pa's birthday and earth hour

Chicken risotto was ok, not as fantastic as the seafood risotto

The shrimps wrapped in bacon and asparagus was an explosion of flavor! Too bad there were only 4 pieces.

we had dinner at italianni's for pa's birthday and we were worried about what would happen if we stayed till 8:30pm, when Makati and the rest of the country turns off their lights for earth hour. The waiters informed us that their resto would only be dimming their lights and provide candles because they might have food accidents if they turn off all their lights. Too bad, since we were planning to escape in the darkness when we asked for our bill. hehe.
Most of Ayala did turn off their lights and according to the news, so did SM's Mall of asia.


this was the view from greenbelt's parking lot.

and this is greenbelt 1 all dark save for the headlights of vehicles.

and this is amorsolo street and mile long. some establishments chose not to participate... earth killers! booo!

Savory Lomi

It rained hard this week on what was supposed to be the first few days of summer vacation which had me craving for some comfort food like Savory's steaming hot bowl of Lomi. I wasn't too happy with my first experience with Lanmark Makati's Savory outlet at their food court. It was near closing time and the food was very oily. But I ordered the lomi right in the middle of the day and got a really , well, savory dish that engulfs you in a heady mix of noodles and shrimp and rich, delectable soup. It's a bit pricey for a merienda at P120 but just about right for lunch or dinner. You'll feel full for hours. Be warned , though, of the MSG. One hour later my head was spinning though it also may have been from sleep deprivation. It may be better to have this at the end of the day so you'll have sweet dreams of lomi goodness.

birthday at Cyma

I saw Watchmen(and i liked it) and then met my family at Greenbelt 2 (or is it 3? I really don't know which is which ) for dinner. I suggested we try out Cyma, a greek-resto which was full even on an ordinary Thursday night so we had to wait for a long time to be seated because their 2nd floor ventilator was broken so it was too smoky upstairs even for the waiters!We had some salad and spinach and artichoke fondue...

...some traditional greek food like the chicken gyro(it's like a shawarma) and mousakka...Yes, that white thing on top is a layer of goat cheese. Ack! my arteries!...but the clear winner was the roasted lamb which was tender and flavorful. The general consensus was that we liked Italianni's better especially since their prices are similar but we miss the tomato sauce! And the free bread appetizer and the free drinks when you're waiting for a table.

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.

still more pix from new year

Pa and the boys showing off the shirts from Kuya Rocel

photos courtesy of mang omeng

New year is a big deal in Pasay as this is the annual grand reunion and opeing of gifts and exchange gifts and raffle. And of course, the paagaw where my relatives scramble for coins that rain down from our generous aunts' hands.

i had to go to work on New year but I left P500 for anyone who could get the highest score on our new magicsing that Tita Chuchie gave us. Everyone thought Sherwin would win with his off-key songs that made my Kuya Arnel laugh so hard his blood pressure rose. In the end, Kuya Celso scored an upset without even glancing at the lyrics.

Ako ang nagwagi:Kuya Celso wins the top prize,photo by Jon

my top films of 2008

A little late and definitely not academy awards material, just my own personal favorite movies or ,ehem, dvds from the past year

Favorite family movie: Mamma Mia! I watched this on dvd with my family and I now regret that I didn't let my ma and pa watch this on the big screen...just pure unadulterated fun all the way. I had the songs playing in my head for a month!

Favorite comic bookmovie: Iron Man. Sorry Batman, I hate dark, depressing movies and while everyone hailed it as the best comic book movie ever, I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr.'s playboy millionaire more. Favorite animated movie: Kung Fu Panda. Again maybe it was because of all the hype, but Wall-E just didn't affect me as much as the other Pixar films like Nemo or The incredibles...Po and the gang took themselves less seriously and the result is genuine mirth and movie magic.Favorite comedy : Tropic Thunder. Robert Downey again saves the day as 'that dude playing anothuh dude' and true to his word, he's still in character in the audio commentary! Plus, my family could not believe that was Tom Cruise!

Favorite Filipino film: Endo

What? Nope, it's not a Star Cinema rom-com. It's a small indie film that very few people outside of Cinemanila saw...which is a pity because this charming tale of contractual ('end of contract') employees who fall in love sans the histrionics or 'acting' moments one usually sees in Filipino movies is poignant and so moving in its simplicity. Too bad it's still not available on DVD.

Honorable mention: Hellboy 2 for its arresting visuals like this. Those are eyes on her wings! The dvd I got is chock-full of special features detailing the creative process behind this movie.Wow! Wonder what del Toro's dreams look like.

I still don't have any picks for Drama. I've seen Slumdog millionaire, Benjamin Button,etc. on the bangketa but I'll wait for the true dvd copy. Any suggestions or know any other films I might have missed?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

edited to add:

Favorite Horror/Thriller movie: The Orphanage

Spanish language film that provided the thrills and chills without big budget special effects. Hello, Shake rattle and roll franchise of Mother Lily, it can be done! I never thought a game of "uno,dos, tres, toca la pared"(Spanish version of pepsi/7-up) could be so hair-raising!

more pix of 2009

I miss Christmas...Papa has taken down the tree and lights but the nights are still very cold by Manila standards (18 degrees celsius). We close our windows and wrap our blankets tightly and have to heat water for our bath. So while we can, we buy some bibingka and puto bumbong ...mmmm...
Here's a pic of Jon's birthday lunch at Conti's. We also bought some 3 stars and sun shirts for Kuya Gary et al. Note: BF Ruins stalls open at 2PM.
Pic of me and Ma in front of the sign, something new from 2008.

New year 2009 pix

pix from New Year's eve...

ewwww! I filled up the chicken butt with mushroom following wowa's directions. hope it turns out ok for tomorrow's family reunion!

Twinx sewing up the chicken butt

that's our yellow lab, sasha. i covered her ears to protect from the noise of fireworks outside. poor sasha!
----------------------------------------------------------------

new year's day:

rodel and his kid, alexa

ate cecille and ate conching

it's a new year's miracle! the boys are washing the dishes for a change!

pandayan kitchen crew ready for action!

happy 2009!!!