Monday morning and the view from my hotel room. I was staying in the Intramuros, in fact right next to the remains of the old wall. Manila is such a contrast of wealth and poverty and pretty much everything in between. Around where we were staying there were a lot of schools and colleges, so you could see the constrast of the students in their crisp uniforms, with the four year old urchin bottle feeding a baby sitting in the middle of the street. It is a strange and confronting place like that. Of course, I was spending most of my visit in the hotel.
The first two days were largely our Transport and Logistics APEC project wind up. It was great to see how much work each of the countries had done and how successfully the project worked over all. It is brilliant to see an idea a few of us had shared turned into a concrete and successful outcome. We’ve now got a methodology for developing transnational occupational standards and getting them validated by five different countries. Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council are owed a lot of the credit, as well as my team who steered everything along. Days like these make work enormously rewarding.
We got a lot of food during lunches and breaks and how can you go past a “gelatin fruit mould”. One thing I can say for Manila – it isn’t the culinary capital of the world.
Cthulhu came with me. I think he had some thoughts about devouring school children. I didn’t take him with me for my walk around the walls.
I went for an initial walk around the fortifications I could see from my room. Some very old cannons and lots of moss covered stone.
Pre dinner drink at the roof top bar. You could see the sea – and the port.
TESDA, the Philippine vocational education government body, took us out to dinner at Barbara’s – in one of the oldest surviving buildings in Manila. There was traditional dancing and music and, apparently, hats.
On Tuesday, In addition to the Transport and Logistics workshop, I popped out to speak at a VETASSESS information session, and see a demonstration of how they undertake their skills assessments.
The tropical weather brought out the curly in my hair.
Got up the next morning and went for a walk along the length of the remaining old wall. There isn’t a lot of it, which wasn’t terrible because it was so hot and humid I was soaked after a half hour walk.
Some sunset photos from the roof restaurant. Despite rain during the day – and the threat of rain that evening – we managed to convince the hotel staff that it would be fine to have our dinner for our second workshop on the roof –Â very pleasant after a day inside.
Wednesday and Thursday was our workshop on developing an integrated referencing framework for skills recognition. This is another idea we have been toying with and it was really exciting to have it embraced and built upon by 13 different APEC countries. The workshop went well, and we came up with a range of ideas to take it forward.
The hotel breakfast wasn’t amazing, so Thursday morning I decided to have churros from the cafe downstairs instead.
We finished a little bit early on Thursday, so I had an hour or so to wander to the nearby mall and do some shopping, and see some more sights of Manila. And for my hair to get curly again in the rain.
There was so much rain the roads started to flood. Fortunately it didn’t get worse. And then it was time to head to the airport and head home.
During the week I finished two books. A Feast for Crows was slow going in parts (I really couldn’t care *at all* about the Iron Islands, nor much about the goings on in Dorne) but picked up towards the end. It was interesting how much it and the series have now diverged. I think the Brienne adventures did need some editing – those bits got a bit slow and dull as well. Then I completely devoured The Wolf Border. Beautifully written and entirely consuming I read it in no time flat. Great characters and interesting ideas.
Back home again. The boys had had a pretty chilled first week of the holidays.
James, Zac and I had dinner on Friday night while the bigger boys played Magic.
The boys and I went and saw The Scorch Trials together on Saturday. Choc Tops and all.
And there was time for some family Colt Express. I am still terrible at it.
Jude and Zac and I also made some progress on Dido.
James took the boys down to Merimbula Sunday afternoon where they were staying with Jackie and John for the week. So I had some quiet time to watch the DHRs play at ERRD and to paint my toe nails.
It felt like that during the five days I’d been in Manila, all the leaves had returned.
And then a civilised dinner for two for James’ return.
Public holiday Monday morning, WFTDA playoffs on the internets, some lazing about.
Followed by Monday afternoon beers at Bentspoke with a revolving array of friends. Sometimes it is nice to be child-free.
Day off on Friday to drive to the coast and collect the boys again. James is enjoying the compulsory road trip selfie, apparently.
I hadn’t down the trip down Brown Mountain before. Some lovely rainforest.
Jackie had been busy with cthulhu production.
The baking and the rest of us were then off to try champagne cocktails at Dave and Caroline’s while watching classic 1970s British comedy. There were lots of giggles – both from the champagne and the comedy.
A stop at the market after Carnage training for fish (not these ones).
With the return of warm weather, the boys (including James) have started an ongoing backyard cricket campaign – tally of wins on the kitchen blackboard.
Gin and tonic time.
And finish the week with a lovely Noons.
The Life and Times of Bossy Boots 