How to ride a taxi safely in Manila
One good reason to get a car of your own to drive in Manila, no matter what a rickety, old second-hand it is: it’ actually safer to drive on your own in the city’s crazy streets than depend on public transportation.
My own arguments against riding public transport are these – if you’re riding a taxi: you never know the driver’s temperament or if their meters are reliable. Some smell of LPG gas (because, well, they’re using it) and it’s really crazy hailing taxis during rush hours, the holiday season and when it rains.
As for FXs buses and jeepneys, I get claustrophobic and paranoid about holdup incidents. The only thing I favor are the LRT and MRT trains to easily get to Point Z from Point A, but the lines at the terminals can get really long too, and occasionally there are mechanical troubles which can stall your trip for hours.
I’ve had my commuter days and have my own horror stories to tell about riding public transport. One time, the taxi driver was really acting weird and appeared to be high on drugs. I leapt out of the taxi at the next stop light, but not without him shouting invectives at me. God knows where he could have led me then.
As a result, I’ve formulated some rules in riding a taxi in Manila:
1. Ride only on taxis ran by reputable companies. Never mind if you have to shell out extra pesos for it.
2. Practice precautionary measures like keeping the doors locked, carrying a self-defense spray and sitting at the back, instead of beside the driver.
3. Text the taxi’s plate number to a family member or friend as soon as you ride the car
4. Riding a taxi at 6 a.m. is safer than riding a taxi at 3 or 4 a.m. In the same way that riding a taxi in groups is safer than going it alone, at that hour!
On Facebook tonight, the horrific story of this young woman who was mugged by a taxi driver caught my attention:
MoMo at Robinsons Manila: no longer momolicious?
I was all raving about MoMo! Food + Drink when they opened. With free wifi, cool waitstaff and mouthwatering desserts as low as P50, it was destined to be the great hangout on Robinsons new Midtown Wing.Until they closed for renovations and revamped their menu. Unfortunately, things look headed for the worst.
Brewed coffee is now at P150 from the previous P75. At this rate, am better hanging out in the Shang-ri La. 
My friend ordered their peach torte for P195, and it was nothing outstanding. The premium dessert, L’Opera at the nearby Manila Diamond Hotel is better and cheaper because it’s only P165.
The only good thing was that MoMo! serves these breadsticks with a serving of herbed butter, before your main course arrives.
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NUKS NUMUN moment: my digital perm at a Korean salon
NUKS NUMUN! is a popular phrase I hear from fellow bloggers these days. I figure that in this age of icanhazcheezburger, it’s a variation of the old and jaded Tagalog term of exclamation “naks naman!” (Wow!) As in “NUKS NUMUN! Buhay pa ba ang gumupit ng buhok mo, sis?”
Barely a month after getting the famous Ricky Reyes haircut, I was itching for change again. It was because my natural curls were showing themselves in their full unflattering glory, which made for an uneven field. It didn’t help that the hubby told me he wanted to see me get a perm before he flew home. So off I went to a Korean salon I’ve been eyeing for a long time, but haven’t tried, and conveniently located at the ground floor of the Pan Pacific hotel in Manila. Have to admit that I tried it just for kicks, as it wasn’t as busy as Tony and Jackey a few blocks away. And I really wanted to try a Korean digital perm.
It’s something that I won’t regret doing, as it made the whole process seem effortless. None of the icky smell that we traditionally know of the cold perm. I forgot the step-by-step process now but it did involve the usual procedure of shampooing/rinsing my hair, cutting (if necessary), drying, twirling my hair under curlers or hot rods and placing it under a rectangular heating machine.
Asian Food Museum by Makansutra now open at Manila Ocean Park
Mostly, I like the Manila Ocean Park because it is one of the few places in Manila where you can enjoy the city’s natural beauty without spending much. Ever since Baywalk closed, this is now the place to gaze at the beautiful sunset and watching the panoramic expanse of the Manila Bay while sipping a drink and enjoying the time with your family.
The best things in life are (almost) free!
It is good that MOP doesn’t charge an entrance fee just for entering their complex. After offering the mermaid show, the people behind the Makansutra Asian Food Village unveiled yesterday the Asian Food Museum for a peek at Asian food history, culinary cultures and traditions.
Mermaid show at the Manila Ocean Park
The kids and I hang out at the Manila Ocean Park over the weekend, just in time to catch their recently launched Mermaid Show. This is a 30-minute treat where attractive (and should I say, curvaceous) swimmers perform dances, moves and acrobatics underwater. Of course it’s a given, they gotta be professionals to do that!
