Of New Year's

i love love colors!

Lucky Chinatown Mall. Photo by Alan David

The New Year is my favorite holiday. It's the holiday of lists, promises to self, the holiday of faith and of hope. It's the holiday when our dreams are at their noisiest and our eagerness to achieve them the most intense. In the 365 days we have in a year, I celebrate three New Year Days. Yes, three. I am kind to myself that way. 

First, is of course, the January 1 holiday, when I celebrate with the rest of the world. My mother who runs a grocery stocked more cream breads in her store for sale in preparation for the New Year's eve celebration (Media Noche) than she did for Christmas' Noche Buena. She said that Christmas is more of a religious tradition and our little barrio, being a healthy melting pot of INC's, Seventh Day Adventists and Catholics, is a little selective in celebrating the birth of Jesus. The demand for cream breads is the highest though on New Year's day. These three religious groups join the rest of the world in collective celebration of the birth of another year. I have never really appreciated the law of supply and demand until this observation from my mom-preneur. She deserves a faculty slot in the School of Economics. Haha!

Second is Chinese New Year. While I am obviously not Chinese (really big eyes, hello, haha!), our culture is heavily influenced by them. Plus, Chinese lanterns are so pretty (see picture above)! And Yang Chao fried rice is so kanin-pa-lang-ulam-na satisfying! And did you know that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be seen from the moon according to my really good friends from NASA??!! Haha! I wish I have given more attention to my Sibika at Kultura class in school so I can drop cool cultural (or COOLtural, how's that for a word?? :)) tidbits here. More than the hype in aligning water and earth elements, feng shui talks on fortune and love and the lollipop-chasing dragon, the real reason I love Chinese New Year is that it is another excuse for a New Year for a non-Chinese like me (I apologize for being shallow). For me, it is like getting a vaccine for, say, measles. You do not stop at the first vaccination, you still need (or advised) to get a booster. The CNY is my booster. It's the universe's way of saying, "you do not have any excuse to slump, I am giving you a second round of clean slate-ness, only this time with dragon dance and tikoy!".

Third is my birthday. This is the most personal New Year of all. This time, you are not celebrating WITH the rest of the world but instead the rest of the world is celebrating FOR you. It does not hurt that out of the 365 days in a year, there is one dedicated for the spotlight on the self. I am an advocate of self love, the YOUniverse. The words of my lola when I was a little girl never left me, you cannot give what you do not have. One has to be complete and whole before one can effectively reach out to others.

Happy New Year!

December One

i love love stories!

via pinterest

 I haven’t written for quite some time. My thoughts have been in extremes, either too noisy that I cannot identify what I am really thinking at the moment or too empty that there is nothing to share, nothing to express, just plain nothing. My lola’s death and the realization that the upper tier of my family tree is being pruned by the natural process of life have scared (and still is scaring) me so much that I am alternately driven into panic and then nothingness. I needed to transport myself in the moment, at the present and hold on to my last few threads of calmness. And so here I am, on a gloomy sky-ed Monday morning, in a coffee shop, writing. They have closed down the office today in celebration of some city holiday so while the rest of Metro Manila is scampering like hamsters in the dreaded dignity-robbing MRT, I sit back comfortably on a couch feeling like a legit writer – hot coffee on the table, dark rimmed glasses perched on my nose and a copy of Alice Monroe’s “Dear Life” resting beside my laptop for some dose of inspiration. My bladder is telling me that I need to pee, but the restroom is a considerable walk away and besides, the trip to the restroom will kill all my efforts of channelling a legit writer persona. I will dare not risk it, I paid more than a hundred bucks for that hot cup of coffee. And I need a quick bang for my buck. An immediate ROI. A written material for my online diary.

Inspired by this article (I can never be original) on defining moments and reflections and listening to that inner voice and all that self-help jazz, I wish to share my top 3 moments on the first day of everyone’s favorite month, December. I wish to write my top 3 moments for today (the second day of everyone’s favorite month) but it is too early to wrap up today so I will write about yesterday. (Haha!)

