Down home Pinoy cooking at La Mesa Grill

So far it’s been a frustrating experience scouring dining finds at the Mall of Asia. Not because of the quality of the food but because the place is simply too big (and segmented) to try everything. I’ve tried Gumbo, made a mental note to go to Highlands Steak House (because their prime rib in Tagaytay was unforgettable) and munched on the usual fastfood places like Oki Oki, Teriyaki Boy and Kopi Roti.

One MOA establishment I’ve tried several times now is La Mesa Grill. I first went here during my last birthday upon the recommendation of my friend Jimi who said it was owned by Sharon Cuneta. Turns out it was Sharon’s husband, Senator Kiko who’s a business partner of the resto. Nonetheless, Sharon’s touch is still evident because of the roster of Original Pilipino Music pervading in the background. OPM like The Boyfriends, VST & Co. Apo Hiking Society and the classic “Mr. DJ.”
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99 ways to munch on a doughnut…

Speaking of doughnuts, I thought I already knew the proper way of eating them but this one from Cosmopolitan Magazine’s “Sex Trick Hall of Fame” (international edition) takes the cake, and here’s why:

“Erotic instructions: Place a glazed doughnut around your man’s member, then gently nibble the pastry and lick the icing… as well as his manhood.” Read more

Single, Un-Looking

I am now officially single (and a little poorer, as a result).

Being married sucks.

& getting married in this country sucks more.

Break muna!

Ajay is….

alone-ly
depressed
PMS-ing
mentally-blocked

in times like these,

San Miguel Strong Ice…. i like!

Irritating publicists

Until my transfer to my present post last week, I was in the publicity business. In fact, have been so on an on-and-off basis for the past couple of years. I’ve been around long enough to know how exacting this work can be, a work which requires you to attend to every “impossible” request and massage the egos of some journalists whose egos are the size of the Millenium Dome. If you read The Devil Wears Prada, this is the media version.

On the other hand, what if the situation is reversed…if it’s the publicist sort of bullying you? Encountering a few “undesirables” lately in my work as a contributor for my former paper, I’ve come to the conclusion that some PRs are the biggest users and name-droppers on the planet. They also practice discrimination to the extreme, kissing the butts of the so-called bigshots while dismissing you because you just happen to be the writer and not the editor. Duh.

Let me cite a few examples:

1. PR#1, through an assistant editor, invites me to go to Baguio for the Panagbenga festival. I say yes and we coordinate for days on the phone. I simply requested that I be fetched near the place of my residence and since a friend who was coming along with me asked if her other friends could hitch a ride with us, I tell this to Ms. PR. She turned down the second request but we still manage to confirm our trip the next day at 6 a.m.

I wake up at quarter to five in the morning (!!!) and wait at the steps of Jollibee at 5:55 a.m. Alas, it’s 6:20 already and still no word from Ms. PR’s contingent. I text her and she replies that the driver with xxx car plate is gonna be there in a minute. 6:30 passes, then 6:40 and no sight of the car yet. At the stroke of 7 and no car yet, I walk out.

At 7:15 , Ms. PR rings me to say the driver is there but I text her that am not pushing through with the trip anymore because I have a huge headache and “please remember to be more punctual and professional next time.” Rather than say sorry, Ms. PR goes on the war path: ” My goodness, we did everything to give in to your requests (huh?). You can ask our close friends Editor so-and-so (who are also my friends) if we are unprofessional…” Her text message was more strongly worded than this but I couldn’t remember it at this point.

Of course I could have been more patient and pleasant if our appointment was 9 a.m. and you did not disturb my friggin’ sleep on a godawful hour. 60 minutes of wasted time is still 60 minutes of wasted time. And why raise hell when I did something you rightfully deserved? Jezzee Chrissee…

2. I liked PR#2 the first time I met her because of her schoolmarm/motherly image. But Ms. PR has an undesirable habit that I have not encountered in my 10 years or so of journalism: she wanted me to give her my finished article for review before I submit it to my editor for publication. I tell her I don’t do this but she tells me “well, so-and-so editor does it. We just don’t want our GM to be misquoted you know.”

I asked the editor she name-dropped if he did submit his article for review by this hotel (which is not even a major advertiser in our paper) and he flatly said no, of course not. I consult this with my editor and he told me, “pagbigyan mo na, kaibigan natin yan eh.” So I obeyed, even if it was beyond me to kowtow to the wishes of this PR whom I owed a buffet lunch I can very well afford.

I manage to write a glowing story about their establishment which appeared last Monday and guess what, Ms. PR does not even bother to text me a “thank you.”

3. And how about PR #3 who invited our section for a Tagaytay trip, along with 3 other editors from our same newspaper. After confirming, it turns out that Mr. PR runs out of accommodations and so strikes me out without the courtesy of informing me (or my editor whom he first invited) that we’ve been struck off his list.

