November 2011 Issue

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Kings of the Nighttime World

No one knows Manila nightlife quite like these two gentlemen.  And conversely, Manila’s nightlife would not be the same without them.  Talk Talk interviews the Kings of Philippine nightlife, Messrs. Louie Ysmael and GP Reyes about their successes and their secrets to success, about what they consider to be a good time and how to survive in the business. 

Q & A with Louie Ysmael 

 

1. What got you started and what do you consider your first major success? 

Stargazer at the Silahis was my first and a huge success. The rest, Louie Y’s, Pare, Euphoria, Venezia, VBar, Citrus, Nuvo, Members Only and Opus are all quite successful. It’s been a good run the past 32 years. 

2. What do you look for in a bar/nightspot in order to insure its success? 

Location, music, ambience and décor. Service, marketing, promotions and good crowd control (selectivity, capacity, security). 

3. Too often are stories heard about club owners drowning (almost literally) in their own success, or burning out. How does one ensure longevity in a business like this? 

You have to enjoy what you’re doing and sometimes the partying part can be excessive. Pacing is the name of the game. 

4. Drinking in the Philippines is actually a cultural thing. It can be participated in as a rite of passage, a drowning of sorrows, a means to celebrate or a cementing of friendship. Some may argue that, given a good venue, air-conditioning and decent service, one can’t go wrong in putting up a bar or club. Yet such businesses do go under. Why do you think that is? 

All businesses that deal with alcohol and fun in such a limited market now with fierce competition have to be run with a delicate but firm hand. You have to be constantly aware of market changes whether new or old. It also helps reinvent yourself as your establishment ages. 

5. What constitutes a good time for you?

A good time is a good head with good friends. Anywhere. 

6. What do you do when you’re not out at the club(s)? 

I have a personal life, which I like to keep personal. A lot of my spare time I like to be with my little daughter. I like to travel and play golf. 

7. Any parting shots? 

If it feels good, do it. But always know when it doesn’t feel good anymore. 

Q & A with GP Reyes 

1. What got you started and what do you consider your first major success? 

I began doing events and PR for various brands and companies, and this developed into a club-promoting career that started off with a residency in Louie Y’s legendary Venezia/V-Bar.  He has since become a good friend, business partner and mentor. Embassy, I would say was a tremendous success and that was really an experience.  Another success was MEMBERS ONLY, which allowed me to partner with Louie Ysmael. It reopens in a new and better incarnation this October as Prive Luxury Club. 

2. What do you look for in a bar/nightspot in order to insure its success? 

Location, ambience, service and music; the right partners and a beautiful crowd. 

3. Too often are stories heard about club owners drowning (almost literally) in their own success, or burning out. How does one ensure longevity in a business like this? 

It’s always about balance. As creative director of Century Properties by day. it necessitates that my nights at the bars and clubs have a natural cut-off time. My two responsibilities of day and night are quite symbiotic, if I didn’t have my day job I’d party out ‘til sunrise and burnout. If I only had my office work, I’d go crazy in the day. The night inspires my creativity by day and vice versa.  

4. Drinking in the Philippines is actually a cultural thing. It can be participated in as a rite of passage, a drowning of sorrows, a means to celebrate or a cementing of friendship. Some may argue that, given a good venue, air-conditioning and decent service, one can’t go wrong in putting up a bar or club. Yet such businesses do go under. Why do you think that is? 

A great concept is key. And with that is everything that goes into the product from the way the drinks are mixed, to the way the music is played, to the way the lights shine on you in the bathroom, waiters remembering your name or your favorite drink, the overall vibe of the space. It’s all a pretty exacting science. Another factor is getting it packed with the right crowd. Our establishments have had the good fortune of getting the proper and more popular crowds in the country. We’re very proud of that. 

5. What constitutes a good time for you? 

I mentioned this before in another interview and I’ll say it again.  A lot of people look down on the nightlife scene as something superficial.  All about the booze, women, fights, etc.  But I’ve always seen it differently.  I love people in general and am fascinated by interpersonal relationships and meeting new people. A night out is a celebration of people and the bar/club is the ultimate setting for a diverse set of emotions. You go out for a night out for various reasons ranging from extremes like to drown your sorrows, celebrate a birthday or to catch a glimpse of your crush. 

The nightlife is not about charging 180 bucks for a 20 peso beer, it’s about that beer and where it takes you through the night.  A night out after all, is a celebration of one more day of living.  

I like this quote, I forget from where: “When is the night over? Is it the start of sunrise or the end of it? Is it when you finally go to sleep or simply when you realize that you have to?” 

6. What do you do when you’re not out at the club(s)? 

I play golf, or go to the beach, or go on long drives. 

7. Any parting shots? 

One of the very underrated aspects of our country that I feel is largely unpromoted is our nightlife, and by that I don’t mean the girly bars and such. I mean we have such a vibrant scene that’s so diverse.  And we are a people that love festivity and celebration. EVERY night of the week there’s a party.  We have truly world class nightclubs and bars.  We have the most hospitable staff, and some of the most talented DJ’s I’ve ever heard. 

