Saturday, December 25, 2004

Merry Christmas People!

What a nice Christmas this is.. I spent it watching my new Lord of the Rings Return of the Kings Extended Edition Commentaries. Hmm.. Without it, I think I would've gone nuts. Family's nice, and they're all here to celebrate my nephew's first month, but time in time out I need to spend some time by myself, otherwise I'd probably go suicidal hanging around people too much.

Doesnt feel much like Christmas, but doable.

Hope yours is a better. Have a very merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Do You Dare Invade My City?

I'm the proud ruler of the City of Kings. A lineage that does as far back as those of the Dunedein. The majesty of the White City will make you weep in frustration.

Do you dare invade my city??

Take that you scumbag!

*kaBOOM*

Hurrah to Lord and Leige of the City Of Kings!

...

Ok, fine, its just a 5"x5" model of the City of Minas Tirith, and I'm not really from the Dunedein, but let me have my fantasies will you?

God, Im so happy!

...

Minas Morgul shall face my pure wrath! I will smite the evil from within its depths and scourge the enemy with the force of Middle Earth!...

(To be continued...)

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Posse!



My friends are going to hell kill me when they find out I've posted their picture... uhh... testing, testing, 1,2,3?
Posse! Posted by Hello

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

And Then, I Was Thinking...

Today I make the determination that I will not be controlled by chance and chance alone.

LOTR ROTK EE Coming Out Soon!

I've been waiting for this day!

The region 1 release was supposed to be Dec 14, 2004.. but since all my other extended editions are region 3, I need to wait til Dec 23 to get the region 3 version. I can't wait to get my own copy and see what they've left out from the theatrical version. Of course, I've already gotten previews from DVD reviews, but its not the same when you have your own copy. And besides, I also cant wait to hear the commentaries and appendices for the Rotk. So far its one of the best apppendices and extra footages I've seen included in DVD releases.

And my own Minas Tirith! What JOY!

Can't Wait!

Monday, December 20, 2004

+ 1 More Thought Before I Go To Sleep

I know she said it's alright
But you can make it up next time
I know she knows it's not right
There ain't no use in lying
Maybe she thinks I know something
Maybe maybe she thinks its fine
Maybe she knows something I don't
I'm so, I'm so tired, I'm so tired of trying

It seems to me that maybe
It pretty much always means no
So don't tell me you might just let it go
And often times we're lazy
It seems to stand in my way
Cause no one no not no one
Likes to be let down

- Jack Johnson, "Flake"

Some Late Night Thoughts

Its goddamn late and here I am still blogging. You'd think I'd have enough sense to go to sleep after a gym session. I've been out of commission for almost 3 weeks already. My whole body hurts. I dont understand why I'm still sitting up here and not tucked under a blanket away from the cold weather.

There is probably some things that I want to say before I get some sound sleep:

1. Im still slightly depressed about the dream regarding the married man.

2. Vienna Teng has upbeat songs that keep my mood up. Her songs fixes (at least to some extent) the depressing feeling I've been carrying around relating to (1). Shashta is a good song, as well as Hope on Fire.

3. When will I change my profession already? Im bored working in corporations. This is really not the thing for me. Business is not in my blood, and it doesnt really make me happy. Im thinking of going into research, or start singing or composing music. Nothing beats being stuck in a 1000 year old archeological site.

4. Vienna Teng is really good. Is she as old as I am? I wonder.

5. Still slightly depressed about married man. I wonder what my boyfriend will say when he reads this blog.

6. I'll listen to some Side A. I was planning to include their songs to be played in the wedding. Hope it will get rid of any thoughts regarding married man.

.. darn.

Lets see. What are the characteristics of married man. Watches Discovery Channel. Plans romantic dates and weddings and spends most of his office lunch with his wife. Cooks paella, and does groceries and accompanies his wife. Knows about Italian foods, Spanish wine and Chinese ham. Well traveled and know a lot of stuff about different cultures. Pretty good with kids. Is technically inclined, and disciplined and sharp witted....

Im rambling already. Good. Time to get some sleep.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

I was Engaged to a Married Man

I had a dream about being engaged to a married man.

Is that a subliminal message saying that I'm overstepping my bounds? The guy was cute though, but why a married man? I dreamed about introducing him to my family, and also to my grandma, who is stuck in a transparent see-through casing similar to an ICU unit. But it was smaller than a 2ft box.

