Filipino-GAF get in here!!!!!
- Thread starter CherryWoodFuton
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Johnlenham
Member
He guys, someone linked me this thread in one I made about the Philippines. Hopefully this is OK to post!
Edit: just seen someone asking similar stuff up above.. will check it when I'm not late for work heh
Edit: just seen someone asking similar stuff up above.. will check it when I'm not late for work heh
So, my fiancée and I just booked our honeymoon and basically we are flying to the Philippines for 2 months (October 30th till Dec 22nd) from London.
All we have is the flights at the moment and the idea of going to El Nido.
It wont be a classy affair, flashpacking at a stretch. Weve been all over south india, srilanka, most parts of south east asia so it shouldnt be that much of a shock to go back to hostels and guest houses.
I have to admit Im not super clued up on the Philippines, Ive travelled Malaysia and such but we never made it this far last time, ive heard its amazing for diving which makes it A-ok to me! but the flights appeared on a deal website for £270 return, which we thought was pretty nuts.
Weve also looked at getting flights out to other places like Japan/Taiwan/Indonisia as we are "in the area" but maybe Airasia is worth just checking every now and then?
Just wondering if GAF has any other ideas, places to check out, tips and so on?
Looking forward to it though
I actually now wonder, what and how did the German press describe Pia Wurtzbach? Do they also see her as a German since she is half-half? I myself just considers her Filipino since she represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe, and seem to have deep roots in the Filipino culture. I wonder if she even have anything in Germany besides a little family, since she lives in the US.
DonMigs85
Member
She's about as German as Gisele Bundchen I'd say
EYEL1NER
Member
Anyone know of a good nerd shop in Metro Manila? Somewhere with figure models and anime and wallscrolls and stuff? I'm not particularly looking for any of those items per se but I would like to find somewhere full of those kinds of items just to browse them. I ask because the store I went to back in 2009 at SM South Mall has been closed for a while, I guess. I found a cool paper opener-sized metal FFVII Buster Sword at that store and liked it but decided against getting it. My wife later bought it for me after I had left and mailed it to me and so I wanted to go back to that store. We were at SM South Mall last night looki for it and after asking a vendor about it, they said it had unfortunately closed.
BTW: I can't remember the name of the restaurant, I'll have to look it up later, but the Asian buffet at SM South Mall near the Starbucks is amazing and I really wish we had something like that in the states. Tons of raw meats available on the buffet line and a grill in the middle of the table, a decent amount of sushi (I was left wanting more variety after trying some of it though, I'll have to keep looking for a good sushi place), good drinks... I was impressed. The only thing that irked me was they kept bringing me Coke Zeroes in tiny glasses that I would finish in 1-2 gulps. They probably brought 10 of them to me, before bringing me one in a large glass for the last one when we were ready to leave. I had an extra drink in the way of a Four Seasons that I could sip on though, so I wasn't left sitting there thirsty.
An update though, since last week I posted about coming and now I am here: I'm enjoying myself. It's hot as fuck and I am hating having to go outside everyday, but the SUV that the family has gets cool pretty quick. Traffic in Bacoor is about how I remember it, but my wife is saying it seems a lot worse since the last time she was here. The lack of straws and plastic bags at a lot of places is frustrating but I guess that is due to some laws that were passed banning them? If anyone knows a place where I could buy a stainless steel straw though, I would greatly appreciate getting tipped off. A metal straw is something I could have bought easily before coming here but it wasn't something that I knew I would need. I tore a hole in my pair of shoes and had to search four different malls before finding a Skechers store that had size 12 shoes; most had 11. Then I bought a pair that was nice but an hour later did the math on how much they cost me and realized that they ran me twice what I pay for Skechers back home, but I guess I am fine with it since those are typically Amazon prices and these were from a Skechers retail store at ATC Alabang. I have been blowing through money like crazy though. I take out 20,000 php from an ATM when we get to a mall and when we are leaving think to myself "What the hell did I just spend 20,000 pesos on?" I feel like I don't have much to show for the money I've been dropping.
