#ayala center

[chaddiction]

Some shots at Esperanza.

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: February 10, 2024]

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Cai! It’s me, Keihancarl, and today I’m going on yet another mall-hopping trip. To be honest, I’m both excited and nervous at the same time.

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For my second mall-hopping trip this year, I’m heading to Makati (Ayala Center) and Manila (Binondo), with a last-minute visit to Cubao (Araneta City). I’ve got lots to do, but my main goal is to visit the newly-opened One Ayala Mall (plus Gateway 2), and later, witness the scenes along Ongpin and the dragon dance. Hey, it’s the Year Of The Dragon, right?

I wear mostly black clothing, and I feel like wearing the Naruto shirt I bought at Uniqlo during my previous mall-hopping trip to the North. Actually, most of my outfit consists of the stuff I bought from Uniqlo in the past few months, plus some awesome accessories I bought online.

I left home at exactly 10:00 AM, and managed to get to MRT North Avenue a quarter past 11:00. Traffic is incredibly light along the way. It didn't take me long to get on the train as well.

Arriving at MRT Ayala Station, I noticed a Valentine’s Day set up right in front of the turnstiles. Once I got off the paid area, I loaded up my Beep card first since I'd be taking the LRT-1 going to Carriedo later, as well as the LRT-2 on the way back. After loading my card, I visited One Ayala Mall first.

The mall had a direct connection to the MRT, as well as a passenger terminal on the ground floor. There’s a supermarket and some food stalls at the basement level.

I visited a couple of bookstores, Fully Booked (which I almost missed due to its somewhat hidden location) and Biblio (relocated from Ayala Malls Cloverleaf). The latter had an impressive selection of books, including vintage ones.

Of course, the vintage ones are more pricey, but they’re more aesthetic-looking.

I also checked the MN+LA branch right beside it but couldn't find the drape jacket (the kimono-style jacket) like the one I saw at the SM North EDSA branch.

There's a dragon dance inside the mall, visiting every shop on each floor.

The mall centerpiece, an art installation called “The Course Of The Sun”, looks magnificent. There’s an awesome explanation about it in the railing.

The uppermost level (probably the mall's fifth floor) has not opened yet. Could that be the cinema area?

I then head to my next stop, SM Makati, via the bridgeway from One Ayala. I only checked Uniqlo, Crate And Barrel, and a couple of shops at the Cyberzone.

The entrance to Cyberzone feels kind of similar to the ones at The Block (SM North EDSA) bridgeway going to the City Center, but the LED screen is on the floor instead of the ceiling.

Next stop, Glorietta. I checked a few shops inside the mall, as well as the event at the Activity Center.

I decided to have lunch at MOS Burger. I ordered a Beef Yakiniku Rice Burger and a regular Salted Caramel Sumiyaki (iced). The yakiniku rice burger is great. It’s kind of weird that they also provided utensils considering that the rice burger is meant to be eaten like an actual burger, but I suppose not all people can eat it like that.

There's a standee featuring One Piece characters (the straw hat crew) right by the entrance. They also have some merch inside.

I then checked the Top Of The Glo (rooftop park), with K-Town on the left, and Japan Town on the right. I visited the latter first.

There were Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. The Japan Town area had some (artificial) sakura (cherry blossom) trees, I think, along with the white lanterns. I wonder how it looked at night, I'll probably need to check it out on my next visit.

I then decided to head to Glorietta 5 and check out Uniqlo's flagship store. There's Uniqlo Cafe on the second level and an area where you can make your customized shirts.

I then proceed to my next stop, Greenbelt. I visited a few shops, including Muji and Fully Booked.

I managed to check Greenbelt 1 before they closed that area down for redevelopment. Unfortunately, Booksale had vacated their space. And so are a handful of shops, including National Book Store (they already closed that branch a long time ago). Most of the shops and restaurants are still open, but they’re expected to move out within a couple of months due to the redevelopment of the area (along with Greenbelt 2). Guess this will be the last time I get to see GB1 in its original form and design.

I stopped by Waltermart Makati on the way to the LRT-1 Libertad station. I only checked the National Book Store branch there.

I took the LRT-1 to Carriedo Station (from Libertad Station) and decided to walk from there to my next stop, Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Getting off the LRT station, I noticed that BPI had already moved out of the Art Deco Don Roman Santos building, hence the lack of signage. Moving on, I took a moment to check some interesting scenes near Ongpin.

