Bigfish is the pioneer group who started the EDM craze and rave parties around the Metro. They have…read moreconducted a lot of great events, raves, and parties throughout the years. They are very known for it. Bigfish is a very big name in the industry and reputation is just getting better and better. Towards the middle of the year, they organize one of the biggest events or raves. It's the first of the upcoming events they'll be organizing till the end of the year. This is called Innovation White. Every year, this is one of the expected big parties by Bigfish Manila. The cool thing is that they encourage everyone who's attending to wear white and true enough, most of the people really do. When you go to the venue (which is usually in World Trade Center), the place is filled with black lights so everyone wearing white glows! It's really cool seeing it and being there. The energy of the people is just really amazing and the music is really great! If you're a fan of the genres, I would assure you that you'd have a blast! The venue is decorated really well too. Every time I go, I just always have the best time with my friends!

I came here for the Japanese Film Festival to watch a free movie and was worried it might be…read morepacked. I got off the public transport at the UP Oval and walked here - enjoyed the breeze while walking under the shade of the trees. People in UP are generally helpful with directions. I miss my university days! The theatre was big and the seats were comfortable. It was also cold inside and security guards checked bags upon entry. My trip to this part of Metro Manila took about an hour and a half from Makati but it was well worth it.

I've been to the UP Film Institute during the 6th Brazilian Film Festival, organized by the UP…read moretogether with the Embassy of Brazil. I had the opportunity to met and talk with some professors and I got really impressed with their intelligence and enthusiasm. Students also seemed to be excited with the festival and were very engaged in the Q&A sessions after the exhibitions. What I like about the UP Film Institute is that they are always promoting workshops, seminars and other cultural activities, specially at Cine Adarna, the 800-seat university cinema located at the same building. I consider Adarna a great alternative to multiplex cinemas spread all over the malls. So if you want to go beyond the mainstream and check what's being produced here in the Philippines, just take a look at their events calendar. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the classes! UP Film Institute offers high-quality courses for both undergraduate and master's degrees : )

We visited the University of the Philippines to see the campus and connect with my wife's roots, as…read moreshe graduated from here. It was also a special trip to visit her aunt, who is a retired Dean. The campus itself is stunning, with lush greenery and a mix of historic and modern buildings that showcase its rich history and academic prestige. Walking around, you can really feel the vibrant atmosphere, with students, faculty, and visitors enjoying the open spaces and beautiful surroundings. We explored the iconic areas, like the famous UP Oblation and the scenic Sunken Garden, which added to the charm of the visit. It was a great experience to see where my wife spent her college years and to learn more about her family's connection to the university. If you have the chance to visit, whether for a tour or to revisit memories, the University of the Philippines is definitely worth a visit!

While visiting the Philippines, one of the stops we made during our trip there was to visit the UP…read more(University of the Philippines) campus. My cousin had the wonderful opportunity to complete her grad school studies at UP. Since she knew the layout of the land she offered to be our tour guide for the day. This campus is large and impressive. UP is full of greenspace (A rarity for Metro Manila) and the grounds make the perfect spot for leisurely picnics, events and outdoor sports. This school and Ateneo are one of the most challenging universities in the country to get into. Most graduates move on to live successful careers. This is a top tier public school where you can receive quality education for good value. If you have the opportunity to visit the UP campus come by and take in all the lovely sights. Points of interest: UP Oblation statue, UP Ikot, UP Sunken garden and UP Carillon tower.

Planning a wedding is very difficult. One of the many challenges is finding and comparing several…read moresuppliers from caterers to cake artists to event stylists to photographers and videographers to designers to make-up artists to printing presses to event planners. Good thing, there are wedding expos all year round. One of the bigger expos are the ones organized by Weddings & Beyond which holds several expos every year. In fact, there were way too many suppliers that I wasn't able to talk to each one in depth. Still, that's okay. It was a two-day event. Sadly, we were available only for the first day so we focused on the aspects that we give much importance to. Suppliers aside, I have to commend the big, well-maintained washrooms. It may seem like a petty concern, but, let's face it, if you have to stay in a place for one whole day and share the washroom with several others, there is reason to worry. Finally, I really advice couples to attend expos like this. They have raffles and give lots of freebies. Who knows, you may be the next winner of a honey moon trip or significant freebies from top suppliers.

