The Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is arguably the best in the world. Not only because the trains come in practically every minute (I don't recall having to wait for more than a minute, which I think is incredible) but also because each station is built like an art gallery.

The impressive Kievskaya station

I first realized that the Moscow Metro is a must-see attraction after I saw a few Moscow itineraries from different travel agents that included a trip here. I went to tripadvisor to read a bit more about it and I saw that it was rated #7 among attractions in Moscow. After seeing a few photos online, I knew I had to include this in our itinerary.

Beautiful wall art at the Komsomolsakaya station

The question though was which stations were the best ones to visit. I checked out the tripadvisor travel forum to see what people had to say and I also noted down the suggested stations in my book. In the end, we managed to visit and take photos of all the stations in my list. (Note however that as I am reading up again about the Moscow Metro now, I realize there are a couple other stations I would have loved to see.)

Kievskaya (Киевская)
There are a couple of different halls at the Kievskaya station. One of them, on the Koltsevaya Line or Circle route, is decorated with mosaics...

Kievskaya hall on the Koltsevaya Line

...while the other, on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line, has paintings. These wall mosaics and paintings display events in Ukrainian history and friendly relations between Russia and Ukraine.

Kievskaya hall on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line

Komsomolskaya (Комсомо́льская)
Russian military heroes such as Peter the Great are depicted on the ceilings of this station.

Komsomolskaya

Mayakovskaya (Маяковская)
Winner of the 1938 Grand Prix in New York, this station is very sleek and stunning.

Mayakovskaya

The brightly lit sky-themed ceiling mosaics add an extra dimension to the brilliance of this must-see station.

Sky-themed ceiling mosaic at Mayakovskaya

Ploshchad Revolutsii (Пло́щадь Револю́ции)
Here you can find life-sized bronze statues of different occupations of Russian men and women.

Pl. Revolutsii

Park Kultury ( Парк культу́ры)
Appropriately, you can find circular bas-reliefs that illustrate different cultural, sporting, and other leisure activities.

Park Kultury

Novoslobodskaya (Новослободская)
This station was quite unique among the ones we saw since it is decorated with exquisite stained-glass panels.

Stained glass panel at Novoslobodskaya

Krasnopresnenskaya (Краснопресненская)
This station is decorated with bas-reliefs that commemorate the 1905 revolution when a strikers' march to petition the tsar in the Winter Palace was fired upon by troops.

Krasnopresnenskaya

Pushkinskaya (Пушкинская)
Alexander Pushkin is considered to be the Russian Shakespeare. We took a quick stop at the station just to see (and take photos) of the artwork that commemorate one of Russia's most important authors and poets.

Pushkinskaya

Partizanskaya (Партизанская)
Floral bas-reliefs strangely adorned with AK-47 machine guns are featured at the top of the pillars in this station. At the top of the escalator is a bronze military-themed sculpture.

Partizanskaya

Teatralnaya (Театральная)
The station you get out of when visiting Bolshoi Theatre, a beautiful chandelier and a wall design that seems to commemorate World War II greet you at the top of the elevator.

Teatralnaya

Smolenskaya (Смоленская)
This metro served as the starting point of our Moscow trips since it was the closest one to our hotel. I took photos of this station for sentimental purposes but while it has a relatively simple design, it does have a massive military-themed sculpture at the far end.

Smolenskaya

Vdnkh (ВДНХ)
We got off this station when we visited the Cosmonautic Memorial Museum on the 2nd of May and it seems that most of Moscow decided to head to that area as well (this is also the stop for the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, which is where I think most of these people went to). It took a while to get out of this station due to the number of people!

The jam-packed Vdnkh station

My favorite stations among the ones I saw are Mayakovskaya, Kievskaya, Komsomolskaya and Novoslobodskaya. Pretty much every station along the Koltsevaya Line (brown line or circle route) is beautiful as this line, which connects the different cross-city routes, was built during the height of Stalinist Architecture to manage the growing number of metro passengers in Moscow.

beautiful wall mosaic at Novoslobodskaya station

A one-way trip on the metro costs 30 rubles only and it's a fixed rate for any destination, no matter how many stations away it is. As such, some say that this is the most inexpensive art gallery in Moscow. I tend to agree. Next post: a day trip to Sergiev Posad.

More Moscow Sights

We visited all these places over the course of a few days but I decided to write about all of them in one post.

You can actually see the massive golden domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour when you are standing outside the Kremlin's main entrance (Trinity Gate). I remember stepping out of the Kropotkinstakaya metro station right next to this cathedral, looking up at it and saying 'wow' to myself. After all, it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world. But if you think the outside is awe-inspiring, wait until you get inside. Of all the cathedrals I visited in Moscow, I think this one has the most magnificent interior. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside. My mom bought a book of the catehdral in the church shop inside so we could look at the photos and be reminded just how spectacular it is. Entrance is free.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Another place you must visit when in Moscow is the Tretyakov Gallery. This museum is ranked #4 among Moscow attractions in tripadvisor and my book recommended a visit here. To be quite honest, I included a stop here in our itinerary because I kept reading about it but I was initially expecting to spend just an hour or two here. As it turns out, the gallery is huge and it houses a very extensive collection of very impressive and brilliant artwork. We ended up spending more than three hours here and even then we felt we could have spent more time just going through the 62 rooms in the museum. They also have a great collection of religious artifacts. Entrance is 450 rubles but it is worth every penny.

