ARTS & CULTURE: Parkfest at Nayong Pilipino on May 28 & 29

The only time I ever went to the old Nayong Pilipino – the theme park of popular Filipino tourist attractions that was just few paces away from NAIA Terminal 1 - was during a school trip back in the 90s. I was in the fourth grade and unfortunately, it was raining that day. We couldn’t explore the park on foot and so had to have lunch on the bus. We waited it out – hoping the rain would let up – but if I remember right, it never did. Boo hoo.

I never stepped inside the park again, and evidently I never will be able to since it closed down in the 2000s. But apparently – much to the delight of many - it has been resurrected and taking shape again in the former orchidarium of Rizal Park. It is nothing like its former self – yet – but as we all know, one should start something at some point even if the situation is less than ideal.

This weekend, May 28 to 29,  the folks of Common Room will be taking over the grounds and will be a washing it with their own kind of cool. There will be art installation by local artists, picnic pop-up with local makers, music, food, and many many many hours of art tambay. If you want to take a break from the usual as well take a peek at the on-going construction of the Museum of National History, head to Nayong Pilipino at the Rizal Park this weekend. 

Parkfest will run from May 28 to 29 at the Nayong Pilipino Park in Rizal Park. 

Nayong Pilipino is back from the dead! Whoop! Whoop!

At the Nayong Pilipino Park is this traditional house of highland people in the Mountain Province. 

One needs to pay to join on the fun. Pay for two days and she gets a P10 discount. 

Good music at this weekend's Parkfest!

Here's the schedule on Sunday, May 29 

Here's a map to Parkfest, just in case you need some help. 

Images from Nayong Pilipino Facebook Page. 

Why Visiting Gold Coast, Australia Should Be on Your Bucket List

Have you visited the land down under? Many people who visit the place are speechless about the mesmerising and captivating beauty of the country. They leave the place with a fulfilled feeling and a promise to go back again as soon as they can. So if you haven’t visited the place, maybe it is time that you make some plans now. 

View of the Gold Coast at dusk | Photo by: Wikipedia user Gccec2012

A trip to Oz isn’t that expensive too! There are plenty of airlines that offer airfare discount promo codes. You can even ditch staying at pricey accommodation by renting and driving RVs/campervans all around the Gold Coast. Heck, some rental companies rent out RVs at only 5 dollars per day thru their campervan relocation promos. So there’s no excuse not to visit the Gold Coast and scratch it off your bucket list.

Here are some of the awesome activities that you will definitely enjoy when you visit the Gold Coast:

Explore the beautiful beaches that can be considered among the bests in the world.

Burleigh Heads Beach | Photo by Kerrie Brailsford

Gold Coast boasts some really spectacular beaches that will never disappoint you. You can relax in the fine sands and enjoy the sun while having Pacific Ocean as your view or you can also go for some surfing adventure. Australia is popular for really great surfing spots like the Surfers Paradise. Gold Coast has 57 kilometres of coastline that you can explore with different activities to try as well. It is a paradise indeed!

Enjoy the theme parks with the kids or even the kid in you.

If you’re travelling with the kids then you should include in your itinerary some trips to some wonderful and fun theme parks Gold Coast has to offer. You should visit Australia’s Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World, White Water World, Ripleys Believe it or Not! Odditorium and many more others. The kids will definitely love it and even the kid within you will definitely have a great time too.

Stroll through the rainforest.

Another thing to do during your trip to Gold Coast is to stroll through the rainforest on the Tree Top Walkway. It spans nine suspension bridges that will put you in the midst of canopy and beautiful plants, flowers and birds will surround you once you reach the Observation Deck, which is 30 metres high.  The Tree Top Walkway is free so it makes everything a lot sweeter.

Shop at the best markets and boutiques.

If you love shopping then you should visit the markets and boutiques in town. You can check out the Carrara Markets with 500 stalls of great finds. Free entertainments are also available during weekend visits. You can also visit the Harbour Town outlet mall for some amazing bargain deals that will surely make you go crazy.

Try some adrenaline-pumping activities.

Lastly, you can try some adrenaline-pumping activities that will give you a different kind of high and rush. You can try skydiving, modern bungy jumping, scuba diving, mountain climbing and other activities that you don’t normally do in your daily routine. Trying out these activities will give you extra confidence in yourself.

Australia is a one-of-kind place that you should definitely visit and make sure to put Gold Coast on top of your list. Make your trip more memorable by visiting it with your family, friends or a significant other. And for sure, you will realize how this is indeed worthy to be included on your bucket list

ARTS & CULTURE: Ortigas Foundation's Basic Photography & Studio Photography Two-Day Workshop on June 18 and 19

Part of traveling is taking photos, taking nice photos.
And while owning the a camera has become quite democratic, not everyone knows how to make the most of it. So perhaps, attending this workshop might be just be a good idea.

