Showing posts with label Manila. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manila. Show all posts

Hayabusa Back to the Earth at the National Planetarium

09 May 2017

Today marked the start of the new show schedule for the week  at the National Planetarium.  Last week, we were fortunate that we were able to watch "Journey to a Billion Suns" twice in a day when the National Planetarium released the news that they were extending their free entrance policy for the month of May.

Though we missed the first two showings of "A Planet for Goldilocks" we were just in time to watch the show, "Hayabusa Back to the Earth".

Free Admission to the National Planetarium (extended until May 30, 2017)



02 May 2017

The National Museum extended their "Free Admission to the National Planetarium" policy until May 30, 2017 in celebration of the National Heritage Month.  Actually, I was anxiously waiting for this announcement and was hoping that they would extend since the original Free Admission policy was only until April 30.  I thought that today was the best time to drop by since not many people can make time to visit except for those who live nearby.  I was right.  There wasn't much of a line and we were actually able to watch TWO shows! haha Okay, they were both "Journey to a Billion Suns" but still, we got to watch TWO shows! :)  We'd like to tell you what to expect, what you can see while in the venue and other relevant information for your trip to the National Planetarium.

Lessons I learned from our recent experience with fire in Manila

02 September 2016

It has been about 2 weeks since a huge fire hit our family compound and neighbor's houses in Manila.  That wasn't our first scary experience with fire but it was our first fire that really caused harm and damage to our own house.  Here are some lessons I learned from that experience, hoping that people will understand and learn from it as well.

1.  Fire spreads fast

From the moment I saw the orange glow from our window to the time we got out of the house and into the street, the fire had already raged and was burning my aunt's house which was right across ours, like our windows were a meter apart, I think.  It took all of 2 minutes.  You have to judge immediately how much time you have.  At a crucial juncture, you may not be able to save anything at all but yourselves.

2.  A raging fire is scary

A raging fire is scary so you have to have your wits about you.  No matter how prepared you think you are, your first instinct is to run but you have to look out for your family, particularly if you have kids and older family members.   So, it's important to keep the panic down to keep others calm too.  I was fearful and my heart was hammering in my chest but I had to stay focused and calm.  If you show your kids that you're afraid, they'll be afraid too and may become hard to control and at this critical time, they may effectively delay your efforts to leave as quick as possible.  Give orders that are precise so they'll be able to follow immediately.  That is what I did, just instructed them on what to do and we all left the house immediately.

3.  Bring only important, irreplaceable stuff with you

I only had a few minutes to spare as the fire was very close so I only had time to pick up my file folder containing receipts for house and other payments and my bag that had my phone, money, identification and some toiletries (I'm a mom, my bag has my home or so they say!)  I also stuffed Patrick's mobile into my bag as I was grabbing it.  On hindsight, I should've taken my folder with our birth documents too which was right beside the other folder that I took but that slipped my mind.

4.  Take your portable gadgets with you

Yes, I know I said bring only important, irreplaceable stuff but gadgets contain vital information too and cost a lot to replace if gone.  But I say it because it was unfortunate that our tablet was lost, not from the fire but because of someone's sticky fingers.  Now, I don't necessarily blame the firefighters because I would think that they'd be too busy fighting the fire to even actually take anything from the people that they're saving.  It may be that there are some strangers who take advantage of the opportunity to get into other people's houses during the commotion.  Portable gadgets are easily taken and concealed, you see, compared to other valuable bulky items like the television set or dvd player.

5.  Watching your house and belongings burn is agonizing

You are watching everything you've worked hard for dissolve in flames.  You wonder how much of your home is left.  You worry about how to rebuild.  You worry where you'll spend the night and the next few nights after.  You worry about how to even get to your job the next day. We were relieved when we were finally able to get into our house to find that we only had water problems to deal with.  My aunt wasn't as fortunate.

6.  Cleanup is a painstaking process

You just don't deal with the aftermath of the burn.  You have to deal with waterlogged furniture, appliances and floors.  It's like being hit by two of nature's greatest destroyers.  Nothing was burned in our home but bedrooms and the living room were flooded. Firefighters doused everything with water to prevent the fire from spreading to our home.  So, curtains, upholstered furniture and the beds were drenched.

