My Weekend 123

9 times I rode a boat
2 times I rode a plane
7 times I ate buffet meals
39 times I had my picture taken by other people’s cameras
3 times I texted using another person’s cellphone
1 time I used the internet
1 time I snorkelled
1 time I rode the Ringo Tube
1 time I was thrown off the banana boat
2 times I wished I was a diver
1 time I saw a rainbow
2 shots of tequila
3 times I danced to “Build Me Up Buttercup”
3 times I swam
12 times I thought “OMG! What a beautiful country!”

My Palawan post coming up soon:)

I want my KopiRoti!

My former boss invited me over to check out a coffeeshop specializing in Singapore breakfast specialties ~ a newly-opened outlet actually owned by the family of an officemate of ours. After partaking of their menu items in one sitting, I can very well say I can’t just get enough of their breads, tea and coffee. It’s my newfound addiction, and the only thing that’s keeping me from going to this cozy kopitiam every single day is that it’s in faraway Quezon City.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the kopi bun which is like a huge monay, only that it has a sweetish coffee crust and a creamy filling inside. The perfect accompaniment for this is their Singaporean coffee which has what looks like condensed milk at the bottom. It’s supposed to make the coffee sweet when you stir it, and the blending is just perfect. The pairing of the kopi bun and the tea or special coffee will only set you off by P70 bucks which is already the price of a 16 oz drink in the more famous coffee chains.

Kopi Roti’s other offerings are just as irresistible – the “roti” French toast which is best eaten with a couple of half-boiled eggs in special soya sauce and the “roti” kaya toast, a crunchy pairing of sliced toast with butter and kaya spread. Kaya, I was told, is the Singaporean version of our coco jam. It’s colored lime green and is described as a sweet coconut egg jam.

I will post no disclaimers for this place. Kopi Roti is definitely a must-try for its taste, the freshness of its breads and its down-home affordability.

Address: 186 Tomas Morato cor. Scout de Guia, Quezon City, near Starbucks and Cheesecake Etc. Tel. No. 4141754

Off to la-la-land

The travel bug will hit me for the next two weeks. I am truly excited and will promise to blog about the nice sights here despite my uber-crazy, juggling-everything schedule.

In the meantime, I’ve been getting these persistent emails for the past few days: ” The domain annalyn.net (anna) has reached 80% of its bandwidth limit. Please contact the system admin as soon as possible.”

Huh? I’d like to know what makes one reach the bandwidth limit. Does 1,000 hits a day count? Hehe.

So if I’ll be off the air anytime soon while am on vacation, you know the reason. That means I’ll also have to upgrade my account soon. This blogging business is getting to be more and more expensive each day.

Enjoy your weekend folks!

Food & Heroism: Lasang Pinoy #1

For readers who would like to know about the state of Philippine cuisine, I’d like to invite you all to hop on over to Karen’s blog for the maiden round-up of entries to Lasang Pinoy (Filipino Taste). Lasang Pinoy will be a monthly food blogging event dedicated to the promotion and development of Filipino food which we admit has been lagging behind other Asian cuisines in terms of acceptance in the international scene.

It is hoped that this collective effort of Filipino bloggers will enable a global audience to sit up and take notice as well as encourage awareness among other Pinoys about certain facets of their culinary heritage. The date of the launching has been timed for August 21 which is none other than Ninoy Aquino’s birthday. Food bloggers were asked to share their thoughts about Ninoy and the historic EDSA People Power Revolt. We were also challenged to dig in our memory bank for the relevant food during that time and post the corresponding recipes. We are talking here of food that was in demand during that tumultous era of rallies and yellow confettis. The resulting posts of food bloggers is heartwarming to say the least. It is apparent that everyone has so many thoughts to share about EDSA, “The Original One” and so whether they are in Holland, England, the US or Manila, there’s nothing that could prevent them from writing about good ol’ adobo, atsara, tapsilog and what these dishes’ significance are in our lives.

A reader asked me once before why I would consider Ninoy a hero. I answered that he may not be officially acknowledged as such but he certainly did the heroic act of coming back to his homeland despite imminent threats and died in the process. I do believe the greater importance of Ninoy’s death is its serving as a catalyst to the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship. It’s either you agree with me or not but EDSA I was a miracle from heaven which had “divine intervention” written all over it. It was a historical occurrence which has no other match in world affairs and which subsequent EDSA uprisings could no longer copy or imitate. Gasgas na ang mga mala-masang pag-aaklas sa EDSA but the spirit of the original EDSA People Power uprising lives on.

