My guests, beware

When you visit me in my house, be ready for the following:

from Maid A: That she'll get something for your plate to hand to me. Minutes ago, my husband and I were having lunch. I asked her for a knife. Holding the knife on my husband's plate, she said, "kuya, gagamitin mo to?" When my husband said "no," she got it and handed it to me. I asked her "wala na ta kutsilyo?" She facetiously answered "may ara pa. indi niya man pag-usaron." I asked my husband if he had laid the knife on the table. He said it was on his plate. Good heavens. I told Maid A to refrain from doing that when I have guests, or even with my husband and son. Will she obey? Remains to be seen. She habitually disobeys me, like she returns from market on her market day after lunch time, so I have to order. she takes forever to cook food so sometimes we have breakfast ready at 8, lunch at 1, dinner at 8. hayyyyyy. My wrinkles and grey hair are mostly because of her.

from Maid B: A hello, a loud hello, rather than a meek good morning/afternoon/good evening. And side comments.

from Maid C: If she knows you're single, she might ask if you have a boyfriend. Or if she sees you on the road, she'll ask where you're going. My cousin's wife laughingly told me this once. She was standing near their condo waiting for her husband when Maid C charmingly/brazenly asked her this.

hay naku.

So be warned. Though I correct them, it doesn't follow that they learn.

Re Maid B:
One time, I asked for my bottle of perfume. I said the one in the white bottle. Maid B said, "eto?" I said, "white!"

She then opened the drawer, showed me this and asked, "eto?" Promise she did.

Then finally, she showed me the right white bottle: this.



Sa wakas. I don't know if there's a hardware problem besetting the three or what! because though they have doorbell codes (Maid A -4, Maid B -2 and Maid C 3), a lot of the time, when I blow the horn twice or four times, it's the youngest, Maid C who comes. So as you can see, they have a lot to learn: counting and colors for starters. Manners for another.

Mamou

Finally, stepped into Mamou, a restaurant with one of the most gracious managers (Annie) and waiters. Later, we met the chef, nay "I prefer to call myself a cook" named Malou who was pretty as she was warm and charming.

Among the entrees recommended strongly was steak but at more than P1500 for a serving good for 2 or 3, I thought not. It being our first visit, I wanted to try as wide a range of dishes as possible.

My best friend (thanks for sending the pictures) ordered linguini with vongole, I decided on roast chicken and pork served with red rice
. As my husband was not with us when we ordered and I was famished, I thought of ordering one of his favorite dishes: fish and chips
, another recommendation of the waiter. In fact, everything we ordered was in their list of best-sellers. Was this enough? I asked our waiter and he nodded.

While waiting for our food, we were served 6 buns of 2 different kinds in a red basket taken in in the corner (I think a child's game with a hanky can produce the same result, if I remember correctly). One variety was the sourdough, the other was whole wheat so they looked good together: very dark brown bread and an almost white one. My husband liked them very much.

Then our orders came.

I could see my husband wasn't too enthused. I guess a wife of almost 20 years just knows. But personally, I liked the roast chicken and pork combination that came with black beans and rice served on one plate. Except that the chicken and the pork slices were rather small, so one could only eat so much, or make that so little, of each. Imagine this: the upper thigh of a not too robust chicken and a tiny pork chop, bone-in. The pasta was okay but the clams were rather spare and tiny. Cyma is more generous in putting in clams in their angel hair pasta. The fish and chips: there were 3 strips of fish, not as big as Fish and Co nor Chelsea but not finger-sized either, maybe a giant's finger, and 3 potato wedges. This was served with a slice of citrus (can't remember which kind). Midway through, I asked my husband if he thought we should add a dish and he nodded vigorously. Called the waiter who suggested the lamb dish. Now lamb is either tough or tender, but more often than not, tough, so I thought not. But the even bigger deciding factor against it was its price: P1300 per order I think. (the dishes we had ordered originally were in the "under P500" range). So I asked for another suggestion, the waiter said the duck flakes were good. Ordered that. This was served in a bowl, like rice toppings. The red rice was under and topped with duck flakes and scrambled egg (which I had chosen over fried so we could more or less share the thing. Had I chosen fried, one might get more of the yolk or white.) Earlier had also ordered an extra bowl of the red rice. Yummy.

Husband found the duck entree a bit odd tasting (he said maybe he wasn't used to duck), but I thought it was all right. In fact he found most of the dishes bland except for the roast chicken, everything was okay with me except for the pasta because of the paucity of clams.

Being a sucker for desserts, when we were done with the main dishes, we decided to order. After all, no matter how full one is, "there's always room for dessert" as one cook show host cum chef says.

Malou was talking to us then so we asked her for suggestions. She said people usually ordered the pecan and the key lime pie. She said their desserts were for sharing. I don't know now whether she meant one dessert only for the 3 of us but I thought of ordering 2. (My apologies to my companions but I completely decided on which to order so that Malou also said "what do they think?" pointing to my husband and best friend. Bad manners ko no?) Anyway, the suggestion of a pecan pie was quickly taken but lime pie, I'm not exactly for sour (she said "tart") desserts so I asked what other suggestions she had. She mentioned the chocolate sans rival, gelato etc. I was about to say "sans rival" but she more or less insisted we should try the lime pie. I looked at husband and friend, they nodded. And I'm glad we listened to Malou.

When the desserts came, the pecan pie looked forbidding. Very dark brown. Dense. The lime pie looked like a young lady, an ingenue - dainty and fresh, inviting, sweet. It was the lightest shade of green, almost light yellow and it looked so soft. Wow, one bite was like heaven -- very cool and just right for the hot summer night. The pecan pie was heavy but it tasted very good too in a graham crust.

Will we go back to Mamou? With its smiling waiters, manager and cook, and the key lime pie, I don't see why not. Oh, but I guess, husband will take some convincing.

The place was full, there was no empty table and everyone seemed to be having a good time. One had to raise one's voice, or at least I did, to be heard in conversation.

Should I make it a habit to rate restos with stars or spoons as others do? Hmmm, that's an idea. Maybe another time.

Or should I start with this?

Okay on a scale of 1 to 5:

Service - 5 spoons
Food - 3 spoons
Dessert - 5 spoons


Suggestions for improvement: improve acoustics, so people can hear their companions in the table without much effort on either the speaker or the listener's part?

A subtitle of Mamou's is "A home kitchen". Malou herself said the resto used her "home recipes".

If my best friend emails me her feedback on Mamou, I shall post it here. Or maybe, you can comment below? I'll also use the pictures she took.

I almost forgot: with the duck dish was served a small dipping saucer containing "betel nut" achara, or pickled betel nut. I asked the waiter, you mean "nga-nga"? (In ilonggo its' mama (accent on the second syllable). he said not, it was something from palay. It so looked like ginger I didn't try it. Neither did my friend. My husband was brave enough to take a portion and said it was bland. That was his favorite word last night.

Maid C and the Americana of my son

At Taal Vista, I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't sleep. Luckily, the May issue of Yes magazine was right beside me so I decided to look at it. Ok, I read it through. The issue was entertaining, particularly the story of Carmina, Zoren, Mavy and Cassy. Gretchen - hasn't everything been written about her yet? An overall good issue.

Then I saw the rack of clothes of Carmina and Zoren. The hangers were wooden and heavy-duty. At 4 a.m. I remembered my son's Americana and suddenly became listless. I remembered his using it end March and worried (so what else is new?) that it had been sent for dry cleaning but hadn't been claimed. My goodness, the dry cleaning company might have sequestered it, I worried/fretted. I couldn't wait for 6 a.m. so I could text the maid back home. While we had a maid with us, she's always clueless about many things, or gives answers that seem to indicate she is clueless when in fact... but never mind, this is about Maid C.

When it was decent, I texted the maid back home. I nearly fainted. Maid C hand washed the Americana of my son. True it was made two years ago but it didn't come cheap. In fact, we had it altered only February and paid quite a sum for the alteration. It was still usable.

When I asked Maid B who was with us if she'd seen Maid C wash it, she said no. What about when she ironed it, I asked. Do you think I got a different answer? Of course not. She was consistent: No. I was angry, I cried a bit out of sheer frustration. The house is not big so why didn't the other maids see Maid C wash the americana? My husband said, "Impossible". The 3 maids being relatives, they connive/are partners in "crime". Hayy. And to think Maid C cannot even iron our shirts properly.