Boyarynya Morozova by Vasily Surikov

When you are here, take a quick trip to the Museum Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachy which is also located on museum grounds. Entrance to the church is included in the price of admission but it closes at 4 PM. My mom and I ended our tour around the gallery shortly before 4 PM so we still had time to go into the church. Photos are not allowed here but once again, it features an amazing gold iconostasis and the 12th-century Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

The Gates of the Palace of Timur (Tamerlane's Mausoleum) by Vasily Vereshchagin

The Church of St. John the Warrior is a short walk away from the Oktyabrskaya metro, and my book suggested a quick visit here to see the mix of Moscow and European baroque styles. It doesn't look that interesting from the outside but once again, the interior with its wooden iconostasis was worth at least a quick look.

Church of St. John the Warrior

There is another, smaller church right outside the Oktyabrskaya metro so we decided to go in for a quick look since we were already there.

I knew about Gorky Park because of the film of the same name that came out back in the 80s. When we tried looking for what apparently is the now-defunct Ice Sculpture Gallery, it was already 6pm and not a lot of sights were still open. My book indicated that Gorky Park was open to the public until 10 PM so we went there instead.

Gorky Park

It used to be an amusement park that was a bit kitschy but most of the rides and games have been cleared out save for a few. They are also building a few places to eat here, although there was at least one cafe that was already in operation and my mom and I had some coffee and pastries here to relax a bit.

The Cosmonautics Memorial Museum is one of my favorite attractions in Moscow. It is quite memorable because most of the places we saw were religious or historical in nature and this museum was the only "futuristic" place we saw. Of course, my inner kid came out and seeing all the "space stuff" made me very excited.

Cosmonautics Memorial Museum

Entrance is 200 rubles but if you want to take photos inside, you need to pay an additional 200 rubles per camera. My advice: pay the extra 200 rubles. We easily spent about 3 hours inside looking at and taking photos of original cosmonaut memorabilia and replicas of the satellites, shuttles, and rockets. It was also interesting getting a glimpse into the lives of Russian cosmonauts.

My mom actually wanted us to visit "Star City" which is where Russian cosmonauts go to train and where visitors actually have an opportunity to have their picture taken inside an actual space suit. However, since this is an actual training facility, you need to work on getting government approval (usually through a travel agent) at least two weeks prior to your visit. Since we couldn't go to Star City, I thought the Cosmonautics Memorial Museum definitely made up for it.

Our final day in Moscow was spent at the Vernissage Market at the Kremlin in Izmailovo. Here you will find a whole horde of Russian souvenirs, including an endless array of Matryoshka dolls. The items here are really cheap and both my mom and I made a few purchases (my mom also got a set of Matryoshka dolls that are now on display at home). We were told that while the market is open every day, the best time to visit is during the weekend when a whole lot more stores are open. There's a part of the market that you can visit for free but most of the shops are located in the gated section that has a 10 or 20 ruble entrance fee.

Vernissage Market

Next to the market is the wildly colorful Kremlin in Izmailovo. There are several beautiful buildings in the area and we took a couple of photos but as we stepped out, we realized that you need to pay to take pictures. Oops! There is a Vodka History Museum here that we didn't visit. My book also indicated that there is a Russian Costume and Culture Museum and a small Toy Museum but no one there could speak in English so we gave up trying to figure out where these two were (the website also doesn't mention these sights so maybe they are no longer present).

Kremlin in Izmailovo

We probably didn't buy as many souvenirs in Vernissage Market because the hotel where we stayed was about a 3-minute walk from Arbat Street where you can also several souvenir shops that stay open until 9 or even 10 PM. As such, my mom was already able to buy a lot of souvenirs over the week that we were there. You can also find several dining options along Arbat Street, and while we did eat at McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts, we also tried some Russian local restaurants and cafes such as Moo Moo and Shokoladnitsa.

Arbat Street

From the end of Arbat Street close to the Smolenskaya Metro station, you also get a good view of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of Moscow's Seven Sisters which are seven buildings in the city designed in the Stalinist style. Actually, we had an even better view of this beautiful building from our hotel room.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of Moscow's Seven Sisters

Next post: the amazing Moscow Metro.

Moscow: Kremlin and Red Square

When people think of Russia, the image that often comes to mind is St. Basil's Cathedral. Given that this cathedral with it's multi-colored domes is located in Red Square and right next to the Kremlin, it was natural for us to spend our first day in Moscow here.

