Okay, so the Albert Avellana Art Gallery isn't the easiest to come to. Especially on a Friday…read morenight, especially when there's a storm and especially when you don't' have a car. But I had to be there, it was my bestfriend's exhibit and I promised her that I would not miss it. So, after a cab ride that I had walked out from right on bumper to bumper EDSA, a 15-minute walk to the MRT, a 40-minute sardine ride in it and a 20-minute cab ride driven by a sketchy driver, I finally made it. Walking into the compound made me feel like I was in 1950s old Manila. With a slew of wooden houses enveloped by gardens and trees-it was exactly how I imagine old-fashioned Manila to have been. The gallery is a charming old space filled with retro-modern functional art and being inside the compound made me forget the diesel fumes and blaring horns outside.

I love Henry Sy. The…read morefirst time I went to DLSU, I was super starstruck by the building. I saw it with this "OOOO SHINY BUILDING SO COOL" look in my eyes at first. Eventually, the sheen wore off and I started to not like the building so much, mostly because the escalators tend to be kind of annoying and the aircon is too cold sometimes. I think I just kind of got cynical. In retrospect, Henry Sy Sr. Hall is probably one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen in the Philippines. First off, the facade is awesome. Just, the way it looks is so pretty and it's impossible to not be amazed with it when you see it. And when you get inside, the fact that there's a Coffee Bean smack dab in the first floor of the library (or "the learning commons lol) is pretty bad ass for me. Even better is the bean bag corner in the 5th floor where I've taken a nap more than once. And for a film junkie like me, the comprehensive collection of films, old and new alike, you can borrow on the 6th floor for internal viewing are amazing. But the best part of Henry Sy is by far the American corner. If you go to the top floor of the library and walk a bit, you will find yourself in a room with a flat screen TV, beanbags, board games, and movies that you can borrow to watch in the room. Basically, there's a full fledged recreation center INSIDE THE LIBRARY. The first time I went there, we watched Let Me In, gore and murder scenes uncensored. It felt like we were in someone's house chilling, but we were actually in the fucking library. All DLSU freshmen - this is the place to be.

If you want to see something that'll change your life, catch a show by the Quezon City Performing…read moreArts. You have dance performances and music as well, but here's the clincher - these kids are street children. QCPA gets them off the street and grants them a scholarship that puts them in the theater or in the dance studio. Funded by the Quezon City government in hopes they'll pursue careers in the arts, most of these kids come from families that can't afford to send them to school, buy a house, or even feed them regularly. They could have been drug dealers, slaves to physical or sexual abuse, or worse, but this foundation transforms their lives and instead teaches them to play the guitar, to sing, and to pirouette. Through the QCPA Development Foundation, the scholars have led better lives. They have had the chance to travel, study, and earn money to support themselves and their families. Dancing, singing, making music, and creating art becomes their way out of all their hardships. To see them perform onstage and smiling, knowing the past they have, is beautiful. It really shows what a difference art can make to save this country.

The University of the Philippines is known for pushing the boundaries in various fields. The UP…read moreDance Company is made up of the students of the Dance program in the College of Music. They perform inside and outside the campus, and join dance festivals locally and internationally as well. A group of young dancers and aspiring choreographers, the UP Dance Company specializes in contemporary dance and improvisation. Their dancers are trained intensively in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance. Most of their company members are also adept at Philippine folk dance and incorporate it in their dances. As their campus encourages, the themes of their pieces are usually statements on important issues in society and culture. Their shows are often unconventional and on the radical side of the dance world, and not your typical proscenium stage productions. The UP Dance Company holds shows regularly to train and expose their dancers to the life of a professional artist. Their shows are usually very affordable, especially within campus grounds. Be sure to catch them if you're ready for something different in dance!

I first found out about the School of Design and Arts' Museum of Contemporary Art and Design when I…read moregot lost while looking for the bathroom. I opened the wrong door and - voila! - there's a naked dude pretending to be a statue (not naked naked, he had a sort of a tea cozy on his equipment because this was still a Catholic school), among other exhibitions. I learned that day that the College of Saint Benilde had its own museum, and that the exhibits were mostly occupied by the students of the School of Design and Arts, as well as the occassional famous person. I thought it was really cool, and I ended up getting a selfie with the naked dude statue because why the hell not.

MCAD is a really beautiful space for art. I'm not sure the students at Benilde, La Salle, and St…read more Scho know how lucky they are to be in such close proximity to a gallery that, though still pretty young, manages to hold beautiful, interesting exhibits of artists from all over. The last show I've seen was the one-man exhibit of Paul Pfeiffer, entitled Vitruvian Figure, and there has not been a better use of MCAD's hugeness in a while. Recreations of the Philippine arena, a moving image of a sunrise/sunset, and a dark theater screening of a spoken word choir performance echoing the video installations outside really drove the point home of how greatly the museum space elevates the art housed within it. What's great too is that they involve the CSB student body by giving some the opportunity to be mediators and engage visitors by speaking about the works and answering questions about them. It's a pretty cool thing, as it allows people to have a more personal exchange with the works there. I'm glad they've gotten their own entrance along one of the side roads now. Though I fear for the open shelving they have as their bag deposit, it does open the museum a little more to the public. MCAD brims with so much possibility and I look forward to my next visit.

