Living in the City

According to the Wall Street Journal's China blog, foreigners must take note of certain guidelines when they intend to visit China for the Beijing Olympics. "On Monday, the organizers of the Beijing Olympics issued “legal guidance” covering 57 issues relevant to foreigners planning to attend this summer’s Games (see WSJ story here ). Some excerpts from these rules, presented in the original Q&A format: No. 22: Is it possible to sleep out in the city? In order to protect the urban public hygiene and a civilized appearance, it is prohibited to sleep in public places, including airports, train stations, piers, pedestrian crossings (both sky bridges and underground passages) and grassy areas. No. 32: Is China entirely open to foreign tourists? China is not currently fully open to foreigners, foreigners who have not obtained permits should not enter areas that are not open to the outside. No. 36: How are the business hours of entertainment venues regulated? Entertainmen...

Wow it is Holy Week once more. It is supposed to be a Catholic ritual ideally spent for introspection if you will or reflection... to sort out the whys and wherefores of our lives. That is the tradition. I think only the old do this these days. The young? Well, their all hied off at some travel spot. Worry-free and carefree. How time flies. It is Maundy Thursday today in the Philippines. No traffic. Yey! The city is quiet. Finally, the roads can take a respite at least for the next 2 days. They need a break too, I surmise. As usual families who cannot afford to go out of town trips just rented tons of DVD tapes ready for the weekend viewing. The budget conscious lot paid their way to Boracay and similar spots , through cheap air fares like those offered by Sea Air. But the news last night said a couple of flights were canceled. I don't exactly know how many but definitely there were cancellations. What a boomer! For the rest of us, and I don't know about you, I am takin...