incessant rambling

Solo Flight, Siquijor, Philippines

2012-02-05T09:15:00.000+05:30

"there is no black magic in the island-province and if someone offers you these services they are fakes and should be reported to the local government." the big billboard literally screams at you from the entrance of the port of Siquijor.

you can just imagine the reaction of my friends when i told them that i was heading there, alone, first time, no contacts.

the last time i traveled alone to a completely new place was way back in 2003 for a business trip to kuala lumpur im malaysia. then again, one of my "bestest" friend is based there so it was not such a daunting experience as i had someone to meet me up during my down time.

some koreans i met that were having their photo op in the Siquijor port, yes, this is the port of Siquijor - gorgeous beach and all

the reputation of the place precedes the island-province. and if i paid any attention to the jokes of my friends, i will soon find myself a grand addition to a buffet in the middle of the mountains. witches, warlocks and all the nocturnal denizens would celebrate my arrival by having me for dinner. literally having ME for dinner.

a few uttered "tabi tabi po" acted as my instinctive ward of protection, the phrase was meant to warn unseen friends that i'm trespassing on their territory. I prayed rather often during my trip, one can never be too sure.

That aside, whether you believe in these stories, what is real is that Siquijor is a GORGEOUS place. The island province is made up of six towns and traversed by a circumferential national road that measures 75 kilometers, a drive that can be done in less than two hours.

tour guide, we ran out of gas on our way back to town. he had to run down the street to get bottled litters of gas that sari-sari stores sell on the street.

on my second day in the island, i booked a day trip to visit the places that i plotted in my itinerary. a friend gave me the contact of Nonoy, a Department of Tourism registered tour guide in Siquijor and for a total of Php 1,800, he took take care of an 8-9 hour tour that practically went around the whole island. the local government regulates the tour operators and they can't just charge an arbitrary rate. fees change depend on the mode of transportation as you can get a habal-habal (motorcycle) or a multi-cab. If you are carrying a lot of equipment I would suggest you take the multi-cab.

when making an itinerary, make sure you know exactly what you want to accomplish as it would be impractical to visit both mountain and shoreline features of Siquijor in one day. since i don't have any intention to be part of the buffet, i decided on a coastal course for my tour.

grabbed this map from the web, it highlights most of the places i visited in siquijor

For Quick Facts about Siquijor (Getting There, Getting Around, What to Do, Places to Stay) click on this link.

Here are the places i visited in sequential order, click on the header name for more pictures of the location.

PRINCESA BULAKNA <- click on link to see more pictures

early morning scene in princesa bulakna, locals go out to pick shells (locally referred to as sisi) that are usually attached to coral stones

the tour started in Princesa Bulakna resort in the town of Maria where i was billeted the previous day. Reminder to self: don't forget the resort orientation and the seasonal wind direction. if that sounded cryptic, here's a quick summary, resorts on the north-eastern side during Amihan (trade wind, north east direction from September-October to May-June) will generally have rough waters and debris on their shoreline, and in the same manner, when the Habagat winds come in, the south-western side resorts should be avoided.

from Princesa Bulakna we traveled to Lazi town that is home to the first four tourist spots for the day.

ST. ISIDORE LABRADORE AND CONVENT <- click on link to see more pictures

St. Isidore Labradore Church, viewed from the convent and framed by gigantic acacia trees

St. Isidore Labradore Church and Convent are National Historical Shrines that date all the way back to 1857 when Agustinian Recollects started the construction of these magnificent structures. The convent is considered to be the biggest in Asia during its time and feature wooden floors and pegs that hold together the structure instead of the modern iron nails.

interiors of the convent, a bit run down though it still had the original flooring and wooden pegs used to hold the structure together

CAMBUGAHAY FALLS

three layered cambugahay falls, the water invites you to take a dip in its cool embrace

Still in Lazi, we went to Cambugayay falls that is accessible from the main highway. a marker indicates the top of the 135 steps that leads to the landing area of the three tiered waterfalls that beckon visitors to take a dip in its gorgeously blue green pools. side note, manong nonoy totally avoided the trek down to the pool in the pretext of watching over our car. moderate fitness is required for this one.

CENTURY OLD BALETE TREE

the old balete tree provides shade the spring that comes out of its roots. it is purported to be 4 centuries old.

i would have missed the last tourist stop in Lazi if not for Manong Nonoy who pointed out a spot along the road that featured a towering balete tree whose trunk is so huge that it would have taken a dozen people just to put their arms around it. Nonoy quipped that the tree is close to four hundred years old, i'm inclined to believe him.

at the foot of the tree is a natural spring where you can take a dip, and in some instances, locals wash their clothes here. they should discourage the practice too close to the source of the spring as it pollutes the otherwise pristine waters.

the spring is home to a local variety of piranhas. well, for lack of education i really don't know the name of the fish that gather around your foot and nibble at dead skin if you dangle your legs along the side of the pool. tip, if you want to "encourage" the local piranhas, throw a piece of bread or cracker in the water before putting your foot in the pool. better yet, wedge a cracker between your toes and they'll soon start nibbling on your foot as well.

don't giggle too much or laugh out too loud, the engkanto probably won't like loud mouthed tourists.

COCO GROVE RESORT

the restaurant, non-guests are not allowed to go to the other areas of the resort

By this time it was almost noon and I asked Nonoy to drive us to Coco Grove resort in San Juan town to get some lunch. The place is the only upscale resort in Siquijor situated in San Juan that boasts of a very long coastline of fine white sand. Cheaper resorts are available in the area with the same access to the gorgeous beach front, in some cases, you can even access the beach front from the poblacion. Coco Grove boasts of carefully manicured lawns, gardens and a pool aside from a decent enough dining outlet where non-guests can stay.

CAPILAY SPRING PARK

this is just a portion of the spring park in capilay, the whole length stretches to about 100m and one section widens to about forty meters across close to the source of the spring.

Right in the middle of the poblacion is a huge fresh water spring, the local community built a pool around the spring at about 100m in length and subsequently built a park with benches underneath trees where local groups and a number of foreigners hang out during weekends. not to worry, the pool is big enough to allow you to have a leisurely swim without having to bump into each other.

CAPILAY PUBLIC BEACH

white sand, shoreline that stretches to forever, trees that shade the reinforced banks, perfect place for a lazy sunday

the Capilay Spring flows out to a canal where laundrywomen do their trade, the canal washes out to the sea that opens up to a gorgeous stretch of white sand along the capilay public beach. surprisingly, few people are inclined to go swimming here as most of them would rather take a dip in the fresh water spring right in the middle of the park.

old picturesque trees line the "boulevard" where a quick snooze can be done with the gentle wind lulling you to sleep.

PORT OF SIQUIJOR

this makeshift stage serves as a mock up platform where bands perform during fiestas in Siquijor Town

it was a short drive from San Juan to Siquijor where we made our first stop in the Port of Siquijor where i previously landed the other day from dumaguete. white sand that stretch far and wide before the turquoise water start to get deep, the docking port on the left remind you that you are right in the middle of the "busiest" town in the province, the line of houses on the far shore are sheltered by the palm trees that frame a magnificent view of the mountains beyond. most of the residents probably don't realize that they have the best view of the island. additional opportunities for tourism can be done if the residents get together to clean up the shore of the debris that wash up and form a local homestay program for tourists. siquijor is the perfect spot as it has access to the town and the port.

ST. FRANCIS DE ASSISI CHURCH

In the middle of the town, a mere five minute walk from the port is the old church of St. Francis de Assisi and a separate bell tower that stands about fifty meters on the right side of the church set on top of a hill. old structures are done this way as a lookout for invading moros. the church is nothing spectacular but it reminds us of the far reach of the catholic church in the Philippines.

I went back when the sun went down and got nice creepy pictures of the church and the belltower. we are indeed in siquijor and a picture set won't be complete without the required "horroresque" shot.

right across the church is the balay pari of the parish priest that is set right inside the compound of the public school. priests and young kids. perfect for a horror plot?

GUIWANON MANGROVE SPRING PARK

the spring comes from the middle lower part of the picture, you can see the water move as fresh water gushes up to mix with the saltwater coming from the sea

From the poblacion, a short drive leads you to the entrance of Guiwanon Mangrove Spring Park in the last barangay heading north of Siquijor town. The local barangay developed the mangrove property by building hanging bridges set about twenty feet from the ground that goes in the mangrove area and winds itself through the area. at certain points, huts are set up named after trees and you can presumably rent one for an overnight stay although i doubt they have the niceties of proper plumbing.

the branching bridge eventually lead you to a restaurant on stilts and comfortably sits at the shoreline of mangrove trees. i can imagine a nice view of the sunset from this location, my tour guide said that on clear nights, one can see the lights in dumaguete's boulevard.

the real attraction for this location is the fresh water spring that comes out within the mangroves and mixes with the seawater. during low tide, one can see the bubbling spring coming from the roots of a mangrove tree whereas during high tide, you only see the water gurgling as fresh water mixes with salt water.

ST. VINCENT CHURCH

My tour guide mentioned that a few marine sanctuary dot the northern side of the island heading towards Enrique Villanueva. Swimming wasn't really in my itinerary so I settled for a small church in Larena town named after St. Vincent that featured an old tower similar to that of St. Francis'. This place is not really worth visiting as the church has long since been refurbished as a gawdy new structure with too much pink paint, the tower still stands a few meters off the church and is shaped like a trapezoid compared to the conical shape of the tower in St. Francis.

I would have wanted to visit Salagdoong in Maria but considering that it is in the north eastern side of the island, i didn't want to disappoint my first experience of the penultimate beach destination in siquijor at this time. perfect reason for me to come back during Habagat season.

San Isidore Labradore and Convent, Siquijor

2012-02-04T10:30:00.000+05:30

ST. ISIDORE LABRADORE AND CONVENT

St. Isidore Labradore Church, viewed from the convent and framed by gigantic acacia trees

interiors of the convent, a bit run down though it still had the original flooring and wooden pegs used to hold the structure together

old furniture, a place where you can sit and gaze at the main street overlooking the church

wooden pegs are used to hold the pieces of the floor together

this table is cut from a single tree

stairs heading to the second floor of the convent

Siquijor, Maria

2012-02-04T10:06:00.000+05:30

PRINCESA BULAKNA

early morning scene in princesa bulakna, locals go out to pick shells (locally referred to as sisi) that are usually attached to coral stones

early morning, locals head out to collect sisi

low tide early in the morning, waters are rough and waves are big. during calmer season, princesa bulakna has a gorgeous snorkeling front as it is a marine sanctuary

a clear sunday morning

from Princesa Bulakna we traveled to Lazi town that is home to the first four tourist spots for the day.

Siquijor, Quick Facts

2012-02-04T09:52:00.000+05:30

GETTING THERE

The best way to get to Siquijor is to take a ferry from Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. Direct flights from Manila and Cebu are available via a number of options.

Alternately, you can take a direct boat trip from Cebu to Siquijor via Oceanjet in Cebu City Pier 1 but there is only one trip at 3:30PM (check the oceanjet website for schedules) and you arrive in Siquijor at around 9PM. A better option is to take the 6AM Oceanjet boat from Cebu to Dumaguete - you arrive at around 11AM and you choose boat options heading to Siquijor. at most you should be in Siquijor by around 2PM - 3PM, enough time to enjoy the beach.

there are various boats heading to dumaguete during the day, if you intend to go straight to Cebu, there is only one Oceanjet boat that leaves Siquijor at 6AM daily and you arrive in Cebu at around 12 noon.

GETTING AROUND

Boats dock in Siquijor Port and you can make arrangements for the hotel to pick you up from the port or you can arrange for any of the habal-habal (motorcyle) or multicab to bring you to your resort. Rates vary but on average multicabs to San Juan town would cost you Php 300 one way. San Juan is where most of the resorts are located. If you are heading to Enrique Villanueva or Maria (Salagdoong Beach, Princesa Bulakna etc.) it would set you back around Php 500 as it is further up north. (Check THINGS TO DO for a recommended contact for a DAY TOUR service, the contact can also pick you up and bring you to your resort upon arrival)

PLACES TO STAY AND WHERE TO EAT

If you are not particularly fixated on a beach front resort, you do have the option of staying in Siquijor town where a number of pension houses can set you back Php 1,000 a night for an airconditioned room for two. Access to food, transport and other amenities are much better in Siquijor town where you can make arrangements for day tours going around the island. San Juan would be the best location from sometime in September to early April whereas Maria and Enrique Villanueva would be the best options from April to September. Siquijor town itself is host to the gorgeous port beach where the white sand front is as fine as that of Boracay.

A list of siquijor resorts can be found in MySiquijor. Choose wisely as each location is affected by habagat and amihan winds.

THINGS TO DO

Three days and two nights is perfect for a complete Siquijor experience. Enjoy your resort on your first day and on your second day, book yourself a day tour, whether you do the habal habal or multicab version, choose your itinerary wisely. Tour operators are regulated by the local government and department of tourism and they have a fixed rate of Php 1,800 for an 8-9 hour tour of the whole province. take note that if you want to traverse and see most of the island-province, you would have to limit your stay in each location to ensure you quickly get to the next place in your itinerary. reserve your swimming for other days or in the resort where you're billeted. tour guides / drivers are generally well versed about the various tourist spots you can visit. you can also check my post for my day tour escapade. You can call Nonoy Tamala at +63 916 859 9280 to make arrangements.

Trolling the Menu List

2012-01-14T19:13:00.000+05:30

the main counter, japanese carinderia, plastic tables and seats, affordable prices and great food all around!

i did promise myself that i was going to go through the whole menu of Joed's Lutong Hapon and try to order everything in the list. so far i'm making rather quick progress as i end up going back to the place at least once a week.

i was hoping to have lunch with Amale and Noy as he wanted to try out the place, kids and school got in the way so it was just me and Amale for lunch. that shouldn't be a spoiler for the good food we ordered.

steamed mackerel sushi with ginger and parsley, surprisingly light and fresh!

Amale got the steamed sushi mackerel that looked rather malansa (or fishy, i mean it IS a fish, it looked like it smelled like a fish, wait, i'm getting confused myself, you know what i mean). the dollop of grated ginger on top of each cube was probably added to take away that malansa aftertaste.

surprisingly, it didn't taste malansa at all, amale didn't have to convince me much to get one piece from her set he he he. at least i can tick that off my menu list though i still have to order that again in some other visit for a food porn photoshoot.

beef gyudon, officially my fave dish in Joed's (as of this writing)

i ordered the beef gyudon as Edgar kept on telling me that it is absolutely delicious. i mean, have you ever heard a restaurant owner admit that their dish tasted like some regurgitated food?

then again, i still haven't been disappointed with the place except for the unfortunate incident with the ahi nato donburi (well, it is an acquired taste) so i readily agreed to the suggestion.

ebi salada maki, creamy, yummy and utterly addictive. perfect appetizer!

guess what? i would have to go back to my promise that i was going through the whole menu of Joed's as it looks like the beef gyudon is going to be a main staple in my visit. hmmmm...

luscious and soft beef, perfectly marbled with fat, stewed in mirin and soysauce with caramelized onions, just a hint of sugar and topped over fluffy rice. need i say more?

the sushi and maki station in Joed's

Call Girl and Call Boy

2012-01-14T17:46:00.005+05:30

i graduated with a degree of computer science in one of the premier universities of the country, how is it then that i ended up as a call boy?

that joke never fails to crack up students when i get invited to talk about careers in call centers. that would be a legitimate job title right?

then again, it got me wondering how the term call girl became synonymous with "prostitute"? i presume it was because the men who would pick up these ladies on the streets would make sitsit to call the attention of a streetwalker. sitsit is a uniquely filipino way of calling someone, for lack of a real reference, you can make the same sound by imitating a snake and end the sound with a hard "t", sssst sssst.

as with most "imported' concepts, there has to be an etymology for "call girl" and my friend sent me a text message that the concept was invented in Melbourne, Australia where owners of brothels set up an "ordering" system by telephone, hence the term "call girl".

it piqued my curiosity and i did a bit more research and confirmed the fact alongside the added information that the system was set up as early as 1891, hence making Australia the original birthplace of call centers.