My daughter's party at Jollibee was great. 64 people showed up for it, which made it costlier than I expected, but it was worth it. She got tired midway through and was already cranky from how cold it was (they had the AC units BLASTING cold air, which I appreciated, but she didn't like) but she cheered up when Jollibee came out to dance with her. It was a great night, despite me initially looking down on it in the beginning as just a party at a fast food joint. I'm glad she got to experience it.
In addition to metal straws and an anime-type hobby shop, does anyone have any suggestions for custom clothiers or a sastre? I want to have a couple barongs made for me, a white barong tagalog and maybe a black short-sleeved with gold embroidery that would be more casual-looking. I don't have an immediate use for one though, so not getting one right now isn't a big deal. I can wait until the next trip, which I am already thinking about being next December after our soon-to-be-born son would be about one years old and good to travel. Two weeks isn't enough time...
EDIT: Apparently the name of that store at South Mall was Comic Alley and there is one close near Alabang, so I guess I'll try going in the next couple days.
BTW: I can't remember the name of the restaurant, I'll have to look it up later, but the Asian buffet at SM South Mall near the Starbucks is amazing and I really wish we had something like that in the states. Tons of raw meats available on the buffet line and a grill in the middle of the table, a decent amount of sushi (I was left wanting more variety after trying some of it though, I'll have to keep looking for a good sushi place), good drinks... I was impressed. The only thing that irked me was they kept bringing me Coke Zeroes in tiny glasses that I would finish in 1-2 gulps. They probably brought 10 of them to me, before bringing me one in a large glass for the last one when we were ready to leave. I had an extra drink in the way of a Four Seasons that I could sip on though, so I wasn't left sitting there thirsty.
An update though, since last week I posted about coming and now I am here: I'm enjoying myself. It's hot as fuck and I am hating having to go outside everyday, but the SUV that the family has gets cool pretty quick. Traffic in Bacoor is about how I remember it, but my wife is saying it seems a lot worse since the last time she was here. The lack of straws and plastic bags at a lot of places is frustrating but I guess that is due to some laws that were passed banning them? If anyone knows a place where I could buy a stainless steel straw though, I would greatly appreciate getting tipped off. A metal straw is something I could have bought easily before coming here but it wasn't something that I knew I would need. I tore a hole in my pair of shoes and had to search four different malls before finding a Skechers store that had size 12 shoes; most had 11. Then I bought a pair that was nice but an hour later did the math on how much they cost me and realized that they ran me twice what I pay for Skechers back home, but I guess I am fine with it since those are typically Amazon prices and these were from a Skechers retail store at ATC Alabang. I have been blowing through money like crazy though. I take out 20,000 php from an ATM when we get to a mall and when we are leaving think to myself "What the hell did I just spend 20,000 pesos on?" I feel like I don't have much to show for the money I've been dropping.
My daughter's party at Jollibee was great. 64 people showed up for it, which made it costlier than I expected, but it was worth it. She got tired midway through and was already cranky from how cold it was (they had the AC units BLASTING cold air, which I appreciated, but she didn't like) but she cheered up when Jollibee came out to dance with her. It was a great night, despite me initially looking down on it in the beginning as just a party at a fast food joint. I'm glad she got to experience it.
In addition to metal straws and an anime-type hobby shop, does anyone have any suggestions for custom clothiers or a sastre? I want to have a couple barongs made for me, a white barong tagalog and maybe a black short-sleeved with gold embroidery that would be more casual-looking. I don't have an immediate use for one though, so not getting one right now isn't a big deal. I can wait until the next trip, which I am already thinking about being next December after our soon-to-be-born son would be about one years old and good to travel. Two weeks isn't enough time...
EDIT: Apparently the name of that store at South Mall was Comic Alley and there is one close near Alabang, so I guess I'll try going in the next couple days.
DonMigs85
Member
A lot of figure merchants do business through Facebook now and don't have much of a store presence, but yeah check out V-Mall and Shoppesville. Look up Hubbyte Toy Store as well. For games, Datablitz is the go-to place and they have some toys and figures as well.
