Meeting Juan Direction in Bacolod City

A few days ago, I became an official fan of Juan Direction – the group of Half-British (and Half-Irish) Pinoys who first became YouTube stars before landing a show at TV5. They are composed of Charlie Sutcliffe, Brian Wilson, Daniel Marsh, Henry Edwards and Michael McDonnell. They are all ramp and commercial models.

So I watched all their videos under the YouTube channel of Island Media Asia and right now, I’m watching their videos under the Juan Direction channel. I saw their video of the Bacolod MassKara festival and it occurred to me that they are the cute guys that we saw in Bacolod!

So I opened my Picasa and searched my MassKara 2013 Festival pictures – and there they are, the Juan Direction boys! They really looked gorgeous in person, specially Henry and Charlie. I hope to see them again in person soon – this time, I’ll take more pictures.

That’s Henry Edwards, Daniel Marsh and my favorite guy, Charlie Sutcliffe.

That’s Henry Edwards and Daniel Marsh.

The guys of Juan Direction joined the delegation of Brgy. Cabug.

So the cute guys that I saw in Bacolod City during the MassKara 2013 Festival is actually the guys of Juan Direction.

My favorite guy in Juan Direction is Charlie Sutcliffe. I really find him gorgeous and charming.

Daniel Marsh, Brian Wilson and Henry Edwards.

Technorati Tags: Juan Direction,Daniel,Brian,Henry

Vista Inn, Iloilo City

A few months ago, we made a side trip to Iloilo Province after attending the MassKara 2013 Festival in Bacolod City. Iloilo City is just an hour away from Bacolod City by ferry boat. We don’t have any idea on where to stay in Iloilo.

Luckily, our taxi driver knows a nice place that is accessible and offers the best value for money. We stayed at Vista Inn along MacArthur Drive, Tabuc Suba, Jaro, Iloilo City. It’s just a few minutes away from SM Iloilo by jeepney. The jeepney’s route is Leganes (a town north of Iloilo City).

We paid for the Deluxe Triple Occupancy Room for only P1,088.00 and it is spacious. It’s complete with air conditioner, hot and cold shower, cable TV, chairs and a table. They also have a Standard Double Occupancy Room at P788.00. Wi-Fi is available at the lobby though, as well as a computer station for rent.

I’m pretty sure that by this time, almost all hotels and inns in Iloilo City are fully-booked because of the Dinagyang 2014 Festival in January. You might want to check Vista Inn for your hotel needs. You may call them at (63-33) 509-7646 and (63-33) 396-2118. You may also send them a text message (SMS) on their mobile phones (0921) 776-0087 and (0922) 843-2070. You may also email them at vistainn.iloilo(at)gmail.com

Technorati Tags: Vista Inn,Iloilo City,Dinagyang 2014

Sirena Festival of Pasig City

On my way home from work, I noticed that the Pasig City Government began displaying the tarpaulin for the coming Paskotitap 2013 to be held December 15, 2013. I also saw the large display of the letters P, A, S, I, G at Bagong Ilog and tarpaulins reminding us that Pasig City is a Green City and the Recycling Capital of the Philippines.

Homage to Pasig City. Picture taken from pasigartclub.weebly.com

It occurred to me that the tourism board of Pasig City is doing a lousy job in promoting Pasig City as a tourist destination. Although Pasig City has the Bambino Festival every January (which is similar to Sinulog or Ati-Atihan) and the Paskotitap (which is similar to the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando), I believe that they’re not promoting a festival that’s unique to Pasig City.

Also, the slogan of being a Green City and the Recycling Capital of the Philippines can be applied to other cities in the country, which are indeed greener than Pasig City. So I was thinking of a festival that would be unique to Pasig City – the same way as the Higantes is unique to Angono, and the MassKara is unique to Bacolod. I came up with the Sirena Festival.

Prior to adapting the new city logo, Pasig has been using a unique logo of Mutya – the mermaid of folklores. In fact, prior to being a city, Pasig City has the slogan of Mutya ng Pasig. It was very unique. No other city in the country has a close affiliation with the mermaid folklore than Pasig City, the same way that Aklan is known for the Aswang Festival.

I still prefer the old logo of Pasig City – the one depicting the Sirena (mermaid).

