Free WiFi in a jeepney! (and more of surprisingly modern Manila)

When someone asks you: what are the trademarks of Manila? You -knowing Manila’s basics- would probably answer: jeepneys, traffic, Manila Bay, 'lots of people, malls, a somewhat Latin atmosphere or: polluted air.

Anything highly developed would probably not cross your mind first. Ur right. Manila’s first impression gives you all of that. But since I got to explore the city myself (not being tourguided for a change –no offense, I still love those tourguides!-) Manila just showed me a whole new side. I never thought Manila could be this innovative! I just have to introduce you to this:

-Nuffnang; in a world where concepts, creativity, individuality and design becomes more and more important (read: A whole new mind - Daniel Pink) the Philippines definitely knows how to keep up with that. Surprising, because the Philippines is one of the most collectivist countries I know (more about that later, when I will talk about my office life). I guess it is the new generation that gets fully influenced by American media. Not that I don't want the Philippines to keep its own culture (I definitely do, but that bit of American influence just caused great things! One: America held (and still holds) a great responsibility of the computer boom, which enables the majority of the Filipino's to have access to one and two: America's culture of individualism got to the Philippines and now thousands of Filipino's express their own identity and share their thoughts on cool websites like Nuffnang!


-Parking lights; Malls here are huge! And so are the parking lots. I'm surprised that every single day, most common huge malls such as Trinoma, SM North Edsa and SM Megamall are full of crowds. I guess that's how many people there are in this country. It's great, people here are alot of fun, but it does cause all the traffic and hard times finding parking space. Of course malls don't want to prevent people visiting their amazing malls because of this, so SM Megamall found a sollution for it: parking lights! No more driving 100 rounds searching for parking space, u just look at the ceiling and if u find a green light, it means that there's a spot for your car. How convenient! And strategic; it saves you alot of time searching for parking space which means that there is more time left for shopping!


-Fingerscans they have them here at the office =) Every employee scans their finger when they clock in and out. I have the luck that I can come whenever I want ;)


-Free WiFi in a jeepney; yes it's true! I was riding in a jeepney at Buendia and suddenly I received free public WiFi on my iPod. Of course the provider was not the jeepney itself (it was probably from one of those huge buildings along Buendia) -that would be cooler- but still, the thought of having WiFi in a jeepney is just awesome =)

A whole new mind

I was at Powerbooks the other day and the bright orangeness of this cover
really got my attention. What a great color (does that sound a bit pro-Dutch?), but what was really great were the contents of that book. Not one single page is boring. It just keeps on paying your attention as the writer talks about how the future is shaped with right-brain thinking. What is right-brain thinking? That, to fully explain takes the whole book. But in short: right-brain thinking means creativity, concept, EQ and a whole new sense combination of design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. Seems vague? Read the book! It is filled with stories, practices, examples, quotes and illustration that will help explain. Plus: all of those are really inspiring and eye-opening! And in case u got curious, page 134; that's exactly me
;-)

Go to Daniel Pink's website

Slum lifestyle

As I've been roaming around the city for 2 months now, I couldn't help but notice the amount of slums there are in this huge city. Big slums, small slums, higher slums, slums under bridges, slums along the water; you can all find them here. It's sad to see, especially when you see the lifestyle of the Filipino riches; the difference is two worlds apart. I wasn't so surprised when somebody told me that it will take more than 30 years for Manila to catch up with cities like Bangkok. Unfortunately this means that a major part of the slums will still be present over the next years, but maybe that is not only a bad thing? I read this article, and it gave me a new perspective on all the slums I've seen here. Definitely read it if u would like to see things differently! -It's a fun read ;-)

Link to: What So-Called Slums Can Teach American Cities

Fashion in 1 suitcase

When the end of my awesome Bangkok period ended, something less awesome came with it: I was only allowed 20 KG to bring with me! 20 KG, that's insanely hard for a person that is settled for 5 months in a place where cool and cheap buys can be bought. So here I was, sorting out my stuff. Picking the things I wanted to take home (remembrans, gifts, anything that can't be bought back home) and leaving other things behind (schoolbooks!). I managed pretty well and got satisfied with the beautiful dress my friend gave me, Loft goodies (which is an awesome Japanese concept), cool multi-colored Muay Thai boxers, Siam Square clothes & accessories and my Chula uniform (clothes counted for about 70% of my bagage).

-
Now the Manila part. Same issue: again only 20 KGs are allowed. I always knew that Manila was a paradise to shop (well, not exactly paradise considering the dirty streets, traffic and well; chaos). World 66 for sure is right when the website mentions that Manila is ''Asia's Mall capital, and that you can find a mall or shopping area on every two blocks or so''. So I prepared. I brought very little stuff with me and now that I've been roaming around in this shopping city for 2 months, it indeed was a good idea. I can't reveal all about shopping yet, because there is still much out there I haven't discovered. But I would love to share some great stuff with you:




The collective.
I was invited to a movie screening in a cafe the other day, and it turned to be right beside my studio. (World 66 again was right that there's a shopping area or mall on every two blocks or so). Unfortunately, by that time, stores surrounding that cafe were closed, but I did manage to take a quick peak on the offerings they have there. The Collective is a small, somewhat still unknown, underground area that has the cutest, most original, inspiring and non-commercial stores and concepts. I didn't have time to take photo's, but I do have the luck that the area is right behind my place! -Oh well.. who cares, I'll just refer you to this fully visualized and detailed page that was dedicated to that awesome place: the Collective!!

