The Best Kare-Kare So Far

Sunday is 'Get Physical Day.' We're really into exercising together as a family. We either jog or walk around wherever our feet would take us. Sometimes even my mom comes along. The Marikina Sports Plaza is one of our favorite destinations where we sweat all of the previous week's stress off. You can find lots denizens trying to lose the extra pounds on the large oval track on weekends. It feels so darn good to live in a healthy city.

In 2009, after a very satisfying and relaxing workout, we decided to have dinner at Nid's Balot sa Dahon. It's located almost right across the plaza, hence, it's hard to miss.

The resto's interiors give off a native, homey ambiance.

We ordered Pork Sisig and Sinigang na Baboy. Since then we never craved for anything else on Sunday evenings.

Saturday is either 'Date Night' or 'Malling Day,' or both. After strolling at the Blue Wave Mall in the afternoon of the 5th, we had one of our Nid's Balot sa Dahon top picks, the scrumptious Kare-kare! A day earlier than the usual, but what the heck? We eat what we want, when we want it.

Oooops, my second cup of rice (grins). Yes, you get to eat on banana leaf laid on a rattan plate. Downright Pinoy.

Simot sarap!

Nothing beats filling up on Philippine cuisine.

Phone Talk!

As frivolous as it may seem, most Filipinos are crazy for mobile phones. And I'd be a hypocrite if I say I'm not one of them. I love checking out shops to see the latest models and saving up for whatever catches my fancy. It's not an obsession, I just happen to marvel at technology and it's fast-paced evolution.

These days, I'm currently hooked on my Nokia X6 8gb (Symbian 60 5th Edition).

It got me enslaved to searching for and downloading apps which have turned into daily necessities like:

1.) Free-iSMS - Cool message threader. We all know Nokia's still stuck with the same ol' boring SMS system. This one does the magic.

2.) Resco Photo Viewer - A systematic photo album that organizes photographs and keeps them where they should be. It offers file options that make photo viewing a pleasurable experience.

3.) Scalado PhotoRama - Allows you to take panorama pictures sans the hassle.

4.) Nimbuzz & Socially - The social networking applications you can't live without.

5.) Pixelpipe - Enables you to upload photos, videos, audio & text files to over a hundred destinations, including Facebook.

But what got me really spellbound with my unit is this...

I got SPB Mobile Shell 3.7.2 installed on my X6!

SPB Mobile Shell is a highly customizable (and laudable) user interface. It has two types of home screens, Lifesytle & Professional, that provide up to 5 pages each -- which means 10 glorious home screens that you can navigate through just by flicking up, down, left and right.

 The widgets, the layouts. You can personalize every bit of it.

I can reach my favorite contacts at a touch.

If you want to revamp your ordinary Symbian touchscreen phone, this is the best software there is at the moment (check your phone's compatibility first, though). It's got all you need and more...

The program runs smoothly and acts as if it's inherent to the main operating system. A word of caution to phone-freaks: It's quite addictive to the point that it made the hubby jealous. To the geniuses at SPB Software -- Bravo!

He Must Be So Overwhelmed!

The best surprises are the ones that come from God.

Just a week ago, Ted Williams was a 53-year-old homeless soul in Colombus, Ohio, whose life was immensely disheveled by drugs and alcohol. Before the nasty vices got the better of him, he had a good job, a family, and a home. Consequently he lost everything he had.

In hopes of a second chance and two years into clean living, Ted frequented the highway holding a cardboard that claimed he's an ex-radio announcer with a "God-given gift of voice" who has fallen on hard times. It also said, "Any help will be greatfully appreciated."

Then one fateful January day, Columbus Dispatch reporter Doral Chenoweth III saw him at a street ramp and asked him to illustrate his talent on video...

I bet what happened after came as a shock to Ted. The video garnered over 11 million hits on YouTube, he got countless job offers from huge TV and radio networks, invitations to appear on various shows, and is now reunited with his mom.

Guest announcing on NBC's Today Show

Ted shares, "I always used to pray to God, 'Lord let my mom live to see another year; maybe this will be the year that somebody will say, 'Hey man, do you want a job?'"

