Have you ever found yourself wishing that you had a talent for painting? Sign up for a session at…read moreSip and Gogh and you'll discover that you actually have quite a lot. And what's more, at the end of your session, you get to bring home your own acrylic painting (on impressive canvass no less) to prove it. No matter what your painting skill is, you'll have fun at the studio. You get to choose a painting template as an inspiration and an art instructor will literally take you step-by-step through the entire process until you have produced your own unique artwork. And I do mean step-by-step: they'll show you what colors to blend, what brushstrokes to use to create a certain effect, and what elements of the painting to do in sequence. Of course, more proficient painters get more freedom but at the end of the session, I assure you that the final product would totally have your FB friends impressed. The studio, by the way, also serves a drink of your choice and a light snack so you can nibble as you get your art on. Grown-ups get to choose among a fairly good range of wines while kids get the default juice or iced tea. A painting session costs P1000, inclusive of instructor, all the art materials including the canvass that you get to take home, plus a snack and drink. This would definitely be a good place for a fun family day. Or even a place to bring a date to--- you get to do something creative and you'll both be busy on your painting to hve awkward silences. If you are a wine afficionado, go on designated BYOB (bring your own bottle) nights where you can indulge your artistic aspirations while sipping at your favorite vintage, no corkage fees--- sure, your sourgraping friends would probably say that you're being pretentious but hey, your fault for not inviting them to go along!

Probably the most memorable place in Manila for me now!…read more It was supposed to be just a belated Valentine's date - great date idea indeed!! With enough white wine and the devoted guidance of the instructors, I was able to convincingly recreate on my own canvass the painting that was being taught to us that night, oblivious to what my boyfriend beside me was painting. After all, the whole class had to paint the same thing. What was there to copy from the other canvasses? Suddenly, Yellow by Coldplay plays and my boyfriend turns to me with his own beautifully life-changing version of the painting - a guy kneeling in front of the girl! Then he proceeds to do the exact same thing in front of me and before I knew it, YES I was engaged! Tears, tears, tears! The whole Sip and Gogh team was in on it, from start to finish. Sneaky, sneaky! Aaaand definitely talented - not just good art teachers, fantastic engagement organizers too. Thanks to them, I got a painting and a fiancé. Beeeeeest date ever!

This gallery has the cutest name around. Pocket Universe. It sounds like something that might have…read morekittens and puppies inside. Though, this gallery is named 'pocket' for a reason--it's really, really small. It's actually a room on the 2nd floor of this bar we all love, Saguijo. It's a place to catch art by more low-key, local artists and caters to art that's more diverse and raw in style and aesthetic. I've caught an exhibit here once or twice, and even though it is small, it's very laid back and intimate. Though, if you're here for a group show, then of course not only the walls get crowded, but the place as well. So if you're heading to Saguijo for that next gig, check upstairs and you might just come across an art exhibit, too.

As we all know, SM Megamall's The Artwalk has a number of art galleries. I've known this all my…read morelife but I never really got to visit any. I was on the way down from the fifth floor after buying paint brush cleaner and an exhibit caught my eye. I suddenly thought that it was time to actually enter a gallery rather than just looking through the windows. The Crucible gallery was holding an exhibit for an artist I'm quite familiar with named, Nemo. His art is very out of the box weird. The good kind of weird. He paints/sketches monster-like people or creatures but making them look friendlier (in my perspective). He uses really eye-popping neon colors and portrays them in a really funky way. His style are one of the styles I really like when it comes to art! It was a really good experience there in the gallery because the way they placed the works were so people could see his concept well and the contrasts of the different materials he used such as paper and wood. The people in charge were also kind enough to answer the questions I had. The gallery showcases a lot of artists with different styles. They always update their exhibits as well! It's a good idea to drop by and check out all the amazing art they have from time to time. It could be very relaxing!

