Manic Friday!

Today is Friday,and we all know how exciting weekends can get.But me,I was so busy the whole day.I woke up a bit late because Whale Wars on Discovery channel hypnotized me and before I knew it,it was already 5am.

Anyway,I had to bring some stuff to the hospital because my granny’s still there.After my quick visit,my cousin tagged along and we went to SM Batangas to buy some food that we’ll be preparing for dinner.When we got back from the supermarket,my business partner called me and asked me if I could bring our stuff to Santo Tomas,Batangas,a good 45 minute drive from my place.I don’t have a choice because they’ll be needing it tomorrow for our first gig.I asked me cousin to join me on a trip to Santo Tomas and we swooshed there like a speeding bullet an in no time,where back again.

We started preparing our food after our quick trip and after an hour,we got ourselves home-made salisbury steak and dim sum for dinner.Check it out.

Let’s make the world a better place.

Have you ever had a vision of a better world?A world where no man have to walk barefooted?

The people behind Ancilla had.

For a period of time,one of the major problems all over the world is poverty,and in order to come up with a solution,individuals who are fortunate enough and willing to make a change tried their best to raise awareness in their own ways.Some created organizations,some anonymously made generous donations.Others preach,others learn.What’s important is,whatever it may be,helping someone is a good thing,and it makes us feel a whole lot better.

A lot of country,or almost every country all over the world share the same predicament.Specially nowadays,when a lot of disasters are happening all over the globe.There’s a war going on in some parts of the world,and just recently,a massive number of  tsunami waves destroyed not just houses and establishments in Japan,but lives as well.I know it’s easier said than done,helping everyone in need.But why lose hope?If we can’t help everyone,why not try helping at least one.It will make a change.Remember back in 2009,when Typhoon Ondoy flooded the streets of Metro Manila,devastating lives of millions of Filipinos?people all over the country,all over the world helped us get back on our feet.I remember how much people were touched by the event,and how willing they were to be of assistance.It was an overwhelming sight,we Filipinos call in “Bayanihan”.Now that other people are in need,why stop there?

We,we’re not yet done,we’re barely even beginning.That is the reason we created Ancilla,to help children and family in Batangas City,and all over the world by providing them their needs,may it be shoes,clothes,supplies or food.We try to put smiles on other people’s faces.On April 5,2011,Ancilla will join TOMS “One Day Without Shoes” movement by donating shoes or money and walking barefooted to raise awareness to the people of Batangas City,that a lot of people,specially children,are living their lives everyday without any kind of footwear to use.If any of you are willing to help,go to Hot & Cold Cafe,make a donation,and register for the event.Hot & Cold Cafe is situated in Kumintang Ilaya,Batangas City,beside Monterey meatshop.

Help us make the world a better place.

food trip on a friday night

What’s the best thing to do when you’re at home on a friday night,low on cash,and you got a new movie and tv series with you?make some home-made pizza.My brother chopped a couple of ham,bacon,and cheesy franks while I prepare the sauce.We don’t have pizza dough so we used some bread loaf instead.After putting the sauce,some cheese,the ham,bacon and franks,we topped it up with more cheese.It wasn’t the first time for me to make pizza,I’ve done that before when I was still in college that’s why I have an idea on how to prepare it.

While enjoying the food,we watched the Green Hornet and a few episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

grilling galore.

A couple of nights ago,my brother and I were so bored that we decided to prepare some food instead of going outside.We had a visitor so my grandmother got out some chicken from the fridge.She told me to do whatever I want as long as its good,and I obliged.I prepared the ingredients and marinated the chicken.We got ourselves chicken kebab.

Why stop there?I said to myself.If we’ll be grilling,why not grill more food.While marinating the chicken,my brother and I went to the grocery store to get barbecue sticks and teriyaki.We got back and prepared the teriyaki,and some hotdogs,and started grilling the food.We bought a few beers to compliment our food.

 

All in all it was a great night.

Food Love

I’m thinking of creating unique cuisines,infusing different flavors of both western and eastern dishes.Good thing about cooking is that you’ll be able to experience a different kind of sensation and satisfaction.I don’t have a proper background in culinary arts but I love food and I know what a good food tastes like.My cooking style may be unorthodox but I’m confident that I have skills.I’ve mastered some Italian,a number of western,and a lot of Asian cuisines including ours.And starting today,I’m planning to document each and every dish I’ll be preparing.Maybe share some of my knowledge with the food preparation.

