I admire this nongovernment organization/nonprofit's work so much. Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid is the…read morebrainchild of philanthropist/all-around Filipina Mother Teresa, Kritzia Santos. I spent last weekend at Enchanted Kingdom where 2KK held an event for the benefit of impoverished kids from Payatas. For a day, volunteers would pay a fee and get to spend several hours with the kids while they enjoyed a theme park for the very first time. That kind of stuff is priceless. You can't make it up. Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid has several charitable proejcts ongoing throughout the year and they also provide scholarships to gifted students that otherwise can't afford them. God bless you, 2KK!

Bigfish is the pioneer group who started the EDM craze and rave parties around the Metro. They have…read moreconducted a lot of great events, raves, and parties throughout the years. They are very known for it. Bigfish is a very big name in the industry and reputation is just getting better and better. Towards the middle of the year, they organize one of the biggest events or raves. It's the first of the upcoming events they'll be organizing till the end of the year. This is called Innovation White. Every year, this is one of the expected big parties by Bigfish Manila. The cool thing is that they encourage everyone who's attending to wear white and true enough, most of the people really do. When you go to the venue (which is usually in World Trade Center), the place is filled with black lights so everyone wearing white glows! It's really cool seeing it and being there. The energy of the people is just really amazing and the music is really great! If you're a fan of the genres, I would assure you that you'd have a blast! The venue is decorated really well too. Every time I go, I just always have the best time with my friends!

Lunar Saints Productions is one of the young and fresh video productions companies in the metro,…read moreawing clients with quality and professionally-made videos since 2010. It's not all videos they do though, they also specialize in events and its coverage (whether that be a wedding, debuts, a concert, a company night--you name it, they'd deliver). They're a full-on service, covering your production needs from casting, to shooting proper, to post-production processes. And the most amazing part? They are ran by young individuals, some even younger than me. Admirable! They were actually the company who did my audition video last year, which was one hell of an experience, by the way.

Franco is, by far, my favorite Filipino band. I can't even describe how incredible Franco is, both…read morein terms of just their music and as a live act, but you've gotta see it to believe it. Unlike most Franco fans, I don't do "juts" (at least not yet) but nevertheless, I still absolutely love their music. When I meet friends who don't think OPM has good stuff in it (which even in general I vehemently disagree with), I immediately tell them to listen to a few Franco tracks. Franco is an absolutely brilliant band, and watching and listening to Franco Reyes is like viewing a genius at work. Not only does Franco brilliantly blend together diverse styles of music, ranging from grunge, reggae, classical rock, and alternative, their songs' poetic lyricisim and wordplay is pretty stunning when you're paying attention. Even if you don't take "juts" there's lots to love here. Live, Franco Reyes pours his entire heart and soul into his performances. He's an intensely charismatic frontman for the act, reaching riffs and putting on a crazy level of energy that infects the crowd. Franco is definitely a distinct and incredible act, one that manages to make you believe in the power of OPM. I certainly do. (francophilippines@gmail.com)

Chuck Gacuma was a very polite and well-dressed performer who sang some of my favorite hits when I…read morewas there at a food tasting event in Pasay. With his pearly voice, he covered songs by Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, and a few other standard and classic ballads that really made my day. I like what I heard and would gladly recommend this coordinator/performer/host and any crew or team he has for your event, be it a birthday party, debut, or even a wedding. As such, when a ceremony calls for formality and a tone that is set to the simple clinking of wine glasses next to older, gentle songs from an era that comes known for smooth and gentle ballads, you can't really go wrong with him (and I suppose that my old soul tendencies are showing again, but I'm not ashamed).

