Like all great men, I've decided to start where it all began. The ninth floor: Having paid many a Peso to secure myself a shoebox in the city, I was pleasantly surprised that once I opened the balcony door I had twice the space and a view overlooking Ortigas, Manila. It being three weeks since I first set foot in the city it is hard to remember precisely what my first impressions were but from the best of my recollection: 1. Heat. Yep, not surprisingly Manila (and I'm told the Philippines more generally) is hot. Hot to the extent that…