In the most unassuming of places stand Bellagio Square, a dining and entertainment center in Malate, Manila, with facilities for dining, health, beauty and wellness. Located in Jorge Bocobo street, it’s just a short walk from Robinson’s Midtown Mall. So why go to Bellagio when you can stay at the mall?
There’s a new weekend market in town, and it’s right in the heart of Manila. Every Sunday this September, Celadon Residences brings us Pick Manila, a collection of food and lifestyle mini stores right outside SM San Lorenzo.
Similar to Salcedo, Legaspi, and the Lung Center markets, Pick Manila showcases goods that you wouldn’t usually find in the malls. There were fresh fruits, dried fish, handicrafts, and even hard to find books.
My favorite picks in the Market are the Italian soda (flavored soda, Php 50 each), yakisoba (fried noodles, Php 20), and takoyaki (octopus balls, Php 20). The one that intrigued me the most though, was this stall that sells organic rice and noodles. The noodles are similar to dried pancit canton noodles, but it was flat, like fettuccini and comes in different flavors: ampalaya, squash, etc. Best of all, these healthy products are all made in the Philippines.
Nothing to do this Sunday? Why not head on over to Pick Manila? (After that, head on to One Esplanade for the Philippine Blog Awards 
While preparing to go to bed after a long day, I just realized that I’ve attended two Wordcamp firsts: the first Wordcamp in Australia (Wordcamp Melbourne 2007), and the first Wordcamp in Southeast Asia (Wordcamp Philippines 2008. Darn you Beijing for holding one last year; it would’ve been first in Asia!)
Smug declarations aside, I’m pretty happy with today’s programs. Hands down, it was one of the BEST blog events of 2008. WordPress is something all the participants were passionate about, and you can really see how much bloggers are interested in learning more about this powerful blogging platform. There was an eclectic mix of participants – newbies, probloggers, personal bloggers, developers, designers. All the breakaway sessions were well attended (because they’re all interesting), and the afternoon’s plenary session was especially interesting because it was when Matt Mullenweg delivered his State of the Word address and had a short Q&A session with the campers. I think Matt was amused at how we love to take photos and took plenty of shots of campers taking a picture of him.
Then there was the serious business of camwhoring after the program 
We all posed for a class picture with Matt, then the Wordcamp organizers and volunteers had their photos taken with the huge backdrop. Then comes the jumpshots. Matt was so amused by all of it, that he had to join the other photographers in taking photos and joining the organizers eventually. Almost everybody wanted a photo with Matt, and he willingly obliged to each request, even chatting up the groups who came up to him for a photo.
I guess that’s one of the reasons why this was such a fun event: Matt was so easy going and friendly. Despite his popularity and status, he remains down to earth. It really was such an honor to meet a person like Matt Mullenweg.
Of course, a big part of why this event was one of the best ever are the organizers. I have to hand it to the Mindanao Bloggers; they really worked hard for Wordcamp Philippines, and it paid off. I was watching them work while I was waiting (because I arrived way too early), and I saw every volunteer doing their assigned tasks, and all the leaders working with them, instead of just ordering people around. That, my friends, is the recipe for a great event 
Looking forward to Wordcamp Philippines 2009!
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4:46 pm
Matt is winding down the session with the Q&A session. Battery’s running out so this is probably my last update (and I’m getting lazy). Watch out for the proper WordCamp post later!
2:57 pm
It’s Ms. Google Earth Philippines, Aileen Apolo! She’s going to talk about Google Analytics. Woohoo! The crowd got really excited when she took out a Google shirt.
2:24 PM
Matt has the most awesome e-mail address, and I thought his url was already cool. Ria had a fan girl moment
1:59 pm
What’s this in the slide?? WordPress 2.7! It looks awesome! The Dashboard has been reorganized. It’s intuitive, you can even drag and drop the panels in the edit page! You can easily download and install themes and plugins right in your WordPress admin panel. How awesome is that? We’d all have to wait until November though. But still… YAY for WP2.7!
1:48 pm
I won a Php500 Gift certificate from Italianni’s! But enough of that… it’s Matt’s turn on the stage! First thing he did was to take a photo of the Wordcampers! 
