Cagraray Island Escape!

Waking up with this view is just priceless!

And lounge the afternoon away in cozy beds like this facing the sea?

Hello December!

Since it's midnight and there's work tomorrow, this is a going to be quick and short. November was a blur. Had a chance to attend a conference in Jakarta and had luxurious accommodations at the Grand Hyatt. And the pampering didn't end there. I also hied off on a weekend in Legaspi and Cagraray Island in Bicol - Misibis Bay Raintree is just sublime. Perfect escape -- with yummy pili chocolate cake.

November was when Manny Pacquiao got his 7th boxing title and when Efren Penaflorida was named CNN Hero of the Year. Two reasons that make Filipinos proud. But in between there's this barbaric massacre in Maguindanao. So disappointing considering we have a vibrant democracy in an environment governed by the rule of law. And when December came in, the Little One declared Martial Law in Maguindanao. I can't believe the government is panicking over a clan. A clan! A family vs. Government?!?

15 days before Christmas. Much can change, hopefully, towards something merrier!

The Weekender

Here's a photo of BusinessWorld's Weekender from last weekend. It was Friday and a copy was free for everyone's perusal at the pool - best way to dream about the weekend before 5pm. Believe it or not, it was the first time I came across BusinessWorld's weekend edition. I've always read BW on weekdays and just never had the chance to appreciate the regular weekend escape in print.

While living abroad, I thrived on the lifestyle pages of weekend periodicals. Back in Leeds, it was the Guardian and back in Podebrady, it was just Financial Times and International Herald Tribute in between flights. It got me the habit of consulting the newspaper for events and shows, new restaurants and just anything under the sun.

If it weren't for last weekend's BW Weekender, I would not have been reminded to watch Julie & Julia last week (which I absolutely loved, I haven't finished watching the film for the first time and I wanted to watch it again already) or becoming aware that My Life in Ruins was showing as well (better worth waiting for HBO next year, in my opinion).

So, here's to a new habit! Reading BusinessWorld's Weekender that is.

Sweet Treat

My boss was away for a week and gave me some cookies for pasalubong. Pasalubong is the Filipino term for a gift that one brings when one comes home, often from a trip (local or abroad), or even after a day's work.

Here are some gooey chocolate chip cookies from Too Good Gourmet and makes for a perfect comfort food amidst Manila's rainy gloomy mood after the typhoon's tragedy. For a tropical third world country like the Philippines, our dessert preferences are arguably quite western. As normal as it is to go grab a Frapuccino at Starbucks after dinner out it is common to crave for chocolate cake, a cheesecake or even scones. Pretentiousness or not, chances are, it's even harder to find local desserts like rice cakes at restaurants than western treats.

One Fine Day

A day off and having the liberty to wake up naturally (often late) is always a good day in my book. Stumbling upon a series of blogs makes it even better.

Later in the day, a short walk brings me and my mom to watch "No me pidas que te bese porque te besare." It succeeds in taking me away from Manila and takes me to what truly matters to people - to persons, set in the suburbs of Barcelona. We're all special. "Dreams come from trauma" was reiterated in the movie. You got to get over it. Understand it and deal with it. Then move on. "Close your eyes, and say it." Trauma or not, I think dreams are born out of desire -- from lacking something in the present and wanting, hoping, yearning for something to happen -- to be.

Back home, more blog travel with "No Reservations" in the background. I've seen this movie before and never tire of watching it. Anything with food, I'm on it. Anything with successful single women, finding love, I'm on it.

And since we're on to love, I boiled a potato, mashed it with some butter and pepper, added some bacon strips and put it on high in the microwave. With mushy spuds drowning from crunchy bacon fat (I just thought about adding the bacon after I was done with the "mashed potato"), arugula greens somehow tamed the cholesterol. Boy, you must try this instant piece of heaven! Crispy bacon, creamy potato and bitter arugula all in one spoon!

