Lost Urban History | Fair Mart: Plaza Fair

01.26.2020 – This could be a Sunday perspective but it is more of going back to fond memories of defunct establishments in the Philippines and what really happened to them. Last Monday after getting off the elevated train just realize how the surrounding area of Plaza Lacson (named after the famous Mayor of Manila) is populated by either old deserted buildings, but old establishments under disrepair. In the past this was part of the central commerce dominated by Manila, where Escolta was the Ayala Mall of its golden era before the World War II. But what fondly I remember was the glory days of Department Stores and Plaza Fair was one of those place people go to besides its small stores named Fair Mart.

Walkabout Wednesday | Andres Bonifacio Shrine

01.15.2020 –The walkabout today was busy and crowded since Arroceros Forest Park was closed to the public since the start of the year, which left me with other options to spend a short amount of time ending up at the Andre4s Bonifacio Shrine,. The place has slowly evolved in the past six months into the park near Manila City Hall. Before the change of governance the place was relatively unknown since it was occupied by informal settlers and there was human stench that it became a residential area where they dump their rubbish not to mention their human waste. But that all changed as you may find it unrecognizable if you haven’t been in this place for the past months and it was certainly a new perspective.

Around Manila | Silence at the Bridge

01.14.2020 – The unexpected eruption of Tall Volcano has left Metro Manila covered in Ash, but not as far worse as the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo that left the country not only covered by its ash for almost a week it was also having dangerous health hazards due to the toxicity of the air that plagued everyone for months. The aftermath for this one was not in major consequences, but most parts of Metro Manila have suspended all government offices and all levels in education on a Monday. Tourist areas in Manila were closed namely some parts of the walled city of Intramuros and Arroceros Forest Park as one of the locations that are not available for the public that leaves a somber week to start.

Around Manila | Rizal Day to Jones Bridge

12.31.2019 – One Hundred Twenty Three years after Dr Jose Rizal was executed in Luneta Park (formerly Bagumbayan) Filipinos continue to celebrate his heroism. But besides the memorial in reminding the locals about the country’s national hero it was also a day to appreciate parts of Manila, which was busy with a huge turnout. Manila has so many places to see and visit, which was limited time in getting to those locations. Decided to head out to some of the familiar place that I’ve frequented to in this year that I rarely see before and here are some photo narratives of that walk…

Manila Auto Salon | The Cars, Trucks, & Fun

11.15.2019 – The Manila Auto Salon together with the Sports Truck Show is another big event the general public can check it out this weekend. The event this year brings out the best and the brightest tuned cars, custom trucks, and inviting you to appreciate anything and everything about the automotive scene. On its thirteenth year the Manila Auto Salon is again teaming up with Sport Truck Show, which has been organizing this event on its twenty-fifth year. The gallery of impressive cars that you don’t see regularly in Metro Manila roads is going to be on display here for all its shiniest glory that will surely get your attention.

OPPO X PURVEYR | Photowalk in Manila

08.23.2019: For the photo junkie a good place to harness your talent in capturing images is joining the community photo walks organized by professional photographers. There are so many things you’ll find interesting and it will teach you how to use your camera but in this case your mobile phone’s built-in camera. In this highly competitive generation with regard to technology, OPPO is one brand that stands out when it comes to capturing the best images out there. It can rival a standard digital camera from five years ago with its crisp quality. There’s no doubt there are other brands out there, but this brand is starting to get noticed. With that, it’s interesting to hear that mobile phone camera is being used now in these photo walks that slowly becoming the primary device that is pushing away digital cameras as secondary or a back-up. But rest assured it won’t be really phased out and with mobile phones surely the best ones are ready to be used in these events.

Earthquake at a Glance | Perspective of Reality

04.22.2019 – There hasn’t been a major catastrophe in the Philippines when you talk about Earthquake in the last thirty years. Most of the things that go wrong are from typhoons that displaced communities and disrupting economies in the archipelago. It is not common either that it happened within Central Luzon that rocked Metro Manila all of sudden. Its reality that is unexpected to happen and most take it with humor and then others just plainly silently hope that the next one won’t be as bad as the first one. Earthquakes happen because it has been part of nature as long as everyone can remember. It just so happens that the context about these things can sometimes bring a few people to what really matters to their lives.

National Museum | Fine Arts Sunday

01.08.2019 – Museums are a place of wonder and they also teach you about the culture of a particular city, state or the entire region. The Philippines is rich with culture but as you may not notice not everything is kept and preserved that it is quite challenging to understand why some have been lost through the past and some are just a distant memory. But there are those pieces of history are still kept in their pristine condition because there’s support for it such as the paintings and installations that could have been a hundred or more years older than anyone. The National Museum Fine Arts is where you can find a collection of works by national artists in the country and some of the never before seen pieces that you’ll find interesting.

Manila Auto Salon | The Cars, People, & Culture

12.02.2018 – If you live in a densely populated area there’s not much space to go around when you’re into cars mainly the fast ones. The culture in this place is different from being used to reside in the same type of environment only way better. Usually, whenever you’re into motoring that means there are regular car meets not closed to a specific type of community. But since you live in a very crowded place it’s understandable that this type of community becomes exclusive to a specific brand, make, or model of the vehicle that is popularly known. So car meets are not as generally open to the public that is where cars show like the Manila Auto Salon becomes that place where everyone can have the opportunity to see everything about the automotive culture.