If you're not familiar where the YMCA gym in Makati is located, chances are you're going to be…read moresurprised when you find out where it is. It actually stands inside an apartelle! A little unusual, right? So don't be surprised if you suddenly pass by open vacant rooms or random people looking like they just woke up (hello, jammies!). The court, according to my boyfriend, is pretty okay, though the height of the actual ring stand is lower compared to other courts he has played in. Hindi ko alam if he's just saying that because they always had a hard time winning a game in that court or what. Hahaha. #mean From a spectator's standpoint, it has better ventilation mainly because the walls are pretty open. There are gaps in the walls which serve as a passageway of air for anyone inside. I've been to other courts before and this one ranked higher than most when it came to ventilation. I must note, though, that the court takes up so much space so you won't be able to sit on benches or bleachers. Swerte na if you find a bench where players usually put their stuff at. Ito na ata yung rurok ng tagumpay ng pagiging cheerleader girlfriend ko! Somebody give me an award! Hahaha. After playing, players can take a shower however they need to go down one floor and walk thru the other side of the floor then go up again to see the CR/Shower Room. The gate found in the basketball court which should be where the CR is located is always locked for some reason. The shower room only has 2 slots and does not have a dressing area. Think of it as a CR with 2 shower slots with no chairs/benches found. (All I can say is thank God, I don't have to take a shower there.) For those looking for a quick grub after playing or cheering in my case, you can get food downstairs as they have a Burger Machine stall right outside the building. There's also a Purple Oven branch and the Galli Village Café if you want some quick caffeine fix. According to my SO, rate for the basketball court rental is about 800 pesos per hour. Pretty affordable since we're talking about a court in the heart of Makati.

Small, accessible, and affordable, Playland is a pretty good go-to for parents who want to…read moreentertain their kids for a while but don't want to leave the city. Situated on the fifth floor of Fisher Mall, parking isn't a problem, and restaurants are an escalator and a few steps away. We visited Playland for a three-year-old's birthday party, and we brought a three-year-old with us. There's a spacious function room for these exact purposes, and it can fit around fifty people comfortably. As party favors, the kids were given Ride-All-You-Can stamps, so I guess they have some sort of kiddie party package that's inclusive of the function room and the entertainment area itself. We were also given cards to use for the arcade games--standard ones like the claw machine things and shooting stalls. Kids that are 4 feet and above can ride by themselves. Any shorter than that, and they require an adult companion. My three-year-old nephew had a blast in the brightly lit mini-ferris wheel. The helicopter ride was spinning, but its arms didn't go up and down at the time, and that really took away from its appeal. I do hope they fix it soon. It's a great ride to stir a child's imagination as the front seat has a steering wheel, and they can pretend to be pilots. Overall, we had a great time, and it was a great venue, but the arcade could use some work.

All malls have video arcades. It's practically a prerequisite. Where else would dads leave their…read morekids and students play hooky? Kidding aside, the fact that every mall has one makes them ordinary and not at all special. The reason we're talking about Fisher Mall's arcade aptly named Playland is because they have something else going for them aside from your run off the mill video games (which they have plenty of). What makes them different is that after going up a flight of stairs, you'll be greeted with a full sized basketball court. I was actually surprised when I learned of this because it is such a strange place to put a court in. What's more is that beside the court, there are a couple of billiard tables and dart boards you can rent out too. A slight problem with the court is that a concrete pillar gets in the way. Whenever I tell people this they get turned off so I attached a photo with a slipper and a pen for scale. I'm high-tech like that.

We all know that basketball is part of our culture as Filipinos. Boys or girls, young or just young…read moreat heart, NBA or PBA or UAAP or just your neighbourhood basketball liga, Pinoys are just into this sport. I guess this explains why in most parts of the Metro, it's impossible for you not to see basketball courts - whether it's an indoor hardwood court, open cement court or even a makeshift half court on the streets. Some basketball courts have been put up for quite some time and recently, there have been a good number of new basketball courts that are popping in the city. Since my boyfriend is into basketball (just like most boys are, really) and has been regularly joining different basketball leagues, I have been exposed to a few different basketball courts. One that I have frequently gotten to visit is the Dumlao Gym found along Shaw Boulevard. The gym has been an institution for many generations of (pro and non-pro) basketball players living in the Mandaluyong area. The very first time I saw the façade of Dumlao, I wanted to run. It looked like a horror movie's set! Hahahaha! The gym definitely looked older than most courts I've seen based on the structure of the building. Despite this, a lot of professional and amateur basketball leagues have set this as their stage. I should know, I've watched countless of Pau's games in Dumlao, from different leagues, mind you. Dumlao Gym has 2 indoor basketball courts found on the first and second floor. Upon entering the gym, you will see trophies, newspaper cut outs and other memorabilia of the person the gym is named after - Cesar Dumlao. (Quick trivia: Cesar Dumlao used to be a basketball superstar back in the day. He was actually recorded to have had 162 points in one game. I don't know much about playing ball but I think that's pretty extraordinary!) For someone who watches games at Dumlao, one major complain that I have with it is the humidity and temperature inside the gym. It has poor ventilation and can really make you feel exhausted especially between 11am - 2pm, which is usually the time they have their games. Dumlao has shower rooms available for men and women, which my boyfriend says is pretty decent. I've only ever been to the normal bathrooms. They are clean but also a bit old. They also have a small sari-sari store where you can buy drinks and munchies while watching the games. Dumlao Gym is open 24/7 so all you hard core basketball fanatics can go here to play. Price of court rental at Dumlao is 900/hour. The courts can also be used for volleyball games and badminton competitions!

