Biyaheng Pinoy

the hidden korean place

2011-06-11T22:14:00.023+08:00

the hidden korean place is run by two young individuals both sharing the same passions and dreams. they're just amateur cooks that never studied the art of cooking. all they know was that they both loved to cook and eat. sharing the same interest, they've decided to open up a small business where guests can taste authentic home style korean food.

the place's actually a house that was turned into a food place. It was the peace and silence that they loved mostly about it. Why Hidden? It's basically because the place is hidden beneath the mango trees. It would be hard for you to find it without their sketch. Check our their food. read more...

bibimbab 비빔밥 (p200)

it comes from the korean words bibim (비빔) which means "MIX" and bab (밥) which means "RICE". this is one of the most famous korean dishes to foreigners because of its slightly spicy and sweet taste. colorful vegetables enhances its full taste. comes with side dishes. (photo's above this post)

bulgoki 불고기 (p250 beef/p200 pork)

Specially marinated barbequed sirloin beef seasoned with soy sauce, shiitake mushroom, sesame oil and some more spices. a pure joy one's palate. comes with rice and side dishes.

jjajangbab 자장밥 p200

don't let its appearance fool you. this is our jjajang rice, also called the black rice, topped with chopped cucumber, with black bean sauce, potato and some meat. a heavy meal for a very heavy eater. comes with side dishes.

kalbi 갈비 (p250 beef/p200 pork)

chunks of marinated beef rib, seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and sugar. made very spicy with hot pepper paste and powder. very tasty and full of surprises. comes with rice and side dishes.

odeng soup 오댕국 (p70)

boiled fish soup is a very simple dish, with flat boiled fish that tastes similar to filipinos' fish balls and seaweed. a little salty yet full of flavor. a perfect soup on a cold rainy night.

johnny rockets eastwood

2010-11-09T11:59:00.049+08:00

unlimited fries and ketchup with smiles by vena samson

the philippines has finally welcomed another internationally acclaimed hamburger chain that's been loved by the land and seafarers. since 1986, johnny rockets, the home of the "original hamburger".

after its first branch opened at melrose avenue in los angeles, succeeding branches almost everywhere in north america came followed by their worldwide branches in europe and middle east, not to mention their roving branches in the luxurious cruise ships of royal caribbean international. now, their first restaurant in asia is now serving here in the philippines at eastwood mall, libis, quezon city. so if you're craving for a hefty meal, on a hefty payday that's truly worth it, you must visit here. although their meals come in upscale prices, their food is good enough for sharing up to three persons making it just right for its price. read more...

johnny rockets' hamburger patties are a full 1/3 pound of fresh 100% pure beef, seasoned and grilled to order making it juicy and tasty but not oily. their meals are always served with "all-you-can-eat" french fries served fresh and hot in thick slices. you can choose to have onion rings or fresh vegetable salad (with a choice of honey mustard, ranch or thousand island dressing). here are some of the famous line-ups of johnny rockets hamburgers :

bacon cheddar double (p595) has two fresh patties, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, fresh tomato, and white onion that comes with a special sauce perfectly matching its overall taste. personally, this is the heaviest hamburger meal i've ever tried.

route 66 (p465) is named after the famous original u.s. highway, this burger is topped with swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms and grilled onions with mayonnaise. this became one of my favorites.

philly cheese steak (p395) is served on an authentic hoagie roll, this is thinly sliced sirloin steak topped with grilled onions and choice of cheese. you can choose to add grilled bell peppers and onions for an additional cost of p45. i recommend these add-ons because bell peppers are grilled just perfectly, very crisp and its sweetness really compliments the fresh taste of the grilled steak.

streamliner (p465) is the reason why vegetarians have no more excuses not to eat burgers. the streamliner is made of the original meatless boca® burger with grilled onions, lettuce, fresh tomato and pickles, smothered with generous mustard. no more guilt feeling for the health conscious ones.
johnny rockets is also known for their famous shakes and malts which are made with hand-dipped ice cream that's made especially for them.

root beer float (p175) you can also choose any soda pop and root beer. original shakes (p215) comes in hershey's® chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that is very creamy and comes with real fruit bits. deluxe shakes (p265) various flavors to choose from like oreo® cookies and cream, butterfinger®, strawberry-banana, mocha fudge, and chocolate peanut butter. must-have when you visit johnny rockets.

aside from those mentioned above: there are also 3 things that can never be missed during a visit to johnny rockets: 1) their all-american look, jukebox, lovely staffs wearing their theatrical clothes and authentic decors such as 60s-inspired posters and framed photos, and their diner style tables and chairs. 2) their authentic signature smiley ketchup that they serve to all customers. 3) and the dancing staffs strutting to the beat of the oldies every 30 minutes.

johnny rockets serves quality food and service in a friendly, fun and nostalgic atmosphere, with appetizing starters that can truly make you smile. you'll also have an enjoyable side-entertainment that goes with every meal that you order. johnny rockets is located at the ground floor of eastwood mall veranda. store hours at 10am-12am during sunday to thursday, and 10am-2am during fridays and saturdays. their 2nd philippine branch is now open in tomas morato, quezon city and they will be opening their 3rd branch at robinson's galleria very soon. thanks to the wonderful people of johnny rockets eastwood.

doña lydia's cafe lidia

2010-09-26T04:26:00.085+08:00

doña lydia never had imagined, not even in her wildest dreams that she would be getting herself into food business. she used to run an old shoe factory business, managing over a hundred eighty of her workers. hard to admit, shoe-making's a dying industry in marikina city. most of the small-time shoemakers in the city had stopped operating. not to mention the skyrocketing prices of shoe materials they imported from china.

so lydia, being this very optimistic and strong-willed person, she decided to venture on food business. she believed that when a door shuts, a window opens. so having zero-knowledge on how she would run it, she decided to ask her long-time friend, nelson tolentino, for his professional advice. so on 8th september, 2009, cafe lidia opened its doors to the public. they had only two chefs, one barista, and seven other workers. but it wasn't a happy ending yet. instead, it was just the beginning of this great story. read more...

just two weeks right after their opening, typhoon ketsana (also known as ondoy) made landfall to metro manila on september 26, 2009. a month's worth of rainfall in a single day washed away homes and flooded large areas of manila, pasig, and marikina. hundreds of people were killed and missing, thousands were left with no homes. it was the worst rainfall ever recorded in the history of metro manila. however, this didn't deteriorate lydia's spirits. instead, she faced all her problems with great courage and determination, she decided not to draw back. cafe lidia underwent an immediate facelift and soon attracted many hungry people of marikina. it became a perfect place for meeting people. it's where friends and families meet to talk and vent their sad stories on the recent event. lydia quickly noticed that more and more people were leaving her restaurant feeling better and relieved. only a year after their grand launching, cafe lidia has established its reputation as one of the best and top-rated restaurants in the city of marikina. here are the foods we've tried during our visit:

buffalo wings (p150) tender chicken wings flavored with their very special barbecue sauce, cooked until bright red. it also comes with its special tartar sauce. it is so affordable yet tastes so good.

pasta ala lidia (p135) is their house special. it has anchovies, olives, capers, tuna, and fresh tomatoes in olive oil. very delicious and sumptuous. quite a large serving of 200 grams. if you love shrimps, don't miss their spaghetti gamberini (p160), an unpretentious pasta dish, served with mushrooms, garlic oil, and shrimps. it also comes with garlic bread. simplicity at its finest. highly recommended.

pizza madam (p230) is a 12" thin crust pizza topped only with the freshest and best ingredients like cheese, pepperoni, ham, olives, bell pepper, and onion. baked until crust is deliciously crisp. good for 2 to 3 persons. pizza mama (p205) is an all-vegetable pizza, with bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, onion, eggplant, pineapple, and zucchini. don't forget to also try their house pizza special (p220) 12" thin crust pizza topped with pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushroom, onion, bell pepper, and pineapple.

grilled pork belly (p195) is a new entrée recently introduced from cafe lidia's kitchen, flavored with their own special barbecue sauce, java rice, carrots and green beans. the pork was terribly tender and tasty; quite satisfying.

lydia's fish and chips (p160) is a buttered deep-fried creamy dory fish, served with thick potato wedges and tartar sauce. whoever sees and tastes it will swirl in excitement and delight. share this light snack with a friend or family.

cafe lidia is one of my most favorite restaurants/cafés in marikina city. their coffees and cakes are served with the biggest smiles. aside from their excellent menu, they also give speedy services by their very friendly staffs. the interior is quite cozy and comfortable, with lighting so easy to the eyes. free wi-fi service is also given to all you facebook fanatics. bon appétit everyone.

