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."