First Loves Never Die

 Sala Bai in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Photo from my personal collection

I know, that seems grammatically wrong but I have two first loves: food and travel.

I'm still procrastinating while resting (why work when one should rest, right?) and my Facebook newsfeed led me back to food and travel. I checked my work e-mail with the utmost desire to do those presentations. That was a little over an hour ago.

A few weeks ago, I had the realization that I wish I traveled around East Asia more -- Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia (excluding China). I add that to my bucket of regret. Thank God, it's superficial regret.

Then this morning, I saw this CNN Go link about 10 great international cooking classes by Lina Goldberg. Anyone who knows me is fully aware I love to cook, and if we've talked at length, I really wanted to be a chef before I realized, I needed a day job. And pleasurable activities like cooking, eating, and traveling should remain enjoyable. Not a chore or task like those powerpoints.

Whenever I travel, I always intend to take cooking classes but never get to do it. Sightseeing and eating are priorities or work, then the next chunk of free time somehow doesn't allow me to take classes. The Intercon arranged it for me in Bangkok last year but none started early enough for me to reach my afternoon flight the same day. While in Malacca last year, my friend and I managed to eat way too much in one weekend but also didn't have time to take cooking classes. In Siem Reap, we prioritized the temples and the boutique hotels too much that by the time we had a free day to visit Sala Bai, it was closed for the day.

Just like the KOTO concept, Sala Bai is about using food to help the community through skills transfer. I've written about this dream before but I guess it will have to wait a few years again. Cooking school will have to wait for me and so will philanthropic work. I think I could be forgiven since my day job's mandate is to reduce poverty in Asia.

It's just a pity that most of the cooking schools in the CNN Go article are from the Asia Pacific. Then I saw another article on Asia's 10 great street food cities. Thank God I have an upcoming trip to Taipei, or else, I would be in deeper regret! Just so much to see in our region.

Then a few more clicks and I found myself reading the entire blog of Ms. Goldberg at MyBigFatFace. I'm just like that, I need to read the entire blog before saying I like it. Reading the blog is just so inspiring.

I wish I can do freelance development work and combine it with my love of food and travel in the future. That would be absolute work-life integration.

Hopes and Dreams

 Photo from the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

When I was a Global Xchange volunteer for VSO about five years ago, we were often asked to write about our hopes and dreams. Then toward the end of our volunteer stint, our program supervisors (PS), Abi and Patrick sat each of us down, and asked us what we have done the past six months, and what we thought were our accomplishments and contributions to the team and community.

That was one of the toughest moments of my life. But volunteering was one of the best moments of my life.

It was hard to look back about our hopes and dreams, to figure out and claim aloud our inputs to the cause. But an hour or so later, we had figures and rough statistics. Community action days came to mind. Hours spent on something. Outputs and results.

Most of my teammates and I have come a long way since our volunteering days. Our PSs have much to be proud of, I think.

Yet five years on, despite what seems like an uphill trajectory for me, I still have hopes and dreams that have not materialized. My closest friends and former colleagues at work often say, "if only outsiders knew what we actually do, they wouldn't wish to work here."

Yes. A few years ago, I started working for a dream organization. That January, I was choosing between working for the United Nations or the Asian Development Bank. Then I got thisclose to working on my dream topic: development effectiveness.

Simply put, my dream career would be about making sure that development interventions and every $ spent achieved its desired development results, and has a positive impact on the community.

My most fulfilling job function ever was reviewing development results for technical assistance projects completed by the institution I worked for. The analysis was based on sector and themes, which we had to link with different fund sources as well as overall institutional strategy. It would have been more fun if we checked how aligned they were with country strategies. A bit nerdy, I know.

But these things thrill me. I was so thrilled I even wrote my thesis advisers thank you notes for enduring my stubbornness to do aid coordination and transaction costs between two multilateral funders for my master's thesis.

Yet as a I write, I've procrastinated on 4 power point presentations, with just 4 slides each, about 4 sectors (trade policy, transport, trade facilitation, and energy) for a meeting in June that I will not attend anyway. The presentation is simply about the achievements and issues on these sectors. Easy. But I have no motivation.

And I wonder why. Maybe because I do not see the results of these meetings. I participated, prepared and was privy to several meetings online and offline that came to naught simply because one country rejected the participation of another. So much for cooperation. Despite the infused billion $ and opportunities to "discuss" and "harmonize" during meetings, what outcomes have really been achieved?

I had the same impressions after volunteering in Mindanao. After the grassroots organizations got funding overseas, they would hold these training sessions, pass an attendance sheet, have the training in video. And was that it? Where's the results? How do you measure effectiveness?

