Update #8 March 21, 2006: Bit of Homesickness

Hi,

Well, I was a bit homesick lately. Partly I think it has to do with the fact that most of my friends and family have not set up a web cam so I can see and talk to them. Hint Hint!! Also, having Jenn visiting Canada reminded me of the "Dirty Girls" reunions. Then what I think was the icing on the cake, my sister had her baby. Welcome Zach!! I so badly want to see my little nephew. Seeing videos of Alex and Meagan and hearing how big Hannah has gotten just makes me wish I could be back home to play with my nieces and nephews. I think the hormones probably also kicked in. Anyways, I'm feeling a bit better now and up to blogging. Get comfy, cause this one is going to be a long one as I have a lot to blog about.

We had another Potluck Sunday dinner at Glen and Laine's. This time, we brought out the cards and played Texas Hold'Em. While I was the first one out, due to a very unfair 'all-in' force play, (How was I to know my two pair wouldn't win) I then helped James - a newbie to Texas Hold'Em - learn how to read the other players. It was quite fun and quite interesting to see how bang on I was. The winner at the end, was Dave. The food, as always, was plentiful and yummy and the company was great. We're going to try to turn it into a monthly Potluck and Poker Night. Hopefully next time, I'll do better at poker.

The one bad bit of news is my exposure to cockroaches on the street at night. I heard stories about them but was lucky enough not to have seen one... yet. Sadly, that all changed on our way to and from the potluck. I saw about five of them alive and about six or so dead - most outside of one apartment complex. I would hate to live there! Anyways, the rule here is that each building is responsible for cleaning the sidewalk that surrounds their building. This building clearly didn't clean their sidewalk that day. Or and I shudder to think of it, those roaches died since the cleaning that day. Yuck! Luckily we haven't seen one in the apartment since that first night.

The only other bit that is negative is another vent about customer service in the Philippines. I think I mentioned before about how you go to a store and immediately get swarmed by friendly staff. You think you would like it, but trust me, it gets old fast. But my new vent is about how instead of telling you they have run out of something, they keep offering you something else. Like if you ask for chicken, and they say, we have this nice pork or beef. Then you again say you want chicken. Once again, they show you something else like lamb. Finally I clued in that if they offer you something else, it means they don't have what you want.

Oh, and while I'm venting, I might as well also mention some cabbys. Similar to the failing to tell you they don't have what you want, Dave and I had one cabby who kept insisting he knew where he was taking us. He didn't. I had to keep clarifying Santi's Deli in Rockwell. He did get us to Rockwell, but he took us to Starbucks. We didn't get out of the cab. I said again, Santi's Deli. He took us to Nestle's headquarters. Finally, frustrated we got out of the cab and walked the block and a half to Santi's deli. He didn't get a good tip.

In addition to the Canadian Club (see link at left), I have now joined the British Women's Association BWA (sorry, no Web site). I am also looking to join Mothers and Darlings (MAD) as they have a pregnancy support group as well as playgroups. I have not yet joined the American Women's Club, (see link at left) but I will see what it is like sometime next week as I will go to their monthly bazaar. Apparently you can get a number of handmade crafts and clothes for really cheap.

With all of these social clubs for expats I gotta tell you the move to Manila was definitely easier than my move to Cambridge. Here, everyone knows I'm new and remembers what is was like for them so they are very welcoming and friendly. I already have about 20 names in my cell phone. And once I even got an invite to join someone for coffee who I haven't even met yet but she knew that I was new in town.

I attended my first coffee morning with the BWA. I don't know why they call it a coffee morning though when almost everyone there drank tea. Anyways, it is a social morning followed by a talk. This time, there was a woman who was talking about the Philippine Community Fund (see link). This is a charity started by a British woman who found out that families were living in dump sites and making their living sorting through the trash and collecting recycylables. She helped to create a school for these children and provide them with meals and healthcare. The pictures and the story really broke my heart.

