Oh sh*t!

There are 365.25 days in a year. And of all the days in 2010, we have chosen to go to Bangkok, Thailand on 11-14 March. On 9 March 2010, DFA advised:

In view of the protest rallies being planned in key areas of Bangkok starting Friday, 12 March 2010, and for the duration of the rallies, Filipinos are advised to postpone all non-essential travel to Thailand, specifically Bangkok.

Filipinos who are already in Thailand are advised to avoid areas that have been identified as meeting areas and staging areas for the rallyists.

Despite this, and because life is about taking risks, we proceeded with the planned travel.

Empty streets
The streets of Bangkok are usually bustling with life at night with its offerings of delicious street food and unique merchandise sold in its night markets. But on the 11th of March 2010, the streets of Bangkok were virtually empty.


We were eager to sample authentic Thai cuisine, but we were amazed to find the streets of Bangkok devoid of life. As Filipinos, I would like to believe that we have gotten quite used to rallies and demonstrations, and except for the affected areas, it is business as usual in other areas in Metro Manila. But here, they are taking this planned rally seriously, perhaps owing to the fact that they were surprised last year by similar rallies that they had to close out their airports for weeks.
Tuktuk, Thailand's version of the pedicab

We boarded a cab to Pat Phong but the cab driver said that the bars and establishments there are closed and insisted on bringing us to a nearby restaurant. He also warned us not to go out the streets the following days because the Red Shirt rallyists, supporters of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, are staging their rallies in certain areas starting the next day. He even related that clients in bars are being forced by the Thai police to go to their homes in anticipation of the morrow’s rallies. He said the armies are planning to throw shit bombs - which became the theme of our jokes for the duration of the trip - to people or to establishments. So we ended up eating hotdog from trusty 7-11. I did not know whether I would be grateful because at least we were spared of the traffic in the streets, but it also seemed to us that we were the only ones brave enough to walk the streets that night.
Mirrored
###

Backlog

I have been obsessing about a lot of things lately - shopping mostly - that reading is taking a backseat. I have bought a lot of books but managed to finish just one, and that was in early January pa.

So, when will I start reading these, eh?###

Passion or passing fancy?

We used to tease an aunt who had the habit of resurrecting our mom's uniforms and clothes and turning them into skirts, or putting pleats on tops to shorten them or just tinkering with her clothes to make them look different.

Then I rediscovered my love for ukay and found myself detaching sleeves from tops, or making-tastas skirts to make them shorter or narrower. When having difficulty sleeping, I would look at the clothes and plan how I would rework them.

Then I realized, OMG! I am my aunt. :D ###

For the love of

C and K got married on a Monday.

For the past days, it has been humid, hot, but that afternoon, the weather was just about right. The sky looked bluer, there were fluffy clouds here and there.

For the love of C and K, most of us took a break from work to attend the wonderful occasion. Of course, there were glitches, as with any wedding. C gave me a misalette in English, because I was reading the responsorial psalm, but the priest celebrated the mass in the vernacular. The host made grammar slips every now and then. We can sense that K is losing her cool, her raised eyebrow was very telling. But C made up for this with his humor. We were surprised when he did the sexy dance - he looked like a robot!

But the whole occasion was relaxed. The food was delicious, familiar. A and I took our time eating the meal. We did some catching up. The groom had this idea of seating the three of us - the perennial love triangle - together. We had a blast with the photobooth.

It's A and P's turn on 10 October 2010. Saving the best for last. :D ###

Foodie wannabe

I would like to blog about food. But beyond "delicious" and "filling" and "nice presentation", I cannot think of the proper adjectives to describe food or the experience. I once described Yellow Cab's Charlie Chan Pasta to a friend as "going in three directions", and lamb as "tasting round."

My housemate is weirder. She refused to eat the resurrected version of last night's lamb kaldereta because it "tastes like lotion" (You've tasted lotion? I asked). She thinks the hint of lemon in last Christmas's ham tastes like ants and the chocolates I once brought home tastes like soil.

So along with the education of the tastebuds, I would have to know more about spices and restaurants and stuff.

So wala lang.###

Dear old self

I spent the day with two of my favorite people in the world. Dinner and dessert more than made up for my unusually crappy day.

The day started early. It seems that the first order of the day for some is to greet me, and I am really grateful waking up to “happy birthdays” and “I love yous.” I went to the office, which is quite unusual, because I was supposed to be on special leave because it is my day, but I had to go to work.

