We were driving along Macapagal and this building caught our attention because of its canopy design and color. And yes, a new mall is set to open this quarter! Just a few blocks away from SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and nearby hotels and casinos such as Solaire, Okada, and City of Dreams.
Jam with your favorite OPM artists and get ready for exciting activities this September 30 as Parqal officially opens its doors at Aseana City! Here’s a sneak peek of our visit to the Parqal Greenway last August.
Parqal, from the terms Park & Kalye, is a five-hectare mall that is designed to be porous with multiple entrances and exits to further promote walkability and mobility within Aseana City.
Bring your family, and friends, and don’t forget your FUR-iends as this new mall offers a huge indoor and outdoor place for you to walk and jog, and for your pets to play around! Create pawsome memories with your fur babies, family, and friends at the Parqal Greenway!
There are plenty of soon-to-open store that awaits you. You can shop at TheMarketplace for your groceries, dine at different restaurants, pamper at the salon and spa, and of course banking services.
Parqal is located at Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, Aseana City, Parañaque, Metro Manila
Near the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish in Sta. Ana, Manila is a small and aesthetic Vietnamese Cafe that offers a premium but affordable coffee.
You can enjoy an iced coffee starting at Php85 for 16oz already.
We ordered Caramel Macchiato (giving this 7 out of 10 rating as there are other CM that taste better), Salted Caramel (8 out of 10 as it tastes really good! Not too sweet and not too salty), and lastly we had Caphe Sua Da. If you are familiar with Highlands coffee especially their PhinDi Choco (one of my fave in the menu as a person who does not like a strong coffee) they taste almost the same and we’re giving it 8 out of 10 rating.
You may visit them at Unit A 2302 Plaza Hugo St. Brgy 883 Sta. Ana, Manila and they are open from 12nn to 11pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 11pm every Saturday and Sunday. If you prefer cashless payments, you may opt to pay thru Gcash.
HOW TO GET HERE:
From Taft:
1. Ride a jeepney in Taft – Pedro Gil going to STA. ANA TULAY and ask the driver to drop you off in Sta. Ana Church. The cafe is just few walks away from the church.
From Mandaluyong/Kalentong:
1. Ride a jeepney in Sta. Ana Tulay with a signage P. FAURA then alight at Sta. Ana Church.
Mind S-Cool is your digital marketplace for science and art ideas. It is a project of the non-profit Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. who also brought you The Mind Museum, the BGC Arts Center, & the BGC Public Art program. It is the kind of school that has no borders and where the disciplines interact and collaborate not jut video lessons. It is for everyone, across age groups and across all walks of life. Let Mind S-Cool TV bring you to a fun learning adventure!
Kamusta ka? It is an automatic, friendly quick “check” of another’s well-being at the time of contact.
So, how are we, really?
As we all know our lives depend on nature. We cannot detach air, land, or water around us. Nature is our life. Just as MIND S-COOL TV Season 3 convinced you that you are biodiversity and biodiversity is you, Season 4 brings you onboard a revelatory 6-episode adventure to prove to you that you are ok ONLY IF nature is ok.
So how is our own Philippine biodiversity?
In Season 4, you will discover a very unique “OK Clinic” where you get to see what ails our Philippine biodiversity and how these are seriously affecting our own health as Filipinos. Just as when you have a check-up to see if your heart, lungs, kidneys and other vital systems are working well, you will get to zoom in on the habitats – forests, wetlands and the seas – to get to understand that these are the natural lifelines we have and that destroying them will spell tragedies for what we thought were only our “personal” health. We will talk about “biodiversititis” as what we call it for nature’s diagnosis.
These “check-up” adventures that our questers Mikee and Pecier will live out across the 6 episodes, will be punctuated by the presence of the “doctors” who study and check on “biodiversity”. They are namely Kuya Aldrin, ecologist of the “OK Clinic”, and Ate Rina, the “head banker” of a very different kind of bank called “Samu’t Saring Bangko ng Buhay.” And of course, Manong G (which stands for “genius guard”), the mysteriously mindful “guard” of MIND S-COOL will be issuing his flashes of wisdom to the MIND S-COOL barkada in all these episodes.
