Who hasn't heard about Maginhawa? Seriously?…read more PROS: It has the perfect balance of the residential- and commercial-area feel that a middle-class millennial like me is looking for while gearing up and growing up into an adult; If you haven't heard, Maginhawa houses lots of restaurants that are NOT franchises or chain ones, but small- and medium-enterprises by young professionals. It's a "for the yuppies, by the yuppies" kind of place that has all kinds of eateries, in every form of quirk and theme. There's a food fest by October too. Aw yeah; It's perfectly accessible to and from a lot of places. CONS: It's not as urban as Makita with its high rise condos and corporate offices a few steps away, nor is it some gated subdivision with tight security. As the tarpaulins state, "Mag-ingat sa basag kotse." TL;DR: Maginhawa is home. I've always been thinking that if I could relocate anywhere in Metro Manila, I'd still be perfectly happy here in Teachers Village.

Living very near the Tomas Morato strip has been amazing. This foodie haven means a wide array of…read morefood choices to satisfy every craving. So when I found out that the company that I will be working for is located along Maginhawa, I was extremely excited. I have never really tried roaming around the strip so this was my chance to do so. My office mates and I vowed to try at least one new restaurant a week, but failed to do so. Not only did we keep going back to our favourites, eating out too often was hard on the wallet. Thankfully, most of the restaurants offer student-budget prices. My favourites would have to be Katsu Café, Gerry's Jeepney, Pino, Rodic's , Jeck's Ku-Bo, and Crepeman. I have yet to try so many restaurants on my list, and the list just keeps on getting longer because it seems like there is a new restaurant opening every week.

The Sidcor Market I grew up with can be found in EDSA corner Main Avenue--the current location of…read moreHypermarket Cubao. As far as I can recall, it was 8 years ago when it was launched again in Centris. I often visit every Sunday morning for my favorite Empanada, Pad Thai, and Buco Sherbet. This is home to a variety of food selection from regional cuisines to international flavors. Sidcor is also a great source of fresh produce, organic vegetables, and fruits. The price is at par with local neighborhood palengke and definetely cheaper than supermarket. Sidcor is open from 6:00am to 1:00pm but fresh market's stocks runs out easily. Be sure to arrive earlier. There are a lot of parking spaces available at Sidcor as well. Commuters can take the Quezon Avenue MRT station. It's a walk away from the train stop.

Spent a Sunday morning here is fun. Here you have 2 prices,…read morelocal and expat. Unlike in salcedo sat market, here you can find avocado for 150/kg, while it's 250-300php in salcedo! You can also find quite good collection of plants to decorate your home. Super hot though!!! But will come back!

KNL means Krus na Ligas and it's one of the communities that's in UP Diliman's immediate vicinity…read more My brother would joke that the posh subdivision beside Teachers Village is Cayénelle. We've called it like that ever since. PROS: Next to inside campus dorms, rent and bedspace are cheapest here in KNL. A lot of students board in houses in this area. Since it houses students and families as well, it has a lot of small businesses offering various services - laundry services, computer shops, grocery and sari-sari stores, cheap restaurants and carinderias, even vulcanizing shops for tricycles. There's also a Catholic church, their barangay hall, and the community park. CONS: It's difficult to walk at night alone, especially if you're a woman and especially if you're in KNL. There will be drunk men on the street catcalling and gazing; The streets are very narrow and crowded with people and vehicles. It's difficult even for tricycles to maneuver their vehicles, so don't even think of driving inside here; This is a lower-middle to low-end type of community that has a number of informal settlers. Being sosyal and conyo has no place in this area. But if you can koboy it, then grin and bear the place. It has cheap everything. TL;DR: If getting the cheapest place to live outside of campus is your objective, not minding security nor convenience, then you may take a look around KNL for a boarding house or apartment.

KNL o Krus Na Ligas ang pinaka maliit at astig na komunidad sa Diliman. Kahit may pagka-ghetto ang…read morelugar, matatalino naman ang nakatira. Dito nangungupahan ang karamihan sa UP students ng murang dormitoryo, apartment at bed space. Ilan din sa mga magulang dito ay may mga anak na nag-aaral sa UP. Maliit, masikip at walang maluwag na daan sa loob ng Krus Na Ligas dahil hindi nawawalan ng mga sasakyan na nakapark sa gilid ng kalsada. Sa kabila ng pagigig maliit, nagawa pa rin iting tayuan ng sariling simbahan, eskwelahan at maliit na talipapa. Dahil maraming estudyante sa lugar, nagkakaroon na rin ngayon doon ng mga maliliit local food establishments at karinderya--mayroong milk tea, burger at iba pang miryenda. Kaya talagang buhay na buhay ang kugar na ito sa araw. Huwag nga lang magpapagabi dito dahil medyo nakakatakot maglakad ng isa lalo kung tulog na ang mga tao. May mga kaso na rin kasi ng hold-up na naitala dito.

