Marikina Shoe Expo aka Cubao X - Originally Marikina Shoe Expo was opened to be a showroom and marketplace for Marikina Shoe manufacturers. Today, aside from few stores that offer Marikina made shoes, Cubao X is now also popular for Ukay Ukay hunters, antique shops, specialty restaurants and Party Places.

Marikina City - Marikina is not the shoe capital of the Philippines for nothing. There was a time, between 1978 and 1982, when Marikina’s women’s shoes and handbags made of snakeskin were the rave on Fifth Avenue, New York City. As early as 1935, Marikina already had 139 shops producing 260,078 pairs of ladies shoes and 86,692 pairs of men shoes worth P762,896.00. And as may as 2,450 inhabitants were directly engaged in the industry either as shoemakers or upper makers. By 1983, Marikina produced 70 percent of the shoe production of the Philippines which was estimated at 30 million pairs.

Even in those days, shoemaking thrived in such distant places as Cebu, Pangasinan, Iloilo and Ilocos Norte. But Marikina was recognized for its superior craftsmanship, and its proximity to Manila gave it a decided advantage.

Cartimar in Libertad - It has been my favorite place in Manila whenever I want to window shop or buy new shoes. Cartimar is located near the Libertad LRT station in Pasay City, you can also walk from the Buendia station and you can easily find this perfect shopping arcade for bargain hunters and for pet lovers as well.

168 in Divisoria - Located in the uber crowded Divisoria, this mall has a huge selection of stores that offers various type of shoes and even the rare 5.11 Boots. Although most of the shoes sold are fake and not as durable as the original, this area is probably the most crowded shopping mall in Divisoria.

The theme park officially opens today at a 12,000-square meter area of Block 5 of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. It houses 31 robotic dinosaurs that date back to the Cretaceous and Jurassic era.

It is being operated by MAX entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Total Sports Asia Ltd.

James White, MAX vice president for sales and marketing, said they spent USD 2 million to put up the park as well as its promotion.

He expressed confidence that their investment here will not be wasted, citing their previous success in other Asian capitals like Bangkok, Thailand, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Putting up of the park in time for the holiday season is the first time for the operators, and White said they are hopeful that it will entice more families to visit the park.

He also noted the “possibility that we could extend to offer the facilities for a week just like in other countries and we are banking on Filipinos’ love to go out and visit places like this.”

“It is a worthwhile Christmas treat, with lots of things going on for one destination, giving you the best of edutainment -– education and entertainment,” he added.

“Dinos Alive World Tour” is open to public from Nov. 28, 2008 to Jan. 11, 2009.

Aside from the interactive dinosaurs, park visitors will also be treated to free entertainments like computer games, movies, a train ride and a feel of how exciting a life of an archeologist is through a Fossil Dig adventure.

The advantage of online shops is you no longer need to go to the Mall or Optical Shops. You can just visit online optical shops and and choose an eyeglass based on your requirement. I have tried buying an eye glass for my mom a couple of months ago and I have it delivered in Quezon Province where my Mom is. Isn’t it so convenient?

ZenniOptical.com sells affordable and Stylish Prescription Glasses which can be a perfect holiday gift. The website provide an extensive selection of frames, with single vision lens, sun sensor (potochromic) lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. Zenni Optical has a great selection of Holiday frames very low prices that will help buy more gifts this holiday season. The Secret to Zenni’s Low Prices is that they sell only their own manufactured frames direct to the customer, with no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget.

Give in to Giving

Partnering with 12 organizations that cater to different advocacies - Kababaihan Gabay sa Bayan (KAGABAY), Caritas Manila-Restorative Justice, The Philippine Animal and Welfare Society (PAWS), Bahay Tuluyan, Haribon, Cartwheel Foundation, Kythe, Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP), Philippine Cerebral Palsy Inc., Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM), Resources for the Blind, and Philippine Business for Social Congress (PBSP) - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s wide selection gives its customers a chance to support the cause they are most passionate about.

“Sometimes all one needs is a start,” says Paolo del Rosario, Director for Marketing “If you’re one of the many who have continuously pledged, year in and year out to get involved or want to help but don’t know what organizations are out there, The 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving Promo can serve as your springboard.”

Having long been a supporter of following one’s passion, with activities like The Zen of Tea, a tea appreciation seminar with Master Tea Blender David DeCandia and What’s Your Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Story? for ardent storytellers, Give in to Giving also has something for art lovers. Featuring limited edition commemorative journals designed by 12 of the most important Filipino artists today will be given away as a token of appreciation to those that participated.

“If you ask me, with the abundance of blogs, social networking sites and mobile phones, the passion of our generation is really that we share a piece of ourselves to others,” say del Rosario “Through Give in to Giving, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf hopes this will start a changing our generation for the better, one cup at a time.”

