Rachel's Little Shack: June 2006

My PALs

Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila

When I go to the Philippines I fly Philippine Air Lines (PAL). They're a good airline - they deliver good food and inflight movies (including some very daggy Filipino romances), and the flight attendants are very friendly and helpful.

I've flown on a PAL flight 15 times in total (and counting), so I'm beginning to know the in-flight safety video by heart. "Mabuhay! Welcome to Philippine Airlines..." "Please direct your attention to the screens for an important safety message..." "In the unlikely event of a water landing..." "Once again, welcome to Philippine Airlines. Mabuhay!". 'Mabuhay' means 'welcome' in Tagalog.

Between Australia and the Philippines we fly in an A330 airbus. For domestic flights we use a Boeing 737. One tip: don't get a seat near the 'CR' (comfort room, that is, the Filipino term for toilet). I did once and I got no sleep the whole way home (bang... flush... smell... bang... flush... smell... etc).

I took this photo while waiting 3 hours for my flight home. Once you've had a massage, there ain't much to do at the airport except eat overpriced food and watch travel advertisements over and over and over...

Post No Bill

This is the most useless sign ever. It's a funny form of bad-english. What does it mean? Nobody knows. Well at least not most of the people I talk to who live in the Philippines. It means nothing in Filipino, nothing in English.

The only reasonable solution I've been offered so far is that it means 'do not graffiti or put posters on this wall'. But what is the use of a sign that nobody understands?

What's the funniest thing about this whole thing? You'll see this sign everywhere - in every city, on nearly every public wall. Go figure.

That's a little random...

Rachel's Little Shack comprises a flooded cartoon without the misprint. A pulse mends Susie. Susie marches with Rachel's Little Shack. A reward swings. Rachel's Little Shack hangs the assumed reporter.

Random Paragraph Generator

I said I'd be back...

I returned yesterday after 10 days in the Philippines. What a great trip. It's the third time I've been, and certainly won't be the last. If I have time I'll share some photos with you and write about stuff that happened.

For now, here's one:

Manila skyline

Manila is a hot, humid place. I prefer the clear air of the islands, but anyway, there's some nice people and places to go around this huge city. The shopping malls are bigger than the biggest ones I've ever seen (I could never work through one even in a whole day), although I don't know who has the money to shop in them. Nevertheless, they're always full of busy people, just like the rest of the city, which can take hours to drive across during peak hour.

In Manila, the contrast between the rich and poor is evident. Early in the morning before I took this photo, I saw people sleeping on pieces of cardboard in the carpark. Later on, the area will be filled with shoppers' cars and salespeople. The night before, some people slept in the high-rise apartments; others, in shanty-houses in the slums.

Eym Fwee! Fwee at Last!

I'm free at last... I've handed in my last assignment for this semester.

Looking back, I'd say that this would have to be one of the hardest semesters I've had ever... I had to adjust to a new degree, a new job, a few new ministries, and I found out that my Grandpa has cancer. Not surprisingly, I've been sick this weekend.

But, thank God, I'm done. Yes, thank God. I couldn't do it without him... I would have given up long ago.