*picture not mine

counting calories

2012-01-12T18:55:00.000+05:30

frustration is a bad thing. in this case, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

i was craving for this particular lasagna in bleep bleep (you'll understand why i can't name the resto in a bit) and decided to drop by the resto with santa's helpers after a rather drawn out meeting with our client.

too bad, the lady told me they were out of stock, too bad that was my second attempt to drive all the way to that place just for that. it's that popular and the friggin funny thing is that it is supposed to be a COFFEE shop. well, if you know me well enough you'd understand that i'm not a coffee person. so there, i'm not going to promote the COFFEE shop just because it increases the probability they'd run out of the lasagna, again!

santa's assitants, sweeter than the sweets?!?!

we ended up in Fudge along A.S. Fortuna as Santa's assistants were craving for the cheesecake delight, apparently they loved the smooth combination of cheesecake and chocolate the last time i brought one back to the office.

cheesecake delight, it wasn't so sweet which was just perfect!

i was thinking of getting more of the gigantor french macaroons that mae liked the last time we dropped by the place. an unsolicited tip, don't get the strawberry macaroons, it left an artificial aftertaste on my tongue.

biggie french macaroons!

that aside, my eyes got drawn to the chocolate fudge concoction that was just begging to be served. i mean, you have fudge in the name of the dessert in a place called Fudge, it must be that special. Uh, I was expecting it to be fudgy, or in the local term, bus-ok. in short, i was expecting it to be rather compact like a brownie fudge bar not fluffy like a teddy bear, uh, mousse.

fudge chocolate

i was mentally counting the calorific equivalent of each mouthful and thought to myself that every bite of the sinful repast went straight to my tambok and bilbil. sigh, i just have to bear the scolding of my trainer.

overall, i would give it a Price (5), Portion (7), Taste (6) rating or an overall composite of about 5/10 using the sugbuano rating system. In short, nothing spectacular, not particularly impressive compared to the other places that serve better dessert options. drats, i'm probably still grumpy over that lasagna affair!

Multi National Identity

2012-01-09T20:22:00.001+05:30

i had lunch with karen and anne in metro gourmet and in the middle of our animated conversation (yes, we wave our hands a lot and we do a lot of play acting to emphasize a point during our conversation) i heard someone say

"hi excuse me..."

i quickly glanced behind me and saw an old caucasian fellow looking at us, i turned around to motion for karen and anne that the guy probably wanted to talk to them.

as it turned out, he was actually trying to get my attention. great, if i hear any annoying complaint about my two blabber mouth friends...

as it turned out, he just wanted to strike a conversation and the first thing he said was:

"are you from here?"

that sort of confused me, didn't expect that.

"uh, what do you mean if i'm from here?"

"was just wondering if you're filipino, you don't look like a typical filipino."

great, just my luck, that would have to be the dumbest pick up line.

"i'm part filipino, spanish and chinese." basically the general description of most filipinos whose ancestry was muddled by traders and the white religious fanatics. i smiled and turned around, hoping that it was the end of the conversation.

"i thought you looked like a samoan."

i didn't know if it was an insult or a compliment, i assumed he was talking "The Rock, Samoan Look" except that i had long hair and more facial hair than the Rock, so i'm probably thinking Samoan the huge bear that dons flower skirts as part of their costume.

"i get that a lot". before he can add anything i motioned for the waiter to give us our bill. i nodded his way and ushered the ladies out.

that wasn't really witty of me, drats, i should have answered:

"hungarian, italian, canadian" and if you're sorta confused, anne had a hungarian sausage, karen had an italian alfredo pasta and i had a canadian honey ham deli for lunch.

that would have stumped him.

Deli Delicious

2012-01-09T20:04:00.000+05:30

the metro gourmet, basement of metro ayala, ayala center, cebu city

pag sosyal ka, you go to tinder box and order your deli choices, if you're sosyal and you want to look for a less obvious dining destination, you head to "the pantry" in "the gallery" to get your deli selection. if you are makamasa (in short, the proletariat) and still want deli deli, you head to the "metro gourmet" at the basement of Metro Ayala in Ayala Center, Cebu.

me and a couple of proletariat friends waiting for our order, sosyal kami ano. that's anne on the left and karen .

a counter displays cheeses, sausages, hams from the united nations. what most people don't know, you can actually order and have it grilled, pan fried, seared or quickly cooked and have the deli deli with your choice of bread or as the usual pinoys do, like me of course, you have your deli deli with rice.

i had the canadian honeyed ham, perfect amount of fat and just a tinge of sweetness, about 220 grams will cost you about Php 157 with rice.

metro cafe charges you a 20% fee for cooking and you can enjoy your deli deli without having to dress up to the nines just to get your little toe inside the Tinder Box. Oh by the way, Tinder Box and The Pantry also allows you to choose your sausage and they would grill it for you with a siding of your choice, except that their price is about 30% more expensive than what you'd get in metro gourmet.

double dose of spicy hungarian sausage, at Php 44/100 grams a double serving with rice (php 20 / cup) will set you back about Php 150. i personally love the hungarian with cheese but anne wanted the spicier version

metro gourmet also serves other dishes and a rather extensive array of sandwiches that uses their deli deli selection. hmm, thinking of being pa-sosyal again this week... what am i going to get..... hmmmm.

karen ordered the chunky chicken sandwich and the alfredo pasta together with a glass of iced tea, the whole set cost around Php 300, good value for money.

View Metro Gaisano Ayala Cebu in a larger map

Uncle Noodles

2012-01-08T20:40:00.000+05:30

what's the best thing to do after a movie? duh, eat.

i was rather ravenous after catching "A Mother's Story", o wag na umangal, e idol ko si pokwang eh. but i digress, back to my rumbling tummy.

Uncle Noodles, One Mango

i had the craving for crunchy crispy chicken isul, otherwise known as the fleshy protrusion at the base of the spine, aka chicken ass, butt and pwet. sunburst is closed late at night and the only other place that served chicken isul is the Orange Brutus branch in Fuente Circle.

parking, traffic, tourists and all things sinulog forced me to rethink my options and i ended up in Uncle Noodles in One Mango, which might be my second option but definitely turned out to be the better one.

let me swerve a bit and talk about the Peranakan culture, a marriage of chinese and malay influences more commonly found in singapore and malaysia. a prime example of this would be the famous laksa noodle soup that fuses curry coconut soup with rice noodles topped with an assortment of ingredients that may include but is not limited to fish sticks, bean curd, shrimp and infused with the fresh lemony hint of corriander, galangal (imagine a milder version of ginger) and spicy sambal to give it that kick in the gut that could cause you to run to the nearest bathroom, beady sweat running down your forehead.

curry laksa, hmmm hmmm hmmm

going back to the topic, Uncle Noodle opened rather recently and primarily offered the chinese noodle soup staple and a dry version of their noodles that used sambal and flat rice noodles as the base. i can categorically say that the clear chicken stock soup used in the restaurant is the best compared to the other noodle shops in Cebu. i've returned to this place a number of times primarily for the soup base as the toppings used are simple and nothing extraordinary.

except this time, i have another "soupy" reason to come back to Uncle Noodles with the introduction of curry laksa as part of their menu.

i forgive them for using egg noodles, i can understand that corriander may not be readily available or galangal is a pricey ingredient for such a soup, on the other hand, a sip of their coconut curry soup infused wih sambal brought me back memories of when I visited my friend Valentina in Kuala Lumpur and she brought me to this Peranakan restaurant that served me my first taste of Laksa.

You can't hardly refer to the curry laksa in Uncle Noodles the best I've tasted but it serve its purpose in reminding me of that first encouner with laksa. hmmmm, perhaps it is time to book myself a flight to singapore, oh wait, i DO have a booked flight this march :) till then, i just have to satisfy my cravings in Uncle Noodles.

Sometimes, what makes a food appetizing is the memory it evokes, comfort food is our usual term for this but i'd rather quote kung fu panda:

"my secret ingredient to my secret ingredient soup is... nothing."

Happy eating!

Lunch Break

2012-01-07T14:20:00.000+05:30

butafa, spareribs in a slightly sweet soy sauce base

so today i went to Joed's Lutong Hapon, nothing unusual except that I've been back to this place around five times in less than three weeks. I've taken a fascination with the Japanese Carinderia concept of affordable prices in moderately sized portions that allows me to order two to three dishes without having to feel like a glutton.

garlic shrimp, buttered, fried and glazed mirin sauce served on top of crispy garlic, this one barely looked like the picture they posted on their website. they used shrimp for this one instead of the prawns in their set.

my goal is to go through their menu and take a picture set for my personal album, didn't realize that a lot of people would be tracking my progress every time i post additional pictures in my facebook set. Just a disclaimer, I WILL NOT BE A REASON FOR YOUR WEIGHT GAIN.

Joed's special Maki, sweet mangoes layered with maki using watermelons and cheese. the sweet flavors curiously complimented the hot burning flavor of the wasabe infused kikkoman dip

With that said, I headed to Joed's earlier and ordered the Butafa (spareribs), Garlic Shrimp and Joed's Special Maki. I've had the maki and butafa in other encounters but i wasn't able to get a picture. i was tempted to order the other dishes but i really wanted to get as many samples in my album.

the watermelons look like raw tuna, even vegetarians would like this one

hmmm trolling through their facebook page now and making up my new food list in my next visit :) - happy eating!!

View Joed's Lutong Hapon in a larger map

Down the Rabbit Hole

2012-01-07T13:42:00.000+05:30

2011 is done and the Rabbit literally jumped into the hole with an unprecedented disaster in Southern Philippines to end the year. The Golden Rabbit seem hell bent on introducing the Water Dragon with endless rain that soaked most of Christmas and fizzled numerous fireworks during New Year. According to the Chinese system, 2011 was supposed to be a "good" year.

I'm scared shitless over what a bad year is going to be compared to 2011. If that's not enough, the Mayans predicted that 2012 is the end of the world. That, or they just ran out of parchment or rock to record their calendar.

Whatever happens in 2012, there's so much to be thankful for in 2011. As with most web chroniclers, here are some personal highlights for 2011:

- it was a great year for a gastronomic trip with new restaurants added to my usual staple (Yaki Mix, SumoSam, Joed's, Everything Yummy, Fudge, Dong Juan, Hawker 101, Choi City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Don Merto, The Bee Farm, Pala Pala 18th St., ad infinitum)

- traveled, discovered and revisited old haunts in the country (Bohol Bee Farm, Intramuros Walk, Captivating Camotes, Pataan Falls in Bago City, Pampanga Cultural Heritage tour, Boracay (again and again), Catmon, Tabogon, Bacolod, Naga, Barili etc. etc.)

- dusted my sandals and headed out for some international trips to Macau, Hong Kong and Vietnam where i got to bond with family, close friends and indulged my need for travel, photography and food where it all settled in my midsection.

- rediscovered family relations with cousins long gone in the US, Australia, Negros, Panay, Luzon, all thanks to Facebook.

- stayed in touch with friends all over the world. who would have thought that the world is going to be literally at your fingertip? blame it on the proliferation of tablets and touch phones he he he

- found new friends, lost some and learned the EXACT value of some friendships.

- completed four years in a row my Misa de Gallo novena to the Lord Jesus for all the blessings and all the tribulations i went through because at the end of it all, i am truly NOT alone.

and just like that 2011 comes to an end and I look towards a better, stronger and blessed 2012! Happy New Year everyone and let me thank those that continuously come back to this blog to listen to my Incessant Rambling.

Karinderyang Hapon

2012-01-03T09:34:00.000+05:30

spicy chili ebi

the karinderia (pinoy side street restaurant) should not be mistaken for an establishment that serves street food common in most asian countries. whereas street food are stalls set up along the streets with nothing more than low stools to sit on while you enjoy your food, the karinderia is set up like a hole-in-the-wall type of establishment where food is generally prepared by batch and patrons choose their viand, the servings are small and prices are generally very reasonable.

ebi furai - not to be mistaken for ebi tempura, furai literally means "fry" in japanese. shrimp coated in breadcrumb and fried to a crispy crunch

Joed's Lutong Hapon is a bit confusing for a restaurant name as it would literally translate to "Joed's Afternoon Cooking" which would make one think that the food is only served and cooked during the mid afternoon. On the contrary, Hapon is the local term for Japanese and the place serves karinderia grade Japanese fare.

Joed is derived from "Joan" and "Edgar", the couple who owns the place.

Edgar used to work in Japan and when he decided to come back to Cebu, he set up his own Hapon eatery. The service is basic, fast and the food (so far) is nothing extraordinary though the idea of ordering japanese sounding dishes like katsudon, ebi tempura, beef teriyaki has a novel feel.

I'm guessing that some dishes are prepared beforehand (like the beef teriyaki and the camaron rebusado, err, ebi tempura) whereas some are prepared on the spot. This is the same concept in karinderia's where you can ask the place to quickly sautee a can of sardines, corned beef or tuna or add an additional scrambled egg to your meal aside from the pre-cooked dishes.

Beef Teriyaki, i found it a bit too mushy with a corned beef consistency and texture.

The serving sizes are moderately portioned, which is relatively comparable to the pricing model. A serving of six pieces of chili ebi (shrimp) will cost you a hundred bucks, rather expensive if you think about it, but they do serve it in smaller portions that would allow you to order a number of dishes to sample.

creamy ebi maki, the fresh crunchiness of the cucumber mixed well with the shrimp undertone of the creamy sauce that topped the maki.

For Php 301 pesos i was able to order a bowl of beef teriyaki, a serving each of ebi tempura and ebi chili together with a can of coke zero. A good deal compared to the price i paid in Sumo Sam for a set of tori roll, katsudon and crispy ika (squid) that set me back an easy Php 750. Then again, the portions are twice the size in SumoSam.

mushroom tofu, tofu nuggets stuffed with mushroom bits, fried and served on top of kikkoman sauce. the tofu had the consistency of a fishball one would usually find sold on the streets, i was expecting the tofu to be either softer (mapo style) or the stringier chinese version.

Overall, using the Cebuano rating scale using Price (8), Portion (6) and Taste (7) will give you a rating of 7/10 - fairly decent and a place that might be a second or third option if you're on a budget but want to eat something other than pinoy dishes.

tonkatsu curry

They have two branches, the one in mabolo is rather cramped whereas the one near sacred heart - hijas de jesus in camputhaw has a better location but equally problematic for parking specially when classes start.

Grassroots Devotion

2012-01-01T19:25:00.000+05:30

Most fiestas in the Philippines has taken on a very commercial tone with pageants, diskoral, perya as standard activities on top of the usual novena, mass service and procession. A classic example is the Sinulog in Cebu City although the pre-parade activities are usually very solemn.

I had the opportunity to join the sakay sakay (fluvial procession) in Naga to honor Mother Mary, it's an old story that i wrote about almost a year ago. nothing changed much, the Lady is taken from her home in Barangay Tuyan and brought to the sea where it boards a boat and sets off to the port of the Poblacion in Naga City where they go on a procession to the main church.

The reverse happens and they end up in Tuyan parish church where they also hold another procession. For those that are not familiar with the story, the image of the Lady was found on top of a floating plank off the coast of Tuyan where the natives brought it in and enshrined it in a small chapel. At one point, the priest feared for the safety of the antique and decided to send it off to the main church in the Poblacion.

When Tuyan had their own church built and declared as a parish, the main Poblacion church sent it back to its original home in Tuyan where it became a tradition to send the Lady on an annual trip to visit her adopted home in the Poblacion - thus the story of the fluvial procession.

through the years, the festival has gotten popular with more boats joining the fluvial procession. on the down side, the mark of commercialization has started with a diskoral and perya that seeks to capture the market for people who want to gamble, dance and spend a bit.

the boats are not spared with a number of them carrying teenagers shouting at the top of their lungs the standard cry of "Viva Viva Mahal na Birhen" in between gulps of beer.

Despite this, there is still a very deep devotion to the Lady if you get the chance to witness the procession in Tuyan or in Naga Poblacion. My skin literally crawls and i get goosebumps when i see the sea of faces turned towards the Lady in supplication and prayers for the Lady's intercession and help in petitioning her Son, Jesus Christ for redemption and favors. For a moment, the commercial celebration is forgotten as people remember the real reason for the fiesta.

Viva Mahal na Birhen! Viva Jesus!

To Move or Not To Move! That is the question

2011-12-30T18:24:00.000+05:30

Firepoi, Year End Party and Luau 2011

So Gold's gym is setting up it's Cebu branch in Mandaue and is actively recruiting people from other gyms to move to their facility. If you don't know who or what Gold's is then it shouldn't matter. On the other hand, a few of my friends are making the move despite the fact that the area is prone to flooding, I guess the extremely attractive price is the come on but one has to consider the distance from where one lives as well as the convenience of the location.

year end luau party in Citigym, lovely friends Nikki and Anne!

