adventures in neverland

finally, i found a perfect spot to hang out in manille all year round -- the harbor square. it's right across the cultural center of the philippines. during summer, it is cool and light. the manila bay nearby is sparkling like a thousand pearls, its blueness calming. in december, it is even colder and the sea calmer. it's even lovelier during the rainy days and nights. more romantic. with the sea and the sky all grey and forlorn, as though they were abandoned by their lovers.  yes, there's nothing more romantic than be reminded of a love affair gone awry. seagulls and other birds have made it their home, resting on top of the boats, on ropes, while waiting for their prey, the school of tiny fish underneath the sea. too, the boats decked beside the concrete walls are post card perfect, adding to the miami like ambiance. in fact, a tourist once commented that the view reminds him of his city in florida. but more than anything else, it's the breathtaking sunset t...

after a series of very serious postings -- carried away as i was by the devastation wreaked by super typhoon yolanda on my beloved tacloban city and some parts of samar, leyte, cebu and iloilo -- i am doing something light that can hopefully bring a smile or two on our wrinkled faces and restore some luster on our greying hairs caused by the government's ineptness in dealing with the storm. if you are tired of staying inside the airconditioned shopping malls that tempt you to buy, buy and buy things that you don't actually need, then may i suggest walking around roxas boulevard (if you don't mind the occasional stench coming from the filthy manila bay, street kids in tattered clothes begging for money, and the homeless staring at you with hunger in their eyes) and the cultural center of the philippines all the way to the philippine international convention center. it's best to do this in the afternoon so you can catch manila's famous sunset along roxas boule...