Entertainment Retailer HMV recently unvailed its new Superstore in Singapore’s newest shopping destination 313@Somerset. Popular Korean boy band, T-Max was on hand to officiate at the ceremony along with Miss Emily Butt, Managing Director of HMV Hong Kong and Singapore. This will be HMV’s first new store in Singapore in 9 years, the last being in 2000 when HMV set up shop at CityLink.

HMV 313@Somerset

HMV’s latest addition will be in-store digital kiosks. As part of the Company’s strategic plan, HMV has so far invested more than $100,000 in the digital kiosks. With the support of mahor labels like Warner, Sony, Universal & EMI, HMV will launch its new service with a database of nearly 1.4 million digital tracks providing Singaporeans with a platform to download their favorite music legally. This will be the first stand-alone legal digital kiosks in Singapore to encompass all the major label content for legal distribution in digital format. Continue Reading

This year, Baguio City will be celebrating the 15th staging of Panagbenga Festival 2010 which is also popularly known as the Baguio Flower Festival.

The Festival theme this year is : “Celebrating 15 years of Festival Excellence.”

Panagbenga flower festival schedule includes Market Encounter at the Burnham Park (Feb. 1 – March 7), Legarda Rocks (February 12-14), Abanao Nights (Feb 26-28), Pony Boys Day (March 6), plus the main event of the Panagbenga : a Grand Street parade on February 27 and a Grand Float Parade on February 28.

Baguio City will also be celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration on February 13, 2009.

Here’s the complete list of Baguio Flower Festival schedule for 2010 : Continue Reading

Orchard Road is considered as Singapore’s Shopping district and it is where most of the New Malls in Singapore are located. This place has always been a favorite place of mine not because this is where Lucky Plaza where fellow Filipinos always frequent but because this is the perfect place if you really love shopping.

ION Orchard Mall

After visiting Orchard Central Mall, we headed to ION Orchard – another architectural marvel which was recently opened last October 2009. Costing just over 2 billion dollars, this super mall is located right in the center of Orchard Road and is currently one of the best designed Mall in Singapore’s prime shopping strip. Continue Reading

A first of its kind festival called “Artes de Pascua” was held recently as part of the Christmas celebration here and in line with the city’s arts and cultural awareness program.

Initiated jointly the city government headed by Mayor Eva Marie Singson–Medina and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the week-long festival consisted of workshops and seminars attended by children, students, out-of-school youth, teachers and professionals.

Culminating last Saturday with the presentation of works by participants, the activity was held on Calle Crisologo, location of the famous century-old Spanish houses that earned the acclamation for Vigan as one of the world’s heritage cities.

Artes de Pascua Festival in Vigan

Medina said the unique and attractive arts festival was designed to discover and improve the hidden talents of Begenos (natives of Vigan).

“This art festival brought another opportunity for the Biguenos to develop and improve their talents in acting, dancing, photography, videography and other forms of arts,” she said. Continue Reading

One of the reasons why you should visit Orchard Central Mall is to experience Asia’s first, and the world’s tallest, indoor Via Ferrata.

Via Ferrata in Singapore

Taking up five storeys within the new Orchard Central mall starting from The Exchange @ Level 4, the Via Ferrata entails a fixed-protection climbing path made out of a system of cables along the wall.

Responding to the increasing mainstream popularity of traditionally elite adventure racing sports, BorderX hopes that this unique activity with robust safety mechanisms will provide any unskilled climber in Singapore the opportunity to reach the same heights as a skilled climber would.

Rock Climbing Lanes

“We see an increasing number of schools fielding student teams for adventure racing sports, as well as the average man on the street getting involved in active, thrill-seeking hobbies. By introducing Via Ferrata in a convenient locale like Orchard Central, we aim to provide a multitude of accessible climbing and play-at-height programmes for a wide audience range in Singapore,” said Mr Mohd Halil Ngah, Director, BorderX Pte Ltd. Continue Reading

I was in Singapore last week and was lucky to tour around Orchard Road which is considered as the shopping belt of Singapore.

