HP Veer by Manny Pacquiao

Here is an advertisement video in Youtube.com of HP Veer, touted to be the smallest 4G smartphone by HP webOS, with eight-time World Boxing Champion Manny Paquiao as endorser. While a lot of people love the ad, there are others who posted negative comments, mainly aimed at the supposedly "ridiculous-sounding" English accent of the boxing champ. Sadly, some of such comments came from fellow Filipinos, who seem to have no other important things to do than be overly critical of even the most trite issues. Personally, it was a great ad; HP Veer could not have chosen a much better endorser.

Summer Station ID's - GMA 7 & ABS-CBN

Summertime in Manila means brand new Television Station IDs created for its loyal viewers (as well as advertisers) by the two premier Broadcasting Networks in the Philippines - GMA 7 and ABS CBN. What about ABC 5, clearly the 3rd largest and poised (?) to become the 2nd(according to its publishers)? Perhaps busy taking care of the improglio that the station has found itself in, what with the current hosting fiasco committed by their very own (butter-and-butter) Willie Revillame.

In the meantime, let's just focus first on ABS and GMA's IDs, check them out and see which of the two is better.




Halo-Halo Station ID of GMA 7




Bida Best sa Tag Araw ABS-CBN ID Station

Have you decided yet which of the two is better station ID?

It's Summertime Once Again

Summertime is officially open in the City of Manila and the whole archipelago in general. Unusually however, the cold air is still here to give one quite some chills (like me for instance) in the early morning, even in Manila City. Today, the average temperature is 31 degrees Celsius, which we can still as very comfortable by Philippine standards. And I believe it should already be hot by this time if I would base from my previous summer experiences in the country. Anyways, welcome to a hot and hopefully short summer season!

Eat Bulaga's Sugod Bahay in Blumentritt Manila

Tomorrow is gonna be LE....wait for it..(in the tradition of Barney's famous line in US sitcom "how I met your mother")GENDARY..and AWESOME even as Eat Bulaga, the Number 1 Noontime show in the Whole Wide World, oops, not that much, but at least in the whole of the Philippine archipelapo, especially in Metro Manila, will be broadcast live from streets of Blumentritt. That's right, to be done here in our very own place in Sta Cruz Manila will be a few segments of the show. I believe one of the segments is called "All for Juan - Sugod Bahay" and it is here where they give all sorts of goodies such as sacks of rice, grocery bags and even thousands of pesos to the lucky home owner. So who's gonna be the lucky one in our place tomorrow. I will definitely stay tuned. Anyway, here's a sample video of the popular Sugod Bahay segment of Eat Bulaga.

Unusually Cool Manila Morning

It must be true what the weather experts here in the Philippines said in their announcement that it is going to be a short and cooler summer this year. I just awoke to quite a cool morning that I decided to take my usual bath a little later and instead have some nice cup of coffee. I checked on the internet for the temperature in the city of Manila and it says 26 degrees at around 7 o’clock in the morning. This is definitely a welcome surprise!

Manila City and the rest of the country is hot and humid, even so sweaty, at the time when the summer season arrives. This is the time when most malls are full of people just to take advantage of their cool ambiance. More and more people troop to the Manila Bay for some supposedly cool dip in its dingy, polluted and hence unhealthy waters. The more conscientious ones go to other cleaner (read: less dirty) beaches and springs of Cavite, Batangas and Laguna provinces.

Hopefully the pleasant weather stays around much further up until June or July or up to October even. How I wish I am not pushing my luck too far.

Mornings of Coffee and Hot Pandesal, AM news and Defective Digicam

It certainly is a great way to start the morning than having a nice coffee, with hot pan de sal (Filipino bread: literally means bread of salt) and slices of cheddar cheese. I wake up at 5.30 in the morning, most of the time that is. Immediately I bring my HP laptop downstairs to start my online work which is the usual stuff like updating my blogs and writing my daily work (articles) assignments. Mornings are not complete without my usual dose of early news from GMA DZBB. With just the right volume, the radio newscast complements my doing my online tasks amidst a still quiet morning atmosphere. There would be times when the news can be not so nice to hear and so it does affect my concentration on the current task at hand. What I do is switch to hearing some pop music stored on my computer instead.

Once I decided on forgoing doing my online work one morning and just go out to take some pictures which I can use and post at My City of Manila blog. After some quick coffee, I went out at 5:30 AM and took the jeep going to Taft. For my destination I decided to check on Lawton so I can take some pictures of the gargantuan Post office Building. Actually there are so many structures and landmarks that I can take shots of such as the Metropolitan Theater, the Pasig River, Jones Bridge, and the Quiapo Bridge.

