I swung by Ayala Triangle Gardens after a long day at the office last week, and man, it was exactly…read morewhat I needed. Grabbed a spot on one of the benches under the big trees, cracked open a book, and just let the city noise fade into the background while kids ran around laughing and joggers zipped by. The air actually felt fresher in there compared to the rest of Makati--huge green escape right in the middle of all the concrete. Ended up staying longer than planned, got an iced latte from one of the cafes, and watched the sunset hit those colorful "Make it Happen, Make it Makati" letters. Felt so peaceful and alive at the same time. Five stars, no question--I'll be back whenever I need to recharge without leaving the CBD.

Just got back from a quick evening stroll through Ayala Triangle Gardens and honestly, it never…read moredisappoints. After being stuck in back-to-back meetings all day, I needed somewhere to clear my head without fighting traffic out of the CBD. Found a quiet corner near the fountain, plugged in my favorite playlist, and just watched the lights start twinkling as the sun went down. The place was alive but not chaotic--couples walking hand in hand, groups of friends laughing over takeout, a few serious runners circling the paths. Grabbed a cold calamansi drink from one of the stalls and sat there longer than I meant to, feeling the stress literally melt away. That big colorful "Make it Happen, Make it Makati" sign glowing against the skyline is such a vibe too. It's the perfect little pocket of calm in the middle of all the hustle. Easily five stars--can't wait to swing by again soon.

A great view look out from my window to overlook the park and Salcedo village!…read more I try not to enter inside the park though. Too many kids and grandparents sitting on the ground in this park.

Don't ask me how I got here. I used to live in Makati but I still get lost. I'm blaming the…read morebuildings, they're too tall. And the sun. It was too bright. OK fine it was my fault. I have no sense of direction. So yes, I was walking helplessly along HV Dela Costa, looking for a sign, maybe an underpass or anything that says "you're in Ayala! You're not lost!" to no avail. I have cellular data on my phone and stupidly forgot to use it. When I stumbled upon the park, I was like "OMG MAY MAUUPUAN NA RIN!" but my dreams were easily crushed by the lack of benches. There was a good-looking playground but it felt a little creepy since no kid was playing. The park looks wider than it already is. Maybe because I'm petite lol. Or I could be right. If they build more benches I'd go here more often, just to get our of ATG for a chance.

YMCA Binondo is possibly one of the best places you can get your swim on if you're into exercising…read morewithout the sweat, like me (I'm not a swimmer though, but I can probably swim 500 meters or so, with coffee breaks in between lol--kidding!) Anyway, the first time I went here was when a humble triathlete had a swimming fundraising to help out street animals. Being slightly involved in the event, I found out that YMCA allows these kinds of things to be held there, provided that there are proper arrangements (permits, letters, etc) made like two months or so in advanced. It's a plus, because when they know it's for a cause, they will allow you to use the pool! The 25-meter pool is located at the ground floor, which is the only area I've actually explored in the place. It's the perfect place to do your laps though, especially on a Sunday morning when the pool is almost vacant, or at least during the Sundays that I've been there. The catch though--the water is super cold! For people whose bodies are not used to swimming in these waters, you'd end up shivering after a bit--like me!

My best friend got married here. I thought he proposed too early but I guess I just acted like a…read morejealous friend. I didn't want the fun times to end, not when I was still single and "out there". He and I would always surf together and the reality was it was not going to be like that any longer. Marriages destroy friendships because it's supposed to, especially if the friendship is between a man and a woman. So on the day of his wedding, I made my way to Paco Church and watched as their union came to be and in an instant, my negativity turned into pure happiness for the two. There was something about the church - the trees, the cobblestone steps, the mossy walls, the aged pathways, it somehow had an effect on me and by the time I had left the church, I was already imagining being a ninang to their future child and the 4 of us surfing together in our homebreak.

This is a perfect place for budding photographers who want to explore their creativity. This old…read morecemetery where Dr. Jose Rizal was once buried has a lot of good spots for portrait photography. Some photographers actually use this vintage place for prenuptial photography. If you are a photographer and you consider this place for your next location for your client, make sure to have the right permit for your purpose. The permit can be requested at their office that can be found near the entrance. I cannot remember how much is the permit to do pictorial there right now. However if you're only taking photos of your friends and anything that is not profitable, you only need to pay for the minimum entrance fee.

Marikina has many small parks featuring benches and some greenery. One of the many is the Marikina…read moreFreedom Park located across the city hall and the post office. Here, benches outnumber the trees and the ground has been covered with concrete. Yet these features allow the park to host activities people won't normally do on a soil-covered ground. In fact, this park is often always busy. Groups of students come here to practice dances and other kinds of presentations. It makes sense because in the Freedom Park they can sit on the benches when they get tired practicing. The solid ground allows them to jump and move around. The Freedom Park is also the venue for the yearly Sapatos Festival, a tiangge where various Marikina shoe brands are sold. Recently, it made the news for hosting a free viewing of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

I always pass by the Marikina Freedom Park (almost everyday) pero lately ko lang napansin na may…read morepangalan pala siya. Kaloka! Hahaha! Kapag park kasi ang naiimagine ko medyo grassy tapos may playground kahit maliit lang siya at may mga naglalampungan sa gilid. SIGE, MABUNTIS KA NIYAN ATE. But the Marikina Freedom Park is different, it's a small "park" na aakalain mong daanan lang sa una pero may mga benches naman na pwede pa rin tambayan. (Marami pa rin naglalandian dito. Choz!) Very useful yung park na 'to lalo sa mga students kasi madalas siyang gawing venue for practices ng sayaw, etc. Para sa mga may kumikitang kabuhayan naman, alive na alive rin kayo dito kasi maya't maya nagkakaroon ng bazaar/ tiangge sa area! Although the park is small, I think malaking tulong siya kasi malapit sa palengke, Sports Center, schools at maraming tindahan kaya may place para makapahinga yung mga tao kapag pagod na sila kakaikot at pwede rin gawing venue for meet-ups, why not diyan tayo mag-date diba! The best part ng park? MAY Wi-Fi!!! ANSABE NG PHONE MONG WALANG LOAD PANG-NET GIRL.

