2019 Roundup

My Top 2019 Whatevers:

Wow Moment: Reaching 100k+ views for the blog. It took years, but considering that I barely update and don’t ever promote it, I somehow managed to reach that six-digit number is quite wow.

Heart Pumping: The night we went in Asylum Manila. I was with four friends and it was just us five with no lines since we arrived on a weekday at 11pm at a time when there was a typhoon in Manila. It was heart pumping more than scary because they have this way of disorienting your senses with lights and noises then suddenly they shock you with a sudden bang or movement. I ended up jumpy at the same time amused at how they managed to make us scream so much the whole time. It resulted to a lot of hilarious photos of us.

Unexpected: It was a surprise when my eldest brother announced he was getting married. Also, getting invited to do a segment on Umagang Kay Ganda.

Most Stressful: August was quite a tiring month for me. It was the month when I was simultaneously helping with my brother’s wedding in planning and coordination, at the same time making preparations and getting everything done as we were close to opening our third Chicken Studio branch in Parang, on top of preparing a 200 pax feeding program at our farm for my birthday celebration. I think I lost a couple of extra hair stands last August. 

Most Annoying: A lot of miscommunication within the business. I guess that's part of the job and life of having to deal with a lot of people.

Clockwise from top: Our poultry farm, my franchise study for Chicken Studio, the original Nena's Rose in Manokan country is where I love eating inasal and oysters in Bacolod, Calea with some of my favorite dessert

Cana Resort in Amlan where we stayed, the feast we ate in Manjuyod, and the Manjuyod sandbar birds-eye view using the drone that we brought

Jaro Cathedral in Ilo-ilo, Ilo-ilo Museum of Contemporary Art, Lunch at Tatoy's

Molocaboc island in Sagay

Scariest: That night at Bali wherein I had to go through a lot of not-so-normal circumstances. Here’s the link to the long story: Scary Stuff: Part 5

Worst: This was the worst in a sense that this scared the living hell out of me. It was more horrible than what I experienced in Bali that it took several nights before I got to sleep soundly again. Seeing a ghost and feeling their presence is fine, but the moment they get to disturb and dominate over you, like physically bother you that’s when it’s no longer amusing. Last December 8, I was woken up from a nightmare. I was dreaming about a procession being done at night on some remote canal with people wearing brown robes holding candles, then at one point I heard a voice telling me that a little kid is being mischievous by blowing a strong wind at me hovering 100 feet above my head. I stared up and saw a winged shadow creature like a cherubim right above me. At one point the nightmare kept on as the wind got stronger until I found myself awake and feeling something blowing at the back of my head so strong that my hair was parting down to the scalp. I tried shooing the thing with my hand as I kept my eyes shut because I refused to get up even if I was already consciously awake. I turned on my face so that my right ear was covered by my pillow while my right ear was against the wall, and that’s when I knew it was no longer normal. I felt the thing blowing at my nape move right at my ear which was a few inches against the wall, and blew even stronger that it was bit deafening like the air was sounding similar to being in a car running at a 100kph. For several seconds it kept on blowing at my ear and in my head I knew it was no longer a normal situation and that I needed to open my eyes and risk seeing something really scary because I just wanted it to stop. I gathered the courage to open my eyes and shoved it back only to see that there was nothing there. I could still feel the cold tingle on my arms and head as I sat on my bed staring at an empty room, the air condition quietly buzzing at the back. I remember freaking out at how vulnerable my situation was to have been physically woken by something paranormal right in my room. I screamed in my head and mustered the to exclaim, "Get out!” just casting away whatever it was because I was pissed off on top of being agitated at what just happened. That was really bad, and I wish it never happens again. 

Heartbreaking: When we found out that Yee Peng was located outside of the city and when we got to the bridge of the supposed location where to release the lantern there were people telling us that the releasing of the lanterns was the night when we arrived late and saw multitudes of lanterns floating at a distance, and on the night we thought we were going to experience that magical moment it was no longer allowed. The news felt like a bullet struck out the entire purpose of the trip. On the bright side, we did manage to let a few lanterns fly and see it fill the sky, though not as much as I imagined it to be. 

Funniest: It wasn’t necessarily an appropriate venue where I experienced this year's funniest moment, but it cracks me up every time. We were at the wake of our uncle, my cousin, her husband, my brother and I went there together and stayed a bit longer when we found out there was going to be a mass held there. Right before the mass my cousin and her husband said that we should sit at the back of the chapel because we should leave the front pews for the direct members of the deceased, but then my brother decided to sit at the front row and present himself to the priest to be his assistant for the mass since he was a sacristan years back. Instead, the priest mistook his offer and gave him the booklet for the mass and assigned him to read the First Reading and Responsorial Psalm. To his horror it was written in tagalog, with words using those old poetic terms with syllables that can make your tongue stutter. Well…it turned out more horrible than I expected, I had to pretend I was coughing to stop myself from laughing at the way my brother read, he was like a three year-old learning how to read. What was supposed to be a two-minute read ended up twice as long on top of him skipping an entire paragraph because he couldn't take the embarrassment any longer. Our relatives were taking photos and video while all I could do was bite my lips to stop my giggling. At the end, just gave up and handed me the booklet to read the Responsorial Psalm because it was a pitiful situation for him. We were laughing at the end of the mass, and our cousins and uncles were commenting at how comedic a supposed solemn mass for our dead uncle turned out because of my brother. The priest was supposed to let him read again the prayers of the faithful and another novena but the son of our dead uncle stepped in to ease the unfortunate situation. 