My greatest regret is not having joined the People Power Rally in 1986 and that is why I never missed EDSA II when it rolled around. As my own contribution to Lasang Pinoy, I am sharing here a modified recipe for kwek-kwek, an under-rated Filipino street food which ranks among adidas, quekiam and fish balls as one you’d rather eat on a barbecue stick. Kwek-kwek are eggs smothered in batter then fried to golden brown.

To make kwek-kwek at home:

1. Boil a dozen quail eggs until hard. Peel and set aside.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. baking powder and mix in 1 cup ice water. Pass through a sieve to remove lumps. Add yellow food coloring.

3. Heat oil in pan. Dip quail eggs in batter then fry until golden brown. Put on sticks and serve with thousand island dressing or vinegar.

Food-poisoned!

For the first time in my life, I was a victim of food poisoning. This happened to me early dawn of Saturday when I suddenly woke up with painful cramps on my tummy (like labor pains), vomiting and diarrhea. Indeed, I was too weak and too dazed that I could not even get myself to go to the toilet. I was thinking of the events of the night before when I went to the gym and had a KFC chicken fillet sandwich for dinner. But the culprit turned out to be the tahong (mussels) I ate 16 hours before which also downed more than a dozen people in our office. Apparently, someone was being promoted to an officer position and felt gracious enough to stuff us with contaminated tahong ~ ugh!

This food poisoning incident reminded me of our Christmas party two years ago when many of my officemates were downed by the chocolate mousse served by this ailing hotel in the metro. That poisoning spared me then as I did not taste the spoiled mousse, contrary to my penchant to get “a little of everything” on the buffet table..lol.

Luckily, I recovered easily from my food poisoning episode. My doctor, thinking that it was some form of intestinal flu, told me to take Kremil-S and Decolgen. And after asking him “why Decolgen?” he told me not to be smarter than the doctor and just take it. True enough, I felt better. Even though I was weak still, I persisted on attending a luncheon in a Chinese restaurant, a meeting , my Rotary Club induction and my weekend graveyard duty at work. The same could not be said of the others who had to lie in a hospital in a dextrose.

Will the incident stop me from being a foodie? No. But am probably not touching tahong in a thousand years. Sabaw ng tahong na ginisa sa luya, ang sarap pa naman.

Welcome to my slum book

First of all, I’d like to apologize to some peeps if I haven’t been able to answer the memes they sent me, like Yuga for the books and Minette, Celia K , Toni for my choice of cookbooks. I realized that my reading list these days can fit the Hall of Shame as it is limited to internet sites and no-brainer page-turners. But I promise to answer your tags soon, as soon as I organize my bookshelf and get reading once again.

In the meantime, my high school buddies Lei and Anna Lyn sent me an email this morning which I couldn’t resist answering (not all though!) You’re right Lei, ” I know, it’s juvenile, but let’s just get on with it, shall we?” This sort of reminds me of high school when the slum book asked “What is Love? ” and we answered: “Love is a feeling that you feel when you feel a feeling that you haven’t felt before.” Hahaha. My readers may feel free to pass this on in their blogs, Friendster, emails and what-have-you…

What are you listening to right now? Office piped-in music that’s as mushy as hell
What was the last thing you ate? Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream
Do you wish on stars? I don’t look at stars. I just pray
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Fuschia, or anything pinkish
How is the weather right now? It was wonderfully sunny when I stepped out this morning
Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Popsicle
Favorite drink? Calamansi juice ~ with honey
Favorite sport? Uhmm…Hmmm….hehe
Hair color? Black
Do you wear contacts? no
Siblings? four
Favorite month? October
Favorite food? Too many to mention
What was the last movie you saw? Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Favorite day of the year? My kiddies’ birthdays
What do you do to vent anger? Cry. Shop. Take a shower.
What was your favorite toy as a child? cooking sets, the little fishes in front of our house by the sea
Favorite season: Summer
Hugs or kisses? Kisses
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
What is under your bed? Nothing. Japanese-style ang bed ko
Who is the friend you have had the longest? My highschool pals!
What did you do last night? Check on my kids’ homeworks, attend Rotary Club meeting, answer/make phone calls
What are you afraid of? The white hairs growing on my crowning glory
Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? Buttered and salted
Favorite car? The Honda hatchback
Favorite flower? Tulips
Number of keys on your key ring? Three
How many years at your current job? Four. As to writing, seems like I’ve been doing it forever
Favorite day of the week? Friday (my day-off)
What did you do on your last birthday? It’s in my archives
What is your favorite candy? Not fond of candies.

AND THIS…

Three names you go by1. A.J.
2. Juju (call me this if you’re an old, old friend)
3. Annalyn!

