ER Supermall | Needs a Serious Competition

When you live in a very remote place, your options are limited, and at the same time, the location is not a few meters away. But it takes 30 to 40 minutes by commute on either a motorcycle or a tricycle to reach the place. It’s also a challenge to wake up in the morning and try to be there first in line, because it is the only place where you buy your groceries, among other things. Because the ER Supermall is not entirely a shopping centre, but a grocery store that is the sole supplier to small businesses that have their “Sari-Sari Store” outside the municipal city of Baganga, which has small towns being part of it. Getting to this place, you see most of them are resellers piling up their shopping carts.

Points to Ponder | Small-Scale Fire Incidents

Waking up in the usual routine, and going through the same grind that’s a typical morning day. There were blaring sirens and fire engines making noise in the other street. It was alarming to think it might be just the annual Fire Drill that most offices in Makati City are doing as other establishments have been doing to prepare for the force, but nothing prepared me for this day. It was almost lunch already, and there have been so many things on my plate. Like everyone in this country, most people would just continue to ignore what’s happening around them. But I’m not “most people” who would pretend I’m wearing horse blinders and choose to black out my perspective as my eyes are open.

Ayala Cinemas | Return to the Movies

It has been exactly two years and some few days since the last time I stepped in the cinema to watch a movie. It’s been quite a while but that changed all that with the pandemic and the emergence of streaming services. Local cinemas are slowly opening and easing restrictions, but we can’t vigilant to be careful are we? Speaking of vigilant, the first movie I’ve decided to see was “The Batman” and my expectations wasn’t as high as it used to be. But I’ve seen a handful of trailers and staving off early critical reviews and try to get to feel that ‘big screen’ atmosphere when I entered the cinema a few minutes before the actual movie played.

Everyday City | Mind Through Visuals

Lockdowns are tough. It’s like the world has stopped and you feel useless. Some find ways to go about their day, but for some its not the appearance that you see. Though how most go through with their Mental Health, their anxieties or coping through isolation. Last year was really rough and the pandemic has made short work on most creative individuals out there. Personally, it really took me out unknowingly while on isolation. There was no challenges to write something it’s the part that I need, which is to at least get out of the house for a bit of stroll. Most those days were done in the middle of the day to think and get some ideas, but when you’re stuck at home it become long naps.

Points to Ponder | Bike Lanes to Congestion

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic the dynamic of life has changed all over the world. There’s so much to tackle with social issues and other major challenges that everyone has to deal with. But there are also the little things that matter most that can impact the way things are happening all of a sudden. With that there also trends to in how people deal with the situation every given day. In the Philippines, with the suspension of public transport, the population turns to other modes of transport namely, the push bikes or if you have the money to burn there are also the electric two wheels like the scooter. With that changes to how the road and street have given away to these types of vehicles sometimes it doesn’t really worth the adjustment if the lack of space to have them in particular streets.

Matter of Perspective | Savage City

There’s no such thing as the great outdoors anymore due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and the only reason why the city is slowly opening up is due to economy. It is still not highly advised to go out and venture your way to spend at your own leisure. But you can’t avoid seeing people now that might have made the change in your perspective these past months being in quarantine. The only reason you need to step out is either you run to do your errands and other important priorities or for those who are cautiously need to get out in doing your workout routine that only allows you in your limited time. But of course in those short travels to the store to buy food or a jog around your area for the observant you may find something that is not ‘normal’ to a decent educated individual.

The Commuter | City, Society, & Perspective

There is something about going out just a few minutes to get some air out or do the usual errand walking by the store to buy some food. Then there’s that feeling of ‘cabin fever’ when you travel farther than what you have been used to for the past two months that seemed an eternity, which is a strange thing that I used to take for granted day in and out since it was the normal thing to do. But yesterday was something an anxiety of that different feeling that you don’t want to get out of the house or even try to take the first step out of your comfort zone. It is nauseating at the same time feels like it’s totally different that your body just wants to stay indoors and spend more time recharging in bed. But that’s not going to happen now I travel to go back to Manila for the first time in the past weeks.

The Collective | Inside Bigboy's Museum

DJ Bigboy, the owner of Secret Fresh and sometime part-time club DJ has been known to collect a lot of things. He has one of the biggest and rarest collections of designer art toys and has amassed also a collection of sneakers that would cost a fortune that has been featured by other YouTube vloggers several times from different parts of the world. Recently, with his ever growing collection he started moving some of his collection at The Deck of the Ronact Art Center located at the fourth level. Originally, the museum was supposed to be opened to the public but changed into a private room that is Bigboy’s home away from home…

The Collective | Las Vegas Hookups

02.10.2020 – It has been a while since I have received some appreciation from close friends and relatives. I rarely, share them as I keep things in perspective how these things are unexpected presents from the closest people that I used to hangout that have moved overseas that still don’t forget to be thoughtful. That last time I receive presents when I was back in Adelaide since I have a friend from another state and another one from Queensland who just recently started a hobby. This time around my younger sibling from the US was in town for his sister-in-law’s wedding and his trip with the fam was short, but unexpected opportunity.

TUBE MNL | Ways to be Informative

02.09.2020 – If you’re in the Philippines and commute mostly through the three active elevated railways or try your way out weaving through horrendous traffic in any means possible to avoid taking too much time in one area. Chances are some of this public commutes have visual billboard or something for distraction. The LRT 1, 2, and the MRT 3 tram railways has consolidated its link up to better manage the local commutes in Metro Manila. In these elevated rail transits they also consolidated content namely adding visual billboards that carry information and sometimes content from their collaboration with TUBE MNL and network giant ABS-CBN, which either a distraction or a disaster that needs further improvement.

