Now open and serving customers at Madison Galeries!
Have you been to Madison Galeries lately in Alabang, Muntinlupa City?
For the newcomers reading this, Madison Galeries is a nice, open-air shopping mall located along Don Jesus Boulevard. It is located between Alabang Hills Village and the West Service Road.
During my recent stop at the mall, I visited, for the first time, the brand new Starbucks coffee shop at the ground floor which occupies the commercial space previously occupied by Manila’s Best Coffee plus even more space going inside.
The result? Starbucks Madison Galeries has LOTS of space where customers can come in, buy drinks or food, sit down comfortably and enjoy.
A very spacious Starbucks at Madison Galeries.
After that, I went upstairs to check on the Village Food Fair which was a one-day event. There I looked around at the varied food and drinks prepared for customers. Shawarma, cakes, fruits, sodas, pies, snacks, fruit juices, sushi and maki, imported cheese, rice meals of chicken, beef, pork and fish, shakes and dessert were offered. Among the many vendors selling there, what caught my attention was one selling organic pasta (to be cooked).
Check out these pics I posted. Just click to enlarge.
I hope that the Village Food Fair will be held again at Madison Galeries.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
During the recent Toycon at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, I took time out to take a look at the displays of the Transformers.
To be clear, the Transformers I got oriented with as a youth was way back in the 1980s when the animated series (specifically Generation One) was released which also saw the rise of the popularity of the accompanying toy line. I also have fond memories of the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie.
Frankly speaking, I’m not too fond of the modern Transformers that appeared in the movies directed by Michael Bay. As such, I took pics of the Transformers at the exhibits of Toycon with nostalgia in mind.
To enlarge, just click the pictures.
Generation One Transformers mixed with characters from The Transformers: The Movie.Devastator (Constructicons), Dinobots, Insecticons plus some Autobots and Decepticons on display.
And then I found more Transformers on display for sale (along with other figures) at one of the vendors at the main exhibition hall during Toycon.
At the table of one of the vendors.
Going back to the exhibit, there were two sets of the Transformers that really caught my attention as they expressed strong messages.
I really admire this showcase.Yes to God!
In ending this, I’d like to read a verse from the Holy Bible for all of you readers.
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”(Acts 16: 31)
To the guys who prepared the Transformers carrying messages opposing drugs and expressing God’s love during the exhibit at Toycon this year, you did the right thing! Praise the Lord always! Believe in Him! Never let your faith in the Lord weaken!
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Apart from being a very long road named after the family that owns Banco Filipino, Aguirre Avenue inside BF Homes subdivision in Parañaque City is famous for being home to multiple types of businesses. Among those businesses are restaurants which easily attract both villagers and many outsiders to try out their meals, beverages and special stuff.
Recently my friends and I, on different times, got to visit an Italian restaurant along Aguirre Avenue called NYSM Pizzeria located at 262 Aguirre Avenue. Specifically the pizzeria is a short drive away from the Starbucks Phase 3 coffee shop and from a certain famous pizza restaurant.
The first time I visited NYSM Pizzeria was purely out of curiosity. After struggling with deciding what to pick from their menu, I ordered a pizza – the New England’s Best pizza.
The small New England’s Best pizza.
Composed of ground beef, pepperoni, mushroom, onions, bell pepper and sausage, the New England’s Best pizza tasted great! It was well cooked and its crust has that peculiar texture. It feels much more filling than a thin-crust pizza and yet it’s not as thick as a pan pizza. It just feels right to chew on and be satisfied.
In further visits, this time with friends, we tried their other pizzas and more of their meals and appetizers.
A slice of El Taco pizza.
The El Taco pizza pictured above truly lives up to its name as it almost perfectly captures the taste of the taco of Mexico. I like the way NYSM Pizzeria’s cook prepared the ingredients that gave it a very unique flavor for a pizza. I’ve tried other taco-inspired pizzas in other restaurants but NYSM Pizzeria’s El Taco really captured the Mexican flavor.
A really fresh salad.Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread!
NYSM Pizzeria also has a nice lineup of pasta. What stood out for me was their spaghetti served with meat balls and bread with garlic. For P300 (note: this was before they updated their menu and prices), it was both very tasty (note: condiments were not needed at all) and satisfying. I also liked the fact that the meat balls had a layer of melted cheese touching them.
Having tried at least three flavors of pizza, two of their pasta, their salad and a few appetizers, I can say that NYSM Pizzeria’s kitchen personnel really know how to prepare the meals and make them delicious and satisfying. I would not hesitate to return to their restaurant for more of their meals.
NYSM Pizzera’s interior, by the way, has an eye-catching New York-style subway train decoration with a door that leads into their bar (inside is a nice window facing Aguirre Avenue). Check out the picture below.