.... Of course my grandmother isn't really in an ICU unit. She's perfectly fine!

For a girl with a long standing boyfriend of 4 years, you'd think I'd be dreaming about him instead.

Strange. Must have something to do with the aforementioned married man's being a typical medival well rounded man.

Bah Humbug. The stupid dream made me jumpy and depressed the whole day. Why the hell would I want to be engaged to a married man???

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Stuffing myself for Ten Days

Ten days away from work and on vacation in the Philippines and my pants dont fit anymore. This is a disaster. After all the Gym progress week 1, 2, 3... 6, 7, now I'm back to square one. Let's have a breakdown of what I had for thost 10 days:

Day 1 - (D) Home
Day 2 - (L) Teriyaki Boy with boyfriend
(D) College friend's wedding - an international buffet at the Heritage Hotel
Day 3 - (L) Japanese Study Group friend's wedding - Century Resturant at Harrison Plaza (Chinese)
(D) Brazil Brazil with family - grilled buffets of all types of meats
Day 4 - (L) Kikufuji - the first Japanese place in the Philippines that I've been to that has a uni and salmon roe selection
(D) The Seafood Club - specializing in crabs. I opted to eat a salad instead.
Day 5 - (L) HOME!
(D) Hotpot Place in Malate with college friends
Day 6 - (L) Grandpa's death anniversary. Lots of food at home.
(S) Soup Kitchen - had a half bowl of Chilli. mmmMMmm.
(D) Segafredo - Italian place. Made the mistake of getting a soup AND pasta.
Day 7 - (B) Starbucks - name says it all
(L) Had lunch at a friend's place
(D) Cafe Bretonne - place specializing in crepes.
Day 8 - (L) Home
(S) Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - name says it all again.
(D) Teriyaki Boy and UCC for a cup of coffee with girl cousins
Day 9 - (B) Big breakfast at home
(L) Red box BBQ-ed chops - singing karaoke and eating with HS friends
(D) Silla - korean resto.. this is the third time i came with by boyfriend to this place, and it seems we never learn our lesson: we always overorder.
Day 10 -(B) Home
(L) Great grandma's death anniversary (and MORE food)
(D) Bellimi's (stuffed myself silly)

No more! never again.... at least until the next holiday season :P

Monday, December 13, 2004

What's A Party to You?

When you're a kid, you go to birthday parties. You get freebie candies and balloons from your nursery classmates, and a matching clown for entertainment. Foods were spaghetti in sweet meat sauces, hot dogs, burgers with little flags, fries and ice cream. You probably wear a spiderman, superman or snowhite costume , or those pink girl dresses loaded with pink and white lace with matching pink socks.

Then you get a little bit older, and parties were synonymous to pizzas and pitchers of coke. Entertainment was trip to malls and freebie movies treated by that gawky, lanky celebrant with pimples that covered his/her entire face. You wear a cheap overused shirt and the latest jeans and have a party.

Then a bit older you have parties that served kegs of beer and vodka. You still get a bit of the pizzas, but most of them are replaced by coke flavored brownies and spiked punches. Entertainment was the nearest down and drunk guy or girl dancing on the bar table or cushioned sofa, threatening to take his pants/her tank top off while singing to the tune of the latest angst ridden song while the rest of the audience tries to prod him on.

Then one by one, you arrange parties that include pastas and steaks and pizzas, and still a bit more coke and vodka, but end the evening drinking coffee or tea. Entertainment becomes the talk that you get from recollections of that wasted guy/girl who was dancing on top of the bar table a few years back. Everyone seems to be wearing corporate suits and office dresses, and complain about how much inflation is killing the spending power of one's pay check.

And then all of us get to that time in our lives when most of the parties you go to become a standard setup of long white veils, black ties and bouquet parties. Every girl seem to be in make up while the guys are in their black tie suits. They serve you fancy international dishes and champagne and red and white wine. What's really entertaining is when YOUR wedding date's going to be.

Its amazing how parties morph as you get older. I'd love to tell you the later years, but I've never experienced them yet. Im not THAT old. :)

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Cubao's Biggest Secret

Despite this blog sounding more and more like a food review page, I promise this will be the last time I'm going to mention any food related entries to my recent trip back to the Philippines.