Most Fun: It's going on a day trip with two of my girl friends to Molocaboc island in Sagay. It's one of those spur of the moments wherein we just decided to go relax somewhere new. I was supposed to drive half-way while the other half was my friend, but then her mom was having none of it so she made us take her car with the driver and an assistant...and that was really fun to just explore a place with nothing to think about but just swim. We had so much fun considering that there were no other people but us, plus just the boatmen whom we asked to take us to the island. That was a wonderful way to start the year, and one that I wish I could get to do more often. Here's a link on that trip: Molocaboc

Chicken Studio South in Pacita, San Pedro Laguna

Coordinating and event styling for a friend's wedding last March 2

Clockwise from top: Tres Leches and Blueberry Jubilee at M Bakery, Salted chocolate cake at Elephant Grounds, Brown sugar cheese foam at Black Scoop, Macapuno Halo-Halo at Ben's, Cereal Milk at Kumori

Un-luckiest Moment: That moment I fell flat on my back after jumping down our steel counter. It’s been a while since I hurt myself like that, and it hurt bad everywhere…the only lucky thing about it is that no one saw me fall very badly 

Stupidest: At the house of my friend’s brother, five of us came to see his newly finished house. On our way out, right after the house tour, his brother sat on the living room while our friend sneaked in the kitchen to scavenge his fridge. There he found an opened box that’s full of Toblerone. He started eating away one chocolate after another; he then called and showed us his find. All four of us were quick on our feet and started grabbing a whole bar each, to which his brother simply encouraged us to get as much as we want. Excited, we all bit into the sweet triangles, chomping down the odd-tasting Toblerone. After several bites, we started making comments like, “It tastes weird” or “It tastes different from the ones I buy,” then it went to “Maybe Toblerones from Japan tastes different” and “They must’ve used a different kind of nut!” Deep down I knew it tasted off; the first thing that came to mind that it was expired. I’ve eaten a lot of expired chocolates in my lifetime, and this was a taste that was all too familiar. I flipped the wrapper and saw the culprit, right on there was printed EXP JUNE 2017. It expired two years ago...and my friend's brother said it's fine...so we all spit it back inside the wrapper and returned the half-eaten chocolates in the box. 

Regretful: It’s not really that regretful, on my part at least. Right after coordinating for a friend’s wedding, the team decided to hang out at CBTL, and while some went home for dinner, three of us stayed behind find a place for dinner because right across the cafe where we were sitting were blaring signs of Chinese restaurants. So, we were fixed on having noodles for dinner, but it was choosing which one that got us confused. After checking three places out, we decided to try this new-unfamiliar restaurant named Oriental Red Restaurant located on the second floor. The moment we entered we were greeted at the door, they had us seated and before we can open the menu they served us complementary side dishes. Immediately I realized we were the only locals eating there, and when we opened the menu we started giggling at each other. Page after page after page, everything was fiery red, if not on the photo, it is described as made out of chili. At one point, we had to ask, “Is there anything here that isn’t spicy?” The waitress gave us an apologetic look and said, “No, everything has chili. You can either have the medium spice or the authentic spice.” And so, for the whole duration of the meal, we were laughing at ourselves in pain as every bite was a spoonful of chili. Seriously, all our orders were floating in chili oil. BUT! In defense, the food was delicious, it’s just that the kind of spice that they used was the numbing kind that none of us managed to consume half of our serving.  

Coolest: Riding at the back of the motorcycle down the mountain from Lempuyang Temple as the sun was setting down at a Mount Agung.

Heart Warming: When I saw my brother teary-eyed and smiling as he saw his bride walk down the aisle. I’m so happy for him. 

Proudest Moment: That day when I received my share of income from the restaurant and realized that I had managed to reach my goal of earning more from my business over the high-paying job that I left so I could start Chicken Studio a little over a year ago.   

Cutest: It’s my experience up-close with the elephants in Chiang Mai. It was the first time I got to touch, feed and embrace the beautiful giants. It was a real intimate encounter, to have a real interaction and not just watch them at a distance. I got all giddy when I saw baby elephant Lanna slowly made her way from the crowd to say hi. I was all smiles as I hugged her head even if it felt like I was sticking my body on a huge block to steel brush. The joy of the baby elephant’s gesture overcame the pain I was feeling of her tough hairs pricking at me.

