The hunt for an UHD (4K) television (LG 49UH600T)

We've been staying at our condo in Mandaluyong City for a year now. And all that time, we just had one 32" Hisense HD Ready (720p) television in our room.

Thirdy was attending Kindergarten near our QC house last year so we didn't need a second tv for the living room at that time.

But starting this month (June 2017), he'll be staying with us in Mandaluyong during weekdays, so we need a second TV for him and Tita Fe in the living room already.

I've been planning to get a TV that's around 55 inches. Our unit is small so it'll look huge. I was torn between getting an Ultra HD (4K) or just a Full HD (1080p). My hard factor is the price. I don't want to spend more than 30,000 pesos.

Per usual, i did my due diligence. First is to check with OLX.ph, to get a rough estimate on the available TVs and their prices.

I didn't want to spend too much, and the last TV that we bought was the HiSense brand we have for our room. We bought it last October 2016 for around 11,000 pesos and I haven't experienced any issue with it.

It's a Smart TV and uses Opera App Store for it's application. It supports Netflix and has even a dedicated button. The pre-installed Youtube app also functions well. There aren't that many apps you can get from the Opera Store but I barely use the Smart tv functions as my main PC is connected to it (as well as my Xbox One).

The Hisense 55" UHD model is around 30k at Cash N' Carry in Makati. That's for cash  payment or straight credit card transaction (no installment/layaway option).

The 55" Full HD model (55K220, which is a larger size version of the 32K220 that we own) is around 24k. So a difference of about 5 - 6k.

I did some quick compare for LG and it's about 3k more expensive than the Hisense counterparts. Not bad.

Next step was for an actual look of the models. Since we live beside a mall with my go-to Applicance store (Robinson's Appliances), I went there and checked on the Hisense displayed units.

The 55" Full HD models cost around 27k with cash/straight CC payments (3k more than Cash N' Carry). I could go and buy at Cash N' Carry instead of Robinson's Appliances once I decided to buy.

I can buy cash, but I prefer an installment plan. I just don't want to part with 30k in cash when I can do it gradually across several months especially if it's 0% interest.

I looked at the other models from the other known brands (Samsung, LG, and Sharp) but didn't bother with the other ones (TCL, Devant, etc) as I've read some bad feedback from them back when I was looking for a bedroom TV. Nothing stood out at that time.

Next was to decide on whether to get a Ultra HD or settle with Full HD.

One thing to consider is that 4K content isn't that widely available yet. 4K bluray discs are available, but you need a player for that. And those are expensive right now.

You can stream with Youtube and Netflix, but you'd need a fast internet connection. Definitely, not viable right now. Downloading them is possible, but each movie is about 50 gigabytes compared to a small 1080p video of around 4gb, or a raw ripped Bluray copy around 25gb. With hard drive prices still expensive, you won't be saving a lot of 4k videos on your PC or portable drives.

However, I did read that UHD (4K) tvs, can upscale lower resolution videos (the standard 480p, HDReady 720p or FullHD 1080p) that they will look better than on lower resolution TVs. So getting a UHD TV now even with little 4k content available will still be a better choice. As you have a future proof TV. You just need to wait for cheaper Hard drive prices or faster and cheaper broadband connection.

After thinking about it, I've decided on getting a UHD TV.

I did some research on Hisense UHD TVs. Most of them are pretty good considering the price. Still, I'm a bit apprehensive about getting a Hisense TV for 30k.

For a 32" at 11k, it's ok. But for 30k, I would like a more well known brand, even if Hisense is already the 4th largest TV maker in the world.

So I again checked OLX.ph for a UHD TV from japanese and korean makers. I found out that the 55" variants are out of my ceiling of 30k.

But I did find a few models within my price range, but a tad smaller. There's a 2016 49" model (49UH6100) from LG that's being sold for around 29-30k. The 2017 version (49UH6500) is around 33k.

Samsung's 49" UHD model is around 35k. But there's a 49" Curved model being sold at Lazada.com.ph for only 30k with free speakers.

It looks enticing, but I'm not sold on curved displays. I think it's a bit gimmicky at that size especially since you'll be watching it from a distance. And I have a feeling that replacement display panels will be prohibitively expensive. So i'll stick with flat displays for now.

I did find a Sharp 50" model at around 30k as well. It's a smart TV using Android TV (Lollipop).

Samsung uses their own OS, Tizen. Unfortunately, it's not that mature so I assume there isn't that many applications you can use. LG uses WebOS.

Now Android TV opens up a lot of possibility given the large library of Android apps. However, you can always buy an android TV box or an android stick with any TV now. But it does save you at least 2000 pesos.

However, I did read that Hisense owns and manufactures Sharp TVs now. So you're just basically buying a rebranded Hisense TV. You'll probably be just as good as getting a Hisense TV and just get an android stick/box if you've outgrown the apps from the Opera store. You'll probably end up doing that in a few years once Android TV lollipop gets old for the newer apps. Android fragmentation. Read on it.

By this time, I think I've settled on the LG 49UH6100. It's a year old, but that's ok. Nothing significant with the 2017 version over the 2016 one. It's smaller too, at only 49". But hey, maybe 65" will be cheaper after a few years.

Now it's time to look where to buy one.

Robinson's Appliances offers it for 32,500 for cash/straight CC payment. Cash N' Carry has it for 30k cash/straight cc payment. Automatic Center at SM Light doesn't have it any longer.

I checked Saver's appliance store in at Visayas Avenue, and it's tagged as 39k despite an ad in OLX.ph saying it's only 31k for the same terms. I was advised by the olx seller to go back and look for him. But i thought I might just get one from Robinson's Appliances as it was closer and I could have it carried over to our condo unit on the same day without paying for delivery charges.

The TV model's cheaper at Cash N' Carry by around 2,500, but it's a bit far.

We also checked Western Appliances at P.Tuazon Avenue as I saw their FB ad for a 'bagsak presyo' sale all weekends of June. But when we got there, I was disappointed.

Basically, their SRP for the TV's was the price they had when they first came out. And then they say that they drastically reduced the prices. However, even at this 'reduced' prices, other stores still sold them a lot lower.

