My 2010

The New Year always makes me wax sentimental over the year that has passed. And now that 2011 is upon us, I’ve taken a bit of time look at how phenomenal my 2010 has been.

The first part of my year was spent taking care of my visa applications so I could make my European dreams come true. Being the obsessive-complusive that I am, I didn’t want to leave out any details. I do everything to get what I want and that situation was absolutely no exception. The whole process was filled with anticipation and stress over the outcome, but I stayed focused and positive. My notebook and cabinet door hopefully displayed photos of my destination countries, giving me a glimpse of what I wished was to come. And it did come! The opportunity to travel made me realize how strong and courageous I am as an individual, contrary to what I sometimes think. It made me realize how small I am compared to the world that is waiting for me to discover. It is very refreshingly unnerving to take that step out your hotel door and not know exactly where to go, the people you’re about to meet, the sights and sounds that you are about to witness. I awakened a passion that I always knew was in me but never knew in what magnitude. The whole experience will always and forever be one of the happiest ones in my life and I will look back fondly at it as I make more travel memories in the future.

In June I went back to my home, Cebu. As always, I was greeted with warm hugs and smiles and took great comfort in the people I grew up with. The whole experience inspired me to write a blog entry which led to another highlight of my year. I submitted that essay to the Philippine Daily Inquirer and it was published in the Youngblood section. You can only imagine my excitement seeing my name on print, since it has been one of my childhood dreams to be published in the country’s top broadsheet even just as a one-time contributor. That gave me a boost to continue writing whenever I have the time because I had almost forgotten the joy of being able to share my thoughts and feelings in a way that is very personal and sincere.

This year has also been very kind to me as it brought in a steady stream of work. They say God always provides and I can attest to that. I know I shouldn’t complain but I do sometimes and I regret that. What matters is I have the means to make a living and I should give the best that I can in whatever I do. Few are fortunate to work in the company of friends and I am one of those who are blessed with that chance. Hopefully 2011 will be just as or even more rewarding.

I am and will always be thankful to all of my friends who are very supportive and a joy to be with. They are always there to keep me sane when times get rough or simply when I want to bask in the company of good people. God blessed with me wonderful friends from different places and I may not get to see them as often as I would want to, but when I do it always feels as if no time was spent apart. Here’s to wishing we would get to spend more years together.

I am thankful for my family, who always takes excellent care of me even if sometimes I can be a baby. But that’s only because I’ve lived for quite a time on my own and now that I’m back with them I must say I missed being the baby :p This year we are missing my Ate Tess during the holidays, but we are looking forward to her return. I pray that everyone in my family, especially my parents, is blessed with good health and long life so that we may continue to enjoy many more Christmases, New Years, and birthdays together.

So now that 2011 is almost here, I wish that you would have as much or more things and people to be thankful for. There’s always a reason to be grateful as long as we see the good in everything. I can only hope and pray that we can make the New Year everything we want it to be. Here’s to a happier, healthier, and more exciting 2011… Cheers!

Which is the better frozen yogurt?

My love for yogurt started out when a friend treated me to my first cup of fro yo. I never fancied ordinary yogurt particularly because of its strong sour flavor so despite my distant memory of yogurt taste I ate what was bought for me. Surprisingly, I acquired a liking for this dessert and so began my quest for the best frozen yogurt in town.

California berry. This was my first taste of yogurt. Thanks to Mr. Yael Yuzon, I am now a fro yo lover. California berry's choice of toppings is not too impressive, but it's enough to make picking toppers a chore. I personally love the blueberry flavored fro yo with froot loops. Texture of the fro yo is somewhere between a soft serve ice cream, and melted ice cream that you put again in the fridge. You get what I mean? It has those ice crystals that aren't too huge and flaky.

Golden Spoon. For those who don't like the tart flavor of yogurt, this one's for you. I love their Belgian chocolate. It's enough without toppings because it'll just become sweeter. I tried the coconut flavor and it felt like eating Hawaiian tropic lotion because of the scent. I'll just stick to my choco yogurt with my winner of a topper-choco chip cookie dough. On a scale of 1-5 the smoothness gets a 4.

