There seems to be a whole slew of independent groups organizing one or two day pop-up shopping…read moreevents these days. Personally, I feel that there are only quite a few that are actually worthy of a visit. One of them is The Caravan, which is a lifestyle market that usually pops up at the Proscenium's Kirov Model Unit located beside the Rockwell Tent at the Power Plant Mall. Usually a two-day affair, The Caravan has a carefully and thoughtfully curated group of vendors selling one-of-a-kind home décor, beautiful jewelry, clothes, accessories, locally produced beauty products and even artisanal food choices. I'm not exactly sure what their schedule is, but The Caravan usually happens twice or thrice a year. For a better gauge of their schedule, it would be good to start following them on their Instagram account - @thecaravanph.

Yabang Pinoy is a collective of like-minded individuals who are in the pursuit of Filipino…read moreexcellence. They passionately support Filipino products, ideas and services and work hard to instill a concept of pride in Filipinos, old and young alike. Founded in 2005, they became the pioneers in the Filipino pride movement, working mostly with Filipino youth to get their message across. A few times a year, Yabang Pinoy plays hosts to the Global Pinoy Bazaars, a series of shopping fairs and fund-raising events that highlight proudly Filipino-made products, brands and concepts to the interested public. Without a doubt, these bazaars are proof that Filipino brands can complete at the global stage. So if you're curious to see what your creative fellowmen have to offer, a visit to the Global Pinoy Bazaars is a must. To ensure that you get the schedule of bazaars, make sure to sign up for the Yabang Pinoy newsletter at yabangpinoy.com.

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!

Whitespace Manila is one of those huge, sterile warehouse-type places that often house grand art…read moreexhibits, concerts, and occasional pop-up bazaars. While I have been here a couple of times, my most memorable experience at Whitespace must have been when I saw the Lemonheads perform live in Manila. The great thing about Whitespace as a music venue is that it's not too large, but not too small - perfect for housing indie rock bands, or in the case of the Lemonheads, grunge bands undergoing a sort of renaissance period in their careers. I must commend the air conditioning at Whitespace, because even during the Lemonheads' performance, the body heat from all the other people wasn't enough to drown out the coldness of the venue. Whitespace is large enough to walk around and have a good amount of personal space from other people - it hardly gets packed to uncomfortable capacity, making it a perfect place to host bazaars and exhibits. It even served as a headquarters for packing relief goods during Typhoon Yolanda. I quite enjoy Whitespace because it is a great venue that fulfills artsy purposes, and does not make the visitor feel cramped and unhappy.

Whitespace Manila is the perfect example of "Build it and they will come". A huge warehouse…read moreconverted into an event space, Whitespace has played host to a series of high profile events, concerts, and markets. Whitespace has a bit of the snob factor working for it as they highly curate the events they stage in the premises. Because they do that, Whitespace has an unmistakable look of cool around it. Whitespace is actually two sections that can be used separately, or can be combined as one big space, depending on your needs. The structure itself is impressive and well maintained. My only beef with Whitespace is its accessibility, as commuters can only access it via jeep from the Magallanes MRT station. Having said that, it's not too difficult to get there. On a personal note, Whitespace will always be special to me as I did my first live coverage of a concert on Whitespace, a Wolfgang concert.

We arrived to Legazpi Sunday Market around 10am and it was already bustling with people, especially…read morearound all the food stalls. It was nice to see a variety of things to eat or drink and even purchase like handmade clothing, bags, and trinkets. Since the market is right by the park, you have access to the restrooms and places to sit and eat. So we ended up staying in this area for a good few hours. We had a pleasant time, so we highly recommend checking it out!

Outstanding Sunday market if you want to stroll a bit and have a bite. The vendors were all…read moreextremely friendly, especially the chicharron tita who adopted me on the spot. While it initially appears very small, it's like Harry Potter waved his wand with the spell to make the inside of the tents bigger. It was a veritable maze of delicious goodies. Great spot to walk off a long flight and take in the local eats.