Manila is a party capital and every international DJ or celebrity who we’ve brought over agrees that it is an awesome place and just needs to be promoted. So let’s keep the scene thriving and exciting.  While the industry has its dark facets as do all industries, there is also the side of it that creates authentic joy and lasting friendships. Let’s raise a glass to that.

Tagay ‘Pre

An Intoxicating Look into Pinoy’s Drinking Culture

The Filipino’s drink has been his staple companion throughout his happy days, although he can hardly be called a heavy drinker (stats say that less than 5 percent of Filipinos are heavy drinkers). In fact, if we are to believe Flipino writer and National Artist Alejandro R. Roces, we Filipinos are said to be mild drinkers: we drink when we are sad, we drink when we are happy, and we drink for any other reason.

Filipinos characteristically drink in a circle in order to emphasize the aspect of socialization and sharing of one’s person to one another; here, stories, no matter how mundane or personal, are shared. That is the beauty of a Filipino drinking spree: one very rarely finds a Filipino drinking alone. For the Pinoy, drinks are meant to be shared, and to be enjoyed with friends. Those who happen to chance upon a drinking cliqué will almost always get invited with “Tagay ‘Pre!”, an invitation to join them even for just one swig, and if one is to believe local legends, one should never, EVER, refuse an invitation for a tagay.The drinking circle also gives one another a chance to be in equal footing with one another, regardless of social class. One glass is used by everyone, and in the spirit of sharing and equality, the tanggero is responsible for giving everyone a fair share of the drink.

Even before our Spanish Conquistadores came to subjugate the indio, our forefathers had already known – and enjoyed – the spirits that come with their alcohol. The word alak is said to have come from the Arabian word “arraq” meaning strong drink. If wine from the Old World were made of grapes, locally-made wine had to be made with something that came in abundance, in this case, the coconut tree, which gave us two variants of local beverage: the Lambanog and the Tuba. Kulapo is made out of rice, which is also grown everywhere in the country. The Ilonggos, on the other hand, gave us Basi, made out of crushed sugar cane.

The Spaniards’ penchant for having tapas along with their wine may have influenced the Filipinos to adopt a similar style of drinking; to have some side dish for the liquor to wash down. It couldn’t just be any dish, of course. There are some food that are tasty but will not go well with drinking; some, however, are perfect matches for alcoholic beverages that you might think it is a match made in heaven. Peanuts and nuts are first in this list: very simple food, almost no preparation needed, and does not fill you up so you have more room for drinks. Next, anything fried, roasted or barbecued. This list includes inihaw na isda, liempo, fried or roasted chicken, pork barbeque sticks, and the like. If exotic street food is your thing, you might even want to include in the list isaw,(roasted chicken’s intestines), betamax (pig’s blood, solidified then roasted), and adidas (aptly named chicken feet). No doubt, however, that the king of all pulutan is sisig, a concoction of pig’s ears, cheeks, liver, spices, cholesterol, and love, even expats swear by the sumptuousness of this dish. The pulutan is placed at the center of the drinking circle, often with just one spoon, to be shared to everyone. The practice of eating too much pulutan is therefore frowned upon.

Perhaps the most popular alcoholic beverage in the country is beer. It is relatively cheap, you can drink it straight up or with ice, and even with drinking circles quaffing harder drinks like brandy or rhum, they still turn to beer either as chaser (for those whose livers are made of steel), or to wash the other drinks down. It comes as no surprise that the Philippines was the first country in Asia to have a brewery. On September 29, 1890, Enrique Barretto y de Ycaza opened La Fábrica de Cerveza de San Miguel near the palace of the Governor-General of the Philippines. He named it after the local brewery in San Miguel in Barcelona. After a few years, San Miguel was already killing the competition, and the rest is history.

When Jesus turned water into wine, it was perhaps God’s way of approval of the joys and highs that booze gives us. Liquor is ever the social lubricant; it makes people at ease, it brings forth feelings of happiness and freedom. It is used to seal the deal; in weddings, and in important business deals. For the Filipino, drinking is tied with life itself. As a matter of fact, every Filipino movie worth its salt will always have one drinking scene, most often in a seedy beerhouse, where we find our hero, more likely to be drunk than sober, washing away his guilt for the death of his partner/wife/mistress/boss and blaming it on himself. An obligatory action scene happens soon afterwards, with bottles, tables, and bones broken. One thing about the Filipino and his drinking habit is that it mirrors the current emotion of the drinker. We drink when we are happy, we drink when we are sad, and we drink just because. Perhaps Alejandro Roces was spot on all along. With our country filled with so much good drink, who needs an excuse for one?

Unique Drinks Made in the Philippines

The people of the Philippines are a fun-loving people. Festivities are always accompanied by amazing stories, generous mounds of food, and of course, mugs upon mugs of alcoholic beverages.