The last 2 episodes of Season 4 will also empower viewers to discover that the treatments and cures for what ails Philippine biodiversity are within our reach. We can save ourselves by saving our biodiversity, and Season 4 will show audiences the powerful, creative and even fun ways we can do with our families, friends and community to chart our way towards positive health in this wondrous and beautiful archipelagic spot on this planet!
Just as with Season 3 where MIND S-COOL TV creatively showed that “I am biodiversity and biodiversity is me”, Season 4 was also mindfully created by an all-Filipino team of creatives in partnership with the Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) Activity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Greatly inspired by the ratings of Season 3 that showed very strong shared viewership among Filipino families with over 2.2 million views and being the only science show in Nielsen’s ratings top 5 educational show, Season 4 was conceived and executed with the same passion and clarity to deliver the message: WE are OK ONLY IF BIODIVERSITY IS OK.
MIND S-COOL TV Season 4 also makes use of imaginative set-designs and engaging science communication techniques, expertly honed by the team of the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit science and art foundation that conceived and operates The Mind Museum, a science museum, and the BGC Arts Center.
“We may be splintered by many opinions in our politics and social lives BUT no one will survive without nature. There should be no debate about that if you live, breathe and eat. Our health and lives are literally at stake if we do not have a shared understanding of how our human lives are intricately connected with biodiversity – which is the way nature is structured and how it works to serve our lives. MIND S-COOL is our creative and concrete contribution to this vital understanding and we remain grateful for the USAID-SIBOL partnership to get this message across and hopefully imbibed by Filipino families.” says Maria Isabel Garcia, Managing Director and Curator of the BAFI.
With this new season of MIND S-COOL, SIBOL “hopes that the message of environmental conservation in oceans and landscapes facilitates a deeper understanding with a wider audience. We hope that they will value our biodiversity, oceans and landscapes and their inherent capacity to sustainably supply ecosystem services for their own benefit and the development of communities”, the project noted.
Watch full episodes of Seasons 1, 2, & 3 now streaming for FREE on Mind S-Cool YouTube channel.
ABOUT the BONIFACIO ART FOUNDATION, INC. (BAFI) The Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit foundation that champions the arts and sciences in elevating community and national life. It conceived, created and operates The Mind Museum, the BGC Arts Center, the BGC public art program, and Mind S-Cool. For over 10 years now, The Mind Museum is a self-sustaining, non-profit educational facility working to inspire solutions to real-world problems by initiating and bolstering science engagement in elevating aspects of individual, community and national life.
ABOUT USAID-SIBOL Launched in 2020, the Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) is a P1.1-billion natural resources management and biodiversity conservation project of the United States Agency for International Development in partnership with RTI International. SIBOL works closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. The Center for Conservation Innovations, Forest Foundation Philippines, Zoological Society of London, and the Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies, comprise the consortium partnering with RTI.
USAID PHOTO from L to R: Rina Rosales, Natural Resources Management Specialist, USAID SIBOL Dr. Aldrin Mallari, Ecosystems Integration Specialist, USAID SIBOL Pecier Decierdo, Mind S-Cool TV Host and Content Writer John Piggott, Acting Director, USAID Philippines Office of the Environment Dr. Ernesto Guiang, SIBOL Chief of Party, USAID SIBOL Mikee Estorga, Mind S-Cool TV Host and Content Writer Marlito Guidote, Deputy Chief of Party, USAID SIBOL
TO KNOW MORE, OR IF YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT MIND S-COOL AND THE OTHER PROJECTS OF THE BONIFACIO ART FOUNDATION, please send an inquiry to: mindscool@bafi.org.ph inquiry@themindmuseum.org info@bgcartscenter.org
Since I was little, my family and I would go out during Holy Thursday to visit different churches in Manila. We would only walk from one church to another and as a kid, I get tired easily but they would always remind me that we have to do a little sacrifice.
