Best of 2013

2013 had been a remarkable year for me and it deserves a proper send off. So before January 2014 ends which will render this blog totally obsolete, I give tribute to the best of my 2013. 

It started with a gift from a friend. This Paulo Coehlo journal inspired me to write, almost daily, again. It had been a reliable solace after a hard day and a witness to my moments of bliss.

I have two ubiquitous buddies during college days. Often mistaken as twins who don’t seem to age, I lost contact with them for some years. It feels good to be reunited with them.

Some visitors paid a visit to Pinky, the pink house. Pinky was definitely overloaded, but boy, never had it been happier. Thank you to my family for filling the house with noise and laughter.

I had been planning to participate in a run for years but always found an excuse not to. Finally joined one, yey!

Temple running, err, hopping in Cambodia was tiring, but definitely awe-inspiring. It stirred something in my old soul. I loved Ta Phrom where they shot the film Tomb Raider and of course, the grandeur that is THE Angkor Wat.

Ooopps, I fell down the Cuchi Tunnel…

But luckily emerged in one piece!!!

Had my heart broken inside the War Remnant Museum. I was crushed to see how devastating the war had been for both the Americans and the Vietnamese.  No one wins in any war. It convicted me to say no to any forms of war. Yes, especially, the small wars that people love to wage every day.

We had a few hours to spare in Singapore. We got to visit the Gardens by the Bay. But it was closed for maintenance. I plan to go back and see how well man mimicked God’s nature. 

Our newsletter team had a field trip. Viaje del Sol or a trip to the South is our attempt to explore the must-visit places in our very own province. I never knew that there are beautiful places nearby that can be a venue for a weekend get-away where I can actually drive to. (From upper left to bottom right - Casa San Pablo, Ugu Bigyan's Pottery House, Sulyap Gallery Cafe, Sitio de Amor, Pandin Lake)

Speaking of driving… It was a feat for me to have braved the busiest and scariest road in Manila – EDSA. And yes, during the peak hour when gazillions of buses are out to squeeze you… I was already smiling here, because the gastric juices I secreted while driving had already settled back to my stomach. Whew!!!

I had never really appreciated enough the beaches in Batangas. Not until we went to Lobo, with the family. The sunset is just awesome.

My “oldest” friend had a battle to fight. So when she told me the news about her upcoming operation, before the procedure, and after everything had been done, we always meet to talk and eat. We went Asian – Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai. The food was always great and so was her courage. I’m so proud of you Eloisa!

Ate Along and Sofia came home for vacation. Sofia celebrated her 7th birthday with us. We are a one big happy Justice League family! I love you Ate Sotie and Telong!

Started going to the gym to prepare myself for the cold weather that I am about to experience. My system is quite sensitive and I need to become stronger. Instead, I become fatter. I am not complaining, though. I welcome the gained pounds.

I guess this is the highlight of my year. I planned to visit Ireland while a friend is still there. But I was blessed instead to travel to Italy and France. Good thing, my friend’s stay is extended. I hope I can still visit.

When in Rome, one must visit the Pope's Cathedral or the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, throw three coins for three wishes in the Fontana de Trevi, be in two countries (Vatican and Italy) at the same time, pose beside THE Colosseo, and if one is lucky, join a celebration in St. Peter's Square led by Pope Francis himself. It was insane right, because I did everything and many other things in Rome. Rome rocks!!!

Spent a week in Citadella where we are booked, Venice where we rode a gondola trying to find where Italian job was filmed and Padova where we saw some of its famous landmarks - the University of Padua and the Basilica of San Antonio de Padua. These are really nice places to visit.

But nicer places to meet and spend time with new friends. :)

Visited Milan. Hosted and fed to the neck by my awesome family - sisters and cousins. Really felt at home. Grazie! Salamat ng marami :)

Fetched Uzzie and Sofie from school. The feeling was just priceless.

Toured around Milan with my family. It was overwhelming. Thank You Lord! :) This is just the best part of the trip!

I was not in full shape and quite tired already. We haven't really planned our itinerary. We didn't even know how to go to our hotel from the airport. But heck, we enjoyed Paris just the same. (Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, Champs Elysse, Sacre Coure, Seine River & the Love Lock Bridge)

I climbed the Eiffel Tower. Then it sprang behind my back. And one sweet couple just looked and laughed. Hahaha... I fell in awe with Eiffel. 

But as a nature person that I am, I fell more smitten over the jardins of Paris - Jardin du Luxemborg and Jardin du Tulleries. And oh, it was equally awesome to have a reunion with Tita Anik. Batman and Robin and the new recruit in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

I got to teach again. This time, it was less stressful. I learned from the party DJ and the IT guy who were in my class. 

