Going back to Binondo

February 29th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

No matter how many times you come back to Binondo, there is always something different. Everyone can go on a food tour, but with the sheer number of places to eat along Ongpin and its side streets, each visit is always new.

Last Sunday, I joined my new friends Nalani, Jonats and Marjorie for a food exploration in Binondo. Costs were divided among the four of us and we added P5 each for tips.

Stop 1: Dong Bei
Uncooked dumplings

Dong Bei’s one of my favorite places to go to when I’m in Binondo. It’s a small dumpling place off Ongpin. Here you can see the attendants make the dumplings and cook them in a pot of boiling water. You can be sure that what you are eating is freshly made. We shared a plate of the mixed dumplings, popped open a can of Wai Long Kat and got to know each other better.

Cost: PHP 65

Side trip: A bakery along Carvajal
Baked goodies

We were going to Quick Snack along Carvajal but it was closed (along with most of the establishment along the esquinita). We passed by this bakery where I bought some tikoy bread from during the Chinese New Year. I didn’t buy anything, but everyone else did. Everything was freshly baked, which added to its appeal.

» Read the rest of this entry «

The Sounds of Manila Transitio

February 27th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

It was a beautiful night as my Couchsurfing friends and I sat on a makeshift mat made of cardboard boxes at the Plaza Moriones at Fort Santiago, Manila. We were waiting for the Manila Transitio to start, and after a full day of walking and eating, it was nice to just be able to relax like this in the middle of busy Manila. We had food and drinks. The night was pleasantly cool and not a sign of rain anywhere in the horizon.

Manila Transitio 1945 is an annual event organized by Walk This Way tours and Carlos Celdran. It is held every February to commemorate the fall of Manila during the second world war where an estimated 120,000 lives of Filipino civilians were lost in a battle. This year, the crowd was treated with performances by the Mabuhay Singers and Deoro.

The program started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. It was the second time that day that I sang it, but this time it was in Spanish. It was a pretty rousing rendition and you couldn’t help but be amazed by it. After a few words of welcome from Carlos, the Mabuhay Singers took the stage.

The Mabuhay Singers
The Mabuhay Singers has been around since 1958 and is one of the pioneers of the kundiman genre. Many people of my generation would not be familiar with it, being more inclined to listen to foreign pop acts. It was great to listen to these singers who have been around far longer than I have been alive.

img_4449

» Read the rest of this entry «

Philippine Postal Heritage Tour

February 21st, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Pictures to follow. Sorry! Photos added. Still a work in progress. :)

About two years ago, I went with Lornadahl for a Postal Heritage Tour around Manila. While it’s not an official tour of the Philippine Post Office, it was nevertheless an educational tour on the postal service and philately, as well as some places around Manila that isn’t covered by the usual Celdran tour. This tour is hosted by the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club and guided by Lawrence Chan.

What makes this tour interesting is that you get a look into the very fascinating field of philately, as well as a glimpse inside the majestic yet sadly dilapidated Metropolitan Theater in Manila. The tour also stretches to include Intramuros but as the tour is flexible, it sometimes doesn’t even get that far. Still, it’s a trip that is worth the time and effort.

I joined Anne and her cousin for this tour. Rence said that it usually lasts until early evening, mostly because the participants are fascinated by exploring that it’s hard to stick to the time table. We met at Liwasang Bonifacio, the park in front of the Post Office that is more known as Plaza Lawton. The older generation would probably recognize it as Arroceros Park.

The fountain was being used for the Bourne Legacy shoot, and the crew had set up camp at the park itself. I tried to catch a glimpse of Edward Norton but I doubt that he was still around.

The Historical Post Office
We went inside the Post Office first. The Post Office is a small, self-sustaining compound. Because of the large fleet of vehicles it needed, they had their own gas station. There are also smaller buildings within the compound, but sad to say, more than half of them are in a bad state. One is the Post Office museum, but it’s currently closed. I had the chance to attend a philately lecture there during the last tour, but the building is off limits now because it’s structurally unsound.

img_3820

The Post Office building is an impressive structure. It is often used in many local productions as a setting for school graduations or law offices. Sad to say, there is news that the building will be sold in the near future as the postal company is losing more money than what they are earning. Fullerton Hotel is said to be interested in it.

