Thai Street Food

Kebabs: pork, pepper, tomato, pineapple chunk. Repeat.

Hotdogs, fishballs, at iba pa on-a-stick

Oodles of noodles for pad thai making. Matatabunan ka sa dami nito.

Sugba-sugba sa kalsada

Thai fried rice in a wok by the sidewalk

Ano kaya ang mga ito? Chicharon chips? Di ko na lang tinanong kasi baka "worms" ang isagot.

Ooops. Thai food seemed to be too spicy for breakfast so some cowards opted to have "safe and familiar" food instead.

Kolors Explode on Khao San Road

beads beads beads beads beads beads beads beads beads

cushions, shawls, rugs, bags, table runners, hats, whatever

Colorful, brand new taxis abound in left-lane-driving Bangkok. Just be sure to ask the driver to use the taxi meter before you start the trip. And if mid-trip he suddenly comes up with a story that the traffic-is-so-terrible-at-this-time therefore could you just cough-up-a-certain-amount-which-he-specifies instead of letting the meter run, don't you budge. A verbal contract is a verbal contract.

Oh, and here's a very helpful tip: before you go anywhere, ask a travel agent, or better yet, ask several travel agents in any of the many travel agencies in the vicinity, what is the estimated cost and time of travel to a certain place. With this information, you now have a better bargaining position with the taxi or the tuk-tuk driver. The tuk-tuk, by the way, is an open-air taxi that is driven by a motorcycle. Much like the pedicab of Dumaguete, only of a different configuration.

Khao San Road could easily be any street in Quiapo or thereabouts with its assorted street merchandise, varied business enterprises, crawling traffic and multitudes afoot. This was taken around nine am, when most of the tourists were still in bed, therefore there were not too many people or cars around yet.

Perhaps even more colorful than the beads, taxis and goods for sale on Khao San Road, would be the skin of the people present there. It was like a United Nations Convention of sorts as I met visitors from Israel, Germany, London, Indonesia, America and yeah, Quezon City.

There was a sort of special bond among the foreigners there. I was a foreigner there and several times it was some other foreigner who helped me out in what would otherwise have been a frustrating situation. For example, when I couldn't figure out the Thai inscriptions on their ATM machines, it was a caucasian couple who told me where the button for English instructions was. And when I couldn't understand what the waitress was saying in English, another white woman kindly explained to me what the waitress meant. The very few Thais there who spoke English did so with an accent that was difficult to understand.

This elderly Thai was peddling his wares along Susie Street, the little side street that connected Khao San Road to Rambuttri Road, where our hotel was. I wasn't sure if he spoke English so I didn't ask him what he was selling. Thru gestures I asked him instead if I could take his picture, to which he paused and posed.

jab, straight!

We went boxing today and it was pretty intense. Walking and jogging can get boring at times but with boxing, there is never a dull moment. Though I'm not going to say my muscles are sore, I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. Bangkok travelogue to be continued tomorrow. Or the next tomorrow.

Maria goes to (another part of) Asia

A new Canon EOS is for many things. And one of those things is for playing tourist. So we hopped on a plane for a three hour ride to Suvarnabhumi (pronounced su-wa-na-poom) Airport in Bangkok, the airport that was under siege just a couple of months ago.

Some of my friends have raved about Thailand and things Thai while others have ranted, “Walay angay ang Bangkok” so being a kinesthetic learner, I just had to experience it for myself.

The Airport

is huge. And there are lots of ATM machines and money changers there so you can easily get your bahts at the airport. There are all sorts of transportation means to the city. For 150 baht per person, we took the airport shuttle bus to the flashpackers’ ghetto,

Khao San Road,

the place for tourists on a budget. This road, as well as the other nearby roads in the Banglumpho area, are lined with bars, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, internet cafes, travel agencies, massage, tatoo and beauty parlors, street food vendors, souvenir shops, tailoring shops, ATM machines, several convenience stores and of course, hotels, hostels, inns and such. Thanks to Gaya, we were careful to avoid the Marco Polo Hostel and instead found this really nice and clean hotel called the

Sleep WithInn,

which just opened last January 5. It was so spanking brand new, our bathroom fixtures even had labels yet. I give it a 10/10 rating in terms of cleanliness, location, interior decoration, helpfulness of the English speaking staff, value for money, pleasantness of atmosphere, and amenities like hot water, cable tv (playing mostly Thai channels though), a safe in the room, modern locks and electrical controls and a very fast elevator.

The swimming pool at the rooftop was a big bonus! Khao San Road actually reminded me of Boracay, where there are many tourists and touristy areas crowded together near the beach, except that there is no beach on Khao San Road. A swim in the pool added to the “vacation sense” of the trip. The biggest plus, I think, would be the price, because the room rates were on sale (1,050 baht instead of 1,500 baht), as they had just opened and were still promoting the place.