1:28 pm
Lunch is done (thank you, Chowking!), and we’re just waiting for the afternoon’s plenary session.
12:07 am
Apart from the overly technical stuff, this is really quite interesting. Specially since I need it for work and freelance projects. I’m really impressed at the sites Karla showed us that uses WordPress as their CMS. They really doesn’t look like your typical wordpress blogs! Impressive.
11:50 am
Nosebleeding at Karla’s session. Should’ve gone to the presscon (g_doh)
11:31 am
The SEO session was PACKED. Eric and I are now inside Karla‘s session, WordPress as CMS.
11:19 am
We were late to join the other breakaway session, so we’re just hanging around the CSB halls. But at least we have pictures with Matt Mullenweg!
Second breakaway session is over. Moving on to WordPress & SEO!
10:42 am
Gail’s session is winding down. Important lesson: Don’t use your theme to spam! Oh, and while it’s often overlooked, it’s also important to edit your image.php and 404.php files.
9:59 am
Gail showed her work on the Pinoy Adventure Blog‘s theme. Ang ganda!
9:53 am
Gail’s talk is starting. She’s walking around the front of the theatre, wearing her Ateneo jacket. Kamusta naman.
9:39 am
Migs is giving a run down of the day’s schedule. The two tracks will divide in a bit. I’m attending Gail‘s talk on Creating WordPress Themes & CSS Power. A new travel blog will be unveiled.
9:36 am
Blogie is now addressing the campers and welcomed Matt Mullenweg.
9:31 am
Opening remarks by De La Salle Benilde Dean Benhur Ong of the School of Management and Information Technology.
9:29 am
Wordcamp is starting!
9:23 am
Still not starting. They said the program’s going to start in two minutes a couple of minutes ago. I’ve finally met Estan, on my way to the loo. Nggh, forgot to take a photo *face palm*
8:27 am
People are trickling in. I’m seeing many familiar faces, but there are plenty of new faces as well. All around me are people taking about variable widths, widgets, header.php, upgrading to WordPress 2.6.1. My being an early bird got me a cute WordPress button!
7:23 am
I’m early. So early lol. I take comfort in knowing that I’m already the 3rd camper to arrive. The volunteers (save for the Rockstar Fritz Tentativa are hard buzzing about, making last minute preparations. The WC volunteers look spiffy in their black WordCamp Philippines shirt.
I shall be updating this post throughout the day (or at least when I can remember), with the latest updates appearing at the top of the page. Here’s to hoping I actually pay attention and not Plurk all day!
P.s. The Fritz is now working.
UPDATE: How to get tickets for Third Eye Blind in Manila, and how long their set is going to be. Details are at the end of the post.
Yup, you read that right, San Miguel Pale Pilsen is bringing Third Eye Blind to Manila for the grand opening of this year’s Oktoberfest. On September 5, this world renowned rock band, along with Philippine’s top bands will be gracing one of the four stages along San Miguel Avenue. San Miguel is aiming to break two Guiness records with this year’s grand Oktoberfest: the most number of people toasting, and the longest bar. Apart from the copious amounts of beer, participants can also interact with SMB’s personalities, like Efren Bata Reyes and PBA players.
Through the years, San Miguel Oktoberfest has been enjoying strong support from the Filipinos, that the Department of Tourism now recognizes the event as a local Fiesta. Aside from the grand kick off party at the Ortigas Center, there will also simultaneous parties all over the Philippines: in Olongapo, Sta. Rosa, Lapu-lapu (Cebu) and Davao. San Miguel Oktoberfest 120 (siento bente) will span for 120 days, starting September 5, until December 2008. The kickoff party is open to the public. For only Php120, you can watch Third Eye Blind, Rivermaya, The Dawn, After Image, Rico Blanco, Pinikpikan and 35 other Pinoy bands.
San Miguel Beer is also premiering its limited edition beer, the San Miguel Oktoberfest beer. This beer is 100% malt, meaning it’s full flavored, light bodies, sweet to the taste and promises a smooth finish.
So… where will you be on September 5?
