Galloping Glutton

Market Cafe at Hyatt Manila

2010-12-01T14:44:00.008+08:00

It's quite unusual for us to go to the other side of the metropolis for food. No, that's not true. When I think about it, we've gone everywhere in search of a good meal. So it was only a matter of time before we ended up at Market Cafe inside Hyatt Hotel in Manila.

I know most people won't believe me when I say that I don't really like hotel buffets. I really don't. To me, eating in a hotel buffet is more a sport rather than a meal--it's really just a very silly test of human endurance and blind gluttony. Given the option between a nice plated meal and standing behind hordes of Chinese tourists all making a beeline to the carving station, I prefer the former.

The Market Cafe at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila, however, is a very nicely edited version of a buffet. They do have the spread one would expect in a regular hotel buffet, but the stations also give diners the option of ordering freshly prepared food items delivered to their tables. My friend Francis David took us there for lunch and it was nice to see that the choices, varied as they are, are not too overwhelming.

There's an Indian Station with Lamb curries, basmati rice, naan bread and mango chutney.

A Dessert Station which features a gelato counter, cakes, pastries and a chocolate fountain.

A Carving Station which serves roasts.

And Japanese Station with maki rolls, sushi, sashimi, tempura, etc. I had two plates of these!

My absolute favourite was the Mango Pavlova. Will definitely go back there again!

Loco Frio

2010-11-22T13:17:00.001+08:00

Boracay is about tanning yourself silly and getting plastered. Loco Frio is perhaps the only kiosk on the beach I can think of which fully understand this.

The idea is very simple. Six different flavours of virgin frozen drinks, optional shot of liquor (at about PhP 50/shot) and you're good to go. Nothing beats getting drunk on frozen cocktails on the beach after your buffet breakfast.

Love these tumblers, too. They charged PhP 250 for a frozen cocktail (price includes shot of liquor and the 600 mL tumbler). Refills only cost PhP 150 (so PhP 100 for no liquor). Had a look at their Facebook page and under Discussion there's a link to Franchising. Nothing mentioned there, just three excited girls asking to bring Loco Frio to their shores.

Grab one when you're in Boracay. Actually, keep grabbing until the people around you start looking attractive. Enjoy!

Toyota Classics 2010

2010-11-21T09:33:00.005+08:00

Friends are our best assets, and their value greatly improve when they work for a law firm who represents Toyota Philippines, and therefore gets lower box tickets for a truly fantastic concert.

Pedro and I haven't been to a show in CCP for what must've been at least a year so we were pleasantly surprised when we got an invite from Atty AOA and Atty JGP to watch this year's Toyota Classics offering. And cocktails start at 6:30.

The food was provided by Barbara's. Or was it Tamayo's? I can't remember now because when I thought about taking note I was already slightly drunk, and these days it doesn't take much for me to get there. Whoever it was, they did an excellent job. The waiters kept the wine and other drinks flowing, they served roast beef and mash and the food was very, very good indeed!

Now I must say I'm a bit concerned about the performance before getting inside the Main Theatre. I was having flashbacks of the Julia Duncan performance during the 2008 Toyota Classics. So it was quite a relief to find out that the Orchestra Citta di Firenze, tenor Leonardo Melani and our very own soprano Maria Rachelle Gerodias were prepared to give an outstanding, extremely polished performance.

During the intermission we went back to the cocktails area for more food. The lawyers arrived late from Ortigas and were famished so we were more than happy to accompany them. The wine flowed again. The roast beef, mash and gravy kept coming. Then we were ushered back to our lower box seats.

All in all the performance and the entire evening turned out quite well. Even FVR and Mrs. Ming Ramos approved.

Thanks Toyota Philippines, Atty AOA and Atty JGP!

Inaugural Dinner

2010-06-30T20:18:00.007+08:00

No, no. We weren't invited to the Malacanang Palace reception.

I was really looking forward to our little Clark food trip with the DHRIM team but it got called off at the last minute. People backed out, the weather forecast looked grim, and I really just wanted to stay home and watch the inauguration on television. And I did just that.

Then at about 1 pm we found ourselves with nothing to do. So we thought we'd go for a little drive. Apalit, Pampanga's town fiesta today. Hmmm. Carry on. Then we suddenly decided to drive to Clark. Pedro wanted to get a few bottles of wine and I just didn't feel like cooking. I made a batch of homemade yoghurt last night thinking I might cook us some Indian curry but in the end I just wanted to sit down and be served.

Pedro was quite hungry when we got there so we decided to play it safe and go somewhere we already know. VFW Post Canteen it is! We thought we deserved a treat (Noynoy's inauguration today!) so we got a couple of beers and ordered food. Picture on top is Pedro's Burgundy Pot Roast with Mash and Corn. Below is my Homemade Meatloaf with Rice and Corn. They were both delicious, sorry for the crappy pictures.

Then dessert! I ordered the Short Stack, two pancakes with butter and syrup. And a cup of brewed coffee. Pedro had another bottle of SML and Cherry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream.

I inhaled my pancakes so fast I didn't even get a chance to take a picture. Even Pedro's plate's picture is blurred. He literally was going to stab my hand when I attempted to get a bit of vanilla ice cream off his plate.

It was a very good inaugural meal indeed. Total: PhP 905.00. Not bad considering it includes desserts and beers.

I saw this bizarre thing on ANC the other day. Two kids, one from CCA Manila and the other from Enderun, explaining to the host their Inauguration Dinners. I thought Noynoy's team actually hired culinary students to do the food for the event. It turned out that they were just plugging their schools and presenting what they WOULD serve if they were hired by Noynoy's team.

The Enderun kid was very clever with his locally sourced ingredients and local flavour done to suit a more polished palate. The CCA boy, on the other hand, was going to serve Noynoy steak and chocolate tart. He even said that because the chocolate came from Belgium, it should be pronounced Tart Chokolah. Not sho-ko-lah but CHO-ko-lah . I love it when they are pretentious and not getting it right! I thought, you're serving food we can get from Burgoo during such an historic event? Come on.

VFW Canteen
381 Santol Rd. Cor Pinatubo St.
Clarkview Subdivision, Angeles City
(045) 892 2408

Wensha Spa

2010-06-22T13:14:00.005+08:00

I was a member of The Spa near Eastwood for the longest time so I never had to bother trying out new spas. I've been hearing about Wensha Spa from my friends and how they have a buffet thrown into the package. That really threw me off. So I planned about going there for the longest time and finally did when John came back from Morocco and I thought we'd give it a try.

Nothing like those Arab hammams John goes to in Morocco. Actually I'd be very interested to find out if there's any here in the Philippines. Anyway, the cheapest massage goes for PhP 680, which includes 6 hours in the facility, a buffet/shabu shabu and an hour massage. I wanted to try the Ventosa massage (yung may basong may apoy PhP 880) but I was told that the queue is quite long so I just got the most basic one.

Because it was Saturday night it was quite busy. There was a long list for the massage and I was starting to worry that we might get our massage in the morning already. Luckily I found the girl who has the list, chatted her up and John and I got in very quickly. Charm really goes a long way. Weheheheh.

I haven't had a massage for about a year and it felt awesome. It's like the world and its worries just melted away. The masseur used Ginger Oil and the pressure was just right. I still miss Remy my The Spa masseuse who knew exactly how to beat me up. Anyway...

After an hour, we proceeded to the buffet. They had quite a good spread. Rice, Fish fillet in some brown sauce, Chicken in some brown sauce, Pork in some brown sauce, Shabu Shabu ingredients, Ice cream, Iced tea and orange juice. Not bad. I mean, the food is the kind you eat in very uninspired restaurants, but after almost an hour on the wet floor and an hour of getting massaged we were starving. For PhP 680 it really was great value.

Wensha Spa is open 24/7 and is located beside Victoria Tower on the corner of Timog Ave and Quezon Blvd. I discovered a Fujimart next door, too!

Lan Zhou Laa Mien

2010-06-22T13:13:00.005+08:00

One sweltering lunch hour we found ourselves in Masangkay Street in Binondo for some official business. We weren't anywhere near Binondo Church so the usual restaurants were out of the question. We just couldn't bear the thought of sitting in traffic nor walking in the heat. I had a look around and happened upon a glass window with a rather feisty guy making fresh noodles. He did it with such panache and expertise that we immediately decided to say f**k the heat and ordered two bowls of ramen.

It was the best ramen we've ever had. Give me your favourite instant noodle and it is nothing compared to this. Pedro got the Chicken one, I had the Beef Brisket. Delicious broth. It really makes a helluva difference if you slowly simmer the stock to get that depth of flavour. The table is set with different condiments including a bowl of freshly chopped cilantro and another bowl of chopped spring onions.

To find it, walk from Bambang Market (Bambang LRT Station) along Masangkay Street. This is the same street as Philippine Academy of Sakya and St Stephen. If you see the Bureau of Immigration Satellite office (left side) you're on the right track. From there, walk another 30 meters or so and you'll find it near a street corner.

Definitely worth the trip!

A Taste of Pretentious

2010-06-18T09:38:00.005+08:00

Nothing would make me happier than to see this restaurant lose money and shut down.

I am reminded of this snob who used to work for Ayala Museum's Museum Cafe. They have the best cakes in Makati. I've tried Avocado, Chocnut, and a few others and they were soooo good.

One afternoon, I was with a friend hoping for a spot of lunch when we decided to eat there. It was 230 in the afternoon on a weekday so the restaurant was quite expectedly empty. There was nobody at the door so we made our way inside and sat at a table at the back. This guy (probably head waiter or even the restaurant manager, pale glutathione skin, goatee) was preparing to give us a masterclass on being a snob when he approached our table.

Snob: Do you have a reservation?

Me: (I stared at him then gave the room a scan.) Do we need one?

Snob: We prefer it if our diners make a reservation prior to showing up.

Me: I think you prefer it if you have diners. Get us the menu, prick.

Ok, I didn't really say prick. But he grudgingly got us the menu. I made it a point to leave a two-peso tip. Months later I saw him working at Chelsea Market Cafe in Serendra. Got fired, much? Or isa lang may-ari nung dalawa?

MAFBEX 2010

2010-06-16T20:59:00.022+08:00

I hate going to World Trade Center. It's such as schlep. But since my children are competing in the Best Cheesecake Competition in this year's MAFBEX, I braved the heat and traffic and paid PhP50 pesos to get in and enjoy an enormous room full of gadgets, food equipment and free tastings!

Ok, here's the thing. It's great that St. Benilde is hosting the event. I think it's a fantastic experience for the students to help organize and carry out MAFBEX. But did they really have to get a random student group called The Managers to sing songs during intermission? I think I speak for everyone in that hall that awkward silence was preferable to this group's horrible singing. They were so bad that at one point they were even laughing at each other. While still performing.

When I tasted Bea and Kevin's Black Sesame Cheesecake and Matcha Ganache on Sable Breton, I knew it was a winner. And it was! It was delicious. Even Pedro agrees.

This one was from the team next to ours. Very pretty fruits and chocolate wedges. Very pretty indeed. Tasted like an average cheesecake, though.

I had my eye on this Orange Fantasy. It looked so promising. I would've infused a bit of Grand Marnier in the cheesecake and roasted the oranges a la plancha for a bit of smoky, tart effect.

This is the gayest Halo Halo theme ever. Reminds me of an Alma Moreno dance number.

Grade 2 Art project entitled "Tissue Holder ni Regine Velasquez."

My favourite design. Stenciled or hand-painted yata. Pretty average flavour, though.

Biggest disappointment. When you're presenting something this messy, you better make sure that the flavour will make up for it. It didn't. The use of Kapeng Barako was very promising, but the taste was truly forgettable.

VFW Canteen

2010-06-14T12:12:00.008+08:00

I first read about VFW Canteen a couple of years ago in a blog which briefly mentioned the huge Eggs Benedict they serve. I've tried looking for it since but never had any success. I mentioned it to Gem one afternoon while driving to Angeles for a Kabigting merienda. She immediately texted her friend (who happens to be the Marketing Manager of Clark) who in turn did his snooping and finally found its address.

Armed with that, we drove to Clark one sunny Sunday morning in search for an enormous plate of brunch. The address sounded pretty straightforward but of course we got lost. We asked a few people around but nobody knew where Don Juico Ave. is. Eve the tricycle drivers didn't know. Don Juico turned out to be one of the largest streets just outside Clarkfield. I was really puzzled why nobody knew where it was.
After a few more minutes of driving around, we found the Fatboy Carwash landmark, made a right turn, and ended up immediately in front of the canteen. We got in and asked for the menu, which is available for download here.

The menu was quite extensive, and I got overly excited poring through it. In the end I chickened out and didn't order the Eggs Benedict. I wasn't sure if I can manage it on my own, and I hate wasting food. Pedro wanted something else so I decided to get the Shit on a Shingle (SOS) a wartime staple for GIs also known as Creamed Beef on Toast instead, which was wonderful. Two cups of real brewed coffee. Asked for the bill and it was pretty affordable for brunch for two. I was tempted to order dessert, or at least a stack of pancakes but I was too full to enjoy it. We'll just go back really soon!

Before leaving I went to the bathroom and realized that there was another room on the other side of it. It was a smoking bar, with an enormous flat screen TV showing CNN. At the bar and on the tables sat about a dozen white folks enjoying their Sunday brunch with beer and Bourbon Sour.

Definitely going back there! Join na!

VFW Post 2485 Post Canteen
Santol Rd. cor Pinatubo Street
045-892 2408

From the Friendship Gate, drive towards Fields Ave. Look for the tiny Fatboy Carwash (a couple of blocks after Zapata Mexican Resto) and turn right on the next street. It's about 30 metres from the corner.

New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks and Oysters

2010-06-14T11:46:00.003+08:00

That was one disappointing dinner.

We couldn't sit outside because there was a musical act on and like in many restaurants here in the Philippines the speakers were on full volume and it was really quite noisy. Grudgingly, we marched inside and sat on one of the booths. It was roomy and comfy. The decors were pleasant. Found it difficult to tell which ones are the waiters and which are customers looking for the toilets.

I started with gumbo soup, thinking of the huge bowl they serve at Gumbo's. It came in a tiny cup. The flavor was a bit of a blah. It tasted like microwaved frozen gumbo leftover from three days ago. Still hungry, I ordered the ribs and thought the one I always get from Rack's was much better. We also ordered the duck salad which had caramelized walnuts. Thought that was nice but for the price I expected more than three slices of duck breast. The dressing was spot on, though.

I get that the restaurant is trying to be a New Orleans themed restaurant. But really, they could have done more research on the food. It was ok at best, but factoring in the prices (pretty steep!) it's just not worth it.

Another restaurant observation. When I order beer, I expect it to be cold. And preferably served with a chilled glass. I don't want to drink cold beer straight from the bottle when I'm eating out. That's just crude. I prefer it in a chilled glass. Chilled, not full of ice. If I want beer and ice water I might as well stick to ice water. Why can't restaurants get this right?