Lambanog

Lambanog is also known as coconut wine, and in some cases, coconut vodka. It is distilled from an unopened coconut flower’s sap, and is popular for its very high alcoholic content at 80 to 90 percent.

Primarily made in the Quezon Province, the process and techniques of making lambanog has been passed down from generation to generation in the region.

Workers in coconut plantations climb up the coconut trees every afternoon. They prune the coconut flowers to retrieve the sap, which undergoes a process of cooking and fermenting to make tuba. The tuba, after distillation, produces lambanog.

Used to be just a local drink in the Quezon Province, lambanog is starting to gain popularity in the whole country, and even internationally. It is now even being served in different flavors, which include mango and cinnamon among others.

Tuba
Tuba is also known as coconut wine. An intermediate product in the production of lambanog, tuba can already be consumed as an alcoholic beverage without undergoing further distillation to turn it into lambanog.

Compared to lambanog, tuba is much easier on the senses. However, it is still considered as a hard drink, so don’t go overboard!

It is also very easy to retrieve, as you only need to chop off the tip of the bud of an unopened coconut and let the juice flow out.

Basi
Basi is fermented sugar cane juice. The juice was boiled and cleaned, and then stored inside tightly sealed burnay jars, where it is mixed with the leaves, bark, and seeds of the samaka tree, which give the basi its color and flavor.

The basi is kept in the jars to ferment for one to two whole years before being bottled and sold. Basi’s alcoholic content is at 10% to 16%, and its color is light brown with a flavor that straddles between sour and sweet.

The product is derived from the same material as rum, but they are different beverages. Both are sugar-based, but the main ingredient of basi is sugar cane juice, while for rum, the main ingredient is molasses.

Tapuy
Tapuy is also known as rice wine. Popular in the Cordillera region, serving and drinking tapuy is important for the area’s traditional occasions.

Considered as one of the safer and healthier alcoholic beverages, tapuy is in-demand among consumers who are looking out for their health, while at the same time wanting to be able to drink alcohol for celebrations.

Previously, tapuy in the Cordilleras only lasted for three to five days before it became unsafe to drink due to improper procedures in production and packaging. However, now, with standardized procedures, tapuy can now be safely stored for up to half a year.

Mango wine

The mango is a tropical fruit that is very popular in the Philippines. As snacks, side dishes, or cooking ingredients, mangoes have a special place in the hearts of Filipinos.

Mango wine, therefore, is just an application of this love for mangoes. The wine that mangoes make is very fragrant, with a rich, golden color that is very tantalizing to the senses.

The juice of the mango fruit is mixed with sugar, yeast, and tannin to produce the mango wine. The mixture is shelved for a period of half a year to one year, before the mango wine is ready to be served.

Duhat wine
Also known as lomboy or lunaboy in the country, duhat is a fruit that has a sweet, acidic flavor. Usually shaken in a bag with salt before being eaten, duhat can also be used as ingredients for jams, tars, and sauces.

Duhat wine is produced through the fermentation of the duhat juice in burnay jars for a period of two to three months. After the fermentation, it is aged for roughly a year, before the wine is bottled to be sold.

Philippine alcoholic beverages – yay or nay?
A big, resounding YAY. Philippine alcoholic beverages each have a unique taste to offer to drinkers, which could be a much-needed break from the taste of the usual alcoholic beverages in the market. Additionally, drinking Pinoy alcoholic beverages just might stir up some nationalistic pride in you, as you marvel at how good the drink tastes.

Will there be lambanog for sale in the big upscale clubs any time soon? Probably not. However, you can buy Pinoy alcoholic beverages in groceries and markets and then drink them at home with your friends and family – setting you up for a night of enjoyment, which is what drinking is meant to be in the first place.

Sizzling Happiness

Happy birthday, happy anniversary, happy valentines, happy baptism, happy day, happy hour – Filipinos drink to anything. And with the drinks come the pulutan. Pulutan, a Tagalog word loosely based on pulutin or to pick up, is the food that best accompanies drinking of beer.

In something that started out as finger food, pulutan has evolved into whatever meal drinkers feel will enhance the merry making of any drinking session. Some nibble on garlic peanuts, some munch on crispy prawn crackers, some feast on fatty grilled chops and the list goes on and on.

Each drinker, an expert in their own right, has their own theories on pulutan. There are those who will say that fatty foods help grease up the stomach lining to increase alcohol tolerance. There are those who want hot and spicy food to amplify the sensation of ice-cold beer washing down the throat. The stories on pulutan are as varied as the people sitting and sharing the joy of drinking.

If there ever was one dish that drinkers of all forms agreed upon, the top choice would be sisig. The dish’s sizzling entrance to the drinking table is a ceremony that captures the attention of all. To welcome the beloved dish, drinkers make way to allow the plate to be set on the table, and also to avoid being hit by wayward hot specks of oil. And with no words spoken, one of the drinkers picks up a calamansi. Fork or no fork, everyone knows that citrus juice will be squeezed all over the sisig. Everyone responds by making way once more to avoid getting hit by hot oil. Then the hot and fiery dish is mixed for good measure.

