Reviews | Philippine Primer

December 28, 2015

M Turns 11: A Decade and One of Great Food and Great Music

The intersection of Makati Avenue and Dela Rosa Street housed one of the hippest parties in the Metro last June 4, 2015, as the Museum Café, or the M Café celebrated MTurns11, their anniversary party. – THE CROWD THICKENS. As the night grows deeper, more and more people comes to celebrate MTurns11. – Specializing on Asian cuisine given a modern twist, the Museum Café is part of the restaurant family under the Raintree Restaurants chain, together with Kabila, Chelsea and Stella to name a few. The party is a tribute to the eleven years of “great people, soul-shaking music and nothing but good vibes” the café has given to its […]

June 03, 2015

Art BGC The NextAct ONE Festival: Re-faceting Manila One Wall At A Time

May 30th marked the closing of the country’s first ever mural-centric arts festival. Art BGC’s The NextAct ONE Festival treated Bonifacio High Street dwellers and visitors to a day of good food, great music and extraordinary art. – – Booths were set up in the Bonifacio High Street Central Amphitheater. – – The festivities kicked off with a performance by up-and-coming artist BP Valenzuela. She mesmerized the audience with her own compositions like Even If You Ask Me. Then, internationally-acclaimed artist Nate Frizzell went on stage to talk about the inspiration behind his work. He wants his work to be relatable and something that the public can interact with at […]

December 28, 2015

Dreams: Hopes and Fears in Sleep or in Waking (A Review)

Poetry. Music. Visual Art. “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word dream?” This was the question posted by rapper Quest at the recently held Dreams: Hopes and Fears in Sleep or in Waking last Sunday, May 31, 2015. Held at SOMA Space, Green Sun, the event was organized by different communities of artists — LOGOS, The Upward Project, and DOXA. All three aim to inspire the youth to reach for their dreams through the arts. – – The night was filled with exuberance and copious talent was witnessed onstage. Tristan Ortega and Monique Espiritu dazzled the audience with their piece about a realistic utopia. […]

December 28, 2015

GREAT British Auto Show: A Showcase of Car Heritage

Everyone is on the edge of their seat, eager to witness the first ever British auto show in the country! – – “What you might think looking around is we only make really strange, old cars. We make very individualistic cars, the design is truly unique but as you already heard we are not only talking about our past glories.” British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad emphasized the distinct sophistication of British cars in his opening remark in the first ever GREAT British Auto Show held at Capitol Commons last Sunday. Spearheaded by the British Embassy Manila, UK Trade & Investment and its partners, the event showcased both vintage […]

December 29, 2015

The Art of Storytelling: A Fun-filled Day with Words

A WORKSHOP FOR EVERYONE. People of all ages come together for a fun-filled day with books and stories. – Philippine Primer is loaded with stories to tell after going last Friday (May 29, 2015) to The Art of Storytelling held at Spaces by Babyland, organized by Manila Workshops, and part of the Parenting Pals Workshop Series. Hosted by storytelling teacher Luisito Pascua, known for his iconic role “Kuya Bodjie” in the television show Batibot, it was a day of creative storytelling and activities with an audience composed of primarily of storytelling enthusiasts, prep and elementary teachers, and most especially mothers. The workshop is divided into two sessions, one in the […]

December 28, 2015

Art BGC The One Festival: First Mural Viewing Party is Colossal!

FAILE paints the One Global Place Open Lot. It was Saturday, May 23, 2015, and the festival has indeed begun. – FAILE and their mural – International artist FAILE started working on their contribution to the first-ever mural-centric arts festival. Located on the 5th and 26th streets at Bonifacio Global City, the wall of the 28-storey One Global Building served as the blank canvass for their unique art. Many people visited the site to witness the making of the mural first-hand. It was definitely more than that, though – it was a party. There were food carts and food stalls on the venue serving snacks, drinks, and cocktails to the […]

December 28, 2015

Game On: Taking Comedy to the Next Level

Spontaneous, impromptu, and outrageously funny – This is Improv. The night of May 21, 2015 was a night brimming with bursts of laughs and giggles as Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT) and Switch Improv with special guest stars Phil and James Younghusband amused everyone at Game On held at Puñta Manila. The event was the kickoff of their fundraising series for the Manila Improv Festival 2015 that will happen this whole month of July. – FOR LETTER E, EMOTIONS! SPIT performs a song drawn from the audience’s ideas of things people play. – The show started at 9PM with SPIT welcoming everyone with a hilarious song number featuring things that night’s […]

