The Christmas spirit is definitely in the air. And here in this urban jungle, nothing can define this spirit than the maddening crowds at every shopping place imaginable. From the airconditioned malls to the crowded flea markets, people are flocking to the very corners of the city looking for that bargain find as a present to himself or to someone else. The recently concluded St. James The Great Christmas Bazaar down south in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa was a testament to the dedication many people have all in the name of bargain finds. There are shoppers who came from far north just to see what the bazaar dubbed as the “biggest…
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The Urban Roamer’s ePassport Guide
In case you haven’t heard (or if you were too busy/distracted with the reemergence of Cory magic at that time) the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs launched back in August 2009 the ePassport, a biometrics-based paper-electronic passport which is considered to be most advanced type of passport being adapted by many countries around the world. With advanced recognition features embedded in a thin electronic microchip located within the passport, it was specifically designed to be forgery-proof in the wake of terrorism threats in recent years. While my old passport does not expire yet for another couple of years, looking at that green passport with those hand-written entries makes the bearer…
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That (stinking) San Juan River
With the ongoing efforts to clean up the city’s rivers and waterways, one waterway that perhaps needed to be given more attention to is the San Juan River. Known as one of the tributaries of the Pasig River (Metro Manila’s main waterway) the San Juan River traverses all the way up north in Quezon City (marked by the purplish ink on the map above) It also serves as a natural boundary for a part of eastern Manila, northwest Mandaluyong, west San Juan, and part of southwestern Quezon City.
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Coming Soon: The Illumina Residences
In this part of the city where I live, there has not been much high-rise developments here. After all, Santa Mesa’s environment is considered more of the “suburban” type, an environment which usually is spared from infiltration of high-rise structures. But as land becomes more scarce in this dense metropolis, developers are looking at every vacant piece of property available as a possible real estate development opportunity. Whether they turn out to be a hit or a dud is another story altogether.