Clockwise from top: Beef Tenderloin Tataki Style at La Mere Poulard, Salmon TNT at Tomatito, Chicken something at Oriental Red Restaurant, Mayonnaise Bun at Kumori Bakery, Tokusen 7 Sashimi Mori at Ogawa, Prosciutto pizza a Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

Our mural painting for a friend's AirBnb in Pundaquit, Zambales

Celebrating our friend's 30th birthday at San Rafael Rive Adventure in Bulacan

Cafe and temple hopping plus food trip in Bali

Most Mischievous: It was definitely pulling a prank on my employees for our Christmas party. My brother and I were paring down on the stuff we’ve accumulated through the years to declutter our place. Turns out one of the things we’ve been holding onto were the nice empty boxes of certain products such as liquor boxes and gadgets…so instead to throwing it out it the trash, we agreed to mess with our restaurant’s staff by getting their hopes high by using the boxes of our old phones that tallied up to 5 cellphone boxes, a whole lot of Jack Daniel’s and Johnny Walker boxes that thrilled the boys, plus random paper bags from exclusive shops. The game was like beer pong, except that instead of beer in cups it’s numbers that corresponds to a gift. People were jumping with excitement until it was time to open their prizes. To make it fun, everyone had to open their prize together, and so erupted a flurry of laughs when they saw the randomness of items inside the boxes. I placed bottles of oil, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, juices, and whatnots, while inside the iPhone boxes were bouillon cubes and sachets of seasoning. It was hilarious as they were laughing at each other and one of the most fun pranks I did because they got the joke plus it was fair since no one was lucky enough to receive a proper prize and everyone’s hopes were equally crushed. 

Wildest: It’s not that wild…it’s just learning how to ride and drive a motorcycle and then crashing at a tree stump and getting a huge bruise within the first five minutes of one riding solo…just because my friend who was instructing me how to ride didn’t teach me how to properly execute the breaks.

Most Challenging: Having to simultaneously plan and juggle a couple of life-events on dates that tend happen side-by-side.

Magical Moment: Doing the ritual at Tirta Empul Temple at 2AM with just the three of us in the temple.

Awe-Inspiring: I remember right after I had my first spine alignment, some sort of drug rushed through me that resulted to me producing four acrylic paintings  within a week. It’s hard to get that inspired-grove back, making art one after the other with no pressure constraints. 

Best Feeling: The first time I did an AP Balance to get my spine aligned...I had the best most well-rested sleep I had that night.

OMG Moment: At Choui Fong Tea Plantation...when I reached their viewing deck that had a cafe and souvenir shop and I saw at how beautifully laid out the tea plantation was, it was exactly as I imagined it to be. I remember being happy just by being there and looking at the landscape while drinking their tea. It's a sort of goal that I wish to someday achieve with the farm...but it won't be tea that I'll be planting...but the souvenir shop and cafe I can see it happening someday soon. Going to a beautiful tea farm has been a dream of mine for many years, but Taiwan's Maokong tea plantation failed me, and this was a nice redemption of tea farms for me.

Best Discovery: Adobe Premier…well, it’s actually learning how to use it. Fotogra, the picture book company that I’ve been using to print all my travel photos.  KA.RA.DA. is this Japanese body therapy place that I’ve recently subscribed to fixing my back and do spine alignments on me.

Most Thankful For: The p2p buses that goes between Taguig and Makati, as well as Taguig and Ortigas.   

My birthday party at the farm where I made Jollibee dance for me, plus my birthday cookie cake from Aperitif

My brother's wedding. This is the first wedding for our family since we're really not into getting married early in life.

Elephant Retirement Park in Chiang Mai, the Yee Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, Singha farm in Chiang Rai, Choui Fong tea farm in Chiang Rai

Favorite 2019 Drink: Brown Sugar Cheese Foam by Black Scoop, Cereal Milk by Kumori, Es Daluman at Kuta, Hoegaarden Rosée, Mango Passionfruit Yogurt drink I get at a Chinese grocery with a blue plastic container

Favorite 2019 Food: Kwek kwek drowning in suka with lots and lots of cucumber and onion slices, Japanese-style soupy spaghetti, Nachos with lots of cheese and salsa, Sake flavored KitKat, Smoked fish, Prosciutto and Arugula combination, beef steak cooked to medium 

Best Thing I Ate: Tomatito’s Salmon TNT, smoothie bowl at Nook, that street side Nasi Ayam at Ubud, Crispy Beancurd Sheet Rolls with Fresh Shrimps and Chives by Tuan Tuan

Favorite 2019 Dessert: Greek Yogurt with blueberry compote, Macapuno Halo-Halo by Ben’s, Black Sesame Crème Brulee by Gaja Korean Kitchen, Tres Leches by M Bakery, Salted Chocolate Cake by Elephant Grounds

Favorite 2019 Restaurant: Chicken Studio is my biased option, Wasshoi Japanese Restaurant in BGC, Antipodean Manila in Makati

Unforgettable Meal: The lunch feast I ate during my uncle’s birthday at our farm. It was the most I probably ate this year because I missed eating the food of my favorite cook tiyo Peing who has been the family’s cook since my grandfather’s time. He cooks the best paklay, kaldereta, and asado as it’s our family’s tradition to slaughter a goat on special occasions and have him cook the goat 3-ways. It’s his goat dishes that makes lechon or any other dish on the table seem second rate. Little did I know it would be the last time I got to eat his food as he recently died, just two weeks ago. His food is the taste of my childhood, and luckily he did show me his techniques and ingredients in the dishes that I so love…but it’s not gonna be the same because I want someone to do the cooking for me.

