This is the first time I’ve seen so much koi in one place. Some were even jumping out of the water as they were being fed. It’s really a sight to see and I’m sure everybody not just the kids will enjoy it. It’s a good place to bring your family, dine out and enjoy some outdoor activities.

Fish Feeding schedule is from 8am – 5pm, Mondays to Sundays. You can buy fish feeds for P15 per pack. There’s also boat ride for P30/head and Bike Rental for P60/hour.

As you can see on the 360 virtual tour the place has this 50′s and 60′s vibe. There are old movie posters and antique items all over the place. There’s also a gift shop and a salon at the back.

I’m no expert on food so I won’t give a review on that. I just had a set breakfast, all I can say is that they are generous with their egg serving.

• From Sta. Rosa head straight to Tagaytay until you see Econo inn, you have nowhere to go but right.
• Go straight and you’ll see the rotonda, go around it and exit at the opposite side.
• When you see Starbuck’s on your left and 7-11 on your right, take the next right turn, this is Magallanes Drive.
• keep going straight until you’ll see Memory Lane on your left. It’s hard to miss.

Website – Facebook Fan Page

Phone – 09178581950/09228298487

Mon: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Wed – Fri: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm

I never appreciated UST until I saw it at night with all the lights on plus Kamille gave me a tour of her school and I realized how much historical value the place has. So when we headed back there I decided to bring my camera and shoot the place.

I got to shoot 4 areas : the Main building, Arch of the centuries, Plaza benavides, and the Quadricentennial sqaure. I wasn’t able to shoot the UST Carillon because the lights were turned off when I was just about to start. The Rosarium Garden looked nice when I first saw it but when we got back the lights were off. I heard from Kamille’s friend Chris that in celebration of the 400th year UST will close down the place to cars and will only have horses and carriages inside the campus and the guards will be dressed up in old Spanish soldier uniforms. I’m just not sure when that is or if it’s already happened but I’d love to see that if I get the chance.

If you’ve read the post on our bicol trip This is the second part I was referring to. So We came from Legazpi City and were driven by Shella’s driver to Camarines Sur. From there We took a boat ride which brought us to the main island of Caramoan, I’m not sure what its called but this is where the main town is, where the schools, church and inns are located. From there we rode a tricycle that brought us to Villa Juliana inn.

Here’s a picture of Carlo in front of the Inn. The whole inn was covered in yellow, I saw some other blogs where it was pink. So I guess the owner changes the color from time to time.

The inns were the only option we had for accomodation. The famous Gota village Resort was fully booked for the following months because of the survivor taping. It would have been much more expensive to stay there anyway. I saw several inns which looked like old houses converted to mini hotels. I just wonder if they can accommodate all the tourists on peak seasons. When we were there we were the only ones staying at the inn.

Villa Juliana inn was only a few minutes ride to Paniman beach, this was where the boats for hire are located. We were supposed to only take a trike ride to get there but the bridge was being renovated. It could only let people, scooters, bikes pass so we had to switch to motorcycles.

Abed and Nina enjoying the ride

When we got there we didn’t get trouble looking for a boat man / tour guide. It’s easy to find entrepreneural manongs going around the area.

We only had the afternoon to see the islands on our first day and it was raining! We were able to see Lahus, Matukad, Minalahos (I have identified these islands on the map above even if some dont have a 360 view, just click the yellow “Show Map” button on the left). Matukad island was where the survivor set was located, the “bantay” wouldn’t allow us to take photos so we secretly took snapshots. There is a lagoon here which I had only known now! So when you go here try to ask around how to get to it.

Here’s a picture of us in Matukad Island

After matukad we moved to Lahus island. Lahus is the first 360 shot you’ll see above. I believe this is where this ad of Ding Dong and Marian was taken. We loved this island so we spent a few hours here. It was drizzling so you’ll notice some black clouds in the photo.

After Lahus we went to Minalahos. this is the island in front of Gota Beach. Unfortunately it was already high tide when we got there so we didn’t get to do a lot, we spent maybe half an hour here and went home after.