This is exactly the sort of thing that happens when you give in to the Lord. What an inspiration this man has become!

Mr. Cancio's High School Reunion

Nelson reunited with his high school gang at the zany Quezon City High School (Q.C.H.S.) Batch '96 Christmas Party held at Ten 02 Bar. The well-trodden venue is owned and operated by none other than popular '90's ska icon Myra "Skarlet" Ruaro of Put3ska.

Reunions are fun because almost everyone doesn't end up the way you expected 10 years ago. The former class nerd shows up as an über successful lawyer, the ex-school heartthrob as a jobless freeloader, and the quondam wall flower as a thriving disco diva by night and CEO by day.

As for Mr. Nelson Cancio, his tagline that evening was 'erstwhile silent geek-turned-hunky graphic designer.' Naturally, I was his date.

Perfect with beer!

They played Pinoy Henyo, Quazo style.

And took some more pictures...

Their batch had a month-long on-line logo making contest in search of their official emblem to be used for various merchandise and upcoming events. The votes were tallied and a winner was announced towards the end of the night...

Congratulations, hon! I'm so proud of you!

Tuesday Photo Flashback

My mom, Arlette, and her older brother, Tito Richard, sometime before the 1960's.

Mama is such a little darling in this photograph! I was browsing through hundreds of old pictures, came across this one, and thought it's too adorable to get stuck on drive (D:). I just had to make up an excuse to post it. So, I guess this would be the first official Tuesday Photo Flashback entry.

Ma, you look like a slightly taller and long-haired version of Onei! :-)

The Girl Crush: Got One?

WARNING: I'm not a lesbian (although I love gays).

I admit I used to wonder if finding a person of the same sex attractive connotes a hint of homosexuality. Yes, our very own conservative Philippine culture dictates that liking which involves physical attraction must lead to wooing (hmmm... do the kids of today know such a word existed?), which then leads to loving, and finally, to marrying.

The strict requirement that this liking process should only be between a male and a female and never between individuals of the same sex is also foisted upon us traditional Filipinos. But then, I won't pretend that I don't live in a world that sees an abundance of same-sex relationships, or that I didn't go to an all-girls college where scads of students broke the rules.

However, when a straight girl likes another girl and thinks she's extremely awesome, checks out her on-line photos every once in a while, and becomes more interested in her life than she usually is in anybody else's, it's never a sign that she has bisexual or homosexual tendencies. Unless there's some sort of sexual attraction going on, it's a totally different story. I believe most women have girl crushes and it's perfectly natural. The emotionally mature openly confess, while the ones struggling with insecurities try to deny.

Females who admire other females for their sexiness, brilliance, or status in life sans the urge to make love to them are guilty of having just that -- a girl crush.

Here's proof that I'm also human. My top 5 girl crushes at the moment (yeah, they evolve):

5.) Angelina Jolie - This woman could've easily been the reason why the word 'girl crush' had to be coined in the first place. She's a symbol of beauty, class, benignity, and strength.

4.) Eva Mendes - You always wish for what you don't have. I was born with pale complexion and I'm amazed by girls who can flaunt their au naturel golden tan. Eva just glows in her skin.

3.) Thalia Sodi - Also known as Mrs. Tommy Mottola, this multi-talented Latina has a smile that can light up a whole astrodome. I like her wit and charm.

2.) Ruffa Guttierez - She definitely exemplifies the saying "30 is the new 20." The former Miss World Second Princess looks even more stunning than she did 10 years ago.

1.) Namie Amuro - I bet you've seen her in the Coke Zero ad. This Japanese doll got me listening and dancing to 'Wild' for the nth time. Namie puts the 'hip' in hiphop.

Kitty Love

While checking out a bulletin board at the office of Sacred Heart Parish in Quezon City on Eid'l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), a poster caught my eyes:

This cat's owner must have bouts of depression at the moment.

I have a ridiculously soft spot for felines. In fact, when I was still living with my rents, we used to have 16 pet cats inside the house. They stayed in the kitchen most of the time and pretty much behaved when they needed to. Every time one of them got out and failed to find his way home, I'd go crazy and ask my father to drive me around the hood just to find him. It happened thrice to be exact.

