I think the video says all that needs to be said.

Really though, I hope to get the internet set up at my condo sometime soon to alleviate the intense boredom I currently suffer while at home.

I LIVE here now.

Now that I'm not just in a hotel room it finally feels like I live here now. I figured I'd make a short video showing what the apartment looks like right now. Tomorrow I shall head to the mall and buy some stuff to fill it with. I hope I don't come back with tons of junk I don't need... who am I kidding!?

Found a place to live

After much searching and walking around Makati with Cindy, the kind lady from HR, I think I've finally found a place to live. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to work, and is located near the Greenbelt malls and park, which is good. It's on the 16th floor of a building called Greenbelt Park Place and is a small, brand new, one bedroom unit. My only problem with the place is that it's got no balcony, and the view isn't as great as I'd have hoped. Oh yea, and there's construction going on next door, but then it seems there's construction going on everywhere in Makati.

The building is only 3 years old and there are lots of nice amenities, including a swimming pool, game room with a billiards table, two new saunas, a well equipped gym, some restaurants on the bottom floor of the building, and cable tv and telephone service. But enough talk, on to the pictures!

The front entrance, lobby and pool respectively. The pool also has three hokey looking dolphin sculptures on the other side.

Well that's that. The accounting department at QJ I believe is taking care of things so I should probably be moved in by tomorrow or the next day. I still have one more place to look at but I doubt my mind will be changed.

A trip to the mall!

Sunday I decided to go out and walk around for a bit, so I took a cab to one of the nearest malls, Greenbelt. Some of the pictures are sorta blurry, I apologise.

This was at a Japanese restaurant called Haiku, I'd already had some sushi but forgot to take pictures of that. Needless to say the meal was pretty tasty. I'm no good with chopsticks but they're so much fun, I managed to finish the whole bowl of rice using them.

This was dessert, a traditional Filipino concoction known as halo halo. It's got layers of milk, sweet beans, toasted grains, shaved ice, ground sweet rice, fruit preserves, coconut and it's topped with a flavored ice cream called ube, made from a local yam. Actually I understand the recipe varies from place to place so that's exciting.

There's a small but beautiful koi pond near what was once a bird sanctuary in the mall. The bird sanctuary has since been moved, but the mall was built around it and the trees are still there.

See how pretty? It's even more beautiful at night time, unfortunately there's a lot of security all over the place that kinda ruins the mood. To balance out all the beauty, here's a minute of uglification and stoopendipity. I filmed this about 4 hours after arriving and hadn't even had a wink of sleep!

Image Burple: Before I left Lagos...

We went to Eleko beach! It was the weekend before I left, took a while to get there, it was so far out I was sure no one else would be on the beach. I was sadly mistaken. Still, we had a good time and it was quite a bit of fun.




BIG SHOBO FACE!

When these guys showed up all hell broke loose. People started running and screaming all over the beach, shots rang out... not really. They dance in front of your hut in exchange for munny.

Bear with me, there's a payoff.

... and there it is, the source of my power and wizdumb, the shell-toe.

My dad took this picture and I quite like it. A fellow selling these came by our hut.

If it isn't already obvious, we're testing the structural integrity of the hut in this pic. I told dad I didn't think the support beam could carry a man's weight, he bet it could and we proceeded to test the theory. Thankfully he was right.

Awwwww! Isn't my momma cute!?

There are no restrooms at the beach.

Um..... I got nothing. However I like this picture so it goes up.

And that's about it. :)

Image Burple: Pics from the journey so far.

After a marathon flight I'm finally in the PI, have been for almost a week now actually. It's taken me this time to get used to the time difference, shrug off jet lag and get myself somewhat situated. Still looking for a condo though. Here are some pictures I took during the course of the trip, starting of course with my departure from Lagos.

These were taken on the road to the airport.

That's Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

These next few were taken at the Dubai International Airport, I had an eight over layover... not pleasant.

I was soooooo glad to finally get to my hotel room in Makati. It was on the 22nd floor and I''ve got vertigo, but I still brave the balcony. I've got a two week reservation but expect to be out of here shortly... I hope.

Sleepy, tired and bleary eyed, and yet ever so lovable.

Filipino Monies, or as they're called here, Piso's.


This shot and the next few ones are of the view from the balcony.


That's the Makati Sports Center, where people play ping pong on very big tables on the ground with large paddles.

This isn't a view from the balcony, it's Salcedo Tower, the QJ offices are located within on the 8th floor.

The entrance to our current digs!

This is where the writers ply their trade. Just look at those woidsmith's go!

My office! Which is still barren.


Oh yeah! Possibly the best meal I've had so far. It was from a delivery place called Thai in a Box. This was the appetizer, chicken parts (thighs?) wrapped in some sort of leaf.

You don't eat the chicken with the leaf wrapped around it...

The main course, no idea what it was called, but it was so, so gooooooood!

Well, that's it for PI pics for now, will take some more and post 'em soon!