Before we proceed, let’s be clear on two things. First, what is written here is my opinion and I might be wrong, very dead wrong. Don’t hate me for it. Second, if you’ve been to Disneyland or, locally at Enchanted Kingdom, and you’re interested in sights other than in Snow World, you may not want to proceed reading. Read more…
Among the legal holidays in the Philippines is Bonifacio Day, traditionally celebrated every November 30. This was changed, however, under Republic Act 9492 (an Act rationalizing the celebration of national holidays), which moved the official holiday to the Monday nearest November 30 (which is why December 1, 2008, a Monday, is a holiday). Read more…
When we say “ghost”, we mean it the good way, perhaps just like Casper. We’re talking of fond, loving memories of Philippine Christmas. Whether you’re a Filipino or a non-Filipino who spent Pasko or Christmas in the Philippines, it’s safe to assume that you have a fond memory of something or some place (please share your pick through the comment section below). Let’s not talk about “someone” because this post may become mushy beyond repair. A particular food, event, sight, sound or anything that remains etched in your mind until today. Let’s start with these (please include yours through the comment section below), in no particular order: Read more…
Books, at times, could make the waiting and down time in our travel not-that-boring. For instance, we could read a good book while waiting at the airport lounge when the flight is delayed. For others, however, reading a book goes beyond a filler of dead air. So, let’s review some of the bookstores when you arrive in Philippine reading territory: Read more…
Cool air has officially invaded Philippine shores. It’s beginning to feel and smell like Christmas. Okay, it’s only cold at 5 a.m., but that’s what PAG-ASA said. But if there’s any doubt that Christmas is here, you need only experience the heavy volume of traffic in and around the Metro starting last weekend. Now that there’s more than one week of continuous holidays this Christmas season, let’s look at the Top Ten Philippine destinations for the couple, family or barkada to go and stay for a while: Read more…
After more than 80 years, scientists found a pygmy tarsier mountaintop at the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park). The report notes that the pygmy tarsier is one of the planet’s smallest and rarest primates. Pygmy tarsiers can turn their heads 18 degrees, weigh about 2 ounces (50 grams), have large eyes and large ears. The photo of a pygmy tarsier is found at the right side.
What’s interesting is that it looks pretty much like the Philippine tarsier, which is shown in a previous post. It seems that the pygmy tarsier is different from the Philippine tarsier (see photo below). The scientific name of the Philippine tarsier is tarsius syrichta, while that of the pygmy tarsier is tarsius pumilus. Read more…
Maybe you’ve bought a new home or transferred to a new one. Maybe you woke up one day and felt the urge to rearrange or add furniture and other accessories in your home. When looking for accessories or decorations for your home, you could very well go to the shopping malls or home depots. Or you could go to hidden home-shopping nirvana. Read more…
The only establishment I go to when I visit the vicinity of Bonifacio High Street or Serendra (Fort Bonifacio, just across Market!Market!) is the Fully Booked bookstore. This changed today, when I “accidentally” discovered Abe, a restaurant serving Filipino food. Read more…
I like going to Tagaytay to relax. There’s the great view of the Taal volcano or Taal lake. I’ve written about some nooks in Tagaytay, including Nurture Spa and Massimo’s, although there seems to be no time to write about the rest of the places in this cool (or cold) place. Perhaps it’s not about the lack of time, but the lack of incentive to write about it. It’s been said that it’s easier to write about something you like. Read more…
Maybe holidays are fixed in your country. So when you take a vacation, you know exactly the time frame and you know whether others would also be on vacation at that time (which is crucial for those who don’t want crowds in resorts, beaches or other vacation spots). We Filipinos use to have fixed holiday dates in the Philippines, but that changed a couple of years ago. Read more…
We’ve already noted that it’s rare in the Philippines that roads are eerily quite — no traffic, not much people and crime rate is practically down to zero. No fighting in politics (but not the “politicking”). No war between the military and the rebels. The reason? Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is in the boxing ring in another big fight. Read more…
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