The smoky air also lingers.  It was already a week but the burnt smell continued to waft from my aunt's burned house, especially when they started clearing up the debris.  Ashes also float in the air and the dirt around the house is black.  Those with asthma will have it bad and I suggest wearing masks ( I should've).  The atmosphere was choking.

Washing of clothes and other belongings (those that can still be used) will take days to finish.   My aunt was using two washing machines at a time to deal with everything and she was at it for about a week before it tapered off.  We also had to rewash some of our clothes that were left hanging in our laundry room at the roofdeck level.  They were stinky from smoke.  Of course, our beddings and curtains also had to be washed too.

7.  Keeping a stash of clothes for donation is ideal

I usually keep a collection of clothes in my closet.  These are clothes. mostly T-shirts, that Patrick gets from car events and some that we don't use anymore but aren't shabby.  We keep them in case of a situation like this where someone needs clothes.  I simply took this pile of clothes and gave it to my aunt. They come in handy because people who suffered in fires, usually have nothing to change into and that's one of the priorities.  Towels, slippers and shoes are also helpful.  My cousins needed office clothes too because they have jobs to go to.  So, reorganizing closets regularly can help collect clothes that are rarely used and can be used for situations like these.

8.  The community should come together to help

In the Philippines, our family orientation is such that nuclear and extended families live together and most times, within a neighborhood.  Family reaching out to help during a calamity is a no-brainer.  But, it's not common for the community to help.  There is no volunteerism which is sad because cleanup and repairs can be done fast and quick if there are more people to help, and it's a big weight off the victims' shoulders if they don't have to pay for other people to help them.

After a tornado, it's a fire...

20 August 2016

The last thing that you want to hear in the middle of the night is someone shouting "Fire! Fire!" at the top of their lungs.  And that's exactly what happened last August 20 in Sampaloc, Manila.  We've had similar experiences with fires in Sampaloc.  That time when a tanker blew up in the street fronting our compound and when there was a fire across the street from us.  This time, our house was flanked on two sides by a huge fire  - on our left and in front.  Let me tell you how it went....

Picking up a Parcel from the Philippine Postal Office

03 June 2016

We don't normally get notices to pick up parcels at the Post Office.  Usually, any package that we receive is delivered door to door by couriers because they're faster and they don't get opened.  So, when I received a Postal Notice to pick up something at the Post Office, my first thought was, "Who could possibly have sent me something through postal services?"  My 2nd thought was, "Oh no, I don't want to be overcharged for the package!" There was a time when people were up in arms because they were being charged obscene amounts for packages that were being claimed at the Post Office.  Well, with trepidation in my heart, this is what happened at the Post Office.

Steps to Filing for Amnesty for Real Estate Taxes in Manila

31 May 2016

Today, Patrick and I went to the Manila City Hall to get our real estate taxes in order.  We've lapsed on our payments (yep, our bad!) and so we wanted to get our affairs in order.  Fortunately, as we were trying to figure out our way at the Tax Payers' Lounge, we noticed that there were "amnesty" signs around the area which prompted us to ask if we were eligible.  So, yeah, it turned out that we were and these are the steps that we took to file for Amnesty for Real Estate Taxes in Manila.  Hope it helps others even if the Amnesty is only until June 30.

Travel: Trip to Museo Pambata - Free Entrance because of International Museum Day 2016

18 May 2016

Today is my Mom's 69th birthday.  In her honor, we went to the Museo Pambata (the first hands-on children's interactive museum in the Philippines)  because as an Educator of young minds, my mom absolutely loved museums and the wealth of knowledge that they can impart.  It was incidentally International Museum Day so Museo Pambata's entrance fees were waived for the day which was a blessing too! :)  Read on to see what's inside Museo Pambata :)

Travel: Visiting Rizal Park in Manila

13 May 2016

When we visited the National Museum and the Museum of the Filipino People last May 5th (see the posts here and here), we knew that we needed more time to visit Rizal Park and its environs.  Today was the day we came back for more.  We started around 4PM to avoid the hot summer sun and we ended our walking tour around 6PM.  It was enough to visit most of the attractions between the Quirino Grandstand and Luneta, but ideally, we should have taken more time to include the ones opposite the Museum of the Filipino People. Read on for more of our adventure.

