Pilipinas by Patsilog

Dangkalan Resport (Puerto Princesa)

Trusted and friendly staff, clean rooms, and over-all highly recommended! We had a wonderful stay at Dangkalan Resort. They provided everything we needed (Tours, Information where to eat or where to buy pasalubong, Transportation Services, and other inquiries). Ronnie was easy to talk to and very accommodating. The drivers were very helpful and very friendly. Will definitely choose Dangkalan again when we go back to Puerto Princesa.










For more information about Dangkalan, you may visit their site at: http://dangkalanresort.palawanshore.com/ Look for Ronnie. He's the best! Read More

Ministop Pasta = Fail

In those days where I'm just too lazy to bring my own lunch or buy something from the nearby carinderias (food stalls), I would prefer to just buy something from Mini-stop since it's very near our office. Mini-stop is a 24/7 store, similar to 7-11. In the Philippines, they offer rice meals and pastas aside from sandwiches. I decided to get myself a Baked Macaroni for lunch. It was very affordable, at Php 49.00 only (a little over $1).

I heated the paper bowl for a few seconds and let it rest for a few minutes so my tongue wouldn't get burned. Unfortunately, when I opened my meal, I was very disappointed.


The serving is VERY small! It didn't even reach half the paper bowl! And the taste is disgusting. I thought I had a sulit meal, a meal where I got good value for the price. But I think I got the opposite. Oh well, I'm never buying pasta from Mini-Stop ever again.

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BBQ and Isaw

In the Philippines, when you say BBQ or Bar-B-Que, we don't usually refer to slabs and slabs of meat grilled in hot smoke. Yes, we do grill some meat in hot smoke, but we prepare them differently. For one, we use thin and small slices of pork meat. Then put them on BBQ Sticks, similar to the Kebab style. This is one of the Filipino's favorites -- sometimes eaten during meryenda (afternoon snacks) or during meals (lunch or dinner). Another favorite is the isaw, which is grilled intestine in BBQ sticks.


This is our Pork BBQ and the isaw. For me, the most delicious part is the grilled fat. Have you had some today? If you're in the Philippines, this is a must-try. There's usually one BBQ vendor every other street (except maybe in high-end areas), or you may order them in any Filipino restaurant. But the authentic ones are just around the corner. For a better isaw experience, UP (University of the Philippines) Diliman is the best venue.
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Ganito kami sa Makati

During the 2010 Elections, one of the positive publicities that came out for the Binays is how things were done in Makati ("Ganito kami sa Makati"). Free education, giving importance to Senior Citizens, free medicines, etc. Being a resident of Makati for the past 10 years, I have experienced first hand how things were done, and I couldn't be prouder.

Anyway, before I turn this into into a political rave and rant, I just want to share that last month, we received a birthday cake for Manang, our house help! And I thought those were just rumors. Here's proof:

The birthday celebrant with her alaga

Haha, they say there's corruption behind these cakes. But we don't really mind, Manang didn't really mind. Our government was able to make her birthday extra special with an extra cake. Ganito kami sa Makati.

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Laoag: Bangui Wind Mills

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Science Discovery Center Manila

I never would have visited this place if not for a friend. Her son celebrated his 7th birthday at the Science Discovery Center Manila at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, Philippines (I didn't even know you could hold birthdays there. To all moms out there -- now you know!). I didn't know what to expect, but I had an idea at the back of my mind that it will most likely be similar to Singapore's Science Center.

Well, it wasn't really what I hoped it would be. Not even close enough. In terms of space, the local science center is probably only a quarter of Singapore's. The facilities aren't as updated and as many. And you can probably finish wandering the place in just 3-4 hours (In Singapore, it took me a whole day to discover the center, my curious mind was just too engrossed with what they have).

Fortunately, though, the Manila Science center has something that Singapore doesn't -- the Planetarium. This is where you'll be seated looking at the sky and watch a short presentation about the stars, the moon and other space objects. Very nice for the little kids, especially since the show is about Elmo and Big Bird of Sesame Street. LOL.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took. The lighting wasn't good so the pictures didn't come out the way I wanted them to.

At the 2nd floor of the Science Center, facing the Robot area. The Sphere at the side is the Planetarium

Oceanarium Area

Finding Nemo 

Fish made of scrap metal 

Famous buildings replica using PVC pipes 

Robotics Area 

Kids interacting with the motion sensor 

For more information about the Science Discovery Center Manila, please visit their site at: http://www.sciencediscovery.ph/

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