we would like thank the following people for making this feature possible: doña lydia, mr. nelson tolentino (publicist and adviser), ms. grace malabonga (manager), and to the entire staff of cafe lidia. more power to you. visit them at #64 calderon street, calumpang marikina city; (02) 647-7606; cafe_lidia@yahoo.com.ph.

kopi kopi cafe and kitchen

2010-09-20T05:01:00.040+08:00

are you looking for a new and exciting place to eat and meet in rizal province? do you want to visit antipolo city but is too lazy to drive up to the mountains? you don't have to go far. try kopi kopi cafe and kitchen in cainta, rizal.

kopi kopi cafe and kitchen opened to the public on 18th july, 2010. it is located in the quiet suburbanized village called executive village. the lovely owner/manager, agnes francia, was so kind to invite biyaheng pinoy to visit her ever exquisite coffee shop. we didn't waste time and immediately planned our visit. we were really surprised upon knowing that it wasn't just your usual coffee shop; they also serve great foods. here are just some of the foods that we've tried: read more...

roasted pumpkin soup (p48). you don't have to wait for halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas only to savor this soup. at kopi kopi cafe and kitchen, they serve this all year round, so each meal is festive and special. this very creamy pumpkin soup topped with crouton is a nice change from your usual traditional soup recipes.

fresh garden salad with tarragon chicken (p98). it's used only with the freshest and crunchiest vegetables (lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes) and very tender tarragon flavored chicken. flavor's heightened with sprinkled parmesan cheese and specially made vinaigrette. eating veggies had never been this exciting.

bolognese spaghetti (p108). covered in rich tomato sauce, filled with slowly simmered and fried minced beef and sprinkled with grinded parmesan cheese. laborious method gave the sauce an authentic italian taste. perfectly matched with garlic bread. chopped parsley added for its finishing touch.

chicken burger ala francia (p88). a delicious sandwich, made of tender and mild chicken breast fillet covered with japanese breadcrumbs, deep-fried until golden brown. this could be your perfect snack. very tasty and satisfying yet light on your pocket. it comes with fries and light salad. it is best enjoyed with iced soda.

ginger garlic squid with panache (p178). this could be my highly recommended dish from kopi kopi cafe and kitchen. it is their pan grilled ginger squid. very flavorful, quite healthy and full of surprises. striking colors made this dish look so inviting. has slight hint of tangy lemon fruit. bon appétit everyone.

aside from the wonderful dishes mentioned above, they are also popular for their delicious cakes and very creamy coffees. we've tried a slice of their chocolate caramel cake (p68/slice) which i truly loved. the experience itself was pure divine and orgasmic, almost indescribable. texture was thick yet very smooth. not too soft, but just right. their black forest cake (p68/slice) was also very good. although i wasn't really a big chocolate fan, i was able to enjoy it so much.

kopi kopi cafe and kitchen doesn't just offer good food and good service. they also provide a very nice ambiance and free wi-fi connection to their customers. with all these things they're offering, what more could you ask for? big thanks to their very knowledgeable workforce, especially chef romy and chef james, our visit was both gratifying and unforgettable. they're open daily from 6:30am-12mn, located along village east avenue, executive homes, cainta, rizal; kopi.cafe@gmail.com; (02) 240-5068.

potipot island

2010-09-09T14:38:00.229+08:00

discovering the dreamer's island by vena samson

get·a·away: [géttə wày] noun: a short vacation or break, like a weekend trip.

a getaway isn't just about leaving; it is also an escape to a distant place from your usual activities. a short pause from your daily routine. for a working individual like me, a getaway is truly a marvel. that's why i called the place of my recent getaway, "the dreamer's island."

potipot island in zambales is probably one of the most beautiful island beaches in the philippines. we've chosen potipot island instead of puerto galera as the venue for our department's team building. it was a very long and tiring 6 hour drive from manila. normally, it should only take 5 hours to travel but even with maps, we still all got lost and so was our driver. we drove via sctex, then from sbma exit, it was still an estimated 2.5 to 3 hours of travel. read more...

we had driven through a number of towns which included san felipe, iba, and masinloc before we've reached the uacon beach, in a quiet town of candelaria, zambales. we saw numerous resorts which served as our passports to gateways to the island. we ended up choosing puerto del mar beach resort. for only a minimal entrance fee of p30, you can leave your car safely when you hop to the island. they have great amenities like air-conditioned rooms, cottages, videoke machines, toiletries, grills and cooking areas at affordable rates. they've also prepared the boats which we rode on our way to the island, for only p400 (round trip) where each boat could accommodate up to 6 people excluding the three bangkeros.

when we finally arrived to the island, we were so awestricken. the beach was so beautiful and all our jaws dropped upon seeing its crystal-like waters. it looked much like a man-made beach or swimming pool molded into perfection. it was also perfectly highlighted with the bright blue skies, puffy clouds, and the magnolia white sand which was just slightly darker in color than of boracay's. we were all like children again jumping in excitement, impatient to wait and to explore the rest of the island. it was like we've discovered a hidden treasure. it was really worth the long travel. however, another entrance fee of p100 must be paid upon getting there which included the use of their tables and benches. if you plan to stay overnight, they also have nipa huts that you can rent for only p500. the island already have toilet facilities and shower rooms, although i wasn't sure if they already have electricity since we didn't use any. we just stayed there the entire day.

the island has rich undeveloped areas, keeping the place mostly cool and shaded. our team building activity's perfect because there were only a few people visiting. this could be why the island has not much problem with protecting and keeping their place clean and unpolluted. we felt that we're the only people on earth.

as to my own opinion, i really loved my experience at potipot island. the beach was truly enjoyable and perfect for swimming with its fine sands and moderate waves. unlike other beaches which were rocky and shallow. you can dream of many things when you are in this island - better yet, you could bring a special someone, a love interest perhaps. potipot island's peaceful and stunning landscapes might transform your dream into a reality. it's truly amazing that our country has great hidden wonders, and moreover, we need not to drive out the city just to get to a place like this. in terms of money, it was a cost efficient trip. our getaway led all of us to dreaming and uttering the same thing that - we shall return.

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 1)

2010-08-25T19:18:00.020+08:00

marikina city is very popular for its shoe industry, clean streets, and orderly residents. but do you know that marikina city is also a food haven? so if you're from this city or living somewhere around the area, make sure you check this list as we take you to a grand food tour in search of the 30 most affordable food places in marikina city.

so here's the catch. we had to look for restaurants, bars, grills, cafes, canteens, and even turo-turos within the city just to find very affordable meals or dishes that you will surely like with prices ranging from php20 up to php100 only. anything that will exceed the suggested price range will not be included on our list. now this will be a very long list so we're going to divide this post in three parts. please keep on reading. you might find the food that you've been longing for. read more...

jojie's barbeque pork barbeque (p12) is sold daily along marcos cruz corner v. santos street, sto nino. i really like its simplicity. no tables, no chairs, just your good 'ol barbeque. special marinade gives extraordinary taste to their barbeque. try their balun-balunan (p9), isaw (p7), and special tenga (P10). opens daily at 4pm.

casa feliz cakes vida verde tea (p86) is a refreshing green tea with crispy pistachio wafer, topped with fresh seasonal fruits like kiwi. with chef jv in charged of their menu, no one can go wrong. they also offer pastas, pizzas, quesadillas, and other pastries. a big surprise tucked in the very quiet concepcion dos district; 933-6653.

mama chit's cheeseburger (p85) is very tasty and juicy. it's a good place to hangout with friends and family. stylish all-american theme cafe with mini slot machine, old posters of famous icons, and classic posters. also famous for their sandwiches, wraps and cold drinks. you may visit them at #234 jp rizal st, san roque; 646-8547.

marikeños fried chicken (p45) is just new yet is fast becoming popular because of its reasonable price and phenomenal taste. side dishes are only p20. burgers and pastas are also available. all you can eat chicken promo for only p169. i just love their logo. visit their store at #52 lilac st., concepcion dos; 407-4217.

dee coffee house nachos (p100) is quite a standout. it can be served to 2-3 persons, big enough to be shared with friends. foods are italian and mexican inspired specially prepared by mickey. one of their best sellers is their famous "coffee house" hamburger with chips (p60). come see them at #280 jp rizal st, san roque; 646-8549.

pan de amerikana waknatoy (p35) is one of the very reasons why pan de amerikana is so popular. it is a marikina dish, a must-try. they also serve everlasting (p120), good for 4 persons. tastes like embutido but placed in a llanera, thus resulting its shape. see them at #92 gen. ordonez st, concepcion dos; 475-2398.

cafe arabiscato pata-tim (p60) is an affordable lunch meal served with rice. an oriental food with pork pata, mushroom and mixed vegetables. they also offer breakfast meals, appetizers, grills, pastas, noodles, and others. popular live bands perform during weekends. catch them at #48 lilac st., concepcion dos; 475-0854.

locupleto cafe ham and cheese (p75) is served with chips and drinks. very affordable. it's light yet delicious and satisfying, try it. house specials include fish fillet, pastas, and pastries. they're located along toyota avenue; 386-2994. note: they will temporarily be closed for renovation. reopening will soon be announced.

cafe lidia chocolate paradaise (p85) is a very thick dark chocolate layers of sponge cake with a little hint of coffee and caramel, a perfect ending to a perfect meal. they're fast becoming the crown of calumpang. their huge menu is filled with salads, steaks, pastas, desserts, etc. # 64 calderon st; 647-7606.

bacolod chicken parilla inasal chicken (p80) is very tasty and oozing with juiciness. i could not count how many times i've eaten this. personal favorites include spare ribs, sizzling pork sisig, and the black sambo. their cheesecakes are also good. circle mall extension, marikina heights; 381-1199.

read part 2 of this article...
read part 3 of this article...

