Hotmanilanights: Miah

Miah ordered us halu-halos spiked with rhum. "You can’t cool down here," she said, "you just have to sweat it out to the beat." By 10, the heat was radiating off the asphalt. We took a Grab to a rooftop bar in BGC. From 30 floors up, the city looked like a circuit board of red taillights.

"Manila nights aren't hot because of the weather," Miah said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "They're hot because of the pressure. Everyone works so hard here. When we play, we really play." If you ever see the hashtag #hotmanilanights on your feed, don't scroll past it. And if you ever get the chance to run the streets with Miah —take it. hotmanilanights miah

She wasn’t wrong. The energy was palpable. The wind was warm, the music was deep house, and the glow of the city lights made everyone look like a movie character. The night didn’t end at the club. It ended at a 24-hour tapsihan in Pasay. Miah ordered silog for the group of strangers we had adopted along the way. Over garlic rice and egg, the conversation got real. Miah ordered us halu-halos spiked with rhum

Stay cool (or don’t). See you next Saturday. From 30 floors up, the city looked like