“If I were in Manila, I doubt I would ever have to make a trip to the grocery alone. There would be family—sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, in the absence of whom, amigas, yayas, even drivers could be counted on… If I were in Manila, instead of here, I would never have enough time to sit alone on a bench on the sidewalk or walk down the street or ride trains by myself. I would be chauffeured. I would be chaperoned. I would spend Sunday afternoons playing mah-jong or having tea or shopping or exchanging gossip with my friends, rather than sweeping floors or doing the laundry or tending to the garden or overseeing the work of some enterprising teen shoveling the snow off the front yard.” PhilippinesQuebecManilaFilipinosAlmostromance Book:Manila Was A Long Time Ago - Official Source: Manila Was A Long Time Ago - Official
“You had your eyes closed, but you were not asleep. Like a fetus in the womb, with your eyes shut, you seemed acutely aware of the minutest details, heart pumping blood, blood flowing through veins, blood mixing with oxygen, thrills, terrors, sorrows, delights, all the chemicals and combustions of the human emotion, the depths of which, in your tender age, you had yet to fathom.” Almostromance Book:Manila Was A Long Time Ago - Official Source: Manila Was A Long Time Ago - Official