Travel: Trip to Fort Santiago, Manila

Today, Dylan, Tracy and I went to Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila to be with Patrick and their production team as they shoot scenes with Apl de Ap for Full Throttle.

Mind you, it has been a very long time since I was last here and I remember it was part of an educational field trip in my school. It was Dylan's and Tracy's first time to visit so it's like seeing it all for the first time again :)

Kids: Tracy's first trip to Manila Zoo

August 19, 2012


It's always a pleasure when we have the time to go and visit our childhood haunts, like the Manila Zoo (along Adriatico Street in Malate, Manila).  It gives Patrick and I a chance to see the changes they've made (which they have in recent years) and for the kids to appreciate what we so loved before.  It was Tracy's first time to the zoo, although I think she wasn't really interested in anything at the moment hahahaha but here are the pictures :)






The Elephant paddock is the first you'll see upon entering the Manila Zoo.  Since it was a weekend holiday, there were a lot of people in the zoo which was why Dana's face looked like this.  Other parents, grandparents and kids were crowding the fences and taking pictures and there was one "adult" that literally pushed my kids out of the way at which time she got an earful from me.  Couldn't help it, you just don't push someone, like little kids for that matter, just so you can have your frickin' picture taken with the elephant who wasn't even facing you! ok I'm calm now LOL




Okay, so Tracy was just busy chewing on her pacifier the whole time we were walking around :)

We did get a chance to get a picture of the elephant and without any people to boot!! hahaha




The Zebra grazing

The Tiger lounging

Patrick pretending to eat Tracy LOL
The Hippo swimming


Event: Michael and Tere Glinoga Wedding

July 28, 2012

One of the highlights of our year was being invited to my cousin Tere's wedding to her husband Michael.  They were married at the Santisimo Rosario Parish in UST and Dylan was the Bible Bearer.  He wasn't used to people staring at him so he walked down the aisle in slow motion with his head to the floor.  It's like he wanted to disappear :)  He was still so cute to look at though :D  He was supposed to be wearing barong tagalog but we weren't able to get his in time.  It was a good thing his tie was still in line with the theme of the wedding.

Here is Tere making her grand entrance into the Church.



waiting in line for his cue
Dylan being cued for walking down the aisle
Look at his apprehension hehehe
Tracy with her formal dress :)
 After the wedding, we all trooped to the Hyatt Hotel in Malate.  The wedding reception was held at the Ballroom.  It was a good time to meet up with the rest of the family.  Like having your picture taken with your Dad whom you haven't seen in a long time and sharing a picture with the rest of Dad's male siblings.



We also shared the table with my sister Sharon and her family.  That's her there with husband Jowell and granddaughter Tracy.


Check out the kids' meal :)

Cousins Dana and Den
Dylan and Mama
 After the reception, we left a little early, we took the time to take pictures in the lobby :)






Here's our picture at the photo booth that was a favorite hang out among the guests.  Dana really enjoyed this.  I love her smile in all the pictures :)


So, to Michael and Tere.. Congratulations!! Thank you for inviting us to share in your celebration! :D

Tripping at the Manila Zoo

When we asked the kids where they wanted to go during the weekend, they immediately answered, "Manila Zoooo!! Now, how can you say no to such an enthusiastic answer like that? Hahaha

So, while getting ready to go out, we were surprised when visitors arrived.  Dimples and Rhys came for a visit and what perfect timing!!  We all ended up going to Manila Zoo together and it was a great way to start the year  - with close family bonding.  It was really a spur of the moment thing otherwise we would have also invited Stevie, Toni and the kids with us.  It's been a long time since we saw these two and I am glad they dropped by :)




I just love this picture.  The elephant was moved to a new and improved area and I think he loves it!  He's more active, moving around his pen and the kids were so excited to see him eating his grass :)  They found the perfect position to watch him - near the fence! hahaha







For the first time in all the years that I've been going to the Manila Zoo, I saw some monkeys escaping from their cages.  First, there was one.  Then there were two.  Then there were three!  I don't really know where they went but I expect they've been jumping from tree to tree all over the zoo LOL







Here are Dimples and Rhys when we were taking a break, having a snack near the playground.  There were too many kids to really enjoy the slides so we just savored each other's company :)









To end this post, here's Dylan saying "Happy Holidays" :)

Disaster strikes in the New Year

This is not good.  What would you feel when you were coming home feeling all content and happy because you've just celebrated the New Year with your family and then all of a sudden, a commotion happens right in front of you as you're parking your car.

