on films, books, food, restaurants, favorite haunts in Metro Manila (and now, Philadelphia)...
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| rants and raves on films, books, food, restaurants, favorite haunts in Metro Manila (and now, Philadelphia)... |
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Sunday, August 22, 2004 One Minute Resto Reviews:
One Minute Event Reviews:
One Minute Movie Reviews:
* * * Oh and I finally got to take a peek at Bread Talk (where Pazzo used to be in Glorietta) and people were all over the place. They have all these wonderful looking breads from pig-shaped sisig stuffed breads to cheese rolls to breads topped with fried chicken (beef?) floss to all sorts of dessert breads. Rumor tells me it's the Rustan's / SSI Group that brought the bread chain here from Singapore. They "aim to elevate Bread eating to a Bread culture level," the website reads. Whatever that means in their badly written English. posted by wys | 10:14 PM 1 commentsCan one really judge the quality of a restaurant in one visit? Is it a case of ordering the proper things on the menu? Some could argue that a good restaurant would be good no matter what was ordered, no matter who was eating (universal appeal?), and no matter when you visited. Durign last weekend's Cagayan de Oro visit, my sister and I dined in the exact same restaurant (Kagayanon I think was the name). Me with some locals from Cagayan de Oro, faux tito and tita types of one of my friends and their kids -- faux in the sense that they weren't really related to my friend but just friends of her parents; my sister with her own friends in another table. So we had a lovely meal with our hosts ordering everything they could for us -- we had chicharon bulaklak, mussels, kilawin, inihaw na baboy and this bulalo steak that was amazingly yummy nummy (and I normally abhor bulalo). Rumor has it the beef from Cagayan de Oro tastes better (better in the Pinoy sense that it's SWEETER) because the cows eat nothing but pineapples all day long. My sister+friends were playing it by ear and didn't really know what they wanted to order and had less than a few nice things to say about her meal. Same restaurant, same night, different experiences. We can assume the service levels were even and the kitchen had the same quality of ingredients in stock. A case of her ordering the wrong thing? Me having lower standards? Both of us just having different standards? Can't be sure. posted by wys | 9:57 PM 0 comments My brother has this new obsession with downloading American TV commercials from the late 80s and early 90s ... to remind us of the days when we would spend our Summer Vacations in the States vegging out in front of the TV; or the random afternoons we would spend watching all the American cartoons our parents would tape for us on Betamax (!). So far I've seen TVCs on:
Monday, August 16, 2004 I am totally and absolutely exhausted. I slept past midnight on Friday night, woke up at 3am to catch our 5am flight to Cagayan de Oro. My seatmate on the plane was this awful snoring man so I turned my (sister's) mini IPod to full volume to block the noise. We got to our hotel at around 7.30am, and our tour guides were there to pick us up by 8am. From there it was nonstop action: CAVING in the morning (with a 30 minute hike and 120 foot rappel into the heart of the cave to start things out), 150 ft free fall RAPPEL down the side of a cliff (think Mission Impossible style), WHITE WATER RAFTING which we started off with a 30 foot jump off a bridge to get the adrenaline pumping. And of course we had to stay out all night partying in some forgettable bar listening to a provincial showband ... they kept on asking for requests and we must have sent over half a dozen napkins with all sorts of requests from Boys to Men to Queen to Toto to Eraserheads and they ended up playing only two of our songs -- Forevermore by Side A and When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating. So we're corny. Next day was this CANOPY WALK that started out with this 1.5 kilometer hike uphill (and I mean uphill) that almost killed me because I was not conditioned for such a strenuous walk. Anyway we got to the canopy walk site and it was good fun. We did some rickety walking over a rickety suspension bridge, 80 to 100 feet above the ground, right after sliding down a series of pulleys and harnesses. All great fun of course, but now I'm exhausted. Some food finds, lots of good photos. More after I've had a decent night of sleep. My sister has my digital camera -- she stayed an extra day so they could make the trek over to Camiguin. I spent two nights there and flew back to Manila on the first flight out so I could go to work this afternoon. posted by wys | 9:03 PM 0 comments Thursday, August 12, 2004 From Jim Paredes: I am pleased to announce the 26th Run of TAPPING THE CREATIVE UNIVERSE, a cutting edge creativity workshop that will uncover, unblock and release the joy and creativity that yearns to express itself in all aspects of life! Through interactive activities and excercises, the workshop will not only enable participants to meet their blocks but also introduce ways and practices that will help them overcome and remain unblocked for life. People who find themselves in a rut or unable to move forward---from artists of all kinds, housewives, CEOs, businessmen, lawyers, executives, nuns, priests, students, teachers, engineers, etc. have taken this course with amazing results. WHEN: Sept. 