Is It Hot ?

Sometime last year, I enthusiastically posted about discovering America's famous Nathan's hotdogs in a food kiosk in Glorietta.
Sadly, the kiosk appears to have been one of those that was affected by the Glorietta blast of October 2007 ...
My hot dog destination was gone :-(

Where now, could I relieve my hot dog cravings?
Unexpectedly - just a couple of weeks ago, I received a comment on the post:

" Hi! My brother owns the stands that serves the Nathan's Famous hotdogs...The name of the establishment is "Htdog on Sticks". You can see them at most SM Malls, Robinsons Malls, even schools all over the country. They also have a dine in outlet at the SM Mall of Asia called Big City that serves a variety of imported hotdogs including johnsonville. You might want to try it out. Thanks! " - (anonymous)

So off I was on a hunt ...
SM Mall of Asia was it's usual busy Friday weekend self
There was much to see and do
But I was focused on finding my hot dog haven

Big City is a not so big nook of about 6 tables
It is located somewhere on the ground floor of the humongous Mall of Asia
From outside it's colorful design is an eye-catcher
I walked in with much anticipation































Good news, bad news.

The bad news first ...
Nathan's hot dogs were not available
According to the friendly server, they had had no deliveries for several months
Ohhhhh no ...
Sad
Shucks !
















The good news is -
Johnsonville Sausages were available
Johnsonville is one of America's better distributed sausage/dog lines
Available in outlets and groceries - it is also a fave among sports stadium crowds who devour hot dogs by the tens of thousands during baseball, football, hockey, and basketball games
Johnsonvilles are combination pork and beef (or veal) sausage
(Pork hotdogs instead of beef)
Also known as "brats" for bratwurst,
They are a food type recognized to be German in origin
Crisp crunchy skins are their trademark
Flavor is their draw

Just like Nathan's -
Johnsonville hosts an annual World Bratwurst Eating Contest that is a media event of sorts.
In 2006, the renown speed eater Takeru Kobayashi set a record by eating 56 "brats" in 10minutes

Great ...
My initial disappointment at the unavailability of Nathan's hot dogs faded away
I excitedly ordered a "Johnsonville" bratwurst instead ( @115pesos )
"With relish pleaaaaaaaase ... "
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm















I was a happy guy
Even happier to find out that Big City sells six packs of the Bratwurst. as well as Polish Sausage and Hot Links (hot and spicy with real jalapeno) for those like me who might want to enjoy some self-cooked "Johnsons" at home
















I arrived home late (as usual)
Everyone was asleep
I quietly tip-toed into the kitchen and started frying a Hot Link "dog"
The delicious aroma filled the air
Suddenly - like a ghost that floated in from nowhere, the lady of the house was standing behind me
She slowly eyed what I was doing
She took a whiff and asked - "Can I eat your hot dog?"
Huh? (Freudian moment)
With a lump in my groin and a smile on my lips,
I shot back - "Gladly...you can eat my hot dog ... anytime"
"Is it hot?"- she queried
With a knowing wink of my eye I immediately replied ..."very"

Wooooooooohooooooooooo
(lights out)

Adventurism

The sleeping giant is stirring
The silent are humming
The drums are beating
The lifeless are marching
Ever so slowly ...

A nation divided
Trying to find itself

That puts me in a nationalistic mood
Nationalistic and as usual - hungry ...
Where oh where oh where do I eat?

In the new and blossoming Greenbelt 5 mall lies a themed, little nook - Restaurante Pia y Damaso
Hmmmm ....
Memories of Jose Rizal
Inspired by the Noli Me Tangere characters Pia Alba and Padre Damaso - illicit parents of the iconic Maria Clara.
Just right for my nationalistic hunger pangs

From the outside, the restaurante beckons strongly
A wonderful contrast of beiges and black,
Ink drawing patterns are design magnets for the eyes
A chandelier, silver candelabras, and tidy paper table linings are touches of warmth and charm.
The name in itself immediately arouses curiousity,
A peek at its menu confirms the culinary trip that one is in for ...