My Top Three December 1 Moments

one: takoyaki for breakfast

I went to the Sidcor Sunday Market early in the morning to soak in all the entrepreneurial energy and the weekend happiness of families, couples and even those on solo flight. I was holding a plateful of takoyaki balls on one hand, a carrot-melon juice on the other, a bulky backpack of gym clothes on my, errr, back (backpack remember? haha!) and the Philippine Star newspaper clipped in my arms, my skin was starting to itch from the paper and the ink. I felt like a New Yorker, the ones you see in the movies, holding an armful of brown bag (vegetables and bread sticking out of the bag) on one hand, coffee on the other, talking to somebody over the phone and expertly avoiding tripping and bumping into someone. I felt like a complete fool adult, all free and with a handful of purpose: to gobble up the takoyaki (on one hand) and drink up my health juice (on the other). ;p

two: newspaper and the bench

I parked myself on a bench to decently finish my first meal of the day in full view of the gigantic Christmas tree and middle aged women dancing Zumba. I checked my gym bag for workout prerequisites - rubber shoes, socks, a towel and a towellete, fresh set of clothes - all check. Well except for one, I forgot all of my ID's. I thought of going back home for it but that will be such a waste of taxi fare, so I just sat longer with my balls of takoyaki and health juice and read up. The headline had something to do with customs chief, Biazon. The magazine insert featured Sorsogon. My horoscope said that I will be going back to teaching (whatever that means). My favorite columnist Jim Paredes made a list of his beliefs and "unbeliefs". Lucy Torres wrote about shelter kits for victims of typhoon Yolanda. F. Sionil Jose wrote about letting go of his Nobel prize aspirations - I really hopes he gets the recognition in the near future. And so, instead of getting all sweaty in the treadmill, I just sat longer. And read up. And it was good.

Three: call 911 for lunch

Ate Bel, our trusty helper, was on a day off. And all my cousins were either sleeping or eating out because that's how helpless we are when left on our own. I called 911 and poof came Alan, ready to chop the onions and potatoes for my requested corned beef lunch. It was one of the best lunches ever.

Runner Up: Wrapping Gifts while listening to Christmas Carols 

I love the whole holiday shebang. Nothing compares to Christmas in the Philippines. I have written this before and will write it again, "when I am stressed, I close my eyes and think of Christmas", the everything turns up alright. :)

What are your top three moments of today? Or, sige na nga, yesterday? :) I would love to hear them. For the meantime, please excuse me, I need to pee. Haha!

Equilibrium

i love love stories!

For about twenty four months now, I have been a girlfriend to a boyfriend. And while we sort of have mutually agreed to never display any form of public cheesiness especially in the curious space that is the internet (as if we are famous, haha), I hope to make an exception in this post. Only because we ate the best oysters in town served in a plate full of salt that deserve to be written about and oh the cheese - - haha! Just Kidding. Hello, 24 months is a milestone! He and I are both alike and different at the same time. How is that even possible? I do not know really how to illustrate that. But may I share what his being in my life means to me.

Back in 2007 when I was still a college senior, the cool kids from our Yearbook committee made us complete the statement: "I reached my equilibrium point when...". While I was itching to write down "I reached my equilibrium point when I passed Math 17 with flying colors --- the second time I took it", I decided it wouldn't really look cool in the sea of promising cum laudes. So I wrote down instead, "I have yet to reach my equilibrium point". Honesty has always been the best policy.

It did not really happen right away but as days progress with us being an "US", I realized I have found someone who rolled me right into my equilibrium point without asking anything in return. The hanky to my tears. The shrink to my nightmares. The Dolfenal to my PMS. He pulls me back to my sanity whenever the craziness of this world overwhelms me. He is my Mr. Big Aidan to my Carrie Bradshaw. Only we take the MRT, not the limo. I hope I make him just as happy! :)

Back to the oysters. We took a break from our usual breakfast dates and had dinner over candle light (naks!) in Taste of LA in Quezon City. I tried my best to be all dainty and fragile but the oyster in creamed spinach, bacon and cheese and the prichon and the blue marlin paired with mashed potato and asparagus brought out the natural construction worker in me. Extra rice please!! :)

Stay in love! :)

A Taste of L.A. Cafe

Roces Avenue, Brgy. Laging Handa, 

Quezon City

Farmer's Market

i love love markets!

a before nine entry

time check: 06:14 am

Yesterday, we prepared our own breakfast! We took a break from scouting breakfast spots and decided to create our own "breakfast spot" in our Quezon City apartment. Oh, I cannot believe we haven't tried this sooner. You see, I am lousy with things which involve the hands (except for typing, haha!) - cutting, drawing, sewing, cooking, etc.; I think I am crafty in thoughts but not in deeds. :p Preparation of food and then the actual cooking intimidate me thus I'd much rather be the recipient of this beautiful process than be involved in it. But yesterday, I decided to finally get over this lousiness and weakness and face my fears. It's now or never. Do or die. Make or break. Haha! The next step after finally deciding which recipe to execute is of course, to shop for ingredients. I am tired of air conditioned groceries and pre-packed goodies thus we went to the real thing - the market! And because I live near Cubao, the obvious choice is the grandfather of all markets in Quezon City, the Farmer's Market.