Three physical things you like about yourself
1. My legs
2. My thin arms
3. My butt

Three physical things you don’t like about yourself
1. My puson
2. My child-bearing hips
3. My small nose (Pinoy na Pinoy, hehe)

Three things that scare you
1. Being paralyzed
2. Heights
3. Losing any of my five senses

Three of your everyday essentials
1. Checking on my kiddies
2. Opening my emails
3. Coffee!

Three things you want in a relationship
1. Communication
2. Companionship
3. Lotsa —

Three lies and truths in no particular order

Lies ~1. I don’t care about love and that mushy stuff
2. You’ll know everything there is to know about me in this blog
3. I am uncontrollably horny

Truths~1. I’m a hopeless romantic. I love my beautiful children more than anything in this world.
2. This blog is only 40~55% of me. I am a much, much more interesting person in real life.
3. I am horny passionate, in a Scorpio way

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you
1. Hair
2. Height
3. Bod

Three of your favorite hobbies
1. Getting together with my friends
2. Travelling
3. Blogging (kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?)

Three things you really want to do badly now
1. Be able to see my dream countries (see previous post)
2. Save up for the Nokia 9300
3. Rest at home

Three careers you’re considering or have considered
1. Full-time blogger
2. Personal shopper
3. Chef-on-call

Three things you want to do before you die
1. Live in New York
2. See Greece & Italy
3. Make sure that my kiddies are happy and nicely-settled

Three ways that you’re stereotypically a boy
1. I walk fast
2. I eat a lot
3. I can be so dense and emotion-less about some things

Three ways that you’re stereotypically a girl
1. I love all the kikay things like fashion and make-up
2. My motherly instincts
3. My woman’s intuition

Three places you want to go on vacation

Anywhere with a beach and a rockin’ night life.

I definitely want to go back to Boracay . But then again, am going next week to a posh resort in the North of Palawan which is really a dream destination for me. Will not be bothered with deadlines, assignments, email and blogging then. Just chilling out and see what the Philippines’ last frontier has to offer.

Ciao! Enjoy your weekend too…

The Samsung Roadshow & Nokia Launch

The past week had me attending the Samsung Digital Roadshow and Nokia Launch in two posh hotels. These are tech industry events where you are supposed to salivate at all the gadgets on display and wonder why you don’t have the salary to afford them in the first place. A highlight are the raffles which I never win (ugh!) Again, it gets me thinking that if I never win raffles where I get to compete with 20 or so press people, the probability is that I’ll never win the lottery in a million years.

The Samsung event was a well-staged one which had the reigning Miss Earth and Bb. Pilipinas Universe touring us towards a gallery in their body-hugging outfits (hmm, do they still eat?) The venue was filled with huge plasma TVs, wall-mountable LCD screens, portable DVD players and such. The MP3 players were pretty hip and I had my eye on the YP-D1 model which not only plays music on its 2GB hard drive but is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera as well. To round it off, I get to have an exclusive interview with the Samsung Asia President.

At the Nokia launch, some lucky guy from a rival daily won the Nokia 6681, one savvy smartphone which I recently reviewed. How blessed can you be?!! Haha. But my personal favorite from all the phones presented was the N91 which not only has a 2 mp camera but has 4GB of memory for playing music. Yup, a memory that’s almost the same as the iPod Mini and other full-fledged MP3 players. What else could you possibly want? This digital wonder is available in time for your Christmas bonus, or the last quarter of 2005.

And just when you think you’re jaded from all the tech stuff…comes this forwarded email pic from Polo Paulding: the all-in-one Pinoy Cellphong.

This cellphong has a 262k color screen with a swivelling body for taking pictures and videos in landscape mode.

Has an antenna which doubles as a toothbrush further doubling as a vibrator.

And the killer app: Swiss Army attachments on the side… pangsaksak sa cellphone isnatser, if ever.

Now available in Raon. Cool ‘no? hehe.

Of Users, Abusers and the ‘Media Complex’

The reason why I put a disclaimer in my “commercial” post below is because I was asked not too long ago if I was hired by the cellphone companies to “endorse” their products in my blog and out of it. No, I didn’t take it against this person who claims to dutifully compile my newspaper columns every week and put them in a folder. He was just curious if I could actually earn money from blogging. I had to tell him that this blog is a labor of love for now and the extra money I get for writing my articles is barely enough to cover my phone bills/ internet connection, taxi fares to and from press events and the absurd amounts (in kilobytes) I am charged for testing a mobile phone’s Web-browsing capabilities.