On the second day the weather was nice. We got to see Mother of Peace Grotto, Cotivas Island, Bugtong beach and Sandbar of Manlawi Island. The Mother of Peace Grotto is located at the top of Caglago Mountain in Barangay Tabgon. We climbed 500++ steps to get all the way up there but the view was stunning. It was hot though I felt like the sun was at the back of my neck and we were sweating like crazy. But it was worth it.

After the grotto we proceeded to Cotivas Island. I didn’t see anything special in Cotivas so I didn’t take 360 photos. Cotivas is one of the places good only at a certain angle. The only thing I remembed about it was this dead tree that looked nice. Here’s a photo of it by Carlo.

We had lunch here and rested for a while. When we were refreshed and recharged we headed out to see Bugtong beach. When I visited the Caramoan islands website there was no mention of Bugtong beach or the Manlawi island sandbar but these places were the ones I liked most. Bugtong beach is a virgin beach there were no huts, sari-sari stores, no concrete structures, CR’s unlike Anawangin. The sand was fine but it isn’t compact like in boracay. It was kinda hard to walk because the sand was soft but I liked how you can leave a very distinct foot print. We spent around 2 hours here and then we headed to Manlawi island.

The gang in Bugtong Beach

The sandbar of Manlawi island is the highlight of our Caramoan trip. We enjoyed this place so much that we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon here and not see the rest of the islands. The boat man did say that the other islands we were supposed to see weren’t as majestic as this sandbar. We we’re there at around 4 in the afternoon, the water was just starting to rise so we were able to see the sandbar slowly disappear. When the water got knee high we felt as if we were in the middle of the ocean. Combined with the view of the island and the tranquility of the place it was truly quite an experience. When we got our heart’s content we decided to head home.

Fish Eye Shot in Manlawi Island Sandbar

We were only able to see 5 of the Islands identified as top 10 in the Caramoan website. I marked them x below.

• Lahuy
• lahus – x
• matukad – x
• Tinago Beach
• Pitogo
• Gota Beach – x
• Minalahos -x
• Hunongan
• Sabitang Laya
• Cotivas – x

The grotto, bugtong beach, Sandbar of manlawi island is not part of the list but they’re a must see when you visit the place. Our Caramoan Trip was one of the most memorable and affordable trips I’ve ever had. I’m definitely going back there to shoot the places I wasn’t able to see. I just hope that by the time I get to visit it again It would still be the same and it has not been ravaged by tourism.

I saw this on TV I think last year but only had the chance to see it today, I was accompanied by my girlfriend Kamille. It’s basically a street with houses, you can park anywhere along the street. I think it’s pretty safe since there are a lot of people going around and there’s a Tanod guarding the gate. I noticed 4-5 houses with displays but only 3 got my attention and those were the ones I took photos of. It’s not as fancy as the Ayala Triangle lights display or Meralco Liwanag Park but it’s still worth a visit.

How to Get there

From Maysilo Circle where Mandaluyong City Hall is, go around and when you see the Vets in Practice building turn right. I think this is still Boni Avenue but just on the opposite side of the circle. Go straight when you see a Shell Station on the right, turn right. Go straight, You’ll already see the roof of the lit houses from here. On the 3rd corner turn left.

The place is lit with Christmas lights, there’s a structure of a church and school, a giant belen all made out of copper wires. On the entrance near the MC home depot side there’s a giant Meralco robot. They have electric shuttles that you can take to go around the Meralco compound. There’s also a train that goes around the Christmas tree, it’s just a short ride but I’m sure the kids will like it.

The Meralco Liwanag Park will be open until December 30, 2011 from 7PM to 10PM on weeknights and 7PM to 12 midnight on Saturdays. If you have a car you’ll enter through the gate near Corinthians. Pedestrians can enter through the gate in front of the Meralco building facade which is across the shell station. The park charges no entrance fee.

Here are some photos. Sorry for the quality they were taken with my iphone.

I have wanted to do a 360 shoot of an Azkals game for the longest time. This is the 4th time I’ve watched them live in Rizal Stadium. On all the previous matches people were not allowed to bring in DSLRs. This time they allowed it with limitations, you can only bring in lens with focal length up to 50mm, Good thing I only needed my 8mm lens. The bad thing, I had to shoot without my tripod. So sorry for some misalignments in the photo.