On the last day of my vacation, I found a jewel of a restaurant that finally statisfies my fickle taste bud. I've been around spending a lot of money trying to find the best restaurants that will satisfy me, but most places only make me sufficiently full, but never satisfied. Particularly Italian. I've been to Italy once and had a chance to have one of the best spaghettis there is. But I've ever had that satisfaction again whenever I drop by an Italian place. Most of them seemed to have evolved to become that hang out place where you have huge portions of pastas and pizzas. As I've said, although they're great for hanging out, but they're not really satisfying. The conversations between make them satisfying, but the food by far is just.. adequate. And now, after having dinner to this Italian place, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I dont share this piece of important news to the people (most of whom are my friends from the Philippines) who are reading this blog.

It was an Italian restaurant, by the name of Bellinni's. I was told by my significant other that they have previously (a few years ago) set up a branch at one of the more upscale areas of Manila called Makati, where most of the big corporations reside and yuppies flock to spend their salaries, but they eventually closed down. The reasons are totally unknown to me, because I could never imagine a place this good closing one of their branches.

Honestly speaking though, I did stuff myself. But only because I wanted to try it out. My boyfriend's recommended me this place several times, but I didn't have the chance because the location is a bit off from where most restos are located. Its in a long died down mall center in Manila called Cubao. I heard that this was the place to be during the early 80s, but right now its just more like a big congregation of malls and tiange's that are not very well polished enough to attract the younger generations. (Most of them go to Makati and Ortigas).

But convince me my boyfriend did. When we came in, there were already a lot of families enjoying their dinner there, and the place looked as cozy as a family run resto should be. You dont expect posh furnishings like those 300-400 peso per dish places, but cozy is the best word I can say to describe it. The lighting is good, the ambience is great, and you also get to talk to the actual owner of the resto while he juggles between tables. He's an extremely funny guy, and my boyfriend made the comment that as well as the owner of the place, he's also the entertainer and the mascot your children would like to play with. :)

For appetizer we had bruchettas and warm bread with parma ham as recommended by Bellinni himself. My boyfriend recommended the 4 type Pizza which comes in small and large thin crusts. As the pizza name imples, it'll be having 4 types of pizza flavors. We also ordered 2 pastas to go along with it - one tomato based ground beef (Bolognese) and, one cream based seafood pasta.

I believe the nice man who took our orders was shocked to hear we were getting so many dishes, but then, I'd like to think I was rating the place and have to get a bit of everything. It WAS my last day in the Philippines. (Of course I'm not rationalizing!) I suppose I was also confident because my boyfriend and I are big eaters.. I mean, have big appetites. Although there were a lot of people, we didn't have to wait long for our orders to arrive. The funny cane shaped bread stick did help to pass the time away. :)

First off, the parma ham appetizer. The warm soft bread together with the parma ham was definitely made for each other - the parma ham just complimented the slightly sweet taste of the bread. The softness and the just-out-of-the-oven soft bread definitely accentuated the dish, as it felt like a mix of varying textures. The very first dish, and I was already impressed.

Second came the bruschetta. It had a pesto-and-tomato topping similar to salsa, on hard bread. Normally in most restos, since the bread is more bland, the topping would have a strong taste to make the dish distinctive, sometimes with a bit more salt or more spices, but in this case, it was perfectly right. You had the raw fresh taste from the mixture of different herbs and oil, a slightly nutty taste from the pine nuts (and whatever other legumes they probably mixed into it), but the best part is the burst of succulent tomato that its blended into this fantastic repertoire. As simple and as available these ingredients they may be, they've made it in such a way that you dont get the feeling that you're having pesto-nuts-tomato combination. Everything smoothly compliments each other, and its a taster's delight. A definite play on texture, consistency and taste, as with the parma ham dish.

On with the main course. The pastas were very good. Normally I distrust any pasta that contains cream sauce (I was unfortunate enough to experience consuming large amounts of cream during my younger years and avoided cream sauce ever since) and get very adverse effects when I consume them, so I was surprised that the seafood pasta has made a convert out of me. The bolognese was also pretty good. The most satisfying part of the pasta was the noodles. They were unlike most pasta - neither overcooked to the point where most are too soft and pliant, nor under cooked, but had a good, firm and springy texture to them.I was informed that noodles are made by to resto themselves. Perfectly al dente, and everything well blended together.

