Evil times and the basketball in the closet

When I was  really young, I always wondered if our planet were just a basketball in a boy's cabinet, sometimes jogged to use, sometimes flying out into a hoop, sometimes collecting dust and mold in the darkness of the cabinet, sometimes, being jabbed with the solid fangs of a playful puppy. Those "events" were my explanation on the weather changes, the earthquakes, the seasons, etc. Of course, now I know it is far from reality. But sometimes, I really wonder.

A few days ago, I ran into news articles where the UN declared the Philippines as one of the hotspots for climate change and will take the brunt of nature's fury in the next years - stronger earthquakes, more ferocious storms, floodings that won't clear for days, etc. And then I wondered, maybe my juvenile theory might have some truth to it - the Philippines might be in a spot in the basketball where it takes the most beatings, kids touching the area too often, dogs scratching it too much, peeing on it sometimes, the ball probably resting its full weight on the area where the country was located. It just might be true, after all.

Would it be too much to wonder and ask for simpler explanations for these future events? I still wonder, and the child in me forces me to think it through some more, while the adult in me dismisses it as rubbish.

It would be great to think that if this were the case, then there might be a slight chance that my counrty's fate might change soon - as soon as some other part of the ball starts taking more of the abuse that a basketball can take. It may sound foolish and selfish, but I wanted to think this can happen - if the world were a basketball.

But then, of course, it's not. Who knows? We might just be living in a volleyball instead, or a tennis ball. It might just be a different story if it were a different ball. What do you think?

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Padre Damaso and the Heidelberg pork hock

Restaurant of the month for me is Ristorante Pia Y Damaso - Subversive Filipino Cuisine at Greenbelt 5's second floor.

The restaurant is a quirky concept by itself - it is so small that it fits only about 5 decent tables inside with a massive bar taking up about a third of the place and a table is set aside with a wooden enclosure for privacy. But what it lacks in space, it more than makes up for in terms of delicious taste.

It surely has an interesting menu - we picked the tubig ni Maria pitcher which is good enough for 3 thirsty big men, like me and my friends. It has ginger, local pipino, it think there is even lemongrass in there, with a lime and an orange slice. It makes up for a really cool, nice refresher and palate cleanser.

We ordered the humongous Ode to heidelberg, which according to the menu was one of the dishes that Rizal enjoyed while writing some of his subversive verses while in Europe. It has 4 kinds of sausages, and a smoked hind leg of pork that is very soft and easy in the mouth - no subversive tones or invasive flavors.

The menu is interesting as it has references to Rizal and some of his characters from Noli Me Tangere. Imaginative, but it pushed some of the dish names too far. at least, they all looked promisingly tasty. The Ode is enough for 4 or even 5 grown men.

We wanted to try their luscious looking desserts but we were so stuffed, we had to forego it. I will have to come back for their desserts. A lot of my friends have good things to say about it.

They have an open veranda that opens to garden stairs leading to the patio below at the Greenbelt 5 garden. The veranda is actually bigger than the restaurant, so it might be best to stay there if you are with a big group and the weather is cool (and it is usually cool nowadays).

I like the food, liked the service, liked the Tubig ni Maria, and i give this restaurant my thumbs up for this month.

If you are ever in Makati and near Greenbelt 5, this is definitely a place to go to. It's right beside Fely J's at the seond floor, so you can't miss it, really!

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chilean miners and why no one knew their rescuers

When I was young, there was big news on a girl that was stuck in a well and the daring rescue that happened. It made quite a stir around the world, to think that  the internet wasn't invented yet at the time and even CNN and BBC and all the 24 hour news channels were at their infancy and reach was limited. What struck me as funny was that the girl actually made headlines - why was she in the headlines when she got herself stuck in the well? I would have spanked her after she was cleared by the doctors, after the incident.

