{"id":736,"date":"2013-11-03T06:01:59","date_gmt":"2013-11-03T06:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=736"},"modified":"2013-11-03T06:04:32","modified_gmt":"2013-11-03T06:04:32","slug":"check-the-underground-at-the-collective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/check-the-underground-at-the-collective\/","title":{"rendered":"Check the ‘underground’ at The Collective"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who was it who said that the only thing permanent in this world is change? Yeah, yeah\u2026 you may want to go pilosopo<\/em> and argue against that point; but it still highlights how \u2013 arguably particularly nowadays, with the highlighting of the world\u2019s pre-occupation with quickly-achieved fame and fortune (e.g. look at the fame delivered at the feet of those who made \u201cleaked\u201d sex videos) \u2013 humanity\u2019s fickle-mindedness has never been most apparent. Now add to that list of impermanence our pre-occupation with what\u2019s \u201cin\u201d and what\u2019s \u201cout\u201d. And here, we need only go to various parts of the Philippines to see scattered examples.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Think of Torres St. in Davao City, which once hosted a thriving party scene that seemed to go on forever. But after various venues closed, it now makes for an ideal location to shoot a horror movie (think of a ghost town and you\u2019d get the point). Closer to home, there\u2019s the \u201cdemise\u201d of Malate in the City of Manila as the (somewhat) bohemian capital of Metro Manila, with the \u201cin\u201d places closing or moving out, so that what\u2019s left are tacky (and sleazy) hanging out venues, or multinational corporation (MNC) junks. And then there was Cubao\u2019s Mogwai, which just\u2026 ceased to exist.<\/p>\n

What this temporariness highlighted are two (interconnected) key lessons as far as \u201cin\u201d versus \u201cout\u201d venues are concerned. On the one hand, what\u2019s \u201cin\u201d now will not be \u201cin\u201d forever. On the other hand, be sure to head to the \u201cin\u201d places at some point \u2013 particularly while they\u2019re still the \u201cmost happening\u201d places; and not only because you want to be part of the \u201cin\u201d crowd (though for many this matters), but because you can really only experience a place\u2019s vibe when you drop by while it was at its peak.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>That\u2019s a (somewhat) lengthy intro to discuss The Collective \u2013 this (somewhat) \u201cunderground\u201d venue in Makati City that is (worryingly) starting to be swallowed by condo developments all around it.<\/p>\n

The \u201cunderground\u201d culture, by the way, continues to be hard to \u201ccapture\u201d in the Philippines. Yes, YES, I know that sounds\u2026 oxymoronic \u2013 after all, it is \u201cunderground\u201d, so getting \u201ccaptured\u201d is not its intention. But, heck, we don\u2019t even have a skate park in the Philippines that we can be proud of (!). It is, therefore, more common seeing skateboarding happening in front of KFC (in Buendia in Makati); or Rajah Sulayman Park (in Manila); or some of SM\u2019s car parks. Often, too, the skateboarders are chased away by security guards (if not the police themselves).<\/p>\n

Yes, having a place where one can be \u201cdifferent\u201d is important. And finding such a place is just as important.<\/p>\n

In so many ways, The Collective attempts to be such a venue.<\/p>\n

The Collective is actually a gathering of venues in one place, so that just about everyone\u2019s preference is readily serviced.<\/p>\n

You want to go vegetarian, but know (for a fact) that vegetarianism is NOT cheap? Head to Wabi Sabi<\/a>.
You are into organic stuff, but don\u2019t know where to start? Head to The Ritual<\/a>.
You believe that art galleries do not always represent the best, and wonder if there are other galleries where the not-so-popular yet better-than-mainstream-shit are exhibited? Try Kanto Artist Run Space<\/a>.
Wanna learn a new musical instrument? Lessons are offered Ukulele Philippines.
Wanna satisfy the comics craving? Head to Castle Geek.<\/p>\n

And I have not even scratched the surface.<\/p>\n

There are restos, bars, fashion stores\u2026 you get the point.<\/p>\n

I fear that this place may not last for long.
The venue sits on a prime real estate location.
And that condo that was only recently finished beside is already being advertised by (gasp!) Kris Aquino-filled posters that serve as come-ons.<\/p>\n

And when it folds, it\u2019s gonna be sad, indeed.
After all, we call can\u2019t just pack our bags to head to Sagada<\/a> or Puerto Princesa<\/a> to check the non-mainstream.<\/p>\n

But while it\u2019s there, head to The Collective.<\/p>\n

You may just find something to tickle your fancy.<\/p>\n

And if that \u201csomething\u201d celebrates what\u2019s \u201cdifferent\u201d in you, so much the better.<\/p>\n

The Collective is located at 7274 Malugay St., San Antonio Village, Makati City, Metro Manila.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introducing The Collective, this (somewhat) \u201cunderground\u201d venue in Makati City that is worryingly starting to be swallowed by condo developments all around it. Offering venues appealing to various (and not always) mainstream preferences, it’s time to head to this place to check out what it has to offer in case it starts to disappear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,3,7],"tags":[433,192,197,380,191],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-dining-out","category-spotlight","category-travel","tag-alternative-venues","tag-the-collective","tag-the-ritual","tag-vegetarian","tag-wabi-sabi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions\/740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}