Today, 2017/06/18, at around 4pm, we decided to drop by an Abenson's store in Greenhills on the way to Mandaluyong from QC. Chea remembered the time I asked her to visit that branch when I saw their ad about open box/display items.

Good thing that we did. They were having a flash sale today.

We saw that the 49UH6100 was being sold at around 36k for cash/straight payments. Disappointing at first.

We spoke to one of the agents, and I mentioned that Robinsons' was selling it for 32.5k on the same terms. The agent said that he could try and make it available for 36k, but for 3 months installment.

Chea and I then checked if we took the 32.5k straight CC with Robinson's and then transferred it to a 12-month installment plan with another card with the typical interest charges. It came out around 34.8k.

Chea showed the computation to the agent and said that it will be cheaper for us if we went with Robinson's. Not to be outdone, they made some calls and asked their bosses (we were talking to a sales manager already) if they can offer it lower. Chea said we could get it for 35k at Robinson's on a 12-month installment plan based on her computations.

35k is 5k more than my original price limit. But the only way I could get it at that amount was to buy it on cash terms from Cash N' Carry.

While the sales personnel was talking to his boss on the phone, I went around, and saw some display units being sold on the other side of the store. There were some pretty nice options there.

I saw an LG 49UH600T model being sold for only 26k. I was surprised at the price. It was probably an earlier 2016 model used as a store display.

The 10k difference is definitely tempting. Yes, it was WebOS 2.0 as compared to the 49UH6100's WebOS 3.0 platform but I thought, i'd probably just use Youtube from the available apps. I'll primarily use cable TV with it since it'll be for the living room.

It doesn't have HDR (High Dynamic Range) unlike the 6100 model, but it's something I could live with at the moment. It's not a deal breaker for a 10,000 peso difference. I'll probably upgrade the TV 5 years down the line, and it'll be one of the features that I'll be looking for aside from an OLED screen.

Another upside of the newer models is Trumotion or the greater than 120Hz refresh rate. A faster refresh rate makes movement shown on the tv a lot smoother. It makes movies looks smoother. The faster refresh rate is something you'd appreciate especially with playing action games or watching action movies on the TV.

That's something I would like. But again, will I pay 10k pesos more for those feature? Probably not. Unless it came with an OLED panel.

The sales agent checked how long it was on demo mode, and it showed to be just around 50 hours. He was surprised. He said we were buying a display unit that was just turned on for a total of about 2-3 days, so it was practically brand new.

The agent asked if we wanted it on installment plan, and he was able to get it for the same price of 26k stretched for 6 months.

There were a lot of other deals for store display TVs and some of them are pretty good. But Im glad that we decided to drop by Abenson's around Greenhills. And it's always a good choice to bring Chea when shopping. She always gets the best deals.

If we didn't decide to get the 49UH600T, we would have gotten the 49UH6100 for 35k on a 12 month installment.

A little bit of patience goes a long way.


Update: It's almost 6 months to the day that we bought the TV. So far it's working pretty well.

There are two features that I love about the TV. Smartshare and WiDi.

Smartshare is their app that allows the TV to connect to DLNA devices. These are network devices that can share their media content. Using smartshare, i can connect to the shared files I have on my PC. It allows me to watch the movies on the TV from my pc. My PC has about 5 hard drives on it, ranging from 1.5TB to 3TB, and it's mostly Movies and TV shows. So I can watch them on the living room while my PC is in the bedroom.

It works well for 1080p files, but I can't make it work for the 4K movies I have.

Another is WiDi or Wireless Display and Miracast. WiDi allows your device that has this feature to cast or stream it's display wirelessly to the TV. Using it, I'm able to project my phone (Xiaomi Note 4X) onto the TV wirelessly. I can do the same thing with my laptop that has WiDi.

So I can now project my laptop display onto the TV without using HDMI cables. I can watch movies on the TV now with another option aside from SmartShare.

There are other few apps on the LG Store, but I barely bother with it anymore except probably Netflix. But the app is bad as it gets stuck buffering. So I just use Netflix on my Xbox (I transferred it from our bedroom) to watch on the big TV, although i mostly watch in the bedroom TV.

I have a few 4K content now, and it's on a USB hard drive attached to the TV as it's hard to stream it wirelessly over the network.

The visual details are there, but I do feel like I'm missing out not having the HDR and the Trumotion features. But at least, I'll have something to look forward to when I upgrade the TV in a few years.

Read More

Planning for Chea's party: We have a winner

It's January 2, 2016. Chea's birthday party is just 6 days away, and we still don't have a venue. Well, actually, we do.

We're going with BBZ.

We have a venue!

Why BBZ? Well, quite a few things going fot it:

• It's just a 5 minute walk from Chea's office. (10, you're me)
• It's fairly brand new and looks really nice.
• Tet is pretty accommodating
• The below zero degree drinks is a nice gimmick
• We get to have a roomy and exclusive 2nd floor reserved to us
• And it didn't break the bank

The contract stipulates that I have to pay 50% at least 2 weeks before hand, but like I said, Tet was very accommodating. I wasn't even required to pay already, but I wanted to do so, lest another customer comes along and argues that I haven't paid yet, despite it being required in the contract. I know Tet wouldn't allow that to happen, still, I don't want to risk it.

So after lunch, I went to BBZ. While struck in traffic, Tina of Alchemy emailed me that she was fixing her band lineup for the month of January so she wanted to know if I was still considering their place for the party.

I could have just said no, but decided to write her an email a few paragraphs long. I've read in internet articles that Alchemy's hosted parties before, so my business probably doesn't matter too much.

Still, I really liked Alchemy's offering except that the emailing back and forth was taking too long, that I couldn't tell our guests where we would be having the party, even a week before we would actually have it. That the sample contract took too long before they could give me one, and it took days to clarify a few things. That I wasn't told before hand that there would be additional charges that was beyond the budget I told them I was working with. Nor that they could actually waive most of it, if i asked (which I did, but only after I've already agreed verbally with another venue. I'm a man of my word, you see).

