P.S. I suggest you wear light clothing and bring a hankie to wipe off that sweat :)

All photos courtesy of www.pia.gov.ph

You haven't been to the Philippines, if you've never been to Boracay!

I've been to countless beaches all over the region, I must say, nothing beats Boracay. I'm not being biased here folks, I'm just blatantly honest.

Boracay compared to the other beaches in Asia is not that popularly known. Mention Bali or Phuket and you can immediately imagine it. Boracay seems to be getting blank stares but I tell you, once you've been there, you will always come back. Always.

This paradise island has a certain charm. For the Filipino youth and young at heart, it's a party place. For the newlyweds, it's a honeymoon getaway. For the newly grads, a week in Boracay is a much anticipated gift from their parents.

Imagine this...white sand that never gets warm even during summer months, pristine beaches the color of turquoise jewel, the most hospitable people on earth (that's us :), activities for every type of personality and so much more.

I still remember my first Bora trip with my former colleagues..It was a blast! Major! We were stranded in the island for a couple of days because of the airline strike and we just loved it! Of course, we got the necessary shampooing from our superiors when we reported back to the office. Hahaha!

My Best Friends...

Ah...a woman's bestfriend. I'm not pertaining to the 'D' (as in De Beers = diamond) but to the other 'bestfriends' that a fashionable woman can't live without.

How do accessories, bags and shoes sound to you? Isn't shopping one of the activities in a travel bug's itinerary when they travel abroad? The Philippines is a treasure trove of amazing finds that are both locally adored and internationally admired.

One of the two women that I will feature here is a well-known business chameleon. She started out strutting her stuff on the runway and eventually became a retailer, restaurateur, and now, as an internationally acclaimed bags and accessories designer.

Photo courtesy of blogs.stylebible.ph

Tina Maristela - Ocampo sealed her uniqueness by initially concentrating on minauderes. Not only this compact style case stole the hearts of women all around the world (mine included), it also showcased traditional Filipino materials in her pieces.
Photo courtesy of www.handbagsenvy.com

The other woman in this style feature is Bea Valdes. This fashion maven has an amazing eye for details.

Photo courtesy of www.chuvaness.livejournal.com

It is not a piece of cake at all to do beadwork. Trust me. Since I've started my creative endeavour, one of my goals is to be able to do decent beadwork, something to this effect (wishful thinking :)

Anyway, Bea's work was recently seen on the neck of Kate Moss on the the latest British Vogue edition. How's that for an endorsement!

In her webpage, it was mentioned that artisans from the Philippines were the creative hands behind the fabulous pieces of art.

Photo courtesy of www.tuffochsnorkig.blogspot.com

Now for the most important part (the asterisk in advertising lingo). The price is not for everyone's pocket. In fact, I have to work and work and work for such a long time to be able to purchase one of these :) But I assure you, it's worth every penny. Quality and craftmanship are priceless qualities.

Enjoy life. Enjoy the Philippines!

Well, again I got caught up with this thing called 'life'. I'll try my best to blog regularly from now on.

A brief personal fact : I've always been intrepid with my choices in life. In a way that I already question where all of these preferences were coming from. Who am I in my past life? Was I Columbus who proved to everyone that the world was round and to give credibility to his hypothesis, he embarked on a very treacherous journey.

On the contrary though, my lust for food is purely conventional. That's also the reason why I can't be a full-pledged globetrekker 'coz you can't make me eat exotic food. Period.

It was then such a relief that the Philippines offers 'Enjoy'. This is a privilege card where I can still be experimental by having access not to mention freebies (!) to a myriad of fine dining establishments.

Photo courtesy of enjoythebest.ph

'Enjoy' is quite reasonable to my pocket. Imagine forking out only USD 32 for USD 3,125 worth of privileges, discounts and freebies!

When you want to discover the finer side of life in this country, 'Enjoy' is the card to own,