So I’m vigorously endorsing that hotel, in case any of you plan to stay in the Banglumpho area in Bangkok, the Sleep WithInn is along Rambutrri Road, just parallel to Khao San Road, which is just a two-minute walk away.

Sleep WithInn pictures:

At the lobby, just before the reception desk

You might not have time to sit here while waiting for the elevator because their elevator is Fast!

Every room has a different wall decor design.

the promdi went to the city

Or, Maria went to Asia.

Mall of Asia, that is.

Almost everybody I know who has been to Manila has been to the Mall of Asia (MOA), the biggest mall in the Philippines and the 6th biggest in the world. Thus when my plane landed at NAIA 3 last week, that was my immediate destination. “Sa MOA po tayo,” I said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic, to the cabbie of the yellow taxi.

By the way, there are two kinds of taxis approved and regulated by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport authorities: the white coupon taxis, where before you start the trip you pay a fixed amount for a particular destination, and the yellow taxicabs which are metered. Noticeable were the lines that formed before the taxi stands of these two services. The coupon taxis had only a short line of foreign-looking customers while the local-looking folks patiently queued at the metered-taxi stand. The reason, of course, was very simple. A coupon taxi trip to the MOA costs 350 pesos. By metered taxi, I paid only 170 pesos with tip included, and this was at the evening rush hour traffic.

As we approached the MOA it became obvious that I would not be able to tour the entire place that night. The MOA is like four huge buildings in a row. Mini-mini-mayni-mo, where-to-where-to-now-to-go? To the Hypermart, cabbie suggested, where they have a courtesy booth for traveling bags.

I’ve an ambivalent attitude about malls. Generally, I would say that malling is not my idea of fun. But let me loose in one and I could stay there the whole day. My first impression of MOA was, “Why, I could like this place!”

But before I could get distracted with all the glittering display, I proceeded to inquire, in carefully-enunciated but clearly Visayan-accented Tagalog, where I could find The One Thing that I was looking for. I was so excited I was actually grinning as I navigated the wide mall corridors. Yes, wide enough to have motorized multi-seater carts or trams that you can actually ride around the mall when you’re too tired to walk already.

The MOA was so huge and so full of shops that I was sure to find The One Thing that I wanted. But soon, shop after shop turned out to be a disappointment. They did not have the model that I wanted. Next shipment would be in February yet, one salesclerk said. They offered me other models but somehow my mind and heart had already been set on That One Model and no other substitute would suffice.

Then after some more walking I finally found a shop with the exact model that I wanted! Hurray! But they wouldn’t accept a credit card payment nor would they give a discount for cash payment. And they were so cold, so mechanical, in relating to their customers. Was it just them or was that the Manila way?

Suddenly the MOA did not seem like a fun place anymore. I went around and around looking for rechargeable batteries instead and had to walk a long way to find the shop with the brand of batteries that I wanted. My disenchantment with the place was growing by the minute. I was longing for Dumaguete, where you could go to one place and everything is there already. Or the next place is just nearby and not a long walk away.

This outing was turning out to be a let down from my high expectations and I needed an energy booster quickly. To National Bookstore I went to get a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the author of the incredible book I just finished, The Kite Runner. Holding the new book in hand, I instantly felt better. If all else fails, this book will still be a winner.

It was almost ten pm, very near mall closing time and way past dinner time. The array of restaurants was dizzying but I found none appealing. I went around some more looking for ATM machines, asking the salesgirls and the security guards for directions in my labored Tagalog. Then after checking the ATM machines, to make sure I remembered the PIN numbers correctly as I don’t often use the ATM machines in Dumaguete, I went looking for the courtesy booth where my bag was. It was one big “looking for” journey at the MOA as I was unfamiliar with the place.

Near the exit doors I saw this shop called “Picture City” and saw The One Thing on their display window. So I went in and inquired and this very nice salesperson got The One Thing and gave me an instant, detailed lesson on how to use it. Of all the shops that I went to that night, this was the only place where somebody actually took time to explain how the model works. I was totally impressed. He treated me like I was a legitimate customer and not just someone sent out to canvass prices. I decided then and there, based on this salesman's extra effort, to get The One Thing from this store.

Now for the price. All the stores had the same Suggested Retail Price (SRP). The difference was that you can actually ask for a discount. I didn’t know haggling was possible in malls but it turns out that it is. And so I asked if they could give me a discount for cash payment and he said there’s an outright 3% discount for cash payment and, knowing the lowest price from the other stores, I said oh, give me more. He texted his boss to inquire and while waiting for the reply he continued to give me lessons on the many intricacies of The One Thing’s capabilities.

