Archive for ‘2009’

Blue clear waters, white sand, privacy and serenity, and a cave; there are a lot of beaches in the Philippines that have these traits and features but finding them all in one single place is pretty rare. Most white beaches are already commercialized making it pretty hard to find a place that’s not crowded especially when you’re looking for an escape from the all the routines and redundancy of the city.

So let us take you to a place where all the elements I mentioned intertwine with each other giving birth to this tiny paradise just outside Manila…

Growing up in the metro, I got used to places where I can hang-out with my friends so relocating to Sta. Rosa, I foresee a boring life in Laguna. But when we finally moved…tada! Paseo de Sta. Rosa was my relief! It was just like in the Eastwood Citywalk or in Blue Wave Strip. The ambiance and architecture feels the same and has a central activity area for concerts and other events. Paseo is under Greenfield Development Corporation and this is their prime icon of commercial and lifestyle center in Sta. Rosa.

My daily office lunch breaks have been boring for quite some time now. The usual canteen menu isn’t bad but routinely having it for lunch can really dull your taste buds so I opted to “hunt” for food somewhere else and it was difficult because Madrigal Business Park doesn’t cater a lot of choices.

Yet, lo and behold, across the park lies a hidden authentic Japanese restaurant!

SABANGAN is a Filipino-themed resort at the beachfront of Laiya, Batangas. Only a 2 ½ hours travel from Manila which makes it a very convenient place for abrupt unwinding and escape from the city.



Check in time was 2pm, but since we arrived earlier than expected, Sabangan were nice enough to let us stay at the pavilion. The pavilion has a billiard table, a foosball table, a tumba-tumba and seats to rest. They also lent us a rice cooker and barbecue grill so we could prepare lunch as we wait for our check-in time. As we prepare food, they were cleaning our reserved two-bedroom bungalow, and just for the record, they were really clean down to the last dust.

Five months to go until 2010 Philippines Election; Have you got a candidate on mind already? or better yet, have you registered already? Last registration is this month, we should make our vote count if we plan to change the way things work in our country.

As we decide which candidate to vote, I hope that we base it on what we know about them, what they have done in the past, and what our conscience tells us. Let me tell you the things that plays on my mind when I think of our presidentiables.

VILLAINS
Wolfgang
© Copyright-Semenlin music
Record Label: Wolfgang
Genre: Rock: Hard Rock
Release Date: 2008
Price: Php 300.00 (Odyssey)


It’s quite sad that I’ve stopped listening to OPM (rock) music back in mid-2006, all the up and rising bands has the same sound for me mimicking what is profitable in mainstream. It doesn’t help that the albums from the non-rock genre (especially pop) was nothing but revived songs put together.

After the band’s six-year hiatus, the long awaited album was released last December 2008. Villains has been worked on by the band during 2007, it’s pretty unique from the other albums because they collaborated through online to build each song.

BER month has arrived and Christmas is slowly seeping in to our cold nights as Yuletide songs gradually infiltrate the buses, tricycles and stores. It's the signal of Christmas countdowns and endless gift preparations, the indication that sales and bazaars are just around the corner. A perfect opportunity to haggle and rake through exciting stuffs like accessories, clothes, gadgets, shoes and other gift items within our budget.

So gift hunters ready your list and go after those great bargains.

Just remember, the early bird gets the worm however if you weren’t one of the fortunates, we’ve made the list for you to follow.