Going there, I also noticed some dragon lamp posts along the way, and they looked awesome.

There were a lot of people in the area where a parade was being held. There were some giveaways too, from candies to red envelopes (containing money), bottled water to tikoy (rice cake).

I also get to see Tugue Zombie in one of the floats, and later, Samantha Bernardo in the Mestiza Beauty Soap float.

I was quite exhausted from dehydration and the crowd so I decided to take an alternate route leading to Soler. I reached the mall a few minutes later.

There's a dragon centerpiece at the atrium. And a luxury car (not pictured, unfortunately).

At the annex, I passed by Chapters And Pages. Like the other bookstores I visited earlier, I didn't find anything interesting.

I head to 999 Mall to have an early dinner at Chowking (food court). I was about to order my meal when the sound of the drums and the gong blared from the dragon and lion dance, making it harder for the cashier to understand what I was saying. It took me about 5 minutes before I could finally start choosing my order. I even had to repeat my order to make sure she got it right. I ate my food as soon as I got my order, not wanting to waste any more time.

I also passed by the stall where I used to buy my anime shirts, but it appears that they were closed for the Chinese New Year. I could hardly see any anime shirts on that stall, though, at least the ones that I used to buy.

Come to think of it, 999 Mall isn’t as crowded as before. It was the same situation during my last visit to the mall last year. I’m pretty sure it was the same thing with 168 Mall, but I could be wrong since I didn’t actually visit that mall during this trip. I didn’t bother to check some of the fashion stalls, as I don’t feel like shopping at the moment.

I went back to Lucky Chinatown Mall to take more selfies. The one by the bridgeway to the main mall was crowded with people who were also taking selfies. I tried taking a few selfies using my selfie stick, but it didn't turn out well. I simply gave up and went to the cinema area, but no luck taking selfies there either. The Prosperity Wing could be my last chance, and I somehow came up with a bunch of good selfies plus a 360 view of the area.

I passed by Metro Supermarket to buy a bottle of Pocari Sweat. The supermarket’s space was reduced, with the (former) second level now being occupied by Planet Sports and Abenson.

And it's time to go home. I decided to take the LRT-2 to Araneta Center-Cubao since I hadn't ridden that train for a very long time (still amused at the condom ads, though). Also, I feel like checking the Gateway Mall 2, which is actually a brand new extension to the original Gateway Mall. The extension also had access to the Araneta Coliseum as well.

While there, I passed by the Fully Booked branch and bought the book "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai–both the novel and the manga, which were both published by Tuttle. I’ve been eyeing these books since the MIBF 2023, those could’ve been awesome souvenirs from the event. Anyway, the cashier suggested the one with the other cover from a different publisher (the one with the pink cover), but upon checking the price, I just decided on the one I had in hand instead.

I checked some parts of Gateway Mall 2 for a while and later headed to the terminal and took the minibus to SM Fairview. Traffic was light along the way, not to mention that it was Chinese New Year. The trip only took less than an hour, just like earlier. I got home at exactly 10:00 PM.

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This is the first time I didn't encounter such an inconvenience on a mall-hopping trip. I managed to enjoy every single place I visited throughout the day, especially in Binondo. Despite getting only four hours of sleep last night, I somehow managed to make it through the entire day. It was pretty exhausting, but I really enjoyed it. And I get to ride all three rail lines on the same day for the first time since the pandemic. Not to mention that I get to visit two new malls, one of them is actually the extension of the original mall.

So, where to next? As always, I’m living in an uncertain time so there’s no telling when will the next mall-hopping trip happen. Hopefully, by April or May, depending on the situation. Will it be BGC next? Who knows?

Well then, time to conclude this one. Again, love, peace, and prosperity for the Year Of The Dragon! Xià cì jiàn! Until next time!

Most of the pics are from my Instagram account, @kcox_105. The selfie pics are exclusively uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105.

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: August 10, 2019]

Keihancarl here. I'm expecting a little [heavy] rain today, but this shouldn't stop me from going on another mall-hoping trip. So where am I going next?

I feel like heading to Makati, focusing on Ayala Center and Makati Central Square areas this time. And no, there won't be a side trip to Manila this time.

Wearing all-black (except for the shoes, which is dark green), I wouldn't mind going out a little late. And no, I'm not really going to pay attention to the traffic situation along Commonwealth Avenue. There’s heavy rain along the way, but it went sunny by the time I reached MRT Quezon Avenue Station.

