1. Spending more time at the estimable UP Diliman. This has been a great place for me. I made the most of faculty expertise, and a deux we checked out some of the "public artworks", and found something a little similar to a monorail.









We also visited the Vargas Museum for an exhibition entitled "Beyond Myself: Filipino migrants' investments in Philippine futures". The collection showcases the voices of migrants in London and Hong Kong, and "speaks of their dreams and ambitions, the conditions that structure their lives, and the multiple demands on their time and resources, as well as the love, courage and determination that sustain them through the years". I salute these people. They are brave, brave souls.











2. Spending the day in Makati. This is a very upmarket bit of Manila. It's like Bukit Bintang and Bangsar rolled into one. We checked out the extensive Greenbelt shopping complex, which takes shops, restaurants, outdoor eating terraces, ponds, gardens, walkways, and even an open-plan church, and blends them into a refreshing bit of urban design. But our main objective was the superb Ayala Museum, with its horde of gold, textiles, and ceramics, its Fernando Zobel collection, its highly artistic dioramas of Philippines history, and (currently) its exhibition of World War II film memorabilia. We ended up in Ayala Triangle Gardens, which offer not only a little oasis of green but also Pinkberry parfaits.











3. Spending a half-day in Malate. This is the bit of Manila that butts up against Intramuros to the north and Manila Bay to the west. My first objective was De La Salle University for an interview with a generous expert.



After that we headed for the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. The first floor has an impressive display of Philippines contemporary art. But what really blew us away was the temporary exhibition of works by Elmer Borlongan. I loved the odd, bumpy, uneven faces, the awkward poses, and the expressions that speak of longing, or pain, or quiet endurance and victory. Every picture enables you to imagine a story. Borlongan is an observant, witty, and above all compassionate painter, who celebrates and beautifies and dignifies human life, while also recording its frailty and imperfection with blistering honesty. Wonderful paintings.

















4. Eating... There's always eating... This week's bits of deliciousness:

-- toasted pandesal with Laguna (or white) cheese
-- bibingka (which is a rice flour variation on the pancake, with salted duck egg and that same creamy Laguna cheese tucked away in the middle, a dab of butter on the top, and a pile of shredded coconut on the side)
-- Max's "basic meal" (which consists of a fried quarter chicken, with good texture and flavour; two pandesal rolls with butter; a glass of iced tea; and a yummy little caramel bar -- for 199 pisos, it's good value)
-- buko pandan (pandan jelly and soft coconut in a sweetened creamy liquid -- total decadence...)
-- buns from the local branch of the Kamuning Bakery (the historic original Kamuning Bakery Cafe sadly burnt down just this month )
-- turon (saba bananas in lumpia wrappers, dipped in brown sugar, and fried)
-- our last trip to the Romulo Cafe (this time: cheese and longganisa crispy fried dumplings, chicken and pork adobo, and bagnet pakbet, which involves vegetables cooked in that yummy bagoong we had last time plus some shrimps and pork pieces)





5. And walking. There's always walking.







So there we have it. Tomorrow we move back to Malaysia (though not to KL). I've very much enjoyed my time in the Philippines, and feel I have learned a lot (though, as always, far from enough). The traffic is frustrating, and the air quality often leaves much to be desired. But I've been very impressed with the calibre of the museums, and the food has massively exceeded the expectations I had formed from last time. I've found Filipinos really delightful (and surely the politest drivers in Southeast Asia). And I thoroughly recommend the Meranti hotel on Scout Castor. Till next time...