Traffic got worse the past 2-3 years due to the proliferation of Uber and Grab. There's also way too many buses plying EDSA.
Traffic got worse the past 2-3 years due to the proliferation of Uber and Grab. There's also way too many buses plying EDSA.
I would have suggested Comic Alley but you seem to have found it out already. And about custom clothing, there's this store named Exclusively His just near the Shell Station a few meters on the opposite side of ATC on the Alabang-Zapote Road side. Depending on urgency, it may take some time to finish the tailor-made clothing though.
DonMig, I was just checking Onesimus' website. Are those prices for real?
5,000 Pesos for a suit is pretty damn good (assuming the quality is good). I don't see any bespoke options on their website, but I'm guessing it's all priced in-store. But if it ends up even double the most expensive suit on the website, I'm willing to pull the trigger on it when I end up back in the Philippines.
Edit: Cornell's Tailoring looks like a good option too.
5,000 Pesos for a suit is pretty damn good (assuming the quality is good). I don't see any bespoke options on their website, but I'm guessing it's all priced in-store. But if it ends up even double the most expensive suit on the website, I'm willing to pull the trigger on it when I end up back in the Philippines.
Edit: Cornell's Tailoring looks like a good option too.
I can say Onesimus' clothes are of good quality. Not much to say about the price considering the average salary of the people here.
@Eyeliner - Comic Alley is shit, they sell mostly unofficial merchandise that can be bought at a certain market here for 1/2 of the price. The shops at Greenhills has legit stuff.
DonMigs85
Member
I had a suit made by them back in 2013 and the quality is great. I purchased the fabric myself from another store though.
Hope I didn't come off as a dick on my post about the price. Just legitimately surprised by it.
People tell me to buy suits in Asia (rather, get one made), but I never really bothered looking at prices until checking that website. The price difference is huge.
How long did it take? I might be back for a couple of weeks either in a couple of months or early next year. I don't think it would be ready in a short amount of time, but if they can ship it out to my home address, that would be cool.
That being said, so far I'm leaning towards Cornell's based on a couple of Yelp reviews, being able to choose the fabric in-store, and how close it is to where I may be staying.
Not really. I have an idea on how much the suits are here, so I would just imagine the prices are higher on other places.
I would also need to buy a formal attire for an event next month, but I think I can only spend about 3000 pesos for shoes and clothing combined because I'm a cheapstake. I wouldn't mind spending it for videogames though
Nearing the end of my four week balikbayan-vacation here in the Philippines. Haven't been back here for fifteen years now and man I think I'm going to miss the food the most. I live in KS and while we have some great stuff I think I enjoyed eating here the most. Not to mention the prices. Damn they are cheap if you are coming from dollars. The only thing the phil. can't beat Kansas is BBQ and steaks
And the traffic. Fuck Manila traffic.
And the traffic. Fuck Manila traffic.
EYEL1NER
Member
Thanks for all the advice. I don't think I'll make it into Quezon City at all while I am here, so that removes quite a bit of fun stuff I wanted to do from my list. Luckily I managed to play a couple games at a cool cafe, Captain's Sweet Galley of Treats, which is located in Dasmariñes. Dasma seemed like it has some cool stuff going on there, probably because of a big school being located there. Anyway, Captain's Sweet Galley was nice. The deserts we got were very good and they had an okay little selection of tabletop games. I had already played the card-drafting game Sushi Go before with my wife and daughter but our waiter was more than happy to explain how to play it in Tagalog to the other people that were with us. I might go back one more time and play a couple more games just so I can have them teach me how, as they have some games that I own but have not bothered to learn yet.
Two weeks was just not enough time at all and I am really regretting booking so short a trip. But then again, I am somehow spending a rediculous amount of money, so it is probably better to leave soon and come back when I have a job and income, rather than eat into my savings.
Two weeks was just not enough time at all and I am really regretting booking so short a trip. But then again, I am somehow spending a rediculous amount of money, so it is probably better to leave soon and come back when I have a job and income, rather than eat into my savings.