The “rusted” New York subway train decoration.
You must be wondering, “What does NYSM mean?”
It means: New York State of Mind.
Check out NYSM Pizzeria inside BF Homes. For inquiries, call landline 576-0330.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
During my time at the Toycon 2019 at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City this past Saturday, I checked out the X-Men stuff. I am a long-time X-Men fan and that particular franchise is my favorite among all of Marvel’s superheroes.
As before, I looked for some back issues of X-Men at one of the few comic book sellers at the convention.
Lots of old X-Men comic books displayed for sale.A copy of X-Men #1 (1991) drawn by Jim Lee featuring Magneto. I did not bother to buy this one.
After carefully searching what was available and calculating with my limited budget, I bought a few copies of Uncanny X-Men drawn in the early 1990s by Whilce Portacio. I intend to have these comic books signed by him in the near future.
As I went around the floor of the main exhibition hall of the convention center, I saw several X-Men statues and action figures. The one that caught my attention was the Dark Phoenix figure.
Too bad the filmmakers could not find a way to replicate this classic Dark Phoenix form for the big screen.
And then I went up to the 2nd level of the convention where there was one function hall that had several displays of toys and action figures for people to look at. Of course, the X-Men were there and here are some pictures I took for your viewing pleasure.
I like this set up showing two opposing sides. I just wished Magneto had been placed closer fronting Charles Xavier.The 1990s X-Men look.Dazzler, X-Factor, Cable and some X-Men.Another 1990s X-Men set.I like the set up here with the X-Men and a fallen Sentinel.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
In South Metro Manila, Daang Hari is one very long road used by thousands of motorists each day. It stretches from a corner of Alabang Zapote Road in Las Pinas which goes through portions of Alabang (Muntinlupa City), goes past Evia Lifestyle Center and the connection with Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway (MCX) and more notably the road leads further into the province of Cavite.
Along Daang Hari within the jurisdiction of Imus City, Cavite, is the world-class Vermosa Sports Hub which is home to a very modern looking swimming pool, track oval and some facilities.
Just outside Vermosa Sports Hub, however, along Daang Hari is a new branch of Starbucks Coffee which I visited.
The front of Starbucks Vermosa coffee shop.
As expected, the Vermosa Starbucks branch has a very modern design on its exterior and interior. Its interior is quite spacious with lots of seats and tables that can accommodate groups of friends and family members. The place is good enough for employees or business executives to have group meetings in while having coffee.
This is where you choose, line up, pay and pick up your order.Nice interior.
Upon my examination of the place, I noticed some parking slots in the rear of the coffee shop (with the Vermosa Sports Hub visible). Like the Starbucks coffee shop at Evia Lifestyle Center, this coffee shop has a drive-thru.
Parking slots.The drive-thru lane.
So if you are coming from Cavite heading to Las Pinas or Muntinlupa and you want coffee to help you complete your long drive along Daang Hari, know that the Vermosa Starbucks branch is operating.
This past weekend I managed to attend, for the fourth straight year, the annual Toycon at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Attending it was more crucial not only for me but for many other geeks here in the Philippines since the other pop culture convention – AsiaPOP Comicon Manila – got postponed to next year.
One of the first things I did after spending some time in the long line was finding the Wonder Woman exhibit which was at one of the function halls on the 2nd level of the convention center.
Here are some pictures I took for your viewing pleasure.
The Wonder Woman Collectors PH exhibit.A close look. Even Artemis is there.A closer look!This one resembles Gal Gadot somewhat.This one has a dolly look.A nice recreation of the cinematic Diana.Wonder Woman on the horse looks impressive.Someone looks at the Wonder Woman exhibit.
As I mentioned before, Wonder Woman is my favorite superhero of all time and she is truly the queen of all superheroes.
As I explored the main exhibition floor on the ground level of the convention center, I found a few more Wonder Woman figures there. Check out these pictures I took.
Cinematic Justice League Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman in fighting pose.Wonder Woman mixed with the DC Comics villains.
If there were any shortcomings for a Wonder Woman fan like me at Toycon 2019, it’s the lack of Wonder Woman comic books. Unlike the previous editions of the Toycon, the convention this year had noticeable lesser comic book sellers on the floor. I was unable to find a single Wonder Woman comic book.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 at SM City BF Parañaque a Success
The Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 at the Atrium of the mall.
This past weekend at SM City BF Parañaque, the Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 held at the Atrium turned out a successful event filled with excitement and surprise that delighted both attendees and the spectators.
The event started on Friday (June 22) with technology event partners Huawei, Smart, Samsung, Real Me, Xiaomi, Vivo and Power Mac Center each having their own booths showcasing their latest products and services to customers who passed by.
The 2019 Mobile Legends tournament.