This topic has always intrigued me. Although I must admit, I have never really applied for a job related to this, I hope someday, I get to work on this. Maybe through an internship while at RUB, and a proper career after. I hope this dream can come true too! Just like working for that organization, and getting a scholarship. Again.

As I procrastinated and slept today (I am recuperating from a life-threatening illness atm), I had time (I was procrastinating!) to read most of my e-mail subscriptions, and even LinkedIn. Then I saw this discussion thread on M&E for someone aspiring to be in the field and would want to know where to acquire skills. One link led to another and I came across this M&E Manual. It's like M&E for dummies. I love!

Maybe, just maybe, I can intern at InProgress next year too!  Although I would much rather be in Bonn or Frankfurt, I fell in love with Berlin the first time I went there. It was both old and new but not in a London kind of way. It was chic, cool, funky and very socially oriented. Just the right size. And has more canals than Amsterdam, and practically a direct train ride from Prague. But far from Frankfurt where my heart is.

We will see how hopes and dreams materialize. Either way, I am very thankful for every result! And I owe much to the mentors that appear when needed.

I really didn't answer all the questions above but certainly working on M&E makes me feel good. Work is at least 8 hours of my day so let me indulge. The other 8 I would rather spend sleeping, and the other 8, most of it goes to food, movies, friends, design, family, and I wish, more travel.

Swiss Chocolates and Austrian Cafes

I've been coughing the past month and most of it, my doctor has instructed me to skip caffeine, chocolates, alcohol, and anything spicy.

During my teens, I acquired asthma, which was often triggered by the usual allergens like dust and foul smells, or by laughing too much, and sometimes having something sweet like chocolates followed by an irritated throat. So for so many years, I've been avoiding chocolates completely.

Until I spent Easter holidays in Switzerland a few years ago.

My aunt took me around Zurich and there were just chocolates everywhere. My introduction to Swiss chocolates in Zurich was our stroll along Bahnhofstrasse after leaving our train from Luzern. When I first saw Sprüngli, I was like a kid in a toy store. Which one to try? Just too many!

A few more steps away from the crowd brought us to another shop, which I remember not for the chocolates but for the interiors: it was just cluttered with flowers, colors hanging from the ceiling, oozing from the counters, floral cloths, and elderly looking glass cabinets displaying chocolates. I obviously got distracted. This shop was Teuscher.

But now I distinctly remember Teuscher not because of its decor but because of their dried oranges dipped in chocolate. I just love the hint of bitter from both the orange and chocolates, and the sudden surge of sweet from the candied fruit and, of course, the chocolate! My aunt came home a few months ago, and I got a box of Teuscher heaven!

Beatocello in Siem Reap, Cambodia

While looking for things to do in Siem Reap online, I came across the "Beatocello" Concert. It was a free concert every Saturday evening. And just like that, it was in our aspiration list of things to do. 

On the way to Angkor Wat, we passed by several posh hotels like the Sofitel and other local brands. And right in the middle was the concert venue. It's minimalist structure with funky signage definitely leaves an impression -- that of interest and curiosity. 

On Teaching

Wikipedia defines a teacher as a person who provides education for pupils or students, often in a formal and ongoing manner, carried out at a school or another place for formal education. (I know, you may cringe at the Wikipedia citation.)

I've never really regarded myself as a teacher as the job description seems to entail massive responsibility -- to educate, at a formal institution at that. Yet since 2009, I've been a lecturer at one of the premier universities in the Philippines at its European Studies Program. Lecturer refers more to an academic rank -- an entry level designation among those who could eventually become professors. I initially handled a class on cross-cultural communications but more recently, I have been handling the political economic and business relations of Asia and Europe.

Moon Boutique Hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Yahoo weather says it's 34C outside in Manila today. It's just so hot! Makes me want to hie away somewhere cool and shaded like a pool with trees. Forgive me for dreaming of a holiday amidst this concrete jungle. I stayed  on during our four-day Easter break (mission to Beijing was postponed) and I haven't been away for leisure since December 2011.

So please allow me to dwell on a very good memory of my brief stay at Moon Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia. My friend S and I made a last minute decision to travel early December and we decided to visit Cambodia for the Angkor Wat. We were sure we did not want to stay in  a hostel and with the plurality of boutique hotels in Siem Reap, we were determined to choose one to our liking.

We initially wanted a centrally located one so we can just walk to the neighboring restaurants, cafes, galleries or get a tuk-tuk and explore. We happened to be there during Person with Disability (PWD) marathon so most of the hotels were booked. By chance or circumstance, we ended up with Moon Boutique Hotel.

And that's one occasion where not getting what you want and getting something else was a blessing in disguise. The hotel seemed far but the pictures from its website said it only had about 15 rooms, just opened 3 months prior, had a pool, had a tub, roundtrip airport transfers and provided free Tuktuk service and mobile phone to their guests. All that for about $30 per room!