See for yourself:
New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks and Oyster
B6 Bonifacio High Street, Global City (856 4326)

Yakimix

2010-06-14T10:48:00.007+08:00

Hands down the best lunch buffet under PhP 500.00!

I guess one can describe it as Japanese/Korean/Chinese meets the West. Not the place to go to if you don't feel like pigging out. And if you do, make sure you call to book a table. Leonard did an hour before we arrived so we had to wait for almost an hour to be seated. Very busy especially on weekends.

The best part is the barbecue. Dozens of fresh seafood, marinated meats, kebabs and veggies for the grill, and a wide array of ingredients for making dipping sauces. The desserts are ok. Highly recommend that you don't leave room for them.

Looking forward to the next trip when Chef Arnold takes me there!

Yakimix Branches:

Hobbies of Asia, Macapagal Blvd Pasay (387 8120 / 387 8112)
G/F SM Mall of Asia (836 1535 to 37)
Forum Bldg. 270 Tomas Morato Ave. (385 7500)

Scottish Shortbread

2010-06-14T10:16:00.003+08:00

This is something so delicious and so easy to make that I would normally have it all the time except that I'm too old to be consuming sticks of butter on a regular basis. Having said that, the recipe calls for real butter, not margarine. Get the best butter you can get your hands on. Because it uses very few ingredients the quality of each can really make the difference.

Ingredients:
175 gms unsalted butter, room temperature
225 gms all purpose flour... See more
60 gms rice flour
1/4 t salt
60 gms white sugar
2 T icing sugar, sifted
1/4 t vanilla extract
icing sugar for springkling

Procedure:
1. Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat butter for a minute until creamy. Add sugars and continue beating for another 1-2 mins until very light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat until totally incorporated.

3. Stir flour mixture into the creamed butter until well blended. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, knead lightly and transfer to the pan (I use silicon so no need to grease).

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 120C for 50-60 mins until pale golden and crisp. Cool on wire rack.

5. When stored properly, pwede sya for 2 months, pero hindi nga tumagal dahil nilantakan ng mga tao agad.

Kanin Club

2010-06-14T09:46:00.006+08:00

I must say that part of the reason we rarely eat out these days is that from experience, most restaurants are quite disappointing and are seriously not worth the bother. So it was with trepidation that we drove to UP Ayala Technohub one sunny afternoon for lunch at Kanin Club. I thought I would die!

The food is excellent. The rice is not like Mang Jimmy's, which is obviously from the NFA. It looked and tasted like the Dinorado rice I get from Mindoro. We ordered Sigarilyas Express, Crispy Dinuguan and Crispy Tenga. The best and our favourite is the Sigarilyas.

I wish I could eat there everyday, but being older than I used to be (obvious ba?) the back of my neck has turned into a barometer for cholesterol and MSG (or Umami, as Rosebud would call it). I've been back there only once since that day, that time to try the Seafood Kare Kare. Best Kare Kare I've had for months. The bagoong is ulam on its own.

Funny enough both times we were there there's always a long table of Seniors eating and being merry. Former UP professors? First quarter storm blockmates? Frat and sorrority buddies? I just think it strange that they should catch up while eating food that could easily kill them on the spot.

Doing a bit of research, I found that Kanin Club has a Facebook Account. Like na!

Kanin Club Branches:

Paseo de Sta. Rosa (049 544-0332)
Weekdays: 11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm
Weekends, Holidays: 11am-10pm

Westgate, Alabang (771-1400)
Weekdays: 11am-2:30pm, 5:30-10:30pm
Weekends, Holidays: 11am-10:30pm

UP-Technohub,QC (332-5978)
Daily: 11am-10pm

Makan Sutra

2010-06-14T09:16:00.007+08:00

I have been wanting to go to Makan Sutra at the Manila Ocean Park because I was craving for some hawker-style Singaporean food so I dragged poor Pedro there a few months ago. We were deeply disappointed. At the time it felt like a punishment for being too poor to fly to Singapore to eat the real thing.

It was a Saturday so we assumed that the Aquarium area would be busy, and it really was. We also thought that it would be wise to start thinking about food just after lunch to avoid the huge crowds. So at a little bit after 1 pm we headed towards Makan Sutra. As soon as we entered the disappointments started.

First, there were signs saying no photography allowed so naturally I took the camera out and began taking pics. With my bulk nobody seemed to want to stop me from doing this. What is it about these shops which put up these idiotic signs? They really bring out the worst brat in all of us, don't you think? When I see the sign "Thank you for not sitting" on sofas and beds in furniture shops I always make it a point to sit on them. "No private reading" would of course make me want to open sealed magazines and books.

At this time we were getting quite peckish. We had a look around and decided to order a few things. Five "Out of stock" orders later, we were getting annoyed. And to me the worst possible thing is getting annoyed while starving. It was ridiculous. Saturday, very busy day, just after lunch hour and they are out of most things on their menu. At this point we sort of just gave up and asked the embarrassed attendants what they DO have and settled for those. We ended up with this:

The roti and curry plate was excellent, although tiny for its price. We thought the Chicken Rice would be a safe bet but it was greasy and was mostly chicken skin and oily rice. Kadiri. The Seafood Pasta was forgettable. Jollibee's sweet spaghetti with hotdogs is far more interesting. That dumpling thing with prawns and toasted garlic was rather nice albeit a bit dull. Beer was expensive.

The verdict: Never again. Overpriced, nothing special, disappointing. Sayang.

Kabigting's Halo Halo

2010-06-14T08:28:00.004+08:00

It was one lazy summer afternoon when I decided to drive to San Fernando, Pampanga, for, um, nothing. I was walking around Robinson Starmills when I chanced upon a tiny halo halo place at the far side of the food court. I thought I'd give it a try. Little did I know that what I was eating was the famous Kabigting's Halo Halo. I immediately got hooked.

We at the DHRIM used to love Razon's and were thrilled when they opened a branch at UP Ayala Technohub. But we've only been there a couple of times, I think. We aren't really that fussed anymore with Razon's. Still trying to get the guys to try Banang's Halo Halo Ice Cream in San Juan but every time we drop by their ice cream machine is still under repair.

Kabigting's only have three branches: Robinson's Starmills in San Fernando, Marquee Mall in Angeles City and the original shop in Arayat, Pampanga. Far, but well worth the trip.

They also have pansit luglog (PhP 40/order) which is probably the best one I've ever had. Certainly better than Via Mare's.

We spoke to the guy running the Marquee Mall branch and he said they are open to franchising (PhP 400,000 per store) but I think these things should be kept small. I was watching a program on a French candy store in Brittany and the owner said that they have run the shop for three generations but never felt the need to make more than what they have always done. They never bothered buying machines to speed up production and are convinced that hand-made candies taste better. Quite agree! The more accessible a product is, the more common it becomes. Then it starts losing its charm. I hope the people behind Kabigting's would reconsider not to branch out and keep it a family business.

Oooops

2010-06-08T07:46:00.005+08:00

Jessica Zafra's Ticket

Didn't mean to disappear for over a year. Well, I didn't really. My readers are people I see everyday, and there's even a question whether readers should be plural. Wehehehe.

Today, Pres. Al Gore is in Manila to deliver a lecture entitled "The Leader as Environment Steward." Very impressed with SM's initiative to go green. Every Wednesday they use brown paper bags at their supermarkets. The cashiers and baggers hate those brown bags. They break easily and when you're buying fresh chicken it has to be wrapped in plastic twice then double brown bags. Yay.

SM has really gone a long way from the glaring fluorescent lights reminiscent of Isetann Department Store Cubao, no? They have redecorated! Amazing what a simple shift to warm lighting makes.

And while SM is on a roll about making a difference, I just wish that they'd rethink their labor contractualization policy. It's great that they have all this concern for the environment, but a greater concern for their workers would be more appreciated, to be sure.

I swear

2009-07-11T19:50:00.002+08:00

I'm now officially a UP professor.

Sure I have yet to receive my first pay check, but there you go. The pic was taken when we were sworn into office by Dean Mayo (leftmost) a few days ago. With me are Jan Flores (new instructor sa DHRIM), Prof. Baylosis (OIC, everyone's in Korea!) and Mrs. Palatao, the Admin Head.

Congressmen for Con-Ass

2009-06-06T18:12:00.005+08:00

(Photo courtesy of Victorina)

I got this list from Ricky Carandang's site. I hope he doesn't mind me reposting this here. It's hard to be apolitical in a country like ours. And one doesn't even have to be a Legacy scam victim to feel how difficult life has become for most of us. 2010 can either plunge us further into despair or begin a long and painful process of awakening. The choice is ours.

CONGRESSMEN WHO APPROVED THE CON-ASS:

ABANTE, BIENVENIDO M. “BENNY” 6TH District Pandacan
ABLAN, ROQUE R. JR, Ilocos Norte, 1st District
AGBAYANI, VICTOR AGUEDO E. Pangasinan, 2nd District
AGYAO, MANUEL, S Kalinga Province
ALBANO (III), RODOLFO T. Isabela, 1st District
ALFELOR, FELIX R. JR. 4th District, Camarines Sur
ALMARIO, THELMA Z. Davao Oriental, 2nd District
ALVAREZ, ANTONIO C. Palawan 1st District
ALVAREZ, GENARO RAFAEL M. JR. Negros Occidental, 6th District
AMANTE, EDELMIRO A. Agusan Del Norte, 2nd District
AMATONG, ROMMEL C. Compostela Valley, 2nd District
ANGPING, MARIA ZENAIDA B. Manila, 3rd District
ANTONINO, RODOLFO W. Nueva Ecija, 4th District
APOSTOL, TRINIDAD G. Leyte, 2nd District
AQUINO, JOSE S. (II) 1st District Agusan del Norte
ARAGO, MARIA EVITA R. 3rd district, Laguna
ARBISON, A MUNIR M. Sulu 2nd District
ARENAS, MA. RACHEL J. Pangasinan, 3rd District
ARROYO, DIOSDADO M. Camarines Sur, 1st District
ARROYO, IGNACIO T. 5th district Negros Occidental
ARROYO, JUAN MIGUEL M. 2nd District of Pampanga

BAGATSING, AMADO S. Manila 5th district
BALINDONG, PANGALIAN M. Lanao del Sur, 2nd District
BARZAGA, ELPIDIO F. JR. Cavite, 2nd District
BAUTISTA, FRANKLIN P. Davao Del Sur, 2nd District
BELMONTE, VICENTE F. JR. Lanao del Norte, 1st District
BICHARA, AL FRANCIS C. Albay, 2nd District
BIRON, FERJENEL G. Iloilo, 4th District
BONDOC, ANNA YORK P. Pampanga 4th District
BONOAN-DAVID, MA. THERESA B. Manila, 4th District
BRAVO, NARCISO R. JR. Masbate, 1st District
BRIONES, NICANOR M. AGAP Party list
BUHAIN, EILEEN ERMITA Batangas, 1st District
BULUT, ELIAS C. JR. Apayao Lone District

CAGAS (IV), MARC DOUGLAS C. Davao Del Sur, 1st District
CAJAYON, MARY MITZI L. Caloocan, 2nd District
CAJES, ROBERTO C. Bohol, 2nd District
CARI, CARMEN L. Leyte, 5th District
CASTRO, FREDENIL H. Capiz, 2nd District
CELESTE, ARTHUR F. Pangasinan, 1st District
CERILLES, ANTONIO H. Zamboanga Del Sur, 2nd District
CHATTO, EDGARDO M. Bohol, 1st District
CHONG, GLENN A. Biliran, Lone District
CHUNG-LAO, SOLOMON R. Ifugao, Lone District
CLARETE, MARINA C. Misamis Occidental, 1st District
CODILLA, EUFROCINO M. SR. Leyte, 4th District
COJUANCO, MARK O. Pangasinan, 5th District
COQUILA, TEODULO M. Eastern Samar, Lone District
CRISOLOGO, VINCENT P. Quezon City, 1st District
CUA, JUNIE E. Quirino, Lone District
CUENCO, ANTONIO V. Cebu City, 2nd District

DANGWA, SAMUEL M. Benguet, Lone District
DATUMANONG, SIMEON A. Maguindanao, Lone District
Dayanghirang, Nelson L. Davao Oriental, 1st District
DAZA, NANETTE C. Quezon City, 4th District
DAZA, PAUL R. Northern Samar, 1st District
DE GUZMAN, DEL R. Marikina City, 2nd District
DEFENSOR, ARTHUR D. SR. Iloilo, 3rd District
DEFENSOR, MATIAS V. JR. Quezon City, 3rd District
DEL MAR, RAUL V. Cebu City, 1st District
DIASNES, CARLO OLIVER D. (MD) Batanes, Lone District
DIMAPORO, ABDULLAH D. Lanao Del Norte, 2nd District
DOMOGAN, MAURICIO G. Baguio, Lone District
DUAVIT, MICHAEL JOHN R. Rizal, 1st District
DUENAS, HENRY M. JR. Taguig, 2nd District (2nd Councilor District)
DUMARPA, FAYSAH MRP. Lanao del Sur, 1st District
DUMPIT, THOMAS L. JR. La Union, 2nd District
DURANO (IV), RAMON H. 5th District, Cebu

ECLEO, GLENDA B. Dinagat Islands, Lone District
EMANO, YEVGENY VICENTE B. Misamis Oriental, 2nd District
ENVERGA, WILFRIDO MARK M. Quezon, 1st District
ESTRELLA, CONRADO M. (III) Pangasinan, 6th District
ESTRELLA, ROBERT RAYMUND M. ABONO Party List

FERRER, JEFFREY P. Negros Occidental, 4th District

GARAY, FLORENCIO C. Surigao Del Sur, 2nd District
GARCIA, ALBERT S. Bataan, 2nd District.
GARCIA, PABLO JOHN F. Cebu, 3rd District
GARCIA, PABLO P. Cebu, 2nd District
GARCIA, VINCENT J. Davao City, 2nd District
GARIN, JANETTE L. Iloilo, 1st District
GATCHALIAN, REXLON T. Valenzuela City, 1st District
GATLABAYAN, ANGELITO C. Antipolo City, 2nd District
GO, ARNULFO F. Sultan Kudarat, 2nd District
GONZALES, AURELIO D. JR. Pampanga 3rd District
GONZALES, RAUL T. JR. Ilo ilo City
GULLAS, EDUARDO R. Cebu, 1st District
GUNIGUNDO, MAGTANGGOL T. Valenzuela City 2nd District

HOFER, DULCE ANN K. Zamboanga Sibugay, 2nd District

JAAFAR, NUR G. Tawi-Tawi, Lone District
JALA, ADAM RELSON L. Bohol, 3rd District
JALOSJOS, CESAR G. Zamboanga del Norte, 3rd District
JALOSJOS-CARREON, CECILIA G. Zamboanga del Norte, 1st District
JIKIRI, YUSOP H. Sulu, 1st District