December 28, 2015

MTV Music Evolution Manila 2015: Hip-hop’s Finest Night

It was an event never before seen on Philippine shores. . “THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING!” The artists went onstage to thank the thousand of hip-hop fans for coming. (Photo by Carla Barretto for MTV) . Last Sunday night, May 17, 2015, foreign and local hip-hop acts gathered at the Quirino Grandstand for the first-ever MTV Music Evolution in Asia. Music royalty Naughty By Nature, DJ Cash, and YG graced fans with their internationally renowned hits. Pinoy pride Apl.de.ap, Gloc-9, and Abra showcased hit after hit after hit, much to the delight of thousands and thousands of fans present there last night. Present that night were MTV Asia VJs Hanli Hoefer […]

May 19, 2015

Color Manila Nite Run: Painting the Town Neon

During the Black Light Edition of this infamous night fun run, Philippine Primer measured just how far we can glow. . THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS glowed neon at the event that night. . After the successful Watsons Color Manila Challenge, we definitely wanted more. And apparently, so did thousands of excited participants in their dri-fit shirts, headlamps and rubber shoes as we all flocked to Filinvest City, Alabang last May 16, 2015 for Color Manila Nite Run: Black Light Edition. . NEON COLORS EVERYWHERE. Dance and music kicked off the fun run. . The fun run was not a timed event, so there were a lot of participants who opted to walk […]

December 28, 2015

Slidefest Philippines: Eat. Slip. Slide. Repeat!

Slidefest brought 1,000 ft of happiness down south over the weekend! . NO BEACH? NO PROBLEM! Slidefest Philippines thought of cooling down the summer in the city. . Slidefest Philippines in Filinvest is the second slip-and-slide water event this summer and it proved to be the best. The event was held at Pacific Rim Street, Filinvest near Palms Resort on May 16 and 17, 2015. Around 6,000 sliders attended the festival! The moment you enter the venue, the fun instantly starts. Both sides of the street that lead to the slide’s entrance were filled with food trucks, food stalls, and booths set up by the event’s sponsors. . . FUN […]

December 29, 2015

Manila Urban Design Festival: Let Go, Notice More, Use Everything

Philippine Primer took part of the Curiosity Design Research during #MNLUrbanDesign’s Day 1 Festival. FUNNY AND INFORMATIVE. Gabe Mercado explains the proper attitude during an urban crisis in an entertaining way. . An all-captivated crowd gathered for the most engaging urban designing workshop with Curiosity, a Manila-based design research agency on Saturday afternoon of May 16, 2015 during the Maynila Urban Design Week Festival held at 115 Maginhawa Street, Quezon City. The event was filled with fun and enthusiasm as they paused, reflected, and discussed on how to get rid of pollution, traffic, and congestion in Manila, and how to move forward towards and inclusive and sustainable urban future. It was […]

May 15, 2015

Ayala Museum’s OpenSpace: Voltes V and the Martial Law Art-ified

Philippine Primer got the chance to volt in with Toym Imao as the Ayala Museum launched its newest exhibition area. – A CAROZZA-LIKE INSTALLMENT, Last, Lost, Lust for Four Forgotten Episodes, stands tall in all its 13-foot glory at OpenSpace. Photo courtesy of the Ayala Museum – On May 14, 2015, the Ayala Museum launched its new outdoor exhibition area, OpenSpace at the Ayala Museum Plaza. It aims to bring art beyond the walls of its galleries and out to the public eye. “[It is] a public site for dialogue and interaction with contemporary art and artists,” described Ayala Museum Senior Curator Ditas Samson during the launch. – MARCOS’ HALF […]

December 28, 2015

OUDON: 50% OFF Lunch Menu

The popular, authentic noodle store Oudon opened last March. – Zaru Oudon with Small Tori Gomoku Gohan（P320） – Oudon with Small Tori Gomoku Gohan（P320） – The store exudes a spacious and pleasantJapanese-style rooms. When you enter the store, you will hear the soothing music of the shamisen. – Oudon exudes calm atmosphere. – The store can seat 74 people, with 3 private rooms (6 seats in one private room). By removing the partitions of private rooms, you can make a reservation for a large number of people (up to 22 people). Also, the store can be used for business meetings, banquets or the like. – Oudon’s exterior – If you […]

