10 years

it was december, 2001 when i first ventured into the corporate, big, big world outside university. i shared that experience with 8 other hopeful individuals: harbie, donna, maricor, thyra, aileen, cindy, rico, and jimmy.

the company was spi and it's just a tricycle ride away from home. what more could i ask for? more than proximity, it's the good experience with my batch mates that mattered. we were so diverse, with shrieking differences, yet we jived.

i loved the debates of aileen and rico/jimmy. they debated about everything! from heaven/hell to leavig contact numbers.

there was the pabalagbag parking of harbie in sm sucat, and how we became tameme when the guard scolded us (read: harbie hehehe).

and the nihongo class, which thyra and maria aced. all that rico and i could muster, up to now, is a mere "ichi ni san," which means 1, 2, 3. ugh. i will never figure out how to use kore wa, sore wa.

and the gamaling and gayosi of rico and jimmy! enough said.

and there was the laguna impromptu outing with donna, maria, harbs. galore talaga! pati mga nananahimik na bato e nalapastangan! muntik na pati mga batang walang muwang! susme!

the exposure to cmm was also great. it's all about process, steps, almost oc, but the process worked! that's why it was a shock when i moved to another company. no more saving of approval mails, no more everything! but i miss it up to now.

after 10 years, we met again. it was last dec at italianni's at boni high street. harbie, cindy, and i were in manila so it was a perfect time to meet. donna, jimmy, thyra, and aileen didn't make it, sayang!

nothing changed! well, except there's mike, pistoy & alfredo, baby rico coming soon & mak. oherwise, we are still the same crazy bunch. sana next time complete na! :)

#foodtripmanila - lydia's lechon and baclaran day

before christmas, i "encouraged" mike to accompany me to baclaran to accomplish a couple of important things.

1. visit our lady of perpetual help. as i have mentioned before, i have very fond memories of this church. mama Mary has been so involved in our lives in so many ways. there's always a yearning to be there.

2. buy tela for my slacks na ipapatahi sa suking maxim's tailoring. i have issues with my limpak limpak na pants na nasayang just because i got fat. so i can't use them anymore. sige, i give up. nagpatahi na ako ng bago :) but how hard is it to look for tela?! no tela in sm! plus you have to go through a maze to locate that tela stall in baclaran!

3. buy towels for sendong.

4. buy mama Mary statue for mami's collection. we bought our lady of Salvacion :)

5. look for cactus for tito danny's collection. bigo.

at...

6. kumain sa lydia's lechon!

i've blurred the trivial meals: mechado and kare-kare. what matters most is the lechon and the balat.

i like their rest room. clean and complete from tissue to flush to water to soap to mouthwash! yun lang mahirap gawin ang nasa karatula :p

it was a successful trip. mike wouldn't have gone there if not for love. hahaha! hindi ko sya pinilit. promise! hindi talaga.

ginawa nya ito nang buong puso at walang pagsisimangot :))) at hindi ko rin sya nibribe ng balat ng lechon. hindi.

#foodtripmanila - krispy kreme

krispy kreme with sola iced tea for midnight snack

krispy kreme with hot coffee for breakfast

i love the glazed ones. simple yet yum!

#foodtripmanila - taho

i don't think any manila trip would be complete without the good, old, yummy taho.

i know. there's taho here too. this is how you buy it in those fancy soy stalls here, "auntie, one bean curd with pearl, please." tastes like taho, alright... but something's not right. it tastes and sounds so clean! hahaha!

in manila, every morning, you wait for manong's unforgiving wail, "tahoooooo!" and authentic manila taho is bought like this, "manong, taho nga. sampung piso," or if you're really hungry, go for beinte (pronounced bente) pero kalabisan na yun. if you are at home, you give manong your mug. at dito sasandukin ni manong ang mighty taho. pero bago yun, sasandukin muna nya ang seemingly watery substance na namuo sa ibabaw ng taho at itatapon sa lupa. one of life's precious mysteries.

manong would put the pearls and it's at this point when you should say, "manong, padagdag (or bawas) ng arnibal," then manong gives it a quick stir. then it's all yours to enjoy!

at ang pinakamalupit na fact: ang authentic na taho, maaligasgas sa bibig! now, that's taho manila style!