I took the MRT to Ayala Center Station. There's a passenger information display installed inside the train that informs the rider on the next station, as well as some helpful and safety reminders. I saw a couple of interesting ads along the way, but I wasn’t able to take a picture of them since the train's jampacked and I'm practically squeezed between some of the passengers on board.

Arriving at MRT Ayala Station, I passed by SM Makati and bought myself an inexpensive but cool-looking watch. My old one is in really bad condition, just the straps. I also dropped by Uniqlo's flagship store in Glorietta 5 and checked some of the awesome shirts in the manga shirts section.

At Glorietta 4, the newly-renovated Food Choices area is now open. I checked some parts of the mall, particularly the Glorietta 3 area, which is scheduled for renovation and redevelopment. I also checked the Top Of The Glo and Japan Town areas. The latter had a crosswalk in the middle of an open area, though it's basically just design and nothing else.

I then checked a couple of shops at Greenbelt. I bought a charcoal pencil at Fully Booked, though I wonder if I’m really planning to use it. I actually bought a plain notebook/sketchbook a few weeks ago, and I'm raring to draw something in mind again. Maybe I should try doing a few sketches something using the charcoal pencil when I got home.

Some parts of Greenbelt are being renovated. For this reason, the ground floor of Greenbelt 3 and the alfresco areas of Greenbelt 5 are closed for the time being.

I also checked a couple of malls in Chino Roces area: Makati Central Square (formerly Makati Cinema Square) and Waltermart Makati. The former is currently under new management, probably due to some legal issues regarding the land where it stands right now. I only checked the Booksale branch in that mall and I almost bought one of the manga books there. I only checked a couple of shops at the latter, as well as a bookstore right across the mall. There's a race track for Tamiya cars being set up there (Waltermart Makati) as well.

Back in Greenbelt, I accidentally stumbled into the newly-opened Booksale branch there (Greenbelt 1). It took me a while before I finally found a stack of second-hand manga books there. And yes, I actually struck gold with an awesome find--the first tankobon volume of Ajin: Demi-human. I immediately bought it, of course, as I'm a big fan of the series.

Heading back to Glorietta, I passed by a display at Greenbelt 5 featuring various Filipino dresses. I also checked Landmark Makati's home section and even saw a flock of flamingoes in the escalator area.

At Glorietta, I had an early dinner of fried chicken and wonton soup at Chowking. I used one of the coupons that were given to me a little while ago. After that, I decided to sit down at a patch of fake grass at the TOTG. It feels a little damp, but at least I can sit on it. Heading back inside the mall, I just saw an interesting work of art, sort of a Gudetama-inspired artwork.

I then took the crowded MRT-3 train to North Avenue and passed by Trinoma, and later, SM North EDSA. After that, I head home.

I really enjoyed the trip so much, not to mention that I scored an awesome manga and bought a cool-looking watch to replace my old one. And despite the heavy rain earlier, everything is bright and sunny throughout the day. This is pure bliss.

By the way, MIBF 2019 is only a month away. But maybe I’ll have a mall-hopping trip at the Eastwood and East Ortigas areas first before heading to the much-awaited book fair. For now, time to get busy with setting up my new home for TWATKcox-Main (formerly TWATKcox-WP). Until next time!

Most of the pics are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105. The pictures of the MRT-3 passenger information display, manga, pink flamingoes, and the Gudetama-inspired artwork are from my official Instagram account, @kcox_105

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: March 16, 2019]

TWATKcox's still on hiatus at the moment, but I can still publish a couple of TKD posts like this one.

Exactly a month ago, I visited Rockwell Center, Circuit Makati, and Binondo-Divisoria areas. I loved Ayala Malls Circuit's rooftop park, and I would love to extend my stay in my next visit. All right, so I'm heading to BGC for this trip, as mentioned on the last TKD post.

I'm wearing the same outfit as last time, with some modifications (the yellow-white-black striped socks and KHR fingerless gloves) and additions (the black zipper tie).

I left home at around 10:00 AM, a little later than usual. Traffic is okay in most parts of Commonwealth Avenue, but of course, I’m not going to expect the same in Tandang Sora area since the flyover's closed for the time being. Well, I was actually wrong on the flyover part, it was actually light in that area.