Kobe Bryant | Mamba Inspired Life

01.29.2020 – More than forty eight hours has been passed and tributes poured in from NBA games to the Staples Center for the tragic death of Kobe Bryant that also include his 13-year old daughter Gianna, six family friends including Coach John Altobelli and his wife and daughter, and the pilot. All on board were killed. The past couple of days were really somber all over the world who have followed a 17 year old became one of the NBA Greats of All Time. It was a gut wrenching day as mostly described who knew Kobe as a person beyond the basketball player people associate him with. What’s tough is that in his tragic death it also included Gianna, the heir apparent to follow his path in becoming the basketball player we all hope for is also gone.

Traffic Horror Tales | 3 Hour Quiapo Trip

09.26.2019 – The month of September is almost done and as the day goes by traffic has become far worse than you’ll ever think to live in a densely populated area in the Philippines. Every day it has become part of the daily grind for most Filipinos living in a city as things have become gloriously terrible by the hour. If the local mass transportation has not evolved in the last two decades and the dwindling sidewalks that include proper pick-up points were not enough to be taken out by road widening projects. Then things get more horrible than the usual horror stories you encounter every day while on the road in this part of the country.

Quitline | Can It Help Stop You From Smoking?

08.28.2019 – When there is ‘No Hope’ but there is a “Quitline” help services supported by DOH (Department Of Health) that is mainly tasked to assist with those individuals having difficulty in quitting smoking. Surprisingly this was heavily advertised in local commutes like in the LRT (Light Rail Transit). If you’re aware recently the Philippine Government’s DOH stop its support for Suicide Helpline as news came out in the Philippine Star. In other countries that are aware of Mental Health, there should be a Helpline, but for a country that still trying to catch up with the rest of the world, they simply not sold about Mental Health.

Filipino Komiks in Mainstream Perspective

08.22.2019: The week-long event for the Anime Fest: Epic Con continues through Sunday that started 19 August 2019 at the main area of the Lucky Chinatown Mall. It features local sellers and collaboration with Komikon that has a rotation of local komiks artists except for Pol Merdina Jr. the Creator of Pugad Baboy. Medina is the mainstay of the event until this Friday, while the rest of the rotating cast certainly features the ensemble of self-publishers that have been known by the community. But can they get the same reception with the general masses that rarely see their works? There’s a story here to share and it this might be interesting…

Mail Call | Package Supposed to be FREE

06.18.2019 – Generally when you purchase a product anywhere in the world there would be some sort of warranty. Despite that, the only way to get the customer service you need is half a world away, and that is not available in the country where you actually bought the product that was supposed to cover the service. But not in the Philippines as I’ve been in the same experience that what supposed to be “Free of Charge” you still have to shell out money for that warranty service that was already paid for when it matters to the Philippine Postal Service. How can a convenience of service that was supposed to be “Free of Charge” become something more than a stressful burden than sis should be given already?

Pre-Movie Screenings | Filipino Pageantry

04.27.2019 – Movies is one of Filipinos past time that it never stops to appreciate it on the big screen. With the fourth instalment of the Avengers franchise within the “Infinity Saga” that is the 22nd Marvel film in eleven years it is considered the crowning jewel that geeks have waited for since the heart wrenching Infinity War. But we’re not here to talk about the film although we can understand that tickets have been selling out all over world. Filipinos had eaten all the tickets up and while we’re on the subject of movies there have been companies and people organizing block screenings left and right that was crazy from other countries.

Summer Komikon | The Saturday After

04.14.2019 – Summer Komikon is on its tenth year since its first event at the old UP Bahay ng Alumni in 2009 expands the annual Komikon event to two at the time prior to Indie Komiks Market or simply Indieket that was held in July 2012. Conventions these days are not just about what its objectives, but also something new to see here. One year removed from this event in 2018 it was different from the one I last attended in 2017. This event changed over the years that most people would look forward to more than the one held in October/November. The weather heating up there were few familiar faces that didn’t turned up the way you expected to see in a long time.

Komiket 2019 | Blissful Chaotic Vibes

02.18.2019 – In the Philippines every weekend there’s an event happening it is a music festival, an art show, or anything that is related to the local industry that has something to do with comics. Komikon pioneered in making local komiks relevant and it evolved that introduced other things connected to it namely merchandise like shirts, pins, and prints. But mostly that event focused solely in promoting the Komiks medium while the rest is secondary. But with the introduction of Komiket it’s more of an Art Market that has produced a different kind of community since its inception in 2015. It caters not only to the komiks medium, but all things that can be produced and sold through art that simply stands out with what Komiket has to offer.

Conan without Borders | Travels to Australia

02.17.2019 – A few days ago Conan O’Brien officially announced through his social media that his next “Conan without Borders” travel segment is heading to the land down under in Australia. Of course, a lot are excited for this as an interesting adventure for the orange haired legendary talk show host. Hugh Jackman, one of the famed Aussie celebrities who is popular in Hollywood has invited him for this one time opportunity to visit the country. He also revealed this in his monologue during Tuesday’s episode that he’s making the trip next week.

Self-Checkout | Is the Philippines Ready?

12.19.2018 - The Holiday Season in the Philippines is in full swing and long lines build up at retail counters in department stores, boos stores,, and other retail shop nationwide. It’s the busiest time of the year, but despite all this, the more employed staff takes up the counters without any proper solution to the congested long lines that are comparable to the traffic in EDSA. The Philippine retail industry has been this way ever since that has not changed while other countries namely their Asian counterparts are slowly embracing the self-service checkouts as an alternative way to ease off the congestion inside these shops is this the country ready for this type of service?