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 2)

2010-08-15T13:00:00.016+08:00

we would like to thank each and everyone of you for your overwhelming response to this feature. we never thought that a lot of you would be interested to this. we're so glad that you like it. please keep emailing to us your comments and recommendations so we can check other food places in this city. we 've also been featuring all these foods in our facebook fan page. you may click here to follow us, so you may participate in our discussions.

so without further ado, here is the 2nd part of this feature. we're featuring 10 more food places as part of our feature, 30 most affordable foods in marikina city. we hope that you will support these establishments as you support our website. you may click here to read the first part of this feature. read more...

lunchbox beef tapa (p35) is the conventional type (fried beef, rice, and egg), but what's special about this place is that their foods are super affordable. they also serve sandwiches, ice shakes, and pastas. try their double dutch ice shake for only p10. shoe avenue, infront of the municipal hall.

sweet maddie's avenue adobong pusit (p75) is served with rice and soup; very tasty. i could not remember the last time i've enjoyed my squid. it is both tender and a little sweet. delightful. you should also try their fresh lumpia, for just P35. #42 general ordonez, marikina heights; 466-2789.

johnny's fried chicken lumpiang shanghai (p40) is served with hot fried rice and drinks. i think it is safe to say that "the fried of marikina" is marikina's pioneer in chicken business. their chicken served hot and crispy. quarter chicken is only P81. they're located at w paz st, sta. elena; 682-0553.

kaypee indian restaurant chole bhature (p100) is a robust meal, new and exciting. consists of bhatoora, classic fried bread with yoghurt, dipped in chole, a slightly sweet spicy sauce with garbanzo beans, with 17 herbs and spices. also try chicken biryari and rose lassi (p60). #14a gil fernando ave.; 0905-226-3535.

macky's eatery tokwa't baboy (p28) is made up of small crunchy liempo bits, tokwa, and sweet sour sauce to add its finishing touch. other specialties are goto, pancit palabok, and ginataan na bilo-bilo. opens mondays to saturdays, 630am-630pm. #244 jp rizal, sta elena, near san roque church; 584-5684.

qizia cafe bacon and cheese with pesto and tomatoes sandwich (p75) has a pleasant pesto smell prepared with fresh veggies and crispy bacon. bread, toasted just right. served with chips. perfectly enjoyed with their strawberry smoothie. they're located along katipunan avenue, concepcion dos; 489-0760.

bite resto bar cheesy sushi (p75) is another must-try in marikina. tired of your usual sushi? not challenging enough? sushi fans would surely love this. don't miss to try their tokwa at tuna (p100), crunchy and healthy. just add some wasabi, soy sauce, and calamansi. opens daily 4:30pm. #90 gil fernando ave.; 682-8603.

lovellitos inasal pak-pak (p65) is probably one of the tastiest chickens in marikina. pak-pak meal consists of 2-pc chicken wing and garlic rice for only P65. other specialties are paesang dalag, pusit lumot, and crispy hito. opens mon-sun 10am-10pm . #378 de guangco st. near san roque church; 382-3808.

pap's diner sizzling beef salpicao (p60) is a festive treat of tender meat mixed with garlic, mushroom, young corn, onions, green chili and red bell pepper, and splattered with special sauce. served with rice and drinks. visit this hot food spot at #39 bayan-bayanan, concepcion uno; 572-7918, 542-7841.

oggo and jullz grill oj'z chicken wings (p80) is specially prepared by chef wendell, fried tender chicken wings coated with special barbeque sauce, oozing with juiciness. it's the chicken with a different twist. presentation's very impressive. also available, oj'z red iced tea (p35). #727 jp rizal st, lamuan; 227-6869.

read part 1 of this article...
read part 3 of this article...

30 most affordable foods in marikina (part 3)

2010-08-10T15:50:00.054+08:00

doing this comprehensive list of 30 most affordable foods in marikina city was something we have never imagined doing. it was no easy task. we never thought that it would be possible for us to visit all of them. we were skeptic at first but because of our determination and the persuasive powers of our readers, we were able to pull it off. the result was so great and overwhelming. so before we give you the last part of our list, let me also inform you all that we are currently planning on organizing a food tour in marikina city. our aim is to promote the city's food industry and to help boost its tourism. we hope that you will support this event. please regularly check our invitation for more updates and information. this event is an open invitation to all your food lovers.

again, we would like to thank our avid readers for giving us your suggestions. we also thank the following food establishments for helping us accomplish this enormous feat: 3 bears restaurant, bacolod chicken parilla, bite resto bar, boy yoghurt, boyong's buffet, cafe arabiscato, cafe lidia, casa feliz cakes, dee coffee house, estela's goto, johnny's fried chicken, jojie's barbeque, kaypee indian restaurant, krung thai, locupleto cafe, lovellitos chicken inasal, lunchbox, luyong's restaurant, macky's eatery, mama chit's, marikeños fried chicken, mexiquina's bar and restaurant, oggo and jullz grill, pan de amerikana, pap's diner, pic a pie bakeshop, pot-ling, qizia cafe, red paint bar, and sweet maddies avenue. let's all supporting these wonderful entrepreneurs. i dedicate this article to my loving grandmother. read more...

pot-ling pancit luglog (p15) is one of their best sellers in this carinderia style place in parang. they're quite popular in their area because of their delicious food but super affordable. kare-kare with rice and soup is just p35. they also serve other lutong bahay like kare-kare and sisig. #32 ml quezon street; 0920-8396533.

mexiquina's bar and restaurant crispy tawilis (p70) is a perfect spicy pulutan garnished with onions and hot chilis. also try their amazing buffalo wings (p150), while you drink booze, and listen to their cool music. opens daily at 5pm. located along ming ramos street, sta elena. tell them you've read about them here.

boy yogurt frozen yogurt (p40) with fresh bananas, topped with dried mango bits and graham. just add P5 for additional toppings. rainy days are here to stay yet it's still not too late to have this cold hearty treat. they also offer ice cream crepe for a sweet tooth like me. they're located at #115 a mabini street, san roque; 646-7428.

estela's goto special goto (p20) is a very popular goto in marikina city since 1973. not oily and has a garlicky taste. truly marikina. make sure you visit them. personal favorites are saba con yelo (p10), lumpiang ubod (p25), and tokwa't baboy (p20). opens daily from 8am-7pm. #21 villalon street, sto nino; 0918-5515156.

boyong's everlasting (p30/slice) is always present during marikina family events and occassions, thus explains its name. they're celebrating 12th year in business. must try their pastas, waknatoy (p40), burgers, and korean barbeque (p40). opens mondays to saturdays 6am-5pm. #13 e dela paz st, san roque; 682-0403, 682-5615.

3 bears restaurant papa bear's sisig (p99) is a lechon kawali placed on a sizzling plate, with special gravy that only they can offer. skin was very crunchy; meat so tender and juicy. we also recommend their longsilog ala vigan (p49), and fish and fries (p89). they're located at #8 saint mary avenue, provident village; 369-8430.

pic a pie bakeshop ensaimada (p17) is both a perfect snack and dessert to all ages. make sure you visit them early in the morning because they run out of them quickly. they're also famous for their sansrival and very affordable silvanas (p11). they've moved to their newer location at #4k e. jacinto street, sto nino; 515-0053.

red paint bar sizzling scramble (p90) is egg omelet mixed with sliced onions and hotdogs, placed neatly on a sizzling plate. enjoy this while drinking beer and listening to cool music or while playing billard with your friends. try their crispy tenga (p125). they're located at #114 a. bonifacio avenue, tanong; 482-1672.

krung thai fried rice (p99) is mixed with shrimps, onion, and other fresh veggies, perfect with egg, cucumber and calamansi. they serve the best thai tea (39) here. tom yam (p150) is good for 2 persons. overflowing with hot spicy goodness and taste of fresh seafoods. marcos cruz st. corner wc paz, sta elena; 646-4041.

luyong restaurant miki bihon with lechon (p160/3 persons) is loaded with fresh veggies and juicy lechon kawali chunks. they've been around since 1974. the most popular restaurant in marikina city. try their sweet and sour pork (p150), and lumpia shanghai (p150). shoe avenue, sto nino; 941-4872, 942-0740.

read part 1 of this article...
read part 2 of this article...

the adarna food and culture restaurant

2010-07-21T02:11:00.384+08:00

when business partners chef giney villar and beth angsioco decided to open up a business in 2007, they knew right from the start that it's going to be a filipino restaurant, but what kind of filipino food they will serve, they hadn't decided yet. they thought it should be historical, regional, and heirloom. but why is that? traditional ingredients are hard to be sourced, methods are laborious, and most young people prefer american, japanese and european food.

