Ali Mall, Cubao

Ali Mall is literally the very first shopping mall in the country, making it the oldest as well. It opened in 1976, a year after Mohammad Ali, where the mall got its name, went to Manila for the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975 where he defeated Joe Frazier. It was named Mohammad Ali because of his remark on a press conference after his win over Frazier. He said that a shopping mall should be built near the Big Dome, or Araneta Colesium, where the match was held; because during this time, there was no malls in the entire country.

Ali Mall is located at Araneta Center Cubao in Quezon City. It stands 4 floors containing about 100 shops and restaurants. Currently, Ali Mall is undergoing major renovation to revive is status as the premier mall in the country and also to be able to compete with nearby malls, namely SM Cubao and Gateway Mall.

Ma Mon Luk

I'm going to feature one of my favorite restaurants in the metro, Ma Mon Luk. Some may not know this place, but for those who does, would agree with me that it's the best place to eat mami and siopao. The restaurant started during the 1950's with its first branch located in Binondo, Manila and was founded by, guess what, Ma Mon Luk. He was born in Guangdong, China some time in 1896. He moved to the Philippines to earn money and did so by selling chicken noodle soup, or we now commonly call mami, on the streets of Manila before he opened his first branch.

Some critics believed that the word mami was coined by Ma Mon Luk himself. "Ma" comes from his name and "mi" is a chinese word for "recipe." But according Filipino language experts, mami comes from "ma" for "manok" or chicken and "mi" for "miki" or egg noodle. Wherever the name come from, I strongly believe Ma Mon Luk made mami popular and a household name.

There were about 6 branches of Ma Mon Luk in Manila during the 1990's. The one I usually eat at is along EDSA in Kamuning, Q.C., which is now close and was replaced by an online casino of PAGCOR. Today, there are only 2 branches left open, the one along Quezon Blvd in Quiapo and the other is along Quezon Ave. near Banaue St. in Quezon City.

On cool thing about the Quezon Ave. branch is the old photos of popular individuals or celebrities that once ate at there are displayed at wall near the entrance. Ma Mon Luk, by the way, is also famous for their siopao.

EDSA

The most famous stretch of highway in the Philippines is EDSA, short for Epifanio delo Santos Ave. EDSA was constructed during the term of Pres. Quezon and was named Junio 19 (June 19), Rizal's birthday. It was then later changed to Highway 54 and in 1959, it was changed to its current name in honor of Epifanio delo Santos, a famed Filipino historian.

EDSA has a total length of almost 24 kms and cuts through 5 major cities in Manila, namely Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay. Its northen tip begins in Monumento in Caloocan City and its southern end is at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay. EDSA can handle around 2.5 million cars a day and traffic jams are common everyday especially during rush hours. Traffic in EDSA is mainly managed by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, or MMDA.

EDSA, I guess, was only popular to NCR residents and to nearby surrounding provinces prior to 1986 where a vital piece of history took place; and that's the EDSA Revolution or EDSA 1. Hundreds of thousands to a million of people marched along EDSA and gathered in front of Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo against then Pres. Marcos. Another EDSA revolution took place and was tagged EDSA Dos back in 2001 against then Pres. Estrada.

Quezon Memorial Circle

Quezon Memorial Circle is a national park located in heart of Quezon City. The park was named after the late Manuel Quezon, who served as the 2nd president of the Philippines after Emilio Aguinaldo during the Commonwealth government. Pres. Sergio Osmeña initiated the construction of a shrine in the middle of the park to honor his predecessor. At the center of the shrine is the Sarcophagus containing the remains of Pres. Quezon and a few meters aways is his wife Aurora Quezon.

The construction of the shrine begun in the 1950's using the design made by Frederico Ilustre. Majority of the structure was made ouf of marble and was finished in 1978. Quezon's remains was transferred into the shrine on August 19, 1979 and his wife just recently on April 28, 2005.

The distinctive tower consist of three 66 meters high pylons (66 is Quezon's age when he died). On top of the tower are 3 angels sculpted by an Italian sculptor. The said angels are said to be each holding a sampaguita circlet, the country's national flower. Also, inside the structure are two museums, one for Pres. Quezon and the other showcases the history of Quezon City.

Parol

Christmas is fast approaching and what better way to prepare for it the Pinoy way is with is to decorate our place with "parol." It is termed as the Philippine Christmas lantern, which is influenced mainly by the Chinese lantern. It is shaped as a star to signify the star of Bethlehem during the birth of Christ.