UPDATE:
To buy tickets for Third Eye Blind and Oktoberfest 120, call 632-2226 and look for Jel. Amanda called the number and shares this info:
Apparently the General Admission ticket (P120) only gives you access to the longest bar and when I asked the employee from San Mig if you can see Third Eye Blind from there she said that it’s very far from the area. Ugh. So, if you want a really good spot you have to buy the “Gold Ticket” (or whatever it’s called) which costs P1500. Gives you access to all the areas and also a front view of 3EB playing. Purchase of tickets is in the San Miguel building itself.
Tickets can also be bought at the gates during the event proper, but I’m not sure if they would also be selling the Gold Tickets then.
Juned further explains the Gold Ticket for 3EB access:
Ticket Type: Gold Ticket
Special Viewing Section: Php 1,500.00 per head inclusive of 2 San Miguel Pale Pilsens at General Admission Section and 3 San Miguel Oktoberfest Beers & food at the Special Oktoberfest Marquee SectionSource: Dilis Media
Reader Jel shares that the Third Eye Blind will perform for at least one and a half hours, playing around 15 songs. Cameras are allowed inside, so better have those batteries charged! Third Eye Blind will be performing around 11 pm.
Related Posts:
Third Eye Blind on San Miguel Oktoberfest 2008!
San Miguel Oktoberfest 2008 brings Third Eye Blind live in Manila!
Third Eye Blind at the Opening of San Miguel Oktoberfest
Details: SMC Oktoberfest & Third Eye Blind this September 5
For hotels in Manila, please visit EasyToBook.com
After much excitement over the NAIA Terminal 3 opening, I was finally able to experience the terminal personally last weekend and yesterday night. Together with Eric and Melo, I flew out of Manila and into Cebu to watch (and shoot!) the Pasigarbo sa Sugbu, a festival of all Cebu festivals (which is different from Sinulog).
Now, I heard of horror stories about the terminal: flights getting delayed because they can’t assign a gate to use because most of it are broken, facilities not working properly, etc. Fortunately, none of these things happened to us. I guess the two weeks that the terminal has been in operation have helped them find solutions on making the most out of the huge airport.
The first thing that would greet you when you enter the airport premises are the seperate lanes for private and public transport. Then, as you enter the cavernous terminal, you’re met with a blast of cold air. It’s too cold inside! Unlike the other airports, well wishers can accompany the passenger inside the terminal. There are food kioks in the outer area (Kopi Roti, Jollibee), so families and friends can spend some more time together before parting. Starting at the check-in counters, passengers are on their own. Well wishers, however, can go up the viewing deck and have a bird’s eye view of the area after the Immigration booths.
The airport was huge. Because not all flights have been moved to the terminal, the only crowded places are the waiting areas near the boarding gates. Beyond the Immigration, there’s a Delifrance, Go Nuts Donuts, and a convenience store, ensuring that you don’t go hungry while you wait for your plane. Smokers can likewise enjoy a stick or two inside the smoking area (which is basically an empty room with a window open and a view of the Makati and Taguig skyline).
Lavatories are clean and have plenty of stalls. I saw some water fountain in some places, but wasn’t able to check whether they’re already functional. There are also power points around the waiting area, so you can charge your cellphone and camera batteries or plug in your laptop while you catch up on work (not sure if there’s Wi-Fi inside the airport though). And to further empahsize the size of the airport, there’s a walkalator, a standard feature in some of the world’s biggest and busiest airports.
Each gate has facilities for front and middle loading. Unfortunately, these aren’t being utilized. We had to walk down a flight of stairs and into the tarmac to board the planes. It’s the same for arrivals. Depending on where your plane parked, there’s a pretty long walk from the plane to the terminal entrance. It’s fairly easy to find your way to the exit, as there are signs along the way. On the way out, we passed through the un-manned immigration booths and Customs inspection tables. Beyond that, are the doors that takes you out into Manila.