May 04, 2015

Witnessing #MayPac While Advancing With Canon

Philippine Primer scored an exclusive invite to Canon’s special screening of the fight of this century! – CHANNELING VEGAS. Guests felt like they were transported to the MGM Grand Arena through Canon’s special invite to the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao match. – “Mananalo si Pacquiao (Pacquiao will win),” Canon president and CEO Lim Kok Hin was all smiles as he welcomed their guests to Blue Leaf Filipinas earlier today, May 3, 2015, for Let’s Get Ready to Advance, Canon’s exclusive invite to witness not only their next generation of business products, but the first super fight of the social media age as well. – CANON’S MR. LIM KOK HIN claims that his […]

April 29, 2015

A Night in Paris: Speed Dating in the City of Love (A Review)

There’s probably no better place to find your match than in Paris, the city of love. But as it’s literally more than 10,000 kilometers away from Manila, for Telu Events’ fifth speed dating event, they chose the Paris-inspired café Staple and Perk. – The Paris-themed set up by Telu Events for mood and ambiance. – Registration started at 6 p.m., with each participant receiving a name tag, a dating guide, a date list, and a number. Guys were asked to sit at the table corresponding to their numbers while the girls were asked to stay at a ‘holding area’, the second floor of the cafe, so they could wait more […]

April 29, 2015

Madrid Fusión Manila: A Culinary Tale of Two Cities

Philippine Primer attended the trade exhibition and joined one of the food tunnels held at the biggest gastronomic event that hit Manila. As we said in our previous article, Madrid Fusión Manila is one of the world’s biggest and most forward-thinking culinary events. It has a solid 12-year track record of bridging together cultures through food. This year’s event aims to highlight the 300 years of shared history between the countries Spain and the Philippines. As most of us already know, the Philippines was once a colony of Spain. This explains the similarity in culture, language and most importantly food. – OPEN TO CHEFS, FOODIES and food-and-beverage companies, Madrid Fusion […]

April 28, 2015

The Bandwagon to Wanderland: The Vinyl Record Store Tour

If the first day of the Bandwagon’s journey to Wanderland was all about discovering new music and up-and-coming local artists, the morning of Wanderland 2015 was all about going back to music’s roots and rediscovering the magic of vinyl. Day Two started out with music enthusiasts (Philippine Primer included) meeting up at Market! Market! at Bonifacio Global City to board the Bandwagon Bus. We were immediately treated to an amazing musical experience as Birdforms started their on-board performance as soon as the bus pulled out of the parking lot. Kara Chung and Nick Lazaro of Birdforms, performing on the Bandwagon Bus – Nick Lazaro and Kara Chung certainly […]

December 28, 2015

The Bandwagon to Wanderland: Five Reasons Why You Should’ve Joined the Music Tour

A day before Wanderland 2015, an extraordinary group of people came together with one particular thing that bound them together: their love for music. For the first time in the Philippines, the Bandwagon Bus made its rounds around the metro, stopping by the hippest music venues for a taste of local music here in the country. Philippine Primer joined this two-day pre-festival celebration and thoroughly enjoyed the eargasmic experience. Still high, in awe and (sort of) at a loss for words, we give you the top five reasons why you should’ve ditched your usual Friday night habit and joined us during Day One of the journey to Wanderland: … 1. Francis Brew […]

April 21, 2015

Intramuros Pasyal (A Review)

Despite the intense summer heat, large groups of families, friends, lovers and even pets came to Intramuros Pasyal last Sunday, April 19. The car-free event was hosted by Viva Manila along General Luna Street. From 3 pm to 9 pm, the area between Plazuela de Sta. Isabel and San Agustin Church was opened solely to all pedestrians and bikers. Viva Manila, an organization dedicated to promoting Filipino national heritage, hopes to bring back the Filipino tradition of pasyalan (promenade) and encourage visitors to walk the historic walled city. … Booths lined up at Intramuros Pasyal … The mood was casual and festive as people roamed the street fair. Intramuros Pasyal featured several […]

April 23, 2015

WATSONS COLOR MANILA CHALLENGE: A Review

Philippine Primer attended the happiest and most colourful run of the year! The most awaited summer marathon, Watsons Color Manila Challenge, happened at the SM Mall of Asia last Sunday, April 19, 2015. Participants of all fitness levels, ages and background definitely had the time of their lives! … Photo grabbed from the Color Manila Run website … There was a buzz of excitement in the air on the day of the event. People were just ready to run and be splashed with colors! The atmosphere was fun with the loud, energizing music and accommodating volunteers and organizers. … EVERYONE WAS EARLY, PREPARING to take on the challenge they have […]