Before lunch, I called up the Customer Service of Metrobank Card to inquire about my outstanding balance, and I was shocked to hear that my debt has almost reached my credit limit. (I was thinking, have I eaten that much?) I have not charged any big ticket items lately so I asked the Customer Service Representative to recite my recent transactions. And boy, oh boy, there were two transactions with Cebu Air amounting to PhP 10,492.22 each. These were not mine, so I had to ask that my card be blocked and I wrote to their Chargeback unit to dispute the charge. So instead of catching up on work backlog and/or responding to birthday greetings, I was stressed by this. Not exactly the kind of gift I was hoping for.

The three of us were playing “level-up” to match the wealthy friend’s treat at Melo’s and I was choosing between Le Souffle and Cav for dinner before this Cebu Air fiasco. But because my credit card was blocked, we had to settle for something cheaper.

We are fans of Abe in Trinoma, so we chose to try Fely J’s Kitchen which belongs to the LJC Restaurant Group. The menu is a bit different from that of Abe. For appetizer, we ordered sisig because E wanted to know whether it tastes like its counterpart in Abe. Their sisig is served on a small hot plate, unlike Abe’s which is served on an ordinary plate. Fely J’s version is competent.

Next came the Kangkong Sa Gata which is reminiscent of Abe’s gising-gising. We requested that it be cooked gising-gising style which made it spicier. As expected, it tastes like gising-gising, with the addition of kangkong leaves. (It is actually funny that we are looking for food that are in Abe's menu. The waitress had to explain how different some courses are from Abe's.)

Their Lamb Kaldereta is a must-try, the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce is rich. If I were to choose only one viand, I would choose this.

After settling the bill, we were asked to fill-out a comment sheet and I wrote: It is my birthday! Free dessert? :D Then the waitress asked us to stay for a bit longer, then this surprise was given as a gift. I love freebies and gifts! This milky, creamy version of maja blanca is delicious too!

And for want of ideas as to where to go for dessert, we headed to Museum Café again. This time, we tried their Pandan Sans Rival and Pastillas Cheesecake. Their cheesecake has actual pastillas on top. According to G, their cheesecake tastes like puto; I think they tasted alright.

And tonight's winner is the Pandan Sans Rival. This one looks deceptively simple. But once the pandan icing touches the tip of your tongue, you will be tempted to say, "Uy, okay ah." I think Museum Cafe is winning me over with its unique dessert selection (I wonder if Chef Sau del Rosario is still king in its kitchen). And considering I liked the food at its relatives Momo and Chelsea, I might have to give its main courses another try.

Happy birthday dear old self.###

Does Sugarfree mean bitter?

If you are the type of person who broods over lost love, this album is for you.

I bought this album a couple of months back and I love the album because Ebe’s voice is simply relaxing. My reaction to the album depends on the current mood I am in. There are times I get sentimental when listening to the songs, there are times I snicker despite myself because of the lyrics of the songs, and there are times – though not often – when I want to throw the album away.

This is one moment when I feel good listening to the album. And I love the lyrics. I’m picking some of my favorite lines. For a more detailed review of the album, read here.

1. Hay Buhay – “ang habang-buhay naging ba-bye.”

2. Feels Like – “It feels like love tonight.”

3. Mornings And Airports – “Your arms still fit me perfectly.”

4. Wala Nang Hihilingin – “Kung gabi-gabi, matulog ka sa aking tabi… wala na akong hihilingin.” (Though in a perfect world, I would wish you wouldn’t snore. :p)

5. Hang Over – “Sa dinami-dami ba naman ng gustong malimutan, ikaw pa ang naiwan sa puso’t isipan.” Hahaha!

6. Patawad – ay ito the best! “Hindi man tayo magkatuluyan, pwede bang wag na lang natin pag-usapan kung bakit ganito ang kinahatnan ng ating buhay at pag-ibig.”

7. Get Over It – “Sleeping in her clothes won’t her back, erase the past”

8. Pagkatapos Ng Lahat – “Kapwa galit, sino’ng nakasakit?”

9. Wala – “Wala nang Gabby sa ating Shawie”

10. Mamang Driver – “Minsan ay okay lang maging steady, dahil ang buhay ay di nadadaan sa pagmamadali.”

11. Heto Na Naman Tayo – Ano ang ating gagawin pag sinabi na ng damdamin na di sapat ang pag-ibig upang buhayin at paikutin ang ating mundo? Ilang sugat pa bago sumuko?”

12. Where Do We Go – I like the acoustics of this one. This is not a goodbye song but a feel-good one. Love it. “Now I finally know why everything fades out. All I ever wanted is right here with me.”

13. Form Factor – This song makes me feel sad. Goodbyes are always sad, no? Seven years, is seven too long? And we’ve ran out of reasons to prolong this.”