#foodtripmanila - ice scramble

or skrambol. we bought these from sm cavite. apparently there are a lot of skrambol stalls all over the archipelago! wow! franchise stalls all over town! mike's drink had other bits and pieces of candy sprinkles. i like mine the old fashioned way (pretty much like me), just powdered milk and syrup on top. there are other toppings available, like oreo, gummy candies, etc. di ko masyadong type.

when i was a kid i didn't buy much of this. maybe once or twice lang. dahil na rin siguro sa chismis na ipinakalat ng mga madre at guro na may drugs daw ang mga food and toys na galing sa mga kariton. asus. tuwing tuloy dadaan ang kariton ng skrambol, di kami magkamayaw sa pagtungo. siguro kung sinabi nilang pagtatae or hepa ang pwedeng makuha e di naman kami makikinig :))) daanin sa kwentong drugs at sindikato. effective!

skrambol carts back in the old days were cool! shaved ice flavored with banana essence and pinapula ng red food color is stored securely in a styro container. manong scoops this into tiny pink plastic cups, sprinkles with a generous heap of powdered milk, pearls, and tops it all off with chocolate syrup. meron pa kayang kariton ng skrambol ngayon?

i love that the powdered milk doesn't dissolve completely, and you have to do tiny munches! lasang lasa ang milk! :) love it!

#foodtripmanila / tagaytay - lzm restaurant

omg. makaarte lang. para in!

omg talaga ang lzm restaurant sa magallanes square, tsagaytsay citeeeeh!

mike and his troop brought me to this heaven last 2010. we were on our way home from tali beach, batangas from the prenup, and they decided to eat lunch here. thank you, guuuys!

after that first encounter, i've been back twice!

and after pink sisters last dec 18, go na to lzm to eat like a... queen na lang. hehehe

super sarap ng:

pic 1: giant bangus
pic 2: bulalow
pic 3: chicharong flowers

omg talaga.

highly recommended! 5 popcorn tubs (wait, that's for a movie)! 5 stars! 5 spoons! yey!

off to the mountains we went

mountains talaga?

dec 18 was tagaytay day with mike, ate yogi, and manang.

i've always fancied going to tagaytay. after a mere 2 hour drive, you'll find yourself in a cold, nature-y haven. it's like being in a different world! away from the pollution and heat! hello to pineapples and horses and flowers and suka!

fond memories of tagaytay:
- HS and LCG retreats. serene talaga ang place. makes you feel closer to God. at maaalala mo talaga lahat ng kasalanan mo :)))
- family day-outs. sabaw ng bulalo. sebo. we seldom went to tagaytay as a family, so the few times are really special.
- kabayo! once in my life, i experienced riding a horse. we did not bring overnight clothes. and decided. to. stay. for. the. night. with. no. extra clothes. just good company that's riche and liza :) single life and spontaneity at its finest!
- steep parking. no further kwento.
- people's park with mike and his parents and the new car! and how i was pestered with a million pimples and chaotic hair that's pleading for a rebond then.
- prior to our wedding, we went to tagaytay to meet fr. gerbert, the officiating priest. he wanted to meet us. it was touching how he made an effort to talk to us. he wanted inputs for the ceremony :)

pic 1: love it how you could drive with open windows. let the cool wind touch your face. have good conversation. look at the wonderful view, even if it's just grass and trees!

pic 2: at dahil malamig, perfect ang hot coffee! tambay sandali sa starbucks, marvelled at the taal view, kept our bodies warm, posing posing :)

pic 3: pink sisters. i think i've been there thrice. there's an area where you can write your petitions and leave your contact number. mike says they will contact you once they have read and prayed for your petition. nice :)

the places you could go to when you are at home. tagaytay is a perfect getaway. likewise, a perfect hideout. i realized i haven't tried riding a boat to go to the crater. some day i will :) sounds like fun!

ahngel and stan

dec 17, we attended the ma-chua wedding at sofitel, manila.

i've always called ahngel "little girl", which is inappropriate, because she's taller than me. she doesn't look like a little girl at all, but a pretty lady!