This fine beer companion, as complex and varied as it looks, is not really that complicated to cook or prepare. To enjoy your do-it-yourself sisig you will need the following:

•  ½ kilo of pork cheeks
•  ½ kilo of pork or beef tongue
•  ½ kilo pork or beef heart
•  ½ kilo beef liver
•  2 cups of water
•  1 cup of pineapple juice
•  1 teaspoon of whole black pepper

   Marinade seasoning:
•  1 cup of finely chopped onions
•  ¼ cup of vinegar
•  ¼ cup of pineapple juice
•  3-4 pieces of chili peppers
•  ¼ cup of calamansi
•  1 cup of minced garlic
•  1 tablespoon of minced ginger
•  1 teaspoon of crushed whole black pepper
•  1 piece of crushed bay leaf
•  Salt

1.  Begin by mixing the pork cheeks, heart and tongue.
2.  Make sure to mix it with salt, water, crushed black pepper and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for an hour or until the meat becomes tender enough for your liking.
3.  Drain the mixture and then let it cool.
4.  The next step is to slice the liver, tongue, heart and pork cheeks to small 2 by 3 by ¼ inch cubes.
5.  Slide the pieces into skewers and grill them. Do so until the pork turns brown and crispy.
6.  Then chop the pieces of meat into cubes ¼ inches wide.
7.  Take out your marinade mix and add it to the meat.
8.  Put your sisig mix inside your fridge for a good 2 to 3 hours. Then take it out and cook it on a sizzling plate with butter.
9.  You can opt to add raw egg on top followed by calamansi juice.
10.Serve with your favorite bucket of ice-cold beer!

Making sisig is as easy as loving it. Your happy moments, happy celebrations and happy whatever celebrations call for ice-cold beer and its fiery hot companion, sisig.

Words by: Michael Emil S. Luchico

It’s Time to Toast!

Here are 11 things to smile about for 2011. So sit back, relax, and let’s get intoxicated with happiness.

1. We’re Finally Liking our President

Since drinking sessions usually feature lengthy angsty conversations on the government, let’s start off with a related topic but with a good twist. Finally, we seem to like our President.

P-Noy’s satisfaction rate is relevantly high compared to our previous leaders. Pulse Asia reports on its “Ulat ng Bayan Survey” conducted on Aug 20-Sept 2, that President Aquino’s satisfaction rate is in the range of 77-75%.
Though there is still some dissatisfaction, which is actually inevitable for a people like us, believing in the highest person in our society can create a great difference in our people’s morale and the country’s economy. Fixing the country all by himself is really an almost impossible task. But we know that the Filipinos are a great people. And when we stand together, we can achieve anything.

2. It’s “in” to be good

From multi-national companies to small-scale entrepreneurs, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) trend is really yielding into positive outcomes. Today, it is so cool to give back to the people and to the environment.
Projects on education, poverty alleviation and environmental actions are just some of the CSR ventures of the different corporations. And even if they use these good acts as a marketing strategy to better the images of their respective companies, it remains to be a win-win situation on both sides.

3. The Philippines is the 3rd Most Optimistic Country in the World

Even if we are one of the developing countries, our people are certainly well-developed when it comes to seeing the brighter things in life. In this year’s annual Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), the Philippines ranks third when it comes to business optimism.

Businessmen showed renewed confidence in our country. This global survey reflects in the results of a previous survey done by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and even the rich guys at the Makati Business Club agree to the findings.

4. Our “Isang Litrong Liwanag” is getting an international audience

There’s this genius in San Pedro, Laguna who invented a solar bulb made of an empty PET bottle, water, and bleach. By placing it on your roof, it can serve as a great source of light for houses which do not have electricity.
The idea is so refreshing and inspiring that it is getting an international audience through blogs and viral campaigns. Recently, BBC World News reported on it.

If you have not seen this magical video yet, check it out on YouTube. Just type “Isang Litrong Liwanag.”

5. The Philippines is the Best Place to be a Woman in Asia

If you got a lady back home, then you are assured that they are in the best place all over Asia. In Newsweek’s “Best and Worst Places in the World,” the country ranked 17 among 165 countries and is the only country in Asia included in the top 20.

According to the report, Iceland is the best place for women while Chad in Central Africa is the worst. In this survey, the Philippines is far from mediocre. When it comes to being nice and respectful to women, we still stand as one of the best in the world.

6. We continue to make waves in beauty pageants

Even if the Pinay look has evolved through inter-racial genetic influences and whitening products, we still prove to the world that we are among the brightest and most beautiful women in the universe—even without translators!

In the recently concluded Ms. Universe pageant, we still rank among the top 5. The people’s overwhelming support through the internet also showed how we are all united wherever we are in this planet, especially when comes to cheering for our representative.

After a major major statement to the question and answer last year—which we eventually all loved—we now get a smart answer to a choice between love and religion. And a rumor on Oprah Winfrey’s support for our candidate.

