I love, love, love these guys! And this video clip gets me laughing every time I watch it :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Woman Vs Food Part 2
12:30 p.m. Whenever Tito E would work on his big hunk of a kawa, we would all gather around, chatting and taking pictures. This time around, Tito E was preparing the Monster Pancit, cooked with all sorts of veggies and mushrooms with a side of Chicken Wings! This we ate with Smoked Fish, the dish that made me first fall in love with Tito E's brand of cooking.
1:30 p.m. After, stuffed and satisfied, C and I took a walk around the house, hoping to sweat off some of what we've so selfishly eaten.
1:45 p.m. Retreated to the cool confines of the kids' airconditioned room and proceeded to do one of the things I like doing best. No, I did not sleep in the middle of the party, although I was very much tempted to do so. No, I watched one movie after the next: Here Comes The Bride (I love Angelica Panganiban!), The A-Team (Bradley Cooper is hot!)...
2:30 p.m. Stepped out to catch up: Taho, Turon, and Suman! The Suman was especially delicious; it was cooked with homemade mango jam!
3 p.m. Back to the bat cave to finish The A-Team.
3:30 p.m. I got so wrapped up in the dirty blonde gorgeousness of Bradley Cooper that I missed a couple of dishes. Tito E, when he saw me in the dining area, said, "You were absent." He then placed this delicate thing on my hand. It turned out to be the Bird's Nest, which at first I thought was going to be a soup dish but which turned out to be siomai wrapped up in vermicelli noodles and deep-fried. It was a delicious surprise. The same could be said of his Paper Chicken, which consists of a sliver of a chicken, a slice of carrot, some leeks, and a head of Portobello bathed in hoisin sauce, wrapped in parchment paper, then deep-fried for a couple of minutes. It was divine!!
5:30 p.m. Happy hour! Started drinking beer, I figured the sun was almost down so, time to get out the bottle!
6 p.m. Tita C asked a couple of massage therapists to give us chair massages. Yes!!! Half an hour of being soothed and kneaded while watching Predators 3: Heaven!
7:30 p.m. Quick catchup: Shrimp Legs, Pearl Balls, Adobo Terrine, Fried Rice, Siomai, Salted Eggs... they went by like a blur!
8:30 p.m. I was hanging out with C, P, R, and M when something suddenly landed on my lap. Yuck! It was a little, white lizard! Only in Palawan!
10 p.m. Finally, the Smoked Turkey!!! There are no words!!
(Forgive the bad photo, I wasn't thinking quite clearly at this point.)
Truth to tell, I really didn't know why I went all the way to Palawan to attend this one party, however fabulous it turned out to be. I suppose I am still fascinated by the idea of love: not the giddy kind of love, where you can't get your hands off each other (although that's also nice), but the enduring kind of love, the kind that can weather anything and everything. For a cynic like me, that's something truly worth celebrating!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Writing Film
A dear friend gave me a present of a Moleskine Film Journal, and I am absolutely geeking out over it. It perfectly captures two of my most rabid passions: writing on journals and watching movies. I cannot wait to fill up those pages with all sorts of notes and doodles. Very excited!!
And while we are on the subject of movies, here are several that I'd definitely be keeping an eye on for the next few weeks. Happiness!
What would the eighties be without Michael Douglas?! Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct... he was the guy who made all the money, slept with all the pretty woman, and conquered the world. In short, the perfect jackass!
That's why I'm kinda sad about his having come down with cancer. Good luck, tough guy!!
Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley... it's another British invasion in a movie based on
the novel by Jap-Brit Kazuo Ishiguro... haunting...
Guy Pearce in a psychotically cobbled together family drama on the life of crime...
... and lastly, love
And while we are on the subject of movies, here are several that I'd definitely be keeping an eye on for the next few weeks. Happiness!
What would the eighties be without Michael Douglas?! Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct... he was the guy who made all the money, slept with all the pretty woman, and conquered the world. In short, the perfect jackass!
That's why I'm kinda sad about his having come down with cancer. Good luck, tough guy!!
Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley... it's another British invasion in a movie based on
the novel by Jap-Brit Kazuo Ishiguro... haunting...
Guy Pearce in a psychotically cobbled together family drama on the life of crime...
