MEComposing

Now that the crazy lotto pot has been betted on and won, the lines at lotto outlets have become manageable. But guess where people are lining up next? Lining up for a long time that one would think it's another lotto outlet.

Money changers, of course! Especially those where exchange rates are good.

Had to go to one yesterday to have the dollars my Mom sent us exchanged. Was tempted to take a picture because I never saw a money changer outlet with such a line before... but was scared of offending the folks lined up. Some were obviously exchanging savings, some looked like balikbayans who are exchanging their hard-earned money.

Further sign of bad times? I hope not.

I've watched the episode twice and I think I wouldn't mind watching it again.

First of all, I love Anthony Bourdain.

And secondly, I love Philippine food.

But its the insights generated by that episode that really gets to me.

*~*

Am sure it wasn't just me who found it amazing that someone who wasn't born here would be the one to finally get Anthony Bourdain to pay attention to the Philippines. Augusto only visited Philippines for a week and yet he said it was life-changing!

Maybe the rest of Discovery Travel and Living will get their butts here soon.

*~*

I wished David Carlos Celdran (thanks for noticing Anonymous, of course I meant Carlos! hehe) was the one who accompanied Bourdain in Manila but I guess Ivan (?) was the Binondo King. I just think Celdran would have been a more interesting host.

*~*

I didn't know Pampanga was the culinary capital of the country. I think it's because i've just embraced that each region has its own culinary masterpieces and gastronomic uniqueness that it would be unwise to say one region is better than the others.

But of course, since SIL is from Pampanga, am proud how it was featured, and so well! And it was a good trivia to know that sisig was first made at Aling Lucing's.

*~*

Augusto and the other guy's observations about how Filipinos abroad adapt so well to other cultures, especially in a desire for their kids to fit in, and to which Bourdain commented that we're just too damn nice... that was very illuminating. For it's true, we're so all over the world and yet Filipino cuisine is not known, or we're limited to adobo or balut as Filipino food.

In a way, it's also sad to know how the Chinese and Koreans raise their kids as Chinese and Koreans wherever they may be, while Filipinos raise their kids according to where they are.

*~*

The crackling of the pig's skin was sinful! Gosh... I am not a fan of lechon generally but I just really drooled and daydreamed over the food they ate!!!

Anyway, best pig ever!!!

*~*

Anthony commented reserve in Augusto's family over dinner and said something like, maybe some can't come home ever. I actually think though that even if Cebuanos are known to speak English well, Augusto's kin are shy and reserved towards Augusto because of that language barrier... and then you add a TV star and camera crew, they're bound to really keep quiet!

Hubs' cousins said, Bourdain should have dined with them, so he'd know just how loud family dinners can be. :)

*~*

The only thing Bourdain didn't really like was the pancit Malabon (weird that Ivan said it was palabok, palabok's noodles are those thin, white ones right? not the short, fat ones). But he liked papaitan (which I love!) and even dug into the goat's head! He even liked sinigang sa bayabas which I also do not like.

And he was right... when you describe our food, it wouldn't really sound delicious (like, papaitan is bile and innards) but they are delicious! Delectable! Divine!!!

*~*

When the Pampango was asked what makes Filipino food different than other Asians, he said it right when he said that ours isn't as herb-y as our neighbors. And I love what the different hosts repeated the entire episode... that we have a food template but each region cook diiferently.

*~*

If you can't download it, watch it here. I promise you won't be able to help saying "awww" when the baby starts mashing lechon in her fists. :D

Forgive the lack of bloghops and return visits and replies to comments guys... sick with sick family.

Hopefully, next week will be better.

When hubs' uncle was on his deathbed, he was calling his first love. He kept muttering someting about how that girl was his greatest love, was still his love. His wife and kids all heard him.

*~*

My cousin's best friend, who is married with three kids, meets with my cousin at least once a week to pine and rant for their high school classmate/friend. They were teased in high school and were actually expected to become sweethearts (I read their answers on my cousin's slum note, they were soooo into each other).

My cousin's BFF even asks my cousin to forward to her this guy's text messages, even if they didn't concern her, isn't about her, and isn't remotely related to love and whatever.

The guy is still single (he originally wanted to be a priest).

*~*

Weirdly enough, although I will always feel a special tingle for other men from my past, I don't think I had a love that got away. And am not sure how i'd feel if, on my hubby's deathbed, he's avowing love for someone else.

Heaven help me that I don't pull the plug on him. Hehe.

I had to hurry home last night because my son was sickly. During the cab ride, I managed to establish that my son was recovering already so I was able to banter with my sister and husband on the phone.

Around V. Mapa (Sta. Mesa?), I was amused to see the signs announcing the short-time rates for the motels. I even wondered why there isn't a line yet outside some of those establishments. Imagine then, my surprise, when the cab driver suddenly made a turn into one!

I must have had three seconds of complete shock and confusion before I remembered that drivers (even jeepney ones) often use the Halina Motel driveway as a shortcut. As it turned out, there was a line of motelgoers there so my cab driver had to take the long route to the U-turn slot.

Well, that made my night interesting.

*~*

Later on, I was confused by all the girls in satin gowns and boys in suits that were walking both lonely and busy streets. It seemed the JS Prom at Mariano High School finished early but I was confused why they were all walking, and to where.

I even saw a couple sitting on the step of a parked jeepney, already getting all romantic.

*~*

Happy Valentines to everyone! :)

Another death in hubs' family... and I think i'm gonna be sick.

Got this in Facebook and you can asnwer my Note Tag ek there if you want.