Once I got off at Lawton, I immediately took out my Olympus SP-310, insert two fresh AA batteries which I just bought from a neighbor sari-sari store. Immediately, I took one, two shots of the Post office façade. When I clicked on the digital cam for a third shot, a message flashed instead, saying “Empty Battery” Was I dumbfounded with disbelief! The batteries are new, or were they really? Perhaps they were old stock. I tried taking them out of the camera and reinserted them back. Still, empty battery the message says. Oh how I wished I brought the other camera, my Sony Handycam, but I decided against bringing it along as I find the photos I get from using it to be quite not very clear.

I have no other recourse but to get back home; an exercise in futility that particular morning I thought. Getting back I checked on the internet for any other similar “empty battery” problems with Olympus that might have been posted online. A whole lot. Sadly, no concrete solution was in sight. Some suggests using Lithium battery instead as these are more reliable. Others suggest interchanging and reinserting of the batteries. Still, many others suggest bringing the problem to Olympus. Most did have nothing good to say about the company. Hopefully, I would find a better solution, making my digital cam a lot more useful. Perhaps I would just go to any camera shop along the Hidalgo Street at Quiapo Manila. Wait, are they still there? I remember going there years ago just to have my films developed. Perhaps they might have the right batteries for my digital camera, which simply is an indispensible tool that one certainly needs when he maintains a personal blog.

Manila's Secomoro - Herbal Demonstrator

These were taken at the Plaza Goiti, now known as Plaza Lacson in Sta Cruz Manila City, right in front of Roman Santos Building. Our main man (the albularyo), the one in charge and giving some supposedly medicinal massaging, offers pedestrians some health medicine in the form of oil. I am just not sure if the oil is made from herbs or parts of snakes.


Dried Snake Skin, bones, head; number of bottles containing whitish oil - usual medicinal implements of the typical Philippine herbalist

Albeit I saw his assistants likewise giving massages to people. It was almost nightfall yet he still has a lot of bottles to dispose. The placard placed in the midst of his wares and snake parts, like scales and bones, read reflexology and Secomoro; it even has his specific job title written on it – herbal demonstrator.


People crowding around the “Secomoro” herbal demonstrator asking for more details on the oil

Our herbalist tries to make people realize the efficacy of his oil by rubbing them some of the oil on a person’s affected (painful or diseased) part of the body and massaging it. You can have some oil at 100 pesos, probably the smallest bottle.


Oil rubbed on leg of a patron seeking some relief

Indeed, even in a supposed modern City of Manila, a good number of people would still go to cheaper means of getting body relief and even cure from any disease if given the chance.

Manila City Video Night Shot - EDSA, Mand,

Here is a short clip of the city of Manila, Metromanila to be precise, which I took at the top of the Pioneer Gateway in Mandaluyong. I love the city skyline and and just about everything below when seen from a bird's eyeview; I love it even more when witnessing the scene at night, making it more dramatic. The buildings at this part of EDSA, old and new - Cybergate Building, the construction-still-in-progress SM Residences just near the Pioneer Gateway, the Eastgate Centre, where my former office used to be located, even the starMall are all easily seen from where I was. The billboards are numerous, mostly on clothes brands, perfumes and automobiles. The Pasig River with its waters glimmering as caused by the moonlight. Obviously (and fortunately) the dark evening hides its true state (and color) This video even chanced upon one of the Metro Railway Transit trains passing by. Hopefully, I will be able to feature more videos which I will take with Sony DCR SX44 Handicam here in MY City of Manila blog. Hoping all stays tuned.

Waterless Day at Blumentritt, Manila

Today, I woke up to a waterless morning. Most parts of Blumentritt in Manila are alas without water. Not a single drop of water from the faucets, in the kitchen, bathroom, dirty kitchen, laundry room (read: the back area of the house).

What did I do?

First of all, it was a good thing there was enough water to accommodate the usual morning going-ons (bathroom and toilet), so no problem with that

Second, we still had two five-gallon jugs of mineral water (one a third full) that was enough to be used for drinking and cooking purposes. When it comes to the latter, we decided to just buy some roasted pork to do away with the use of water. I even bought some paper plates for lunch.

The problem is a busted pipe right in the middle of the intersection between Sta. Cruz Avenue and Blumentritt Street, and the guys from Maynilad (company in charge of water service this side of the city of Manila) are in the middle of fixing it. Hopefully, whatever it is that they were doing, positive comes up as soon as possible.

And indeed, my prayers were answered. While watching How I Met Your Mother (series 4, episode 16), I heard dripping from the faucet. Water is back! However, happiness was short-lived when I noticed brown water coming out. Still I am half in joy as it can still be used to clean the toilet. Better this than nothing at all.

