Old Manila

Last January 2, since we weren't doing anything except eat all the leftovers from the holidays (and boy, they don't look like leftovers - it could still feed you for the next week), we decided to have a mini roadtrip in the metro. It was a wise decision because there wasn't much traffic - everyone was home or visiting others, eating leftovers from the holidays.

We decided to go to Manila, and find out how much it has changed since we were kids. We used to spend our summer vacation either in Pampanga, my mom's province (it's actually Tarlac, but her sister lives in Angeles, and it was a shorter commute back then, so we go there), or to Sta. Cruz, Manila, my dad's hometown.

Now Pampanga and Manila are worlds apart - Angeles then, was at once, bucolic and worldly, with the GI's all around and the fresh air smelling of chicken poop and PX goods, of friendly strangers, of everyone claiming to be related to each other - it was a warm feeling. Manila, on the other hand, was a bustling, chaotic mix of noises, urban dirt, and exciting unfriendly places and faces - everyone was anonymous, yet, in that old sector, my cousins and I know everyone and know who to hang out with.

In Manila, we would often take jeepney rides or just plain walk around in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz. It's quite a fantastic thing to do, specially when we were just 10 or 11 years old then. Everything was big, and everything was a wonder. It was actually quite dangerous then, and probably much more now. It was the martial law years then and it was the time when Manila was undergoing a change for the worse - buildings were beginning to deteriorate and people were becoming meaner. But those were wonderful years then, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Enter now, and I see a quiet Manila (because it was a sunday), and I see some of the old buildings still there, but completely defeated, wearied by time and neglect. But it sure still shows us the glory of what was Manila then. I wish that the Manila government would be much more focused on saving our heritage sites there and also other sites that are worth saving, buildings that give Manila its distinct character and its true place in the history of the world - a great City that truly has a heart that is still alive and kicking after all these years.

Quiapo Church

Typical church bell tower showing the artistry of centuries-old architectures in Manila

Downtown, the old business district

Syvels!!! 

Art Deco Style, common among pre and post war Manila Buildings

Capitol Theatre, along Escolta, designed by no less than Juan Nakpil

Capitol Theatre

Chinatown welcome Arch

Binondo Church Exterior

Ongpin Statue

Binondo Church

Post Office

City Hall

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Shoppingu ya dainingu Yamazaki de

I have been to Little Tokyo several times in the past few years, and i must say they really offer a good variety of Japanese food at very affordable prices. While most are not perfect or excellent, they are still a good buy. But one place in the compound comes through as an affordable and delicious treat, all at once - Yamazaki grocery and Ramen house.

The place faces Makati Cinema Square, and is right beside a Japanese spa. Inside is a very lowly looking grocery, but it is stacked full of everything you will need, Japanese food-wise.

They have sauces, seasoning, frozen seafood, meat and processed food. They also have noodles, drinks (non and alcoholic - they have all of my favorite coffee and juice drinks there) baked products, snack food - you name it, they most likely have it. On the left side of the grocery is the ramen house area, with a smoking and non-smoking section (yey!).

Japanese crepe cake, sliced to bite size. yummy!

The selection of ramen is decently wide, and are priced lower than most other ramen places. They also have other dishes, but they stick mostly to ramen.

I must say, their ramen is comparable to ramen I've tasted in the city. The service is fast, the menu is in Japanese and English (another yey!), and the friendly Filipina waiting staff can actually explain to you the dishes if you ask for it (another yey!). They cater to mostly Japanese clients and the place is very quiet, homey and modest and very, very clean.

the smoking area

menu in english, yey! and the wait staff can explain each dish to you, if you want!

gyoza is crunchy outside and melting delicious inside!

some of the Japanese pocket books they lend to customers

Their ramen is really good, not too oily, ingredients are fresh and serving is large enough

each table is partitioned for privacy. the place is modest and clean

Their customers are mostly Japanese the last time I went, but the grocery has its share of Pinoys like me.

While it may not be comparable to venerable Japanese establishments like Hatsu Hana Tei or Kimpura or Shinjuku, or even Tsumura, it tastes a lot better than most other Ramen shops I've visited. So if you are hungry for some Ramen, but is not open to spending a whole lot but still looking for something worth it, your place is Yamazaki. It's near, it's delicious and it's affordable!