Although the pizza wasnt particularly exceptional, the topping combination had some very interesting twists into it. One was a a cheese based pizza, and I could hint a touch of blue cheese that gave it an exceptional twang. The others were seafood based, similar to the seafood pasta we just had, which was also good. Another was topped with a combination of fresh vegetables and the last had a ham based topping. Suffice to say, they were all good, and despite finishing off a half of the pizza, I neither felt compelled to jet out everything that I've just taken in, nor feel saturated like I usually do when I eat half a pizza from other regular or fine dining establishments.

All in all a perfectly satisfying meal. And the bill came in at 850 pesos, which is to say far better than heading off to a hotel buffet (which we were intially planning to do) or spending your time hanging out at the other Makati based restos.

I would have tipped them off with 20% of the bill, but my boyfriend might think it was a little too much. To compensate, I'm definitely going to recommend the place to all of my friends. They deserve to get more customers with the quality of food they serve. Its the best Italian cuisine I've ever had, not just in the Philippines, but also in Hong Kong. This place is on the topof my list, and this will be one of the things I'll now be anticipating whenever I get to go back to the Philippines.

There you have it folks, Cubao's biggest secret is out (at least to those who read this blog). Go grab and take a bite!

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Local Street Food Nostalgia

Every year I come home during the Christmas or the Lent season to visit relatives and friends. The anticipation of the thought of home keeps me occupied even two weeks before I actually take the flight back home. I think about the friends that I've missed hanging around with, the barkadas I've lost touch for a whole year, and the relatives that I spent my childhood with. Its the sight and sound of the jeeps and buses that race randomly across the highways and pedestrians who are crazy enough to attempt crossing it while speeding cars exceed speed limits. Its the food that you eat, the nostalgic thought of your favorite high school carinderia and that staple diet of filipino style fish balls, cornicks soaked in white vinegar, bbq-ed pork chops, and salted egg and tomato combination with your rice. Its the traffic, its the noise, Its the chance of hearing that familiar language that you know so well. There's really no place like home.

I happen to have the fortunate chance of passing by the State University when I took a vacation trip back home to the Philippines last week. Who could pass up the local street foods everyone (one way of the other) fondly remembers and loves as a kid?

You realize things that you've taken for granted when you were home... Despite the fact that I was eating street foods that would probably count as a cheap alternative to the fancy yuppie establishments like Starbucks and California Pizza Kitchen, I was having the time of my life. Here I am, along the streets of the State University at UP Diliman, beside a push cart filled with orange colored arrays of bbq food stuffs complimented with a BBQ grill that spits out smoke that clings stubbornly to your shirt even after a generous spray of your favorite cologne, and I was enjoying my time. You see students that have most likely gotten off from their afternoon class (or probably have decided to even cut off the class) taking their merienda breaks for 20 pesos. Some others would've come off from their late night midnight oil burning thesis sessions to take their breaks, wearing something close to what anybody would probably consider home clothes - tattered, worn out shirts and barely passable shorts and fashioning some slippers from the time of Rizal. Cars parked on a street across that would probably range from 2nd hand 1980's models to the latest releases of car brands all mixed together in a moltley of odd assortments. I myself was looking like a korean bred foreigner with my latest style of HK-cut hair and a weird combination of HK fashion, eating chicken intestines, kidneys and pork intestines and fishballs coupled with buko juice, and yet I still mix in.

Nothing beats the State University when it comes to different kinds of people, but the same thing will probably exist anywhere within a walking radius of a university belt. Despite coming from what some people consider as an elitist and snobish university, the same thing happens when you drop by the local canteen serving local foods like turon, pancit bihon and mongo (a definite personal favorite!). People in Porches or monster style Ford SUVs mix together with the more down to earth and/or low key people who take the jeep to school to enjoy a meal at the local college canteen or that great place beside the basketball courts - Manangs. You'll probably see the same people outside the university sharing a space around the local fishball stand and drinking it down with the typical buko juice or sago-at-gulaman.

Ahhhh... Nothing beats the simplest of things. Street foods in the university? In my opinion, its definitely the great equalizer and the closest thing to comfort.