Afterwards, there were some tables set up with used books donated by members with the proceeds going towards charity and some charity tables. These charity tables allow different non profits in the community to showcase their crafts and try to raise money. One table I was drawn to was Entrepreneur Volunteer Assistance (EVA) Charity Foundation (see link). This charity was created to help the people of Mt. Pinatubo through a range of training and loan programs, educational scholarships, adult literacy and livelihood projects. This is an area very close to where Dave and I will eventually end up. I bought a number of cards made of hand-made paper and embroidery. They are really beautiful and it made me feel good to support their cause.

I watched my first bootleg movie. Well... part of it. It was the Wedding Crashers. A movie I was dying to see but was unable to drag Dave to see it. I heard amazing things about the movie but sadly I had to turn it off after about 1/2 way through because the sound was just horrible. That, and sometimes you could hear people eating their popcorn or heads going up to go to the bathroom. It was a movie I borrowed from a friend, so I now know not to buy a bootleg movie - besides of course the criminal edge to it - the quality of the movie is so poor it is unenjoyable.

I joined Camilla one night for a Wine Tasting in Fort Bonifacio. While I tried about three wines, they were small sips that barely added up to 1 glass. Ahh... I miss red wine. Anyways, they had entertainment as well as the drinks. I saw a belly dancer, the Philippines version of 'Chicago' and then the Philippines version of the 'Can Can.' It was definitely different than the dancing I used to remember at the Philippines hall during the Winnipeg Folklorama Festival. I gotta say, Folklorama was much better.

On my way home from the mall, I saw another loud group of people and thought it was another protest. Nope. It was striking employees. The way they strike here is definitely different than the recent strike I saw in Cambridge (can't remember the name of the company). Anyways, at the Cambridge strike, there were maybe a handful of guys with their signs drinking coffee and warming their hands over a lit garbage can. They caused traffic holdups by making everyone that wanted to enter the parking lot wait a couple of minutes. This was on Hwy 8/King St./Dundas St. - a very busy street so it was very annoying. In the strike here though, there were tons of employees, all singing and yelling. They didn't try to stop traffic or stop people from going into the building. It was quite a change and it definitely got my attention.

I've mentioned in other posts about the TV shows I get, but I don't think I went into detail on some of the Talk Shows they keep rotating. Besides Dr. Phil (which I never thought I would like but I have caught myself watching it), there is Ellen, Tyra Banks, and then the two best Talk Shows ever: Jerry Springer and Maury Povich.

While I have always been a fan of Jerry, I had a hard time finding it on TV in Canada. It is plentiful in the Philippines and let me tell you the show has changed. Now, in addition to the unbelievable stories, insults from the audience, and the traditional clanging 'fight' bell the audience has added yelling at guests - and other audience members - "Show us your tits," "Get on the pole," (they have a stripper pole), "do push ups," "give us a moon," and if the guest is from the south, all of a sudden music comes on and everyone in the audience gets up and does a square dance. I got to say, the show has improved tremendously. The even funnier part is though that people here actually think that the States is like that.

Maury should be renamed "Who's your Daddy?" as it seems that the only episodes that air here are the paternity ones. And it's not the same episode getting recycled. I think I have watched at least 8 different "Who's your Daddy?" shows. And let me tell you, the guests are pretty shocking. One woman had, at different times, brought up to 14 men to be tested to find out the father of her child. Sadly, she is still on the hunt. Then there are the wives who slept with their husband's best friend, brother, father, etc... It is pretty outrageous but I've gotten pretty good at guessing whether or not he is the father.

There are a number of exciting concerts coming to Manila. Exciting, if you are a Q-Tip. Herman's Hermits was advertising so many times it was disgusting. I was surprised though to know that I do, in fact, know some of their songs. Anyways, I was glad to see their concert dates come and go. Now however, there are tons of ads for this guy who was around back when I had a crush on Sean Cassidy. I know his name is Rick. But I can't remember the last name. Is it Rick Springfield?

I went on my first outing with the "Ladies that Lunch," part of the BWA group. About 30 of us headed to Pasay City to tour some antiques, visit an art gallery and have lunch. It was nice to get out of the apartment and the ladies in the group were very friendly. Many of them have been expats for a long time and have lived in Ethiopia, South Africa, Thailand, Japan, etc. It was interesting to hear their experiences - and in particular, what it is like to raise a child overseas.