Food Blogs

Here's a drawing from a new discovery: Lobstersquad. If only I can be back in Madrid savouring the joys of food!

On a typhoon-stricken weekend like this, it's best to stay home. The telly was on while I was preparing a quick lunch: sauteed Hungarian sausages with garlic, paprika and olive oil spaghetti. By the time I was done cooking, my surfing ended at the National Geographic Channel. Food Lovers Guide to the Planet featured how essential bread is in a variety of cultures like France, Italy and India. Aaaaah. The passion for bread. The show featured an American baking fresh baguettes daily in Paris, an American guest in a Tuscan kitchen learning how to prepare the traditional bread salad with unsalted bread, and a devoted American learning the art of French bread in mainland U.S.

But what caught my attention most was the next segment on food blogs. Four bloggers were featured: Sticky Rice from Vietnam, Chez Pim from San Franciso, Cha Xin Bao from Hong Kong, and David Lebovitz from Paris. One medium, different reasons, all about food from different corners of the world.

Visiting their pages, led from one blog to another, and one article to another. I eventually stumbled upon an article at the Times UK giving a glimpse of remarkable food bloggers from all over the world. Read more on Meet the Food Bloggers. Suffice to say, I am inspired and have heaps to read during my idle moments. I've also updated my food and travel links on the righthand side of the page for easy reference to blogs I find interesting.

Happy reading!

Fresh Green Salad

Romaine lettuce, arugula leaves, tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, calamansi juice and olive oil. I used to be just a Caesar Salad girl. I still love it but when I lived abroad, I became friends with a Cypriot girl who introduced me to fresh green salads: fresh Mediterranean salads with black olives and fresh peppers with lemon and olive oil vinaigarette. That's when I started treating peppers like fruits - eating them as soon as they're washed. Aaaah. Crunchy sweet peppers!

It's been a few years since I lived in Europe the first time as a student. The first time, I left Manila in September. The second time, as a volunteer, I returned to Manila in September too. It's been two years since. Two years since I decided to finish graduate school and attempt a living a linear life - just stay put and be normal. It's been roughly a year since I started this blog to document and share how I've been coping with linear life in Manila. A blog to chronicle how I try to adopt the lifestyle I enjoyed away from home and note interesting things along the way.

After all, the lifestyle I enjoyed most was being surrounded with culinary delights that seemed ordinary to locals, art and culture as a way of life, taking the tram and metro to work, and travel, travel, travel. This blog is primarily about food and travel as I look back to my gourmet nomadic life and see how it's possible to do it all over again.

In gist, the past year has been rough and busy but with it's fair share of blessings too. After work and school-related travel for such a long time, the past 12 months, I re-discovered traveling for simple pleasure and leisure. Having had the opportunity to travel every month, including Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Thailand and Bohol for plane rides, despite an unfilfilling desk job makes up for linear life.

It's almost autumn but it's never too late to restart. My month is coming up. And after rough year, I'm eager to have fun again. :)

Legazpi Sunday Market

Some flowers from last Sunday

Given that the Legaspi Market is just a few blocks away, it's one of the many good things in my life that I take for granted. Imagine, fresh produce, frozen meat and seafood, flowers, booze, and meals from all over the world all within walking distance? That is paradise in a concrete jungle. And I just walk - no worries about parking.

I haven't been there in almost a year and last weekend's visit came as a surprise. I've always thought Salcedo Market had better variety and more stalls but I was quite pleased with the changes at the Legaspi Market. There's enough stalls and choices to whet your appetite and the dormant shoppaholic in you without leaving you the bitin feeling. Except for the heat and lack of tables to eat on, Legaspi Market has come a long way. An informative article by Myrza Sison says it all. I leave you with some snapshopts from a wonderful afternoon at the market.

Some organic balms. I got a pot of mosquito repellent and it works!