The excitement really ramped up the following day (June 23) as the highly anticipated Mobile Legends Tournament took place. Right from the start, many players (predominantly males) lined up to register themselves and eagerly waited. Once the tournament started, the action and excitement really made the Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 more energetic. As the competitors focused on their smartphones, action of the 2019 Mobile Legends Tournament were displayed on the large screen which was nicely spiced up by the two tournament commentators. There were bouts of cheers and awe in between. By the evening, the tournament was won by Avalance which received P5,000 as the grand winner.
Next to them were KZTL at 2nd place and Fantasy Sports at 3rd place. They received P3,000 and P2,000 respectively.
2019 Mobile Legends tournament grand champion Avalanche.Team KZTL won 2nd place.3rd placer was team Fantasy Sports.
Along the way, special programs took place. The event organizers formally unveiled the brand new and more modern looking logo of Cyberzone which wowed the audience.
The new logo.
For the newcomers reading this, Cyberzone is the largest chain of IT retail stores in the Philippines. Aside from holding the biggest I.T. fairs, gaming events, and social networking engagements; Cyberzone is known for its notable product mix and quality.
Back to the event, a digital quiz took place as well as fun tech talks. A raffle draw was held and after several attempts of calling out the names of the winner, it was Joie Reyes who was called and she made her way to the stage to claim the Realme 3 smartphone. Being physically present is a requirement to claim the raffle prize.
Very lucky raffle prize winner Joie Reyes with her Realme 3 smartphone. With her were Cyberzone marketing officer Shaquiel Segarra and SM City BF Paranaque’s Inah Bunyi.
One of the major partners of the event, Huawei, had its officer named Elton present the company’s achievements and vision for the world of technology. He announced that Huawei’s smartphone shipment surpassed 206 million in 2018 alone and that the company ensured that each unit is designed to give users full functionality, the best digital photography capability and enduring battery life.
Huawei’s Elton gave an in-depth presentation of the company’s technology strategy.
Huawei was not limited to smartphones. Its business is quite diverse as its non-smartphone product shipments in 2018 exceeded the 100,000,000 mark. The figure includes tablets, laptops, watches and accessories. Huawei also strives to create more value through the innovative “1+8+N” all-scenario intelligent product ecosystem. From smartphones to cars and to home appliances, the company has a strategy to give a wide variety of users the means to enhance their lifestyles through technology.
For the future, Huawei is leading the next phase of the 5G innovation with the Balong 5000 which is the most powerful 5G modem in the world. It contains the world’s first chipset to support both NSA and SA architectures, the world’s fastest peak downlink speed of 4.6 gigabytes per second and uplink speed of 2.5 gigabytes per second, and the world’s first R14 V2X on 5G chipset.
Overall, the Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 at SM City BF Parañaque was a tremendously successful event that had fun, excitement and enlightenment brought together at the Atrium with a strong emphasis on technology. Cyberzone meanwhile will remain a very significant commercial chain for anyone around the nation looking for the latest in technology.
The Cyberzone Mobile Fest 2019 will continue in the following SM malls: Cebu (June 28-30), Sucat (July 5-7), Davao (July 12-14), Legazpi (July 19-21), and North EDSA (July 26-28).
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Today here in the Philippines, the organizers of the annual AsiaPOP Comicon Manila pop culture convention announced officially that this year’s edition of their event at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City has been postponed! Everyone anticipating the next APCC event will have to wait for next year.
For transparency, I’m posting below the text of their entire announcement made through their Facebook page.
Dear APCC Partners and Fans,
It is with deep regret that we would like to inform you about the postponement of AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2019 to next year.
APCC Manila has always prided itself in bringing exclusive international content to the region that no other convention brings, but, unfortunately, our various content and strategic partners have not been able to commit completely due to their organizational restructuring and multiple conflicting events happening during the couple weeks before and at the same time as the original APCC Manila 2019 dates. The delay in this communication was purely in our intent to try our best to be able to secure the best of content for this year’s event, but the schedules of various partners did not match our dates.
We did not want to organize the event by diluting the quality of the show, as we are aware the benchmark has been set and APCC fans expect the best from us that we promise to deliver in our next year’s event.
We regret any inconvenience this has caused you and all exhibitors, including creative circle artists. All booth payments received will be refunded as a separate communication will be sent across to them.
We hope to continue to get the support from APCC fans for our future events, while we ensure to bring the best of pop-culture activations to Philippines.
Thank you for your kind understanding and unwavering support!
The APCC revealed that the postponement was not an easy decision to make. Firstly, their partners did not fully commit to their planned convention. Secondly, there are multiple events to be held before and on the same weekend as the APCC. Clearly each event’s organizers reached out to varied business and content/service providers to be part of their respective events. That trend complicated matters for the APCC organizers.