St. Basil's Cathedral

The cathedral is named after St. Vasily the Blessed who is buried underneath the cathedral. Religious services are no longer held here; instead, the interior has been converted to a museum that is open to visitors on most days. Except Mondays, apparently. Since we were there on Monday and the museum was closed, we decided to pass by St. Basil's again later in the week. It was definitely worth the return trip because the interior of the cathedral is awe-inspiring!

Iconostasis inside St. Basil's Cathedral

The thing I love about Russian Orthodox churches is that they always feature impressive iconostases (see photo above), which is a wall of icons that separates the nave (or the main section of the church where most people stand) and the sanctuary or altar. Cathedral interiors are also often covered in beautiful frescoes (I say often because in some cases, which I will write about later on, the walls and columns are covered in beautiful mosaic).

Entrance to the museum is 250 rubles (or about 300 PHP), although a group of 2 adults and 1 child can get in at a discounted price of 450 rubles. The experience inside the cathedral is definitely worth the price of admission. One thing to note, however, is that once you head up to the second floor, you can't go back down (the staircase is one way). Since I missed seeing certain sections of the first floor, I had to head out of the exit and request the guard at the entrance to let me in again. Thankfully I was allowed to re-enter.

We were also quite lucky when we where there because a Russian vocal group called Doros were in the Intercession cathedral (or the most central and tallest part of the church) and my mom and I caught them singing a couples of songs. Their voices were absolutely incredible and the performance was made even more impressive by the brilliant acoustics inside the church.

St. Basil's Cathedral is situated at one end of Red Square, or Krasnya Ploshchad. According to my book, this square doesn't get its name from the fact that the color red is linked to communism, nor from the red buildings and walls that border parts of the square. Apparently, the word 'krasnya' used to mean 'beautiful' in old Russian and only came to also mean 'red' in the 20th century. Nevertheless, the name has become quite appropriate because even the main entrance to the square, the Resurrection Gate, is made of red brick...

Resurrection Gate

...as is the State History Museum. (Preparations for Russia's Victory Day celebration on May 9 were in full swing when we were there.) I wanted to go inside but my mom didn't seem that interested so we just had our picture taken outside.

State History Museum

There's a beautiful view of the square from the second floor of St. Basil's Cathedral.

Red Square

We had a quick lunch before spending the afternoon inside the Kremlin. There are quite a few places of interest inside the walls of this political center of Russia and you could easily spend a lot more time inside. There are four different tickets you can purchase at the entrance:

• Architectural complex of the Cathedral Square, which includes entrance to the five museums-cathedrals and the Patriarch's Palace, exhibitions in the Assumption Belfry and One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch's Palace (350 rubles)
• Ivan the Great Bell Tower, which apart from entrance to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower also includes admission to the all museums-cathedrals and the Patriarch's Palace (500 rubles)
• Armoury Chamber, which includes access to the Armoury only (700 rubles)
• Diamond Fund, which includes access to the Diamond Fund only (700 rubles)

Kremlin

I wanted to get the Ivan the Great Bell Tower ticket but unfortunately, the tower was closed when we were there. (We actually planned to visit again on the Saturday before we left Moscow for St. Petersburg so that we could watch the ceremonial parade of the Presidential Regiment, which is staged every Saturday at noon. However, when we got there, the line at the Kremlin was extraordinarily long so we decided to abandon that plan.) As such, we decided to just get the standard ticket to the Architectural complex of the Cathedral Square or Sobornaya Ploshchad. This ticket allowed us to enter the Assumption Cathedral, the Annunciation Cathedral, and the Archangel Cathedral.

Annunciation Cathedral in Cathedral Square

Of course, we still got to see and take photos of Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

We also got tickets to the Armoury Chamber which has several interesting displays, including gifts to the Russian kings and queens over the centuries, important Russian artifacts and relics, and an impressive set of royal carriages and coaches. Several important Fabergé eggs were also part of the exhibit, although it was quite unfortunate that the Grand Siberian Railway egg which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful ones wasn't on display when we were there. Photography is not allowed inside. My mom and I bought a couple of  souvenirs at the shops located at the entrance of the Armoury Chamber. Important note: large bags are not allowed inside the Kremlin so make sure you leave your bag at the Kremlin left-luggage office (I think it costs 70 rubles per bag).

After our visit to this museum, we spent the rest of the afternoon going through the rest of the Kremlin. We visited the Patriarch's Palace - entrance here is included in our Cathedral square ticket and photography is also not allowed inside - then we swung by the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell. The Tsar Bell which is on display on the grounds of the Kremlin, is the largest bell in the world and is actually too heavy to be hoisted at the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. You can read more about the history of this bell and why a huge 11-ton piece of the bell was broken off here.

Tsar Bell

Technically, the word 'kremlin' means fortified stronghold in the center of a city or town. The one in Moscow has become the most important one in the entire Russia and as such, it is often referred to simply as the Kremlin (and not as Moscow Kremlin). Outside, there's a beautiful park and several fountains. Makes me wonder if the canal outside used to be a moat.