Seated comfortably in this small, charming, cozy nook,
Attended to by enthusiastic and helpful servers,
We started by quenching our thirst with - "Tubig ni Maria Clara" - cucumber juice and ginger syrup in citrus water
Water never tasted sooooooo good
All my nation-building frustrations were easily washed away by this soothing concoction




















The food is at best described perhaps as Pinoy fusion but is (according to Our Awesome Planet) referred to by owner Bambi Sy-Gobio as "comido antigo"

Starters for us were:
Ostrich chorizo skewer @150pesos
Filo tarts with pork asado and apple relish @220pesos

We shared an interesting black olive, cerveza negra and tuyo pasta @275 pesos
We then marched on to smoked tapang usa, roasted vegetable scramble (salted deer meat from Nueva Ecija, green mango,pickles, pepper omelette, & garlic rice) @420 pesos.
We rallied around a seared prawns with basa fish and crisp kamote on Davao tablea cacao, sherry, and orange juice with cilantro @520 pesos








































































The menu speaks for itself ...
This is a place for culinary adventurism
A subversive take on establishment recipes
One will find familiar tastes executed in unfamiliar ways
One walks out of the restaurante either with a sense of satisfaction or a sense of puzzlement over what just went down.
However else it may hit you - Restaurante Pia y Damaso is such an interesting concept that one can hardly resist its draw ...

P.S.
We ate so much that there was no room for dessert - dessert being one of the strengths of this place since the owner (Bambi Sy-Gobio) is the same force behind Kooky and Luscious, a long time Metro Manila favorite dessert station.

Dessert alone deserves a separate post.
I plan to go back specifically for that.

See you there
I will be the Frayle Damaso in the corner makin' a move on a kooky and very luscious Pia.






















Restaurante Pia y Damaso
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5
Ayala Commercial Center, Makati
(63-2) 729-5511

Hot Spot

The country has again been in the grip of its politics
But ..
Okay okay
Enough politics
Enough national angst
Back to just living this life that grows ever so much shorter as each day passes

I really now just want to eat a good meal
The events of the past few days had fixed my mind on anything "chinese"
So I was hunting for good Chinese food

Greenhills (in the Metro Manila city of San Juan)- is regarded by many as the upscale Chinese enclave of Metro Manila.
Here for sure would be a Chinese resto worth the drive through the crawling traffic surrounding the area

So drive through traffic we did ...
Tucked away in what used to be a "Country Waffles" flagship store, we found a newly opened Chinese resto destined for "get in line" patronage

Even from afar - CHOI GARDEN, with a ground floor bathed in red light, is immediately attractive
Eye catching interiors gives one a sense of China moderne
(It is divided into a 1st floor with more casual dining
And a 2nd floor with fine Chinese dining ... )

When you see wall to wall Chinese patrons with a waiting list to boot - it's got to be good

Choi Garden was still on dry run - so small service miscues were forgivable
The 1st floor is "hot pot" territory, though a reasonable dimsum and ala-carte menu is available.
Bathed in red light -the meat, shrimp, pork, scallop and wonton slices looked delicious enough to be eaten right there and then
But there was "dipping" in broth and steamboat stewing to do ... a Chinese fondue of sorts
Ask for the XO dipping sauce - and you are set

The flavorful broth base and the fun of cooking your own meal makes hot potting a wonderful eating style
You cook it - you eat it
(So I guess -if it doesn't taste good , then it is your own fault)
Hmmmmm -is that how it works?

Whatever ...
I had fun
I imagined the face of my favorite politician
Attached the image to a strip of beef
And then slowly dipped and stewed it in the boiling hot broth
Fun fun fun ....

Seriously,
Choi Garden is off to a great start
Great place
Good food
Pricey - but within a "payday" budget
I predict it'll be the next "hot pot hot spot " ...
Seeya























































































Choi Garden
#12 Annapolis St., corner Purdue St.
Greenhills, San Juan City

tel.- (63-2) 7276042

(P.S. -I will post about Choi Garden's more expensive 2nd floor seafood and sharks fin, fine Chinese dining area at a future date - uhmmmm - that is, when I save enough money to eat there)

Technical Stuff

Sometime in January,
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the aviation industry of the Philippines to Category 2 - a category that put us in the same bracket as Bangladesh, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Apparently an FAA audit found Philipine air safety practices, procedures and regulations as being non-compliant with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The Philippines of course vehemently objected, citing among other things the competence of our air safety officials.

Okay ...
I can empathize with that
I myself felt that that the downgrade was unfair
I even flew on a Philippine air carrier that very same week
One wants to be supportive ...
Right?

But then ...
In the first week of February - after a freak accident where a Cessna light plane crash landed in a grassy field beside one of Manila's malls - the Chief of our Air Transportation Investigation Board, after initiating his investigation, was quoted as follows:

“We will tear down the engine to see what caused the crash.
But based on our initial findings, the pilot said the engine conked out,”

Hahahaha ...
Wowwwwwwwwwww
That's the chief talking ....
Really technical stuff
International standard for sure
Hmmmmm - I don't know now - maybe the FAA was right.