Eggs Benedict at Yalumba, Le Meridien in Dubai

The origins of Eggs Benedict is still disputed (Lemuel Benedict, a retired stock broker from New York or from a banker and yachtsman, Commodore E.C. Benedict) based on who requested the combination of poached eggs, English muffins, bacon or ham and Hollandaise sauce, which is now a brunch classic. I can't remember how I ended up liking Eggs Benedict but for some reason, I try to order it when I can when I eat out. To date, I still can't do poached eggs to my liking.

After visiting a hospital last week when the rest of the country was on national holiday, I dragged my mother to nearby Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for brunch. She ordered a tomato-based ravioli while I opted for the Eggs Benedict. Suffice to say, the actual version did not live up to the pretty picture in the menu.

Apart from the usual muffin, ham and egg, CBTL's version came with extra bread, dried fruits, butter and jam. Although it may look appetizing, the dish came lukewarm, like it had been sitting at the counter for an hour. It was rubbery and the flavors did not blend either. I certainly ate it for nourishment and not for enjoyment. I was very disappointed.

While staying at the InterContinental Hotel in Bangkok last year, I requested their waitstaff for some Eggs Benedict as well. Service is impeccable at this hotel, which complements its 5-star facilities and perfect location. But once again, I was disappointed with the Eggs Benedict.

Greyhound Cafe in Bangkok

While on mission in Bangkok last year, two "aunts" from UNESCAP invited me to dinner since that was the only common time we had (unless it was prior to office hours). I stayed at the InterContinental Hotel then and it was right at the center of shopping and dining. But to avoid the crowds, my hosts directed me to the nearby Central Chidlom Mall along Ploenchit Road.

We ended up eating at Greyhound Cafe and it's one of those eating experiences in Bangkok that one will always remember. I don't know if it was the ambiance, the array of food choices, the presentation, or the flavor. It was a just a perfect blend of modern and classic Thai food presented in a minimalist chic way.

For starters, we ordered the Caesar Salad with Country Style Dressing. And this one is divine with thick slivers of cheese!

We also ordered the popular Greyhound Famous Fried Chicken Wings. With a hint of fish sauce and something else, it had a the taste of chicken cooked from home that you just want to eat and eat! Really good.

We mostly ordered appetizers that it seemed we had a "tapas" spread of Asian food on the table. On a healthier note, we also had the Pomelo Salad and Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls. 

Beijing Mission - Postponed By Request

Visa and tickets were already issued. Our hotel was booked, and I already reserved a room at a quaint hostel called Red Lantern House at the Xicheng District (I was advised to avoid central Wangfujing if I wanted real Beijing) so I could extend and see the Forbidden City and hike to the Great Wall of China. Then four working days  before departure, the meeting was postponed.

Thankfully, I didn't make any other preparations aside from the ones above. I knew who to ask about a good operator but didn't make the effort to ask. The only thing I read was a page from a Turkish Airline booklet that featured their destinations all over the world.

I've never been interested to go. This time, I bothered because it was work, and more than $2,000 was going to spent on me for five days just to be there. So why not?

But I'm still thankful it got postponed, to at least July this year. I would rather go to Taipei. No, I would really like to go to Taipei!

This is not the first trip this year not to have pushed through. There was a meeting in Bangkok last February to negotiate a cross-border agreement that included Afghanistan, and there was a a trip to Donsol last March, which was my 3rd attempt since last year to see the sharks. This meeting should have happened this week. I could have said tonight, I just came from the Great Wall of China! 

Sometimes, you never know it is for real until you're already on the plane. 

Foreign Language # 4

In college, I took up basic Spanish and followed up with a module with Instituto Cervantes when I came back to Manila after a year spent abroad. I stopped because our teacher spoke with Guatemalan Spanish instead of Castillian. And while lost in San Sebastian a few years later, I still managed to find my way around to the best restaurants without a word in English.

After University, I moved to the Czech Republic to primarily learn Czech. About 35 hours a week of intensive Czech. Cviceni a tak dale. Years later and without practice, it's still useful when I haggle when shopping in Prague, especially when a local tries to rip me off.

About three years ago, I also completed two modules of French at Alliance Francaise de Manille. I decided to take up French not because I was fond of it but because it is the language of diplomacy (international relations), development (majority of the poor countries in Africa and Greater Mekong Subregion are French speaking), and of course, the kitchen. Gastronomy is just simply French. Although I love to cook and eat, I don't remember a single french word, except oui but that does not count.

So the fourth language is German. Although the language seems easier than the above three combined, the learning method seems to be challenging me. My ancient brain seems to be rattled with the combination of books, CDs, interactive online modules with forums, chats, videos, matching exercises etc. It's only day 2 and my brain is fried. 23 more months to go!