... and lastly, love
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Woman Vs Food: Part 1
I was going through the long, long list and all I could think of was this: I am going to make it to the Smoked Turkey. By hook or by crook, I am going to make it to the Smoked Turkey even if I have to die a little in the process. I am going to make like Adam Richman and conquer this bacchanalia of a feast.
I am in Puerto Princesa at the house of Tita C and Tito E to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. And you all know what that means! There are 33 dishes to be served, admired, and enjoyed! Yes, 33 dishes coming in at 30-minute intervals from nine thirty in the morning till ten at night, the piece de resistance being the Smoked Turkey.
Honestly, I do not know how I am going to get through this. But I did not fly all the way to Palawan to be defeated by this barrage of earthly delights. No! I am going to eat them all up, bite after glorious bite.
10 a.m. That's the menu. We started off with Beef Mami, whose soup is ever flavorful because the stock has been stewing all morning, then had some Crispy Cashew, which just got tastier as the hours passed by, then chowed down bowls of Cold Chicken, which I think Tito E cooked like adobo but then placed it in the fridge to freeze.
11 a.m. My favorite thus far: Tinapa Triangles made with tinapa and kesong puti. Heaven! I could eat this all day but then, I decided to just get two pieces. I figured there will be some left over at the end of the day (Note: The Tinapa Triangles ran out pretty quickly, sigh!!)
11:15 a.m. The lovely Tita C! She and her friends, whom I collectively call The Titas, kept the chatter happy and light throughout the morning. I love The Titas! I was just content to watch and hear them talk about anything. These women have gone through the trenches, have seen the world. They are my heroes :)
11:20 a.m. Tito E working that giant of a wok to give us delicious bowls of Fried Rice with all sorts of veggies, shrimps, and Crispy Cashews. With Bob Marley in the background, the vibe was relaxed with the adults chatting and the children running around.
12 p.m. The Steamed Spareribs Tito E served with the Fried Rice. People came, people left. From time to time, a pair would play a couple of rounds of ping pong to sweat all those calories and then return to the table for some more of Tito E's dishes and Tita C's kwento.
12:15 p.m. A platter of steamed crabs, which was not on the list, made a surprise appearance. And though we've already had plenty to eat all morning, everybody still got a piece - or two!
To be continued
I am in Puerto Princesa at the house of Tita C and Tito E to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. And you all know what that means! There are 33 dishes to be served, admired, and enjoyed! Yes, 33 dishes coming in at 30-minute intervals from nine thirty in the morning till ten at night, the piece de resistance being the Smoked Turkey.
Honestly, I do not know how I am going to get through this. But I did not fly all the way to Palawan to be defeated by this barrage of earthly delights. No! I am going to eat them all up, bite after glorious bite.
10 a.m. That's the menu. We started off with Beef Mami, whose soup is ever flavorful because the stock has been stewing all morning, then had some Crispy Cashew, which just got tastier as the hours passed by, then chowed down bowls of Cold Chicken, which I think Tito E cooked like adobo but then placed it in the fridge to freeze.
11 a.m. My favorite thus far: Tinapa Triangles made with tinapa and kesong puti. Heaven! I could eat this all day but then, I decided to just get two pieces. I figured there will be some left over at the end of the day (Note: The Tinapa Triangles ran out pretty quickly, sigh!!)
11:15 a.m. The lovely Tita C! She and her friends, whom I collectively call The Titas, kept the chatter happy and light throughout the morning. I love The Titas! I was just content to watch and hear them talk about anything. These women have gone through the trenches, have seen the world. They are my heroes :)
11:20 a.m. Tito E working that giant of a wok to give us delicious bowls of Fried Rice with all sorts of veggies, shrimps, and Crispy Cashews. With Bob Marley in the background, the vibe was relaxed with the adults chatting and the children running around.
12 p.m. The Steamed Spareribs Tito E served with the Fried Rice. People came, people left. From time to time, a pair would play a couple of rounds of ping pong to sweat all those calories and then return to the table for some more of Tito E's dishes and Tita C's kwento.
12:15 p.m. A platter of steamed crabs, which was not on the list, made a surprise appearance. And though we've already had plenty to eat all morning, everybody still got a piece - or two!
To be continued
Thursday, September 23, 2010
43
I am exactly where I want to be. Today, I am 43. Funny but I don't exactly feel 43. When I was in my twenties, I thought 43 was ancient. I thought 43 meant slowing down, giving up, letting go.