But if you no account, please be gracious to leave a comment here :)

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Leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Don't send a message, leave a comment here. Next, repost this in your notes and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is pretty cool to see the responses. I'm not tagging anyone and that means everybody is welcome to consider themselves tagged. Repost as memories. :)

So I guess you repost this as tag instead :)

Possibly, the FIRST SPA MOVIE THEATER IN THE WORLD has opened in Ortigas Avenue. Blue Water Day Spa offers a Spa Theater (which accommodates 28 people at a time and where you can watch the latest BlueRay movie offerings), a Sauna, separate Common Rooms for men and women and four Couple's Rooms.

Now, I immediately thought, the Spa Theater would be great for a shower party, bonding between the bride and her entourage and to relax the Mothers who are marrying their son and daughter off.

I also thought that the Couple's Rooms would be great for couples who want to get massages together (esply since Valentines is just around)... maybe even for a pre-nuptial shoot.

Then I thought it would be a great family thing to do for hubs and his cousins after his uncle's 40th day has passed. Maybe they can get their richer dads/uncles to sponsor the event. The spa experience will relieve the family of all the stress from losing a loved one.

Then it hit me. The Spa Movie Theater will be a great thing for a grand family reunion. Of course, the reunion (with all the programme and singing and eating) will have to be held somewhere else (but in the area) and tickets could be distributed among the family members with special screening times. Screening of what? Why, a "Through the Years" AVP, of course! I think this would be something unique and wonderful for, say, a 25th Silver/50th Golden Wedding Anniversary and the first screening will be watched by the patriarch and matriarch and all their old friends. Next screening will be a mixture of guests, kids and grandkids. The AVP can be an expensive project from a professional or just a photoslide made by the grandkids (which would actually be more special).

Maybe they can even strike up a bargain with the Spa owners and have, say, the first movie the Lolo and Lola watched together to be shown. If we ever get to do this for my parents, the movie will be Blue Lagoon (and Mom was already preggy then!).

The concept of the spa movie theater is really cool, no?

The results of the Nursing Board will be supposedly released between Feb 15-22. Both my sister and I are losing sleep over the results because we both know that a lot is banking on her passing.

Even my Mom is growing to be a nervous wreck in the US. With a sorta deadbeat son and a stay-at-home-mom daughter, she's bound to think that all her kids will live a life of poverty... so it's really imperative that my sister passes the Board. So she can move on to taking the NCLEX.

So God, please... let her pass. Please.

I sometimes go on useless pursuits like a vampire hungry for blood that cannot be denied.

But anyway, I love these friends and I am just haunted by the song.

It's such a privilege to be so loved, and then to have as great friends as the Berks.

*~*

I know, some quotes were a little wordy for a photoslide... but still, walang basagan ng trip!

I was resistant.

Very.

I knew that I might get addicted and would have less done. But I had some time in my hands and decided to check out my Plurk account. And maybe I was ready for it for real, this time around, because I immediately saw how it worked. And I got hooked, involved, addicted.

My karma went from zero to ten in one day. So imagine how much I chat that time.

The next day, I even woke up earlier for it. So I could join in on the morning well-wishing.

Did I say I was hooked?

Then friends started texting, why wasn't I going online in YM?

And then... and then, stupid me, I decided to check out my high school yahoogroups. Which got a former classmate to add me up. We started chatting. She told me our batchmates were on Facebook.

I was resistant.

Very.

Other friends have been convincing me for the longest time to create an account and join them in their mob wars and such but I was resistant. I don't even log on to my Friendter account much so why create yet another networking ek.

But the lure of catching up with high school ghosts was too much. And, if truth be told, the possibility of knowing if my HS crush is now married.

So dang it, I created one. I even bullied my sis and cousin to teach me to use its interface. And then I got swamped by chats there.

I got hooked, involved, addicted.

Suffice it to say, I accomplished nothing much for the week. I even Plurked while cooking pancit, endangering my familys dinner.

Tsk!

*~*

On a not related note at all, Ruffa Gutierrez, in the I Love Betty telenovela, made the booboo of saying that X stands for hugs and O stands for kisses in the XOXO ek (it's the other way around). Either the writers couldn't be bothered to Google or it was intentional, and Ruffa, for all her claim to wordliness, obviously didn't know any better.

And by gosh, veteran actress Anita Linda deserves the equivalent of an Emmy for her role as a Fil-Chi matriarch in the Tayong Dalawa telenovela. She's soooooo good an actress, I want to push her down and beat her up fo being soooo mean. Sigh. Talk about really great acting!

And yes, this is too much TV :D

... is I always have a friend. (Cali Rae Turner)

It's weird that I talk to her about fights i've had with my boyfriend (then)/husband (now) and how she'd even step in sometimes to help patch things up. She knows immediately if I just cried, or if something's wrong. She's a doting, patient, gracious aunt to all her nephews. She even takes care of me when am sick.

I can tell her about a lot of things... and she knows my issues about our parents because she knows them too. And no matter how bad our fights were, we always make up. Because it just hurts being angry with each other. It hurts not talking to each other.

Soon... she will really be building a life for herself in the US. I ask God everyday to shower her with kindness and wisdom and grace and health and perseverance, that she may succeed and live a happy life. I hope she makes good friends there. I pray that she marries the right guy and have kids when she's ready for them.

I promised her a Boracay trip which I still haven't given her. And a trench coat. She's still holding me to those promises. So yeah, sometimes I wish am really earning again so I can fulfill those.

But i've also silently promised to love and care for her all the days of my life. I just wish she knows, has felt or seen, even a bit of just how much I do love her.

Happy 23rd birthday sis... the best is yet to come!