So instead of compromising on quality, they decided to postpone their 2019 event. That, incidentally, makes the 2019 Toycon the must-attend pop culture convention here in the Philippines and, like the APCC, the venue is at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia zone in Pasay City.
I am long-time geek and I love comic books, movies, video games, superhero and photographing cosplayers. I attended the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in California, the United States in 2011 and it was a tremendously wonderful event for geeks like me. Fortunately for geeks here in the Philippines, the Toycon and the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila were held annually and just a few months apart from each other. For the past few years, both conventions heavily used the main exhibition hall of the SMX Convention Center. I proudly say that I attended both conventions since 2016.
Toycon and AsiaPOP Comicon Manila have their own styles of being fun to attendees but they share lots of similarities: cosplay contests, boxes of old comic books for sale, cosplayers expressing themselves and letting people photograph them, musical or dance performances by varied artists, local and international celebrities meeting the fans, gadgets being displayed, souvenirs displayed for sale, action figures and expensive models on display, comic book illustrators signing comic books or drawing art on the spot for the fans, etc.
Actress and model Ameera Johara posed for me in her Wonder Woman costume during the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila of 2016.
I also had my memorable moments with the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila. I am a long-time Macross fan and I can proudly say that because of the APCC in 2017, I got to meet with the anime legend Shoji Kawamori in person and had him sign the Macross Plus print-outs I brought to him. I managed to tell him personally I admired his work in the 1982 anime TV series of Macross.
There is nothing like witnessing the legendary Shoji Kawamori sign the Macross Plus print outs I brought to him during the 2017 edition of the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila!
From this point on, we can’t do anything but wait for the 2020 edition of the AsiaPOP Comicon Manila to happen. I am confident that the organizers will strive hard to do better in getting their partners to commit to their event.
Along the way, there is the 2019 Toycon set to begin on June 28 until June 30 and I already have a ticket! See you fans and geeks there. 🙂
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
For some time now, Tahanan Village in Parañaque City has several stray cats all around its areas as confirmed to me by Tahanan Homeowners Association, Inc. (THA) officials and personnel I talked with over the past few years.
I recently visited the village and inquired if they still have a stray cat population problem going on. It turns out they still do and I easily spotted stray cats just outside the clubhouse and near the open-air basketball court.
With no customer sitting, this stray cat had the table’s top all to itself.
I managed to meet and talk with former THA president Augusto Tejada and he said that the population of loose cats is real and remains difficult to solve.
To put things in perspective, stray cats are those that entered the village and roamed around endlessly in search for food, for places to explore (including the households) and interact with other cats (whether pets or stray cats) with whom they could mate with and produce infants. These loose animals also produce waste by urinating or releasing their feces around. When desperate for food, they tend to forcibly tear open plastic garbage bags.
Tejada told me that the association has already advised its members (households) to refrain from feeding stray cats as it will only encourage them to come back for more and, even worse, take residence in the household knowing food is available.
He said that dealing with stray cats is very difficult to do. Firstly, those loose animals are really difficult to catch or entrap due to their speed and agility. Secondly, the cats are intelligent and the physical environment around the village provides them many means of escaping.
“The stray cats are smart and they are able to find ways to survive and find a place to live in which are also hard for people to reach. I remember finding such cats living on the gutters of roofs,” Tejada told me.
Adding further challenge to catching the loose cats are the many trees around the village which can be easily climbed fearlessly. The trees also provide access over the walls of homes.
With regards to solving the growth of the population of cats – both pets and stray cats – it has been suggested that the methods of spaying and neutering be done. Spaying and neutering are ways of sterilizing cats by means of performing a surgical procedure on the males (removing their testicles) and the females (removing their ovaries and uterus). The procedure is done by a professional animal veterinarian while the cat is sedated. Cats that are at least 6-months-old are eligible for the procedure.
I found online the Philippine Pet Birth Control Center Foundation (PPBCC) which offers spaying and neutering services. They charge P500 for each cat (and dog) for sterilization as of this writing.
Theoretically, residents can have their pet cats sterilized so that their household won’t be overwhelmed by the potential multiplication of cats.
Still, this brings back the problem of how village authorities and residents could catch the stray cats which remain very elusive. There is also the risk of being scratched by the said cats when they react to people catching them.
Another thing to consider here is to determine how to catch stray cats not only efficiently but also doing it without harming them as there are animal rights advocates around. Here in the Philippines, there is the organization called the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) which advocates the prevention of animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy.
It remains to be seen how the growing stray cat population problem will be solved in Tahanan Village.
Are you a resident living in village that has a growing population of stray cats? Are such animals bothering you? Do you wish to share something here at my website to help other readers? Please respond by commenting below.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Author Carlo Carrasco 