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is located at TriNoMa, SM The Block, Gateway, Ortigas Park, Paseo Center, Bonifacio High Street, Mall of Asia, Convergys Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village, Alabang Town Center, Rockwell, Robinson’s Ermita, Grreenhills Promenade, Robinson’s Galleria, eastwood, Tomas Morato and 2 more branches in Cebu. Visit their website at http://www.coffeebean.com.ph.

And The winner of the Wii party package at Red Box is…

 Charm Cruz

If I were a Wii character, I’d definitely be Lara Croft! Her prowess beauty with charm, and her very strong personality is a classic example of lethal combination. She fights villains with tremendous intensity, but still maintains her grace and poise in the process. I just adore the character so much that I feel I’m becoming her little by little each day! =) As of the moment, she wants to sing her heart out and try playing the Wii at Redbox sooooo bad! =)

Now, who can ever resist making a Lara Croft win? =P

Charm, Please call and schedule your Wii Party by contacting GeiserMaclang at Tel. No. 02.812.8828 / 02.812.9199 / 0917.523.4624

This Free Barkada Wii Party Giveaway is brought to you by Manila Freelancer, Red Box and GeiserMaclang.

Red Box has branches in Makati Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma in Quezon City. If you want to know more about REDBOX, please call 757.6188 or visit www.redbox.com.ph

“Our vision is to provide high-quality toys that help children learn and ensure that these will aid their development significantly,” says Natalie Tanchip, founder and owner of Pocketful of Kids Toy Village.

That’s why at the recent launch of Pocketful of Kids, the very first interactive toy village in the country, children were given a first hand experience of popular American and European toy brands.

“The notion of bringing learning into playtime is really something that Pocketful of Kids wanted to push,” explains Natalie Tanchip, founder and owner of Pocketful of Kids. “Our vision is to provide high-quality toys that help children learn and ensure that these will aid their development significantly.”

The toy village featured toys that were subdivided to touch the eight intelligences—bodily-kinesthetic, verbal linguistic, logical mathematics, visual spatial, musical, naturalistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. According to guest speaker Joy Abaquin, directress of Multiple Intelligence School Philippines, parents should let their kids wander through the toy village and see which intelligence station they are most naturally attracted to to determine their strengths and areas of improvement.

The Word Smart
Children with strong verbal-linguistic intelligence love to read, write and tell stories. They will most likely be future writers, public speakers, teachers, and actors. The best toys for these kids are word puzzles, alphabet blocks and story books from popular toy brand Alex as these can develop good vocabulary, spelling proficiency and good memory for names and facts.

The Number Smart
Kids with mathematical-logical intelligence have the ability to reason deductively and can recognize and manipulate abstract patterns or relationships. They will likely turn out as mathematicians, computer programmers, lawyers or accountants. Toys from the Educational Insights brand like abacus, counting and picture sequencing games are some of the most appropriate toys for this bunch.

The Picture Smart
Spatially intelligent kids have the ability to create mental or physical “picture” to understand the information being presented. They typically become graphic artists, architects, cartographers and sculptors. That’s why visual puzzles like the ones from Swiss brand Hape Educo and arts and crafts from bestselling toy brand Alex are strongly suggested by experts for children with this kind of ability.

The Music Smart
Children who have musical intelligence have great sensitivity to the rhythm of sounds (e.g. pitch, timbre, composition). Students strong in this intelligence will enjoy listening to music and may ultimately work as singers, songwriters, composers, or even music teachers. Toy instruments like pianos and xylophones from Italian brand Tatiri work best for kids with this kind of predesposition.

The Body Smart
Athletic children are said to have strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. They are usually good at physical activities and may have a tendency to move around a lot while expressing themselves. When encouraged by sports activities and toys like building blocks and crafts from Learning Resources brand, these kids can become athletes, surgeons, dancers and even inventors.

The People Smart
Children who have interpersonal intelligence work effectively in a group and are skilled at communicating, mediating and negotiating. To enhance this smart, kids can try out the pretend theater play sets from Alex and perform skits where they can hone their social skills as they interact with their peers. Children with this kind of smart may become future teachers, therapists, and salespeople.

The Self Smart
Having the ability to understand one’s own emotions, goals and motivations means that a child has strong intrapersonal intelligence. These kids have good instincts about their strengths and abilities and with the help of books, dolls and puppets from number one American toy brand Melissa & Doug, they can become philosophers, psychiatrists or religious leaders.

The Nature Smart
Children who are strong in this intelligence will enjoy and thrive when learning about nature topics, such as flora and fauna. Through toys like bug catchers and fishing tubs from Alex and kiddie laboratory sets from Learning Resources, these kids can grow up to be scientists, forest rangers, botanists, farmers and biologists.

