Qua-sis

To my partner in crime...

To my Pigafetta...

To the sister fate forgot to give me, my Evil Twin Sister...

Happy Birthday! Looking forward to more death-defying acts with you!

Morbid

I was hoping to meet with JMC, a very good friend from college who lived a very interesting past.  She dropped out of college all too suddenly to start anew, she moved down south.  Despite the distance, we managed to keep in touch, not regularly though, but the connection was always there.  She recently moved back to Manila for work but left her family in the province.

I called her up because I wanted to see her before Christmas.  Unfortunately, she had an early evening flight back home.  We just agreed to meet the first weekend of the new year.

And there I was again all prepped up but with nothing to do.  Browsed my phone book and found the name of another friend I have not seen in a long while, OBF.  This woman is another mystery to me.  Her married life is so bizarre it is almost fiction.  Called her up, she was free, we agreed to meet at Quezon City Hall.

Since I wanted to have something to remember the night with her by, I tagged her along one of the new places I discovered which I would like to blog about.

Cafe Quezon is located at 179 Maginhawa street in Sikatuna Village, Diliman Quezon City.  The place is neat and not overdone, cozy, spacious and has a sparkly clean, though common, restroom.

OBF is a good cook herself so I could use her reviews of the food.

She had Chicken Pesto which she liked because it was mildly flavored.  Being "numb-tongued" that I am because of my sinusitis, I rate it "matabang"...

I had Red Carbonara, which I liked because of the strong flavor which according to OBF had a good amount of Thyme in it.

We shared the Ginger Tea because they had no more in stock.  She absolutely loved it, it was a little too strong for me.  But I would definitely have a glass if I had a sore throat.  I find it more of a medication than a refreshing drink.

The cafe had a few delectable-looking cakes as well and we wanted to try the Lemon Lime Cake, unfortunately, they did not want to slice the last cake they have so its either we get the whole or nothing.  We just had the Espresso Cheesecake instead.  It was too soft for me, I like my cheesecake chewy than "frothy".  But it tasted good, in fairness.

All that for a little over 300.00.  Not bad at all!

Afterwards, OBF wanted her booze and band, I didn't like the latter so we compromised to just go to a place where she can "drink".  So we scoured Tomas Morato and finally settled for Cobeer's.

Two Light and a plate of Calamares and a whole lot of her bizarre married life stories again.

And this is what she needs to give her (un)love story a happy ending!

Convert

This Sunday, I was left on my own to go to church.

Afterwards, I was left with nothing else to do.  I called home and asked if we had a decent lunch prepared.  This usually happens after Christmas when everyone is so over ham, fried chicken and anything that used to be livestock.  Negative.  I decided to eat out.

Golden rule cannot apply this time because I had to go to SM Marikina to settle a bill and there is nothing in the mall that is new.  In keeping with rule no. 2 (If I must eat in the same restaurant, I must not eat the same dish.), I chose Pancake House because I know for sure it got salad.

I browsed on the menu and Warm Bacon and Potato Salad looked appetizing enough coupled with Grape Almond Roca Smoothie.  I was particularly interested by the drink because I was not a fan of grapes as a flavor, I knew for sure that it'll taste like cough syrup.

But was I proven wrong!  It was love at first sip.  It was so refreshing that although Pancake House is mainstream, this deserves a spot in my blog (you know how exclusive and discriminating this blog is, lol!).  Vanilla, fresh grapes, almond roca and fresh milk make a very delicious combination.  I also love the caramel-ish bits that you get every sip.  It more than made up for the ordinariness of the potato salad which a friend from long time ago does better.

Icon

Last Sunday, Nanay wasn't able to prepare lunch for the family because it was their church's Christmas party, so Tatay, Little Brother and I had to lunch out.  LB was craving for tapsilog that day so we decided to eat at Rodic's Food Express at the University of the Philippine's Shopping Center in Diliman.

My first Rodic's experience was with my good friends PDG, AR and FM during our MBA stint.  AR and FM are both UP grads and they said that you are never completely a true-blooded skolar ng bayan if you haven't tried Rodic's tapsilog.  I am sweet-toothed so I easily loved it.  There was even a time that I had two orders of it in one sitting.  LB always orders for extra fried rice.

