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)
More Reviews and Recommendations


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...

Celebrities Up Close - You don't have to be snooty just because you're a celebrity

In Lucasan, maybe some 20 minutes away from VE, we went to the place of Ugu Bigyan, the POTTER (but as my son and husband say, no relation to Harry... corny). The gates were wide open, anyone could simply walk in and get anything in sight, but happily no one did. I guess that's how things are most of the time in the province. A healthy respect for the neighbor's property and the neighbor's trust in turn.

There were at least 3 structures that looked like houses, but the biggest also had an open side door through which we walked and saw antique furniture, used rather than simply displayed furniture. Place was very clean, no dust, no musty smell there. No one was around as we quietly looked. Earlier, my husband inquired from someone he saw if we could have lunch. They said impossible as we had no reservations. Ugu Bigyan after all, was first of all a POTTER (no relation to Harry, ang kulit) rather than a chef. Never mind, we thought, we could eat at Kusina Salud which was part of our itinerary home anyway. So we looked around some more. One of the structures had a lady manning it. It had pottery works of Ugu among other stuff. True to form (which has come with age in my case), I asked her, can we not really have lunch here? She asked me, "maybe you can. have you talked to anyone? what did they say?" I was evasive, vague. I didn't want her to know we had been turned down so she could "fight" for "our cause" and maybe she did because when she came back, leaving her post to possible thieves (us, haha), she said we could be served lunch. yahoo. As we moved on to another structure, this one selling jewelry with terra cotta attachments (parang file) and or semi-precious stones, bull horns, etc. and native bags, and browsed some more, the waiter said we should start eating as the soup might get cold. Soup was asparagus with strands of beaten egg white. My son said it had fish too, but my cup didn't have any. There was also pako salad which looked inviting (it had the pako leaves, some tomato, cucumber, onions) and another green dish (was it Lent and I was being punished? Joke) with kangkong leaves and tahong out of their shells.
The third dish served was impressive in terms of size: a huge flat fish skimmed by light soy sauce and topped with slivers of ginger. My son loved this dish very much. Oh and then there was a pork dish that tasted like it had orange marmalade. And finally a cup each of strawberry ice cream. Oh yes and fresh buko juice, very sweet though unsugared, with lightly spooned out buko meat. Very refreshing.

When we asked the server who prepared the meal, I nearly fell off my wheelchair: Ugu Bigyan, he said. When we arrived, we had been told he was bathing. And then he had prepared our lunch so quickly? I almost wanted to ask if he could train our maid cum cook to cook faster, more enthusiastically. Tall order. As we lunched with the server bringing in stuff, we asked if we'd see Ugu. he said Ugu would come out that's for sure.

My son said he saw a picture of the young Ugu: dark and thin like ____ Bermejo, a session drummer whom we'd seen perform in the Podium. So we looked out for anyone who remotely resembled that image. We didn't see such a one but at one point, there was a man in a grey shirt and plaid green shorts walking past us. When we asked the server for the nth time where Ugu was, he said, "ay sayang, siya yun" pointing at the very man. He said, "tawagin ko". It occurred to me then that maybe, he was an okay boss because without hesitation the server approached his by then eating amo, who promptly smiled and walked to us, shook hands and quietly answered our questions. He also posed with us, asking one of his nieces to take our picture so everyone could join in. Look for it See here. Now there was a genteel place with hospitable people, not hungry for tips. (Sorry VE personnel.) He also signed the calling card (his) we asked him to.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

NDP is the daughter of a well-know culinary expert. Her son and mine were classmates in Prep. She was our "boss" parent being the Class Parent Representative. She also cooks and had a long-running cooking show on TV. As soon as she was chosen CPR, I had written her explaining how she could call on me to help anytime. She never did and was mostly on the giving side. One time, after our sons' field trip, my son came home with a shirt that wasn't his. It was his Tita Nina's who saw how sweaty my son had become. She lent her shirt. One time there was a grade level presentation and she took my son's pictures without being asked and gave us copies. Another time she went to Australia for the Special Olympics and came home with a shirt of the event for me. A very thoughtful friend.

And still another incident. I was cooking pastel de lengua but had run out of sherry. I texted to ask her if I could substitute white wine. She said better to stick to sherry. Aware that I had run out, she promised to bring me some so I could cook a perfect pastel.

******************************

LKT and Mr. T are the parents of a Hangad member. One time PKT eagerly introduced us to them or them to us (if there are billing problems as in showbiz billing) and ever since then, LKT has always approached us to kiss, Mr T to shake hands. The couple, I found out only the other day, are journalists (do I reveal LKT's identity? Lorna Kalaw-Tirol). And the son, Paolo, has his name in many, many, CDS as arranger/composer of many beautiful songs, but he's not at all snooty.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'

And of course there's TMP, who doesn't hesitate to be on mother mode when we interact because her son and mine are friends. One evening, sounding alarmed, she called me to ask if my son were around because hers wasn't home yet. They had practiced together but leave farther than we do from the practice place. Motherly stuff like those. Another time when she saw me she asked if I knew what had happened to her husband: he had slid and hurt himself. Wifely stuff like those.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Celebrities like the above show they are human and that fact doesn't make them less of celebrities. It in fact enhances their celebrity because they are not conscious that they are celebrities.