His other companions also chimed in, curious perhaps that someone my age would be interested in learning how to use The One Thing. I told them I was very pleased with their customer attention and service and this encouraged them and soon we had a merry time interviewing each other and testing out The One Thing. Soon, their boss texted, it’s a five percent discount. Done deal.

I’m very glad that my MOA excursion turned out with a happy ending. Here is a picture of the very helpful Picture City staff, Dempsy Fornal (the salesperson par excellance), Gemma Gallos, Lou Tonqo and Wilmore Oliquinio, taken, of course, by The One Thing, my very first Canon DSLR. Whoohoo!

Dempsy, Gemma, Lou, Wilmore

what to wear, under

It's the Chinese New Year and it's customary for Chinese to wear new clothes, preferably in red with gold thread, right down to their underwear. Let's see if Kitty Mama followed this time honored tradition.

On the other hand, Sir Dominique gives us another reason why all of us, Chinese or not, should always wear, uhm, new underwear. ;p

Kung hei fat choi!

napalm girl

I had began to write about my vacation adventures

but am deferring my travelogue for this jarring image, that I encountered today.

This is the 1972 picture of Kim Phuc, the nine year old girl running naked, scared and burned on the streets after allied South Vietnamese planes had mistakenly dropped napalm bombs on her village. South Vietnamese photographer Nick Ut won the Pulitzer prize for this photograph that changed the world's perception war and its effects on innocent children.

Kim Phuc and son , more than two decades after the war

Hers is an amazing story of unspeakable tragedy and the triumph of the human spirit. After 14 months of hospitalization, 17 surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation, her body was horribly scarred, her heart bitter, and her spirit crushed. And angry. Her damaged nerves continually sent intense pain signals to her consciousness and everywaking hour was torture.

So how did Kim Phuc become the peaceful and happy person she is today? In a word: forgiveness. In more words, check this out. For the complete works, buy the book.

And here are the lyrics of a song Eric Geurts wrote for Kim.

The Girl in the Picture

She's only a child

a running, naked child

so vulnerable

she's only 'bout 9

thin and so fine

so destructible


she's all scarified

her arms swung out wide

to relieve the pain


she lives in Trang Bang

where fire falls from the skies

down Highway 1

there's a girl that screams and cries

and she's running

always running


they call her the Napalm Girl

but she never gives in

trying to get some peace in this world


saved by the click of a camera

she is the girl in the picture


there's fire all around her

and fire inside

"It's too hot, too hot"

she rips off her clothes

but the heat only grows


it's living under her skin

she's frozen in time

'cause she still burns your mind

when you look at her

she lives in Trang Bang

where fire grows on the trees

Down Highway 1


there's a little girl pleading

for peace and she's running

always running

this little Napalm Girl

always willing to forgive

trying to get some peace in this world

she's so strong she can burn your mind

she is the girl in the picture


she lives in Trang Bang

where fire rains from the skies

but she never gives in

trying to get some peace in this world

and she's running

always running


they call her the Napalm Girl

always willing to forgive

trying to get some peace in this worldalways

understandingthis little child of war


she is the girl in the picture.

vacation over

::lemme just catch my breath::

still gasuroy-suroy

being there. doing that.

gasuroy-suroy

*seeing new sites. sampling new cuisine.*

still o.o.t.

Just came from the most fun medical convention I've ever been to! It was a gathering of medical faculty from all over the country and the workshop was ably facilitated by Dr. Joey Lapena, Jr. of the UP College of Medicine. The topic was most interesting, "Mentoring the Mentor" and I wanted to write about it, as well as my adventures yesterday, but am so pressed for time. Everything seems to be rushed here in Manila.

There are so many stories I want to write but for now only this most important one: I was able to watch history unfold at midnight yesterday as the 44th President of the United States took his oath of office. No wonder the first months of the presidency is called the honeymoon period as the oath taking was like the exchanging of wedding vows, this time between Barack and the American people. And the lavish inauguration balls were like an extravagant wedding reception. Even as I am happy for the citizens of America at this momentous event in their history as a nation, I cannot help but feel so very sad for my country. And I will end now before I cry here in this internet cafe.

elsewhere

out of town again.

in manila to attend a convention.

and then some.

the kite runner

An awesome read. Go get a copy now. And while doing that, prepare to have your heart wrenched.

Top Ten Movies

…that I can remember!

Meloinks, who is hosting The Blog Rounds January 2009 edition, promised that it won’t be a case of “tell me your top ten movies and I’ll tell you who you are” and Gaya suggested that it might be a case of “tell me your top ten movies and I will tell you your age.” Perhaps this list, in the order of which came to mind first, will be something of both. ;p


1. 100 is an independent film that I very highly recommend. Here’s an extensive review I wrote some months back. Similar to the Bucket List, but this one is very Filipino.

