The Ayala Triangle Garden

The new Ayala Triangle garden is a welcome addition to our cities longing for greens.  The place is nice, but I think, it is best visited at dusk for a leisurely walk or at dawn for a jog.  It does not have thick tree foliage, that spending your break time at the triangle would be an inconvenience due to the heat.

The park features a number of sculptures, and it is private property, so the owner reserved the right to deny you entry.  Development of the park is at the owner's discretion and convenience of course. 

The corner of the triangle on the side of the Mandarin Hotel is not yet developed.  Reserving that portion of the triangle perhaps for another skyscraper.

Circle of Fun (Quezon Memorial Circle)

The new Circle of Fun inside the Quezon Memorial Circle is a HIT. Whoever came up with that idea did Quezon City a great service. The new mini theme park is definitely an attraction that will further draw crowds to that park and make the Quezon Memorial Monument and it's museum underneath worth the visit. There are more reasons now to visit the park and enjoy.

Circle of Fun

Entrance Fees:

Adult P20
Child above 3ft P20
Below 3ft P10
Below 2ft Free



Rides:

All rides P30































Parking Fee:

Cars P15


The QMC Park

Whoever designed the bicycle station did a wonderful thing. The design is simple, neat and eye catching. I myself welcomed the new design. It is a good addition to the park.


The Quezon City government did the right thing in sprucing up the park. It has a lot of benches now, picnic tables and new playground accessories for the kids. This will make QC residents, spend more time outdoors. It will be a positive influence on their health, family relationships and values.

We were not really able to check out the whole park, since the purpose of our visit was actually, just to take a peek at the new developments that we saw every time we drove by. To my surprise, we loved it, enough for me to shell out my precious pesos for the entrance fees.

However, the section where they sell plants, herbs and fruits should be improved. There is a concrete wall there of the establishments that makes the place ugly. They should paint it with wall art. The place defeats the purpose of making the park look beautiful.

Cool things at the park

This is one cool trash bin.....

and lamp post too....

Marquee Mall

On our way back to Manila last week, I couldn't help but notice that the new Marquee Mall was already open.  So, i decided to drop by and take some photos for your consumption. 

The new mall is located in Angeles City, Pampanga.  It is accessible from NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) via Angeles exit.

The new mall has that Ayala Malls feel.  It is a big but warm and cozy at the same time. 

The mall is very near the NLEX Angeles exit.  If you have a car, driving from NLEX to the Marquee mall is a breeze.  However, when you exit the mall and drive back to NLEX via the Angeles tollgate, traffic could be a problem during peak seasons because of the nearby rotunda.  

The mall features unique furnitures pieces in their rest areas, I guess,the furnitures are made in Pampanga to highlight the region's culture.

Staff Conference, Punta Riviera, Bolinao, Pangasinan

Joined the conference last Sept. 11 at Punta Riviera Resort Hotel in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Bolinao is about two (2) hours drive from Calasiao, Pangasinan. We left Calasiao around 5:20 early in the morning, so, we did not encounter much traffic along the way. The roads to Bolinao are well paved. We passed by Binmaley, Alaminos and Lingayen on our way to the conference venue.

After the conference, we just had our lunch and immediately left Punta Riviera, so that I would still have time to take some pics of Bolinao and other adjoining towns as we drove our way back to Manila.

The Bonifacio Monument, Manila City Hall

The Bonifacio Landmark is situated in a park  fronting the Manila City Hall.  

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Museum

Location: The AFP Museum is situated inside
                 Camp Aguinaldo

How to Get There: You can take the MRT line 3
                                and get off at Santolan-
                                Annapolis Station

Banaue Rice Terraces

The Banaue rice terraces is one of the world's greatest wonders.  My first visit to Banaue was actually not part of my itinerary.  I was on a series of speaking engagement in the revenue region of Tuguegarao in Cagayan Valley that covered the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya.  The last leg of my activity was Nueva Vizcaya, which is just about 2 hours away from Banawe.   The head of the Nueva Vizcaya district office, invited us for a side trip to Banawe as a treat.

The trip alone to Banaue was already an experience.  The road was good and the scenery was even better.  We sometimes have to stop to take pictures along the way.  One of the experience not to miss when you are on top of the cordilleras is the endless sea of mountaintops, imagine that.