In 2004, papa converted half of our lot into apartments. It was then when my favorite kitty, Pichu, ran away after he decided our place had become too crowded with all the construction going on. The diurnal noise, faces of carpenters he hadn't seen before, and basically, the change of environment scared the beejezus out of him. I searched for him each night after work, even on weekends. Unfortunately, I never found him.

Fast forward to this day, you won't hear a single purr at this cat lover's crib. Nelson and I borrowed a male tabby from ma for a while. We needed him to help us get rid of the little mice. He was practically nameless, so I called him Tutti. Tutti was brilliant and liked going out. But because I wanted to keep myself from becoming emotionally attached, and it's not really healthy to let him stay inside the house since we have an infant, he now happily lives with one of our neighbors. Don't get me wrong, I still love cats. When Onei gets older, I'm gonna get myself a Siamese.

Cats, cats, cats! You can't trust a random stranger but you can always trust a stray cat. They're upright, innocent, and neat -- even the ones who dwell on the streets.

 

 

Muchos Gracias, NU 107

October 31, 1987 - November 07, 2020

In Manila, the city that wishes it never sleeps, thousands mourn the demise of the one and only rock station that managed to seep through the veins of true blue rockers from the glittery, spandex-laden snail-mail era of the 80's, all the way to the 3 dimensional age of podcasts, digital SLR's and Facebooking (yes, grandma, it's now an actual word you can find in the Urban Dictionary). Beginning today, the 8th of November, 2010, Philippine radio would never be the same again. Not without the great purveyor of alternative, punk, metal, Pinoy or Christian rock .

My romance with the Home of NU Rock dates back to the time when most of the male kids in my class were learning the guitar chords for Guns N' Roses' Sweet Child of Mine at recess, and the girls talked about dealing with their first menstrual cramps. I got fascinated with the names Axl Rose and James Hetfield instead of discovering monthly pain killers. It started with curiosity, until I found myself frequenting this 'odd' FM station on the far right side of the radio dial. Eventually, I was glued.

DWNU 107.5 officially signed off for the last time at 12 midnight. Due to financial reasons, and perhaps, the dominion of tacky pop stations that cater to a huge percentage of tacky listeners (in Tagalog, 'Mga baduy na istasyon na tinatangkilik ng mga baduy na tagapakinig'), NU 107 played its last song with a heavy heart, much to the grief of fans who live and breathe real music.

And as the Eraserheads' Ang Huling El Bimbo continues to linger in my head, I express my gratitude to you, beloved NU 107, for your immense clout in my universe.

1.) Thank you for being with me in my awkward teenage years. You made me feel that I belong when I felt rebuffed by the standards of the adolescent society.

2.) Thank you for inculcating good vibes in me. The songs you played promoted independence, positivity and unconventionality. Nobody else did it better than you.

3.) Thank you for giving us Zach, Joey, Pontri, Roxy, Mondo, Tabitha, Jelly Jean, Roxy, Myrene, Jaedee, Ron T., & Nine-inch Neil (whom I had the honor to work with during my stint as an FM radio traffic reporter. He never found out I was a fan though). These iconic individuals are the jocks I grew up listening to, and the culprits behind my incessant desire to be in radio broadcasting. I tremendously admire their expertise in their craft.

4.) Thank you for Zach and Joey in the Morning. The show turned lots of gloomy days into tittering moments.

5.) Thank you for advocating Christianity via Against the Flow. You exemplified how one can praise God through rock music.

6.) Thank you for introducing me to the Beastie Boys, 311, Presidents of the United States of America, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, The Flaming Lips, Blur, Rage Against the Machine and the other legends who weaved the soundtrack of various chapters in my life.

7.) Thank you for being one of the few things I have in common with my siblings. They adore you, too.

8.) Thank you for putting Filipino rock music in a different light. I'm impressed how these local talents have vastly improved since the early days of In the Raw. The NU Rock Awards will be painfully missed.

9.) Thank you, simply for being NU 107. The airwaves has just lost one-third of its substance.