2. Air Force One with Harrison Ford. Action. Adventure. Suspense.

3. Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery. Action. Adventure. Suspense.

4. Coma is an ancient movie which none of my students have seen but I keep using this as an example of how the noble practice of medicine can be corrupted by the lust for fame and money.

5. Anak starring Vilma Santos. I cry every time I watch this movie.

6. Mano Po (number something) is another superb Vilma Santos starrer. Beautiful memories. I watched this movie with my high school classmates, just a few years ago, during one of our reunions. We were all girls in a long row in the movie house and during an intense emotional moment in the movie, a male classmate called his wife, who was with us, to ask where we were, what were we doing, etc. His wife hissed into the phone, “Will you please stop disturbing us as we are currently crying in the middle of a movie!” Oh, how we laughed and cried all at the same time.

7. Movies I watched as a child with my cousins and siblings. Every Christmas my big family would have a Christmas program and for each song or poem or dance rendered, we would get a gift (candy, handkerchief, plastic toy, etc.) or cash (5 pesos was rich). After the program, we kids would count our ‘earnings’ and always there was enough to go watch a movie downtown.

Mindful to scrimp if we wanted to have popcorn and soda with the movie, I, as the mastermind of adventures, would lead my many cousins and siblings down the road as we walked to Park Theater or to Main Theater, and make sure that everyone was accounted for and seated in one long row at the movie house. Today, my cousins, siblings and I are all grown and we all share fond memories of those movie treks.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean was the first movie I saw on a wide screen TV, in my cousin Albert’s house. I watched the movie over and over again. The wide screen was fascinating. And so were Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.

9. A Few Good Men, Top Gun. Tom Cruise was there. Reason enough?

10. Movies I watched in college. Weekends were so mingaw in campus. All our classmates were not around and our dorms were very quiet because those who had relatives in Metro Manila would be with their relatives and those of us who were promdi would be left by our lonesome selves at the dorm.

Our kuyas, who were studying law, would herd us undergrads and bring us to Ali Mall in Cubao or to Circle Theater in Delta. We would pile at the back of the bus and talk in Visayan or in English (easier to us than Tagalog) in loud voices, just like the hillbillies that we were. I don’t remember the titles of the movies that we watched, only the wonderful memories of being with friends in an otherwise strange place.

this is not a food blog

So I don't know why I keep posting about food and/or drinks. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of perhaps?

Would you like to join me for a surreal garden breakfast of hot tsokolate, red mountain rice puto and malagkit white rice puto?

Mangaon ta!

Berley's

This is an antique house in Dumaguete.

And where or who or what is Berley's?

Berley's is the name of a favorite chocolate drink of yore (circa late 1960's to early '70's), bottled in a curvaceous bottle shaped just like the coca-cola bottle. It was the equivalent of today's Magnolia Chocolait. I searched the internet for information or images of this ancient drink, but (incredulously) could not find any. Not very many people remember Berley's and for a while I thought it was just a figment of my imagination.

But this (yellow arrow points to an) ad on the wooden shade (which was folded up, thus you can't see the ad, sorry!) confirmed that indeed that drink did exist. And Karen, over in Iligan where she said the bombings have stopped, texted just now that she does remember Berley's chocolate drink. So now I can go to sleep, satisfied that now my once-favorite-but-now-non-existent Berley's was real and now rightfully on the internet.

Now to catch that wooden shade down, and take a picture so you can at least see what I'm talking about.

slurrrrp

blue crush and choco-mallow milkshake at cafe antonio

They still have the ultra tasty Pasta Alfredo, except that they ran out of bacon bits tonight.

Stage - ART

“ART” is the name of the play that was staged at the Luce Auditorium last Saturday (and red, green and yellow are the colors used in the play's name in the tickets and posters). It was originally written in French by Yasmina Reza and translated to English by Christopher Hampton. The cast of three included Bart Guingona, Audie Gemora and Jaime del Mundo, professional thespians who each have impressive theater resumes.

Bart, Jaime and Audie

And here is my review, in outline form.

A. What I liked about the play:

1. The set, which was very minimalist. Three stark white walls. A sala set covered with white cloth. That’s it! It was zo zen.

2. The actors. They speak so well, so clearly enunciating every word. Even when I closed my eyes at some point (tired from all the wave-jumping and swimming, not to mention the eating, activities of the day), I could hear their strong voices and I was compelled to open my eyes and continue watching. And of course it helped that they were all good looking. I’ve long wanted to see Audie Gemora because I’ve read so much about him and he did not disappoint as truly his acting was superb, it didn't seem like he was acting at all. Let’s just say I loved him in that play. I only wish it was a musical so I could have heard him sing. One day, one day, I’m going to hear him sing on stage.

