Today was my last day in Manila on this trip. We planned on heading to beach, but ended up lounging by the pool for a better part of the morning trying to figure out if we had time. After about two hours of indecision it was obviously too late to go.. so instead we decided to head back to Taguig City to walk around the Serendra mall and Market Market to do some shopping for our evening dinner guests. See pics below…

We invited several people over and had an amazing meal prepared by a friend and up and coming celebrity chef Mikko Santos. Mikko currently has a morning cooking show on one of the largest TV networks in the Philippines. He agreed to come cook for us if we bought all the groceries. (Gee shitty deal eh) The food was amazing! He made pizza, (completely from scratch) and pasta with white sauce and shrimp. The next morning, emotionally torn, I was on a plane heading back to Phoenix.

It was a perfect last day to my trip, one that left me wanting much more of the Philippines. So much so that it has started the process of some major shifts to come. Stay tuned and check pics below..

If there is one thing that Manila isn’t lacking, it’s an endless abundance of things to do at night. On any given day (and I mean any day) there is something going on somewhere in the city. From intimate wine bars to sexy lounges spinning the latest house music and hip hop night clubs packed to capacity, there is indeed something for everyone.

If you are ever in Manila and want to get the the latest on what’s happening and where, visit http://www.PINights.com to find all the best nightlife opportunities in the greater Metro Manila area.

The site is co-owned and operated by Michelle van Ruyven who is also featured in some of the photos below. If you are a bar owner in Manila looking for more exposure for your club or just want more info on the hottest local scenes in Manila, she can be contacted through her site. Needless to say I had an absolute blast…Truly the city that never sleeps. I know that I sure didn’t

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Today I wanted to try and capture the disparity between the rich and poor during a morning stroll in the Rockwell district in Makati Philippines. Rockwell is known as one of the nicest areas in Makati and all of Manila Metro for that matter. I had the privilege to stay at a friends condo here, but it really got my attention. As you will see in the pictures below the border between the rich and poor is very fine indeed. See more pics below

BACK AT THE CONDO IN ROCKWELL

What an amazing day. I was invited with a good friend of mine to tour the devastation of the recent Typhoon that hit Marikina Philippines.

My friend is a bestselling author who wrote a book about her own rise from extreme poverty in a small village called Batangas, not too far away. A fascinating read by the way http://www.TheTaleofJuliet.com

She offered to donate several hundred books to some of the victims, so the Mayor of Marikina sent a driver to pick us up and bring us on a tour of ground zero. We dined with the victims and played with the kids. There is no better feeling on earth I have found, than being in the midst of people like this.

The Typhoon struck September 28th and we toured exactly one month later. When the Typhoon hit, it rained so hard that they had to release the levy. The water rose nearly 40 feet in 6 hours submerging much of town. Some people died from a rare disease called Weil’s disease which is caused when rat pee mixes with the water and gets into open wounds.. During the 30 days that went by they had almost completely cleaned up the destruction. Here are some pics below.

Just arrived back from the Philippines on Monday after two weeks of non stop networking and of course playing. Funny thing is, I really don’t want to be home. I had a very strong desire upon leaving to stay. I feel that is the place for me at this time in my life.

I look at how my life works here and how it works there and I just feel better when I am traveling abroad. To be honest, anymore, I feel very out of place in the states. I love this country and it will always be home, but I desire more experience and culture at this time in my life.

I think once you start to travel and experience life in other countries, it becomes harder and harder to relate to people in the US, especially because most people have never been out of the country especially to third world areas. I feel they are indeed totally oblivious to how the world really is, and for some reason this makes it hard for me to connect with them.

World travel is what I have wanted for so long and its the one thing that has truly held me back from any sort of long term commitments. In my past two relationships I felt a strong urge to travel the world before ever settling down. I have had this desire in fact since i was in my late teens. Its exactly what I was trying to accomplish in real estate, and I did to a certain extent. But now its time for a real journey, a life changing sabbatical that takes me wherever it leads me.

It is time to follow my heart and do what my destiny is calling me to do. I have never been more motivated and more able than I am right now to do this.

Today I got to celebrate with a friend on her 21st birthday. It was truly an awesome day, nothing spectacular, but one of those days that just seemed to flow. Food tasted good, taxis arrived just as we were leaving, people smiled when you looked at them and experiences just seem to unfold naturally like they did when you were a kid. It was a “real” day where you didn’t have to try to be anything to anyone, and you were fine just being yourself. It also happened to be Halloween day in Manila which was a cool experience. See more pics below…

As a birthday gift I ordered a masseuse to come to the condo in the morning and wake up my friend with a massage, which surprising took some coaxing to get her to except. In hind site, she only had two hours of sleep so I don’t blame her.

After her massage, she was “surprised” with a full course breakfast complete with champagne mimosas! Later we walked around a popular shopping district outside of Makati and then ended the day with some delicious Korean cuisine in Makati…Just kidding…The night should have ended there but it didn’t. Not in the Philippines…I think its sac-religious to go to bed in the same day that you woke up… No, no, my friends, the day didn’t end there.

The night indeed progressed into the wee hours of the morning…once again. After the Korean food we ended up in a Dutch guys house pointing laser lights into outer space and talking about aliens. As I drifted in and out of consciousness because I was sooo fucking tired after 4 hours of sleep the night before, we decide (at 2am) that it was a perfect time to go dancing…Yippee! Voluntary insomnia continues.

I was practically sleep walking in the club, and literally couldn’t tell if I the girls that were hitting on me were actually guys. Hey it was Halloween and there is a lot of transvestites in Manila…One guy we were with got smart and bounced without telling anyone…Later I learned the term is actually referred to as a “French Exit” A sly but effective move for going to bed without getting shit from your friends I suppose. I should’ve done the same. Anyhow, it was awesome and I had a lot of fun.

Heres Birthday girl acting super surprised by her breakfast, silently wishing she could go back to bed