Pares-pares

A pares-pares (by pairs) is what I would describe as a street eatery. They're usually found in streets with heavy foot traffic or places with lots of small offices and businesses. The food they serve is inexpensive and filling—for the average wage earner, the two most important things to consider when buying a meal. The name comes from the fact that, aside from rice (a Filipino staple), you get to choose two ulam (viand/dish), rather than just one. Soon after this building, the taxi I was riding turned into the main street of our village where there were hardly any cars, and thus ended my photography session through the taxi's windows. Thank you for coming with me on the ride! And not that I didn't enjoy the company, but I definitely do not want to do that again any time soon. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #7

Repair crew

The route I chose going home took me past a Manila Electric Company (Meralco) substation, and I noticed these guys repairing a transformer just outside the station. The man on the pole had on a harness, but he didn't have the line attached to anything! Sigh. Filipino men sometimes think they're related to Superman. He did attach it eventually, when he had to move to the other side of the pole—that was how I found out it wasn't attached in the first place. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #6

Hole in the wall

At almost every street corner of Metro Manila (except in posh neighborhoods, of course), you'll run into one of these: a sari-sari (variety) store. These small home-based convenience stores are usually run by the stay-at-home mom/wife or older children of the family. Common items kept in stock are softdrinks (soda pop), chips, biscuits, candy, instant noodles, canned tuna and meats, instant coffee, milk, bath soap, toothpaste, shampoo and feminine hygiene products. Most of the items for sale would be of the smallest size available—usually single-serve or single-use packs, in fact. Unlike commercial convenience stores, sari-sari stores are not open 24/7. When the person tending the store goes out or goes to sleep, it closes. When that happens, all you have to do is walk another hundred meters and chances are good that you'll find another one that's open. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #5

Caged

Says a lot about a neighborhood when you have to place electricity meters in a padlocked metal cage. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #4

House plants

This house just leaves me in awe every time we pass by it. And I keep wondering how much time the owners spend maintaining it. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #3

The search

I don't know what it's like in the rest of the Philippines, but every time there's a civic project in Metro Manila, our local officials and politicians always make sure that their picture is included in the posters, banners and streamers announcing the project. The third district of Quezon City has a search for the cleanest barangay (the smallest unit of government in the Philippines) and Congressman Mat Defensor's image is in all the posters. Maybe he can encourage his constituents to begin by cleaning the utility poles. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #2

Posters

Literally. Need termite (anay) control? A new house? Jack hammer? Plumber (tubero)? Then jot down these numbers. Just don't forget to dial 632 first—63 is the Philippines' country code, and 2 is Metro Manila's area code. STUCK IN TRAFFIC SERIES #1

Stuck in traffic

Metro Manila's traffic can be so unpredictable sometimes! Take Saturday afternoon, for example. It took me one hour to get home from work—and it's only five kilometers away! I couldn't see what was wrong and until now, I still don't know what caused the extremely slow flow. I could have gotten home faster if I just walked, but I couldn't because (1) I had the wrong shoes for walking, (2) I was carrying two heavy bags, and (3) no one in his right mind will walk among Manila's black-smoke–belching cars. This is my third photo of the interior of taxi cabs (the first is here, and the second is here), and this one is really by way of an introduction. Because the ride was so slow, I took out my camera and started taking photos of things by the roadside when the taxi was idling. So in the coming days, I'll be giving you my "Stuck in traffic series"—photos of various street scenes taken through a tinted window that was badly in need of cleaning.

My hero!

Guess what we watched at the Ayala Cinemas in Trinoma last night. (Finally!) After more than a week, the gun in The Dark Knight's Batmobile isn't shooting straight anymore. Unfortunately, we weren't able to watch the movie at cinema 7, which is the only THX theater in Trinoma. We had to settle for Dolby Digital in cinema 5. I want to watch it again! And in this particular theater.

The games children play

Well, not children exactly, but they're all kids to me now. I was on my way home from work one Saturday afternoon when I encountered these college students playing in one of the lawns of the Ateneo de Manila University. They had just finished playing dodge ball (using the large pink ball that the girl in the apple green t-shirt is holding) and were re-grouping to begin their obstacle course on another lawn. They were probably members of one student organization, using games to get to know each other and learn how to work with one another. I remember that we did too—quite some time ago.

Doctor, dean, president

Agerico B. M. Sison, M.D. graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1921. He became that school's fifth dean in 1951. He is also the founder and first president of The Medical City, which opened its doors to the public in 1967 as the ABM Sison Hospital. The Medical City is now one of the best hospitals in the Philippines. This bust of Dr. Sison is located in the garden oasis of The Medical City.

Sweet and savory in Bretagne

I never liked savory crepes or galettes until I tried those of Café Breton. After eating my crepe with great relish, I realized what other restaurants did wrongly: they use exactly the same batter for their dessert and savory crepes, which is slightly sweet and therefore tastes strange with meat or seafood. To distinguish between the two, Café Breton uses the word 'galette' for their savory meals and the word 'crepe' for the desserts (although if you look for their definitions in an English dictionary, you get the same description). The mural at the Trinoma branch of Café Breton caught my eye: a pretty accurate map of historic Britanny.

Luxury

I finally got to visit Makati City again last week, but since it was work-related, I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures. I took this picture from the fifth-floor deck of the building we had to go to. My colleague and I saw the name on top of the building, Fraser Place, and because we could see living and dining rooms through the windows, we thought it was a condominium. I looked it up on the web, of course. Its complete name is Fraser Place Manila and it styles itself as a "hotel apartment." Some travel sites call it "serviced residences." What makes it different from a regular hotel? You don't get just a bedroom with a sitting area. You get a complete apartment—foyer, living, dining, kitchen, utility, powder room—from one to four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The master's bedroom has a walk-in closet, and there's even a bedroom and bathroom for a live-in maid or cook. What makes Fraser Place different from regular apartments? The rates cover utilities (power, water, gas), daily housekeeping, a shuttle service to and from business districts and commercial centers, and a parking slot for one vehicle. I took a look at the rates, and the cost of staying one night in this luxurious serviced residence is more than what a minimum wage earner in Metro Manila earns in one month.

Full bodied, high calorie

I'm no beer connoisseur, but this is my favorite local beer: San Miguel Cerveza Negra, a dark lager. Unfortunately, I can't have much of it anymore for various health reasons. I had a bottle last night, and consumed my serving for the month. I know some people will call me a Philistine for having my beer with ice, but with Metro Manila's temperatures, it's the only way to keep your beer cold—unless you can drink a bottle within five minutes or you're fine with warm beer.