These aren't necessarily on the walls along Katipunan avenue, but a set of street art found in the…read morevicinity of UP Diliman's Shopping Center. So it's still technically "UP Campus Graffiti." PROS: A work by my favorite artist collective ever, Gerilya? YES, PLEASE! These people mostly hail from UP FA but you could see their work even outside campus. I saw them first on this old overpass on Philcoa. Sadly, the bridge was already demolished, along with their Andres Bonifacio street mural. My all-time favorite would be their print, Balasang Boombox. Check them out on Tumblr; The other set in front of Shopping Center has been a canvas for different graffiti pieces. It first had "You either win or you learn," which was then painted over with "You either win or you die," and then finally with "You either win in the revolution or die in submission." As of today, there is a different set of street art painted on those yero walls - colorful sea creatures and beautiful maidens. I hope I could find out who the artist/s is/are soon. CONS: Some naysayers say that graffiti is vandalism - it damages private/public property. I, however, have a different point of view. Street art is different from vandalism. When people destroy properties - like burning portions of walls or breaking glasses or painting messages of hate - then that's vandalism. Graffiti such as these, on the other hand, have aesthetics attached to them. Art evokes feelings and reactions, and if paintings on the street do, then they are art. Yes, even if they're just gang signs and names. Ever heard of Banksy? He writes his name on walls too, but it is art. Like auction-selling art. This is the type of art that is accessible and non-elitist, and I wish Manila would have more street art, especially those that are socially relevant and thought-provoking. TL;DR: I simply love how UP is home to wonderful street art.

Ang sabi ng ilan, mababang anyo ng visual arts ang Graffitti; vandalism nga ito kung ituring ng…read moreiba. Madalas tayong makakita nito sa kalsada at iba't-ibang bahagi ng syudad. Sa loob ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, makikita sa pader ng UP Shopping Center, College of Fine Arts at Philcoa Overpass ang serye ng Graffitti ng Katipunan at ni Andres Bonifacio, gawa ng grupong Gerilya. Hindi lang basta Graffitti dahil mural na rin ito kung ituring, may layunin ang mga imaheng ito na muling ipaalala sa mga Pilipino ang kasarinlang nakamit ng bayan dahil sa mga Pilipinong lumaban at namatay sa digmaan. Abangan at lang dumadaan daan sa UP para makita ang susunod na tema ng gagawing graffitti ng Gerilya. Makikita rin ang iba pa nilang gawa sa underpass ng Quezon Avenue, The Collective sa Makati at sa mga kalye tuwing may mga protesta.

When I was still in college but decided to move out of mom's Caloocan place, I wanted to live…read moresomewhere near UP just so I don't have to wake that early for my morning classes. Fast forward years later, I've never left Teachers Village East even if my time in university has been over. PROS: I know the names of the street might be confusing for the first couple of years. But with all the booming activity, how could one really not know Maginhawa, Magiting, and Malingap? Teachers Village East houses these streets. And the food festival was held here as well. Restaurants, cafes, laundry shops, spas and salons, printing services, transportation access, this place has it; In spite of the development, this is still a residential area. Lots of apartments and townhouses are for rent/sale; This place is pretty accessible to at least 3 big universities, a handful of malls and churches, hospitals, and even a police headquarters. CONS: This is QC, and this is prime real estate. So expect prices for rent or leases to be expensive. One house for sale costs 14 million pesos; "Mag-ingat sa basag kotse," as indicated in the tarpaulin. Unless the place you'll be staying in has some form of security, try to avoid parking on the streets. It causes traffic and it puts you at risk. I've known two people who had their cars stolen in this barangay. TL;DR: Consider this place for in-the-middle-of-the-city but not too urban living. We're talking about accessibility to establishments but without the high-rise buildings and heavy traffic.

If Maginhawa Street was a person, it would be a pop-culture savvy foodie who is probably part of…read morethe academe. It probably has a bunch of tattoos and buys most of its clothing in thrift stores, too. Malingap Street would be its younger sibling, carving its niche in the world, just on the verge of hitting puberty - with all eyes on it. We know Maginhawa Street as the place to be in UP Village, but Malingap Street is gaining almost as much traction as its better-known older sibling. Here, you can find eateries of a wide range of cuisines, from Korean, Pinoy, Lebanese, Vegetarian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and so much more. Malingap Street is also home to The Z Compound, an intimate collective of eateries and drinking places where people of all stripes come to hang out and bond over a plate of bagnet on rice, a hot shawarma wrap, or a couple of bottles of beer. Before The Z existed, however, a lot of restaurants have found their home and a loyal fanbase there, including Don Day, an all-you-can-eat Korean buffet, breakfast places such as Pi Breakfast and Pies and Ally's. When you come to Malingap Street, it's impossible not to find something good to eat, or a place to hang out with your friends in a chill, relaxed setting.

