Category: Geek/Gaming

Urban legends in Manila: Balete Drive, Manila Film Center and more

The Philippines has its fair share of urban legends. A lot of Filipinos are superstitious or use horror stories to scare children into good behavior. We’ve all heard ghost stories or supernatural tales usually depicted as having happened to a friend of a neighbor or a distant family member and passed along by word of mouth, newspapers, and social media. Some urban legends have achieved cult classic status and become the subject of horror films and Halloween-related segments featuring haunted places in Manila.

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How I’m Coping with a Life of No Travel

Like you, I miss the freedom of the open road. I miss that feeling of discovery, of stepping foot somewhere new for the first time and knowing that there’s a beautiful world just waiting out there to be explored. As much as I used to complain about travel burnout in the past, there are simple things I miss about pre-COVID travels. Like riding somewhere without the fear of being stopped at a checkpoint; those sudden and unexpected trip assignments to cover events in another province; or just random city adventures and drinks at a bar afterwards with friends.

I know there are so many bigger problems out there. So many people have been left jobless and businesses everywhere are suffering because of restricted movements brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty of this virus and the possibility of getting sick and dying is very real. Everyone has switched to survival mode and leisure travel should be the furthest thing from everyone’s mind.

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Biking in Balara Filters Park

The Balara Filters Park is one of the oldest recreation areas in Quezon City. First opened to the public in 1953, this 60-hectare park (almost as big as Rizal Park) is located in the Diliman village of Pansol in Quezon City, adjacent to the University of the Philippines Diliman main campus. This intriguing place contains an assortment of Art Deco structures, an old windmill, a replica of a fountain designed by a national artist, a picnic grove, an amphitheater, and several playgrounds.

Despite being one of Quezon’s City major parks, the historic value of the structures, and natural beauty of the surroundings, the park now lies in a sad state of neglect and dilapidation, resembling an eerie ghost town rather than a public park. Biking through this area always makes me feel like I’ve just entered Silent Hill or a long-abandoned town in The Last of Us.

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Klook Unveils Home-Based Experiences & Free Virtual Tours

Social distancing, travel restrictions, and stay-at-home measures have limited our ability to travel and the desire for the human connection is now more important than ever. To help customers stay connected even while staying at home, Klook, a world-leading travel activities, and services booking platform announced the launch of its new home-based experiences initiative, Klook Home. 

Klook Home consists of home-based online experiences such as fitness and wellness online classes, digital learning workshops, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) gardening and baking kits, as well as free virtual tours to help you stay connected, wherever you are across the globe.

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7 Video Games that Will Inspire you to Travel

I’ve always felt like traveling is like playing an open-world video game. But instead of being guided by some main storyline or quest list, you get to choose your own adventure, save up resources so you can go to the parts of the world you want to explore, try to visit as many places as possible by breezing through or stay longer so you can explore each place ore thoroughly. Every person has their own style of gaming and traveling, and that’s ok. But going on these virtual adventures can sometimes inspire you to look for real-world equivalents.

Pretty much every action-adventure or role-playing game (RPG) game I’ve played has inspired me to travel from Legend of Legaia and Spyro to Diablo and The Last of Us. But if I had to pick just a few, these are those that really stood out and inspired me to travel and embark on personal travel quests in real life. If you’re stuck at home, here are some video games you can play to get a travel fix.

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5 Fun Apps to Unlock New Travel Skills

For those of us who are lucky to be safe in our homes while we wait out this COVID-19 quarantine, it’s easy to just spend all day watching Netflix or surfing the net. While we can’t and shouldn’t be traveling for leisure right now, this extra time is a perfect opportunity to learn important new skills or gain knowledge that could give you an edge while traveling.

Here are just a few productivity apps that will help you unlock new skills essential for travel that might just come in handy for your next trip.

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5 Iconic Motorcycles in Video Games

It looks like it might be a while before most of us can get any real riding given the world’s state. The best thing I can do right now is turn on my console and pretend I am. For those who don’t know, aside from traveling, I like playing video games, so I’ll be catching up on some of my gaming-related content while staying indoors.

Since I started riding, I’ve always been inspired by video games for travel and exploration. In fact, my own custom motorcycle Fenrir was inspired by the video game Final Fantasy VII.

With Fenrir, my Final Fantasy-inspired custom bike
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Tipsy Tales: Portal to Pinoy Folklore

Have you ever wanted to step into a Fairy Tale storybook or enter the hidden realm of mythical creatures? How would you react if you came face to face with a dwende or a kapre? You can do that in Tipsy Tales, an immersive theatre featuring tales from Philippine folklore right in the comforts of Eastwood Mall in Quezon City.

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Mythical Destinations in the Philippines

Aside from traveling and motorcycling, one of my favorite hobbies is playing video games. A couple of months ago, I celebrated the completion of my Project 81 quest by finally buying a PlayStation 4. I’ve since finished Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and loved exploring the massively beautiful world of Horizon Zero Dawn.

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JAPAN | Cyberpunk Dystopia at Kawasaki Warehouse in Tokyo

If you’re a fan of horror / zombie / survival video games like Silent Hill or Left4Dead, you know how immersive playing them can be. Sometimes, playing them makes you want to know what it feels to actually be inside those virtual worlds.

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