I managed to compose and send the email, in the hour and a half I was stuck in a shuttle on the way to the MRT. I wanted Alchemy to see the entire negotiation from the client's point of view. They probably earn a hundred thousand pesos of revenue at any given night, so my 80,000 budget would seem paltry, but it's hard earned money ordinary people like me, are willing to spend for one night for a very special occasion. 

When we were discussing things with Tet, she always managed to pick up things from our conversation, and somehow made it sound important. She sounded earnest and sincere (even if she wasn't, who knows?). She picked up things like it was my wife's 40th birthday. And it was also our 11th wedding anniversary. She said that she'd waive the corkage for cakes, a bottle of liquor or two, and other stuff, even if you know that it isn't a great loss for them if they do. But at least she makes it sound that she understands how important the event is to you. 

Anyway, after an almost 2 hour trip, I arrived at BBZ around 3pm. Spoke with Peter, the dining supervisor, and ponied up the 50% downpayment in cash. I got the receipt, went out, looked for a nice meal to have merienda in. Then took the same route home to my loving wife.

Read More

Planning for Chea's party: Looking for that special place, part 2 continued

(2015/12/22). So as soon as I was able to get off work, I had to rush to Makati to meet my mom, who's accompanying me to check out some bars near Chea's office. We'll be meeting Chea's cousins, Karen and Em, who'd bring a car so we could drive around a few places if necessary.

First off, ridership of the MRT really has ballooned over the years. It's around 5pm, and the southbound trains are just half full about 2-3 years ago based on the few times I've taken it. But when I took it this time, it's practically full.

It's nice to note that they've implemented those contact less cards (beep cards). I think you're able to use them with the other train lines, and possibly with buses and taxis too. Wouldn't that be great?

After getting off the train, I went to the Shell station at Buenda where my mom was waiting. I was texting Em, but she told me they were still far off as traffic was heavy. I told her that we'll go ahead to Alchemy Bar since she's seen it already, and I want to see it for myself. I want to be able to compare the ambiance and other tangible factors, aside from just the cost.

So my mom took a jeep and got off at Makati Avenue, and walked towards Alchemy Bar and Bistro.

Alchemy Bar. Very Attractive. 

It's about a 10 minute walk (and even closed from Chea's office). From the outside it really looks nice. Very modern with large windows, and neon lights.

We went in and was met with one of their waitresses. Another one was behind the bar, prepping the area. I asked the one closest to us (didn't get her name) if Tina was coming in, or her other rep, Icar (Maricar). I was told that she wasn't sure if Tina was coming in that night, and Icar was still not around.

Some of the tables and chairs in the ground level

So I just asked her a few questions along with my mom. I counted the seats already on the ground floor level, and arrived at around 56. I asked her about the seating capacity, as I was told the place could fit 100 guests. She said that the area before the closed main entrance (there's something like a receiving area with a few tables there, probably for smokers) could fit around 30 people. And outside near the road where a few more tables that could probably fit around 10 people.

Pan to the right and you see the stage for the band. Big open windows. Very classy

Bar to the left

I didn't bother looking upstairs as it probably couldn't fit 100 seating people since it has a smaller floor area than the ground floor.

The wall near the main door entrance

The place looks really nice, very conducive to relaxing and just chilling out with your friends with a few drinks. The place is dimly lit. I'm not sure if it's possible to light the place up a bit more in case you want to see everybody for party games.

Blurry shot of the stage

There is a stage for band performance which was already set. They had drums and separate speakers for the instruments. Looks like everything I'd need for the party would be here.

Except of course, a contingent would be sitting outside, and wouldn't be able to hear the party's activities.

Overall, it looks really, really nice. If only it didn't cost 98,+++ because of the other charges, and we were able to stick to the original 80,000 package.

Em and Karen were still a ways out, so we decided to walk towards BBZ, where we'd be mitting Tet, the manager. There's another bar there, Grilla, which we could check out as well.

On the way there, we passed by Chea's office. We had texted Chea that my mom and I would be meeting somebody and Rockwell and was hoping we could catch a ride home with her if she was working late. She said she could wait for us, so it's fairly safe we could walk around the area as she'd be inside her office still.

So after a brisk walk, we arrived at Grilla, right beside BBZ.

Grilla from the outside

The place looks a bit dated. It has the same vibe as Congo Grille, or Dencio's. My sister called ahead, so we knew who to look for. We spoke with her (I already forgot her name now that Im writing this) while people were coming in. It looks like there's an event for tonight, and they're setting the place up already.

Now as soon as you get passed the main door, there is the main area to the right, and stairs to the left.

This is the main area fronting the stairs. Or the area to the right when you enter the door. That's where the DJ sets up his equipment. To the left and right are the tables

The area to the right is usually where the tables are on regular days which could probably seat around 60 pax. Tonight, the middle part is where the projector and the audio equipment are. There's a small area that could fit a host, and or a band. So with that, you'll probably have just enough space for 40 pax.

Another dining room up the stairs which they vacated half of, for the buffet set up

The stairs leads to the a second floor where there's a room that could again fit about 40 or so people. But since the event that night had a buffet option, they turned the room to the buffet area. You could probably add a couple of tables there so people could sit since there's no other area on the 2nd floor available except for the outdoor balcony.

A few more tables in the open air area at the 2nd level. The shot is taken from where we were seating at the balcony

That's where we sat and continued discussing with the manager. A few minutes later, Em and Karen arrived and joined us. The tables here could probably sit around 20 max.

So while we haven't discussed the costs, the obvious issues are:

• How could you fit 100 pax along with a band?
• Only about 40 pax could sit downstairs and watch the band and activities. So the rest of the guests will not be able to watch the band perform.
• The place looks old. Like 80s old. The lighting is gloomy. Like they're using old incandescent bulbs.

Then we got into the details of the food. In order to reserve the entire place, we had to shell out 35,000. That's like 350/pax, which is pretty good. That's less than half of what I need to pay for Alchemy or BBZ.