KHO, ANTONIO T. Masbate, 2nd District

LABADLABAD, ROSENDO S. Zamboanga del Norte, 2nd District
LACSON, JOSE CARLOS V. Negros Occidental, 3rd District
LAGDAMEO, ANTONIO F. JR. Davao del Norte, 2nd District
LAPUS, JECI A. Tarlac, 3rd District
LAZATIN, CARMELO F. Pampanga, 1st District
LIM, RENO G. Albay, 3rd District
LOPEZ, JAIME C. Manila, 2nd District

MADRONA, ELEANORA JESUS F. Romblon, Lone District
MAGSAYSAY, MARIA MILAGROS H. Zambales, 1st District
MALAPITAN, OSCAR G. Caloocan, 1st District
MAMBA, MANUEL N. Cagayan, 3rd District
MANGUDADATU, DATU PAKUNG S. Sultan Kudarat,
MARANON, ALFREDO D. III Negros Occidental, 2nd District
MATUGAS, FRANCISCO T. Surigao del Norte, 1st District
MENDOZA, MARK LEANDRO L. Batangas, 4th District
MERCADO, ROGER G. Southern Leyte, Lone District
MIRAFLORES, FLORENCIO T. Aklan, Lone District

NAVA, JOAQUIN CARLOS RAHMAN A. (MD) Guimaras, Lone District
NICOLAS, REYLINA G. Bulacan, 4th District
NOGRALES, PROSPERO C. Davao City, 1st District

OLAñO, ARREL R. Davao Del Norte, 1st District
ONG, EMIL L. Northern Samar, 2nd District
ORTEGA, VICTOR FRANCISCO C. La Union, 1st District

PABLO, ERNESTO C. APEC Party List
PANCHO, PEDRO M. Bulacan, 2nd District
PANCRUDO, CANDIDO P. JR. Bukidnon, 1st District
PICHAY, PHILIP A. Surigao Del Sur, 1st District
PIñOL, BERNARDO F. JR. North Cotabato, 2nd District
PUNO, ROBERTO V. Antipolo City, 1st District

RAMIRO, HERMINIA M. Misamis Occidental, 2nd District
REMULLA, JESUS CRISPIN C. Cavite, 3rd District
REYES, CARMELITA O. Marinduque, Lone District
REYES, VICTORIA H. Batangas, 3rd District
ROBES, ARTURO G. San Jose Del Monte City, Lone District
Rodriguez-Zaldarria ga, Adelina Rizal, 2nd District
ROMAN, HERMINIA B. Bataan, 1st District
ROMARATE, GUILLERMO A. JR. Surigao del Norte, 2nd District
ROMUALDEZ, FERDINAND MARTIN G. Leyte, 1st District
ROMUALDO, PEDRO Camiguin, Lone District
ROMULO, ROMAN T. Pasig City, Lone District
ROXAS, JOSE ANTONIO F. Pasay City

SALIMBANGON, BENHUR L. Cebu, 4th District
SALVACION JR., ANDRES D. Leyte, 3rd District
SAN LUIS, EDGAR S. Laguna, 4th District
SANDOVAL, ALVIN S. Malabon-Navotas, Lone District
SANTIAGO, JOSEPH A. Catanduanes, Lone District
SANTIAGO, NARCISO D. (III) ARC Party List
SEACHON-LANETE, RIZALINA L. 3rd district of Masbate
SEARES-LUNA, CECILIA M. Abra, Lone District
SILVERIO, LORNA C. Bulacan, 3rd District
SINGSON, ERIC D. Ilocos Sur, 2nd District
SINGSON, RONALD V. Ilocos Sur, 1st District
SOLIS, JOSE G. Sorsogon, 2nd District
SOON-RUIZ, NERISSA CORAZON Cebu, 6th District
SUAREZ, DANILO E. Quezon, 3rd District
SUSANO, MARY ANN L. Quezon City, 2nd District
SY-ALVARADO, MA. VICTORIA R. Bulacan, 1st District
SYJUCO, JUDY J. 2nd Dsitrict, Iloilo

TALINO-MENDOZA, EMMYLOU J. North Cotabato, 1st District
TAN, SHAREE ANN T. Samar, 2nd District
TEODORO, MARCELINO R. Marikina City, 1st District
TEODORO, MONICA LOUISSE PRIETO Tarlac, 1st District
TEVES, PRYDE HENRY A. Negros Oriental, 3rd District
TUPAS, NEIL C. JR. Iloilo, 5th District

UNGAB, ISIDRO T. Davao City, 3rd District
UY, EDWIN C. Isabela, 2nd District
UY, REYNALDO S. Samar, 1st District
UY, ROLANDO A. Cagayan De Oro City, Lone District

VALDEZ, EDGAR L. APEC Party List
VALENCIA, RODOLFO G. Oriental Mindoro, 1st District
VARGAS, FLORENCIO L. Cagayan, 2nd District
VILLAFUERTE, LUIS R. Camarines Sur, 2nd District
VILLAROSA, MA. AMELITA C. Occidental Mindoro, Lone District
VIOLAGO, JOSEPH GILBERT F. Nueva Ecija, 2nd District

YAP, JOSE V. Tarlac, 2nd District
YU, VICTOR J. Zamboanga Del Sur, 1st District

ZAMORA, MANUEL E. 1st District, Compostela Valley
ZIALCITA, EDUARDO C. Parañaque, 1st District

I hope this list helps us decide whether we want these "representatives" to stay or not beyong 2010.

Rollercoaster

2009-05-28T21:33:00.002+08:00

Because there are days when all we need is a laugh.

(Source: www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com)

Death by Chocolate

2009-05-02T18:40:00.004+08:00

One of the better things to do with an unlimited internet access at home is look up recipes to fatten one's loved ones with. Mum turned 88 a fortnight ago and I bought an enormous cake from Goldilocks in Ali Mall but she wasn't feeling very cheerful that day that we've postponed and postponed her little birthday party until today. I wanted to make a simple cake but couldn't decide what kind until I came across a recipe from a fantastic site.

The first time I've heard of Death by Chocolate was when I was at university, and a guy who is now a chef de cuisine made it for a formal dinner function and I thought it was pretty clever. I'm not really a cake person. For the most part I think store-bought cakes are invariably dry and as exciting as a glass of water. I thought I'd give it a go after finding a recipe online. I wanted to vary it a bit so I added a dash of peppermint oil to the frosting and the result was pretty fantastic. Also, I shaved some of the remaining bittersweet chocolate I got from Chocolate Lovers.

The cake was moist and delicious and potentially lethal for folks who have heart and blood pressure problems, i.e., my entire family. The pic actually looks horrible because I got carried away with the frosting but all in all it was a fabulous cake!

Krung Thai Restaurant in Marikina

2009-04-28T11:32:00.010+08:00

To be quite honest, for me Marikina is not an obvious destination of choice for anything, even for shoes. The reason I've gone there fairly regularly is because Yuki's new excellent vet is there. Before then there was the very sporadic visit to Jenny's and Odessa's places and not much else.

After I found Yuki's veterinarian, I drove around the market and found a few cheap and cheerful places to get pretty much everything. I've always noticed this little place called Krung Thai restaurant but parking was so difficult at the market or I wasn't hungry enough when I get a parking spot that it took me over a year to finally try the restaurant.

Don't get me wrong. I adore Mommy Thai's canteen and all its incarnations, but Krung Thai Restaurant is equally charming, affordably priced and deliciously air-conditioned. The portions are enormous. Their glass of iced tea is enough to put out a small bush fire. The food tastes exactly like what one might get in Thailand. I've only been to the restaurant twice, most recently for my graduation dinner with Pedro, but I think the owner is actually Thai, and I wonder if the cooks are as well.

The one thing I like most about the place is that it's quite unassuming. It's a neighborhood restaurant where residents dine when they don't feel like cooking, and obviously a very popular one. The price is reasonable enough for a meal out not to become a splurge. And its a much better, healthier alternative to those pesky fastfood restaurants.

We thought about taking a few of our friends there soon. I can't wait to try their other thai dishes.

Krung Thai Restaurant
W. Paz corner M. Cruz Streets
Sta. Elena, Marikina City

Master in Industrial Relations

2009-04-26T20:30:00.011+08:00

What do you know, eh? Master in Industrial Relations, School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines Diliman. Finally

This year's SOLAIR graduation wasn't as fun as last year's primarily because I graduated ahead of my friends who are too slow with their MA thesis. Serves them right for being lazy. Hehehhe.

The SOLAIR ceremony was actually quite sweet save for the rather blatant electioneering by our guest speaker, Hon. Cynthia Villar. Before the program started she instructed the staff to distribute 500 cardboard fans with Manny's accomplishments and pictures on it. Of course she re-told the story about Manny Villar spilling fish all over an office lobby and him not being embarassed to clean up the mess.

I suspect it's the only intersting Manny Villar story there is. Sure, says something about being brave and not being ashamed of who you are, although I would've preferred a story on how Manny Villar came to lose the Senate presidency and still bravely fights Ping Lacson on the Senate floor, but I digress.

After the ceremonies, the obligatory picture-taking. I only wanted a picture with my thesis advisers Dr. Theresita Atienza and Dr. Sani Yuzon, whose fault it is that I am graduating on time. Thanks, guys! And Pedro squeezed into the pic with Dr. Yuzon happily shaking his hand. Don't they look pleased!

Thinking that I've never actually been to any University Graduation ever I thought I'd stay for the big one after our little do at SOLAIR. It was sooooooo long. And hot. Luckily, the SOLAIR seating area is shaded, but we had hundreds of honor students graduating this year that each one was called and given a medal.

It actually felt amazing being surrounded by thousands of UP students. Makes one so damn proud. Might be my first and last UP graduation so I'm glad I went.

After the big UP Naming Mahal song, we all dispersed and headed out of the campus. Pedro and I headed to a newly discovered Thai restaurant in Marikina (more anon) and had a lovely Thai meal.

God, I feel fat.

Rupert Everett's New Face

2009-04-17T15:24:00.005+08:00

I'm all for a bit of plastic surgery if you really need it (and presumably can afford it) but I think we should draw the line between recapturing one's youth and evading arrest by changing your entire face until you're a completely different person.

I always thought Rupert Everett was very handsome, but now he's kind of like one of those cookie-cutter, anonymously good-looking guy you see in airports. It's just too disturbing.

What do you think?

(photo courtesy of www.bestweekever.tv)

Why Are We a Nation of Servants?

2009-04-09T07:02:00.002+08:00

by F. Sionil Jose
from Philippine Star

Here we go again, some inconsequential columnist in Hong Kong takes a cheap shot at our unhappy country, calls us “a nation of servants” and immediately an uproar, and magma feelings of hurt are unleashed. Editorials, columnists, politicians are outraged — they demand apology as if one would really salve the bone-deep insult. It was the same sometime back when an English publisher defined “Filipina” as a housemaid. Such insults hurt profoundly but the pain fades quickly and soon after all that enraged outburst, we settle down to the same complacency, we continue sending more of our women abroad to be raped by Arabs, demeaned by Malaysians and Chinese, heckled by the Brits. What has our sense of outrage brought us?

Go to Hong Kong, to Singapore. Visit the Star Ferry environs in Hong Kong or Lucky Plaza, and Singapore’s Orchard St. And there, on Sundays you will see them, hundreds of Filipino domestics, yak-yaking, socializing on the sidewalk, having a pleasant respite from their work.

To the visitors, tourists and the natives, they are a piteous sight, illustrating so clearly and so well how this country has sank. As a Filipino, having witnessed such, I am utterly shamed. I do not blame our poor women for their sorry condition, for I know only too well their plight is the only way by which they can help their families at home and survive.

It is such a boring cliché now, but back to the not-so-distant past: Filipinas was the second richest country in the region, next only to Japan; our universities attracted students from all over Asia, and we had the best professionals, the most modern stores and hospitals.

And what was Hong Kong then? There were slums crawling up those hills on Victoria island, and slums all over Kowloon. Singapore as an English naval base was like old Binondo, with its small squalid shops and equally small houses.

But look at Singapore and Hong Kong now, then look at our country and people.

Sure, you can find in Makati magnificent mansions, the biggest luxury cars, the tony restaurants, skyscrapers. But elsewhere the ugly sprawl of slums, the very poor who now eat only once a day. We must ask ourselves that question, why we became “the hewers of wood and drawers of water” of the world. What happened to us, a very talented and heroic people with a revolutionary tradition?

Once we have answered this question, then we should no longer wonder why there is a continuing diaspora of our brightest people, of our women. It is then the time for us to be truly enraged — not at that Hong Kong columnist — but at the creators of this dismal miasma we call Filipinas. Do not kill the messenger who comes to us to tell the horrid truth about us. Ingest his message, then turn all that outrage, that vehemence, to the Filipinos who turned this beautiful country into the garbage dump of the region: the oligarchs, the Spanish mestizos, the Chinese Filipinos and the treasonous Indios who sent their money abroad instead of investing it here in industries to create jobs for our people. Then it is time for us to rail and condemn the crooked politicians who are the allies of these wretched rich who permitted the relentless hemorrhage of this nation’s capital.

Revolutionary tradition? Ask those rebels why, after 40 years, these leeches are still feasting on our blood!

Knowing

2009-04-06T08:47:00.002+08:00

Downloading movies is sooo easy (and still illegal) these days that I'm surprised people still go to the cinema.

I took the bastard out to Eastwood for a bit of airing because he's been ratty all week. Not his fault; it's just how he is sometimes. Luckily a seemingly good disaster flick is out.

I wasn't so sure about going to see Knowing. It sounded like a gay expression I heard from friends from UP. I'm glad we actually saw it in the cinema. The special effects were amazing. You need fantastic surround sound to actually feel the movie, and that's exactly what we had at Eastwood Cinemaplex.

CGIs have come a long way since Chuck Perez's Bagwis from the 80's no? I have to admit I miss the stupidly cheezy effects of yore, but we got to give credit to those fantastic computer techies for stimulating our senses to the brink of a seizure.

Unlike the earlier disaster flicks where Tom Jones, Liv Tyler and Will Smith survived, everyone died in Knowing. Everyone. Well, except for the chosen kids who were abducted by the creepy Scandinavian aliens and taken to a new world covered in barley. Those kids are going to start a new world with just the clothes they were wearing (which were made of hemp) and the rabbits they brought along for the possibly dull journey.

If they get bored enough they might figure out how to make beer from the barley available to them. And the rabbits might help them realize how they might populate their new planet. I sense a sequel.

Go and watch it!

Khao Pad

2009-03-19T20:29:00.003+08:00

I finally found where Mommy Thai went.

My friend Jessel told me that she moved to Ortigas Home Depot months ago, but I didn't get to properly look her up until yesterday. We got there at around 11 am and the place was still empty. Mommy Thai was actually doing the cooking, and it was certainly nice to know she still remembers me. I think the fact that I'm the only client she had in UP who actually speaks Thai helped, too.

