It's that time of the year again

Our office decor

christmas gift ideas

It's that time of the year again and if you're wracking your brain trying to figure out what to give your kids, I have a suggestion! It's Philippine-made and educational,too.

These are cute stuffed toys of rare indigenous Pinoy animals like the tarsier, whale shark and the Philippine eagle. I've seen these in their store and they are really excellent. The attention to detail is laudable. Unfortunately, they are not for sale. You can only get one if you spend P10,000 (single receipt) at their store.

i lost, i lost! twice!

I had not yet won an ipad2 when I joined the magnolia name the twin mascots  promo.You had to take a picture with a kid aged 8-12 years old drinking magnolia choclait and think of a name for the twins and then ask your friends to vote for your entry.  The prize was an ipad2.

So I sent in this entry and said I wanted to name then Mico and Maya. Here is my kilometric ms. universe reason why: 

Mico is a great name for an active Pinoy boy who likes video games but also likes to play soccer and basketball and patintero. He’s obedient and respectful but playful, too. His name comes from a combination of MIlk and ChoCO=MICO.

Maya is a very Pinoy name for a girl with a wild imagination. Sometimes she’s a bird, or a wizard or a reporter, but most of the time she’s a sweet girl who loves to read and act out stories. Her name comes from the first and last syllables of Magnolia.

Truth be told , I thought I had it in the bag.
After a much delayed announcement, I found out I didn't win but I was in the top 20 which meant I'd get a gift pack. And I did win best caption so I also won 2 months worth of chocolait! Hurray!

Claiming it was easy enough though it was kind of embarassing to admit to the ad agency people that I had joined a lot of contests, around 20 for this year alone. But hey, I have a free ipad 2 to show for it, so who cares? Bringing the prizes was the hard part. I had to carry my backpak with 1 liter of magnolia inside plus two boxes of chocolait containg 24 tetrapacks at 250ml each! That's 12 liters extra I had to lug around to the office where I split the prize  with my model, Joshua.

It's been a good year and it's not even over! I'm about to buy some groceries now, some of which also have contests! I know I have a problem, I'm living it! I just can't stop joining! Help!

mama's birthday at mann hann and wee nam kee

 My mom's birthday was going to be on a Sunday but mama wanted to spend it on a Saturday so we would have a longer time bonding since it would be my day off. But that meant we'd have to go to megamall in Pasig since Twinx and her hubby had to go to nearby Robinson's for a seminar after lunch. We'd also get to play with baby Alex while his parents were out. So I asked around and finally settled on Mann Hann, a chinese restaurant which also owned a Filipino restaurant beside it called Mannang. Megamall, though is not our usual hangout so we got a bit lost finding the parking area and finding the restaurant itself.

Papa's recipe for mechado

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef ( kalitiran or kemchi or boneless meat)
1 big onion(red)
1 head garlic crushed
3/4 kilo tomato
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon paminton
1/2 teaspoon pepper crushed

1. Slice onion and tomato. Remove seeds and mix in blender till they become liquid.
2. Slice beef into cubes 1/2 inch thick
3. Place beef and tomato mixture in pot
4. Pour enough water to cover meat and tomatoes
5. Pour soy sauce and paminton. Mix
6. Bring to a boil.
7. In a pan, saute garlic in oil till golden brown
8. While beef is boiling, stir in garlic and cook in low heat till beef is tender stirring occasionally.

mojacko at the movies: Cinemalaya 2011 part 1: Ang Babae sa Septic Tank

I'm lucky my job lets me see indie movies that I might have missed because it's too much of a hassle to go to UP or CCP.

finally, i won! i won!

After years of trying to win one, I finally won an ipad 2 with wifi and 3G!  Remember how I said that the ipad is the best and worst gadget of the year? Well, the ipad2 is the best especially when it's free! I love all the free apps and free downloads!

mojacko recommends: cake planet!

  Dessert comed first blogger Lori wrote about a new discovery here  so I just had to rush out of work and try it out myself. Not only was it so near where I live, its weird shop hours (1 pm to 1am) were just perfect for my schedule!