I'm staying put in Citigym for a number of reasons (1) it is very close to where I work (2) the facility is superb and well maintained (3) they provide working sauna, steam rooms and shower with really strong water (4) towels are included (5) access to the pool (6) it is still rather "snobbish" as the price discourages the rather obnoxious crowd (i hate it though when they have the student promo thing going on argh) (7) free covered parking in Waterfront (8) they are open 24 hours! (9) they really throw great parties!

mike and hooman, gym friends and regular chat mates.

marie and yvette, friends from waaaay back who moved to citigym :)

the reality though, a lot of these things can be ignored, at the end of the day, there are (very very few) friends in the gym that I hate to leave behind, building new relationships is a pain. Is there a "price" to friendship? So... to move or not to move, hmmm that is indeed the question.

Gorgeous Jackie! Well, hello there LADIES!

pictures without "Cacho" are owned by Citigym :)

The Sugbuano Rating System

2011-12-28T10:08:00.002+05:30

the Cebuano market is very finicky, if you want to see if your dream of pinoy gustatory domination will work then you should try setting up in Cebu City.

a number of restaurants have set up their operations here only to close down or downscale business due to low patronage. yes, we are still enamored by the usual brand thing and most of us would troop to the newest national/gobal brand that opens shop in the City.

if you account for the market that actually goes out to eat, that would give you about a year or a year and a half max to sustain your operations. not enough to cover your return of investment. the only way to survive is to adapt and learn the ubiquitous Sugbuano Rating System when it comes to restuarants.

when Cebuanos eat out, the first question that majority asks is "Pila?" (Price?), and if the price is within a certain budget they next ask "Dako?" (Big Portion?) and followed by "Lami?" (Delicious?) which is sadly, the last consideration in the equation.

the Cebuano is willing to spend a lot for food, as long as the perceived equity of the portion is commensurate to the price and if the taste is good then you still have a potential winner. In this case, you will notice that majority of restaurants have resorted to set meals that primarily caters to Pila, Dako and Lami consideration. The other alternative is for restaurants to offer half and full portions to address that all-mighty Pila question.

If you're wondering how to set up a scientific, mathematical, thelogical, social and statistical valid equation for your restaurant's success then use this one: Pila (40%), Dako (35%) and Lami (25%) - i guarantee you will succeed not only in Cebu, but majority of the Philippines as well!

Another Fad? SumoSam hits Cebu City

2011-12-28T09:38:00.000+05:30

"How's the food sir?"

I looked up to Vangie's (not her real name) face and started to say the usual polite thing that most of us mutter when asked the same question by people who serve us in restaurants.

Then again, i just plopped Php 700 pesos for a meal and that should give me some sort of license to be blunt.

Chicken Roll with Cheese

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

Vangie looked a bit surprised, she obviously thought we were going to go through the standard routine.

"I like the portion size, the katsudon curry is huge though my taste is a bit confused with the oriental side salad, the sweet vinaigrette doesn't go well with the japanese curry.

need to get more the curry flavor, this one lacked the sizzle.

speaking of which, i am used to real curry, this should be spicier... though portion-wise, I gotta say it's a huge slab of pork but where's the fat? Magpakatotoo na tayo, masarap pag may taba di ba?"

Vangie smiled, obviously I've hit a point.

"I gotta say though that the crispy squid teriyaki is brilliant! love the crispiness of the baby squid, ang lutong din ng zuchini!" i of course didn't add the fact that it tasted like it was smothered in an overly sweet teriyaki sauce, perhaps an acknowledgement of the classic pinoy sweet preference.

a lot of baby squid got fried for this one, poor lil thingies, they never got the chance to explore the world he he he

"Pero pinaka gusto ko yung chicken roll though, pero anything with cheese eh panalo na sa kin!" uhm, meron ding drizzled teriyaki sauce ang chicken, feeling ko magkaka diabetes ako nito.

"Balik ka sir ha?"

I could have answered that honestly but i decided to go back to the usual Pinoy answer.

"Oo ba. sa uulitin"

if they served this with wasabi mayo this would have been waaaay much better. then again, that's just me.

and for some of you who are wondering why we were speaking in Tagalog, she started speaking in the language and the decent thing to do is to answer in the same dialect. i also found out that they imported some of the Manila based staff for the opening of their branch here in Ayala Terraces in Cebu City - a good move as the waiting staff was really courteous.

sat outside the restaurant, the better to capture the natural light - besides, didn't want anyone to give me a strange look as i "posed" my food this way and that way he he he

if i were to rate it using the Cebuano scale i would say that Price (5), Portion (9) and Taste (6) would be a total of 6.65/10 - decent, worth a second visit (probably) but not something to rave about.

Everything Yummy Food + Love

2011-12-26T11:45:00.000+05:30

With a restaurant named "Everything Yummy Food + Love" certain expectations are set. It was a feature in a local newspaper that got me interested, that and the fact that the proprietor / owner, Hans Congmon, is an acquaintance in the gym where I used to work out. Added to the fact that his family originally owned the Sunburst restaurant/franchise that served very decent food and arguably one of the best fried chicken in town.

Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken

It took me a couple of months before I took the effort to drive all the way to piazza elisha in Talamban to sample the dishes on their menu array.

Homemade Corned Beef, Served as a Meal - this one brings back childhood memories of how my mom prepared her Corned Beef, lots of onions. they should have added tomatoes!

Quarter portion of the tender barbecue ribs, can be ordered half and whole - perfectly done and falling off the ribs softness. i'm not such a fan of the sweet glaze sauce though.

Verdict? Everything they served was indeed yummy. I can imagine Hans thinking of all the comfort food he loved and decided to put together a rather limited menu. They mixed breakfast type meals (think spanish chorizo, homemade corned beef) with dishes that are eclectic in their mix and origin with the wonderfully garlicky salpicao, (really) tender barbecue ribs, grilled lemon grass chicken served with its own dripping and rounded the list with the lone seafood dish, the pepper prawns.

Spanish Chorizo - mix it with the rice and enjoy your own chorizo rice!!!

majority of the dishes can be served as a set meal with rice or ordered as a full portion to be shared.

Salpicao, can only be ordered as a whole portion, soft beef cubes in a perfectly garlicky sauce. Served on top of steaming hot rice and you have your perfect comfort food.

if i were to rate it according to the Cebuano method of Price (7), Portion(8) and Taste(9) then i would give it an overall rate of 8/10 which means that they would definitely see me come back for another round :) - tip, make sure to go early as the place can only accommodate a maximum of twelve diners due to its small size!

Adobobomb, salty, peppery, garlicky, oily, tender pork cubes - classic tagalog adobo!

A Thank You Note - To Leo

2011-12-26T11:23:00.000+05:30

putang ina mo paul! walang hiya ka! ang sakit na ng mga hita, braso, dibdib at pork belly ko! leche ka, balasubas at pinahirapan mo ko sa gym. akala mo ngiti yung nasa mukha ko? sa english grimace yun. hindi ngiti! maswerte ka wala na akong hangin at di na kita masigawan - e naman gusto mo akong tumakbo ng isang oras - ARAW ARAW? tama ba yun? aba, nakaaabot na ata ako ng maynila sa pinagagawa mo sa akin! nakupooooo. wala kang christmas gift, balentayn, graduation, paders and maders day, indepedence day gift mula sa akin! magpapadala lang ako ng pera at bulak kung nasa burol ka na.

for my non-native readers - i just said thank you to my wonderful trainer who is doing a great job of motivating me to lose a bit more weight.

peace yoh!

P.S.

I published this sometime in 2009. for the past few days i've gotten myself a personal trainer to combat the food and fat that has been steadily winning the war of the bulge. Palitan na lang natin ang pangalan na Paul na Leo and the same pa rin pero nag level up na, to the max na talaga walangya ka Leo! grrrr....

hopefully may epek ang sacrifice ko, lalo na ngayon Christmas (2011 na po!)

Dimsum Heaven!

2011-12-25T13:45:00.000+05:30

Hong Kong is a world renowned gustatory destination with some of the best restaurants that practically offer every known cuisine in the world in a small jampacked island.

spicy chicken feet

Be ready to spend, food is not cheap whether you go Rat Alley in Lan Kwai Fong or head out to the glitzy restaurants in any of the posh high rise hotels that dot the hong kong skyline. Even the foodcourt samplers can easily cost you anywhere between Php 400 - Php 600 for a single bowl meal.

shrimp toast

That aside, if you do go to hong kong, one thing that i would recommend and YOU should never miss is Yum Cha (literally translates to Dimsum + Tea) in Hong Kong. There are famous places in HK for yum cha but my cousin doodle introduced me to Federal Palace in Gateway Aracade, Tung Chung Lantau Island in Hong Kong and for three mornings, i trooped to the same place to grab my fill of Yum Cha to jump start my day.

steamed spareribs in black beans

Easy favorite of mine would be the fresh shrimp wrapped in rice flour, steamed to perfection and flavored with light soy sauce. ah, heaven!

steamed shrimp in rice flour

Hongkies

2011-12-23T13:11:00.000+05:30

the famous skyline!

I've been meaning to visit my cousin in Hong Kong for the longest time. The last time we saw each other was sometime in 2004 when i was still based in Sri Lanka and she had a regional flight that landed in Colombo. fast forward to 2011 before i booked myself a flight from Cebu to Hong Kong.

The best part of the trip? My cousin who has been in Hong Kong for close to 16 years remarked that she saw more places in Hong Kong that she hasn't even visited if it were not for my trip. Hmm, for those people that say Hong Kong is a cheap place, well I got news for you, it is a bloody EXPENSIVE place if your idea of a trip is to troop to the next outlet store and buy a wardrobe set for the next decade or so.

my lovely cousin and personal tour guide! Thanks Doods!

here are a few condensed travel tip (1) grab all the MTR and Tourist guidebook in the Airport and actually read them (2) get yourself an Octopus Tourist Travel card (3) Learn how to use the MTR system and you'll never, ever, get lost (4) Take lots of pictures. lots and lots of pictures! (5) You want to save money on food? go to dimsum places.

The World's Best Skyline - Hong Kong!

I'll post daily pics of Hong Kong in future posts :) for now, enjoy the spectacular view of the world's best Skyline, the Hong Kong Skyline!

My Esfektakular Life

2011-11-18T20:18:00.000+05:30

I totally blame my new Asus Transformer tablet.

i haven't been writing ~~(writing with effort, not just to get something in my blog)~~ seriously for the past few months and as a result i have a esfektakular ~~(this is another story, a person i know, and many of you probably don't know, refuses to pronounce "spectacular" properly)~~ pile of pictures and stories that make up my fabulous life.

I have been practically travelling every weekend, throw in a trip to Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macau, mixed in with local Cebu travel to Camotes, Tabogon, Danao and Barili. I also managed to insert some travel time to Bacolod where i rediscovered the beauty of Bago City's waterfalls.

Camotes was specially fun as i spent a weekend exploring spooky caves, gorgeous beaches and lakes with my very dear friends.

Last weekend alone I was in Manila to visit family and see friends, had a mega humongous burger in the Sunday Legazpi Weekend Market, oblivious to the raving of paki and morales fight fans as to who threw more punches as i chatted with friends.

if that wasn't enough, i met up with cousins to head off to serendra for dinner at the fort, and yes, it's an entirely different story of how we ate our way through a whole cow ~~(i bet my indian friends are groaning as they read this)~~ in the Brazilian Churrasco restaurant and how i fell in love with this Alaskan Giant Malamute!

just the day before that I joined the Walk This Way tour of Carlos Celdran in old Intramuros with a good friend and learned trivia and information that Filipinos won't find in their regular DECS issued history books. Who would have thought that Douglas McArthur was a first class Drama Queen?

and the weekend before that, i sat through a whole show of Queens parading in their crazy national costumes where literally, one can wear your whole house on top of your head. ~~I love you Bianca!~~ Just the esfektakular parade is enough to give you a stiff neck as you look up to the gigantic headdresses that the contestants wore. I swear, next year one of them will have the whole leaning tower of pisa or the eiffel tower as their head ornament.

and yes, how can i forget my excitement over the fact that two books i have been waiting for finally came out? yes, i'm halfway through Inheritance and keeping the Lost Heroes as a reserve.

You can say that it has been hectic and fun, and darn it, this Asus has kept me awake at nights playing these addictive android games. as they say, "putang inang baboy na to, di ako maka level up!" - totally blame angry birds!

haaay. enough for now, i have to go back to my treasure trove of pictures and pick out the best ones :) do keep your eyes on this blog as i update it with my fabulously colorful travels :) love you all!

the ING thing

2011-10-29T17:15:00.000+05:30

while the brits and aussies debate who started the planking craze, i still can't for the life of me understand how this is supposed to be hip, and cool. yeah yeah yeah, no one says hip and cool nowadays so i guess that explains why i'm left stiff and cold with plankers, planktons or whatever you call them.

planktons doing their thing.

and just when our politicians have gone "stiff" in the head by proposing a planking ban, i came across owling where people sit on unusual places on their haunches, arms on the side and staring into space. hello. no debate here, pinoys have been practicing owling way way back into ancient times. they usually do this in the bathroom, specially when they are using the public loo or if they're on a trip, any huge tree or shrub would do just as well.

before the aussies claim this fad, we pinoys have been doing this - just go to the nearest barrio, paper is optional, leaves do just as fine.

but trust the pinoys to come up with our own craze. presenting to you....

Pinoy Food Talk!

2011-10-16T00:00:00.002+05:30

ever wonder why pinoys leave the last piece of food on the table? apparently it is an asian influence on our dining etiquette. to celebrate blog action day 2011 that celebrates food, i'm posting some quirky pinoy food habits that most of us don't even notice we do.

i don't pretend to be the emily post of pinoy food decorum but it is often prudent to understand the practices in sharing food with pinoys.

1. Unang Pasalubong - this tradition is sadly lost in the present generation. when a guest is invited for the first time to a meal or dinner in a pinoy home, it is customary to bring a gift, preferably food, specifically fruits or dessert. bawal magdala ng tupperware para take out (yes, some people actually bring containers to bring food with them!)

2. Plastic na Ngiti - hosts MUST always appear smiling and gracious in front of guests even when they are literally grabbing their hair in the kitchen screaming at the maids to get things out to the dining area. Guests MUST reciprocate and appear happy and thankful in all situations despite the fact that the food served is just horrendous. acting any other way is just not acceptable and bad manners.

3. Ang Alok na Kumain - if you chance upon a pinoy eating (anything), he MUST offer you to eat with him. if you sit down and ACTUALLY eat with him, that's considered as bad manners. you're not supposed to accept the offer as it was just a "show" to appear gracious and it is your responsibility not to be overbearing. you should decline by saying "Salamat, busog pa po ako." or "Salamat, kakakain ko lang" kahit na galing ka pa sa byahe mula aparri hanggang jolo. As a guest, you must precisely come during breakfast, snack, lunch, or dinner time but must refuse the offer to eat, which leads me to the next item...

4. Ang Unang Tanggi - based on the previous item, the guest MUST decline the offer. if the host insist again, you must make a show of letting the host know that you don't want to be a bother, if he insists for a third time, it is safe to assume he really wants you to share in the meal.

5. Eating Schedule - pinoys eat at least five times a day, desayuno (breakfast), segundo almuerzo (second breakfast), almuerzo (lunch), el bocadillo (snack), la cena comida (dinner). err i forgot, after dinner snack, midnight snack and milk before sleeping. make sure you time your visits during these IMPORTANT eating schedules!

6. Ang Esnack! - when you visit the home of a pinoy, they must serve you "pampalamig" or refreshment, otherwise known as isnak, esnack or snack in english. tinapay and softdrink is often the standard. YOU must bite a little, leaving it untouched is considered bad manners. again, you must make the host feel gracious! read rule number 2. the only excuse is if you're allergic to the food being served.

7. Huwaaayt, huwwwayt a minute! - dining formality dictates that the host must start the meal. NEVER ever make the mistake of eating ahead of the host. this applies to a sit down dinner scenario, in a fiesta or buffet event, the host traditionally must be the LAST to eat and ensure that everyone has already eaten before they can get their own food.

8. Ako Ang Taya! - restaurant etiquette is also very complex and starts with who invites who for the meal. modern pinoys set the expectation of a dutch treat if they wish for everyone to pay for their own food. if you invite people to a meal, they generally expect YOU to pay for the whole buffet. Furthermore, when ordering, the host should be the one to make the order for the group as you need to understand that he is working on a budget. If the host asks the guests to order from the menu, remember this, NEVER order anything that is more expensive than the most expensive dish he ordered. so kung value meal sa jollibee ang order, siguraduhin mo wag mag Champ. bastos daw yan.

