Christmas Light Show in Ayala Triangle Makati

Last Sunday, I took my family on a side trip to Makati, for them to experience the light & sound show at the Ayala Triangle. The photos below offer a glimpse of what we've seen, but nothing beats being there in person.

The nightly show starts at 6:00 pm every 30 minutes, and ends at 9:00 pm until 30 December 2012. The million LED lights goes on and off, in sync with the tune of Filipino Christmas songs, on instrumental mode.

Manila Heritage Tour Thru Postage Stamps

I've been wanting to join the free Postal Heritage Tour offered by the Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club (FSCC), represented by their passionate Vice-President Lawrence Chan. So when an opportunity arose to join their free tours every third Sunday of the month, I sent an email to Lawrence (l_rence_2003@yahoo.com) to sign up for his tour on 20 Nov. 2011.

I arrived at the fountain area of Liwasang Bonifacio by 12:15 pm, quite early from the scheduled 12:30-1:00 pm assembly time. Still tired from participating in the 10k run for Pasig River at MOA earlier that day, I wondered if I made the right decision to continue with the tour.

Ang Tunay Beef House in Binondo

Part of my walking tour of Binondo is trying the old yet popular restaurants in the area. So when I felt like I could use some snack food later that Sunday morning, I went into a hunt for good old Binondo restaurants. I passed the Eng Bee Tim restaurant, but I’ve already tried dining on this fastfood-type Chinese restaurant. I saw some new and old-looking restaurants, but I avoided them after I saw their empty tables.

The old-looking restaurant I saw with many Chinese patrons at past 10:00 am is Ang Tunay Beef House along Gandara Street. Judging by the number of customers they have at this lean hour, they must be very good, so I entered the restaurant. On the right wall, I saw a framed old newspaper clipping of the restaurant’s review, which reinforced my big expectation from the restaurant.

Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo

One of the iconic churches in Manila is the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo, Manila. I usually pass it whenever I find myself in Ongpin St., but failed to enter it. Last Sunday after dropping my wife at 168 Mall for some Christmas shopping, I decided to a mini walking tour of Binondo district, starting with its church.

The original Binondo Church was constructed last 1596, but was destroyed during the Chinese revolt in 1603. Rebuilt in 1614 and named Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, it is where the first Filipino saint Lorenzo Ruiz served as sacristan, whom the church is now officially named.

Hard Rock Cafe Makati

I was invited by my colleagues at Hard Rock Cafe in Makati last Thursday night. I used to go there many times about 13-14 years ago when I was still single, so its nice to be invited again by my counterpart at Hard Rock to experience their ambience, food, and music.

Hard Rock's ambience had not changed after about 15 years. There are still many memorabilia and posters of various artists. Original clothes worn by famous artists, electric guitars used by a Kiss guitarist, Echo & the Bunnymen, a graphic artist's proof of an Elton John album, and many other music-related items on displays along the walls.

La Mesa Ecopark

Last Sunday, we had a chance to experience the La Mesa Ecopark with 2 other family friends. The ecopark is situated near Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, hence QC residents pay lower than the Php 50 entrance fee. Kids below 3 feet can enter the park free. 

The forest park is being maintained by ABS-CBN Foundation since 2004 through Bantay Kalikasan (Nature Watch) in partnership with MWSS and other private donors. Its an offshoot of their reforestation program to protect the La Mesa watershed, which supplies potable water to more than 12 million Metro Manila and nearby residents.

The park has many picnic areas with free concrete table and chairs, like the one below. Those who want to use portable table and 4 plastic chairs may rent one set at Php 120 per set.

The Girls of Auto Salon 2010

This is my post with the least words but the most photos. As what a popular song says, "a picture paints a thousand words", so the photos are more than enough for this post. Regrettably, I was only able to bring a camphone, so some photos do not give much justice to the beauty of the subjects.

Auto Salon 2010 at SMX

We just arrived from the Auto Salon 2010 at SMX Convention Center along Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. There are many amazing displays of vehicles, as well as merchants offering their various products and services. Below are some photos I was able to capture using just a camera phone, as I forgot to bring a real digicam.

 

Above is the oldest car in the show, a Citroen originally built in 1925, displayed outside the exhibit center. Below is a yellow Ferrari car.

168 Shopping Mall in Divisoria

Last Sunday, while most Filipinos are glued on their homes to watch the Margarito-Pacquiao boxing fight, Wife and I chose to do our Christmas shopping to take advantage of less crowd and traffic at Divisoria. But upon arriving by 9 am at the mall, we were quite surprised with the huge number of people, realizing that its not only us who have thought about this timing strategy. :)

We did a walkthrough first, looking at the merchandise on offer by various stalls, then compared the prices.

Christmas Lights in Makati

The city of Makati is the premier business district of the Philippines. Boasting one of the highest revenue generating cities of the country, their local government can afford to flaunt their wealth by decorating their main business roads with Christmas lights each year.

Usually, their Christmas lights on the road islands have yellow color and without any form or shape. This year their Christmas lights have white color and are arranged vertically like big cylinders or funnels. Another difference is they have a special effect, like a dropping luminous white liquid, or a low shooting star from afar.

The photos above and below are taken along Ayala Avenue in between the Makati Stock Exchange and BPI branch.

Hooters Bar in Manila

I've been to Hooters Bar at SM Mall of Asia's bay area twice. The first time was out of curiosity, and second time was when my monthly drinking buddies chose to hang out in the baywalk area. The establishment is located at the right (or north) side along San Miguel by the Bay, quite a long walk from the mall.