Chinatown

Oh wow. I had been very busy these past few days that I wasn't able to update Star Wars week! Aaargh. Anyways, I plan to watch Episode III for the third time this week. Hey, this may probably be the last time I'll ever see "Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away" on the big screen so I'll make the most of it!

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A few weeks back, my friend and I went to Baclaran to look for Sony Ericsson P800 LCD screen. My office-issued phone did a double flip and triple sumersault last month, ending in a devastating cracked screen. The irony of it is that I have dropped the phone on cement a couple of times with minor scratches. But this time, it landed on the office carpet, and it cracked! So off to the Baclaran we went in search of parts. I have visited some shops in Makati but they were charging me 7,500 pesos! We found a couple there, and they were selling the screen at 5,500 pesos. Way cheaper but still out of budget. I have to save for it. In the meantime, the P800 is spending its days resting at home.

We dropped by Chinatown, a place which I rarely go to. I was instantly transported to another place. It's in Manila but it's not. Street and shop signs displayed Chinese characters. And the people looked different (obviously). We stopped by Maxim's and I felt like I was in a movie set. The patrons were Chinese. I was anticipating that any moment now, somebody would fly off into the ceiling and throw knives or do martial arts stances with an enemy, like in Jet Lee movies. The food tasted oddly different too, though Chinese cuisine is part of my food chart. It somehow tasted "more" authentic, having it here.

And then there were Feng shui shops selling good luck charms. With all the good luck ever present, they must be experiencing brisk sales everyday!

On going back home, we passed by the magnificent Quiapo Church, where the Black Nazarene awaits its yearly procession.