Chinatown! Binondo simply the world's best in vibrant colors

Binondo a small district of manila is the oldest chinatown in the world. Established by the spaniards in 1594, Binondo is not only a mere tourist comeon or attraction for foreigners and locals. It is a living legacy of chinese migrant's significant influence in Philippine culture and society.This chinatown may not be properly mapped out as the chinese have spread their presence throughout the capital city of metro manila. But many chinoys have established binondo as their base and signs of their chinese heritage and dominance in the city is evident throughout binondo. Binondo is roughly cornered by the pasig river, tondo and sta cruz districts. Its merely a bridge away from the famous walled city of Intramuros, another historcical place where it was once the spanish colonizer's seat of government.

no theyre not M&Ms

OK hear me out, what are the chances in your lifetime that you'd see four godzillas at the back of a truck? LOL

The chinese who have positioned themselves in binondo have embraced christianity. Numerous chapels and churches stand alongside buddhist temples which dot the binondo area. The biggest landmark here is the binondo church or the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz which prides itself for being the home of the first filipino saint, lorenzo ruiz who himself is of chinese descent.

What is a chinatown without business? Binondo is actually within walking distance to divisoria which is the center of the universe if youre one who likes to shop really cheap goods. But binondo has its own areas for shopping and dining, and its quite spreadout to adjoining sta cruz and divisoria districts. Ongpin street is ground zero for chinese restaurants, chinese gift shops and souvenirs, chinese drugstores, and so much more. The food! OH there are endless blogs on how people love the food in binondo, you can check them out. People also go to binondo for custom made chinese jewelry, jades, etc. Benavidez street is another famous street in binondo with schools, hospitals, restos etc.

Binondo is best visited during the dry season, traffic can get pretty bad during peak seasons like christmas and before school opennings. Sundays and Saturdays are also less busy days. There are hotels in the area. You can check them in trip advisory. Prices vary considerably depending on the luxury of the accomodation or lack of it hehe. And dont forget to walk along carvajal street, its also called umbrella alley, its a narrow walkway between buildings, they have the best streetfood in town.

Dream, draw and do business!

Hi im Jim, startup blogger, bag vendor, bag designer, a former broadsheet contributor, wannabe photographer and lover of life. Welcome to my UMAY blog, where you simply cant get enough of a good thing. As a kid i was a dreamer, quiet shy sensitive not your typical bully type neither was i smart or sporty.

You can say i was lost with my own world full of ideas, color, self expressions...i was the kid who climbed trees took my snacks up there and stared at the clouds. Wishing for UFOs to snatch me...hehe just stretching it a bit LOL.

Anyway as an adult i grew a brain and horns too...LOL Got involved in the usual adult stuff, responsibilities, payment of bills, entreprenurial skills and getting my staff excited about my work and their jobs. But i still do the things that i like ... i no longer look at the sky with much frequency though but i now love to express myself thru my work. Im a bag designer too! well atleast i try to be. Got tons of ideas and in this blog i like to share part of me that i hope would inspire others to do business startups!

BE INSPIRED. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE TOO CREATIVE. Appreciate and absorb the world around you. Not everyone is born to paint, draw, sculpt, dance, etc. But you can learn to appreciate nice stuff, their aesthetic side and marvel at the skill, talent and creativity of others. After appreciation, you practice at what branch of art you wish to pursue. You can draw, dance, do acrobatics, do paintings, sketches, play a musical instrument, sing etc...the key words are practice, discipline, and exposure. Make the world know that you have something great to offer.

DREAM. As a kid i love to draw, i even sketch at my test paper in school and get reprimanded by the teacher. But even with the distractions in life from school, peer pressure and life's pressure cooker, i never stopped looking at the sky and expressing myself in what i do.

I design backpacks, pouches, promotional bags for the local market and i also do client's requests for their own customized designs.

