Signed Blooms

With the four-story Fully Booked branch nearby, it seems like business wasn't going well with Power Books, Serendra as they decided to shut the store down. But of course, quoting Graham Bell, when one door closes, another opens.

Art Bar, Serendra, BGC

The bookstore gave way to the newly opened art store at the heart of Serendra, Bonifacio Global City—Art Bar. From calligraphy pens to high quality paints, it surely is a haven for every artist out there.

The first floor features calligraphy pens for beginners and professionals alike. From fine tips to brushes to nibs, they've got everything.

Faber-Castell Premium Brush Pens

I actually spent around fifteen minutes on this table trying out brush pens I couldn't afford to buy. 😛



If downstairs caters for your calligraphy needs, upstairs is an eye candy for the little painter in you. They sell premium stretched canvas in different sizes, aquarelle pads, high end acrylics, watercolor and oil, all kinds of paint brushes, and even a canvas stand.

2nd Floor, Art Bar

The items are pricey though. I was looking for a decent watercolor set worth PHP 1,000 to PHP 2,000 but all they have is a palette way beyond my budget. They sell even more expensive individual watercolor pans worth around PHP 500 each.

Paint Brushes in Various Kinds and Sizes

Canvas and Canvas Stand

I ended up buying Faber-Castell pens (I'm trying to learn faux calligraphy, at the moment), watercolor paper and this adorable wooden painter's pallet (I'd always wanted one!). They wrapped my hauls in a paper envelope with Art Bar's logo printed on it. It was pretty cool actually but just a little inconvenient compare to plastic bags with handle. Fortunately, they've got a fancy paper bag for bigger items.

Calligraphy Pens, Wooden Painter's Pallet and Watercolor Paper from Art Bar

P.S.

There's a Toby's Estate at the side with indoor and outdoor seating in case you wanna grab some brownie or have your caffeine fix. I so love the industrial and contemporary look it gives to the overall feel of the store.

 As a requirement for a Japanese tourist visa, I needed to get a bank certificate from BDO. To request for one is pretty easy.

In BDO, you need to get the certificate from the branch where you open your account. I know this is quite a hassle. Maybe that's why when you open an account, they require your home or office address to be near. The good thing is BDO has a separate line for this kind of transactions. I didn't even have to wait before I got assistance.

For BPI account holders, you can get a bank certificate in any of their branches. They don't have separate counters for this kind of requests though. You have to go to the normal queue which can be quite long especially during payout dates.

Just present your ID and pay for the processing fee. You also need to fill up the request form (asking for the purpose of the request, the addressee, etc.). Both BDO and BPI charge PHP 100.00 for processing a bank certificate. You can get the certificate straight from the printer on the same day.

Tips:

• List down the addressee details before you go to the bank. I was not aware that they will request for it. I thought it will just be the general and classic "To whom it may concern". I even had to google the address of the Japanese Embassy. Thankfully, I have data connection that time.
• Only transactions made the (banking) day before you requested for the bank certificate will reflect on your account balance. Be sure to make your deposit ahead of time.

In preparation for my 2017 trip to Osaka and Kyoto, I applied for a Japanese visa last December.

I already laid out my itinerary, booked the plane tickets and even bought a couple of winter coats few months back. If the Japanese embassy didn't approve my application, it would definitely be a waste of money and effort. I just thought then that why wouldn't they approve when I am surely going there as a tourist.

As of time of writing, applying for a tourist visa requires the following:

• Philippine passport (must have at least two blank pages)
• Visa application form
• Remember to put N/A to fields that are not applicable for you.
• Photo (must be pasted in the application form)
• must have a white background
• size: 2" x 2" or 4.5 cm x 4.5 cm
• Birth Certificate (must be issued within one year by NSO)
• Marriage Certificate (if married, must also be issued within one year)
• Daily Schedule in Japan
• Bank Certificate
• You don't have to worry too much about your transactions, only the total amount of your account(s) will be shown in the bank certificate.
• Don't know how to request for one? You may check this handy guide.
• Income Tax Return/BIR Form 2316 (original and photocopy)
• The agency just needs to see the original copy but they will return it back to you. It won't be forwarded to the embassy.