We looked at the menu, and it looked good. However, it doesn't include drinks. So i did a few computations, with assumptions that each guest would only drink 4 bottles of beer (which is safe, since Im sure that only half of the guests actually drink). There were no corkages for anything that they don't serve. So cakes, would be ok. Lechon isn't since they offer it. No hidden charges, etc.

Based on my computation, it would be around 55,000 pesos for the entire thing. That's about 2/3 the cost of hosting it at Alchemy. I'm getting tempted.

However, the open bar option with local beers AND cocktails at Alchemy was the real incentive for having the party there. I didn't have to worry about people ordering too much and end up with a bill I can't pay. Lol. At the same time, I don't want to tell my guests that you can only have 4 beers for the night. Lol again.

Anyway, the place got me thinking, so we said thanks and we'll contact them again if we do decided to have the party there.

We then headed next door to BBZ.

Simple and clean. But still a bit modern

We were met by Tet at the ground floor and we proceeded to the 2nd floor. The walkway to the entrance of the 2nd level is a balcony with a few tables. When you get inside, you'll see a room with the main bar. Beside the bar is the 2nd level comfort room which we were told would be exclusive for us.

Tet leading us to the 2nd floor rooms

The bar room's size is pretty decent. You could probably fit 60 sitting people here if you use long tables. More, if you have people stand up and use cocktail tables.

The bar room. Actually there's still a bar downstairs I think near the kithen, although they hold most of the liquor here

To the left of the room is a door, which leads to a larger room which we were told could sit down 70 people.

Right part of the inner room

There was a private party almost starting, so there was a guy inside and people were coming in, so we couldn't get a long hard look at the bigger room. Beyond the bigger room, was another room accessible through another door. It seemed to be an office.

Left part of the inner room. At the far left corner is the area for the host. Kindly ignore the gentleman in the pic. 

At the corner of the room was probably a 8-12 inch elevated platform, where hosts could probably stand. It looked small. I don't know if it will be big enough for the band.

So after a quick look, we stood around a cocktail table and started discussing the party.

I originally told Tet over the phone that my budget was around 90,000 pesos (given that Alchemy was quoting me around 100,000 pesos), but after Grilla, I asked her that I'd like to revise my budget to around 70,000 pesos (since the band's about 20,000 and the audio equipment is around 5,000) so I could still keep my total expenses to around 100,000 pesos.

Normally, her budget per person, was around 900 for a buffet setup. At least 700 of that would go to the food and a round of drinks. That would be enough to let us get the entire 2nd level. Otherwise it would just be for the main room.

But since we were around 100 pax, we wouldn't fit in just one room. So she told us that we could still probably get the entire 2nd floor (the main room + bar room) for 100 pax for 4hrs, if we could at least spend 70,000 pesos.

Other details were, ff we stayed on past 12mn, we would have to pay extra for the electricity. There was a fee for bringing in electrical equipment such as a photo booth, projector, etc. They didn't have an audio equipment.

At that time, I excused myself and called Dan Billano of Gig Manila. I asked if they could bring their own audio equipment. He told me they knew one, and the fee is about 5,000 pesos. Sounds reasonable enough. So I went back to the discussion with Tet, my mom, Karen and Em.

There were corkages, but Tet would wave the one for cakes. We were also allowed to bring a bottle of hard liquor for the hard drinkers. They would serve local beers (mostly SMB products) at around 80 pesos each, since they have a process to bring the drinks down to below zero degrees (hence the name BBZ or Beer Below Zero).

There's also surcharges, but it's smaller as compared to Alchemy.

L-R: Karen, Tet, Em and my mom having a discussion.

So we went back to the menu. Since my budget is just around 700/pax, we had to bring down the budget for the food to around 500/head which would mostly be pica pica food. I told her I'm ok with that, but if she could include something heavy. I could just tell my guests to eat before hand, as the birthday celebration would be a cocktail party instead. So she told us that she'd talk to her chef and ask him a menu that's around 500 pesos person, but should be good enough as she wants BBZ to make a good impression with the guests.

That's good business strategy folks. Most of our guests are from banks and pharmaceutical companies who actually spend big hosting private parties at places such as this. And Tet knows about Chea's company since it's just a few blocks away, and they had inquired before.

So we ended up agreeing on Tet emailing me the menu that I can choose from the next day. And since it's almost the holidays and I wouldn't be able to drop by (without Chea noticing anything), she told me that just sign the menu I'd like, take a picture and email it to her, and it would be enough as confirmation that we'll proceed with the contract. She will also try to send the contract after  Christmas so I can pay the downpayment the succeeding week.

After saying goodbye to Tet, we went downstairs sat down at one of the tables, and had a brief discussion with my mom, Karen and Em.

I told them that I'm a bit sold on BBZ as compared to Grilla. It's a whole lot expensive, but it's fairly brand new. Ambiance is great, not to mention that we have one continuous floor for the entire party, so people wouldn't miss anything the other set of people are doing or enjoying.

The below zero degree beers are also enticing. I've tried really cold beers before and they almost taste like water especially if they're fresh stocks.

So definitely, we'll be going for BBZ over Grilla. But I still want to ask Alchemy if we could trim some of the surcharges, so I'm still torn. That open bar option is really tempting, even with Em telling me that their food is not that impressive.

But one other thing Alchemy has that isn't going for them is just the size of their venue. We could only pack around 60 people in the main ground floor, and the rest would be outside. Even if they're smokers, I don't think they'd enjoy being outside while the rest of us are having a blast in doors. Not to mention, that since we'll hanging out at the ground floor, the 2nd floor is still open, so other patrons would be coming through the front door, and up the stairs. So it wouldn't feel too exclusive.

Anyway, I'll give myself the holidays to think it through. So my mom and I said our goodbye to Em and Karen, as we headed towards Chea's office who was waiting for us.

Read More

Planning for Chea's party: Looking for that special place, part 2

It's 22nd of December, 2015, which is less than 3 weeks from Chea's birthday. And still, I have not yet finalized the venue yet.

The emails between me and Alchemy is taking a bit too long. I've already asked for a sample contract to make sure that all the terms are favorable. But it seems that Tina is most of the time away on other business, while her other people aren't too keen on replying via email.