Fab is a little wing in Robinsons Metroeast mall where they have a bunch of clothes, shoes, and…read moreaccessories stores selling some unique items you don't see in the usual tiangge. It's like a more curated bazaar where spaces are taken up by independent shops more than just resellers. They don't have dirt-cheap items, but it's all still very much affordable! There are some recognizable shops like Girlshoppe but there are many other interesting shops that have unique, nice looking, custom products like The Heel Project Manila. They have durable, nicely designed heels and sandals that they make themselves from their factory in Marikina! You can even have one specially-designed for you alone. There's another store that makes nice swimwear for around 500 for the whole set! There's another that has 80s and 90s style shirts and sweaters that would work great for fun themed parties, hahah. Most of the stores generally design and make their own items. You can stock up on both trendy pieces and well-made basics to add to your wardrobe!

Recently, a new community organization called The Block Party began hosting a series of fun pop-up…read moreevents in Makiling Park in Ayala Alabang Village. In this particular pop-up, you'll find lots of great food, artisanal and crafty finds that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. To add another cool element to the pop-up, a small "barnyard"/petting zoo where kids can play with some farm animals was also set up. Pop-up events have been taking place all around the city recently and personally, I think the The Block Party has been the most fun, family-oriented one of the whole bunch. It almost feels as if you're in a big party in a good friend's backyard. What I particularly like about the event is meeting the artsy vendors who were selling their crafty pieces, lovingly made by their very own hands. From posters to cards, to framed artwork and graphic novels, to leather goods and glassware made out of old bottles, The Block Party was filled to the brim with a lots of cool, creative finds. The organization has only put up two very successful pop-ups and with the turnout and success of the events, I only hope that they continue organizing the coolest block parties in the South.

Who says socks can't be a fashion statement? Iconic Socks is a kiosk located at the UP Town Center…read moreMall that sells socks in a variety of cool and hip designs. Ranging from shin-high to ankle socks, this store will actually make you want to invest in them. The socks are pricey though, but hey, what can you expect from something so well designed? There's just too much to choose from actually! It actually makes you rethink their functionality.

Who says socks have to look plain and boring? Proppy Socks, the portmanteau result of Proper x…read morePreppy, combines the dressy and "proper" look of office attire with the laidback and "preppy" comfort of casual wear. Having recently opened their pop-up at Power Plant earlier this June, Proppy Socks displays a more upbeat and colorful approach to socks that you can wear for any occasion, be it a morning walk or a wedding. Designs can range from classy to eccentric, or both. You might see your typical dotted and striped socks hanging on one corner of the shop, then not too far away, brightly-colored socks featuring 8-bit farm animals like cows, pigs, and chickens. On a nautical note, there are even designs of cartoon lobsters, sailboats, and...divers? I'm not making this up. The inevitable downside? Although they can be snug and comfortable, one pair of socks costs P349. However, Proppy Socks has just the right balance of style and flair that allows you to bring it in a dapper kind of way. With 87% cotton and 100% proppy factor, these socks make me want to grab a shiny pair of oxfords to match.

I do catering for corporate and private events and I've seen my fair share of event spaces. I've…read morehad qualms with some of them, and others made it very difficult for me to execute the dishes for the event. At Century Mall, you can find a very decent event space. Events Center at Century City Mall is a 400 sqm plus events space with an adjacent 100 sqm plus al fresco area. It can comfortably seat 200 to 250 people and 300 to 350 people standing up. Air temperature is not a problem because they have more than enough air conditioning units. Every Sunday, the mall hosts Catholic masses in this space. This space is located at the 5th floor of the mall, right beside 12 Monkeys. I love the service pantry and kitchen that this space provides. It's all fitted with stainless steel counters and cabinets that rival professional kitchens. Century Mall is strict when it comes to heating equipment though: only electric appliances are allowed. There's also a male and female toilet available inside the space. Take away: the Events Center of Century City Mall should be a candidate for all your events space needs because of their awesome layout, high ceilings, and nice views.

I have only fond memories of the Events Center at the uppermost floor of Century City Mall because…read moreit was there that I watched Tofff De Venecia's staged reading of "The Glass Menagerie," one of my favorite plays written by the American playwright Tennessee Williams. Against a minimalistic backdrop displaying no more than a giant frame and white blocks to imply a living room, the actors had read their lines from the script with such emotion and vivacity that I now see the Events Center as a place where people are free to express themselves as they choose, to applaud and laugh should the occasion arise. It was really enchanting to see this particular interpretation and production of "The Glass Menagerie" come alive at the Events Center, and with such a bare yet evocative set, a space that could easily function as a performing arts venue as well as a spot for a press release. Also, they gave away free Krispy Kreme donuts that night, which pretty much clinches it for me.