7. Cebu Pacific is SmartTravelAsia’s 3rd Best Budget Airline

Once upon a time, traveling is only for the rich. But with the advent of budget flights with promo fares as low as one peso (with minimal hidden charges, of course) anyone can now travel.

And in the 2011 Best in Travel Poll done by Smart Travel Asia, the region’s only dedicated travel magazine, with readers all over the world, our local airline ranked as third in the budget airline category.

8. Philippines Tops International Recruitment Survey

In the recently concluded survey conducted by Antal Global Snapshot among 12, 875 companies across 47 countries, the rising boom in the Philippines greatly helped Asia-Pacific’s success in overtaking the Americas this quarter.

According to the report, 98% of the businesses in the Philippines are hiring at professional/managerial level; 96% are expecting to hire more; and only 4% are planning to fire certain employees. This shows that we are truly a hardworking people with great work-ethics.

There is no doubt that the rest of the world is lucky for having Filipino workers in their midst.

9. Filipina Actress Stars in Broadway’s Godspell

Filipinos love to sing and dance but some do it so damn good that they get to be stars in Broadway Musicals.

The latest addition to the country’s lineup of artistic geniuses is the granddaughter of the famous Sylvia dela Torre—Ana Maria Perez de Tagle. She will be starring in the Broadway musical, Godspell starting on October 13. Ana Maria has played as Ashley Dewitt in Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana series and has appeared in Camp Rock.

10. Filipino Artists Recognized at the Creative Emmys

At the Emmys Creative Arts Awards Night, Filipino-American choreographer Napoleon D’Umo and his wife, Tabitha won for their exceptional work at the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” He credits his Filipino side for his love for dancing.

Another nominated artist was University of the Philippines graduate, Anthony Ocampo, for his works as lead visuals animator in the TV series “Walking Dead.” Though he didn’t win this time, Anthony has already won several awards and he continues to work for hit series “Pan-Am” and “Grey’s Anatomy”.

11. Pacman is Cover of Boxing Encyclopedia

The living boxing legend continues to make us proud by landing on the cover of The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, together with former heavyweight champion David Haye and former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Written and edited by Harry Mullan and Bob Gee, this collector’s item features the best of the best in the history of boxing. In the book, Pacman is said to have “generated such excitement that he was widely acknowledged as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world as 2009 drew to a close.”

Honorable Manny Pacquiao is certainly keeping the top spot and his consistent excellence serves as inspiration for all Filipinos. He also shows how Filipinos unite to cheer for our champion—one boxing match at a time.

The Booze Guide in Beertropolis

As the stars align for the bounty of fine tropical boozing this October, party-goers from across the world all wanted to find watering holes for the taste, the toast and the experiences that came with it. Here’s a map to the best of best in the metro drinking galaxy. 

Starting exploration…

JJ’s: Located on Kalayan Avenue, which is just off P. Burgos. This small bar is a welcome relief from the chaos and hassle of P. Burgos Street. The bar although small has a very relaxed feel, and has a regular clientele of expats living in Manila. The bar is open from 12nn until 2am and a bottle of beer only costs 50 Pesos. They have an outstanding range of beers in cans, which only cost 150 Pesos. The bar also has a pool table and a darts board. This is a great place to come if you are in the area, for a quiet relaxed drink.

Somethin’ Fishy: At Eastwood City Cyberpark, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis is a 24-hour haven for call center employees. Somethin’ Fishy’s breakfast buffet is worth every peso. For P119, eat as much as you can from 12 midnight to 10 a.m. daily. Opt for the P165 price tag to get a bottomless drink as well. Other than people who want to pig out on their sumptuous breakfast buffet, you’ll also see groups looking for a place to get booze and pulutan. It’s one of the cheapest places in Eastwood for beer and food. 

My Bro’s Mustache: Come here if you crave Hungarian food and listen to folk music. Refreshments at this unpretentious joint are sold for as low as Php100 or less, around US$2. It’s at 68 Scout Tuazon corner Scout Maarinan, Quezon City. 

Amber: For Saturday gimmickers this place offers Envy Nights a.k.a. a chic night of people-watching amidst the mirrored walls of a deluxe ultra-lounge. This is the place to go to when you feel like dressing up, but want the casual comfort of a swanky hotel’s bar. 11:30pm commences the magic hour. The place should be filled up by then. The bar selection is pretty standard. It’s the ambience that makes the place a winner. 

Ardi’s Bar: Right at 148 Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati, this spot offers entertainment options for the music-loving Pinoy. You can either listen to live bands or sing your stress away in their KTV rooms. From 5pm to 8pm, local beers are at P45 each, they have Beer Below Zero, and cocktails are at 50% off, a cheap find for a Makati joint. 