Teriyaki boy yogato. I chanced upon yogato when we had my sister's birthday lunch at Teriyaki boy. Kudos to the exotic topping choices: japanese bread crumbs, black sesame seeds, apollo candies, mochi, and wasabi cream. The last one is only for the brave and although I'm brave enough for it my sis wasn't. I'll leave that one for another day.Yogato texture scores a 4 for me as well.

White hat. My ultimate fave. Texture racks up a 5 for smoothness and creaminess. It's almost like dense soft serve ice cream.Yogurt may be healthy but not if you're me because you're bound to pick homemade cheesecake and choco chip cookie dough to go with it. 

With so many fro yo places out there, my quest sees no immediate end. I'll be back for more.

Bon appetit in France!

Being the foodie that I am, one of the things that made me really excited to go to France was the eats. But alas, four days wasn't enough. Still, I feel so lucky to have sampled the cuisine and would definitely go back in a heartbeat to eat more.

It's not hard to find good food in France. Communicating with the waiters and understanding the menu is another matter though. If you have difficulty just take the plat du jour, un boisson, and a dessert...if you can even pronounce those words correctly. =p Here are some of the things I was able to try during my Parisian vacay.

Pastries: Tarts, Croissants, Eclairs, & Pain au chocolat. The latter is bread that has the same texture as a croissant filled with what else? Chocolat! The French baker version here in the Philippines is quite good, but the ones (take note: I didn't just eat one) I tried in Paris were a bit flakier and the ambience makes them taste so much better. As for eclairs, the chocolate ones were one of my favorite breakfast items. Pastry for breakfast is simply the best. 

You can see from the photos below why Paris is the sweet tooth's dream. I think I just died and went to pastry heaven. Patisseries are everywhere!

 Above are pastries we bought at Versailles. We ate these after taking some jumpshots near the Arc de Triomphe. They're so dainty! Even the packaging is cute.

Crepe & Galette Provencal. Any trip to France wouldn't be complete without these. I had my first authentic crepe with nutella & bananas at Montmartre, set against the backdrop of the artists painting portraits. *sigh* 

The gallete provencal was lunch at a cafe in Versailles, and it was so good! Tomato sauce, ham, cheese and egg in a galette=perfect! My sister and I vowed we would go back there if given the chance.

Here's manong  making my crepe, me and my huge smile even before taking a bite, and the galette which is making my mouth water right now.

Macarons. Thin, circular merengue sandwiches with different fillings.We bought some from a patisserie near our hotel, if my memory serves me right. The delicate circles had the right sweetness with a lovely surprise in the middle.See photo above where I have coffee and pastries in front of me to get a glimpse of the tiny but mighty macaron.

Four-cheese pasta. The French love their cheese and with reason. Look at that entire section, devoted only to cheese! My four-cheese pasta was so delectable and creamy, yet it had just the right richness to it. It was just cheese and cream-no meat, no veggies, no nada. It was simple but amazing.

French onion soup. I didn't pass up the chance to try authentic French onion soup. On top of the hot, spicy , and sweet soup filled with caramelized onions was cheese melted over a big slice of crouton. Not for those who hate onions. Good thing I don't.

Steak. I have now a new standard for future steak dinners. Near the Centre Pompidou we had dinner at a cafe and I discovered what I now consider the best steak of my life. It was medium rare, had a smoky flavor, and it wasn't overly-seasoned. The steak made that restaurant unforgettable, as well as the loony old French man who kept talking to other people, us included.

Japanese food. Crazy, that's what you're thinking. You go to France and you eat Japanese food? My sister really wanted to since she hadn't eaten Jap in a long time. There was this area filled with Japanese and Chinese restos near the Palais Garnier where our Filipino appetites were satisfied by yummy evening fare at a tiny eatery with French-speaking Japanese servers. Kinda disorienting? It didn't matter especially when the delicious food came out and was served to us.

Mars Noir. I'm a sucker for everything dark chocolate. On our way to the Charles de Gaulle Airport we needed change for train tickets and bought Mars noir from a vendo. It was one of the snacks I had in my bag (Marks &Spencers thai curry crackers, French pick and mix candies, more French pastry, among many others) on the way to Barcelona. I love Mars but I love ze noir version even better. 