We had red curry, larb moo and rice. Big servings. Delicious. Very cheap. And the place looks really nice, too.

I first tasted her cooking when she was still occupying that makeshift canteen beside the International Center in UP Diliman. We would actually walk from AS past Educ, Vinzon's, Econ and Asian Center just for her Tom Yum. When I moved to Thailand, I heard she transfered to a pink box in Balara. I went there a few times and actually chatted with her about food and a bit of Thai gossip. When I went back to her new place a few months later she had left. There were shirtless men in a steamy room playing pool. Not my idea of a good lunch.

My friend Cathe then told me that Mommy Thai actually sold everything, moved to Singapore to be with her family (daughter married to a Thai working in Singapore) and realized she had to come back.

I would definitely go back there to try her other dishes. If there's one thing I miss about Bangkok it's the food. And Khao Phad is my favourite Thai restaurant here in the Philippines, non-pretentious category. (I do love People's Palace and Benjarong, but it's not like I can eat there whenever I feel like it.)

Go and visit. I hope her loyal clients from UP rediscover her spicy dishes. And I'm pretty sure she'll get new ones from the area as well.

Khao Pad is in Auto Depot (beside Snax in the City), in Ortigas Home Depot. Julia Vargas Ave.

Transymphonia: Pillars of German Music

2009-03-14T18:17:00.003+08:00

They're not thanking the Spanish Embassy for setting the standard on sponsorship.

Actually, the concert was sponsored by the Goethe Institut Manila, so it is quite forgiveable that they did not have much in terms of grubs and refreshment. Although during the intermission, a few confused waiters could not cope with the demand for drinks so they started serving water, iced tea and red wine. Pete and I managed to get a glass each of the wine. Nice.

Next month's the last one in this concert series. The French Embassy is sponsoring it to coincide with the French Spring Festival in Manila. This should be fun!

Social Networking and Employment

2009-03-10T07:08:00.004+08:00

I got this article from another HR practitioner and it just makes me realize how we don't have these protections from discrimination here in the Philippines. Tsk tsk tsk.

Employers That Use Social Networking Sites Face Legal Risks
by Ron Brand and Todd Scherwin

More and more employers are using social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to obtain information about current employees and job applicants when making personnel decisions. Many employers believe it is essential to do so in light of potential liability for negligent hiring and retention. However, employers that use social networking sites in such a manner need to be aware of the legal risks.

Discrimination and Retaliation

Employers may be subject to potential liability for violations of state and federal anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws. In California, for example, there are 14 different classifications called "protected categories" on which employment decisions may not be based. These include sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, marital status and national origin. As such, if employment is denied or an employee is terminated based on one of these protected categories, an employer faces the potential for a discrimination or retaliation lawsuit.

For example, what if an applicant discloses in her Facebook profile that she is suffering from cancer, is a homosexual and is from Guatemala? What if the talent manager knows this information prior to interviewing the applicant and either decides not invite her for an interview or to not hire her? If the applicant later alleges she was denied employment based on a protected category and files a lawsuit claiming discrimination, the employer will have to prove there were legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for not hiring the applicant. Of course, it would be difficult for the employer to prove it did not consider any of the applicant's protected categories in making its hiring decision.

Invasion of Privacy

Employers also may be subject to potential liability for invasion of privacy. For example, suppose that, in conducting a random check of an employee's Facebook profile, an employer notices the employee using marijuana in posted photos. The employer then terminates the employee. The employee files a lawsuit against the employer alleging the employer invaded his privacy since he believed his Facebook profile was private.

However, for the employee to be successful on an invasion of privacy claim, he would have to demonstrate he had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the content posted in the Facebook profile. The employee would no doubt have a difficult time establishing this when thousands, if not millions, of people had access to his Facebook profile.

However, what if the employee had made his Facebook profile "private" or for his "friends" only, and the employer gained access to the profile by becoming "friends" with the employee simply to obtain information for making personnel decisions? Alternatively, what if the employer used a fake identity to become "friends" with the employee to gain access to his "private" Facebook profile? Conduct such as this would make the employer susceptible to a liability for invasion of privacy.

Federal and State Fair Credit Reporting Laws

Federal and state fair credit reporting laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), require an employer to obtain a job applicant's or employee's consent before it engages a background screening firm to conduct a background check. It also requires certain notices and disclosures to the job applicant or employee regarding the background check. While the FCRA generally does not apply to situations in which an employer uses social networking sites without engaging a background screening firm, it may apply to situations in which an employer uses social networking sites in conjunction with certain workplace misconduct investigations. Some states' fair credit reporting laws provide more protection to job applicants and employees than the FCRA.

Off-Duty Conduct

Finally, using information obtained from social networking sites can be problematic since some states have statutory protections for workers limiting the types of off-duty conduct - conduct outside of work - employers can consider in making personnel decisions.

While there is no simple answer to the question "Should employers use social networking sites to make personnel decisions?" one suggestion for employers that choose to do so is to have policies to ensure all applicants and employees are treated similarly. For example, if the employer searches MySpace or Facebook prior to considering an employee for a promotion, the employer should have a policy that explains that, and it should applied equally to all employees.

Ultimately, employers that decide to use information obtained from social networking sites to make personnel decisions should carefully weigh the benefits of the information obtained versus the legal risks involved in doing.

[About the Authors: Ron Brand and Todd Scherwin are attorneys in the Irvine, Calif., office of management-side labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP.]

Panagbenga 2009

2009-03-02T16:47:00.014+08:00

It was going to be my first Panagbenga and we needed some Ilocos blankets so our little Baguio trip was much anticipated. So Kim, Leonard, Jem and I decided to bring the Picanto and book a room at Baden Powell Inn for one night. We met at McDonald's Philcoa at 5 am Saturday morning and headed up north.

The car broke down in San Manuel, Tarlac. It just wouldn't move anymore. It started, it revved, but it won't move. Luckily, my car insurance has a 24-hour roadside assistance phone desk so I rang them and after a few hours of waiting on the side of the highway they arrived with a tow truck which took the car to the Kia dealership in E. Rodriguez, Quezon City, and an onward transportation service for us to Bagiuo.

We arrived at about 4 pm in Session Road. Traffic was much worse than usual because they're rerouting for the festival. We were dropped off just outside Baden Powell Inn and boy we were in for a series of disappointments.

We rang the hotel to book a room almost a week prior and they referred us to their Manila reservations office. They required a 50% deposit which we didn't mind paying so we advised the reservation staff that we were dropping by that afternoon to book it. When we got there, she insisted that we pay the full amount, saying that they never let guests book for just one evening. I couldn't believe it. The hotel is requiring a minimum of two nights stay. I never thought hotels can actually dictate the length of stay of their guests. After much persuasion (and a lie: a promise that we were going to stay there again later during the week but still don't know which exact dates), they let us just pay the 50% deposit. I was already feeling iffy about the hotel, but knowing that that weekend was Panagbenga (Baguio's Flower Festival) most places are already booked, and I didn't want to spend the entire day trying to find a better room.

When we got there, they immediately asked for the balance which we paid. They showed us our room and it was horrible. There were four of us in our group, and we booked the Family Room which has two (2) double beds, cable TV, hot shower and free breakfast. We got there and the room was tiny; only about a foot between the beds and the walls, so really there's nowhere to sit except the bed. There wasn't a window and the hot shower wasn't working. The television didn't have a remote control and the buttons on the unit don't work. All four of us wanted to shower but there were only two towels, the housekeeping staff said they're still being washed so we should just share. I went to the front desk to tell them about these and they were quite surly. I asked if we can be moved to another room but they said they were fully booked because it was the festival weekend. I asked for a room rate reduction but they won't give that. I asked for a late check out but they insist that it was only until 12 noon the next day.

Then we found out that the hotel is half empty, and when we checked in at 4 pm they were still counting on desperate people who would pay thousands for a room just because everywhere else was fully booked. They finally transferred us to a bigger room after i threatened to go to the police if they don't give us our money back. The room had one double bed and a pull-out bed from under, which had a couple of cockroaches and unidentified stains on the sheets and pillow cases. The room also had a window facing the street where the bus stations are so it wasn't going to be our little quiet retreat.

Luckily we've done enough planning in terms of activities to do in Baguio so we didn't stay much in the room. The next day, we went to get the free breakfast and were told that it is just one fried hotdog, one egg, a cup of rice and brewed coffee. The brewed coffee tasted like burnt water, they ran out of hotdogs so they gave us fried fish (half bangus) instead which was burnt, and the eggs were "scrambled" so they looked like leftovers. It was disgusting. We just smothered our plates with ketchup to make sure that they don't serve it to other guests after we leave. We ate breakfast in a restaurant on Session Road instead.

Having said that, the hotel has certain advantages. It was very central. Two minutes walk from SM Baguio and Session Road with all the nice restaurants and shops. After checkout, they let us leave our bags at the lobby for safekeeping (although it didn't feel very safe because it was just behind the unmanned secondary front desk--but nothing was stolen so we guess it was OK).

All in all, it was a terrible experience. I guess we wouldn't have minded if the room we got didn't cost us PhP 3,000 for four persons per night. If they were charging PhP 1,000 (like Sagada inns where it's normally PhP 200-250/person), it would've been alright. But the hotel was horrible and the food was disgusting. Service was indifferent at best. But the location, well, there were others in the area but none of them have websites so we couldn't contact them to book.

Stay in this hotel only if you want to experience a minor stroke in Baguio.

Enough about Baden Powell Inn.

That Saturday night, we had our first proper meal for the day (having spent most of it waiting for the tow truck and the alternative transport the car insurance provides for). We went to Sizzling Plate on Session Road and ordered several items out of hunger and partial blindness. It was a great meal, but Leonard was convinced that it was because we were starving. The place was packed and smoky.

We went to the public market for a bit of Ilocos blanket shopping. We got those and went back to the room to rest for a little bit, except that by that time Leonard had diarrhea, and Kim and Jem just fell asleep on the bed in their street clothes. I wasn't going to just lay down and sleep. I decided to have a little walk outside, maybe a drink in a small bar. I ended up in Rumours, a rustic place serving cheap drinks and Sisig pizza. I ended up drinking at the bar with the owner and a couple of local journalists covering the event the next day. Drank enough to put me straight to sleep as soon as I got back at the hotel room.

The next morning, we took turns showering and finally got out to get not the best view of the parade. It was packed. I remember reading lots of road signs just before getting inside Baguio City proper: Cleanest City in the Philippines. Really? Jeez. Baguio is like Avenida with central airconditioning. Downtown, it's polluted, crowded, dirty and smelly. I remember several years ago newlyweds on a budget would go to Baguio for their honeymoon. If you do that now, I'm pretty sure it's enough grounds to file for an annulment. Everytime I go to Baguio there's a new monstrosity of a building erected to offend people even with the slightest sense of taste. Town planning is unheard of in this city. Someone please please please do something about this. And everytime we go, shanty-looking houses are covering the hills. It's damn ugly.

For lunch we decided to walk to Cafe by the Ruins and finally get a decent meal. We settled for coffees and breads with their signature spreads. It was awesome. Kim even got a bottle of Tira-Tira. After that, we walked back to the market and got everything we needed to prove to others we were actually in Baguio: bayong bags, strawberries, Good Shepherd bottled sweets, scarves, etc.

Then we had a walk at the Athletic Bowl where the Panagbenga floats were on display. Jem had a field day having her photos taken.

Will I go for another Panagbenga festival? Hell no.

I just hope that Baguio residents wake up soon and realize what the city has become. It is as crowded, polluted, dirty and smelly as the rougher areas in Metro Manila, but cooler. Is that enough reason for you to just let this wanton construction boom happen?

I'm convinced it's not too late. Baguio has all the trappings of a charming little quaint town, but there has to be limits and enough people who care about this place. The city government doesn't seem to.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2009-02-26T17:45:00.007+08:00

This Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe is so easy it's ridiculous. I've never really been a cookie person but when I found this recipe (and adjusted it a bit to suit my audience) it was such a hit that I've made it a few times already. I had to swat people's hands to stop them from eating all of the cookies in one sitting. Enjoy!

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups instant oats
1/2 cup raisins

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugars until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

4. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the oats and raisins.

5. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and use fork to flatten the dough.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks and serve while still warm.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-25T20:11:00.005+08:00

When you really think about it, who cares if they made a film set in India about a slumdog who hits the jackpot in some TV contest? May we remind the world that we come from a country where Wowowee is not only a national pastime, it's the national way out of poverty. Do people still remember what happened during the Ultra Stampede? Talk about a story based on life's cruel jokes.

Watching Slumdog Millionaire after it won the Oscar for Best Picture made me wary. On the one hand everyone raves about the film, and they have several Oscars to prove it. On another hand it just makes our expectations greater, and you know how a lot of things turn out to be pure disappointments after they were all hyped up.

Slumdog Millionaire was great. A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

It was fast-paced unlike a lot of the drivel we see these days. Fabulous acting, excellent writing, great direction, sensational music.

Is it ever coming out here in Manila? I get the feeling Pinoys have such discriminating tastes that we only notice things when they begin getting noticed abroad. Leah Salonga, Charice, et. al. Well it won Oscars. Local distributors, pay attention.

Go watch it. It made Kubrador look pale and badly shot. And I love Kubrador.

Directed by Danny Boyle. Stars Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto and Irrfan Khan (no relation to Ohdette).

Der Vorleser

2009-02-19T07:13:00.008+08:00

I can say I had no expectations whatsoever when I saw this film. I didn't know what it was about and boy I was surprised that I absolutely enjoyed it!

The movie poster led me to think that this might be one of those annoying Nights in Rodanthe-type flicks I can't stand. I'm so glad it turned out to be much, much more substantial.

It was about a law student who, after nearly a decade of his affair with a mysterious woman, re-encounters his former lover as she faced charges in a war-crime trial. The performances were so exquisitely crafted and moving, with such great insight into human frailties and and faults.

I read somewhere that Kate Winslet had been nominated for an Oscar about 427 times so far. Come on. Give this one to her. Go on. Having said that, I must say my favourite Winslet performance was when she played herself in Ricky Gervais' Extras.

The Reader was directed by Stephen Daldry. Stars Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes and David Kross.

Go and watch it!

PPO's Transymphonia: Gabi ng Musikang Filipino

2009-02-17T06:59:00.007+08:00

I never thought I'd have to write this.

At the risk of getting stoned to death, I've decided to be honest and call a spade a spade. The first half of the concert was so boring it was like listening to a precocious child play a made-up piece for the first time. The PPO was in great form, don't get me wrong, but the music was a bit, um, terrible.

I didn't know Lucrecia Kasilag composed music. I knew she taught music and pioneered music ethnography in the Philippines. But compose? The program said her violin concerto "was composed in two weeks in 1982 at the request of violinist Carmencita Lozada." Lozada was to play it in West Germany, and Prof. Kasilag airmailed the copies to her twice but they got lost. Somebody must have opened the envelope and said, "Oh no no no no."