Café Mondial: Located at Silver City Mall, Frontera Verde Drive cor. Julia Vargas Ave., is an everything steady place—food, booze, and music, operates from 11am to 3am. The DJ booth is so accessible, it’s right by the entrance, where people can just request songs and even crank it with the spinner. Food and drinks are priced just right—beer starts at about P50 each. As for the music, it goes from old school hip-hop to house. 

Bedrock Bar & Grill Restaurant: Live bands and Filipino as well as international cuisines are offered here. Food and refreshments start at Php200 or US$4, located at 1782 Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila.

Guilly’s Island: Right at 27 Tomas Morato corner Sct. Albano St., Quezon City is a cozy hangout, with booth seats and dim lights. A separate area turns into a dance floor come 10pm. Bar chow is standard fare but drinks and cocktails come cheap. You never have to stick to just one bottle when you’re on a budget because local beers are at 50% off daily, each only at P35 from 5:30pm to 10pm. 

Izumi: For Friday gimmickers this place offers the Sake a.k.a: traditional Japanese rice wine that gives a steady, somewhat sleepy hit. Come 9pm or after dinner for a light bout of lightheadedness before bedtime with a bottle of their perfectly sweetish sake for P400 per bottle. Located at Unit 152 Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

No. 38 Sports Lounge & Grill : Right at 114-A Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati City, is a cozy, casual and much like hanging out at home crowd that loves filling grub, lots of beer and a good game. The P45 per bottle price tag is wallet-friendly for a Makati joint, and you can also get two cocktails for the price of one on selected drinks. Better yet, go for the 1-liter mug of San Mig Lite draft beer, available all night for only P180. 

Central BBQ Boy Grill: Located at 236 Aguirre Ave., BF Homes Parañaque City is a booze bargain. People love it here because the beer, at 35 to 40 Pesos, and the food at 100 to 180 Pesos, are very cheap. Instead of driving all the way to Makati to go out, folks just hang out here. Their menu is cleverly divided into pang-food trip, pambasag, pampagana, pampulutan and pa-ihaw. A great and cheaper place to treat friends. Open 5pm to 5am. 

Gweilos: Right at the ground level of F & M Lopez Bldg., 109 C. Palanca St., Legaspi Village, Makati habituates a faithful, reliable hangout while its neighbors–the defunct Bistro 110, 6Underground and Sake Bar have moved or closed. A no-frills and casual joint catering to mostly beer-drinkers, Gweilos can also be noisy, depending on which night you’re there. From 5pm to 9pm, local beers are at P44 per bottle. 

Watering Hole: Right at the ground floor of carpark bldg., Shangri-la Plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City, is one of the “oldest” bars in the Shangri-la Plaza Mall complex and has evolved into a 24-hour joint, at its veranda area only, to cater to call-center employees in the area. Don’t expect flashy interiors at Watering Hole, bar regulars are casually-dressed and come here for the booze and the showbands.

Attica Bar and Lounge:

Right at the ground floor of A-Venue, Antel Lifestyle City, 7829 Makati Avenue, Makati, is the chill and effortlessly chic crowd of Attica, where themed nights draw in fans of cheap liquor and good music. For Tuesday gimmickers this place offers By Request a.k.a. music trivia nights, where you earn points that enable you to request songs from the DJ, by completing music geek challenges like complete-the-lyrics, or guess-a-song-played-backwards.

The Reserve: For Thursday gimmickers this place offers beer and banter, on their bench-style seating. Think of it as your new neighborhood drinking place, but much classier. Operates 9pm to 5am and since Ortigas spots don’t have a curfew, expect to have a longwinded drinking session, with just the right decibel of background noise to maintain good conversation. Stay longer and you might just spot a few stars doing the same on one of their post-taping sessions. 

Hobbit House: Staffed by little people in homage to Lord of the Rings, this famous bar offers a good menu that includes Filipino as well as international grilled dishes for as low as Php200 or about US$4. Live music is its claim to fame yet the 150 beers on their beer list, including a good selection of U.S. Craft Ales, is equally as impressive. 

Capone’s:

Right at the 2nd Floor of A-Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Makati City, is a laid- back spot known for its nightly gigs. Patrons head to Capone’s for the drink-all-day vibe, and of course, the music. You’ll find friendly regulars and music fans. As early as 11am until 10pm, you can go on a beer-drinking frenzy at Capone’s where 3 bottles go for only P120 for the local beers. 

Capricciosa: For Wednesday gimmickers this place offers Quiz Night a.k.a. a chance to show off your trivial intellect over pizza, pasta and brewsky, for the purpose of winning more pizza, pasta, and brewsky, as the prizes include shots for each round’s winners, gift certificates, and a bottle of liquor. Registration starts at 7pm, though the actual brain stimulation can start at around 9pm, when the place fills up with yuppies and college students. 

Spicy Fingers: Right at the ground floor of Greenbelt 2, Makati, yuppies converge at the subdued lighting tones down the dominantly red interiors and the relaxed ambience to this after-office backdrop of dining and drinks. Mondays get packed because of their stand-up comedy gigs. Spicy Fingers offers an impressive happy hour deal for a spot located in Greenbelt. Party owls make this establishment their first stop and fill up on selected drinks at only P40 each. 