Similar to the old international terminal, passengers are advised to exit on the doors specified for the first letter of their surnames. This is to make it easy for friends and family coming to pick up their loved ones. If you’re taking a cab home, you have three options: take the expensive Airport Taxi, which has a fixed price (super expensive), a “metered” yellow taxi (I hear from Melo that they were charging a flat rate of Php 400. What the heck, right?), or the regular (and true) metered taxi. The first thing you’d see when you step out of the terminal are the airport taxis. Keep walking to the right and you’d see the line of Yellow taxis. I had a bad feeling about these yellow taxis, as I saw a huge concentration of their ilk in the airport parking lot, so I kept on walking, knowing that there should be a line for regular taxis, since I saw an MGE taxi pass by as I stepped out of the airport doors. True enough, there was a line of MGE and EMP taxis at the very end of the terminal, with nobody else lined up, since everybody’s already queued up for the airport or the Yellow taxi. Not only did I have to line up for a cab, the driver didn’t even give me a spiel about adding Php50 to the meter or trying to bargain a price for the ride to Quezon City.
All in all, I’m quite happy with my NAIA T3 experience. I can’t comment on the effectivity of the conveyor belts though, since I didn’t check in my bags (which was a boon, because I was able to get out of the airport before the hoard went out and a long queue formed at the taxi stands). I just hope my experience the next time I use the airport would be just as good.
There has been so much hoopla over the World Pyrolympics since it first started in December 2005. I never really had any interest to watch because 1) there is sure to be LOTS of people watching, and 2) it’s held in the Mall of Asia. I’ve nothing against Henry Sy’s ginormous mall, but it’s just too far from where I live, and it involved two jeepney rides, one bus ride and one MRT ride. So I was surprised when I found myself accepting Eric‘s invitation to watch last Saturday, May 17.
All the signs were there — a full day schedule which meant no sleep for me, and a storm signal number 1 for Metro Manila meant rain. But my desire to take photos of colorful fireworks and to try out my Genki Umbrella was too strong, so I just dressed to the weather and hoped for the best.
I should’ve listened to my instincts and stayed at home — the Pyrolympics was cancelled for that night. The strong winds made the seas rough, and may even have adverse effect when the fireworks are fired into the sky. I couldn’t blame the coast guard and La Mancha for making that decision, but it was pretty disheartening. The show was re-scheduled for the following day, May 18th.
A deep 14-hour sleep was enough to recharge me, and I decided to give the Pyrolympics a second chance. The weather was getting better, and there were hardly any rain the whole day. The moment I stepped out of the house though, I had a feeling that it was going to be cancelled. The wind was blowing quite strong in Quezon City, what more in Manila Bay? Ever the optimist, I set out for MOA, knowing I’d kick myself if I don’t go and miss this chance.
True enough, as soon as I boarded the MOA-bound jeep at the Taft MRT station, Eric texts: the Pyrolympics was cancelled again. I might as well head to Mall of Asia, I thought, since I’m almost there. Over cups of coffee and tea, banana loaf and coffee buns, Eric and I lamented the unlucky streak of this year’s World Pyrolympics. First, it has been re-scheduled several times. The first pyrolympics was held in December 2005, the second in January 2007 (it was originally scheduled for December 2006). I have no idea why La Mancha Productions delayed the event for so long, but May isn’t really the best time to have an event that’s heavily dependent on the weather. It rained heavily during the first two shows, which delayed the program for an hour. This week, it was typhoon Cosme that completely cancelled the show. Italy and Venezuela, who were scheduled to perform last weekend has been re-scheduled to perform next Saturday (May 24) instead. To add to the Pyro Olympics’ misfortune, I heard that some countries have backed out and the Fellowship of Fire will be performed next week, instead of the 31st. Of course, due of this recent cancellation, the schedule will probably be moved back to its original schedule.
So the question now is, will I still go to the next two shows? I don’t know. I’ve been so disappointed with this two wasted trips to the Mall of Asia (using up time which I could’ve used to work on my huge backlog), that I find it hard to muster up any enthusiasm for the event. Maybe if it was suddenly re-scheduled to January or February (or even April), where the weather’s more predictable…
The plan was to meet at the Quirino Grandstand at 1pm to take portrait shots of the contingents. I have been sleeping in for the past couple of days, and when Saturday finally rolled in, I found myself still awake at 8:00 am. Hearing the household showly waking up, I got out of bed and joined my sister and her kids at the table for breakfast.