» Read the rest of this entry «

Post Valentines meet with the Philippine Volcanoes

February 20th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Note: Parts* of this post are advertorial.

The day after Valentine’s day I was at Izakaya in Greenbenlt with Joiz for an event with Globe. I’ve been a longtime Globe subscriber and I’m generally happy with the service. I have never tried their mobile Internet service because my phone uses only GPRS and that is SLOOOOOOW. Plus, as I’m on prepaid, the charges will surely drain my load. I’m better off relying on Gladlycast or something.

Globe's Free FB

Globe and TM recently launched a service where prepaid subscribers can use their phones to browse Facebook for free. This promo is ongoing until March 14. All you have to do is send FREE FB to 8888 (or you can call *143# for free). Once you’re subscribed you’ll get a confirmation message. Point your browser to m.facebook.com and you’re all set.*

Note that this isn’t applicable for Blackberry users and those who have Opera Mini set as their default browsers. Which is fine with me since it’s only Facebook. I tried it (after I re-downloaded my settings) and so far it works fine with the Facebook Java app. I managed to update my status while in transit and check some messages. Since my phone uses GPRS it’s still rather slow but is good enough in a pinch. I do need a new phone though (that’s a big hint for Globe to give me an iPhone 4S so I can fully experience this awesome thing called mobile surfing haha).*

Philippine Volcanoes
The other exciting part about that night was meeting a few of the guys from the Philippine Volcanoes (who are Globe’s newest ambassadors): Kenny Stern, Chris Everingham, Jake Letts, Jonny Morales, Darran Seeto, Nick Perry and Andrew Wolff. If you haven’t heard of them, you probably have been living under a rock in the far flung regions of the country. Coach Matt Cullen said that their team was following the footsteps of the Azkals in terms of rising popularity and games played but with a big difference: “We will win.”


From left: Andrew Wolff, Chris Everingham, Jon Morales, Darran Seeto, Nick Perry, Jake Letts and Kenny Stern

» Read the rest of this entry «

March Music

February 10th, 2012 § 4 comments § permalink

I’m going to see three artists in concert this March. That’s somewhat of an achievement for me since I don’t really like going to concerts unless I really like the artist. Last year I splurged for Jason Mraz and I don’t regret a single minute.

On March 3, I’ll be watching L’Arc En Ciel in Hong Kong. It’ll be my first trip there, and my first trip out of the country just for a group. Biggest adventure so far, and I’m pretty excited.

March 20 is all set for Toe, another Japanese band that my brother Nunik introduced to me sometime in 2010. He’s a big fan of the drummer, and he has been gunning for the group to perform here. Thankfully, the group said “Ok, we’ll play in the Philippines”. Weeee.

All set for Toe

March 30 will mark the return of Hanson after seven years. I’m going to watch with the biggest Hanson fan I know. During their first show I didn’t go because I was in Baguio and I chose to watch Jars of Clay instead. Now that they’re back, well why not?

I can’t wait.

February list

February 9th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

We’re well into the second week of the month (and the week’s nearly over too). I thought I’d list down some goals for February, as inspired by Carina. There’s still time, and there are a couple of things that I want/need to do. Here we go.

  • Write 5 articles a day
  • Have $500 by February 28
  • Write down everything I eat
  • Write down all expenses
  • Take daily photographs
  • Memorize katakana

Not much, really. Let’s see how well I fare come March.

In other news, here’s my horoscope for the day (Wednesday, rather. I didn’t realize the day has changed). I don’t quite fully believe in them, but it’s always fun to read them and perhaps use them as a guide for my life. Without going into detail, let’s just say that today’s forecast for my sign is a little apt for something that’s running through my mind.

Love may be in the air with sweet Venus visiting your impulsive sign until March 5. You’re optimistic about your chances, whether or not something actually happens. Just remember not to come on too strong or you might overwhelm someone with your exuberance. Express what’s in your heart, but make sure to allow enough room for others to be themselves.

Such fun.

Also, I want to change my writing style/voice. If it were music, I think it’s too pop but not in anyway appealing.

Protected: Why I am AWESOME

February 2nd, 2012 § Enter your password to view comments. § permalink

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:


If these walls could talk

February 1st, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Carlos Celdran shouldn’t be a stranger to any Filipino these days, thanks to his infamous protest at San Agustin Church a while back. It earned him the nickname “Damaso”, which people would shout to him when they seem him on the streets.