The antiques seemed to be more like furniture and items the man purchased in his world travels. There were a number of items from India, Asia and Africa - everything from an Opium Bed (it was beautiful) to a camel saddle, tables, chairs, etc. There was a collection of paintings on the wall as well. Some were pretty good, but just not my style. Others were quite amusing. They had a bunch of heads (all circular) looking up, then two women with boobs bigger than their heads. Then there was a collection of nudes - including some of rather obese women naked. I admit, I giggled. Not very classy, but hey, I bet you would have too.

The next stop was an art gallery called Galleria Duemila (see links). It was a beautiful gallery that showcases one artist for about a month. This month, the artist had a wierd obsession with eggs - as shown in the title of the showing - 144 eggs. Some of the paintings were quite neat with the colours and shadings, but then there are eggs in every single picture. Once again, I left empty handed.

The last stop was Nicotinas, an Italian restaurant. It was huge. It had about a 3-story ceiling and most of the building was created to be open-air with just a roof on top. The section we were in was closed off to allow for air conditioning. Thank god as it was so hot! The food was good but I admit, I do miss the Italian restaurants back home. The Filipinos tend to like their spaghetti sweet, even the meat sauce - so it is definitely not the same.

Pheobe is definitely feeling at home. She is back to using her voice - especially to ask for food! She is also acting up. We've busted her on the bed and on the dining room chairs. She also snuck into my closet one day. I finally went looking for her and caught her trying to paw the door open to get out. People here are very amazed to see such a large cat. I know, I know, Phoebe isn't by any stretch of the imagination small - but jeez, everyone just seems shocked to see cats can get that large. It doesn't help that the only cats you see here are so small and scrawny they are barely bigger than kittens.

As for the pregnancy, I have been very tired lately. I was blaming it on the heat as it is very, very hot. It seemed like all I would do is eat and sleep. Turns out that I am anemic so I will have to be put on iron supplements. Hopefully when they start to kick in I will have more energy. Other than that, things seem to be going well. Check out Little Grape's Web site for more details.

Hope all of you are doing well, and please, get a Web cam!!!

Update #7 March 16, 2006 - Pics from the Roofdeck

Thought I'd start with some pictures from our rooftop. Every month or so, our building sprays for bugs and that means we head on up to the roofdeck for an hour or so to let the fumes subside. Pheobe hates these treks as it means leaving the familiar apartment and going back into her Sherpa. The pics were taken at about 9:00 AM and it was already nice and hot.

In this picture, you can see the mountains in the distance.

Dave relaxing by the pool and getting some rays.


Me in the pool. Sadly, I still not allowed to swim, so I just kind of walk around in the pool to cool off.
A view from the sundeck. I think this is facing North.

Another shot of the buildings in Makati followed by the smaller houses and shantys of Manila.

Same thing, different direction.

In this one you can see Manila Bay in the distance. The low building about midway in the shot is the Peninsula Hotel. I had a picture of the hotel's fountain in an earlier blog.

An unhappy fuzzy orange cat confined to her Sherpa.


Dave trying to calm Pheobe down by giving her a cuddle.


As always, I've posted the pics in our photo album as well. I'll add another post where I update you on my news.

Update #6 March 7, 2006: Boring Bedrest

Hi,

Well, as you may know, due to spotting and a low lying placenta I have been put on bed rest and limited activity. While I always thought I would love just being able to relax in my bed, it gets pretty boring fast. So, I don't have much to write in my blog this time. To compensate for my lack of wordiness, I have included some pictures. The pictures will also be posted on our Photo Web site.