9. Check Please - yes, pinoy use "check" in lieu of "bill" when they want to finish the meal. if they ask if anyone wants dessert AFTER he has asked for the bill, you must refuse. he is supposed to be gracious and generous, and it is your responsibility to be a grateful guest. furthermore, when the host asks for the bill, you must make a show of protest and offer to pay the bill. forgetting to make the offer is considered rude despite knowing for a fact that the host is expected to pay for the meal (see rule #8)

10. The Award Goes To - when having a meal in a formal setting, you must remember that the tiyan ng bangus (milkfish belly) aka the most delicious part of the dish, is reserved for the most senior and respected member on the table - no one makes the first move on this choice part! This doesn't necessarily mean the host, but can be the guest-of-honor. As guest of honor, you must show "hiya" by taking the flesh from the buntot (tail) of the fish or the toughest part of the meat. The host must personally take the best part and make a flourish of gestures to place it on your plate.

11. Pasensya Na - the host must show humility by apologizing for the quantity, quality and kind of food being offered. the guest must constantly reassure the host that the food is absolutely delicious even when the food was really bad. if everyone is paying for their own meal, feel free to complain about the food but do it in private.

12. Ang Huling El Bimbo - title yan for a song, but i'm referring to the last morsel on the table. old tradition require that the last morsel should be left, no matter how small the piece. get it and risk being called "patay gutom" aka, dead hungry. if you MUST get it, you must ask everyone if they still want the piece, and etiquette dictates that they MUST say no since you were the one who first asked the question.

I'm ending this post with a video clip from the "joy luck club", though they are not pinoy, the chinese left a very strong influence on how we eat our food and the manner by which we consume our pagkain.

if you see yourself in this post, smile :)

The Great Adobo Challenge

2011-10-16T00:00:00.001+05:30

adobo flakes

oh yes, i've done a number of adobo entries in this blog, but i couldn't help salivate at the thought of doing the mother of all adobo entries.

the premise is simple enough, marco polo flew in four chefs from all over the philippines to do a limited edition cook off ala iron chef with one theme in mind: adobo. unfortunately, with competitions, there is a single winner and many losers. hopefully not sour (pun intended) losers.

glenda barretto represented samar from eastern visayas, danny de la cuesta brought northern luzon to central visayas, batangas sent myrna segismundo and nancy reyes represented the tagalog region. after going through the spread, sampling 7 dishes, only two came up to my definition of what makes adobo great: should have a strong salty body with the sour undertone of vinegar and that element of surprise. that and copious amount of fat. adobo without the fat is like ice cream without the cream.

first off, i was a bit disappointed to find out that the adobo prawns with taba ng talangka was not served during my visit. seafood adobo is tricky due to the delicate consistency of seafood and i was looking forward to seeing how it would have turned out.

nevertheless, the adobong bagnet sa laoag by danny came out as the winner in the whole spread. the unique use of pig blood cooked to almost dry consistency using the dinuguan method provided the requisite vinegary flavor whereas the bagnet (crispy fried pork cracklings with meat and fat layers) retained it's crunch and salty taste. it is not pretty to look at and hell when you have to maintain conversation while having the dish.

glenda whipped out the deceptively simple pork adobo flakes served with adobo sauce infused with garlic on the side. I prepared a bowl of rice mixed with the adobo sauce and topped with a generous mound of adobo flakes. crispy, crunchy, salty and oh so yummy. gourmet? hardly, but the extra crispness of the flakes didn't disappear with the extra generous amount of sauce added to it.

the mushroom adobo terrine (segismundo) failed to impress me as the bland flavor of the langka dominated the dish. it filled up space in my tummy which would have served a better purpose in getting another dish.

on the other hand, the novelty of having liposuctioned adobo pork caught my attention. cut up into one inch cubes and served in a small dipping dish with a strong soy based adobo sauce, the presentation is impressive - on the other hand, this is a classic representation of picture perfect but left my palate dead. dry, chewy that left me ewwwy.

in an effort to be more "gourmet", segismundo served roast pork rolled with mango and served with balsamic adobo sauce and roast garlic paste. a flop in many ways, the roast pork was bland and the inclusion of mango slices as part of the roll only serve to convert it into a dessert dish that felt mushy on my tongue. the balsamic adobo sauce was too light to give it any flavor and I could hardly taste the roasted garlic. presentation wise it came out a winner but it had the stamp of "hotel food" all over it. bland and blah.

perhaps in an effort to provide a counterpoint to the "gourmet" version, segismundo served a classic braised pork and chicken adobo - nevertheless, the problem with serving classics is that it will be judged according to the classic expectation - bay leaf, peppercorn, garlic bits - ingredients that should be visible as part of the presentation. all i saw was brown sauce. food processors are good but not all sauces should be served as purees.

in my opinion, the challenge was a bit myopic as it limited the adobo possibilities with the standard vinegar and salt base. was it an effort to become purist? hardly, the entry of the excellent adobong bagnet is a clear example of how danny took the idea of incorporating other food elements in the adobo to make it literally a savory experience. unfortunately, i never got to taste his marbled egg and chicken adobo where he used kalamansi - another classic example of using other souring agents aside from the vinegar.

3 out of 6 is hardly stellar but i laud the effort of Marco Polo for staging an event such as this.

before anyone questions my qualification for doing my review, here's one: i paid for it and was not invited to write about the event. on another note, if the chef's feel insulted by the review then here's a suggestion: don't put out yourself to be critiqued.

having a series of titles to your name is not an entitlement to believe everything that is being said about you. if there's any lesson to be learned, take it with a grain of salt. and a dash of vinegar for good measure.

till next time - happy eating.

adobo fiesta - warning can cause uncontrollable salivation and craving

2011-10-16T00:00:00.000+05:30

any filipino worth to be called that knows what adobo means. we tout it as our national dish, and to those that barely know the history of adobo, it is actually a spanish term that refers to sauce, marinade or seasoning. interestingly, adobo is just a name that spaniards used to baptize a method practiced by our filipino forefathers in cooking their meats in vinegar and salt.

2/5 adobo flakes, postrio - too dry. could have used some adobo sauce or oil and spiced up a bit with a chili undertone.

4/5 adobo kangkong, kuls kitchen - the sauce was too runny and the only reason why i deducted 1 point is because adobo should have meat.
the filipino adobo was born out of practical reasons. considering that there is no refrigeration and means to preserve food in the humid and hot weather, cooking in vinegar inhibits the growth of bacteria and allow huge quantities of the meat to be cooked and stored longer for later use.

4/5 adobo na manok sa gata, melting pot - the ingenious use of guava leaves gave it a citrusy flavor rather than the usual sour influence of vinegar. if they quickly refried the chicken parts to give it crisp edges before mixing it up back in the sauce this dish would have been a perfect 5.
no one really knows when the transition to use chinese soy sauce instead of plain rock salt started. nor do we have clear records of when adobo developed its regional flavors from the chili spiced version to the coconut cream versions of bicol, the dry refried cebuano variety, the chinese inspired sweet humba, the list goes on and each region will lay claim to the fact their version is the best.
4/5 adobo na atay, melting pot - who doesn't love the full bodied flavor of liver? the quail egg was a nice touch though i would have preferred if they cut out the hearts as it tends to get really tough. mash a few of the liver and mix it up with the sauce. ah saboroso!
considering its position as a filipino staple, any restaurant that includes adobo in its menu faces a tough challenge from every juan who can easily judge the whole array in their menu by how the adobo tastes like.
1/5 green shell adobo, carinderia - mussels are tricky because they become really tough if you overcook them. and this one's over the top aside from the very strong chili added to the dish that sort of drowned every other flavor.
here's the remainder of my list of adobo dishes rated using a scale of 1 - 5 where 5 is orgasmic inducing explosion of flavors and 1 is the equivalent of culinary suicide. at random order...
1/5 adobo nga sitaw (string beans), carinderia - kangkong lends itself well in an adobo dish because it retains its crispy texture if cooked just right. on the other hands, sitaw is already stringy and tough.
2/5 humba, carinderia - my humba reference would be papa dodong's cutlets that are seared and refried before going back into the pot of humba sauce. the meat should have been cooked well enough to make it literally fall off and the fat dissolve in hot hot rice. this variety was too commercial.
3/5 saigon adobo, ila puti - a dry adobo variety topped with hibi and garlic bits. the sauce was too sweet for my taste.

1/5 ginataan adobo na manok, bigbys - the chicken pieces were too dry because they removed the chicken skin. i had a sneaking suspicion they reused some fried chicken, removed the battered skin and threw it into a ginataan adobo sauce.
5/5 Beef Adobado, Dessert Factory - ironically, the meat that is least used in most adobo concoctions turned out to be the yummiest and best tasting of the lot. although it doesn't have the usual adobo sauce, the process of cooking it pressure cooked forced all the flavors to seep into the meat before it was fried to a crispy consistency on the outside but soft in the inside.

Food Porn - Pho 2000, Ho Chi Minh

2011-10-08T10:34:00.000+05:30

oh so gorgeous vegetable curry dish! eaten with french bread which seems to be the standard "bread" in HCM, probably due to the influence of the French Colonizers!

Food Porn - Chocolatier, Cebu City

2011-10-08T10:31:00.000+05:30

dress made from rocher ferrero, literally, a dress delicious enough to be eaten!

Food Porn - Pork Belly, Maxims Hotel, Cebu City

2011-10-06T10:29:00.000+05:30

this is one dish that won't get insulted if you call it "Ang baboy baboy mo!" - cholesterol meds ready!

Picture of the Day - Vinh Nghiem Pagoda

2011-10-04T21:11:00.000+05:30

the largest pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City is a blend of modern elements and traditional Japanese and Vietnamese culture. It's home to a sanctuary and a seven-floor, 40-metre high tower. People come here to pay homage to Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha himself, Samantahadra, the Lord of Truth and Manjusri.

- Saigon City Pass

Picture(s) of the Day - Motorcycles

2011-10-04T10:07:00.000+05:30

motorcycles are the main means of transportation in the city of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh

they weave in, weave out, overtake and insert themselves in between bigger vehicles

it has been estimated that there are 20 motorcycles for every car in HCM.

food porn - goi cuon, Viet Chay

2011-10-02T21:04:00.000+05:30

A gỏi cuốn, summer roll, Vietnamese salad roll, or fresh roll (Vietnamese: gỏi cuốn; literally "salad roll") is a Vietnamese dish consisting of pork, shrimp, herbs, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper (bánh tráng). They are served at room temperature, and are not deep fried. Summer roll has gained tremendous popularity among Vietnam's neighboring countries and in the West. Many Western restaurants serve Vietnamese summer rolls as an appetizer.

- Wikipedia

the goi cuon picture is a vegetarian variety served in Viet Chay, a restaurant within the grounds of the Vin Nghiem Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. healthy and absolutely delicious!

Ho Chi Ho Chi Minh!

2011-10-01T09:48:00.000+05:30

"your ho chi minh doesn't look like the ho chi minh i visited."

it was both amusing and ironic that two different people have a totally different experience of the same city.

it was my first time in Saigon (the old name of Ho Chi Minh, aka HCM) to visit a friend in Vietnam and I only had two things in my itinerary, i wanted to have a gustatory and cultural experience of the city.

Ho Chi Minh City Hall, End of Nguyen Hue, District 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

my friend got me a Saigon City Pass as a gift during my first night in HCM and i spent a better part of the early morning reading the book and knowing more about my host city. with the "tourist" in mind, the book featured attraction, shopping, food, drinks, activities, accommodation and recommended destinations within and around HCM. similar to a lonely planet guide but more thorough with helpful local insider tips for the tourist.

the streets are still lined with huge trees that reach all the way to the skies :)

Supreme Court, HCM

what made the city pass unique was that it featured a pull out map of the city where major attractions, shopping, accommodation are plotted and indexed for easy reference. it was just a matter of selecting which places you want to visit and how to get around in the most efficient manner. taxi travel is easy, the drivers are courteous although they don't speak english - then again, the pictures in the City Pass complete with name and address will ensure you never get lost. the pass even features a walking tour that allows you to experience the street culture and see a number of landmarks in the city.

The Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1, HCM

buildings are usually built tall as lot sizes are often limited by the government, this creates a unique design / architectural peculiarity that is unique to HCM

in two days i was able to visit 15 historic, religious, cultural and colonial monuments around the city, not including one day spent doing the mekong delta river tour.

street food? enjoying local delicacies sold on the streets

Reunification Palace, 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1, HCM

and in those three days i've seen the sights, colors, scents of HCM cataloged, sorted and stored as pictures in my photo library. no wonder my friend felt it was a different Saigon from what she experienced.

Saigon Central Post Office, Dong Khoi, District 1, HCM

30-4 Park, Le Duan in front of Reunification Palace, District 1, HCM

this is just my "cultural" experience of an amazing city, the gustatory tour is just as lovely and better explored in another post :)

famous souvenirs from HCM, miniature replicas of famous boats, boats are supposed to be "good luck" in chinese lore when used in feng shui designs

the famous titanic, in miniature

motorcycles are an integral part of HCM commuting. i dare say there are a 100 motorcycles for every car seen on the street

motorcycles in HCM seem to follow a different set of road rules. just one thing in mind, when crossing the street, don't hesitate, don't pause, just walk ahead - the people will take care of moving around you

street food scene

Picture of the Day - The Opera House

2011-09-30T19:28:00.000+05:30

The Opera House. One of the city's most prominent landmarks, the Opera House was custom built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret. in 1955 it was transformed into South Vietnam's Assembly House and has undergone several refurbishment since. It is only open to the public during events.

7 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

- Saigon City Pass

Picture of the Day - HCM City People's Committee

2011-09-28T19:19:00.000+05:30

At the end of Nguyen Hue (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) sits the magnificent office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Completed in 1908 by the French, the former Hotel de Ville's design is based on the original in Paris.

It remains as one of the most stunning colonial monuments, floodlit at night. Don't forget to take a look at the statue of Ho Chi Minh on the median strip outside.

- Saigon City Pass

amazing animal facts

2011-09-27T20:03:00.001+05:30

WARNING! SEXUALLY EXPLICIT TRIVIA AHEAD! READ FOR YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT.

do you know that a pig's orgasm can last as long as 30 minutes?

that a female praying mantis needs to rip off the male mantis' head before he can ejaculate? (yan ang tinatawag na "deadly experience"). similarly, black widows kill their mates after having sex (naman, pag sinabi sa yo "kainin mo ako" wag naman gawing literal. pero kung baboy sila, maiintindihan ko kasi pagod na siguro si mareng black widow pagkatapos ng 30 minutes.)

that according to a survey, half the men who were raised in farms have had a sexual encounter with an animal (i'm guessing duck and chicken are the usual victims. this gives a new meaning to the term "dog style").

dolphins are the only other mammals aside from men that have sex for pleasure (i bet you, they haven't met the pig)

some fish are asexual and can change gender based on certain environmental or hormonal cycles. (sila ang pioneer sa "sariling sikap". pero sigurado ko, ang baboy, baboy talaga)

among primates, men have the largest and thickest penis (kaya hindi totoo na pag malaki ang paa, malaki din ang ano.... tingnan mo ang gorilla, tinalo ng baboy).

60% of men admitted to having masturbated (the other 40% lied, ang baboy di talaga nag ma-masturbate, e hayop naman sa tagal magaspang na hoof nila di pa rin matapos.)

elephants are the only animals that can't jump (parang hindi to totoo, nakakita ka na ba na tumalon ang snail? and am sure natatawa pa rin ang baboy dahil mas spectacular ang trivia tungkol sa kanya)

that 5% of women can truly experience multi-orgasm, 80% of women fake their orgasm (kaya siguro sinusulit na pag naabot yung orgasm. ang baboy naman e one long gigantic orgasm!)