Obviously, I am biased in favor of Audie. Which is not to say that the other actors were not as good, for they were very much so. Bart always has that intensity whereas Jaime's ability to talk very rapidly for a prolonged period of time is remarkable. I just have this thing about actors crying on stage. If ever an actor has to cry on stage, I'd prefer it to be subtle, not a bawl, which looks put on. In this case, it was a super bawl by Jaime's character.

3. The conversation. Witty at times. Funny at times. The dialogues were hilarious at many points and these successfully kept me from falling asleep.

B. What I didn’t like about the play or, more kindly, what I had difficulty with in the play:

1. The setting. Foreign. So western. It’s my dream to see Europe one day but that night, I wasn’t in the mood for Europe.

2. The costumes. Again because they were European. Again foreign. I don’t know why I was craving for something very Filipino that night. Like, yeah, right. This is an award winning play, of international caliber, even. But I was longing to see a Filipino play by Filipino actors.

3. The plot. I think it’s an absurd plot. It’s about three friends whose friendship suddenly became threatened because one of the friends did something which seemed very stupid, namely to buy a very expensive painting by a renowned painter. This painting could be described as a stark white canvas with two diagonal lines cutting across the middle and one horizontal line at the bottom. All these lines were white. And when the friends couldn’t agree on whether that painting was indeed art worthy of its price, they turned to attacking each other and each others quirks and peculiarities, to such point that they decided to end their many years of friendship because of such silly things.

What kind of friendship is that? I couldn’t help but think of my own friends, of more than thirty years or so, who, all of us, have done some really stupid things at one time or another. Some really grrrrr and lamentable things. Yet the friendships have endured, thanks to such virtues as forgiveness, extra grace and acceptance.

C. Conclusion:

I enjoyed the play and had many laughing moments, thanks to the great actors and the witty conversations. I have a very high regard for true friendship and for art but I was not very moved by how the play tried to explore the intricacies of both.

Is Bart Guingona's character going to desecrate the controversial and very expensive piece of "ART"?

_____________________

**Special thanks to my fellow wanderlust, RV, the surfer dude, for the pics

Wall - ART

Murals at the Teves Memorial Aqua Center.

By various artists, particularly Chad Merced and Felix Elvin Abistado.

Saturday. Sea. Swim. StorieS. PoolS.

Talking about a fun event multiplies the enjoyment of it and that's what we did at work today, talk about what fun we had last Saturday. It's quite interesting, to have the same group of people (the OR personnel) in different outfits (scrubsuits/beachsuits) and in a different scenario (operating room/beach) where the only worrisome moments were when we forgot to bring drinking water and when I got "anod/natangay" by the current. And they reminded me, "Doc, don't forget the smack down! Ang dakong saplag sa dakong balod." Oh, yeah, at one point I turned around and this big wave landed on my face with a big splat. It was like the sea was saying, "Ah, so you like to play? Well, here's one, right at ya."

One would think that after an afternoon of such rambunctious play the next thing to be had would be a good and early bedtime. But nooo. Next stop: the Teves Memorial Aqua Center, just next door to the Perdices Coliseum, for some lap swimming. (Photos were taken on a sunny day last week, together with the rubberized red running track pictures.)

This is the view of the 8-lane main pool and the diving pool in the foreground from the 20-feet diving platform. I did go up to the 30-feet platform but the photo I got from that height is markedly skewed. Most likely because I only used one hand to point and shoot as the other hand was holding on tightly to the railing.

The diving platforms, in ten foot increments. Of course, my going up to the forty-feet level was out of the question. ;p

the diving pool

Went swimming at the Aqua Center again today but the main pool was off -limits to all swimmers because it had just been treated with a chemical. Chlorine, maybe? So we all had to use the 18-feet-deep diving pool! Uh-oh. I kept my eyes shut most of the time underwater so I wouldn't be intimidated by how deep it was.

grays, browns, blues. o, white caps! and roses?

Such were the colors of the sea, sand and sky yesterday at Cangmating, Sibulan. Gloomy shades of grays, brown and blues. But our mood was far from glum, as we had a great time at the beach, even if it showered every now and then. The water wasn't cold even if the sun was hidden behind clouds. The temperature was just perfect for our wave-jumping-frolic. The sea was far from calm, white caps were all around, and wave after wave would crash to the shore. We would jump as each big wave came and be lifted up with it, or we would ride the breaking wave and let it propel us to the sandy shore.

looking northward

looking east, the island of Cebu is visible on the left upper corner

lifebuoy ala Baywatch

We weren't afraid to play with the big waves because Ma'am Elsie, our ever prepared OR head nurse, provided us with these buoys, just like the ones the Baywatch lifeguards use. Although at the beginning of our foray in that roiling sea I got a scare because after riding several waves suddenly my feet couldn't touch the sand and no amount of paddling and kicking would bring me to the direction that I wanted to go, which was nearer to our group while the current was rapidly bringing me elsewhere. I called out "Kuha-a ko! Kuha-a ko!" and I waved to Ma'am Ordna and she just waved back like she thought I was just saying hi to her. I cried to Amy, "Tinuod, kuha-a ko!" and soon Nimrod, who practically grew up in the sea being a Siquijor native, was running down the beach to "rescue" me.

