The Linden Suites Manila Pasig

... in the Philippines they don't understand the concept of side dishes and appetizers the way we do. It's hard to tell when they will be served during the meal. We received our fries well in advance of our burger as if they were an appetizer. And we find in most places, even American chain restaurants, if you order an appetizer, it's a **** shoot as to when it will be served ...

... we got the statement dated Dec 24 on Jan 18 and I understood. Its a postal problem. Even locally the mail can take weeks. Anyway, the statement showed the check they just gave me for Russ to sign was already deducted from our balance. Apparantly the signature issue was only and internal attempt to get the paperwork right after the fact. Got to appease the auditors. But that wasn't why the balance was low. We had been writing big checks for the ...

... from Russ) we have not found a burger which we (opinionated at best) felt was the epitome of the great American burger. We still have to try Burger King but this isn't what we really want to find and assume it will be the same as the other fast food burgers. Now we've tried Jolibees; and not to insult any Filipinos, its the Philippine equivalent of McD's but the meat seems to have either bits ...

... Time always attaches people to places, and in six days, I felt that in China. It's a long and storied attachment that grew ever since I stepped on Taiwan soil three and a half years ago. And now that my journey has taken a full circle, I couldn't help but be swept by a wave of nostalgia. When the airplane took off, I stayed near the window seat, closed my eyes, recited a prayer of thanks, and saw an aerial view of China for the last time. Up there, things appeared to be tiny, and ...

The cats arrived on July 9. They were waiting for me in the lobby with their "pet chauffer" when I came back from a house hunting trip. We brought them upstairs and opened the kennels. They were both eager to be free and nervously checked out the apartment. Sydney made herself right at home. She commented to me (this is a loose translation derived from meows and tail movements) that she should have been ...

... are allowed to be used at the same time. Each car, based on the last number of its license plate, has a day of the week where it cannot be driven. Manilans love their karaoke bars. When talking about going out at night they usually bring up the possibility of going dancing at a disco, or going singing. In fact karaoke is so popular, that MTV displays lyrics during all of its videos.

... the Americans took over for 50 years. It is also really easy to see the great influence that the US has on the Philippines. On our first day in Manila, we stumbled across some giant American-like malls, which are all air-conditioned and have everything you would need in one place. Also remarkable is the amount of food that is everywhere. You cannot walk 20 minutes without seeing a fried chicken joint, or a burger joint, or a ribs joint, or a Chinese restaurant ...

The land is a mixture of sand and soil - rough but soft. Waves violently hit sandbars a few miles away, creating an otherworldly sound. But raging as it may be, the waves sizzle to a foam once it hit the cream-colored shore. The sun had already set and darkness crawls in the horizon. The smell of the sea is overpowering, brought about by the strong evening breeze.

... place to stay. Flanking Ortigas Center are the streets of EDSA to its west, Ortigas Avenue to its north, Meralco Avenue to its east and Shaw Boulevard to the south. Photo by nakedmonke To read more, click here!