People think you must have it good laying your hands on the latest gadgets before they’re even put out in the market. In a way, yes. Technology is changing by the minute and it is always an “educational” experience having to write about the goings-on in the tech field. The not-so-fun part, which most fail to see, is the challenge of coping with deadlines and coming up with a decent, well-researched article. It is really swell when you’d rather lounge around in Starbucks and you have to face your desk, crunching words into the computer instead.

Somehow, being part of media again (albeit in a minor, part-time capacity) gives me a feeling of deja vu. It has once again opened my eyes to the realities existing in this field.Here are my thoughts and tidbits on the matter:

1. Question: Do we get freebies? Yes, corporate giveaways are standard in IT-related presscons. Often these include thumb drives, towels (!) and notebooks (the one made of paper, not the one with Intel inside.) There are exceptional cases such as the pricey 40k+++ cellphone my editor refused from a willing donor. Did he regret it? Maybe. But sometimes, discretion calls. In case of “freebies,” it is always safe to be guided by your own sense of judgment.

2. Graciously receive, but don’t ask. Of course it depends on what you “receive” but really, some media men have the habit of “asking” and “demanding” as if the world owes them everything. As a rule, it’s not advisable to ask for favors because publicists and company reps happen to have this habit of gossiping about who asked for what, which is not good for your credibility factor.

Maybe it helps that I was on the receiving end of dealing with these requests before so I know how such a predicament can sometimes be very “unnerving.” In my former CorpComm post, the requests ranged not only from hotel accommodations to event sponsorships to umbrellas. They also included extending financial assistance for hospitalization, fire and the burial of certain relatives! It felt good to have helped some people but it’s also grating to have helped and still be made to feel that the assistance you facilitated was not enough. A publicist’s work is never done!

3. Having been a publicist myself, I opt to keep my distance from publicists, except for the very few I’ve made friends with. With some of them, you’re only as good as your last article. They don’t even say thank you. They only know your editor. But then again, being a PR must be hard considering all the sh*t they have to live with.

4.I cannot help but be impressed with XX, a lifestyle deskperson of a top 3 publication (not MB). A call to Globe and he would be supplied with prepaid cards to give to his boylets. A call to the hotel PRs and he would be off to a bacchanalian weekend. But it really got to me when he made you feel as if it was such a big deal and “utang na loob” if he treated you. “Nang dahil sa akin kaya ka nakakatikim ng masarap na pagkain.” Duh??

Moral of the story: do not ever brag about the “bribes” you receive. I need not tell you that it’s utterly tasteless.

5. And when I think about it, it must be hard being a pampered, spoiled rotten member of the media. Fortunately, my friends remain humble and grounded; the same cannot be said of others who have grown egos the size of a Ferris Wheel and have abused their powers/privileges to the core. One would be wiser not to be blinded by all those gift cheques, junket trips and fruit baskets because who will you be and what will you be when all that is gone? Would you really like all those perks to be part of what completes you and makes you happy? Just a thought.

I am a consumer, therefore…I am

The Fashmagslag, who is in my favorite city – New York – raved before about how good Dunkin’ Donuts hazelnut-flavored coffee is. Darn, I was excited when I found out they have it in Manila too. Needless to say, I’ve been drinking cupfuls of them and it’s my favorite coffee at the moment. Anong panalo ng overpriced Seattle’s and Starbucks? A cup with a swig of hazelnut liqueur (or whatever they call it) costs only P33 bucks and is enough to send me to caffeine heaven. Other flavors available are French Vanilla, Irish Cream and Macadamia but I haven’t tasted them yet. Warning: not all outlets offer these flavored coffees. I get mine at the cramped Dunkin’ shop in Robinson’s Place-Manila (near the theaters).

I am basically not a doughnuts person but I just happen to love Dunkin’s Bunwich too and its fluffy texture. I think Bunwich has been around since the 80’s when Dunkin’ arrived in the country but it was only recently when I rediscovered my liking for this luscious piece of sandwich. Again, too cheap not to try.

Don’t you get a heart attack when you visit the supermarket these days? That’s because prices of most goods have increased by 20% and there’s not much to go around in terms of salary savings.However, I can’t resist a good buy from time to time such as the Purefoods Luncheon Meat which tastes exactly like the good ol’ classic American Spam. Now, why would I have my once-favorite Spam when I could have the Filipino version at a much cheaper price (P40 bucks or so). I think Purefoods’ Chicken Chunks is mediocre but the Luncheon Meat is definitely out there with the Purefoods Corned Beef and Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs as one comfort dish I wouldn’t mind eating, even if you warn me I am overindulging in deadly sodium nitrite. One thing to be proud about: Purefoods is one great brand and it’s 100% Pinoy!