Its either going to be really hot and humid or rainy/stormy but still humid.
DonMigs85
Member
Less hot but still hot
I'm pretty sure the rainy season is now, so even though it's still hot, it should be less hot during this season. Jan-May are extremely hot, although it's always hot lol.
Is he still as relevant or notable in the Philippines like he was a few years ago?
soulslayer
Member
Guy has lost a lot of luster over the past few years. Between his dwindling boxing career and his "out of office shenanigans" like playing in the Philippine Basketball Association, and his controversial opinions on same sex marriage, he's not as popular as he was before. Till now, I still can't believe he won a seat in the Senate. I shouldn't be surprised because this is the Philippines, yet I still am.
CherryWoodFuton
Member
Yup between Sen Pac Man and Duterte I don't think I'm going to visit my homeland anytime soon
Our government is batshit religious crazy
Our government is batshit religious crazy
lol I'm heading back in a month.
I actually look forward to it in a sense. I dread the heat and humidity, but everything seems to have A/C there anyway.
Oh, enjoy your trip! How long are you gonna stay there?
Two and a half weeks.
I'm there for a wedding on the first week, and the rest of the time, I'm probably stuck in Makati for various family meet-ups or something.
It's raining hard in the metro for the whole week. Worry about floods lol.
I was back three years ago and I was caught in a Typhoon and flooding, so I was stuck in a car with a family friend for about a couple of hours.
Man, that reminds me when I were stuck in a typhoon too. But I were at sea on a boat, that was scary. So we had to get to the nearest land and drive the jeeps instead.
Can anyone vouch for Globe's service?
Found this cool Traveler SIM pre-paid plan that gives me some good options for data plans.
I don't think I've seen a comparable plan with Smart, though I haven't done too much research yet.
Found this cool Traveler SIM pre-paid plan that gives me some good options for data plans.
I don't think I've seen a comparable plan with Smart, though I haven't done too much research yet.
The data plans are overpriced IMHO. I can subscribe to Globe's 1 GB data plan for 7 days for only 70 pesos, with unlimited text to other networks.
ColdDeckEd
Member
This is aimed toward tourists that don't know once you step outside NAIA you can get a sim for 20 pesos.
It is still a shady practice.
@Quick - Since I read that local promos also apply to the traveler sim, just text Gotscombodd70 to 8888 for the 7 day/1GB/Unlimited text promo. Just load up for calling purposes.
Those are the areas I'm sticking to mostly. If that's the case, then I shouldn't have any signal issues.
I'll keep this in mind. The SIM card is free at the airport, maybe I can get one and buy a card to load it up with, then just do that 1GB/7 days for 70 pesos plan.
Otherwise, I'll just hit up the mall close to where I'm staying and buy a SIM there.
Auron_Kale
Member
Man... The Jollibee thread is straight up depressing me in a way I didn't think it would.
So many people seem like they're straight up offended at there being hot dogs in our spaghetti or we eat rice with breakfast.
So many people seem like they're straight up offended at there being hot dogs in our spaghetti or we eat rice with breakfast.
Auron_Kale
Member
It did the first few times and then it got weird after more people were complaining about it.
Getting weirded out by hot dogs, gravy on hamburger patties and fried rice? Most of those posters comment in the Burgerrito thread that it looks good but give us shit over hot dogs in spaghetti? GTFO with that noise.
Admittedly, the times I've been to Jollibee, I only ever ate palabok, chicken, or burger steak. Not a fan of the spaghetti, but I didn't hate it the few times I've had it. I can't say I've eaten Filipino-style spaghetti a lot in general.
But it's also been years since I've been to one - one in New York and in the Philippines. I don't remember there being any distinct differences in taste or quality. Prices seemed ridiculous in USD though.
But it's also been years since I've been to one - one in New York and in the Philippines. I don't remember there being any distinct differences in taste or quality. Prices seemed ridiculous in USD though.
killertofu
Member
Filipino GAF is so disrespected the mods don't even bother putting this thread in Community.
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