Manila International Auto Show 2010

Naks, 2 blog posts in 2 days

Here is my “coverage” of the the recently concluded Manila International Auto Show. I went on the last day, April 18, 2010, Sunday, at about 4:30 pm. Manila International Auto Show or “MIAS” is not really known for customized cars. Although there are, they are separate from the the major car brands’ booths. And if you’re familiar with the World Trade Center, the custom cars are at the smaller building at the left side. MIAS is also known for Russ Swift—that precision driver dude who drives cars on their sides, and parallel parks like there’s no tomorrow—all of which I have not seen in the 3 years I’ve been going.

What’s special about this year’s show? Tough one, but WilCars is at the top of my list. WilCars is a collaboration between Alex Restoration and, wait for it, Willie Revillame. In other words, there is a space there with a Ferrari, a Porsche, 2 Mustangs and an Audi R8—all of which are Willie’s, all of which have “WIL” in their license plates. Papi, idol ka talaga. More about cars in the gallery, click below.

Thoughts In Binary’s “Mahal Ko Na Siya Bebot of the Show”

Go figure. I don’t know what it is about these promo girls, but with all these blogs covering them, they’ve become celebrities in their own right. Phrases like “uy, si Mica Atanacio” or “uy paps, si Jem Milton” come out of our mouths like rapid fire. And in each of these shows, there is always someone, often a new discovery, whom I’d like to take home and… Usually she’d be the one quietly taking her job seriously, while most “Pinoy parazzi” hoard the likes of Paulene So and Abby Poblador.

Meet Ms. Sherlyn Gonzales. By the way, that’s a really funny name. I know she might not look much in the photo below, I was shocked too when I downloaded them, but believe me, she is damn fine. I then googled “Sharlene Gonzales” after remembering how much I laughed when I asked her name, and this was the only link I came up with. I’m not even sure if that’s her, because Jesus, the bangs ha. Pero ganda niya, pasok na pasok sa criteria. Click below, marami pang kwento sa gallery.

Naujan, Oriental Mindoro

Was where we went to, Holy Week 2010. Why? Because we did not have any plans, and like I “tweeted” (yes, I have Twitter), we almost ended up in Puerto Galera. Naujan is about two hours away from White Beach via automobile. The only reason we got to know of this unheard municipality is because of our third wheel, Reeza ni Sir A, of whom whose family hails from, who at the last minute suggested we go to instead—since Sir A could not come.

Going to Naujan, we took our usual Puerto Galera route with minor modifications—figure out a way to go to Alabang, bus from Alabang to Batangas Pier, Batangas Pier to Calapan via roro (minor modification), then 45-minute jeep ride to Naujan town proper.

So what the hell is in Naujan? Nothing, really. Although the bore was mainly caused by us not having a car to go around by. Literally minutes before leaving, I googled for some exciting scenery and found out about some lakes and falls—all of  which ended up in our hindi napuntahan, next time nalang list.

To cut Naujan some slack, here are some of the things I’d never forget: They had naturally-hot water coming out from their pipes. It was really hot and it made me say “Ang kulit ng tubig dito” a dozen times. They had this nice, clean and huge probinsya “plaza” (as in “kita tayo sa plaza…”), where the locals gathered and mingled on an almost daily basis. The town is dead by 8:00 pm, so if you have an inuman session and run out of beer, sorry.

What else? The beach, or rather, the dagat is referred to by the locals as “Black Beach.” Typical dagat for me, but just imagine how the two girls I was with reacted. In fact, we were foreigners in an unforeign land, simply because we had Likas Papaya skin. Oh before I forget, the standard ulam order in their “restaurants” was Php 30. Dirt cheap, and so does a pack of Marlboros (Php 30. Php 34-35 in a typical Manila sari-sari), which left me really, really dumbfounded.

So, that’s it? No, I have to end this post in a high note. And this, said in nothing but pure honesty, so help me, God, is the truth and nothing but the truth. The locals, I love you guys. You are the best. As cheap as the food already was, we could have survived even without our wallets. Food and drinks everywhere, food just after we’ve eaten, and lodging good for three separately (which we did not take, obviously). Plus, the locals can drink. Good thing I have some summer practice. Special shout out to the Gayos and Balita families.

Click below for photo coverage.