18 days of freedom
by Angie V. Garcia on October 31, 2009
If you haven’t gotten anything planned out this sembreak and happen to be
among the lucky ones staying behind in good ‘ol Manila, this is for you.
g Magazine brings you a guide to enjoying this momentary period of rest and recreation. You don’t have to go out of the city to have fun, as these 18 tips will show you.
18. Go park-hopping!
Tired of being cooped up inside your home? Bored of the usual malls and shopping centers? Try park-hopping, where you troop from one city park to the next.
Manila is slowly turning into a city of beautiful, pedestrian-friendly parks. You can visit Rizal Park, where you can catch free music concerts, or picnic in its quaint, picturesque gardens. You can also go off the beaten path and try Greenbelt Park, filled with beautiful fountains and contemporary sculptures, or Paco Park, where ghosts of Filipino heroes haunt the grounds.
17. Make room for more.
Take a look at your room. Chances are that some amount of cleaning and decluttering needs to be done. Recycle readings taking up too much space, donate clothes that aren’t being worn, fix the drawer you’ve been dumping stuff in for the past few months and simply, make room for more. A decluttered room will lead to a decluttered and serene mind.
16. Go on an Asian food trip at Manila Ocean Park.
Who says you have to travel all over Asia to get a taste of great Asian cuisine? Makansutra Asian Food Village, located at the 2nd floor of Manila Ocean Park, is a one-stop restaurant offering delectable Asian streetfood at very affordable prices. Savor everything from the classic Thai Tom Yam Soup (P110), a sour and spicy shrimp soup, Singapore Chicken Rice (P140), to Chicken (P135), Pork (P120) or Beef (P160) Satay, which are grilled meat skewers with peanut sauce.
Spend an hour at Makansutra and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a full culinary tour of Asia without busting your wallet.
15. Ride the Pasig river ferry.
Gone are the days when being near the Pasig river meant enduring foul odors. Though the Pasig river hasn’t quite reclaimed it’s former glory, today you can enjoy an afternoon by the Pasig River for only P25. Catamaran boats ferry passengers across the Pasig, with stops in Manila and Intramuros. You can even enjoy Manila’s famous golden sunset as you slowly cruise along the Pasig.
14. Visit a weekend market.
Weekend markets, such as those found in Legazpi and Salcedo Village, are a haven for foodies and crafts enthusiasts alike. They offer rare, hard-to-find items that are often home-made and priced accordingly. Food items range from the familiar, such as cakes and pastries, to the extraordinary, such as Spanish paella and different savory pies. After waking up on a beautiful Sunday morning, troop on over to one of these weekend markets to make sure your week gets off on the right foot.
Salcedo Market is located at the parking lot across the Salcedo Apartments, near the Makati Sports Club. It can be found near the Makati Central Business District.
13. Take yoga for enlightenment.
Now that you have the time to relax and unwind, why not take it a step further? Join the yoga classes of Ananda Marga, which many attend for stress release. Many report benefits from yoga include loss of depression, anger, insomnia, and even weight loss.
With a simple combination of light exercises and meditation, not only will your body will become more flexible, but you can achieve peace of mind before school starts again.
For more information on the schedules and fees, visit http://www.yogainmanila.org/. Each course runs for 8 sessions, costs P2,500 and includes a book and a CD. Drop-ins are P350/session. Students have 50% discount.
12. Wake up early.
Set aside one day of your sembreak to do the exact opposite of what most vacationing students do: wake up early. Getting up at 7 am may seem like a chore, but imagine rising to the soft, morning light streaming through your bedroom blinds, the sound of your friendly taho vendor enticing you to a cup of warm, syrupy soy, and the blissful feeling of having a whole day ahead of you, sans the pressure and worries normally brought about by school. Now that doesn’t seem so bad, right?
11. Rediscover your Pinoy roots.
Take a walking tour of Intramuros, and discover what Manila used to be like hundreds of years ago. Whether you go on a private tour or join a group, there’s nothing quite like exploring historic place that has stood still for hundreds of years.
For an extra dose of history (with chismis on the side), join one of Carlos Celdran’s famed walking tours. You may even take a kalesa and have your picture taken with guards garbed in turn-of-the-century fashion.
For more information on the Celdran tours, visit http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/.
10. Register to vote!
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, the sembreak is a great opportunity to do just that. With a few days left before the deadline (October 31), a simple action that takes around twenty minutes can change our country for six years.