Weirdest Thing I Ate: The mayonnaise bun of Kumori Bakery. It was literally an entire soft bun filled with what seemed like half a cup of Japanese mayo. I couldn’t finish half of it.

Favorite 2019 Hang Out: I liked staying in random cafes around BGC. 

Favorite 2019 Songs: Pange Lingua Gloriosi by Gregorian Chant, We Are by HAEVN, How Do You Sleep? by Sam Smith, Araw-Araw by Ben & Ben, Boxes and Squares and Rollercoasters by Tank And The Bangas, Into the Unknown both versions of Idina Menzel and Panic at the Disco, Show Yourself by Idina Menzel, Somebody to Love by OneRepublic, Presence by Brittany Howard

Favorite 2019 Movies: Aladdin because of how colorful it was, and a nice retelling of the animated version; Maleficent: Mistress of Evil…because of the world they created for the dark fey, and Angelina Jolie…the script annoyed me to no end though; Joker because of Joaquin Phoenix’s commendable performance and its captivating storytelling of a broken character; Frozen 2 is the only movie I watched twice in the cinema this year because I couldn’t get over it the first time around...okay, I'm a fan of Disney so most of the movies I watch in the cinemas are by Disney

Favorite 2019 People: Kristen Bell…ever since I saw her interview on Ellen where she had a sloth breakdown I became obsessed with her interviews because she’s too adorably precious yet at the same time has a good sense of being with the way she responds to questions. I love her interview on Armchair Expert with her husband Dax in particular, and most especially the game they played called Taste Buds on Ellen.

Will Be Most Missed in 2019: Eating the food cooked by tiyo Peing.

Chicken Studio Parang branch, Marikina

Some of the paintings that I managed to get done. I love using metallic paint, hence the repetition of colors with copper and gold over black as my main themes. The one on the lower right is a screen shot of My Time at Portia that amused me for many hours this year.

Achievement Unlocked this 2019:
1. Getting a UMID 
2. Learning to drive a motorcycle
3. Riding a motorcycle…don’t ask, I was always scared of riding one
4. Stepping foot on Bali
5. Returning to a foreign country a second time (Thailand)
6. Creating a painting series
7. Opening two additional branches for Chicken Studio
8. Having my photos turned into a photo book, finally
9. Learn to edit videos on Adobe Premier
10. Hugging an elephant, a real one
11. Attending the Loy Krathong and Yee Peng festival
12. Adding more insect species into my food repertoire like grasshopper, silkworm, small cockroach, locust plus crocodile barbecue
13.   Making a guest appearance on Umagang Kay Ganda. It's the not my first appearance on TV, but it's a first on ABS-CBN. Jessica Soho I'm coming for you! 

2019 Realization: “I don’t like to think of it as giving back; I like to think of it as just giving.” –Mario Batali 

It's the end of a decade. We'll be counting in 20's in a few hour's time.

Lesson Learned for 2019: 30’s is where better days await.

First Time Places I Went to this 2019: Bali, Indonesia

2020 Bucket List:
1. Every year, I’ll probably say this…I need to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
2. Paint more paintings.
3. Have all of my travels documented and printed as a photo book.

Buses and Train Rides

Buses and Train Rides

It's that stillness of the movement

That rush of colors

And a pause of our time

As the world passes by

A moment of contemplation 

A conscious daydream

Or a moment of nothing

That's when you see the world

At a time of helpless pausing

Familiar sights, same buildings

Take notice, the subtle changes

In the scenery and time passing

You wait for your approaching 

To a repeating destination 

Day in and out

Thus is my life

Thus is my routine

02.19.2019

This was a quickly scribbled poem I did while I was on the bus on my way to my restaurant. Ironically it's no longer my routine for a few years now, but on this particular day I needed to go and check on the store and thus came in that creative spur that took me back years ago when I was still working and needed to waste 1-2 hours of travel time to get to and fro my office. This was a cycle that for the first few years seemed bearable until I realized it's no longer worth wasting my time over five days a week, and so I broke the cycle by quitting my  job. I haven't looked back since...except maybe a few minutes a year, just to realize how toxic my life was. Unfortunately, this is still the case for most commuters, to sit through hours of traffic instead of doing something more productive. Although there are days when it's unavoidable, to have to put your life on pause, it's so empowering to have that control over your time without you risking another memo or salary deduction. 

P.S.

I know...that's a photo of the view you see when riding in front seat of a jeepney while the title of my poem doesn't include the jeepeny... I no longer ride buses and trains as much as I once did.

Frozen II Made Me a Fan

Frozen was a kid's movie with a simple theme of familial love aimed at kids to dispel the superficial notion of the idea of true-love's-kiss...well...I think Maleficent also did that...but yeah, cynical reinforcement through animated entertainment is always a good idea. Frozen 2 keeps the theme that true love's kiss is still stupid as in the paraphrased words of Idina, "I wouldn't idolize Ariel. Giving up her voice for a boy wasn't a very good idea." Although it wasn't a kiss that saved her, her naivety with boys caused her well deserved struggle. Let's admit it, a lot of Disney princesses were not very good role models prior to the last few ones. I want to throw an apple at Snow White, prick Aurora, cut Ariel's tongue, enslave Cinderella, and bury Jasmine in the desert...Belle...I like, she's a bit of an exception without discussing the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing. 