One of the traditions and most popular sacred vows or “Panata” of Catholics is the Visita Iglesia or Church Visit. Aside from commemorating the passion, death, and ressurection of Christ, it is also believed by Devotees that prayers will be granted if they would be able to complete the number of churches.
During the night of Maunday Thursday or until before 3PM of Good Friday, devotees visit atleast 7 different churches which symbolizes the Seven Last Words of Jesus. Some would even visit 14 churches to match the Stations of the Cross and others still try to visit few more churches. While others recite and pray the stations of the cross, many would just offer a personal prayer or intention as there is no required prayer during the Visita Iglesia.
We drove from Cavite to Manila and surprisingly, the flow of traffic is good enough considering that there are also church goers everywhere. How we wish we could have this kind of spacious road on a regular day. We also thought of having the difficulty to park but I guess they have already planned prior the Holy Week and we did not worry much about the parking in all of the churches that we visited. It could have been a lot easier if we did not bring a car. But as much as we wanted to walk going to the different churches, we have 3 kids with us. I really wanted my kids to join us in this meaningful event and I want them to understand why we are doing this as they grow older. Thankfully, Keila and Kaleb behaved and participated even if this was their first time. Thank you, my babies!! ♡
One of the things that devotees also want to visit is the Altar of Repose in which they usually place in the Church’s garden.
There were a lot of devotees since this was a first after pandemic. Others went by car, by commute, and some chose to walk. There were also church believers who love walking on barefoot. Back when I was in High School, I walked from Pasig going to Antipolo Church and I saw them walked for hours on barefoot. Hopefully I could do it again with my family. It took me hours and quite tiring, but it was a beautiful experience.
The last meal we had was our lunch at home and the next time we ate was at 11pm in Mcdonald’s (kids’ request) for our late dinner. We originally planned visiting churches in Tagaytay but we also have errands in Manila. Above photos are the 7 churches we visited.
Our Lady of Remedies Parish (Malate Catholic Church)
San Fernando de Dilao Parish (Paco Church)
Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish (Makati)
Sts. Peter and Paul Parish (Makati)
Santuario de San Antonio Parish (Makati)
St. John Bosco Parish (Makati)
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned (Santa Ana Church)
You may also want to include in your future list the other churches we visited years ago.
The Manila Cathedral (Intramuros)
San Agustin Church (Intramuros)
San Roque de Mandaluyong Parish
San Felipe de Neri Church (Mandaluyong)
National Shrine of the Sacred Heart (Makati)
The Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (Guadalupe)
St. Vincent de Paul Church (Adamson University)
Let us be reminded that this is a time for forgiveness as we prepare for the coming of our Lord and how He sacrificed himself to save us from our sins. Hope you all had a meaningful Holy Week. ♡
Idol playtime is a series of fun activities catered to parents and kids for them to enjoy and create bonding moments together. Last March 26, CDO Idol Playtime kicked off another set of activities – Bonding with Colors (Painting) for first batch, and Crafting with Mirrors (Boho Mirrors) for second batch. We were able to join the first activity and each lasted an hour.
Some kids were given a flower canvas and others received a kite. You can choose whatever design and color you would like. My son loved the art materials included in the kit. It was all complete! From the poster colors, paint mixing plate, brushes, and up to the glitters.
The event is currently held online via zoom given pandemic situation. It was so nice to see a lot of participants especially the parents and kids. They also invited Teacher Marielle of @craftmnl to join us which made this activity more fun and enjoyable. There were also raffle draw of smartphones and tablet plus “Bring Me” game in between the art activity.
It took us more than an hour to finish coloring and designing Kalel’s kite. But thankfully, CDO Idol Playtime gave us enough time to submit all the works until 2PM. Presenting now our finished product. TA-DAAAHH!
And of course the idol kids’ favorite will always be snack time so I prepared a CDO Idol Cheesedog. (Talagang #IdolNamnam #CheesyNamnam #JuicyNamnam)
CDO Idol Cheesedog is available in all leading groceries and supermarket nationwide. You may also shop online thru these links below: CDO SHOPEE CDO LAZADA
LITTLE MISS MOMMY 