Today, I think 43 is all about the running. Running from one dream to the next, moving constantly, surging forward, never giving up. Running till your sweat breaks, your legs hurt, and your chest labors at the never-ending exertion. Running till you are totally, gloriously, heartbreakingly consumed.
I am just filled with so many happy thoughts today because life is good! God is good! And my universe is filled with all things fun and challenging and exciting.
Happy 43!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Selective Amnesia
Just spent a wonderful afternoon with a dear friend from college, B. We haven't seen each other in years and so, we had a lot of catching up to do. Not surprisingly, our girl talk lasted for hours. At one point, we were trying to figure out the chronology of a particular set of events and I cannot for the life of me figure out which happened when. It was frustrating to say the least, but then I figured who cares about what happened ten thousand years ago?!
I've always been an advocate of this philosophy, something I call selective amnesia. I am not one to dwell too much on ancient history, to dissect the whys and wherefores of something that happened a long time ago, which might as well be in a galaxy far, far away--at least for me. Nope, for introspection, I turn to my journal. I write everything down, whether I was happy or sad or angry or ecstatic and then I turn the page, and move on.
Of course, some events will always be crystal clear to me; those which my brain cells deem important or significant. The rest pass by me like a hazy blur of black and white movies.
Today is infinitely more interesting!
I've always been an advocate of this philosophy, something I call selective amnesia. I am not one to dwell too much on ancient history, to dissect the whys and wherefores of something that happened a long time ago, which might as well be in a galaxy far, far away--at least for me. Nope, for introspection, I turn to my journal. I write everything down, whether I was happy or sad or angry or ecstatic and then I turn the page, and move on.
Of course, some events will always be crystal clear to me; those which my brain cells deem important or significant. The rest pass by me like a hazy blur of black and white movies.
Today is infinitely more interesting!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Packing
Been doing a bit of packing this weekend. You see, I'll be off to somewhere with a bit more sun and a lot of sand soon. But with my schedule these days, I am pretty sure that I won't be able to pack decently the night before. I'd just end up throwing all sorts of stuff in my luggage on the day of, hoping that I got everything in.
One thing that I'd make sure to pack is my fave kikay find these days, Myra VitaGlow Tinted Facial Moisturizer. Truth to tell, I haven't bought any sort of beauty product in years. In my previous job, I was showered with all sorts of beauty loot, and yes, even now, I still have a stash of unopened goodies in my closet. The Myra VitaGlow
I got from the goodie bag we took home from our Discerning Mommy Unilab tour.
Myra VitaGlow reminds me of a tinted moisturizer from an international brand, which I so loved. I remember using it every day to give me a natural-looking glow. Unfortunately, the company discontinued the product. Fortunately, Myra VitaGlow gives me the same kind of natural-looking glow. Plus, it has moisturizing qualities and sunscreen protection. I wear it almost every day now when I'm out working or doing errands. And it would be more than perfect for those no-makeup days when I take that plane to paradise.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Three Special Steps
For weeks now, I've got this song in my head playing over and over again. No, it's not some poetic ditty or some danceable tune. Nope, it's the soundtrack of some cartoon show that Baby S has taken to watching each and every day. And because there is no changing the channel when Baby S is in front of the tube, the song is now embedded in my brain somehow.
I'm talking about the Three Special Steps song from Special Agent Oso. "Three special steps, that's all you need. Three special steps and you'll succeed..." For those of you who do not have a kid at home, the cartoon follows this James Bond of a bear as he solves one problem after another in just three special steps! Yes, how's that for teaching problem solving skills to preschoolers and toddlers?
Actually, I am amazed at the level of sophistication of some of these cartoons, and at how most of them are able to plug in a lot of teaching moments in 20 odd minutes. Why, you can't watch a Mickey Mouse show now without learning about shapes or colors. That's all good, of course. You'd want to amp those neurons every chance you get.
Sometimes though, I miss those old cartoon shows that don't really mean anything or don't really teach nothing. Because well, sometimes you just want to find out if Wile E. Coyote finally gets to snag the Road Runner or you just want to see what new trick Dick Dastardly has up his sleeves. Not everything has to be done in three special steps, especially when you're a child with time and the world in your hands.
Beep, beep
Wild and wacky!