Rodic has been there since the 1940's, almost half of the university's existence, that it has become an icon in itself.

Ninong

I am so back!

After a week of hiatus, I finally found the time and motivation to write this latest blog.  The holidays create quite a frenzy everywhere, most especially at work because of the long break coming.

The Christmas season also brings about a series of partying left and right.  Food and booze abound.

But because I have come to a point in life where disco music to which I used to dance 'til the wee hours is already noise to the ears, I now prefer to just have a hearty dinner or coffee with friends.  Age does tame people.

The first of my series was a dinner with, of course, my ETS.  I had to see her first because she's the busy one, always out town.  I called her up and with the golden rule in mind, she suggested to try Orchard Road Restaurant at SM Megamall, she being a sucker for Hainanese Chicken.

While on the counter, we were struck by this dispenser of a very pink beverage which we were told to be Rose juice.  Yeah, that rose you give or receive during Valentine's.  While we were on the path of trying new things, I knew for sure that this one would be more like perfume than a drink to me.  The lady in the counter must have seen the dilemma in our eyes so she offered free taste.  It was great of her to do that because it would spare customers from paying for something they would regret later.  The juice was okay but I really couldn't wrap my mind around drinking a flower, so I just settled for Chin Chow (black gulaman), which is sea weed, which is a plant. lol.


So we had Hainanese Chicken for ETS ...

and Roast Chicken for me.

We also had Char Kway Teow, which is, as ETS put it, their version of Pad Thai.

All three dishes were good and very affordable at 165, 165 and 185, respectively.  ETS particularly liked the sauce for her Hainanese, thick as it should be according to her.


Of course, our meet up would not end with just one activity, so we went straight to this foot spa which she suggested even before our dinner.  According to the blogs she read, it will send one to seventh heaven, and we wanted to put it to the test.

Beijing Foot Spa is located 3rd Floor 008 Silver City, Frontera Verde Drive corner Julia Vargas St. Ortigas, Pasig City, a few cartwheels away from Tiendesitas.


We were both impressed by the interior of the place, most especially of the room assigned to us.  You have your own TV attached to your lazy boy in which the audio is built in.

We were actually a bit confused when we saw the robes and shorts in the room and we had to ask whether we needed to change, after all we were only going to have a foot massage.  We were told to change and wait for our therapists.

Shortly, they came in with our house tea.

And this is where it came from...

lol!


I am a self-confessed massage addict but I never had foot spa before, and this one I will definitely have again.  I like my massage to be hard and that's what I got, although ETS told me when we were left for a moment that maybe her pressure points were oddly located that some of the strokes were a bit too painful for her, although there were strokes that really gave her goosebumps as told in the blogs.  The therapists were both very polite and quiet, I don't really like a therapist that chats me up during the session.


All that for just 500.


At the counter, we have to pay and leave some for tip.  After I filled up my payment cum feedback form where you also indicate the tip you want to leave your therapist, I noticed an uncomfortable silence, the calm before the storm.  All the while, she was throwing invisible daggers at me.


As soon as we left the spa, ETS harangued me for putting her on the spot.  Turned out that she was only supposed to tip 50, but she saw how much I was going to tip and was forced to give as much.  She called me ninong for giving what she taught was very generous.  She was following the American tipping scheme, so 50 was already off the charts.  I had to educate her about tipping, the Filipino way.  Great that she followed suit, or else we couldn't go back to Beijing, she would have been marked, BIG TIME! hahahaha!

Clueless

Once again got a call from good friend PDG but was rather surprised how frustrated she sounded that day.  She asked if I was free, which I usually am, because she was so annoyed by something.  We decided to meet and since she was already in the Diliman area, and I am aware that her mom loves Paella, I asked if it was alright with her if we tried a small but very neat place in Maginhawa Street in Quezon City that serves Paella, Sancho Churreria Manila.

The place is no more than probably 4 x 6 meters but is cozy and polished.

And I love the way their cakes look: rough, just the way I like it.  Kinda looks like a cake your grandma would bake for you, to be served at the porch of a little house on the prairie.

We ordered what we went there for, Paella.  The serving could be shared by 2 or 3 people, however, don't be deceived by the picture as the pan is just around 6 inches in diameter.  Those are just regular-size spoon and fork.