Villa Escudero

The trip was overall satisfying in terms of location, food and sights but what grated, somehow, was the fact that the personnel somehow seemed to be always wanting to be tipped. For example, when my husband was unloading stuff from the car to the cottage, I gave him money for tipping and when he came back, he said there were some 8 people carrying our luggage. And mind you, we were there for an overnight stay only. The bags we had weren't that heavy at all so that the morning after, the maid simply made two trips to the car without any effort. It was a good thing she did this early because shortly after she was done, some 8 ladies came and asked if we were checking out. When we said yes, they asked where our bags were, adding you had a lot yesterday.

True, I understand how hard money is to come by these days but somehow, the propensity to almost literally ask for tips irked me. For example, the man who helped us go down to the falls said as we were eating, I'll be upstairs waiting. Somehow, I took that as a hint to be tipped. And the ladies in the souvenir store weren't too hospitable. Of course there were exceptions but somehow, the attitude of the rest tarnished whatever goodwill the others somehow created.

My husband noticed how even the old women seemed to still be serving. I saw the plus side of that: they were somehow like mentors for the young ones. Hopefully, mentors on a positive note.

meanwhile, when I told a friend about how many of the personnel seemed to be waiting for tips, she suggested that -- oh never mind, that's second guessing and may be unfair to the establishment.

The personnel, notwithstanding, our stay in VE was very satisfying in terms of food -- the three meals that came with the lodging fee somehow didn't make us hungry for merienda. There was always soup, a seafood or fish dish, vegetables, etc., dessert. Drinks were at P30 each, be this soft drinks or buko juice. Breakfast spelled freshly baked pan de sal and loaf bread. Delicious.

Our room was nice, but again lack of product knowledge surfaced. When I contacted the office in Manila, personnel said she'd book us at a garden room with a garden view as the unit had no steps. Charge was P5000 plus per head. When my husband saw the unit, there were four steps leading to it and a few meters away, he saw Gumamela A which had a ramp and a river view to boot! Luckily for us, this was unoccupied and the man who handled the transaction readily voided the first credit card slip. The Gumamela A unit was a thousand pesos cheaper per head. At least, though, the girl in Manila knew well enough that there was access for a wheelchair-bound guest to get to the falls for lunch. To view pictures, check out the following site. There are pictures too in my multiply site.

I'll add a few here of the cottage where we stayed and some other facets of VE.















As I reread this, some six hours or more after writing the entry, I realized how often I used the words "somehow" and "seemed". I think that SOMEHOW my doing so is an attempt to show appreciation for the establishment as a whole and a slight disgust/disappointment at certain aspects of it. It doesn't deserve outright bile, but things could be better. Calls to mind how the personnel of Rustan's are generally well trained, eager to help, eager to please, and there's no tipping there. Calls to mind too, a neighborhood grocery store, Shoppersville Supermarket, were tipping is strictly not allowed.

On the way home from our out of town trip, we passed by Kusina Salud which is owned by Patis Tesoro's family. The afternoon merienda menu shouted "Tips very much welcome" or something to that effect. Somehow, that didn't leave a bad taste in the amount because to begin with, the place screamed bohemian, fun, disarray via the colors, layout, setup. VE on the other hand, seemed (there goes the word again) to want to convey a certain quiet genteelness, gentility, a semblance of the old rich man's hacienda were people were quietly servile, obsequious, without being annoying.

Where food was served there were lots of flies. Considering the number of men and women hovering around, I almost expected the "tabug", those fan-like things to drive away the pesky flies. Think Cleopatra, think those long flat handles with one-inch strips of manila paper attached to one end to drive the flies away. But no, the servers used their hands. Two incidents made me wince: when we were eating in the pool area, one server picked up the slipper of a child from the water and handed it to the child. Thoughtful, I thought. Then she went to our table and with that same hand served some food. I thought I saw a drop of water from that hand going to our grilled fish. Another incident. The servers were dressed in native attire. So the blouse of the ladies hangs out rather than sticks to the body. Okay imagine this. One lady server beside me reached to the middle of the table to arrange the food. Whoa, her bloused touched my rice and chorizo. I softly said "sana palitan" but she seemed not to have heard it or failed to get my drift. My husband who was farther away from me said, "exchange na lang tayo." I said no, but he insisted. As we did that, the server looked wonderingly at why the exchange of plates took place but didn't ask why. Clueless...

See there were small irritants where the personnel were involved, irritants that could well be corrected to improve image, VE's image. But I don't want to offend anyone, I don't want to be poisoned, if I return, for being so critical. Maybe if I meet the owners? As if we move in the same circles...

La Mesa Grill yet again

Last Monday evening, our son had a debut to go to in Timog (or Morato? I'm eternally confused between the two), so after dropping him off, husband and I proceeded to Trinoma to have dinner at La Mesa Grill.

We chose to go deeper into the resto, a wise choice as the noise level thereat was considerably lower than near the door. We ordered 1/6 of the crispchon with pandan wrap


and the following sauces: Rikki's favorite (hoisin), liver sauce and garlic mayo. We also ordered tinapa rice per the recommendation of our lady server (it's rice with tinapa flakes, salted egg and tomatoes), adobong sugpo sa aligue and cassava cake (one slice for the two of us). Oh yes, we ordered hito flakes salad with green mango and soft drinks. A very satisfying dinner, especially because it was the manager, no less, who chose to wrap our lechon in pandan wrap
and when most of the flesh had been extracted from the pata, he asked if we wanted this cooked in chili sauce at no extra charge. We concurred and brought home the leftover pata. Tender and yummy, even the morning after.