Then suddenly, to my utter relief, my feet touched bottom with my head still above water and I waved to Nimrod that I was ok already. Whew. After that, I was more careful about where I was in relation to the shore and the bottom and the next one and half hours of jumping-the-waves was such fun. We only stopped because, guess what, it was time to eat again.

Our picnic spread: KINILAW NA TANGIGUE, lechon de leche, dinuguan, HUMBA, chicken halang-halang, sinugbang isda and baboy, siomai, chicharon, boiled cassava with ginamos, spaghetti. (Those in caps are the ones I ate a lot of). For dessert we had leche flan, buko salad, mango cake, and fresh fruits. For drinks, I saw lots of wine bottles in the cooler, together with the soda. I only tried the one that was like a spirited strawberry milkshake. Tequila Rose.

pag-ayo-ayo!

Today we had a despedida picnic at the Regalado beach house in Sibulan for our OR nurse, Ted, who is migrating to America with his family this month.

Ted, Sylvia and Sean

[to be continued later as I'm going to the Luce now to watch a play called 'Art']

___________________

[later...]

Dear Ted,

Teehhhd! Sure ka you're gonna leave us na? As in, you think you can stand the cold, cold winters in Minnesota and the layers and layers of clothing that you have to wear each time you step out your door? And did you know you have to clean your own bathrooms in America? As well as shovel your driveway, cut your grass, actually paint your own house or build your own cabinets and practically do-it-yourself everything? And did you know that nannies there cost a fortune?

So what if there you can earn in one day your entire month salary here in the Pinas? So what if everything is automated and bar-coded and card-chargeable there? Do you think you can find such wonderful workmates like us here? Do you think you can find a pedicab there that will deliver you to the doorstep of wherever you want to go? And I'm telling you there are no sari-sari stores there where you can buy a flat of mantika, in case you run out of kitchen staples. So what if Sean will probably like Disneyland more than our fiesta carnival here? So what if the president(-elect) there is smarter than the smartass presidents elsewhere? So what if the hospitals there are truly cutting edge and state of the art?

Do you really think you can just pack your backs and fly away and have an awesome adventure in that strange land with your family? Do you really think that when you leave we will never forget you? Do you really think that even as we will miss you, Ebyang and Sean2x terribly, we also wish you the very, very best?

If so, then go. Larga. Ayaw pahawid. Lupad.

Yours truly,

Doc.

(p.s. size 6 ako tiil, ha.)

(p.s.2 while you're away, i volunteer to "safeguard" your many, many novels. ako ray bantay sa imong mga books. in other words, leave your books with me, yeah!)

Dumaguete Delicacies

Ivon's baye-baye, from Bayawan

Made from grounded glutinous rice, cooked with shredded coconut and sugar. Except for the shape, this is similar to the espasol in Luzon, particularly Laguna.

Banana Que Foreverrrrr

Fried saba bananas with caramelized brown sugar, skewered on bamboo sticks for easier biting into. Who can resist these?

Nilung-ag nga saging

My number one favorite of all time. Boiled semi-ripe bananas dipped in fish bagoong. You can also do this with boiled camote and with green mangoes. Or you can use uyap/shrimp bagoong instead of fish bagoong. Yummy all the way. Just watch your blood pressure and blood sugar. ;p

These are not my pictures. Thank you very much to the sources, OTOP (One Town One Product) and Market Manila! Click on the images to see where I got them from.

This post was inspired by some people who said that they missed Dumaguete food. Well, these are just some of our old time favorites. As for the other fave foods, hopefully I will be able to take their pictures myself, sometime this year. ;p

disturbing

I was looking up some images (of food) and looking for some cute and funny thing to post here when I got an email from Rose. An email with images that will make you wince and want to turn away, pretending that Gaza is located on a distant planet and that the mangled bodies sprawled on the street are from a distant past, definitely not from this week.

I don't understand the war in Gaza, or any war for that matter. All the more when I saw these horrible images. Don't click on the link if you think you don't have the stomach for some graphic images of war.

dedicated to all aspiring poets

Get Fuzzy

by Darby Conley

:=)

on the right track

After two weeks of bronchitis in December, four weeks of holiday feasting and five weeks of no exercise, I am quite about ready to burst from my seemingly shrinking clothes. And today, being the last day of the Christmas season, seems like a good day to start getting back on the road to physical well being. Plus there’s the crucial fact that I just finished the last crumbs of that moist chocolate cake with mint icing in the ref. As long as nobody gives me another layer of irresistible baked goodies, then I’m on my merry way to good health.