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 17 WHAT TIME: 7 to 9 PM WHERE: ROCKWELL CLUB, Amorsolo drive, Rockwell MAKATI FEE: P5,000 for all six sessions inclusive of snacks. The workshop runs for 6 sessions and only one absence is allowed. Please call 426-5375, 929-0230 for reservations and questions. Ask for Ollie! posted by wys | 10:23 PM 0 comments This is from one of my friends in CCP: The Asian Youth Orchestra will be performing at the CCP on August 17 and 18, 2004 at 8:00PM --they will be performing different programs for each night. The orchestra members Aged 15- 20s come from all over Asia and 7 of the members are Filipinos. Tickets are at P350/ P500/ P800/ P1000 with 50% discount for students and 20% for Senior CitizensYou can buy tickets at Ticket World outlets in National Bookstore and Tower Records or at the CCP Box Office. Call 8323704 or 8919999. posted by wys | 10:13 PM 0 comments Wednesday, August 11, 2004 I'm listening to Weezer's The Good Life and I'm totally reminded of senior year in high school. That was the total and absolute best. I love how certain songs and artists can totally remind me of certain points in my life. Other songs that remind me of senior year: Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve Brick by Ben Folds Five Closing Time by Semisonic Clumsy by Our Lady Peace Everything to Everyone by Everclear Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger Fly by Sugar Ray I Do by Lisa Loeb Inside Out by Eve 6 Santeria by Sublime Seether by Veruca Salt Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground Stay (Wasting Time) by The Dave Matthews Band Sweet Surrender by Sarah McLachlan The Way by Fastball Walking on the Sun by Smash Mouth And the list could go on forever ... posted by wys | 10:55 PM 0 comments Every Sunday my family goes out for lunch right after hearing mass in the morning. The other week we had the strangest dining experience because for the first time ever we ate in two restaurants (with a record time of one hour for both). Dining with my family isn’t a particularly adventurous experience. Sometimes I try and push them to try new places, but generally we eat in good old tried and tested picks. When you’re 8 or 9 people trying to find a nice quick place to dine in and please most people, choices are pretty limited. Anyway a few Sundays ago we found ourselves in Robinson’s Galleria (because it’s near home basically) and had some Chinese dimsum in Mongkok (4/F, near Max’s). Like a pack of starving wolves we would devour each and every order as soon as it would arrive (siopao, dumplings, mixed veggies, sweet and sour pork, spare ribs, lemon chicken, scallops with mushrooms, fried rice, etc). After stuffing ourselves silly … we decided to have another meal in Pancake House a few establishments down. And I’m not just talking pancakes for dessert, we had a second meal of Panchicken, Tacos, Roast Beef sandwiches … Totally bizarre. And people in my family complain about their weight. Sheesh. posted by wys | 10:38 PM 0 comments This is one of those hoity toity courses that I would love to take if I had the time to spare. Should cost a fair bit of money though, seeing as how it’s going to be in AIM and all. In the scheme of things though I probably wouldn’t even use whatever I would learn from this program in (my) real life anyway. * * * Program: THE MANAGING THE ARTS PROGRAM (MAP) Duration: 2 weeks Course Date(s): Please contact the Program Manager Participants: Anyone from arts and cultural organizations, or any artist-entrepreneur, or key decision maker in commercial artistic outfits, may join this program! Qualifications: Proficiency in oral and written English. Experience in public and private development programs, projects, or institutions is beneficial. Overview: AIM's Managing the Arts Program (MAP), is an innovative, 2-week management course made for ARTISTS and ARTS MANAGERS---and taught in the thinking style and language of ARTISTS! Manila Program Runs in 2004: August 23 to September 3 (MAP9 -- new schedule) Objectives: Adopt AIM’s whole brain and entrepreneurial approach of critical, creative and systems thinking. Bridge the tension between strategic business goals and the artistic mission. Develop the full leadership potentials of the transformational arts manager. Enhance the marketing, operations, organizational and financial skills of the arts practitioner. Content: Week 1 The Life Cycle & Life Forces of Art
Managing Creatives
Standard Academic Entrance Requirements are waived for this course!