It was proving to be a tricky evening. Luckily, violinist Gina Medina heard the snores and decided to give an encore. There was no way in hell she was going to be rememberd playing that Kasilag violin concerto. She played Sarungbanggi which was fabulous. Really redeemed the entire first half, if you ask me.

Since there were no embassy sponsors, there was nothing to do during the 15-minute break, not even any hyperefficient or frazzled embassy officials to stare at. I would've at least called San Miguel to provide THE Pinoy beer for the night's Pinoy music. Syempre dapat may Boy Bawang din. It's as if no one bothered to try getting sponsors because they either knew the music was going to be crappy or that not many people will turn up for the concert.

The second half was actualy much better. De Leon's Cry of Balintawak was long, pero at least it sounded like it was actually the background music to a CCP-produced drama sa Channel 4, right after Balintataw.

The last piece featured a 135-piece choir accompanying baritone Andrew Fernando to Lucio San Pedro's Sa Dalampasigan. Talk about Drama. That was truly memorable!

I actually invited several people to the concert but in the end everyone backed out. I was a bit relieved kase I didn't want to have to explain to them why they fell asleep. By the way, the entire section behind us was occupied by UP students who were probably required to watch the concert (Gina Medina lectures at the UP College of Music, plus the UP Concert Chorus was there). In the middle of one piece I turned around to see this guy snoring himself to smithereens, his friends apoplectic with amusement. Good times!

Home-made Yoghurt Recipe

2009-02-07T20:08:00.006+08:00

I've been making home-made yoghurt for about a year now, really because I got fed up with the supersweet variety most groceries carry these days. Plus they can charge about a hundred for a proper cup in some shops. So I looked up a simple yoghurt recipe online and after a few trials and errors I've managed to perfect the recipe and adapt it to the local weather. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Liter fresh milk (I use Alaska Fresh)
1/3 cup of powdered milk (Bear Brand)
125 ml Nestle Creamy yogurt (this will be your starter)

Materials:

Small glass jars with screw on tops (I bought mine at SM Dept Store... 50 each)

Candy thermometer (Landmark, 89 pesos)

Sauce pot

Dish for bathing the jars (I just use a regular Pyrex dish)

Procedure:

Slowly heat the milk on the stove over low-medium heat.

At this point you can choose to add powdered milk. Powdered milk creates thicker yoghurt that takes less time to ferment.

For your first batch we are going to go with Alaska Fresh milk plus 1/3 cup of powdered milk. This combination of milk with the powder will produce a delicious, basic yoghurt.

The most tedious thing about making yoghurt is watching the milk get hot. You need it to hit 170 degrees F, but not have it boil. So you want to pay attention to the pot and have a thermometer at hand. Once you've hit the target temperature, remove from heat and then wait for the milk to cool. Unless you put the pot in the refrigerator it will take some time to cool to 108-112 degrees.

If you are using existing yoghurt as a starter, have it handy in a cup. When the milk is cooled to the proper temperature, mix a small amount it in with the yoghurt. This will break up the yoghurt and makes blending it with the rest of the milk easier.

Once you add the starter, the milk can be placed in the jars and those in the Pyrex dish with about a couple of inches or so of warm water. Cover with a wet cloth and leave in a dry, warm place (inside an oven or anywhere where it won't be disturbed) for 6 to 8 hours, better if overnight.

Most yoghurt recipes would recommend using a Thermos jug or even an expensive yoghurt maker. These are quite unnecessary. Remember they are being made in temperate regions, and it's hot enough here on a regular day so ok na ang jars!

Chill, serve plain or with honey, jam or muesli. You can even use this for Indian cooking. Make sure you save one small pot to serve as your starter, though!

Frost/Nixon

2009-02-06T11:45:00.012+08:00

Let it be put on record that I am opposed to titles with a backslash, popularized by the series Nip/Tuck.

I had to get that out.

Having said that, I think I spoke too soon when I said that Sean Penn should win the Oscar for Milk. I'm still convinced he was brilliant in it, but after watching Frost/Nixon the other day and the obligatory Q&A with Pedro which follows any historical film, I was made to realize that whilst Frank Langella does not have the jowls to play Nixon, he certainly had the talent for it.

The movie offered a glimpse of what David Frost did before the historical interview (and yes, he was the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous presenter) and basically how he initially was on the brink of a career suicide after their first few recordings and then ended up wiping the floor with presidential Nixon during the last day of filming.

Pedro explained what happened in Watergate and Nixon's involvement with the whole mess. It's not difficult to hate Nixon, although there's a lot to be said about a president who sees enough reason to actually resign from his post and not cling onto power until all respect is gone for his office. Obama to learn from Gloria? No, Gloria to learn from Nixon.

A few random observations about the actors:

Kevin Bacon is officially not hot anymore.

And the guy who played David Frost, Michael Sheen, also played Tony Blair in The Queen. Is he now THE actor who plays all important British figures? Look closely and squint a little. It's one of those beautiful examples of Conan O'Brien's Celebrity Offspring.

Jack Nicholson and Alan Cumming = Michael Sheen. Diba?

Watch it when you get the chance.

Directed by Ron Howard. With Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell.

Milk

2009-02-02T18:31:00.003+08:00

Directed by Gus Van Sant. With Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin.

Using tape recordings of Harvey Milk and archival footages for atmosphere, Milk traces the life of Harvey Milk from the moment he turned 40 and left the closet that was his life in New York until his murder after setting up a photography shop in San Francisco's Castro district, attempting and failing a few times before finally winning a seat as district supervisor, and rallying the SF gays against legislation which aimed to bar gays from teaching in public schools.

If you're going to watch one Oscar film, this is it. Superb acting from Sean Penn, who seems to get better with age. After winning in 2003 for Mystic River, its about time he gets another one. Benjamin Button was OK, Frank Langella just doesn't have Nixon's jowls for it, and the others, well, I just don't care.

Go watch it. Now.

Playing by Ear

2009-01-29T20:39:00.006+08:00

Ishna came along and we trotted off to Galleria Duemila in Pasay City for the Australia Day 2009 do a bit after 6 pm. The program said 7 pm, and we thought it might take a full hour to get there from home, and anyway they never start on time. So we got there at about 730 pm and realized that Grace Nono already sang, and a few people were leaving already. Shit.

The wine stopped after one glass. The beer and juices didn't. Two thumbs up for the cold drinks and the little snackettes. Well done.

Heaven knows how the Aussies found that venue. It was great though, albeit a bit difficult to find. I don't know anyone who wakes up any day and say, "Hmmm. I think I'll buy contemporary art in Pasay today." It was one of those big old houses of the old rich, those people who strolled in Dewey Boulevard after dinner at Senor Alba's. Gorgeous place, that. Actually, the entire street seems to be built round about the same era.

PPO's Transymphonia: Glimpses of Europe

2009-01-18T08:32:00.012+08:00

Pedro and I have gotten into this habit of getting in the car, sitting in traffic for an hour or so and watching the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's Transymphonia at the Cultural Center of the Philippines once a month. I'm telling you it's worth it. After seeing the Spanish Embassy-sponsored concert last month our expectations were higher and of course the disappointment was greater. Where shall we start.

What I like about these concerts is that the attendees are just as interesting as the actual performance. The matrons and old gits never fail to amuse with their big hair and inappropriate wardrobe choices, and Friday night was no exception. As soon as we got there we decided to check out the mezzanine for hopefully a cocktail spread and were delighted to realize that the Czech Embassy, on the occasion of their six-month presidency of the European Union this 2009, is the main sponsor of the event. They were going to serve draught beer!

While waiting for the show to start, I walked towards the Gourmet Cafe booth where they're handing out free styro cups of coffee to the concert goers. Listen, Gourmet Cafe. If you want people to leave with good memories of your coffee, don't ever serve that watered down coffee and expect people to buy it. No wonder everyone was drowning sachets of coffee mate and sugar in their cups.

First half was great. Three anthems were played, then Sibelius and then Elgar. Great. I almost did a cartwheel to the mezzanine when intermission was announced. There was a bit of a confusion there. They weren't serving anything. And people just stood around wondering why. Hmmm. Went back for the second half. It was Lizst, then Dvorak, then another Elgar for the encore. Then a mad dash to the mezzanine for cocktails, where we were met by an efficient-looking secretary type who was turning people away. The buffet table which prominently featured Czech beer, nuts and crisps was cordoned off.

Guests of the Czech Embassy only.

That was sooo tacky. You don't hold a by invitation only drinks party in full view of all the attendees. Do it elsewhere if you don't want other people there. I don't know why these people are so elitist. VIPs only. Guests of the Embassy only. White people only. Jeez. I was feeling a bit disappointed and quite rejected, then I saw this elderly couple who was being turned away by secretary type. For Chrissakes. They must be at least 80 years old. They won't eat nor drink much. Let them in! Way to throw a fucking party on the occasion of your presidency of the European Union in 2009.

I hate the Czech Embassy.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-01-11T12:36:00.015+08:00

Jessica Zafra beat me to it. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button IS Forrest Gump.

Knowing that the Christmas rush is over, we left the house at 5,30 pm hoping to catch the 6,20 pm screening at Shangri La. Tangna matraffic pa rin. So we didn't get to that, but luckily the one in SM Megamall was just starting when we got there so we promptly bought tickets and went in.

Incidentally, Brad Pitt is getting hotter. For over a decade now, everyone says he's the hottest man alive, and I never really saw it until recently. Compare:

In Thelma and Louise, and NOW:

Diba?

And can I just say something here. Back in the late 80's to early 90's we went to the cinemas for movies because it was either that or a bad pirated VHS copy of the movie from your friendly neighbourhood rental store. We really didn't mind those uncomfortable cinema seats. If I remember correctly they were charging something like PhP 30-40 per entry then. Now we paid PhP 142 for a ticket to watch this movie at SM Megamall, and the seats felt like they belong to some long-haul bus company.

I don't mind paying that much if I get super comfy seats like the ones in Gateway Mall or Shangri La, but PhP 142 for a leg cramp and numb ass cheeks is just a bit too much for us. Also, what the hell is going on with the security guard flashing his torch every five minutes? I know they're trying to stop film piracy by catching those silly people who secretly film the screen inside the cinemas, but I'm pretty sure a pirated DVD copy of the movie is already available at St. Francis Square and Metrowalk anyway, so why bother. And if one's really serious about recording the movie inside the cinema I don't think the security guard's flashlight would deter him. I mean, come on. It was actually quite annoying that.

And don't you just hate those people who talk inside the cinema? Yap yap yap yap nonstop. I know it's quite rude and possibly unsanitary, but I do wish I have enough courage to stand in front of these people and spit on their faces. If that doesn't shut them up I don't know what will. This sort of behaviour really just puts one off from bothering with catching a film at a cinema and just relying on the dependability of our pirated DVD vendors in malls.

After the movie we had a look inside Booksale at the basement and found a few books. Peter got two books on Billy Connolly and I got Graham Norton's Queer Facts for a total of PhP 500. Not bad, no?

Ganon?

2009-01-05T20:34:00.009+08:00

After Photoshop

After beer, vodka, crispy tadyang, nankasoy ice cream, adobo flakes, tequila, biscotti, baileys, bottomless rice, chocolate mousse, fetuccine with creamy lamb sauce and orange meringue

Ngwek. Alek Ngwek.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Finale (Happy New Year and Back to Manila)

2009-01-02T19:57:00.009+08:00

After a brief survey of the resorts on Saud Beach we realised that there was nothing happening on New Year's eve. No crazy beach party with fire dancers and loud music. Nothing. A couple of the waiters even said they're taking the afternoon off to be with their families so we weren't even sure if there was anywhere open for dinner. Luckily, there were a few places open. We didn't want to eat a crappy meal and experience crappier service at Villa del Mar, and we weren't going to Apo Idon where Peter sent two cold breakfast plates. Seriously, we've had the worst meals and the worst service from these so-called exclusive resorts that I'm left wondering what sort of hell-hole shite backpackers are left with in their budget hotels. The bigger the resort the shittier the service, it seems.

We ended up having a delicious Ilocano dinner at Saud Beach Resort which included a plate of calamari, pinakbet, bagnet and KBL, and steamed fish in white sauce. And plenty of beer. That was very nice. There was a family on the next table who shovelled food down their throats while managing to look perpetually disappointed. It turned out that they own the resort. After that, we drove back to our resort, went next door and had fruity pancakes for dessert.

By this time the wind was high and the waves crashing on the beach kept reminding e of that huge tsunami, so I took a nap and told Pedro to wake me up at midnight. After two minutes of random fireworks on the stretch of the beach it was over. We went back to the room and slept.

We woke up at 8 am, had coffee, packed and left Pagudpud. We were heading towards San Fernando, La Union, where we booked a room for one night at the Sunset Bay Beach Resort. We made a brief stop at the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse and, um, basically drove on until we were too hungry to notice the landscape. Since it was new year's day most places were shut, so we decided to go to Vigan in the hopes that Cafe Leona would be open.

The drive to Vigan took about three hours where we stopped for lunch at Cafe Leona in Calle Crisologo. Pedro had steak the size of a baseball mitt and I had my Ilocano pinakbet and longganiza. Delicious. On the side of the road from Vigan we bought several bottles of Basi wine and vinegar, two of which broke inside the car so it reeked of spiced vinegar, which still smells better than dog vomit, we both agreed.

Drove for another three hours and finally reached San Fernando, La Union. We checked into the room, I changed and headed to the beach with my trusty snorkle, went back disappointed (murky, rocky), ordered beer and sat by the infinity pool. Sunset Bay Beach Resort is owned by an English guy called Spider who was teaching Arts in Hong Kong for decades and finally settled in this town. The resort is really qutie sweet. They only have about 15 rooms but an excellent kitchen, nice swimming pool and lots of easy chairs and gazebos where you can sit with your laptop and just use their wi-fi (not free, by the way) for free, just don't tell anyone.

We had a traditional English dinner with cottage pie, roast beef, mince pie and christmas pudding with vanilla ice cream. It was good, but not great. Went back to the room and overslept. The best thing about English food is the cooked breakfast, if you ask me. We had english sausages, minute steak, eggs, crispy bacon, toast and delicious coffee served in large mugs.

After a short while packing, we drove off to Manila via Clark. At the welcome arch in Sison, we stopped to have a look at these enormous prawns. I ended up paying up more, of course. Fuck these cons. And slap me for being stupid. They were delicious, though.

We're back home after eleven days, tired but happy. This was the break we needed. Now I'm drinking Sauternes, tomorrow I'm doing the laundry.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 7 (Pagudpud and Claveria)

2008-12-31T07:21:00.012+08:00

The trouble with staying in paradise is that it tends to get boring after a while. Normally I would just plonk myself on the bed and switch the TV on but since our room doesn't come with one (the other available room did, but with only one free channel so why pay more for it), I had to force myself to read a book, which is something that I haven't done for quite a while. Nay, that's not entirely true. I read enough labor and employment books for my thesis at university, so the rest of the time I just want to stare blankly onto something which didn't require much processing.