I probably could call, but I want everything documented via email, so I could always refer back to them in the future.

I finally got the sample contract yesterday, but I still had a lot of questions. When we finalized on the amount, we actually agreed on a package for 80,000 pesos for 100 pax. We will be using the ground floor, as my sister told me that the 2nd floor could probably just hold around 50 people max when she did an ocular. The ground floor was supposed to be larger, but minimum amount for reserving the entire place was 80,000. But when I got the contract, they included other charges that ballooned the amount to almost 100,000 pesos. That plus the band I'm getting (they're good. they're worth every peso) is around 20,000 pesos. So that'll push me beyond my budget.

It didn't help that their replies took days or weeks. And we're too close to the party date.

Since I'm not that too busy at work, I decided to try and look for other venues. I also asked my sister although she's a bit busy with her other events.

So I browsed the internet for bars and restos near Poblacion Makati:

• Centerstage - I emailed them again. However, I never got a reply.
• Moonshine - Read the review in Spot.ph and WhenInManila.com and it sounded intriguing. I decided to keep it in the list first.
• The Back Room -  The review with WhenInManila.com looks very promising. Unfortunately, it's a bit small. I don't think I can fit a 100 people there along with a small band setup.
• Z Hostel - Although it's primarily a hostel, their rooftop have been playing host for a number of events. It's actually popular nowadays from what I've read over the internet. I decided to give them a call. I managed to speak to one of their staff, and was informed that their rooftop is almost split into two, each can hold about 50 guests. But only half can be reserved for private parties. The other half is a first come first served venue for patrons who want to drink and enjoy the festivities. I was given the number of the owner I think, Cao Ocampo. So I decided to text him. Unfortunately, he told me that starting 2016, they won't be taking in reservations anymore for Friday to Sunday nights. Looks like their night parties are a hit with the guests and local partygoers.
• BBZ Bar. I got the recommendation from my sister who got it from Chea's cousin, Em Lopez. I got the number for Tet Manares and decided to call her. We spoke for about 30 minutes, and she was pretty accomodating. She said she could work with a budget of mine which I pegged at 90,000 including all charges. I told her that I'll try to drop by tonight to see the venue. We'll be looking at the venue along with my mom, Em Lopez and her sister Karen.

With that, I just waited for the time i could log out from work and head off to Makati for the ocular.

Read More

Planning for Chea's party: Looking for that special place, part 1

So Chea's turning 40 on January 8, 2016. It's a decade birthday, so it should be a little more special than your normal birthdays.

Like my dad's 70th birthday last February 2015, I'm working with my sister Maricel, and my mother, Estrella, in planning for the party.

I've decided that it should be held on Chea's actual birth date, January 8, which is a Friday. It's actually a good day for the party as it's the last working day of the week. Guests can go to the party if it's scheduled after work, and they'd still have the weekends to get some rest.

I'm thinking of having it at 8pm. Even with a 4-hour party, it would end at around 12 midnight. It's a little bit late, but most people who go out on fridays do go home around that time. They can either arrive late at the party, and the party'll still be going on. Or they can arrive early, and leave around 10pm, and we'd understand if they do.

My sister laid out this for me as Im busy. Based on a design we saw over the net. Lol

And since it's the last day of the week, traffic will probably be horrendous, and since most of Chea's guests will be coming from work, the best option will be to hold it in Makati, as most of them work there anyway.

Now, all we have to find in less than two months, is a party venue. Now two months may be short, but this isn't exactly a wedding.

The initial option is of course a venue specific tailored for private parties. But since it's just a 40th birthday party, it doesn't need to be too grand that we would need to rent a place for the party and get a caterer, like what we did with my dad when we rented the function rooms at SM Grass Residences.

I think we could just go with a place that provides their own food. One of the option is at hotels with function rooms. I looked at Marco Polo's option via a previous email that I got, and some deals being offered at Deal Grocer, but it seemed a little bit expensive. Not to mention it's at Ortigas, which would require people from Makati to commute at rush hour.

I checked one that's very close to Chea's office, City Garden Grand Hotel. I actually got the contact number of one of their Account Executives from Chea's phone. Lol.

I sent them an email and was promptly given a quotation. It's a bit beyond my budget though. Their cheapest buffet option is at 1,350/pax. Their cheapest sit down menu is at 1,199/pax. And their cheapest cocktail package is at 1,450/pax. Ouch. And why is the cocktail package more expensive than the buffet options?

Anyway, I'm adamant that my budget for the entire thing is around 100,000 pesos for 100 guests. And that should include the entertainment as well.

There are probably other hotels around the area with a slightly cheaper option. I'd have to look harder I guess.

Another option, which is one that I'm leaning more to, is make the party into something like a night-out with family and friends. But we'll be paying for everything.

So I searched the internet for some options and I found Centerstage KTV in Jupiter Street. It's very near Chea's office, so it has that going for it.

The rooms

Now, they have the Sala room, which the image above says can hold 120 guests. It has the usual videoke machine with 2 x 32" tvs and a projector. They even have a billiard table in the room. And all of that for just 35,000 pesos (consumable). You get the place for 4 hours!

When you think of it, it looks a bit of fun there since you can have your guests sing their lungs out for four hours, and you have a billiard table for those who doesn't sing. But when you think about it, our guests doesn't necessarily know everyone. Not to mention, it'll be hard to figure out who gets to sing in turn.

Another thing is, I want to bring an acoustic band along for entertainment. Now the band would probably have 3, 40-minute sets, which means people can't sing on the videoke while the band is playing which leaves about 120 minutes of videoke time (that's during the the breaks between sets) . And if you consider each song is about 5 minutes at length, that's just 24 songs. And no time for any other activities such as speeches and games.

And like I said, they probably don't know each and every one of the guests, so I don't know how they'd act if someone blurts out "My Way" during the course of the party.

So on second thought, it may not be a good idea for the party.

Still, I do like the notion of a night-out with family and friends, so I'm thinking of the next best thing: a private party at a bar or bistro.