For more information on how to register, please visit http://www.youthvotephilippines.com/.
9. Get lost in a bookstore.
Nothing to do on a hot, lazy afternoon? Troop on over to your favorite bookstore and get lost in rows upon rows of books, magazines and DVDs. Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street is highly recommended. Brush up on your Shakespeare, learn a new recipe or simply find out the juiciest celebrity gossip. You’ll be surprised at how fast time will fly.
8. Watch Jack and the Beanstalk live.
Who doesn’t know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk? Relive one of the most notable childhood stories as it is brought back as a theatre adaptation by Repertory Philippines. Showing from August 8 to December 10 in Greenbelt, expect to see the spectacular adventures of Jack as he encounters the giant, magic beans, and the Golden Goose in real life.
For more information on show schedules, visit the Repertory Philippines’ official website, http://repertory-philippines.com/. Kindly inquire at 887-0710 for ticket prices.
7. Go Eco!
Instead of hanging around in malls, go and spend a day at the La Mesa Ecopark. Still a popular weekend destination for many, it offers several fitness activities from mountain bike trails, wall climbing, and fishing. It is the ultimate place to take a breath of fresh air and enjoy the green scenery.
The La Mesa Ecopark is located at the East Fairview Subdivision, Quezon City. For more information, visit http://www.lamesaecopark.com/.
6. Splurge on a fine dining experience.
Over the years, the Manila food scene has drastically changed. Perhaps the most notable change of them all is the sudden crop of fine dining restaurants around the city. Whether they offer sushi made of fresh fish flown all the way from Japan, or delicate pastries paired with the finest French champagne, you are always assured of an unforgettable gastronomic feast.
Chic restaurants around Serendra and Greenbelt, in particular, will assure of you an experience you won’t soon forget.
5. Dance, dance.
Feel the need to show off some impressive dance moves? Head over to the Airdance dance school and learn what it takes to become the next Beyonce! Don’t fret if you have zero dancing experience, there are classes for both beginners and advanced students. With jazz, street dance, and break dance classes being offered, it surely beats sitting at home watching reruns of So You Think You Can Dance?
Airdance is located at 36E West Avenue, Quezon City. For more information on schedule and fees, visit http://airdance.com.ph.
4. Go on a date—with yourself.
This sembreak, allot time to spend an entire day with that one person who helped you get through nearly five months of torturous school work. Don’t look around; we’re talking about you!
Take this as an opportunity to reflect on your own thoughts and to rediscover the self you may have possibly lost in seemingly endless readings and tests. Go on a movie date with yourself. SM Cinema has a Film Fiesta that lets you watch your favorite movies for only P10. Available at all SM branches, the promo lasts until November.
Consider visiting The Spa and requesting for the Deep Tissue Massage (P820) , recommended for being one of the best body treatments to reenergize a stressed out mind and body.
The Spa has branches in Acropolis Center, Libis and Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City. For more inquiries on their packages and services, contact 634-2848 (Acropolis) or 856-5858 (The Fort).
3. Rediscover your inner child.
Being a college student doesn’t mean abandoning your inner child. What better place to be a kid again than in the Museo Pambata? This museum, directed mainly towards children, is filled with fun, educational themed rooms that encourage you to touch, feel and interact with the various displays.
Some of the more popular themed rooms include the Katawan Ko Room, where people can literally walk inside a model human body, and Environment, where a simulated rainforest awaits museum-goers.
The Museo is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm. It is located along Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive Manila, Philippines.
2. Volunteer!
Why not use your spare time to make a change in someone else’s life? Hands on Manila, a non-profit organization, welcomes volunteers to reach out to different places of Manila. What makes Hands on Manila so unique is their wide range of volunteer programs, which ranges from helping elderly people to brightening a child’s life through arts and crafts therapy.
Hands on Manila is also calling on volunteers to help in relief operations for Ondoy victims. This is the ultimate opportunity for those who like to travel, meet new people, and create a change for our nation.
For more information, go to the official website of Hands on Manila, http://www.handsonmanila.org.ph.
1. Finally, give yourself the gift of…
Sleep. When school starts kicking in, the basic biological need of rendering your mind unconscious for several hours suddenly becomes a much sought-after luxury. Regain the glowing skin and energy you lost to hell week and relieve those taut muscles. Start by sinking in your head on a fluffy pillow, snuggling in a warm blanket, closing your eyes and relaxing your mind. Before you know it, you’ve already hit dreamland.
