Article - The Greenhills toy store crawl

Photo taken from http://www.greenhills.com.ph/details.asp?storeid=2822

For many toy collectors in Metro Manila, there has always been one place they could go to: Greenhills. This shopping center has been a toy collector’s Mecca since the 1980s (when I first visited), and through fire and renovations has survived and thrived, with older shops closing, and newer ones taking their place.

For now, let’s look at some of the shops that sell toys. I’d like to say, though, that in the interests of keeping this article short, I only included the ones that either I usually go to, or the ones that I know can offer interesting deals or finds. There are many more shops, and I’ll probably have a sequel to this article to present more of them. Anyway, here are some of the more popular toyshops within the Greenhills area....

To read the full article, please go to The Philippine Online Chronicles

Article - Opening the box: Grown men who collect toys

One of the more popular articles about hobbies that I wrote for The Philippine Online Chronicles.

Opening the box: Grown men who collect toys

The following scenario could quite probably be many a woman’s nightmare:

You’ve just met a good-looking, well-mannered, educated guy, who looks like he’s also wise enough to be able to save up for the future. So a few dates later, he asks you over to his place. The moment he turns the lights on in his apartment, you are suddenly surrounded by toy robots, all in glass cases.

Oh, the horror. You’ve been dating a toy collector.

Click here to read the full article over at the Philippine Online Chronicles

Article - Adultescents: Playing in the fountain of youth

Here's another article I wrote for the Philippine Online Chronicles that touches on hobbies.

Adultescents: Playing in the fountain of youth

It’s one of the newer terms inspired by the mish-mash that is pop culture: the Adultescent.

Forever young
Do you have a friend who still acts and sometimes looks the same as he was in high school? Does he still dress up in clothes that belong to a younger generation? Is he totally immersed in youth culture, playing their games, listening to their songs, and watching the same TV shows?

Well then, chances are, you have a person who could be an adultescent. However, it’s not just acting young that makes the adultescent what he (or she – there are female versions, too!) is. And just like many things, there are both good and bad sides for adultescents.

Click here to read the full article at the Philippine Online Chronicles

Article - Married, with hobbies!

This is one of the few times that the articles I write coincide with my hobbies. Here's the quick blurb, and I surely wouldn't mind if you do read the whole article over at the Philippine Online Chronicles. Enjoy!

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Married, with hobbies!

Now that my generation is mostly married, many people who aren’t our age – normally the younger ones – ask how it is that we can keep up with our hobbies once marriage and kids are involved. After all, hobbies involve money, and with children and house expenses to think about, hobbies are definitely way down on the list. Even more unusual is the fact that my generation seems to be one of the first to invest deeply in “geeky” hobbies – hobbies that revolve around toys, TV shows, animated shows, science fiction, or fantasy.

And yet, many married couples now challenge that notion. I contacted three of my friends, and they willingly contributed their experiences with being married hobbyists...

Read the full article at the Philippine Online Chronicles