My First Adobo

Close friends and family have always known I love food: cooking, eating, talking and dreaming about it. As much as I have been cooking since at least 11 years old, I've never really mastered the art of Filipino cooking. You see, if it's not the crunchy/ crispy sort like chicharon, crispy pata, lechon kawali and bagnet, I would not crave for Pinoy food at all.

When I was living abroad, the closest to Filipino food I prepared were frying the dried seafood my mom sent (danggit etc.), preparing instant champorado, and grilled Liempo. My single attempt at making adobo was a catastrophe as I didn't have the right soy sauce - it was too thick that I was not pleased with the consistency of the sauce, I never bothered again.

Since 2004, one project I've always wanted to do was to learn how to prepare Filipino dishes I'm content with. I have several Filipino cookbooks from Mommy and Tatay but never I cooked from them. I admit, I've never really religously followed a recipe (maybe that's why I never bothered to bake). I just read for inspiration and cook based on what I have in the kitchen. Despite all the cookbooks and cooking shows, cooking is more of a learning-by-doing thing.

So I enlisted my mom's lunchtime last weekend to teach me how to cook Adobo. All I needed were two pans (for the boiling and frying), soy sauce, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and of course, chicken. It would probably be better with bay leaves, but I assure you, it's the manner of cooking that makes a difference in the taste.

We just marinated the chicken with all the ingredients for awhile, and left it to boil until the room was filled with the acid smell of vinegar. Do not stir. Once the smell is gone, we lowered the fire until the chicken was tender. Just dry the chicken through a strainer and fry on high heat. This is my chance to shred some pieces. Once fried, add the sauce in batches. Eventually, the oil is supposed to form a frame around the edge of the pan with the runny brown sauce surrounding the meat.

I tried it the other night and I was just slightly pleased with my version but I think I'm one step away from my mom's adobo, which is my benchmark. :) One more try, then I move on to Sinigang.

Kitchen Travel

I'm such an Asian Food Travel addict (Discovery Travel & Living on weekends, and Diane knows this!) that when I saw the trailer for French Food at Home, I was hooked. Key words: Kitchen Travel.
To be honest, I've only seen two episodes because most nights, I'm also watching my telenovelas. Haha! But since watching an episode one Saturday morning with mom, I knew I liked the show. I like the way the chef made fancy French stuff seem easy to prepare that in the end, you wish you had all the ingredients to try it yourself - regardless of whether you know how to cook or not. She made me want to do that with Turkish food but that was just a thought.
And tonight, I decided to google the show, and now I know the chef's name: Laura Calder. The more I learn about her, the more I'm falling and the more I'm getting excited! You see, I've been a secret admirer of Muccia Prada simply because she was a former communist and has a PhD in Political Science, and she put all of that behind her to be a fashion designer. I've got no secret fashion aspirations but as early as I knew I wanted to join the UN, I knew I wanted to cook, and be a chef.
The nerd and wanderer in me was delighted to find out she spent so much time studying, gallavanting and getting lost while loving food the whole time. Imagine, masters from London School of Economics and a dream to be a diplomat? The pillar behind politics, philosophy and economics of pol eco! She left her job, her fiance, and her life to study cooking.
I'm not yet in the dire situation of leaving everything behind but food, oh food! Time stops when it comes to food. :)
I'm still reading her blog, some articles and I leave you with some quotes that I absolutely like!

"So much in life seems permanent when we’re in the thick of it (our childhood homes, friendships, stages of our lives) that it can be a real shock when we realize that, in fact, nothing is forever – everything moves on."

