From Lung Center, I found myself in the auto spare parts haven that is Banawe, Quezon City to have my buggy repainted and fixed. Guess what was waiting for me across the street: the ageless Ma Mon Luk restaurant, still looking like it hasn't shed its hangover from the 1940s! You know if a resto is still at it by the number of cars parked outside its doors. It was a usual busy Sunday at the last surviving branch of Ma Mon Luk, the best place in (or near) Manila to savor a hot bowl of Chinese noodles. Okay, don't forget the siopao. See this related post. ... Continue Reading...

DSC00824. DSC00895. I wonder what other people mean when they say "Batanes makes you feel like you're in a foreign country." This is part of our country, the way it should have been before neon lights and rowdy karaoke bars took over. Mr. Z calls it "the place that time forgot." I thought so too. Once sybaritic spas and swanky resorts take over, Batanes will never be the same. store owner Lily Garcia. There was no Jollibee in Batanes. We were craving for pizza and saw a place that ... Continue Reading...

DSC00851. I'd be too happy to continue with my Baguio posts except that I can no longer mask the reality that we've been stranded in the paradise-island of Batanes for almost a week now. We are still lovestruck but now more dumbstruck at the prospect of starring in our own edition of Gilligan’s Island . We have the real world to go back to - Mr. Z already missed his international flight and I should be reporting back to work in less than 48 hours. Same goes for the rest of the passengers who have commitments to meet and families to go home to. ... Continue Reading...

snakebite on the finger of Jerry's daughter. Pardon the touch of sensationalism. I am supposed to be on the last leg of my vacation in the romantic chilly North a I write this! However, I just couldn't believe what my fellow Bulletin tech columnist Jerry Liao emailed me today, about the albino snake in the Ark Avilon Zoo biting his daughter a few days back. Me and my kids were one of the first visitors to the zoo, having been there during the second day after it opened. Saw the white snake ourselves, and it's just good that we didn't keep too close, ... Continue Reading...

Our beloved Blogkadahan says goodbye to 2007 with a few profound thoughts from its members. The posts encapsulate a year of wishes, fulfilled desires and milestones. I give my own take on the passing year with precious thank you's to special people in my life. Did I say that includes me? You, You and You, of course! I work in the service industry where Thank You is an overused word. Perhaps it takes pondering on what "Thank You" really means that we get to see the beauty and poetry behind it. Thank You Lord because each time the sun rises, I know that there's ... Continue Reading...