Link to: Our-Awesome-Planet taking a loop at the Collective




Yhansy
Yhansy is a small store with the cutest and most original high quality accessories I've seen. It is slightly hidden; u have to either walk the uncommon roads of the huge Shangri-La Mall to incidentally pass by it (which me and my friend did when we got bored) or use directions. Once you're there it's hard to walk out without a purchase; goods (mostly jewelry) are original, yet not over the top, cute, wearable and considerably cheap! Prices range from 62 PHP (which is about 1.10 E) for small and simple earrings to 450 PHP (7.80E for awesome necklaces).




Cheap finds
Even though shopping in Manila has become more and more expensive over the past few years, it is still possible to buy surprisingly cheap finds. I got this striped T-shirt for an amazing 75PHP (1.30E). And the broche? Was double the price -But totally worth it ;-) (Both found at MarketMarket!) More cheap? Try: Greenhills, Mall 168 and Divisoria


And of course there are always these stores around where you can always find a good buy: Bayo, Crossings, Celine, Folded and Hung, Mango, Zara, Chocolate Schubar and Shoe Salon

Moving to Manila

A friend of mine approached me on FB the other day, telling me that he got the offer to undergo a 5-month training at British Airways in Manila. He asked me: ''do you think I should go?''

- Now three months ago I would say YES! without a doubt. Just for the fact that I missed the place. I just came back from an exciting 5 month during exchange period in Bangkok and had a short exciting stop in the Philippines. Whereas my life back in the Netherlands was just (nice) but same old same. Of course I'd say yes ;-)

Now that I actually got back to Manila and managed to get an internship here for 5 months, my thoughts changed a little

Here's my thoughts on his question:

To be in the Philippines as a tourist is amazing. It offers all the needs for a good vacation; high quality hotels for relatively cheap prices, beautiful beaches, nice people, hip hangoutspots and a huge amount of great shopping malls, but when I came to actually experience living here, everything was just totally different. The chaos on the streets that I didn't see before; it suddenly appeared. The hot sun that burns on you, the totally different, unwesternized culture, corruption, the underdeveloped infrastructure; it ''suddenly'' was all there.

My short stop in the Philippines was indeed amazing. Of course I was only there for a short time. Comparing the two situations (a short vacation break and a 5-month during settlement) makes it seem that when you have too much of something, it will lose its value. Doesn't that sound demotivating?! I've sacrificed a huge amount of time and money to get and stay here for 5 months so I thought I'd just change that a little. And so I changed my mindset; I know 5 months is much longer than a 2-weeks vacation break, but it is still too short to be bothered by the unfortunate negatives in this country. I stopped bothering and that really gave me space for plenty of good experiences here!

I guess it is the mindset that really changes your experiences..wherever you are ;-)

Manila is not the easiest place to settle in. It gives you all the challenges there are, but just stay openminded and you'll appreciate all the beauty you'll find here!

I say go for it mate ;-)

Recapture time !

How did I spend all those years living in the Netherlands?

>Let's say the usual stuff; school, work, freetime..
School was relatively easy on us with a policy of 4 schooldays a week, and sometimes even half days (or we made them halfdays). It was close to the city centre Amsterdam; which will always remain an amazing city. Enough reasons for us classmates to spend our after school hours there. Unfortunately, those (half) days weren’t all..we had tons of schoolwork to do outside class hours. The sales event project for example, where spent most of our time on before everyone left for an exchange program abroad. But it was all worth it. In de end, all groups held their own sales events, which to the teacher meant a learning experience in organizing and sales and, a financial contribution to non-profit organizations. We rather considered them to be farewell parties ;-). Our team did great, we managed to held a perfect ‘’farewell’’ party at one of the greatest locations in Amsterdam (Escape DeLux) ending up with a great score.

Luckily, school wasn’t all.. besides from the relatively large amount of free time that was given to us, we had a lot of vacations; at least once every two months and the best part: a 2 month during summer break. (can’t believe how tough my cousin’s school in the Philippines is being on her; 6 full school days a week and limited vacation breaks? I wonder if I would have survived) – this allowed me to do some traveling every half year.

The sources of finance were the part-time jobs I had. I managed to keep my job as a receptionist at the hotel for almost a year. The flexible times, ability to do my homework at the desk and nice guests from all over the world were triggers to stay there. The not so nice guests, the sometimes chaotic management and the routine I experienced after some time were definitely NOT (and of course the fact that I would be abroad for the upcoming year).

How did I spend the remaining part of my time? Well, eating, sleeping and of course hanging out with friends who I truly love! But unfortunately I couldn’t bring them to my new place and so I fully engaged myself in a new world I am now involved in.

- This shout-out is to the good memories I have in that amazing country (folks, I know it’s a small world back there but stop complaining!!)