It pays to learn, especially when it's free.

Every now and then, I like doing other things aside from writing about the sneakers I can't buy, like taking my girlfriend Dylan out to The National Museum to take advantage of the free admission for the entire month. It's been years since I last checked out the museum, and given the lack of knowledge I have towards Philippine art, I figured a free trip to the museum would make a pretty good crash course and interesting date idea. Head's up to all the guys with artsy girlfriends out there, unless you know, you're both too cool for this stuff.

Given that some halls were getting renovated, getting to explore the whole place shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. There's a wide variety of art on display, from creepy religious statues, to work done by more contemporary artists. Me and Dylan had a great time getting to check everything out, with the both of us having our own sets of favorites. Overall, it was a great way to make use of a morning. Aside from the two of us getting to get to spend some time together, it was cool to learn about stuff together too. Learning can be fun, especially when it's free!

Check out the pictures below to get a better idea of what to expect. If they're enticing enough, book it to the National Museum because free admission only runs through this month!

On My Feet - Onitsuka Tiger X-Calibers

One of the museum's chill spots features a series of pieces done by Botong Francisco.

If you're a Filipino and don't know even in passing that this is Juan Luna's "Spoliarium", then I guess you didn't pay attention in history class. 

This hall full of old religious art was probably my favorite out of all the rooms. 

A hall of sculptures.

One of the more chilling pieces in a room filled with works done during the time of, or inspired by the Japanese occupation.

My lovely date. :)

Don't Touch.

Ang Kiukok

Rizal killing the #menswear game back in the day.

The Killers Live in Manila

When "Somebody Told Me" The Killers were finally going to play a Manila show, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go, but "All These Things That I Have Done" lately left me pretty strapped for cash.

I was hoping for a miracle, but that's because I tend to look on the positive side of things. Call me, "Mr. Brightside". However, "For Reasons Unknown", I got to go! Thank you to the powers that be who conspired to take me along! And I'm sorry, but I don't think this little piece will ever justify how much fun I had at the concert. After all, I'm only "Human".

It's a feeling I'll always know in my "Bones", even though I'm still kinda bitter The Killers didn't play it last night!

It's been years overdue, but I'm so happy Manila finally got to see The Killers play live!

Thank you to SM Accessories for hooking me up with a ticket to see the show! 

Breakfast in Manila.

One day, me and my girlfriend Dylan were trying to figure out a place to eat where she brought up this point where for her, breakfast food tastes better when it's eaten at non-breakfast hours. And true enough, we booked it to the nearest all-day breakfast place we could find.

While other parts of the world have their own spins on breakfast, I'll always be more partial to a generous amount of tapa, tocino, or adobo flakes paired up with a steaming serving of garlic rice because whenever I come around to having breakfast, it's either too early to think about things like carbs and counting calories, or it's too late to even care. 

So here are a few places around Manila that I think do breakfast food well. Some old favorites, and some relatively new players too. I won't say anything about how each place fares, because I don't keep a food blog. What I'm delighted to concede is that these places serve all-day (with some going 24 hours), because breakfast is and will always be the most important meal of the day, no matter what time you come around to having it. 

Recovery Food

Sinangag Express

Stacy's At The Fort

Milky and Sunny

Rodic's

Yolanda Moon

I first heard about Yolanda Moon from friends who got to catch their set at the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival which was held in March. Given their reactions, it's quite a shame on my part that the first gig of theirs that I got to catch was only a few months back.

Composed of Cholo Hermosa, and Kyle Quismundo, Yolanda Moon is a band that plays an ambient mix of soul and trip-hop that's pretty easy on the ears. Despite having only caught them at a couple of gigs so far, I'm really digging their stuff. Perfect for those moments when you're winding down, just thinking about how your day went. Well, for me at least. I'm sure you'll discover lots of other reasons to love this band, so head on out and catch them at a gig near you!

They also have a pretty awesome shirt that was done in collaboration between Terno Recordings and Artwork!

This and the shirts of other bands under the Terno Recordings label are available at select Artwork branches.


***

Yolanda Moon on - Facebook, Youtube, and Soundcloud.

@YolandaMoonSays - Twitter

Manila Ramen in Pictures.

With so many local and international ramen houses that have set up shop (and more to arrive), Manila's love for ramen has hit an all-time high. However, the sheer amount of places one can get a bowl can leave people spoiled for choice.

