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  • House Cleaning Update!

    The process of cleaning this house and doing repairs is going to take longer than expected.  The biggest time killer has been going into town and finding the best deals on materials like paints, cement, brushes, and other necessary items.  My in-law’s house is in a rural neighborhood in a valley between two mountains, outside…

  • The Standard of Beauty in the Philippines

    “I look white. I stay white.” I took the above photo in a department store in Antipolo, but these kinds of ads can be found everywhere, from in-store ads to billboards to TV and radio commercials.  This slogan is the defining characteristic of the Filipino ideal of beauty.  To some degree, it applies to men…

  • Singapore in Manila

    Having recently left Singapore I thought it was cool to see Singaporean restaurants in Manila, specifically in Megamall.  I suppose it makes sense that there would be Singaporean restaurants here, in Manila.  A large amount of Singapore’s foreign labor force comes from the Philippines and while Filipinos may eventually go home, they might still crave…

  • “You Will Die!” … Over 20 Philippine Pesos

    Something I’ve been having issues with since coming to the Philippines earlier this month (and really on every trip to the Philippines before this) is being overcharged.  You can get around that by going to stores where the prices are clearly marked on the items before buying them, but then you miss out on all…

  • Street Rats

    In the Disney movie Aladdin, the idea of being a “street rat” was glorified as an honorable way of making a living, with a code of ethics and a comfortable life.  In reality, things don’t work out quite that way.  I’ve seen poor people on the street here in the Philippines and they don’t look…

  • Adjusting to Limited Internet Access

    One of the things I knew I’d be dealing with after moving to the Philippines was limited internet access.  In the US and in Singapore I’d come to think of the Internet as a utility, just like water.  It’s just always there as long as you pay the bill, and it’s usually cheap.  That’s not…

  • Public Toilets in Malls in the Philippines

    Today while at Megamall in Manila, I had reason to visit one of the public toilets.  It took me a while, because the restroom was crowded, but I finally managed to secure a stall.  When I walked in, there was piss all over the floor, no toilet seat, and no toilet paper.  I wasn’t expecting…

  • A Night Out In Manila!

    So, we’ve been here since the 6th and tonight was the first time we’d left the Antipolo area to go out and have some fun.  I guess you have to prioritize.  It wouldn’t do to go out and have a good time and then come home to crappy living conditions.  Not everything is done, and…

  • Unusual Names in the Philippines

    Naming conventions differ the world over, but for the most part have remained rather traditional in the US.  That’s slowly changing, but for now you’ll still find plenty of people named John, David, Heather, and Lesley. In the Philippines, names are a lot more creative.  I’ve seen a girl named Cherry Pie, another named Happy,…

  • Finally Making Some Progress Fixing Up My In-Law’s Place

    So, in the last post I was talking about finally making some progress and that progress was seeing the first load of refuse being hauled away.  Both my mother-in-law and father-in-law have been collecting things, mostly junk for lack of a better word, for quite a few decades.  I’m talking rusty, broken knives, bits of…