If I were to advise the Tourism Board of Pasig City, I would suggest reviving this idea of Pasig City being home to Mutya – the mermaid of Pasig City. This new festival will be known as Sirena Festival and will feature the mermaid folklore, including the Shokoy (Merman). The term Sirena these days denotes two things – the mermaid and gays. Perhaps Pasig City could have a fluvial festival featuring different interpretation of what Sirena and Shokoy probably look likes. Pasig City could also hold an annual beauty pageant, both for the beautiful women of Pasig City and the gays of the city.

Pasig City’s Sirena Festival could also be associated with the current revival of Pasig River, which is known to be the home of Mutya. The Pasig City Government could probably have more statues of Mutya in different parts of Pasig City as a tribute to the famous Sirena. The Sirena Festival can also promote Pasig City as a gay-friendly city.

I hope a feasibility study could be done to know if the idea of having the Sirena Festival will improve the tourism potential of Pasig City. Pasig City: Sirena Capital of the Philippines.

The tale of the mermaid of Pasig City was retold in Tagalog Klasiks that was published in September 10, 1949.

Technorati Tags: Mutya ng Pasig,Sirena Festival of Pasig City,Shokoy,Mermaid

Yahoo! TechnoStorm at Market! Market!

I was at Market! Market! yesterday for the Yahoo! TechnoStorm. I saw the ads on the Yahoo! Philippines website and thought of checking out this event. The Yahoo! TechnoStorm is a gadget exhibit but it’s more on smartphones.

Yahoo! Philippines is also marketing their Weather App, Flicker and Yahoo! Mail. I’m a BlackBerry user and sadly, the apps are only for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Yahoo! Mail and Weather can now be access via smartphones. This reminds me to ditch out my BlackBerry 8520 and just grab a phone from LG, MyPhone or Cloudphone.

Exhibitors at the Yahoo! TechnoStorm also includes Sun Broadband, BDO Credit Cards, My View, Red Cross (for Yolanda victims), Paktor, HP Printers, Sony, Globe and Huawei. The Yahoo! TechnoStorm will be at Market! Market! until December 1, 2013.

Technorati Tags: Yahoo! Philippines,TechnoStorm,Market! Market! BGC

The Ruins, Talisay City

The Ruins is the most famous landmark in Negros Occidental. It’s located in Talisay City, just a few minutes from Bacolod City. We were able to visit this famous landmark during the MassKara Festival 2013.

From Lacson Avenue in Bacolod City, we rode a jeep that passes by the North Terminal. From there, we paid a tricycle P100 to take us to this famous landmark. Unfortunately, I forgot my kit lens and I took the following pictures using my 50mm lens (which is ideal for portraits).

The marker in front of the ruins reads:

“The Ruins of the mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson was built in loving memory of his deceased wife Maria Braga after her death in 1911.

The mansion, of Italianate architecture, was designed to be a monument of their enduring love affair.

In the eve of World War II in 1942, the mansion was torched by the guerilla fighters and was burning for 3 days leaving behind reminders of a glorious past.”

Today, there is a café inside The Ruins and there’s also a tour that gives visitors more information about the history of the church. It could have been better if they made a scale model (or provided floor plans) of this mansion when it was still operational.

The Ruins is one of the most iconic structure in Negros Occidental. You should not miss visiting this place whenever you’re in Bacolod City.

The Ionic Order was used in the columns supporting the structure.

Detail of the stairway of The Ruins.

The cupboard under the stairs.

A miniature of The Ruins near the guest book.

Detail of the post and lintel showing how intricate the design was.

The tourist guide narrating the history of The Ruins.

The Ruins now has a mini-garden of Birds-of-Paradise flowers inside the mansion.

The Ruins is a nice place to have coffee with friends.

The chandelier made of Capiz shells.

The interior of The Ruins serves as a coffee shop these days.

Details of the windows of The Ruins in Talisay City.

The different areas of The Ruins Compound. Certainly, there are lots to do in this compound.

I wonder how many bedrooms does The Ruins have during the time that it’s still functioning.

The marker of The Ruins tells the history of this famous mansion.

The souvenir shop built just across The Ruins to cater to the numerous tourists visiting this place.

The details of the ornaments used all-throughout The Ruins.

Technorati Tags: The Ruins,Talisay City,Landmark