Helppppppppppppppppppppppp

Hai-yahhhhhhh

Manila's Filipino-Chinese community is in an uproar over the insensitivity (or is it just plain arrogance?) of a government official in uttering remarks that were considered denigrating to Chinese in the Philippines. With the uncouthness of an uneducated barbarian, he successfully angered a community that considers itself as historically part of Filipino lineage ... a community that has contributed so much to the evolution of Philippine economy.

To consider his remarks as anything other than "racist" would in my opinion be at the very least, patronizing ...
More correctly, it would be - being blind to the emerging "untouchable" arrogance that some believe political power has conferred upon them ...

This - after not so long ago - when a ranting venemous senator of the land accused the same community as having "invented corruption" ...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...
(These two "servants of the people" deserve a couple of Shaolin chops to the neck .... hai-yahhhhhhhh)





All this is part of an ongoing national tele"nobela" complete with an unbelievable plot of power, money, greed, corruption, crime, adventure, and comedy - a tele-series of sorts that has the nation glued to television sets, radios and broadsheets
The Philippines is indeed an interesting place to be in these days ...

What are we to do?
What can the lowly hordes of us who are simply ordinary citizens do?

We could complain but our national history has shown that we might be threatened with technicalities of the very law that we thought was in place to protect us...;
We could ask our elected "representatives" - the voices of the people, those we voted into place to protect us, to actually protect us ... but they appear to be pre-occupied with "pursuing " other things";
We could run to the media - even as they legalese themselves out of jail , survive assasination attempts, or hurdle the libel cases that are strewn across their paths to the truth - but we would only be heard for as long as the story sells;
We could congregate and shout to the high heavens, enumerate our frustrations with life, or voice our desire for change - but we would have to be ready to face the consequences of being thought of as committing rebellion or some similar subversion.

Or we could simply be Gandhi ...
"Be the change you wish to see in the world"
Change from within
And wait ...
Wait till the slow momentum of the inevitable defines the history of tomorrow.

The nation is as usual ... divided.
So what else is new?

Peyups

U.P. beloved
My alma mater dear

Ohhhhhh -the memories of university life
Riding the "IKOT" jeep
Going the other way on the "TOKI"
How much more proof do you need that this was the center of the "inteligensia"

Walking around in slippers
When slippers were still "tsinelas"
Worn by force of circumstance
Not quite like today's "flip-flops"
Which are worn by force of fashion ...

Learning the building blocks that would form the basis of my future
Long before "futures" could be traded
Facing the many realities of life
Long before "reality" was a television show
Being reckless and carefree
Long before "CAREFREE" was a means to "stay fresh and confident"...

Yes - peyups
Cradle of activism
Incubator of national pride
Fighting for causes
Marching for principle

Boisterous laughter
Infinite adventure
Passionate romance
Memories meant to last
The Kodak moments of my life ...

Hmmmmmm ....
So -wat da heck got me into this nostalgic mood?

Well ...
Today I walked into a "Rodic's Diner" - in Makati !!!
What a pleasant surprise ...

Rodic's was and is a landmark in the U.P Diliman campus
A canteen-type fave hang-out where we used to have the bestest "tapsilog" in the world ( or was that all that we could afford with our meager allowance)

Every Diliman "peyups" grad has been to Rodic's - right?
After all, it has been around forever (actually - since 1949)

Well - it is surprisingly now also in Makati
Typically activist as the 'peyup"er is - Rodic's brings its humble plastic table and monobloc chair set-up, to this urban steel and concrete block of commerce right smack in the middle of the country's financal center

































I walked into an "inihaw na smoke" ambiance,
With a Larry Alcala inspired cartoon on the wall.
The two lady servers were familiarly as informal as they would be in some off-road campus corner.
An open kitchen revealed the organized mess that is the center of this "cantina of my past".

