If I were to describe Uniwide Warehouse Club in one phrase, it would be "Wasteland of Everything…read moreMade in China". Though don't let this place fool you, because it might have poor lighting, ventilation, and the place is quite an eyesore really, but I only go here for 2 things: it's the BEST place here in Parañaque to get some cheap home decor and kitchen stuff, if you don't want to go all the way to Divisoria that is. Let's talk home decor. If you like fancy figurines of all kinds of animals, knock-offs of antique-looking sculptures, grandiose-looking vases and cute winter porcelain houses that double as lamps, you can get such items for Php 100 - 300 or so. This is why I frequent this place for holiday gifts because you can get really good-looking items for so much less. Kitchen stuff: Plastic and ceramic decorative and everyday use plates are available here and they're REALLY cheap, most are being sold by the kilo even. So much cute and quirky designs here. This is why the plates in my kitchen are all mismatched (I don't really care). Cheap kitchen tools are also available here such as pots/pans, utensils, glasses and knives. But if you're wary of lead content leaching its way onto your food, perhaps it's wise to skip this section... Other than those things, there are so much cheap, random odds and ends in this warehouse. They've also got some fabric of all kinds available near the entrance, some food kiosks, school supplies, fake flowers, cheap clothing and shoes, and so on. I do recommend doing your Christmas shopping here for giveaways if you're not too particular with brand names, or shopping for party favors for children's parties.

When I'm meeting someone at a mall and I find myself tremendously bored I tend to go around…read more looking for a store that would have something that will help me pass the time. Windows shopping basically. Glorietta has this art space on the third level of Glorietta 4. Paseo Gallery is one such place. I don't know how new this place is, but it seems like a new comer compared to the rest of the galleries that I find around the area. I'm not entirely sure because I forgot to ask, but most of their pieces seem to be made by Filipino artists. I wouldn't be surprised though if they exclusively dealt with Filipino artists. They have a wide variety of pieces that caught my eye. They have works on paper, canvass, and a few sculptures. If you find yourself in Glorietta, even if you're not in the market for a fine piece of art, at least drop by as most of their pieces will be interesting enough to help pass the time.

Any self-respecting chef, cook or avid home cook should know where to get fresh herbs. As many…read morepurists would say, there is just no comparison between fresh herbs and dried, bottled herbs. Forget McCormick. With EDSA Garden House, you can fill your kitchen windowsill or home garden with fresh and healthy herbs that will keep giving you awesome and fresh leaves to flavor and season your food. I have no skill whatsoever in gardening, and I may as well have a "thumb of death" because plants seem to die on me all the time. I cant be bothered to till my own small garden at home, so I usually just get potted herbs and line them up outside. The plants from EGH are so healthy and thriving that even my nonexistent green thumb can keep them alive for long. I absolutely love EGH because everything is so orderly. If you're a bit OC like me, you will delight in the way that they arranged their plants as if you are shopping in a supermarket for herbs. I have also recently discovered the wonders of cold pressed juices and smoothies, and EGH is one of the most stable and constant source of of wheatgrass which is helpful in detoxification and lots of other healthful cleanses. When I need to add more enzymes in my diet, I go to EGH to get my wheatgrass stash.They also have ashitaba, which is slowly becoming the next superfood. If you want to find rare herbs, you will find everything here. If you also want to start your very own herb garden, you will find everything that you will ever need from this mecca for gardeners: from pots to fertilizer, from garden soil to environment friendly bug repellants. Their employees are ever so helpful, and i like learning new stuff about herbs and plants whenever I am here.

EDSA Gardenhouse is a place where you can get a lot of garden tools and equipment for a very good…read moreprice. They have the most variety of plant pots I've seen. They also sell garden shears, plant mix, plant trays, fertilizers, seeds and whatever else you would need in your garden. You can also get herbs here! They have lavender, mint, oregano, thyme, sweet basil, purple basil, sage and so much more. Sometimes they have eucalyptus!They don't always have everything though. Make sure to call ahead. This place is a good source to get Ashitaba. They sell Ashitaba seedlings for PHP 150 and they also sell more established plants to make sure that you won't kill them with your black thumb. If you stop by the counter, Ashitaba tea from Taiwan is also available for sale. When driving from the south, make sure to take the second U-Turn and not the first U-Turn after the intersection or else you'll miss the shop entirely and will have to do another round.

