DCRJ at the New MOA ARENA for LADY GAGA: THE BORN THIS WAY BALL Concert May 21, 2012

We were at the MOA Arena for the Lady Gaga: The Born This Way Ball concert May 21, 2012. It was a double blast to see Lady Gaga and the MOA Arena for the first time. It's the MOA Arena's first night concert or I would say, MOA Arena's opening day. We thoroughly enjoyed Lady Gaga's show despite being at the General Admission which is the area with the cheapest price (P 2,120). Doing the wave with the crowd was fun with 100 % participation of the crowd in the General Admission. The sight of the concert inside the MOA Arena was exhilirating as we could see 'the bird's eye view' of everything from the General Admission crowd to the concert stage. The MOA Arena is truly world class and my only critic of it, I'd say two, is the sound system which is at full blast making the bass capable of ruining anyone's ear drum. Secondly, the stairs at the General Admission is too steep and narrow that it desperately needed some additional handrails. Overall, the experience is a delight and I am proud of the MOA Arena and thanks to Mr. Henry Sy for making it one of the finest arena in the country

 I had a photo-op with Michelle Madrigal and Ehra Madrigal after the show

Puerto Princesa's UNDERGROUND RIVER Increases Tourist Arrivals in PHILIPPINES - Feb. 5, 2012

Recorded and uploaded to YouTube by DCRJ (Dan C Rivera Jr)

PUERTO PRINCESA's Underground River Officially 7 WONDERS OF NATURE - Jan 29, 2012

Recorded and uploaded to YouTube by DCRJ (Dan C Rivera Jr)

"IT'S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES" New Slogan of Dept. of Tourism - Jan. 14, 2012

Recorded and uploaded to YouTube by DCRJ (Dan C Rivera Jr)

Holy Week Destination: KAMAY NI HESUS in Lucban, Quezon, Philippines - April 14, 2011

Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, a popular destination and pilgrimage to this Souther Tagalog region specifically Lucban, Quezon province in the Philippines. Video courtesy of Unang Hirit which aired April 14, 2011. Recorded and uploaded to YouTube by DCRJ (Dan C Rivera Jr)



Snapshots from the videos

CORAL WORLD PARK in Palawan, Phiippines - 1st Underwater Resort in Asia - Monozca & Mañosa

Philippines – A futuristic undersea project is all set to be built in Coron, Palawan, according to a Filipino team of developer and architects.

Dubbed as the Coral World Park, this project will be Asia’s first underwater resort development and it will be headed by Paul Monozca, a Singapore-based businessman with a renowed eco-architect Jose Pinggoy Manosa as partner responsible for the architectural design.

“Picture this: You wake up to a picture perfect view of frivolously swimming manta rays and fishes or hold a meeting in a restaurant submerged in the pristine waters. Say what? All this isn’t science fiction according to an all-Filipino team behind the project,” as quoted from the Philippine Daily Inquirer article.

Coral World Park will include 24 undersea suites called “Anemones” submerged at 60 feet below sea level with a 270-degree view of the sea. A US firm that specializes in submarines will build the 15-foot-high Anemones.

Also as part of this multibillion-peso project, a 50-bedroom on land boutique hotel complete with amenities like casinos, spa, business center will be built. This project will also include an underwater restaurant to be named Starfish,” which could seat as many as 200 people in its 600-square-meter dining area.

The project is expected to pour in billions of investments and will help create thousands of jobs for the people in Palawan and neighbouring provinces.

Eighty percent of the project will be run and manned by Filipinos from engineers to architects down to personnel. Monozca said, “The project will show to the world Filipino ingenuity.” When completed, the proposed underwater habitat will be the biggest in the world.

Coral World Park is expected to be completed in 2013

Video courtesy of GMA TV News which aired March 20, 2011


Snapshots from the video

PHILIPPINES Ranks 6th in Lonely Planet's TOP 'Best Value' TOURIST DESTINATION for 2011

Lonely Planet quoted: from this website --> Lonely Planet (click me)

The Philippines may be just about to rudely shove Thailand off the ‘best cheap beaches’ perch it’s occupied for the best part of two decades. For those who desire nothing more than to find great, undiscovered beaches, surf the odd wave and eat unique, distinctive food for under US$20 a day, the Philippines has the edge.