Omakase

For Ma and Pa's anniversary, we went back to Ayala Triangle to try out the japanese resto Omakase. While Mama simply enjoyed the sushi boat, I found what we ordered too delicately flavored, too subdued for my taste. I hesitate to call it bland for my Pinoy taste but I do think all the dishes left me unimpressed. Maybe we should have ordered other stuff. My mistake it that I didn't order the tempura or the western dishes like the rib eye steak. Well, Ma wants to go back there on her birthday so we'll be giving Omakase another chance!

mother's day at North Park and father's day at Conti's

 I got so busy with my Davao post I forgot to post a few photos of our Mother's day lunch at North Park, a chinese restaurant. The food is always very good but a bit expensive for everyday meals. We order from this place at work when it's somebody's birthday.

Ampalaya con carne (P177). Jon forced himself to eat the bitter melon fear factor style. I should have taken a picture of his face!

Wow Davao! Part 3: Where to go and some thoughts

This eagle is named Sir Arny. He is the only eagle not cooped up in a cage but one of his talons is tied to his perch so he doesn't fly away.

Since Davao City is so huge, it would be better to hire a taxi for a whole day to take you around the tourist spots of Davao. 

Wow Davao! Part 2: Where we ate

Davao City is huge! It is said to be one of the largest cities in the world in terms of land area at 2,443.61 square kilometers. And 4 days are not enough to truly get to know this vast city, especially if you spend 2 days at the Pearl Farm. That's why I did not write authoritatively  "Where to eat in Davao", rather where we ate, though we did not have a bad meal anywhere there except at the airport.

We arrived at around 7pm and after checking in at Ponce Suites, the nearest restaurant I wanted to go to was Ah Fat, behind the Victoria Plaza mall.  Writer and blogger Margaux Salcedo recommended it. As I wrote on my Facebook post, the place has zero ambiance but the food was delicious! Ma says it's like a Binondo Chinese restaurant. No frills, no pretensions.

Steamed crab in garlic(P350)

Wow Davao! Part 1: Pearl Farm

I am so proud to say that I have finally gone to all the major islands of my country, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao!
I chose Davao for our trip this year because I got jealous of my balikbayan uncle and cousin who lived most of their life in the US but got to Mindanao before me, a Filipino who was just an hour and 40 minutes (by plane) away from Davao. Luckily, I got half-off my plane tickets and also got discounted gift certificates at Davao's very chic Pearl Farm.

Visita Iglesia 2011

The small snack before we left. Open faced grilled tuna and cheese sandwich. It wasn't supposed to be open-faced but someone got hungry and almost finished off all of the bread!

art shoes

here are some pics of my latest work---painted shoes. an officemate's gray pair  of vans got stained by bleach and he asked if i could paint over it. after much hemming and hawing, i finally got around to it and i think it looked quite nice.

 the ckient wanted bright colors for summer so i painted it all over with a light blue that looked so fresh and soothing to the eye, i actually was tempted to leave it like that! ... i did worry that it looked to kiddie so i made the guy on one shoe hold a san miguel beer bottle....

 ...and the right shoe has a sexy lady in a hot white bikini!

plus some nice details at the back like a sea turtle and some coconut trees...

Kanin Club: Deadly delicious

For my Papa's birthday, we went to one of the hottest places in the metro right now, The Ayala Triangle Garden which is right behind the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati. It's said to be the fave hangout of all the yuppies in the business district. Fortunately, it is not crowded on Sundays and we were able to easily get a table at Kanin Club.

Big chowdown in Little Tokyo

 

In front of the entrance, a torii





For my birthday, we wanted someplace new so I decided to research a place I pass by everyday, a small cluster of authentic Japanese restaurants called  "Little Tokyo".

Twinx birthday at Aristocrat

Twinx treated us at Aristocrat  along Roxas Blvd. for her birthday. The last time we ate here was for Twinx's graduation  from university.

Back in Boracay!

After 5 years, I'm back in Boracay! I won a 3 day/ 2 night package including airfare  for 2 at a Rider sandals photocontest which brought me  and Papa back to the party island.

I lost! I lost!

I joined the History Channel "Hidden Cities" contest last December and I entered Culion as a city they should check out. I named my entry  Culion: City of the living dead as it once was the largest leper colony in the world.

I forgot there was a voting component and I was also afraid my friends and family would be sick of another campaign asking for votes just a few months after winning that iPod nano. Plus, I already had a videocam, though a new Sanyo videocam would have been a great backup...

So I didn't win but I did get shortlisted as one of the 20 finalists and got a backpack which they delivered some weeks ago and I must say, it is awesome! I was expecting an ordinary backpack but this one is a traveler's/hiker's  backpack with all sorts of zippers and pockets. And it's water-resistant, too! So I lost but the consolation prize is surely consoling! :D

Sure hope I have better luck in the Mama Mar y video contest!!!