When we got home, I immediately asked to see the americana and while it appeared no damage had been done, the ironing, as expected, was sloppy. Hayyyyyyyyyyy.

To think that I asked her to have the ties of my son dry cleaned. In the past, she had brought that coat to the dry cleaner and she claims she forgot that standard procedure. Hayyyyyyyy.

Taal Vista Hotel and Peninsula de Punta Fuego

What a blissful feeling getting into the Royal Suite of Taal Vista Hotel gave. The huge window gave such a good view of the expanse beyond Taal Volcano that we were flabbergasted. And of course, the weather was so pleasantly cold I didn't want to go home!

In the pm, as my son who drove all throughout the trip dozed off, exhausted from a late night of practice, doing his homework and class from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., I decided to order pancit canton and crispy tawilis room service. Realy, really yummy. Lots of seafood and meat, vegetables too. The tawilis was apparently fresh. I wanted to get a second serving but thought my son might want to eat it when he woke up, but he didn't. As we were to have dinner in the coffee shop, the maid who had some of it too for merienda finished it off along with a KFC meal for dinner. Lucky for her. Here she is appreciating the view from the ridge.

Here's a picture of Tagaytay as the night was about to set in:

The Japanese buffet was extensive in terms of choices but wasn't too exciting. The rice was curried, I think. But the watermelon was oh so sweet. There were the usual choices: sashimi, sushi, miso soup, tempura (chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, vegetables and squid). I didn't take any of the other meat dishes like the Japanese beef curry, a chicken dish, a fish dish. Thankfully, the dessert was magnificent especially the midnight madness (a chocolate-mocha cake with a sponge layer at the bottom) and the pistachio cake. The coconut cake was all right, but the Christmas red and green balls and the white ball were lousy, even if the latter had mongo paste in it. They must have been for diabetics or the chef forgot to put in enough sugar.

The waiter was solicitous and made up for the lackluster food.

The buffet breakfast that came free was a let-down. The cold cuts were not 5-star in quality, and you should have seen the tocino. I hate my camera for not showing the truth. While in person the tocino looked dry, the picture I took showed it to have some oil. What a lie. Here's the picture of the scraggly tocino which actualy looks edible here: The bacon was crispy as expected, but there were no sausages or longganisa. There was tuna, egg omelette, corned beef with potato cubes (think corned beef hash ), chicken adobo. Lots of fruit choices: watermelon (not sweet), peaches, pineapple, banana (senorita variety), papaya.

Juices were available as were coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Waiters were cordial, sadly the food was not yet again 5-star.

Currently the hotel is building a new structure to increase the number of guest rooms and function rooms. Good for them. Hopefully, they'll lower the rates. Dreaming? Wistful? I guess that's me.

Ambience in the existing hotel is tops, so is comfort. Wheelchair accessibility was apparent. I think Henry Sy is very considerate of the disabled. Thanks, Mr. Sy.

They should do something about the food, though, and fast. The chef was an expat who smiled when he saw us. Nice of him to do that.

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Peninsula de Punta Fuego. Wow. Wow. Wow. The guards at the gate were snooty (reminiscent of the guards in Corinthian who remind me of the Gestapo), all of them wearing shades. But once you get past them, heaven. Wonder if St. Peter looks as forbidding. Hi, St. Peter.

Anyway, the houses are not too close to each other the way they are in subdivisions, even of the rich in Metro Manila, where the roofs almost reach the wall so that if there's a fire, chances are fire will transfer to the neighbor's house.

Anyway, at Punta Fuego, the houses are differently designed and come in different sizes, really beautiful. (I think most had three stories. )And the view is simply breath-taking. It is, after all a peninsula where the houses are, so you can see land jutting out into the sea. To prove that, shortly after we left our son with his friends, I texted 7000 and looked for him just so I know how Globe would describe the place. The reply: ____ is in the gen area of /near Luzon Sea. Good thing we knew he wasn't out in a boat or swimming. Imagine, Luzon Sea. Also, there were houses which had steps leading to the sea. And some houses had speedboats. Lifestyle of the rich really. I'm not sure who the residents are so I cannot say they're necessarily famous too. I'd like to visit PF for a night at least. I'm not sure this will be possible in May because of budget constraints, hehe. But I want to go bacccckkkkkk. There's a book that says "100 (1000) places to visit before one dies." If I were to make my own list, PF would certainly be in it.

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At any rate, now there are three properties I dream of owning: a unit in Rockwell so I can shop in Power Plant anytime, without having to wait for husband to be available; a house in Tagaytay with a view of Taal Lake, and a house in Peninsula de Punta Fuego. Tall order? So why?

I'm inspired by two people who're known to have visualized such seemingly grandiose dreams: Willy Ocier, I heard, did that and saw his dream materialize in Tagaytay Highlands. Henry Sy, on the other hand, had a picture in the wall of Taal Vista Hotel which detailed the hotel's history, showing him with back to the camera, gazing at Taal Lake from what was then Taal Vista Lodge. Now he owns the hotel, a decidedly five-star place, at least judging from the Royal Suite (rooms 307, 308, and 309) which measured 112 square meters. The suite had a room at either side of the sala and dining room, two toilet baths with a bath tub each, one powder room, two refs, 3 TV sets, a dining table for 4. And the furnishings were tops.

Oh and by the way, the management of Taal Vista Hotel was insightful enough to locate the hairdryer in the bedroom rather in the bathroom. A number of hotels place the hair dryer in the bathroom which I think indicates an accident about to happen. In grade school, maybe the one who decided was absent when it was taught, one learns in Science class that touching any electrical object when one's feet or hands, or worse, body, is wet can ground/electrocute a person. Which is why if you see me in a hotel where such is the arrangement, my hair is in greater disarray than usual. I'd rather a bad hair day than a scorched, or worse, a dead body all because of vanity.

An Update on the Bird-Pecked Love Bird

I consulted my friend who gave me the love birds about the plight of the bird-pecked love bird. She vowed to get back to me after consulting her husband "Doc Bob". Actually, he's no vet, just a pet-lover.

When she called, she was laughing. Not compatible, her husband pronounced. In human lingo, "di niya type ang male." Another possibility, the white bird was not female but male.

My friend said she'd just replace one of the birds. She asked which one, I said, the white bird who was doing the pecking. She didn't say when she'd replace it, because the occurrence is subject to her husband's schedule. So there.

Provincial vis-a-vis Manila prices

A few weeks ago, my husband who has lost some weight, had one polo shirt altered. It cost him a little over P1k. If my memory serves me right, the alteration cost was higher than the shirt's price years back.

Some weeks later, my son had two polos altered in the same shop but a different branch. The cost of the alteration of the two polos was less than what my husband paid. So we thought the second branch charged cheaper. So we brought 3 of my son's polos to the second branch. He fitted them and pins were stuck wherever an alteration was necessary. When the bill was computed (you have to pay the entire amount before they'll do anything), it reached a whopping P3.9k. That made me think twice, then another time, then another. I asked if they had a discount card that entitles one to a 20 percent discount but costs P250 to procure. They had no more card left. They also give SM advantage card holders and senior citizens the same discount.

I hastily said I'd get the shirts back and return when they'd have a discount card available. At 20% off, I'd save P700 plus. So even if i'd have to pay for a discount card, I'd save P500 at least. A bit peeved, the girl canceled the transaction receipt and gave me back the 3 polos. Somehow the high cost didn't seem reasonable. I might as well have bought 3 new polos and added a few hundreds, if necessary.

I thought of sending the 3 polos to Bacolod to Mrs. Lim who made my clothes when I was in high school. Yesterday, she texted me that they were ready. The cost: P360 for all three polos. I rest my case.

Punta Fuego

For a reason I cannot disclose lest someone reads this who shouldn't, have been scouring the Net for a possible place to stay in Punta Fuego or nearby. So this morning (wrote this Wednesday night but will publish it today, Thursday), I rabidly looked for accommodations. Actually, I began the search yesterday.

Called Taal Vista Lodge but they don't allow 4 adults in a room. So that means we need to get two rooms for husband, son, maid and me. What a waste of space and money, no? But they're firm about this.

Considered Country Discovery Suites. Fully booked.

