and yes, i won! i won!

 After an exhausting campaign, i won 2nd place in the merciful mother and me photo contest i really didn't expect to win because some of the other entries had thousands of votes versus my 150+ votes. Thanks to all of my friends, officemates, relatives and friends of friends who voted and did not unfriend me as I kept flooding facebook with all sorts of pathetic requests for votes like ...

• Top 5 reasons to vote for me ("Everytime you vote, an angel gets his wings...") 
• Dear Santa all I want for  Christmas is...("Good friends with stable internet connection... and world peace)
• Every voter will get a chance  to win a tshirt!

After all that, I got my ipod nano on Dec.23 and what a happy Christmas it was! Again, thank you all! Next up, a mama mary video contest! dun-dun-dun-dunnnnn!!!

maligayang pasko lucena!

 here are some pics from our Christmas in Lucena. Twinx wasn't able to come because they were being cautious with her pregnancy. We did get to chat with her via webcam last night.

 The feast prepared by Wowa and Tito Dante

 Hmmmm. blog website  is acting up. the pix are vertical in photoshop but come out horizontal here....
anyway, some of the food on the table were turbo- broiled chicken with mushroom, caldereta, embotido, gallo con queso (tama po ba wowa?) quezo de bola and hamon.

Interesting sidenote: according to food writer doreen fernandez, during  the spanish colonial times, beef and cheese were rare and expensive as they came by galleon so only the rich were able to afford it. Thus, the ordinary folk had to save up and only had them for noche buena. And that's why these Spanish food (jamon, embotido, morcon, galantina, relleno, castañas) became identified with Christmas.

 the desserts: buko salad, gelatin with lychee,  ube halaya all made by Tito Dante and leche flan by Dana.

 kain po! let's eat!

 this is me with the ipod nano i won in the mama mary contest. thaks to everyone for your help!

this is dana also praying that she wins an ipod or new cellphone. there's another contest coming up dana! join na!

 wowa opening the gifts

 dana and kristoff

 as requested, i got dana books by Bob Ong.
The next day,


I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas...

 Even though it was raining, a troop of kids and adults still went from house to house yelling "Namamasko po!" as Wowa and Jon handed out coins and candy.

 After a while though, the the giver started losing yuletide cheer...

 We got a chance to chat via webcam with Kuya Nonong and Andrew

 before we had to go back to Manila to avoid the traffic. And we did!

Some of the well-preserved old houses that have been revitalized by finding new ways to use them. Some are preschools or law offices or restaurants...

or proud tourist attractions like the Enriquez Ancestral house. May our Filipino traditions endure wherever we may be! Maligayang Pasko!

 some of my gifts for the kids this year: a lego-like car (tsk,made in china) but i did partner it with filipino books with really interesting drawings.

new artshirt

My latest artshirt design! I call this "Sosyal" and it's inspired by Damian Domingo

by the way...i won! i won!

In other news...

 That's my winning entry on the far left

my perseverance has paid off again! I won first prize in the "Where have your sandals gone?" photo contest. It's the first time I won the top prize in a nationwide contest! I won a trip for 2 to Boracay with accommodations at Patio Pacific plus cash and gift certificates from Rider!

Too bad I wasn't able to claim my prize personally as it was also the office anniversary and I was being awarded for 10 years of loyalty! Still, I am soooooo happy! So guys, my advice, keep joining! You'll  lose most of the time but your chances of winning are still better than hitting the jackpot at  the lotto!

pregnant pause

Upon her doctor's advice, Twinx spent a week back home so that she  could get some bedrest for her growing baby! For lunch, Ma and Twinx made molo soup. It's a chore to make but so satisfying. Good thing sis was here to help make it!

The dumplings before going into the soup. A neighbor suggested we place them in front of the fan for a few moments before going into the soup to help keep the wrapper from slipping off. I don't know the reason behind this but it worked!

With nothing to do but eat, sleep or watch TV, Twinx would often get sleepy or hungry, which she says is part of being pregnant, but I'm not so sure... that would mean she's been pregnant for years! Kidding!

Anyway, the dumplings have been plopped into the steaming hot soup and Ma added the spring onion and toasted garlic.

Here's the finished product. It had just been on the table for a few minutes and it was already half-empty by the time I took a picture.

Just like old times. Twinx with the family. Hope you enjoyed your stay!

For dessert, some yellow watermelon. It tastes the same, but it sure looks peculiar.

Lunch at Cabalen

We had a couple of gift certificates from Cabalen that were about to expire so we decided to use them before going to the supermarket.

3 ways to cook lapu-lapu

Papa has a suki (favored vendor) who sells him lapu-lapu at a very affordable price. That's why we sometimes have dinners like this. The easiest, of course, is deep fried lapu-lapu which tastes absolutely delicious just plainly seasoned with salt and pepper. Another favorite is pesang lapu-lapu, which is simply making a soup out of the fish head with cabbage, pechay, ginger and onion. Perfect for rainy nights and even better when paired with sauteed garlic, onions and tomatoes and patis. And to keep my Papa's cholesterol in check, I also learned to cook steamed lapu-lapu.