The House of Smarts
Aside from housing these popular toy brands, Pocketful of Kids toy village features a mock coffee shop, bank, townhall, and theater. It also has a library and other services for kids like a health and food section and a playground. The toy village also extended its reach to parents and guardians through parenting seminars and workshops conducted by no less than child experts.

“As parents, we play a vital role in equipping our children with the opportunity for growth, innovation and learning. What more effective way to do this than by providing them with toys and a child-friendly environment that boost their innate intelligences,” says Tanchip.

Pocketful of Kids is the very first interactive toy village in the country that carries popular American and European toy brands that encourage children to wonder, discover and learn through play. For more information, please visit 15/F Strata 2000, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas or call (02) 634-7888 or (02) 634-2888.

Not too Chubby but thats me in the bag :)

Last July, Jansport released Graphic Remix line of bags which is inspired by this generation’s most definitive counterculture which is the Pinoy Indie Community. The Graphic Remix line’s quirky and anti-conformist designs like graffiti, doodles, pop art and calligraphy fits the indie community’s passion for creativity, originality and individuality.

Melo Villareal Grapic Remix Design Php1,690.00 (Its not available in the Market though LOL)

If you have your own design in mind and you want it brush painted on your Jansport Bag, I recommend Arturo Lim of Art Express in Robinsons Place Manila Level 4 (0916-6109890). Price depends on the artwork you want to be painted on your bag, mine was only for Php350.00.

Bratpack is a member of the Primer Group that carries global brands that makes for a practical and personal billboard of expression for urban dwellers, promoted through collaborations with the indie art and music scenes’ finest. Inspire. Interpret. Express. For inquiries email bratpack@primergrp.com or visit their website at http://www.packsforbrats.multiply.com.

Bratpack has branches at Greenbelt 5, Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Galleria, SM Cagayan de Oro, SM Davao, SM The Block, SM Pampanga, SM Southmall and Ayala Cebu.

Using only the contents of your bag, bag expert Bratpack can tell whether you’re the casual type who has a very laidback attitude, the sporty type who is always on the go or the adventurer whose wanderlust is insatiable.

Jansport - my favorite bag is only available in Bratpack

With the help of Dr. Liza Manalo-Mapagu, Managing Director of Assessment Analytics,Inc., specializing in test development, competency-based assessment, training and consulting, Bratpack has made choosing a bag that complements your personality down to a science.

We don’t call ourselves the Bag People for nothing, jests Brian Kong, Marketing Officer for Bratpack. Bratpack carries a lot of brand of bags which have very distinct styles. I guess you could say we as much bags as there are personalities.

Like JanSport - founded in Seattle by three mountain climbing hippies - that produced the cult classic SuperBreak backpack, has remained a favorite among travelers, thrill seekers, and adventurers who want to get out and discover the world for over 40 years now.

Similarly, Timbuk2 is another brand that is fit for those that lead an active lifestyle. It’s this toughness that made it an instant hit with San Francisco bicycle messengers when it first came out in 1989 and it’s still the same quality that makes Timbuk2 popular among urbanites, students and young professionals until now.

There is also Belgian brand Hedgren that takes inspiration from the perfect symmetry of a cube. Its casual style emphasizes clean lines and elegant accents that create a stylish yet functional design to meet the demanding needs of the modern urban woman.

It’s not just bags we’re offering, but a lifestyle, says Kong. And on the opening of their flagship store at Greenbelt 5 – designed by multi awarded graphic house Team Manila- with new brands that cater to more lifestyles like skate brand DC and Sector9, Sanuk the surfers and beach bums, Skull Candy for music lovers, as well as Eastpak and Life is Good, Bratpack is conquering a new territory, more people and of course, much more personalities.

Bratpack is a member of the Primer Group that carries global brands that makes for a practical and personal billboard of expression for urban dwellers, promoted through collaborations with the indie art and music scenes’ finest. Inspire. Interpret. Express. For inquiries email bratpack@primergrp.com or visit their website at http://packsforbrats.multiply.com .

Bratpack has branches at Greenbelt 5, Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Galleria, SM Cagayan de Oro, SM Davao, SM The Block, SM Pampanga, SM Southmall and Ayala Cebu.

Friendster, Inc., a top-20 global website based on traffic and the #1 social network in Asia,* today announced that over 35 million registered Friendster users in the Philippines can now subscribe to Friendster Text Alerts, a full suite of alerts covering activity in their Friendster network that are sent directly to their mobile phones via SMS text messages. Friendster Text Alerts is Friendster’s second mobile offering and it complements Friendster’s successful mobile site, m.friendster.com, which launched in May 2008.