And last, but totally the blast - ending the year with my family. Ate Dada, Kuya Aze and Uzziel coming home. And just celebrating the holidays simply, but together. :)

People tend to think that something is always missing in their lives. I guess it’s true because that, I think, is what life is all about – filling it with what is rightfully yours. For whatever it is that I am yet to receive, bring it on 2014! Let's all have an amazing year ahead! :)

This is about a guy I met in Italy

It’s not the tour guide who passionately shared his grasp of the sculptures and paintings in the Vatican Museum that I did not understand. Although he’s cute and passionate at what he does, his knowledge of Michaelangelo’s painting in the Sistine chapel is not enough to make me write about him.

It’s about someone whom I never expect to meet but who was, is a definite welcome to a beautiful experience like Italy.

They say that you attract who you are. I say, indeed.

It started in a visit to a town center. He said hi, extended his hands and introduced himself, took pictures of me and I suddenly found myself walking with him. He told me about his university and the unique almost eccentric rituals of its students. We passed a group which is doing the customary humiliation of a graduating friend – a girl in her underwear being poured with different sorts of liquids by her friends, in the center of the town, despite the drizzling and cold autumn weather. He said it was worse for him, for the guys. I thought of my university. We had similarly peculiar culture that is only ours. We exchanged more about our lives in the university. And I thought the conversation would end that way. But I knew there was something in him.

I cannot bring myself to talk to him again. I can only smile, from a distance. There is something about him that I would like to know, and reach. There is something in him that might catch me off guard. But I sensed some hesitation in his part. I chose to remain where I am.

Then, like a magnet, trying to resist an opposite pole, he found me and got me drawn again. He had sudden interest in my passion for gardening and agriculture and running a farm someday. It was unusual. I thought, was he that desperate to strike another conversation with me? Or was it just one of the classic Casanova ways of an Italian? He seemed sincere. But I can never be quite sure. He was interested to know about my country and about other things about me. But my force field was wildly getting into action. I was the ultimate bore. I was not helping him. But still, he stayed and listened. Until someone called him. And he became distant after that. I did not know what happened to him. But all I knew was that Venice cannot be my favorite place in Italy, even if it was so romantic at night - because of that.

I shook it off. He was just one random guy you meet in your travels. I was trying to play it cool. But there he was again, in the club, trying to dance with me. I am and will never be a party animal. Clubbing with a group of people in a foreign country was already gutsy for me. And dancing with this there-is-something-about-him guy was a challenge that I just cannot bring myself to take. I didn’t want to lose my control. I had my reasons. And I knew, by the look in his eyes, that my rejections offended him. I was too conservative, too Asian. It may not mean as much to him but I was just being too protective of myself. Or was I, really?

I did not expect him to say his goodbye. But still, he did. He said he will miss me. And I missed him already after that.

I know there is a reason why I met him. There is a reason. I realized that his hands are rough for a corporate guy. I later found out that he is indeed a farmer by heart and practice, that his interest in my interest is real. His stories and questions were not fabricated just to keep a conversation. That’s  just what Italian guys are – polite and proper. His hesitations were indeed hesitations because he is attached to someone else. L Sad face, haha. He was not a full-blown Casanova after all.

…

I am writing about you because I want to thank you. Beyond the attention and the brief conversations, I want to thank you for reminding me that I am beautiful and special. I tend to forget that. Thank you for getting me out of my comfort zone even for just a while. I need that. I need more of that. Thank you for taking my pictures and sharing your stories. Capturing good memories about a place and its people is the best proof that I had been there. I had been to Italy. Thank you for your gentleness because I need to believe that there are still men of gentle disposition around. And most of all, thank you for reminding me that I may go as far as I want to go, but I will never leave behind me my dreams and passion. They will always go with me. And even for just that purpose alone, meeting you will always be one of the best things that happened to me in Italy.

Grazie!

And I look forward to seeing that picture of your wooden house when it’s finished. J

What if there is no God nor heaven nor hell?

Someone threw a question, “What if at the end of this life, we find out that there is no God, no heaven or hell?”

In a normal day, I would have simply answered him, “And what if there is?”

But I changed my mind. I was not up to a lengthy belief debate. I knew that it won’t end good.

And perhaps, I may probably have that question lurking somewhere in my subconscious.

“What if there is no God? What if there is nothing after this life? What if everything is just a hoax? And religions were just built so that people can make some sense in their otherwise boring life or perhaps to make money for some?”