Kill or be killed.

Been a while.The thing is,I got so hooked reading Battle Royale.When I was a kid,I was one of anime’s biggest fans.I would wait for a new episode of Dragonball Z every week with my cousins.We even rented VHS tapes of it.Then I grew up.I just stopped watching cartoons,I stopped reading comics,and I stopped playing toys and video games.What brought me back into reading comics,i don’t really have a clue.I guess I wanted to get away from the reality and enjoy the feeling of being a kid again.A part of me always tells me that people grow up,but never forget how it feels like to be young.That’s the least we can do when the going gets tough.I never stopped reading books,I do not want to stop learning things.But I didn’t realized that my cravings will lead me back to my childhood.I’m very much aware of the fact that a lot of people,young and old,even professionals share the same passion.For me,it’s their choice.As long as they’re happy and they’re not stepping on anybody’s toes,they can do whatever they want.So here I am,savoring the last few pages of one of the best written manga of all time,Battle Royale.

Honestly speaking,I prefer reading westernized comics books than manga.Sure they have a lot of titles that established their competitive existence in the literary world,like Pokemon,Dragon Ball Z,Slam dunk,Naruto and more.But i prefer reading a comic book with a creative storyline.Sure,the artwork should count,but I’m more concerned with the execution of the story,the characters’ connection to the reader,and the style of a comic book’s storytelling.Battle Royale hits the right spots for me.I never read such a disturbing,yet hard hitting story since The Walking Dead.I must say,I’ve seen the movie,but the manga is definitely a serious piece of work.A masterpiece.I know some of you heard the story,some of you read it.Battle Royale is a story of 42 9th grade students isolated in an island to battle until only 1 survivor remains.All the students can be located and heard using a collar-like device that will explode if no one dies in a period of 24 hours.The thing about Battle Royale is it hits you right in the gutter.The story is so heavy that you sometimes hope that the next page of the book,it’s just a bad dream.That’s the beauty of it,the story frightens you,yet you still find hope in every turning point of the story.And the lines were amazingly written,you can actually feel the connection of every character.Sometimes you just want to shout at the character and save him/her from a disaster waiting to happen.I don’t wanna hand out spoilers to you so just read it and see for yourself.Though the series is obviously suggested for mature readers and really disturbing,I can say this is one of Japan’s finest.It can be controversially misunderstood by a lot of readers but it definitely is a masterpiece.

Reading it made me value a lot of things,life,love,friendship,loyalty and a different point of view.Thank you for creating Battle Royale.

By the way,Battle Royale was created by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi.

Ready for the summer.

It’s officially summer.Today is the last day of February,and I’m very much hyped about this summer.Why?Because I’m hoping to enjoy my summer this year.Last year,I practically spent half of summer in Kuala Lumpur.Now,I’m planning to spend it road tripping and swimming.

I was checking out old photos of my crew during our summer escapades.Our photo collection includes pictures from Puerto Galera,Ligpo Island,Bisita Iglesia and a whole lot more.It was kind of a tradition to us,to go to the beach during summer to escape from reality and have a good time.And actually,I miss those times because we don’t do that anymore.I’m just really excited because I just heard that they’re planning to go to Puerto Galera again this summer.The last time I was there was back in 2009 I guess.I kinda missed the place.Puerto Galera is approximately an hour boat ride from Batangas City that’s why it’s really easy for us to go there but I keep thinking why we don’t do that more often.We organized Puerto Galera trips every summer since 2005 except on 2007 when we went to Ligpo Island,a resort situated on a big rock in the middle of the ocean,located in San Luis,Batangas.

Aside from beach trips,we also organize yearly Bisita Iglesia during Holy Week.I like the fact that I can take pictures of different churches during a spiritual trip.And I like the food whenever we stop by Tagaytay to have our late lunch or early dinner.

This picture was taken during our first puerto trip back in 2005.

After a few weeks,we went back.

I can’t find photos from our 2006 trip.So we’ll skip it and proceed to our Ligpo Island adventure.

We went back to puerto in 2008 twice.Our first trip was in January.The next one was in May.

January 2008.

May 2008.

The last set of pictures are from our Puerto Galera trip in 2009.