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Healthy shabu-shabu, aren't they all? and the Hat that was never quite white

Our new favorite lunch or dinner place at Alabang town center is Healthy Shabu-Shabu. It has been there for quite some time, at the Cinema wing, but it has just been in the past year that we "discovered" it - i.e., my parents agreed that it is indeed well worth going back to.

Our latest trip to it was about a month ago, just to get away from the searing heat of the weekend.        

So there we were - my parents, I, my sister and brother. We had our fill and we enjoyed the long lunch and chat time, and our free halo halo, japanese style (if ever there ever was, though it tasted good, nonetheless).

fight!

break

burp!

Of course, true to the family spirit of never-ending eating, we had to pass by White Hat for the perfunctory frozen yogurt that has become a default pass-by-before-going-home for everyone in the family. It really is a bottomless pit, when it comes to good food.

nomnomnomnomnom

It was great, and shabu-shabu delivered on its name that it is indeed healthy. So next time you are in Alabang Town Center, check out Healthy Shabu-shabu at the cinema wing. It's cheap (if you order right), filling and fantastic comfort food fit for a family weekend runaround.

my soup doesn't look as nice as it tastes

fish, beef, chicken and pork just rounds it out quite nice

an egg, fresh vegetables and nice oriental balls (LOL) and noodles comes with every order

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Shabu-shabu and the not so fit MINI moniker

I used to just pass by all these shabu shabu for the past years thinking that it really isn't my cup of tea. And for good reason - what decent restaurant will charge you for ingredients that you would cook yourself. I usually don't go out for a meal so that I can cook it. If I wanted that, I would probably just stay home. But a good friend and colleague introduced me to it a couple of years ago. It didn't quite catch on to me, but in the past year, I am starting to get the hang of it for two reasons: they really offer a healthy fare, and I always relish the excitement of eating what you cook up, bad or good. It seems to excite me always.

I actually have two favorite shabu shabu places - healthy shabu-shabu in alabang town center and mini shabu-shabu at bonifacio high street. I always volunteer these places when people start asking where we should eat out.

Now let's start with mini shabu-shabu. This place isn't really mini. Their serving plates are humongous and an order of ingredients is always too much for one person. I don't know where the "Mini" name came from - it just probably stuck when they were starting and they didn't bother to change it. I don't know! ask someone else! If you are ever at Boni High Street wondering where you should go for lunch, this is a good place to park and lounge the afternoon away. They won't push you out even after you're done!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the place care of the visit with my sister and cousin.

the place is quite nice and clean

our initial orders

and then another order

by this time we have over ordered. nobody cares.

yes we've over ordered

my sister even had to order a rice dish

my creation - simply heaven

The prices are reasonable, the food is fresh and really delicious, the place is clean, quiet and not too crowded, even on a weekend. Worth going back to, I would say. On my next post, the Healthy Shabu-shabu at alabang town center.

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Tina Fey: Mama Said Knock You Out Celebrities: GQ.com

Tina Fey: Mama Said Knock You Out Celebrities: GQ.com

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Pinoys and the coins that cashiers ask for all the time

There's the fact that we point with our lips, and also that everything is just at the next corner, or that a decent call-out is a psst. But the most amusing and annoying for me is that most cashiers ask for your loose change every time you pay for anything. I guess giving out candies as change has reached international shores as I have experienced this in Tokyo, Hanoi, HCMC, Singapore, Bangkok, KL and even Guam. But no one has yet immersed themselves in the habit of asking for more money when you have paid for things you have bought. "Sir, do you have 3 pesos?", to even out the change to a rounded off figure, fair and square.

It wouldn't have bothered me, but most cashiers now expect you to always have at least P10 in loose change in your pockets at any time. Some even glare at you when you can't give out the required loose change. The nerd, as some of my funny sarcastic friends would exclaim. Though I admit that I do have more than P10 in my pockets at any given time (sometimes even P100, please don't kill me), and some of my friends know that and even egg on the cashiers and harass me to cop out the required change whenever THEY buy stuff, and i happen to be with them. Now, I even pay for my friends' stuff!!! Talk about irony that went left field.

I hope this weird habit doesn't ship out to other countries. Otherwise, it would be part of the signs that the end is coming. The whole world will implode with the sheer number of cashiers around the world simultaneously asking you to give them more money when you have given them more than what you were supposed to pay in the first place.