It took me exactly a week to pick up the book I brought for this trip, which I didn't even think that I would do considering the assortment of gadgets and free wi-fi I seem to find myself surrounded with, but I'm glad I did. The book was sent via Amazon over a year ago by a friend in Spain who was determined to introduce me to modern Iberian literature. For some reason I didn't take the Spanish books with me, and I ended up with two books by Jose Saramago which are brilliant. Everytime I hold a book in my hands which says "Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature" it makes me a bit pissed off that our F. Sionil Jose still hasn't won it. It's worrying because they don't give the prize posthumously, and Sionil isn't exactly getting younger. The other Nobel Laureates I've read are awesome, but none of them made my weep like Sionil's Rosales saga did. I just hope the Nobel Foundation can get their act together and award Sionil for writing THE Filipino novel.

After spending the first half of the day getting lots of sun and jumping into the water for an attempted snorkle (nothing to see in Pagudpud), Pedro and I decided to head back to the resort, change and drive off to Claveria in Cagayan. On our map there was a short road which leads to the Portabaga waterfalls. The road to Claveria from Pagudpud was straightforward enough, so we thought it would take us about 30 minutes to get there, have a bit of look around, maybe lunch if we see somewhere nice. Of course what the map failed to show is that the seemingly straight road to Claveria is actually a mountain road with bits that have collapsed onto the ocean some hundred meters below or enormous boulders blocking half the road from some landslide a few weeks ago. And it was raining so the road was actually quite slippery. Terrified, I was driving extra carefully. Then we crossed the Patipat Viaduct which led to a mini waterfalls on the side of the road. It was gorgeous, and the water was cold.

We drove on and through the town of Sta. Praxedes, and then whizzed past the sign for Portabaga waterfalls and decided to carry on to Claveria for hopefully a cheap lobster lunch, as Hans said we might get. We didn't. After a quick drive at the depressing, wet beach, we decided to head back to the main street and found the Claveria Grassroots Cooperative Kitchenette where we had grilled prawns and baby back ribs for PhP 200 per plate. Best meal we had on this trip, bar none.

Driving back to Pagudpud, we stopped at a roadside shop and bought a few discs of Royal Bibingka, which are made from glutinous rice flour and lots of shredded coconut. It was delicious. The photo looks horrible, but it actually was the tastiest thing to have with coffee, or brandy, whichever you were able to smuggle into your resort room.

It's new year's eve, so better ask around the resorts if anyone is doing a countdown tonight. Tomorrow we're driving all the way back to San Fernando, La Union, staying in Sunset Bay Resort for at least one night, before driving back to Manila and getting on with life.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 6 (Bangui and Pagudpud)

2008-12-29T14:03:00.006+08:00

Left Villa Lita at about 9 am this morning and decided to give Saud Beach in Pagudpud another try. On the way back we saw a sign for the intriguingly named Kangkang Windmill Cafe, a shack serving excellent coffee and excellent views of the magnificent Bangui windmills.

While looking for a room in Pagudpud, we already saw these windmills from afar and didn't really get anywhere near them. They are actually pretty impressive. Not the first time I've seen them, having seen hundreds of them in Gran Canaria in Spain, but certainly the first time I've actually been beside one.

They're quite beautiful, and if I remember correctly, according to one of those Discovery Channel programs, one can generate enough power to light an entire town, so it remains quite puzzling why many towns don't have them still. It would certainly lessen our dependence on oil. But then again I guess that's why certain people would rather not have them.

We had breakfast at Kangkang but forgot to ask what the name means in Ilocano. I hope it's not the same as it is in Tagalog slang. If it is then I guess it's a good place to do it, what with the towering windmills in the background.

Drove back to Pagudpud to give Saud Beach another try and found a room at Villa del Mar, and at PhP 1,800 per night, we booked it for three nights. I guess we're spending New Year's eve here!

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 5 (Pagudpud nightmare)

2008-12-29T13:32:00.005+08:00

It was one of those days when you start off well and then it just goes wrong. We left Balay da Blas at about 10 am after breakfast and headed out to Pagudpud, which was going to be about an hour and half drive. On the way, Pedro and I had one of those stupid arguments which result in both just being annoyed and quiet. And that was the worst part.

We got to Pagudpud and asked for a few hours before realizing it was going to be impossible to find a decent room that wasn't either overpriced or doubling as a storage room. We looked at hotels, homestays and chicken coops and everything was of course full.

We decided to drive towards Cagayan and check out Maira-ira Point, that which has Kapuluan Vista Resort, which is a lovely place to stay in if they're not full. They have an entire wedding party staying there so we couldn't get a room until the 31st of December, so we decided to give it a miss. The place looks awesome, though. Set on a windy beach with windswept hills in the backdrop. An old woman in another resort offered us a room for PhP 2,500 after finding out that we're from Manila (so I guess it's cheaper if you're Ilocano) so we just thought, well, it's not the best swimming beach, and spank us if we're paying that much for a room the size of our car. Why do people do this? It doesn't exactly say friendly and hospitable, does it?

Went back to Pagudpud, asked at other resorts. Still no vacancy. Decided to retrace the road to Laoag and find the first available room, which turned out to be in a complex called Villa Lita Riverside Resort. I hated the place, and for almost the same price as our lovely apartment in Balay da Blas in Laoag, I would've happily burst into tears. But by this time Pedro and I aren't talking to each other, and I had a killer headache that only screaming murder could appease, so we decided to stay there.

As they were having someone's 18th birthday at their restaurant, food wasn't on the menu. I hated the place. It was loud because of the party at the restaurant, the TV doesn't work, and the bed was tiny and uncomfortable. Times like that, you just have to count your blessings and hope that the car doesn't break down and get you stranded in that place.

It didn't.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 4 (Around Laoag)

2008-12-27T17:11:00.012+08:00

We crossed Laoag River at about half past five in the afternoon and had to call our host Sammy for directions to his Balay da Blas. We arrived there and instantly fell in love with his place. Our room (PhP 1,650, with breakfast for two thrown in) was fantastic. Vigan tiles on the floor, a little sitting area, dining area with fridge and small cooker, a bathroom with hot water (still no tub though) and the bedroom is clean and bright and fantastic. I'm not surprised people rave about this place in the blogs I read before arriving here.

After dropping our luggage on the bed, we showered and headed out to Sammy's Saramsam Cafe in Rizal Ave. It was about a two-minute drive from the hotel, and it had a great selection of amazing food, with the Pinakbet pizza as their signature dish. We didn't have that, of course. We wanted something familiar, something substantial to reward us for having gone through the nightmare that was Vigan. Pedro had pasta with all sorts of veggies in it and I had roasted pig's ears and blanched veggies with bagoong. Nice.

Quick drive about town searching for dessert. We've been quite unlucky with dessert on this trip. We found La Preciosa a few blocks past Samsara Cafe and had coffee and chocolate cake and carrot cake there. Time for bed.

Woke up and had breakfast at Balay da Blas, then had a brief chat with Sammy to enquire about what's interesting and finally decided on Batac and Paoay. Driving not 30 minutes, we got to Batac town proper and immediately found the Marcos Mausoleum and Museum. Crowded. And the mausoleum was eery, but it was probably the only airconditioned room in Batac, so it was a nice little breather in there. Staring at Apo Makoy was surreal. On one hand it felt strange that I was standing beside the great Ilocano. On the other hand, I wondered if that was just wax. I guess we'll never find out the real score there. A quick potter about the compound took us to Bongbong's office (shut) and the Marcos ancestral house (shut). I got a couple of cones of ice cream outside and asked the Manong if the Marcoses actually stay in the house. He said yes, when they're in town, they stay there. And yes, they come at least once a month. Oh.

Quick drive to Paoay where we saw the church and not much else. Oh, we saw Paoay lake on the way. We also thought we'd go to Fort Ilocandia but I still can't get over the fact that they were so inept at handling reservations that with a sigh of relief we ended up staying at Balay da Blas.

Drove back to Laoag and ended up at our favourite Saramsam Cafe for a spot of lunch. We ordered a bowl of noodles with veggies and finally the Pinakbet pizza, which was actually quite delicious. I'm not a big fan of fusion food and those horrible experiment-type cuisine, but this one was a hit. I think we might go back there tonight to try their other Ilocano pizzas.

Finally we visited the Museo Ilokos Norte, which was just off Rizal Ave. and is a very well-setup affair indeed. Lots of local history and displays which visitors can actually hold (I did anyway, I'm not really sure if we're allowed to). We drove around for a few minutes then picked up the map and decided to drive to Sarrat for another cathedral only to get lost and end up in a town called Vintar which was conveniently having their town fiesta so I had my fill of Vigan empanada ang longganisa in the plaza. After waiting for the procession to come back so Pedro can videotape it, we walked back to the car and discovered a little gambling den beside the Comelec office. I won some, then lost some. Nakakamiss ang beto-beto ng kabataan ko sa Balite. Perya kung perya, diba. Naalala ko tuloy si Ina na mahilig magbingo at umuuwi na lang na may dalang mga pinggan at baso na napanalunan nya.

We decided to get out of there and eventually found where the parade was and watched until the road was clear enough to head back to the hotel. Nice way to finish Laoag before driving some 70-odd kilometers to Pagudpud in the morning.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 3, (Vigan)

2008-12-27T07:50:00.009+08:00

For our last evening in San Juan, La Union, we decided to get dinner elsewhere. After stopping at three restaurants, we ended up at Sunset German Beach where Pedro was offered a massage as soon as he got out of the car by a very enterprising young man which, of course, he politely declined.

The food was actually quite good, and we spoke to the tipsy German owner who said the rooms go for PhP 1,100 for a/c and PhP 900 for fan. That's half of what we paid for at Final Option. Oh well. The rooms look a bit gloomy, and if you call your resort Sunset German Beach you're most likely to attract robust German families with their beer and determined-looking children; one in particular scared Pedro a bit.

The next day, we left San Juan for Vigan, driving through Bacnotan, Balaoan, Luna, Bangar and Sudipen, La Union, then crossing onto Ilocos Sur, through Tagudin, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Lucia, Candon, San Esteban and a brief stop at the Unesco Heritage cathedral of Sta. Maria. The place was shut, but the church was gorgeous and it's on top of a hill, which mean great views of the entire town. After the brief stop we carried on and drove onwards through Narvacan, Santa, then crossed the Quirino Bridge and finally got to Vigan.

Originally we booked a room at the Gordion Inn, which we decided to just ditch when our host Sammy in Laoag confirmed that he's got a room that evening for us at Balay da Blas. A few days ago I frantically rang hotels in Vigan hoping to book a room for one evening. I found Gordion Inn which was charging PhP 2,500 for two with breakfast thrown in. I thought it was a tad expensive but it certainly beats sleeping in the car.

When we got to Vigan, we decided to have get some lunch and ended up in Gordion Inn. We thought, well, if you're a proper establishment you'd be serving proper food, right? God we were so utterly wrong. We first ordered bottles of cold drink, which were deposited on our table still with the caps on, then a waitress plonked a bottle opener in the middle like it was an integral part of any first-time Vigan visitor's experience. Pedro ordered something called Lomo which turned out to be bits of fatty pork trimmings swimming in broth with a few bits of scallions thrown in for good measure. It tasted like, well, bits of fatty pork trimmings swimming in broth with a few bits of scallions thrown in for good measure. I ordered three things which were all "out of stock" of course, because such is my luck. I was determined to have an Ilocano lunch but the waiter wasn't fully cooperating. He couldn't explain the Ilocano dishes on the menu. I asked him if he was Ilocano, to which he answered in the affirmative, but when asked why he doesn't know these apparently typical Ilocano fare, he said that it's because he's new in the job. Let's take a moment here and talk about waitering in a big hotel restaurant. If I were to do it, and I get five minutes of down time due to lack of custom, I would certainly try to know what I am serving. People don't seem to treat waitering as a real job anymore.

That was the worst meal we've had in a long while, and while it makes for good conversation topic to justify giving an overnight stay in Vigan a miss, it's the kind of thing which puts one off for a very long time. I certainly won't have much glowing reviews for the entire city.

The minute we stepped into Calle Crisogo in Vigan I got a strangely familiar vibe about the place. Then I realized what it was. It's Intramuros, with more souvenier shops and crappy knick-knacks. We drove all the way here for that. I mean sure, the old houses are nice, but most of them are in various stages of serious disrepair, and I got an eery feeling that I was just in Nayong Pilipino in Clark in a row of souvenier shops and not much else. They even had a Ye Olde Havaianas Shoppe in the old quarters. That really blows.

After a brief stop at Tongson's Royal Bibingka shop and a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's it was time to leave Vigan.

We're actually quite glad we weren't staying the night there. Something about the place just feels a little too, um, artificial. It was more like a theme park rather than a heritage site. But I guess it's one of those things one romanticizes inside one's head for the longest time that when you actually get there it was bound to be a huge disappointment. Oh well.

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 2 (A Final Option Christmas)

2008-12-25T13:52:00.007+08:00

Nothing warms the heart more than a wiener buffet, and the German Bistro at Final Option was having that for Christmas Eve dinner. I tried not eating anything to prepare for it, but the food at Final Option is actually so good that it was difficult to stop ourselves from ordering.

I spent the afternoon driving around San Juan town and looking at the Amparo Park and the little church beside it. There's really not much to see there except the usual kiosks selling pancakes, popcorn and hair accessories. So after getting ice at the shop next door I decided to go back to the resort. Before dinner Pedro and I sent out a uniform Christmas greeting by SMS (sorry guys) to friends, then we got dressed and headed to the German Bistro at around 7 pm.

It was a bit disconcerting sitting at the table in front of the stage. They had a little karaoke duo with a guy playing the occassional keyboard and a girl in a mini dress waiting to sing with him. The food was actually quite good, and at PhP 490 a pop it was a steal. I remember Lala and Oliver offering us beer sausages for PhP 350 a kilo with about 7 pieces in it. I ate about that much, plus roast pork, spud salad, grilled fish and a little pie. Money well spent, if you ask me.

The only thing which bothered us was the rest of the diners. It was an assortment of middle-aged whores with young girls (their daughters perhaps?) and old western guys. Classy. When the owner got on stage and started singing Dolly Parton songs we knew it was time to stop eating and head back to our room. Before going to bed I went to the bathroom a few times. I think I might have eaten a bit too much.

Waking up on Christmas morning in a resort is strange. We're not home nor with family, which is how Christmas has always been, but it was strangely comforting to know that we are away from it all. Of course Christmas day won't be complete without a rerun or Home Alone 2 in Star World. They should make this mandatory viewing for everyone on Christmas mornings.

I had a long stroll after coffee on the beach and was propositioned by a group of four rather ugly guys who was asking for a thousand a pop. After realising I'm not a foreigner, they just asked me to bring liquor tonight to their place at 7 tonight and we can have a "chat." Hmmm. These locals certainly know how to show tourists a good time.