However, long before that, Carlos has gained a reputation for himself through his Old Manila Walk tours. A performer at heart, Carlos conducts walking tours around Intramuros, providing a crash course in Philippine history. His tours are among the first thing foreigners and balikbayans would go to upon arriving in Manila. His unique, no-holds-barred way of telling the story attracts people to listen, providing an insight to the often misunderstood Manila and its people.

I have long wanted to go on a Carlos Celdran tour (naks, parang brand name lang siya), but time and money constraints made it a little difficult. I was fortunate enough to be able to join a quick tour he hosted in part with Samsung. While interesting, it still didn’t have the full Carlos Celdran touch of theatrics and whimsey that I wanted to experience.

He occasionally throws out barter tours, where you can give anything you think is worth something in exchange. However, it is mostly held during the weekdays which automatically made it a no go for me. When he posted a call for another barter tour and I figured it was my chance.

Carlos Celdran

A Crash Course in Philippine History
I expected the tour to be mostly barter attendees, but it turns out we were going with regular tourists as well. There were quite a number of Filipinos among the foreigners, many of whom were balikbayans on vacation. One was a man who thought it would be a nice way to pass time while waiting for his friends. Another was a group of women who had roots in Manila but hadn’t been back in decades.

» Read the rest of this entry «

Enter the Dragon

January 24th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

I’ve been a member of Couchsurfing since February 2010 but have yet to participate in anything the local group would organize. With all this free time in my hands, I’m eager to join in activities that sound like fun and do not cost much. When an invitation to join the group in Binondo to celebrate the Chinese New Year appeared on my dashboard, well, I couldn’t pass it up. I dragged Anne, my usual partner-in-crime for such adventures and off we go.

Getting lost, sort of
I’ve been to Binondo many times, and I was confident that I knew how to get there. However, I would normally come from the Sta. Cruz church side and walk up to Ongpin. I forgot what jeep I should ride if I wanted to arrive in front of Binondo Church. In the end, I walked a long way just to get where I was supposed to meet Anne.

The Philippines has a long and rich history with the Chinese. Business relations had been on going long before the Spanish set foot in the country. The establishment of the Chinatown here was in the 1500s, making the the oldest recorded Chinatown in the world — outside of China, of course. An interesting read about Binondo can be found here.

Filipino-Chinese Friendship arch

Meeting the Couchsurfers
Anne and I have the shyness gene so it took us quite a bit before either one of us had the gumption to ask the group of mostly red-shirted people in front if they were the CS group. Thankfully, we got it right the first time and a flurry of introductions began.

Street Party
The festivities had already started by the time our group of (my estimate) 40-plus people made our way through Ongpin. The street was clogged with people (tourists and locals alike) watching the dragon and lion dances. Hawkers lined the street selling lucky charms. Some shops were closed but many were open like a regular working day. It was easy to get separated from the rest of the group, which was what happened to me several times during the day.

After the fireworks and dance, the proprietors of a grocery store threw candy and other giveaways to the crowd. It was scary as people clamored to get something. To avoid getting crushed, I immediately left the area.

The colorful crowd scene

» Read the rest of this entry «

One more time

January 22nd, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Yesterday was the first day of my beginners Japanese class in UP. This is the second time I enrolled in such a class, but I have a feeling I’d get more out of this than I did in that Languages Internationale class I took six years ago.

Nothing much to report. Our class is small with only fourteen students. Surprisingly, we only have two undergrads. Everyone else is in their twenties and above and already working. Our teacher is Ria Rafael, who is also a senior lecturer at the Linguistics department.

I always feel at home inside a classroom, even though I quite dislike the first day tradition of introducing yourself to the rest of the class. At least I wasn’t the first one to do it.

First day went well. We studied the basic greetings, introducing oneself and started on learning Katakana. It’s funny how much you can pick up when you watch a lot of anime and J-dramas, so it was easy to remember the lesson. What I liked was the explanation of what the words mean, their root meaning and the pattern of how to create sentences. But much like when I was learning Spanish, having a wide vocabulary will help.

I can’t wait for next Saturday.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »