Hello Dollies

My sister-in-law was looking for Russian babushka dolls.  I don't know why. I told her I think I saw some being sold at the mall, but can't remember which mall. Or maybe I just saw it online and thought I saw it at the mall.

Anyway, I wonder if she got one...I bet she would love these dolls posted on Lola's Room at Etsy. But this nice little bauble right here is a 5x7" print called "Hello Dolls" by Cassia Beck.

Love it.

Summer Escape

There are just some things that any city can't deliver, no matter how busy or magnificent or exciting it can be.  It is the joy of being in place, of being comforted, of being home.

It's been almost two years. It was good to be back.

Pasig River: All Dredged Up

I pass by the river Pasig everyday. It divides the cities of Mandaluyong, where I live; and Makati, where I work.  Coming home from work I often ride the tawiran or boat crossing which ferries people tobaack and  forth the opposite banks of the river.

In the past few months I've noticed some dredging being done to the river.  The signs said it was a government project, and apparently the object was to lessen the flooding in Metro Manila as well as the nearby towns surrounding Laguna lake. The project started in April of 2009 and the target date to finish is by 2012.

I initially thought "Great, they're cleaning up the river."  Of course, Pasig river has been dead for a while now, and efforts to clean it have been done by the government and some non-government entities.  There was even "Piso Para sa Pasig" before. And in all fairness, at least in the Mandaluyong-Makati part, the river has been showing signs of life. I've seen fish jumping in and out of it, believe it or not.

Two weeks ago however, I was shocked to note how dark and smelly the river has been.  It suddenly looked like a huge sewer and smelled really awful.  A few days later, as I was walking over the Makati-Mandaluyong bridge, I was even more shocked to see garbage floating in it.

Okay, so one can't really call the Pasig river "clean", I'll give you that.  But I've never seen this area of the river so filthy and stagnant.  And in the year and six months I've been crossing those waters, I've never seen it as worse as it is now.  I guess my environmental romantic notions were deflated.

Here are some photos to explain my shocked reaction.

This was a photo taken in October 2009:

The water was brown, and water lilies were floating in it.  The current was strong and it smelled like a river (if you grew up in the province like me, you'd know what a river smelled like).

Here is a photo I took just a few days ago almost on the same spot at the bridge:

Seven months later, the river looked like an "estero"...just another city river, dead as the night and filthy with the carcass of urban living floating with nowhere to go.  It smelled really dead too.  Worst in the heat of summer.

It makes me sad to see the river this way.  It is just another urban cliche...garbage-laden, filthy, and smelly.  Of course, it has always been polluted, and the dredging project just scraped off all these debris from the river bed itself.  Still, it makes me sad, and I hope that they can revive the river to its earlier, cleaner-looking state after all of the dredging is over.

Prooky Friday: Beware of What?

Saw this sign under an overpass when I was in Cebu:

Somebody must have thought the word "pickpocket" was a verb. =)

Cebu Shots: Food Trip in the City

A city is defined not only by its landmarks and its people, but more importantly: FOOD!

The SO (Significant Other) decided to show me where one finds good, cheap grub in the heart of Fuente Osmeña: Larsian.  I actually thought it was a restaurant when he first mentioned it. I was surprised when I saw that it was a grill or ihaw-ihaw place, a sort of pavilion of grilling kiosks.

One can choose from the array of meat and seafood items for grilling, and then you sit on one of the long tables in the middle of the area to wait for your food.  Those kinda reminded me of my childhood days, when (much to my mother's chagrin) I used to invade our neighbor's house during lunch. Something about sitting at their long, wooden table, on long wooden benches with seven kids sharing rice and laing appealed to me back then.  But I digress...

It was noisy and smoky, kinda like a busy marketplace where people are calling out their wares.  But the ambiance, on the whole, was pleasant.

For appetizer: pork siomai slathered with chili oil, preferably dunked in soy sauce with calamansi before popping it into your mouth.  Where's the chili??? Wasn't hot enough for my Bicolana palate, but it was pretty good.

Pusô, steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves. The SO says its a common food item to bring for long trips, just like the locals do.  Very practical, no mess.

Yummy pork and chicken barbeque...cholesterol levels shoot up just by looking at it!

If you don't know how to eat with your hands, then consider Larsian an adventure.  There are no silverware here.  They give you a clear piece of plastic to wrap your hands with, and voila! Bon apetit!

The following day we set off for Mactan island to see the shrine of Lapulapu.  But before that, the SO brought me to this pizza place called Da Vinci's for lunch.

Hand-rolled and oven-baked, is how the SO described the Da Vinci's pizza. And you can only find it in Cebu.

We ordered the Da Vinci's Masterpiece - with italian sausage, beef, pepperoni, mushroom, fresh tomatoes and mozarella, on thin and crispy crust (no fluffy crust please!).  And I decided to add green peppers because I love 'em on my pizza.

This did not disappoint.  Yummy! We didn't even have leftovers!

There's only one thing I forgot during my trip to Cebu...the LECHON!  It's supposed to be the best in the world (Google it! SO would always say.)

That's something to look forward to, next time.

