Walk in the Cyber Park Episode 1: Bonifacio High Street

Blogging and photography has been a very entertaining hobby for me. However, keeping the mall rat episodes take time in setting up the schedule and effort of making the schedule happen. This set up made me have the mall blogs completed in a monthly basis ( or even once every 2 months) but as the old adage says, "If there's a will, there's a way".

So I took my chances and had an opportunity to be in this place, the Bonifacio High Street.

In the first place, this place cannot be placed in the Mall Rat Adventures because this isn't just a mall. They categorize this place as a cyber park where aside from the shops and malls, they placed the IT offices and businesses. Looking at the idea, this isn't a bad concept and I expect to be visiting other cyber parks in the next blogs.

As I walk around, I've been a witness of the beauty of the place. The roads are wide and clean, the grass landscapes are well placed and the buildings/shops are well built creating a good mix between  nature and technology.

If I were to leave a tip when you visit the place (either the high streets or BGC in general). Please make sure that you know your building destination or at least in which street it is located since the places can easily be identified by their street numbers (this is just a tip though I won't mind walking around the beautiful streets here).

Shot taken at the 29th street

During our walk in the streets, I saw one of Nike's factory outlets where you can find a wide array of Nike products from shoes to accessories. Good place to visit if your favorite Bron's or KD's went out of stock in the malls.

Below are more shots from the parks of high streets. It was really a great walk in the park experience. :)

And since We've visited the place in the morning, it's a common sight here to see the joggers. Well it's a no brainer why they're here. It's really a beautiful exercise route here where you might not feel exhaustion because it's more of a beautiful walk rather than a workout.

With this image, I can say that not all techno parks are polluted and this is the best example to testify to that.

Aside from the green parks and tall buildings, few notable places are below. first is the mind museum which I can describe as a science park or simply, a fun way to discover science.

For hobbyists, check this out as well.

Linked to the high streets is the Serendra Piazza where food stops and good restaurants are placed, :)

During the shoot, we've said that we'll not go to a coffee shop for the mean time and the decision was worth while, especially if you'll have Conti's Mango Bravo in return (MB, MB, :) )

As we end the walk, I had new images, stories and experiences along with me. I'll be heading north again with the hopes of the next episode. whether a mall rat adventure or walk in the cyber park. Join us again next time, :)

Mall Rat Adventure Episode 03: Festival Mall

All right, after months, here I am writing again about my mall rat adventures and for this episode, I'll be featuring one of my newly discovered malls: Festival Mall Alabang, :)

For this episode, I've went south again to check out the 2nd largest mall before SM Mall of Asia was built, SM North Edsa constructed the Block  and prior to SM Megamall expanded with their MegaMall building C.

Located at Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Festival Mall is operated by the Filinvest group and considered as one of the biggest malls in the southern cities. In general, I can say that it is a general mall with no specialization in terms of target audience, age range or what not as it caters different stores, attractions, from simple stalls, the common fastfood up to monstrous rides and all that made me wonder how they fit inside the mall.

As I entered the mall, I had this feel that it can be a family mall type designed for families who plan to spend their family day in a place where everyone can enjoy. I noticed this as I've seen a lot of wide spaces with these animal ( I don't know if it's a pig or a pink horse) mini rides.

Another thing I've noticed about the mall is that it appears to have an indoor theme park at its grounds. As I walked around,  looks like they've built these in a way that the kids will stay entertained and amused while their parents can comfortably watch over them.

Another thing I loved about Festival mall is that it is a spacious indoor mall. Yes it has a lot of shops but they are not congested and you'll have a lot of space to explore if you want to have your window shopping or a simple walk in the mall. Above was a shot taken from the 2nd level of the mall were you can have visibility of the 3rd and 4th floor of the building.

And that's how spacious the mall is. They were able to allow BumbleBee for those who would like to have a photo ops with the famous autobot, :)

Aside from the kid-friendly attractions and amenities, you can also see the mall's common grounds with a lot of good stuff at a budget friendly, cost-effective pricing schemes. And again, because of the spacious grounds of the place, there will be less of commotion for the bargain hunters.

Alright, we've already seen the sections specialized for the Kids, Moms, Dads and all. Now, As I went floors higher, I've discovered that the upper floors are made for the teens and as they call " young adults" I've seen a branch of Special Toy Center which has all sorts of toy collections ranging from still and movable action figures, model kits, vehicle replicas and I guess everything we wished to have when we are still young and have the funds to fulfill the childhood dreams.

Also, you can see gaming console shops such as "Game Console" which sells console units, accessories, game copies, repairs defective units and gets you up and running with your gaming sets and I've seen the shop and I can say it's way lower than the typical mall prices with regards to their products.

And part of the tech tour is a series of mobile dealers where you can find the good picks of mobile products, services and supplementary accessories to maximize your technology on the go.

And here's my highlight of the tour, :) I was able to visit their amusement park which they call "X-site". It is simply a gaming and amusement park rolled into one. It's a good place to meet your friends, treat your cousins or enjoy your day on your own even as long as your driven by the goal of gaming hard.

This is the X-Fall as they call. the last time I saw a ride like this was in Star City which they call the Jumping Star. But compared to the Jumping Star, this is way larger and longer so the thrills are better. A larger version of the Jumping Star but a smaller version of the EKxtreme tower.