There are so many things I have yet to try and I really hope to go back to France someday. Just added to my long blog list that just keeps on growing: My culinary tour of Barcelona and London. I have so many things to share and remember but so little time. I'll be back soon.

UP friends, reunited!

The plan started when mom-to-be Ja called out a get together on Facebook. I contacted Ces and Peluch right away to get the ball rolling. A get-together was long overdue so we set the date eventually and finally after 4 (or 5?) years we saw each other again.

As soon as Ja entered Crustasia the talking began. There was so much to discuss about the past years, we were filled with stories to the brim. When Ces arrived there was yet more talking and eating.  It was so exciting to see Ja, still sexy even with her baby belly; and Ces, even if I saw her a couple days ago over Indian food (;p). We had to fill each other in on what's been happening in our lives that our conversation just took turns and leaps from one subject to another. People had come and gone, the buffet almost cleared out, and still we were there, laughing the night away.

As if we didn't have enough food, we headed to Conti's. I wanted the girls (and Baby Alfonso) to try the turtle pie but since it was unavailable, we had slices of sansrival, cheesecake, and choco overload with cups of coffee. Peluchi was right on time for dessert after her spa day and more talking ensued. It was so much fun looking back on old memories, wondering where old classmates went, and sharing stories about almost anything we thought was worth knowing about.


We thought that the night was over when Ja dropped us off along EDSA-Quezon Avenue. We thought wrong. A very 'engaging' conversation extended our supposed drop-off time from a few seconds to about thirty minutes and has provided Ja inspiration for our next meet-up. I dare not say where she plans to take everybody. Plans were loosely made, then it was kisses and goodbyes.

It feels wonderful to know that everyone in our small batch of 2nd sem 2004 graduates  has his/her own place in the sun. Wherever we may go, whatever we do, I'd like to believe we shine just as brightly as we were meant to.

A Day at the Museum (Liza Meets Mona Lisa)

To say I was excited about my visit to the Louvre is an understatement. Since I was a little girl I’ve loved museums and the Louvre was the ultimate. I’ve heard that you can’t fully explore it in a day but a few hours in the morning was all I had and I was happy with that. After a lovely pastry-laden breakfast (that’s another thing to blog about) I was off to the Louvre with my Ate Tess.

After getting our audio guides we went on to discover the different collections. It would’ve been easy to get sidetracked because of the many interesting things inside but the audioguide’s thematic trail kept us on track.

When I saw the Venus de Milo at the far end of a hallway, people clustering around her, I was reminded of a small replica we had in the living room when I was younger. Unlike our decor this one was a tall and powerful statue of a woman, standing in all her Greek glory, still so beautiful and ethereal though incomplete. The audioguide advised to take a look at Venus from different angles, making us understand certain details about it that can easily escape the viewer.

Atop a grand staircase was Nike or The Winged Victory of Samothrace, towering above everybody. It was a regal greeting to visitors who took the steps.

If I detailed every single masterpiece we saw, I would run out of words and space to describe how awe-inspiring they all are. I marveled at the paintings I never thought would come alive from the art and humanities books I’ve read in the past. There was so much to see and learn that we inched our way to the star of the Louvre. We were minutes away from the woman whose smile remains as mysterious as on the day she was made.

There was a huge crowd forming in the big hall where grand paintings covered the tall and wide walls. Everyone was edging to the far side where a big wall contained only one painting much smaller than the others in the room.  There she was, the Portrait of Lisa Gherardini more popularly known as the Mona Lisa. I slowly made my way to the front of the cord that separated me from the painting. I took a good look at the woman in the frame. I wish I could say that she looked more stunning in person but of course she looked exactly like the photos in books. My anticipation somehow made me expect that. But as I looked at the colors, the lines, the whole picture, I realized the difference I was looking for-a sense of history, and that was what I got. It felt different to see a work of art the whole world knows, to have before me a creation by a genius who was ahead of his time. I had a piece of time frozen before me not just with the Mona Lisa but with every single object that had a story in that museum.

