1. When applying for a water line, say for a new house you're building, the MWSS requires you to attend a seminar on proper water use and conservation.

2. There are no left turns heading north or south on EDSA, except, of course when it's a "flyover" or when it's three in the morning.

3. Everybody has a cellphone, and nearly everyone takes pictures with it.

4. It is the policy of gyms and fitness centers not to give membership rates over the phone. They, however, will call you back to set an appointment.

5. Alimu, of Metrowalk, is the nicest guy to buy DVDs from.

6. The food at Big Bowl of China is as greasy as the guy who serves them.

7. Luk Yuen (still) rules.

8. The new "color coding" (based, magically, on numbers) system is as arcane as the Dewey Decimal system. First, start with the last digit of your license plate. Ones and twos are no-gos on Mondays. Threes and fours, Tuesdays. So forth and on until nines and zeros Mondays. Then you may use your unexempt cars (or is it the other way around?) from 10 AM to 3 PM except in Makati, which straddles the main thoroughfares anyway. Then, take the last two digits, add it up and multiply by 100 and that's the fine the MMDA will slap on you. I made the last part up of course.

9. You will invariably meet someone who works at a call center.

10. Bidshot, an auction site, makes money not off of auctions but off of text SMS used to manage these auctions. They have sophisticated technology that blocks cellphone numbers no matter how you disguise it.