A few more minutes in the sun, then jumped into the pool, and now i'm eating Beef Tartar (PhP 230) and Pedro's having Blue Marlin Fillet (PhP 220) for lunch. Things can be soooo much worse.

They've run out of dessert and the neighborhood carolers just arrived. Time to leave and hunt for pie.

Tomorrow we're off to Vigan!

Manila to Ilocos in a Picanto, Part 1 (Manila to Alaminos, then San Juan, La Union)

2008-12-24T15:02:00.010+08:00

The first thing we did was to get a copy of the EZ Map Luzon Road Atlas from National Bookstore (PhP 399). Then it was much easier to actually plot where we want to be on which dates and not get lost in the middle of nowhere.

The first leg was a drive from Manila to Alaminos. We left White Plains at 9 am on Monday morning, took the NLEX to Dau, the SCTEX to Tarlac City, and then up, up north to Alaminos. Originally we thought of staying somewhere in Patar beach in Bolinao. The drive from Alaminos to Bolinao wasn't easy. We had to take a detour because the bridge was under construction, and that took us to a dusty rough road in the middle of what looks like a mini forest. That wasn't so bad at all.

We got to Bolinao and the only decent place to stay there was charging too much, something like PhP 4,000 for two persons. That was a bit too much. I wouldn't recommend going there at all. I think I wanted to take Pedro there because when I went with Ken, Dave, Glenda and Jon there back in 2004 we had such a lovely time. Kaya lang noon nakitira kami sa bahay ng kaibigan ni Glenda sa Alaminos ng Mahal na Araw tapos ginawa lang naming day trip ang Bolinao. We even snorkled and had a little barbecue sa beach at that time.

After two hours of stopping at resorts to enquire about hotel rooms, Pedro and I decided to drive back to Alaminos and spend the night there. We ended up staying at the Mare Nostrum Hotel and at PhP1000 a night, we weren't complaining at all. It's owned by a Spanish guy and his Filipina wife, and the room has air conditioning and a cable tv. Very clean room, very clean bathroom, and plants all over the place. Very pleasant. I didn't get their number because I was exhausted when we got there and we left pretty early the next day so I forgot to get it but if you're facing the church in Alaminos, walk for about five minutes towards the Lingayen Road and you'll find it on your right, beside a funeral parlor, which would explain the tranquil ambience.

We left the hotel at around 8,30 am and drove through Sual, Labrador, Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan and San Fabian in Pangasinan. After several more minutes, we crossed over to La Union, driving through Sto. Tomas, Agoo, Aringay, Caba, Bauang and finally ending up in San Fernando. We found the website for Sunset Bay Beach Resort in San Fernando, La Union, and the place looked quite good. It's run by an English guy (so Pedro thought we might get some pies and sausages there) and the rooms look clean and the rates reasonable. We got there a bit after noon and of course the place was fully booked until the 29th of December. If we ever find ourselves in these parts again we'd certainly try to book a room at this place in advance. Sayang nga lang kase matigas ang ulo namin e. We thought it would be better to go to the place first and have a look around kaysa naman mag-book ng hotel na maganda sa website pero nakakadiri in real life, parang Fort Ilocandia.

We looked at a couple other places in the area, with one under construction and the other only with a couple of musty rooms charging almost PhP 3,000 for two persons, and at the back of a rather messy garden at that. Why do some people think they can get something for nothing? I mean, come on.

We decided to drive further north and got to the surfing town of San Juan, La Union. We asked at a couple of places and finally settle for the bizarrely named P&M Final Option Beach Resort and German Bistro. At PhP 2,100 for a very clean room we thought it was a pretty good deal. They have a little bar facing the beach which is open during the day, and after 6 pm the German Bistro on the 3rd floor is open for meals and drinks. The food averages at about PhP 200 per order, the servings are huge and it's actually quite good.

The staff are the giggling girls variety, which can be annoying at times but with Christmas in the air and a feeling of sweetness and light upon us, that can be forgiven. We're staying here for three nights and really just want to, um, not do anything. I slept all day yesterday after arriving. This morning Pedro and I went for a long walk on the beach. Not the romantic kind. It felt more like a morning exercise than an easy stroll. Good trying to keep the fatty midsection from creeping back in!

More anon!

Contact

2008-12-24T13:38:00.012+08:00

My three loyal readers are probably wondering why I've disappeared. It's been a rather busy last few weeks, what with trying to get my thesis proposal presentation scheduled and the actual proposal approved (which I did, thanks to my thesis advisory team!) and really just limping along waiting for our Christmas road trip to Ilocos. Before we get into that, just a few notes to recap what's been happening:

Saw Live AIDS Silver at the UP Theatre nung end ng November. I've never seen them before, but I was told that they usually do it at Aldaba Hall sa Music so we were wondering if they'll be able to fill the place up. It was supposed to start at 7 pm, and at 7,15 we were seated at our cheap seats at the back. The ushers told us to just occupy any vacant seat as soon as the lights go out which of course everyone did. They switched the light off and there was an eerily stealthy stampede of cheap ticket holders who moved to the expensive section. And that's how you get a bargain.

Live AIDS was fun, and I think my favourite sketch was the first one: Ador Cuntapay as the First Lady-elect Michelle Obombshell. She was soooo good. I was narly in tears. I've been in UP since 1996 and for the first time I'm watching Live AIDS and it was making me feel mighty proud to be here. Meron din namang mga sketch na either too long or just downright unnecessary. Like yung Little Mermaid sa Lagoon, it dragged on and on and on, and people just wanted to go. Pero all in all, I was really glad Jem, Leonard and I went. Kim couldn't because she was going to Baguio with Mcrhon. I also wanted to invite friends to go with us, kaya lang it won't be the same kung di taga UP ang mga kasama mo e. When Leonard said this I thought it was a bit, um, conceited, pero totoo pala. Totoong conceited ang mga taga UP. Choz!

We had a great little evening watching the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's Transymphonia on Friday, 05 December at the CCP. The trip from White Plains to CCP took about two hours and by the time we got there we were starving. We ended up eating ice cream at Icebergs in Harbor Square and of course when we got at the lobby of the CCP they had thousands of glasses of wine. The Spanish Embassy was the sponsor, and Manila's society fixtures organized it. Bravi. Free-flowing red and white wine, champagne, sangria and iced tea. Little bijoux snackettes with salmon mousse, beef sashimi, etc. I don't see how the next Transymphonia can top this (Paging the European Commission. Your time to shine next month.), and it is certainly a big improvement from the Italian Embassy sponsored do last November. They didn't serve anything. As in nothing. We had to buy snacks at the bar. Embassies, if you're going to sponsor something, consulting with the Spanish embassy is not a bad idea at all. They know how to host a party.

After the concert, we went to the lobby to watch the mestizos pass by. Araneta, Zobel de Ayala, Tantoco, everyone was there. Even Gloria sashayed down the grand staircase followed by her retinue of secret service people and the usual hangers on. It was curious to find an ambulance as part of her presidential convoy. People were also seen queueing to shake Jaime Zobel de Ayala's hand. Like he personally organized the event. That was strange. He was incredibly handsome, though. And he was with a younger mestizo (his son perhaps) who looked like a very young tennis superstar. I mean what do you aspire for when you're good looking and richer than everyone else? I guess you turn to philantrophy and charity work for the less fortunate. But with the kind of wealth they have, isn't everyone, save perhaps Lucio Tan and Henry Sy, less fortunate?

Saw Hairspray at the Star Theater with the boys and Pedro earlier this month. It was quite fun, except the traffic to the CCP complex was more horrible than usual. The musical was fun. I've never seen it before and I must say it was mightily entertaining. The lead actress had such energy it was difficult not to sing along, which was tricky because none of us knew any of the songs.

After the musical, instead of hanging about at Harbor Square, we decided to go back to Quezon City for a bit of a midnight snack. Brothers Burger in Katips was already shut when we got there so we decided to go to Mogwai in Cubao Expo. I had this curiously spicy thing which name I didn't really get. It was like tokwa't baboy with salted eggs and black beans. Nanawag sya ng kanin pero syempre di na ko humingi non kase baka sabihin naman ng mga kasama ko e masiba ako. Weheheheh.

Our little once-a-month brunch group is turning into a couples for christ gimik group with Hans now with Jun, Rikki and Gerald, Nestor and Don and of course ako at si Pedro. Not our intention to leave other people out, pero si Dave and Tristan are too busy and Iggy works evenings tapos si Gari pa is lecheng best efforts lang kung pumunta sa wag na uy diba.

Then on the 17th, UP's annual lantern parade which is doubly exciting because UP is celebrating its centennial. So I dragged Pedro to Diliman to join the SOLAIR contingency, which took a while to find, especially because the parade's so long and the oval was sooo crowded. It's quite an amazing tradition, really, especially when you think that everyone made all those lanterns and bothered with costumes and make up. Pero syempre lahat naman yung UP Pep Squad and pinakahihintay. Winner din ang pagsipol sa min ng Babaylan nung dumaan kami sa tabi nila. That was strangely sweet. Heheheh.

Christmas party kina Oh-D, then another one kina Rikki. This year's Christmas celebration isn't going to be as lavish as the one last year. Nasa Chicago naman kase ang Nanay at Tatay e, at ang nag-iisa kong kapatid dito sa Filipinas e nakipaghiwalay pa sa asawa. The year 2008 has its ups and downs. Para sa amin, mostly downs. It has been a difficult year, and Peter and I both feel like we deserve a break from it all. Nakakapagod na worrying for other people who invariably don't care anyway. So we decided to leave for a couple of weeks.

I'm now sitting at a bar in San Juan, La Union. Surfing capital of the north, some guide books say. Not too shabby for us!

Concerto

2008-11-23T07:21:00.010+08:00

Just when I thought I was about to give up on local indie films they came out with Concerto. No, I have nothing against indie films per se, it's just that in recent months the indie films they have been churning out are either sooo bad they have to include the gratuitous sex scene to entice the public to go and see it, revolve around gay characters or the most common formula which invariably includes a gay full frontal, lots of sweaty action and the token sexy girl who gets screwed by some closeted or bisexual character on the side. It was seriously getting exasperating.

Then Concerto.

I must say, the direction is fabulous. A low-budget period film has all the precondition for a poorly executed movie, but Concerto somehow managed to avoid that. I've never heard of the director/writer Paul Alexander Morales before, but if this is any indication of where his career is going then he'll be fine. I can't wait for him to do another film.

I just don't get why such a beautiful film like this only got seven (yes, seven. I counted) people to watch it at Robinson's Galleria on a Saturday night. Sayang talaga. Go and see it if you can. If anything, it's a great date film because the cinema's virtually empty you can neck each other to death.

Screening schedules here:

Gorietta 4, Cinema 4

12:50 PM

3:15 PM
5:40 PM
8:05 PM
10:30 PM LMF

Price: 130

(http://www.sureseats.com/)

Indie Sine, Robinson's Galleria, Cinema 8

1:00 PM

3:30 PM

6:00 PM

8:30 PM LMF

Admission Price: P141

The movie trailer is available here or here.

Pre-Christmas Bazaar

2008-11-21T17:26:00.004+08:00

This opened today at the World Trade Center and will be running until Sunday, the 23rd of November. So I thought I'd abandon studying for the day and go there for some cheap and cheerful gift items for the kids. We're only giving cheap and cheerful presents to the kids this Christmas. The savings from this decision shall finance our Ilocos roadtrip in lieu of a holiday celebration, my parents being away in Chicago anyway.

Sat through a couple of hours from QC to the World Trade Center in Pasay and I got there before they opened. At 9,45 am I was bursting for a pee, so I barged in past security and long queues of busloads of students apparently on a fieldtrip. They overcrowded the venue and bought nothing. They left after an hour.

It wasn't really worth it. I ended up buying a piece of malunggay donut and a styro of amadeo coffee. That was breakfast. After a good look around, I left.

Don't go unless you really want to for these reasons:

1. They charge PhP 30 for parking and PhP 50 to get into the bazaar;

2. It's rather like greenhills, only worse laid out;

3. It's too far and the traffic is sooo not helping;

4. Prices are exactly the same elsewhere; and

5. Nothing you can't find in any regular bazaar like Greenhills, Tiendesitas or St. Francis Square.

Having said that, the bazaar does have its moments. Sheryn Regis's booth has her used clothes a self-respecting GRO would not be caught dead in. Boy Abunda's booth has lots of unwanted loud shirts--his trademark. It's a mini educational tour on tacky celebs, something we common people can recreate at a fracion of the cost!

Seriously, this blows.

Got Pie?

2008-11-18T17:44:00.008+08:00

If you like dessert, there is no way in hell that you haven't heard of banapple. For the last three years I've been driving to and from UP Diliman via Katipunan and I've been noticing this restaurant for months before I finally mustered the courage (and the patience to find parking space) to step in and have a look at their menu. Well, the first time I went there I don't remember seeing a menu, but I do remember looking through their cake display chiller and thinking that my passport to irreparable obesity is staring me in the eye.

Everything in the cafe is great. Pies, cheesecakes, muffins, drinks. Oh and I must add that their coffee is by far better (and cheaper: PhP 50 per cup) than those anonymous coffee chains which invariably taste burnt. I don't want to discuss each cheesecake and pie, but what I particularly like about this place is that it tastes homemade. I hate those pastry shops which sell cakes outsourced from bakers in Pasig. And I don't understand why their cakes are soooo expensive when they all taste the same anyway.

Since my first visit there I've seen their menu expanded to include rice, pasta and sandwiches. Haven't tried them all but I'm working on it. My friend Ricky's favourite is the Tapsilog, and we were pleasantly surprised that a plate of pasta fed three women. Great value.

Oh, they also have savoury pies: chicken, tuna and cheese. They're good for PhP 50 pesos each, or PhP 100 if you want it served with chunky potato salad. One thing I must say is that they probably use pate sucre instead of pate brisse for the savoury pies so it tastes sweeter than it should.

A word of warning, though. Don't even go anywhere near that place during lunch and dinner if you're starving. The place is tiny and parking is a nightmare so expect ages before you get served. But if you can get over that, this is the place for you.

The girls working there are super friendly, by the way. Always smiling, always attentive, always ready with their pitchers of ice cold water.

They're open from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm everyday so unless your craving hits you past midnight, you're covered.

I had brunch there this morning and there was a sign up saying that their Tomas Morato branch is open. At least Ricky doesn't have to traverse EDSA to get his pie!

wltrrbls

Fire!

2008-11-15T07:10:00.014+08:00

I had a little scare yesterday morning. I took Kristel to St. Paul at around 5:15 am for her little school field trip to Bulacan and on my way back I saw thin smoke coming from inside our village. As I got closer to our house the smoke looked denser, and I was scared shitless that our house was on fire. Turns out the house beside the one in front of us was burning, and there were fire trucks and several kibitzers around in their jogging gear, pure-bred doggies in tow, brandishing their newest professional hobby cameras.