I am no expert when it comes to Paella.  I do not know what it is supposed to taste and be like, so I will have to quote (paraphrased) PDG on her verdict:


"Nothing fabulous but good enough for the price of P 240.00.  It has ample amount of seafood in it though I would have preferred it without the chicken.  I also like the rice used."



But before we were served the Paella, which took roughly 30 mins (quite long but good enough indication that they cook it only when ordered), we decided to try my all-time favorite Sans Rival and Brazo de Mercedes.

Unfortunately, the Sans Rival didn't measure up to my expectations.  It was supposed to be layers of crunchy meringue sandwiched with butter cream and sprinkled with cashew nuts, theirs is somewhat like hard bread sandwiched with butter cream and sprinkled with (over)roasted nuts that tasted like burnt monggo beans, reminded me of ginataang monggo that mother used to cook.  As regards the Brazo de Mercedes, I liked the meringue roll as it is not that soft but I am kinda indifferent with the custard filling.  I like that it was not that sweet, but I didn't like the texture, somewhat like mashed potato.


We also had a pitcher of Fresh Fruits Shake (banana (i think), mango, papaya and something else) which was refreshing enough, though it warmed even before we're done eating.

PDG didn't want coffee which we usually have after dinner.  Instead, we went to Tia Maria Cantina in Katipunan for (her) dose of alcohol.  We had a pitcher of Zombie and a plate of Cheese Fajutas.

Because it is located in QC's university belt, it was expected that the place was filled with raucous teeners squandering their rich parents' dough.


It was again a fun night of chat, although I went home with a sore throat, numb ears and without knowing why she was so pissed in the first place.

Prayer

One thing about life that I know for sure is that it doesn’t always turn out the way we want it.  Even with the most carefully laid out plans, the world is just way too complex and everything in it so interrelated that unexpected twists and turns always will surely meet us along the way.

There is no formula for a perfect life.  We can never achieve Utopia, and this is not I being cynical about life.  Good people die brutal deaths, downright evil people live long prosperous lives.  A God-fearing person eats of the crumbs that fall from a rich man’s table, a decadent master dresses up in the finest of silk.  Clearly, goodness does not equate to a good life.

Life is uncertain.  A health guru dies of cancer, a person that smokes since his teenage gets to bury his own grandchild.  Parents end up in care homes, a spinster dies in the loving home of a friend.  A well-off couple can never beget a child, a young lady is violated, conceives and murders the unborn.  Clearly, we don’t always reap what we sow.

So should we just live life in careless abandon?

If you do not believe in an Author of all, at least, you believe in truths that are Statistics and Physics.  The probability of a person standing on a railway to get hit by a speeding train is way higher than that of a person that stands even a step away.  You are most likely to die jumping off a plane without a parachute.  In short, plan still, aspire still, try still.  Do what is good and what is right, and if the outcome is not what we hoped for, at least we gave it our all and would not be found wanting or if bad things happen despite our being good, then at least it cannot be said that we deserved it.  Trying so desperately to achieve something we want makes us overlook and not appreciate what we have now, which is what ultimately matters.  The past can never be brought back, the future can never be fully assured, what is certain is the present.  LIVE YOUR NOW!

I am person who believes in the Almighty God.  In the God who is just and omniscient.  I ask for my heart’s desire, but I pray for what’s best for me.  And this is my prayer before I close my eyes to sleep:

“Dear Lord, I thank You for Your love, protection and provision for me, my family and everyone I hold dear.  I thank You for the chance to once again rest my body and mind.  And should You allow us another day, I PRAY FOR AN OPEN MIND TO UNDERSTAND AND A SUBMISSIVE HEART TO ACCEPT THE WORKS OF YOUR HAND.  Whatever Your will for me and the rest of the world be done.  In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.”

Remember, even the Holy One died the most unspeakable death.

Vessel

Perhaps the most morally acceptable of all masochistic human activities is working out in the gym.  It is hard and agonizingly painful.  There even comes a time that you cuss everything that’s good and true just to get that barbell back up.

But why do we do it, why do we need to do it?