"some people say that filipino food cannot compete globally. it's not thai, vietnamese, or japanese food," said chef giney. she thought that filipino food is very interesting because of our colorful history: 300 years of spanish influences. she thought that our rich history, culture, and even the political changes had molded and changed on how we prepare our food. "filipino food cannot be anything but interesting," she continued. read more...

chef giney and beth had to do an extensive research on regional foods before opening up their business. they later found out that a lot of heirloom recipes were handed down by families that had long traditions of doing things in a particular way. some were even recorded and chef giney tested them herself. some had no record of the recipes so she had to recreate them by gathering as much information as she could possibly get and tried to replicate them based on the memories of the family. since they had the opportunity to travel locally, they had tasted many regional foods in the philippines and that is how they've come up with their restaurant. they would like to think of it as their own little contribution to filipino pride.

visiting the adarna food and culture restaurant was like a walk down memory lane for me. every part of the place was filled with historical paraphernalia, each with great stories to tell. i really loved the great details the ceilings and the walls have. it's like a local museum because of the things in it and the warm lighting, but has a homey feeling where you can meet and eat with your families and friends. chef giney was very nice and accommodating. she greeted us with a very big smile and a firm handshake, along with her very friendly and courteous staffs.

chef giney villar grew up in sta. cruz manila. she's also a writer and she was a development worker for books. she took up diploma in culinary entrepreneurs course at the american hospitality academy, makati city. interesting food for her are in basilan, sulu, tawi tawi. they're different and they're using various spices. she also liked bulacan and pampanga foods because of their wealth of the available ingredients, coupled with spanish-chinese influences. she had been to so many places in the philippines like kalinga, apayao, isabela, cagayan, nueva ecija, quirino, and nueva viscaya, just to name a few. the biggest compliments she had received on her food came from the old people when they told her that it's how they'd remember it. she's not afraid to ask her clients if the food was good. she would always make sure that she only makes authentic quality food that people will like. below are just some of the dishes we've tried:

sigarilyas salad with bagnet bits. a manila convent recipe, with winged beans, onion, and tomato dressed in a citrusy vinaigrette, topped and sprinkled with ilocos bagnet. i really liked the crunchiness of the vegetables, also the slight sweet and sour taste of vinegar. highly recommended.

camarron rebosado. this is the filipino version of the japanese tempura. it's big shimps rolled and coated with flour, deep fried until golden brown. served with sweet-sour dip with honey texture, a very classy touch. this was adarna's sweet adaptation of this classic recipe and a great treat to the palate.

leyte humba. unlike estufado, this one was made with chinese pork liempo chunks, cooked until tender and gummy in a sweetish soya sauce with spring onions, banana blossoms, black beans, shallots, and spices. peanuts and fried saba give texture and chinese sweetness to this delightful masterpiece.

piassok. this is a sulu native dish, beef chunks gradually cooked in smoked coconut cream milk until tender buttered and grilled and sliced before serving. i really loved the presentation, awash in vibrant reds, greens and oranges. very inviting. this is a great dish for all you gata lovers.

adobong batangas. this was shared by a granddaughter of a prominent family from batangas city. i'm an adobo fan and this was my favorite adarna dish. the taste of the onion leaves compliments its strong garlicky taste. unlike your conventional adobos, surprisingly, this one has no soy sauce.

plantanillas with mangoes. it was my first time to try this. a pastillas cream-filled mango crepe, made of egg yolk, flour and sugar, topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. so mouth-watering and sweet. a killer. this dessert originated in pampanga, the food capital of the philippines.

the adarna food and culture restaurant doesn't just serve good food. they also encourage filipino tranditions and culture. dining in this fine restaurant surely strengthens one's patriotism and love of country. visit them at 119 kalayaan avenue, diliman, quezon city. more photos

usapan with jimmy bondoc

2010-07-07T13:37:00.158+08:00

jimmy bondoc is one of today's premiere philippine musical artists. he's quite notable for his smash hit song "let me be the one." he's a singer, composer, and also a producer, rolled into one single stardom. at an early age of 35, he had already recorded six albums, which contained mostly original compositions. he is currently promoting his newest album called "ang mahiwagang bisikleta at ang huling makata" which to him, is his most personal album to date.

meeting jimmy for the first time was something i've never imagined. i would have to thank my friend, paolo santos (a fellow sabado four) and his wife jiji, for being so nice in introducing me to jimmy. paolo invited me to come to one of his gigs along timog avenue in quezon city for a short meeting about our interview. he said jimmy's coming over to watch the show, so he might as well introduce me to him to be interviewed. no one knew that it was the start of a good friendship. read more...

paolo just finished singing his first set. i was so shy to come to paolo's table so i texted him, told him that i was inside the bar already. he told me to approach him and his wife at a table near the stage. i soon realized that jimmy was already with them. i was warmly welcomed by paolo and jiji. jimmy quickly followed with a brisk but tight handshake together with a very big smile. he was actually very nice and humble contrary to what i was expecting. it wasn't too hard to ask for a cd autograph from him. immediately for some reason, i felt that i was in the right kind of group and that i belonged.

amidst the loud music, bright lights, and mild smoke, jimmy and i talked about his music, while he was drinking a glass of his favorite red wine. he was so excited to tell me about his upcoming indie album, at the moment i did not know the title yet. but he sounded so happy just thinking of it. he promised that he will give me a preview of his newest album.

offstage, he's just a regular person that loves his family, eats out, and meets friends. he's not into glamour or fashion and stays happy wearing his regular white shirt, black jeans, and shoes. he also tells jokes which i really loved the most. but onstage, when he plays his guitar and starts to sing, he's a star. i remember the first time i heard him sing in person that night, he sang a rendition of side a's pangako. his voice was like harmonica to my ears. his eyes were sparkling with feelings, almost palpable. through his performance, i could see his soul and i knew that through his music, he's an honest person. several meetings after with jimmy and we became really good friends.

mahiwagang bisikleta, just like his previous albums is a musical journey of jimmy's personal life. listening to his songs is like looking through the windows of his soul. it will let you know him better, as a person and as an artist. i'm very proud to say that i am a living testament of the exceptional musical artistry of the musikero man, jimmy bondoc. his current album is now available. you may order thru us (info.biyahengpinoy@gmail.com) or thru musikero100. jimmy has a regular gig at party avenue every monday nights at 9pm. click here or here or here to listen to a preview of mahiwagang bisikleta.

struck by zambales

2010-07-06T11:12:00.026+08:00

a visit to capones island, anawangin cove and nagsasa cove

by: carlo morales

the beauty of traveling is that you get to experience a whole different thing from what you normally do and bask in the afterglow that follows a most memorable journey. every once in a while, you are likely to visit a place that does not only bring out the goodness in a friendship but also provides a wonderful moment to discover god's artistic design of nature. when a friend invited us on a trip to zambales, i didn't hesitate knowing that part of my bucket list is to explore the whole world around. he mentioned the place's name, anawangin but the name didn't really stick to my head simply because it didn't even ring a bell.

i was half-excited knowing it would be my 2nd trip this summer after spending holy week in bukidnon. it was carefully planned by my friends, all we needed was to contribute php1500 each, which covers pretty much everything (food, transportation back and forth, entrance fee, boat ride, etc). we were a group of 12 so maybe that explains why it sounded cheap.

since i wasn't really hands on with the preparations and its sort, I did a little research to give myself something to expect. anawangin cove is by far one of the most popular destinations for campers and beach-goers alike. the cove faces the south china sea and surrounded by mountains of rocks theoretically known to be formed by ages of volcanic activities in the past. what really got stuck on my head was the fact that the cove was still not covered by electricity and cellular networks as well. no hotel rooms, no spas and gimiks, no rides such as parasailing and zorbings. it's simply a hidden cove. upon knowing this, i knew it would be an adventure in the making. read more...