whatevs... she's still "little girl"... and the little girl finally found the happiness that's stan. i'm glad :)

i think everybody deserves to be happy. you just have to find that happiness, decide that you will be happy, work hard for your happiness, decide to remain happy for the rest of your life, and the rest will just be like magic. easy. not. but it's all up to you. :)

i was excited to see ahngel and stan in the most wonderful day of their lives (i know this because our wedding was the most wonderful day of our lives, so says mike [and so i say too])! i was also excited because it was my first time to witness a christian, garden, chinese wedding :)

well, it was supposed to be a garden / bay side wedding, but mother nature had other plans. the set-up was so pretty outside! they had to decide last minute to move the ceremony inside the hotel because of the "mild" downpour. labo. downpour nga e. i almost thought na sayang ang set-up and overall impact ng garden wedding, but the ceremony inside was just as lovely! what mattered most was the serenity (na incidentally hinarana ng serenata. gets?) and intimacy of the event. marami kaming napulot na good points from the pastor. at walang papantay. walang papantay sa kaligayahan nina ahngel and stan that night.

maraming chinese. medyo op hehehe kami lang ang maitim :))) (but it's not about me, fine).

the reception area was lovely. festive, elegant, chochal na chochal. the food was great! the program was very simple and short and sweet. it's a usual, yet unusual wedding.

pastor said:

* it's ok to have a 3rd party in a marriage as long as the 3rd party is God.

* don't compete, compare, complain.

* be playful. don't need details for that.

congrats to the wonderful couple! :)

mani pedi

mani pedi is such a luxury here. that's what i think. they don't even get down to the pesteng ingrown nails. but i have to commend that the foot scrubs are great and the nail color lasts for quite some time. tools are also sanitary.

i had mani pedi in manila last dec. the price is crazy 150 lang, teh! nakakaaliw! ang galing pa sobra ni ate magtanggal ng ingrown :) no pain!

the cheapest i found was a home service mani pedi at php 50 in aklan! grabe!

God never fails

"have i ever failed you?"

so says the voice inside my head.

i have always been afraid of tomorrow.
i have always worried.
i have always feared.
if i could only have that tiny drop of faith and trust...
that each day will be beautiful.
it may not be cozy all the time,
but my God will be here,
because He is faithful that way.
why can't i be?

"in God we trust"

so says the sign on a cityland tower in makati.
even an inanimate building has something like this etched on it.
why can't i have it too?



NO. YOU HAVE NEVER FAILED ME, FATHER. THANK YOU.

#foodtripmanila - balikbayan staples

sinong balikbayan ang hindi natatakam sa mga fast food / restaurants na 'to? susme!

max's 

nothing beats max's chicken. a friend shared the recipe for max's chicken.  we tried it... pwede, pero di sing sarap ng manok ni mang max. hehehe. caramel bars, to die for din! we ate at max's on our way to manila from tarlac last dec 26. sa highway :p

mcdo

walang burger mcdo sa sg, but i never got the chance to order burger mcdo in manila.  we "settled" for their breakfast meals last jan 1.  hamdesal egg was good :) perfect for the christmas mood. 

kfc

iba ang alat ng manok at gravy dito sa sg at sa manila. syempre mas maalat at mas masarap ang manila version. at ang pinakapatok: ang kanin! walang kanin dito sa kfc sg :p hello?! kelan kaya nila marealize na bagay yun sa kanin? :)  pic taken last dec 16 along ayala avenue.

goldilocks

combo meals and makukulay na juice and chocolate decadence cake. i wanted to get dinuguan, but we had dinuguan overdose in tarlac. redundant naman diba, kung order pa ng dinuguan?  this was taken last dec 23 in sm south mall.

sbarro 

a few months ago, there was news that sbarro filed for bankruptcy.  nag panic si kuya dahil favorite nya ito.  magandang balita namang hindi nagsara ang mga store sa manila.  in fact, nasa food courts pa nga sya ngayon. servings were reduced to almost half, though. pero masarap pa rin naman. (bonus: potato corner fries).  pic taken last dec 26 in cash & carry.

jollibee

no documentation needed.  except: jollibee deserves 2 visits... and also, happy v is the closest that we could get to jollibee. 

home

dec 16 - i went with wawin to visit our "home" in paranaque. it was a fun ride at the bus and jeep. more of pollution and dust and traffic frenzy. :p we got there eventually, and i was shocked.

the once cozy home is now rented out to bed spacers, 6 ladies (i think). they are occupying 3 of 4 bedrooms, plus access to the dining room, kitchen, and half of the living room.