My fascination with markets started with Neil Oshima's photos of all the markets in the world featured in a magazine (I can't remember if it's Rogue or Esquire). In the write up showcasing Oshima's photography, markets were described to be the microcosm of a particular country. You want to soak in all the culture of a place? Get a quick fix from its market. I have been to the souks in Dubai and I affirm this claim on markets. They are fascinating. The most alive "place" in the world. A mix of noise, smell, aroma, taste, feelings, commerce, routine and... - you can think of just about any word and for sure, it will find its perfect place in the basket of words to describe markets. Another wonderful thing about markets? They are at their best in the MORNING (except for night markets of course, haha, ang pilosospo). Products are freshest. Sellers gentler and kinder. Consumers have more bargaining power employing the buena mano magic. We woke up before 6:00 am, splashed cold water on our faces and went straight to Farmer's Market. People around me may think I am crazy jumping and clapping my hands. I was that excited. Seriously.

When the alarm sounded that Saturday morning, 5:30 am to be exact, my willpower was weakened due to the "luxury" of a soft mattress, a chilly morning comforted by a blanket, a body too tired from the five-day work week thus deserving of a longer snooze time. It is not fair to wake up this early on a Saturday, I thought. Being in the market erased all that thought, not only because of the excitement I felt with spending my morning in a place so alive even when the sun has barely risen but more so, the industry and perseverance of the people whose main source of income is anchored in the presence of a community market are infectious. This is not something a grocery and air-conditioned retailers can ever EVER replace. I think I learned a lot from my short trip to Farmer's. That Filipinos are industrious. That markets are indeed colorful. And aromatic. That we should be more vigilant with the people running this country (MOST people need to work hard for their everyday living - I think those in the senate and in the congress need this kind of field trip). You know the petition to make the public officials take public transport? Let's do another petition to make them work in wet markets, GARDEMET*! That asparagus is a pretty vegetable. :D

Hey you, good morning!

*Gar-de-met (expression): ilocano version of "God, damn it" as popularized by my dearest father. haha!

Funwich

i love love FUNWICH!

My lola owns a grocery store in our little barrio in Cagayan Valley. I grew up around that humble grocery - it was my playground, a place for errands and responsibility (they make us man the cashier) and the infinite supply of Bazooka and Texas candies, Peewee and Richie, Champola, Hi-C and my favorite of all my childhood food memories - FUNWICH. That ice cream sandwich I look forward to gobbling up every 3 o'clock in the afternoon whenever my tita gleefully announces, "Merienda Time!". The ate's in the store will open the coca-cola refrigerator and get their share of refreshments and rebisco crackers while I troop to the rectangular ice cream cooler to pick my sandwich bar. The sandwich is the perfect mush which effortlessly sinks in my teeth and the ice cream (always vanilla) blends with it so well, I still dream about it up until now.

The world has come up with all sorts of advanced thingamajigs and futuristic thingamabobs, but it will never ever be complete without bringing back Presto's oh-so-perfect-it-does-not-have-a-replacement Funwich love.

via pepper

 For childhood snacks that should be brought back read it here.

There's another sandwich bar which should be revived although I cannot remember it's ice cream maker. I was in third grade, I think, when I saved Php20 from my week-long baon so much that I can already afford a Mickey Mouse sandwich bar in 4M, a dark and dingy but nonetheless trusty grocery near our school. It had the same magic as FUNWICH only more fun because of Mickey. :)

via here

In my attempt to bring back this childhood awesome goodness, everytime I get to pass by an ice cream store, I check if they have sandwich ice cream bars and try them out. Here are the closest I have experienced though they're not in the same league (nothing will ever be!) as Presto's FUNWICH.

via gemelita

top to bottom

(1) Creamy Classic's Ice Cream Sandwich

I bought it from an ice cream store in EDSA Shangrila.  