I always lose my TIN. I lose it so often that every time I need to present it, I just go to the…read morebarangay hall to get another one. Heh. The people in the barangay hall kind of know me already. Every time they see me, they don't ask me what I need. They tell me what I need. Almost all my friends have their own horror story about visiting their barangay hall for TINs and clearance and other stuff the barangay does. Let me start of by saying that Merville's barangay hall is air conditioned. You don't have to suffer in the heat while waiting for your name to be called or your form to be signed. Those who are helping you at the barangay hall do their job fast and well. Maybe that's why there are no long lines in this place. Oh, and those who work here always show up. Each time I visit this place, those who have to sign my forms are always here and ready to get to work. On those rare times when the people aren't in, they have called me at home to inform me when they'll be back or who else can help me. Such a great place.

When I was completing my requirements for the new company I was joining, I completely and utterly…read moredreaded going to government offices to get my IDs or to file my papers. I just thought that these things would take up so much time and effort on my part. I needed to do them but it doesn't mean I will thoroughly enjoy it. Thankfully, my brother-in-law told me about the government branches in SM Aura's Business Tower. He said that the 7th floor of the tower housed offices of SSS, Pag-Ibig and Philhealth. It was perfect! I could do all my errands here without having to go from one city to another, braving the scorching summer heat and the insane Manila traffic. If you happen to get the need to visit the SSS office in Aura, I suggest you swing by early since the office still tends to fill up fast. They open as early as 7am but the place tends to gather people by 9am. The service here is pretty fast considering the number of people waiting for their turn. It's also air-conditioned (YIPEE!!!) and they have chairs for people waiting. If I'm not mistaken, they also offer drinking water for everyone!

Before I had taken the UPCAT, I was hesitant if I were to take review classes or just study on my…read moreown. Most of the review classes I browsed had very far venues from my place of residence, but thankfully, I found out about UPLink! They had numerous venues, and the one I had chosen was in UP Diliman itself. UPLink offered reasonable prices and quality teaching/reviewing methods. Most of their tutors/professors/reviewers came from UP and Ateneo, so you can be assured that the tutees will be in great hands! At the first day of the review classes back in 2013, they gave us a large paper binder, complete with all the subjects that were to be reviewed and some exercises to help us prepare. I can say that the reviews helped a little bit, but the tests were really different. However, let me make this clear: passing your CETs (College Entrance Tests) does not depend on the tutorial center! But, UPLink did their best in refreshing my forgotten lessons and prepared me well enough to pass all my CETs. They also offer refresher lessons before your big day, and a mock test wherein you can determine how prepared you are. (I think I failed that mock test, hihi. But regardless, I passed all my CETs as mentioned.) Besides CETs, they also offer NMAT , LET, Civil Service and other big examination reviews. The professors/reviwers/student ambassadors were all very kind and helpful during the review classes.

Since my day job revolves around different kids and how to teach them, my training involved a lot…read moreof field work and observations in different schools. So when I say a school is good, I know what I'm talking about. Miriam College Child Study Center (CSC) is one of the better kindergartens I've had the good opportunity to work with for a short while. PROS: CSC offers good foundational skills for children ages 3-6 years old. No matter the capabilities of the child, they inclusively work around his or her strengths to maximize his or her potential; They have facilities so awesome they can make grownups feel like they missed out on their childhood for not spending their kinder years here. A Samsung tab for each student of the class? At least three major playgrounds? A room solely for pretend play? Water play? Sand play? Healthy cafeteria food? Materials-rich classrooms? Big open green spaces to run? And more! They have everything I could think of! CONS: If you plan to enroll a kid here, get ready to shell out at least P100,000.00 a year. That's more than five times my college tuition; For such an expensive education, you'd expect it to be more intimate or focused, but the big 30 or so class size is a bit of a let-down for me. TL;DR: Miriam College Child Study Center provides one of the best kindergarten education money could buy.