The female bedbug has no sexual opening. To get around this small problem, the male uses his curved penis to drill a vagina into the female. (the pig has a natural screw like penis)

The oyster is usually ambisexual. It begins life as a male, then becomes a female, then changes back to being a male, then back to being female. It may go back and forth many times.(sila po ang original na mga transvestites)

The male tick doesn't have a penis. Instead, he uses his nose to sniff out the females vagina. Once he's made it large enough by poking his nose around, he turns round and deposits his semen. To finish the job off, he then turns round again and pushes the semen inside with his trusty nose. (sus me, pano pag nata-tae lang pala sya?!?! siguro dito rin nanggaling yung paniniwala natin na pag malaki ilong... maraming kulangot. kaya nga sabi ng baboy, o tingnan mo ilong ko, pango pero hanep sa sex!)

and just in case the pig is getting too full of himself, the desert rat makes the rabbit look a little useless in the Don Juan stakes. The desert rat can have sex up to 120 times an hour giving the phrase "quickie" an entirely new meaning.

and I'm sure, despite my warning, 101% of you read this post. isa lang masasabi ko, ang baboy baboy mo! ha ha ha

Picture of the Day - Jade Emperor Pagoda

2011-09-26T19:07:00.000+05:30

Jade Emperor Pagoda, 73 Mai Thi Luu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

put this atmospheric cantonese pagoda built in 1909 as the top of your temple list when visiting Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The jade emperor watches over one incense filled room, while hidden rooms harbour woodcarvings and altars depicting scenes from Taoist and Buddhist myths. One hall houses the go-to diety if you're seeking fertility.The upstairs section represents heaven, housing the "kwan ying" goddess.- Saigon City Pass

Picture of the Day - PORKCHOP!

2011-09-25T20:55:00.002+05:30

Porkchop sleeping with his eyes and mouth slightly open. Complete with snoreeeee. My cousin said that dogs that sleep with their eyes half closed are usually intelligent. hmm CUTENESS and brains :)

how can you NOT fall in love with Porkchop?!?!

Porkchop is a chinese miniature sharpei and i fell in love with him the moment i saw him in tita carms house. hmmm isn't he the cutest?!?!? i think i have to take myka up on her offer for me to babysit porkchop he he he.

- photo credits, myka lizares :)

Let's Keep This Between Us Okay?

2011-09-24T18:38:00.000+05:30

i am honestly thinking twice before letting you all in this secret. possibly the best kept secret of San Francisco in Camotes.

i mean, every day, a bit of paradise is lost and the usual culprit would be me, you, the tourists.

we discover a spot of heaven on earth and before you know it, a karaoke joint is set up right smack in the middle of nowhere. of course that's being melodramatic, but you probably get my point.

and i hope, i sincerely hope, that it's going to take years, decades before anyone decides they want a piece of bakhaw and turn it into boracay.

no disrespect for boracay, i've had my share of good memories of the place, but bakhaw brings me back to the days when things were simpler, quieter and one gets a sense of being one with nature.

one way to get to bakhaw is to rent one of the motorbikes that ply their service near the standard resorts in camotes. alternately, you can rent out a jeep for the day and make bakhaw part of your itinerary. the best way to visit bakhaw is to bring your own car and simply let time takeover without having to worry about meeting any particular deadline.

bring lots of water as there is very little potable drinking water available in the sparsely equipped stretch of sand. huts for rent are available where you can drop your things and head off to the inviting water. don't forget to ask one of the boys to get you some "butong", young green coconut, to quench your thirst.

when you're done for the day, take pictures, lots of pictures to seal the memory. one never knows, the next time you visit bakhaw, a karaoke joint may be blaring "my way" as part of the program. pray that it never happens.

What are Beaches for but for Bitches to Bitch in?

2011-09-24T09:49:00.001+05:30

okay, that's a line from Temptation Island. beaches are in and definitely there are no bitches in Camotes (except for the native dogs that run free along the shores of Santiago Bay).

this one is a continuation of the Enchanting Camotes post where we started the tour with Bukilat cave.

Cebu has some amazing beaches (and biatches - but that's another story) that line the coastal roads as well as the component islands that make up the province (gilutongan, sta. rosa, pandanon, bantayan, camotes etc) and a lot of debate about which beach is the best. moalboal, badian, bantayan, malapascua, sumilon, san remigio all claim to have the best natural beach front.

i've been to all these places but the best beaches are in san francisco, camotes.

imagine pristine, white, sugary sandy shoreline with waters shaded azure, green and pale blue. The other places have varying degrees of this "description" but what sets the beaches of Camotes apart from the other places is an adjective that is sadly missing in their description: virginal.

a bitch and his boys :)

one still gets a sense that Camotes is largely untouched by the commercialism that pervades most of the beaches in Cebu with resorts jostling for space and the horrendous practice of putting up artificial cement barriers that stretch to the sea to distinguish one resort from another. nobody seems to care that this is illegal in the first place.

there are three major beaches in San Francisco, Mangodlong, Santiago and Bakhaw. We stayed in Mangodlong (by default) but we were able to visit the other two. Santiago bay is a gorgeous stretch that is right smack beside the town - imagine attending Sunday service with a gorgeous view of the beach.

unfortunately, we visited Santiago towards the early evening and it was already low tide, everyone got wiped out and slept a couple of hours after our Bukilat cave trip. nevertheless, it is still a nice place for a photo op and a quiet stroll along the shore.

of the three beaches, Mangodlong is the least ideal for swimming with its pebbly coarse white sand. What makes it interesting is the coral outcrop a few meters from the shore that formed natural islets. the resort owners built cottages on these islets where you can enjoy your meals surrounded by the sea.

the only black mark for this particular spot is the neighboring resort that built the awful cement barrier that marks the "boundary" of the resort.

i would personally recommend that you stay in Santiago bay as there are more (cheaper) options for places and restaurants. mangodlong is a good take off point but hardly a place i'd go back to.

if mangodlong is a disappointment, wait for the next post where you get to experience paradise on earth in bakhaw. stay tuned!

Enchanting Camotes

2011-09-24T08:51:00.001+05:30

Bukilat Cave, Tudela, Poro Island, Camotes, Cebu

unplanned trips are usually the best. it was close to midnight when the group decided they wanted to go to Camotes the following day. and when I say "following day", that means we should be in the RoRo (Roll On, Roll Off) seaport by 4:30AM so we can reserve a car space in the boat. which means we had less than three hours to get some sleep, pack our sunblock and get ready for the trip.

needless to say, Ron woke up late around 3:30AM and i ended up driving the car (after a couple of red bull) after we picked up andrew. any last vestige of sleepiness quickly disappeared as ron and andrew shrieked while i raced, skidded, flew over potholes and bumps and practically flew to Danao from Cebu City. a little under 30 minutes and we were able to make it at 4:30AM to meet up with the rest of the gang.

nobody told me that we didn't have to be there THAT early as the other group could have reserved or slot. oh well. i've been wanting to go on a speed ride for the longest time he he he.

it was close to 6:00AM before the first boat pushed off and by 8:00AM we were already in Camotes. I am guessing the captain had too much "tuba" before the trip, it took a umber of attempts before he was able to dock the boat. it didn't help that the idiotic passengers kept rushing from one side of the boat to the other that caused the boat to tilt off kilter.

lechon for breakfast?!?

The first order of the day was breakfast and we headed to San Francisco where Cecil's family feted us with lechon for breakfast. that was when i knew this trip was going to be grand! i mean, how often do you get a WHOLE lechon for breakfast? dinuguan, kalderetang kambing, a literal feast early in the morning to fuel us for the rest of the day.

First stop was Bukilat cave, one of 8 caves currently mapped out in Camotes Island and is probably the most famous for its natural pool of cool fresh water where you can enjoy a nice dip. It is located in Tudela in the island of Poro.

enjoy a swim in the cool waters, make sure you visit the place during high tide

Warning, the water level rises and sinks with the tide so it is best to consult the locals for the expected high tide to ensure you can go for a swim.

The best time to visit the place is from 10AM - 2PM where it may be too hot to stay in one of the gorgeous beaches around Camotes but cool enough inside the cave for a refreshing dip. Furthermore, the holes on top of the cave allow natural light to illuminate the interior that adds to the atmospheric effect of the shadows created by the natural stalactites and stalagmites.

Natural Light

the best way to get around is to commission a motorcycle from drivers that offer their services in the various resorts in San Francisco. Better yet, find a contact in Camotes and rent out a jeepney for the whole day to allow you to visit various places.

Bringing a car is the best way to go around Camotes so you can plan your itinerary at your own leisure. This is just the first day of the trip and there are still wonders to discover in Camotes. Visit this blog for more posts as I feature Bakhaw beach, Mangodlong and Danao Lake in Camotes.

a most unusual saint

2011-08-02T20:39:00.000+05:30

the title Black Magic Mary is enough to conjur images of a witch draped in black robes similar to that of the Virgin Mary albeit with a more sinister aura. in Sta. Maria Church in Siquijor, a saint wearing a black habit holds a skull in one hand and an "inverted cross" in another is fast gaining a reputation that is probably influenced by the mystic history of the island itself.

locals have speculated that the skull is actually her husband's and that she murdered her husband for reasons that seems to have been lost in history. a bit of research show that the locals refer to the saint as Santa Rita de Siquijor, probably a Filipino convention where we name the Virgin Mary with annexes related to places (e.g. Our Lady of Guadalupe).

my own research led me to discover this particular "myth" in an effort to know more about Santa Rita de Cascia who is the patron saint of a church and town named after her in Pampanga.

The first thing that caught my attention was the skull. you don't see many saints holding on to a skull unless you go to one of those demon worshiping places. my travel companions and host don't have answers to my questions and we went around the place to look for a picture worthy tableau. internally, i've already made up my mind that i was going to do a bit of research after my trip.

in one part of the church grounds, i saw the a bust of Santa Rita surrounded by roses. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that she had a red dot on her forehead. ignorant fool that i am, i assumed she must have been indian. and yes, a number of indians are catholics and carry catholic names.

going to the front of the church, i came upon a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (the one where he has the exposed bleeding heart). i felt a slight crawl on my skin as i looked at the structure as i noted that he had very dark almost black eyes that contrasted with the overall white paint. it was more disconcerting that he had streaks of black that dripped from his forehead, through his eyes and cheeks all the way down to his chin. it was only when i processed my pictures and zoomed closer that i discovered that his eyes were actually very life like with a bluish gray cast. the details was enough that you can distinguish the pupil from the iris.

a friend of mine speculated that the original statue was probably painted intricately but was washed over at one point.

the church structure itself is not that spectacular considering that the interiors have been repainted and redone in such a way that took away much of the details one would expect from a structure that had its start in 1726 and completed in its current structure in 1868.

what made the church special is that it holds an actual relic from Santa Rita that was ensconced in the church last August 17, 2008. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know what exact "relic" is kept in the shrine.

so far the stories are not that "interesting" compared to that of apung tiago in betis and san guillermo in bacolor.

but then again, i still have to do my research about Santa Rita de Cascia.

to answer the question about the skull, it is purported to be her husband's, that much is assumed to be true. what is myth is that she killed her own husband. sources disagree but generally, she was wedded to Paolo Mancini at the age of 12 (or 14 as some literature claim) despite her wishes to enter the convent.

the husband is an abusive man and she bore two sons from the union. despite this, she persevered and eventually turned her husband from his evil ways and they lived a home life in relative bliss. it is to this fact that she is the patron saint for troubled marriages as well as lost and impossible causes.

at one point, her husband was murdered violently and following the old Italian tradition of La Vendetta, her sons plotted to avenge their father despite her insistent pleas to "forgive and forget".

when she failed to convince her sons to abandon their wicked plan, she prayed to God for the death of her sons and they died within a year because of dysentery, thus "saving" their soul.

at this point i was feeling rather queasy over the fact that a mother wishing the death of her own son is something that is alien in a filipino family concept. furthermore, her "prayers" sounded more like a killing curse - the catholic equivalent of harry potter's "avada kedavra" - perhaps this is the real reason why she is referred to as the Black Magic Mary in Siquijor.

her story does not end at this point. free from her marriage and with no family, she sought to enter the convent where she was denied a number of times due to the fact that she is not a virgin, she was previously married and had kids.

eventually she was admitted in Saint Mary Magdalene's convent in Cascia where she led a life of prayer and sacrifice.

there goes my "indian" saint theory.

as stories go, there is reason why her bust in the church grounds had a red dot on her forehead. this is where things get a little creepy.

in one of her meditation in the convent, she prayed "Please let me suffer like you, Divine Saviour" and a thorn from the crown of thorns adorning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ fell and hit her in the forehead, leaving a gaping wound that never healed and became a full stigmata.

at this point i was scrambling to check my pictures and came up with the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the black stains on His forehead. coincidence? creepy?

nevertheless, the story continued that in her death bed, Santa Rita asked her cousin for a rose and a fig from her old house. her cousin probably thought her senile as it was January and supposedly the winter season would have long killed the plants in her yard. still, the cousin obliged Santa Rita and visited the house only to find a single rose in full bloom as well as a ripe fig ready to be plucked. this is the reason why the fig and the rose are considered as her symbols.

which ties in to her bust in the church grounds surrounded by flowering roses. again the series of coincidence is just astonishing although i would attribute this to people who probably did their own research and came up with the same story, hence that nice "rose" detail in the garden.

i wished that i did a bit more inspection of the structure considering the story of a most unusual saint that watches over the church. perhaps another trip, this time to Siquijor so i can close the loop of this fascinating story.

note : photo credits to adamgm in flickr.com for the first pic.

buried but not lost in memory

2011-07-30T13:02:00.001+05:30

San Guillermo, Bacolor Pampanga

i find it embarrassing, really.

everyone i asked couldn't give me the answer when i asked if they knew the name of Mama Mary's mother. and if you're one of them, i bet you just popped another browser tab open to try and research the information in google.

I wouldn't have known if I didn't get the chance to visit barili in cebu and chanced upon a church dedicated to her. It is doubly embarrassing that as a catholic i don't know that piece of information.

The locals excavated the original retablo and mounted it closer to the dome of the original church

which leads me to a thought of how we name churches and the saints that magically bestow its protection over the town that carries their name as a patron. i guess, naming every church after Jesus or Mary would be a bit confusing.

in a recent trip to pampanga, i asked my hosts to bring me to bacolor to get the chance to visit the remains of the church that got buried in lahar (mud flow) in 1995 after the 1991 pinatubo volcano eruption.

notice the gold leaf gilding used to decorate the side retablo

the church is already famous before the tragedy partly due to its architecture that borrows heavily from rococo and baroque designs. More so, the gold leaf gildings of the main and side retablos as well as the pulpit that features statues hundreds of years old spoke of a grand and opulent history that rightfully acknowledged the fact that bacolor in pampanga used to be the capital of the Philippines.

part of the wing that was converted into a museum, note the windows that are close to the ground.

a painting of the original church. notice the smaller window on top of the original entrance
that now acts as the main entrance.

a miniature of the current church structure / grounds.

the current structure hark to the old days although half of its 12 meter height is submerged under the earth. parts of the complex include a museum that houses some of the old statues and relics salvaged from the lahar. more importantly, the main structure is still used as a place of worship although one finds it interestingly odd that you have to use the windows as the main entrance to the church.

Jesus Christ, part of the Museum

following up on my initial thought about "naming" churches, it was a perfunctory fact for me that the parish is named after San Guillermo. doing a bit of research, i found little reference to the saint and his history except for the fact that the church lot was donated by a certain Don Guillermo Manabat to the Agustinians in 1576 which probably accounts for the name of the parish church.

a life sized statue of Jesus, notice the pampangan practice of wrapping the head of the dead with a piece of cloth that starts from the top and runs underneath the jaw

what is interesting with names is that it lends a certain "character" and perhaps has a certain mystical influence over a person, or in this case, the church itself.

Guillermo is actually Spanish for William, and whereas there is a dearth of information related to San Guillermo over the net, St. William brings up a lot of reference and that's where things fall into place.

St. William also called St. William the Great and St. William the Hermit didn't actually live a very "saintly" life. Before he was declared a saint in 1202 by Pope Innocent the Third, he lived a hedonistic existence as a French youth before he was advised to go on a great pilgrimage after his conversion to Christ. Upon his return he lived in Tuscany Italy as a hermit but moved to Malavalle where he eventually died living a life of solitude, penance, fasting and silence. A big turn around from his previous life.

notice the bats that hang on the wall

The story doesn't end at this point as his followers eventually formed the Williamites that got incorporated as part of the Agustinian Grand Union in 1256. Eventually, the Williamites spun off again but the Agustinians has continued to include St. William as part of their pantheon of saints.

With this history, it then makes sense that the Agustinians used San Guillermo as an appropriate name for the church that was donated by a man who shared the same first name as the saint.

the bare interiors of the church with exposed beams. notice the windows set on the ground towards the right side of the picture. these used to be the arches of windows that rose four meters from the ground.