How will this belief change me?

Will I not go to church anymore? Will I not pray anymore? Will I discard all the religious articles that I have? My car will have a little less clutter. I will have an extra corner in the house for my books or plants in place of my altar.

Who will be greater than me? My boss? My very successful friend? Or perhaps the wealthiest one? Those politicians? Who will I follow? My mom? Or my older friend? Or why even ask, I can be the greatest and I can only choose to take orders from me.

What will I do? Jump from job to job whenever I encounter difficult people in the office? Cheat, so that I can have all the money that I want? Jump from relationship to relationship? Have a pleasure-filled life, even at the expense of other people, even at the expense of myself? Live to the full – travel all I want, gym and massage all I want, food trip all I want, shop all I want, or sleep all I want? Even if the people around me don’t have a decent thing to eat, wear or sleep on?

Will I become that self-centered, egoistic b*t*h just because I do not have to be answerable for the way I live my life now? After all, I do not have anyone to answer to.

Will I do that? Perhaps, if it will make me happy.

But will it make me happy?

I cannot prove scientifically that there is a god or anything of that sort. But there are so many moments and circumstances in my life that I do strongly feel (to the point of making me believe) that there is a greater Force, a more beautiful, gentler and very mysterious Force present in me and around me. I feel happy when I see a plant, especially when it has a flower. I feel sad when something or someone dies. I feel warm when my mom wakes up early in the morning to prepare my breakfast. I feel cold when I hear of a man leaving his family for another woman. I feel rich when I am generous. I feel poor when I am stingy. I am amazed and I feel special when at a very low day, someone I do not expect to remember will remember to say hi. I am overwhelmed when an opportunity that I know I do not deserve is given to me. I feel bad when after giving my best, I still do not seem to measure up to one’s standard. But I start feeling good again when someone encourages me and reminds me to hope for better things to come. I am afraid of dying but I am more afraid of dying even before my death. I feel great when I am brave, to try even if I fail. I feel bad when I am bad to other people.

And I can go on and on… 

I do not know where those emotions came from. How do I decide what will make me feel this way or that way? What moves me? What affects my choices in life? My upbringing? The people around me? Societal conditioning? What part of my system decides whatever it is that makes me feel good or bad? My conscience? Where does it come from? From a higher Being?

That is my belief.

If that higher Being cares enough to give me a conscience, will He or She or It just abandon me as if I am just a puppet in this show called life? I believe He won’t. I cannot be 100% sure that my belief is true. But, that is why you call it faith.

And so, I throw back the question to you. What will change if you find out that there is no God nor heaven nor hell?

Can you live without meat? Eating Green at Pipino Restaurant

I cannot live without rice. Even if I eat lots of pasta or bread, I would still crave for this Filipino staple. Nothing beats the stomach-filling effect of rice. It's just beyond compare to other carbs. It's definite - me and rice, we are MFEO (meant for each other :).

But there is one food question that I am bound to find out. Can I live without meat?

Some can. And they are called vegans or vegetarians.

We visited this plant-based restaurant in Jupiter Street in Makati called Pipino Restaurant and sampled a 12-course meal especially designed for our group. The restaurant caters to vegetarians but does not call itself a vegetarian restaurant.  

This creative blackboard poster only claims that Pipino is plant-based.



Pipino Restaurant shares place with its sister Pino Resto & Bar.

Pino Resto & Bar has two branches - the first is in 39 Malingap Street, Teachers Village

Quezon City and the other is in #38 Jupiter Street, Makati City.

According to Alessa (one of the owner who is the actual vegetarian), since Pino serves meat and Pipino customers are served in the same area, they cannot actually claim that it is a vegetarian restaurant. Although, she said that the preparation area and the china and utensils being used for Pipino are segregated from Pino. (Hmmm, sounds Halal-ish to me.) 

Pipino, in the right, is separated by the white divider from Pino but customers who order meat-based food are free to share table with their vegetarian companions and vice versa.

But before the gustatory tour to the world of no-meat, here's a short recap of Vegetarianism/Veganism 101 by Ms. Alessa Lanot:

Alessa Lanot is a renowned blogger and crafts teacher. Check her at www.lifeafterbreakfast.com.

Vegetarian vs Vegan : Vegans are the ultimate no-meat eater. They do not eat meat of any kind nor their by-products which include egg, dairy products, honey which were produced from bees and fish sauce which are fermented fish. Vegetarians, on the other hand, do not eat meat but can eat animal by-products. Some eat eggs (ovo vegetarian) and dairy (lacto vegetarians). There are some who eat only white meat and call themselves semi-vegetarians.