Friendster Text Alerts allows users to subscribe to receive text message alerts for friend requests, new messages, comments, bulletins and more. When such activity takes place within their network of friends on Friendster, they will receive an SMS text message on their mobile phone. Users will also be able to share and communicate on Friendster by sending a text message to Friendster to update content on their profile, such as posting shoutouts and bulletins, sending messages, and replying to friend requests. Friendster Text Alerts will increase timely communication among users and support and encourage network activity while Friendster users are away from a computer.

“Friendster users tell us they want to stay connected with their friends, their latest network updates and all of the sharing and communication that occurs on Friendster,” said David Jones, vice president of global marketing for Friendster. “Since SMS text messaging technology is universally available on mobile phones, our tens of millions of users in the Philippines with mobile phones can now subscribe to Friendster Text Alerts to stay in touch, even when away from a computer.”

Friendster users must opt in, or register, to use Friendster Text Alerts by going to http://www.friendster.com/registermobile.php and entering their mobile phone details and selecting which mobile text alerts they wish to receive. Friendster does not charge its users for Friendster Text Alerts, but users are subject to text messaging usage fees from their wireless service provider. Friendster Text Alerts was recently launched in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

“Recent studies have shown that about 90% of Asia’s mobile phone subscribers use SMS text messaging, and some of the highest per subscriber usage of text messaging is in countries in Southeast Asia. It’s only natural to combine the most popular mobile feature — text messaging — with the most popular social network in Asia — Friendster,” said Jones.

Friendster Leads in the Philippines

Friendster is the #1 social network in the Philippines and is larger than all other social networks there.* In the Philippines, Friendster has over 35 million registered users and over 24.4 million monthly unique visitors to Friendster.com as of August 2008.** A typical user spends 30 minutes a day on Friendster and visits Friendster several times a week, communicating with friends and sharing and consuming content through a suite of features.

Friendster Leads in Asia and is a Top 20 Global Website

Friendster is the #1 social network in Asia, with over 62 million registered users and over 45 million monthly unique visitors from Asia.** In Asia, Friendster has more unique users than any other social network. Plus, Asia is the largest market of Internet users (Asia is 38% of the world’s Internet users while the US is only 22%), and Asia is the fastest growing region in the world. Friendster has a loyal and growing user base throughout Asia in the following top 10 countries for Friendster: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.

Friendster is a top 20 global website and the 3rd largest social network in the world in terms of traffic, serving 19 billion page views a month.* Friendster is 1st in “user engagement” among the top five global social networks with users spending an average of 185 minutes per visitor per month on http://www.friendster.com.

About Friendster
With more than 85 million members worldwide, Friendster is a leading global online social network. Friendster is focused on helping people stay in touch with friends and discover new people and things that are important to them. Online adults, 18 and up, choose Friendster to connect with friends, family, school, social groups, activities and interests. Friendster prides itself in delivering an easy-to-use, friendly and interactive environment where users can easily connect with anyone around the world via http://www.friendster.com or m.friendster.com from any Internet-ready mobile device. Friendster has a growing portfolio of patents granted to the company on social networking, with more expected over the next several months. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Friendster is backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, IDG Ventures and individual investors. For more information, visit: http://www.friendster.com.

* comScore Media Metrix, August 2008

** Google Analytics and Friendster Internal Data, August 2008

SOURCE: Friendster, Inc.

Apatosaurus in Manila

The Dinos alive tour is a traveling exhibit which adopts a themed - park environment. An authentic prehistoric recreation of the Jurassic period will display more than 30 life-size robotic dinosaurs including a spectacular 30 feet T-Rex. The place will be set-up to enhance the visitors experience of going back to time wherein these creatures roam the earth with specially designed sound and lighting effects.

Dino Train Soon in Manila

Visitors will also be able to interact with these moving creatures and enjoy other fun and entertaining activities. Kids and grown ups can enjoy in fossil hunting, games, quizzes, rock climbing, a dino inflated playland and more.

Food and drinks will be available for hungry stomachs in a dino-inspired café. There will be retail stores as well selling dinosaur-themed merchandises like T-shirts and toys visitors can carry as souvenirs or bring home to friends and family. You can also have time to capture dino moments with the photo booth set - up inside and together with your dinosaur of choice.

Join the fun of Dinos Alive World Tour here in Manila with your family and friends. Have the kids enjoy a world of discovery and learning. And take time to bond with all the activities offered.

The ‘Dinos Alive World Tour - Manila will be set up next to the SM Mall of Asia from 28th November to 11th January, 10am-10pm on weekends and 12pm-10pm on weekdays. Tickets are available for purchase from Ticket World by calling 891-9999 or online at www.ticketworld.com.ph Ticket prices for adults are Php 600, kids below a meter are Php 450 and the family package costs Php 1,750 (2 adults+2 kids+1 free ticket).

For enquiries, contact max.info@maxentertainment.tv