The list of curious similarities and incidents doesn't end at this point. Like St. William who led a grand life before his humbling experience as a hermit, San Guillermo in Bacolor represented everything that was grand in the Philippines as a former capital. The pinatubo incident can be likened to the pilgrimage that stripped William of his pride and laid bare his soul in the incarnation of the current church that shows a very simple structure with exposed beams and bare wooden pews.

it is in this bare simplicity that more people feel a deeper connection with the church that has a very solemn and quiet feel to it. despite being touched with tragedy, the spirit remains strong in its solitude. just like a hermit.

and if you still don't know the name of Mama Mary's mom, it is St. Anne. I leave it up to you to find out the name of her dad!

Finding My Way to Apung Tiago

2011-07-24T11:24:00.000+05:30

At the start of this particular millennium, I read for the first time about Santiago de Campostela in a book by Paolo Coelho who wrote about his pilgrimage in Northern Spain. I didn’t expect that I’d be reconnected with the same history in a town much closer to home in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga.

take note of the wooden floors, low view of the main altar from the entrance

betis church, exterior

The curiously grand baroque church of Betis is dedicated to the town patron Apung Tiago, otherwise known as St. James the Great.

The name Santiago is an abbreviation of the original Latin “Sanctus” and standard Hebrew “Ya-agov” or “Ya-aqo” that means “lacobus” in latin. “Lacobus” means “lago” or “Jaime” in Spain and translates to “James” in English.

the baptismal area

wide view of the altar

Santiago de Campostela is famous in Gallica, Spain as a pilgrimage route that leads to the shrine where legend says the dead body of Santiago was brought by angels in an unattended boat from Judea. Today, the pilgrimage and the shrine hold a “celebrated place in Christian history” as one of the major main pilgrimage routes that includes Rome and Jerusalem. The grand cathedral of Santiago de Campostela is the destination of such a pilgrimage and is often called the Way of St. James. If it makes for better reading, taking the Way of St. James guarantees “plenary indulgence” in the Catholic faith.

main altar, taken from the side

wooden carved details of the altar in the baptismal chamber

random saints and figures in the rectory

It isn’t much of a pilgrimage but I had to travel from Central Visayas in Cebu to Central Luzon in Pampanga to visit the church of Apung Tiago in Betis. It may not have the imposing structure of the original cathedral, but it is inspiring nonetheless with its murals and paintings that adorn the ceiling and walls of the church. Perhaps my own “pilgrimage” will help stave off a couple of pounds from the “gustatory indulgence” that I have been willingly subjected by Red and Voltz, my hosts in Pampanga.

the grand altar

the pulpit where the priest does the sermon

Its history is ancient by Philippine standards as it had its roots in the 1660s when construction started until it was rebuilt in the 1770s and the interiors beautified in 1939 by Padre Santiago Blanco, which is fascinating in the fact that he was named after Apung Tiago and is the last Spanish priest that took care of the parish of Betis.

paintings of the dome on top of the altar

painting on the ceiling, left wing of the church facing the altar

Through the years, restoration was done and culminated in the 1970s when the paintings were restored by Victor Ramos, an apprentice of Macario Ligon who did work in Betis together with Simon Flores, Maximo Vicente and brothers, Martin and Severino Gozum Pangilinan and other artists both local and international that helped in painting the interiors of the church in a grand style reminiscent of the works of the great Italian Renaissance artists such as Michaelangelo, Giotto and Masaccio.

a sample of the painting details on one of the four posts that support the intersection of the vertical and horizontal parts of the church.

It is not surprising then that the church has been called the “Sistine Chapel” of the Philippines and has been conferred the title of National Treasure by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

painting at the center of the main body of the church

the amazing details of the doors that lead to the church

More than just a pale comparison and copy of the grand cathedral and its obvious inspiration from the Renaissance, the church in Betis holds its own with grand woodwork that makes Betis famous throughout the Philippines as the home of the “mandukit”, artists that reshape hardwood into their vision of reality. More interesting is the fact that Betis is the only Spanish colonial church that still retains part of its wooden floors.

Unfortunately, my research ends with a question as to why the town and church were dedicated to Apung Tiago. I don’t claim to be a learned historian but that should be fascinating to learn.

a painting of St. James, Moor Destroyer another aspect of Apung Tiago

By the way, St. James is also sometimes depicted as St. James the Moor slayer which explains a curious painting I found in the rectory showing a man astride a horse striking down dark colored men with his sword. Rather violent, but something that is different story altogether.

If at any point you find yourself in Pampanga, let the whisper of St. James guide you to his sanctuary and maybe, just maybe, the beauty of the church will speak to you of the beauty of God’s love for us all.

Imelda Loves Cebu

2011-07-04T20:32:00.000+05:30

did anyone see the front page picture of imelda marcos doing a duet with gwen garcia in yesterday's sunstar? i'm posting another picture of the ladies with imelda holding up an "I Love Cebu" shirt together with gwen.

i don't understand why we are celebrating a lady whose family has been convicted of plundering the philippine coffers? the only reason why i would have my picture taken with imelda is if i get the chance to post it in facebook with an arrow pointing at her labeled "FREAK!"

i kept my silence when they recently published a picture of a gloating imelda as an honored guest in a recent museum opening in cebu if only for the small amount of satisfaction seeing madam in a "prison" turned museum. that's the closest you'll see her behind bars.

we pinoys have this uncanny ability for forgive and forget. unfortunately, that hasn't taught us to learn from our lesson. today, more than ever, corrupt political families are building dynasties and are sucking the pinoy dry and the best that we can do is to have our picture taken with these monsters doing a "duet".

what message is being shared with us? that is okay to fraternize with plunderers, crooks, murderers and criminals who still hasn't admitted their guilt? that is perfectly fine to look up to a family cast in shame rise up from the ashes and get elected into national positions?

madam gwen, i honestly think you are giving cebuanos a disservice with this move. what gains can you possibly get from fraternizing with imelda? do you need her endorsement for filipinos to come visit our paradise? if anything, my unsolicited advice is for you to distance from her as people just might think you're of the same stock. we don't want that do we?

Transformers - Dark of the Moon, a Rambling Movie Review

2011-07-04T20:11:00.000+05:30

i don't understand this "DESIRE" to catch a movie on its first day. it's not like the Transformers Dark of The Moon plot is going to change after a couple of days. Megatron is still going to die and Sentinel Prime is still a traitor. oh wait, did i just give a spoiler?

can i just rant for a bit?

putakting sm eto, amputchang sakit ng neckers ko looking up the crotch of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, pati kulangot ni optimus prime kitang kita ko, in 3D. dapat ipagbawal ang neknekeng first three seats in the front! parang kumain ako ng isang toneladang lechon at nahilo ako pagkatapos panoorin ang super-feeling-close-up action right in front.

speaking of transformers, there are a lot of that in the philippines. boy by day, girl by night. and if this is not enough, i read in the newspaper that the mega-transformer herself, dr. belo just announced her engagement with hayden "manyak" kho. di bale, vicky can fulfill the fantasies of hayden of having a virginal bride. dapat si vicky should have been in transformers part 2, revenge of the "fallen".

another group of transformers are also making a ruckus in the news. we call them wolves in vestments. angels by day, demons by night. the bishops who received PCSO donations and got luxury SUV cars are crying foul over the COA report and are complaining that the OTHER churches who got donations should also be listed.

very much like the talangka (crab) mentality, they want to bring down the other groups by saying that they are not the ONLY ones that got "donations". whether other groups got "donations" the fact that THEY got their loot is already unethical. reminds me of jesse james who said that it was okay to cheat on his wife sandra bullock because others are doing it as well. beat that logic.

and if you're trying to find any logic in that statement, it's like finding a good plot or reason for the transformers dark of the moon script. nothing. absolutely nothing.

don't get me wrong, i totally liked the movie (despite the steep nek) and the wham bam action but i totally don't get the critics for blasting the movie just because the plot sucks. hello, ALIEN giant TALKING robots? and you expect a plot for this one? put your brain in park mode and just enjoy the ride!

sakit sa baboy

2011-07-04T19:36:00.000+05:30

we here in cebu have this term SSB which actually means "sakit sa baboy" or "pig sickness". no, it's not a local term for the "foot and mouth disease", rather, it's the curious sleepy syndrome when you had too much to eat.

much like the baboy that would flop on its side and roll around in a mud pond after a heavy meal. i felt like doing a belly flop and do just that after my cholesterol busting, hypertension causing, heart attack inducing dinner at zubuchon. silly, i meant my bed, not a mud pond.

the "see through" kitchen :) - check out the menu!

we were on our way to merto for a grand burger dinner when my companion suggested we try the restaurant that just opened in one mango (right in the heart of cebu city). i had my tummy set for the oh-so-luscious-delicious beef burgers of merto but my ears perked up when she mentioned the restaurant name "zugbuchon". after getting a glowing review about the "best pig.... ever" by anthony bourdain, i couldn't turn down the chance to check out the place.

then again, it wasn't just the lechon that sold me to the idea of grabbing dinner in zubuchon.

the zubuchon in maita's party. felt the lechon head wasn't cooked and i wasn't really "liking" the bulutong effect of the skin.

lechon-wise, my personal favorite would be the spicy lechon from rico's. i've had zubuchon in a party hosted by a friend and i can't say i was particularly super impressed. i'm chalking it off as a bad batch and will probably give it another try some other time.

what got me salivating was the thought of having lechon dinuguan, lechon kinilaw, adobong lechon, lechon sinigang. heck, even the dessert had leche... flan.

the place was small, very simple and used a sparse design. perfect when your star is the lechon itself. i've had my share of hole-in-the wall types where people don't really care if the cutlery or china don't match. what matters is the food.

in zubuchon though, the place was very clean and you can see the kitchen from the dining area. perfect for people who like to see their food cooked.

then again, the REAL star of the night wasn't the place, it was the food.

lechon cooked adobo style, perfectly sour and creamy with the addition of coconut cream. the cream added a slightly nutty taste. the surprise crunch of the chicharon made this dish a good find. reminds me of the same dish in sinugba.

we ordered the creamy slightly nutty dinuguan lechon cooked with a strong acidic hint of vinegar and made creamy by adding coconut milk.

prichon, or fried lechon - reminds me of the lechon leftover in my younger days. we cut it up, store it in the freezer and when we need instant ulam, we fry it with a dash of soy sauce and garlic. this one was a bit dry. may i suggest that you add a bit of the taba (fat)? what's lechon without the taba?

we wanted to order a small portion of zubuchon but the kitchen ran out of fresh lechon and they offered us prichon, or pritong (fried) lechon instead. the dish could have been better if they added a bit of the fat to give it a definite heart curdling zing. nevertheless, dipped in pinakurat (fermented spicy vinegar) it was still a good dish.

if i were to choose only one dish out of this set, the lechon sisig in tomato pasta is the BOMB!

we could have ended the meal at that point but my companion saw the lechon sisig in tomato pasta and wanted to sample the dish. i would say that it was my favorite for this particular round. who would have thought that lechon sisig cooked in an overload of garlic and tomatoes can be used as a topping for pasta? i probably shouldn't be surprised, i've done chicken in green curry and used that as a pasta sauce before, not to mention the flaked chicken and pork adobo pasta sauce experiment that turned out to be a spectacular hit with my regular foodie partners.

a surprise hit :) kamias otherwise known as "iba" in ilonggo or cebuano. as my friend said, just thinking of this drink made him kuri-it, otherwise known as the facial expression when you bite into something really sour. beats green mango shake anytime!

if you get the chance, order the kamias shake, a perfect drink to clean your palate as the main flavors do have a tendency to overpower each other. you don't want to think that the leche flan somehow tastes like lechon do you? the pineapple-mint shake is my next target :P

superlatively delicious biko, i'm really trying to avoid carbohydrates but this one was just too awesome!

i can feel my gut develop an extra layer of gut but ester wasn't done yet. yeah yeah yeah, she's probably gonna run it off the following day but what about me? what do i do with the creamy leche flan calling out my name, or the biko that's practically giving me the come-hither finger?

i swear, i only ate the dessert as i needed to fulfill my gastronomic journalistic responsibility. extra pounds be damned.

if that wasn't enough, the crew whipped out an extra serving of budbod kabog, compliments of the house :) i must say, that was unexpected but a welcome thing. thumbs up to the restaurant crew (especially alex) who graciously answered our questions and served our food promptly!

budbud kabog, otherwise known as millet, a type of whole wheat grain from "grass", not the smoking kind. cooked suman (tagalog) or ibos (ilonggo) style. perfectly salted and made creamy by the coconut cream

as i'm posting this, the picture set i uploaded in my facebook account has racked up a number of visitors and friends who are alternately praising and cussing me for the temptation.

another lecho... err leche flan for dessert

i'm looking forward to visiting and sampling the other dishes. what's next in my hit list? i wonder? time to count lechon jumping over the roast pit.... one lechon, two lechon.... zzzzz.

Food Porn - Cebuano Adobo

2011-06-28T00:00:00.001+05:30

adobo is a filipino dish and all regions have their own unique take on the dish. in cebu, when one orders adobo you just might get the variety that's very similar to the crispy lechon kawali.

in all respect, it is marinated using the standard adobo sauce: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorn and bay leaf. the only difference is that the sauce is reduced and the pork pieces fried until it becomes very dry.

the other version is to double cook the dish. once the sauce is reduced, the pork pieces are taken out and made to rest until it becomes cold. better yet, place it in a container and keep in the freezer. to cook, heat oil and deep fry the pork until the skin start to turn into a crackling. this process ensures that the insides are still soft whereas the exterior is fried to a crunchy crisp.

this version is tastier than your usual lechon kawali without the need for mang tomas sauce.

when i had this dish, i experimented further by tossing it in dinuguan. i like my adobo a bit saucy. :)

- sinugba, the gallery, cebu city

Food Porn - Crispy Dinuguan

2011-06-25T16:16:00.000+05:30

dinuguan, otherwise known as pig's blood stew. traditionally cooked using the entrails but has since evolved into a healthier version using the standard cooking parts such as liempo (belly). speaking of "evolution", it was only a matter of time before someone decided to fry the meat/fat pieces to a crisp before cooking it via the usual dinuguan style.

verdict? i love the texture and crispiness of this oh-so-sinful dish!

grab this dish in sinugba, the gallery, cebu city!

Ang Ded na Ded kong Telpon.

2011-06-25T15:21:00.000+05:30

my nokia china rip-off dual sim phone finally croaked after three years of faithful service and many months of frustration trying to figure our the menu items that are in chinese.

and since my word for the day is "Eulogy", here are my last words, sentences, phrases, euphemism, allegory and thoughts dedicated to my phone:

eskandalosa ka. lintek sa lakas ang ringtone, keypad at message tone mo! naman, pati kapitbahay ko nagigising sa lakas ng alarm mo. nung isang araw nakalimutan kitang i set, nag reklamo si ate charo at na late daw sya sa gising dahil hindi ka nag ingay. sa sobrang pikon ko, ginamit ko tuloy yung isang pre-recorded tone na pang-gising, ayun natahimik si ate charo ng nag-ingay ka na "peking na mo" (repeat 200X).

da best ka din, sa halagang less than payb thousand, meron kang radyo, mp3 player, voice recorder, video and TV recorder, 8 megapixel camera (pero di ko alam kung bakit blurred pa din ang quality), dual sim at snake xenxia na paboritong kung laruin gabi gabi pag pagod na ko panoorin ang replay ng face to face ni amy perez. at waw, may chinese subtitles. di ko maintindihan of cors.

bilib din ako sa haba ng antenna mo, sa sobrang clear, pati television show sa china na pick up ko pa. medyo yucky nga lang yung mga cooking show nila, sino ba baman gusto kumain ng "galic flied lice"? alam ko exotic food sa shanghai, pero naman, pati kuto pinapatulan dun?

at sigurado ako marami ka pang features, kaya lang di ko maintindihan kasi nga chinese. oo nga naman, china phone di ba? alangan naman eyspanish ang instructions mo. pati manual mo na chinglish pakiramdam ko sinulat at nirebyu ng mga taga DepEd. "to alive the phone, enter the power and turn on the button." muntik na kitang itapon habang kumakanta kanta ng "alive alive, jesus is alive"

ilang libong text messages din napadala ko sa yo, ilang oras ding tawagan dahil sa sun unlimited call and text combo ko. yun nga lang, nakakapikon ka dahil may automatic censorship ka na built in dahil chinese ka nga. ilang beses ko sinubukan i type ang "FUCK YOU!" pero lumalabas talaga "PACK YOU!" kala tuloy ni kapitbahay ate charo inimbita ko sya sa outing at sumagot pa, "PACK NA ME, PACK NA YOU?!?" da nerb.

bilib din ako sa auto censorship feature mo, yung kaibigan kong manyak, yung mahilig magpadala ng malalaswang peektyurs (i swear i don't like them ha?!) kaya mong i change ang content. meron akong MMS natanggap, title BIG PUSSY, tapos pinalitan mo ang laman na si garfield. mataba nga naman.

nako, wag mo ko simulan sa text na yan, di ko alam kung bakit lahat ng text ko dapat naka CAPITAL letters. pero oo nga naman, yan naman ang mahal ko sa yo.

eskandalosa ka.

