Because my nephews love window toy shopping, I went with them inside a toy store located right after Royal Sporting Goods in Glorietta. I came across this wonderful Bobble heads of Joker, Superman, Batman and Robin. I was drooling over how the details of these bobble heads were made. But that was not my priority since I’ve already spent two shirts for my nephews as my gift for their upcoming birthday. Maybe I’d go there and get one for myself sometime.

I got this announcement while reading through my e-mails. Rubber shoes freaks out there might be interested.

What: Adidas Sale
Where: UP Diliman, 2/F Vinzon’s Hall
When: June 30 to July 5

All items will be discounted up to 70% off! Just hope that the rubber shoes that you’re eyeing on will be sold 70% off from its original price.

The Bukswagen Experiments according to Raymund Generoso,

We sell indie CD’s, band merchandise, rock and reggae accessories and alternative literature.

Basically, The Bukswagen Experiments support local independent music. If you are members of different mailing lists, you might have seen their famous slogan which is, “Go S.L.I.M.” And going SLIM does not mean that you’ll be going to the gym regularly. However, the acronym SLIM means, “Support Local Independent Music”. (more…)

When I was in fourth year college, I did a research on music piracy for our Religion class. And I went to Quiapo in order to make some observations. Also, I’ve heard that there were a lot of hard-to-find DVDs there according to reliable sources. They go there to buy the goods, rip it, and burn it to VCD’s so that it can be sold to the movie freaks. At that time, Quiapo was the best piracy haven. It is where you can buy relatively cheap DVD’s and then probably getting yourself mobbed or getting your cellphone snatched. Just this morning, me and my brother went to Makati Cinema Square to buy some DVD’s.

As we went inside the mall, at the basement in particular, I’ve seen a lot of stalls. They were side by side and each stall does not run out of any customer. They have a lot of movies to choose from. From, documentaries, classics, chick flicks, concerts to Asian films, TV series, animes and other noteworthy films that are not part of mainstream cinema.

We went up the ground floor, and saw some other stalls there side by side. I saw a copy of Supersize Me and I didn’t know that someone would have the interest to pirate documentaries. I bought a copy of it for only 80 bucks. This is better than going to Quiapo. Besides, it’s a lot nearer and it’s more accessible.

Then, we went back at the basement. A certain stall there has catched my attention. They were selling TV series such as CSI, The Simpsons, Friends, Angel, Sex and the City, and a lot more. I was impressed by their packaging. At that instant, I was tempted to buy the complete set of The Simpsons. Thinking that I was already there, I went to the ATM, withdraw the amount that I needed and the rest is history. Now, I have a copy of the whole set of The Simpsons. Not only that, I got a free DVD of my choice since my brother is good in bargaining. The DVD that I got is Fahrenheit 9/11 and my brother also bought the complete season 1 of Friends.

I hope that they will soon have a copy of A Clockwork Orange, Requiem for a Dream, American History X, and all the other movies that I want to watch. And to those who are far from Quiapo, you do not need to go there anymore just to buy some DVDs. All you have to do is go to Makati Cinema Square. But when in doubt if they have this certain film or not, you already know what to do.

Famealy Food and Sports Grill: Located at Leon Guinto, Manila

A distinct Filipino creativity can be seen in some of the establishments. A perfect example would be the Famealy Food and Sports Grill, which could have adopted the tagline: “Pang-pamilya na, pang-isports pa!” which would further lead you to a deja vu of seeing the famous rubber alcohol commercial (Clue: [Di lang pang-pamilya pang-isports pa sound on the background] Carlos Padilla holding the alcohol in his boxing referee get-up). Now, the menu of Famealy is somewhat interesting. Imagine, a menu title of Bunso, Ate, Kuya, Lolo, Lola, and the list goes on. Of course, every menu title has a description since it would really be hard to decipher the hidden messages of each title. This may require help from the FBI’s Cryptology Department.

Balut Eggspress: Located at MRT Ayala Station

I saw this interesting establishment at MRT Ayala Station for sometime. Instead of Express, they called it Eggspress which is another sign of a distinct Filipino creativity. A sub-title of “Eggs on the Go” could have made it more appealing to the public.

This realization has brought back college memories where activities in the College of Engineering should almost always have ENG with it. For example, ENGBA (COE’s Basketball Tournament - Deja vu: NBA), ENG Night (the traditional Variety show), KaENGan (COE’s Food Fest), and the list goes on. Having become a student for 5 years and 1 term at DLSU, it has become overused for me such that it didn’t make an impact to me after 2 years of being exposed to such events.

Okay, back to the topic. In naming establishments, I’ve noticed that some would change a spelling of a certain word or spoof an existing establishment and the like. Sometimes, you just don’t know if they came up with that name seriously or naming it after having a marijuana session.

Last Monday night, my Dad used the computer because he had to finish some documents. Because I know that he will use the computer longer than the usual, I opted to watch something on TV. I tuned in to Star World. Thus, I was able to watch the show Road to Fame (aired every Monday, 10pm). First, I saw a video clip of Jerry Seinfield doing a standup comedy and that was even way before he got a break in his career in show business. After that, my eyes were glued on the TV screen.

I’ve seen a lot of amusing video clips. One of which is a video clip of Alanis Morisette singing a pop tune. She was still a teenager back then. I was not able to recognize her easily but the bestfriend of my brother did. Then, I also saw a video clip of Jim Carrey doing a standup comedy. I was able to recognize him easily because of his antics. Haha! A video clip of Tiger Woods was also shown when he was still a toddler. He has his own golf club which I think was made for his size. He played some golf but he was not able to shoot the ball. Instead he just rolled the ball towards the hole after the unsuccessful attempts.

Aside from those that I have mentioned, a young Celine Dion was shown which looked exactly like her. I was also able to observe that they way she moved (while singing) when she was young was still the same until now. Also, before Oprah became a talkshow host, she was in a show where she would pick up some numbers and then dial the telephone to call the lucky winner.

It’s a good thing I was able to catch the show. I guess I would be watching more of its coming episodes in the future. Hehe.

If you happen to drop by at Harrison Plaza, try to go to the Rustan’s Grocery. Then, instead of going inside the grocery, turn right then go straight ahead to the Food Alley where tables are situated. At the left side, you will see the stall Paochin. There, you will find various dumplings. For just 38 Pesos, you will get to choose:

1. A dumpling of your choice (4 pieces)
2. Pandan rice
3. Sauce of your choice: sweet and sour sauce or toyo mansi sauce with or without chilli sauce

I discovered this budget meals from my former professors at DLSU. Hehe.

If you’re tired from the usual gin-pomelo, gin-guyabano and other gin-fruit juice mixes, you better try the Emperador Brandy Coca-Cola Mix. I have learned this from my friends at the Deadpan Society (a production that organizes gigs).

For the Emperador Brandy Coca-Cola Mix, do the following:

1. Pour ice inside the glass.
2. Pour an equivalent of one shot of Emperador Brandy.
3. Fill the glass with Coca-Cola.

This is one recommended drink that you should try. Don’t forget, do not ever mix hard drinks and beer if you do not want to get too wasted.