I did a google search for bars that can host parties, and two of the ones that I managed to contact was Tipsy Pig and Alchemy Bar and Bistro. Although I contacted Alchemy first, I'll write about Tipsy Pig first.

After taking a gander at their facebook page, I saw a post where they said they can host private parties. They posted a number which I promptly texted. Their reply came two days after. I sent them my email so we could continue the inquiries there. They replied via email the next day.

So after a couple of emails, they quoted me a price of 170,000 pesos for 100 pax, in order to block off their 2nd floor and al fresco area. It has an open bar for 1 hour. Having been communication with Alchemy Bar, and some hotels, I was a bit surprised at the price.

Now it may be that they could actually earn 170,000 pesos on a friday night, hence the pricey quotation, but I told them in my email reply that it's still 1,700/head and you could get a party package at a hotel for 1,300/head and that included the decorations, and certain equipment for use.

Coz you know, between a bar (which would still have guests at the other areas) and a 3-4 star hotel, the hotel would almost always win. And if that's their package for a 100 pax party, it will turn off a lot of potential clients. But again, they might actually earn that amount on walk in customes on a friday, so I'm not a lost business for them.

Alchemy Bar and Bistro, also popped out on my Google search. The best part about it, is that it's actually pretty near Chea's office. So there's no way her co-workers won't be able to make it to the party even if it starts at 8 pm.

I first email corresponded with a certain Gordon, until Tina Currie (the owner) picked up the conversation from him.

I was told that the place had two floors and both floors could hold 100 guests. We could have the top floor completely blocked off for a minimum of 70,000 pesos. Now that's more like it.

I asked what the 70k package could give me, and she told me about a 3-hour open bar option (I'm liking it more with every email sent) for at least 380/pax which included local beers and certain cocktails. She agreed to adding iced teas and sodas since I assume half of our guests don't drink alcohol.

The remainder (320/pax) would be spent for pica pica foods such as canapes and their wood fire oven pizzas. Now I think I'm ok with the pica pica option and just tell our guests beforehand to have a light dinner before heading to the party. Or if they're light eaters, the pica pica food should suffice.

My sister picked up the email conversation for me, since she knows other things to ask as she's an events planner. I haven't been to the place, but i'll try to check it out before December.

I'm also planning to take a look at other bars near the place to see if there's a better option. Wish me luck!

Read More

Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe

Sep 4, 2015. Chea and I were heading home but we haven't had dinner yet, so we decided to look around for a place to eat. I am actually craving for some mashed potatos.

I've read somewhere about a new restaurant along Roces avenue in Quezon City that had the word 'art' as part of the name. I recall seeing mouth watering pictures of their food, so we decided to look for it.

The menu

Just a few blocks away from RUB along Roces Ave, we did see a new establishment in the area: Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe.

Parking area at night

There was parking for about 10 or so cars, so we parked and went in. It was almost 10pm, but we were told they were open up until 11pm.

Outdoor signage

Once you get inside, you'll easily note that it looks like a house that's been redecorated as a restaurant. You could probably figure out where the dining room and living room were used to be, as well as deduce that the room beside the comfort room was a bedroom at one time.

Our table viewed from near the main door with the pretty wifey

The place is painted mostly in white with paintings hanging off the walls. Some of the seats were made from wood carvings, so it does give off a little bit of an arsty feel to it. However, there's only a few art displays, so it still has that house vibe to it.

Their main counter

The door exiting to the garden

There was a garden out back where there were about 3 tables for large groups. Chea took a look and just described it to me as I was a bit tired to try and look outside.

the comfort room

Some of the decors

The menu is moderately priced, with their cheapest pasta at around 260 pesos while their cheapest main dish was at 320 pesos. They had Angus Steak at 1,500 pesos.

Some of their offerings

Chea asked for their best sellers for their pasta which was Seafood Chorizo Cioppino (380 pesos), but I'm allergic to shellfish, so we were recommended the Al Nero (280 pesos). I was thinking of the Five spicy pork belly (320 pesos) but their Dukkah Crusted Chicken (360 pesos) would probably be better for my heart. Lol.

We also ordered the Calamansi and Sour Plum Cooler (95 pesos) while we passed on the desserts as they looked a bit expensive.

Waiting for our order

The cooler

It was a bit of a wait, but the cooler arrived first. It was big enough probably for four people, as Chea and I managed to get several glasses out of it and there was still some left in the glass pitcher when we finished everything. The calamansi was a bit strong, so you could probably put in a little more water in there.

the pasta

The Al Nero arrived along with the Dukkah Chicken. The servings looked a bit small when they arrived. But with Chea and I just by ourselves, and each eating half of the dishes, we found ourselves pretty full afterwards.

Each dish could probably feed a very hungry individual.

It was weird looking at a pasta with mango chunks on it. 

The Al Nero pasta's sauce was squid ink with basil. There were chunks of squid and several cubes of mangos. It was a nice combination with the squid ink providing the saltiness, while the mango providing the sweet sour taste. I've been seeing this squid ink dish recently so i guess it's becoming a bit popular. But while the other versions I've tasted had their pastas entirely covered in black ink, Gourmet Gypsy's a tad restrained. The sauce were in small clumps clinging to the pasta. And you weren't overpowered by the squid ink's flavor as I could definitely taste the basil.

So just imagine a pesto sauce, but instead of green, it's black. I really liked this version.

the chicken. it's bigger than the picture suggests

Another shot

The Dukkah Crusted Chicken had a slightly thicker crust than the breaded chickens you'd find in fast food stores. You'd actually say it's crunchy rather than crispy.

Underneath the crust is lean meat with no bones. I wish I knew all the tastes of the different herbs out there, as the chicken flavor is overwhelmed by something I can't identify.

It came with haricots verts (per the menu), which I ignored, a little side salad which tasted sweet which I kinda enjoyed (though Chea didn't like it, and she's the salad person) and small mound of mashed potatos. Their mashed potatos had chunks in them and lots of peppers. Even without a gravy, it tasted great.

