I played Pokemon Go in Tokyo

I played Pokemon Go in Tokyo


TOKYO, JAPAN—The week “Pokemon Go” was launched in the country last August, I was all geared up to chase Pikachus during the annual Pokemon summer festival in Yokohama, Japan.

It is a monthlong celebration with Pikachu mascots running around the city every Sunday. Each year, the Pikachu Outbreak has a theme. For 2016, it was “Splash,” a refreshing idea under the 40-degree Tokyo weather.

 The idea of “authentic” Pokemon hunting in the bustling city of Tokyo was a thrill, and the virtual reality game was the best travel buddy you could ask for. The app was on whenever we waited in line in restaurants and as we went around the city so we could clock in some kilometers on our egg incubators.

With a newly downloaded app and a tourist mode on, we easily earned experience enough to level up as much as 11 stages during our 5-day trip.

We easily caught a Pikachu in Shibuya on our first day, saw a Squirtle while we were trying to claw Eevee stuffed toys out of a machine in Ikebukuro, lured a Magnemite as we crazed over gachapons, and finally hatched a 10-kilometer Vulpix egg when we reached the Tower.

Here are some of the Pokemon I caught, taken in @girleatworld style:
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The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part II

The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part II



Visiting a food park once will never be enough, there are a handful of stalls to try and a mouthful of tastes to discover. Cake and I visited Commonwealth StrEAT thrice, and on our last visit we decided to cap our food adventure with (goblets of) margarita.

   OZAWA   
Budget: P140-P165


Their Noritako is a different take on your usual sushi roll. A crispy, wafer-thin taco shell is followed by nori and sushi rice, topped with a choice of crunchy karaage (chicken) or beef tenderloin steak, julienned carrots and drizzled with Japanese mayo.
Don’t bother using the chopsticks that came with it. Instead, put your hands to good use. Its generous meat and chewy Japanese rice will more than make up for the messiness. Make sure you wash it down with their raspberry iced tea slush that’s big enough to share.

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The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part I

The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part I


People of the North rejoice! 

 The foodie hotspots keep shifting on Metro Manila’s map, and they finally found their way to the open, empty spaces of Quezon City’s Fairview (or Far-view, as most people call it).

 Back then, the foodie capital was Kapitolyo in Pasig, until residential Maginhawa Street in Quezon City evolved into a gastronomic strip offering international flavors.

 Fairview was among the more suburban parts of the largest metro city that had long been cut off from the more cosmopolitan and innovative taste bud offerings. But now, a single jeep ride is all it takes for its residents (and other QC folk) to become instant gourmands (or food coma victims).

 StrEAT of the Maginhawa food park fame has set up another branch along the North Fairview end of Commonwealth Avenue.

 Although it’s under the same brand, Commonwealth StrEAT boasts a different set of food stalls and trucks from its Maginhawa counterpart. There are some familiar treats, but most are unique finds that you can find only at this far-off food spot.

   OFF DUTY   
Budget: P100-P160



The Mexi-grill has the perfect appetizers if you’re feeling less adventurous on your trip to StrEAT. Their regular nachos are topped with ground beef, sour cream and salsa (which tastes kind of like fancy ketchup). The quesadilla isn’t as thick as we would’ve wanted, but is still a bang for the buck with its stringy cheese and flavorful meat.

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Hanging out at Naxional

Hanging out at Naxional



“X” marks the spot, the spot being in Uptown Parade in Bonifacio Global City where you can get some really good grub.

For South American diner Naxional, “X” also represents 10 of the continent’s nations, introducing a wide range of comfort food developed straight from home cooking recipes of Latina mothers.

With the Philippines’ undeniable Hispanic roots, most South American dishes may come off as familiar, but there are a huge number of dishes with festive flavors that remain uncharted—and yet easily welcomed—by the Filipino palate.
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#DisneyBeat: Talking to Elena of Avalor

#DisneyBeat: Talking to Elena of Avalor

Aimee Carrero as the voice of Princess Elena
AFTER about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how international conference calls work, I accepted defeat and decided to have a phone operator intervene.

Our landline at home rang, and rang again.

And echoing how Belle sounded when she first entered the Beast's castle, I let out a few hellos, waiting for silence at the other end of the line to be interrupted.

With a bit of a delay, a cheery voice finally greeted back. It was Aimee Carrero, the woman behind the voice of Princess Elena, the lead of Disney's newest animated TV series.

"I think it may giving myself a bit of a compliment, but I think I give her (Elena) a bit of personality," Aimee tells me.

"I think that some of Elena’s silliness comes from my personality and luckily the creators of our show have been very responsive to humor and comedy and try to write it in whenever they can and whenever it’s appropriate," she adds.

 The 5-second delay between our responses turned out to be quite an advantage as I processed the same thought during the entire 15-minute interview: Damn, I'm talking to a real Disney princess! On the phone.
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Under the spell of Doctor Strange

Under the spell of Doctor Strange






TO DESCRIBE “Doctor Strange” as otherworldly is both a cliche and understatement. 

