Native America
• Dozier & Yamamoto clans
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma's History
• Tulsa
• Booker T.
• Oklahoma State
• Turley Jets
• Dozier & Yamamoto clans
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma's History
• Tulsa
• Booker T.
• Oklahoma State
• Turley Jets
Iapana
• Japan
• Tokyo
• Tokyo Eagles Baseball
• Hapa Club
• Burnt Toast Club
• Japan
• Tokyo
• Tokyo Eagles Baseball
• Hapa Club
• Burnt Toast Club
What can I say about Manila that hasn't already been said or written? It is like a lot of the world's largest cities (e.g. Tokyo,
Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, etc.) it has an attraction onto itself that is hard to describe, part of it is the
energy which exists in large cities, or the thought knowing there are others stuck in a concrete jungle where entertainment
options are quite easy to find.Alas, the best part of Manila would have to be the entertainment, of which many types exist. The one most talked about is live music. And Manila is by far the best city I have been to which offers an array of bands and singers working to make a name for themselves and who have loads of God-given talent. Some venues are quite noisy and some can be smokey, although nothing compared to other Asian cities. But go simply for the talent, the musicians and singers are singing with a lot of emotion, to me the No. 1 most important variable in the arts, in a culture that heavily encourages its youth to find fame &/or fortune through music.
I am not easily impressed but Filipino singers and musicians rival many of those in the U.S. and easily surpass Japan's, especially with regards to singers. Widely known but worth repeating, Japan encourages cutesy talentless singers aka idols to sell music and often the end result it pure ear harassment. There are exceptions to the rule but traveling to a place like Manila makes the talent differences fairly obvious. Japanese musicians are some of the best in the world but I am of the opinion that people who are hungry, figuratively and literally, tend to work harder and thereby get more skilled as a result.
Okay, the city is a bit drab, the pollution is dangerous like BKK for asthma sufferers and it's a bit depressing. Seeing a lot of homeless and poor people is never a treat but I saw more beggars on the streets of San Francisco than any other city. Manila can be a bit dangerous and one should use his/her best reserves of common sense because it's easy to get jacked and it you are going to go out where there are not a lot of taxis it is better to hire a driver for the night.
One of the things which disappoints me is the cuisine. It's not bad, actually a lot of it I like and they also do western dishes quite well but I would rate Filipino cooking one of the last of the Southeast Asian countries because Thai is simply the World's best (there should be no doubt to anyone who has ventured there, blows everything else away!!! Okay, if spicy food is not your cup of tea they even do western cuisine as well as the West) and Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Hong Kong cuisine also some of the world's finest. To the south, Indian and Pakistan also produces some excellent cooking. I will have to reserve final judgement for Filipino cuisine after having some home cooking!