Dave has been like a pitbull protecting me and the baby and monitoring our activity level and protein intake. He keeps shoving meat down my throat as he says I'm not eating enough. I was actually quite surprised to find out that he is right, I haven't been eating enough protein but I would like to blame it on the lack of being able to find meat that comes nice and neatly packaged - like you find at M&Ms. To compensate, the weekends are our protein bingeing sessions. We started with the breakfast buffet at the Shangri La. I had an omelet with cheese, mushrooms, green peppers and onions. I also got to have hashbrowns - something I've been craving but haven't been able to find anywhere. Then I had some ham, roast beef, fruit, and some sorry excuse for a donut. Then I had coffee, fresh mango juice and fresh orange juice. Dave basically just kept filling up his plate with an assortment of sushi, meat and fruit. Yummy!!!! I could barely get out of my chair when we were done. We ate enough that we didn't eat again until late that evening.

Then on Sunday night we went for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. I was so excited to have beef that actually tastes like beef! For some reason the beef in the Philippines is very salty. Even too salty for Dave - who loves salt. I had beef tenderloin, veggies, mashed garlic potatoes and a salad.

For those of you that plan on visiting us - and we hope a lot of you do - we did find a well-respected Manila area tour guide who offers a number of tours. You might want to review his blog to see if one of his tours interest you. His Web site is listed in the links as Celdran Tours. His blog also includes some commentary on current affairs and issues in the Philippines and provides some interesting reading.

Since I am pretty much limited in what I can do, Dave's tried to make it more comfortable for me here by picking up a DVD player and a Web cam. Now I can watch movies, listen to CDs and talk to people via Instant Messenger. The DVDs and VCDs are really cheap here. I was able to get imported DVDs of pretty recent movies on sale for about 350 pesos, or $7.00. The VCDs are a lot cheaper, they range in price from 150 - 350 pesos or from $3.00 to $7.00. I have no idea what the difference is from a VCD and DVD - besides the packaging - but I guess I'll soon find out. I bought them from a music store in the mall so I am hoping they are not pirated versions. I can also get the whole season of Sopranos, Sex in the City, etc for really cheap. I think 1 year is about 1000 pesos, or $20.00

If you have a Web cam, we can see each other and talk just like we would on the phone. If you have just a microphone you can see me and hear me, but I won't get to see you. To do this, download the latest version of MSN Messenger (version 7.5) from the Internet (it's free). Then add me (Debbiedesa@hotmail.com) as one of your contacts. That way I can see when you are online and we can chat over the Internet. I've already been able to see and chat with Bonnie and Alex and Meagan and Dave got to chat with Terry and Laura so it works pretty well.

And now, for the pictures. These pictures were taken before I was on bedrest and are from my trip to the Greenbelt Mall in Ayala Center.


This is a picture of a Jeepney. They are privately-owned but serve as public transportation. This one is actually quite boring when compared to how decorated some of the jeepneys are.



This is the Stock Exchange Building. In the middle of the big archway, there is a large fountain that goes off periodically. It is in no way the Bellagio, but it's pretty neat. Past the archway is one of the entrances to Ayala Triangle. It is a nice park but is only open during weekdays and during working hours.


This is the fountain display of the Peninsula Hotel. This is my favourite hotel and the place where Dave and I had our early Valentine's dinner. Right above the fountain area is the pool and it is unbelievable. We're going to try to go there for a BBQ dinner beside the pool one night, maybe for our anniversary. Everything about this hotel is stunning! Also, you'll see a CRV in the foreground, this is definitely one of the more popular cars in the Makati.

Because the streets are so dangerous for pedestrians, in the Philippines there are a number of ways to try to limit pedestrians crossing the street. They have gates blocking your ability to cross the street, underground passageways (that look similar to a subway entrance) and above-ground passageways like the one you see in the above picture. Besides all the stairs you have to climb, the other annoying part is that they shut them down at night, so you either have to hop the gates (which I am unable to do) or cab it eveywhere.

In Greenbelt Mall, there is a section that I think is called restaurant row. The restaurants are on one side, and on the other is park-like landscaping. This is one shot of it with the nice fountain, water and lush greenery.


And another shot of the landscaping. Sure beats the snow eh?


This is an outdoor church where they have regular services. It is very pretty but I didn't want to take any more pictures of it as a service was going on at the time.

That's it for now, hopefully I'll have more interesting stuff to share and some more pictures for you in my next update.

Love Deb and Dave