Distillery: For Monday gimmickers this place offers an acoustic jamming a.k.a Open Mic Night for karaoke enthusiasts set in a liquor-heavy area. From 7pm onwards, the place gets busy pretty quickly, as does its Fort counterpart. Be prepared to be this close to the person in the table next to you, and for some body-grazing action when you navigate the narrow walk towards the bathroom. 

Exploration complete. 

Filipinos glorify in the significance of a familiar hangout where one can meet up with friends, or get a few post-work drinks after a harrowing day. But other than the crowd, the interiors or the vibe of the place, the momentous experience cannot be underscored. While most establishments offer the same standard bar list and a few cocktails exclusive to the bar, it’s their service that attract frugal barflies wanting a round of drinks before dinner, and of course, the discounts and the occasional free grub that has become an after-office social activity. 

In this realm, at this time of the month, on every side of this drinking galaxy, the Filipino race unites in one exciting endeavor—and why a list like this came to be written—to booze the best in every Oktoberfest!

Words by John Lomtong

I Hate Valentine’s Day (Chapter 9)

Story by Joan Lopez-Flores“

Uh, is there a Lexie—Alexandra Stowes checked in here? I’m a good friend of hers, I’d like to see how she’s doing.” I must have looked terribly alarmed because the nurse at reception I spoke with quickly typed into her computer and gave me an answer in seconds.

“Yes, Ms. Alexandra Stowes is in room 403. She got wheeled in by an ambulance at about 2am this morning. May I get your name, please? So you’re not a relative? I’m not sure if they’ll allow you inside at this point…” the nurse didn’t get to finish as I was off to the elevator the second she told me where Lexie’s room was. Read more

HP Touchpad

The HP TouchPad is the very first webOS tablet ever built, and probably the last and only one — after HP recently announced it will abandon all devices running on the platform.

The TouchPad reminds us of the very first iPad and the black iPhone 3G — sleek, shiny, a bit bulky and definitely an eye-candy with a lot of potential and following (up until it’s demise). The HP TouchPad had a pretty respectable lineage — coming from Palm and a product of a flexible webOS platform, HP surely got a bargain when they bought the company over a year ago.

At 9.7”, the HP TouchPad go head-to-head against the iPad — although it’s got this glossy finish both at front and back that’s very attractive to fingerprints and grease. It’s a bit chunky too and heavy to hold with one hand (technically heavier than the iPad 1) with a curved back that slightly tapers towards the sides.

The power button and 3.5mm port is on top, the volume rocker is on the right side, two speakers are oddly lined up on the left side (upper left and lower left corner). The bottom right side also has this slot — not sure if it’s for an SD card or a SIM card — but when it pops out, there’s no circuitry there except for some bar codes and serial number.

At the bottom end, the micro-USB port serves as power and data port which makes it more universally usable compared to other proprietary 9-pin USB port on other tablets.

Up in the front, the webcam is on top (for Skype video) and at the bottom is the singular, physical Home button (looks like a biometric scanner) that’s somewhat backlit. The screen is bright and crisp with strikingly vivid colors, thanks to that IPS display. The glass extends towards the end with curved corners. The black bezel is just as thick as the iPad2.

HP webOS 3.0 is a pretty capable platform, both on paper and actual performance, although it still needs some more refinements. It’s an okay OS for a first-generation tablet. We encountered some apps crashing and moments of un-responsiveness but these are issues we felt can be fixed in future firmware/software updates. In terms of platform stability, I’d say the experience is closer to Honeycomb rather than iOS.

If you’ve used or tried a Palm Pre before, you’re already familiar with the webOS UI — a single homescreen with windows that scroll horizontally (it’s card-based UI with stacks). Each instance of an app will have a “paused” state when not in active window so you can switch between them anytime, just like in Android or iOS. To exit an application, just press down on a window and flick them upwards (same as the BlackBerry Playbook).

A taskbar is always present at the bottom corner of the UI which supports up to 5 icons (shortcuts) with the browser, email, photo/video, calendar and messaging as the default icons. At the far right is the App launcher.

The screen is responsive and fairly accurate although we encountered moments where the touch interface is a bit confused or un-cooperative. The gyroscope (for orientation) is also sometimes wonky. When touching the screen, a small ripple effect gives you a visual cue that an object or area is selected but we felt that kind of feedback is more appropriate for smaller screens like the Pre.

The virtual keyboard is laid out pretty nicely and provide audio feedback when tapping each of the widely-spaced keys. The layout and configuration is the closest (among other OSes we tried) to a regular physical keyboard which makes it very comfortable and easy to use. There’s also a universal search that shows results from all media, contacts, apps and content.

Performance of the TouchPad ranges from spotty to fairly good — it runs apps pretty well and has no problems with full HD videos as well as games. However, we generally noticed that loading of apps seems to take a while — up to 10 seconds in some apps (from fresh boot and tend to take longer with multiple windows/apps running). I was expecting some blazing fast load times considering this tablet is running a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.