Moral lesson for PRs:

1. Be punctual. It’s always a shame to let your invited press people come ahead of you.
2. Don’t name-drop. It’s a small world. We also know who you know and we could easily verify if you’re telling the truth or not.
3. Give it the human touch.Don’t just call the writer or editor when you need something from him. And don’t forget him the minute you extracted the necessary media mileage from him.
4. A simple thank you may be cheap, but for some people it’s priceless.
5. If you’re a secretary or driver thrust into the publicist position, bother to learn the tricks of the trade. Wag naman magkalat.
6. Ever heard of full-time journalists doubling as PRs? I give them credit for at least knowing the in’s and out’s of the business. However, if you’re a PR slash dyornalist, wag magmalinis at kutyain o ipahiya ang ibang PR kung media slut ka rin naman.

’nuff said.

It’s gym time!

At 75, Mrs. Teodora Simon is perhaps the fittest grandma (or great-grandma) I have ever seen. Looking at her with her firm legs, muscled arms and over-all tiptop shape makes me hope in myself even when I feel old in my mid-30s. She could well be my role model in this new regimen of working out.

Mrs. Simon, whom every friend fondly calls Mommy, even won the Slimmers’ World Great Bodies Competition when she was 67. As somebody who used to be 170 lbs., motivation and determination are her secrets for being the great woman she is today.

“Ano baaantayin mo na lang yung katandaan mo? Aantayin mo na lang na hihina ka? Habang kaya mo pang kumilos, kumilos ka!,” she exhorts her middle-aged peers. Mrs. Simon goes to the gym three times a week and is into ballroom dancing every Wednesday. Her diet consists mostly of fresh fruits, fish and vegetables.

I met Mommy S because we happen to be members of the same gym.It was two months ago when I decided to work out again a long time after our company decided to cut off sponsorship of our extra-curricular programs in the name of a government-wide austerity.I simply had to wean myself away from the whole-day engagement with the computer. Being sedentary wasn’t making me feel any better. Of course I kept my eyes closed while enrolling because membership in the gym caused me a prospective overseas vacation, or an iPod Shuffle, or that much-dreamed of XDA mini…aaargh!

On the other hand, working out can really be addicting. It’s amazing that the Cross Trainer, treadmill and all those assorted weight machines have become my best friend in so short a time.Of course it pays that the fitness trainers are cute and oh-so-friendly too. I like the fact that my gym is just a few minutes walk from my office.The proximity of the location, I think, is crucial in keeping this exercise thing going.Our company has a gym but it happens to be a ride away,not to mention a bit crowded and filled with all the manly equipment which seems to intimidate, rather than motivate me. There are also these fancy classes like yoga, pilates, and belly-dancing which I still have to try. Now I’ve come to the conclusion that I shouldn’t regret paying extra as long as it makes me feel good and benefits my health. Don’t you think so too?

Thoughts on Being Office-Bound

According to MSN House & Home, chocolate brown is the new black. That is why I got so excited when I got a brand-new counter table in this color for my office recently.

Having the new modular furniture installed in our office was like a breath of fresh air to my jaded existence increasingly afflicted by a fatal dose of corporate ennui. Three and a half years of slaving it out in our stiff corporate sanctum and I already have the equivalent of what everyone would call the seven-year itch.

“God knows if you keep on transferring jobs Ajay, you will never get anywhere,” intoned my Mom who taught for 30 years in the same school prior to her retirement.

“Just imagine how others would like to be in your shoes. Considering the present unemployment problem, it’s a job most people would die for,” croaked my best friend.

Until last month, I wanted to be based at my company’s office in Cebu, my mind salivating at the thought of all those beaches and fresh seafood; wearing my sarong on the shore the way those suntan commercials do. I have also set my sights on someday working in Macau or Las Vegas, greeting chinky-eyed punsters with “Ni hao” while taking their bets away.

But the change in furniture has had the positive effect of letting me embrace the status quo, making me wonder if this was my company’s way of saying “stay put, you wandering idiot!”

Suddenly, I have this primal urge to keep my desk clean which wasn’t so when we still had our Jurassic-era table as a companion.

When you think about it, it’s amazing how some of us spend more of our waking hours in the office than at home. From eating to watching TV to brushing our teeth, we now do everything in the staid corners of the office. The only thing left to be permanently brought here are our children and some other indulgences that are better done in the confines of our bedroom/bathroom/kitchen.

I have also observed that people shed different personalities between their home and office. We tend to show our real, more laid-back selves in the former while being more civilized and courteous in the latter.

At home, I can wear my frumpiest clothes to watch the idiot box and nobody would care. In the office, I have to don the requisite business suit because our central airconditioning says so.

In the office, I answer ever so courteously “This is Ajay speaking and you’re lucky am having a good hair day, may I help you?” At home, I can just bang the phone down to the grated ear of the pesky telemarketer.

At home, I only have to deal with the occasional tantrums of my kids. In the office, I have to deal with the different characters that populate our department.

At home, I am the boss. In the office, I have a boss.