Reaching MRT Quezon Avenue station, I noticed that the station already had an X-ray scanner installed by the entrance. Last time I took the MRT a month ago, there was actually none in that station. Anyway, I got in, load up the Beep card and wait for the train to arrive.

Getting off at MRT Guadalupe station, I took a jeepney ride to McKinley Hill, my first stop for this trip.

Entering McKinley Hill, I was greeted by the [inflatable?] pigs at the entrance and the banner that says Gong Xi, Fa Cai, even though Chinese New Year already ended weeks ago. I then proceed to the mall... the Venice Grand Canal Mall, that is.

There weren’t a lot of people on the bridge area, but then the weather was incredibly bright and hot at that time.

The attractive mime artists are the mall's main attraction, aside from the canal and the bridge areas. I only visited the Fully Booked branch in that mall.

Next stop, SM Aura Premier. I had lunch at a fast food restaurant and checked a couple of shops (Frankie & Friends and ErgoHome).

The latter features a showroom featuring amazing storage solutions, even the platform serves as a storage area, and the door doubles as the floor. Pretty neat, though I never did get a pic.

The Food On Four signage sure looks interesting. Speaking of that, I decided to check the yakitori counter, and they sure have interesting offerings. They're quite expensive, though.

The mall had a 3-day sale that time, but it wasn't that crowded.

Next stop, Market! Market!. I didn't check any of the shops there.

Well, I decided to avoid checking second-hand bookstores (Booksale in particular) as per my tweet so I wouldn't have to spend too much.

Looks like the former bazaar area (ground floor level) is already converted into retail spaces for restos and boutiques.

And Metro Department Store's signage is already updated, though it is not clearly visible in the photo.

And then I passed by the largest Fully Booked branch, the one in Bonifacio High Street. There's a book launch at the ground floor (Sirena Ba Yan by Candy Gourlay) and a seminar on the upper floor (The #Beyond Organic Diet).

I checked some of the manga books, CDs, and vinyl records.

I started uploading the pics to my Instagram account, as well as writing some parts of the post you're reading right now.

Moving on, I visited the BHS Central Bloc and the One Bonifacio High Street malls.

I only visited a few shops in these malls.

There are still a few shops open in One Bonifacio High Street, but I’m pretty sure they’ll manage to fill up these vacant spaces in the next few months.

I passed by the Burgos Circle and there were people in the circular park. Some of them are jogging on the area, while others are walking their dogs.

It's time to head to the nearest BGC Bus stop, but I decided to pass by the BGC Greenway Park, a lengthy linear park that serves as a perfect area for jogging, walking, and enjoying the greenery amidst the concrete jungle in the area.

Heading west, BGC is on my left, while the Manila Golf Club is on my right.

Reaching the bus stop, I almost missed the BGC bus going to Ayala Center. I managed to hop in and enjoy a smooth ride to my next stop... Ayala Center, of course. There’s little to no traffic along McKinley Parkway so it only took about 10 minutes to get to EDSA/MRT Ayala Station.

I passed by SM Makati and reached the Glorietta Mall. I decided to check the rooftop park, Top Of The Glo.

The rooftop park has fake grass, and a few tents too. And since I'm tired from walking too much around the streets of BGC, I decided to rest for a bit. I then uploaded more pics to my Instagram account.

At the Glorietta Activity Center, there's an event where you build your own Tamiya race cars and compete with others.

I decided to have dinner at Landmark foodcourt, then proceeded to Greenbelt to check a few more shops.

And it's time to head home. Upon entering the MRT Ayala Station, there were no lines at the ticket and station entrance/exit, but it took me about 10 minutes for the train to arrive. I managed to get in, and reached Quezon Avenue Station in less than 30 minutes. I passed by the Centris Mall, then proceeded to the terminal at the back.

Luckily, there were only a few passengers at the Eton Centris Terminal (right next to the mall) so I immediately get inside the UV Express van going to SM Fairview.

As with my previous trips, traffic is heavy in some parts of Commonwealth Avenue. I managed to make it back safely, plus I did a little shopping too. And that's how my day went.

I'm quite obsessed with this black fleece coat, hence it serves as one of my favorite piece of clothing. It's been two years since I've bought it from a surplus shop. It sure was pricey, but it's definitely worth the purchase.

Anyway, it sure was a great day to go out, despite some inconveniences at the beginning of this mall-hopping trip. Aside from that, everything goes smoothly and by that, I'm extremely pleased.

