Jun 29 2008
The robe of Diaz has the initial DDD, which stands for the Dangerous David Diaz. However, he looked anything but dangerous in his WBC lightweight championship defense against the Philippines’ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. In this championship fight dubbed “Lethal Combination,” it was Pacquiao that clearly threw the lethal combinations. Continue Reading »
May 26 2008
Time flies really fast. Standing in front of Splash Island, I smiled at the thought that the first time I was here, I was still single and in school. I’ve been back here so many times, but today is different. Today, I’m taking my two-year old son to this wonderful waterworld. Children naturally love playing in water and I thought my son would enjoy this oasis, which is a few kilometers away from the concrete Metro Manila jungle. When it comes to water fun, I must say the Splash Island is one of the best in the Philippines today. Continue Reading »
May 12 2008
The fiesta, while not a uniquely Filipino tradition, is one of the main cultural and religious events in the Philippines. The celebration of fiesta, which means feast, is one of the influences of Spain that has taken root in the Philippines. Each barangay has a fiesta, which probably holds true for most municipalities and cities (refer to the Philippine political subdivisions). The festivities mostly coincide with the day of the Patron Saint of a particular place, although it’s on the charter day in some places. Here are the more famous fiesta celebrations (if there are others that you believe should be included in the list, please let us know through the comment section below): Continue Reading »
May 05 2008
This one should come easy. I mean, Rizal Park is in honor of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and we’ve studied about him and his life since elementary. So, writing about this Philippine landmark should be easy. Continue Reading »
Apr 27 2008
The Manila Ocean Park is a seaworld, where kids and adults are treated with the sights of different marine animals (think of Ark Avilon Zoo, but all sea creatures). When you hear “seaworld,” you think of Seaworld in Orlando, Ocean Park in Hongkong and, in the Philippines, Ocean Adventure in Subic. Unlike those destinations, however, Manila Ocean Park is located in the heart of Metro Manila, so it should be easily accessible (rates are P400 for adults and P350 for kids). And unlike those destinations, the Manila Ocean Park has no shows like the whale and sea lion shows (although these shows may come later, as the Manila Ocean Park is still unfinished). There’s something, however, that makes up for that. Continue Reading »
Mar 16 2008
The roads are eerily quite today. No traffic. Not much people. Crime rate was practically down to zero. No fighting in politics (but not the “politicking”). No, there’s no coup or some destabilization plot. No war between the military and the rebels. But there’s another war brewing. Continue Reading »
Dec 31 2007
My wife read somewhere that there’s a “cool” zoo just beside Tiendesitas. A zoo beside Tiendesitas is a bit strange because aside from the fact that Tiendesitas is a place to shop and eat, it’s beside a mall (SM). Also, I regularly pass through the Malabon City zoo, just behind Potrero elementary school along McArthur Highway (that’s a few meters from Monumento, Caloocan), but I never had the desire to go in a zoo, and I’m not really sure if it’s proper to qualify a “zoo” with being cool. The Ark Avilon Zoo made me rethink that. Continue Reading »
Dec 27 2007
With all the skyscrapers and modern structures in Makati City, it’s hard to imagine that a church almost 400 years old lies hidden in this business capital of the Philippines. If you’re from the north, passing through the Guadalupe bridge along take Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) towards Makati City, the first thing you’ll notice are the huge billboards right before the San Carlos Seminary. Behind the seminary is the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (to be precise, it’s located in 7440 Bernardino Street, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City; 896.8444, 895.9141). Continue Reading »
Dec 26 2007
The city is a concrete jungle, full of greenery artificially created by people to resemble the plants and trees that nature has nurtured for years. There’s plenty of breathtaking sceneries in the city — view from the Philippines’ tallest building in Makati or the seemingly endless labyrinths of gigantic malls, among others. Continue Reading »
Dec 23 2007
Each of us touched by Boracay has a special memory about this beach paradise. For non-divers, it could be the amazement of feeding fish while floating in the middle of the sea. It could be the fine white sand or various water (and air?) sports like the jet ski, banana boat ride and parasailing. It could even be as simple as the fresh seafood, the great fruit shakes or the sand castles with lighted candles inside. Continue Reading »
Dec 16 2007
It’s always better to write down one’s thoughts while traveling or basking in the sights, sounds and flavor of a particular Philippine destination, which is the whole point of this blog. This is difficult at this stage because all the posts, except two or three, are written looking back. This post is not one of those few exceptions. Continue Reading »
Dec 15 2007
We’ve previously mentioned that the Philippines is broken down into regions, one of which is Eastern Visayas (Region 8). Eastern Visayas is composed of 6 provinces — Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Here’s a video promoting tourism in Eastern Visayas. Continue Reading »
Dec 15 2007
I remember an classmate bringing a strange-looking creature — small but with huge eyes — to school back in elementary. While we called it kuwago because of its big eyes, the term kuwago more properly refers to a bird that also has big eyes — the owl. It’s known locally as mawmag. The tarsier is closely associated with Bohol, although it’s also found in the neighboring islands of Leyte, Samar and parts of Mindanao. Indeed, when you say Bohol, you think of beautiful beaches, chocolate hills, peanut kisses, the Loboc river and the world-famous Loboc children’s choir, and, of course, the tarsier. Continue Reading »
Dec 15 2007
It’s ironic that in the countless times I’ve been to the Calamba municipal hall, just beside Jose Rizal’s place of birth, I never dropped by. Maybe because it’s weird for a grown-up to visit a place that should have been toured while in elementary or high school. Continue Reading »