Latest info on Mona Lisa: French scientists crack secrets of Mona Lisa

If I lived in Paris, I’d probably spend every weekend exploring a different part of the Louvre. I had seen only a fraction of the numerous collections they had inside and enjoyed every bit of the experience. Maybe someday I’ll go back, walk the museum halls, and discover more ancient stories that only the artifacts can tell. 

Monday at Rocci and New Bombay

Ces and I had dinner one time at a restaurant in Greenbelt (which is now extinct, thankfully) and we were so apalled at what was served to us that we were prompted to go somewhere else to eat again. Add to that the fact that my friend put in an accidental 'sprinkling' of chili flakes into her rice meal which totally emptied the shaker and we were off. Our dissatisfaction prompted us to hop into a cab and go to this Indian place I knew along H.V de la Costa.

At first I was apprehensive that Ces wouldn't like the food because some people have an aversion to unfamiliar spices and flavors. I no longer remember what we ate that night but I do remember that my doubts were unfounded. Fast forward to years after that dinner, we met up last Monday to enjoy good old Indian food at the same restaurant, New Bombay. The furnishings were a giveaway as to how long we hadn't eaten there. The place was twice as big as before, the tables and chairs were replaced, but the food remained the same. Here's Ces, happy as ever that we were fulfilling her craving for Indian cuisine.

Eating at that place reminded me of the last few Indian meals I've had early this year.

                                                                                                                                                                              Me and my sis at an Indian resto in Newcastle, UK. 

This was a stone's throw away from the lovely 

Gateshead Millenium bridge

 Indian meal in London, near West End before watching Billy Elliot

It’s always so much fun catching up with friends, especially if it’s over good food. As usual, we had a great time chatting away while we dipped chapatti into the tikka masala sauce. We talked and bit every inch of the chutney-covered samosa. 

There was still time and tummy room for dessert so I decided to bring Ces to Rocci, a small coffee and cake shop along Malugay St. When I say small, I mean four-table small. I stumbled upon Rocci when I was applying for my UK visa and needed a space to park. My first finds were their thin Belgian crisps and the delectable chocolate flourless cake. 

 

For dessert that afternoon Ces tried the fudgy walnut brownie di gelato along with a cup of brewed coffee. I had the usual choco flourless cake and tried the iced coffee too. 

 
A few hours and several hundreds or thousands of calories later, we were already talking about our next food trip. Up this Saturday, Crustasia with preggy Ja (and Baby Alfonso).

Food tripping in Cebu

When I learned that I had to go back to Cebu even for only a few days, I immediately drew out my list of food to eat. After not being able to go back home for more than a year, I certainly missed out on a lot. I wasn't able to cross out every item I thought of... Nobody wants to die of food coma, right? So I'm wrong if you don't agree. Anyway, here are some of the things I was able to help myself to while I was there.   

Larsian Barbecue. There are a couple of stalls to choose from. Take your pick from the array of meats to be barbecued then hand it over to be cooked. Siomai is also available and I suggest you help yourself to a few pieces while waiting. When I say siomai, don't think about the stalls  in Manila because the ones we have over there are tastier. The wrapper is soft and not dried out, and the meat has more flavor. Top the dumplings with soy sauce, kalamansi juice, and chili sauce(!) for maximum enjoyment. (Note: use the same sauce for the barbecue) 

My friend Julie and I were so hungry, we just kept on pointing at stuff and ended up with siomai, several sticks of bochi, isaw, chicken skin, and chorizo, all grilled in deliciously sweet barbecue sauce. Another thing: the chorizo (or as we call it, 'soriso') in Cebu are these little round guys that are a bit spicier and more garlicky than Tagalog longganisa. The best way to cook it is by grilling, thus its inclusion on the menu. Don't forget your puso, or rice cooked in diamond-shaped wrappings made of woven coconut leaves. The place is nothing fancy, so if you're a bit picky, please get over it and just sit down to eat. You'll enjoy the food, i promise.

 

 

 

 

Lava Cake at Fudge. For dessert my friend Aiza swore that I should try this place called Fudge. She said that if I liked La Marea's Warm Brownie Cup, I'd like Fudge's Lava Cake even more. Of course, she knows best so it was bye for now, La Marea.

