Blog From Cebu To The World » Manila

Manila Bay Sunset

ceblogger — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:38:49 +0000

I’ve heard from a lot of people about the Manila Bay sunset, and that it’s breath-taking and picture perfect. They also say that you’ll get a mesmerizing view from the Roxas Boulevard Baywalk or at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Baywalk. So the other Saturday, I found myself at MOA and with a borrowed camera on hand.

So, here are the Manila sunset photos captured by this wannabe:

Forgive my shaky hands. Now, I know why others use a tripod when shooting sunsets.

Driving Around Metro Manila; Traffic Violations

ceblogger — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:31:25 +0000

Driving around Metro Manila is both risky and expensive. No wonder why a lot of people I know don’t venture much into the inner parts of the Metro. One place they don’t like to drive around is Makati City. Aside from the heavy traffic, policemen are everywhere, ready to apprehend traffic violators. In Metro Manila, the jeepneys and buses ruled the roads.

Driving Around Metro Manila Is Risky

Have you been to the pier area? Or perhaps you don’t know where it is. The first time I passed by there on a Getz vehicle driven by an officemate, I felt like so small in between the 10-wheeler trucks and vans, bumper to bumper and side by side along huge vehicles, whose drivers would exploit their size. Even by driving a bigger AUV, I still feel uncomfortable passing by that area.

Or let’s consider SLEX for example. Minimum speed is 60kph and max of 80kph. But even if my speedometer was already pushing 120, there is always another vehicle overtaking me. Sometimes it’s a big passenger bus. How many times have we heard of 5-vehicles smash-ups? I don’t know if someone is monitoring the speed of vehicles passing by SLEX. Or even EDSA. The first time I drove along EDSA, I kept a steady speed of 60-80kph. But a lot of vehicles were overtaking me. I didn’t like it. Later, as I related my first adventure to my boss, he told me I was too slow. What? 80kph is too slow? I seldom reach that speed when I was in Cebu.

Driving Around Metro Manila Is Expensive

I’ll just enumerate here three reasons:
1. Traffic – slow traffic means more gas usage.
2. Few U-Turn Slots – If you miss the nearest one, it will be another kilometer run for your vehicle. Sucat Road has plenty of U-turn slots. And I wish it were like that in Manila or in Makati.
3. Traffic police – A friend told me that he always place a P500 bill in his license packet. Why? Because you wouldn’t know what you’d be apprehended for. One couldn’t afford the one day seminar and the hefty fine.

Traffic Violations To Watch Out For

Having been here for only 5 months, I’ve already been apprehended twice. I reasoned out that I was new here and that I didn’t know that swerving is illegal and that I was in the wrong lane. Apologies and excuses were not accepted. Only Ninoy will do.

Here are some traffic violations to watch out for:
1. Not wearing seatbelt – Some traffic will really approach your vehicle and check the driver and the front passenger. In Cebu, this is rarely implemented.

2. No entry/One way – There are too many one-way streets in Makati and Manila. When you enter a small street, check out any sign.

3. Plate Number Coding – Most cities in Metro Manila imposed coding of vehicles. Mine is scheduled on Fridays. But since coding is not implemented in Parañaque, I can drive my vehicle to work. I also have this Ninoy commemorative special plate which they say is exempted from coding. Though I doubt the exemption, I was able to drive on a Friday traversing Coastal road to the Pier Area. There is a 10am to 3pm window though.

4. No swerving – I’ve violated this twice. The first was along Buendia-Taft when I was trying to get to the left lane (from the rightmost lane) for the nearest u-turn slot. I muscled my way through the jeepneys and the big buses, only to be met by a man in blue uniform.

A few hours ago, I was also apprehended with the same violation in Edsa, when I tried to make a right turn to Ortigas. Funny I missed that exit twice before. I promised not to make the same mistake the third time. But the signs are too small to read from afar, and I almost missed it, so I immediately signaled that I go right. Then a man in blue waved at me. I’d like to argue because I think I was far enough to inconvenient any vehicle from my right side. Besides, it was already 10pm. But nah, arguing would only ruin my night.

5. Wrong lanes – When you are in Edsa and on a private vehicle, avoid the yellow lanes on the right. They are for public vehicles only.

All the while, I thought exploring Metro Manila is fun. But it is not, really! Now, I have to study the map in advance so that I’d be able to reach the Iblog5 venue for next month’s meet. That would be my first ever blogging event. See you!

Christmas in Cebu

ceblogger — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:26:55 +0000

I haven’t updated this blog for more than 10 days. I was so busy that I even had less time for sleep, and no time to blog or hop around. It’s been more than a month since I was officially transferred in Manila. There are so many things to be done and so many plans for 2009 hovering in my head. But one thing I’m looking forward to this Christmas is my trip back to Cebu.

How is Christmas celebrated in Cebu? It’s still the Christmas that you and I celebrate. There are parties and family celebrations. The famous lechon of Cebu is always present at the table. (Despite the many lechon I ate here in Manila, I still could not find the familiar taste of Cebu. No sauce needed.) The Christmas trees, kris kringle, singing, and the games are always part of the program. It is such a merry Christmas in Cebu!

The parties I attended here in Manila are nothing compared to being with my dear one back in Cebu. So, despite the steep plane fare price, I booked a ticket just to be with my love this Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas, friends! As you enjoy the holidays, remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for you more than 2,000 years ago!

photo credits: kevinworld. This is Fuente Osmeña every Christmas.