That's what happened on January  2.  We came home to people running around, shouting and screaming just across the street.  At first, we thought there were gang members rioting or neighbors fighting.  I then asked Patrick and the kids not to get out of the car in case we need to make a hasty exit from.  Then we started to hear people shouting, "Fire! Fire" and that made me nervous.  I automatically looked into the sky to see traces of smoke and sure enough, just across our car and the street, there was a blazing fire in one of the buildings.  By then, people were running around looking around for the fire trucks.  We immediately parked the car in the garage because we didn't want to hinder the passage of the fire trucks.  I learned from Patrick that fire trucks have every right to blast their way on the street and if you don't want to get out of the way, then good luck to your car! They've actually done it before too wow!

Patrick took some pictures of the commotion from the street and from our room in the house.  Here's a picture of the first fire truck making the scene. It's funny that there are a lot of people hitching a ride on the truck thinking they can help the firemen out.  But what firemen want is for them to leave them alone so they can do their job better because sometimes, these people simply get in the way and may end up getting hurt because they don't know what they're doing.




Here's a picture of the fire from our room.  It was really scary because I kept remembering that it was the same time last year that we were also in the middle of a scary fire.  Remember?  A tanker truck blew up in front of the house and for a while we couldn't get out because there's a huge wall of fire outside our gate. whew! really horrifying and even Dana still remembers that night..





The street across the house looked like a parking lot of fire trucks.  I pity the vehicles who got caught in the middle of this event because they got stuck in the middle of the fly-over and they couldn't back out.









The fire was put out after 30 minutes maybe but the firefighters stuck around for a lot longer than that.  It was really scary but it also made me thankful that it wasn't us and that there weren't any injured people in the accident.

A trip to Manila Zoo

Saturday, September 20, 2008


It was Patrick's payday so we decided to take the kids to the zoo. For the longest time, they've been wanting to go but we always had little or no money to take them so it was such a relief that we were finally able to take them out of the house and bring them to where they wanted to go :)

The kids were so excited! Patrick and I were too because we knew that the zoo had undergone some renovation so we wanted to see just what's improved.

We were lucky enough to see the elephant during feeding time, so he's more active than usual hehehe We timed our trip to be a little late in the afternoon so the animals were awake when we got there. The highlight of our trip was the tiger who was up and about. I wish he had let out a huge roar to top off the experience but really it was such a magnificent animal.. and scary to think that he's so big and can bite your whole head in one gulp LOL

The experience was a bit marred when we encountered a family along the way and the father was pointing to the tiger and telling his kids it was a lion!!! oh my gosh!! how can you not even distinguish a tiger from a lion!!! there was even a sign on the fence telling you what animal that was! I was so irritated (can't you tell?!) hahahaha

Anyway, we were also happy to see the hippo moving about.. usually we just see the top of his body in the water :)

The ostrich was alive and kicking as well :) I wonder what happened to his other friends? The last time we were there, there were three of them.. hmm..

So finally, we get to the playground - there were swings, slides, jungle gym and even a fountain park where water shoots out from the ground in sequence. It would have been nice to shoot it but there were kids running around naked in the water LOL Only in the Philippines, I think LOL

Dana went immediately to the slides. She didn't like the swing because she says she may fall. So up and down she went on the slides.

Dylan was different. Since this was his first time to actually be on the slide by himself, he was a bit wary, although he was looking closely at his Ate Dana. When Patrick put him on top of the slide and let him slide, the expression on his face was priceless! It was like, "what was that?!" and then he smiled LOL Then Patrick put him on top again, let him slide, this time he made a sound LOL He said, woooooow!! all the way down hahahahaha after that he was literally unstoppable :) Poor Patrick hahahaha

After the zoo, we went to the nearby shopping mall to buy some groceries. We were able to buy Dana a Jumpstart CD which we immediately played when we got home.

It was a good day! :)