9.7″ IPS display @ 768×1024 pixels
1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core APQ8060 processor
Qualcomm Adreno 220 core
1GB memory
16GB and 32GB internal storage
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR
aGPS
1.3MP front-facing camera
SMS and MMS support
Flash support
microUSB
6300mAh battery
HP webOS 3.0

Apps are sparse, just over 6,000 and can run the ones made for the mobile devices (the HP App Catalog lists only 1,587 TouchPad apps as of today). The basic ones are there though, like Facebook, FourSquare and LinkedIn. However, Twitter and DropBox are conspicuously absent.

Web browsing is smooth and pages load pretty fast. The native browser supports Javascript and Flash out of the box (but you can specifically disabled each one from the settings so you have more control on how the browser behaves). The native email client is interesting since it offers some sort of One Inbox for everything and displays in 3 panels. It can be confusing at first but you’d easily get the hang of it.

One of the most impressive feature of this tablet is the stereo speakers which is powered by Beats by Dr. Dre. It’s got the nicest and loudest speakers I’ve ever heard on any tablet. Battery life is decent and I get over 7 hours on video playback and longer on web browsing over WiFi.

HP promised they will still support webOS and provide warranty to all webOS devices but will no longer develop the product line. The webOS tablet was short-lived — 49 days in the market to be exact.

The TouchPad could have been a competitive tablet had it been released earlier. It’s actually a good device for first-gen webOS tablet. It’s not super-polished but it had a good start. Too bad HP had to dump it that fast.

Words by: Abe Olandres, Yugatech

The 4th Quarter Sports Rush

Here is a quick sports run down on what has been happening in Philippine sports and what is coming up.

The Class of 2011

In the world of hoops, the Philippine Basketball Association conducted the Rookie Draft last August 28, 2011. The draft was literally a changing of the guards as 13 guards, led by SMART-Gilas shooter and top pick Jayvee Casio, were selected. Pundits believed that this rookie class is one of the most talented and most exciting one in recent years. The top five picks are PG Jayvee Casio for Powerade Tigers, SG Paul Lee for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, SF Chris Lutz for the Barako Bulls, SG Marcio Lassiter for Powerade Tigers, and PG Mark Barroca for the Shopinas.com Clickers. The entrance of the Bert Lina-owned Shopinas.com Clickers brings the total count of PBA teams to ten.

The End of an Era

Alaska coach Tim Cone called it a day after 22 years of successfully helming one of the more storied teams in the league. In a somber press conference, the Alaska Aces said thanks to Tim Cone and announced that assistant coach Joel Banal will be elevated to head coach status. The PBA opens on October with a lot of changes in tow.

SMART-Gilas Goes to FIBA
SMART-Gilas gears up for the FIBA Asia Championship Cup set to take place in Wuhan, China on September 15 to 25, 2011. Coach Rajko Toroman reveals that Talk N’ Text reinforcements Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo and Kelly Williams are learning the system. The addition of Alapag at the point provides a steady hand to help Jayvee Casio, Chris Tiu and Mark Barroca. While Kelly Williams’ 6’6” frame and Ranidel de Ocampo’s burly ways greatly boosts the frontline of the hopeful national team.

Hoops Commencement Rites
College hoops are at the crossroads. In the UAAP, although the Ateneo Blue Eagles are still touted as the top team, many schools are swapping fates. The Adamson Falcons are firmly perched at second place while the De La Salle University Archers failed to gain entry to the Final Four. In the NCCA, the San Beda Red Lions finally falls as the revitalized San Sebastian Stags beats them.

The Ball Rolls On
The Azkals craze rages on. The United Football League is set to start in October 2, 2011 with Azkals stars beefing up the teams. Angel Aldeguer, Jason Sabio and Nate Burkey join Azkal’s teammate Aly Borromeo and Anton del Rosario to add more fire in the league. The team also continues preparing for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.

Team Sharapova Loses Pinoy Ace
Cecil Mamiit has moved out of Team Sharapova. Mamiit acted as Sharapova’s hitting partner. The former world number one returned to her old form and reached the top ten list with Mamiit as part of her team. Mamiit focuses on his duties with Team Philippines for the Davis Cup.

The Rubber Match is On
Congressman Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao is all set to meet Juan Manuel Marquez for their rubber match on November 12, 2011. Their first bout in May of 2004 ended in a 12-round split draw. The second bout ended in a split decision going the Pacman’s way. Marquez claims he did enough to win both matches.

Dragons Roar in World Competition

The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation team wins medals and worldwide recognition. The underdog team brought home five golds and two silvers in the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championship in Tampa Bay, Florida. These spates of victories captured the attention of Filipinos in the area who came in groups to show support.

That was the quick run down of the recent and upcoming events in Philippine sports. The action never slows down in the sports-crazy nation so always catch up to keep up.

Words by: Michael Emil S. Luchico

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