Considered The Boutique Bed and Breakfast Hotel but was intimidated when I saw the more than 10 steps leading to its lobby. Thank God for the Internet, I saw this (just the steps, the chair's ok - got this picture from clickthecity and it appeared as such) . The girl who took my call said they had assisted big men in wheelchairs up those steps, but still I'm hesitant. Besides I read some unfavorable reviews of the place: bugs, broken locks, etc. Pity. See trvir's comment in the bottom portion of the series of comments

Considered Punta Baluarte where my sisters, husband and maid went to in the eighties. Read it hasn't been maintained well. So that's out. But in fairness (how showbiz), their website really mentioned wheelchair accessibility. How kind.

Considered Hacienda isabella of Kuh Ledesma. I liked the pictures on the Net of her place, one of this (what a contrast to bed and breakfast, no?),
and Agnes, who took my call to inquire, was the most gracious of all those I spoke with from the establishments above. Worth considering, actually except that it is 8 km from the main road, so that's an additional 20 minutes taken up.

Then I called Punta Fuego itself. While formerly it was strictly exclusively for members, it seems they're now open to entertaining outsiders if space allows it. Unfortunately, their casitas are all taken. Wanted to cry. A house for rent was offered by someone, but suddenly I was told that was taken too. This a.m., as I surfed the Net, I came across the blog of Marcel Lainez and posted a message asking him where he and his family stayed. He gave me contact info for Punta Fuego (a house) and Tali Beach. I find that so kind of him - that he promptly responded to my query via email. Thing is I saw his email only when I got home from Podium, ergo too late to make calls. I'll do that first thing tomorrow. [house was taken too, huhuhu] (Please click on his website to get the info I got. I'm not sure he'll want me to spread the word around just like that), For his pictures on Tali Beach and to ask him about the house he rented there, click here

If finally we can't get a place in Punta Fuego itself, it might be Taal Vista Lodge or Hacienda Isabella. Hopefully, it won't be too late to get accommodations in either. Or will we end up in a manger? Hope not. I've been praying...

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Thursday morning update: Finally booked ourselves in Taal Vista Hotel. The people who take the calls are usually catatonic, robotic, lifeless. Even the girl I booked our accommodations with. How frustrating! So though I wanted to ask her more questions, I opted not to. It was like talking to guess who?

But I couldn't help it, I had to have answers so I called a different number and the voice that greeted me was alive, cheerful and joyful. Her name, Joy. corny ko no? But really, what a relief to know there are people employed by the establishment who have a zest for life. Hooray for Joy of the Manila office who volunteered a lot of info! May her tribe increase. Now to pack. Thanks for the magazines, chew. will take them with me. Got Yes yesterday at Podium! yehey.

The Podium plus two

Early tonight, hied off to Podium to have my mini "burger" Ipod speaker checked. The volume it emitted was near nil. I brought the receipt with me as advised by the clerk in Mobile 1. When he was checking it, I silently cheered, "don't work, don't work" so I wouldn't be embarrassed. Luckily the speaker cooperated when it was tested. The clerk disconnected the cable and replaced it with that of the store's and voila! The sound was loud and clear. What was wrong with the cable? I don't know exactly, but the clerk said something like it was pulled out of kilter. That's a perennial problem of retractable cables. A year or so ago, my son's retractable mouse conked out while the regular mouse I bought for myself continued to function and still does, in fact.

After Mobile 1, we proceeded to the elevator which had a sign posted: Give priority to the disabled. The Podium. In addition to the text was the disabled logo. Wow, I thought, trust the SM group to be so caring of the handicapped. But when we entered the elevator, it was an inferno of sorts. Poor elevator man/woman. When I asked the man if he didn't get sick because of the heat, he said he didn't, while he continued to furiously fan himself. When we took another elevator manned by a woman (womanned by a woman?), there were so many passengers that the heat was overwhelming. Podium's elevators are not air-conditioned. They don't have a fan even. They are not ventilated. I pity the elevator operators.

On the second level (or was it third or fourth? I'm never sure in Podium), there were glass shelves underneath which was a sign "See's Goodies". I excitedly pointed this out to my husband as I triumphantly said, "Finally", in reference to See's chocolates one gets as pasalubong from Hong Kong. When I started to interview the girl, she said something to the effect that the two establishments weren't related. How very Filipino to be deceptive. I told my husband, so when See's Chocolates, the Real McCoy comes in, it will have a difficult time registering its name.

At Astro Vision was a promo for DVDs: Buy 3 get 6 free! Honest, that's not a mistake. We clarified it. The clerk said it was as it said making one's purchase price of DVD's a hundred each. Not bad. My husband got the 3 CDs of the animated version of Aeon Flux and then proceeded to look for the 6 free ones. I saw Barefoot in the Park (Robert Redford and Jane Fonda) but thought there might be better choices. Saw Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So dark. After a while, my husband gave up. He returned the 3 Aeon Flux DVDs and we left. He'd have been willing to buy the 3 said CDs because at P297 each they were a bargain. They previously sold for a thousand pesos each.

Went to Living Well and bought 2 cute things. Sucker? But I'm happy: a waste basket with Monopoly (the game board) characters and a junk food clip with the Doritos logo
. If we go back to Living Well and I find another Monopoly waste basket, I'll get it for our bedroom.

Bought the tall pyramidal yemas at Lord Stowe . Yes, at Lord Stowe. In the past, all Lord Stowe sold were custard pies. Now they have vegetarian biscuits, tamarind balls, yemas, cashew brownies, caramel brownies, and the like. The yemas reminded me of their smaller version which I used to buy from the lab technician of the Spanish speech lab in college who'd sell them in various consistencies: soft when they were new and rock hard when they were old. His name was Milor. Wonder where he is now.

We had dinner at Crustasia. Vowing to go by the saying "eat to live" rather than "live to eat", I ordered sparingly (or at least less than I would have usually done.) Husband and I shared a cup of Tom Yum soup seafoods (fish, squid, clams) and mushrooms. Forgot to take a picture of it when it was served, so here's what remained of it after we divided the soup between my husband and myself:
We also ordered Thai bagoong rice
although my husband initially chose pineapple rice. WHile the former cost P175, the latter cost P308). Also got assorted lumpia . The platter consisted of 3 fried spring rolls, 2 fresh spring rolls, and one vegetable shrimp roll. The latter had bihon and shrimp in it. The sauces were of 2 kinds: plum sauce with peanuts and sweet and sour sauce. Ordered beef with broccoli or make that broccoli with beef (it had a lot of broccoli). Or maybe make that broccoli with ginger and beef. It had so much ginger my husband ate only a little of the dish , which was the most expensive (Php200+) among those we ordered. He didn't want to bite into ginger.

Oh yes, before the food was served, they gave us a bowl filled with crushed ice on which was stuck thick strips of carrots and turnips

. Very refreshing. This bowl was served with 3 kinds of dipping sauces: plum, sweet and sour and I don't know what. I only tried the two I mentioned. They also gave each of us a bowl with water, a slice of lime and a wet towel on top for washing the hands with, presumably after eating crabs. The bowl: . At the restaurant was a long table of yuppies and their boss, each of them donning a red bib. They ordered platefuls of crabs and looked so cute with their bibs on. Like overgrown babies.

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The following have nothing to do with The Podium but as they are short accounts, I've chosen to add them here.

Do you wonder why there is such an idiom as a "hen-pecked husband"? I wonder no more. Hen is fowl, like love birds are (or are they). Remember the 2 love birds I was gifted with on my birthday? The female, the white one, is perpetually pecking on the head of the more beautiful blue love bird. So the maid says, the latter is near bald. And to make matters worse, the female allegedly broke the wing or some part of the latter's anatomy. I haven't seen a hen pecking a rooster's head so maybe I shall now use the idiom "Hen-pecked bird" or "bird pecked bird." What do you think?

A friend's son flunked his non-pro driving test. Reason: he didn't wear the seatbelt. But where was the seatbelt? He didn't notice any. Why? It was a rope that was suspended from where the seatbelt should have been. laugh... only in the Philippines.

Mamou and Ricky Reyes

Yesterday, my best friend in grade school and high school said she was coming over from Bacolod and hadn't been to Serendra when I asked her if she had. So I thought of taking her out to Serendra this Saturday. As we've long been curious about Mamou (it gets considerable media mileage), I decided to call and reserve a table as I had read and witnessed how full the place always is. We always attempt to go in but the place is perpetually full.

When I called, a voice brimming with confidence answered. She identified herself as Annie as we were about to conclude our call a little later. She asked me what time we wanted the reservation and explained that the restaurant has two sittings (seatings?). What on earth was that, I wondered? So I asked and she explained: We seat (sit? I'm confused) guests at either 6:30 or 8:30. Guests who come before 8:30 have to leave by 8:20. I think she heard me chuckle because in a more friendly voice, she interjected, "parang airline, no?". Then she explained that their customers say "We just want to eat and then leave." In other words, one is not to dally. If one is early enough (say, 6:30) one has an hour and 50 minutes to relish every morsel. Now if one is late, one gets acid reflux or indigestion. Just kidding but likely, no? I asked what their specialties are and she said roasts, steaks, pasta, fish and chips, the works. I asked what the average price per head was. She said they had dishes for as low as P300+ and steaks for as high as P2900. Before you wince, the latter is good for 3 people. You may cringe now.

If it is not verboten, I shall take pictures of Mamou (the place) and the food served this Saturday. Abangan.

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Ricky Reyes. Mother Ricky Reyes. Actually this entry doesn't have anything to do with him directly. How's that for being so Philippine media? As in sensationalizing?

Anyway, this morning, the maid who takes care of me, Maid B, was in her usual dour mood. I was tempted to sing "Sounds of Silence" (which I do when I ask something and get no response), but was too lazy to sing. Anyway, when I told my husband I'd do the grocery in Katipunan when he came back from jogging, he suggested we go to Unimart instead. On another day, that suggestion would not be unusual, but today is a Tuesday and our Revo is color-coded. The Corolla isn't, but it's easier for husband to carry me in and out of the Revo than in and out of the Corolla as the former is higher. As is my husband's wont, the prospect of getting caught by the blue-shirts of the pink-shirted BF was not enough to cow him into being quick with his jogging. Oops, mali. He brought the wrong car to Ateneo for his jog, meaning he brought the Revo. So while he finished jogging by 9:30, he was stranded in Ateneo till 10, the time window was lifted. When he arrived at past 10, he had breakfast, bathed faster than usual, and gathered his clothes to change. As I prattled on the phone with a friend (are you reading this?) I thought by the time I'd go out to the sala to join him so we could leave, he would be ready. But nay, he still didn't have his shirt on nor his socks and shoes. The computer was on, but he said he was shutting down. Fine. To cut a long story short, we left the house at 11, leaving us with only 3 hours (we wanted to leave Unimart by 2) to travel to San Juan, have lunch, do the grocery. We brought Maid B.

Maid B remained quiet all through the ride but did thank me when I gave her money for lunch. I pointed out Watson's to her so that she could buy toilet paper (Orita, 24 pieces for P208 only) and save time in the process. After lunch, we looked for her in the benches in Unimart as agreed upon, but she wasn't around. I asked husband to leave me in Unimart while he looked for her in Watson's but she was nowhere in sight. I was trying to gather some groceries by myself, putting them on my lap when I saw the coke 1.5 which I needed 15 bottles of for a potluck party on Monday. As those couldn't be stationed on my lap at all along with some toiletries I had gathered, I asked the security guard whom I saw for a cart. As I began putting the stuff I had gotten and the bottles into the cart, I heard a voice say, "nag pa haircut ko sa Ricky Reyes." Promise, she said that. She added, "nakita ko kamo nag-agi." My gulay. She went on "Pero indi ko ka guwa (go out) kay gina tapos pa ko." Hayyyyyyyyy. I asked if she'd seen my husband, the answer was no. Maybe she hid so he wouldn't scold her? So I called husband who didn't answer his phone but got his call soon after. I told him she was with me.

Now, Maid B has a layered haircut, courtesy of Mama Ricky Reyes's parlor. (how abrupt the ending no? The exercise exhausted me-- the recounting and the frenzied wheeling I had to do by myself while waiting for her apparition -- a good 20 minutes I think).

Nothing wrong per se about her getting a haircut but we were in a rush and I had told her so earlier. And guess what? Though husband said he'd be back to get us from the grocery by 2, he came maybe at 2:10 per my watch even after I said we were finished. He said, "We still have an hour to Loyola, that's good enough." What if the traffic were bad? Luckily for us, it wasn't so we didn't have to shell out P300 to the blue-shirts.

I am my father's daughter. I worry too much. Bow.

The Shadow of the Wind

Last week we went to A Different Bookstore in Serendra. As soon as the door opened, a male clerk greeted us and said, "I was in Eastwood before". The face wasn't familiar but he attended to us all the way. He suggested a book The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, saying it's a hard-to-put down book. He had read it, he said. As The Kite Runner was beside his recommendation, I asked what he thought of it. He said it was good, better than the movie which he said failed to capture the characterization. That's one plus point of A Different Bookstore. Most, if not all, of its clerks are readers. In fact, the Eastwood branch has this blackboard where the names of the clerks are written and underneath, their favorite books respectively. Galing.

I bought the book and am halfway through. So many distractions keep me from finishing it one sitting. It's ok. Blurb at the back cover says it is reminiscent of Umberto Eco's work, and those of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's and Jorge Luis Borges. OF these three authors, I've only read UE, so I can't comment on the other two. I guess it is similar to UE's in the manner of setting, plot and style. As to who is the better writer, I don't think I am in a position to comment. To my mind, it is not literature in the sense that it might become a classic. I'm more inclined to compare it, in fact, to Dan Brown's style. But I'm no expert, so...

Gamu-gamo aka raga-raga

Wednesday and Thursday nights, at close to 10 o'clock. these pests swarmed around the fluorescent light bulb (50 watts, so quite a long bulb) in the room. Wednesday night, I was reading when I could sense my son scratching his leg. After looking at it from a far, I happened to look up and wow, infestation, invasion. Husband took a while to assemble the weapons of mass destruction: a basin of water and some candles. I felt so helpless and frustrated because while he was assembling them, the lights were on and the invaders increased in number. The TV had to be turned off so for close to an hour, we couldn't do anything but swat those that managed to creep down our arms, backs, etc.

Thursday night, a reprise took place. What alarmed me was my husband's thought that the said pests might indicate the presence of termites in our grounds. What do you say? Texted a cousin who lives in a condo nearby and there was not one gamu-gamu in sight, she side. A perk of living closer to heaven, I guess? My son who was at a party in a nearby subdivision didn't experience the insect attack either. But our neighbors did.

Last night, husband suggested we go out to avoid the incursion. So we hied off to Power Plant. At the elevator I was dismayed when I saw the husband of a newscaster with a female who wasn't his wife. And they talked about doing the grocery. His sister? I doubt it. Then we proceeded to have dinner at Sumo Sam and guess who was there? Joyce Jimenez and friends. Joyce is very pretty, always smiling. Her voice, though, sounds like GMA. Promise.

After dinner, we were walking along the corridor when my son said, "Ma, si Will Devaughn". Will was the commercial model of McDo a year or so ago, I think and is now one of three good-lucking guys in the Nesvita commercial. Of course Chris TIu is tops but Will is also guwapo. he and his companion went inside the shoe store Aldo. The lady was one of his housemates in Pinoy Big Brother. When I told the maid, she said it was Rissa, most likely.

My son got a book from National Book Store. It consisted of essays written by two women who are only child's. The essays were also written by similarly situated persons. In Fully Booked, he got a copy of the autobiography of Sting.

Quirky store/mall practices and then some

Yesterday, we were in Rustan's Supermarket in Power Plant. As we were about to pay, the cashier advised that we do it in tranches of P1000 each. Why? The store has this promo where every single receipt of P1000 entitles you to a gift check worth P100 which you can use to buy Le Gourmet sausages or ham. So, if you buy P10,000 worth, you need 10 different credit cards or 10k cash and ask the cashier to cut off totaling your purchases as soon as you reach a thousand pesos worth. Fine if you have time for all those transactions. But pity the poor cashier as it complicates her work. My son shook his head at the hare-brained scheme. Really ludicrous.

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Some malls charge parking fees according to the length of time one stays in the building. Maybe this is fair but again, it penalizes the cashier, lengthens queues and could be unfair. The cashier needs to compute how much you'll have to pay. As she does this, more cars queue. And how is this unfair? That you have to queue prolongs your stay in the establishment, raising the possibility that you'll pay more. The scheme is a flat rate of say P35 for the first 3 hours and P20 per hour thereafter.