After an hour, I resumed my attempts in getting some sleep. I finally did doze off — at 10:30 am. My alarm went off at 11:30. Stumbling out of bed, I went to the bathroom to wake myself fully with a cold, refreshing shower. Of course, a cold shower during summer in the Philippines can only do so much. A couple of minutes out in the sun waiting for a jeep, fx or a cab had me sweating.
I barely made it in time for our 1:00 pm meet. Eric was already at Quirino, taking pictures. We meet up at the food stalls across the Manila Ocean park entrance. After downing a glass of cold mango shakes, we headed off to take pictures before it got too dark.
We first went to the area where the floats are parked. You can really see the effort each contingent poured into their entry. Both the dancer’s costumes and the floats have been given a lot of attention, and were fine tuned to the last detail. After all, there was a Php500,000 prize for the best float.
Afterwards, we went out to the field where the dancers are assembled and waiting for the cue to start the parade to the Aliw Theatre. I overheard one dancer telling Eric that they put on their make ups as early as 10:00 am. That meant they were probably changing into their costumes at 9:00 am, and up at 7:00 am. They have been up for close to 8 hours at that point, yet you can still feel the energy emanating from them (and from the pile of empty energy drink bottles in the middle of the field).
They all look so young. There were kids as young as 8 or 9 years old, high school teens and probably some in their early 20′s. They were all dedicated to their craft, and you can just see how much they love their province and their heritage.
After shooting for close to two hours, Eric and I had a quick bathroom break, then we each bought a can of cold soda. Laguidly walking back to the area where the contingents are lined up, we were stopped by a barricade guarded by a bunch of burly men. We have to be authorized to enter the area, they said. We didn’t really mind; we had our pictures. Just as we were discussing whether to make our way to the Aliw Theater, where the performances will be, huge drops of rain started falling from the sky. Our decision was made: we’re riding a taxi to the CCP complex.
Luckily, a cab just drove into the Quirino Grandstand, dropping off its passenger. We quickly got in, and told the driver to take us to Aliw Theatre. It started pouring in earnest, and we wondered what happened to the gorgeous floats and to the make up and body paints meticulously painted on each dancer.
Understandably, the parade was delayed. To while away our time, we paid a Php 60 entrance fee to go inside Star City. A lot of people were there, waiting for the rain to let up, so all the restaurants facing the performance area was packed. We passed the time having heavy merienda and buying snacks, knowing that once we took at place at the press box, there would be no going out.
The rain finally let up around 6:00 pm. We eagerly went out and saw that several hundred other people had the same idea. The rain was definitely not in their agenda, and the organizers were doing all they can to drain the puddles (or mini rivers) that formed thanks to the sudden downpour. As the water slowly receeded, the rain started up again several times, though not as hard as it did earlier.
Soaked with sweat and rain, feet squishing inside wet shoes, exhausted due to lack of sleep and tired from standing up for more than an hour, I was elated when the announcer said the first contingent were already in Vito Cruz. Finally at 8:00 pm, the program started.
It was amazing to see the groups perform. After hours spent baking in the sun, getting drenched by the rain, parading from Rizal Park to the CCP complex, they still have the energy to dance so beautifully during their performance. There aren’t any traces of fatigue in their eyes, only their dazzling smiles as they go through each step.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to revive me. I mustered up the energy to watch four groups, but gave up afterwards. I wanted to at least watch up to contingent number 9, but I really couldn’t take it anymore. Stumbling from the pressbox and squeezing through the crowds, the only exit I found required one to go under the bleachers and stepping through a rather high rail. What an experience! Can’t wait for next year
Bonus picture: Bloggers Da Who!
Da Who itong blogger na na-ispotan namin sa Aliwan Fiesta na nag papapicture kasama ang isang hybrid na zebra/baka?
Nina, going through quarterlife crisis, decided to stop talking about traveling and actually start traveling. Starting with a solo weekend trip to Cebu to a backpacking trip in Thailand and Singapore, she finally made it out of Asia and into Australia. After spending close to six months down under, she's happily settled in Manila (for now), intent to explore the best things the Philippines has to offer.