Word for the day: Eulogy

2011-06-25T13:53:00.001+05:30

nung isang araw nanood ako ng "Forever and a day".

hep, walang kokontra, please, pinilit lang ako. katapat lang isang scoop sa gelatissimo ang bribe sa 'kin. and yes, namatay si sam milby sa movie.

at kung nag react ka sa statement na yan, obvious nanood ka din (ipokrita!).

anyways, me isang scene, si kc nag dialogue kay sam: "i want to hear your eulogy for me...", aaminin ko, medyo affected ako, samahan pa ng singhot at impit na hikbi ni doktora minnie sa tabi ko, medyo mapapaluha ka din. kasi naman, ang daming kurot ni minnie, sakit ha?! dyos ko po, 30 years old (hep, ano sabi ko? WALANG KOKONTRA) na tayo?! kinikilig pa din?!?!

syempre, ready na si doktora sa kanyang pang urian best actress for a single scene emote award sabay kuha ng panyolitong puti. yung isa pang kasama namin na si doc ron ready na rin sa showtime bigtime performance. dapat one tear lang, right eye.

di rin patatalo si doktora emik at nangi-ngilid luha na ang maldita habang bumubulong na "this is it, really really is it!" sabay kurot sa kay dok jason (husband) para umiyak din. yes, biktima din si jason sa pangyayaring eto.

opo. ma drama ang mga kaibigan kong doktor.

sa likod namin, sabi ba naman ni yaya... "ate ano yung euology?"

ewan ko, bumaligtad ang luha ni minnie, nag auto reverse. sabay naman kami ni ron na sikuhin si minnie. kung merong 3D movie effect, ang sa 'min, 4D, ewan ko nanginginig ang upuan namin at medyo napalakas ang impit na hagikhik ni minnie.

ikaw, alam mo ba ang translation ng eulogy sa pilipino o di kaya bisaya?

paradise no more

2011-05-28T13:41:00.000+05:30

a post marking the "spot"

what's 10,564 km from Canada, 2,990 km from Japan, 1,116 km from Hong Kong and 9,882 from Germany?

the famous sunset of boracay, framed by the islets near station 1

if you find exactly that spot then you're probably standing somewhere in Station 3, Boracay, an island part of Malay town in Aklan, Philippines. most people know boracay to be the pattaya or bali of the philippines. which isn't really a good thing.

ride one of these vinta's and go on a tour around the island

without bias or prejudice, boracay has the better beach that is famous for its sugary fine white sand. let me make a small correction, the beach is just a small fraction why the place is famous with tourists all over the world.

another sunset view

imagine 24 hour hedonism geared towards worshiping the sun and the bronzed bodies that parade in all state of undress. boracay is a temple devoted to sun worship and the gorgeous pagans that share the goal of merriment, food, alcohol and sex. the only thing missing is the casino.

a dying sun

if you intend to lie by the beach, listen to gently lapping waves, get a kiss from the sun and relax to the cool breath of the wind - you're 15 years too late. boracay has turned from paradise to a giant mega dance club.

muslim pearl vendor

skimboarding activities


ferris wheel, d'mall, station 2

the vendors have to secure a license to be able to sell their wares by the beach

pizza? yellowcab delivers in boracay

following a fishy trail in danao

2011-05-26T20:21:00.001+05:30

an array of boats, smallest to the biggest :)

on your way up north of cebu, make sure you drop by the DANAO fish port to get super fresh catch of the day (that is, if you can be there at 4AM - 6AM) at literally a quarter of the price.

my good friends :) - now you understand why they charged us double. blame it on lea, gerry and ron who look just as foreign as me!

on the other hand, if you're on your way to any resort heading to the northern towns of the island, you can also drop by the fishport, proceed to the second level and prepare to follow a gustatory buffet and array of food featuring the fresh catch of the day. very very affordable. just make sure you wear a couple of grease streaks on your face and be ready to speak in the vernacular, otherwise the price go up for a slight "adjustment" for the tourists. for a while, the people got startled to hear a japanese looking hairy arab speak in visayan. except that i still have the dang ilonggo accent! grrrr. i knew i could have haggled an extra few pesos off my food bill.

lato, guso, seaweed, tulingan, clams, shrimp, crabs, tangigue, squid.... delish!

chili shrimps - hot and delicious!

just a sample of the many stalls that offer freshly cooked seafood. didn't realize that baboy can be caught in the oceans he he he

Little Bits of Paradise in Tabogon

2011-05-26T20:00:00.000+05:30

some of the local kids hamming it up by the spring

ask any cebuano about what they know of tabogon and some wouln't even be able to pinpoint it in the map. for most, it is one of many coastal towns on their way to san remigio, or daan bantayan before they get on a boat for the more popular bantayan islands.

so you probably understand why i was hesitant to go to tabogon when an officemate asked me if i wanted to spend the weekend in their town. it doesn't help that the town offers very minimal options where to stay.

at the end, my curiosity got the better of me as I've never really fully explored the northern part of the province and i thought that this would be a good opportunity to discover more of my adopted home.

i hope i can share my joy in discovering little bits of paradise called tabogon through these pictures.

the inviting Fresh Water Spring of Guiwanon

guiwanon flows into a stream that goes into the ocean, mangroves frame the sides of the stream

locals enjoying their own private dipping pool by the roots of trees that gets filled by the water coming from the spring

my own private island

you know you're in the province when you can still ride the bike in the middle of the "highway"

daddy? is that you?!? cute dog

when they said you can use the kayak in bunzie cove, i didn't realize that these are the "native" kayaks. cool!

private cove in bunzie's. pebble beach but still a gorgeous place for a swim

you can jump right outside your villa straight into the waters

the path leading to bunzie's cove private cottages / villas

a tot enjoying his ride in the middle of the national highway

the huge tree that covered a big part of the guiwanon spring, shade from the blazing sun

middle of the road, pictorial?!?!?

the view from the main deck, overlooking the cove and the gorgeous azure waters

fresh coconut (buko) - delicious in a hot hot day under the sun

infinity pool at one of the viewing peaks of bunzie's cove. i can imagine a gorgeous sunrise from this place

this is a platform that's about fifty feet above the sea level, if you're brave enough you can jump or just brave enough to pose seductively :)

clear waters in bunzie's cove

there are more things to do in tabogon like visit the marine sanctuary where you can get on a glass bottom boat and explore the magnificent corals and swim with exotic colorful fish. my only concern is that they don't have much options where to stay in the town except for a couple of resorts. if you want to discover tabogon on a budget, drop me a note as I can recommend a group that can arrange a weekend tour for you :)

nindota bai!

gym (b)rats

2011-05-23T20:10:00.000+05:30

there are four distinct cliques in my gym.

the bratty college kids on a summer break who go around in packs and seem to be preoccupied with talking more than working out. i hate how they think they own the joint and sit on benches while the ones who want to use the machines have to wait. i don't want to sound snotty, but i definitely paid more than their bloody student summer rates to use the gym.

the other group is made up of "athletes". boxer-wanna-be, stationary cyclists, road runners. the ones who raise their shirts in a snap to admire their abs and talk about their next cycling activity, the next marathon, the next basketball game. often they flock around the tv to catch the latest NBA game. they also have the annoying habit of hanging out in the spinning room to chat up the instructor, never mind that we're in the middle of a class. the worst offenders join the cardio classes, do mocking attempt at following the teacher, laugh out loud at their "feigned" inability to follow the dance classes then they leave the room. they strut, they preen and seem to delight in outdoing each other in the VOLUME category.

the third group is the ultra narcissistic model-wanna-be group. they spend more time gazing at themselves in the mirror rather than working out. i am constantly amazed by their ability to carry a conversation with each other while they look at themselves. seriously, some of them need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they want to live their lives joining the next bikini open hoping for a wealthy benefactor to keep them fresh. clue to the clueless: gravity is a force of nature, eventually, everything goes south! if there's anything common with the other two groups, they are also notoriously noisy not only in the gym but inside the lockers as well. please, let's not talk about waxing and how the other fellow's butt is so firm. that's just sick.

the last group that also has a tendency to flock together would be the cross-breeds. the half-and-half mestizos. half-filipino half-filipina, errr... half-american, half-british, half-italian, half-japanese half-spitz, half-australian, half-german, half-measles err.. half-you-name-it.

i don't understand why they always have to speak in loud voices with a pronounced twang as if to announce their superior-poren-genes. more often, they group together like the united nations and have a disdainful attitude towards the natives around them.

a quick lesson in statistics, 99% of pinay-poren marriages have an economic reason behind them. close to 80% are initiated through online chatrooms. 40% are initiated in bars. most of the poren partners are not exactly rich or royalty in their own country. they are just common workers. the pinays are not exactly rich either. so quit the posturing doood.

personally, i couldn't care less about these cliques. i just wish they'd shut up and let us paying customers do our workout!

A Perverted Pinocchio Tale

2011-05-22T19:56:00.000+05:30

harold camping of FamilyRadio.com - May 11, 2011 Rapture Prediction

if for every lie, pinocchio's prick would expand, harold camping could easily have the longest dick in the known universe.

as it is, he's probably the biggest DICK in the world. at least for those that believed his rapture story and went ahead and quit their jobs and went on a euphoric acid trip believing that May 21, 2011, at exactly 6:00PM, the rapture will happen and signal the end of the world.

seriously, it can't happen that soon. the expiration on my Coke Zero can said June 15, 2011 and I still have to watch the last episode of Oprah and let Americans make the biggest mistake of voting for the worst American Idol season winner of all time.

i sat through mass during the Saturday, May 11, 2011 6:00PM anticipated schedule. if there was anyone who was going to suddenly dissipate and rise to heaven, it would have to be the priest standing in the pulpit in front of all the sinners. guess what, not a single one disappeared inside the church. oh wait, we're asians, we can't be saved, right harold?

last night, i had the distinct pleasure of watching a late tv opinion show where they had rabid anti Reproductive Health (RH) politicians slugging it out with pro RH advocates on the moral merits of the issue. ok, so what's pleasurable with watching la coste (aka crocodile) brand ambassadors on national TV?

when they opened the telephone lines for commentators, one caller opened her line with:

"this is not a question, it's already 9:00PM, May 11, 2011 and harold camping said you suckers are all going to hell with me!"

ooooohhh that shut the panel up and forced an emergency ad spot.

then again, i realized that i had it wrong.

you see, harold computed it VERY specifically to be May 11, 2011 6:00PM California time (where he's based). Which meant that it has to happen May 22, 2011 9:00AM Cebu/Manila/Philippine time.

and i was like, pissed.

i was scheduled to join a corporate event hosted by Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa and I was looking forward to breakfast in Acqua and Lunch at Tides.

by 9:01AM i realized that the whole bloody Philippines is going to hell as everyone around me enjoyed their danggit, corn beef hash, fried rice, daing na bangus, native chorizo, omelette and endless supply of freshly brewed coffee and fruit juice.

that's a distinct probability, but the reality would have a horde of pitchfork wielding, jobless, publicly humiliated folks running after harold and shouting "wait till we get to you, we'll make this baseball bat disappear... up your ass!!!"

santorini, cebu

2011-05-21T13:12:00.001+05:30

it started with a conversation. i told amale i wanted to go to bellaroca in marinduque as i was fascinated with the way they patterned the resort's design with that of santorini, greece. i was drooling at the thought of taking pictures and probably spending half the cost if i really booked myself a trip to greece.

without missing a beat, she told me to head north of cebu and check out catmon and the resorts that line the coast for a close approximation of the Mediterranean look.

that got me curious and i was able to convince a couple of friends to book ourselves in huna huna, a resort right at the border of carmen and catmon, 47 kilometers away from cebu city.

the way amale described it, rooms face the camotes sea, lovely view of the sunrise, and rates that won't render you bankrupt. there are very few people whose taste i trust and amale is one of those.

we almost drove past the entrance of the resort that was situated right by the side of the road with a sign that was barely visible. when we got in, there was nothing that made me immediately think that the place was anything spectacular.

i first got a glimpse of the sea through a pathway framed by overgrown cacti that leads to a private viewing deck. from there it was mental ooohs and aahhhs as we saw the roof deck overlooking the bay where you can dine al fresco. paths wind through the property using bricks that lead us to our rooms in a structure done in predominantly white cement and accented by dark wood frames and metal railings.

built on the side of the cliff

the whole structure was built to wrap itself along the side of the cliff with natural pathways over an older installation that mimicked a worn down castle. instead of cutting the trees, the owners built around the natural foliage and even added pockets of green in the property.

each room has a private veranda and windows that face the eastern sea, guaranteeing a lovely view of the sunrise for the early birds. the rooms are limited with 6 airconditioned units and huts set on rock platforms all over the place.

wake up to a gorgeous sunrise

castle-like old structures

there is no beachfront although you have access to the water via steps that invite you to jump into the water. set on rock slates, the water doesn't have the treacherous drop found in the southern coastline and allow you to walk further before you go and enjoy a swim or snorkel with colorful fish that swim in and out the corals.

seaside view from the rooms

when you've taken your fill of the sun and water, reserve the roofdeck for a candlelit dinner bathed in moon glow as you take in the amazing view of lights that dot the coast line. the properties beside the resort literally represents a hodgepodge of expats who found their piece of paradise in catmon. chinese, japanese, american, pinoy - owners of the properties adjacent to the resort have taken their lots and developed it.

candlelit dinner

if you're lucky, the australian owner of the resort will send over glasses of wine to go along with your dinner. make sure to pre-order your food early in the morning to ensue that they have enough time to buy fresh ingredients from the market. we had calamares, grilled squid, porkchop, chicken and an amazing tangigue kinilaw served for dinner.

you can sleep in late but for those who appreciate the beauty of nature, wake up early to catch an amazing sunrise show guaranteed to warm your heart.

roofdeck, overlooking the bay. make sure to reserve the spot for your dinner

aside from hunahuna, make sure to plan for a trip to the hot springs up the mountains of catmon and take an amazing river trek that ends with a dip in the cool waters that form a pool at the basin of a waterfall. if you don't fancy such strenuous exercise, you can stay in the hot spring pool that has sulphuric water - the anti bacterial and anti fungal properties of sulphur will leave your skin glowing.

and if you think that this is such a huge production number, catmon is only 47 kilometers away from the city, roughly an hour of driving, the food is very affordable and the rooms priced just right. We got our rooms for Php 2,000 a night good for two with breakfast.

an amazing and lovely vista

do explore the option of buying your food along the way from danao fishport as you can grill your own food in the resort. if that is too much of a hassle, the resort offers a good but limited array of dishes for your choice. don't be afraid to ask for dishes that are not in the menu.

it bears to remember that there is so much to discover in the philippines, and in this case, right in my own "backyard". enjoy your trip :)

Huna Huna Resort, Catmon, North-East Cebu
45 Kilometers from Cebu City, approximately one hour drive
Look for Beverly for your reservations
0917 371 9741

make your acquaintance with dash and d2, black labrador retrievers that run around the resort

standing guard and waiting for the folks to come back

contemplating a swim - aren't they adorable?!

can it suck any further?!

2011-05-21T12:00:00.001+05:30

that's it. the last straw came when they got rid of haley and left two country hicks to duke it out for the finals night in american season 10. they got it all wrong when they started with casey abrams getting eliminated early in the show and the judges using their season save to bring him back.

just when i thought they have somehow managed to correct a glitch in the system, pia toscano got the axe. a loss that caused a minor uproar as the judges were alternately angry and upset over the results. a pattern followed suit, the non-white contestants got the boot week after week and it came to a head when casey abrams was eliminated from the show.

i admit, casey is my favorite but he's not exactly american idol material though i think out of this batch, he'd have a great career in front of him. james durbin was my other bet and it looked like he was set to reach the finals with amazing performance week after week. my other bet was haley who was similar to casey in the way they raised the banner of being a performance artist more than just a singer.

when durbin got cut, i lost interest in the show though i had a premonition he was going to get the axe as he sounded TOO cocky during the performance night. a little humility (feigned nervousness perhaps?) would have served him well.

with durbin out, haley was my last bet to save the whole season from possibly voting the worst idol in the show's history.

then again, the show proved me wrong, haley got the boot despite the fact that she obviously had the better performance over karaoke-safe-fresh-faced scotty and that other girl-who-i-can't-even-remember.

i don't have the energy to dissect the reason why the american public is voting the way they do as i am neither american, nor do i understand their choice for an idol. all i can say is that they are making a bad choice indeed!