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Ate at Chelsea in Serendra because a few weeks back, their chef guested in one of the shows on TV and demonstrated how risotto balls were prepared. The chef used lots of cheeses so I imagined tasting the balls would be exciting. In an earlier blog, I recounted how the risotto balls in Buon Giorno disappointed me for being so dry. Chelsea's was a little better but was still not good enough. I ordered a burger sandwich per the recommendation of the food server. While I said "medium rare" she said to get "medium well" so that it would not be bloody. I thought her suggestion worth trying out. well the burger was very dry and thick, so dense it no longer looked appetizing. The sidings that came with it were okay, though, especially the potato wedges that were served with a mayo-ginger dip with mustard on the side. It had two small slices of onion rings dipped in batter and deep fried. That was ok too. The sandwich was served with lettuce which I didn't touch because it had no dressing.

Meanwhile, my husband ordered fish and chips. This was really good. The serving was generous, my husband thought, too generous in fact. he couldn't finish it. It was served with cole slaw (violet cabbage) and aioli dip and vinegar. Nice one that.

The cake we ordered was Chocnut Dark Varlhrona and it was good. It melted in the mouth.

Will we go back to Chelsea? likely yes, so our son can try the food thereat, which are mostly his favorites: pasta, pizza, cheese platters. The place is always full and I thought months back, intimidating. From the outside, I thought before that it was a really sosy place, but guests weren't formal at all. In fact, the lady in the table next to ours was so noisy, name-dropping (Bea Zobel's name). She addressed someone as bishop and said they'd vacation in the Pyrenees. I thought I'd develop a headache listening to her. I wanted to scream for her to lower her voice. She wasn't young, mind you, maybe mid-fifties or older.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.



Picture is of the foccacia bread topped with roasted garlic they served soon after we arrived.



The fish and chips et al. lying on their side. (lazy to set it upright)



Their frosted drinking glass.



Risotto balls



The daunting burger



The melts-in-your-mouth chocolate cake. Yummmmmmmyyyyy.

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On Bonifacio High Street, between Fully Booked and the Gap store being constructed, saw this huge Havaianas for "Grandma Wolf" ("What big feet you have" -- Think Little Red Riding Hood.):

Shorts

When we were about to leave Caleruega, I saw the guard about to bite into his sandwich. He raised it and said, "kain tayo, ma'am." That is one Filipino trait/practice that is so endearing...

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At the CCP lobby, as we were about to leave, an old lady demanded of the guard, "Bakit mo pinapasok yon? Naka shorts. Hindi naman eto beach!" Sadly, that's how things go these days. People defy so many should's... or would be betters.

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Bought this box of Junior Caramels from the grocery. As I was about to open it from one end, I saw the message, "Open at the other end". I think this missive is a thoughtful one because the other end had the following instruction: "To close, insert tab in slot". The wrong end had neither tab nor slot.

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This morning, in Unang Hirit, Sunshine Plata and her works were featured. Sunshine uses coffee for her paintings. I'm not sure it is all right to lift one of her paintings to show in this blog, so check this out link for yourself. Uncanny.

Hooray for Globe, today!!!

This pm we hied off to Globe in Shang to have the Nokia 2630 phone replaced, it possible. Initially, the man who attended to us said he'd have it evaluated, and this time I was no longer inclined to be patient. i said,"So I won't have a phone for another week, sayang my load, etc." He went in and checked if they had a service unit I could use and came back to say they had none. I asked to speak with the manager. I wanted the phone replaced.

After some time, Doner, the manager, came out with the good news. He would replace the phone with a new one of the same kind or the other one that went with the plan. But he needed the entire box and its contents (manual, charger, earphone) back.

I said, no problem. He said you may come back tomorrow, but realizing that this was too good a chance, a blessing even, to pass up, I texted my son to call my cellphone (you'll see why later) so I could give him instructions to send everything to Shangrila through the maid who knew how to ride the MRT to the mall. In a little over an hour's time, she came and so we went back to Globe.

Some papers had to be signed etc. but now we have a new replacement phone. The manager admitted they had received a lot of complaints re Nokia 2630. God bless him for agreeing to replace the unit.

Globe yet again. As I waited for the transaction to end, I asked the guard for literature on the different plans offered by Globe. Earlier I had looked at the bill of my son's plan when I applied for it and realized it was GTalk. Yes, I had been talked into getting the said plan by the lady in Podium. Its features were 350 free text messages and 210 minutes of voice calls for P1200.

Ever since I got the plan for my son, I came to realize he hardly used the phone to call. Luckily, I saw that Globe was offering a Globe flex plan that was consumable. For 1200 said plan had 250 free text and P1200 that was consumable in any way one needed/wanted: to surf the Net, to call, to text some more. Text messages were at P0.50, voice calls, Globe-to-Globe P6/minute, etc. Upon studying its features I realized the plan was more practical; but problem was, would they allow the switch?

I called 730-1000 and was assured they could and they would on the 17th because they had a standing rule: switching wasn't allowed 4 days before or after the cut-off period. So there. On the 17th, my son's plan will be consumable na. Yehey. Thanks to Tat Vergara. I told her how much clearer her explanation was than that given by the personnel in Globe Podium. She apologized on behalf of that person. May her tribe increase.

The CCP Grounds

What a surprise we were in for when we drove to CCP last night to view the exhibits of my husband's former student, Jomike Tejido. We thought we were lost when we made a turn. In fact, my husband thought we'd have to drive further to get to CCP although we were in the reclaimed area. Why?

Where before (Imelda's time) one saw mostly parking lots, right on the left side of the CCP were eating places, brightly lit ones. Then I saw a structure that looked familiar. I said, "Oh, I saw Tommy Abuel eating there before", pointing to an outdoor concrete cafeteria, when lo and behold, my son saw "CCP parking". That was a very tiny space where the entrance and exit were one and the same space, and again a tiny wisp of a girl (like in Fish and CO) pulled and pushed the heavy metal thing that blocked the spot. The space was really tiny. But other than that, we didn't notice much else as we were in a rush. We were one and a half hours late for the opening.

The girl pointed us to the entrance across when we told her we wanted to view the exhibit. We followed her instructions, only to be told it was the artists' entrance and while it had an elevator, that elevator led to the main theater's backstage. Whoa. So we were told to go to the Little Theater's entrance.

When we were near enough, I didn't see any ramp and was almost dismayed because years back, okay make that more than 20 years back, I had written the CCP director then, Bing Roxas, asking if they could install one and she complied ever so kindly. Now it was gone. Then my husband and son said in unison, there's a lift. Lift, sosy. Like in Power Plant but better. It was enclosed. It had a tall door like to a room; the lift in Power Plant has a half the height of a room door. So my husband and I boarded it as we would in Power Plant. Whoa, it "millimitered" itself up (as opposed to inched itself up) and the guard said it was good for the person in the wheelchair only. But it was too late for my husband to get out. Besides, the notice on the side said 750 pounds. While I'm sure the wheelchair may have weighed 50 pounds, I was also sure I didn't weight 700 pounds. SO why was it moving so slowly? My son suggested that my husband reach out to the top of the enclosure to help it up by removing some of his weight from the floor. That he did did hasten the upward motion but then the thing stopped. Then it went on again, then stopped. Eventually we were able to get to the landing, proceeded to the lobby of the Little Theater and were told the exhibit was on the 1st floor. We rode the elevator to the 1st floor, asked around and were told it was on the second floor. When we got to the second floor, boohoohoo, no ramps, just steps galore. So I told my husband and son to proceed to the exhibit: my husband did, my son chose to keep me company. My husband wasn't gone for long and I prompted my son to go see the exhibit. His pronouncement: the paintings on banig of Jomike Tejido are works he'd like to have in his home. Maybe, if I get to see the third exhibit (we saw the first in Serendra without our son) and there's a cheap one, I'll buy one for him.

We left before long and this time, I was put in the lift alone and it zoomed down. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but the trip down was pretty fast; gravity plus less weight inside the thing, I guess. As I was going down, I heard someone say, "Hi Mary An", the friend of two of my friends, but I couldn't see her, enclosed as I was in the lift. Then my husband and son exclaimed, "Si Sony/Tita Sony". True, it was my sister rushing up the stairs to catch the performance in the Main Theater (Madz, Noel Cabahug, etc.).

Anyway, as we wheeled to the space where the car was parked, I heard the blare of a honky tonk (think jukebox place, okay, cheap bar) singer (read "ka buki") and thought aloud, "Imelda would be flummoxed", even as my husband said, "There's a live band on the other end". If Imelda were six feet underground, she'd turn in her grave, but she's alive, so that makes it even worse. I mean, wow, what a turn of events for her beloved seat of culture. I felt disgusted, violated. Sayang.

