Bloggggggg

Before I go overboard with my newfound joy in blogging, allow me to give credit where credit is due. A couple of months ago I did not even really understand the difference between a blog and a website. But then, in the course of some research I was trying to conduct through the internet, I stumbled into some very interesting personal cyber-diaries, newsletters or journals... blogs. Two in particular became my inspiration for immersing myself into the universe of foodie blogs. Please visit these wonderful people (anton diaz and wysgal) at Our Awesome Planet and Rants and Raves ...

P.S.
Prior to all of this ... I thought "blog" was the sound I would hear on my cellphone everytime I would call my wife at 1 a.m and say that I was still in the office doing overtime ...

"hello - ahhh nasa opis lang dear .... obertym e "
"Overtime ??? Eh ... karaoke ang naririnig ko..."
"ahhhh ... may bagong equipment kasi , tinetesting lang ..."
"Blogggggggggggggggggggggg"

24

I am an insomniac. I find all sorts of excuses to stay awake. I am convinced that there is more work to finish, more stuff to arrange ... more information to be gained from the TV ... more surfing and blogging to do. Whatever ... I don't sleep at the right time. And so at about 2am to 3am, I get hungry ... and I hunt. First in my drawer - baka my kendi or crackers . Then in my son's room - baka may cake na bigay ng girlfriend pero di naman nya kinain. Maybe in the kitchen ... pero magmmicrowave pa ako tapos magiging parang tikoy yung pagkain. Then as a last resort (which is the choice I enjoy the most), I jump into my car and speed off to the nearest eating place that is open "24 hours" . Usually this is that new "KitaKits" place near Makati Medical Center. So that's where I headed to ....

"Bosing Guard ... kakain lang ako"
"Sarado ho kami ... yan o , may sign STORE CLOSED"
" Oo nga bosing , pero katabi naman nya yung sign na 24hours - paano kayo magiging sarado e 24hours nga kayo dapat.
" E security guard lang ho ako dito"
" O sige paki-tanong mo dun sa boss kung 24hours kayo..."
"Sir, 24hours nga daw ho"
" E di puede na akong umorder ..."
"Sir hindi po... "
" E bakit ??? "
"Sarado ho kami .... " (ngekkkkkk)

Banger with your Haute Dog

"Pare ko, let's go to BANGERS" ... said my pot-bellied, bald-headed buddy. With eyes rolling and tongue hanging out, I excitedly jumped into the backseat of his brand new government car (complete with "FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY" and red plates) ... thinking we would be going to Ermita, P.Burgos, or some similar red light nightspot (where red plate cars are often seen).

Instead we rode in my 10 year old clunker and proceeded to the ritzy PowerPlant mall at Rockwell in Makati. At the ground floor is a wonderful food court complete with faux tropical trees and an airy, well lit ambience. There we found Bangers - World Haute Dogs. Its a counter type of operation compared to the bigger full store operations that surrounded it. There was a line of people ... so that was encouraging. It serves all kinds of Hot Dogs. Great stuff for fast food junkies like us ... The menu is innovative and proposes to represent different parts of the world through hot dog concoctions... a veritable haute couture of hot dogs. I stared at the menu board and started to hurdle the cerebral challenge of deciding which one to order.

Among the choices:
Classic Dog
German Dog (from Germany)
Chili Dog (uhmmm from Chili ?)
StrogaDog (with beef stroganoff)
Asian Dog
Kaldereta Dog
Cacciatore Dog
Pizza Dog
Kari Dog (Japanese flavored)
FourCheese Dog
Caesar Salad Dog

Gosh ... choices,choices,choices.
Trying to be funny , I asked ... "wala bang purefoods?".
Ang sagot ... "wala po , por chez miron ... " ( huh???)
So much for that .....

I finally settled on the German Dog. I had just been to Germany and wanted to benchmark. You can order just the sandwich for 85pesos or order a meal (sandwich, salad, french fries and iced tea) for 130pesos.