Traditional parols are made from bamboo and different color Japanese or crepe paper and comes all shapes and sizes; but the star shape remain dominant. Modern parols are now made from metal frames and non-tranditional materials like glass, plastic, soft drink straws, and many more. Some parols, usually the most expensive ones, have lighting effects that are fun to see at night.

Put all the decorations that you want for Christmas at your home or office but please do not forget the parol as it is 100% Pinoy.

Manila North Cementery

In observance of "Undas" or All Souls Day, I'm going to feature one of the biggest and well known cementeries in the metro, the Manila North Cementery (or Cementerio del Norte). It's a 54 hectares public cementery located in and owned by the city of Manila. It is considered as the biggest and oldest cementery in Metro Manila. Immediately beside it are Laloma Cementery and the Chinese Cementery.

According the census by the cementery officials, close to 3 million people every year visits their love ones this place and averaging about half a million just for Undas. I don't have an exact figure but I believe their could easily be a million people buried here; from ordinary to famous to politicians to historical individuals. The recent most well-known individual recently buried here in Fernando Poe Jr. who died in 2004.

Aside from getting star struck, one would also get a blast from the past when visiting this cementery as historical figures, like Pio del Pilar, also find their final resting place here which mostly found in Mousoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion. Some of our former presidents also lie in rest here, namely Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas, and Ramon Magsaysay. If you want to know more about the prominent individuals buried in Manila North Cementery, just go and visit the place.

Sisig

One of our all time favorite authentic Filipino dish is Sisig. Sisig is a Kapampanga term for a "sour snack." It obviously originated in Angeles Pampanga back in the 1970's and now tagged as the "Sisig Capital of the Philippines." The Dept. of Tourism credited Lucia "Aling Lucing" Cunanan with inventing or reinventing Sisig. Sad to say, she was stabbed to death last April 2008, she was 80, and the police are suspecting her 85 year old husband mastermind behind it.

Sisig is popularly prepared in a sizzling plate. Its main ingredients usually consist of pigs head, specifically the ears and cheeks, chicken liver, lots of onions, chili peppers, and seasoned with kalamansi juice. There are a lot of variations of Sisig nowadays depending on what restaurant or province your eating but I recommend it along side an ice cold beer.

There's a annual festival held in Angeles, Pampanga to commemorate the Sisig and of course it's called the "Sisig Festival."

Jeepney

Jeepney, or "dyip", is the most popular and most common form of public transportation in the Philippines evident by the cliché "hari ng kalsada" or "king of the road." Jeepnies started to became popular among Filipinos after the WWII, wherein hundreds of it were sold by the American before they left. Though jeepnies had a foreign beginning, being a US military vehicle, it slowly became part of our culture and made the jeepney purely Filipino. We painted it with vibrant colors signifying the colorful values of Filipinos. We also designed it with Philippines symbols like Jose Rizal, carabaos, the Banaue rice terraces, and many more.

Modern day jeeps can accomodate up to 18-20 passengers, including the driver, as compared to 6 passengers before when it is just starting to emerge a public transport. There are a lot of manufacturers of jeepnies, the most famous one is Sarao Motors symbolized by a metal horse on its hood. Unfortunately, Sarao Motors is now close due to bankruptcy and they largely blame the emergence of FX's during that time. Some or most of the commuters would prefer these Fx's because of its airconditioning.

Jeeps are powered by salvaged and refurbished diesel engines which causes its negative downside, its poor emission control. I've never seen a jeep that doesn't have thick black trail of smoke behind it when it's running. If this is the case, I always wonder why it is still on the streets. It's not that I want them gone, but if jeepnies really causes to much smoke and bad emissions, why is it still allowed to be registered in the Land Transportation Office wherein it is mandatory for a vehicle to pass an emission test first prior to registration. With that kind of smoke coming out of it, it will surely fail. There's definitely something wrong happening inside LTO and those accredited emission testing centers.

España Boulevard

España Blvd is a 2 km thoroughfare situated in Sampaloc, Manila. It stretches from Mabuhay Rotonda in Quezon City to the junction of Lerma and N. Reyes St.(formerly Morayta) in Manila. The name España is Spanish for Spain, who colonized the Philippines for 333 years. From the name it self, most the streets parallel to España or near to it is related to this period.