What mom did was let water flow from time to time for the cleaner water to eventually come out. Somehow the water did get a little clearer. I guess we do have to wait for some more time before clean water from the faucet can finally be enjoyed.

Five years in Israel, a former desert, and not a single experience of water problem. Back in Manila running at 5 months and this is now the second time we had water situations. Now I know I am back in my beloved Philippines for real.

One Peso Philippine Bill

I got this 1949 one-peso Philippine bill, with the face of the one of the Philippines' national heroes Apolinario Mabini, on one of the most popular pishpishim (flea markets) in Tel Aviv Israel. I thought I had a great find in terms of its monetary value. It turns out that the Philippine peso's worth at eBay is 50 pesos, or a little more than one dollar. I bought it from pishpishim at 20 NIS, which is roughly $5. Ha! Ha! Anyways, even if the bill turns out to be expensive, I wouldn't part with it as I thought it is cool to have something important from my country's past that I can hold on to. Kind of crumpled and even worn-out, the bill definitely deserves a mention here at My City of Manila blog, if only because if it historical value and overall significance.

Manila City of Spanish Time

I just love watching clips about old Manila. However, many of the clips are not moving videos but simply compilation of pictures of the old city. Here is one of the few documentaries about the city of Manila of old, complete with annotation.

The video mentions of Manila places such as Intramuros, Pasig River and Escolta Street. Drugstores of Escolta then was mentioned as having soda bar and telephone booth. The video likewise distinguishes the local women from those with foreign blood, Spanish and American most certainly.

The tobacco industry was recognized then as one of the major and most successful. Cigar produced during that time was considered as among the best in the world. Philipine prison, Tondo and Corregidor islands are also featured in the video. The prison then was obviously a place for rehabilitation of those who committed crimes to pave the way for future reintegration to society. Tondo was famous then for its nipa shacks while Corregidor, as always, is known for its beautiful sunset.

Just about anyone who loves to watch old Manila will definitely have a nice treat upon watching the video.

Roman Santos Building, Sta Cruz Manila

The hot afternoon had me wanting to check on some books at National Bookstore in Sta Cruz Manila. From Blumentritt, I took a Sta Cruz Manila – Taft bound jeepney, but then I decided to go farther and got off in front of Plaza Lacson (formerly known as Plaza Goiti) instead. Immediately I took notice of the Roman Santos Building, one that I often mistook as a government office when I was small.


Imposing structure Roman Santos Building, Santa Cruz Manila

Indeed, if there is a building worth mentioning in any Pinoy blogs, it is the Roman Santos Building, just near the Sta Cruz Church Manila. It is certainly one of the finest Manila attractions. I am not an expert at building styles and designs, but if only because of its columns and imposing height, the structure is simply worth marveling at. The site was originally occupied by the Monte de Piedad Savings Bank, founded by Felix Huertas, a Franciscan priest. Then the building was acquired by Roman Santos, a Filipino businessman who owns the Prudential Bank and Trust Company.

Currently the Bank of the Philippine Islands takes over ownership of the building, with one of its branches occupying the ground floor. One of the occupants was South Supermarket; I even had the chance to buy some snacks to eat on way to Dasmarinas, Cavite (The buses on way to the province pick up their passengers right in front of the building).

Escolta, Manila

Escolta is a one of the most famous streets in Manila. This was known during the olden days as the commercial and shopping street of the rich and famous. The olden days I speak of here date back during the American and even Spanish occupation of the country. Escolta was definitely one of the in Manila places back then.


Built in 1934, the Regina Building is one of the most famous landmarks in Escolta. Currently, the Union Bank of the Philippines is found on its ground floor. Back then, it housed the Prudential Insurance and the International Bank.


The Tropical Hut and Mercury Drug have been tenants of this building for ages.

How did Escolta street get its name? I was guessing that there was a school located within or near the area, or perhaps the street was originally a big place for stables of horses. But actually, the name Escolta originated from the time of the 1800’s when the Spanish Captain General, The “Capitan General” went out to parade on the street with their escorts, hence the name.


With its minimal traffic, one can still enjoy some leisurely walk on the street of Escolta


Small eatery with name "Escolta Resto Bar"


Syvel's - Its spirit lives on (at least for my aunt)

Many of the expensive shops from old Manila can be found in Escolta such as Botica Boie, La Estrella del Norte, and Oceanic. Even the old Regina Building, built in 1934, is still standing to this day, thankfully left untouched and still proudly displaying its built of seemingly immense strength. (Hopefully immense enough to withstand 8 and above intensity earthquakes)


The BPI building at the far end of the Escolta Street


Escolta street sign

Today, I am surprised that despite some closed shops and theater (Capitol) Escolta seems to remain a busy street. Business as usual in Escolta albeit I won’t have the chance anymore to shop at Syvels (or to specific, be tagged along to the store by my aunt who used to love frequenting the place).