Without a senior citizen accompanying us, we ended up paying  around 800 pesos, and that's ordering some of their cheapest main dishes.

Read More

Post Birthday stay at Discovery Primea

09/19/2015. As part of my 2015 birthday celebration, Chea wanted us to take a staycation at Discovery Primea. It's a new residential condominium with some of the floors and units opened up as a hotel.

Again, Chea was able to get a discount so we're jumping on the opportunity. We decided to get a 2 room unit so I could bring my parents along with Chea and Thirdy. We'll be staying overnight, but during the afternoon, our relatives will be dropping by so we can have a little party.

My mom left early so she could drop by my sister and go to the hotel along with my nephew (Fiji) and niece (Citti) and my sister of course. Gerry wouldn't be able to come along as he had work.

Check in was at 12noon, so we left around a little before 11am. It was Chea, Thirdy, Tita Fe, my dad, and myself in the car. We dropped by the columbarium first to visit my brother. Then we stopped at Eton Ortigas to get Chea's new phone replaced. I bought her a BlackBerry Q10 to replace her old Torch which finally died after years of service. But the unit we got had a stuck key, so we had to have it replaced.

Thirdy and his lolo having fun taking pictures

Entrance from Apartment Ridge Road

After that, we headed directly to Makati. We arrived a little past 12:20pm at the hotel. Our room wasn't ready yet so we had to wait. By that time, my mom, my sister, Fiji, and Citti came over from Glorietta and met us at the hotel lobby.

View from the inside towards Ayala Avenue

Reception

The place isn't as fancy as some other hotels, although it had high ceilings and was modern. There was an entrance on other side of the building fronting Ayala Avenue and Apartment Ridge Road. Both sides were mostly glass so there was bright natural light coming in.

My sister Maricel and Thirdy relaxing for a bit

Clockwise from top: My dad, Thirdy, Citti, My sister, Fiji

The bar

The corner post between the lobby and the lounge

The lounge and the bar. At the far end is the dining area

The welcome drinks

We waited at a lounge connected to their main dining room. The place is a bit narrow but since it's fronting a glass wall with a wide open view of the other side, it looked spacious enough. We were given welcome drinks. We debated on what was in the drink as there was even a purple flower. I said it was a bit minty and a sweet cucumber like taste.

After a bit, we took the elevator to our room which was 507. At the 5th floor elevator lobby, my mom noticed a platter filled with small apples. We were told that they're free and we can take as much as we want. We did and my sister and my mom loved it since it was sweet and crunchy.

Add the elevator lobby taking some apples

This is the first place I went to that I could get fruits freely and for free at that. We got into the room, and it felt average at first. Probably because the room is very minimalist, with a very clean look.

Welcome treat! Plus a cake coz it's a few days after my birthday!

A coffee book by the sofa. Awesome idea

The view once you got through the door only showed the receiving area, where there was an office desk, a receiving area with a large couch and two other chairs and a center table. Just beyond that was a very large kitchen.

A very plain entertainment center but I love the wooden drawer

Work desk

The work desk actually has a hidden compartment ... for a computer!

View from the door, besides the work desk. 

These aren't free of course.

I'm not sure if they're expensive as compared to the other hotels we've been. 

Hallway to the rooms. The first door on the right is the common bathroom

Then as you go to the center of the room, you'll see a corridor off to the sides that leads to a common CR at the right, a master bedroom to the left, and a second bedroom directly ahead.

The sink

Free toiletries. They even have mouthwash! And the bottled water is free of course.

Simple toilet with bidet

The towel holder above the toilet

The enclosed shower

The common CR was fairly average, with just a sink, a toilet bowl and an enclosed shower area.

The bedroom ahead had two double sized beds, a closet, a wooden drawer with a large LED tv on top and bed tables.

View of the master bedroom from the door. It isn't that big, but it's sufficient. 

View of the bed from the cabinet. Six pillows baby! Although the spiderman pillow is Thirdy's.

View from the right side of the room

When I got into the main bedroom, it was about the same size as the other bedroom but with one King Sized bed.

Bedside table. The gadget on the left are controls for the centralized A/C for the room. I didn't bother with the other buttons.

View of the room from window

The master bedroom cabinet. You can see the two pairs of slippers that have thick soles. 

The other half of the cabinet

Again, there was a closet with sliding doors with a safe deposit, and an ironing board and a couple of bath robes and some thick comfortable slippers.



There was a cabinet drawer with another LED tv on it. There was a chair and a small table near the windows.

The clock/speaker actually has some oomph to it. I listed to some songs off of youtube and it sounded better than expected. I'd definitely get one if i see it on sale for less than 2,000 pesos. 

As I started to take notice of the details, it started to feel upscale. On other side of the bed were side tables with lamps. On the right side of the bed, was a clock and a Philips speaker/clock for an iphone. On the other table was a master control for the centralized air condition for the room.

Yes, that's a tv at the end of the bath tub

An enclosed shower

The sink

We also had a bathroom in the master bedroom which had a very long sink, a toilet, an enclosed shower and a bathtub. And at the foot of a bath tub, was a TV! The bath tub had more features than the regular ones. It's not as big as the other bathrooms in other hotels, but you have to remember that you have a secondary bathroom.

There was a lot of toiletries free for use by the clients, although Chea mentioned that when she visited once, they had Hermes toiletries.

I posted on fb: "omg. gusto ko maglaba". 

I went around taking pictures again and when I got back to the receiving area, you'll notice the front loading washing machine that made me comment on facebook that I wanted to do my laundry. This is the first hotel I've been to that had its own washing machine, and it was the front loading type at that.

Contents of the fridge. We filled it up later with bottles of soda we bought from the supermarket at nearby Glorietta

Induction oven. 

Coffee maker

Coffee and tea, all for free!

Map

Although there was the usual food items and beverages in the fridge and the kitchen tables, there were others that were complete free, like the bottled water (which was unlimited. We requested several more bottled waters the entire time and were delivered to our room at no charge), the bags of tea, and even coffee. Their coffee maker was the one that used coffee cartridges which we've never seen at other hotels. We never bothered with the toaster but it was there too, along with a microwave and the aforementioned fridge.