Now I don't have anything against all these stories of courage and the human spirit. The fact is, we all love these stories because it stirs inside us a hungering passion to be alive again, and reminds us of how precious life is. If it were up to nature, we would rather be all dead. I think the mining accident happened in due course - Chile was sent a sign from nature. And the miners were the accidental victims. But then again, in the world's eyes, they were heroes, albeit accidental ones. We should celebrate the rescuers, if you ask me. There is very little reference to them in the news. The courage of the miners were forced by circumstance. They have to take courage or die. The rescuers were courageous by choice. I wonder why nobody took the time to feature them extensively. This is why i didn't follow the news. Sadly, there was nothing in the miners that could have spelled human interest for me. I would rather hear about the rescuers and their families, how they coped with the imminent danger that they have consciously plunged themselves into. Now that for me, is the big news - people who regularly take a stand and make a choice, no matter how unpopular, to be courageous and do the right thing. It saddens me that accidents like these become fodder for news huggers and politicians. The saddest thing is that everyone loves accidental heroes, but nobody cares about heroes by choice. That is why people love to hear about the rescued, not the rescuers. People by nature, are jaded, dismissive and suspicious of people who, on a daily basis, choose to be in a dangerous situation, because they want to help.

I am glad that all miners were rescued. But I am gladder that nothing bad happened to the rescuers, and I salute them for making a choice to be courageous. Nowadays, very few people make that choice, which deserves higher human interest than the rescued.

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the gigantic kebab at 3 in the morning

When you travel, you discover food and stuff that locals would probably take for granted, but tourists would swear on their dear life, if it were their last supper. But since I am not going to be executed anytime soon, I would say this could be the best kebab you can munch on, if you want a real meat indulgence, and you are in Hong Kong.

Ebeneezer's Kebabs and Pizzaria is probably the best kebab I have tasted in a long time. Now, it would seem that the place is a mix of sorts of various food cultures, and it is. The kebab they serve is not in a stick. It is hand-wrapped pita bread, stuffed with shredded lamb or chicken with vegetables and the best grill sauce you will taste this side of the world. It looks like a burrito, but it taste nearer to a shawarma. So it's indian, with a mix of mexican and mediterranean all mashed up in one wonderful halal-certified place. And, as they claim, it is healthy food fare (if you eat only one, that is).

We ordered in this branch in Wan Chai which is in the bar district, and is really small, with just 3 small tables inside, so you really have to eat outside, standing or leaning against the railings. I didn't mind. It was 3 am, and all the guys with me were all drunk and loud. I was just sleepy and hungry, and a bit tipsy. You can order your side of beer with your order, and it is a pretty good combination, and it's available the whole day. The bad thing here is that, at 3 in the morning, this branch is packed and there is a long line. Apparently, this is what HK boys and girls munch on after a night of drunkenness and debauchery LOL.

I downed the 6 inch long kebab (wrapped in aluminum foil) with a diameter of a pringles can, in just 5 minutes. You know what? You can do that, because it is that good. What happened after that was a blur. I woke up in the hotel room, all packed up and ready to go. I didn't even remember packing, but my bags were all neatly lined up beside the tv, which was playing national geographic the whole time. Last night was a blur to me, but i remembered the kebab clearly. I would go back to HK, if only for this order of Kebab from Ebeneezer's. Or i could Fedex it to me. I think I can do that...

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taipei food and walking like crazy the whole time

Taipei is a great city in a way that it really has much to offer in terms of sights to see and food to eat. Not to compete with what Manila can offer in terms of cuisine, but Taipei really does have its own identity when it comes to food, never mind that it is heavily influenced by chinese cuisine.

The traditional meal in Taiwan usually consists of 4 bowls - rice, soup, main dish and a vegetable dish. It doesn't matter if it is morning, noon or night, food is always something to behold in this small country, and it also tells of how hardy Taiwanese are and how food really fuels them.

My first day, we went to Hankyu department store to join in the chaos of a Uniqlo store opening. My tripmates were raring for this since Uniqlo is not widely available outside Asia. After the long lines and the not-so-regrettable shopping binge, we settled into the food court, which offers pretty much everything Taiwan.

We had an omelette of something like leeks, finely chopped, and blanched cabbage, with rice and chicken stew in an iron plate. We also had a side order of beef and cabbage stew.