Romancing a Dying Sun

2011-05-21T08:53:00.000+05:30

people can argue that manila bay sunsets are the most gorgeous in the philippines. that is, if you haven't been to boracay. the natural rock outcrop along the shores of station 1 in boracay formed a perfect frame to capture the last moments of the dying sun.

River (mis)Adventures in Catmon!

2011-05-21T08:27:00.002+05:30

tightrope acrobats are usually paper thin, not two hundred pounds. that's what was going through my head as I muttered "pekeng ina naman! what the feck have i gotten myself into?!?!?!"

i felt like a cast member in an indiana jones movie, a hanging bridge spanning a ravine with a dizzying drop to a riverbed below. i probably won't die if i fell down, slightly mangled but not really dead. you get the point.

then again, i blame myself really why i found myself hanging on for dear life as i wobbled across the hanging bridge. let me backtrack for a bit.

it was really part of the itinerary to visit the hot spring in catmon. i nearly had a fit when we got to this "spring" right beside the road and it looked like a cemented portion of a creek that trapped the flowing water before it goes out to rejoin the stream leading into the open sea. i can see my companion's face and the mental expletives that formed as they took on the view of the locals doing their laundry and half a dozen farm animals lining up for a dip in the "pool". i didn't travel all the way to catmon for this!

good thing we were able to hook up with a local previously and we had the good sense to ask for the name of the owner of the "hot spring" and it soon became obvious that this wasn't the spring we were looking for. lest you fall into the same situation, remember this: the spring is Esoy Hot Spring and the owner is Celso Bustamante.

let me digress for a while and let's talk about the "pinoy measure of distance". we pout our lips, pointing to a distance that's not that far and mutter "dyan lang". when we say "malapit lang" assume that's it is anywhere from a few meters to a few hundred... kilometers. but when we say 3 kilometers, or one kilometer we assume that is a specific distance from point A to B.

Apparently, in the outskirts of the city, it's not only the accent that changes but the notion of distance as well.

the resort staff said that the marker for the road leading up to the hot spring is three kilometers going towards town and that the hot spring itself is about a kilometer heading up to the mountain.

well, make it around 11 kilometers to town, and another 5 to the hot spring.

finally we were able to make it to the hot spring only to find out that it is only by reservation that you can enter the place. good thing we have our native cebuano who did the negotiation (and i suspect he promised our souls to the diwatas and engkantos of the place) to let us in.

entrance is Php 100 per LOCAL head, the caretaker had half a mind to charge us more as gerry looked like a spanish sardine and i could easily be mistaken for an arab (blame it on the facial hair). it didn't help that lea kept speaking in eynglish you know.

aside from shelling out the Php 100 per head, we had to cough up an additional Php 500 to use a table and nope, you can't go down to inspect the place. you just have to agree up front about the rates.

i can imagine why the caretaker dissuaded us from "checking out" the place, you have to go down a total of 165 steps carved on the side of the mountain and just imagine climbing the same route.

in fairness, the hot spring beckoned to us with the promise of soothing our tired muscles. the set up was pretty nice (yes, pretty AND nice). the owner created a dipping pool that formed the basin for the flowing water and created holes around the pool to allow the water to drop into the ravine and riverbed just beside the carved out platform.

we could have spent our day stewing in the hot dip if not for the fact that I saw lifejackets hanging by the sari sari store that piqued my interest. you certainly don't need the jackets inside the pool unless you're midgets, really short midgets.

that's how i found out that the owner can arrange for a river trek that leads all the way to a gorgeous cathedral domed waterfall.

and that's where i found myself muttering "pekeng duck naman!!!!" as i crossed the hanging bridge going to a platform where you can access the riverbed.

the next thought that came into my head was "aaaarrrrrrggggh! why did i leave my camera?!?!?" you see, nature has a way of making the most intricate painting look like a cheap print.

right below the property is a cave with stalactites that glistened with running water dripping on its surface. you swim inside and you head on to a spot where you have to dive and swim across a short short portion to emerge on the other side.

you then wade to shallower parts of the water to climb a natural pedestal where gushing spout of hot water form a natural "shower". never mind that it is sulphuric and has that slightly "rotten egg" aroma. imagine dr. wong sulphur soap.

from there, manong esoy guided us through the river bed with the dexterity of a mountain goat as we all stretched, hopped, tiptoed, waded, crawled, skidded, cursed, squealed like babies throughout the very short three hundred meters leading to the waterfall.

as lea mentioned, good thing she did her pilates the other day as it really prepared her for this trek. i thanked the yoga gods for giving me the flexibility and strength! it's not an easy trek, nor is it leisurely.

along the way you admire the view of the cliffs flanking the river bed and the green green vegetation that shade part of the way. there are portions where you feel you're on a frying pan as you scramble on top of huge boulders under the blistering heat of the sun. which reminds me, boulders triple our height disappear during the rainy season. yes, the waters get that high and manong esoy advised us that the trek is simply impossible during the rainy season.

natural eddies form in pool pockets powered by the strong flowing water, perfect for a natural jacuzzi and a short break from the trek.

the best part of the trek is the fact that manong esoy has literally memorized the trek and can guide you through very specific portions of the riverbed. you start to appreciate his help when he tells you the exact distance you have to swim before you can find a submerged foothold.

for me, the fact that he was always ahead meant that if there's an anaconda, 3D piranha, lacoste crocodile, mega leech and other river monsters, he'd be the first to go "ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".

before we know it, we reach the open pool flanked by a naturally hollowed out dome-like structure from the two cliffs that frame a gorgeous waterfall. we can feel the mist hit our faces as we swam around the pool.

i floated on my back and loved the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves. it was a magical experience!

the trek back was faster and if the hanging bridge was scary going down, imagine pulling yourself up! i was still muttering pekeng duck all the way. we can't believe that we've already consumed two hours doing the trek and was longing to get back to the hot spring so we can soak our tired muscles.

exhilirating, balls-petrifying, but definitely worth it!

then reality hit us, we still have to walk up 160 steps carrying our stuff. i am pretty sure that the duck is the most abused bird during that part of the trip. pekeng duck pekeng duck!!!!

just in case you want to explore the same adventure, i've published the contact details:

Celso Bustamante
(032) 430 9250, (0921) 813 3296, (0923) 553 7427
Esoy Hot Springs, Catmon

just tell manong esoy you were endorsed by dennis, friends of AA from Lanao :) he'll remember that :)

another day the phiippines stood still

2011-05-08T09:29:00.001+05:30

as i'm writing this, manny pacquiao's name is beng called to head up the ring in MGM Garden Grand Arena to face Mosley in front of thousands of spectators that paid a small fortune to see it in the flesh and hundreds of thousands more (if not millions) that paid anything in between fifty pesos to six hundred pesos (snacks included) for a live telecast in every corner of the philippines where they can set up a television.

as usual, crime rates will literally drop to close to zero as all the thugs stream to venues to start betting on variants of the fight: knock out? pacquiao wins? which round?

amidst all the shouting, screaming, fainting and cardiac arrest erupting in every corner, i am contentedly sitting in my favourite coffee shop that's practically devoid of customers as i wait for the results to come in. o how i wish i can see the new head and shoulder hair of manny swing to the left and right (if it doesn't get in the way of his vision) in an obvious beiber inspired cut as the fight happens.

who wouldn't want to see aling dionisia don her white vestments and swing to and fro in front of her altar complete with all national camera crew jostling for a position to capture the classic datu puti facial expression? While the spectators from another part of her home scream at every punch, bite, kick and elbow thrown, she prays fervently that manny brings home the money (so she can get her hermes bag).

and in newsrooms all over the country (and globe), sportswriters, experts and people who think they are experts ready their articles to go online to praise manny or bemoan his defeat in the hands of mosley. don't mind mayweather, he'd still trash manny no matter what the end results may be.

in all this commotion, i wish and pray for manny's success with a cup of coffee in my hand and a newspaper in another. good luck manny :)

Terrible Service

2011-04-09T14:16:00.000+05:30

zest air makes cebu pacific look like paradise in the customer service front.

a friend of mine booked a round trip ticket for himself, his wife and sister-in-law for a long planned vacation. unfortunately, his flight with zest air got cancelled with no apparent reason.

i guess we can live with the fact that flights get cancelled. but what defines customer service is what a company does after the cancellation.

my friend wanted to have his flight rebooked to the next one but was informed there are no more seats available. he then asked if they have an arrangement with other airlines and the only response was that he has to book it himself and pay about four times the cost of his original ticket.

frustrated, my friend asked instead for a refund of the total ticket cost which is what most people would have done. unfortunately, he was informed that they can't refund his ticket as the flight coming back wasn't cancelled. it was all because of "company policy".

ironically, when my friend asked the lady which part of the ticket contract says he can't have a refund they can't give any answer except "company policy".

that's not the worst part. despite attempts by the ground staff, they couldn't contact any of their managers and went about chatting with the manager via text messages. i didn't realize that the tag "budget airline" for zest literally meant dirt poor budget - they can't even afford to make a phone call.

what sort of twisted version of reality do these asses from zest air live in?

as expected, my friend raised hell and help up the check in counter of zest air for two hours and was even threatened by security just because he wanted to get his refund. at the end, he GOT his refund.

if zest air thought that was a hassle, they should be charged and sued for the vacation my friend had to cancel. that's quality time he can't recover. ever.

Food Porn

2011-04-09T08:58:00.000+05:30

double pesto with shrimp - ila puti, cebu city - could have used more parmessan cheese

there are still people who look at me oddly when i head out to have a meal by myself. more so when i pose, spread, fluff and arrange the dishes around my table (and sometimes, on the neighboring table) before i whip out my camera for some food porn.

that's what you get if your second biggest passion in photography revolves around food.

oh it hurts the wallet as you go around looking for new dishes to interpret, food doesn't come ~~that~~ cheap in cebu anymore and i've turned down a couple of invites to write positively glowing PR reviews for a couple of restaurants.

i've said it before, and i've said it again - i can very well afford to pay for my own meal. i just want the freedom to say "eeet suuuucks" if and when a dish doesn't live up to my ~~limited~~ taste.

i'm digressing from the topic.

food photography is akin to porn. at least from my standpoint. you can look all you want but you know you can't have it. at least, NOT "have it" because it's all going to your (insert really flabby part of your body here). believe me, i've had to listen to endless lamentation from filipinos based in other parts of the world when i start to post pictures of adobo or lechon. and just like porn, you know it's bad for you but you just can't stop looking at it.

a thai inspired dish from ila puti - the fried rice had a nice flavor due to the dried baby shrimps

there are other "problems" with food photography. it is good when you go out as a group and you subtly try to convince your companions to order varied choices and not so subtly hint that you want to take a picture of their perfectly set food before they can dig in. i mean how cruel can they be when i look at them with puppy dog eyes and point my camera at their food?

work fast. you don't want your friends to eat cold food.

the other problem is when you're dining out alone. that's where the odd stares come from. dining is generally a social event shared by a group, not by a lonely fellow armed to the teeth with camera gear. then again, most people who dine out are still engrossed with their online world as they tap, scan, post and update their twitter, facebook pages while sending text messages and replying to email. the irony of it all.

for foodies like me, dining out poses a problem as you just can't have one dish for a picture. you end up ordering another dish, preferably something that you haven't ordered previously and run the risk of ending up with a dish that merits an "eeeet suuucks" tag in facebook. just like porn, it looks good on film but probably sucks in real life. i didn't mean the pun.

take out bag here we go.

sigh. i need to get some traveling done soon!

visit my blog for some incessant rambling.

Growing Herd of Uncommon Sense

2011-04-03T13:28:00.000+05:30

Can someone tell me where is the quality of life in this scenario?

what the church doesn't understand is that the very act of publicly condemning the Reproductive Health (click on link for the full text of the proposed bill) and making it the subject of full page ads in national papers only add to the interest of the otherwise apathetic attitude of most filipinos. they should have taken their cue from "Da Vinci Code".

i've heard the rhetoric and selective interpretation from the catholic church regarding the ~~(proposed)~~ RH Bill. RH Bill is Anti-Life. RH Bill promotes Abortion, RH Bill promotes pre-marital sex. RH Bill should not be funded by taxes paid by Filipinos, majority of which are Catholics thus making the tax money, a Catholic fund. each pronouncement, adding more fuel to the curiosity of the filipino why the church is exerting an all out war against the RH Bill. the church claims they are fighting for the life of the yet unborn child but more filipinos see through the flimsy reason and the real intent to fight for the interest of THE church.

instead of fighting for the yet unborn child, why doesn't the church utilize its resources, funds and influence to affect the life of the filipino people, majority of which are below poverty line and yet the Philippnes is ranked as one of the top contributors that add to the coffers of the Vatican.

An ironic reality considering that we are listed alongside a number of southern american countries that are considered poor but rank as top contributors to Peter's Pence (the volunteer contributions from catholics all over the world to the Vatican).

not content with using the pulpit to read numerous ecclesiastical, ecumenical, prophetic, subversive (add your superlative here) announcements that portray the RH Bill as a document straight from hell with matching burn-in-hell consequences, we have to contend with self righteous proclamations from rabid anti RH Bill groups and personalities that seem to delight in attacking (often at very personal levels) anything and anyone that supports the RH Bill. Fr. Bernas must be ruing the day he made his speech to the Makati Medical Society that was perceived to be "somewhat" pro RH Bill.

Fr. Bernas, a Jesuit priest and a lawyer, was called names by people who made random comments about his personality and stand. ironically, i am not sure if it was because of his nature as a lawyer and as a priest, the written article seemed like a roundabout discussion that doesn't explicitly make a concrete point although one line silently hid in a corner:

"I believe, however, that there is something more eerily fundamental here. I see in this ordinance an attempt by a sector of the Catholic church to instrumentalize the power of the state to impose their personal belief on all others. This is something which gives the Catholic religion a bad name."

the phrase obliquely refers to the recent brouhaha over the Ayala Alabang ordinance where it requires a medical prescription to buy contraceptives (e.g. condoms) in any pharmacy operating within the locality.

what is interesting to note is that it seems like he was putting the blame on certain private sectors of the Catholic church that gives the Catholic religion a bad name. while this is true, we shouldn't forget the ones operating within the church itself that has been working on destroying the church's image from within.

contraception has been in existence for some time already and the sudden ruckus raised by the church against the sale and distribution of the items bears a second look. they could have blocked it decades back. why the sudden agitation? unfortunately, some sectors of the church refuse to acknowledge the problem until such time that it actually hits them straight in the face. it simply doesn't exist if it is not written on paper.

the church sees the passing of the RH Bill as establishing the legal framework to implement programs and legitimize funding that help and educate filipinos about reproductive health. now that the state wants to "legitimize" the use of contraception as part of an overall strategy to manage the population, the church wants to take arms against the state.

never mind that pharmaceutical companies have been selling these contraceptions for ages. we should probably challenge the church to include drug and pharmaceutical companies in their campaign against the RH Bill.

five mouths to feed, the church is quick to point out that it is the responsibility of the state to provide for its citizens. celdran should have included "Pontio Pilato" as part of his placard aside from "Damaso"

at the end of the day, i see a lady walking up to a foreigner and asking for money to feed her children. four kids, the oldest barely seven and the youngest less than a year old. i ask myself what is the church's stand regarding this? fighting for the yet unborn child when they could do more to help those that are currently in this world.

painting with light

2011-03-16T17:00:00.000+05:30

young seductress

light captured on film or digital pixels make up a photograph. but what about invisible paint that only takes on form when hit by ultraviolet light? in the first place, why would any painter use such a paint?

magdalene?

art in recent years have gone through an evolution using forms, methods, installations, material, and interpretation. the methods may change but the subjects remain constant.

an igorot woman?

this series shows the artist's interpretation of the filipino woman in various roles. seemingly empty canvass hangs on the walls but comes alive when the ultraviolet rays of the rotating contraption set right in the middle hits the surface.

lady in a terno

the subjects all have a sensuous quality, a sense of mystery and like carnal thoughts, fleeting and disappears before you've fully grasped the entirety of the image.

aeta