Kaladkarin Diaries

17/09/2025

Mark your calendars!
Register early for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival Dice Game! Chinoylife is teaming up with The Heritage Collective and the Ramada by Wyndham Manila Central for a Tour, Talk and Play event!

Learn, eat and have lots of fun and prizes!

Scan the QR code to register!!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1GNUbLRsKY/

Are you ready to roll the dice? 🎲

The Jade Rabbit 🐇story comes to life this October 4.

Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival alongside a fascinating Binondo heritage tour and an insightful talk on the origins of the dice game!

Don’t miss out—come roll with us and make this Mid-Autumn Festival one to remember!

Date: October 4, 2025; 4 to 8 PM
Venue: Mento at Skydeck of Ramada Manila Central
Registration Fee: PHP 1,500 per person; rate includes Binondo Heritage Tour, Dinner Buffet, and Fun Dice Game Experience.

Registration here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctL3S5kxWDWJbDNCdBub7lTODh4zfCiUZkuCCtRuTK6cKvTg/viewform

This event is a proud collaboration of The Heritage Collective, Chinoy Life, and Manila Chinatown Information Center.

14/09/2025

it’s the Mid-Autumn fever soon!

Follow the mooncakes and the Jade Rabbit to Ramada by Wyndham Manila Central this October!

Tune In for more info!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17G1GDCGFC/

11/04/2025

UPDATE!!!

registrarion is now closed! We've reached the limit we have for registrations in less than 10 hours.

Thank you to everyone who signed up and shared!
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𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭
ChinoyLife’s annual 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢 returns this Maundy Thursday, a heartfelt tradition dedicated to the old and often neglected district of San Nicolas. It's a chance to rediscover the quiet soul of Manila through stories, streets, and surviving legacies.

Since 2015, key members of ChinoyLife have been organizing this free heritage walk to bring people closer to the rich yet overlooked corners of Manila’s Chinatown. It's our way of shedding light on San Nicolas — a place where memory and meaning still live on.

Once a thriving hub of commerce and a silent witness to the Philippine Revolution, San Nicolas holds its own in history. Its heritage homes and enduring architectural details speak of a Manila long past, still standing with quiet grace — though not without threat. Over time, we’ve seen historic houses give way to modern high-rises. Bit by bit, the old district fades.

This tour is not just about looking back. It’s about standing for what remains. There is an urgency to rally around these endangered spaces and recognize their value before more are lost. By joining this walk, you take part in that call — to witness, remember, and help keep this district alive in the public eye.

This year’s walk happens on 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 (𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲), 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟖:𝟑𝟎 𝐀𝐌 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟐:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌.. We’ll be gathering at the 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥.

If you’re staying in the city this Holy Week, we invite you to make the day meaningful. Come walk with us — not just a tour, but your own little act of pilgrimage through heritage and history.

Click the link below to register:
https://forms.gle/TeMRxLKdTrzbUx6e7
https://forms.gle/TeMRxLKdTrzbUx6e7
https://forms.gle/TeMRxLKdTrzbUx6e7

01/02/2025

Help me out here...

Luneta Art Fair 2025 Exclusive!
KENNY TAI of AKIM / Manila Girls has prepared full-sized renditions of the (Battle of Manila) commemorative artworks featuring the Manila Girls. Each artwork is 20 by 24 inches in size and only one print each has been produced.

The commemorative prints will be auctioned off starting Feb 1 to feb 2, 2025. For more information, please send Nilad Community a message.

I'm trying to choose which one to bid on... can you help me?

29/04/2024

Got this today!!!

Thank you so much for saving me a signed copy!!!

Something worth buying and reading in this inferno!

13/12/2023

‼️ COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT ALERT ‼️

Someone is attempting to sell the Manila Girls Calendar at a much higher price and used the artist's photos.

Please report these users on Shopee to take them down. Thank you.

Bogus Seller 1: https://shp.ee/8pu7pr2
Bogus Seller 2: https://shp.ee/tyyzcyq

You can purchase the original calendars at a real price, on sale, at the official page 👉 https://shp.ee/xx6txzm

25/10/2023

[REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED]

It's that time of the year again...

No ghost stories, but this visit to Manila's Chinoy necropolis will unravel the beauty behind the forgotten mausoleums, coupled with family histories and maybe some things 🤫

REGISTRATION IS A MUST...