Growing up in the 90's, my Disney princess was Belle because unlike the others, her love story didn't take 3 days to turn into a full fledged romance, it took seasons. Although I do understand the timeline because we're talking about falling in love with a beast and not some prince charming...but you get the idea. There was friendship before love, and I'm an advocate of that! Puppy love is a pet peeve of mine, while love at first sight is overrated. And yeah, beast turning into a prince has always been my favorite Disney scene but was later ruined by Dan Stevens because the cartoon version was the embodiment of how I imagined prince charming should look like, not the lanky guy who doesn't suit well with a long blonde hair. Dan Stevens wasn't it. On the upside, I loved Emma Watson as Belle and liked the live-action version, it was a missed opportunity to capture that magical transformation moment. And so when Elsa came in as this regal but socially awkward super queen with a knack for design, I said screw Belle, I'm going with Elsa. She is by far the most powerful princess out there and she don't need a man to complete that point. This is repeatedly shown with her overcoming other elementals and taking on a tidal wave, twice. What I find fascinating in Elsa's character though is her impression on romantic love because she is where I'm at right now. There's nothing more fulfilling than going on an adventure of self-discovery without having to be a damsel in distress to any man. 

Scary Stuff: Part 5

Have you ever experienced a feeling so eerie that you swear you were living a horror movie? I felt that hair raising moment in Bali. Imagine sitting alone with a person who has his third eye fully opened, and he, describing all the spirits and elementals he is seeing around you at 12 midnight? It was one of the most scared I've been paranormally speaking. I remember just turning on my side, staring at the ground with my hair raised to the tips, and me repeatedly screaming every cursed word I know in my head.

I remember something my brother once told me about his experience in Bali that lit up my imagination and rekindled my interest about going to Bali so much that I actually couldn't get it out of my head until it actually happened. Over a year ago he told me this, "The one who hosted me in Bali creeped me out. He took me to the water temple at 12 midnight and we were the only ones in the whole temple. We rode his motorcycle up the mountain, everything was pitch black save for what our front light could touch. The wind was pricking our skin like ice and the ride took over an hour up the mountain to get to the temple. When we got there he did some ritual, and as we were talking he suddenly said that an old ugly woman with very long hair that almost touched the ground was staring at me two feet from where I was sitting. She was unflinching, and I didn't have the nerve to look back and see if she was there. I can never forget the fear I felt that night."

This year, my experience of the paranormal is one for the books. It's one of those moments when you suddenly realize that things are no longer of the familiar and it freaks you out because you are way out of your home territory. Again, I experienced the paranormal outside of the Philippines. This time in the mystical island of Bali. And while everyone wanted to go to Bali for parties, beaches, instagramable spots, do yoga and be in the crowd of this paradise vibe, what attracted me to Bali is their Hindu culture...besides their cafes. The appeal comes in being the only island in the whole Indonesian archipelago dominated by Islam to be following in the teachings of Lord Vishnu. The whole madness began with our friend, a local of Bali who invited us to visit the place. He explained that because of their religion and deep setted faith, locals tend to have higher spiritual affinities that goes beyond physical. In the case of our host, he had the 6th sense and his third eye fully opened. He can easily describe the faces of spirits and elementals as they appear to him. And while those I know who have their 3rd eye open can only describe the ghosts they're seeing as having blank faces much like how I saw mine, he can see it them in full detail. He tells them as he sees them.

When we arrived, one of the first things our host asked me, "Sisstah, what you wanna see?" I looked at my itinerary, skipped all that I've written and read my list of local food that I wanted to try. I said, "I want to eat the local food, not see tourists, and just be a local." He grinned, "You sure?" "Yes!" I confirmed with conviction. True enough, I ended up seeing a Bali that I haven't seen in any of my friends' photos. We ate in places where locals eat, went to temples when locals go after all the tourists were gone, see sights where there were mostly local tourists, and really conversed how it's like to live in Bali. In that sense, I guess I experienced a Bali that's hard to explain to friends. While every person I know who went to Bali comes home with stories of amazing parties, beautiful Instagram moments, and beach tans, I came home with a supernatural tale.

Snippets: Chicken Studio Parang

Taken last September 26, 2019, this is my excuse why I haven't been able to make any posts from August till mid-September. For August, it was the whole coordinating-my-brother's-wedding and celebrating-my-birthday-month thing. This month, it's catching up with trying-to-open-our-third-branch-for-Chicken Studio-ASAP issue. A lot of preparation needs to take place, especially with setting the place up for our grand opening (we are yet to set a final date for that.) Moving to a new place is always fun, having a blank space to work with can really get the imagination going. We've decided to make the concept a little less cluttered compared to our first two branches, and the result will be shown on another post once all is in place. For now, we've installed the signage and it's just a matter of time before we open our doors. It's always this moment, when I stand by the driveway looking up and seeing my brand being set up do I feel the reality of this whole business thing sink in. Always, without a day go by, I feel like I'm slowly making things happen for myself, something I almost never felt while working for another man's corporation. To those people who aspire for something more than an 8-5 or 9-6 work cycle, try to take a chance...just make sure you be smart about it. It's not as simple as giving up on everything to pursue a dream. It's about a lot of careful decisions and proper timing that can result to a lot less regret in the end.