The tapsilog?
Just as I remember it.
Deliciously shredded , maybe even macerated
Served with an oil-bathed egg on a crumbling mound of rice
Not the prettiest of sights ...
But add a splash of vinegar, take a hearty bite - and you will savor the oh so familiar taste of university meat















If you are a U.P. cheap food junkie
Who finds himself (or herself) in the rat race of the urban jungle in Makati,
Take a break
Loosen the tie
Have a "tapsilog" at Rodic's - and be transported to the good old days

Ohhhh ...
Forget the cashier or the server,
Just "PAY (as you order) TO THE COUNTER"
Yes - you heard me -pay to the counter















( hahaha -I told you - the center of "inteligensia" )



Rodic's Diner
Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village
Makati

Call 75-928-75 for delivery

Discovering

It has often been said - "When in Rome , do as the Romans do"

But when in Singapore - eat chicken rice ...
Chicken rice is considered a "national dish"
It is prevalent in almost all food stalls, hawker sites and food courts
It has found a revered place in the menu of the prestigious Singapore Airlines
And is identified as part of the nations ethnic foods in international expositions and trade shows.
Singapore is chicken-rice crazy

Also known as "Hainanese Chicken Rice" because of its origins in Hainan, China - this Singaporean staple is served unassumingly with various dips that include chili, ginger, soy sauce or oyster sauce.
Eaten very informally , it is the centerpiece of a typical Singaporean meal.

So in keeping with doing as the Singaporeans do -
We (a wild bunch of rowdy, hungry friends and family), headed towards what the locals themselves consider to be one of the best.
Boon Tong Kee is a chicken rice chain with origins in Singapore's Chinatown during the late 1970's.
It has since grown into one of the most respected and more popular chicken rice destinations with outlets scattered in strategic locations in the city

The chicken dish itself is not much to look at
But it is really deliciously tasty
Smooth, juicy chicken with a sweetish tinge
Soft, springy, tender
Served with slightly sticky,broth flavored rice
With hot hot hot chili sauce or a tamer soy sauce/ginger dip.

Eat with a passion over the noise level of constantly conversing Singaporeans,
This place is usually packed to the point of sidewalk overflow.
Discovering a city at its best,
I love it

When in the city of the merlion
Forget the upscale touristy restos for a day
Be one of the locals
Make a beeline for Boon Tong Kee
Immerse yourself in the joys of chicken rice
It is chicken "for the soul" ....






























































Boon Tong Kee
425 River Valley Road
Singapore
Tel. - 6736 3213

Powerful It Was

It was not the best time to fly on a Philippine airline.
The newspapers were screaming about how the US FAA had downgraded the Philippine aviation industry to "Category 2" - in the company of Bangladesh, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Whaaaaaaaaaat?

For someone like me, who has always been inherently afraid of flying - it was to be a leap of great faith to take this "optional" trip - at this time.
It would take something powerful to get me to go ...

And powerful it was .
The son of my sister-in-law was marrying the girl with whom he had had an "on and off " relationship of many years.
He was the ringbearer in my own wedding once upon a long time ago.
His wedding was to be held in Singapore.
I was to be one among the "godparents"

Already?
Gosh - where has all the time gone?
There was so much I wanted to say ...
But time, fleeting rapidly as it does - had overtaken me

I watched this "little boy" grow from a playful impish waif cavorting in the buff as ocean waves lapped under his feet
Watched as his toddler eyes popped at the sight of Christmas goodies
Ran to his side when his growing but frail little body burned with fever
Smiled in amusement as he scaled the ladder of education despite a lazy academic demeanor
Laughed knowingly as his adolescent episodes of hormonal rush revealed themselves
Stood back - amazed as he intuitively learned how to dismantle and assemble automobiles
Admired the development of a quiet but effective business manner
Appreciated his uncanny ability to command the loyalty of people around him
Suffered quietly as his heart broke
Flushed with excitement as it mended

Silently supporting his initiatives for independence
While insinuating a sidebar of wisdom
Allowing him the benefit of my years of experience
Without encumbering him with the weight of intervention or supervision

Loving him from a distance
As I do all my nephews and nieces
As I do all who I have had the honor to be "godfather" to
As I do all of my "family" ...

I have become perhaps Sicilian in that sense
For I have painfully learned in my own life
That when the chips are down
And walls are crumbling around you
True refuge is to be found ... only in family
In those who have loved you simply because you are


I watched as the couple gazed into each others eyes
With knowing smiles on their faces
Hands in each others hand
Hearts in each others heart
A tear welled in my eye ..

I watched the "little boy" slowly waltz away
Slowly float away
Slowly fade away
Into a life of his own ...

They turned to each other
The strains of a wonderful choir in the air
The glint of sunshine reflected in their loving gazes
His parents looked on quietly- wanting to hold on, but knowing it was time to let go
A lump formed in my throat
The tear in my eye slowly trickled down my cheek ...

I thank them for allowing me the privilege of standing as "ninong".
It is a trust I take seriously.
As they leave behind the struggle of getting what they want - to face the challenge of wanting what they got
I resolve to be there for them ...
To be their refuge
To be their confidante
To be their adviser
To be their friend
To be family ...