The azkals had their chances on the first half but clearly L.A. galaxy dominated the game. I was in awe just watching the L.A. stars play. Their passing were right on, goals were effortless, headers on target. Atleast we got to score a goal, Indonesia was scoreless (but..they only conceided 1 goal.hehe). It was funny how people shrieked (even men) when David Beckham would go to the side to take corner kicks.

I wish we’d see more games like this. Super star teams visiting us for friendlies. It would really boost the interest in the sport. Azkals vs Barcelona?!?!? Who knows, the scoreboard will definitly be worse but the experience for the azkals and the fans will be priceless!

Some Photos taken with my 8mm lens. Special thanks to Armand Sazon of onmedia for letting me borrow his Canon 5d mark 2.

Distrito is a project of Anton Diaz and partners. If you don’t know Anton Diaz he’s the man behind the website Our Awesome Planet (OAP) and also two popular night markets Mercato Centrale in Taguig and the newly opened night market in the south called Soderno. I am currently taking his Maven’s Secrets course about Internet marketing. We’ve been talking about collaborating on some projects, so I guess this is just first of a few, so watch out for that.

We got there a little early. The ceremonies just finished, celebrities and media were still there. I was with my girlfriend Kamille and her friends. I had to cancel a date with her because of this but instead of being “tampo” about the whole thing she supported me and brought along her friends.

I’m not really a foodie, I’m a person who can live on century tuna and egg whites but I enjoy food and I’ve enjoyed going to night markets especially Mercato Centrale. I’ve been there a handful of times. Whenever I’m there I usually get the pizza, the roastbeef or the pork isaw. So if you’ve been there you’ll see familiar vendors here in Distrito and more or less the same feel as Mercato. So last Friday in Distrito I had some pork isaw and roast beef again.haha. Anyway, just visit the place. It’s open every Wednesday to Friday 9pm to 3am.

Aside from the 360 photos. I took some snapshots. Enjoy!

For more info about Distrito Makati visit Our Awesome Planet

I discovered this place 2 years ago around Christmas time when I saw it on a morning show. During that time I was dating my high school friend and I was thinking of a cheesy /”John Lloyd” way of giving my christmas gift to her so I rented the place.

The setup : Inside Casa Santa I had a gift which I put underneath the christmas tree. I placed it earlier that day. I also brought a stereo with a CD of coldplay with just 1 song “have yourself a merry little christmas”. I met her in the afternoon, I said I’d take her some place. I wanted her to put on a blindfold but she won’t let me. So we drove to Casa Santa. When we got there she was a bit clueless what the place was. when I brought her inside, I saw her face lit up. I played the coldplay song and I handed the gift to her. She cried and said she was touched. Later that night she said “sarap mo maging boyfriend!”. Mission accomplished!! However…. We’re not together now but we’re good friends, it would take an entire blog to tell the story why so I won’t go into that. I have a girlfriend now and she has a boyfriend too. It’s just such a good story to tell . Below are some photos from that day.

To date I’ve seen Casa Santa three times, 1st time was the story I mentioned above. 2nd was when I brought my relatives there and 3rd time was when I shot the place. The place never fails to give you that Christmas feel even when you’ve seen it many times. Below are some more photos

For more info visit their website www.miramar.com.ph

I usually leave the office after 10pm so when I pass by Ayala Triangle Gardens the lights are already off. The other day a couple of office mates invited me for a jog at the gardens around 9pm so I was able to catch the lights on and it looked nice from afar. The next day I decided to take my camera , watch the lights show and shoot a 360 of it.

I saw this last year and this year’s show is much better. The part I liked best was when the colors turned orange and red, the place just lit up and made you want to say WOW. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take still pictures of those light transitions because I left my kit lens at home. Anyway just watch it yourself. It will run up to dec 30 from 6pm-10pm every hour, mondays to sundays.

The light shows happen at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, etc. runs about 20 minutes and after that they leave the lights on for a few minutes so people could take photos. The 360 photo I took was during that part after the show.

You can find more info about it on Makati’s facebook page http://www.facebook.com/makeitmakati

Here’s a video feature about it on GMT TV