Were you ever on a romantic date in Cubao X's Bellini's and thought to yourself "Man, I sure wish I…read morecould play some video games right now"? WELL NOW YOU CAN! Sneak over to neighboring Rumpus Room and have the time of your life! All the current consoles in one cozy little cove. Take your pick from their library of the newest games, grab a seat and start gaming! Rumpus Room also holds a number of gaming events and tourneys for local players. This, for example is the hub of Manila's small yet friendly Smash Brothers tourney scene. Friday nights are pretty competitive, while a group of gamers also chill on Sundays for some casual Smashing. Rumpus Room is small and can get a bit stuffy on some days, but isn't that part of the experience? Also, it's priced at P100 per hour - but that can be divided among all the players per console. This encourages multiplayer gaming. So instead of sneaking out on your date, maybe you should just bring her here and teach her some nasty fireballs and fatalities.

Secondhand bookshops are treasure groves for me. I just love this tiny panicky feeling I get every…read moretime I enter, not knowing where to start. In places like these, you'll never know what you could find. So it really feels like you have to be alert and look really carefully, especially if you're hunting down a very rare book or magazine issue. Enough about books though. Foreign and art magazines are pretty hard to find locally. I used to have copies of Juxtapoz mailed to me by a friend who lives abroad. They take forever to arrive and by the time I get my hands on them, a new issue will be out. I was thrilled when the cashier answered "meron" to me when I asked if they had copies of Juxtapoz. I mean why didn't I think of that before? I don't know. It honestly never occurred to me to ask the keepers. My bad. The issues I get are still outdated, it's pretty hard to come by, after all. But at the very least I don't have to spend too much on shipping costs and whatnot.

When i was a kid, I dreamed of having my own library at home. I would line up my books in small…read moreshelves and imagine a whole room filled with books about various topics and fields. But as I was growing up, I noticed that books, especially hardbound ones can be quite pricey. So the dream just waned away. However, Booksale has rekindled this vision when it introduced to me the concept of buying pre-loved books and magazines. Actually, I don't consider myself as a bookworm. I just experience a simple joy when I see my books lined up side by side waiting to be opened and explored (it makes me feel organized). But more than books, I am a magazine person. I read fashion and travel magazines more than books. When I am in Booksale, I usually spend a lot of time perusing through their back issues of foreign magazines and find the ones that interest me. Since they aren't current issues, they are sold cheaper so I usually end up buying two or three issues...per field of interest.

I'm probably the only Pinoy I know who hates the concept of Filipino time, and as such, when my…read morefriends and I decide to meet up, I'm often the first to arrive. To kill time, I always, ALWAYS go to the bookstore. It's not difficult for me to wander around a bookstore, find a gem that I can read or leaf through for hours and hours. Before I know it, my phone starts beeping incessantly, flooded with messages from my friends, asking me where the hell I am. Fully Booked in Rockwell has always been one of my favorite bookstores in the metro, partly because I've been going here since it was still called Page One, and located at the ground floor of the mall. The book selection, from the new age section, the cooking section to the graphic novels (if this gives you any indication of what kind of person I am) are always well-stocked. I even enjoy the bestsellers they have on display, which are always timely and unique. The layout of the store is large enough for me to always find a quiet spot to read without being harassed by anything or anyone - except maybe for my cellphone. I should just probably put it on silent mode, I guess.

There are three major bookstores in the Philippines: National Bookstore, Powerbooks and Fully…read moreBooked. National Bookstore is the most comprehensive when it comes to textbooks but Fully Booked is the best with all others. They have a great selection, far more detailed and complete than other bookstores. They also have a lot of rare books and special editions. Aside from their collection, the customer service of Fully Booked is fantastic. The staff is always bright-eyed and well-mannered. They smile with you and easily remember who you are. They also have several services that are unique to Fully Booked branches alone. For one, you can reserve books before they even come out. Once the book becomes available Fully Booked will notify you through text that your book has arrived. You can also have books transferred from one branch to another. If a book is only available in the Fort or even, Cebu, you can have it transferred to the branch nearest you. Another service is if the book that you want is out of stock, you can ask them to replenish their inventory. All these are of no extra cost to you. Also, if the book that you want isn't in their database, you can request them to order it for you also with no extra charge. Most bookstores charge double for this service. Downside, it will usually take them 4 to 8 weeks to get here but that's usually the estimate regardless of where you ask it from. There's also a common misconception that Fully Booked is the more expensive bookstore. People think they charge more for their books, if you scout around though and compare prices you will be surprised to find that more often than not, Fully Booked is the one that sells the book at a lower price. I am speaking of the same quality, the same edition; it's cheaper.

