palm sunday and the palaspas

It's palm Sunday, the start of the holy week and again we go to church carrying the palaspas or palm leaf to reenact the welcome of Jesus into Jerusalem. We wave them vigorously in the air to catch the drops of holy water the priest uses to bless them.

Curiously, the palaspas has turned into a sort of talisman in our country that's supposed to ward off aswang and ghosts. Maybe that's why some of the churchgoers had 4 or 5 of them, one for every house ,car and window!

There's even one movie (Shake, rattle and roll) that shows it's the only thing that can hurt a manananggal if you don't have the traditional tail of a stingray!

More on the palaspas here

birthdays , earth hour

For my birthday, we were supposed to have lunch at Mesa, a much blogged-about resto on ritzy Greenbelt5 but since we were under time pressure, we just tried out Dulcinea, a spanish resto in crowded Glorietta 4. It was a disappointment. The food was just too expensive for the cramped setting and the serving too small for the price. Though I do recommend the tropical fruit drink which comes in a pitcher good for 4 (P140) Meanwhile, check out how Ayala is again renovating their landscape and in the process,destroying all the places I had fond memories of.

Edsa 2 was not a mistake...

Edsa 2 was not a failure ...Gloria Macapagal Arroyo failed Edsa 2.

Just posting an old photo of an artwork I made out of disgust after the impeachment court threw out the Jose Velarde envelope and people started gathering at the Edsa shrine to call for Erap's resignation. I made another one that had Erap hiding under the covers with the words "kung tunay kang lalake, humarap ka sa korte!" We didn't have cellphones with cameras then but luckily, a photographer of the Manila Standard took a picture and even more fortunately, my friend who worked there spotted this and sent it to me! I never got that poster back after I let them bring it to the impromptu stage.

Twinx's birthday at Amici

For twinx's birthday, we went back to Amici in Makati. It has left its cafeteria roots to become more like a streamlined resto. But ordering is still self-service: Fall in line and order at the counter, get your own utensils and water, drinks are still ordered at the ice cream counter, now called Caramia.

Prices have gone up a little but the servings seem smaller. Either that or we were very hungry. :D The food is still good but some favorites like the Osso Buco risotto is gone, replaced by pork or seafood risotto, both good alternatives for rice-loving Pinoys. A most welcome addition is their expanded lineup of desserts. They now have ice cream, cake and ice cream cake!

The anitpasti: Amici Polpette (meatballs in tomato sauce and chees) P170--nothing spectacular

Caesar's salad P140--serving good for one only. Dressing was really tasty!

Ragu risotto(pork) P250--Tender and succulent!

Vongole (Seafod in white sauce) P230--Always a winner, though a little spicy

Lasagna P195--it's funny, I like this version more than last time's but Jon liked the old version

4 seasons pizza P290--so good we almost forgot to take a picture. But Bistro Coron's is still better

New! Nocciola cake (hazelnut) P75--yummy cake version of my fave ice cream flavorNew! Merry berry ice cream cake P95--delicious but too sweet.

So many flavors of ice cream/gelato! What to choose?
The cake selection...good news! slices always available!

The ice cream cakes!

I love that they didn't cut down the trees of Salesiana publishing :)

Feeling close

The closest I can get to meeting Tita Cory.

When I was in the 5th grade, President Aquino was the guest speaker at our school's anniversary. I've since joined lots of rallies with her butI never got to meet her. Luckily, I got to meet the family! Officemate now call me the adopted son of the Aquinos. heehee! The only person I need a picture with now is Krissy.