Luxurious accommodation that comes with affordable rates.  A complete contrast from the suburban neighborhood, Guijo Suites sits in a quiet alley of Makati City that offers an elegant stay yet budget-friendly.

Guijo Street of Makati have been in my directory list because of the bar named Saguijo, where I usually hang out during my days as a student.  Not until I together with siblings decided to stay in a hotel near the Chinese embassy did I learn that a calming ambiance of an accommodation sits in the center of an urban jungle, that is, the Guijo Suites. (check rates)

A truly festive Filipino dining experience would always require the presence of lechon.  The fire-roasted to golden brown with crackling skin, succulent meat and aroma to die for is truly a gastronomic and "sinful" delight.  The Visayas region in the Philippines is known for the best lechon makers and that the province of Cebu particularly stands out in the limelight.

But Cebu's Original Lechon Belly is interestingly unique from the rest, being the first of its kind to be introduced in the Philippines.  Prepared in a Cebuano-tasting style lechon yet served boneless and the best part - belly - a taste of lechon would no longer be restricted and enjoyed only in fiestas but on any day you would want to be treated.

Coffee shops has been my transient abode as a student, spending most of my quality time reading and people-watching simultaneously. My attention span and concentration has several times been questioned by friends as I spent most of the time studying in coffee shops rather than the library or at the comforts of my home.

Hence, watching students loitering and some studying in one of the "interesting-finds" coffee shop situated at the second Floor of Reyes Building, Estrada Street corner Taft Avenue, Manila, across the De La Salle University, is a trip down the memory lane for me.

Every Filipino is obliged to know his life and works.  No Filipino has been much privileged for access to education than this man.  He was an ophthalmologist, sculptor, painter, educator, farmer, historian, playwright and journalist. Besides poetry and creative writing, he dabbled, with varying degrees of expertise in architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, dramatics, martial arts, fencing and pistol shooting.  He was also a Freemason, joining Acacia Lodge No. 9 during his time in Spain and becoming a Master Mason in 1884.  He is no other than the Philippines declared national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

The Rizal shrine within the Fort Santiago, Intramuros gives us an opportunity to have a peek on the kind of life our national hero had.

There's always this preconceived notion that cruising along a bay with the dramatic fading of the sun complemented by acoustic serenade is only for couples expressing their love for each other in a luxurious way.

But this notion has changed for me when I discovered that our Southeast Asian neighbor countries have provided a dinner cruise along their respective bays as part of every traveler's itinerary, and the Chao Phraya river cruise in Bangkok, Thailand, Mekong river cruise in Cambodia and Vietnam, Hongkong cruise along the Victoria Harbor are among the known dinner cruises.  With Philippines, specifically at the Manila Bay, being known as one of the spots of the most beautiful sunset of the world, it is of our advantage that a dinner cruise be provided for tourism purposes.

Stone churches have always drawn attention to couples when deciding where to tie the knot and leave the single status unto the graves.  One gets melodramatic when presented with an architectural design that dates back to centuries ago, especially with a structure made of stone.  I for one has been at awe as I enter the San Agustin Church of Intramuros, Manila on one Sunday afternoon - the oldest stone church in the Philippines.

What would you do if a naked man welcomes you to his humble abode?  

The University of the Philippines greets every visitor of the campus with arms wide open as the iconic symbol of the Oblation makes a good subject for photography enthusiasts at varied vantage points.  To unwelcome a possible heat stroke especially that weather in the Metro has shamelessly been rising in degrees celsius, we opted to visit our alma mater, in time for the golden hour.  Improperly dressed for a jog or any sports activity, leisurely walking around the campus was never an option on one Sunday rendezvous.

Expressions of love fill the air of one afternoon in Manila.  Wedding vows as the church bells ring from time to time became a music to everyone's ears.  As I arrived at the church vicinity, a newly-wed couple had their picture taken at the church facade as passers-by smile and greet them, and on the same instance, a couple exchanges their wedding vows before the altar.

This Gothic inspired architectural landmark in Manila has been the constant choice of most wedding ceremonies in Manila.  The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila is the only all-steel church in Asia and claimed as the only prefabricated steel church in the world.

If Siem Reap, Cambodia is to Angkor Wat Complex, then Metro Manila, Philippines is to Fort Santiago of Intramuros.  I may be quite ambitious on such proclamation as there are a hundredfold of considerations that needs to be made for both sites to be worthy of comparison.  Nonetheless, sans the UNESCO World Heritage title, the Fort Santiago of Metro Manila is exceptionally built amidst the political and religious turmoil which once beset the Filipino people, sharing the same foundation with that of the Angkor Wat complex.