3 years after
So here are some observations I had while back in Manila, 3 years after leaving:
Traffic
Before I became one, I thought balikbayans were overacting when traveling through Manila’s busy streets again. But, really, the shock was real! 
I was literally backseat-driving my sister when she was driving us. The Alabang area really was scary when I was a passenger - throngs of people where people shouldn’t be, inches between vehicles you can literally read the newspaper being held by the jeepney driver beside you, gitgitan traffic. Dinugo ang ilong ko literally. Because of this, I was a bit apprehensive when it was my turn to drive, but I discovered it wasn’t so bad when you are the one driving. Quickly, my Manila-driving instincts kicked in, and before you know it, I was expertly cruising EDSA’s rush hour traffic. Unfortunately for JR (Lian’s bro) who was sitting in front, I think his hands became white from clutching the handle. Come to think of it, I enjoyed that drive through EDSA, zigzagging between slow cars, buses, and (OMG! even) sidecars. Been a loooong time being such a goody-two-shoe driver, and sometimes you just need to let the road devil out.
Public Transpo
I noticed buses plying the Makati/EDSA and Las Pinas areas were all new. Well, the drivers are still ugaling bus driver, but I don’t remember seeing the delapidated cockroach-infested buses anymore, and if only for that (and if that is the new rule within Metro Manila), I think Manila progressed by at least 50 years. At least now, if you get hit by a bus, di na makakadagdag ang tetanus sa mga problema mo.
MOA
For a Quiapo-raised boy whose idea of a mall chain is the SM-Isetann-Rempson trio in Carriedo, I think the limit for me is Megamall. MOA is SOOOO huge that between parking the car and finding the SM department store, I already ate up much of my energy reserves. It may be a good place for aimless mall-walking, but not if you have a specific agenda. For that, I think you are better off with, yes, SM Carriedo.
Sidenote 1: I do appreciate the technology behind the parking lights, though. Smart smart smart! If you have yet to see it, there’s a small light above each parking slot - green if available, red if occupied. That way, you just have to scan the lights on the whole floor to see if there is still available parking - no more driving through the whole floor getting dizzy just to find that one vacant parking slot.
Sidenote 2: I guess when you get used to doing pretty much everything yourself, you get surprised by just how much Filipinos get pampered. JR and I had a good laugh about the fact that SM actually employs people to operate the elevators. We are not laughing at the person, no! Just the fact that I guess for a whole shift, his/her world revolves around that very small space. But that should be better than spending the whole day worrying where to get your next meal.
SCTEX
Ok, for the record, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is a very good idea, that is, until you take one small wrong turn. When properly used, Manila to Concepcion, Tarlac took us about 2 hours. Not using the SCTEX would probably add another 45 minutes to the trip, not to mention maneuvering through a dangerous 2-lane salubungan local highway where you have to expertly time overtaking the tricycle in front of you, or else you might collide head-on with the incoming (read: rumaragasang) provincial bus. What happened when I first used this highway was I misread the signs, and instead of taking the road to Tarlac, I went straight ahead to the road leading to Subic. That one mistake cost us an additional 80 km of travel, as the next exit was about 40 km in Dinalupihan. As the hobbits’ saying goes, short cuts make long delays. Amen.
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