Aside from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower which we weren't able to enter and the ceremonial parade on Saturday which we missed, we were also unable to visit Lenin's Mausoleum because it was closed when we were there (apparently, it was only going to be open to the public again on May 15). Nevertheless, our Red Square and Kremlin experience was a great start to our tour of Russia. Next post: more Moscow sights.

From Russia with Love

My mom and I recently went on holiday to Russia. Why Russia, you ask? Well, my mom had always wanted to go there because of its extremely rich cultural history. I, on the other hand, heard from a friend of mine that Russia is arguably just as, if not more, beautiful than a lot of other more popular destinations in Europe. Since both my mom and I have had the fortune of traveling to many countries in Europe before, it was about time for us to visit the largest country in the world.

This trip was about 6 years in the making. When I was still based in Sweden, my mom took two weeks off and paid me a visit. She was thinking about swinging by Russia during that time but I told her that she was better off touring the different Schengen countries instead. That way, she could visit multiple countries without having to get another visa. I told her that I was also interested to visit Russia so we could just go together some other time. It wasn't until some of my mom's colleagues joined a package tour to Russia two years ago that our plans got reignited. We started thinking about it a bit more last year and finally, we made it there in late April this year.

Now that I have been there, I can definitely say that Russia is worth visiting. We spend six days in Moscow, visiting a couple of cities outside of Moscow on what is called the Golden Ring, then we traveled by overnight train to St. Petersburg where we spent another five days. During these two weeks, we got to visit some incredible cathedrals both in Moscow,

St. Petersburg,

and the Golden Ring.

Influences from both Asia and Europe mean that you get to see a lot of striking architecture.

The military has also featured heavily in their rich cultural history...

...and the best metro stations in the world can be found here.

Opportunities are available to see and experience Russian involvement in the Space Race.

There are also a lot of must-see museums that feature beautiful art.

Sarah Presenting Hagar to Abraham by Adriaen van der Werff

And of course you cannot visit Russia and not see a ballet!

Obviously, I will be writing about this trip in more detail over the next several blog posts, starting with my visit to the Kremlin and Red Square. Stay tuned!

Catching up

Daday is a good friend of mine who has been based in Belgium for a while now. We became friends because we were colleagues when I was assigned in Brussels for three months more than a decade ago. We have more or less kept in touch since then but we haven't seen a lot of each other because she normally heads to their province to be with her family whenever she comes home to the Philippines. This time around, her trip back home lasted a lot longer than average so we finally got a chance to catch up.

Since she lives in the Mandaluyong area, we decided that Powerplant mall would be the best place for us to meet up. We had dinner in Cantinetta where we spent about an hour and a half talking about how life has been for both of us. We remained there talking for a while even after our plates had already been cleared. At that point, I suggested that we move to TWG for dessert. I'm a coffee guy but I was curious to try their tea as well as their macarons which are supposed to be quite good. When Daday and I got there, the waiter gave us the tea menu and both of us where a bit overwhelmed. The list of teas they carried was incredibly long! We had to rely on the recommendations of our waiter. In the end, we opted for a pot of Savannah Dawn which Daday and I shared. I also ordered three macarons: Napoleon Tea & Caramel, Earl Grey & Chocolate, and Bain De Rose Tea. All three macarons were quite good. I think my favorite was the Earl Grey & Chocolate.

We called it a night a bit past 9pm because the mall had closed already (although I think TWG was still open) and most of the lights had been turned off. Daday said that she would still be in Manila a bit longer before she flies back to Belgium so we should be able to meet up again soon.

Happy Philippine Independence Day

The Philippines celebrated Independence Day today. It's been 115 years since our Declaration of Independence from Spain back in 1898 in Kawit, Cavite. Once again, Google helped the Philippines commemorate this important historical moment by featuring our national holiday on the main google page. You can see an image of the Aguinaldo shrine complete with a waving Philippine flag. Cool!

Since I was feeling a bit patriotic, I decided to go dig up and listen to "Bayan Ko" online and I found this amazing video. Check it out!

video uploaded in youtube by DrBillRamos

The arrangement has some ethnic elements to it and is sung by the amazing Kuh Ledesma, (and I think she is backed up by the incredible Grace Nono). To make the video even more amazing, it features several breathtakingly beautiful paintings of Fernando Amorsolo. Makes me want to go to our local museums to appreciate more of our local art.

Maligayang Araw ng Kasarinlan, Pilipinas!

Early Father's Day Celebration

Somehow my family and I thought that Father's Day was last Sunday. We decided to have lunch but on Sunday morning, we realized Father's Day is actually on June 16. At that point, we didn't want to change our plans anymore so we decided to push through with our one-week-early celebration.

I chose IHOP in Bonifacio High Street as our late lunch venue because their menu was very extensive and I know that my nephews would find something they would like. None of us had also eaten there before and it's always great to try something new. I heard from my friends that IHOP was a bit overrated but I am guessing they were referring specifically to the pancakes (I guess I will agree) but their other menu items were really good! I am definitely taking my family here again next time. The only drawback I think is that it's a bit tight for big groups. However, I definitely want to try more items on their menu. IHOP in BGC is open until 12mn on most days except on Fridays and Saturdays when they stay open for 24 hours. Cool!

