Day ?? - The real day one
Well, I left on Aug 1... but now its Aug 3d.
The flight was really nice... I would actually recommend Philippine Airlines, though only if you fly any other class than economy ;-) The plane touched down very early... 04:30. The airport has been remodeled, so it no longer resembles a third-world cattle pen.
The accomodations are nice... spartan, but liveable as a studio apt for 1 month. My only requirements were AC, TV, and a fridge. You can check it out here: Mabini Mansion.
Believe it or not, the weather here is cooler and more tolerable than back in DC. I'm just off of Manila Bay, so there's somewhat of a breeze. The sky was cloudless. My initial dread of non-stop monsoons have been debunked (though it is really only Day 1.)
I was pretty wired when I arrived despite the 12 hour time difference, so after checking-in, a quick shower, and a meal, I put together my to-do list and headed off.
I dunno if it was the exhaustion or what... but I was so defensive and tense walking around. Probably with good reason. My family kept on telling me to "watch out..." Pickpockets, robbers, kidnappers, the usual fodder... I dismissed all of that back in Fairfax, but now that I was actually wandering the streets of Malate (the neighborhood) I felt like I had the word 'tourist' stamped on my forehead.
It probably didn't help either that I witnessed an attempted pick-pocketing. Some grubby street vendor tried to finger the pocket book of a lady walking in front of me. She felt her purse moving, so she turned to him and started cursing him out. Very cool. I would have done the same thing. So, I now have everything strategically placed in the man-purse (read: messenger bag) according to value and level-of-difficulty-of-reaching-in-to-pick-pocket.
My new hangout is the mall. Its this bizzare sanctuary... closely resembles Tysons Galleria, believe it or not. I spent most of the day trying to find an internet cafe (succeeded) and getting a new SIM card for my cellphone. I got the SIM card, but am having issues with activating it since the f**kers at Cingular have to make my life difficult and have locked my phone to their fascist capitalist network.
Tomorrow I'll see my mom. Just didn't have the energy today... and I can feel it waning as I type. I've been reading a great book called "Surviving Schizophrenia." Not exactly beach reading, but good for those who happen to have schizophrenics in their family.
A great "starter" book that I HIGHLY recommend is called "Crazy" by Pete Earley. He writes for the Washington Post. Its an account of his own experience with his son's bipolar disorder and the conflicts in the legal and medical systems that unknowingly hurt the mentally ill more than help them. Check it out in bookstores or on Amazon.
Ok... mall is closing in 5 mins. Gotta run. More tomorrow!
- Ed
The flight was really nice... I would actually recommend Philippine Airlines, though only if you fly any other class than economy ;-) The plane touched down very early... 04:30. The airport has been remodeled, so it no longer resembles a third-world cattle pen.
The accomodations are nice... spartan, but liveable as a studio apt for 1 month. My only requirements were AC, TV, and a fridge. You can check it out here: Mabini Mansion.
Believe it or not, the weather here is cooler and more tolerable than back in DC. I'm just off of Manila Bay, so there's somewhat of a breeze. The sky was cloudless. My initial dread of non-stop monsoons have been debunked (though it is really only Day 1.)
I was pretty wired when I arrived despite the 12 hour time difference, so after checking-in, a quick shower, and a meal, I put together my to-do list and headed off.
I dunno if it was the exhaustion or what... but I was so defensive and tense walking around. Probably with good reason. My family kept on telling me to "watch out..." Pickpockets, robbers, kidnappers, the usual fodder... I dismissed all of that back in Fairfax, but now that I was actually wandering the streets of Malate (the neighborhood) I felt like I had the word 'tourist' stamped on my forehead.
It probably didn't help either that I witnessed an attempted pick-pocketing. Some grubby street vendor tried to finger the pocket book of a lady walking in front of me. She felt her purse moving, so she turned to him and started cursing him out. Very cool. I would have done the same thing. So, I now have everything strategically placed in the man-purse (read: messenger bag) according to value and level-of-difficulty-of-reaching-in-to-pick-pocket.
My new hangout is the mall. Its this bizzare sanctuary... closely resembles Tysons Galleria, believe it or not. I spent most of the day trying to find an internet cafe (succeeded) and getting a new SIM card for my cellphone. I got the SIM card, but am having issues with activating it since the f**kers at Cingular have to make my life difficult and have locked my phone to their fascist capitalist network.
Tomorrow I'll see my mom. Just didn't have the energy today... and I can feel it waning as I type. I've been reading a great book called "Surviving Schizophrenia." Not exactly beach reading, but good for those who happen to have schizophrenics in their family.
A great "starter" book that I HIGHLY recommend is called "Crazy" by Pete Earley. He writes for the Washington Post. Its an account of his own experience with his son's bipolar disorder and the conflicts in the legal and medical systems that unknowingly hurt the mentally ill more than help them. Check it out in bookstores or on Amazon.
Ok... mall is closing in 5 mins. Gotta run. More tomorrow!
- Ed
posted by YodaBeesh at
8:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home