Megan Young

* photo from ph.omg.yahoo.com

Gwammy, being the perennial beauty contest fan, was overjoyed last night when she told me about the late-breaking headline news.  After many years of title drought, it was pay-off time!  I didn't know much about Megan Young before she won the 2013 Ms. World beauty contest held in Indonesia the other day.  I just knew that she was a local actress and a video-jock.  Now that she is the first Filipina to bag the coveted crown, I took some time to read about her and yes, ogle at her gorgeous pictures!  You can see why she was an early crowd favorite, and if you read about how well she answered the pageant interviews, you will also understand that she's a real beauty-and-brains combination.  Very well done, young lady, a proud moment for Filipinos everywhere!

Twerking on the Enterprise

Michaela pointed this out to me and I enjoyed watching this clip from You Tube.  In one of the funniest spliced gags, the crew of the starship Enterprise watches the Twerking of Miley Cyrus. Go take a look!

Dumb Ways to Die

I haven't had such fun chuckling to myself in a long while.  Anita installed what I initially thought was a kiddie game called Dumb Ways to Die on Vicky's I-Pad and as a result thereof, I can't seem to stop myself from pressing the red button.  This game is so cute.  The concept started off as a information video from the Metro Trains in Melbourne, created to minimize the incidence of train accidents.  The video went viral, generating tons of hits within days, probably due to its catchy song and lovable humor.  The concept was conceived by the advertising agency McCann Erickson.  Take a look at the video on the website, and see for yourself--don't you just have the impulse to press that red button?

Tin Hok

Roaming around the Greenhills Shopping Center last week, I thought about having a fast snack and made a beeline towards V Mall where Tin Hok Chinese Deli is located at the ground floor.  I remember that they had a fast-food stand, and upon reaching the place, I immediately pounced upon a fresh lumpia (P70).  This, however was mostly stuffed with cabbage and quite honestly, was pretty bland.  I was disappointed; the anticipation of having a good mid-afternoon snack was dampened.  In any case, my tummy was filled with green leafy vegetables.  Next time however, I'll probably look for other places next door.

Just Give Me A Reason

JUST GIVE ME A REASON

Pink featuring Nate Ruess

* photo from ryanseacrest.com

It's another bad case of the Last Song Syndrome (LSS).  Pink's song has been ringing in my ears for the past two days, and I can't get it out of my system.  Beautiful lyrics, amazing melody, fantastic duet!  I'm up all night!  Uh oh...

Senju

I had a quick lunch meeting at Senju, the Japanese restaurant of the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel. My teishoku was pretty expensive at P1,950 and this consisted of miso soup, rice, a few pieces of sashimi, the main course being a combination of grilled rib-eye wagyu, prawns, scallops and salmon.  The presentation wasn't really that nicely made, I had the impression that the dishes were scooped together by the school cafeteria.

The interiors of the restaurant are pretty bright, but to my recollection, this iteration is around 8 to 10 years old.  When the hotel opened in the mid-nineties, the Japanese restaurant was a mid-level brand of the Nishimura group, but probably by 2002, the local Shang executives decided to operate the restaurant themselves, re-opening it as the Senju.  I understand that other Shangri-la hotels still have the Nishimura franchise though.  I'd like to see top-notch Nishimura quality in Manila, something that my HK friends used to rave about.

Stella

Theresa had her birthday party at Stella's, a bistro at the Fort.  The restaurant prides itself with its wood-fire oven recipes, and when you arrive, the aroma of the open kitchen will greet you and probably make your tummy rumble.  The interiors are pretty neat and the predominant colors and furniture style will take you back to the sixties (just take a look at the way the trademark "Stella" is written).

Our meal was a hodge-podge of everything we took a fancy to.  Pizza, noodles, slow roasted pork, oven-baked chicken, prawns, belly ham, rib-eye, salmon--you name it, we got it!  I don't think I will be able to gorge this way again in a long time, we were absolutely stuffed. Wood-fire ovens have a certain aromatic effect on food, and depending on the kind of wood used, the results can be doubly divine or disastrously distasteful.  I think this restaurant has a clear handle on good food, and you can be sure that your P1,000 average food check will be well spent.

The sister bar is the Rocket Room, which carries a wide array of wines and alcohol drinks. We were there on a Sunday lunch, and the place was 80% full.  If you intend to bring a large group to dine, it is probably best to call in advance for reserved seats.

Kung Fu

"Snatch the pebble from my hand..."

In 1972, we went crazy over the television series Kung Fu, which starred David Carradine as the Chinese-American Shao Lin monk Kwai Chang Caine, who wandered around the Old American West doing good deeds for common folk while being chased by lawmen.  In the series, Caine's teacher was brutally killed by the Emperor's nephew, and in rage, Caine retaliated.  Forced to flee Imperial China for the United States, Caine began a long journey to find his next of kin, armed with only his fist-fighting techniques and his spiritual discipline. Kong Kong and I would wait for each episode like cult-fans and we'd watch each episode together, and he would occasionally interject stories from his childhood in China.  I remember I would try as hard as I could to imitate the Grasshopper and snatch the pebble from his hand (well, he was too fast and I couldn't get the pebble, except when he'd let me). In Chinese, the words "Kung Fu" literally means a skill that is acquired through hard work and constant practice, and Kong made sure that the adage "Practice Makes Perfect" would be drilled into my psyche.  It was a time of good father and son bonding, a time of enjoyment as well as learning.