• Date: 29 October 2023 (Sunday)
• Tour Duration: 9:00AM - 12:00NN
• Meet-up Venue: Main temple (Chong Hock Tong Temple), through the South Gate of the Cemetery at Felix Huertas Street.
• Registration closes on 28 October 2023, Saturday at 12:00 noon.

REGISTRATION HERE: https://forms.gle/Ct1xnpsBK4LZTJZTA

"Manila Chinese Cemetery - Heritage & Community Walk" is made possible by , , and

13/10/2023

The Manila Girls 2024 Jumbo Calendar features the current sixteen Manila Girls alongside the twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, all in one artwork to celebrate Manila's unique multicultural identity. Here's a closer look to the details.

😺 Also soon on Komiket at TABLE 105 this October 21-22 (Sat-Sun), from 11:00AM to 8:00PM at SM Megamall, Megatrade Hall 1

Bring this cultural mosaic to your wall and welcome the Year of the Dragon with the Manila Girls in 2024!

🛒 Available now on Shopee (Except from Oct 18-22):
https://shopee.ph/product/111104326/19365436133/

A collaboration of AKIM / Manila Girls X Purple Banyan

10/07/2023

NEXT SATURDAY, the historic core of Manila’s Chinatown glows brightly through this one-night-only walking and dining event! 🌙
Experience the San Nicolas at night, where tranquility embraces timeless heritage!

Wander along this historic neighborhood’s dynamic streets as it unveils its exceptional charm on a Saturday night, offering a different glimpse into its rich Spanish-colonial legacy through the unique centuries-old houses and landmarks. Discover the poignant beauty of these endangered architectural treasures, each telling a story of the past. 🎵

Concluding the tour, indulge in an authentic Chinoy dinner at a hidden 1910s restaurant (yes, San Nicolas’ top secret!), a tantalizing fusion of Chinese and Filipino cuisines — definitely its distinctive intangible heritage waiting to unfold!🍴Yours truly (yes, me!) will be talking about the dishes, its origins, and it's significance while you have your ratatouille moment while feasting.

Join us in this unforgettable experience, where history, tranquility, and culinary delights intertwine to create an enchanting evening in this heart of Chinatown. ✨

LIMITED SLOTS ONLY AT 20 PAX!
"From Dusk Till Dinner in San Nicolas" is a walking tour and a dining experience brought you by The Heritage Collective , AKIM / Manila Girls Manila By Night and Purple Banyan .

Date: 15 July 2023 (Saturday)
Tour Duration: 5:00PM - 8:00PM
Dinner Time: 8:00PM - 9:00PM
Meet-up Venue: Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz, in front of Binondo Church

Registration here (or click the link in our Bio or Stories):
https://forms.gle/xa3FjsvScnxwEDZH6

Ticket Price per Guest (Inclusive of tour, dining, and souvenir):

Regular Rate: P2,000.00 from July 10-14

23/05/2023

I am proud to say I am one of the few people who still send snail mail to friends. Despite the presence of emails and differen messenger apps, I still take the time to buy stationaries, write a handwritten letter, seal the envelopes and visit the post office to send it.

Others might think heritage advocates, snail mail enthusiasts and stamp collectors are overreacting to the post office fire. WE ARE NOT OVERREACTING.

The Philippine postal system has a history spanning over 250 years. The Philippine Postal Corporation traces its beginnings to Act No. 462 of the Philippine Commission on September 15, 1902, creating the Bureau of Posts. Before that, Manila's first post office was established in 1767 during the Spanish period.

The neoclassical style building was designed by Juan M. Arellano, Tomás Mapúa and Ralph Doanein. The construction of the building began on 1926 under the supervision of the architecture firm of Pedro Siochi and Company.

The post office continued its service in 1942 despite the letters being censored by the Japanese. It was destroyed during World War II (1945) but was rebuilt in 1946, after the war.

As for people like me who like writing and sending letters via snail mail... There is something about snail mails that emails don't have :

1. Letters are personal- A handwritten note shows the recipient how much they mean to you.“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.” Regardless of the words on the page, the effort behind written correspondence sends a message in itself.

2. You can keep your own history- Letters are responsible for a great deal of what we know about history. Saved letters tell a story, unlike deleted text messages and emails.

3. Letters are tangible. Correspondence you can see, touch, smell, and keep is a rarity. A letter travels — sometimes — thousands of miles to arrive in someone’s hands. The entire experience encompasses the senses, and it doesn’t have to be lost to technology.

4. And lastly, according to Lord Byron... “Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company.”