We wrap our gifts the best possible way, we repaint our cars or houses once in a while, and we take care of even the most mundane things we own.  So the answer to why we should take care of our bodies, the one thing that we absolutely own for sure, is a no-brainer.

Don’t give me the “you-are-very-superficial-inner-beauty-is-more-important” crap.  If we weren’t all superficial, if we didn’t consider at all what other people think, if we didn't care about what we see in the mirror, we wouldn’t need to iron our clothes, nor girls would need to wear make up, nor  carefully choose what to wear before we get out of the house.  Inner beauty is MOST important, I so totally agree, because it is, partly, what would afford us a slot in heaven where everyone is going to look like Angelina or Brad.  But it is the last thing that everyone would know.  You are not going to tell every single person in the street that you are all nice and cuddly.  If you are a good person, you will effortlessly wake up in the morning with a good heart for sure, but never picture-perfect.  It takes a lot of work.  And if we could all be both, why the hell not?

I am person that is resigned to the fact that there is nothing more I can do with my face, I got the worst facial features of my parents, and I even have a disfigured head.  Unfortunately, not all of us are given the naturally dashing good looks.  Fortunately, we have our able bodies which we can do something about.

To look good is not the only reason why we should look after our bodies.  Health is also a paramount consideration.  Especially if one already has a family, which usually ironically is the reason exercise is foregone, we would love to have more years to spend with them.  But some would argue that even the most health conscious people die, so why bother.   Well at least they looked great while alive, right?

I am not at all saying that we should all be bikini-ready and exhaust all our time, energy and money to be so.  I am simply advocating that we should try to look, feel and be our best because we have only one life to live.  No second chance, no turning back.  It is our only shot at living the life we choose for ourselves.

We owe it to ourselves and to our Maker to take care of the vessel of our spirit and soul.  We are the only custodian of our bodies and absolutely no one else.

Confused

It was bonding time with Little Brother so I accompanied him to his Christmas shopping last Sunday.  Since I had to pick up something at SM Megamall, I drove all the way there from our church in Diliman.

Traffic was surprisingly light from Katipunan to E. Rod Jr. but as soon as we entered Ortigas Center, it got heavier and heavier.  I decided to just park in the open parking area of SM Mega A but it was full and the line was a mile long.  Exit did we to EDSA and just looked for any available parking space within the Ortigas Area.  We ended up at the 5^th level basement parking of Podium.  LB jokingly said that we might already be at the inner core of the Earth, might as well look for gold.

As expected, massive were the people in the mall.  I would not have chosen to shop there had it not for the stupid errand for the office.  Anyway, we endured the chaos and it was finally time for lunch.  LB wanted to eat at Hoshinoya because it’s cheap there and servings are huge.  He’s in his early teens so he has the appetite of a piranha.  But since I imposed my golden rule of not eating in the same place over and over again, I convinced him to try something else.  He loves chicken so we looked for a place that at least serves that and since it was almost 2PM already and we were starving, we settled for the first restaurant that caught our attention.

Eat and Go is small but well-appointed.  It looked clean and relaxed. 

Surprisingly, LB did not want to have chicken this time so he ordered for Pork Tenderloin with pasta in white sauce and baked beans for side dishes,

while I had the Chicken Saltimbocca, simply because it sounded different, with carrot and corn and baked beans for side dishes.

We both had Berry Iced Tea for our drinks.

Mine was nothing out of the ordinary as the name otherwise hinted.  It was breaded chicken, period.  It had very little sauce on it and was rather dry.  Carrot and corn was carrot and corn.  The baked beans was microwaved pork and beans straight from the can, though interestingly, it was the one I enjoyed over the other things on my plate.

Guess what LB’s pork tasted like?  CHICKEN!  And it is not a good thing for him.  It was the first time he did not want chicken on his plate, and “chicken” did he still get!  I had to try it for myself and true enough, I could not distinguish it from what I was having.  Aggravating his confusion is the blandness of the pasta, and when they say white sauce, it truly is just white sauce (basically melted cream).

I do not mean to thrash the place entirely as it has a lot of other offerings which might vindicate itself.  Too bad that I have this golden rule to follow, so to go back is a remote possibility.  My first time should have been a PAK!

Oh well, that’s the price of trying new things.  At least I got another experience to blog about.