Up next,pictures from our yearly Bisita Iglesia.

Bisita Iglesia 2005.

Bisita Iglesia pictures from 2006 and 2007 are missing.I probably don’t have a copy of those anymore.

Bisita Iglesia 2008.

We always do the same routine,we’ll visit churches from Batangas City all the way to Tagaytay and back.

Bisita Iglesia 2009.

Our last Bisita Iglesia was before I left for Kuala Lumpur last 2010.

Hopefully,we’ll be able to do both.

 

Silver for EDSA

Today is the 25th anniversary of People Power Revolution.25th year of Philippines’ independence,25 years since the people of the Philippines dethroned the late president,Ferdinand Marcos.Almost every tv shows are about the said event.It’s very nostalgic to once again hear the music of EDSA,the stories behind it,and watch the videos and movies about it.

EDSA People Power is one of the most interesting,most colorful and most touching event in the Philippine history.Millions of people rallied along the street of EDSA,soldiers,religious and political figures included.Filipino musicians and celebrities also participated the rally that ended Marcos’ regime.I was only 2 years old during that time.And based from the stories that I heard,EDSA People Power is like a miracle waiting to happen.The stories never fail to amaze me,like how millions of prayers stopped tanks,how the “best” president of the Philippines was exiled,how lives were lost.

It would be hard for me to actually take a stand if i’ll have to choose between Marcos and Aquino.During that time,people were fed up with the current government.How could they not be?A lot of things were forbidden during that time,during Martial Law.And the people need something new,something fresh.Then came Ninoy,the heart and soul of EDSA revolution.His assassination was enough to ignite a spark on every Filipinos hearts,and made them realized that enough is enough.His assassination led the Filipino to come marching all the way to EDSA to pour their hearts out and take what’s theirs.But in fairness to the late president Ferdinand Marcos,he was a great president.During his regime,our country is a whole lot richer,and I guess people were afraid to commit crimes because of him.According to some people,it was his wife who corrupted his mind.I don’t really know.I’m not aware of what really is happening during that time.

In my opinion,both have flaws,and both have their good points too.

 

I will be back.

Right now,I’m reminiscing about my last stay in KL.I went there to look for work but it  just looked like I went there for a month’s vacation.It was my third time there.The first one was back in 1993 when we went there for our first summer vacation outside the country.That time,my father was still working there.Then my second time was back in 2004.I went there alone.My father and I applied for a US visa,unfortunately,before I even get to be interviewed,I had to go back because classes are about to start.My father was lucky enough to be granted for 10 year multiple visa.

My stay in Kuala Lumpur for the third time was actually kind of awesome.I stayed at my father’s friend’s place.My first night there,I was already homesick.I managed to hack a neighbor’s WIFI password.I would wake up late in the afternoon and watch television all day.Whenever I get bored,I would go for a walk,feast on different kinds of dishes,go to the mall,and sometimes,I even get to drink by myself.It’s liberating for me.My independence taught me to become more responsible.I also got the chance to meet some of my father’s friends there.I even got the chance to buy some graphic novels there.If I’ll be given another chance to go there,it’ll be purely be for pleasure.I miss Malaysia.I miss Kuala Lumpur.

Ninja say what?!

Asians are big right now.You would agree,right?That whole Asian persuasion,the swag(style we Asians got) thing.Damn right,we’re dominating the game right now.I’m not actually hating other brothers,it’s just that it’s our time to shine.Give us the stage and we’ll step up.I know a lot of my Asian brothers all over the world are proud to be one,we have every right to be proud of.

Koreans got the whole KPOP thing going on right now.And it’s not just big,it’s GINORMOUS!

Japanese brothers still got their Japanese thing to be proud of.Japanese cars,Japanese fashion,Anime and a whole lot more.

Chinese and their ever-famous Chinese food,their heritage and their world-wide influence.

Thai food and Muay Thai from out Thai brothers.

We Filipinos got wonderful musicians like APL DE AP,Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda of Journey.We also got Nonito Donaire and the one and only Manny Pacquiao.We also have a very rich history of our country.I just hate it when our race are stereotyped as third world criminals.We Asians are more than that.We are better than that.Asians excel in a lot of things.

I would like to extend my apologies to my other Asian brothers.If I’ll go babbling about our achievements and trademarks,this entry will be finished after a year.Hope you understand.