E-jeepneys become legal & get government go-signal, for the cause of climate-friendly cities

Posted by: ajay on 5 May 2008

Am a car owner who also happens to be a big fan of commuting, specifically using overhead LRT/MRT trains to reach North to South of Manila, and vice versa, in a jiffy. I find jeepneys obtrusive and a nuisance, although I could tolerate the airconditioned ones in Makati and the environment-friendly e-jeepneys, which I have written about in this blog a number of times already.

Now comes the latest news from Greenpeace: the transportation department has officially classified e-jeepneys as public vehicles and will now be allowed to operate in major thoroughfares.

Posted in Life & Living | 6 Comments

Greenbelt restos unveil ‘Tasting Room’ menu

Posted by: ajay on 3 May 2008

Greenbelt 3 Tasting Room

I haven’t had the time to join any of the blogger food tours, so it was kinda overwhelming to try Appetite Magazine’s Grand Launch of the Tasting Room, in cooperation with the swanky restos of Greenbelt 2, 3 & 5. Imagine partaking as much as you can of the buffet spread of 15 restaurants participating in the Tasting Room promotion which lasts until the end of May.

Our verdict: it’s worth trying. A degustation or tasting menu, after all, gives diners a chance to try the culinary specialties of their favorite restos at a fraction of the usual price. The full-course menus on spotlight are priced from P500 to P1500 (depending on the establishment) and are meant for sharing with a group. Freebies like extra dessert, coffee and coolers are also thrown in.

Posted in Munchin' | 7 Comments

Japan shopping… Japan Home Center, that is!

Posted by: ajay on 30 April 2008

My kids must be happy to go back to school this year. My bento obsession has led me to buy all sorts of lunch boxes imaginable. There are strictly no bento lunch sets for sale yet in our shores - unless you buy abroad or shop online - but I think you just have to use existing containers in all sizes to assemble your bento kit.

My bento lunch box addiction led me to retrace my footsteps to Japan Home Center in a major mall. This is a place which prides itself of its Made in Japan knick-knacks, and almost everything is P88 or less - like those 100 Yen stores in Tokyo.

I immediately liked what i saw….

JHC lunch box showcase

JHC lunch boxes

Cuteness!!!

Posted in Bento, Munchin' | 6 Comments

PAGCOR’s show of ‘Wanders’

Posted by: ajay on 28 April 2008

(Photos courtesy of PAGCOR’s Corporate Communications Department)

If you’re looking for an entertainment extravaganza that you will truly be proud to show to your kababayans from the provinces, balikbayans and tourists, then bring them over to Wanders which is now on an extended run at the PAGCOR Grand Theater in Paranaque City.

As a PAGCORian, I can’t help but be proud that there is a show like this in our midst, the Philippine version of the world-famous performing troupe Cirque du Soleil. Wanders was conceptualized by PAGCOR Chairman Efraim Genuino to bring world-class entertainment to Filipinos. It utilizes topnotch Filipino musicians, entertainers and talents, with the help of agile acrobats from China and a host of dancers from Russia. It is one and a half hours of non-stop entertainment all the way!

Wanders is for young and old alike. My kids enjoyed every bit of it as it transforms them to a magical world of make-believe. One of my favorites is this trio of young contortionists who are barely in their teens. Man, can they bend! Reminds me to load up on my calcium :D

Contortionists2

My son had fun watching all the maneuvers of the male acrobats from China. They come from the province of Henan which is where most of China’s treasured acrobats come from. You can just imagine the gravity-defying stunts that await everyone in the Beijing Olympics.

IMG_9920

Posted in Happenings & Events | 5 Comments

My Sony Ericsson K800i dies on me….

Posted by: ajay on 26 April 2008

My SE K800i

I was ready to sing hallelujah’s to my Sony Ericsson K800i when its much-vaunted Cybershot camera died on me a few weeks ago.

Died. Kaput. Gone. These days when I press on the camera button, all that displays is a vast space of nothingness. Whatta pity since this Sony Ericsson K800i model is supposed to be my favorite cameraphone of all time. It’s been my trusted companion from Quiapo to Baguio to Batanes. It has taken snapshots of everything that’s caught my fancy, from a newly-steamed dimsum to sunsets to my kids laughing in glee at the sight of ice cream. What’s a blogger got to do without a camera to take photos of stolen moments? I have a DSLR and two other digital cameras but a camera built into a phone is just irresistible, don’t you agree?