This flower shop is a regular supplier of my current agency, Eon…read more I like the ease of choosing a bouquet fitting for the occasion I need from their website. They have prepared arrangements made for different occasions, and you can choose the arrangement you like from the accompanying photos. I also like that they allow billing so that it's not a problem when you need to order right away and you still need to issue the necessary paperwork for the cost estimates. For someone like me who doesn't know much about flowers, I like that I don't need to ask myself what kind of flowers I should choose. Frankly, I don't know the proper occasion to choose roses or tulips or orchids but because they have already outlined occasions and listed down recommended bouquets for these, and even created three options for each, I find that I am likely to go back to them when I have another requirement to send flowers. Next time you need flowers and you're a flower-idiot like me, look up Flower Towne online and give them a try!

As reality-drenched and weird MTV is the US is, MTV Philippines has managed to, surprisingly, be…read moreall about the music. The thing I like the most about MTV PH is that it doesn't syndicate reality shows or run animated comedies, they just focus on the music element that makes MTV what it is. Even MYX often plays random in-house reality contests or campus interview shows. MTV really just plays music almost around the clock. As for their music programming, MTV is highly hit based. Unlike MYX, they don't play older or weird alternative tracks that often. They also don't indulge in Karaoke hits. For the most part, they stick to their local or global charts, with some occassional live concert footage or K-Pop music. MTV's real appeal is that it's the kind of TV channel that you can just play int he background when you're having like a party or have friends together and you're just doing something completely different.

It's pretty tricky to find a hotel/hostel/pension house that offers good value for your money. If…read moreyou go too cheap, you often get what you pay for, but you also don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a room either. Finding a hotel that strokes the fine line between these two divides is challenging. That's why I was so happy when I tried out Pension Natividad in Malate last weekend. While I heard good things about it, I was only able to appreciate it when I first stepped in. The place has an old-world energy to it, it was clean and pleasant, and they had the most wonderful covered canopy where I would see guests hang out all day. Considering that Malate is as noisy as they get, Pension Natividad was wonderfully quiet and serene. I can imagine myself hanging out there all day, finishing a book or writing one. Pension Natividad has a quaint cafe that serves a decent breakfast and some sandwiches. There used to be a pizzeria in here, but it has been closed down. That's a shame, as this would be a lovely place to have a pizza in. I do hope they bring it back. The rooms are spartan and simple, and devoid of amenities. Then again, this is a Pension House, not a Hotel, and as such I was not looking for these amenities anyway. I stayed in their most expensive room, (Single room aircon), which cost P1,500. There are fan rooms and dorm types, for those who want to save a bit more money. The front desk people were as pleasant as possible, and they did have a nice selection of supplies and food you could buy from them directly, at non-inflated prices. Their location is also ideal if you want to jump into the thick of things at Malate, or if you want to go to Manila's attractions. The baywalk is a short walk away, Intramuros and Luneta are pretty close by, and between all that, there are places waiting to be discovered in the streets and side streets. I finally found my Malate home, and it is Pension Natividad.

My family and I stumbled upon Pension Natividad after the Pork Barrel rally in Luneta Park. We were…read morestarving, since we'd been stumbling around Manila looking for wherever we had parked the car & by some fortunate chance of fate, we came across this lovely establishment. I'm not sure how the rooms are since we didn't stay there for the night (the place did seem very clean, and it gave off an old-world kind of atmosphere), but the restaurant at the ground floor was spectacular. It had a very homey vibe, red checkered tablecloth over small wooden tables and sunlight streaming through the large windows. The food was amazing, absolutely amazing, and at a decent price too! They serve a sort of noveau pizza, on a thin crust with a fistful of ricotta splattered onto the middle. It was heavenly. And only around P250. The coffee was great too - P30 for a huge, piping hot mug. They also have sandwiches and rice meals on the menu (although I don't know why you'd want to eat those when you can have their amazing pizza), and there's a fridge full of drinks and jars of pastries you can get from. I'm also a huge sucker for nice staff members, and the staff was so chirpy and polite, it was wonderful. When you visit I suggest you sit outside on the wrought-iron tables, the breeze from Manila bay passes through the vines hanging from the trees and everything is quiet save for the occasional car passing through the street. A beautiful place to have a quiet lunch with friends or family.