Donate to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy

To everybody who is reading this,

You may be my friend, we may be total strangers. But I'm appealing to all of you, to do what you can, to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) that has swept away lives in Manila, Philippines, and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Philippines experiences an average of 20 to 30 typhoons a year, but Typhoon Ondoy took everyone by surprise. The extent of its destruction was unexpected. The heavy floods left many stranded on rooftops without food and water for hours. Houses and vehicles were swept away by the currents. More than 30 areas were declared to be in a state of calamity. The death toll is still on the rise, millions of Filipinos remain affected by the aftermath.

I was lucky enough to have escaped from the raging typhoon. If I were to stay in Manila for a few more days, I could be one of them.

The floodwaters have subsided, but it is going to take a lot of time and effort to rebuild the affected areas. A big part of the population is surviving on a very low income, it's not an easy task to get back to the lives that used to be.

Relief operations have been ongoing, but the the scale of the devastation is still overwhelming. Food and water are being distributed to the affected areas. Donations in cash and in kind are pouring in. The disaster has also kindled the 'bayanihan' spirit in the Filipinos; people from all walks of life coming together to lend a helping hand.

But that's not enough. They still need help.

Don't just sit down and wait, or do nothing. Help.

I'm collecting cash donation, which is more ideal at this point of time. Donation of clothes and blankets can be arranged. Please contact me, or leave a message.

Donation can also be made to the ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Foundation and the Philippine National Red Cross.

I thank you for reaching out to the Filipinos. Maraming salamat.

Photos of Manila

Photos taken in Manila are already up on Flickr and Facebook.

Here's the link.

Ya, bad weather and bad traffic, didn't take as many rewarding photos as expected. Oh well, there's always a next time. It's just a 3.5 hr flight away! :)

Tropical storm Ondoy (international code Ketsana) has subsided, but the aftermath is still a disaster by itself. At least I know that my friends are ok, Joy and Niña are back in Bago City already.

Read article of Pinoy's bayanihan spirit during this period of calamity here.

Manila is hit by Ondoy

Manila has been hit by the tropical storm Ondoy.

Many families are trapped on rooftops, flight operations have been suspended, power supply is cut off, roads are impassable. Many areas have been declared to be in a state of calamity due to the heavy floods.

The weather wasn't like that a few days back. Yes it rained, but it seemed to be the usual one. Somehow I felt I should be thankful that I returned earlier, but I'm worried about my friends who are in Manila.

Joy and Niña are stranded in Manila; they were supposed to return back to Bago City this afternoon. I hope they are fine, together with Tita Celina.

The storm is expected to move west, across the Luzon island, before exiting the country early Sunday. It better be over soon, but it is not going to be easy to pick up the pieces after such destructive damages have been done.

I just hope that everything is fine.

A short respite in Manila

A short respite in Manila, I've enjoyed it, but it wasn't satisfying enough. Time was wasted meaninglessly while getting stuck in traffic jams, and waiting for one another.

I wished I had time to walk through the shopping malls (there are countless of them in Manila), or just to sit down and have some nice coffee. Talking about coffee, it's a Starbucks heaven in Manila. Starbucks is everywhere. I see a Starbucks outlet every 10 minutes when cruising down the streets.

Yes, I love Starbucks. :)

Photoshoots were less rewarding than expected. Traffic jams, bad weather. Oh well.

I was lucky though, to have close encounters with the Filipino celebrities. Although I didn't get my chance to see Piolo and Richard Poon in person, I was able to enter the studio of ABS-CBN to witness the production of a live talkshow. Many thanks to Nonoy's contacts. :)

And I was even luckier to see Kris Aquino in person, with her cute little Baby James, hours before my flight back to Singapore. :) Had a photo taken with her too! :D

Managed to trick people that I'm a fake Filipino (or maybe a fake Singaporean). Haha.

Thank you Imee and Tita Celina for hosting, thank you Joy and Niña for flying in from Bago City, for bringing me the squid rings. Thanks to Tricia and Nonoy too, for knowing how much I wish to see Piolo and Richard. Haha.

It's just a matter of time before I return to Manila, or to other parts of the Philippines. And I look forward to the day. :)

Manila, a place that is familiar and unfamiliar to me at the same time. I'm not foreign to the Filipino culture and the language (to a limited extent), but it's still my first time here in the country's capital.

The city is rather similar to the other cities of the Philippines where I've been to, but of course more developed, more complicated.

The city is still embracing the sacrificial spirit of Ninoy and Cory Aquino; yellow flags along the Roxas Boulevard are still standing tall, yellow ribbons are still tied everywhere. Every now and then, I see cars with yellow ribbons tied to the antennas drive pass.

The 1970s -1980s architecture leave traces of the Marcos' dictatorial reign. They are just like blocks of grey cement. Crude as it is, I think it's a rather apt description. Ha.

Traffic is horrible. They should implement the COE system here. Tonight's experience of being stuck in the traffic jam for 4 hours is one of my worsts so far.

Further away from the hustle of the city, Tagaytay offers the serenity that the city lacks. Its picturesque scenery is worth the travel (definitely that does not imply when there's a traffic jam).

If not for the rain, I could have explored more places and taken more photos. A pity the weather made the sky foggy that I couldn't capture a nice photo of the Taal volcano.


Lake Taal and Taal volcano

There's more explorations to come. Good to have my laptop with me. Haha. :)

Manila, here I come..

After weeks of mad rush and conquering wars, it's time to... ... ...


SAY HI TO MANILA!!! woohoo~! :D

Japanese drama classic

This Japanese drama just came to my thought suddenly. 同一屋檐下, Hitotsu Yane no Shita (Our House). My first J-drama, and it's a classic. I think people of my 'era' would remember. :)

I miss their family's trademark giggle.

The theme song just made me feel so nostalgic. Ahh~



Where have my J-drama days gone to??

Pixar's Presto

Just as life starts to get busy and work becomes hectic, we should not forget to give ourselves space for laughs.

Laughing is a very therapeutic thing. :)