Dumlao Gym is one of the most commonly used basketball courts in Manila because of its central…read morelocation. Barring bad traffic, all it takes is a short drive to get here. Having said that, I'm not exactly a fan of playing at Dumlao. First off, parking is extremely limited. There are two basketball courts so you can only imagine how crazy it is when all the players bring cars. If you arrive and there are no slots available, you're out of luck and you will have to look somewhere else. The façade of the building looks decrepit as well. It's an old building and you immediately see it both inside and out. What Dumlao has going on for them is that they're open 24 hours, 7 days a week. This is good especially for call center employees who are night owls and might not have another place to play at.

One of my favorite basketball courts to play is in The Playground at Ronac Art Center. It is a…read morereally good looking and well-designed court. It wasn't haphazardly made. Attention to detail and impeccable design were important factors in the creation of this facility. The wooden floors are always maintained. There are no misplaced floorboards lying in wait to injure you. Renting the court out will give you access to a very nice locker room as well where you can keep your things safe. The biggest testament on how good the court is the mere fact that professional teams from the PBA hold their practices here. If you're a basketball fanatic, you can actually stalk them here though it's a move I don't suggest making. The best thing in playing at The Playground however is that you can immediately eat at Charlie's right after. Hey, I already exercised. It's time to reward myself with a big, fat, juicy burger.

It is no secret that the Philippines is a basketball crazy country. The Nation just lives and…read morebreathes the popular tagline of Nike: "Basketball Never Stops." You'll see a hoop pretty much everywhere you go, whether its beside a rice field or by some random urban alley. For those who want to experience higher quality facilities in the Metro Manila area, there's the Playground at the Ronac Art Center. The facility boasts a well-maintained wooden court, a hoop with a fiberglass board on each end, and air-conditioned locker rooms. For the horrible basketball player and out of shape person that I am who wouldn't even cut it in the most remote barangay's neighborhood league, it's the closest thing I'll ever get to experience a professional setup. Speaking of the pros, local PBA team Purefoods sets up shop at the Playground for their practices. The court can also be converted into an events place. I find myself usually here during the month of December for Titan's annual Jordan holiday release events.

Not entirely sure if its the first of its kind but Kings of the Court (KOTC) organizes amateur…read morebasketball leagues which can give you the feeling of a professional player while playing the sport you love with your friends. The group started organizing basketball leagues since January 2014 and has been on the rise ever since. KOTC, which specializes in posting photos, videos and stats on Facebook, gives the players the feeling of being in a well-organized basketball league, which makes your quota payment worth it! After playing over the weekend, players will have something to look forward to thru the photos and of course the game recaps via the video highlights. Aside from posting photos and videos, they also give incentives to the best players and fans by providing prizes thru the form of GCs and special items from sponsors and marketing partners. Truly an additional motivation for players to perform better especially if Php 500 worth of GCs from Bugsy's will be awarded to you. Yes to free food after the game, right? A bunch of the other girlfriends of my boyfriend's kabarkada have actually won. I don't attend all the games so that's probably one of the reasons I didn't win. Haha. Games are usually held in Dumlao, Asia Pacific College, Makati Coliseum and Finman Gym. Also, they focus on the fundamentals of barkada as they provide victory party c/o partner venues to the champion team. The champion team gets treated to food and drinks together with his teammates and friends which definitely makes playing in this league worth it. One of the best, if not the best, amateur basketball leagues my boyfriend has ever played in.

Available ba for booked the schedule on saturday 6pm to 8pm?…read moreWe need a court as soon as possible this saturday

Once upon a time the court here was so bad that there was a physical imbalanced based on which side…read moreyou had to score on. One end of the court was 1 foot higher than the other, meaning one side could have an advantage when it came to easy buckets. That sounds like a ridiculous oversight to make while building a basketball court, but thankfully it's something they've corrected. Not only that, but a professional-league-practice-worthy wooden court has been added for good measure. Gone are the days of spring-less hoops and a corner three 2 feet too close. The cement court is useable if unspectacular, but the wooden court is one of the best in the area. That's great and all but it's too late now; I've retired from village and baranggay games and I'm too cheap to rent a P2k per hour court.

I've been playing ball here for close to 25 years. Back then, it was during lunch breaks after…read moreeating my lunch during recess. Now, it's in the evenings after work. The court still remains mostly the same, and for nostalgic and sporting purposes, that's mostly a good thing. Finding a good court in the Metro to play on isn't that hard, but combining a safe area, a good court, a good location, and most of all, freqeutn availability isn't as common as you might think. Xavier's HS court is always open and always available to be reserved, unless of course it's alumni basketball season. The best part about it is randomly bumping into familiar faces and challenging for a pick up game; just make sure you've got the skills to back up your bark.