This place has great cocktails for a very reasonable price. I was at ABV the night earlier as it…read morehad more ratings. But OTO is much much better. The drinks are really delicious. "Smoke and coffee" was my favorite, as it combined 2 of my favorite drinks... coffee and peaty scotch. It's a strong drink too. It also has great ambiance. The layout is really cool... lots of vertical lines everywhere (floor, ceiling and walls). And has a very interesting dj booth. It was packed on a Wednesday night. Will return if I'm in the area

Part of the gentrification currently happening in Poblacion in Makati, this place is part is of the…read morehip, trending gaggle of holes-in-the-wall that are popping up like mushrooms in this part of the city. Its stark interiors, with bold contrasting strokes of white and black remind one of Makati's once "it" place-to-be, Venezia, in the early 2000s. But the similarity ends there - with wood treatments to complement the zebra-striped walls, this is somewhere that calls to a more relaxed - albeit equally alcoholic - crowd than the clubbers of yesteryear. Like many of these new places, too, they aren't cheap. Expect to drop CBD (Makati) prices on your drinks... but expect that drink to be worth it. Very San Franscisco-esque is its drinks menu, where you'll find familiar items such as the Bee's Knees (gin, lemon and honey). Putting the bartender to the test, my friends and I asked for a Dark and Stormy (ginger beer, dark rum, bitters, slice of lemon)... and they delivered. Rare is the bartender (in Manila) that knows what that drink is; rarer still is the bar that has the ingredients for it. Plus 50 points from my alcoholic alter ego. All in all a pleasurable experience. Now if only there was somewhere to park...

The Philippines is home to dozens of festivals scattered all over the archipelago, each one trying…read moreto one up the other with pomp and parade. You've got Cebu's Sinulog, Iloilo's Dinagyang, Bacolod's Dinagyang, and Aklan's Ati-atihan just to name a few. They've all got their own character and it's sad not being able to see them all. One way you can get a little taste of all those colorful festivals from the provinces is with the annual Aliwan Fiesta. The gist of the whole thing is that Aliwan aims to proudly showcase the different cultural festivals from across the Philippines, whether they are from big or small cities. Held every April or May, Aliwan is a city dweller's chance to see what all the fuss about fiestas is about. Just watching the participating contingents give their heart and soul is really inspiring. Don't forget to bring your camera and make sure your battery's fully charged. With all that color and all that action going on, you're going to be shooting for a while.

Awesome place for board games! The hourly rates are affordable and student-friendly. Membership…read morecomes with lower rates (worth it!) and every Thursday a member can bring one friend for free for board game use. They also sell snacks that's great for people who would like to stay longer (especially when hooked to the board games). The place also has schedules for certain card /board games. It's a great place to hang out and I highly recommend this to students who like to unwind after a long day at school. :)

It's a cute and quaint museum. There are 3 floors of exhibits and the main one right now was the…read moreBenCab exhibit which was actually super cool cause it was sponsored by Samsung digital lol. We mainly came to just educate ourselves more and this is where I learned about the most famous name in the Philippines aside from God, Jesus, and Ayala: Rizal. They have buildings, parks, streets, you name it after this guy and the yuchengco museum had an entire floor dedicated to this guy and what he did for the Philippines. It was super cool. They have a good selection of paintings on the first floor including several Vincente Manansala's which are a big deal here (at the Ayala museum they had THREE huge rooms dedicated to Manansala's Art alone).

If you work or live in Manila and didn't know that the RCBC building was a cultural center, I'm…read morehere to tell you! The RCBC building at the end of Ayala Avenue has a fine arts theatre that has a lot of plays and shows and a museum! I've personally gone to the Yuchengco Museum quite a few times and I really like it there. Their permanent collection isn't so extensive but I enjoy how they always have new exhibits and even workshops. At least once a year they have the Habi exhibit and trade fair where entrepreneurs from around the country come together with local textile. I absolutely love this! I always come out of there with yards of textile for myself. There was once even a talk they gave about different tribes and what their patterns mean, it was a great experience! I love learning about our culture (especially when translated to textile) and I'm glad that there are venues like these that provide the opportunity to do so.

Sometimes a friendly salesman or salesgirl is all it takes to make a sale. The problem with some…read morestores is their inability to differentiate between friendly and irritating. So it was with a mild surprise that I found this little store, one of many in the Quiapo underpass. Yanga Handicraft does not have the best collection of native arts and crafts, nor are their prices the cheapest. But on a hot afternoon when I was just browsing, the friendly guy manning the store was unobtrusive and allowed me to browse without pestering me. For some reason, I also like it when people call me 'kuya' or big brother. It seems so respectful yet friendly at the same time. So this guy told me to look all I wanted to and tell him if there was anything of interest to me. I've had several balikbayan friends arrive over the years and they all seem to know of the Quiapo underpass. It's not just trinkets that are sold here, by the way. There are also some little necessities like the 'walis' made in Baguio. Anything made of bamboo or shells can be found here at the underpass, including baskets and containers for small gifts.