The rest of my family decided to go home afterwards but my mom, my grandmother and I stayed behind to check out a few things in the area. First, my mom had to pass by Anne Klein at the far end of Bonifacio High Street to check something out. Afterwards, we went to the newly opened SM Aura. My mom and my grandmother first went to Forever 21 where my mom got a couple of items. We then went next door to Uniqlo where my mom got a jacket that was on sale and my grandmother got pants and a shirt. I was tempted to get a couple of items in Uniqlo as well but I realized I was kinda at, and planning to get, items that I didn't need (like jeans and black collared shirts, both of which I have a lot of) so I decided not to get anything. Nevertheless, when I have a bit more time I am definitely visiting Uniqlo again since I do like some of the items they carry and their clothes are not very expensive. From our late lunch at IHOP to our visit to SM Aura, this early Father's Day celebration came with a couple of firsts.

Nadal wins a record-setting 8th French Open title

Congratulations to Rafa Nadal for winning an unprecedented 8th French Open title! Amazing!!

In the first all-Spaniard final since 2002, Nadal defeated David Ferrer, who reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Prior to this match, Nadal had only lost to Ferrer four times out of the 23 times they played but I was still worried that Nadal wouldn't take it. Ferrer seemed to be in the best form of his life, winning all six previous matches in this tournament without dropping a set. While Nadal took almost five hours to beat #1 Novak Djokovic in a desperately-fought semifinal, Ferrer cruised through his match against Tsonga. Also, the last two times they also played were pretty close. In fact, Ferrer was two points away from beating Nadal in Madrid but a costly error allowed Rafa to claw his way back and eventually win. So while everyone seemed pretty sure Nadal would make history, I still had my concerns.

Thankfully Rafa came through. This win resonates on so many levels:

1. This is Rafa's 8th French Open title. No other man has won a Grand Slam event more times. Only two women have won a Grand Slam event more times (Margaret Court won the Australian Open 11 times and Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon 9 times).

2. In the last 9 years, Nadal has lost only once, to Robin Soderling in 2009. His French Open record is a ridiculously impossible 59 wins and 1 loss!

3. He now has 12 Grand Slam titles. Only two players - Roger Federer (17) and Pete Sampras (14) have won more. Rafa is now tied at 3rd place with Roy Emerson, moving him past tennis legends Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg who both have 11.

4. This win now means that Nadal has won at least one Grand Slam title every year for nine consecutive years. This is the longest streak among the men as he moves past Sampras, Federer, and Borg who each won at least one Grand Slam title for 8 consecutive years.

5. Rafa is clearly the best player in the world in 2013. Since he came back from his 7-month break due to injury, he has reached the final of all nine tournaments he has played and won seven of them. This is his best start to a year in this entire career. He now moves more than a thousand points ahead of Novak in this year's Race to London.

Hope Rafa can keep up this level of play throughout the year and maybe snag another Grand Slam title (Wimbledon in a few weeks, perhaps?) along the way. Congrats, Rafa!

*****

In other news, Serena Williams moves closer towards Navratilova-Evert territory by winning the French Open title for the second time in her career. She cruised through the first four rounds before being tested by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarters. That was probably a wake-up call for her as the completely thrashed Sara Errani in the semis. (It still boggles my mind how Serena managed to hit 40 winners in 46 minutes of tennis. That's just complete and utter dominance.) While Maria Sharapova was the defending champion, she had lost to Serena 12 times in row leading up to this final. Somehow, while she put up a decent fight, it wasn't enough as Serena eventually dismissed her 6-4 6-4 in the finals. This marks Serena's 16th Grand Slam title. Incredible.

Madness by Muse

This song is not very new - it was released late last year I think - but I've been listening to it a lot recently.
"Madness" sorta reminds me of the music from U2's Zooropa album that kinda mixed techno with rock.

The vocals on this song are very solid, especially from 3:43 to 4:03. Check it out:


video uploaded in youtube by BuJuR56

I want to perform this song live with a band. It's within my range and if I manage to sing it well, I think it will draw pretty positive reactions from the audience, even from those who don't know the song. Not sure if I will get a chance to do it, although I did tell one of my friends at work who performs with me in our office band that I want us to sing this in the next company event. Hopefully I get the chance.

Jhen and Jay's Wedding

My friend Jhen got married today to her long-time fiance Jay. They got married at the Sofitel and the initial plan was that they would get married seaside. However, I'm guessing because it rained yesterday and the weather forecast today was not much better, they moved the ceremony to the Davao room. The reception was held at the Mindanao ballroom.

Jhen was a teammate of mine a couple of years ago before she decided to explore opportunities elsewhere. Shortly before we became teammates, I was participating in our company's Valentine 'harana' activity and Jhen, after hearing me serenade someone seated next to her, told me that she wanted me to sing during her wedding. True enough, when I heard the news of her engagement, she told me that she wanted me to sing. I've never said 'no' to any friend or relative who's asked me to sing at their wedding and this was no exception. I was asked to sing 'N Sync's "This I promise you" although we followed the arrangement of an acoustic cover of this song that Jhen found online. I've never sung this song in front of an audience before so I did quite a few practice runs at home. In the end, with the band providing backing vocals, I think I did a decent job on a song that has some pretty high notes.