14. Walang Paalam –Bukas paggising ko nandiyan ka na muli sa aking tabi, at ikukwento mo’ng mga nakita mo habang tayo’y magkalayo. Hanggang sa muli. Ingat ka.” (Makes you want to kill yourself after listening to this last song. Hahaha. If you’re forlorn lang, of course. So after listening to this, go back to Track 7, for more.)

I love when lyrics sound effortlessly like poetry.###

Happy closet

If closets are capable of feeling emotions, my closet would probably be grinning from ear to ear right now. For the first time since I bought it last year, my closet is filled with clean freshly-ironed clothes.

I generally dislike ironing clothes for a host of reasons. For one, sorry but I am born lazy. For another, the whole activity makes me feel hot, and not in a good way. I do not know if it is just laziness, but it takes a lot of effort for me to press a single piece of clothing. I hate that wrinkles set in the second you hang the item, or put them on, whichever comes first. Hence, my usual policy on clothes is “iron as you go,” or “buy clothes that do not need ironing.” Because I have not ironed anything more than three items of clothing at a time, I never thought ironing can be therapeutic.

My idea of therapy is doing chores that would involve me getting in contact with water. For therapy, I would wash clothes, do the dishes, clean the comfort room, water the plants, mop the walls and floors, never iron clothes. But last Thursday, for the first time in a long while – heck, for the first time in my life really – I ironed my clothes.

It was close to midnight and I was having a hard time trying to sleep. Counting sheep was not really working, so, without ado, I pulled out the wrinkled clothes out of my closet and put them on the bed. I took out virtually all the clothes from the closet. I plugged the flat iron and started ironing the easy ones – t-shirts, shorts. Then I took out some of the clothes I haven’t worn in the last two years, and thought, well, why not? I was not going to the office the next day so might as well. I realized I do not need starch for some clothes and that the water spray bottle can work wonders.

I proceeded with the more difficult ones – gusot-mayaman blouses, dresses with ruching and skirts with impossible pleats. At about three in the morning, I was starting to feel tired, and I remembered a scary movie which says that 3:00 in the morning is the witching hour, and this is when the devil is most powerful. I freaked out a little, but concentrated on finishing my task at hand.

As I was ironing my flimsy blouses, I remember my mother asking me why I like to buy clothes whose material resembles tissue, because they are very difficult to iron and they get creased easily. And then after a while, I did something I have not done in a really long time. I cried.

I cried because I remember my mother ironing my clothes every weekend. I cried because I realized just now how difficult it must have been for her to iron all our clothes, since the time we were young up to the time she died. I realized how much labor of love she has poured into caring for all of us, while having a full-time job at the same time. And I realize how much I really really miss her, and how I would give anything in the world just to be with her one more time, to kiss her one more time.

And so I ironed my clothes and thought that doing little things like this are part of loving yourself too. ###

Sad movies always make me cry

And sometimes, so do funny movies.

I don’t remember shedding a tear the first time I saw Juno, but the other night, it made me cry.

During one of my shopping expeditions, I discovered a book sale cum dvd shop atop the Zagu stall in Shopping Center. I only know of the one near the Post Office, and I do not know how long they have been there. My housemate wanted to look for a copy of Mice and Men starring John Malkovich and the old version of Romeo and Juliet – Claire Danes and Leonardo di Caprio starrer – so I looked at the titles and found Sofia Coppola’s Virgin Suicides, as well as El Topo and La Misma Luna. Okay, digressing...

I returned to the shop one afternoon and found a copy of Juno, among others. I have already seen it a few years back but my housemate wanted to watch it, so I bought it. That night, M was outvoted so we watched Juno.

Juno tells the story of the lead character’s (Ellen Page) unplanned pregnancy by her friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). After finding out that she was pregnant, she decided to “take care of it.” Her classmate tried to dissuade her by telling her that the baby already has fingernails, and this made her change her mind. She told her parents that she would go through with the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption. She found an ad placed by the seemingly-perfect couple Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanesssa (Jennifer Garner).

One look at Mark and you will see that he is not enthusiastic about having the baby. As he spends time with Juno, he realizes that he is no more than a child himself and that his dreams are different from his wife’s. Whereas Vanessa is sure that she is meant to be a mother, Mark is sure that he is meant to be a musician.

Although there is love story, Juno is primarily a commentary about being a mother. There are three mothers in the movie – Juno, Vanessa and Brenda (Allison Janney). Brenda is Juno’s stepmother. Of the three, and in relation to each other, only Juno is a mother in the traditional sense of the word. She is after all the one who is carrying a child.

But Vanessa wants to be and becomes a mother, too. She and husband Mark have been trying to get pregnant for a long time but without success. They have tried to adopt a baby, too, but that also failed. Hence on their first meeting, she wanted to know whether Juno is sure about her decision of giving the baby up. Vanessa comes off as a control freak at first, someone you wouldn’t like. But she is dead set on being a mother even at the point of risking her marriage.