Ortigas Foundation is holding a two-day photography workshop. It aims to educate people on the fundamentals and principles of photography. Speakers would be Robert Fontanilla and Jesus Casabar.

Date: June 18 and 19, 2016
Time: 08:00 - 17:00
Venue: 2nd floor, Ortigas Bldg.
Ortigas Ave. Corner Meralco Ave.
Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Price: P2,500 includes morning and afternoon snacks.

TRAVEL NEWS: International Museum Day May 18

Today is International Museum Day!
And the theme for this year is "Museums and Cultural Landscapes."

May 18 has been celebrated worldwide as International Museum Day since 1977. According to the The International Council of Museums (ICOM) Website, celebrating this day hopes 'to raise the awareness of the fact that "Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples."' The celebration happens on the day itself or on a weekend, or for an entire week.

Here in the Philippines, National Museum is celebrating International Museum Day today, May 18. Visitors will be given all sorts of goodies to mark the day. But it has also been offering free admission since the May 3 and would last until the end of the month.

© Aissa Domingo and the National Museum of the Philippines (2016)

On the other hand, Ayala Museum will be celebrating the occasion on May 20, Friday. In line with this year's theme, they will be holding an event called "Roots." It means to celebrate the enthnolinguistic diversity of the Philippines and there will collaborative art installation and a food fair featuring regional flavours. Food Fair participants will be Island Gems, Malgos Cheese, Malagos Chocolate, Destileria Limtauco & Co, and KKK Coffee.

Celebrating International Museum Day on May 20, the Ayala Museum and Library operating hours and free admission is from 12 nn - 8pm. Registration will end by 730 pm.  Image from the Ayala Museum Website

FOOD: Adobo Connection

The best adobo will always be mom’s.

End of story.

Adobo is comfort food. It’s our pick-me-up dish. One spoonful and all is right with the world. 

That's why any tweak to our own adobo recipes is quite unacceptable. A bit more pepper spells disaster. An extra teaspoon of vinegar and locusts will devour. Failing to add sugar to the pot, darkness descends.

So I guess, that’s why I hear people having mixed feelings about Adobo Connection. It’s either they like or they don’t. I have to admit, I am one of the former.

Adobo Connection
click here for a list of their branches. 

FOOD: The good thing about the adobo dishes on offer at Adobo Connection is that they don’t try to be our mother’s. They offer “classic” adobo dishes – ones made from the most basic recipes that are known to everyone. But they also offer different kinds like adobo flakes and the ones in gata. These dishes are different, perhaps to manage everyone’s expectations.

SERVICE: Service is okay at the branches I’ve been to. The staff is friendly, serves with a smile, and rather quick to plonk down another helping of rice.

ATMOSPHERE: The décor is simple, clean, and fun. But I do think they could improve the seats of their booths and make them more comfortable. 

PRICE: Reasonable, especially with their tweak in the menu. For every regular order of an adobo, one gets to choose whether to have shanghai rolls or pancit. Or one actually get to create her own combination.

For many – and I mean me – the best part of eating at Adobo Connection is it’s kanin-all-you-can! One cannot eat adobo without rice, that's just gospel truth. Anyone who does will eventually find herself standing in front of men in robes. 

Adobo liempo sa gata with two shanghai rolls

Adobo Connection in Robinsons Place Antipolo

Pinoy Adobo is ubiquitous all over the archipelago. 

Bright, Airy, and Fun. What's not to like?

On the wall are images of things that define the Filipino Culture. 

Soy Sauce, Oil, and Vinegar - the main ingredients of every adobo recipe. 

Travel and Work Anywhere with the New Smart Bro 4G Pocket Wifi

SMART Bro has recently launched their best 4G Pocket Wifi that will surely change the way you travel and work from anywhere. A 4G Pocket Wifi would normally cost more than a thousand, but for this latest offering of Smart Bro, it's far cheaper than the usual rate with the same or even higher quality than its competitor. At only Php888, everyone can afford to buy their own 4G Pocket Wifi.

The Pocket Wi-Fi comes pre-loaded with 150MB data that’s valid for 30 days. Amazing, right? It can connect up to 10 devices with speed of up to 12 Mbps. Great deal, indeed!

For the best experience, it is recommended to pair your new SMART Bro pocket Wi-Fi with Surfmax 85 which will give you two days of all-day internet up to 800 Mbps of 4G data.

Learn more of Surfmax here: http://smart.com.ph/bro/text-and-surf-packages/surfmax

Get your new 4G Smart Bro Pocket Wifi now and travel and work anywhere with fast speed and reliable internet throughout the country.

