Palawan ticks all the boxes: palm-fringed white-powder beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, natural lagoons for wild swimming - all of it protected by UNESCO. Sorry, Maldives… We love you, but we’ve got a new flame. —Conde Nast, in its Destinations to Watch in 2013: Philippines feature. Story in http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/itineraries/hot-destinations-to-watch-2013/philippines

When I left for grad school in 2005, what is now BGC (Bonifacio Global City) used to be nothing but a field of weeds, bushes and some residential towers you could count with just one hand. A short but fast forward to my return in 2009 and BGC resembled the mushrooming of office and residential towers of Dubai or Doha.