Brenda is Juno’s stepmom who loves her like a real mom would and defends her from the world, such as the judgmental ultrasound technician. She takes care of Juno and sacrificed her love for dogs because Juno is allergic to their saliva.

Okay, so why am I so affected by this movie? Because I did not understand being a mother until I lost one and I became one. Because being a mother is knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Being a mother means giving a part of your heart away, and letting that part grow, walk, learn, stumble, fall, stand up on its own because that part has its own life to live.

And because watching the movie has made me realize that I am beginning to understand how it is to become a mom, I cried. ###

P.S.
E went home to the province today. There goes my heart. :(

Favorites

I spent 2009 whining and griping and pining and moping and I realized it is about time for some change. As much fun as wallowing and digging my own private hell was, even the most ardent pessimist will tell you that it can get pretty boring after a while. So I decided to do more enjoyable things.

Like eat out. I spent most of the first quarter of 2010 and a huge chunk of my salary on eating out. I rediscovered old-time favorites. Here are a few of my favorite things. :D

1. Old Vine in Eastwood Mall has a short selection of desserts but their cheesecakes are a definite must-try. The cake is neither too gelatinous nor too thick; the consistency is just right. Topped with blueberries or strawberries, they are a perfect way to end a meal.

2. Teriyaki Boy offers silken Agedashi Tofu. Great when paired with California Maki. Heavy enough as dinner.

3. Trellis has the best sisig I have tasted. Service in this restaurant is often crappy, the waiters a bit crabby, but I keep coming back for their sisig. We think the waiters know that their patrons would forgive them for the bad service because their sisig is that good.

4. Pixie’s Sinugba is known for their boneless bangus, but their bangus lumpia is delicious, too. For more healthy eating.

5. Mashed potato at Rack’s is a real treat. It is rich and creamy, just perfect with baby back ribs.

6. Café Breton is a failsafe dessert place. Just order Blueberries and Cream if you don’t want to think of what you want to have for dessert.

7. Most Chinese restaurants make you dizzy because of too much msg on their food, but not Causeway. We used to wait for nine o’clock before we eat there so we can avail of their discount for the dimsum. I love their bean curd.

8. When you’re craving for unique Pinoy food, try Kanin Club’s sinful crispy dinuguan. Yum!

9. They say Red Mango is the Starbucks of fro-yo. I love my swirl with blueberries, strawberries and kiwi fruit.

10. Taco Bell has set meals which include rice with beef toppings, with side servings of salad and potatoes, when I’m craving delicious fast food. ###

N.B.:
Up next: Van Gogh Is Bipolar And The Tale Of The Missing Tsinelas

March, march, march

It is my month.

Time flies when you’re having fun and the next thing you know, the summer breeze is blowing and it is March. I had to start celebrating my birthday early because I wanted our baby to be there (she is going home to the province on Sunday).

Last year, we ate at Cyma, and this year, we ate at Zuni Restaurant and Wine Bar at Greenbelt 5. (O di ba, parang magkapatid lang? :D) Like last year, we did not plan nor research for where to eat, but just walked and entered the first restaurant that seemed promising.

For tonight, they said they wanted to eat anything except Japanese, Thai, Pinoy food. So John and Yoko and Fely J’s are out of the question. Zuni caught our fancy because it was the only place in its row which had a lot of clientele, mainly foreigners. M asked for their specialty and the waiter said that it was their steak and seafood. So we tried their steak.

I used to dislike eating a huge slab of meat because I think it is unhealthy and steak is usually pricey. But compared to Melo’s which we tried on a wealthy friend’s birthday, believe me when I say the meals at Zuni would not break the bank. Their version of Surf and Turf was half the price of its counterpart in Melo’s. We decided to forego with the appetizers and salads because we thought they would ruin our appetite. Our meals were complete in themselves. I tried their peppered steak, which I really liked, and I paired this with red wine (char lang, the last time I took wine with food, I felt really dizzy, plus I lost my slippers, but let’s save that story for another entry). Dalandan juice pala.




And because there is always room for dessert, we had crème brulee trio at Museum Café and tonight’s star is the chocolate-flavored flan with a hint of chili. It fools you into thinking you are eating only chocolate but you will feel the zing when you swallow a mouthful. Very clever.

And speaking of stars, Jean Saburit was dining at Zuni, too. Phoem Baranda was having drinks at Museum Cafe, Rannie Raymundo was drinking with some friends, and Inno Sotto was checking out the driveway fronting Greenbelt 5, for I don't know what. ###

Sad movies always make me cry

The sky is blue

Road trip, road trip, haha!###