Makati City, Philippines

[slang]

A friend in the US has photos of cemeteries from across America and asked for some pics from the Phils.


Little did I know that people actually live in cemeteries there. People don't seem to fear their dead either.

[wolf]

The poem in post 226 is usually attributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye. I did think it was interesting that the Phillippine version doesn't use the 'diamond's glint on snow' line.

[slang]

It's great that people are enjoying these. When I check from the main menu how many people are viewing, it's normally just a few.

Maybe the view counter would be a better indicator of how much interest there is.

Anyway, I'm happy to organize and comment on these.

This is another example of someone carting something unusual around with a tricycle.

We just rebuilt her family home so this is how the materials were delivered as she tells me.

The plywood there is cheaper than in the US but it's also very flimsy. There are a variety of 2 thicknesses with the standard size sheet, 4ft x 7ft or there about.

[slang]

More vehicle shots.

The first one is a dune buggy that was zipping around the cab. The image is all blurry and it was out of site before another could be snapped

The second one is 3 people on a motorbike. That's fairly common there but it might not be legal.

These are from the Fort Banifacio area (ritzy part of Makati with active nightlife).

[slang]

From the Army base.

[slang]

The next 4 are from the Army base. The mural is about 100yds long all with scenes from the army.

I was working my way down the sidewalk snapping one section at a time when an MP (politely) told me that my slippers (flip flops) were not allowed in that area. That it was not a great offense to him but if his superiors came by and saw me with them on in that area that it was technically an infraction. Being barefoot was not an option either as that was worse.

Maybe next trip I'll get the rest of it.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by slang

It's great that people are enjoying these. When I check from the main menu how many people are viewing, it's normally just a few.

Maybe the view counter would be a better indicator of how much interest there is.

Anyway, I'm happy to organize and comment on these.

If you go to "User CP" at the top left of any page and click on "attachments" under the "Miscellaneous" heading, you can see how many times each of your attachments has been viewed. That's a better gauge than the view counter for the entire thread, especially when the thread has been around for a while.

Pictures I've attached within an IotD thread get hundreds of views, but if I start my own thread in the Cellar and stick pictures in there, I'll usually only get 1-2 dozen views. Sometimes less if it's a thread without much of a broad appeal.

[slang]

Interesting. Thank you Glatt.

[slang]

Billboards. They tell a lot about what people want and don't want. Some are cool to look at as well.

The Philips bb always seemed to be in exactly the wrong place. This one is in West Rembo, not an affluent area.

Why would people care to see a very big ad for something that they could not (easily ) afford?

Maybe the two billboards together should be considered.

[zippyt]

2. Chicken on a stick. No Zippy, it's NOT monkey on a stick.
No, it's not monkey Zip!So you THINK !!! HA !!!

Just kidding about the monkey meat on a stick dude !!
I can thruthfully say the ONLY time I knew I was eating Monkey was when the PI Marines shot and cooker one , I HAD to try it , it was TASTY !!!

So Slang , I might have missed it but are you in the PI again or are these just pics from your last trip ??

Eather way it looks like you had FUN !!!
Oh and who is that Little Quitie ? Yours , Hers , Yours/Hers ??

[Griff]

Wait a minute, you actually ate food at a buffet? I can hear your conversation with your doc back home. "Yah it all started after I ate buffet style in the Philipines..."

[slang]

Originally Posted by Griff

Wait a minute, you actually ate food at a buffet? I can hear your conversation with your doc back home. "Yah it all started after I ate buffet style in the Philipines..."

It's strange that every trip the food doesnt bother me until a day or two before the trip back.

That day before there is a lot of time on the can, without fail.

It works out well because on the long flights over, I dont even like to get out of the seat. No potty stops or anything.

Once back in the US, a few hits of Imodium cures everything back to normal.

No food troubles in the long run. Good stuff and cheap too.

[slang]

A few observations from the trip.

1. People are getting FAT over there like Americans. Many have seen increases in their salaries. Not nearly enough to afford things like a new home or a car but more than enough to eat better tasting foods.

2. The adverts here in the US frequently feature Asian looking models, especially women. The adverts in Manila frequently feature American looking models, especially women.

3. If I'm going to have a conflict with someone during the flight, it's going to be some American asshead. No question about it. The Chinese are curious and friendly more than others but everyone has been extremely nice to me, except for aggressive Americans.

4. Filipinos that have moved to the US, become citizens and are visiting "the old country" often treat the locals like dogshit, and are often confrontational to even me. They are rude and condecending to the point that I have to tell them to fuck off (something that is normally reserved for home in the US)

[slang]

Just going through the collection again and have a few more to add here.

Pizza Hut and Burger King.

I've not eaten at a Pizza Hut here but the BKs are almost the same as the US. Everything is smaller, tastes a bit strange and comes with rice.

The BEST pizza that I personally have had there is from Shakey's Pizza. Although that "belly buster" pizza was actually the same size as an American medium, it was fantastic. Deep dish pizza with all the meats on it ( except monkey ).

The total bill for one good pizza, 4 cold medium sized beers, 2 sprites, and two chicken and rice meals.....just under $18. Not bad.

The beer was cold too, something that's not always the case.

[slang]

Originally Posted by zippyt

So Slang , I might have missed it but are you in the PI again or are these just pics from your last trip ??

Oh and who is that Little Quitie ? Yours , Hers , Yours/Hers ??

These are from this last trip, 3 weeks long. The next trip will be in August and I'll be staying for 3-6 months.

The objective is to learn enough and to prepare myself for moving there long term. As America changes into....whatever it's morphing into, I want options. There seems to be a polar shift in politics, hard left - hard right, every 8 years. On the off 8 years, I'll be gone.

Learning Tagalog is a priority now as well as history and the workings of the government there. How do you get things done there? Who do you speak to? What are the systems there? All these things will be important when I'm there long term. There is much to learn.

There is no plan to change citizenship, just geographical location. A place to get away from those things that I find completely unacceptable....like Dem policies.

There is plenty of time to build a place that I'll be happy and that is exactly what I'm doing.

The little girl is Lorin, she's my neice.

Pinang and I are collecting and saving money (I'm collecting and she's saving ) to build a comfortable life there for us. With a little luck and planning there will be a time that we're just as comfortable there in the Philippines as a middle class existence here in the US.

We're both pretty easy to please as far as lifestyle goes. She's more frugal than I am and that's saying something.

My work nowdays is becoming more and more intense in the way that employers ( that pay anything anyway ) want you to work 100 hours a week to get things done or corrected....then they want you to go away until the next time that they need you.

Shareholders don't want people on the payroll that arent contributing (IE the old way of doing engineering projects, 40 hours a week even when things are slow) and when they DO need you, they pay. This works for me! Six months in the US, six in Luzon.

Being a US citizen will also help with certain assignments and I'll have the flexibility that few Americans can afford, six on six off.

That's fine. The life that I'm building will work around that quite nicely. Everything is paid for and hopefully for the first time in my life I can fucking relax for a few months without stress of paying for the stupid shit that I never really wanted in the fist place.

The land and housing is still cheap in rural Luzon. Her relatives have some influence and have been accumulating land there with the monies sent back from US by family.

Will it be the US? No. Will I personally like it there? I dont know. When the taxes jump up to 50%, I'll just clap the dust off my hands and say fuck it, I'm going home.

Any way we look at it, it's a win. As things deteriorate in the US, I'd expect many more to do the same.