Manila Profile
Manila is the political and economic nerve centre of the Philippines, and it serves as a magnet for residents from all over the country. For most visitors from North America or Europe, this metropolis does not seem to merit more than a few days’ visit, after which the tranquility of the provinces may seem all that much more attractive. Although a trip to Manila can be taxing, it nevertheless gives the visitor important insights into the culture, history and current state of this island republic, insights that stem from its very wealth of contradictions.
In the sights of foreign conquerors
Natives who settled at the mouth of the Pasig River in Manila have seen a great many conquerors come and leave. The first to come were the Malaysians, who arrived in the Philippines during the pre-Christian era. Hindu and Buddhist rulers from Indonesia followed. Islam reached Manila at the end of the fifteenth century. The Muslim reign established in the mid-sixteenth century had been in existence for barely a decade when Spanish Catholic seafarers appeared on the horizon.
Colonial Manila
Miguel de Legaspi conquered Manila in 1571, declaring it to be the capital of the Spanish colony of the Philippines. Despite the ravages of World War II, when Manila was heavily bombed, traces of the city’s colonial past are still in evidence, particularly in the Intramuros district. Intramuros, literally “within the walls”, meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress. The city centre, with its partially restored wall , is the site of a number of sixteenth-century buildings including Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and the church of San Augustin, the oldest in the city.
At the centre of power
The heart of Manila is now elsewhere, in Makati, the modern commercial and banking quarter. Elegant high rises, gorgeous residential groves, super-modern shopping centres and numerous international hotels can be seen. The modern development of this quarter began in the mid-twentieth century. Like much of the development in Manila, Makati is closely connected to the politically powerful Zobel de Ayala family. The family name is found throughout the city, on streets, buildings and public monuments.
They come here not only to pray
Pasay City is located in the south-west of Manila across the superhighway from high-class Makati. On Wednesdays, Pasay is overrun with people. In Baclaran, the faithful crowd into Redemption Church, where weekly services are held in honour of the Virgin Mary. But one suspects that even more Manilans make their way to Pasay in order to patronize the neighbourhood’s famous lech6n stands, known to be the best source of that quintessential Philippine specialty, roast suckling pig.
A bit of folk culture
Throughout Manila, a light rail station is never far away. If your stomach is complaining after a feast of suckling pig, a gentle ride on this elevated railway is highly recommended. The trip back to town can also be made by Jeepney, of course, though it will be slower and more crowded.
Jeepneys were originally former United States Army jeeps that had been converted into passenger vehicles with as many as fourteen canopied seats. These days, however, most Jeepneys come new from the factory. Beautiful painting and ornamentation are a must have for genuine Jeepney status. Most have Catholic religious motifs as their central theme, but they may include lighthearted comic strip images.
Many Jeepneys are so thoroughly covered in advertising that they resemble moving billboards, while others looks like temples on wheels. What’s important for visitors to remember, however, is that Jeepneys follow specific routes, just like buses. It is always best to inquire about the route before getting on board.
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Work from Home
Working from home is becoming more and more acceptable. I work from home and I adore it. I don’t think I could ever toil at a salon again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to transfer my business into business premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few months. Even if parts of my business move out of home, I’ll try to stay at home myself as much as I can.
Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed or contract employees is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for business premises if it isn’t required. Working from home has many advantages.
You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can “drop into the office” anytime you like. You can get up really early if the mood takes you and put in a few hours work then go back to bed. But as a web designer, there is one feature I really like, all the tax deductions!
You can claim some of your household running expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your telephone bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, business furniture and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.
You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with peak hour or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra one to two hours per day of work when you don’t have to travel.
There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Kids home from school at three o’clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family.
You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it’s best also if you can close the door on the weekends and at the end of the day so you can “leave work”.
I think many of the perceptions of people that working from home is “unprofessional” have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via computers has increased dramatically in recent years. “Outsourcing” has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a spate of self-employed former employees, most of them working from home.
The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were working for someone else.
Want to work from home in your own home based business for women? You can learn more about starting your own profitable and flexible home business.
How to Shop for Your Bridal Party Gifts
What is the most important aspect of buying bridal party gifts for your wedding party? There are certainly many factors involved. Namely what type of wedding party people you are asking to be standing next to you on the aisle. Each of them, whether they are man or woman, has their own personalities. Their own likes and dislikes and all this figures prominently into your decision.
At first, you might want to rush out and buy the first gift you see at the mall. I would advise against that. You see, this is your wedding day we are talking about here. One of the most important days and times of your life. You certainly do not want to be haphazard about your shopping at this point. These gifts will be proudly displayed by your wedding party for years to come. You want them to be lasting memories of their involvement to your wedding.
One of the best ways to do this is to personalize the gift itself. There are many companies which allow you to choose a gift and then engrave nearly anything you desire on it. Let say you bought a beer mug as best man gifts or groomsmen gifts to be passed out to your Best Man, groomsmen and ushers. You would then engrave either the date of the wedding and their names or some type of nicknames. So the next time they pour a cold drink, they will think of you. And that is what wedding gifts on your big day should be all about.
Cellular Phone Number Search
Is it a fallacy to believe that a reverse cell search is accurate? Some of us are just about through with sites that promise a product or service but don’t deliver. On the scene now are reverse cell phone lookup sites.
Let’s take a look at phone number lookups. If you have a land line number but don’t have the person the number is registered to or the associated address you can visit a reverse phone lookup site for inquiries. For example phone reverse lookup.
Nonrtheless there is a problem when you desire to conduct a reverse phone lookup on a cellular phone as the free services are unable to produce that type of number. Not to mention fax numbers can’t be produced either as this information is only held by the carriers and telecommunications companies. Do these records exist, and are they free?
The great thing is that numerous websites provide great databases of cell phone numbers, but the service is not free. These websites naturally have to pay for access to some of this information, and go to quite a bit of the trouble of gathering the massive resources together in one place, and as a result you will be charged a small fee before you can get to the reverse phone number databases.
Along with cell phone lookups there are also corresponding sites which offer access to data such as background checks, personal databases, bankruptcy searches, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions, and much more. These websites run in the same way, providing access to specific types of data for a set fee, however it should be mentioned that you will not receive access to such data as part of your reverse phone lookup internet site membership.