Not user friendly

Metro Manila sorely lacks clean public restrooms. Even in the much-visited Rizal Park (and in most of our malls too, for that matter), if you want to use a clean restroom with toilet paper and soap, you have to pay for it.

Pun-ny no. 3

Miss Fit. A dress and alteration shop. The business had closed but the sign was still there.

"I love to hate puns," says Hilda in Manila.

The king of sending

The Philippines' answer to UPS and FedEx: LBC. Its international destinations are not quite as extensive but its fees are much cheaper. It also has two services which the other two do not offer, both aimed at our large population of overseas workers. The first is money remittance, which is necessary in this country where most of our people do not have bank accounts. The second is the balikbayan (returning countrymen) box, a box of a specific dimension which is sent from another country to the Philippines and which can be filled with anything and everything non-perishable no matter the weight. It is sent by sea so it can take up to six weeks before it reaches its destination but it's usually the only way to send heavy things back home.

A roc's wingspan

Persia Grill is one of many restaurants on the Sky Garden of SM City North EDSA mall. I must say that my husband and I weren't impressed with the food we ordered, but I do like their sign and lanterns. If someone can tell me what this creature is supposed to be, I'd really appreciate it.

P is for Pilipinas

Before the Spaniards came and conquered the islands in the 16th century, our ancestors in the big island of Luzon already had a written language. Called Baybayin, it was the alphabet of the spoken Tagalog and Kapampangan languages, and shares its origin from the ancient Brahmi script of the Indian subcontinent with many other Asian languages. After more than four centuries of colonial rule, however, we no longer use Baybayin regulary and very few people can write in it with any facility. But the logos and abbreviations of many of our government institutions still use the alphabet's individual letters. The logo of the National Museum of the Philippines is the Baybayin "P" in the middle of a stylized sun. This rendition in marble is on the floor of the main lobby of the National Art Gallery.

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Reminding all CDP bloggers yet again: our theme for September 1 is Open-air Markets (so difficult for me!) and the poll is ongoing for the October theme. Please vote and help spread the word!

Angelic bovine

If I didn't see yesterday's sticker in the taxi, this is what I would have used for the June CDP theme day. I was reluctant to use it though, for fear of offending dear ol' Louis la Vache. With his Holy Cow Coffee Company, these cows are probably close kin of his, even if they live halfway around the world. Poor Louis might still get hurt, but at least it isn't on a theme day.




The Chophouse is a restaurant in TriNoma mall that specializes in charcoal grilled steaks. Aside from the smiling cow with a halo in its logo, it also has a winged cow standing guard beside its front doors.




My husband and I have never eaten at The Chophouse, and I doubt if we ever will. We find the name quite unappetizing and besides, what hard-hearted person would be willing to eat such sweet, angelic cows?

Crass but wise

THEME DAY: FUNNY SIGNS • This sticker was on the dashboard of a taxi I rode more than three weeks ago and I've been hanging on to it just for today. The black text on the yellow background is the funny part; the smaller white text on the black background is just the radio station's tag line. Without peeking at the translation below, can you guess what the sign says?




"No farting!!!"


Laughter is good for you—let City Daily Photo bloggers around the world give you a chuckle today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Billions served

McDonald's was first brought to Manila by businessman George T. Yang in 1981. It now has close to three hundred branches all over the Philippines; some are company-owned and some are franchises. The bigger branches have any or all of the fastfood giant's additional services: McCafé, PlayPlace, drive-through, or being open 24/7, including holidays! In Metro Manila and a few other cities and provinces, McDonald's also offers 24-hour delivery. What's your country's McDonald's like?

Lock me up!

Every now and then, our university has problems with thieves getting inside the campus. And it doesn't help the situation when students leave their things on benches or leave their cars unlocked. The latter got so bad two years ago that our security guards were spending more time checking for unlocked cars than guarding against strangers (i.e., no IDs). Yes, we all know that it shouldn't be the responsibility of the school to play babysitter for careless students, but it does become the school's problem when things get stolen inside the campus. So at the start of the past school year, the university put up reminder banners in all of the parking lots, and this simple and inexpensive solution actually helped. The incidence of unlocked cars dropped dramatically and I don't remember reading a single report about car stereos or laptops left inside cars getting stolen. I think it helped that the cartoon car looks so cute and worried. How can you neglect the safety of your pet car when he's looking at you like that?

Pun-ny no. 2

Wok Inn. A Chinese restaurant with several branches in Metro Manila.

"I love to hate puns," says Hilda in Manila.

Pun-ny no. 1

X-trim Hair Fixers. A salon along Matalino Street, Central District, Quezon City.

"I love to hate puns," says Hilda in Manila.