I'm talking about the Three Special Steps song from Special Agent Oso. "Three special steps, that's all you need. Three special steps and you'll succeed..." For those of you who do not have a kid at home, the cartoon follows this James Bond of a bear as he solves one problem after another in just three special steps! Yes, how's that for teaching problem solving skills to preschoolers and toddlers?
Actually, I am amazed at the level of sophistication of some of these cartoons, and at how most of them are able to plug in a lot of teaching moments in 20 odd minutes. Why, you can't watch a Mickey Mouse show now without learning about shapes or colors. That's all good, of course. You'd want to amp those neurons every chance you get.
Sometimes though, I miss those old cartoon shows that don't really mean anything or don't really teach nothing. Because well, sometimes you just want to find out if Wile E. Coyote finally gets to snag the Road Runner or you just want to see what new trick Dick Dastardly has up his sleeves. Not everything has to be done in three special steps, especially when you're a child with time and the world in your hands.
Beep, beep
Wild and wacky!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
I Dance Corrected
So OK, I am not too old to hang out in a noisy bar. I stand corrected.
Friday night, I met up with my newspaper friends at Vue Bar on top of Bellevue Hotel. I needed a break. I figured, I would just drink a couple of bottles, sit quietly, and enjoy doing nothing.
But then who do I see on stage but Juan Miguel Salvador, he of the popular band Rage, whose concerts I would go to so many summers ago. It was a blast seeing him there and well, I immediately knew that I would not be doing nothing.
We danced, of course, because what would the eighties be without the dancing? Between sips of beer and bites of pizza, I found my feet tapping to the music. I told my friend J that should Juan Miguel Salvador sing My Sharona, we had to get up and dance.
The minute I heard the first bars of the song, I was up on my feet, already jumping up and down. J backed out at the last minute but mercifully, I was saved by Mr. D. And so we hopped on to the dance floor, our bodies already swinging to the beat. Nobody else got up, and so it was just me and Mr. D and ma, ma, my, my Sharona!
We danced. It was the kind of energetic, vigorous dancing that belonged to my generation but which I channeled oh-so bravely on just five hours of sleep, so many bottles of Stella, and so many slices of pizza. Truth be told, I thought that Mr. D was going to fall down at one point. He had swung too far to his left and almost tipped over.
But the show must go on, and there we still were flinging our bodies to 'my pretty one.' That's when Juan Miguel Salvador shouted, "Now that's dancing," jumped off the stage, and joined us on the floor. And so there we were, just the three of us, bobbing our heads this way and that, time traveling to the recklessness of our youth. I could have danced all night long!
Juan Miguel Salvador, still rocking it
He got so pumped at one point that he stood up his chair and sang from there. He didn't jump though, thank goodness!
O, my Stella!!
Crazy, hazy, happy!
One more time! :)
Friday night, I met up with my newspaper friends at Vue Bar on top of Bellevue Hotel. I needed a break. I figured, I would just drink a couple of bottles, sit quietly, and enjoy doing nothing.
But then who do I see on stage but Juan Miguel Salvador, he of the popular band Rage, whose concerts I would go to so many summers ago. It was a blast seeing him there and well, I immediately knew that I would not be doing nothing.
We danced, of course, because what would the eighties be without the dancing? Between sips of beer and bites of pizza, I found my feet tapping to the music. I told my friend J that should Juan Miguel Salvador sing My Sharona, we had to get up and dance.
The minute I heard the first bars of the song, I was up on my feet, already jumping up and down. J backed out at the last minute but mercifully, I was saved by Mr. D. And so we hopped on to the dance floor, our bodies already swinging to the beat. Nobody else got up, and so it was just me and Mr. D and ma, ma, my, my Sharona!
We danced. It was the kind of energetic, vigorous dancing that belonged to my generation but which I channeled oh-so bravely on just five hours of sleep, so many bottles of Stella, and so many slices of pizza. Truth be told, I thought that Mr. D was going to fall down at one point. He had swung too far to his left and almost tipped over.
But the show must go on, and there we still were flinging our bodies to 'my pretty one.' That's when Juan Miguel Salvador shouted, "Now that's dancing," jumped off the stage, and joined us on the floor. And so there we were, just the three of us, bobbing our heads this way and that, time traveling to the recklessness of our youth. I could have danced all night long!
Juan Miguel Salvador, still rocking it
He got so pumped at one point that he stood up his chair and sang from there. He didn't jump though, thank goodness!
O, my Stella!!
Crazy, hazy, happy!