I do it with all sincerity
Willingly
Happily
Lovingly

In the spirit of the song that was the center of their vows ...
I do it ...
"never with sadness,
always with gladness
I do... "

Good luck mga anak
Dito lang ako kung kailangan nyo ako
God Bless you both always


Ninong Dagul

I Will Never Know

I was in the Greenbelt area of Makati
Killing time
Doing some "scientific" research
People watching
Well ...
Ok, ok - it was more of female watching

But it was science ....
Harmless
Studying anatomy
Appreciating gaits and sways
Analysing hip to waist ratios
Calculating mathematical relationships between chest size and smile frequency
Memorizing leg contours
Focusing on geometric pelvic angles
Assigning margins of error to the refractory effect of soft textile hugging undulating curves

Just basic scientific work
Not the kind of work that excites me ...

But it did make me hungry
Suddenly - I was thinking about luscious, mouthwatering oysters
I have no idea at all why
But I just was ...

Luckily- Greenbelt is home to Mr. Rockefeller
Another showcase of Chef Melissa Sison (whose successes include Salumeria and MYLK),
Mr. Rockefeller is an upgraded version of the more mainstream Oyster Boy chain (with whom Chef Melissa is apparently "partnered")

This quaint but somehow sophisticated resto is an oyster-lovers destination.
Surrounded by bleached and distressed wood, paired with oyster shell decor - one is immediately calmed into the mood of easy, casual, relaxed dining






























I started with their star appetizer, Five Layer Nachos - corn kernel nachos with a wonderful multi-ingredient salsa based dip
"A glass of wine please ..."

Their oyster menu is formidable
Fresh, grilled, steamed ...
Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Tempura, Oysters Pesto
French Onion Oyster, Oysters Pizza Ole, Oysters Quatrro Formaggio
Oyster Ceviche, Oyster di Parma, Oysters Aioli
Oyster Bleu, Swiss Miss (Gruyere) Oysters and more
"Another glass of wine pleaaaaaase"

I chose Oysters topped with a mango salsa and caviar
And paired this with a yummy Mrs. Rockefeller's Pasta a la Oglio ("sauted in garlic, capers and black olives")
Mmmmmmmmmm
"Can you just leave the bottle of wine here pleaaaaaaaaaase ..."











































I took it all in
Slow and easy
Savoring every flavor
Remembering every joyous bite
As the juices moistened my hungry lips ...


Afterwards, as I was leaving the resto - the very amiable co-owner "Yong" reminded me that both the oysters and the caviar I had just had were considered aphrodisiacs.
Hahaha - why did he feel that he had to remind me of that?

Could it be because my eyes popped out and my jaw dropped everytime the curvaceous lady server poured my wine?
Or was it the way my head bobbed as a top-heavy female floated by my table?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I guess I will never know ............

All I know is that I clearly enjoyed the meal
Light, tasty and interesting
Portions - just right
In a cozy, romantically lit place

Try it
Bring a date
Don't waste the oysters




Mr. Rockefeller
2/F Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati
Tel - (63-2) 757-4802

Little Boys

Remember the Vendo machine?
Drop a coin, press a button and out comes your choice of a soda, chocolate bar, sandwich or whatever
... (and if it didn't, just kick the damn machine in the hope that it might)

Well - that wonderful self-serve for the masses concept has come to the high end world of wine, in a very high tech and much more reliable way ...
Yes my dear - wine vending machines !!!
The pioneer of the concept in Manila, is a high end resto/bistro that has been put up at the Fort's Bonifacio High Street

Aptly named CAV to reflect its focus on wines - this new place is currently in "training mode" ... really a soft opening of sorts
At the helm is Chef Marcus Gfeller - fondly remembered for starting the fine-dining scramble in Metro Manila a decade ago by his involvement in Grassis and then in Soleil - both highly successful fine dining ventures

This time , he has partnered to put up a wine bar-restaurant with the characteristically sophisticated and contemporary food offering in a wonderfully designed dining destination, that is expected of him.











































The food is gourmet delicious and I will post about it at some other time.
Presently, I bring attention to CAV's added value, novelty, or niche, which is in its offering the ability to wine-taste through automated vending.

How does it work?
Well - you would be issued a VIP "card" with an embedded chip
The chip would be programmed to reflect your prepaid or predetermined credit limit
Then you would go to the machine
Insert your card
Press the corresponding tasting portion, half serving or full serving buttons for a choice of bottled-displayed wine
And voila, out comes your wine portion straight into a wine glass that you would be holding in the proper place
Your card would then be debited the proper amount
All automatically
Simple and really "kewl" ...