By then it was past nine pm, but we had to drive to a party of the mother of my son's friend near North Edsa, the farthest end of EDSA. Traffic was super heavy everywhere and when we reached the road beside Camp Crame (Aguinaldo?), my husband made a turn, leading us to Katipunan, ignoring the saying "the shortest distance between two points is a perpendicular line"). For a while there, I was scared he had decide to go home because he was driving really fast without talking. I just closed my eyes and kept quiet, praying to God to keep us safe to wherever he'd drive us. We ended up in our friend's house, intact. Whew. By then it was almost 10:30 p.m, rather late for us but that made the birthday celebrator happy so okay na rin. What a night!

I now regret that I didn't take pictures of the CCP grounds last night.

Update on Nokia 2630

This update should have been posted 3 days ago when the barely a month old Nokia 2630 which came with Globe Plan 500 conked out after they reformatted it. Time to go back to Globe Shang. Will I be as patient? In this weather, I may not be. Why on earth is it so hot?

Years back, a classmate cum niece or a niece cum classmate teased, asking why my temper was so short. I laughingly told her, "ka init!" Yes, the weather definitely affects my temper.... hahaha.

The Chapel on the Hill and Caleruega

Caleruega was the main reason we had hied off to Batangas, the Chapel on the Hill was a happy incidental. As we visited the Chapel on the Hill first, I'll write about it prior to Caleruega.

The Chapel on the HIll is walking distance from Evercrest Hotel. It is owned by the Don Bosco fathers. Those in wheelchairs shouldn't be disheartened. There's a ramp that gives access to the chapel on the hill.

The chapel called the Mary Help of Christians Chapel, I think, has a labyrinth. Coincidentally, prior to leaving for Batangas yesterday, I bade goodbye to Mama Mary's image which visits our home monthly, from the 7th to the 9th. And this Mama Mary is Mary, Help of Christians.

Rather than words, I'll put in the pictures my husband took to show you the place. The place is so laid out that it inspires prayer.




Following are the pictures I took:







Caleruega, on the other hand, is well known for weddings. In fact, when we got there, there was an ongoing wedding and when the couple had left, another was there for a look-see of the place. Owned by the Dominicans, it houses retreatants and there were quite a number around. While a few days ago my sister said it looked like it wouldn't be accessible to me, when I called the place I was assured there were ramps everywhere and she wasn't lying, except to the hanging bridge and the koi pond. Otherwise, the chapel and everywhere else was accessible.



The chapel in Caleruega is called the Chapel of the Transfiguration, hence the stained glass design below:



On the left is the prophet Elijah, the middle, Jesus, and the right, Moses with the two tablets of stone.


On the way to Caleruega were a number of houses and townhouses, a few of them looking like they had seen better days. I felt sad looking at them, among them this: .

There were also new townhouses with nary a caretaker nor security guard. What a pity if they don't take care of it.

I'll try to post more pictures in my multiply site. Easier to do so there. They'll be pictures of our trip in general...

Evercrest Hotel, Nasugbu Batangas

The hotel's architecture is reminiscent of Baguio Terraces Hotel, the one which went down with the earthquake. It did not have as many floors, however. Built some 15 years ago, it must have been five-star then because the room sizes are adequate (we got a Junior Suite for P4500/night with breakfast for 2; additional persons P200 per). The suite had a receiving area, a view of the golf course in the veranda , a dining table, a refrigerator, a toilet with a bathtub, a separate shower area, a hair dryer, etc. BUT the walls had rust (?) stains, the TV's reception was bad even after they replaced it, the aircon in the room refused to cool well (it was set at time delay, the engineering man said). We weren't given towels until we asked, we weren't given enough soap and toiletries. We occupied one of only three rooms that had guests last night.

One of the restaurants is for Koreans only (and we're in the PHilippines, take note, or is Batanagas Korea Jr.?) The clubhouse where breakfast and other meals are served has no ramp and there's no one who helps until you ask) and we were told breakfast would be buffet so we hied off to the place despite the steps this morning. But when we got there, the waiter said it was a choice between Filipino, American or continental breakfast which we could have ordered room service and which we eventually did. Luckily, before we negotiated the second set of steps to the resto area, we saw no buffet, asked and were told we had been misinformed by the man who had brought the menu to our room. Oh boy.

I didn't tip the engineer who came to fix (but didn't succeed enough) the TV because it was our right to have a functioning TV set, right? He wasn't doing us a favor. Neither did I tip the housekeeping lady who brought in the towels which were due us. My rationale: if I did, they might see this as a money-making activity.

Yesterday when we lunched, we ordered caldereta, salpicao and binagoongang baboy. The caldereta could have been softer, the salpicao was all right, the binagoongang baboy was misnamed. It should have been called curried pork. I couldn't taste the bagoong.

Breakfast: the ham used was not ham per se but its cheaper version: spiced ham. The omelette looked okay, the tapa was tops (the waiter had recommended it), while the longganisa looked dehydrated. The hot chocolate had solid particles (I suspect tablea was used but not completely dissolved).

Would I go back to Evercrest? Possibly, but if there are better alternatives, I might pass up the chance. Oh yes, it has a sister hotel/resort: Chateau Royale. This one has cottages that are attached to each other. My son wanted to check in there, my husband thought the cottages were way too small. Besides, Chateau Royale didn't offer a view of the golf course. Rather than nature, it had buildings, playgrounds, more buildings. But my son said it was more disabled friendly as there were ramps everywhere. You see, one of the buildings in the grounds is designated for retirees.

I think the two resorts/hotels are owned by the Gotesco Group. Not bad really, but could be better.

FIre Lake Grill 2

Everyone, please go eat at FIre Lake Grill in Cliff House Tagaytay. I'm so scared it won't last much longer. Last night we had dinner there and there were only two tables taken (one with three of us, another with three ladies). Today, when we had lunch in Buon Giorno, the resto across it which was filled with guests with more coming, Fire Lake had not one customer. SO please, for its survival's sake, do go and eat there.

Their food at Fire Lake's is way better than Buon Giorno's. Our orders last night at Fire Lake included salad with black angus beef, CAB (certified angus beef, I asked) steak with jumbo prawn, a pasta dish, risotto with sausage, asparagus and mushrooms. Dessert was a tiny cake with peanut butter and white chocolate, on a decorated plate. Every bite had to be savored. Every bite was so good.

So why did we eat in Buon Giorno today? The first time we ate in Fire Lake Grill some years ago, my son looked longingly at Buon Giorno which he was sure served pizza. So to satisfy his curiosity and craving, we hied off to Buon Giorno for lunch. What did we have?

Not being that hungry, I ordered croquettas (risotto balls with mozarella - very dry), my son ordered New York pizza (not very tasty), Belle (who takes care of me) ordered mini burgers with fries (fries were ok, burger, passable), while my husband ordered pasta with tahong and shrimp. Ok lang. The dessert (moten choco cake) was great in that it was really moist and served with vanilla ice cream. Just like in Fire Lake, we were served bread, not with butter like in Fire Lake, but with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Bread was good too.

So why is Buon Giorno doing much better than Fire Lake Grill in terms of enticing the customers?

Fire Lake is fine dining, entrees a bit more expensive than Buon Giorno although FL's pastas aren't priced too high. BG has pambata offerings, a kiddie menu even which adults may order from if they so prefer. But in terms of quality, FL is tops. Pity if it dies...

I'll be so sad.

The Fish and Co buffet

Value for money- one certainly gets that from the Fish and Co buffet, Mondays to Fridays, lunch and dinner time at Shangrila only, for P550. Entrees include fresh fruits, juices, a choice between tom yum soup and miso soup stuffed with all kinds of fresh sea foods (tender squid, yummy; fresh shrimp, fish), chicken pastel, pork ribs, pot roast, pasta, fresh oysters (or you may have them baked with cheese), garlic tahong, broccoli au gratin, seafood paella, freshly fried fish and chips (on Mondays and Tuesdays only). Drinks have to be ordered and paid for.

So where's the catch? Pity the waiters assigned to the buffet on the ground floor. Why? The only one assigned when we ate last night was one tiny wisp of a girl who had to take our orders for drinks (my husband had refillable so she had to come back several times for the refill), go up to file our order for the fish and fries, go upstairs to get more oysters, etc. Later, another female server joined her, also very thin so that one pities them. At least two tables were sympathetic and we constantly asked or consoled them, to show we understood their predicament as they apologized for delays. They forgot to give us fries but we couldn't find it in our hearts to complain. They were trying their best.