 It introduces a new breed of superhero to Marvel’s cinematic arsenal, one that is not characterized by metal weaponry or spandex suits. It has begun redefining what a superhero is, and even more so, what a superhero can do, in the context of the Avengers.
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Alesso made me lose my mind

Alesso made me lose my mind




WHEN Alesso was announced as one of the international headliners of the Ultra Music Festival Philippines, I told myself there was no way I’m missing the Swedish DJ spin live.

And Sebastian Ingrosso’s protege didn’t disappoint, there was definitely no sitting down during his set in the Manila leg of the Ultra Worldwide Tour in Mall of Asia Arena on Sept. 17.

Alesso knew exactly what he was doing—the crowd never dancing long enough to a certain beat, shuffling distinct tracks that transform into one smooth eargasm.

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How Pikachu gave me a happy childhood

How Pikachu gave me a happy childhood



MOST kids who grew up in the 1990s would say Pokémon was their childhood. When I was six, Pikachu was my best friend.
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Tables turned when I met Jason Palmer

Tables turned when I met Jason Palmer

Photo by Jilson Seckler Tiu
JASON Palmer—if that name rings a bell, it’s because it should.

The illustrator, who was one of the comic artists who headlined the recent AsiaPOP Comicon, is best known for working with Marvel, “The Walking Dead,” “Doctor Who,” “Once Upon A Time,” and “Star Wars,” among many others.

It’s highly possible you’ve seen his works online because they are so damn good that they’re bound to be shared on your feeds.

He has perfected his personal style, enough for you to recognize a Jason Palmer artwork when you see one. 

He maintains the visible strokes of traditional art, and the way he draws each character is reminiscent to how vintage portraits were done in old school studios before photography was introduced.
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Lunch at Flame Restaurant

Lunch at Flame Restaurant



IT WAS a meal made for champs.

We were served with a 7-course lunch, a taste of what Discovery Primea's Flame Restaurant will be serving for the quick, on-the-go (and personally, what I think is the most important) part of the day.

"Not everyone has time to linger over lunch," general manager David de Ayala said. "So we have a quicker cooking time and somewhat more relaxed menu entries for lunch."
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Sights of the city from Flame Restaurant

Sights of the city from Flame Restaurant


Armed with good coffee as I binge-watch Manila's city sights. Photo by Alex Castillo

GROWING up in the city does not make concrete jungles wherever I go less mesmerizing.

Architecture of towering concrete in repeated patterns creatively designed to stand out from its adjacent neighbors. And as it soars with height, competing with the clouds for a space in the sky, it gives you calm and perspective.

Now you don't have to imagine the experience of indulging Manila's city sights with Discovery Primea's modern European restaurant called Flame, they now serve lunch and dinner and has been open for almost two months now.
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Just got Lucky

Just got Lucky

Lucky Blue Smith asks me "What's up?" And all of a sudden I knew no words. Photo by Eloisa Lopez

THE MOMENT Pam, my editor, told me I'd be doing a one-on-one interview with Lucky Blue Smith, the first reaction I had in my head was: HOLY SHIT! How am I supposed to focus with those indescribable blue eyes of his?

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I'm a happy camper

I'm a happy camper



SCOUT Summer Camp—It was the hottest party in the gig circuit last July 23, with a string of music sets that kept the young crowd from going anywhere else. Leading the roster of bands were Jensen and the Flips, The Ransom Collective, Ang Bandang Shirley and Curtismith.

 You can read more about Scout Summer Camp in my article for Inquirer Super.

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Fête de la Musique 2016

Fête de la Musique 2016



I DON'T think there ever was a person who went to the annual Fête de la Musique who decided to just linger in one music stage from its first act to the last. 
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Anthologized

Anthologized


I turned 22 and received one of the best gifts I could think of—my work being part of an anthology that I've been looking forward to every year of my college life.
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10 beautiful lines from Philippine literature

10 beautiful lines from Philippine literature

There's nothing more beautiful than reading fictionalized history—in poetry or prose—than in the language and culture that you are most familiar with.

Local literature introduces personas you can strongly identify yourself in, as they are immersed in the same realities you face everyday, giving a sense of shared frustrations, proximity and history. Its narratives contain in them the very nature of Filipino brilliance and hopes.

These are just some pieces of Philippine literature that in its vivid sagacity compels you to ponder on its beautifully stringed questions, and, sometimes, alters your reality as its words are able to compose things into a new light of existence.

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Stories of She & Him: A micropoetry project

Stories of She & Him: A micropoetry project


It started with one tweet—a  transcription of a conversation that quoted Perloff on defining abstractions. And then, soon after, I caught on a wave of obsession about two personas, an unnamed boy and girl who  both loved to speak their mind.
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