Video courtesy of 24 Oras which aired Jan. 4, 2011. Recorded and uploaded to YouTube by DCRJ (Dan C Rivera Jr)



Snapshots from the video

ZIPLINE at SM MALL OF ASIA Soon-To-Open

Did you know that SM Mall of Asia is going to have its own Zipline ride? If not, well you first heard it from me.

Zipline (also known as a flying fox, foefie slide, zip wire, aerial runway, aerial ropeslide, death slide or tyrolean crossing)consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to traverse from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable, usually made of stainless steel, by holding on or attaching to the freely moving pulley.

I have tried Zipline at People's Park in Tagaytay city. There's one in Quezon city, the province of Bohol and another in Cebu city. Soon-to-open at the SM Mall of Asia located in Pasay city, Philippines.

Their under-construction website is http://www.mallofasiazipline.com (visit the website soon)

THE MIND MUSUEM AT TAGUIG Starts Construction, Opens 4th Quarter of 2011

‘BACKHOE-SAURUS’. A backhoe with a dinosaur painted on it starts digging the foundation for The Mind Museum, a futuristic structure that will rise in Bonifacio Global City in 2011. The building will house a 40-foot cast of the most complete T-Rex bones unearthed. Underneath it will be a simulated excavation site where one can dig for fossils. The museum will house more than 200 interactive exhibits, each playing a role in five gallery stories that span the range of nature’s elements—Atom, Life, Universe, Earth and Technology. It promises to be a world where imaginative minds can soar, a place that will fascinate as it will inspire.

A Preview of The Mind Museum at Taguig

The Mind Museum will be a 6,110 square meter facility to be located in a 12,500 square meter lot in Bonifacio Global City, a rapidly developing central business district in Metro Manila. There will be:

3,350 square meters of exhibition space
500 square meters of educational facilities, that includes auditorium, lab, two classrooms
800 additional square meters of park area will be designated as Science in the Park
space for food, retail and offices
http://www.themindmuseum.org

PALAWAN To Open Revolutionary Underwater Resort called LAST FRONTIER RESORT

Architect's perspective of the underwater room

LAST FRONTIER RESORTS, the Philippines' first giant underwater resort, will open in Calamianes Islands, Palawan, in 2013.

The resort will use submarine technology in developing and launching underwater observation platforms and 100 underwater rooms, some with panoramic underwater views.

The revolutionary project is expected to bring in $1 billion in investments spread over a 10-year period, and create direct and indirect jobs, both locally in Palawan.

Singapore-based financier Paul Monazca leads the development of the resort, reputed to be the largest of its kind in the world, using submarine technology.

The project's first phase consists of building semi-submersible satellite units called "Sea Spiders" that will serve as observation platforms, each accommodating 30 guests. The second phase, spread over the remaining seven islands of Calamianes, involves building 100 underwater rooms in partnership with an upscale boutique hotel brand. Large suite rooms will have a 270-degree panoramic underwater view, with each of the suites connected by underwater corridors. Some 85 more rooms will be built on another cluster of seven islands

article reference: Inquirer.net
and Seair's In Flight Magazine (June - July 2010) article by Margie F. Francisco

PLANET HOLLYWOOD Coming Soon to the PHILIPPINES

Planet Hollywood was supposed to have a space in Glorietta 2, Makati City when they were building Glorietta 2 in 1997, they were already selling Tshirts and jackets with 'Planet Hollywood Makati, Philippines' on it at the Glorietta 1. Somehow Planet Hollywood was cancelled.

It's good that there will be a Planet Hollywood finally in the Philippines in the upcoming future. I am hoping that there will be big name Hollywood stars once its branch debut in the Philippines. I also am hoping that the Planet Hollywood franchise would prosper specially its branch here in the Philippines with its new hotel-casino concept despite Planet Hollywood's history of bankruptcy. One more thing, having a Planet Hollywood in a country is a sign of classiness and glamour !

here's a snapshot of Planet Hollywood Makati jacket which my brother bought way back in 1997

The proposed Planet Hollywood Philippine branch will be put up in a hotel-casino complex which will be built by Henry Sy's SM Corp. and Belle Corp., a leisure and gaming firm located at the Bagong Nayong Piipino Entertainment city in Paranaque city, also near the SM Mall of Asia.