Blumentritt Market, Manila

Overhead shot of the Blumentritt Market in Metro Manila

Ferdinand Blumentritt was a teacher from Germany who was a close friend of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. But the name Blumentritt today is more known as a Light Rail Transit (LRT) station and a market in Metro Manila. Definitely as a major market place (I consider it a level lower than Divisoria Market but higher than that in Quiapo), it is one of the important Manila places to go to especially for one’s day-to-day needs.


Cart carrying large plastic bags full of vegetables at Blumentritt Market

Fish sold along the street is cheap and so is the chicken; prices tend to be higher of vendors with stalls. Chicken eggs are surprisingly cheap – I was able to buy 8 pieces for 20 pesos, which means it sold for 2.50 per piece. However, the size of the egg is almost small enough to be mistaken for quail eggs. And so I just have to settle for a bit larger eggs selling for 6 pieces at 20 pesos.


Poultry and Meat stalls

I like Blumentritt if only because of its proximity to many Manila places. One short jeepney ride and I am at Recto or Quiapo. I will just take the MCU jeep and would be at Grand Central Caloocan 15 to 20 minutes later. A tricycle ride can take me to Espana Boulevard in 5 minutes. A ride on a project 8 jeep will see me in Munoz along EDSA in 20 minutes. LRT can also be a convenient means of transportation; 25 minutes is all it takes for me to reach Pasay Taft EDSA when taking an LRT ride at Blumentritt Station.


Fruit vendor using space under the Blumentritt Station to sell her wares

A few known Manila landmarks are just near Blumentritt such as SM City San Lazaro, which can be reached by just walking, albeit on a blistering summer day, we take the tricycle. By the way the location of the present SM San Lazaro is originally were one can find the San Lazaro Hippodrome. Also near the market is the Chinese General Hospital and Manila North Cemetery.

Manila Places – Metrica Street of My Dreams

What are the Manila places to go to? I came back last November after five years of being away. And oh, so many changes had happened in the city (and still happening). Well, at least I can see them in familiar places like Sampaloc, Morayta, Recto, Quiapo, Sta Cruz, just to name a few.

I notice that the appliance shops in front of UST at Espana side have closed down. Likewise is the proliferation of more food restaurants and stores (which means more competition for Jollibee) UST, my alma mater, itself had a major makeover, and it is apparent that more changes and renovations are still going on.


I took this shot on a bridge crossing Espana just near Blumentritt Street. I am facing the Boulevard going to the direction of the University Belt, Quiapo and Taft Avenue.

Well, the city is composed of a number of districts; the one where I was born was called Sampaloc, which is mainly a residential district. Here (and also San Miguel District) is where the popular universities are situated, such as University of Santo Tomas along Espana Boulevard, University of the East in Recto Avenue and Far Eastern University along Morayta Street.

I had my elementary and high school education at UST, and so I am a proud Thomasian. Our house at Sampaloc was at Metrica Street. We stayed there until 1995 when the family decided to sell the property to divide the money among the siblings. My parents decided to spend their money to buy a house in Dasmarinas Cavite.

My grandfather told us that the place (Metrica) used to be a swamp filled with water cabbage. I thought that Sampaloc was where tamarind trees thrived, hence the name. It was here in this place where I had great memories of how life was simple then. If one would notice that the streets in Sampaloc, particularly in the residential zones where alternatively narrow and wide. Metrica was one of those narrow streets; of course not too narrow in order for cars to still be able to pass through.

Espana Boulevard is major thoroughfare and it is also a major river when heavy rains fall, especially on that part in front of UST. Governor Forbes I believe is now known as Lacson Street. Just take a passenger Jeepney in front of UST at Lacson and a number of blocks later, you can see yourself at SM San Lazaro.


Espana Blvd going to Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. One would notice the QC Rotunda Circle from afar

I loved that house in Metrica, I thought then that we were in the heart of the city and from such point, it was easy to go to any Manila places and sites. I still believe that it is. I used to promise myself that I will buy back the property and have it all for myself.

It was an old wooden house with iron grills to protect the windows. I was “given” the chance of three years to be able to acquire the property in its original form. But my ability to raise the amount needed was practically nil. Eventually the new owner tore it down and built a townhouse in its place.

Perhaps I failed in getting our old house and be able to live in Metrica again. But then hope springs eternal for somebody who’s forever dreaming. Hopefully in the future I can buy for myself my own house in Manila. I might have to forego that dream in getting a Metrica address, but it is very possible to be able to live again in Sampaloc, Manila.