That's all for now. Until next time!

All pics are uploaded by yours truly, Keihancarl, and are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105. The screenshot of the Twitter post also came from me as well.

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: April 14, 2018]

05-03-2018

All right, so I did announce on my Twitter account weeks ago that I’ll be on an indefinite hiatus until further notice. But then, would I rather dwell on distress than do something meaningful, like writing?

I know I’m experiencing a great deal of stress and a slight depression... all because of a failing hard drive. It will take a while before my life goes back to normal. But in the meantime, let me share some wonderful things that happened on that mall-hopping trip.

I know it’s just another mall-hopping trip, but that shouldn’t stop me from writing everything that happened during that day. Anyway, I always find myself wearing that black fleece coat in my previous mall-hopping trips, so that makes it my official outfit then?

While I was walking towards a UV Express van, I think someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turn around and was surprised to see my brother and my sister-in-law, as well as her mom and her older sister, outside the mall. My sister-in-law told me a couple of hours ago that she will meet them at the mall before heading to her destination, but somehow I unexpectedly managed to catch up with them. It sure was a pleasant surprise.

The three of us rode the UV Express van to North Avenue and then took the MRT to Makati. I got off at MRT Guadalupe Station and waved at them as I waited for the train to leave. My brother will get off at Ayala Station (two stations away) and my sister-in-law will get off at Magallanes Station (three stations away). I then head on to the jeepney terminal outside Guadalupe Commercial Complex.

First stop: Venice Grand Canal Mall at McKinley Hill. I only visited a couple of shops and spent most of the time taking selfies and checking the mall area. The sun was shining brightly that time so I had a hard time taking selfies, but at least some of them are okay. The lighting is just a little too much.

Second stop: SM Aura Premier. I had lunch at a fast food chain and visited a few shops, including a record store. I just checked a few vinyl records (jazz and pop records) and some of these are quite expensive.

Third stop: Market! Market!. I only checked a few shops, as well as the department store.

Fourth stop: Bonifacio High Street. I checked the Fully Booked branch there and was still amazed at the vinyl records that are on sale. Some of these are expensive. Also, I was feeling tired from walking too much so I decided to sit down for a bit while uploading some of the photos to my Instagram account. I then got up and check out some of the manga books before leaving, some of them are half-priced.

Fifth stop: BHS Central area. There was a sports-related event. Also, I crossed the rubbery glass bridge connecting the two blocks. I only checked the cinema level in the BHS Central Square before moving on to Burgos Circle.

Sixth stop: Burgos Circle. I only took some photos of the area, as well as some selfies. I then head on to the bus stop, which is a couple of kilometers away from the rotunda.

Seventh stop: Ayala Center. I had an early dinner at the food court and later had a cheesecake from Kumori. I only checked a few shops, particularly Fully Booked and Mumuso. I get to check Glorietta’s roof deck, and it looks kind of decent. I don’t know if it’s still a work in progress since the other half of the mall is not yet renovated as of this writing.

Well, that concludes another mall-hopping trip. I guess it’s considered a late post for I then encountered a digital disaster involving a failing hard drive. And since that immediately puts me into this unexplainable distress that eventually leads to a mix of depression and frustration, I decided to go on an indefinite hiatus in the meantime. Well, everything’s okay as of this writing, except for a good number of files (mostly downloaded image files) that were corrupted and, unfortunately, unretrievable. Most of the files (including my beloved cellphone and smartphone pics) were safely backed up on a portable backup drive. Anyway, now that I’m feeling better, maybe I’ll plan another mall-hopping trip for this month.

P.S. I might be working on a special post regarding the hard drive incident. Watch out for it very soon.

All pics are from my private Instagram account @kcox105.

[teody-canillo]

rustans ayala

[worldwidevacationrentals]

Holiday Inn & Suites Makati

Holiday Inn & Suites Makati

      Holiday Inn & Suites Makati 4-star hotel

Glorietta Mall, Palm Drive, Ayala Center, Makati , Makati, 1224 Manila, Philippines – Show map

Directly connected to Glorietta Mall, Holiday Inn & Suites Makati features spa treatments, a gym and a rooftop bar. This contemporary property is centrally located in Makati City, just 293 m from Ayala MRT Station.

With free Wi-Fi, rooms come equipped…

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