I figured that boxing again this soon would be too abrupt and strenuous after weeks of being sedentary, and might just trigger an asthmatic attack. I thought walking and jogging would be a good start. There's the much raved about newly installed rubberized running track at the Perdices Coliseum which they say is so heavenly it's like you'll never get tired. Owws? The skeptic in me doubted that very much so yesterday I tried it out for myself. How many rounds would I last?

Rubberized red running track

It turns out I'm really not good at counting and I lost track of how many times I went around the track in one hour. And I don't remember getting tired, I just stopped because it was already dark.

And I remembered that once upon a time in college my friends and I would run around the campus at night, to put some oxygen into our book-numbed brains. Our favorite time for running used to be midnight, when we were too tired to study and too awake to sleep, until the dorm enforced an earlier curfew because somebody got mugged in campus while jogging at night.

So we ran during the day, in the rain or under the noonday heat of sun. Up to the Quezon Memorial Circle where, unbeknownst to me, somebody took my picture and put it on the cover of Health and Home, a health and fitness magazine. So, what can I say, except that once in my life I was a covergirl!

Some things are black and white.

But that was then and this is now. And the cold fact is, if you overeat and undermove, you’re going to get fat. No further explanation needed.

On the right track? Check!

So eating right and regular exercise would be the right moves for 2009. But you knew that already in 2008, and 2007 and 200… As Nike says, stop talking and Just Do It.

The people of Dumaguete are fortunate to have this really nice rubberized running track. How much does it cost to run there? Nothing! As it has been paid for already by our taxes. There’s just a glass-walled box there where you can donate any amount for the upkeep of the place.

I think it’s a waste that not a lot of people actually go there to make use of the track. But sadder still is the fact that there are some trash scattered around the place, mostly empty water and juice bottles, discarded by health buffs. As Gaya said, "We are a third world country because we have third world manners."

Fit 'n Right? Umm... not quite.

take two

[This is a continuation of yesterday's post, as that one was aborted by power outages, the electrical and the human kind.]

A fun story needs to be told more than once, that's why this post is a rehash of the same events, as seen from Mitch's eyes. Also, telling the same story over and over again is a hallmark of advancing age. ;p It is so. Isn't it? Is.

__________


ONE MORE TIME, KASADYA GAYUD!

My holidays are always spent in Dumaguete, without fail. Moreso now that my mother is still trying to fill in the shoes of Santa after my dear Papa passed on about two years ago. Apart from the eagerness and excitement of seeing my family and other relations anew, I always look forward to meeting my “batchmates for life” from SUHS Class of 1978 – whether through chance encounters in downtown Perdices Street or in spur of the moment “tapok tapok” sessions.

Allow me to share with you some snippets of what transpired this time around.

29 December 2008

My mobile phone had two text messages from Hya and Zenovia that Ingrid G. was in town and wanted to meet the gang. Then Meling wanted to be sure that it was not a chain-text message. I wondered why the burden had to be on me ...

And so it was set: “Tapokation” at Hayahay for dinner. Bring yourselves. (Translation: For those who are curious, Hayahay is an open-air restaurant of sorts located down the Lo-oc Street; a dirt road separates it from the open sea. It has nightly folk singers that compete with the voices of the customers. Mas yagaw pa gyud sa disco-han days of yore. That night, I thought the oldie singer had seen better days and should think of an alternative job. Surely, a tremolo-ridden voice doesn’t sound good for country and folk ditties).

While I was at the ICU of Holy “Charge” Hospital visiting a sick aunt, Zenovia sent me another text message that the group was near the stage. I reckoned they had to be near the performer as some were either hearing or visually challenged already. Erlyn added they were waiting for me na gyud kuno. Ni-text pud akong Mama that Dr. Meling passed by our house and asked for me. I never felt so wanted in my life.

I was at the scene of the crime (sa Hayahay ba, in case you don’t follow anymore) at a quarter past seven. It didn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to spot out the usual suspects – pot-bellied beer-guzzling chaps, and full-bodied women with bored looks. Beso-beso dayon tanang tawo sa kalibutan. Gasagol ang mga Section A, B, C, D ug E – Meling, Erlyn and Atit, Neri T. and hubby, Susan F., Zoe A. and hubby, Sandra F., Bong S., Adeliza O., Eric L., Grace B., Natoy V., Father Abraham, Zenovia the Great, Sexy Hya (who is thinking of relocating back to Dumaguete; naa na siyay brand new house sa Valencia), and Bobby R. who is a dead-ringer for Gov. Dodo Macias. Just before we changed our venue, Pam G. showed up, and left ra pud dayon. Naa dagway gahulat, unsa ba?