Lots'a Pizza

I get to see stands of Lots'a Pizza at different supermarkets and groceries and I would instantly remember the classic homegrown 3M pizza of the seventies (now defunct).  Lots'a Pizza has multiplied over the past decade to almost 200 franchise outlets nationwide, and I am amazed at how resilient the local pizza chains are vis-a-vis the flashier foreign counterparts.  Out of curiosity, I recently had a 6" pepperoni pizza (P55) and I felt that while the pie was edible, it simply didn't have the oomph that 3M had.  Or its just because I was a kid then and everything tasted good?

Mama's Kitchen

Somebody gave Vicky a box of Mango Chewies by Mama's Kitchen of Iloilo.  This is pretty addicting, not too sweet, soft and chewy, just right to the bite. The taste of mango is present, but not overpowering at all. Maybe the next time I go to Iloilo, I will make it a point to visit their shop.

Obsolete Burn Ointments

Gwammy recently complained of puffy cheeks (apparently it was an insect bite), and Kongkong, Anita and I were quick to pull out some old medicine from her closet.  Somehow the conversation drifted to old burn medicines that Gwammy used to keep handy at all times--Butesin Picrate (Abbott) and Furacin (Smith Kline Beecham).  I understand that these medicines have long been taken off the shelves in favor of newer medicines that are safer (no harmful side effects).  I remember these two ointments were the wonder drugs for minor burns when I was a child, and were easily available as over-the-counter preparations.

Enting's

We were looking for a place to have Sunday lunch, and the lady at the front desk of the hotel suggested Enting's along Lacson St.  We were led to one of the air-conditioned nipa huts and the floor manager explained that the minimum charge for the use of the air-conditioner was P1,500, which was consumable.  Seafood indulgence--calamares en su tinta (squid), kalderetang kambing (goat stew), one kilo of pasayan (shirmps), grilled blue marlin and sauteed scallops.  Everything was tasty and came in steaming hot; we sat in silence, concentrating heavily on wolfing down every morsel.  The only dish that I wasn't happy with was the scallops; yes, it was fresh but the sauce was done sweet-sour style, which I'm not particularly fond off.  Our bill came something like P500 per head, which was on the high side for the province, but not bad compared to Manila prices.

Bar 21

We were pretty tired from the long drive from Sagay to our hotel.  I had just enough time for a cool shower, and we were ready for dinner by 7pm.  Our choice?  21 Bar and Restaurant, which is one of the classiest restaurants in town.  Turns out that a roast beef buffet was available at P400 per head--we just couldn't resist!  The Angus meat was quite soft and flavorful, the thin cuts were done Philly style, with a lot of mushroom sauce.  The meal came with appetizers, soup, salad and dessert, and I was able to go back more than a couple of times.  Note that I had used up all my energy in Carbin Reef, and the buffet dinner more than made up for all the calories that I had burned.

A few guys in the group were worried about heavy beef intake, and decided to feast on liempo, crispy pata and kare-kare instead.  I heard that the batchoy of the restaurant was very good, and was luckily able to mooch a hot steaming bowl of soup.  It was darn good, noodles were cooked al dente, liver slices were tender, chicharon bits were crispy.  I found the soup slightly salty, but I surmised that since I had only a few strands of noodles, this was not proportionately enough to completely absorb the taste of the soup.  Will I return?  Well, of course, hands down favorite!

Carbin Reef

Our Saturday adventure was a trip to Carbin Reef, a 25 minute banca ride from Sagay town. We left Bacolod at 8 am and took a 2 hour road trip to Sagay, so by the time we got to the sandbar, it was blazing hot!  You can see from the picture above that there was very little shelter from the sun.  I forgot to bring my rash guard, so despite the sunblock, I didn't dare take my t-shirt off (luckily I didn't burn too much).  But it was worth it.  This 32,000 hectare marine reserve is a jewel tourist spot--we went snorkeling and saw giant clams at 10 feet!  We were quite lucky to see this, our diver buddy told us that in most other dives spots around the Philippines, giant clams appear only at 80 to 100 feet.  Peaceful place, lots of grilled fish for lunch, great company--we were totally in sync with nature!

Aboy's

You can't go wrong with Aboy's.  This restaurant has been serving native dishes for some 20 years now, and the crowds that walk in are just unbelievable.  We made it a point to call in advance for reservations (we were a big group of 20 hungry people).  We had the works--grilled marlin, tuna belly, scallops, pork liempo, grilled squid.  Spent some P400 per head for a splendid feast!

The Ruins

If you are in Bacolod, take time to visit The Ruins.  There is a nominal entrance fee, charged basically for the upkeep of the place.  This old mansion was built in the early 1900s in grand Italian architecture (by a distant relative, I might add) and I can just imagine how stately it was, being located in the middle of a sugar cane field.  During the war, the house was burned by the local guerilla units and has remained as-is since that time.  The place is now a popular tourist spot, and on occasion, people rent the place for wedding receptions and other parties. True to form, there is an Italian restaurant on the premises, and this place serves authentic pizza (thin crust and bursting with flavors, exactly the way I like it).  They also have a jazz band playing right up to sunset, and their saxophone rendition of "My One and Only Love," popularized by John Coltrane brought shivers down my spine.  Yes, a beautiful sight, good food, and lovely music make you feel so re-energized!