One other thing that was impressive about the wedding preparations was Jhen and Jay's wedding blog. In it, there was information on the event details such as the time and venue (plus map), dress code that included a suggested color palette, and a parking guide with instructions on how to get discounted parking rates that the couple arranged. Of course, it wasn't all just information as they also had a beautifully written story of how their partnership unfolded through the years as well as their pre-nuptial photos and a couple of videos including one that showed Jay proposing to Jhen. I can just imagine how much work went into putting together this wedding blog but I did find it very useful and entertaining to go through.

Before tonight, it had been a while since I saw Jhen last so this evening also served as a bit of a reunion with her (and some other colleagues who have also moved to different companies). Congratulations to the newlyweds and I wish Jhen and Jay a wonderful life together.

Tree Nursery Activities at Haribon's Buhay Punlaan

As part of our Social Innovation initiative at work, I recently organized what are called Tree Nursery activities in partnership with Haribon. Exactly what are tree nursery activities? Well, during tree planting, you have all these seedlings in bags of soil and volunteers carefully move the seedlings out of the bags into the ground to plant them. Obviously, the seedlings don't get into these bags of soil themselves. :) I wanted to organize a couple of activities over the summer months and it made sense to do something in the area of environmental sustainability since Earth Day is on April 22. However, tree planting season doesn't start until June because planting seedlings during the intense summer heat will result in most of the seedlings drying up and dying. After talking to Haribon about possible activities, we decided to do these nursery activities in Buhay Punlaan in the Caliraya Watershed.

I ended up organizing two of these: one in April and another in May. The April event was a bit of a disaster that all stemmed from the fact that our bus broke down. It took a while for our new transport to arrive which meant we lost almost an hour and a half. This delay caused us to leave the venue quite late which also meant that we got caught up in the late afternoon rush in Los Banos and Calamba, which caused us to lose an additional hour and a half by being stuck in heavy traffic. It was definitely not a pleasant experience. At least everyone who attended seemed to enjoy the actual tree nursery activities which included re-bagging seedlings that were in damaged bags and removing weeds and vines from trees that were already planted in the reforestation area behind the nursery.

We learned a lot from this first experience so the second event in May ran a whole lot more smoothly. We left practically on time and returned to Manila a bit ahead of schedule as well. We also had a wider variety of activities. Haribon kicked off with a talk about reforestation and the importance of repopulating our forests with indigenous tree species. The folks from Buhay Punlaan then gave us a tour of the different nursery areas. Then we started the actual volunteer activities. First, volunteers started filling bags with a mixture of soil and rice husks.

Afterwards, we headed out to the forest for wildlings collection. A wildling is kind of a baby tree that has started growing in the wild. You might think it strange for us to take a wildling that has already started growing from its natural habitat. However, as these wildlings start growing, their chances of survival diminish since there are too many of them in the same small space (I think I gathered something like 30 wildlings from an area of about one square foot alone!) and later on, when the grow and need more sunlight and nutrients from the soil, they start competing and losing out to the taller trees in the area. Once we were done collecting wildlings - and we did collect a whole lot of them - we headed back to the nusery area where we started putting these wildlings into the bags of soil.

It was my first time to be involved in these tree planting "preparation" activities and it's quite gratifying to know that I have now been involved in practically the end-to-end process of tree planting. I have now prepared bags of soil, gathered wildlings, put the wildlings into these bags of soil, performed rebagging for seedlings that were in damaged bags, done the actual tree planting, and even removed weeds and vines from trees that have been planted in the reforestation area. Cool!

Photobook party

I started making photobooks more than a year ago and since then, I have made more than a dozen of them. I used to put together photo albums of pictures I took in my travels but since around 2005, I hadn't really been able to make any. Then, when I got assigned in Sweden for work back in 2007, my boss there showed us a book of photos she had made of her family. I thought this would be a good alternative to an album because it was thinner and lighter. However, I never got around to it.

Then I saw an online deal for Photobook Philippines at about 75% off. That deal was just too good to pass up! I purchased a few vouchers and I was very happy with the books I made and ordered so when more deals came up, I purchased even more. Making my first couple of photobooks (you can read more about the process here) took a lot of time and effort. I mean, you have to select the photos, lay things out properly, add captions, and just get used to the software. But once I got through my first few photobooks, things started to get a lot easier.

At one point last year, I decided it would be great if I made photobooks for some of my closest friends I could give them these books as gifts. I bought more vouchers online and then I asked my friends if they had sets of photos that they wanted to see in an album. They all said they did so I asked to get a copy of their pics. They eventually figured out I was going to create photobooks for them but since it took a while for me to them to select which photos they wanted to share, I wasn't able to put together their books in time for Christmas.

