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
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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.###