Too crunchy for my taste though.

Bring Back Funwich!

(2) Frookies from Yoh Froz

Frookies or frozen yogurt cookies

It's good but I would love for my cookies be paired with sweet vanilla than sour yogurt
Bring Back Funwich!

(3) DQ Sandwich from Dairy Queen

This is the closest I can get plus the price is easy on the pocket

But the sandwich is too thin it almost always ends up being crunchy

I like it mushy and soft

Bring back Funcwich!

Hello, my name is Tina and I support the Bring Back Funwich movement!

Haha!:)

Happy Sunday!

Million People March

i love love the Philippines!
Million People March Photo Essay 
photos by Alan David

 

goodbye august!

i love love lists!

snippets of things that I love

one: a spectator story

Whenever I watch reality shows or competitions or just about any feature in TV or magazine articles about awesome people, I often ask myself if I am content with being a mere spectator, a witness to things and not the performer on stage being applauded and at the same time criticized. I was born under the "Leo" sign in the year of the "Tiger". My stars say that I am one to love the spotlight. Let's see about that. When was the last time I had my magical moment? It will take some time to pick from my basket of memories. 

A few minutes back, I came across this video in mashable.

From mashable:

Kristin Chenoweth discovered a superstar during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday.
The Broadway star plucked Sarah Horn, a vocal coach from California, from the audience to sing a duet from the musical Wicked with her. The moment could have ended in an out-of-tune disaster, but instead, a magical moment followed. 

Oh, this is some beautiful story for Sarah Horn to share with friends at the dinner table, win her blog if ever she has one and most of all with his children and grandchildren .

two: yoga

via flowsurfyogasamba

I would love to go back to doing it. Seriously. I am so drawn to the yoga lifestyle that I am so afraid to fully embrace it. Weird noh? The beauty of yoga is so immense that I feel unworthy to be a recipient of its passionate and peaceful vibe. An example of its beauty: Did you know that Namaste (a greeting every after a yoga class) literally means "I bow to you".

From Do You Yoga:

 

Namaste is a way to “send out to the universe something good, something that makes sense in that instant, the possibility of a time when all strife, suffering and harm inflicted upon each other and other living things, will simply stop”.

Namaste, then.

three: Cafe Noriter

A nondescript hole is punched in a row of concrete walls somewhere in Taft. You have to go up rickety stairs to finally experience the magical place that is Cafe Noriter. :) If I were a scriptwriter, I would have written dozens of award winning stories in this place. If I were an artist, I would have created so many laudable art pieces while in the Cafe. If I were a student, I would have aced all exams having studied in a place such as this. Thanks Di for sharing this beautiful secret with me!:)

four: mornings in Baguio City

Mornings are most beautiful in Baguio City. These pictures were taken in an early morning visit in one of the country's cleanest public markets, the Baguio City Public Market. I love the smell of ground coffee beans. I love how people manage to be both chill and busy. I love the colors of brooms and mats and textile. And fruits and strawberries and all things sweet and wonderful.

five: breakfast

This is one of my favorite breakfast pictures ever! For more of breakfast love, blog hop to Before Nine. By the way, this is breakfast at PNKY, got to love the strawberries on the pancakes!!

six: oh books!

check out awesome people reading for the happy thought that we are in good company :)

Top: Pugad Baboy is two years younger than me!! Every year, I look forward to the publication of Pugad Baboy comic book and this was the last remaining copy of Pugad Baboy 25 in National Book Store MOA; I needed to bug the saleslady to remove it from display and wrap it with love for me.

Bottom:

Baht, Boots and Ghandi, a collection of travel essay. I love reading about traveling. And this book is extra special because it is authored by Filipinos. Let's hoard from the Filipiniana section!

Everything is Illuminated, my current reading material. I have no intentions of reading the book but reading about it here made me reserve a copy in good ol' Fully Booked.

seven: birthday gifts

My boss baked for me blueberry cheesecake. A colleague gave me a Little Prince watch with a sweet note. Oh! Thank you! And my most favorite gift of all is that which I asked for, haha! A yellow rash guard and a snorkeling mask from Alan. I now it's the -ber months already but take me to the beach, yow!!! :)

eight: one million march

 

I paused and raised my fist for this man last August 26 in Luneta. Napoles surrendered herself several days after. May the truth and justice prevail!

thank you for reading! :)