Posted in Technews | 4 Comments

‘Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig:’ Batjay, the second time around

Posted by: ajay on 22 April 2008

IMG_0607

SPOT THE YELLOW BOOK . Batjay (seated) with his blogger-friends Apol, Wats0n, Tito Rolly and Fisherpau. Not in photo is yours truly :D

The king of the blog humorists, Nicanor David a.k.a Batjay launched his second blook recently.For the occasion, he went straight from the airport to Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, wearing his Spiderman shirt. There’s a long line of people clutching the yellow copies of “Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig” and he obliges with personalized dedications, with matching cartoon drawings pa.

We asked him if he flew all the way from California for the launching, and he says not really. He foremostly wanted to see his beloved mother. Growing up, Batjay was a “batang kaning lamig” and the book’s title is driven by memories of him hanging out with his friends, highlighted by eating sessions where they would eat cold rice served by his mother, amid big steaming hot bowls of sinigang.

Anyway, Batjay’s book is so handy and funny that I don’t have it anymore. Somebody snitched it!! Here’s the full text of my article as it appeared on Manila Bulletin yesterday:

Posted in Blogosphere, Language & Lit | 3 Comments

When rice prices are high, eat kamote…

Posted by: ajay on 20 April 2008

My Sweetheart recently sent me an online delivery of kamote, in memory of that yummy kamote cue we tasted in Batanes. Come to think of it, the focus is now on considering other alternatives for our daily staple, rice, whose prices are rising by the day. If you do the marketing for your household, you will really feel the pinch since P34 is now the lowest price per kilo, whereas before that will buy you the high grade, premium variety already.

The benefits of eating kamote (sweet potato) cannot be underestimated. I do know of friends who go on a diet and just eat kamote. It is enough to fill them for the day. The root crop is a good source of dietary fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and complex carbohydrates.

Kamote is good and tasty even when simply boiled.

Boiled kamote

More recently, I had it as an ingredient for my papaya lumpia which combines shredded green papaya, sweet potato and tokwa or tofu. It’s a yummy alternative to the usual bean sprouts and lumpia vegetable we have.

Papaya lumpia

Posted in Munchin' | 4 Comments

Victoria Court: the stuff tourism brochures aren’t made of …

Posted by: ajay on 19 April 2008

I ‘partially’ work in the hotel industry. More recently, a couple asked me for help in booking the biggest jacuzzi in Manila. I presume it couldn’t be in the formal hotels which have these conventional bathtubs. And so I looked elsewhere. Here is what greeted me in the Victoria Court website : the Oval Office theme room.

VC Oval Office

Right! All I can think about was Bill Clinton and Monica Lunoksky :D

Posted in My Manila, Places Etc. | 8 Comments

The Philippines’ best spots for surfing

Posted by: ajay on 17 April 2008

Jericho Rosales & Mo Twister

… and I don’t mean the internet, silly.

Surfing, as well know, is that sport where you get to ride the waves using a surfboard or some other equipment.

You ask avid surfers like movie star Jericho Rosales, and he’ll probably name the following places as the Philippines’ best places for surfing:

Lanuza, Surigao del Sur - one of the best-kept secret surfing places. Went here in 2004, where I gave up on its ‘remoteness.’ It was still a good six hours or so by land from the Butuan airport! Here’s my archived article in the Manila Bulletin and here. However, there should be no harm going here if you’re seriously into the sport!

Siargao, Surigao del Norte - Undoubtedly the Philippines’ premier surfing destination. “The waves curl like a bowl, so you ride inside it.”

Posted in Road Adventures | 2 Comments

Do you know the way to Bauan’s Sampaguita Beach Resort?

Posted by: ajay on 17 April 2008

bauan shoreline

There have been a lot of searches on this site about this ‘virgin’ white sand beach in Bauan, Batangas called Sampaguita Beach Resort. I stop short at calling it a resort since the facilities are quite crude, and it was just a quiet cluster of huts the last time I went there. Still, this beach remains largely unadvertised and undiscovered. Although I don’t know what happens after you people read this blog :D

It’s been almost two years since my family went to Sampaguita Beach, as evidenced by this post. Luckily, a young lady, Alleli-Ann Castillo, who claims to be the grandchild of the owner emailed me to point directions in going there:

Posted in Road Adventures | 2 Comments

Next Page »