There was literally too much on our plates, it was filling, but it didn't have the heavy fill that we were expecting. The secret, according to my Taiwanese friend, is that they don't usually fry or saute (although you will get much of that from their street foods). This much, and you will have your fill and not be sludgy because of the fat and extenders. None of that on our food. And I think that is healthy and wise. I started to wonder if all traditional Taiwanese food are like these. So we decided to raid the Danshui night market for some traditional street food. We had ah gei and danshui fish balls in soup. The balls are actually a variety of various stuff - mainly pork, fish, bread filled with savory meat, and a mix of pork and fish. The filled bread are like mini siopao. Ah gei is actually bean curd or tofu, stuffed with boiled vermicelli, sealed with a thick fish sauce and doused with chili sauce. I was hesitant to try it. It was really good, AND it also had none of the oil and extenders. I guess traditional Taiwanese food is really healthy.

I wouldn't say the same though for the other fares I saw at the danshui night market - it was a regular parade of deep fried stuff of anything you can think of. I guess, like any other cuisine, Taiwan also has its share of junk food. That probably explains the quietly increasing proliferation of huge Taiwanese men (and some women) in the streets during my trip.

Here are some of their fried food fares:

Taiwanese, like Filipinos, also love their sausages and they have a variety of sausages available, including blood sausage, which is not exotic for us, Filipinos, since we eat every part of the pig, from the tongue to the ears, to the intestines, and yes, even pig blood. 

The night market we went to didn't disappoint us - you will find all things fried, boiled, grilled. you name it, they have it. 

The following night, we went to a restaurant that one of our taiwanese friends said is really popular. And with good reason, we went there, was given a number and had to wait for an hour before being served - were 64 and 35 was being served. At least, we were able to go around the surrounding community, which was nice and quaint, since the restaurant was in a small residential area at the heart of Taipei.

Their signature dumplings actually has broth inside it and they stuff their dumplings with all kinds of good stuff - minced pork, or shrimp, or even vegetables. We ordered the minced pork, the shrimp and the upo, all with broth inside them. The Taiwanese call it xiaolongbao. We dip it in a combination of shredded ginger, black vinegar and soy sauce. They also have the really cool zucchini in chili sauce, which was both hot and cool at the same time. And of course, we can't resist the dumplings in chili sauce, which was way spicy but not irritatingly hot.

The piece de resistance was their beef noodle soup. Now I am not a regular fan of this soup, because it can turn rancid in no time, but the broth it was served with has a clean meaty taste. I think they had to freeze the soup stock and take out the fat to achieve this. It was very good. And once again, despite the cast that we had more than our fill, it didn't give us a heavy feeling.

Din Tai Fung, the name of the restaurant, in Xinyi Road

Taiwanese water cabbage (like our kangkong but thinner and with smaller leaves), 

blanched and served in garlic sauce

I guess I will go back to Taipei, not only for the people, which are nice, the sights, which are nicer, but most especially for the food, good food, that we found in between walking bouts between sights and train stations! Enjoying taiwanese food is the way to end a long walk and mark a good trip.

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RED and the Jamaican pattie on the floor

After a refreshing trip to Taipei, I went back to work today, not so ready. My mind is still afloat, so I had to force myself to make a mental note of everything I had to do for the week. Though overwhelming as it may seem, I think the time off from everything sort of recharged me and despite my floating mind and hesitant disposition this morning, easing into work today seemed to be quite smooth by lunch time. I was on a roll by early afternoon.

One of the things I liked from my Taipei trip was seeing that most of the food i eat is not really good - delicious good, yes, but healthy good? Far from it. I made a mental note today to be conscious of what I eat, and so far it is working - I may manage to lose substantial weight by end of the year. Also, I have to go back to the gym. One week off can take its toll, but as I told my trainer, he has to start being mindful of pushing me too far. He has too or else, I will replace him. Had to check with my doctor before I left for Taipei due to persistent pain in the left calf and leg area. His diagnosis - an over accumulation of lactic acid in my muscles, due to over exertion. I was trying too hard too fast. Well, at least I've rested. And I realized that my extensive, relentless walking in Taipei has made my leg and calf muscle painful at the onset, but bearable after a while. So I guess i have to continue the exercise. But with more caution on over exerting.