I remember reading a comment on Facebook once that struck a cord. Let me rephrase it a bit in my own words:

"If you insist on doing the same thing expecting a different result every time then that's just sad." 

Drawing a shape will always lead your end point back to where you started no matter how many sides or curves you make, be it a triangle or a chiliagon. Shapes are formed by drawing lines, and where you take your line will determine how your shape will look like in the end. Do not expect that you'll end up with a circle even after 134,264,987 attempts if you continue to insist that you can make it by drawing a three-sided polygon.

Open Monday - Sunday, 12nn-10pm

Blk 2 Lot 6 Chateau de Regina , B. G. Molina St. Parang

Marikina City

Recipe: Nacho Garden with Chili Salsa

We serve Pulled Pork Nachos in our restaurant, but serving a dish for business requires numbers and logistics that almost always result in a recipe with constraints. The joy in home cooking is having to do whatever that comes to mind, blow up your budget of heaps of preferred ingredients without concerning yourself with customer dissatisfaction. I am most creative when I know I have the freedom of doing what I want exactly as I want it. It's this sort of planned out spontaneity as the recipe can change last minute because something pops in your head as you are making the dish...or in the case of the hero photo above, it's because several other people were involved in the preparation that by the time I saw the final plate there were bread sticks and thyme twigs scattered on my nachos!  

I can distinctly remember that scene wherein I asked my friend to arrange the nacho on the serving plate because I was still busy doing another dish for the party. I instructed her to start with the nacho chips on the bottom followed by the slaw, then the meat, then the salsa, topped off with onion and chives sour cream sauce and melted cheese. I have given her the liberty to just play with the layer of ingredients that I had individually prepared beforehand. And as I was making the pasta she came to me and whispered, "Look at what your brother added on the nachos." I turned to see and rolled my eyes when I saw random stuff on it like bread sticks and sprigs of thyme. You see, my brother's concept of cooking is that as long as it looks good it'll taste good...even if it means feeding you raw chicken with beautifully chopped up grass.

Snippets: Asakusa, Tokyo

Taken September 2, 2017 along one of the alleys in Asakusa area in Tokyo. 

You know that feeling when you thought that all is set, then you go do a final run-through only to realize that you missed to include something really special? Well, this was the photo that I had to include in the picture book I was making. For sixty pages plus a cover and back, it took me three days to scan through thousands of photos (1964 photos, excluding the ones I had deleted) I took in Japan almost two years ago, and lay them out in an eye-pleasing fashion. I edited hundreds of photos, mix and matched the ones that looked good side-by-side, and redo a couple of pages before submitting it to the printer. It was on my third day, I just finished 60 pages of layout, and I was scanning the gallery to look for the perfect shot for my front and back covers when I came across this image. I loved it so much, with the lighting, colors, symmetry, candidness, and especially the Japanese dude staring directly into the camera right where the draw lines are in perspective...it was a perfect accent piece that I wanted to include for my inner pages. With this one photo, I ended up rearranging probably six pages just to accommodate the proper sequence and space for this photo. No regrets, even if it meant deleting one page in exchange of this. I actually deleted the only image of Tokyo tower I had in the album for this one. Why? Well Tokyo tower is probably present in every photo of every other person who traveled to Japan, but this one is a moment that no one else has captured, and it's beautiful because of that. This was the side of Japan that I enjoyed seeing most.

We Are by HAEVN

This came in as one of YouTube's recommended video just a few days ago, right before my bedtime. I clicked on the video, the orchestra started playing, I closed my eyes and waited for his voice, and by the second line I was enamored. I fell asleep that night to this melancholic music. The next day I searched for HAEVN's playlist, and I ended up listing to the whole album without skipping a single track. Seldom does it happen that I enjoy an entire album from the first song down to the last, and this was one of those moments that I could just listen to it on repeat. I'm glad I found this refreshing yet tasteful and timeless music. 

Foodtrip: Bali

Going to Bali was an on-and-off trip for me. For four consecutive years, Bali has been in my radar but always took the backseat when pit up against another country. To me, Bali is one of those places so easily accessible that I often end up choosing to fly to a different destination year after year. So was the case that when I finally booked a flight, it didn't occur to me that I was actually going until about a week before the trip. I barely did my research, not really sure where I wanted to go...but for one, I knew what I wanted to do, eat.

We had an evening flight, and so we arrived in Denpasar International Airport roughly almost midnight. The first conversation I had with my host was:

Host: Sisstah! So what you wanna do in Bali?
Me: I'm not sure, but I want to try local dishes—
Brother: She has a list of food on our itinerary!
Host: Really!? (Proceeds to laugh) Okay okay, tell me what you wanna eat
Me: (Got the itinerary that I made and skipped to the bottom part of the page where I wrote just a list of local dishes that I wanted to taste.) 
Ayam Bakar Taliwang (grilled chicken)     Gulai Otak (brain curry)

Pepes (herbal packet)                             Beef Rendang (rendang)

Soto Betawi (Jakarta soup)                     Babi Guling (lechon)

Nasi Ayam Campur                                 Mie Goreng (fried noodles)

Martabak Manis (sweet martabak)
Brother: (Asks our host) Can we have dinner before going to your house?
Host: Let's start with Nasi Ayam!