we departed from manila early saturday morning for a 4-hour land travel trip to olonggapo city, where we alighted and transferred to another bus which transported us to san antonio, zambales. then from san antonio, we rode on a short tricycle ride going to pundaquit, a small fishing village considered to be the best jump-off point if you want to visit the camara island, capones island and anawangin cove since it is the closest shores to these destinations. here we were warmly welcomed by the locales, treated us as their very valued guests. if you’re planning to have an overnight stay at the cove and you forgot to bring your own tent, then it's best to rent from them. we were able to haggle for a tent good for 4 persons at the best price of php300 only. Not bad.

capones island, anawangin and nagsasa cove can only be reached by a ferry ride from a small town called pundaquit, where you can ask fisherman folks to carry you around. usually it comes in a package so you'd better group yourselves into four per boat. the sea was a little bit wavy so it feels like a roller coaster ride. but the experience was unwaveringly fun. the boat ride was ecstatic as we simply danced with the waves. our first stop was capones island, known for its haunted stories surrounding the famous lighthouse. the view from this island was simply spectacular and breathtaking. we had lunch at the island and later on decided to stroll around the place. too bad we weren’t able to visit the famous light house because it was believed that snakes were out on the ground due to extreme hot weather. although it was extremely hot, a lot of the tourists were never bothered to be kissed by the sun. we also had fun basking under the heat. who wouldn' if the place was as beautiful as the one you see above.

we took a short ferry ride going to anawangin cove. from afar, it simply looks like boracay island with a mountainous backdrop. but when we got closer, it was heaven to our eyes. it was beautiful and exquisite in its grandeur. the place is different in its own way, a mixture of white sand and volcanic ashes covers the land and a beautiful lagoon artistically decorated with pine trees added flavor to the picturesque view. we were truly captivated by such splendor and all we can say is, “philippines is just so blessed. everybody needs to see and admire this." we were like a bunch of excited kids thrilled to stroll around the cove with nothing much but extreme enthusiasm and unspoken delight.

since anawangin cove at that time was a little bit overpopulated, we opted to stay at a neighboring cove at nagsasa cove, which bears more or less a lot of resemblance to anawangin. still a boat ride ferried us to the other cove for another 30 minutes. it’s best to bring towels or sarong to protect your skin under the sun. don’t forget to sprinkle some sunscreen protector as the sun rays might get a little too hefty on the skin. as expected, nagsasa cove was as beautiful as anawangin. the place's perfect for amateur photographers or for lovers perhaps. every part of it spells abundance. it’s a gift to us so it’s a wishful desire on my part to ask visitors to leave no dirt on these beautiful coves. let’s help preserve its bounty and beauty so our future children will get to have the splendid opportunity to bask around these coves. part of our itinerary was to visit a falls uphill. it was just a short walk from the mainland part of the nagsasa cove. although the sun was blooming at full set, it was definitely worth the trip. one of the best part of the trip what that we had a wonderful opportunity to interact with the cove’s locales, the Aetas.

it was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience for all of us. sad to say the government wasn't doing much to promote such magnificent tourist attraction. i've tried asking my fellow officemates if they’ve ever heard of anawangin, but none of them ever did. well, only the adventurous and the seekers will always get the price and the experience i've had in these islands and coves was simply priceless, till now while writing, it still stirs something in me --- something immeasurable, in vast unspoken ways, and leaves unforgettable memories long after the trip had concluded.

the san isidro pahiyas festival

2010-06-26T07:48:00.149+08:00

i've been planning to visit lucban, quezon for its annual celebration called the san isidro pahiyas festival for years. twelve months ago, me and my family visited real, quezon for a swim but totally forgot about the fiesta after a very disappointing occurrence. however, i was having itchy feet again and felt that i really shouldn't miss one of the country's biggest festivals in the historic and humble town of lucban, quezon.

the pahiyas festival is held every 15th of may. it is a day of vibrancy, creativity, color, and bounty. it is the only time of the year when locals try to outshine their neighbors in a friendly yet competitive way by putting up colorful decorations onto their houses with their abundant produce like vegetables, fruits, and local delicacies. about a month ago before our lucban trip, a good friend and elementary buddy, aldwin, invited us to visit his hometown. he said he will be visiting lucban during fiesta as part of his month-long vacation from his work in singapore, and said that he's quite willing to become the host in our stay. me and vena didn't waste time and started to prepare for our trip. we've also invited some old friends from elementary to join us. read more...

we left manila at 10pm, a day before the festival. our friend host, aldwin, advised us that it would be better if we'd leave manila early to avoid getting stucked in traffic. we took the alternate route via lucena, and it only took us 3.5 hours. i remember us passed by hacienda escudero in lucena and kamayan sa palaisdaan in tayabas. we arrived in lucban at 3am. it was still dark but there were many people walking on the streets. it was chilly when we got off our vehicle at the plaza de la revolucion, also known as rizal park. we instantly noticed pavino's broas shop near rizal patio which was closed at the moment. we wandered around the plaza for a bit while waiting for our friend host to show up. thirty minutes later, we've met him in the plaza. he said he dozed off while waiting for us. he took us to their new house and talked about our lives until the break of dawn.

it was only 5 in the morning but i was too eager to look around the town. our local tour guide, aldwin, took us to our first stop: lucban church. inspired by baroque and castillian architecture, it was originally built in 1595 and it was ruined in 1629 while the current church was completed in 1738. during our visit to the church, it looked so festive. there were people everywhere, fiesta banners above our heads, stores all around us selling everything, from food to clothes to just about anything. next stop is eker & ely's where they sell local pasalubongs. although they have a great selection of local delicacies, still their bestseller is their very famous lucban longganisa. unlike the vigan's, lucban longganisa are quite red because of paprika. they've also added dried oregano, rock salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, and of course, garlic, lots of it. it was only 6 in the morning but still many people were lining up to buy their sausages. my friend told me we'd come back to buy them but i insisted in buying them right then. i don't want to lose my chance to try it. when visiting lucban, make sure you also drop by their public market. best time to visit is early in the morning. you will see so many locals buying their food for their families for the day. you will also get to see interesting things in the market like souvenirs and local products. also try their sinukmani (rice cake) and pancit habhab. you will surely find that everywhere in lucban. don't forget to check their cemetery. just ask a local which cemetery is closest to the church. we've checked it and it surely was a great photo op. we took really nice photos of the cemetery.

we've checked the beautiful houses all dressed up like princesses. we've looked everywhere, it was like mardi gras. houses were decorated with attractive kipings, made from ground rice, dried, cut, and colored like leaves. arangya (chandeliers made with kipings) were also hung in their windows. the parade started late at 4pm. it was an hour-long parade consisted of carabaos, floats, local beauties, marching bands, dancers, and more. it was all loud, fun, and merry. people were nice and the food was so good. we've received invitation after invitation from different houses. i've even recognized an old friend from manila that actually has a house in lucban. it was my very first pahiyas festival and it was all worth the time. more photos

usapan with vehnee saturno

2010-06-08T22:41:00.051+08:00

vehnee saturno (aka venancio saturno) is now on his 30th year in the music business as a very successful songwriter. he had composed over 500 songs, and brought countless artists to stardom with his monster hit songs. he had helped singers like martin nievera, randy santiago, jaya, sarah geronimo, and others to attain their biggest dreams. he is very much respected and a mentor to all aspiring filipino songwriters and music arrangers.

i had been a fan of vehnee since i was a kid. i used to be one of those musical kids in the 80's dreaming to become a singer. i would always be so thrilled when friday comes and i would buy a copy of a songhits magazine (a local song magazine) at a nearby newspaper stand and sing all of its songs thru the weekend. i'd often see vehnee's name on the song credits and admire his great distinctive talent. that's why i was quite static upon receiving his email telling me about his interest to meet for a personal interview. me and delia were invited to visit vehnee's fully refurbished office. they've moved from their old office in balete drive, to their current office in new manila, quezon city. we were so delighted to get a glimpse of his workplace. read more...

vehnee came from a very humble family. they're ten in the family. his father was a farmer and a carpenter, while his mother was a housewife and a tindera. there was no specific person that had inspired him with his songs, although he could say that it was mainly poverty that pushed him to do his best. he didn't want to be like his father, a farmer all his life, not that it's a bad thing. he said, "kaya sabi ko sa mga anak ko na mag-aral silang mabuti. kasi yung may pinag-aralan, daig pa ng kahit anumang kayamanan."

