Earl Chua

I was so sick the past couple of days I thought I was going to die. That means I haven’t been having a good time and have been out of commission. This motivated me to post up on things that I miss back home.

People: Family, girlfriend, friends, co-workers, dog, and everyone else that I come into contact with every week.

San Francisco Weather: When indoors, we have the air conditioner on 24/7. Turn off the ac and 2 minutes later you WILL start sweating…instantly. It’s that bad over here. I even sweat with the ac on. It’s not just because it’s hot but it’s also very humid.

San Francisco Fresh Air: Now I realize that San Francisco does not necessarily have the freshest air in the world…not even in the state. But do not take for granted being able to go outside to get “fresh air.” The air quality in Philippines is terrible and it is impossible to get fresh air anywhere. I’d pay $5 to breath SF air for a good 10 minutes.

Milk: I love milk. I drink a minimum of two glasses a day. I actually can’t sleep without drinking a glass of milk first. Milk isn’t too popular around here. A lot of it is powdered and the ones that aren’t are nasty as well.

My Motorcycle: I miss riding my motorcycle. I miss the rush, the adrenaline, the feeling of the fresh air, and how fun it is to ride.

Work: Surprising as it sounds…I actually miss my work. Although I sometimes complain about how redundant it is and how much time I spend there, I actually miss it. I’ve spent my last 4 years being there almost every single day so I guess it’s kind of hard not being there.

My bed: I love my memory foam, queen sized bed. It’s so comfortable. I spend a lot of time on that bed and it has contributed a great deal as to why I sleep in so much. I miss it.

Lack of Mosquitos: I am not even exaggerating. I have AT LEAST 80-90 mosquito bites. I know that after a week or two it should cool down…but I’m pretty itchy right now.

Now don’t get me wrong. Philippines really is not THAT bad. Well, the weather is but as soon as you get adjusted to the weather and your body gets adjusted to being in a new country, it’s actually pretty nice.

If you have money here, you live almost like a celebrity. You have people everywhere servicing you. The shopping areas rival Beverley Hills…maybe even nicer. There are ponds, waterfalls, and gardens. They have Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and even Ed Hardy stores over here. They have very modern and classy restaurants with outdoor seating and live bands. Although this is generally a poor country, in the area that I live in, people have money. Everyone is well dressed, even nicer than people in San Francisco.

I am eating like a king over here. The seafood is like none I’ve ever had in San Francisco. We went to a shabu shabu spot where they had these huge tiger prawns on skewer sticks that were still alive! You can watch the prawn’s legs squirm and move as you dip it into the broth. 2 seconds later you eat it.

Everything is dirt cheap. Laundry is cheap…they even iron and fold your clothes for you. I handout 20 pesos tips (45 cents) and I’m making people’s day. You tip anyone in the states a buck and they get disrespected. Massages are around $7 and they are off the hook. Facials, spa treatment, and everything else; its all here, its all walking distance, and its all cheap!

Now I don’t want to give any misconception. Philippines is a really poor country. I just live in the nicest part of Philippines. This is as nice as it gets. When I travel outside my area you see a lot of poverty everywhere. You see kids running around the street in the rain begging for money. You see families digging through trash to find food. You see stray dogs and cats roaming the streets looking for food to eat. You see how hard a lot of these people work. It is a really humbling experience.

I’ve been to lazy to take pics but I will soon…

The flight wasn’t too bad. It was about a 14 hour flight and I slept through half of it. I usually have a hard time sleeping on airplanes but I now have a new strategy. I’ll share my secret:

1. Do sudoku puzzles for the first hour
2. Ask the stewardess for 2 glasses of red wine
3. Down the red wine (both glasses)
4. Do one more sudoku puzzle and do not stop until you finish it…no matter what
5. Listen to ipod
6. Close your eyes

I was so knocked out that I missed my first meal.

I was a little disappointed because I wanted to be productive during my flight. I planned to read one of my books, study up on some material, or maybe even make a blog post. What I ended up doing was sleep, listen to music, and sudoku.

I guess the reason why I was not productive was because I did not have a set goal for what I wanted to accomplish during my flight. With everything that you get into you need to know your outcome. The clearer you are in what you want to accomplish, the more you empower your brain to focus on the goal. If I knew that I wanted to read during the flight and made it my goal to do so, I will most certainly have read my book.

Anyway…I enjoyed my first day of Philippines. I actually did a lot considering I’ve only been here a little over 12 hours. I met up with family, went to my grandfather’s 1 year death anniversary ceremony, ate 3 times, sight saw a little bit, and looked at some condos. I’m still a little jet lagged and tired from my long day but I will keep you guys updated and I’ll also try to take some pics.

Goals for tomorrow:

1. Study for most of the day
2. Buy weights and yoga mat
3. Look at more condos
4. Play basketball
5. Get a post basketball full-body massage for 7 bucks