Wine lovers will love this "toy" which allows one to sample several varieties in different portions without necessarily being tied down to having to buy one bottle. The machine keeps the wines at perfect temperature, and sucks out the oxygen (to avoid oxidation which spoils the wine in open bottles ), and replaces it with an inert gas for preservative purposes.

It also encourages wine education - as one would have to learn a little about wines to make better choices. It does not of course replace the wine list for those who may want to order wine traditionally or to explore CAVs on-site walk-in wine room.

But boys will be boys ... and this wine-vending gizmo is one of the best toys to get that little boy hiding in a big boys body, out to the bar ... to taste wine, to educate themselves and of course to impress the ladies















This is as sophisticatedly cultured, a jungleman like me can get.
Tarzan have VIP card - me pick wine
Jane impressed ??

I'll drink to that



CAV
@Bonifacio High Street
Taguig,Metro Manila

Juicy

My insomnia continues ...
I had hoped that the New Year would find me having solved this sleepless dilemma
But noooooooo - 2 a.m - still awake
And hungry

I was reading a book that said that the nocturnal hunt for food by the insomniac is a search for satisfaction that would signal the end of the day
Huh ?
I thought that was ... sex
But then again, I look over to my side ... see my wife ... asleep like a zombie in a B movie
(she goes to sleep in one position and wakes up in the same spot, same position - an immovable, petrified statue) ...
And I realize that I would really rather have the food

So where did tonights search bring me?
To the corner of Makati Avenue and Jupiter St.
There lies a new 24 hour spot ...
MANG INASAL - "home of real pinoy style barbeque"
One in a chain of franchise locations , this is where I have lately gotten that late night, fast, affordable gastronomic kick that I look for
































According to the foodvine, Mang Inasal (the resto) started in Iloilo and is now up to "42 branches nationwide and growing".
"Inasal" is generally thought of as an Ilonggo food specialty.
It is visually marked by a mouthwatering reddish tint (apparently due to the use of achuete or anatto seeds somewhere in the recipe) ...
And the characteristic charcoal "blackening"
Plus a smell that attracts like a Pied Piper and presages a pulutan type of jumping into the fray

This is a fun dish.
Choose your chicken part -pecho (chicken breast), paa (drumstick), atay (liver), iwi (chicken bottom), and baticulun (gizzard)
It is served with chicken-oil flavored rice wrapped in banana leaf
Challenge your taste buds with patis, suka or toyo (with or without kalamansi)
Very unpretentious
Just purely pinoy food that is eaten with the informality and camaraderie that is the stuff of pinoy barkada eating
Yummmmmmmmmm

Just right - for those late night enders
In a location that makes for interesting people-watching (being that it is a stones throw away from Makati's redlight strip)
Juicy chicken ...
And juicy "chicks" ....
Saraaaaaaaaaap















Mang Inasal
cor. Makati Avenue and Jupiter St.
City of Makati
www.manginasal.com

Happeeeee New Year

Checking in folks ....

I took a Christmas break ...
Actually I ate, I partied and then I slept
Yup -slept for most of the Christmas break
I slept so much that I got sick as soon as the New Year hit
Flu season -I guess
Fever, cough, colds and the body aches of an old man
What a way to start the year

Anyhoooooooooo
It was a fun New Years eve despite ...
Ate dinner at one of my fave places
Had an arroz caldo "media noche" ...
Playfully dodged firework debris as the skies lit up
Then drove to my sister-in-laws house for a party that lasted till the morning

My 1st profound thought of the year came from the manufacturers of the party poppers that we used as part of the evenings celebrations
"Party poppers" are cylindrical hand held devices that spray multi-colored confetti into the air when you turn the knob at the bottom of the cylinder
It is a wonderfully playful party effect
Imagine confetti - popping or spraying from a cylinder ....
















Popping or spraying from a cylinder ...
Uhmmmmm - if I had a Freudian mind - I would say that that is almost pornographic
But we are better than that - right?
More educated
Not so intellectually lewd
Right?

Well -the manufacturers of the party popper played safe
They put a warning as part of the instructions - just in case your mind and thoughts might meander down the green green path of pleasure
Ladies - pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase - be careful
















"DO NOT FIT THE SPRAYER PRIVATELY"
Hahahahaha - happeeeeeee new year
Wooohoooooooooooooooooooooo