Other news from the grocery shelves: Toni has written about Close-Up’s new limited edition Flavored Toothpaste which comes in three variants: Choco-Loco, Tangerine Burst and Lychee. I bought the chocolate version hoping that my son, who has a sweet tooth, will like it (but then again, are we supposed to eat flouride??) Unfortunately, he still has to try it but it sure is a novel way to brush your teeth!

Century Tuna has come out with new flavors: Lemon Butter, Flakes in Olive Oil, Spanish-Style, Chinese Asado and the Meat Loaf. I bought the asado thing and the meat loaf but I still have to try them. Check it out! (Btw, Century is another great Filipino brand. I remember when I was in the UK ferries and we would open Century Tuna when there was nothing to eat in the pantry dominated by Yorkshire pudding, stewed liver and other yucky English stuff. This different-flavored Filipino-made tuna always saved the day.)

WOFEX Madness!

Caught the last day of the annual World Food Expo today which was so full of all those HRM students and other peeps that they had to refuse entrance for a few minutes at the cavernous World Trade Center in Pasay City. Being the veritable foodie, I was one of those who dutifully lined up. Maybe because this was the second time I was going so I wasn’t too excited anymore. The booths were still full of hardworking enterpreneurs selling sausages, juices, coffee and all those stuff. Count in as well those who trade all those pricey baking and coffee machinery. I noted the addition of more Korean stalls (well… aren’t they everywhere on this traffic-laden planet??) plus G Toengi’s Asian Bartending Academy. I also observed that the most generous in giving out samples were the Chinatown bakers who laid out plates upon plates of their hopia in different flavors, notably Eng Bee Tin which has their Combi Hopia. There were also other food rarities like the veggie ham, malunggay risotto and taro tea offered in some stalls.One seller was offering silicone bakeware from China and Ersao’s spicy squid/spicy chicken was really yummy.

Now if you’re wondering about the lady in the picture, that’s Lani Castillo, a Vietnamese woman married to a Filipino who owns one of my fave restaurants in Malate, the Cha Gio Vietnamese Resto near Diamond Hotel. I just looove their fresh noodles with beef and home-cooked Vietnamese sardines paired with French bread. Cha Gio participated in the Wofex and Lani just told me they’re now franchising and distributing their Vietnamese coffee as well, which is a must try!

Disclaimer: Ajay is not being paid to endorse the abovementioned products and event. Don’t blame me if those consumer products did not turn out to be to your liking. For best results, read the title and comprende.

An education, or miseducation?

Last week’s encounter with Obscure Blogger (O.B.) has once again reinforced my conviction that getting an expensive education is not all that matters. What good is it studying in the country’s premier convent school and university if you have little respect for the beliefs of others and much more resort to calling people names, in an extreme manifestation of low-life bigotry?

These days getting “good, top-quality education” in the Philippines has been reduced to the level of a cult status. It’s either you’re Red, Blue or Green. Parents will do everything, even sell their ancestral lands, just so their sons and daughters will be able to get in the Top Three schools. Malas mo na lang if you fall out of the circle because that means you’re a nobody and therefore will most likely be snobbed by equally discriminatory HR managers.

But the question is: is it all worth it? Will studying in a Top Three School make you more human, kind and compassionate? Will it prepare you for the realities of the outside world?

My answer is: probably not. Such a perception has only bred a culture of needless superiority in others. We know for a fact that the overload of MA and PhD holders in government has not prevented the merciless raid of our public coffers. My kids will now have to blame me for not pressuring them to go into academia’s creme de la creme for the simple reason that I don’t believe in all that elitism sh*t. They will have to go through it on their own, choose their schools according to what befits their talents and intellect, and not just because it will look good on their resume or it will be prestigious for them to do so.

In fairness, my mom did work hard to give me a good Catholic education. But to paraphrase Robert Fulghum, “everything I learned, I learned in the School of Hard Knocks.” I believe that the years of experience I’ve had working at 17, being on my own at 18, travelling in my 20s and being the tough single mom in my 30s has already equipped me with a doctoral degree on Survival Skills. All those things I’ve had to go through I did not learn in school, which is so steeped in regimentation, but outside of it – the real world – which allows for more freedom, flexibility and creativity.

Perhaps it is also a manifestation of my own biases that I will state here I have never liked know-it-alls and intellectual snobs. I’ve only had the highest respect for people who made it big due to their hard work, regardless of their status in life or what school they came from. In the final analysis of things, an education will give you the needed stature and diploma but being truly educated entails more than that.