"Big deal, you may say, but I think seemingly insignificant moves like this in life must be a sign of something deeper at work, no? Just like when people suddenly get transformative haircuts… I just got one of those too, actually, (not pictured here), so who knows what’s in the wind." "It made me consider how much lies dormant and ignored in the world until the right person comes along and breathes life into it. Like delicious forgotten recipes, like old toys locked in a trunk, like aspects of our personalities that hide in the shadows until someone comes along and shines a flashlight on them…"

"My resolutions are to be very loyal to yoga (not hard, because I’m addicted) and also to listen to my gut and trust it, always. " - I like this because I started my belly dancing and yoga bit at home but things got in the way and now, I stopped again.
"
The trick is to find the interesting people: that’s what makes any place come alive."
"As my instructor said the other day: "Generally, if something feels difficult, it's wrong, and what feels easy is right." Apply that little tip to work and relationships for a second… She's right."

"sometimes life steps in and forces our minds to change"

And my favorite because it's so timely:
"It never ceases to amaze me how the things we imagine to be permanent or certain in life never stay put or turn out as we expect."

There are still heaps of things I want to do before I make the big bold move; It just feels good to know that despite one's age, one can leave it all behind and pursue one's "dormant passions." :)

You can more from here, here, and here. But this is the juiciest article of all: Laura talks about men and food. :)

Inspired

Rogue Magazine on Chef Gaita Fores and Pepato

It's been exactly a year since I browsed a local foodblog. Over the weekend, I remembered there's more to Manila's food scene than clickthecity.com and random citations in Preview magazine and High Life.
I clicked on Dessert Comes First and remembered what it was like to breathe, eat, and shit gastronomy. All of a sudden, I remembered who I was and what I have always wanted to be - a chef/food writer/gourmet nomad. And I also remembered Our Awesome Planet. I joined their Pampanga tour last February and had the best and most memorable breakfast spread yet: Italian sausages, smoked salmon, steak, fritatas, yogurt, cereal and fruits, capuccino and fresh fruit juices. Well, those are the only ones I can remember tonight.
I'm sure there are more Pinoy blogs like those of MarketMan but I haven't had the chance to browse them yet. I've seen enough to be reminded. I am glued to AFC and the Travel and Living Channel but I guess, I've become a passive viewer.
Anyway, as stated in my previous post, I've decided to take a short culinary course next year. So far, I've found two schools in Manila: ISCAHM and CIA. International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management along Katipunan Avenue has a longer history than the Culinary Institute of Aristocrat along Roxas Boulevard. Both offer the short course I'm interested to take: weekend classes spread through 2-3 months providing basic culinary training. Right now, I've got a biased preference for ISCAHM. :)
It feels good to be inspired. Tomorrow, I'm getting copies of Rogue Magazine (because Lori Baltazar of Dessert Comes First is featured this month) and Travelife (because I must get my travel writing act together and it has features on Buenos Aires and Macau- two places I want to visit).
This weekend is the beginning of something good. I love the fire of inspiration!

Kitchen Help

For the longest time, I've always been comfortable in the kitchen, both cooking and eating. I've been blessed to share that joy with family and friends through the years, although not as much in recent times.
I've been longing to rekindle my passions and cooking always comes first. After browsing NYtimes for some inspiration, I stumbled upon Mark Bittman''s article on Paris bistros.
Opening up my own place has always been a dream I shared with my mom, and expressed to K. It has always been a retirement option, and retirement seems a long way to go. Lately, I've been thinking of what I really want and how to get it.
I want to open my own bistro by employing out-of-school youth who share the same passion for food. I want a gourmet-charity-bistro of sorts. And to make that happen, I'm planning to enroll in a short culinary course in March. I know it seems so far away but that's when my weekend teaching post ends (more on that next time).
Yup, school again. Instead of dole outs, I believe in skills transfer: the VSO way.
One day, it will come full circle: all the eating, all the traveling, all the learning, all the helping. One happy fulfilled community. :)

