Pinoy Life At Large

That’s yours truly watching TV, while waiting for room service. I spent the weekend at the Shangri-la to get a taste of first-class hospitality. And I wasn’t disappointed at all. Every cent was worth it. The food was great, the buffets at the coffee shop were a little pricey but the service and the excellent cuisine made it all worthwhile. I stayed at the cheapest room available, the Superior King (because I asked for a king-sized bed) with a view of the great SM Megamall. During registration, they asked me if I wanted either a garden view (where I had a good view of the gardens and the pool) or a city view (it was fronting Megamall and had a good view of Edsa with the passing MRT trains making it more interesting) with which I chose the latter. True enough, I got the room that I wanted with everything I asked for. But my primary purpose was to go to the swimming pool where they had a slide. It was fun!

There were several families checking in for the weekend and they were mostly local residents. Although their pool was filled with children later that day, it was still a fun place to swim as the pool is actually composed of three swimming pools merged as one. The larger part was no deeper than 4 feet while the third “arm” of the pool had a nine-foot depth. The pool is exclusive to hotel guests and members of their health club (gosh I forgot to visit that) and pool attendants make sure that all guests have beach towels to use.

The pool area is larger than most swimming pools. A lot of families have discovered that spending the weekend in a five-star hotel can be just as enjoyable as going on a road trip to a resort outside Manila, at lesser cost. A typical road trip to Subic, for instance, will cost at least P1,500 for gas, assuming that you will drive a bantam-sized car to go there. Driving two and a half hours to get there means you have to spend a few extra pesos to make sure your car is in tiptop shape, not to mention the snacks and food that you need to pay for while traveling. Hotel prices will cost around P2,500 to P4,000 a night in a decent hotel and food will continue to rack up the bills. I compared this with my P4,600 pesos a night at the Edsa Shangri-la hotel, which included buffet breakfast (and how wonderful this buffet was!) for two, overnight parking, excellent service and first-class amenities, without the back-breaking long drive. We had a blast! Plus live coverage of the Pacquiao-Solis fight as an added bonus.

Most bloggers have gone on a blogging hiatus but I decided to post some pictures I took when I went home to Bulacan for the 5-day legal holiday. I personally do not agree with the penitensya but tradition is something you don’t argue with. This was taken at a long procession Good Friday along McArthur Highway, Calumpit in Bulacan. No bloody pictures here, folks.

I think these people were on their way to Calumpit Church.

Students all over the country, take heed. For those who want to study in Japan, here’s good news! The Japanese Embassy has announced the availability of scholarships. Interested students and professionals below 31 (that’s why I don’t qualify, hehehe) may now download application forms by clicking the picture above. According to a friend they might get an average of 120 scholars from the Philippines this year, pero chismis lang yan. You will have to apply and find out for yourself. Allowances for transportation, school fees, board & lodging and miscellaneous expenses will be provided by the Japanese government. Classes will be conducted in the Japanese language, but worry not. A year’s training in the language will also be provided.

Departure for Japan will be in the first quarter of 2008. Deadline for application is April 30, 2007. Apply now!