One more time! :)
Killer Week
It was one of those killer weeks where one day tumbled onto the next, with me groggily tumbling out of bed in the mornings and then wearily tumbling onto it at night. Yes, I was swallowed up again by work and family and friends and all those other stuff in between leaving me with no time to blog.
"You haven't posted anything," a friend told me, and I could only grin in agreement. Life happened. Here, some scenes from last week's life :)
Yes, that there is the tail-end of a lechon!! Yummy!! We went to my mom's house Sunday, and the sight of this beautiful lechon, its crispy skin glistening, greeted us. What's the occasion? No occasion really but my mom has always been like that. If she wants something, she wants something! I remember going up to Baguio once because my mom wanted to buy walis tambo!
At a shoot, love those shoes!!!
At another shoot, playing around with my Bloggie in between breaks. I haven't filmed anything though, except a few minutes of Baby S and K walking towards the escalator, which my friend O said sucked because I was filming from behind. So all I got was Baby S's diaper-padded behind. And that's why it's not here.
Pizza, the go-to food of practically every shoot I've been to. It is a rare shoot where you actually have the time to sit down and eat with spoon and fork. Pizza we love because it's handy, fast, and well, tasty enough.
And here is where my week ended! Yes, at a hotel room with fresh towels and room service--the best way to end a long, hard week.
"You haven't posted anything," a friend told me, and I could only grin in agreement. Life happened. Here, some scenes from last week's life :)
Yes, that there is the tail-end of a lechon!! Yummy!! We went to my mom's house Sunday, and the sight of this beautiful lechon, its crispy skin glistening, greeted us. What's the occasion? No occasion really but my mom has always been like that. If she wants something, she wants something! I remember going up to Baguio once because my mom wanted to buy walis tambo!
At a shoot, love those shoes!!!
At another shoot, playing around with my Bloggie in between breaks. I haven't filmed anything though, except a few minutes of Baby S and K walking towards the escalator, which my friend O said sucked because I was filming from behind. So all I got was Baby S's diaper-padded behind. And that's why it's not here.
Pizza, the go-to food of practically every shoot I've been to. It is a rare shoot where you actually have the time to sit down and eat with spoon and fork. Pizza we love because it's handy, fast, and well, tasty enough.
And here is where my week ended! Yes, at a hotel room with fresh towels and room service--the best way to end a long, hard week.
Up and Down, Down and Out
What is it about toddlers and escalators? Every time Baby S sees that humongous contraption, she just has to get on it. And so, there we were, Baby S and I going up and down the escalator: once, twice, and a few times more. I was getting a bit dizzy but Baby S was having the time of her life, and to think that she wasn't even supposed to come.
My son K and I were just going to do some errands at the mall. We were about to leave but when Baby S saw us, she gave us that oh-so-cute please-take-me-with-you look. Actually, she has all sorts of tricks now. She can jump (with one foot a few centimeters off the ground), run (in that Donald Duck sort of way), and sing (the first few words of two songs actually: "ABC" of the Alphabet Song and "I love you" of Barney's mushy, mushy song with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you). We never stood a chance.
Apparently, Baby S is not alone in this obsession. My friend O's grandkids also love riding the escalator. And once, he tells me, they had to get up and down on it six times--and he has the video to prove it. Ah, the things these little rascals make us do!
So hard to get a not blurry picture; she's so malikot!
The little rascal gets comic.
Baby S saw this poster and immediately said, "Lula!" Mwahahaha Wow! I love that little baby! Mwahahaha
My son K and I were just going to do some errands at the mall. We were about to leave but when Baby S saw us, she gave us that oh-so-cute please-take-me-with-you look. Actually, she has all sorts of tricks now. She can jump (with one foot a few centimeters off the ground), run (in that Donald Duck sort of way), and sing (the first few words of two songs actually: "ABC" of the Alphabet Song and "I love you" of Barney's mushy, mushy song with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you). We never stood a chance.
Apparently, Baby S is not alone in this obsession. My friend O's grandkids also love riding the escalator. And once, he tells me, they had to get up and down on it six times--and he has the video to prove it. Ah, the things these little rascals make us do!
So hard to get a not blurry picture; she's so malikot!
The little rascal gets comic.
Baby S saw this poster and immediately said, "Lula!" Mwahahaha Wow! I love that little baby! Mwahahaha
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