Anyway, after work, at around 7, I decided to do some more walking. I don't have my car today since it I can't bring it out on Wednesdays (Manila has a strange way of decongesting traffic - one of them is banning your car one day a week. I wonder if it is really working). So i had no choice but to walk. After a little walking, I realized that the traffic is horrendous (as always), so I decided to see a movie instead to kill time until traffic thins out. I decided to see RED, since I have been seeing huge posters of it in Taipei (and it stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Mary Louise Parker, the great John Malkovich and her highness Helen Mirren so it should be good). Before going straight to the cinemas, I decided to buy two Jamaican patties. I was lucky because I was the last one in line to get the last two pieces (haha, sorry to the two couples behind me).  I realized my last food intake was around 1pm, and it was just vegetables and tofu and a little bit of rice. I was starving! In fact, I was trembling a little. Talk about hunger pangs; I was worried people will hear my stomach grumble. LOL!

Anyway, I went to the cinema with my ticket my two patties, my green tea. I ate one patty at the theater doors, waiting for the cinema empty out from the last screening. I was led to my seat, and as I was settling down, the second patty slipped from my lap and fell into the back of the seat in front of me. There it was, seen only by the light from the projector, naked, out of its paper pouch, in its full naked glory. 5 SECOND RULE,  I mentally shouted and scrambled to get it. Also, it was the last piece in all of Greenbelt, so I had to save it (naks!).

Now this is where it gets weird. As i scooped it out of the floor, I checked to see if it was dirty, using the light from my phone. I mentally noted that it is still alright, and since it was dark and no one was around, I decided to eat it, thinking WHAT I CAN'T SEE WON'T HURT ME.... It didn't. I am still ok now, writing this story. And I enjoyed RED, after all. All the cast members did an acceptable performance. It could be better, but hey, it's an action movie. Helen's fantastically efficient timing and phrasing can only do so much. Though she really was convincing as a retired agent/hired killer. Bruce was his usual self, only older (and yes, he was a retiree in this movie, with pension checks and an empty nest, for full dramatic effect. After the movie, I actually totally forgot that I ate a whole Jamaican pattie that I took out from the floor. There is always a first - this is a first, as far as I can remember.

So there, the moral of the story is - those who try are better than those who plan. I actually got that from the notebook cover of a cigarette/street food vendor who hawks his wares in front of my client's office. Who knew I could connect that to my food-from-the-floor experience? By the way, Taipei is niiiiice. More on that in another post.

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hong kong from a bus

I recently went to hong kong for work, and since it was for work, I didn't really plan to go our since there was not time - we arrived saturday afternoon and were leaving sunday morning so it was a really short trip.

I had no expectations of enjoying Hong Kong, but it was one of the most fascinating trip I had, as it turns out. My only trip around Hong Kong was the trip from the airport to the hotel, in an airport bus.

The only night i had was also one of the most fun I had. The suppliers we worked with took us out after the long meeting that ended at around 1030 in the evening. They took us to the top floor of crown regency - it was an open air bar straight out of the movies. I was half expecting James Bond to land from a plane to the deck bar, in his tuxedo, as he is handed out his signature martini, shaken, not stirred. Or perhaps Batman rushing out to the edge of the swanky bar as he awaits his bat plane to hook him up with his latest criminal in tow, to be handed out to the FBI in Gotham.

But of course, there was nothing of that. We had drinks and a few laughs and an overall pleasant, loud night as we had two nightcaps at two more bars after that.

But of course, before the night out, the best part - as I have mentioned earlier - was the trip in the airport bus from the airport to the hotel.

Here are some snap shots:

hong kong airport

housing projects

cargo bay

mall facade

private sports club with a HK landmark in the background

landmark buildings from a different view

the ubiquitous red taxis - very reliable

funny bewildering hong kong signs and their english translations

views from my hotel room, where i stayed for a record 6 hours, 5 of which is asleep

my name, scrambled and murdered yet again, and i am fine with it. it made me laugh!

Lost tourists

This short trip gave me a glimpse of Hong Kong that, surprisingly, I never enjoyed before. I've been to this route for a few times in the past and it has never been as enjoyable. I guess the thrill of having a short trip forced me to look at Hong Kong with a fresh eye. And I am glad I enjoyed the trip, even if I wasn't able to shop.

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