Why go vegetarian or vegan? : Three reasons - health, animal rights, environment. Alessa went vegetarian since high school for the health and environmental reasons.

Why vegetarian is healthy? : Our body needs a balance of alkalinity and acidity. But over the two, it prefers alkaline. Vegetables and fruits are alkaline while meats and a host of other stuffs deemed unhealthy such as alcohol and sugars (and coffee) are acidic. Acids also feed the unhealthy cancer cells. Acidic foods expand when we ingest them while alkaline foods constrict.  This is manifested in how we feel bloated after eating that steak while we just feel full after grazing on that vegetable salad.

Why vegetarian is good for the environment? : Livestock production is a major contributor to greenhouse gases emission (particularly methane). For the same carbon footprint, feeding one meat-eater is equivalent to feeding 14 vegetarians. The government now has a Luntiang Lunes program that encourages Filipinos to eat no meat on Mondays. Alessa said that if Filipinos will follow this, one day of no meat for Filipinos has an equal effect of planting 150,00 trees for the environment. Whoa!!!

So much for that lecture. Let's go to the meat of this blog, este, to the core of this blog - the FFFOOODDDD!!!

This 12-course vegetarian meal is prepared by the very light-spirited and comic Chef Edward Bugia. 

Chef Edward preparing the Quinoa Berry Salad

We started off with these cutesy appetizers:

Amuse Bouche. Lychee Ginger Tea with Microarugula and Watermelon with Balsamic Reduction. 

The lychee is intensely gingery in taste but the nutty, bitterish note of arugula gave it an interesting twist. The brown, caramelized note of the reduced (boiled at low heat) balsamic vinegar balanced the sweetness of the watermelon. This gave me an idea on how to give a new twist to familiar fruits. 

Truffled Popcorn with agave, truffle oil and candied walnuts

There is so much hype over this very rare and expensive mushroom called truffle. It gives off a mild mushroom taste that has a bit of earthy and smoky/roasted notes that makes the popcorn a little more of a snob :P. For the walnuts, they used agave instead of refined sugar.

Sunny Side Up. Coconut Cream Curry served with Carrot Bacon.

Chef Edward is very inventive on this one. For the egg white, he used coconut cream with gelatin and for the yolk, he used curry sauce as substitute. Don't be fooled by the bacon. Those are just thinly sliced carrots that were overfried to simulate the bacon curl. Very clever.

Maki Plate. Japanese-style Rolled Rice with Pickled Eggplants, Seasoned Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes.

Rice is quite sticky. I barely tasted the tomato. This one is not spectacular. 

Quinoa Berry Salad

This one is hard to replicate in your own kitchen. It is a smorgasbord of eetsy-teeny-weeny veggies and fruits - quinoa, micro arugula, strawberries, blueberries, alfalfa served with beet sauce and raspberry coulis. Quinoa is an interesting food. It has this boiled young corn taste but the texture is more intriguing. They say that quinoa is a complete protein and so, is a good replacer of meat proteins for vegetarians. The mix of flavors - bland, nutty, sweet, sour, bitterish with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper makes this last of the appetizers definitely not the least, but the berry best. :p

Graniya. Calamansi and Lemon Sorbet.

To rinse the palate, this calamansi and lemon sorbet did its work. Good blend except that sugar can still be toned down a little.


Now here comes the main dishes....

Gnocchi. Sweet potato gnocchi with arugula, mushroom and sundried tomatoes.

This is quite a serving and heavy in the stomach. Chef used sweet potato which is healthier than potato. The taste blends well with the sundried tomato, basil and cherry tomato.

Vegan Tantan Ramen. Buckwheat noodle ramen with enoki mushroom, coconut cream curry egg and bokchoy.

Pipino can give the proliferating ramen houses a run for their money. The normal tantan (nutty, spicy) ramen is made more delectable and rich with coconut cream. Where is it coming from? No other than the white egg which is made from .... tadaaa... coconut cream, which melts with the soup after some time. Really inventive Chef! (slow clap with slow moving of head sideways, can even have a slow motion standing up :p)

Mini Watermelon Steak. Grilled watermelon with vegan aioli, string beans, pickled mushroom.

Who would have thought that watermelon can replace a steak? No one! Precisely because nothing can match a steak except for another steak (spell: beef, pork). But this dish is very ingenious. The fruit mimics the  color of the meat and it actually has a desirable grilled note owing to the sugar that caramelized in the process of cooking. Chef said that its discovery (watermelon can be grilled) is accidental. The side dishes are good complements.