How To Explore Metro Manila

ceblogger — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:05:37 +0000

How to explore Metro Manila with its vastness, long highways, big and small streets, traffic rules and crazy traffic? This question bugged me since 15 years ago when I first set foot here (Manila). Then in 1996 when I came back here for a three-weeks training and in 2001 with a three-week audit assignment and an impending transfer to the Makati Office.

I transferred job late in 2001, in a company whose head office is in Cebu, but with a large Manila branch. Since then, being an HO guy, I’ve been a regular visitor to Manila mostly on a two or three-day visits. To explore Manila with an experienced driver is easy. We have that in our office. You get to avoid crazy traffic and insane drivers. In some cases, we ride a taxi. Riding a taxi is also convenient but you have to be wary of overcharging with fast meters, or fixed fees. Public utility jeepneys, V-hire (or what they call FX, even if it’s a Mitsubishi adventure) and buses are also available. Then there is the MRT and the LRT. But I never got to ride on those when in business trips.

A few weeks ago, my transfer to Manila was finally decided, though I was told beforehand a year ago about the possibility. I came to Manila last Wednesday with my wife, who was very reluctant about the relocation. She’s a Cebuana, and had been in Manila once before, but only for an airport transfer. On our arrival at the office, we we’re greeted by a very warm welcome from my Manila staff. At least it is a comfort to know that you are accepted.

But as we arrived at our rented place, we sat down, thanked God for the safe trip and wondered how we are going to explore Metro Manila in the next few days. I got a big vehicle alright, but I don’t have any idea how to get to the places I’ve been to before, and those must-visit sites. Here is what to when exploring Manila (this is what we did in our first week here):

1. Buy a map – I bought a map many months ago which can’t even contain the whole Metro Manila in once page. My wife and I made sure we brought it with us. We laid the whole thing in our bed and figured out where in the map we are. We identified the streets we passed by, and the malls we’ve been to. Of course, there is the Mall of Asia (MOA). We looked for the famous streets and the MRT and LRT (Light Rail Transit) routes. MRT traverses EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue), and LRT at Taft Ave. The two merge at Taft Avenue cor. EDSA, which just a jeepney ride away from MOA.

2. Ask around – I kept on asking our company driver how to get to places. Since I will now be driving on my own, I should keep in mind a lot of things, like:
a. Coding – Depending on the plate number of the vehicle you are using, there are days in the week wherein you can’t enter certain cities on certain hours. I think it is from 7am to 7pm on weekdays, and a window from 10am to 3pm. I think for Makati City, it’s really from 7 to 7.
b. Yellow lanes – There are lanes which are intended for jeepneys and buses only. Traffic enforcers apprehend you when you cross these lanes.
c. U-turn areas – One of my problems in traversing EDSA are the U-turn areas. When we went to SM Megamall last Sunday, I had no idea where to turn right, and where to go back to Baclaran.
d. Seat belts – Wearing seatbelts is a must here. In Cebu, we easily get away with it.
e. Short cuts – In order not to get stuck with heavy traffic, we must know the shortcuts. Here in Parañaque, they say that the shortcuts are in the villages. One must have village stickers to pass through.

3. Look out for the Signs – I don’t mean miraculous signs. Just some street signs. Metro Manila streets are filled with these. If you know or referred to a street which you can’t find in the map or in the signs, be sure to inquire of its new name. e.g. Buendia (Gil Puyat), Pasong Tamo (Chino Roces).

4. Never be afraid to explore – When my wife and I went to 168 Mall last Saturday, I already knew that parking there is almost impossible. So we just left my vehicle parked at MOA, rode a jeep to EDSA and then boarded the LRT. I asked the guard what station we should drop off. He said that we drop off at UN Avenue and then ride a jeep going to Divisoria. We followed his instructions, but at Divisoria, since the traffic was heavy, we dropped off at the wrong place. Good thing there’s the ever-reliable pedicab who brought us to 168 Mall at a hefty P20 per person. When we’re done with 168, we roamed around the surrounding buildings and found the Tutuban Center. I’ve been to the place before and it really changed a lot. After the days malling experience, we just retraced our route back to MOA, boarding the LRT at D. Jose station. But instead of getting down at EDSA station, we reached Baclaran. We had to walk our way back to find a jeep to MOA.

Yesterday, my wife went back to Divisoria alone. I dropped her off at EDSA LRT. She used the same route we had last Saturday, but instead of finding 168 Mall, she reached the more crowded Divisoria Mall. On her way home, she dropped off at EDSA, asked around and found the jeepneys to Sucat.

In the middle of our journeying, we had our wrong turns, but discovered a lot of things along the way. Exploring Metro Manila is not as easy as a day trip to Cebu. There are a lot of places here that I still have to discover and see for myself. Next time, I’ll explore these places:

1. Oceanarium
2. The Fort
3. Rockwell
4. Fort Boni
5. Greenhills
6. Quiapo
7. UP Diliman
8. Tagaytay
9. Enchanted Kingdom
10. Subic and many more…

For the meantime, I’ll go back to Cebu tonight and enjoy a three-day weekend break. My wife and I really missed Cebu.

Ceblogger Is Now In Manila

ceblogger — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:14:38 +0000

From Cebu to the world, via Manila. That is how it is: Ceblogger is now in Manila! My wife and I arrived from Cebu yesterday afternoon. We’re still feeling our way here and hoping we won’t get lost in the maze of roads and highways.

Ok! I’ll just keep this post very very short, as I am facing tons and tons of work to do, especially with my new work assignment. If there are blogging EBs around, which I think are aplenty here, give me a buzz, will you?