Stop the press!

I think I may have to change my choice for best movie of 2010... I only saw it this January but it is indeed my top choice of 2010 and maybe 2011!
Mojacko recommends...RPG Metanoia! It's the first 3D animated film  from the Philippines and it is amazing! Sure, the animation is not as fluid as Pixar's but it got the most important part right--the story!

RPG (Role Playing Game) Metanoia is about a kid who is awful at sports but a champ at online gaming where he is a hero who can slay monsters in an imaginary world which the creators have imbued with very Pinoy details like calesas, moriones helmets and cobble stone streets.. Circumstances lead him and his friends to give up gaming and discover Pinoy street games like patintero and piko. Meanwhile the gaming world is in turmoil as an evil player is turning everyone into zombies even in the real world! And now, only Nico and friends can save the world!

I love how proudly Pinoy it is (daing na bangus! owner type jeeps! sari-sari stores!) and how the creators have meshed their love for gaming with their fondness for the games of their youth without hitting the audience on the head with a moral lesson.

at last!

i finally got a francis magalona "pride" shirt after years of searching for it!!!yey!!!

Best and worst of 2010

As we welcome 2011, we cheer and jeer the best and worst of the year that was
Best Movie Here come the Bride 
From the writer of 2009's Kimmy Dora comes Chris Martinez's hilarious body-switching comedy with Angelica Panganiban finding her true calling and upstaging comediennes Eugene Domingo and Tuesday Vargas as a gay beautician merrily trapped in a woman's body. It won't make any festival lists but it's the best stress-reliever!

Honorable mention goes to The Social Network, Toy Story 3 and Ip Man.
Worst Movie: The Expendables
I did not watch The Last Airbender or Jonah Hex so this may change but The Expendables was such a letdown because they got all these 80s action stars and they couldn't come up with a better/current story?

Best TV show: Big Bang Theory
Any show that frequently references comics is tops in my book. Funny, smart  writing, a great ensemble and
hats off to Jim Parsons for making an annoying character like Sheldon lovable.



Also noteworthy were Grazilda (the first few weeks) Magkaribal for the camp, the botox and for Angel Aquino's acting.

Worst TV: Willieng Willie
Of course anything with Willie Revillame back on the boob tube is disgusting as he pretends to help the poor but he's really exploiting them for ratings.
Sadly, there were other disappointments like M3(Malay mo ma-develop), Diva and 1dol, which tried to cash in on the Glee love but failed so badly they had to end it earlier than planned.

Best Song: Ako'y isang Mabuting Pilipino

No matter who you voted for, this song should be our mantra. We should BE the change we want to see.


Worst Song: Justin Bieber's Baby, Baby oh
Cringe-inducing! I guess all the hoopla about this kid  and his hair has created a backlash.

Best Book: "Sarap" and "Tikim" by Doreen Fernandez
How embarrassing that I only read this now. It was published 25 years ago and Doreen has passed on but the content is remarkable! One of the most fascinating is how patis is a Tagalog seasoning...the Bisayas use toyo, which they call patis. A cebuano uncle calls patis tagalog "Rufina"!

Honorable mention: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco. I didn't always get it but it is a mind-bending tale.

Best children's book: Araw sa Palengke by May Tobias and illustrated by Isabel Roxas

A charming story with lovely, lovely illustrations of a sleepy little girl who goes to the market with her mom.

Worst Book: Hmmm...can't think of any but I was disappointed by Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay which I read before I got to read The Hunger Games, which was much better.

Best Trend: Free online contests. I've already won one and an officemate has also been inspired to become a professional contest joiner!

Worst trend:  Jejemon!!! I hate those hats just placed on top of their head it made me do this Crazy Jhenny strip

 Best gadget: ipad
Definitely the most desired gadget all over because it looked so cool with the touchscreen which launched numerous imitations. Most of the contests I've joined now dangle this as their first prize.

Worst gadget: ipad
No, it doesn't/won't support flash videos (youtube!)out of the box, can't do multitasking, and you know it didn't include a camera so that the Mac devotees will also buy the next version. The ipad is basically a big ipod touch.  An expensive, hyped- up  toy for big boys and girls.
And yes, I still want one.

That's it! If you know of any best or worst I might have missed, tell me in the comments section!