I finally completed the books a few months ago but my friends and I couldn't find the time to meet up. It was also a few weeks back that we eventually did. Mitch told us that dinner was on her as a combined birthday blowout of Ferg, Aidan, and Rory. She selected Cafe 1771 in El Pueblo as our dinner venue since I suggested that we find a place that was relatively spacious and bright.

When I finally got to share their books, they all seemed very pleased. Iona had already made a photobook for herself before so she knew what it looked like and what to expect, but Mitch and Joyce hadn't. Or well, Joyce had, but the ones she made were the small 4"x6" flipbook ones so my 8"x11" book was a lot different. I had a different set of photos for each person. Mitch gave me family travel photos, Iona wanted a book focused on her daughter, Joyce shared photos of her son (from when he was still in her womb up until a about 1 year old), and Anna wanted a tribute book to her grandmother who passed away recently. I decided to use different templates for each of them so that everyone would have an even more unique book, at least in the context of our set of friends. Mitch said that it was only looking through her book that she realized it was better seeing photos in an album rather than online and she said that I should just stick to this same gift for Christmas and their birthdays. It takes a lot of time and effort but it is also a labor of love and it's much appreciated so maybe I will keep doing that.

Kimstore!

It all started when I purchased a few new CDs recently. I was trying to add my newly purchased music to my iPod but as I tried syncing it with my iTunes, I got an error message saying that my iPod didn't have enough space anymore. Argh. I knew that I would be buying more CDs so having a full iPod was not an option. Clearly, it was time to get a new iPod that had more space so I went online and discovered that there is a 64-Gb iPod Touch. I quickly went to the nearest Apple store to check the price and as it turns out, the iPod I want was a whopping P21,990. I decided to sit on it for a while and maybe make the purchase when I was comfortable parting with that much money.

Then I was at work and somehow, the topic of my plans to purchase an iPod Touch came up. As I lamented to my teammates the cost of that gadget, they immediately told me to check Kimstore on facebook. Apparently, Kimstore sells a lot of electronic devices at very low prices. I decided to check their facebook page and I was pleasantly shocked when I saw the pricelist. They were actually offering the 5th gen 64-Gb iPod Touch at P16,000. That would mean almost P6,000 savings! My teammates told me that Kimstore was a Go Negosyo Awardee so there was no need to worry about the quality or authenticity of their products.

So I decided texted the number provided on their facebook page to ask about the iPod touch I wanted and while I thought that P16,000 was low enough, when I got a text reply, I was told that the black 64-Gb unit actually costs P14,000. Wow, even more savings!! I place my order and schedule a pick-up date and time.

As indicated on their facebook page, "Kimstore offers the latest gadgets online at affordable prices, and they're all brand new, original and in complete packaging (with freebies, sometimes!) And with a Go Negosyo badge of trust, you are assured of great customer service." True enough, my iPod Touch was brand new in its complete original packaging. I was also given an official receipt for my purchase. My new iPod is also working well in its first few days of use. I honestly don't know how they bring their prices down. I remember having a conversation with my friends about it and everyone was trying to figure out how Kimstore can manage to sell their products at such low and (relatively) affordable prices. I guess this trade secret makes them a top online business that has now been liked by close to 150,000 people.

When I made my purchase, I went to a pick-up point in Arnaiz Street but I think you can work out a different pick-up point that is more convenient for you. I was told I had to pay in cash (although you may want to reconfirm this if you want to use a credit card) but it is definitely worth paying cash when it means you get P8,000 savings. So if you are planning to purchase any electronic devices such as Apple products, phones, or cameras, I strongly recommend checking Kimstore out. If they are carrying the gadget you plan to buy, then odds are they are offering the lowest price.

Allison Holker and Derek Hough back on DWTS

A while back, Derek Hough and Allison Holker wowed the audience and all their viewers with that incredible dance number that fused together elements of Argentine Tango, Flamenco and Paso Doble. I wanted to watch their performance again so I typed in their names on youtube and lo and behold, there was another video that came up in the results. Naturally, I had to see it and I guess it's not surprising that I was just absolutely blown away. The fact that it also includes a few other amazing dancers - Melanie Moore, Kathryn Mccormick, and Jessica Lee Keller - made the performance even more compelling. Check it out here:


video uploaded in youtube by LunaleeTreasureBox

I don't know who choreographed this - I'm guessing it was Derek - but it is just sublime. It's remarkable how versatile these dancers are. I mean, Derek is known as a ballroom dancer and here he is being extremely comfortable doing contemporary. The choreography, the music, the synchronization of the lights, the waterworks, and of course the otherworldly skills of all these dancers just combined to produce a spectacular show.

I have to say that I am really happy that "So you think you can dance" switched to an all-Star format and they invited Allison to be one of the all-stars (she's been one of only a few people who has been an official all-star since then). After her shocking exit during top 8 week in the 2nd season, I thought she would float into obscurity. And for a while, it seemed like she did. However, her return to the SYTYCD stage reignited her career as she put in one memorable performance after another, often stealing the spotlight from her partner and gaining considerable praise from the judges who were actually not supposed to talk about the all-stars LOL. Since then, she has appeared a few times on "Dancing with the Stars" and is now engaged to Twitch who placed second back in season 4 of SYTYCD. Congratulations, Allison and Twitch!