                                                                                           Warm Brownie Cup at La Mare

The Lava Cake was much better than I expected. Imagine a warm cake/brownie with a fudgy, crackly outside. Then when you cut into the cake, a warm chocolate goo flows out. Make sure to take a bite of the chocolatey cake and the vanilla ice cream topping together for the hot and cold explosion in your mouth. The teeny tiny P95 peso treat was enough for three people, since it was a bit too sweet and we were really full. I'm glad we had some room left for dessert.

                                                    Great friends, great dessert

                                                         Lava Cake, I miss you!

 

 

 

Rewind to my first day when I went to Leona bakeshop at SM Cebu. Aiza and I decided to get a small bite and I ended up choosing the Japanese Cheesecake for a mere P52! It wasn't too sweet and the texture was smooth. A couple of days after that I returned to buy some pasalubong-Blueberry, Pine Oat, and Choco Mallow loaves. The strawberry loaf is out of stock until the next few months because   of problems with their strawberry supply.  

 

 

 

Japanese cheesecake and coffee at Leona.

                                      

 

 

 

 

 For a late snack one evening, after enjoying some drinks at Outpost we went to get some ngohiong. It's one of those things that I only find in Cebu, and no Cebuano will say he has never heard of or eaten it. It's like lumpia but not quite. The wrapper is thicker and more dense, probably because they say  it is dipped in batter before cooking.The filling is primarily composed of ubod and has a distinct Chinese spice flavor to it. Don't forget the dipping sauce that goes with it. I couldn't resist ordering some baked scallops too. I love love love scallops!

You can say our pulutan came after the drinks. I was equally amazed at how cheap night outs are in Cebu. For example, a glass of vodka sprite was for P55. I hadn't gone home for so long, I forgot how the cost of living there was relatively more affordable.

                                                                                                                                                       Baked scallops and Ngohiong. Delicious!

 

Fast forward to lunch with Aimee and her sis. We were looking for something quick and so we found ourselves at Dimsum Express.  I didn't realize how much I missed steamed rice until I finally took a bite out of my small bowl. I know what you're thinking...I must be crazy to miss plain old white rice. Note to the non-Cebuano: steamed rice in Cebu is not just plain rice. It's flavored rice with saucy toppings (usually pork). Included in our meal were several orders of authentic yummy dimsum and we were all set. 

 

                                  Crab pinchers, quail egg siomai, steamed rice, and chili sauce!

Last but not the least, Cebu lechon. I had so much to squeeze in during my stay that I almost didn't have time to buy some. Good thing, there was an Ayer lechon stall right outside the Mactan Airport. I was afraid it wouldn't taste as good as the brands we usually bought, but  I was proven wrong when I got back to Manila and had the lechon as late lunch. The skin was still crispy hours after it had been packed. The salt and spices flavor Cebu lechon so well that you wouldn't need any condiments to go with it. Stash away your Mang Tomas and toyomansi. I ate my homesickness away and somehow the Cebu lechon helped. 


You would think I crossed out most of my food list after all those. Not really. I'll have to go back home for more wonderful food and of course, wonderful people to share it with.

Dinner at Happy Valley

Last night I hitched a ride with David from the studio because it was raining so hard. He was going to drop me off somewhere where it was easier to hail a cab. The rain had other ideas though and it led us to Happy Valley where we decided to take refuge.

 

Happy Valley sounds like a place from a fairytale where everything is good, beautiful and sparkly, much like Neverland or Narnia. Sorry to disappoint, but it is just a simple, unpretentious Hong Kong cuisine restaurant in San Juan . The good news is that the food there is far from disappointing. We proceeded to look at the menu and I left the task of ordering to David. Right off the bat he ordered the Pata Bihon, a must-try according to him. We also asked for Yang Chow fried rice and some Happy Valley Chicken.