I hope I didn’t miss anybody. Pasaylo-a gyud ko ug naay nalimtan.

Gabaha gyud ang beer ug uban pang drinks, sinugbang maya-maya (heavenly!), grilled pork chop, et cetera. We were “fed up” (mao daw ni ang correct term sa busog gyud kaayo). Salamat kaayo, Ingrid. Maayo baya ni siyang himuon ug model kay wala gyud siya mausab – same face, same hair, same everything. Compliment baya ni, Ingrid, ok?

At close to midnight, sakay sa among mga motor, awto ug uban pa...we transferred to Why Not? Disco sa boulevard entertainment row. Mura gyud ug mga tin-edyer pa! Walay kakapuy to the max. Wa pa gani moabot ang among order nga drinks, ga-sayaw-sayaw dayon mi sa dance floor. Nag dejavu dayon ko. It was as if time stood still and we were in high school all over again. Sadya-a uy! The band leader, my cousin, played age-appropriate ska and reggae music.

I had to go home at half past midnight. Ceasefire usa ko sa beer kay mag-motor pa baya ko pauli sa amo. Some went home, while others chose to go elsewhere. What a full day. I think I smiled all the way home. Really, it feels good to be with friends.

2 January 2009

Ni-text si Meling asking if anybody was available for a post-Christmas potluck party for the batch. Pagdala pud kuno ug P50-worth of exchange gift, something funny daw. Although Rummel didn’t know it yet, it was a unanimous decision that his palatial domicile would be our party place. Kay mao gyuy nahitabo.

At past seven, people started to trickle in, gadala ug pagkaon nga giplastic, gi-cutrite, gi-reynold’s wrap; uban may regalo, uban nalimot nga may exchange gift (typical gyud ni at this age, limtanon na). Nagdungan mi ug abot si Susan and youngish company (naughty remark this one: “cousin” kuno niya – hala sige, ‘kasin-’ ig-agaw gud). When Hya and I arrived, ga “sing-al” (sing-along ba) na si Host Rummel, Joemar T. and wifey, Neri’s husbandry, Bong S. ug si Natoy. The “buffet table” was guarded by Neri T., Ingrid and Sandra F. Naa pay wrapper ang dakong lechon aron crispy ra gihapon. Dinuguan, litson manok, puso (hanging rice gud), siomai, baye-baye, mango float, seedless grapes, binakhaw (baling halanga, pero lami), pansit canton, pansit bihon, etc. Free flowing ang ice-cold drinks.....

Si Sister Zenovia ang nag-prayer. Kaon na pud! Others in attendance were, Leolynn and hubby, Dr. Meling, Dr. Bong R., Bobby R., Joey A., Father Abraham. Over dinner, naay viewing sa video of the batch’s 30th year reunion last August. Alegre gyud kaayo.

Games na pud ... Si Meling ang game hostess. Actually, the first game by Susan F. involved eggplants nga ibutang sa ilalum sa crotch of the guys and the girls were supposed to hold them. Ay, ambut kay objection man dayon kay bastos daw... Charade na lang, sige ug change sa rules; tanan naay reklamo; may mga protesta; pwerteng daghanang violations. Ang prize? Talong lang gihapon.

Exchange gift na ... I-explain man jud ug nganong funny ang gift. Basta sadya gyud!

Sing-along na pud.... Hay, kalami sa kinabuhi!

Alas Dos na sa buntag ... 3 January 2009 na.... Mangape ta sa Dunkin’ Donuts, the only place open sa Dumaguete. Brewed coffee tanan, one loooong table. Repeat na pud sa mga istorya sa kagahapon. Katawa. Agik-ik. Alas Tres na. Manguli na ta ...

MITCH D.
3 January 2009

zenov leading the boys (tatoy, abbe, eric, bong r.) in a hilarious hep-hep-hurray game

opening my gift... something for the bathroom

the funniest gift of the night: an almost empty bottle of lotion, kasi worth 50 pesos lang naman ang usapan, di ba?

getting ready for... volleyball...


... spike? (set? block? shoot? we all got confused because they were mixing up their games and actions!)


mao ni ang ... basketball...shoot!



are we having fun yet?

Happy faces in the New Year

leolyn, mitch, ingrid, hya, joemar

grace, rummel, bong r., bong s., sandra

tatoy, eric, joey, neri

zenov, tes, abbe, bobby, ako

susan, neri's hubby, deb, joemar's wife, gary

how'd you like my long hair? made by bong r. on his iPhone. want to photoshop the eyebags but don't know how

and here's joey with Some Hair, also by bong's iPhone