Snapshot from the Wordbex 2010 (Philippine World Building and Construction Exposition) at the World Trade Center.

Structure shown is the proposed Hotel-Casino complex of SM and Belle Corp., Planet Hollywood will be put up in that complex.

references:
Philstar
London Today

DCRJ Visits ARK AVILON ZOO, FARM RANCH & TIENDESITAS - Dec. 13, 2009

It's my first time to visit this amazing zoo called Ark Avilon Zoo. I got to know of the existence of this zoo from the photos posted by my 'friends' in the internet. Residing from Paranaque and Cavite, I am not familiar with the directions of any place in the north so I parked my car at SM Mall of Asia, we had lunch then hailed a taxi cab. Read the directions to the taxi driver from my notepad stored in my Nokia N95.


The Ark Avilon Zoo is designed to look like...an Ark from Noah's Ark




The white tiger's name is Claudia (written on a poster)


Feeding the carps at 30 pesos per cup of fish food, it's fun !


You have to supervise your children because some of the birds do bite !


Feeding the hamsters and rabbit with a carrot on a stick, P20 per carrot. Imagine the amount of veggies and fruits needed to feed all these creatures plus a number of tigers, bears, birds, sheeps, donkey, deers, crocs etc. P300 per head on entrance is acceptable to compensate for the maintenance of the place. What's really unique about Ark Avilon Zoo is that you get to interact with some of the animals, a far cry from the old and outdated Manila Zoo in Malate, Manila.


Farm Ranch is just besides Ark Avilon Zoo. It has kiddie rides and venues for your kid's parties. One particular ride is Space Quest which brings memories to the Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters in Hong Kong Disneyland.


Just across Farm Ranch is Tiendesitas which houses Antique shops and the Pet Village which consists of a number of pet shops and dog parlors for your pet dog. To cap the day we ate dinner at the food court section of Tiendesitas and we were treated with a cultural dance show from different ethnicities in the Philippines.

Ark Avilon Zoo, Farm Ranch and Tiendesitas are located at Ortigas Avenue, Pasig city near Eastwood city, Libis, Quezon City. cheers !

DCRJ for BRUNCH at Mercado inside RESORTS WORLD MANILA Dec. 11, 2009

Pic taken at Maxims hotel lobby Dec. 11, 2009. Brunch at Mercado, Resorts World Manila. Won P150 at a slot machine...I am not really a serious gambler, just enjoying the sights of those slot machines. It also reminded me of my visit to Atlantic city, New Jersey circa 2003 !


We ate breakfast or should I say BRUNCH at the Resorts World Manila today Dec. 11, 2009. Photo taken at the Maxims Hotel lobby (with Christmas Decor) Resorts World Manila.



Pic taken at Resorts World Manila near the entrance to the casino. Pic taking inside casino is not allowed. Had BRUNCH at Mercado, Resorts World Manila Dec. 11, 2009. Ate more on fruits and veggies should do me for the rest of the day, feeling light and not heavy.


This is the Globe that is currently underconstruction located at the Rotonda near Resorts World Manila and NAIA Terminal 3. Pics taken Dec. 11, 2009 on our way to Resorts World Manila. Could this Globe be similar to the one seen in SM Mall of Asia ? the developers are quite serious into making the place the next tourist attraction.

Okay, Resorts World Manila isn't completely done yet. Its 2nd and 3rd floor, the GRand theater and the Grand Mall has yet to open sometime next year. Resorts World Manila is one big playground for us locals and tourists but what really excites me is the start of the groundwork construction of Resorts World Bayshore City at the reclaimed land near the SM MAll of Asia. Resorts World Bayshore City is the name given to the second integrated resort which will be built and operated by the Travellers Aliance Group and Star Cruises starting hopefully in February 2010 !

ENCHANTED KINGDOM (Theme Park in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines) Latest Updates in Video Dec. 4, 2009

Here's a video I recorded featuring the latest attraction inside Enchanted Kingdom located at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines which aired Dec. 4, 2009 courtesy of Unang Hirit.



Snapshots from the video