Let's do this Again

My favourite painting of all: Salvador Dali's Muchacha en la Ventana

Crossing over timelines.
Musings over realistic imaginations.
The mundane, the grand and everything in between.
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Same old thoughts in a new home.
It's my first time on wordpress, and first time to commit to public blogging all over again in a year. Yup, hello world! Again.
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It's been a slow week, and I've been thinking how cooking really fulfills me. Tonight, I made onion soup at home. I caramelized onions with butter, then added chicken broth, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I toasted some bread covered with a generous heap of cheese. I heated the bowls, put dollops of mozarella, poured the boiling soup over, and topped it with toasted bread with cheese. Et voila! homemade onion soup!
I know for sure I can cook. And any one who's lived with me and welcomed me into their kitchen knows I've got what it takes. But somehow, the daily grind of concrete jungle life has distracted me from pursuing my passions. Must find a culinary course after work or on weekends soon. :)
Or dance classes. Anything but intellectual pursuits for now.
Dobrou noc!

Budapest is Love!

I was in Budapest last spring and it's one city I'm coming back to! It's got the charm of an old city, yet despite its faded imperial glory, is just about to make it happen in the 21st century!

I love Baguio!

I've been to Baguio several times before but my recent trip impressed upon me an I-love-Baguio-I-want-to-keep-coming-back-to-Baguio" type of feeling.

Perhaps it was being with family and friends. I was there with the B. family and all they did was reminisce about their childhood and visit all the places they frequented then.

We had lunch at the Baguio Country Club where I enjoyed some freshly made caesar salad and bought some banana bread. Now I know why the banana bread is a country club specialty- it's best for banana-haters who can only tolerate a hint of banana with the right sweetness and perfect moist. I'm now a banana convert.

Visiting the Baguio market just made me want to fast forward to retirement where I won't do anything but cook! Gosh, the freshest vegetables at bargain prices! Probably a dozen lettuce bulbs for only PhP50! Everthing was there, even crabs. And strawberries, oh strawberries!





I also met up with R. and at my request, took me to the Tam-awan Village. Since I've been to Ifugao before, I wan't impressed. The funny thing is, there was an artist in front creating a steel monument for the Baguio centennial celebrations come September. Well, we thought he was the artist. Maybe just a welder. Hahaha!

R. and I bid farewell when I met up with E. at the U.P. Baguio campus, and off we went to Camp John Hay.







I haven't been there before and just had to see it. After some photos, and laughing at the graves at the lost cemetery, we were off to Cafe Wills for some food and drinks. One thing I love about Baguio, is it's cafe culture. I like it that I can have great food and alcoholic drinks, practically anywhere, and anytime. Need not be at a bar late at night with loud music or our local version of a biergarten.

Time was running out and E. dropped me off at Rosebowl to have dinner with my family. Apparently, Rosebowl is another institution where oldtimers go.

I just love Baguio! Each place seems like a short ride away and there's so many places to see. And at some point, you can even view the South China Sea beyond the mountains.

I can't wait to come back!

Crabs and Mojitos

Over a weekend ago, I spent Friday night with E. and M. for some Vietnamese heaven at Aquaknox. Think Arzenal with velvet chairs and nuvo lounge music in the background. I was too hungry, I only took a photo of the crab. It was so good, it beats my fond memories of than long crabs from SFO. And yes, it's the best mojitos I've had so far. Aquaknox does not scrimp on ingredients. I'm definitely coming back. And bring more friends.

Taal Heritage Tour

On Labor Day, I joined my mom, together with the Philippine Italian Association, to a day trip to Taal, Batangas. It's not really a municipality by the lake where the volcano is located but somewhere near Calatagan. At least that's what the signs stated. I just road the bus, listened to the guides, visisted churches, old houses, sampled local food and heard mass officiated by Fr. Suarez.

Inside the Villavicencio Residence

Exteriors of Marcella Agoncillo's home, the lady who made the first Philippine flag.

Several versions of our flag

Paradise, At Last

I finally got a taste of summer thanks to a day trip to Sepoc Island through Eaglepoint Resort in Mabini, Batangas. It's a 20-minute boat ride and the slow ride sets the mood for a relaxing stay on a private island.

And this little paradise, awaits...