There are a number of notable landmarks that can be found along this road. On the east end or near Q.C., one can find the Mabuhay Rotonda; which marks motorist that they already entering Quezon City. Aside from the it, one can find the main corporate center of PLDT and South East Asian College, which its famous for its nursing course. On the east side as well is where España connects to Quezon Ave and E. Rodrigues Sr. Ave. both going to EDSA

At the west side, one can find University of Sto. Tomas; which is the oldest univeristy in Manila, founded in April 28, 1611. Near UST is Ramon Magsaysay High School, a good-standing public high school in Manila. On this side is where it to connects to N. Reyes Sr and Lerma leading Recto and Quiapo respectively.

Aside from these landmarks, España is also famous for 2 other things; that's the traffic and the flooding. If you've been living in Manila or at least passing to it, you would know how worst the traffic problems along España is; especially during rush hours. It is also the worst ever place I've known when it comes to flooding. It's vertually unpassable when a storm hits Manila because it easily gets flooded.

Cuneta Astrodome

Cuneta astrodome is one of the most famous indoor sporting venue in Manila. It was built in 1993 and was named after Pablo Cuneta, Pasay's long-time mayor and father of actress Sharon Cuneta.

Cuneta Astrodome is mostly famous for hosting basketball events; from the collegiate (UAAP, NCAA) to the amatuers (PBL) to the pros (PBA). PBA made it their home from 1993-1998 and played a total of 29 championships before going back to Araneta Coliseum, it previous home for many years. One thing I noticed, nowadays, PBA mostly host their games here during which Araneta Colesium is hosting other events.

Cuneta Astrodome also has its doors opened to other events; from evangelical to political gatherings to other sports discipline. In 1994, World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), held a live event here and the most recent is the 2005 Southeast Asian Games for the sport of taekwondo.

By the way, Cuneta Astrodome is located along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

SM Mall of Asia

SM's slogan "no mall comes close " is indeed true when you speak of SM Mall of Asia, or MOA as it's commonly called. MOA is the largest mall in the Philippines and ranked 3rd largest mall in the world. It is situated at the southern most end of EDSA in Pasay City, Manila. In front of it is a notable giant globe, which during at night, has a light dispaly that changes color every 45 seconds.

There's a rumor about MOA before it opened last May 21, 2006 that it's so huge, one can't walk the entire mall in one day. Of course that is not true, unless you're planning to visit all 600 stores and 150 dining establishments including the grocery and department store. Aside from its usual mall features, MOA also boast some first of it's kind here in the Philippines attractions. The most famous of which is the San Miguel-Coca Cola IMAX Theater which houses the only IMAX 3D screen in the country and be ready to she P450.00 if you're planning to watch a movie here. MOA also houses the only olympic size skating rink in the country and the P300 Million plus Science Discovery Center.

At the back is where you can find the San Miguel by the Bay. It's a dining strip lining the shoreline of Manila Bay. It has a couple of small fish market (locally known as Dampa) where one can buy fresh fish and sea foods and have one of the resturants cook it for you. I strongly recomment visiting SM Mall of Asia, just make sure to wear something comfortable on your feet.

Starbucks Coffee

Everybody knows and loves Starbucks Coffee. Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. is man responsible of bringing Starbucks here in the country and he was not disappointed. It was a huge huge success and it started the coffee craze here in the Philippines evident by the appearnces of other coffee shops like Seattle's Best Coffee (which is owned by Starbucks by the way), Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Glora Jean's, and many more. I believe Filipinos are known to be coffee lovers as it is our most favorite breakfast drink; after which is milk. Starbucks quickly became a household name, next to Nescafe, when it comes to coffee.

But let us look at a brief history of Starbucks. It started as a coffee bean roaster and retailer in Pike Place Market in Seattle Washington back in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker. Bowker is the one who came up with the name Starbucks, which he got from one of the characters in the book Moby Dick. Today, Starbucks sells a wide selection of hot and cold coffee and espresso-based drinks, snacks, pastries and confections, coffee products, and other coffee related items.

Starbucks Coffee roughly has 15,000 stores in 44 countries. It first started to expand outside America in Japan back in 1996. In December 3, 1997, Starbucks opened its flagship store in the Philippines at 6750 Ayala Ave. Makati City. It is operated by the Rustan Coffee Corp., a susidiary of Rustan Group of Companies. RCC currently has 149 Starbucks stores, 129 of which is located in Metro Manila. If one would like to open their own Starbucks branch, one has to go Rustan Coffee Corp because Starbucks does not allow direct franchise to single individuals; and be sure your piggy banks are fat enough for that.