the house is a mess. it wasn't a richy rich, martha stewart house before, but it's just in a complete disarray now. the floor is dirty, the sink is beyond words. there are plastic bags hooked everywhere. i don't know what's inside those bags.

i lived there for 27 years. i grew up and grew old in that house. that house was a silent witness to new life on 1980 when i was born, and again on 1986 when wawin was born. it was also a witness to sadness on the death of lola, papa, and lolo. the walls practically heard and absorbed all our laughters and tears. the house met a lot of characters from friendships and past relationships. it survived numerous attacks of earthquake, storm, flood. if it survived the mighty ones, then it's a mighty one!

i once believed that we had a big and pangmayamang house until i visited my HS classmates' houses :p it was a pangmahirap house pala mwehehe. still, it was our home!

i didn't try to take pictures. i didn't have the heart to have that remembrance.

the other half of the living room is now wawin's comp shop. pic below.

we also visited the Sto. Nino chapel. pic below. at least, it's still the same serene chapel :) still feels right. incidentally, it was the feast of Sto. Nino last sunday. mami was in pque for the fiesta. she said she felt sad when she heard mass, remembering times when we were still complete, hearing mass and spending time together at home.

memories!!!!

#foodtripmanila - sari-saring ulam at crazy appetite

still at wawin's place in makati, there's this eatery called crazy appetite. it's basically a clean turo-turo with nice tables, chairs, and lamps.

they showcase the dishes on nice serving platters too. on pic: corned beef, liver steak, and beef something. again, food is tasty, variety is good too, but i wish wawin would not eat here (read: out) on a daily basis.

#foodtripmanila - cheese burger pizza bar from mini stop

when i stayed at makati for 2 nights, wawin recommended this pizza bar from mini stop for breakfast. this is just one of the instant meals you could get from mini stop.

i say it's very tasty. wawin has become an expert of instant-meals-scouting. hmmm... that's not a good news, though.

i learned that there are also canned meals available in groceries, and by meals they mean rice and ulam - in a can! sounds like kaning-pig? hehe.

whatever happened to meals lovingly prepared by moms or lolas?

anyway, here's the wrapper. jejejeje.

#foodtripmanila - burger machine roast beef and sans rival

when we were kids, we would have BM for merienda. papa would always have roast beef and the kids would have bart burger.

i marvelled at how the BM lady would prepare (read: reheat) the roast beef in that tin container on the stove. it looked so yummy. i never asked papa if i could taste the roast beef because all the while, i thought that roast beef burgers are for papas, and not for kids.

i'm not saying that bart burgers are not yummy! in fact, it's a shame they stopped selling this burger! it was the 2nd thing i looked for when we were in that dimly lit BM stall last december. first choice was roast beef!

i heard that BM has just recently put back roast beef into their menu, and it's all good! it was juicy and beefy and delicious.

the sans rival, well, came from the ref. that ref that contains everything they need to operate a BM stall. so buttery, semi-crunchy, not too sweet, so good!

ps: i'm a lousy food critic because every stuff that's edible just tastes good to me. :)

#foodtripmanila

we were in manila for the december holidays. i took some shots of food that we missed and tagged them as #foodtripmanila in twitter. it was fun! i was never the artistic photographer type. the goal is just to document the yum and the gum (huh).

so here they are, in all their majesty. the following posts will document the food feast. :)

mainit ang dugo

ca. 1989, we were in baguio with some family friends - papa's friends and their kids. i think there were 4 kids: me, kuya, alvin, and mark.

the slumber during the first night was peaceful. when we woke up, i was covered with insect bites. from. head. to. toe.

alvin was the annoying type. he looked at me, laughed, and said, "yuck may bulutong!"

i remember the evil grin. i remember holding back the tears with all my might while picking up pine cones (that we wanted to bring home to manila. pine cones are cool!).

i don't know what i have in my blood that attracts mosquitoes and other insects that bite. sometimes i don't even see insects, and yet i get bites! why?

it would just be me. all the time. when we were in manila last christmas, it happened again. we slept in mike's room and i got these bites on my legs, tummy, neck. though it wasn't as bad as the bulutong incident, it was still bad and so itchy. plus it comes with the pesteng peklats.

my cousin says i have warm blood. fine. mosquitoes, come and get me!