he'd always wanted to be a journalist but never had the chance to finish his college. he'd also tried advertising but he wasn't lucky enough. he joined the philippine air force right after high school. he had worked part-time in a photocopying shop for 7 straight years. scared of doing the same boring job for the rest of his life, he'd decided to quit his job and went back to his first passion: songwriting. vehnee's parents thought that music will not put food on the table. inspite of their discouragements, vehnee continued to pursue his dreams to become a composer. two years after, he competed in the 1982 metro pop music festival. then in 1983, then newcomer singer, martin nievera sang vehnee's metro pop song "be my lady," and the rest was history. "well, classic, until now. may joke nga na yung kantang yun, yun daw yung sumunod sa 'my way' at dapat bago mo kantahin, humingi ka ng lisensya kasi baka mabaril ka. nakakatuwa kasi that song was also personally selected and recorded by matt monro" showing us a photo of him working with monro in 1983.

one of my most favorite songs he'd written was a song of ted ito called "maghintay ka lamang." the song was originally entitled "blue sky" and he shared a short story of how it was made. "i need to come up with another idea," vehnee told ted. "hindi ko type yung theme kasi ng kanta. tungkol kasi sa kalikasan. sabi ko, may mas maganda pang kuwento dito para mas ma-motivate yung mga tamad." some of ted ito's songs were actually taken from japanese melodies and vehnee and some other lyricists added more feelings to them by changing them into filipino. "ted ito was the only artist na nagrelease ng album na hindi nakaranas na magpromote at lumabas sa tv" he proudly added. ted ito's first album hit 8 times platinum, and it sold nearly 350,000 copies in the philippines alone.

so what can he say about today's music piracy? "wala, ngingitian mo na lang yun. unless, we do the same thing as china. some websites are prohibited to be opened in china like youtube, limewire, twitter, and facebook. if our country would do the same, then piracy will be somehow controlled. thus our public will be encouraged to buy original cds," vehnee said.

he believes that we filipinos mostly love ballad music. we wanted to be the subject or at least be incorporated in the songs. the words should be honest and timely. we also love novelty songs but unfortunately, vehnee doesn't do that. when i asked him how willie revillame approached him to compose him a song, he said, "basta nilapitan lang ako ni willie, then sinabi niya sa akin na gumawa daw ako ng kantang love song para sa mga pinoy. di niya ako pinapagawa ng upbeat para hindi kami magkaroon ng problema ni lito camo. si lito, hindi naman siya pinapagawan ni willie ng love songs. so pinoprotektahan kami ni willie. maganda ang ginawa niya. nung ginawa ko yung kantang 'kung para sa yo,' naramdaman namin yung masa, mukhang pasok eh."

vehnee already has everything. fame and fortune, friends, and a loving family. just when you thought he would need nothing else in life, "well, of course, meron. hindi naman mauubusan yun. siyempre, gusto kong ibalik sa iba yung nangyari sa akin, makatulong sa mga songwriters. of course yung mga aspiring singers, tulungan nating maipasok sa industriya. kasi, wala nang mahihingi pa. yung biyayang binigay sa akin ng nasa taas, hindi naman sobra sobra, pero tama lang, para masabi mo na fulfilled ka being a songwriter. yung respeto, tapos yung popularity being a writer, at yung appreciation ng mga listeners" he said sincerely.

when asked to give advice to his fans, he said these very inspiring and rational words, "walang hinto ang songwriting. hindi siya yung pag nakagawa ka ng isang kanta, eh iyon na lang ang magiging baby mo at don ka lang nakaconcentrate. keep on writing songs. huwag maging pusong mamon. if your songs got criticized, just listen to all their feedbacks. sundin mo yung hinihingi ng record company hindi lang sa gusto mo, kung saan ka lang masaya. kasi maling attitude yun. gawin mo yung gusto ng record company kasi don ka kikita."

recently, vehnee participated at the 11th asia new singer competition 2010 held in beijing, china. his song won first place, outshining 32 other participants from 18 countries. ms. lordenn panganiban who interpreted his song "within" also won first place. vehnee's music are powerful, filled with emotions, soulful. they're written straight from the heart. his songs were written for philippines' biggest and shiniest stars. most composers are overshadowed by their singers, but not vehnee. he is a star on his own. there is only one vehnee saturno, and it has been a great honor we've met. more photos

casa feliz cakes

2010-05-30T02:58:00.026+08:00

a sweet place in marikina by vena samson

chef jv of casa feliz is the brain of their pastry and menu list. he finished his course on culinary arts at the university of cebu. his favorite chef's anthony bourdain of the travel program called "no reservation." though he became popular in this restaurant, being praised for his creations, he's generous enough to even extend his assistance by also being a waiter that served the meals to the customer's table. in spite of this, he didn't want his face to be the first image to get recognized in their restaurant. he wanted it to be known without needing his name to be associated to it. after our great meal at casa feliz, we could say that whether you're a spanish or a filipino, it is guaranteed that a visit to this place would be a happy eating experience. read more...

chef jv started off with the star of the house, a slice of their famous "vida verde tea" or the green tea pistachio sans rival cake. he said that he's inspired by his friend that once said "eat desserts first". though he didn't elaborate it that much, personally, i thought it meant that the best things should not be kept waiting. with just the right amount of texture and sweetness on the icing, crunchiness of pistachio nuts, and the slight chewiness when you bite the layers of its crust, this is truly a mouth-watering dessert. and not just all that. atop of it were fresh slices of kiwi fruit, a seasonal and imported fruit that proved that it's their masterpiece. their pistachio nuts were supplied by a known company in the country. it's best served during breakfast and it's perfectly matched with a cup of hot espresso or cappuccino. aside from this, their bakeshop's also offering the delicious banana crema pie and their own version of cheese cakes (quezo real) with several toppings to choose from.

the casa burger was served along with crispy french fries. a very great afternoon snack. chef jv told us that even the bread (whole-wheat) used for the burger was baked fresh in their bakeshop. he made the bread unique by combining the familiar sesame seed characteristics of a hamburger bun with a pandesal's rough powdery crumbs on top of it. the patty used for the burger had a bit of sweetness like that of chorizo blended evenly with the peppery taste. the crunchy veggies also complement well with the special dressing. this dish will be best enjoyed by teenagers and also kids. there were also some other varieties of sandwiches to choose from.

the casa dillas (quesadillas) and the nachos salad were the newest addition to casa feliz's menu. aside from the casa dilla's smoked effect on its tortilla, you can really taste the richness of its tomato filling and toned down with the strong flavor of the sprinkled romano cheese. it was deliciously paired with salsa and tartar sauce dips. the nachos salad's also a winner with its delicious chili con carne, a generous drizzle of cheese sauce with sprinkles of fresh tomato bits. the nachos were placed on fresh lettuce to make it a healthier salad snack.

chef jv created a wide variety of pasta dishes, one of which was the pesto aligue. and when you say spanish, it meant you'd have to have arroz (rice). rice meals with tapa (beef), chicken, and even barbecue were also available at reasonable prices. and most importantly, aside from being delicious, all dishes were presented nicely with quite impressive garnishing and art. as a customer, you can feel that your meal was truly made with knowledge and effort.

casa feliz opened its doors to the public on january 2008. it is currently owned and managed by chef jv villareal and his sister, ms. janet villareal. they came from a family with a spanish origin, which explains the concept of their restaurant. their brother's both deaf and mute. it's the main reason why their restaurant employed deaf and mute people, one way to show their support to their physically challenged friends. related posters and guide to basic sign language (a to z) were displayed on their walls and on top of the tables to inform the customers. you may recognize one of them by checking if he/she is carrying a writing board. this is truly something to be proud of.

visit them at 95 rainbow st., hacienda heights, concepcion dos, marikina city . email them at casafelizcakesnpastries@gmail.com. so you want more photos?

the adarna house publishing

2010-05-23T17:18:00.119+08:00

the adarna house publishing is the country's leading publisher for children's storybooks. they have helped inspire us and our kids by encouraging us to think big, be creative, and use our imaginations to the fullest extent. they have published about 400 book titles in a span of more than 30 years since they've started. in addition to their publishing, their advocacy is to give support to non-goverment organizations, groups, and volunteers that give books to less fortunate children. read more...

ms. vanessa estares, marketing officer of adarna house was so nice in answering all our questions during our visit to their showroom in quezon city. she showed us their books, their ongoing children's workshop on story writing, and of course, their office. she said, "in 2007, cartoon network conducted a children's survey about kids' popular activities. it appeared in the survey that book reading was on top of the survey, then internet surfing only came second. but in 2009, internet became the most popular activity for kids. so, it is saddening."

now that we're living in this digital age, everything can now be downloaded from the internet for free. music, movies, and literatures are becoming more and more expensive, and that could be one of the reasons why we're so tempted to just download them. how does adarna cope with this kind of ordeal and how do they get their money back to continue with their production? "we have loyal friends like unicef and other private groups regularly buying massive discounted books from us and they donate them to day care centers. also, i think even if there is this hype about digitization on our reading materials, i don't think that picture books would go to that direction, mainly because it is for kids. you don't give ipads or computers to children for reading. they use those mainly for gaming, but not for reading."