This is a safe place for children to play in. There are a handful of major parks in the Makati area…read morethat are great for children, among my favorites is Salcedo Park. On Saturdays, they hold the weekend market right beside it so you can spend a little time shopping and a few hours playing with your kid. I love their playground area because they use high-quality materials - none of those dangerous stainless steel slides that rust over time. They use fiberglass and plastic materials for most of their play areas. The flooring along the play area also uses cork material so even if kids fall or tumble, they are relatively safe. Then there's the wide area for grass and lush trees where you could have a nice little family picnic with your Salcedo Market purchases, just bring a blanket and you can have a great family weekend.

The best time to visit the Salcedo Park (which is actually the Jaime C. Velasquez Park) is at…read morearound 2 p.m. because it's not too hot anymore. This is also the time the Salcedo Market ends, so there are less people around the place. I like to take my daughter on play dates to the playground during the weekend, and she tires herself on the numerous slides before we head out once the 4 p.m. crowd comes pouring in. When my daughter is busy with her jungle gym session, I like to take a walk across the park to grab some Starbucks or catch up on some work on one of the benches. I like the sense of security and community that the Salcedo Park has, so time spent there makes for leisurely and productive afternoons. Maybe next time I'll bring some rubber shoes and do a little jog around the park, though!

The Quezon Memorial Circle is a National Park and Shrine right smack in the middle of a traffic…read morecenter. The most arresting sight in this park is the Quezon Memorial Shrine, which is the rocketship/Mordor-like structure at the center of the whole place. The park is what we can generously call "gloriously chaotic", as this is a favorite hangout of the residents of Quezon City (When they're not malling). The Circle (As the locals call it) is definitely the sum of its parts. Individually, nothing really stands out. The restaurant and food booths are just okay, the various shopping bazaars that dot the park are just okay, the leisure attractions are just okay, and the various nature reserves are just okay. But, when you consider that all of these elements and attractions are packed together in one area, that's where the Circle becomes awesome. This place was built with local tourism in mind, and foreigners may find the place confusing and unwieldy to navigate, especially during weekends. However, you will get the hang of it and you will find something to enjoy. Whether it's the various food choices inside the park, or the bike lanes, or scoping out the rather impressive memorial, or simply finding a quiet pocket of nature to chill out in, the Quezon Memorial Circle has something for everybody.

Despite (and sometimes because of) its location, I actually admire the Quezon Memorial Circle (aka…read moreCircle). It's like an oasis in the traffic desert consisting of the major roads to and from every corner of Quezon City. The QMC houses the Pres. Manuel L. Quezon mausoleum, a sixty-three meter pointy structure that looks a lot like Mordor. Also, much like Mordor, one does not simply walk into the Circle--you have to use to the underpass. Don't worry though, it's very safe and doesn't reek of hobo piss! On Sundays, the QMC is filled with joggers (although the terrain is not really that jogger-friendly, IMO), health buffs using the free improvised gym equipments (I don't know how else to put it-- those metal thingies that help you do pull-ups and stuff), and families enjoying mid-morning picnics.

This humble park sits in the heart of Ortigas' business center, and no doubt pretty popular for…read morehumans "native" to the area. But it was more than just a park to me (or to my friends). We had a lot of crazy memories here. Most notable would be one summer night when we got kicked out of my friend's house...after having a noisy marathon of Supernatural and pigging out on home-made tacos (gee, if I was the man of the house, I would've kick out the crazy kids outside my room too!) Anyway, we packed up our food, the huge grocery bag of chips and drinks and dips and headed off to--you guessed it--Ortigas Park! We actually looked like hobos having picnic outside the surrounding upscale foodplaces, which is kinda embarrassing, but not one of us gave a shizzle. And who would've thought having a picnic there is allowed? The guards patrolling the area were giving us weirded-out looks but not one told us to get the party out. Perhaps because we had our own trash bags? Hey, we love the environment! It was a funny night, until it rained, and we all have to move to Strata for shelter and eventually back to the condo. Ortigas park isn't just fun at evenings, though. I love staying there during mornings too! In my lonesome, I chill here with a sketchpad to brainstorm on new dresses. The daylight just brings out my spirit all the time, and if I'm feeling for some coffee, I will just hop right in Coffee Bean. I wish Ortigas Park will remain essentially the same, and not built-on, somehow. Because that would totally suck. It's one of the few parks that holds a dear place in my heart!

Oritgas Park is slightly less "extravagant" and quite smaller than other parks in highly urban…read moreareas, like Ayala Triangle Gardens. There's not that many people there, there's fewer trees, and the only establishments are the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf there, unless you wanna walk towards Ortigas Jr Road and their assortment of Fast Food Restaurants. But that's exactly why I love it. When it comes to parks, I like quiet ones. Ones with fewer people, where I could sit with some coffee and listen to some music. And that's exactly why Ortigas Park is probably the park for me. I absolutely love looking at the waterfall, the ambiance of the wooden benches, and basically how completely quiet the place is during the night time. It's also a really solid study/work spot for me. I've written 3000 words on one of those Coffee Bean tables before. If you like quieter places, then I suggest Ortigas Park!