THE INTERNET IS TEEMING WITH IDEAS. Be inspired of the mind boggling source of ideas you see over the net. Some ideas are simple but some are complex. But i rather apply designs that are simple or even wacky, none too preachy or bold. If you plan to do business startups make sure you work on a common theme and work up from there.

FIND YOUR CORE. You dont need to be too smart to make your ideas into something productive. Make sure your ideas has a market that can compete in a maze of varied tastes and preferences. Belive me even crazy ideas like the one below can turn into cash if you have an eye for design.

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE ORIGINAL ALL THE TIME. Even established brands do copies of their competitors. Just be mindful that you dont cross the line and get sued for copyright infridgement.

Dont be afraid to develop new designs, try new ideas. People are always on the lookout for something different. Mistakes are part of the learning process, your successes will outnumber your flops when you gain more experience with the consumer.

GET A BRAND. It should be catchy, memorable, pleasing to the eye. Your identity as a businessman is best expressed by the brand or businessname that you use. There are plenty of people out there who can help you out in developing your product image and brand name. I created and designed my own brand so you dont need to spend much on it. As for the marketing aspect, i do my own groceries hehe just kidding. There are plenty of resource materials on it.

how to take a picture with the boracay sandcastles!

Boracay is the Philippines's top tourist attraction, drawing tourists from around the world. Its been cited as the most beautiful tropical beach several times over by international travel magazines.

The island is like an hour and a half away by plane from the capital manila to the island of aklan by the kalibo international airport, and an hour and a half more by bus from kalibo to caticlan. Then you have to take the half an hour boat ride to the island. Air Asia and Cebu Pacific have flights daily to kalibo. So if there are no delays from manila you would be in the island in less than five hours. There are also smaller planes that fly directly to caticlan which is the port town connecting boracay to aklan and that cuts the travel time considerably. I personally used Southwest transport service, and theyre good providing convenient safe, affordable and secured transportation from the airport in kalibo thru their buses, sea worthy vessel and their mini cabs to your chosen resort in the island.

Tourists prefer staying at white beach which is four kilometers of white sand and this is where most of the resorts and attractions are located plus the island's entertainment and shopping area. There are other more quiet beaches too like bulabog beach on the other side of the island which caters to kite boarders.and my personal favorite, the rustic and more pristine Puka beach. Like any picture perfect holiday getaway there many activities to be enjoyed in the island, from parasailing, helmet diving, partying at the beach, kite boarding, sand skimming, and so much more. Well for filipino locals like me, who has been to the island for several times, i simply like bumming around, watch the sunsets, drink my mango shake and just lazily stroll in the beach.

and whats a great beach without sandcastles? Not much unless you want to look like ship wreck survivors posing for a souvenir hehe. In Boracay, voted as the best beach in the world, sandcastles are grand, sculpted with intricate details and hence worthy of a great photo opportunity or selfie.

these sandcastles are built early in the morning ususally by skilled entreprenures hehe and theyre taken down in the evening. They charge 15pesos unlimited photoshots per person. So if you have three people thats P45pesos. You can ask them to take your picture as a group or indivicually or by pairs. So before you try to do your poses its important that you study your poses. Aferall you ddnt ride a plane thousands of miles away from freezing north america or europe to strike a pose like you wanted to take the earliest flight out of the island hehe.

OK not a very memorable photo. Take a minute to study the finished product then give it your best shot!

Better! Make sure you add some movement, and dont try to simply stand there like a lamp post. Remember youre there to be merry so loosen up!

If youre the type who likes to show more personality to your photos you can do this! I actually ripped my shorts trying to raise the angle higher hehe

whether side or center dont cover the sandcastles, it took hours for the boracay boys to make one of these. and Oh be mindful of your surroundings, there are plenty of people nearby who might take advantage of your "tourist mindset" and grab one of your things like a "falling sunglasses" hehehe

Here is my favorite, stretch out your arms on both sides and give that sun kissed boracay island smile. Boracay wants you babeh!