You need to submit the complete requirements to any travel agency accredited by the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines (complete list here). As of July 30, 2007 submitting an application directly to the embassy is no longer an option. I guess it's because verifying if the applicant has the complete requirements saves them a great deal of time (especially for other types of visa that requires a lot of supporting documents).

The visa itself is free but you have to pay a processing fee to the agency where you decided to submit your application. We chose Reli Tours & Travel Agency, because it offers the cheapest processing fee of PHP 950.00 for tourist visa. We applied to their branch located in Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati. They're agents there aren't the nicest though.

We submitted the requirements early on a Tuesday morning. We were told that they'll just gonna contact us if our passport our ready for pickup but we'll only know the result once we have it on hand. The next Friday, I received the text advisory. That afternoon, we went back to the agency and got our passport with approved visa!

Tips:

• If you're gonna submit your application to Reli Tours & Travel Agency, Dusit Thani branch, be there early. We picked up our passports in the afternoon and we're surprised by the long queue. Thankfully, those who are just there for pickup don't have to fall in line.
• As an addition to the requirements above, I think it'd be better to include your booking details as well. Of course, that is if you already booked your flight. I forgot to include mine but I think it would help.
• I read that the Japanese embassy usually process visa applications on a Wednesday. If that is true, you may want to submit your application on a Monday/Tuesday if you want to get your passport back within the week.

Good luck and have fun during your trip!

The milk tea craze in Manila started a few years ago. Until now, it really is a very popular drink/dessert in the metro, especially for young people like me who are not that much fond of coffee.

From the tea-est to the milkiest, here are some of the popular milk tea fixes that have branches all over Manila.

Happy Lemon

Happy Lemon's might not be that of a big hit now compare to its earlier days but seriously who tasted a drink from their Rock Salt and Cheese series and wasn't delighted by it? A sip to that heavenly cheese cream always made my day. I just can't get enough of it that I always ask for extra.

Happy Lemon's Cocoa Rock Salt and Cheese with Black Pearl Sago and Bubble Waffle

The photo was way back last February when I got the pearl for free as part of their Valentine's promo. It was also the time when they just introduced the bubble waffle (inspired by the popular egg waffle in Hing Kong) on their menu.

If milk is not your thing, their Special Lemon Cooler (with QQ Jelly) is a must try too!

Dakasi

Dakasi offers sweeter milk tea versions in large portions. My sister is a fan but it's a bit too sweet for me. Their drinks are more on the milky side which I think is deliberately done to target the millenials.

Gong Cha

Chatime

Moon Leaf

Tokyo Bubble Milk Tea

Summer just kicks off here in Manila and it's been really hot for these past few weeks. T'is is indeed the perfect season for some coolers!

Because of our country's complex history reflected by our different cultural heritages, Filipinos became a group of people with different beliefs and traditions. From Catholicism to Islam among various religions, from political to social institutions we are divided by different ideologies and philosophies. 

One of the places where one is sure to witness and experience Filipinos' various beliefs is the so-called "Holy Mountain" - Mt. Banahaw. It is a three-peaked volcano complex located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. The mountain is a popular pilgrimage site and millenarian sanctuary.

Green and Ripe Raspberries at Bangkong Kahoy Valley

[1] Secular Religions. In Rational Wiki. Retrieved from http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Secular_religions#Environmentalism_as_a_religion on March 5, 2014.

[2] F. Quibuyen. (1991). “And woman will prevail over man:” Symbolic sexual inversion and counter-hegemonic discourse in Mt. Banahaw - The case of the Ciudad Mistica de Dios. Retrieved from http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/15378/801.And?sequence=1 on March 5, 2014.