I must say it’s a real delight for kids, who must be harboring fantasies about being the next Little Mermaid or even our homegrown Dyesebel. It was fun seeing the women-swimmers in their colorful, alluring costumes, waving and smiling at their audience while grooving to the beat of the music. I took a video but I still have to upload it to YouTube 
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Eastwood Mall & its state-of-the-art cinema
Faraway Eastwood in Quezon City is one place I’d think twice about going, but when almost-neighbor Sasha offered a treat of free movies at the spanking new Eastwood cinema plus free pick-up in their family car, I had no choice but to say YES!!!
Traffic along C-5 was smooth that day, which made going to Eastwood such a breeze – less than 30 minutes! Arriving there, I couldn’t help but be transported to another world. The new Eastwood Mall was far from crowded and did not look like the populous boxes of concrete in Manila. It looked every inch immaculate and upscale. I also liked nice touches like the man-made water structure and walkway bridge in the outside garden.
The high ceiling, escalator and cavernous middle kinda reminded me of Shang-ri La Plaza mall in Mandaluyong, except that Eastwood has better scenery outside. I dig the airy sunroof (if that’s how you call it.)
We’ve hardly done a tour of the mall and it was time to catch the 1 p.m. movie. We met up with Tinay of Megaworld who was going to show us the mall’s high-tech theater, with the uber-comfy fully reclining seats.It was heaven and relaxing indeed, plunking down ourselves in the plush chairs which fully reclined just by flicking a side lever.
Flores de Mayo 2009 Bellissima Filipina winners
I didn’t stay long enough to catch the announcement of the winners among the beauteous sagalas that graced the Flores de Mayo 2009 last May 24 at the Mall of Asia. So here they are: (via Unilever Philippines)
Shown (from left) are: Anna Marie Burgos, awarded Miss Cream Silk; Janina San Miguel, crowned La Flor de Manila; Reissa Ileto, bagging the night’s most coveted Rosa Mystica; Andrea Abesamis, as the Reina de las Flores; and Glennifer Perido, as Miss Ponds.
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Manila’s dine-in seafood markets
With a mainly no-meat diet being imposed by Filipino Roman Catholics among themselves this past Holy Week, allow me to talk about seafood markets that have mushroomed in the city. When you’re craving for cooked seafood in these parts, you can think of three major sources: the Filipino restos where you can feast on local specialties like guinataang kuhol (snail), the Chinese restos which have offerings like crispy shrimps or crab with sotanghon (vermicelli), and the open-air markets where you can pick your seafood fresh and have it cooked in the adjoining restaurant of your choice.
I dined in two of these seafood markets recently and the experience hasn’t been disappointing. A bit on the pricey side, yes, but then again, seafood doesn’t really come cheap, unless you’re in a coastal town or something.
Dampa sa Libis was quite a revelation. I liked it because it was clean and didn’t suffocate me with the crowds. For someone like me who’s based in the center of Manila, its location in Libis, along C5, was definitely out of my way. It would pay to be here at least once a year, he he, and what’s good is that after eating here, you can take a short five minute drive to Eastwood City and have coffee there. The malls in Eastwood also close late, around midnight or so.
Little Tokyo Makati
Fast forward to 2009 and I am happy to find Little Tokyo in Makati. Fellow bloggers have been talking about this place and it was time to see It warmed my heart at first sight.
(Another) laptop robbery, this time in S & R Macapagal
I was about to park my car to buy a pair of tires in S & R Macapagal (Aseana Business Park) last night when I chanced upon this angry scene.
A group found out too late that their brand new Montero SUV had been broken in, its glass windows smashed. In a relatively well-lit parking lot with security guards. Losses included a brand new Acer laptop and money in six figures.
The victim (not in picture) was mainly mourning the loss of his laptop, placed in a knapsack, which contained important work records. We learned he’s a vice president of Volvo cars based in Singapore.
It seems only a few weeks ago when we wrote here the rash of laptop robberies in vehicles. This is the reason why I’d never venture out of the house these days with the Mac, even for the sole reason of “looking good while using wi-fi in a tony coffeeshop.” The prevailing moral lesson is that you should never leave your laptop and other gadgets in your car, even if you just have to pee for five minutes, or less.
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Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
Two of my officemates have just bought Satio last...
