Gundamaniac

Where does an Otaku in Manila go to to get his dose of otaku goodies? Well for an otaku in Manila there’s no better place to be at than the Greenhills shopping complex.

This mall is divided into 6 major areas, however there are numerous stalls in between these areas that primarily sell bootleg designer bags, shoes, shirts, watches, etc. to test out one’s bargaining skills. I usually stay clear away from this area but if you do want to visit this area, note that if you look and/or sound foreign to these folks, a safe bet would probably be to start bargaining at less than 50% of their selling price. And it would be prudent to check out the item first before forking over your cash, since there isn’t any real guarantee that one won’t end up with a faulty watch or mobile phone from these sellers.
Anyway back to the subject, the first and oldest of these major areas is the grocery store called Unimart, younger kinder-sized otakus could probably ask their parents to let them go off to do some otaku shopping while their parents are busy doing the grocery. ^^;
the second is called Vmall, where one would find his fill on most electronics, gaming and computer needs. However there are two or three otaku shops located here as well, one of which is Best Toys, this shop has the largest selection of gundam kits for sale than any shops within the shopping complex.

And when one gets hungry from carrying around gundam kits and figures, one can go off to the Bridgeway, TheaterMall or Promenade for a bite to eat. The TheaterMall and Promenade however have movie theaters for people who would want to rest up a bit longer. Don’t be fooled by the name though, I found that the theater at the Promenade to be better than that of the Theatermall’s.



And finally Shoppesville, where shops with the most otaku goods can be found. Incidently this is where me sponsor Wasabi Toys is located. Just above Daiso.

Along the proximity of Manila Bay, one would find the largest mall in the Philippines and apparently the third largest mall in the world: the SM Mall of Asia. It is possible that one might find just about anything in this mall, I however don’t usually go there since I would just end up lost and frustrated while trying to find stuff I might want to buy.
The movie theater in this mall however is another sight to see. This mall has the country’s only Imax theater and another normal-sized theater which can only seat 30 viewers since it uses 30 La-z-boy recliner seats.

further down road along the Bay one would find Diamond hotel.

and up on the topmost floor is where one could go up and treat themselves with dinner and a nice view at the Le Bellevue Restaurant.


Wagyu Beef and fries.

Lamb and Rice for the missus.

and Finally Dessert! ^^

I’ve been going around different countries taking photos from various places, however I think it’s about time I took some shots of places in the country where I currently reside. I’ll probably be doing this type of post from time to time, showing you places and things to see in the Philippines, specifically Metro Manila. However if you folks who frequent this blog do find such type of post pointless and boring, please let me know.
Here are some shots of a place in Ortigas Center, Pasig called Edsa Shangri-la Plaza. Folks visiting Manila won’t have problem finding this place, since it’s right smack in the middle of the main city highway called Edsa.

The shots here were taken from the roof of the mall facing the 5-star Edsa Shangri-la hotel.

A few steps away from the Shangri-la is another mall called SM Megamall. The Megamall is actually the third largest mall in the Philippines and is one of the bigger malls among a mall chain called SM. Some say that SM is an abbreviated name for Shoemart to which these malls would find their roots, specializing in selling shoes. These days however you’d find just about anything you might need in this mall. And yes the list includes otaku need (although not so extensive). Incidentally this is also one of the places I would go to find paints for me gundams. ^^;

although I already included this image on one of my earlier post on my trip to Singapore. I thought to myself, this particular image deserves a post of its own. This Gundam Graffiti can be found in the Cathay mall, somewhere along Orchard road. ^^

if the graffiti art was commissioned by the store owner, wonder what sort of store is he going to open. ^^

the Third and last day started out with a visit to Esplanade Hall for some sightseeing.



notice the large number of cranes on the left, looks like Singapore is building a new casino hopefully to rival Macau.

found there Indiana Jones lego set at a nearby mall. looks like Lego is the first to jump in with the toy franchise for new upcoming movie.

some mos burger lunch. ^^

Thought I might take up Alafista’s recommendation of visiting China Square Central for some more Otaku Shopping. and found out this place was one stop every Otaku visiting Singapore must go to. just be sure to do your visit after lunch since most stores aren’t open til noon. ^^;


found a store that sells antiques, and among them was this curious figure. didn’t realize they made figures that long time ago. ^^

my goodie bag. ^^ I could probably only name five of the characters on it. ^^;

and finally some light salad at Border’s Cafe. ^^