I don't keep a food blog, but this series of pictures below is dedicated to both seasoned ramen vets and folks looking to get in on the dish their hip friends keep clogging Instagram feeds with. Below, in no particular order, is a collection of ramen houses as seen by the broth-filled bowls I've had the fortune of eating. No descriptions of taste, just addresses and how to reach them on social media (if possible), because the last thing Manila needs is another ramen expert.

Ukokkei Ramen Ron -  Unit 1-2, Upper G/F, Tesoro Building, 822 A. Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City.

Ramen Yushoken - Molito, Madrigal Avenue, Muntinlupa City
Facebook

Wrong Ramen - Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Facebook  Twitter

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen - Level 5, East Wing, Shangri-La Mall/2nd floor, SM Aura Premier/Ground floor, Rockwell Powerplant Mall, Makati (soon to open)
Facebook 

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Ground floor, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati.

Mitsuyado Sei Men - #22 Jupiter St, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City.
Facebook

Butao Ramen/Ramen Nagi  - Okay, this picture wasn't technically taken in Manila, but Ramen Nagi will be coming to SM Aura very, very soon.
Facebook 

Again, I'm no expert, but they're all worth a try for different reasons. There's definitely more out there  , so go ahead, seek each place out, and savor each bowl before ramen goes the way of pearl shakes, frozen yogurt, and milk tea! I sincerely hope not though!

Pulso

The first time I got to listen to Pulso was when me and my girlfriend Dylan went to the opening of Heima's Brixton store in Kapitolyo. They were the first of many bands that played that night. I don't go to a lot of gigs, so I didn't really have an idea of who they were, aside from the fact that I recognized guitarist Robby Mananquil from his modeling gigs.

Having no previous idea of the band and what they sounded like, I was left to form my own presumptions. My mind had pretty much written off as some pogi-rock band (a horrible generalization, I know), up until they started playing. 

In the place of all the pilit pogi-rock posturing I was sort of expecting came some tight instrumental passages that were some parts dreamy, some parts heavy, and all parts fun to listen to. It was the kind of music that takes you places in your mind, no small feat for a band composed of only 3 members. I can imagine how tough it is for a band to achieve such a full sound with only a few members, but they certainly did that. Best of all, they were having fun just playing music. Needless to say, I immediately a became a fan  after their set. 

To my luck, I've managed to catch them at a few other gigs around Manila, and they've never failed to put on a good show. Below are some other pictures I managed to take from the Heima Brixton opening, Terno Inferno at 19 East, and the Dr. Martens flagship store opening in Bonifacio Global City. If you hear about a gig of theirs, go for it. They're a great live band that's definitely worth the watch and it won't be soon before long before they make it real big.

***

Pulso is composed of Robby Mananquil, Franco Malaya, and Matt Warren.

Pulso on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pulsomusicph

Pulso on Twitter - https://twitter.com/pulsomusic

Terno Recordings on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TernoRecordings

Terno Recordings on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TernoRecordings

One Awesome Photographer to Follow on Instagram.

I owe a lot to Instagram because it got me into taking photos again. I first downloaded it on my iPod Touch and discovered it was a great way to show people what I'm passionate about - photography. I’m a firm believer in the idea that great photos don't just come from having awesome equipment. And if you take some time to explore past all the cute animal photos (not that there’s anything wrong with that), gratuitous food porn, and annoying #selfies (you know who you are), you’ll find that the platform’s a goldmine for some solid visual inspiration.

Below is one Instagram user that consistently puts out some amazing stuff. In one way or another, the photos he uploads never fail to make me wonder why I'm still scrolling down my feed instead of dropping everything to head outside and shoot! If you're a photographer looking for some fresh inspiration, or if you just like awesome photos in general, this guy is worth the follow.

 Timothy McGurr (aka 13^th Witness) - @13thwitness

I've been a huge fan of his work for so long, the day I got Instagram  (I was pretty late to the party), he was one of the first people I sought out to find. Aside from the crazy symmetry in most of his photos, his eye for amazing shots in settings that most people would deem commonplace is on another level. Could it be the artistic genes? Futura is his dad, after all.

A quick browse of his Instagram page will show you a litany of urban scenes captured with equal amounts of beauty and grit. There's snippets of projects here and there, but it's mostly shots taken while he's out traveling the world. It's hard not to be jealous of a setup like that.

To check out his work in more detail, you can check out his website as well as his Vimeo page!

***

Know some other cool photographers worth a follow on Instagram? Tell me about them :) If you'd like to see some of my photography, you can follow me on Instagram as well @mykeemcfly :)