And the X-ride which is the indoor roller coaster of the park ( that's how spacious festival mall is) which looks like the Blizzard of Star City. Good Ride if you want a good and quick breeze of excitement, :)


So there you have it, the Festival Mall. a good stop where everything is served. now I'm heading back to the North and keep going, :)

Mall Rat Adventure Episode 02: Nuvali

From SM Mall of Asia of episode one, I traveled farther down south for a mall that I usually hear good reviews from my friends. It was like when I started blogging, they always say that should go to this place and have it covered in my blog. And without further a do, I'm presenting the next mall for my adventure, Nuvali of Sta Rosa, Laguna, :)

Located at Sta Rosa, Laguna (now I'm being a fan of the CALABARZON division). Nuvali showcases a mall that is scattered all around the area and good thing in between are the green fields.

Based from stories and observations, it is best to go to this place if you have your own car (which inspires me to have my own). As I walk around the area, I've seen a good array of vehicles such as this one (more of vehicle encounters later)

I was not able to determine the exact store/mall hours in Nuvali but here's what I got as I did "walk in the park".


I arrived in the place on a sunny yet breezy sunday morning and I've noticed that bicycle enthusiasts and runners are all over the place and there is no wonder why, it's such a bliss to walk, run or ride a bike in such a beautiful place like Nuvali.

Another good thing I've noticed with the place is the ferry ride which will give you a tour through the river like waters of the area. I was unable to experience it since I don't have my zoom lens handy with me during that time. but looking at the faces of my subject, it's a definite must try.

As I walked around the place, nature-related attractions were found such as beautiful fountains like this..

And guess what, there is an area where you can feed these little creatures. Just make sure that you'll be feeding them with their official feeds which can be purchased at the feeding stations.

More shots from the place's grounds, :)

During my stay in Nuvali, I've felt this fusion of technology and nature and it appears that this mini statue solidifies it, :)

Just like the first mall rat adventure episode, I visited the Starbucks here at Nuvali and here's for the day's breakfast menu: dark mocha with french toast and strawberry waffle (the mocha frappe is not mine, :))

As I ended breakfast, I immediately went back to shooting more images and I can say that it was not hard to look for colorful subjects in this place.

This shot was taken at Georgia Club Candy Land which was currently closed during my time of visit. Despite being closed during the moment, I took time to capture its very colorful  domain, :)

On my way home, some few rides that caught my attention, credits to their respective owners :)

So for you folks who want to get away from the pressures of the Metro, I can say that Nuvali is a go to place for that quick weekend getaway.

And that's it everyone, again I'm heading back to the northern lands with a great experience and images too.. Till the next episode, :)

P.S: I saw this place on my way home, looks like I'll be covering this soon too.. :)

Mall Rat Adventure Episode 01: SM Mall of Asia

I'm normally a northern maller (Trinoma, SM North Edsa etc.) But once in a while, I get to enjoy the southern malls so for my first blog, I'm featuring one of the biggest southern malls I know; SM Mall of Asia, :)

SM Mall of Asia is a shopping mall in Bay City, Pasay, near the SM Central Business Park, the Manila Bay, and the southern end of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. For my way of how did I got here for my visit, I normally take the MRT up to the Taft Station and get a cab that will bring me the to the mall, you can also take the jeepney rides shouting "MOA MOA!!! :)"

From what I know of during my stay at the mall, I can categorize 4 buildings of the mall such as their hypermarket, department store, the MOA arena and their main mall. But of course, the mall is not limited to those areas and I can say that there is a lot more to be discovered in MOA.

Being a big and great mall has been an advantage to the mall of Asia. It's been a mall with great variety of shoppers that served as a tourist spot, concert and even sports venue (with the help of the concert grounds and the MOA Arena.

MOA Arena: Venue for great concert and sports events.

One of the great things that I enjoyed with the Mall of Asia is that it has its open sections/areas which allows people to take a break from the typical mall environment (especially with the long lines at the stores when there is a sale). It also allows people to have a place to stay for a quick chat with a friend or for parents, let their kids play during family day sundays.

Taken at G/F South Wing

There are a lot of things that can be done while in MOA. You can enjoy the normal shopping (or window shopping) with a wide array of shops, boutiques and stalls. You can play in their Ice Skating rink or simply enjoy the great bay view outside.

SM by the bay: What a great view to hang out

The Eye where the mall has been known for.

As I walk through the mall, I've noticed these colorful mini-parks and rides inside the mall as well. So without any second thought, I took the chance to take pictures of the inflatable playgrounds which provided me the chance to work with colors with my camera.

Candy Park

 

The Kinder Park

Fantasy Carousel is cool but the way smaller to one of the carousels I know.

Food Stop: There are a lot of great food shops in MOA and I was given the chance to take a shot on a few that I usually look for and try out one of my favorite resaturants in this branch yehey, :)

IHOP is present in the list for great breakfast choices especially made if you want to eat first even prior to the opening of the mall. So if you want to enter a great sale with a full tummy, this is a good stop to execute the great sale journey.

Up for a heavy meal? Then RACKS can sure fulfill that plan for you. From Pork, Chicken, Beef even veggies and salads, they do have it and no choice can be bad in this place. :)

What do we do if the SB line is too long or we simply want a new brew? CBTL is present in the house.

The food court of MOA is also open for those who want try out the wide range of food and can't settle for one resto or fastfood.

But here's what we took for lunch: YakiMix, :) It's been one of my favorites because of good food especially the ice cream plus the grilling experience.

Yaki Mix has been known for their Japanese, Chinese and Cantonese cuisine plus the privilege to grill your own dishes, your own way, :)

One Piece of Any Maki, :)

After a great meal, the next thing that I looked for is coffee, and of course, Starbucks is in the long list of coffee shops in MOA.

For this trip, I chose my Dark Mocha with no whipped cream as my anti-sleepiness potion.

So that's it everyone, my time wasn't enough to make a detailed tour of MOA. but my experience was indeed fun and great, with a happy face I'm heading back to north carrying memorable memories from the south.