View from the kitchen area

Slightly panned to the right

I think my first impression of being a little average is inaccurate. I think the correct term is homey. It does feel like you're in a very well kept residential condo (which is what Discovery Primea is) and that's how the rooms are designed.

My sis, Fiji, and Thirdy fooling around in bed

Cabinet for the secondary room

Nice tie and clothes hanger

Room's temp control

Tissue paper

Later, Chea went out with my mom to buy us food as we haven't had lunch yet. So we stayed and enjoyed our room. The place felt huge. I thought it was around 120 square meters or so, but Chea checked their website later and said it was just around 96 sqm.

About after an hour or so, Chea and my came back with bags and bags of Jollibee food products and a cake from Red Ribbon. We then started to have our late lunch, consisting mostly of Chickenjoy and Burger rice meals, lol.

Later, Chea's relatives arrived: Chi (Chea's sister) and her son Justine, Tita Emy and her daughers, Karen and Donna. Jigly, Chea's cousin arrived earlier.

Thirdy getting ready to take a shower

Thirdy trying out the jet pool

My dad checking out the view

We then took Thirdy down to the 3rd floor for a swim. My dad came along too. They had an infinity pool and a smaller jet pool ideal for kids. Thirdy stayed there with Chea.

View of the other 65 floors

View from the infinity pool

There was a couple relaxing in pool lounge chairs, while another family was enjoying the infinity pool. It was around 3pm and the sun was on the other side of the building so it was shady.

The cousins taking a dip

My dad taking a few laps

A bit later, Fiji, Citty, Tita Fe, my mom and sis arrived. The two kids joined Thirdy in the pool, and soon, my dad took a dip as well after borrowing my board shorts (my mom forgot to bring his). We stayed until 5pm since Thirdy really enjoyed the pool.

Another birthday treat from Discovery!

Thirdy singing me a birthday song to go with the cake

When we came back up to the room, we blew out the birthday cake candle, and ate again.

After that, Chea's relatives left, while Tita Fe, my sis, Fiji and Citti stayed a little while longer. I was still full because of the late lunch and the merienda, so we didn't bother with dinner. We just ate what was around (mostly Jollibee meals still).

Menu

The prices. Looks pretty reasonable. 

At around 8pm, Chea, Thirdy and I drove Tita Fe, My sis, Fiji and Citti to the MRT so they could head home. Gerry was still unavailable so they had to commute home to QC.

We drove back, had our car parked by the valet (it's free) and headed to our hotel room.

The rest of the night was spent watching TV, and dozing off. We went to bed at around 10pm, but I couldn't sleep soundly the entire night and found myself waking up all the time, and walking around. I really like the size and layout of the place. 96 square meters, and yet it felt like it was sufficient space for you to live in.

Thirdy had a crying fit during the night as he was looking for Tita Fe so that woke up Chea and my mom for a while. After half an hour or so, he was able to get back to sleep.

Breakfast!

The setting

the food towel

The other tables

In the morning, we woke up at about 7am and headed down to the ground floor to have our breakfast. We were the third group there, but there were sufficient tables and chairs around as guests arrived later.

The choices

The main course was a set meal. You would choose one from a list and they would have it cooked. There was however a buffet area with bread, all sorts of cheese, nuts, jams, salad, and some chilled juice and milk.

Buffet breakfast items

Salad station

Nuts, cereals, and cheese!

I love the pineapply and mango chevre!

Dried fruits and nuts

Bread! The croissants were soft and flaky, just the way i like 'em!

Jams

Milk, a couple of chilled juices, and some fruits

Fruits!

My mom ordered the congee, my Dad ordered a sandwich I think, Chea ordered the wagyu tapa, and I ordered an eggs benedict.

Just this for me

As i keep on saying, I'm not a breakfast person so I was not even able to finish the Eggs Benedict. It tasted fine and it was freshly cooked so I had to let it cool a while as it was hot.

Big bowl. My mom couldn't finish a fraction of it

My dad's order. That's salmon i think.

Eggs benedict for me

Wagyu tapa for chea

Thirdy ate cereals mostly.

The meal cost 1,100 pesos for non-hotel guests. That's a bit expensive even with the unlimited option for bread, cereals and others. But it's free for our stay so I won't complain.

After breakfast, my dad and I went back to the pool so he could have a few laps while my mom and Chea packed our belongings. After half an hour or so, we went back to our room and rested a while.

Our checkout was at 12noon, but Chea and I want to check out the Asia Comicon at the World Trade Center so we were out of Discovery Primea by 10:30pm.

So how's our stay. It was pretty great.

The room is quite big, and there were a lot of freebies. There's even an activity set for your kid (if you have one) which included a bag, an activity book and coloring pens. It's unfortunate that there was only the Minnie Mouse design but Thirdy wanted to wear it soon as he saw it, so we'll be taking it back once their Mickey Mouse stock comes in.

As for the service, the people are very friendly and very accommodating. Just one call, and they're at your room within minutes. We never had to make a second call at all.

However, there's no activity room like a billiard room, or a playroom for kids, or even a gym if you want to get some burn time, although they do have a chapel. Maybe in the future when they finish the rest of their renovations.

The room that we got had the normal price of around 17,+++ pesos for an overnight stay (ouch for middle income earners like me). We actually planned on getting a smaller room for 4 adults (and a kid) which was about 7,+++ at a discounted rate, but we were upgraded three times. Discovery Primea was on its soft operations so I guess some of the higher end rooms were still available.

So yeah, if you could splurge that much for a hotel stay, Discovery Primea's a good option. It's just a street crossing away from Glorietta 4 which brings a lot of shopping options, restaurants that are easily accessible. Other luxurious options such as City of Dreams or Solaire Hotel and Casino only have expensive restaurants and boutique shops within the immediate area. You'll have to take a service shuttle to Mall of Asia.

With Discovery Primea, everything is accessible just by walking.

It's also quiet since they can't handle a lot of guests, so if you really want some serenity, this would be a perfect place for you.

Read More