Pinakbet Risotto Balls. Deconstructed pakbet with squash risotto balls and vegan bagoong.

I was doubtful of the bagoong at first. How can you make bagoong without shrimp? Well, Chef has black beans and the ever reliable coconut cream, which made a very yummy tandem. Of course, it doesn't taste like bagoong, but it certainly did its job - makes me do the slow clap again. :p


And lastly, the desserts...

Taho Ice Cream. Soybean curd ice cream with  tapioca syrup. 

At this point, I am so full that I do not remember tasting this. Joke. At least, not as vivid as the other dishes. It probably tasted like taho but probably good too because now I remember that I ate all of my serving. 

Choco Sphere. Dark chocolate sphere filled with vegan chocolate mousse.

This dessert caps off our exploration to the world of vegetarian food. Pretty firmly though. Hehe. Because the dark cocoa sphere is very hard, we cannot break it. We have to turn it upside down so we can taste the chocolate mousse made of silken tofu inside. The mousse tastes good but the texture is quite tough for a mousse. Well, there is always a price to pay for going healthy. Luckily for this one, it's only the texture. The use of flowers made this a feast for the eye. Not bad to end our vegetarian feast. 

This is how we all looked like after.

WE TURNED GREEN!!! Hahaha :P

We were all full but did not feel bloated. Hmm, seems like Alessa was right after all... :)

So, after all had been said, shall I now answer the question - can I live without meat?



The answer is NO!!! For now, at least. Or probably, not yet. (Mahirap magsalita ng tapos. hehehe.) 



But I would gladly adopt the aspirations of vegetarians. To remain healthy, I will go for the balance thing (alkaline + acidic) - mixed diet of more veggies & fruits and less meat. And to help the environment, I will continue raising my own vegetables and reduce/recycle/reuse my waste and infecting people to do the same. I hope I did a little of that through this blog. 

Note:

All the dish presented are not available at Pipino Restaurant. This is not the usual I-went-to-Pipino-and-I-think-I-need-to-blog-about-it blog but more of a blog to create vegetarianism awareness and showcase efforts (like Pipino's, Chef Ed's and Alessa's) to make this lifestyle more attractive and engaging to more people.

Only in Penglai

If you wanna get drunk the whole day, do it legally and have someone pay for it, go to Penglai on a business trip.

Penglai or Penglai City is a port or a town in Shandong, a coastal province in the East Region of China. Known as the "Fairy Tale City", it is considered as one of the main tourist spots by the Chinese government attracting two million tourists annually.

At least, perhaps, among Chinese people. If one goes to China, Beijing or Shanghai would definitely be the top picks as Penglai is a good one-day travel from Manila. We left Manila at 6am, bound for a two-hour flight to Hongkong. From Hongkong, we took Dragon Air's three-hour flight to Qin Dao. And just when I thought that we'll be arriving in China without any real meal in our stomachs, the carrier served a filling lunch capped off with this delectable dessert.

Yum, yum!!! (Surprises are really sweeter!!!)  It took us another 3.5 to 4 hours of drive (depending on the driver) to reach Penglai.

And here's where I got acquainted with the distinct culture of the place.

The welcome dinner was a starter. I am not sure if such generosity is due to a customer-supplier relationship or a genuine host etiquette. 

We were asked to take one seat apart so that each one of us will be served by the duly appointed host. A welcome drink is normal. But to be served three glasses of wine during the first dinner, that is what is normal in Penglai!

We have to order blueberry juice to camouflage as wine. (Penglai, by the way, is known number one in tourism and second, in wines. Their wines contain a good 12% alcohol in contrast to the 5-6% of the normal table wine.) But we were caught. During the last dinner, we girls, weren't able to get away with that strategy. 

As I was forewarned, that was just a preview. Because only in Penglai, will you be served soymilk and beer during lunch time. And yes, in the middle of a normal working day.

But good thing, I survived the alcohol. They gave us a botlle of a balsamic vinegar-tasting, anti-hangover liquid which had been effective after all.

Figuratively, one will not only get drunk with alcohol in Penglai. Also with fresh fruits which they serve during meetings.

And of course, with the "enchanting" scenic spots that the place has to offer. After all, it was the land of fairy tales as they say. (see next blog...)

Three Divine Mountains Scenic Spot

Eight Immortals Passing Across the Sea Touring Area

Ocean Aquarium of Penglai

Overall, except for the toilets and the weird smell of the hotel room, my Penglai experience is just weirdly awesome. In Penglai, I do feel that I belong. :)