FOOD: Corazon

One of the ways to this woman's heart is definitely through her stomach. 
And did Corazon manage to reach it? Well, let's see. 

I've been wanting to eat at Corazon's for some time now. Their Filipino-Hispano Cuisine was initially the draw but I have to admit that I also wanted to see the pretty interiors up close. I finally had the chance to satisfy my curiosity and I must confess that they didn't disappoint.  

RESTAURANT: CORAZON
4th Level, East Wing
Shangri-La Plaza Mall
Mandaluyong City 
Tel. (02) 687-1955
URL www.corazon.ph


FOOD: Chef Florabel's menu celebrates the timeless recipes that define the Filipino Cuisine. Alongside fiesta dishes like the Morales - beef morcon in special sauce, Gaudi - chicken galantina with gravy, and Barcelona - lengua estofado - are Filipino favorites such as Luis - lechon paksiw, Trinidad - grilled tuna belly, and Castellano- everybody's favorite crispy pata. 

Since there were only two of us, my friend and I ordered a few light dishes. We had the Ensaladang Talong, Madrid - ox tripe stew with chorizo and pine nuts, and Benjamin - crispy hito with buro. It was quite the balanced meal, to be honest, which is a bit uncharacteristic of my usual fare. 

SERVICE: We were there during dinner service and it ran like a well-rehearsed show. People knew their roles and didn't miss a beat. The servidors were attentive and the food came out of the kitchen rather quickly. 

ATMOSPHERE: With its vaulted ceiling resembling a gothic cathedral's where pretty chandeliers hang, Corazon has an air of elegance. But the vibrant accents found around the restaurant lend some warmth to the space making guests comfortable, relaxed even, to enjoy a good meal.  

PRICE: I have to be honest and say that Corazon do charge more than the average Filipino restaurant. But the experience of eating there is more than the usual. Apart from the fiesta in the mouth dishes, the charming interiors and ample personal space are atypical. 

Dinner was Ensaladang Talong, Madrid - Ox tripe stew with chorizo and pine nuts, and Benjamin - Crispy hito with buro. 

Corazon, which means heart in Spanish , is located on the fourth level in the east wing of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. 

The quintessential Filipino refreshment - sorbetes

A depiction of Frida Kahlo's 'Yo y Mis Pericos' hangs at the bar. 

Corazon's 'al fresco' dining area gets more whimsical with what looks like candy cane chairs. 

Notice that there's more than enough space between tables.
No bumping into other diners on your way to the loo. 

Don't forget to look up when you're dining in Corazon. 

First to come out of the kitchen is this, the Ensaladang Talong. 

SNAPSHOT: Uptown Place Mall in BGC

I am no uptown girl. Obviously.
But I did find myself in Uptown – Uptown Bonifacio - that is.  

This new township from Property Developer Megaworld is located in the northern section of Bonifacio Global City and one of the first to rise in this 15.4-hectare property is Uptown Place Mall. Located next to British School Manila in BGC, Uptown Place Mall is a four-storey retail, dining, and entertainment complex from property developer Megaworld. A number of shops and restos are now open, as well as the supermarket by Rustan’s and Uptown’s very own cinemas.

Here are a few snapshots of how it looks right now.
In the next couple of days, I bet it would look very different . 

Uptown Bonifacio is located at 38th BGC. 

Turn right to parking. 

Tim Ho Wan is coming to Uptown.

A new restaurant from the 1771 group?

A tree of what seem like surfboards greets guests at the reception area. 

Stationery shop The Paper Stone is now open. 

Golden Arches ready to serve their world-famous burgers and fries!

Add caption

Typo is soon to open. 

Information kiosk clad in wood to tie in with the other details. 

Wood paneling at the elevators. 

Purchase movie tickets here. 

Uptown has its own VIP movie theater. 

Good news for kids in the area; Aeon Fantasy Kidzoona is coming to you. 

This I miss in other malls - comfortable seats for mall rats. 

Interesting mix of textures, don't you?

Don't you just love it when they attention to the ceiling, too?

Pepper Lunch and Yumi Express on the level right above the cinemas. 

Here's a sneak peek at one of the ladies' rooms. 

Hello, too, home folk!

Here's the view from Uptown's Veranda. It's where some of the restaurants are, treating diners to a good view of the city. 

Do look down; Uptown Mall's atrium. 

  Good move, Uptown Mall. Skylights help keep down the electricity bills.

I spy a Hush Puppies store!

Absolutely love these lights!

Buffalo Wild Wings is located at the Sky Garden and very much happy to serve you.  

Uptown Mall has its own Sky Park.