And this view from the top:

I can't wait to come back! Got to love the Philippines!!!

Happy Easter!

I brought some easter chocolates home from Germany, and here's a photo my dear sister took last Sunday.

The bunny, eggs, empty yellow-dotted pitcher, and an unripe pineapple.

Back Home

It's Easter Sunday and it's only now that I've been able to get my bearings. I was away for a few weeks last month for a short stay in Germany, the Czech Republic and Budapest.

Oh Budapest! I love Budapest and would love to return for a longer stay. And as for the Czech Republic, it will always be my home away from home. But Germany, now I see it in a different way. Almost five years ago, I was in Berlin for the EU accession of the ten new members. Berlin was old, yet modern- very, very cosmopolitan. This time, I stayed in the west, in a small town called Gummersbach and travelled all the way east to Dresden.

There's so many pictures from that trip, it's taking awhile to sort it. For now, I leave you with some photos from a tour in Pampanga I joined in February, thanks to the expert guiding skills of Ivan Dy, Anton Diaz, and Ivan Henares of Ultimate Philippines.

Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark, which I'm sure have lots of spectacular photos online.

The best breakfast I've ever had, I had at C's Italian restaurant! Steak in the morning, smoked salmon, stewed mushrooms, sausages, ham, omelettes, fresh yogurt, fruits and juices just to name a few!

Just a sample of what I had for lunch at Abe's Farm
To cap the day, birdwatching in Candaba.

Overall, it was an enjoyable yet tiring day. Although breakfast at C's was truly memorable, after breakfasts at the Akademie in Gummersbach and the hotel in Dresden, I've changed my mind.

Old town in the city!

Welcome to San Juan!

I attended the wedding of a dear friend of mine last month, and the marriage rites were held at the Church of the Holy Cross - right next to Angelicum and Dominican College built in the 1600s.

I was just amused that it had the old town charm yet surrounded by contemporary city structures and modern malls, just a few kilometers away.

Such a pity I don't have pictures of the church facade. Either way, it was just such a darling wedding. It made me feel I was in the province for a traditional wedding in the afternoon.

On beer, Dvorak and Mt. Pinatubo

Finally, I found a day off and have the chance to upload. It's been awhile. The past few weeks, I've been craving for pub grub. I've been in the mood for dark beer and sausages. I did get to visit Donau something (haha! I forget, as usual) and got myself some currywurst and kielbasa - still not as tasty as the real thing.

Yesterday, I was also able to watch Ruggero Barbieri conduct the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra with Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz as pianist at the CCP. Cruz was just brilliant! I hear he will have another performance sometime in September at Insular in Alabang. The performance, entitled "Glimpses of Europe" was at the occasion of the Czech Republic currently holding the EU Presidency.

Either way, it was soothing to hear Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9. I still feel strangely connected to that country - especially after having been to Dvorak's hometown three years ago. Such a pity. His home was such a shack - regardless of whether it was next to the Nelahozeves Castle or not, it needs major renovation and maintenance. Reception followed. Chit-chat with old and new acquaintances.

Now on to my first adventure of the year: treking to Mt. Pinatubo!

Believe it or not, I saw an advert on Facebook, texted the number, got the details and booked myself and Diane. It was so much fun!

We rode a van with other tour participants and were in Capas, Tarlac in an hour and a half. After breakfast, it was a quick drive to the spa barangay of Sta. Juliana where we boarded the 4x4s. It was another hour and a half on bumpy and dusty road and clear waters before we trekked for over an hour to reach the crater.


The crater is just breathtaking! It felt surreal being inside a volcanic crater, Mt. Pinatubo at that! Its ashes even reached Manila when it erupted in 1991. Anyway, the water was sulfuric blue. As it was windy and nippy, the water was just as cold when we took a dip! Thank God for floaters, I wouldn't have felt secure to try the lake. It was so worth it! Except that it would really dry your hair until you wash it properly.