My first ever glimpse of the terraces was really a mesmerizing experience.  The first thing that comes to mind is how the hell were they able to build it.  This is definitely a MUST SEE place in your lifetime.

How to get there:

There are daily trips from Manila to Banaue that takes about 10-12 hrs or from Baguio about 5-6  hrs.

Where to Stay:

There are a number of inns and even home stays, but the best place to stay is at the Banaue Hotel

Death of Cory Aquino

The death of Cory Aquino in the early hours of August 1, 2009 dealt a blow to democracy not only in the Philippines but the world. She was one credible champion of democracy with unsullied integrity. Her sincerity to help the poor and the country as a whole is beyond question. In a maternal Philippine society she was a clear symbol of a mother ready to protect her offspring from danger, real or imagined.

Her recent politics though confused the people. She asked the resignation of Gloria Arroyo, thinking perhaps that it would collapse from the series of unfortunate events hounding her. She was ready to support breakaway groups that tried to topple the administration Mrs. Arroyo, and as if to spite the President, she even apologized to Erap Estrada who was actually convicted by the courts of a crime.

The scenario being painted by the opposition on the Philippines was very grim. However, a very different and positive color was being put forward by big business and foreign rating agencies This further confused the people, that whatever resignation calls for the president to step down or calls to rally the people, the opposition, just wasn't able to get the numbers, and it gave Mrs Arroyo the needed time to regain her composure.

With the death of Mrs. Aquino, the opposition is leaderless. They are left with the likes of Erap, Binay, Villar and Mar who have neither the integrity or capability to mount a respectable challenge to Mrs. Arroyo.

Good for Cory Aquino, the people perceived her sincerity and her uprightness while she was still in office. The shortcomings of her presidency was overlooked and considered the restoration of democracy as her biggest legacy and that was enough.

Fort Santiago and The Museum of the Filipino People

Have you noticed lately? Fort Santiago is cleaner and well maintained. How did i know this? We visited the place last Saturday, me and my youngest daughter. There were quiet a number of foreign tourists that day. Most of them were Koreans, is there a Korean invasion of the Philippines? you see them everywhere, in malls, grocery stores, in QC, Baguio and SBMA, i think they have already taken over SBMA. Well, at least this validates the claim of DOT people that tourists arrivals are up. One thing that bothered me in Fort Santiago was the parking space. Although the parking space fronting the entrance was vacant, we were directed to a parking lot that charges P40 per 2hrs and with no official receipt. That was expensive, more expensive than that charged by SM or Ayala Malls. I felt that my pocket was raped.

Entrance Fee

Adult P50
Child 25

Museum Hours

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Open Tuesday-Sunday
Close Monday

After Fort Santiago, we went to The Museum of the Filipino People (Old Finance Bldg.) It was quiet a surprise for me. The Ifugao House in the courtyard was clean and lighted,that you could actually go inside and have your pic taken and the interactive electronic thingies were actually working. Although the audio-visaul room that shows the recent history of the Filipino People was closed. Most probably they are trying to save on electricity. One thing though again bothered me. The reception area was manned by a guard and they charge the museum fee without issuing an official receipt unless you asked for it and there were no flyers or anything.

Museum Fees

Adult P100
Student P30

Museum Hours

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Open Tueday-Sunday
Close Monday

Tagkawayan, Quezon

The whole family left for Tagkawayan, Quezon last Friday for the golden wedding anniversary party of the wifey's parents. We stayed at RADZ Garden Resort Hotel in the said place.

The RADZ Garden Resort Hotel

The place is relatively new, it has a three (3) floor hotel, an events venue ideal for all occasions, a pool, a small store and an internet cafe. The place is clean and most important of all, it's not pricey. The biggest air con room cost only 900 pesos a day. It has a queen size bed and a sofa bed. The whole family all in one (1) room. Best of all, the T&B has hot water shower. For 900 a day it was a real good deal.

The Travel

It was a grueling eight (8) hour drive and some roads in the province of quezon is really bad. The travel is made worse by tricycles in the national highway. Are tricycles not banned in highways? Our drive back to the city took ten (10) hours precisely because of these tricycles in the highway. They are hazards to motorists. Calling DOTC to do something about this.

........

New Year's Greeting

Happy New Year to one and all...wishing you all good health and prosperity ahead....