Today I have resolved not to entertain the cashiers' badgering. The last one got a cold "Wala" from me with a languid stare that would stand down even the icy stare of the Man with No Name, or even Clint Eastwood himself, or even Toshiro Mifune (or whoever LOL).

So the next time someone asks you for loose change, tell them "I would give it to you if I had it, which only means I don't have it, so don't ask me, ok?" LOL. That should shut them up, hopefully for the next two customers, who is lined up behind you.

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japanese resto in sta. rosa

In the new wing of Paseo de sta. Rosa is a ramen house that is really yummy. Ryuma (sounds like arthritis, but it's not, LOL) is a nice new addition to the restaurants in Sta. Rosa. It is surprisingly inexpensive and their ramen and sushi were great! Checked who is behind it and it is owned and managed by a Japanese and their chef is also Japanese. So it is as Japanese as it gets. Lots of traditional dishes on the menu. Treated my parents to a lunch there last week and we thoroughly enjoyed the food. The best ramen I have tasted locally, to date.

funny placemat with monkeys and other animals

Here are some of pictures from the lunch. If you are ever in Sta. Rosa, check this place out. It's in the new wing, where Timberland, Aerosole, and Marks and Spencer outlet stores can be found. While you're there, check out the great merchandise and the fantastically low prices at Timberland. Bought a decent pair of shoes there for only 35 UD dollars!

shoyu ramen

miso ramen

tokusei ryusa chirashi - a do it yourself sushi cart

mom and dad fooling around

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Beautiful Subic

Last January, we went to Subic for a shoot for one of the accounts I handle. I must say, that despite all the things that has happened to Subic - its emancipation from the Americans as a naval base, its subsequent handling from Mr. Gordon who successfully turned it around into a thriving industrial park, its slow demise now, after Mr. Dick Gordon was unceremoniously kicked out of Subic several years ago - it still has its charm and it has started to evolve into an enclave of discipline and industriousness. Never mind that most of the multinationals are starting to leave it for China. Subic's residents have etched for themselves a unique character in a community built on earnest living and respect for order. It still is a beautiful, quiet, clean and orderly place.

Here are some of the pictures I took.

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BLOG - OCTV - OPENING CEREMONY

BLOG - OCTV - OPENING CEREMONY

Young fashion brands are once again challenging the norms of marketing and advertising and are now using online video to promote their new lines. Opening Ceremony is leading the pack. I wonder when these new thinking, that sharply targets a wired, young and fashionable market, will become mainstream and everyone will start doing it.

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LADY GAGA - Born This Way (Cover)

This little girl is a firebomb talent. She should be everywhere when she hits her teen years. I hope her pure, pristine voice lasts when she becomes famous.
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first post for the year - year that was and year to be

After a long time of not writing anything, I am now beginning my blog mania for the year. 2011 is definitely a better year for me and I am feeling it - the economy is rebounding, my country is starting to get back to its hopeful and passionate state (passion and positivity is a good way to work and get things done!), my health is improving like never before *thanks to my renewed passion for the gym and my so-far-successful- cutting-down-on-my-food-intake resolve that started this year and of course, my family has resolved some issues from late last year and are now starting to heal with forgiveness. 


Well, anyway, 2010 has been a rough and tumble year. I've had setbacks with work, with health, and some challenges with my personal life. I was able to travel to some nice places - Hong Kong again, and Taipei after a long time, and Singapore for work. I have made some big strides in terms of improving my health, which starts with weight loss and body fat loss and muscle gain, to increase metabolism. This should have a positive effect in reversing my diabetes and hypertension, as both are lifestyle-acquired. We were able to achieve our target income at work, which was an almost impossible thought mid-year, when we were almost behind by a whole month's worth of income. Talk about commitment - I guess when a group of like-minded people set out to overcome tremendous obstacles, nothing is impossible. Well my colleagues at work proved that. 


For this year, I will 
1. post more of my favorite food places and some favorite food on a more regular basis;
2. target to travel outside asia this year - Europe and Australia, budget permitting;
3. add music and book reviews into my repertoire this year;
4. also add some quirky new finds that attracts my quirky eyes


So i hope there will be more readers this year too, and probably some more who will eventually follow my blog. 


See you guys!


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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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