Filling Station: Time-travel to the 1950s in Poblacion, Makati

Burgos Street in Poblacion is as busy as the rest of the city on a Saturday afternoon. The usual cars come and go on the street, rushing through the day because Makati never rests even on a weekend. Bars are open in the middle of the day, foreigners day-drinking as they relax in this dry […]

Welcome to Chinatown: One Sunday in Binondo and Escolta

Under the heat of the Manila sun exists an enigma of a district. Art deco buildings stand tall and proud, remnants of decades long past; Chinese characters found in every shop, reminiscent of the cantons in Hong Kong; the smell of hopia and noodles mixes with the Manila streets. The Sunday pace much more melancholic than the […]

Fandoms Unite: Asia Pop Comic Con 2018

On one side, you see Spider-Man with his backpack walking alongside Jughead Jones and Daenerys Targaryen. A little further, you see Darth Vader having a nice conversation with Princess Leia, Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi (which was probably something you only read in fanfiction). Behind you, you hear The Doctor arguing with Naruto about which […]

An escape to Coron

The rains of June have made their presence known. Gone is the sweltering heat of the summer sun, painting Manila a gloomy grey. The winds pick up and while the heat is certainly not missed, the calmer air surely was. And so an escape to Coron was planned: one minute, you’re wearing a jacket in […]

Ziggurat Cuisine: Afro-Asian hole-in-the-wall in busy Makati

Majority of the family (read: everyone but Dad) are big fans of spicy and hot food. Our tastebuds thrive on spice and chili, always looking for the spiciest and hottest food we could get. And whenever we visit the dentist (who also happens to be our relative), we always come across Ziggurat Cuisine, amusingly situated […]

Tokyo: towers, temples, trains

Tokyo is a city of paradox: modern buildings of Akihabara sit right beside the 1,000-year-old Kanda Shrine; bright, crowded streets and scramble crossings in Shibuya contrast greatly with the quieter, more deserted neighbourhoods in Shinjuku; walking along with everyone are girls in maid uniforms and women in kimonos, boys in visual kei-inspired outfits and men in […]