Learning how to drive is one of the best forms of freedom any individual can experience in their…read morelifetime, next of course is living on your own. I've been driving close to around 15 years now and I still remember the first time I went behind the wheel. Initially my parents only taught me how to back up the car in the garage until they officially enrolled me to a driving school. There were only a handful of driving schools around and the best one was A-1 Driving School. They had a branch close to my house so my mom enrolled me in their 5 day 2 hour driving session. I remember always being absent so I had to finish the course in 2 weeks. The coach was very helpful and taught me the basics of driving but later on I found my groove on my own. I'm glad that I was able to learn how to drive at a young age and that A-1 was my driving school.

At the moment, I understand that there are driving companies left and right that are competing for…read morethe attention of potential customers but seeing as this is the company that taught ME how to drive, I have no qualms about vouching for them. 100 percent. A-1 was very helpful and professional in seeing me through the process of driving lessons from start to end. They even got a TIN number for me as it is a requirement for obtaining a driver's license. Their drivers were always very professional and courteous towards me. I've never been in a car accident whilst driving. In part I credit A-1 for that!

Let me tell you an embarrassing secret. I learned how to drive a car late in life. I've always been…read morescared of the way people drive in Metro Manila. For a time, my wife and I relied on a family driver, but the cost of hiring one had increasingly become burdensome. I needed all the courage I could muster to finally learn how to drive on my own. My first step was to enroll in a 5-hour automatic vehicle driving class at A-1 Driving School. This package included almost eight hours of classroom instruction on driving orientation and road safety. It cost me around PHP 7,000.00. I chose their branch in SM Mall of Asia because I thought, at that time, the complex could provide a big area for practice driving. On the first half day, students learned the basics of defensive driving. What I really appreciated about the lectures was the fact that the instructor was a former drag racer who finally wanted to do right by imparting valuable lessons about road safety. He was an automotive mechanic by trade and he was very generous on giving important tips and concepts about the inner workings of vehicles. I had my actual driving with another instructor the following afternoon. A new Toyota Innova was assigned to me. Without a fuss, my instructor told me to drive to Manila, then to Makati, and finally to their company headquarters in Mandaluyong where parking and backing techniques were taught. It was already nighttime when we got back to SM MOA. The following day, I attended the final hours of classroom lectures. A certificate of completion was also given to each student who finished the course. I also availed of A-1's books on defensive driving. Up to this day, I still use the road lessons I learned from this driving school.

I'm a terrible driver…read more Scratch that. I'm a terrible driver when I have to use a manual car. My problem is, everyone in my family wants me to learn on a manual before I switch to automatic. (Too bad my cousin taught me how to drive an automatic already.) This is going to be my second time to have driving lessons with them so I can figure out how to get all those pedals to work and find out what they mean by "find the right timpla between the clutch, brake and gas." Now, I'm really grateful and thankful because A-1 doesn't laugh at me when they see me walk in feeling all sad 'cause I couldn't get it right. The driving instructors are really patient and don't scream or make me nervous when I forget to hit the brake on time or when I give the car too much gas. They also have these seminars, books and practice tests for their students which really help you. Wish me luck as I try to learn how to drive (even if I already know how to drive an automatic) a manual car.

My younger sister has been taking voice lessons in The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab for roughly…read morearound three years now. I could tell that this has been one of the highlights of her life because singing really is one of her passions and I'm really glad that we found this school for the perfect place to hone her skill. The teachers are very well-trained and if you're lucky enough, you even get to be taught by the infamous Ryan Cayabyab, one of the most popular Filipino maestros around. Every summer, they hold annual auditions for their students to perform of which my sister took part of for almost every year in preparation for the recital which they usually hold at the Music Museum. What I also like about this school is that more than the voice lessons, they also teach other instruments such as guitar, drums, piano, you name it! Definitely a holistic music school!