"What's old is new" is the old adage that furniture shop, Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects…read moreGallery, holds true. A visit to their gallery in arts hub, 10A Alabama in Quezon City, is sure to inspire curiosity and wonder. Working with scrap or junk materials, old furniture and salvaged wood, the designers breathe new life into the so-called dead pieces and create a "mash-up" of sorts. One very interesting piece I saw was a circular wooden side table. Though it looked normal on top, what was on the bottom was a fun surprise. Instead of wooden legs, the legs of an office swivel chair held up the table, complete with wheels. Another intriguing concept was the upcycling of old CPU casings into small drawers and trays, while empty keyboard casings were turned into the body of a four-cornered desk lamp. Each corner of the gallery is filled with fun surprises; each nook a reminder that what's new and shiny isn't always the best.

The Sidcor Market I grew up with can be found in EDSA corner Main Avenue--the current location of…read moreHypermarket Cubao. As far as I can recall, it was 8 years ago when it was launched again in Centris. I often visit every Sunday morning for my favorite Empanada, Pad Thai, and Buco Sherbet. This is home to a variety of food selection from regional cuisines to international flavors. Sidcor is also a great source of fresh produce, organic vegetables, and fruits. The price is at par with local neighborhood palengke and definetely cheaper than supermarket. Sidcor is open from 6:00am to 1:00pm but fresh market's stocks runs out easily. Be sure to arrive earlier. There are a lot of parking spaces available at Sidcor as well. Commuters can take the Quezon Avenue MRT station. It's a walk away from the train stop.

Spent a Sunday morning here is fun. Here you have 2 prices,…read morelocal and expat. Unlike in salcedo sat market, here you can find avocado for 150/kg, while it's 250-300php in salcedo! You can also find quite good collection of plants to decorate your home. Super hot though!!! But will come back!

This is probably one of the biggest events for all the art lovers in the Philippines. Art in the…read morePark happens only once a year for only one weekend which is why once it opens or even before it does, people are already in the area scouting for possible paintings and artwork that they can get their hands on. I'll tell you honestly, it can get crazy! What I love most about this event is that it allows people like me (who don't have much money, who don't know much about the art world) to be more exposed to all the young and old artists, the famous ones or the rising stars and have a greater appreciation of art. It also gives artists who are not always featured in the big and fancy museums to showcase their work in the public. You never know, you might find the next Manansala or Luna amidst it all.

Deep sigh. This is just going to be a rant on Philippine Art, move on while you still can!…read more Art in the Park is another exercise in showing who-you-know and is more of a"seen and be seen" kind of thing, more than anything else. Sure, there are cool artworks displayed that's under 20,000 pesos, and that brings down art to a level where the "Average" Filipino can afford it (Cause seriously, some paintings? scary. That's my annual income already.) And some works are really simple, letting people understand and experience art in an open, and less stuffy setting than, say, in a museum or one of those international galleries that are intimidating to set foot in. Apart from that? It's a lot of hipster kids dressing up in their weekend best, go around the park with a bottle of beer and a cigarette in the other hand. It's kind of... well. I don't think it brings the community together at all. Oh, well. Maybe next time would be better? (I am one of those kids trying to fit in with the "cool crowd". Haha, please notice me so I can sell artworks 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!

The name of Winnerka Fashion must be a play on the Tagalog and English words 'winner' and 'ka.' In…read moreother words, you're a winner. Cute. Stores like this used to be called boutiques. I don't think anyone uses that word anymore. Makes the user seem so passe and out of touch with the times, which is a no-no especially in the world of fashion. It's a neat and small store that's comfortably air-conditioned. From what I saw, the main products are casual ladies clothes, not too expensive and not too cheap either. My wife and daughters would be most happy to at least give this place a look see, I'm sure. But I was alone when I happened to pass by and just peeked inside out of curiosity. I am no expert at women's fashion so I can't really say if the clothes sold at Winnerka are hot stuff or meh-worthy. In my eyes, they looked mighty fine. I'm going to let the ladies in my life decide for themselves if they will become regular customers or sukis of this new story. Sooner rather than later, I am certain they will at least pay it a leisurely visit.