This is one of my favorite bookstores in the Philippines. I love the aesthetic inside and how it…read morewas laid out especially when they have photo of a woman create with books. It was also bonus that my book, Bridging the Confidence, was available at this location. Definitely a must go if you love book stores.

Bookstore -- more than books! (MANILA Philippines)…read more My two daughters would absolutely love this bookstore if we had one in the U.S. My 10-year old niece who resides in the Philippines introduced me to this store when I told her that I was looking for Sonny Angel merchandise for my adult daughter at home who loves this stuff. Not only did they have them but they had so many different kinds of Pop Mart blind box merchandise meaning you do not know which figure you will receive until you buy one and open the box. The bookstore also carries a good selection of Manga books series which my other daughter would be excited to see. For Yuko Shimizu fans... they sell the mural shirts here too. After all the searching for the Sonny Angel merch I was glad to find them in this bookstore and surprised my child with the plush. Customer service was excellent, they were very friendly and helpful. Great prices! The bookstore is located in the Mitsukoshi BGC in Taguig Metro Manila. Review #3294

This shop is at the second floor of the Ayala mall and easily caught our attention - very…read morebeautifully decorated, spacious and cozy. They sell second hand books - they have a lot of books on hand and they were stacked neatly for easier browsing. They also have cool items like scratch maps, globe stress ball, adventure banks, etc. Highly recommended for book and novelty item enthusiasts.

Cool guitar store - Filipino made by Ramon Jacinto (RJ) . Limited selection of nylon string…read moreguitars though but I really love the game workmanship and beauty of the mahogany wood and appliqués of the steel string guitars that RJ made.

RJ Guitars is the place to go if you are looking for affordable musical instruments. Last year, I…read morechanced upon RJ's birthday sale in Robinson's Galleria with my girlfriend. They had this promo where every hour, from opening until closing, the discount gets bigger. Since we were there near closing, the discount was already at a whopping 40%. She didn't think twice to fall in line and choose among the instruments propped up against the wall. Although the selection was a bit limited because they were almost closing, they still had a few items that were worth lining up for. The line wasn't that bad, by the way, and the salespeople tried their best to help out everyone even if the store was a bit crowded. In the end, we were able to buy a pretty decent ukulele that was imported from Korea for around 3,000 Pesos. For starter musicians, I suggest putting RJ's birthday on your calendar because the sale definitely worth it.

Good day! AMA University Library needs listings of Business Administration and Engineering books…read more We would appreciate your sending us a list of books avaiable locally for our faculty and deans to check and recommend books for purchase. Our address is : University Chief Librarian, email : deorense@amaes.edu.ph and or dickorense77@gmail.com Contact No. 09293172259 Thank you and best regards, Dr. Dick E. Orense, EDD.

I love this bookstore for the reason that it sells stuff, more than just books, that I can't get…read moreanywhere else. They have really cute trinkets that can be used in school or in the office. Place is usually not crowded and it really has the quiet library vibe, minus the irritable librarian. I also admire the sales people because they are very helpful and they always assist you in finding the book or magazine that you need. If you're the busy mom or the ate that doesn't want to be bugged by the kids while shopping, there is a small nook here where you can leave the little rascals and keep them occupied while you go around the mall. Just make sure they are old enough to stay by themselves or you can have yaya watch over them. Books are arranged neatly according to topic and field so you can easily locate the ones that you are interested in. So if you're the bookworm who loves to immerse himself in a lot of reading, this is definitely the place to go to.

I am a very regular customer at SM Hypermarket and one of my most frequently visited establishments…read morewould hands down have to be Books for Less. Few things make me happier than sticking my nose in a book so when I found out that the store was no longer as big as it used to be, it made me sad. However, BFS continues to provide a decent selection of fiction and nonfiction books that one can peruse and purchase from. I've found many a gem here, and I'm glad that places like this exist as where would society be without the written word.