I must say I was relieved to find out that our house was safe, but feel sorry for the people in the burnt house. I also thought it was Yuki's friend Chester's house, but apparently it was the one next door. While I was driving yesterday evening they mentioned the fire on the radio and they found out that it started in the maids' room at the basement. It didn't last very long but it sure was scary.

I remember my parents telling me this story several years after it had happened that when we were living in Mandaluyong (I was probably in grade school) there was a fire in our street in the middle of the night. Everyone rushed out to watch. Some of our neighbors even started carrying their stuff out in case the fire reaches their apartments. My parents stoically watched, and after a couple of hours the fire department declared fire out. While they were walking back to our house, they realised I was missing. Turns out they forgot to wake me up. I fumed when they told me this.

That fire made me realize a few things:

1. Our fire hydrants have water. I'm pretty sure most hydrants outside White Plains don't.

2. A lot of our neighbours are cute.

3. News reporters get it wrong. The news report on the radio said it started at 4 am. I drove past that house at 5:15 and there was nothing so the fire must have happened at around 5:30 to 5:45 am.

4. Our firemen aren't hot. I went out with this fireman from New Jersey several years ago and he looked like an action figure. Our local ones look like they moonlight as grocery bagger boys.

I had a friend from our old counselling group called Albert who was notorious for his spoonerism. One time our friend Daddy JR was telling us how he had a heart attack and had to cough up a ton of money for the operation after their house burnt down and his parents were kind of manic and going crazy. After a pause Albert empathically said, "Naku Daddy, I hope your problems will be over... and over again." Isumpa raw!

wltrrbls

Hairspray in Manila

2008-11-13T16:02:00.005+08:00

Get your Hairspray tickets now if you haven't got them yet. My friend Mike is selling tickets for Friday, November 21, at 8 pm. It's on at Star Theater (behind Star City and NOT Aliw Theatre) in the CCP Complex.

Mike
0917 538 6688
Ticket Prices are PhP 600, 800, 1000 and 1200
For pickup at North Greenhills, UST and Essensa at The Fort

All other schedules, please go to www.ticketworld.com.ph or at any of their counters in the bigger National Bookstore branches.

See you there!

wltrrbls

McCain and Gromit

2008-11-11T19:17:00.005+08:00

I thought he reminded me of someone....

Thanks, Private Eye!

wltrrbls

Guys and Dolls

2008-11-11T11:26:00.005+08:00

There's a guy in Japan who is petitioning the government to allow him to marry a comic book character. I thought that was creepy until I saw this video:

Whatever happened to us? Have we really gotten this lazy?

wltrrbls

Live AIDS is 25

2008-11-10T15:55:00.007+08:00

UP is 100, and Live AIDS is 25! Since I first attended UP in 1996 (yes, yes, we're old!) I've always wanted to see Live AIDS but for some reason I never did. Either they were sold out or I'd hear about it about a month after they've staged it. I'm going this year!

It'll be on from 28 to 30 November 2008 at the UP Theatre. Guest artists include RS Franciso, Tuesday Vargas, Giselle Sanchez, etc.

Get your tickets from TicketNet (9115555) in all SM department stores and sa Araneta Coliseum. Or from your friendly SAMASKOM friends.

wltrrbls

Vienna Operetta Orchestra

2008-11-08T06:44:00.013+08:00

Peter and I bought tickets to this year's Toyota Classics at the CCP on the first day the ads came out in the papers over a month ago, thinking that because they usually have really special performers in the last 20 years, the tickets would be sold out in pretty quickly. Of course we were wrong. There were rows and rows of empty seats, which is good if you want space for your grocery bags but not great if you're one of the beneficiaries of the fundraiser. During the intermission they handed out three oversized checques to the Environmental Studies Institute of MIriam College, Mariano Marcos State University and the Philippine National Red Cross but I can't remember if it was a million each or between the three.

The concert was excellent. I've never seen an operetta before, and it's not quite a mini opera at all. The orchestra sounded great, and they give the impression that they've been doing it for decades. The soprano was a true diva, the tenor sounded like he got lost once or twice during the arias. Mind you, they were very good overall, but during one of the pieces I started wishing that they'd disappear. The orchestra would be excellent on its own. Oh well.

The best part was the program. Luckily it was free, because it's really an ad for Toyota with a few messages from their executives (and their corresponding grim pictures) and a couple of hilarious lines, and I quote:

"HOW TO ENJOY CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERTS

Curtain Calls and Encores

At the end of the program, the conductor and soloist usually return to the stage several times, while the audience continues to show their appreciation by applauding. If the audience applauds very enthusiastically, the orchestra may give a brief encore performance."

Translation: Don't show the Austrians your ignorance of classical music by hooting or not applauding.

Hmmm.

Then Julia Duncan came on. Double hmmm. I read her brief write up in the program which I must admit raised a little overgrown eyebrow. Observe: "As a bright new star in the musical firmament, Julia is delighted that people are at last seeing past the fashion-model glamour of her sultry beauty, and her discovering the deep reserves of musical talent in her voice and heart." Tsk tsk. Are people allowed to say things like that? You can almost see her sending her eyeballs into orbit and gesticulating in relief: "I told you I'm not just beautiful, I'm also very talented!"

Well, she didn't belong there, poor thing. It was a waste of a perfectly good orchestra, as one concert goer put it. She sang two songs, the second one being Anita Baker's Sweet Love. Her style, Latin Chill (her words), left us cold. And a few people from our section walked out in the middle of her song. It just wasn't good enough. Sorry, I'm sure she's a perfectly nice, gorgeous person. We just didn't get it. I'm not sure if there was a problem with the sound system, or we were sitting at an awkward angle from the stage and the sound wasn't getting to us properly, but she sounded like she was auditioning for Pinoy Idol, and even if I didn't watch that stupid show I'm pretty sure she won't make the cut with that voice.

I left while she was getting her desultory applause. I thought, well, why ruin a perfectly good performance from the orchestra. As I was heading towards the lobby, I heard the orchestra from the PA give a lively, waltzy encore which got the remaining audience members' interest back. That took care of the funny aftertaste we almost left with.

wltrrbls

Shiny Happy People

2007-11-29T07:45:00.002+08:00

Saw another Louis Theroux's Weird Weekend episode on BBC 2. He spent an entire weekend with born-again Christians in Texas (where apparently three-quarters of the population are Christians). If you have DSL and have a decent downloading program (like eMule) this is the stuff to eat up your bandwith with. Or you can do the right thing and buy the DVD series online.

Unlike the angry-making documentary on the Westboro Baptist Church, these people actually look happy. Not angry, not condescending, and certainly not violent. They're just... happy. Maybe there's something we can learn from these people.

Here's a clip of Louis Theroux doing a cover of George Michael's Faith with The Family: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOpY4MBA63s. Years ago The Family became headliners for using a very unconventional technique of recruiting people called flirty fishing, although while watching the documentary it was very obvious that not a single member of the group is attractive enough to do much with this strategy.

Now if Mormons did that the entire country would be wearing a white shirt with an I LOVE JESUS pin on the breast pocket. Have you seen those guys? I remember years ago my best friend Aissa was alone in their house one lazy afternoon. A knock on the door and when she answered she saw two guys from Salt Lake City who asked her if she has met her Savior. She immediately let them in. They showed her leaflets and tried converting her. She served them snacks and ogled. We reckon they left after noticing Aissa all giggly and drooling.

Unbearable sadness

2007-11-12T19:55:00.001+08:00

Am I the only one who finds it sad that our national hero these days isn't a humanitarian who helps a depressed community, a great thinker who might solve our economic woes nor a scientist who might be discovering a better way to live our lives? Instead it's a boxer who thought he can be a congressman. And we wonder why the best of us are dying to work abroad?

I mean, come on!!!!

Shakespeare in Chuva

2007-11-12T15:43:00.000+08:00

This is soooooo much fun!

Thou canst not say I did it: never shake
Thy gory chuva at me.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Pinoy Big Briber

2007-11-08T13:12:00.000+08:00

Visit www.pinoybigbriber.com. Now na!

God Hates Fags

2007-11-06T20:48:00.001+08:00

Saw Louis Theroux's BBC documentary on the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, entitled "The Most Hated Family In America." Watch it here before it disappears: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4413388146858417528.

As with any cult, the members are of course blindingly unaware that they are in a cult. Fred Phelps, "Gramps" as they call him, is the patriarch of the church which members are mostly his extended family. But unlike other charismatic preachers and founders of similar groups, he appears to be vengeful, bitter and patently as charismatic as a flake of dandruff.

The interesting aspect of the documentary is that Theroux was able to penetrate the cult at all. The entire time I kept expecting members of the congregation to mob and stone him to death for asking his questions. I wonder if the members thought him stupid and pointless anyway so he can't be capable of posing any threat, or they are just simply starved for attention that any exposure is considered a nod from a wrathful God who hates fags, dead soldiers and, curiously enough, Sweden. Their website, http://www.godhatesamerica.com/, is worth a read.

Expectedly the knee-jerk reaction of any self-confessed fag is hate for this group, but when one really thinks about it, it became too difficult to ignore the thought that the younger members are most probably don't understand what they're doing, but they've been doing it since they were four, so it becomes their outlook by way of forced habit. One gets the feeling that some of them don't really believe what they're saying, but they've said it already so they have to stick to it. And like your average religious fanatics, you wonder if they just need a good fuck to put their lives into perspective.

Dog-gone year

2007-11-05T21:59:00.001+08:00

We got Yuki from a breeder in Pasay on new year's eve 2006 by accident. Actually, I forced Peter to get her for us. We were looking around in pet stores and saw smaller breeds but I saw a chocolate brown labrador and instantly fell in love with her. Now, we simply had to change her name. On her Philippine Canine Association paper, she was named Myrna by a breeder obviously lacking in the creativity department. We chose the name Yuki (snow in Japanese) not because she was pure, but her colour reminds one of five-day old snow on the sidewalk.

According to a dog age calculator (www.pedigree.com/dogsandpuppies/DogAgeCalc.asp), Yuki, who is 12 months old, is 12 years old in human age. No wonder she's getting spots. Her nipples were extremely large, too, but that's only because she was apparently pregnant when she was eight months old, the whore. She had a miscarriage a couple of months ago and was unconsolable for a day, until she discovered Yakult.

The night before her birthday, we had our housewarming party on the 27th of October, and at the stroke of midnight, Yuki was out like a hoe. Passed out on the rug with a cigarette and cans of beer around her, there's no mistaking that she is our dog. Give her a few years and she'll be single and fat in a trailer park with more kids than she can care to feed.

Panglao Island

2007-10-26T13:56:00.001+08:00

Peter and I found a really good deal for a return flight to Tagbilaran (Cebu Pacific PhP 6000 return for two) so we decided to go to Panglao Island. Never been there before but heard how amazing the diving is so it had always been on top of my list. Were going to stay for a week, but didn't really know where to setup camp so I asked our friend Hans for recommendations and ended up on Dumaluan Beach, Panglao's premiere destination for terminally boring travelers. I couldn't decide if it was the surly staff or the dead silence, but the place reminded me of Ortigas Home Depot, sans the fun bits of electrical supplies and things one screws on.

On our first evening, we decided to eat local: Dumaluan Beach Resort 1 has a little kiosk behind several cottages where they grill marinated meats and "fresh" seafood. By "fresh" they meant just defrosted. I asked the guy behind the counter what food they have and he grudgingly pointed to two plastic shoeboxes containing month-old porkchops in soy sauce. Asked whether they have seafood on offer, he gave me a look which said, "What have I done to deserve this?" That pretty much summed up our three days in Dumaluan Beach Resort 1.

Wise words: Avoid that pointless dump unless you want to experience anger and resentment on your holiday. Go to Alona Beach instead.

Ooops Bar and Cottages in Alona Beach was fun! And at PhP 900 for a cottage per day it's a bargain. Great food, fun staff, and the security guard moonlights as a motorbike rental agency. PhP 50 per hour (Dumaluan Beach Resort PhP 250 for the first hour, PhP 100 for each succeeding hour). Diving in Panglao is actually quite cheap. Genesis Divers offers two dives and full equipment rental for US$53, a steal compared to almost US$100 in most dive spots in the country. Balicasag Island, about 25 minutes off Panglao by motorboat, was the best place to dive, I was told. Not very impressive corals, crazyfuck scary schools of jackfish and barracudas which have a very disconcerting look when they see divers. They follow you with their eyes as if thinking, "Should we have a little nip?" Saw huge sea turtles and clownfish. We did two spots: Black Forest (slope) and Diver's Heaven (wall). Definitely worth doing if one can't afford Coron. Personally, I prefer wrecks, looking like one myself.

Did a few daytrips to the Bohol Bee Farm where we had one of the best Seafood Pasta in Coconut Milk and Squash Muffins (ask me for the recipes). Went to the Hinagdanan Cave, which smelled like the Panglao Island Urinal. We went to the Loboc River Cruise stop and decided that it's not really fun to get on a boat which goes up and down a muddy river, especially when we have to pay for it. To our surprise, signs which read SEE A TARSIER HERE point to shops which have a few pots of plants with sleepy looking tarsiers on their branches. I expected a mini rainforest where tarsiers jump from one tree to another, but they decided to make it easier for tourists by having them in places where one might stop for a pee. They had boxes nailed on the posts with "Donation for feeding tarsiers" written on them, and I dropped two pesos, thinking the world's smallest primates most probably don't eat much.

On our last day we decided to drive to the Panglao Island Nature Resort and Spa, and it was well worth it. Daytrips cost PhP300 per person, PhP100 of which is for facilities rental (infinity pool!!! pool bar!!! billiards!!!), and the remaining PhP200 is consumable. Food ok, drinks cheap. All in all, quite a good deal.

Will I go back to Panglao? Sure, but if Palawan is the other option, I'd gladly go to Coron instead. Peter actually started thinking of buying property on Panglao, and to date I am still trying to convince him that perhaps it's not the wisest thing to do. He's convinced that he knows a bargain when he sees one. Oh well.

Tip: If you're going to Panglao, just outside the airport in Tagbilaran you can either hire a private car or taxi to take you to your resort (PhP350-450, haggle). If you're feeling touristy, tricycles will drive you there for about PhP200. Stay in a cheap resort, spend your day at the expensive ones. They don't charge much for the use of their facilities and you get to do it properly with poolside bars and deck chairs.

Best grill: The one just outside Oasis Bar. Superb grilled veggies and sirloin.

Best English food and drinks: Ooops Bar. They have pies and mash. Other items on the menu are also reasonably priced and the portions are big. Staff very very friendly, except that during breakfast they constantly played Sitti, which intially is innocuous enough, then after a couple of songs you realise that it's an entire album with all the songs sharing the same rhythm, kind of like those cheap casette tapes they used to play in jeepneys when I was in high school. I simply cannot stand Sitti.