say goodbye to Quad

Do you have memories of Quad, a.k.a. Glorietta 1? Well hold on to them coz that's all that'll be left once Ayala renovates yet again.

I remember watching movies there like the atrocious Shake Rattle and Roll 5 and the delightful Mga Pusang Gala. And all the hours I spent at National Bookstore reading comicbooks and picking out children's books... National will move to Glorietta 5 or Greenbelt or something... all these mall renovations are really confusing my childhood memories. Even Landmark is changing to look like its sister store in Trinoma.

On the right side of photo is one side of National Bookstore which is connected to Quad's entrance on the left which is now covered by a metal gate. They've already taken down the Glorietta 1 sign above the Cinema marquee.

---------Meanwhile, in other news, I rode my first electric jeepney yesterday and I wouldn't have known it had I not seen the words "green technology" on the side of the jeep. I knew they'd been plying the Ayala route for over a year now but it was a pleasant surprise to find one going my way. Unlike the Ayala e-jeeps, this one looks exactly like any ordinary jeep except that it was painted green all over and instead of speed and oil gauges, it had small colored lights with masking tape stickers indicating "charge", "oil" and "check engine". But what really caught my attention was how quiet it was. The driver didn't turn on the radio so all I could hear was how noisy all the other vehicles were with their engines. And when I got off, I also noted that it didn't have an exhaust pipe either.One officemate was so intrigued he wondered if he could have his car converted as well. Man, if all the jeeps were like this, how peaceful and clean and liveable our cities would be! Good work, Makati!

some thoughts

just some of my thoughts about some weird news going on...
heard about the 13-year old kid who became a dad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q_bib2j8_w
grabe, he looks like he's 10! hindi pa nag-break ang voice nya. but according to the internet, di pa sya ang youngest! another brit named sean was a father at 12! but he looked older than his age. now, merong doubts kung sya nga talaga ang dad kasi may 2 teens who also claim to have slept with the mom. number one, ewww! number 2: why would a 15-year old date a 4-feet tall , 13 year old? gusto nya ng boyfriend na ma-be-baby? o ngayon 2 na aalagaan nya!

meanwhile, sa australia, a pinoy was sacked for bringing a water bottle to the restroom to use as a 'tabo'
A Filipino worker in Australia was allegedly fired because of his “tabo habits”. When I say “tabo habits” it’s the usual Filipino way of using the tabo (or dipper in english) filled with water to clean up the mess after doing the deed in the toilet. The Australian employers argued that it was unhygienic (and un-Australian too ), but the Pinoy worker defended that its not unhygienic and it is part of his culture.
http://menardconnect.com/2009/01/27/tabo-scandal-filipino-worker-in-australia-fired-over-toilet-habits/
my reaction: ano ba pakialam nyo kung ano gawin namin sa banyo? di naman namin kayo pinakakailaman pag nandito kayo!

finally, an article on spanking drew a lot of reactions from readers who had their own experiences with parental discipline
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090204-187276/Spanking-didnt-kill-us

my favorite cake

The whole family went out for dinner on Valentine's and contrary to our expectations, it didn't take us more than 5 minutes to be seated at Conti's in Paranaque. It was Papa's treat so we ordered anything we wanted. I got the baked salmon, a dish you can never go wrong with. Ma had the lengua estofado. Pa had a beef something :) Jon had the chicken whatchamacallit and Twinx got the fish in herbs/pesto meal. After a lot of thinking we all eventually ordered dalandan juice, which Twinx found out, was not refillable. hehehe! The only disappointment was the Caesar salad which seemed too little for P160. The resto staff was fast and courteous and in full force as they were ready for a full night. We didn't stay long because we were mindful of other diners who would be waiting to be seated, too. Fortunately, we had ordered dessert early and took home a Peach and walnut torte, my favorite cake not only because it's so creamy delicious, but also because at P575, it's reasonably priced. Too bad Twinx isn't much of a fan due to lactose intolerance but Jon surely had no problems having a second serving. Di yata nalasahan. It is now Tuesday and only one slice remains but you can be sure I know what cake I'm buying on my birthday.