Mindoro Nickel Supports Mangyan School Kids for School Year 2010

On a lighter note, some great Back-to-School news this June.

For school year 2010, Mindoro Nickel continues its support for the Bright Minds Reading program in partnership with the Philippine Department of Education and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The grassroots educational program strives to help the reading, writing and comprehension skills of grade school children particularly our Mangyan school children. This year, the program covers some 10,500 Grade 1 pupils and 298 public school teachers.

Arts & Crafts and Oil Paint Supply Shops in Manila

Deovir Art Supplies is the oldest art store in the Philippines. They have the most diverse arts and crafts supply line ranging from painting supplies to crafts and scuplting supplies. This is the store where you can find rare craft tools such as Liquid Masking Film, acrylic emulsions and liquid_sculpey. Located at the University belt, the store is accesible to fine arts students and craft entusiasts. 

Visit Deovir's website http://www.deovir.com

The Deovir Art Supplies facebook page is also amazing because they personally reply to your queries and update you with their supply list and prices. You may also follow Deovir on twitter

The Beadsnob also has a thorough feature on Deovir. Click here http://beadsnob.blogspot.com/2010/03/arts-crafts-supply-stores-in-manila.html

The TOPs or The Oil Paint Store is an online stop where you can have your paint and art supplies delivered at your doorstep. http://www.theoilpaintstore.com/

What art supplies do they offer?

• Watercolor Pencils
• Charcoal Pencil
• Palette Knife
• Odorless Turpenoid
• Painting Butter
• Gesso Primer
• Acrylic Gesso
• Grumbacher Gesso
• Mixable Oil Medium
• Stretched Canvas
• Paint Brushes
• Artist Oils

You may also visit their main store at 2119 Manuel Hizon St. in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines (a block away from SM San Lazaro)

Click to enlarge map

Telephone: 02-7885932
Open from Monday to Saturday
9 am - 12 noon
1 pm - 6 pm
Close on Sundays & Holidays

Western Union Branches Open on a Sunday or Holiday in the Philippines?

What if your international remittance arrives on a Sunday or worse on a holiday? What Western Union branch should you go to?

The best branch is Sanry's Money Changer and Western Union booth at Greenbelt 1 Mall Makati along Paseo de Roxas and Sanrys at ParkSquare (right beside Wendys Burger). They are open on Sundays and on holidays.

On Holy week, they are open until Holy Wednesday. They close shop for Holy Thursday and Good Friday and resume operations on Black Saturday and Easter Sunday. They are open during the Greenbelt mall hours.

During the Christmas season the branch is open all day on December 24. The December 25 schedule is half-day and during the afternoons mall-hours only. They resume regular all-day operations from 26-31st prior to New Year's Day.

For 2010, Sanrys Money Changer in Greenbelt 1 and ParkSquare (in front of Dusit Thani Hotel) were open during December 25. This is my personal experience only. As most payments come in time for Christmas, we spent Christmas day scouring the city for Western Union branches open for business. Your best bet is the business district like Makati and moneychangers like Sanrys which open for the OFWs, balikbayans and tourists. The Sanrys Moneychanger Greenbelt branch was open from 2pm to 6pm while the Park Square branch was open from 1pm-6pm last December 25. Expect the same money changer's schedule for New Year's Eve.