I just recently discovered the Gateway Gallery the other day and it was such a great surprise that…read moreI did! On the 5th floor of the new wing of Gateway Mall is a topiary garden and a huge gallery, I'm here so often I didn't know it existed! The gallery is now home to "Sining Saysay," a great exhibit of mural sized paintings about the Heritage of the Filipino People. Created by some very talented artists from UP Fine Arts, not just the size but the craftsmanship in each artwork will leave you in awe! A favorite of mine was the first one on the left, a creative expression of how our first ancestors documented daily life and stories. I also fell in love with the third one, I was so amazed how I felt so much movement in a still painting! The gallery is free, so there's no excuse not to come by! Also, May is Heritage Month, take the time to get a little cultured!

Such a cool gallery! I normally just pass through Gateway mall when needing to transfer from the…read moreLRT to the MRT and never knew about this place until a friend mentioned it. Their current exhibit "Sining Saysay" is super engaging, with thoughtful and informative captions to accompany these huge murals that depict the history of the Philippines. I love that entrance is free and open to the public, it's a great space to be able to reflect and enjoy some amazing art. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for for their next exhibit!

From ballet lessons, watching plays, and hanging out during breaks, to graduating high school,…read moreAssumpta Theatre will always have a special place in my heart. We have performed numerous times on stage before. I made a quick Google search and found this on Yelp. Oh, my childhood, how it flew by. I hope the next coming students find a way to love our home and find that it is their home, too.

This theater is an official satellite venue of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which is why…read moreit's called the "CCP of the East." It was built and inaugurated in the early 2000s and has since put on many shows and performances both by the local school community and the neighboring communities. I personally have fond memories of playing an Annie orphan, a King & I princess, a stone-faced Singkil fan-dancer, and doing countless chorale shows and ballet recitals in the past, heehee! It's a beautiful theater and visiting theater companies, musical artists, and touring shows have performed here, wonderfully bringing cultural education and exposure over to the folks at the East side of Manila. No need to go all the way downtown! The massive Assumpta is a fully functional performance venue with modern light & sound equipment, a large stage with stage wings and a docking area at the back; there's an orchestra pit, air-conditioned dressing rooms with their own bathrooms, a nice big lobby, and guest comfort rooms. The theater seats over 2,000 guests! It's pretty novel to have this kind of venue on this side of town, so a lot of schools and organizations from around the area have taken it up on its facilities for graduations, their own productions, and other events. You can just call the school to inquire about renting because they're very open for that.

I pride myself on having an excellent sense of direction, especially in Metro Manila. However, when…read morea friend of mine told me we were going to Tago, my inner GPS completely conked out. Tago's name is apt, then, because the bar is completely tago (hidden) somewhere in Cubao! The place itself hosts no gaudy signage. In fact, you'll be hard-pressed to find it if you've never been. Giving directions to tago is a BITCH! But it's absolutely worth it. The bar itself is small, and the outdoor area is narrow. Frequented mostly by jazz musicians and fans, Tago is an intimate little hideaway in Quezon City that's mostly for friends and fans. No annoying young millennials to be seen here, folks! It's all a bunch of old, funny farts who play really excellent music, and the retired hipster in me likes it this way. There's something comfortable about a place that doesn't require you to dress to the nines because you're not there to impress anyone. You're there to watch a fantastic show, and you are always guaranteed a good time. This is because the patrons are passionate about what they do, and when they go on stage, it is immediate the moment the first chord is strummed, or the first drumbeat is banged.

They weren't kidding when they decided to call it Tago Jazz Cafe. First of all, it was pretty…read moredifficult to find. Okay, granted that my friend who brought me there was just guessing directions, it would have taken some guessing regardless. Don't expect outdoor signage or anything fancy to let you know that you have arrived; Tago, after all, exists for the art, not for the attention. It is real music for real music lovers. My visit was an outlier to the more regular patrons who frequent Tago. They are serious jazz enthusiasts, all from a tight-knit community of savants and seasons musicians. All that talent convened in just one tiny place is both intimidating and humbling. I would compare the experience to seeing Julliard-trained talent performing on the street corners of New York City: overflowing talent, yet so understatedly served. On the one hand, I wish there were more places like Tago, or that people knew how to appreciate jazz and jazz bars more. On the other hand, all that attention might mean losing the charm and intimacy that tiny Tago provides its best patrons.