Goodbye to Luneta Hotel

I've read in a number of forums and posts that the Luneta Hotel near Rizal Park will be demolished by its current owner(s) and will be converted into, of all things, a parking lot!



Built around 1918, the Luneta Hotel maybe the few remaining Victorian buildings in Asia, a great tribute to Manila's architecture and design. It is unfortunate that the city government and even the Philippines' (yes, my country) heritage institution cannot do anything to save such a landmark. While a great number of cities around the world are are trying to save their history, Luneta Hotel will only be remembered in pictures. Such a pity!



These pictures are taken from Flickr.com. Thanks to Laz'Ande.

Parflays, Twalay and Dachay

Those are real words, trust me! Still not convinced, below is a great clip from YouTube.




To make it even better, here's the real lyrics to the song:

Kiss Me
by Sixpence None The Richer

Kiss me, out of the bearded barley
Lightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies Dance silver moon's sparkling, so kiss me
Kiss me down by the broken tree house
Swing me upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat
We'll take the trail marked on your father's map
Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies Dance silver moon's sparkling, so kiss me
Kiss me beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies Dance silver moon's sparkling, so kiss me
So kiss me
So kiss me
So kiss me


Thank god for YouTube. Great entertainment!

Manila On The New York Times

I'm a bit dismayed (that's an understatement!) by how the Western media continues to portray Manila, my home city, as a place that is to be avoided by tourists because of terrorist threats (let's see now, how about what happened in NYC, London, Bali and Madrid?), pollution, poverty (doesn't any major city have this problem?), traffic (try driving on the 101 in Los Angeles at any given time).

So, when I ran across an article at the New York Times, I finally got a smile on my face.

Titled "Hip-hopping The Night Away in Manila", the article details the nightlife in this cosmopolitan city (you got that right) of over 10 million inhabitants and how "hip-hop" (of all things) has swept Manila.

Yes, there is traffic, pollution, poverty, homelessness, and okay, terrorist threats in Manila, but let's not immediately dismiss this city. And for a place that was totally destroyed during WWII, I believe this city has come a long way. Why not have a second look and go deeper than its facade, and perhaps you'll actually find her heart and soul.



And for those Westerners and expats living in Manila who are trashing my city, no one is stopping you from leaving, go pack your bags and try living somewhere else. Stop whining already how you guys hate driving around Manila, how you guys complain about the filth, the system, and any other things that make you miss your so-called First-world amenities. Why are you still there? Deep down, you know you got hooked!

Diet Coke + Mentos = Something Better Than The Fountains At The Bellagio

I can’t tell you how frustrating it has been trying to post a second entry to my blog. So after two hours of trying to load the website, log-in, post, edit my page and publish, success!

Let’s go back to business. On my drive home from work yesterday, while stuck in traffic on the 10 freeway (a bit of trivia, it’s only in Los Angeles that people put the definite article “the” when mentioning a freeway, “the 405”, “the 101”, “the 5” ), I heard this great segment about Diet Coke and Mentos over at National Public Radio (one thing I like about NPR is the fact that they feature some totally odd topic that really gets you interested).

What do you get when you combine the two? What's even better is what do you get when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints? At first I was thinking, is this really news? But when I finally got to see the video, it truly is better than the fountains at the Bellagio. And yes, this is one GREAT NEWS indeed!

Blog Virgin No More

This is my first attempt at blogging. I finally got the motivation to start one for myself. As to what I will be blogging, I don't really have any ideas just yet (perhaps you guys have any suggestions). Thus, the title.

Kuro-Kuro is a Filipino word that means "opinions", thoughts, ideas and observations.

Turo-Turo is another Filipino word that literally means "point-point". It is a form of cafeteria found around the Philippines where you actually point at the food you want to eat. Much like a deli. It's a neighborhood restaurants where locals hang out and exchange ideas, news and gossips.

Now that we got that settled, let's start. Probably tomorrow or in a couple of days or next week. Hey, I have a full-time job, you know?