Prooky Friday: Cash or Charge?

Was riding this tricycle on my way to Crossing...

If you don't have barya (change) you can always charge it. ;-)

Cebu Shots: History in the City

I finally got some few days off from work, so I decided to tag along with the S.O. on his trip back to Cebu city, where he has been working for the past five years.

It was my first trip out of Luzon (my first flight too, can you believe it?) and its a good thing I had someone to guide me and hold my hand, so to speak. ;-)  Anyway, I was too excited, and I guess he was excited for me as well. He even volunteered to be my personal photographer for the whole trip. Ain't that sweet?

Cebu is very different from Metro Manila.  It is a city - with the usual hustle and bustle of traffic and people and whatnots - but there's also something rural about it, which makes it interestingly quaint.

We explored the city like locals. The S.O. made me ride public transportation, explaining to me that the jeepneys are number coded depending on which route you want to take. There were a lot of taxis too, and I was ecstatic by the fact that the drivers would give you your change, even if its just five pesos, whereas most drivers here in Manila would round the amount off to the nearest ten, and sometimes even demand more.

We explored downtown Cebu strolling along Osmena Boulevard, passing through the Cebu City Museum (which looked creepy at night), taking pictures at the City Capitol, checking out the fruit stands and all that stuff.  I liked the fact that they have a lot of trees lined along the boulevard.

Of course we went to the more generic tourist places, so I can take photos that scream "I was in Cebu!"

Historic sites were as follows:

The Basilica del Sto Niño, where one can find the original image that Ferdinand Magellan gave Queen Juana as a gift for her and King Humabon's baptism in April 14, 1521.  The image is considered the oldest relic in the Philippines, and the Basilica the oldest church.  There was a fountain at the church patio which looked like those in Italy. And outside the church were so many vendors selling religious icons and baubles, most of which are Sto Ninos of different shapes and sizes.

We did not forget to light candles and say our prayers.

The original image of Sto Niño; oldest Philippine relic

Just a few feet away, right across the old Cebu city Hall on Magallanes St., is Magellan's Cross, the 489 year old cross that the Portuguese explorer planted right there in Cebu.

Apparently people chipped away parts of the original cross for souvenirs, or because they believed it has miraculous powers, so they just encased it on the wooden cross displayed in the chapel. But others believe that the original cross was already destroyed or lost, and what is actually there now is just a replacement brought by the Spanish explorers that came after Magellan. 

Magellan was afterwards killed by Lapu-lapu, the first known Filipino hero, whose shrine is found in Mactan Island.  (Mactan island is quite far from the Cebu city proper, so cab fare could be a little pricey.  I think there are public vans available though, either at the Ayala or SM Cebu terminal.)

So off to Mactan shrine we went, in the middle of the day, in unbearable heat!  The shrine is the site where the Battle of Mactan was fought, where Magellan eventually met his demise in April 27, 1521.

A mural depicting the Battle of Mactan, Lapu-lapu hacking away at Magellan

Lapulapu, our hero

Mactan island is also home of some beautiful beaches, which unfortunately we were not able to explore. Next time when I go back, there will definitely be a blog post about that.

Here are some of the other places in the city we did get to explore...

The Metropolitan Cathedral

The Osmeña house

The Fuente Osmeña monument in the middle of the rotunda.

After a whirlwind taste of history, we just took a stroll along the boulevard and ended up going to the Fuente Osmeña park.  The SO told me he never actually hung out there till that moment, and he's lived there for five years and worked literally just across the street.

We enjoyed sitting there in the middle of the park, in the middle of the city, eating cocktail-filled dark chocolates and just being a couple.  The monument was lit up like it was Christmas, changing from red to blue to yellow and green.  Music was blasting from an unknown source (which fascinated and amused us). It was kinda cool too, Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Queen! The SO and I couldn't help but sing and sway (well, you know, move parts of our body to the beat).

Hanging out at the park also gave us some time to people-watch, our hobby whenever we go out.  There were some interesting people there, including a fiftyish American and a fifteenish Filipina locked in a tight, get-a-room sort of embrace.

Anyway...

I wouldn't mind going back.  I still have to get my I Heart Cebu shirt.

Typhoon in the City 2

More flood shots, in front of our apartment building in Mandaluyong (courtesy of my roommate, who was stranded at home, while I was stranded at the office).

(All photos by Bikey O.)

Typhoon in the City

Saturday, September 26. I was stranded at the office because of typhoon Ondoy, which left the whole city and neighboring towns under water. It was the worst flooding Metro Manila has ever experienced in 40 years.

Calling home to tell family members we're okay...

Can't do anything but watch the streets flood up from the 14th floor.

The Makati skyline almost invisible because of the incessant rain.

The Work Place

It's been almost a year. This huge green and gray building has been part of my everyday existence and I'm kinda fond of it now. The armed guards say that we can't take photos (dunno why) but I couldn't help taking a few snaps. (Sshhh...)

Looking up.

Looking down.

Sunrise from the fourteenth floor...best thing about lunch break at dawn. At least I still get to see the sky change colors.

Where the grind happens.