In Japan, they call it “karoshi” or working to death. Office workers in the Philippines probably earn less but they can at least choose to work comfortably or leave when the clock strikes five.

This office or any other office that will be my HQ in the future is an extension of my home and is unfortunately everything to me. So I will love it, as I have not loved a man, forever.

My Best (and Worst!) for 2004

2004 was a busy year for me. I may not have been lucky in my personal life but this is one year when I have travelled to a lot of local destinations and experienced many things.Here are some of my year’s shining moments (disclaimer: the opinions expressed herein are the author’s alone) :

Best To-Die-For Meal : the Prime Rib at Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse
(made me feel that I will never be a vegetarian in my whole life)

Most Unforgettable Meal: degustacion menu at Hotel Pontefino composed of beef carpaccio, cheese mille-feuille, Balayan Caesar Salad with Tiger Prawn saltimbocca, Macadamia-Crusted Tilapia with smoked duck and affogato barako
(the ambiance and the legendary company of fellow writers added to the “high”)

Food Most Craved This Year: cinnamon rolls, mostly at Cinnzeo

Best Hotel Buffet: Paseo Uno at the Mandarin Oriental
( I haven’t tried Circles, though)
Most Promising: the Market Cafe at Hyatt Manila
(okay, so I’ve written about it over and over again… for good reason)

Favorite Date Place in Manila: Cafe Ysabel
(so what if I’ve only been going here with my best friend…a girl? The place sorts of ‘haunts’ me)

Best Book Read: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
(now, why did I wait 10 years to do this?)

Most Overrated Book: Da Vinci Code
(I don’t care if people say it’s one of the year’s best…ennnnough!)

Favorite Movie : Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11
(too bad the Democrats lost)

Most Memorable Massage: Four-Hands Hot Stone Massage
(it’s not every hour that I get pampered by two attendants and the hot stone made me feel like a piece of cloth being ironed)

Most Memorable Place: Call me like everybody else but I just found Boracay to be so magical that I’d like to go back there again (hopefully with someone special..wink!)

Favorite Hotel Stay: Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City
(check out this newly-renovated beauty for a truly memorable experience in the country’s second summer capital)

Most Scenic Place to Stay in Tagaytay: the Belleview Condominium at Tagaytay Highlands
(Waking up in the morning with a majestic view of Taal Volcano is simply heaven. Thanks, Amor!)

Best Ocean View : Peninsula de Punta Fuego

Most Overrated Destination: Pagsanjan Falls, Laguna
(I thought that letting those hunky men push the bancas amidst the strong river currents can be categorized as unfair labor practice)

Best Place Where The Kids Had Most Fun: Fontana Resort & Casino in Clark

Favorite Place to Shop: Quiapo for my cooking and baking needs; Divisoria pa rin for cheap Made in China dry goods

Favorite Song: the oh-so-mushy “If You’re Not The One” by Daniel Bedingfield

Worst Nightmare: Sunny & Mr. Pomodoro
(enough of those blog attacks and all your self-righteous posturings)

Favorite Diary Entry: “I feel overflowing love but I am not able to trust love for all it’s worth”
(Dedicated to my crush of the moment…hee!hee!)

Quote to be Hopeful For in 2005: “I’ve found my happiness at last and I truly believe that happiness is possible” (from the movie Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason)

My Favorite Quote for 2005: “Do one thing everyday that scares you“
(from Eleanor Roosevelt)

My Greatest Feat of the Year: Starting this blog
(…and gaining new friends in the process! Thank you all!)

Merry Christmas Friends!

Ajay will be signing off for the Christmas holidays.For those who have been good to me in the past year, thank you for being part of my life. I wish that my stockings will be filled with all the yummy food to make my hips even bigger,health for my family, success in my chosen career, mucho dinero to make my shopping happy, and a good man to love and to hold.

In the New Year, I hope to travel more, read more books, be a better mother, try more recipes, have great sex or even greater celibacy.

Cheers….!

Ha ha ha…how true

Tito Rolly had a laugh over this email I forwarded him on annual performance reviews:

Outgoing personality – always going out of the office
Great presentation skills – able to bulls**t
Good communication skills – spends a lot of time on the phone
Work is first priority – too ugly to get a date
Active socially – drinks a lot
Independent worker – nobody knows what he/she does
Quick-thinking – offers plausible excuses
Careful thinker – won’t easily make a decision
Uses logic on difficult jobs – gets someone else to do it
Meticulous attention to detail – a nit-picker
Has leadership qualities – is tall or has a louder voice
Keen sense of humor – knows lots of dirty jokes
Loyal – Can’t get a job anywhere else
Plans for promotion/advancement – buys drinks for all the boys
Relaxed attitude – sleeps at desk

I have an outgoing personality when the mood hits me and my staff should thank me that I don’t have meticulous attention to detail. However, I find people with great presentation skills sickening, likewise the ass-lickers. The demand for my leadership qualities will ensure that I will not be loyal to this company, unless they give me a raise soon…hahaha. Which office worker are you?

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