Here's how:
Make 2 small slits at both  sides of the fish and season with salt and pepper and about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stuff the slits with chopped ginger and green onion or leeks.(Use ordinary onions as substitute if you run out, like we did. Boo! ) Steam for 30 minutes. Longer for bigger fish. You may also pour some hot oil on it but that would defeat the purpose of a healthy meal. Serve at once! You can also pair it with my Coron sauce.

Filipinos love dipping sauces so here's the perfect sauce for this, inspired by our trip to Coron:

Saute garlic, onion and ginger in a pan. Add half a cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of sugar   and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce. Bring to boil and then add some chili flakes or fresh  sliced sili  for an added kick.

My backpack design entry

Shopwise had a backpack design competition around the theme Pinoy pride so this is what I made...I didn't win but I did get some Shopwise groceries for my effort. I decided to add some more touches as I was inspired by jeepney art and our penchant for horror vacuii (fear of empty spaces) It's just so Pinoy to decorate everything with abubut(trinkets)

side view of the bag. featuring lucban's pahiyas fiesta and bohol's chocolate hills

Sentro 1771, fabulous filipino food, finally!

After some mildly disappointing meals at Fely J and Mesa, my faith in upscale Filipino food has been restored with Sentro 1771.  We've always wanted to go there but were afraid that since it was part of the Chateau 1771 group, it would be insanely expensive. Fortunately, it's just around average for Greenblet resto prices but infinitely more satisfying.

Father's Day celebration at Mesa

Ok, confession, we actually celebrated Father's Day a week early because we thought it was on the 2nd Sunday of June. No wonder we were able to get reservations for Mesa easily. hehehe! But it was all for the best as we avoided the crowds and we were all together, which is the most important thing.

What to buy in Puerto Princesa

Aside from the usual tshirts, you can also buy stuff unique to Palawan, like a rain stick my mom got(P150)  or buy a wooden crocodile toy for P65 that wiggles depending on how you hold it.

Where to eat in El Nido

One of the most affordable restaurants in El Nido is the Skyline Grill. Lonely Planet calls it a slightly more upscale version of the turo-turo or carinderia.  You can choose from the different dishes behind the glass counter which range from P30 up, or you can order something from the menu, which are around P100 and above.  You can also buy something from the market and have them cook it for you for a reasonable fee.

Where to stay in El Nido

I chose Marina Garden Resort not only because it came highlt recommended by a friend, but also because it had a very informative website and most of all, it was the only one I could find that had  satellite TV! I tried not having a TV last year in Coron and only brought my portable DVD player but we got bored! Plus, it was an election year and we just couldn't stand not knowing what was going on in the rest of the country.

Where to eat in Puerto Princesa

There are lots of cafes and restaurants  for every kind of budget in Puerto Princesa. While they do have kiosks at the  NCCC mall, I recommend you try something you won't find in Manila. Here are my recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner and merienda,too!

Where to stay in Puerto Princesa

If it's within your budget, try to stay at Puerto Pension, which has gotten good reviews.. Or you can stay where we stayed, Audissie Pension , which is just beside Puerto Pension on Malvar street.

Hinulugang Taktak Ng Pilipinas

or Hinulugang Taktak National Park :) Not much has changed since we visited except for the new paint job. The falls are still smelly and the entrance fee still cheap at P8 per person! The place is still 5 degrees cooler than the rest of the city because of the large trees.

Don't stop believin'!

A century after demcoracy was introduced in the Philippines, we have finally entered the age of automation! The country's first automated elections was held today, May 10,2010 and all our votes were counted. Of course, we did have to wait for 4 hours because of the long lines but luckily we came prepared with water, newspapers and books, mp3 players, food and foldable chairs. This picture was taken at 9:30am, then we changed into white shirts before going to the precinct and got home for late lunch at 2pm! Let's hope this exercise will be peaceful and successful!

Day 5-6: Bye, El Nido ,Back To Puerto Princesa

We had to wake up early one last time to catch our 7am van to Puerto Princesa. We'll surely miss having breakfast by the beach

Day 4: Island hopping Tour C

Tour C is adventure day! We went to Hidden Beach where we saw an anemone where some clownfish live, Matinloc Shrine, a deserted beach for lunch, Secret Beach and Helicopter island where the waves were unusually strong but Pa and the family enjoyed facing the crashing waves

Day 3: Island hopping Tour A

Above: The tranquil beach of Corong-corong.

Tour A consists of a trip to Miniloc Island's Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon and 7 Commandos beach. We paid Aling Pacing P500 per person for this group tour(Lunch and water provided). Also note that you also have to pay an environment fee(whatever that means) of P100 each, which is valid for 10 days. P200 each if you're a foreigner.

Day 2: El Nido town

I always thought El Nido was too far, too inaccessible and far too expensive for us. But I was wrong. El Nido can be affordable if you do your research. One of the most important tips I got from the net is that you can go to El Nido town by bus(P300 per person) or aircon van(P600 per person ) via the Fort Wally terminal. Get a trike to take you there (P150 for maximum 5 passengers)

Day 1: Puerto Princesa

April 22, 2010. Day one of our Puerto Princesa-El Nido adventure

Holy week 2010: Shaking things up

Above, a crucifix my mom owns. The cross can be lifted a bit to reveal a small glass sphere containing soil from the catacombs of Rome.

This year we didn't go to our traditional churches for the visita iglesia because we wanted to see this church in faraway Las Pinas that was inspired by nature.