In the end, I wasn't able to cover all grounds, but it was a good start.

The cover page on top is what I ate in Parachute Cafe in Canggu. The place was beautiful with a real parachute as canopy to those who wish to dine al fresco.

Walking Around Yongkang Street, Taipei

Yongkang Street has a special place in my adventure's list as this is the first place I explored on my solo trip around Taipei. I stayed in the area for three days, getting a chance to go walk around at a leisurely pace for hours. The easiest way to get to Yongkang Street is by train. The train station closest to it is Dongmen Station. It helps that it's an interchange station, meaning two rail lines pass by here, the MRT Red Line and Xinzhuang Line. It won't take many steps from the station to reach Yongkang. There are also bus stops in the area, but I was too afraid to ride and miss my stop on buses here, considering I know zero Mandarin.

The street at first glace is this busy mix of tourists and locals, thanks to the popularity of some restaurants in the area, including the michelin star restaurant Din Tai Fung down at Xinyi Road. They're known for their dimsums and xiao long bao. The vibe of the area is more of this artsy back alley that has a mix of popularly staple restaurants with small independent cafes and shops. It's a hip residential area with price ranging at roughly mid-to-high price points with a meal that can cost for around 100TWD for up to over 700TWD per person. The best time to be in the area is either before lunch or late afternoon to avoid the crowds. As early as 9pm though, you'll find yourself almost alone as tourists tend to disperse right after dinner, leaving a couple of young locals just chilling within the area.

I'll walk you through briefly with some of the photos I took along the way. And fyi, I travel to eat...so the ratio of images of restos to other shops is 3:1 in this post. 

Quarter Life Crisis Moment #12

Ever reached that stage in life wherein you kinda want an adventure of sort, but then you don't want to be in a position of too much discomfort? It's like, "Yeah! Imma go somewhere and have the best time...but I can't be hassled with anything impractical or too tiring...so maybe next time?" It's one of those moments that goes with the saying The mind is willing but the body is not. I can feel my body slowly aging and tiring too easily, occasionally giving in once tested to its limit. Like oh-ehmm-ghee, I got a massage a few days prior after a week of continuous physical and mental activity, and in the massage I heard several bones cracking...now I've come down with a flu AND THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK AT JUST 30! D: 

Me and my friends when planning on trips now begin with the question, is it worth the effort? We had talks of seeing mountain peaks but it mustn't require extensive hiking time...so until now, I haven't been close to a hiking trail nor a mountain peak. We wanted to go glamping as well, but the idea of sleeping in a tent sounded uncomfortable in spite of the supposed glamour of it...so we ended up checking in a room with a jacuzzi. Even when it comes to and fro a particular place, I'd rather close my eyes at the amount and get a Grab rather than having to endure several transfers and wait lines in transit. Right now I am appreciating the value of paying for practicality rather than saving a few bucks in exchange of wasted time and energy. This comes at a price though, and it does not come in cheap. But at the end of it all, we are getting a little older, and standards must get a little higher as we age. It's all part of bettering ourselves and aging gracefully. After all, we can still be grounded, at the same time live marvelously as long as we are working on what we can demand to deserve. 

Pet Peeve # 236

I just arrive from an hour-long flight home, my parents come fetch me and the first question that often pops up the moment I close the car door is, "Are you hungry?" I never say no to that question. And before my mom asks if where we should eat, she briskly hands me over a piece of chicken pocket pie, "Here, it's good." This has been our ritual over the years whenever I go home. I eat the pie in the car on rare occasions, but oftentimes I take the pie home and eat it at our dining table. Over the years, I have learned to eat ceremoniously that it's uncomfortable whenever I am in a non-ideal position to dine properly. This includes having to eat in the car, in movie theaters, in stadiums, on a blanket by some scenic view, in my room, or any non-dining area that does not set the mood for a proper eating position. I don't know...I am somehow distracted and hassled by the idea of having to eat while not having the right table nor utensils to do it. I guess aging gives us the option of not being practical, instead having a sort of sophisticated standard that gives us less option of having fun. But for me, I take it that I prefer to do things one at a time, if I go watch a movie I watch the movie without smearing butter all over my hands. If I am to sit through a game or concert, I don't want having stuff on my lap nor my armrest that I will have tolerate as rubbish the moment I finish the stuff. If I'm by the beach or watching over a mountain with the most scenic view, I want to just be there in that moment to stare at it and not chew on a sandwich. If I'm in my room, I want to be not eating because the ants will come. 

Now take note, I said eating...drinking is something completely different. I bring a bottle of beer or a cup of coffee and stare at a view in serenity. Now that's the perfect situation for me. 

