Adto na 'ta

I hate to say it, but Manny Pacquiao 's loss against Bradley was a sign that he should have taken it slow in 2012.    Like all the other Filipinos, I waited for his fourth fight against El Dinamita but not eagerly, and did not stay glued to the tube because I've always viewed boxing as a violent sport or trade or whatchamacallit.   I do not know the mechanics of the trade but have accepted that fact that a lot of people live off the sport that is boxing.   Today's game, where Manny lost to Marquez, is really a testament that there is a time for everything and if something is meant for you, no amount of prevention or other forces can stop it.   So I guess, Filipinos, being fatalistic that we are, have accepted the fact that Manny's winning streak ended, but it does not mean that he did not do his best to win today's match.   Manny has always been a serious athlete, and I have respect for him and admire the respect that he has for the sport.  He ...

The second item on my list of comfort foods is:  The Buko Pie.  When you go down south of Manila especially in Laguna , you will notice many ambulant vendors selling this, specially to bus riders.  This is a very common and tasty " pasalubong " when somebody is coming from Laguna area.  For Filipinos, bringing a present from where we went for a trip or holiday is part of our culture.  It seems odd if we don't get anything for the people awaiting our arrival and this is what we call 'pasalubong'.   Buko pie from Laguna is almost like a trademark of the province.   Laguna is not only known for being the hometown of our national hero , but it is also known for many delicacies, topping the list of these delicacies is the buko pie. Its main ingredient is of course the flesh of the buko, which is a young coconut when the "flesh" is still soft and tender.   It is best eaten when it is hot and fresh from the oven, and its sweetness goes well with ...

Filipinos are fond of eating.  As a matter of fact, we eat 6 or even 7 times a day.  We have breakfast, lunch and supper and in-between-meal refreshments .  Sometimes, we have a small meal before a big breakfast.  In the Visayas, they call it, " painit ".   We find a lot of reasons to celebrate and prepare food.  We have different food for different occasions, events and gatherings.  And we also have comfort foods.  These are foods that are associated to feeling a sense of contentment or home or anything that's familiar to us, like our childhood.  The Ilocos Empanada is one of the food that I consider comfort food.    It is a treat I give myself when I am in the pleasure of the company of friends. Nowadays, we can see a few stalls that sell Ilocos empanada in Quezon City, but this specialty originated from the Ilocos Region as its name would imply   There is empanada from Vigan and Batac (which is also called Laoag em...

Well, after 5 weeks and about 10 phone calls, Lazada finally sent the items I bought. I want to express my gratitude for the packaging which looked very decent and well-done  I heard that they were not as fastidious as they were with other buyers in the past (see lazada facebook).  I can't wait to try the items  which I really was looking forward to using for a month ago already.    Well, what can I say, but muchos gracias.  Please ignore my previous posts.

" It's more fun in the Philippines " is the 2012 slogan of the Department of Tourism for its promotion of the Philippines in order to attract tourists, something that I was never convinced about from the start, BUT that might just change now as election fever started or shall we say, that the "circus" has arrived.   If you were monitoring the characters or personalities or whatchamacallit, that filed their certificates of candidacy for the 2013 elections, you'd be surprised at the vast  reserve of talents (OMG) that we have.   I did not realize there were a lot of Dolphy-wannabes in this country.   The supply is overflowing it can keep a comedy club open for 24 or more hours. It seems that every election season we keep adding more clowns or discovering more comedians.   The new addition to the portfolio is the 'brother-in-law' of the incumbent president who claimed that he is married to  the president's celebrity sister, Kris.   I know tha...

You all probably have heard about Lazada, which is an online store or something like that.  I'm sure you have heard of them because whenever you visit a website, their big banner just appears before you, flashing their new promos and enticing people to make a purchase.  But wait, before you give your credit card number, think 100 times if you don't want to subject yourself to the agony that I'm suffering till now.  It just is simply not for the fainthearted. You see, I have been waiting (im)patiently for Lazada to deliver the items I purchased last September 4, 2012  and it is going to be a month of waiting by tomorrow.  Am I waiting for Godot? It's been a month and I should have been enjoying the Coby Kyros and the hair dryer already but still there is no positive indication that Lazada will ever send them.  I have called Lazada  five (5) times to follow up and I have talked to Len, Pete and Nathan and sent a snapshot of the deposit slip (so th...

San Agustin Church should be in the places-to-see list for tourists who come to Manila.  Not only is it the oldest stone church in the country, but it is a reservoir of historical artifacts collected from the 440 years that it stood even after the British, American and Japanese occupations.  I would like to think that it is our version of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence because of the many areas around the entire complex (a monastery has been added to the church) although its simple facade conceal this fact.  San Agustin has undergone many reconstructions in its 440 years and in 1993 was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. There are many interesting items inside the church starting from the entrance where an antique bell weighing 3,400 kgs. welcomes visitors.  This bell was originally in the belfry but a strong earthquake in 1863 damaged the belfry so it was finally taken down in 1926. From the entrance where one pays P100,...