I actually wrote an article about Malingap for Pepper.ph, which was a gig that I did a couple…read moremonths back. The research for the article brought me to a lot of places along Malingap street, and I must say it was a pretty good experience. I was able to make friends with a lot of the business owners around the area, and I love to think that the country is full of adventurous risk-takers who are willing to put their hard-earned money on the line to pursue their passions. Most of the businesses in Maginhawa and Malingap are mom-and-pop hole in the walls that started from really meager capital, and have grown into such well-loved names. I wrote in that article that if Maginhawa is popular because of it's tried-and-tested brands, Malingap is also worth trying because of the newer and more adventurous food choices. Of course, some of the restaurants, like Ally's and Uncle Moe's have been around for quite a while, but the shops and food stalls in The Z are still pretty much new. Pi Breakfast and Pies, Pino, and Pipino, which all come from the same family of restaurants and food ventures have also been satisfying tastes for quite some time now, and yet, many more restaurants have been popping up along the street. I love how the street is also expanding to cover the areas that are approaching Kalayaan. There is a newly-constructed building that is promising in its food-related tenants. There is now a Happy Thai branch (a local branch of the famous Thai-food place in Baguio's Ketchup Community) and a 24/hour sosy angus tapa place. The street has quite a variety in cuisine. There is typical Filipino fare alongside Thai, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex and Indian. I am glad that this eat street is just a couple blocks away from my place. Quite recently, there have been reports of theft, as snatchers are known to ride around the are on their motorcycles, so always be vigilant when you are walking along these streets.

10A Alabama is really difficult to find, at least at the time before I knew of Waze. It's a nice…read morequaint little home that frequently becomes a venue for art fairs. I'm a pretty artsy person, or rather, I love to appreciate artists by purchasing their work. The first time I went to the Art Fair that took place here, I got myself comic books, stickers, and a few postcards. Yup, I'm willing to splurge on things like that! I'm looking forward to future 10a Alabama events. You should too!

This unassuming little building, located in a bewildering maze of streets, has housed countless art…read morefairs. Trust me when I say it's a haven for artists and art lovers alike. There's a ton of cool, unique things like posters, notebooks, prints, and even handmade bracelets you can take home to add life to your room or give to a loved one who's sure to appreciate such a pretty and thoughtful gift. And for the creative types, you can stock up on your fancy brush tools here as well. Due to the distance, I've only been here once, but it was worth the trip and my friends and I agreed we should go back for another event!

When I was a freshman, the only reason I'd go to Katipunan was to get smashed at Drew's. Yes, I'm a…read morefailure. Years later, the place really evolved into this yuppie, all-around place where you could find some really cool restaurants or even just a place to get double-sided tape. PROS: Katipunan Avenue holds at least three big schools/universities, a church, a barangay hall, a mall, a myriad of restaurants, high-rise condos, and other establishments. There are lots of places where you could hang out with your friends, go on a date, chill by yourself, or even study. You could grab anything that you need in the stores along the area, like groceries, school supplies, and clothes. There are also local services for our every need, like laundry shops, tutorial centers, whatever you could think of. Katips has it. CONS: There will always be heavy traffic in this avenue, except maybe at around 11 at night to 5 in the morning. But during school days and rush hour, it is hellishly heavy and I try to avoid passing by Katips at all costs; It's a usual sight to see street kids begging for your food or for some change once you step outside an establishment. TL;DR: It's a god-send for everyone living in the area because of its establishments, but a curse for those needing to pass by it to get to Marikina or wherever.

The sheer size of the UP is mind-boggling. It's not surprising, I guess, for a Lasallian like…read moremyself to marvel at the expanse of the Diliman campus, since our campus along Taft Avenue is so cramped and crowded, without a tree in sight. So when my girlfriend took me on a walking tour of the University of the Philippines, I was like a kid on some school tour, pointing at random stuff and asking a whole bunch of questions, and requesting that we stop underneath huge trees just to enjoy the breeze and the leafy shade. Like some kid though, I got tired and irritable too, so my girlfriend took me to Area 2, which was an awesome idea. An ENTIRE street of cheap food. It's like Agno, but way, way better. I practically ran from one place to the next and then back again because I couldn't decide what to get. In the end, we sampled all of the food, and went home very, very happy.

The UP Diliman campus is almost synonymous with cheap and delicious food and none more so than the…read morefood strip known as Area 2. Specifically, the street's name is J.P. Laurel, but everyone on campus know it as the place to go for lutong bahay, milk tea, ice scramble, fruit shakes, rice meals, burgers... Basically, almost anything you could be craving. The Snack Shack is rarely seen without a waiting line, but the wait is worth it. Kainan Street offers rice meals, pizza and mojos with their own brew of bottomless iced tea that's really addicting on a hot day. TBA has mocktails in calamansi mint and dalandan basil, and Endless Summer Café's got thick and creamy milkshakes and sisig meals. And of course, there's no beating the street food standards - siomai rice meals, ice scramble, and lutong bahay. How cheap is cheap? The most affordable meals along this food strip range from P25-40, while those in the P120 range are already considered quite pricey. Hooray for student-friendly prices! So if you find yourself in UP, stop by Area 2, whether it's breakfast, lunch, merienda, or dinner. You're bound to find something you'll want to eat.