When we were there, there were initially 3 tables that were occupied, then a fourth. In the smoking area outside the mall there was another table that was occupied. Imagine if all the tables were filled! I dread the thought for the poor ladies. I asked if they were permanently stationed there and they said their assignments were rotated. I suggested they tell their manager to assign the heavy weights downstairs so they would lose weight.

By the way there were desserts too. Panacotta served in different sizes; like in one-shot glasses, tiny wine glasses (ok, you get the drift, i can't tell one alcohol cup from another) etc. Cups of greenish gelatin with fresh fruit slices on top offered an alternative. My husband tried both and panna cotta with mango was better he said, compared to the gelatin. Re the soups: he tried both tom yum and miso. Initially, he said the miso was better until he took a bite of the ginger. He promptly pronounced the tom yum soup to be much better.

If I see the manager of Fish and CO, i'll certainly tell him to increase the manpower during buffet times downstairs. I could almost imagine the servers there collapse from sheer exhaustion.

Googling and Serendipity

When I surfed for more on "there are no accidents, only grace", which Gerry Esquivel mentioned in his commencement address (see earlier blog)< my search yielded the following:

1) A link to a homily at the Ateneo where the homilist said, "The great German Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner, said it very simply: Keine zufall, nur gnade. “There are no accidents; only grace.” - from the baccalaureate mass homily of Fr. Danny Huang, SJ


2) There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives
by Robert H. Hopcke
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Synopsis
In this inspiring book, Robert H. Hopcke, a Jungian psychotherapist, explores the role of synchronicity in our love life and our work life, in our waking life and our dream life, in our everyday life and our dream life, in our everyday life and our spiritual life. Through interviews with people whose lives have been changed by some unexpected chance encounter, he presents us with a rich array of true synchronistic stories: a woman is set up on a blind date with the same man, years apart, on two different coasts; a singer's career changes direction when she walks into the wrong audition; just when he is feeling particularly alone, a man runs into a college friend at a remote outpost on an island in the South Pacific. Not only does Hopcke present these stories to us, he shows us how, by looking at our lives as coherent narratives, with synchronistic experiences the turning points in the plot, we can use the synchronicities we experience to lead our lives more meaningfully.


Publishers Weekly

While people have "a tendency to deny, dismiss, or discount" synchronistic events, Hopcke contends that when greeted with openness and acceptance, these occurrences, which briefly connect one's inner and outer life by shattering normal interpretive frameworks, have the power and purpose of transformation. As Hopcke, Director of the Jungian Center for Symbolic Studies, explains Jung's 45-year-old coinage, a synchronistic event must take place at a transitional moment in one's life and must defy a simple cause-and-effect explanation. It must also be personally meaningful or symbolic; one person's life-transforming event is another's banality. The bulk of the book focuses on relationships, work, dreams, spirituality and "matters of life and death," anecdotally illustrating how synchronicity often leads people in the direction they unknowingly need to go. While synchronicity has gotten a lot of play in psychological and New Age circles, skeptics remain. Hopcke's lively, accessible interpretations of a plethora of real-life events will make their doubts difficult to maintain. BOMC, QPB and One Spirit Book Club selections; audio rights to Audio Literature; foreign rights sold in the U.K., Australia, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Japan and the Czech Republic. (June)
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If I find Hopcke's book, I just might buy it. Sounds interesting...

Commencement Address of Gerry Esquivel

Of tsamba, fools, and silent walks -- Gerry Esquivel

date posted: 2008-04-01 18:04:20
By Gerry Esquivel

What follows is the message of Architect Gerry Esquivel to the graduates of Ateneo de Manila High School Batch 2008, delivered at the commencement exercises on Sunday, March 30 at the AHS Covered Courts.



Magandang hapon sa inyo.

Bumababa na ang standards dito sa Ateneo high school. Pati ako pinagsasalita na sa commencement exercises.

Tinanong ko si Father RB kung puede makipagswap sa ibang commencement speakers. Sa Prep na lang sana ako magsasalita. Hindi siya sumagot…. Parang nagsesecond thoughts na yata.

It has always been my job at home to tell stories to my younger children before they go to sleep. I still do this especially to my 8 year old son. Stories about warriors. Giants. Hidden treasures.

This graduation talk is nothing really more than that, silly stories. Of Tsamba. Fools. And silent walks.

Bago ang lahat, meron lang akong aaminin sa inyo:

First. I did not graduate from Ateneo high school. Mabuti pa kayo. For whatever reason I found myself completing 4th year as an exchange student in a public school 20 miles south of Boston.

Second. While I have always bragged about my belonging to the honors class, I wasn’t a very bright student. Pagsi at one point gave me a 74 in English. Cheekee gave me a semestral grade of 72. And I barely passed Physics.

Third. High School wasn’t all fun and games for me. I was bullied and insecure. I was nowhere near as intelligent as my classmates. 4A produced graduates from Harvard. Stanford. CalTech. I even have a classmate who hangs out with Nobel Prize winners in Economics.

And yet, and yet, my dear graduates, life has its own crazy way of coming full circle. Funnily enough, I find myself a non-alumnus, a mediocre student, and a loser by high school standards giving this commencement talk.

And this twist of destiny, itong biro ng tadhana, I like to call tsamba.

STOREY NO 1. TSAMBA

I asked Enzo’s friend’s what they thought tsamba meant and they said… Luck. Swerte.

Right after high school I told Tatay of my plan to be a Jesuit. He told me “Gerry take any course in UP, the easiest course you can find."

So I decided to take a 4 year course, BS Foreign Service. Sinabihan na naman ako ng Tatay, “Gerry, mag-architecture ka na lang, magaling ka namang magdrawing.” I said yes. I found myself completing Architecture in UP, passing the board exam, and shortly right after entering Arvisu house as a pre novice. Finally, I said. My heart rests.

Shock no 1. The Jesuits wrote me a letter of rejection to Sacred Heart. I was devastated. I planned priesthood since high school. Pinagbigyan ko na ang Tatay, it was time I said that I pursued my own.

Lesson no 1: no matter how noble your goal in life is, it can never be a substitute for God’s Holy Will.

Reality no 1. Shattered dream. No plans. No money. My career break came in when I got a job to build a kitchen cabinet. I had no experience in construction. But my initial assignment led me to build bigger kitchen cabinets, chapels for funeral parlors, and garage renovations. Since then I have abandoned design and architecture. And after that first job, that small kitchen cabinet, I have taken on bigger and more exciting projects. To think that all this started with no experience, no plan, and no capital. Luck? Swerte? Tsamba!

And of course the greatest tsamba of my life, Beng. She belongs to the sister class of my section. She knew all my classmates. Syempre puera ako. Di ako nagpaparty. Wala akong kotse. Wala akong magarang damit. Wala akong pera.

But one clear day, 11 years after high school, I accidentally met the most beautiful woman in my life. I fell in love. I am sure that the best decision I have ever made, was to marry the girl of my dreams, the school girl that I should have met in high school. Luck? Swerte? Tsamba.

At itong mga nangyari sa akin after high school, at itong mga puedeng mangyari sa inyo, tsamba ba talaga lahat ng ito. Luck? Swerte?

Tsamba I believe is about an overwhelming and powerful spirit of thanksgiving. That Tsamba is all about trusting. That tsamba is all about grace, and God’s providence.

Some of you may not have gotten in to the university of your choice, you may have worked real hard and barely made it today, you may be terrified that you still are unsure on what to do after graduation. Relax. To all this, you must say thank you.

The world is open to those with a grateful heart. There is an infinite layer of tsambas in this world. And while some events appear to be fueled by accidents and luck, Karl Rahner put it so rightly when he said, "Accidents? ... there are no accidents in our lives. Only grace."

STOREY NO 2: COMPANY OF FOOLS

I am sure that in your 4 years of high school, you have done some pretty silly stuff. Some form of prank. Some kind of mischief that got you in trouble. And during these years you have also made fools of yourself.

Fr. Macayan would stop by EAPI on his way to the JR and talk to the trees that he planted. He would point an angry finger at the trees and tell them… "You dumbbells… why are you not growing as fast as I want you to?” He was a silly man.

But you know, my dear graduates, what is sillier and more foolish is that Fr. Macayan died a few years back alone in the Jesuit infirmary. While some of his siblings and Jesuit brothers were there, he died without family. How silly when he could have used his higher math to be an engineer and raised a family and built a career of his own.