The meal was delicious, not to mention huge. What we ordered was enough for three to four people but we managed to eat our way through three-fourths of the food. Everything was freshly cooked and flavorful. The Pata Bihon was not as sweet as I feared it would be, and it wasn’t lacking in ingredients. The chicken was crispy and was perfect with the sweet and tangy sauce. The Yang Chow was great too. My meal was complete with some Chinese chili sauce readily available on our table. I must also mention, the prices were surprising because for food as yummy and servings as big as that, I expected them to be much higher.

After cups of tea, countless stories, and great food, the rain mellowed to a drizzle. I still had a brown bag of takeout with me as I hailed a cab. I had to go home, I thought. Time to pack my bags (more like, bag) for Cebu. And that my friends, is a whole new thing that I shall write about soon. 

P.S. My photos are stuck in my cellphone. Note to self: get bluetooth for lappy.

Our House In The Middle Of The Street

I was excited about going back home but anxiety crept in once in a while. It was my first time to visit Cebu after our house got sold and I didn’t know how I would feel about seeing other people live in it. But when the plane landed and I saw the Mactan airport sign, I was more than happy to be where I always wanted to be.

As Aiza drove us into the subdivision, I told her that everything seemed smaller. The roads were narrower, the houses tinier, but at the same time mostly nothing had changed. Maybe it was because we’re much bigger now than when we roamed, biked, and skated these streets. When we made that turn into the 12^th street and I saw our old orange gate, I was surprised that I didn’t feel anything as emotional as I had expected. Maybe I’d anticipated it too much in the past I expended too much energy. It still felt sad to see that my Tatay’s plants weren’t taken care of, and that instead of our Lancer someone else’s Pajero was in the garage. It felt a little weird, that I was in Cebu and my family wasn’t there to greet me, and that for the very first time I was sleeping over at the neighbors’ house across. It had always been so convenient to stay up late at a friend’s place and then go home to my own house and sleep. We never found the opportunity for slumber parties but never failed to have all-nighters.

I brought my luggage into my friend’s room and looked around at the purple walls. It was comforting to see some of the artwork they’ve kept since elementary and a few pictures from way back. But even with the abundance of things it felt emptier with the absence of Katy. The quiet bed was begging for an occupant, and fortunately there I was. I proceeded to distribute a bit of pasalubong to our old neighbors and chatted with them as they asked about my family and how everyone’s doing. Everyone was offering me a room in their house, and I was warm with happiness and comfort.

A few days later, I went to my friend Aimee’s house and got the same feeling: an unusual hybrid of familiarity and strangeness. The house was still the same, save for some rearrangements and stuff indicative of change-Kaye’s law books, Aimee’s farm blueprints, and their very eager dog who seemed to love me, among other stuff. Their little sisters are all grown-up now, and they all seem closer as they spent the last few years living on their own.

On the day I left I thought I had enough willpower to stop myself from crying but as I wrote Aiza a farewell card, tears started streaming down my face. She will be leaving the country and only God knows when she’ll be back. I am selfishly sad about her going, but I can only be happy for the opportunities that await her. This is her great adventure. I said goodbye to Tito and Tita and we exchanged tight hugs. Being the crybaby that I am, you already know what happened. Tito, also on the brink of tears, assured me that I will always have a home whenever I decide to go back. (And while I’m writing these lines, I am trying my best not to cry.)

It will take me more time and organization before I can tell you about the things I did during my short stay. I had lots of fun being with people I missed so much, remembering all the things we did and building new memories together. I don’t know when everything changed. It may have happened gradually or in one sudden go, but now more than ever I feel like we’re on the brink of something big. More couples are now married and having kids, most of the barkada has moved out of the subdivision and another one of us is leaving the country. Who knows what will happen next? We’ve graduated from baking pizzas and cookies, going up the rooftops and waiting for shooting stars, eating pancit canton and spicy tuna, and the next time we get together there may be fewer of us than usual. But we will remain friends. I am crossing my fingers and wishing that stays the same.

As I took a last look at our old house I thought that losing it has made me realize many things. I was afraid of giving it up because I would lose the option to return to Cebu and stay for good if ever I changed my mind. I was only scared that I would lose my connection to the people I love, having less of a reason to go back because my family and house weren’t there anymore. But my trip made me realize I had more than enough reason. I may have lost a house but I haven’t lost my home.

6:34 June 29, 2010