adarna house publishing got its name from a mythical bird but why is their mascot a mouse deer? "ang hirap kasing gawan ng costume ang ibon (laughs)," vanessa said. "we chose pilandok (the mascot's name) because he is one of the best-loved characters in adarna and also because of his fun and playful character. sometimes, people would mistake him as a dog or a rat but he is actually a mouse deer. (laughs again)"

vanessa said that the best way for us, bloggers, to help adarna is by simply doing a book review. "because it's what we do if we like to look for a good read. if i like to look for a good book on dragons, then i'd look for a book review on books about dragons. if the review's good, then i would really look for that and buy it from the store. i'm not saying that you should only do book reviews of adarna house, but all filipino book reviews in general. kasi marami talagang maganda, hindi lang adarna," she humbly said. i even thought of becoming a dealer for adarna books if possible to help them with their advocacy, but vanessa said doing book reviews will bring in better book sales than actually selling them. "yes, you can be a dealer, pero mas okay pa rin ang book review, mas malalaman ng mga readers na maganda ang book. instead of hearing from someone say, 'this is a good book, come buy this,' di ba?"

it is truly amazing how adarna house books have truly evolved through the years. it's still vivid in my memory, i was only in my first grade in my primary school when i've read my first adarna book entitled "ang kamatis ni peles" about a lazy grasshopper. the picture in the book cover was embedded in my head. not only their books have evolved, but also their stories and their illustrations. "we're known for developing books that have unique but meaningful themes. kunyari, we have books on autism, parents seperation, child abuse, overpopulation, and even death" vanessa said. adarna books are not just for kids. they also publish books for the grown-ups, like me. they have books on storytelling for pre-school teachers, toys and games for people that would like to make toys inside the classroom, and also about parenting.

our feature on adarna was inspired by our our wish to encourage our young people to read more books. reading gives nourishment to our brains. reading exercises our imagination and also our emotions. reading quenches our thirst for knowledge and clears our minds. it is because nothing beats the old fashion reading. buy a book everyone.

adarna house publishing is located at the 2nd floor of fss bldg, 20 scout tuason cor. scout castor sts., bgry. laging handa, quezon city.

the animal kingdom foundation

2010-05-07T00:22:00.046+08:00

biyaheng pinoy meets asong pinoy by vena samson

for quite sometime, the word "askal" has been the term used for mongrels or strays. they are the ones with no exact origin or breed (mixed breed), usually seen roaming on the streets. derived from two filipino words "aso" and "kalye" meaning dog and street respectively, the said term seemed not too pleasing to the ears. but from askal, a new term with greater respect and proudness arises and it is "asong pinoy" or "aspin" for short. this term is the one being used by several animal welfare organizations in the country. one of them is the animal kingdom foundation (akf) who's devoted in caring and monitoring for the health and safety of these particular breed of dogs.

the animal kingdom foundation is the biggest dog shelter in the philippines with a land area of 2.5 hectares. we received an email invitation from our friend, greg quimpo, corporate secretary of akf, and we never wasted time. when we visited their shelter in tarlac, around 400 dogs howled and gave us a very loud welcome. for those wo are not used to having dogs or pets just like my 6 year old son, it would be a really scary experience. i also got scared a little bit because honestly, that was the most number of dogs i've seen in my life! these dogs were rescued by akf from groups performing illegal dog meat trading. knowing about this, i understood why these dogs were barking loud at us as if they are scrutinizing who their new visitors are. the dogs were staying inside large spacious lot houses (approximately 120m² each) enclosed with concrete hollow block walls and steel fences which included a covered area that protects the dogs from rain and extreme heat. they were carefully segregated by gender, age, and tame levels. read more...

those who were sick and badly hurt due to the horrible experience from their cruel abductors were placed first in quarantine houses until they've fully recovered. sadly, many aspins also didn't make it through all the pain and torture. that's why akf also allotted a place for a dog cemetery. the dogs were very well taken care of. i can see with their physical appearances. no dog was too thin, their fur were in real good condition. they all seemed to be very lively. it's because akf has a very devoted shelter manager, a corporate secretary, an in-house veterinarian, and a pool of expert caregivers that looked after the dogs. they're fed with pre-mixed dog food that contained all the essential nutrients, complete with anti-rabies vaccines. it's also amazing how the staffs memorized all the names of each and every single dog. they'd give them exceptional kind of love. that's why when i touched and patted a dog named anthony, i felt warm. i would really adopt him if we only had a good home with enough space for keeping animals. i've explained to my kid that there's nothing to be afraid of the dogs. when we got home, he's so excited to tell everyone in the house about his visit to akf. he kept on speaking about the dogs and everyday he would ask me to go back there. he's also asking me if we could keep one already. i've promised him we'd get one once we've transfered to a better home.

aside from capturing and rescuing the aspins from illegal traders, akf still has other aims for these innocent creatures. you can help by means of the following:

A dopt. there are many available dogs in the shelter. they have been trained and tamed enough, ready for adoption.

S ponsor. if you cannot adopt yet, you can help by sponsoring their dogs by donating money to the foundation. dogs need food, care, treatments and vaccinations.

P romote. tell your friends and family about the shelter. tell them that they can visit their facility. just give akf a call. the management will be more than willing to give free seminars on aspin awareness, and can even offer activities such as hosting educational field trips, and free vaccination to the aspins in your community.

I nitiate. make the first move. all are welcome to share quality time with the dogs inside the shelter. you can walk them around, feed them, or even bathe them. just let them feel that you care. this will help the dogs to be prepared when someone decides to adopt them.

N urture. once you adopted a dog, be sure to keep a promise that he/she will never be in any kind of danger ever again. raise them as if it is your child and it will be guaranteed that you will receive the same affection back to you.

so in conclusion, what is special about "asong pinoy"? there are numerous advantages of having an aspin as a pet, compared to having an imported pure bred dog. aspins are more resilient and has low maintenance. just the regular dog shampoo and flea powder will do. aspins are also very smart that they are also now being considered for training as bomb-sniffing and rescue dogs as our pure-breed k9s are getting old and too expensive to maintain. and most importantly, aspins are not expensive at all. with akf's help, you may simply adopt one at no cost.

we would like to thank greg quimpo (corporate secretary), dr. roland g. arciga (doctor of veterinary medicine), and liezl p. pendon (shelter manager) for their hospitality. we would also like to thank the entire staffs of the animal kingdom foundation for accomodating us. for more information on their advocacy, adoption program and also their free tour, you may visit their website by clicking here or simply email them at akfadvocates@gmail.com. see more photos, click here.

invitation to free postal heritage tour

2010-04-28T21:36:00.049+08:00

about a month ago, i received an email with the subject "invitation to free postal heritage tour" from a guy named lawrence. the word "free" instantly caught my attention, although i was a little skeptical. nothing's free in manila, right? read more...

so i emailed him back and asked him if by any chance his email was a missent or worse, a spam. he replied and said that he was actually browsing my blog and that he really intended to invite me and my group for a free tour in manila. i was so thrilled to hear about it that i've asked him to give me time to gather a small group to come to his tour. not wasting any time, i've invited a couple of my correspondents to come with me, then they've asked their friends to come with us. i've also invited some old workmates, and they've told their friends about that, too. soon enough, our small group of 5 became 30. three weeks after, we're driving ourselves to manila for the free tour.

lawrence chan is the vice president of the filipinas stamp collectors club, the very same organization that is providing the tours for free. they've been conducting this free tour for the past 12 years and surprisingly, not many people know about it. do you even know that there is a postal museum library within the manila post office's compound? that is included in the tour that they're giving. tours are held during the 3rd sunday of the month and it is always led by lawrence himself. free refreshments and handouts are also given to his guests. to register and for other info about the tour, email him at l_rence_2003@yahoo.com or email him at lawrencechan15@yahoo.com.

meeting place was at the liwasang bonifacio, fountain area, right in front of the manila post office at 12:30pm. we were a few minutes late and there was a large crowd, around fifty people, gathered waiting for the tour to start. lawrence instantly recognized me among the crowd and approached me. his firm handshake gave me a warm feeling that we were expected and welcomed. he immediately introduced me and my group to everyone. i was quite embarrassed that i had to make a short speech and introduction to our team. the air was humid and the sun was unbearably hot. we had to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, so we've decided to start the tour by visiting the postal museum and philatelic library. it is where you will see a good and quite impressive collection of very old stamps. it is also a place for trading and selling stamps. thank goodness that there's a small air-conditioned room in that building. on a very hot afternoon like that, you just have to love aircon.