The German Dog was greaaaat ... mustard , sauerkraut and all. Crunchy and tasty. My buddy Kojak ordered a Kaldereta Dog which he devoured instantly. Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying their orders ... and we could hear them trying to identify the taste of their particular hot dogs. I wanted to order more but after seeing the contents of my wallet, I decided that I was on a diet ... for the sake of my health.

If you like eating hot dogs .... (uhhhmmmmmmmmm), this is the place for you.
See you there ... I'll be the guy with a hot dog sitting at the end table.

Brod Pit

Urban legends abound in Manila about business establishments with innovative and funny names. And yeah, once in a while my eye catches one as I whiz by in my car. But when the time for exchanging stories over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee comes ... it's always he said she said. Incredibly funny ... but wer's da beef? Nobody really knows. I even visited some streets where such legends are supposed to be located ... but no luck. So lately I have been taking pictures (for proof) ... and eating too. Not to forget drinking till I think I am handsome or sexy...

First find is way up in Baguio. Owned by the Garcia family, this wonderful pitstop after a long drive from Manila is a source of everything unhealthy ... just the kind of food we need on a vacation. Bulalo, sinigang na pig, adobong anything, grilled all, crispy pata na baka, crispy pata na manok, isdang malutong, pina-upo, binaligtad, sinampa sa pader, hiniga sa sahig ... everything is so goood. Or maybe I was just really hungry , having chosen not to eat breakfast before embarking on the supposed to be 4 hour trip that really was closer to 7. The cool Baguio weather also kicks up you metabolism and encourages you to even eat more . Try their Grilled anything ... fish, meat, poultry etc. Top it with a beer. Shout at the top of your lungs and dance like there is no tomorrow. In some countries they might call that the call of the wild. Here they call it " nasiraan na ng ulo, nilamig ang utak, nahipan ng hangin ... mana sa magulang ... hawig sa kaibigan". Whatever it is, it is a filling up with the Brod Pit spirit of informality, good food, good times ... Their main branch is at the corner of General Luna Road and Brent St. There's a smaller one inside that dinosaur of an architectural monstrosity called SM Baguio. There is also supposed to be another one that I haven't seen at Fort Bonifacio in Manila.

Now all I gotta do is buy my athletic stuff at Richards Gear and have my hair cut at Sylvesters Salon ... before I go tom-cruisin' down the highway. See ya....

Big and small

I live in the Philippines.
It is a small country with a small economy.
It is led by a small president.

But big things happen here.
Places, food, events, people, thoughts ...

Heated emotions , humorous moments
Poverty, wealth
Traditional, wierd
Old, new
Good, bad
Big and small

Join me on a journey of these islands I call home.
Places I call paradise
Friends I call family
Thoughts I call insight
People I call my own
Food I call delectable
Moments I call priceless

This could be your cup of tea.
Stay ....
Read on.
Enjoy.

Among Other Things

"You did whaaat?" queried my incredulous wife.
"Uhmmmmm... I started a blog" said I

"Why?"
"Because..."
"When?"
"Just now..."
"Are you crazy?
"No ..."
"You ARE crazy"
"Maybe... "

"It's about life... about anything. Just a way to share with the world ..."
"And what is this blog called???"
" Life is Short ..."
"Yes it is .... among other things !!!" - (slowly staring at what I thought was her favorite part of my body)

Life is Short

My father passed away last month. I was devastated. There was so much more that I wanted to do with him, to say, to show, to share. I thought that life would be longer than it was. I mean yes, he was sick and elderly ... with a terminal illness at that. But wait ... not yet, not today, not nowwww ! Too late ... life is short.

So here I am... with a new respect for the temporary nature of life. A life where there is so much to do, to say, to see, to think ... to share . And what better way to share in this age of cyber-everything than to blog. This site will contain anything about anything. Nothing in particular. Just life. Now. Before it ends.