Contact Persons: Prof. Cecile B. Manikan/Program Director
While reading Conrado De Quiros’ column today, he mentioned an essay by Jonathan Swift called “A Modest Proposal” where Mr Swift freakily suggests that the overpopulated Irish community eat their own children because of their proven nutritional value. Funny guy. A Modest ProposalReminds me of this Neil Gaiman story I once read called Baby Cakes. I can’t find a copy of the story online now but in that story, the world suddenly found itself without anymore animals to test medicines and cosmetics on and they started using babies. If I recall correctly, they even used baby skin for clothing purposes (after all there were no more sources for fur). posted by wys | 1:10 AM 0 comments Monday, August 09, 2004 I see this billboard on the way home from work everyday: We have better music than the one you're listening to. (for Tower Records -- shame on you advertisers). ??? * * * The Manila Bookfair is all the way in the World Trade Center on Roxas Boulevard this year (from 11-15 August). Bummer, that's way too far for me to make the trip on a weekday and I'll be out of town this weekend. I remember the days when the bookfair was all the way in the CCP Complex, somewhere around the Boom na Boom area. And I would get my whole family to make the trip out there on a Sunday (when you're young and have no sense of direction, everything seems to be much further away). And I think I've been going every single year since they moved the Bookfair to Megamall a few years back. More than discounts on books I look forward to have all the local publishers in one place because I can buy pretty much all the locally published books I available. posted by wys | 8:47 PM 0 comments Sunday, August 08, 2004 I went scuba diving this weekend! Huzzah for me. I'm now a certified PADI Open Water Diver. * * * One of my friends texted me this evening that they were selling tickets at the door of Midsummer Night's Dream (at RCBC) for Php300. We should have official Rush Ticket Booths here in the Philippines (a la Broadway and the West End) that sell off leftover tickets the morning of a given performance at 50% or more off. It's a sunk cost for the company anyway so they might as well try to get as many tickets sold as they can. * * * I got to try the Mediterranean restaurant in Greenbelt 3 called Pasha. Generally good but semi-expensive (think normal Greenbelt prices) and stuff I would have been able to get in good old Cafe Mediterranean anyway. I'm getting tired of Greenbelt restaurants and should make the effort to try out restaurants outside the mall areas. Of course these are a lot harder to find and semi-inconvenient to get to. * * * I wonder why (a) greasy fast food; (b) Chinese food; (c) general unidentifiable street food all taste really good when you're starving. posted by wys | 9:42 PM 0 comments Tuesday, August 03, 2004 This play looks pretty good. I tried to catch it the first time around but I heard about it too late and tickets were sold out. In any case the current run doesn't have the original actors anymore and it's *gasp* in Filipino. Hey I remember Noel Rayos, I thought he was cute in the local production of Urinetown -- sometimes though these actors can look a lot better on stage than in real life and I haven't seen him up close so I can't be sure if he's actually a good looking fellow. * * * Come and watch the Filipino premiere of TP's ANG ROMANSA NI MAGNO RUBIO by Lonnie Carter! WHAT: Set in California in the 1930s, this critically acclaimed play is the bittersweet tale of a lonely, illiterate Filipino farm worker who falls in love with a white woman he has never seen and knows only through the pen pal section of a movie magazine. He must toil in the fields all day to pay a fellow worker for every English word he needs to write his love letters to his fantasy love interest. Given the hopeless lives of the farm workers, it is never clear whether his ill-placed dream is his doom or his salvation. A 2003 Obie (Off-Broadway) Award winner,this eloquent piece is based on a short story by blacklisted political activist writer, Carlos Bulosan. WHEN: August 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, 2004 8:00 PM August 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29, 2004 3:00 PM WHERE: Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) Directed by visiting New York Director and Obie Awardee Loy Arcenas FEATURING: Paolo Rodriguez Soliman Cruz Noel Rayos Paolo O'Hara Roeder Camañag call 832-3661 for details! posted by wys | 11:16 PM 0 comments I met these Canadian doctors over the weekend that practice Naturopathic Medicine. It sounds a slightly New Age to me because they don't believe in anything invasive like surgery, and are more into refining your whole lifestyle so that everything from the food you eat to the way you think holds a great role in your health. That would mean no more anti-biotics for me ... no one can tear me away from my anti-biotics! Although God knows we'll probably have mutated babies in the next generation because of all the unnatural drugs we insist on taking. Still, I'm not one to trust my health to herbal medicine. I'm too accustomed to fast, quick medicinal fixes. posted by wys | 11:13 PM 0 comments Sunday, August 01, 2004 I rather liked today's episode of The O.C. It was a Christmas special (Christmannukah they called it, for the combined miraculous powers of both Jesus Christ and Moses) which made me start feeling all Christmassy even though the nearest holiday jingle is still a few good months away. Seth Cohen, still deciding between Anna and Summer, decided to give both girls the exact same thing -- a "Seth Cohen Starter Pack" containing:
And now I hear talks of Seth Cohen being an EMO poster boy of sorts. I'm actually not sure what EMO is but it from what I gather it's this hot buzz word that's flying all over the place these days. The Word Spy traces the first use of the word back in 1997. posted by wys | 10:23 PM 0 comments |
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