Snippets: Rainy Night at Dotonbori, Osaka

Taken last September 6, 2017 along Dotonbori street in Osaka. I had initially meant for this photo to be posted last year as a sort of reflective piece on a rainy night. This image stood dormant on my desktop page for many months to the point that I am now reflecting on how much I miss the rain. 

Petrichor...a poetic word that defines the scent the earth emits after it's been doused in rain. I love that smell. I miss those moments when I can just sit still and watch as the world is being cleansed off its dust. One of my most favorite sights of nature, a kind of simple pleasure you get no matter where you stand. Even in the middle of a concrete metropolis. Rain, the soft patter of water down metal roofs and the hazing sight of the falling raindrops...I miss them all.

As for the image, I remember leaving my family at Don Quijote just so I can walk along the street of Dotonbori on my own. A short breather from the chaos of merchandise, and out into the open chaos of vividly animated shops around. It started raining midway, and I'm glad a had an umbrella with me that time. It was liberating to be walking alone that moment, yet I totally felt secured knowing that I had my family with me to go home with at the end of the night.

I miss Japan. I miss the rain.

Chicken Studio Pacita, San Pedro

Classic New Yorker: A staple favorite of a classic buffalo sauce.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind, and it all started out with a message, "We found a place in Pacita. It's perfect for our second branch." Of course there were a couple of banters here and there, considering that it has only been 9 months since we opened our first. We sort-of knew we were ready for the second one, but financially speaking, the budget left our savings needing some serious resuscitation. My partners had been scouting for a location where we can open our second branch since October, and repeatedly I had been praying that they didn't; casually delaying their intents by passively taking their enthusiasm with restraint and disinterest. Instinctively and logically, I knew scrambling to open a second branch within the same year would be suicide, and a downright ludicrous move that could have possibly caused a lot of self-inflicted liabilities. 2019 felt more reasonable and safe, also, astrology approved. 

When the news finally arrived that they may have found "the one", my initial reaction was shit. I had stirrings at the start, but then again the overall disposition of the place was light, a kind of unsured-reassurance that it could be a start of something great. The risk though was high, like I can feel Evard Munch's painting screaming in me internally as I realized the task that laid before us. The schedule was tight, the budget was tight, the options were tight. It was a scurry to the soft opening date. We aimed to open our doors in time for Valentine's last Feb 14...but as sure as we were with our lovelives, it didn't happen. So we opted for a better date than hearts day, we opened on a Payday Friday. 

Day Trip to Molocaboc Island in Sagay

After my friend saw me swimming in Manjuyod for the third consecutive year; envious, she made plans for another beach trip a day after. Our conversation went something like:

Her: "Let's go to the beach!"
Me: "My schedule's packed, I can't do another overnight trip."
Her: "Just a day-trip to the beach then."
Me: "Where? Lakawon again? I don't feel like going there."
Her: "Sagay?"
Me: "Carbin Reef?"
Her: "No, they're suggesting Molocaboc."
Me: "Never heard of it. Game!"

And so after a very short conversation of planning to go there, the date was set. We didn't think much about it since it was just 2 hours away from the city. We got to the dock and started asking how to get to the island. People were saying that we should charter a boat because boats going there are on a one-way trip daily, and the only way we can get back is that if we rent a boat. It took some going back-and-forth as to who can possibly accommodate us with our request since they don't seem to get a lot of tourists there, on top of us arriving on a weekday mid-morning. After some talks with random people at the dock a middle-aged lady finally came riding on a tricycle and pointed to one of the boats that can take us there. Php1500 for a whole day tour of the island for the four of us.

German Unson Heritage House B&B, Silay

Transforming heritage houses around Silay into Bed & Breakfasts, a cafe, restaurant, museum, or events place is the direction I'm rooting for Negros when it comes to tourism. Personally, as someone who grew up in Negros and has explored other areas with a similar vibe as a tourist, coming home I can see a different perspective, and its greatest draw is striking that beautiful balance of being a quaint city yet has substantial facilities for comfort. Having a character that can make you say you're in a completely different place, yet your longing for the familiar is readily available within reach...like an internet connection or western dishes. The German Unson Heritage House is one of the pioneers when it comes to making use of their ancestral house as a usable public space. Slowly, other heritage houses are following their footsteps, and hopefully this will spring forth a tourism industry that can reach an international market because there is undeniable potential to make it happen.  

A family-owned business, they add a personal touch as the host and cook are the granddaughters of German Unson. Chell, one of the granddaughters and proprietress of the B&B, explained that the last relative who lived in the house passed away in 2009, and for a time the old house was abandoned until they decided to restore and repurpose the house to avoid dilapidation...since the National Historical Commission basically provides no financial aid whatsoever after slapping their plaques on the walls. Her sister, being an interior designer and with the help of family funding, slowly took in the task and made the space into a B&B that can accommodate an intimate amount of guests. There are four rooms that can be rented in total, each with its own distinct character and named after those who resided in those rooms, living or otherwise. Prices range between 2000-2500 per room that's good for two, but can accommodate up to four with an additional 300-500/pax with breakfast. If you're keen on detail, one thing you should look at are the ceiling of each room as they present different patterns, as well as the tiles and windows. The furniture used are also the original ones, save for some furbishing that needed update for use.