And yet this silly and foolish man chose to live a very boring life. Teaching first year Algebra. Checking papers, Talking to trees.

I remember Pagsi. He was always so engrossed with his story telling. While reading to us the story, The Most Dangerous Game, he was like an actor auditioning out for a play. His saliva spurting all over. But what is sillier and foolish is that I remember visiting him in his house when I was in first year as I visit him now. He still lives in the same house along Esteban Abada. No major improvement. No major expansion. Walang ganoong pagbabago. And yet Pagsi has taught Presidents of companies, corporate leaders, movers and shakers. I am sure he does not mind. He is happy with his work, happy with his boys, and at peace to be a founding member of God’s army of fools.

Let me now share stories of silliness after high school.

For the last three years, Enzo and I would visit my carpenters in a squatter’s area on Christmas day. Medyo off yung timing because it’s the day when then there is much revelry, gifts, visitors, when there is food and drinks in abundance in our home. There we would drink beer and eat tilapya with them and they would tell Enzo their own kwentos. I am not sure what this does to my men. Not too sure what this does to Enzo. All I know is that the timing is off, the schedule is tight, and the activity is rather silly.

I was skimming through scripture, when I read a verse about feeding the hungry. Clothing the naked. And visiting those in prison. Right there after closing the Bible, without thinking, (which I often do), I immediately called the Jesuit chaplain in New Bilibid Prison and asked him if I can visit him the following day.

In that meeting I decided to finish the chapel in the minimum security area. It took me close to 2 years to finish. But before I left that first visit, Fr. Willy toured me around. ( Let me share a side side story) And there tugging along our tour was a man that kept asking how I was. Nabigla ako ng tanungin niya ako…. Kamusta na po si Enzo? Si Ina? Si Ma'am Beng?

Patay.

“ Sino ka?”
" Driver po niyo ako."
"Bakit ka naman nandito?"
"Carnapping po."

Young men, there are 16,000 inmates in New Bilibid Prison. I was Bombay's first visitor. Silly and foolish stories.

I have made several trips to Payatas. Not so much to fix a school in Payatas 13. To reflect. To ground myself. To stand on a hill.

There I met Josebeth. An 11 year old who lives in Samar. Nagbabakasyon daw siya sa Payatas. Kasi nanduon ang kanyang pamilya.

I asked her what she wanted. “ Wala po. Ok ako dito.” Her direction was clear. Nothing distracts her. All that she wishes is to be with family. No wish of toys, clothes, or special food. Such a silly and foolish girl.

My dear graduates. Please. Do not think that I ask you now to drop all your dreams. Join the Jesuits, join an NGO and be amongst the poorest of the poor. No. No my dear graduates. This is not what I wish to say.

Dream. Be happy. Live. Excel. Express. Tell the world who you are and who you can be. Profit from this world.

Create a life deserving of your visions. There must be no boundaries to your dreams. There must only be drive. Direction. Desire. You must be hungry to achieve. To commit to nothing else but the very top. To try.

All that I wish to share with you today is that together with the drive, direction, and desire is that you sprinkle your journeys with tiny moments of silliness and foolishness. To reach. To share. To give. To find it in yourself the foolish thing that makes you true. And while your journeys take you to the glamour of business and profession, find time to bask, to sun bathe and spread your arms wide enough to dance and sing to the beautiful music of fools.

STOREY NO 3. SILENT WALKS

I visited Father Joey Fermin in Medical City and asked permission if I could share this story with you. He said yes.

I am sure that all of you know that he is ill. Fr. Joey went out for a walk inside campus. His best friend Fr. Aydee accompanied him. They went around the Ateneo grounds for close to 45 minutes. But what is interesting is that they returned to the Jesuit Residence after that long walk without uttering a word to each other. They didn’t talk.

But I am very sure that Fr. Aydee wanted to tell Fr. Joey that he was praying for his recovery, that all would be well in the end, and that should he need anything, he would always be there for him.

I am also very sure that Fr. Joey wanted to tell Fr. Aydee that yes, I really need your prayers and support; that I am scared and unsure of this illness, and that I appreciate you taking this walk with me when I know you may have some concerns of your own.

And why do I share this with you? Because there may be some similarity with this story and our journeys together, you as adolescent sons and us your parents. That there may be moments when we will both take these long and silent walks. When it is unclear whose pace we follow, yours or ours. When there is only respect, and love shown in every step. When words cannot capture that which we both feel inside.

Like Fr. Joey’s and Fr. Aydee’s long and quiet walk, we will all need to return to our own JR.

But remember that the Jesuit Residence is not a place to return to but a quiet corner in your heart tucked away where the noise of this world cannot reach. Siguradong hindi kayo lahat magkakasama-sama sa college. Iba iba ang inyong pupuntahan. And during those years, the phone calls will lessen, the text messages will not be as frequent, and you may have developed some new friendships of your own. There will be silence and long walks. You must return. To the 4 years of friendship, the victories in band competitions, the exciting dates you had together, the defeats in intramurals, the first taste of beer. The fun. The laughter. The friendship you will take forever.

You must also return to your mentors. Those who formed you these high schools years. These silly Jesuits. Your foolish teachers. They who taught you everything they knew. And not held back. Whose only desire is to produce brave men that will pay forward the luxury of a solid education.

After several years, when you have built your empires, you MUST return to the ATENEO. And I advise you to physically take these long and quiet walks. By yourself. Or with your best friend. And recall the steps you freely took before and realize that your deepest desire really and without doubt is to be the high school student you once were. Excited. Full of life. Idealistic and free.

I visited Fr. Macayan 3 times before he passed away. I shared stories with him even if he can hardly talk. I told him, “Father, si Gerry Esquivel ito. Estudyante niyo sa Algebra.” He was weak and could not respond. “Fr. Si Gerry ito kaklase ni John at ni Patrick.” His eyes lit up and murmured. “Yes. John. Patrick.”

I left JR feeling a little bad. My Algebra teacher did not recognize me. He did not remember me. But then I realized that it was not so important that he failed to remember me but what is more important, I remembered him.

Congratulations young men. This is your moment of glory. Throw your cares into the wind. Do something really silly today. Approach the teacher that gave you your lowest grade. Sabihin mo, "Babalikan kita Ma'am. Babalikan kita sir.” Not out of spite or revenge but out of gratitude for keeping you awake at night studying. Go to Fr. RB and the Jesuits. Magyabang kayo. Sabihin niyo sa kanila “Father, pag successful na ako sabihin mo sa akin kung ano ang puede kong ibalik sa High School.” Yabangan niyo. Shake hands and greet all your batchmates. Especially those whom you hardly know. Those that you have not talked to. Sabihin niyo sa kanlia, "Pare…. Congratulations…KitaKits.” Because today, after this graduation there will no longer be a 4A. 4B. Or 4C. Today, your badge of honor will be, “Atenista ako! High school batch 2008.”

Magbarberohan kayo sa isa't isa. Last few days to see each other. Sabihin ninyo …. “Pare. Pag doctor na ako…gagamutin ko kayo. Pare. Pag abogado na ako…ipagtatanggol ko kayo. Pare. Pag arkitekto na ako….idedesign ko kayo ng magarang bahay. Pare pag film director na ako….gagawin ko kayong artista. Pare pag Heswita na ako….. ipagdarasal ko kayo palagi……………. Pucha Pare kahit ano man ang mangyari…. Magkaibigan tayo.”

Good luck to all. It’s your turn to weave your own foolish stories. Pakatandaan lang ninyo…. Na kahit ano mang paikot-ikot ng kwento ng buhay ninyo, ano mang akyat at baba…. Ay di kayo maaring makaalpas sa higpit ng yapos ng ating Panginoon.

I end with a blessing to you.

“Humayo kayo. We release you from being a child. From being within easy reach of our tight embrace. We will watch you from afar. We will hide our tears when we see you fail. We will share our smile when we see you prevail. All that we ask, is you take these walks with us. It may be silent. But God will allow us to savor it… because it is in silence that we hear God the most.”

We are proud of you. We love you. Hanggang dulo. Habang buhay. Ad Majorem. Dei Gloriam.

What I know of Gerry Esquivel: A most generous person. When my son was in Senior year in high school, through a parent of a Junior, Gerry offered his services for free and some materials to boot for the renovation of the Onofre Pagsanghan theater. He is not a snob despite his stature...