When in Manila…or anywhere else in the Philippines, you will find the Filipino tradition of “Utang na Loob (debt of inside or debt of gratitude)” alive. It’s a concept wherein a favour from somebody will be paid back by you and several generations of your family to come.  Filipinos take gratitude a bit on an extreme level so you can imagine why it was a shock when in 2006, Manila was named one of [...]

  When in Manila, one can’t help noticing the vibrant life pulsating through the concrete punctuated by the smorgasbord of sounds, sights, and smells from the inhabitants of the city. The constant assault of stimuli on the senses inevitably mold the most creative minds; for truly, life breeds creativity.   Being a people full of life, ergo a people with right brains exploding with color, music, and taste, it seems contradicting that our passionate love [...]

  When in Manila, it’s impossible not to feel the frenzied hustle of the fast-paced city life (unless you are a monk in a trance).  Sometimes we all need a break and go to a faraway place where the loud car horns and smokescreen of…well…smoke are just some distant tiny beeps and wisps of out-of-place gas.   One day, out of whim, I decided to take that break.  I checked out some tour packages online to [...]