We first visited the Mandarin Gallery then decided to just walk towards Orchard Central and burn some excess calories accumulated from our huge meal @ The White Rabbit.

I am not a shopping bug but I love visiting shopping malls to checkout new travel gears, books and cooking supplies.

Orchard Central mall in Singapore is one of the newest shopping mall in the area which was recently opened last July 2,2009.

Artworks

This shopping mall was the 1st vertical mall in Orchard road and this is tallest shopping mall I have ever seen so far. Continue Reading

Shopping is one of the reasons why Singapore was everyone’s destination of choice.

After an unforgettable lunch in a restaurant located in Dempsey road, we went straight to Mandarin Gallery for the start of our day tour.

Mandarin Gallery is an intimate-sized mall that offers a vibrant mix of 103 fashion, lifestyle and what else? A good number of local and international food & beverage tenants to excite your taste buds.

Mandarin Gallery Singapore

This mall has every thing a fashion savvy mass would look for and hence this becomes one of the hottest shopping destinations for any shopping freak. Continue Reading

Another interesting shop in Orchard Central mall is prAna – an outdoor gear store located right  underneath Asia’s First Indoor Via Ferrata.

Originally created for climbers and yoga practitioners, prAna has also developed its range of lifestyle apparel for the adventure seeking and active people.

Five-time National Climbing Champion, Mr. Mohd Halil Ngah says, “There aren’t many brands more sought after than prAna amongst the climbing community. They truly understand what climbers and outdoor seekers want. The best climbers in the world wear prAna.”

Outdoor Apparels

The range of functional styles has performance materials that are travel-friendly, lightweight and quick drying. Rugged construction, stretchable fabrics and in-built UV protection are features allowing ease of movement and comfort in the sun. Yoga practitioners will find a range of yoga apparel that has enough stretch to hold a flattering fit while complementing a moving body. Continue Reading

Certainly, one of Singapore’s best tourist attractions is its nightlife. It was my third day in Singapore and I’ve been to several party places and all I can say is “Too many Parties, Too little time”.

I was invited to visit Singapore last week to experience ZoukOut 2009 in Silosa Beach, Sentosa Island and It was a fantastic experience.

Now on its ninth year, ZoukOut is considered as Asia’s biggest beach party where renowned DJs from all over the world are invited such as the Stereo MCs, Armin Van Buuren, James Lavelle, Peter Kruder, Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Gilles Peterson, among others.

Lets get the party started

With a unified crowd of both locals and visitors from other countries, ZoukOut is an event that breaks down cultural barriers and joins people from all of Asia and the world, truly embodying Zouk’s inimitable spirit – One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance.

Get Ready for Zoukout 2010

From out-of-this world performers and costumed buskers to art installations, carnival rides, colorful laser shows, music and drumming lessons, from massage and holistic tents to scrumptious food stalls, and a myriad of fringe activities complete the festival feel. Continue Reading

Mayon Volcano is often referred to as the Beautiful Maiden. Bicolanos call her Daragang Magayon, hence, Mayon. Legend has it Mayon sprang from the graves of the maiden and her true love, Ulap. They died in a war against Ulap’s rival and where the lovers were buried side by side a mound appeared, which grew in size as years passed.

Having undergone a sea-change, Daragang Magayon and Ulap (Cloud) are now free to express their feelings. They kiss even if (or because!) we’re looking, that’s why sometimes Mayon’s tip is covered with clouds.

We Albayanos are used to Mayon’s occasional outbursts so we know what to do when her temper rises. When her tip becomes needle-point sharp, that means much magma has risen, ready to be released. But always, its release is preceded by intermittent earthquakes and sometimes explosions.

The air also becomes humid. Since Mayon emits smoke everyday, she doesn’t get bottled up, so she doesn’t self-destruct, unlike Mt. Pinatubo. Continue Reading