Shakey's V-League

The 10th season of the Shakey's V-League culminated today with National University edging out Ateneo in four closely contested sets. I was rooting for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, maybe because I wanted them to end the season on a high note after their heartache against La Salle in the UAAP women's volleyball tournament. Unfortunately, they were unable to go for the three-peat in the Shakey's V-League. NU have become a very formidable team with so many attacking options that include the Santiago sisters. Dindin stands at 6'2" and her younger, 17-year old sister Jaja is even taller at 6'4" so their presence at net is just so ominous. Nevertheless, Ateneo did put up a valiant fight and even led 24-22 in the fourth set before NU shifted gears. Still it was a good season for both finalists.

I'm also happy that UST placed third. Aiza Maizo from UST has always been one of my favorite players and while she was unable to play in today's battle for third, it was great to see her play again for UST during the season. I do understand though that she didn't really play in the last 2 years so obviously her current form isn't exactly what it was when she was the Shakey's V-League MVP a few years ago. Nevertheless, it was still watch her incredible skills on court and I'm pleased that she helped UST to a third place finish.

Collegiate volleyball, or more specifically women's collegiate volleyball, has now become extremely popular in the Philippines. This sport has been gaining popularity over the last few years and now, marquee matches can now easily fill large venues like MOA Arena and Araneta Coliseum. The UAAP Season 75 Women's Volleyball wrapped up a few months ago and to keep the momentum going, the Shakey's V-League kicked off almost immediately. The DLSU Lady Spikers didn't participate in the V-League - I guess their trimester set-up means they have classes while everyone else is on summer vacation - but the rest of the top five UAAP teams were there: Ateneo, Adamson, NU, and UST. The interesting thing about the V-League is that it pits the UAAP teams against other schools like University of Perpetual Help, Arellano, and San Sebastian College.

Interestingly enough, the UAAP teams dominated the V-league. NU was arguably last season's most improved team in the UAAP and their semifinal appearance there has clearly helped their confidence and experience here. 6'4" Jaja Santiago has been a tremendous addition to the NU squad and I wouldn't be surprised if they make it to the UAAP finals next year and win the championship. In any case, I am definitely looking forward to seeing more volleyball on TV and I eagerly anticipate future matches between DLSU and the new and improved NU.

Trying out a couple of new places

My friends and I decided to have dinner last night in the Bonifacio High Street area because we all haven't been out as a group in a while. Pia wanted us to try something new so when I stumbled upon a write-up about Stella Wood Fire Bistro while looking around in clickthecity, I suggested it. The menu looked interesting so we chose Stella as a our dinner venue.

Unfortunately, Raffa and I got pulled into a very urgent meeting at 8pm that night. I normally don't take any evening meetings on Fridays but this was very important so I had to make an exception. We decided to have dinner really early - at 6:30 PM - so that Raffa and I could have a quick meal, head back to work, then catch up with everyone over coffee or drinks. Since call time was a bit too early, most of the gang still wasn't there when we started. So Pia, Joh, Raffa, and I tried out a few items in the menu. I tried a bit of the Porchetta that Joh and Raffa ordered which was really good and I was happy with my Mediterranean Lamb "Shepherd's Stew". However, the truffled egg crostini though seemed a bit too expensive (not very good value for money in my opinion) and the Spanish Chorizo & Garlic Fried rice was a bit too oily with not much chorizo in it. As it turns out, Stella is part of the Raintree Restaurants group that includes Mr. Jones (one of my favorite restaurants), Momo Cafe, Museum Cafe, and Chelsea. I do like all these restaurants so I guess it's not a surprise that at least some of the menu items in Stella were also quite good.

The scariest moment of the evening happened when Raffa saw updates on his iPhone about an explosion in Serendra while we were in our meeting. As he saw it, he showed it to me and we both started calling our friends to see if they were okay. Apparently, both Joh and Pia actually saw the explosion but they weren't sure what it was. In fact, Pia thought it was just lightning. This explosion became (still is?) a trending topic on social media sites and the sad thing about it is that a few people died and a few more were injured. I read that the cause of the explosion is still unknown.

Anyway, once our meeting ended, Raffa and I were still able to rejoin the group for dessert at 2nd's, which is located where Mag:Net in Bonifacio High Street used to be. When we arrived, Me-Ann and Peegee were already with the gang although Chris and Shar had left due to another appointment. I ordered coffee and the Molten Amaretto Chocolate Cake (moist chocolate with a bittersweet ganache center served with raspberry chantilly cream). The waiter told me this was their bestseller which is why I tried it and it was pretty good.

We all called it a night a bit past eleven since a lot of folks had to get up early the next day. I am just happy that none of the gang was injured; after all, they weren't that far from the blast.