our kind tour guide took us to the insides of the postal office which i had featured in biyaheng pinoy in 2006. it was a little dark because the doors were closed, although the lights were coming in through the big windows. the ceiling was unbelievably high and beyond reach. it could have been inspired by roman structures. it was a quick tour of the postal office then we headed our way out of the building.

interesting places we've also highlighted during the tour were the teatro alfonso xii (now known as the metropolitan theater), aduana ruins, puerta isabel 2 gate and monument, plaza mexico, plaza roma, the manila cathedral, and bahay tsinoy. click here to see more photos of the tour.

it was long afternoon and we were all sweating like a herd of pigs. nevertheless, it was a fun afternoon filled with historical knowledge all given for free. we would like to thank lawrence chan and the filipinas stamp collectors club for the wonderful tour. to diane portugal, don tapitan, sonny martizano, greg quimpo, mark maquimay, christopher paloma, and their friends, thank you for coming with us. it was a very successful tour.

love beyond borders

2010-04-21T15:48:00.022+08:00

love beyond borders by lovely simbulan

would you dare to be in a totally different world? a place where people’s actions are opposite to yours? well, you’re answer might be yes for the sake of adventure or no, because you’re afraid. either way, it’s still not easy to decide.

it's never easy to keep a relationship to the extent that two different people decide to get married and stick to their vows for the rest of their lives. there are people who have found their significant other in the most unexpected places and situations.

love can start with friendship then dating and courtship. at this stage we can get to know the person, his likes or dislikes etc. but how about if that person you are seeing with is from another race or culture? would it be easier if he is from the same country as yours? somehow, there will be similarities but for most parts, differences will surface. read more...

who would expect that after two years of being unattached, that i would be dating again? all i was after was to earn and save so i can start my own business when i come back home. but a new friendship had blossomed into something more romantic. at first, most of my friends were not in favor because he’s a foreigner. but then i still proceeded because i felt happy and i thought it would be worth the try. it’s different when he was courting me because of the context we’re at. we were in a place where they have strict rules for both men and women; we cannot show affections to one another when we go out in public unless we’re married; however he still made an effort to show his love to me. he cooked for me and helped me with some chores in the house for the first few months when we’re going out. yet, as time went by he got so into his hobby and work had made him short-tempered. i've adjusted according to his schedules so we could still meet and hang out even for a quick snack and it went on like that. at time, i have asked myself why i was doing that, but then i realized it’s because i loved him.

after a year, we went to our separate vacations. he went to his country. after three months, i went back home. i've wanted him to come and visit my place, but there were other things which he had to fix in his house so he was not able to. our communication lines were open though we’re apart, then it got hectic when i went. he would sometimes play games rather than talk to me so i've decided to give him the time that he wanted. one day, an old acquaintance came and confessed his feelings for me. i told him that i couldn't return the same feelings to him because i have someone in my life. he said he's not waiting for anything and just let him show how much he’s fond of me. he said he will wait and pray for me.

it’s time for me to return to work. my guy was waiting for me, yet i felt i was not really thrilled to see him. my best friend has noticed the change in me and so with him. hence i told him about this guy from home. he asked me if i also liked the guy, i said no, but that my family liked him. i asked for a time off, for me to think things over. i didn't know but i felt unsure about my current relationship, maybe because i was uncertain whether my partner had any plans about our future. before he agreed to give me this time, he told me everything he had realized when i was gone. he told me that he wanted to change and that he has lots of plans about us. he said that i just went and made a decision without telling him, that i suddenly altered myself and he didn't know what to do. he apologized for being insensitive and he said he wanted me to stay. he also said how he wished for me to be the mother of his children and how he couldn't stand a day without me. all these came rushing like a lightning and then i got confused. “why only now?” i asked him. “why just now when i had waited for you to tell me about your plans and the things your heart felt for a year and a half? “ all of a sudden i thought that perhaps he's now scared that there's a possibility of losing me. that’s why he’s saying all these. nevertheless, he had given me the time i asked and he said that whatever is my decision he would accept. i couldn't help but cry, and tears fell from his eyes as well. i just couldn't comprehend why this had to happen. i still loved him but my dilemma was that i was not sure if he could really keep his word that he’s ready to change; apart from my family who i also didn't want to disappoint. as a saying goes, it’s easier said than done.

we, filipinos can easily adapt to changes, wherever we are or whoever we’re with. we are naturally hospitable and sensitive. sensitive in a manner that we don’t want our friends or loved ones to feel off or uneasy when they are with us. we always want to show them that we care or know what they feel. that’s our culture. although being with someone from another country is fun since it’s an adventure but utterly arduous, it requires an enormous amount of patience and sacrifice if we wanted to get involved with anyone of them.

for girls, it’s so important to have definite plans, especially in our relationships. we wanted to know where we are heading, if it’s serious or if there are plans of getting married. but when our partners don’t even tell us if they have any of these plans then we might have doubts if our relationship is going anywhere. nobody wants to just invest their whole life and acquire nothing from it. in our lives we also want some assurance that we are not wasting time for insignificance, somehow we are also counting on something.

when people don’t search, only then they would find, that’s what most of them say. when we are not expecting it then it comes searching for us. that is love. we often try hard to find it at a time when we thought we ought to have it but the truth is we can never tell. we just have to pray that the good lord guides us in realizing what he has plans for us. to god be the glory. ♥♥♥

lovely simbulan is a biyaheng pinoy correspondent currently working somewhere in the middle east. she was a workmate and a very good friend. she will write more for this blog.

usapan with noel cabangon

2010-04-06T23:48:00.068+08:00

thank you noel by vena samson

how can a song change a person’s point of view? do you believe that music can help in the development of the physical, intellectual and emotional structure of a human being? what will life be without music? read more...

who is noel cabangon? and how did his music change my life? noel is already a prominent icon in the music industry. aside from his very soothing voice, it also has a meaningful message in each of his songs. he also delivers other songs perfectly because he sings them along with his remarkable guitar-playing. however, i was not a fan of noel, until i saw him perform live at the conspiracy bar last wednesday night. the bar doesn’t have too many fancy and eye-catching elements, but i fully understood why it was jam-packed with fans even on a holy wednesday. judging by the look on the guests, which i personally think were professionals, you will know that they came not just to drink and to watch a performance. they came there see noel. and even though noel admitted to them that he has nothing new on his playlist, they didn’t seem to mind. it’s like they were thinking, “go ahead, noel. sing us the same songs. we just want to hear you sing”.

when i was watching him perform that night, he reminded me of eric clapton. he’s so amazing and very tough. he played for more that two hours on his first set and promised to be back for his second another set. the show started on time at 9:30pm. his voice was intact and i really felt the passion in all of his songs. after 3 or 4 songs, noel would talk a little bit, some overviews of what he’s going to sing next, and some of his visions in life. noel also have a good sense of humor, so there was no dull moment. every minute was worthwhile.

but on what aspect did noel change me after watching and listening to him? did something really change in me? the answer's yes. i was so stressed from work that day when our office suddenly assigned to do a very difficult, to be accomplished by monday, the first working day after holy week. i was really upset because i've been always looking forward to long weekends like this it's a time when i can cope up and spend my quality time with my family. but now it’s a wreck. all i want to do was to go home and sleep hoping that this heavy load inside my chest would disappear. i was thankful that my friend wencel convinced me to go with him at conspi and watch noel's performance after our interview for biyaheng pinoy. not only the stress went away but i felt that i even became more productive because the day after, i thought of a better solution to my work assignment. and one more thing, i realized the joy of knowing that you are important to somebody. all conflicts in life must be treated as a challenge and not a burden, and it’s very fulfilling to conquer them all. even in my own personal life, where my world seems to turn around only for my one and only son. i can now say that i’m ready to face all the challenges. but of course with a same amount of caution so as not to abuse myself and in order for me to really give my all to him.

maybe these were just here in my heart all this time. i just don’t seem to notice them. but, all of these came to life after i have listened to very beautiful music. holy week has never been this smooth and peaceful. and i’m not afraid anymore of getting back to work on monday. thank you noel. not only for giving us the opportunity to be with you and know you, but also for sharing to us your unselfish talent. i would say that you are truly a genuine filipino artist and an honest man that has more to give. thank you noel.

if that's not enough, you may click here to view more photos of noel cabangon. plus more live video performances of noel cabangon, with his permission, of course.

usapan with christopher paloma

2010-03-29T16:45:00.022+08:00

usapan with christopher paloma

i first met christopher paloma when i was studying in college in a university in makati city. he was my classmate. he was a very shy person, didn't talk much, and quite reserved. never did i know that he's a talented child star in the 80's and had worked with the biggest and brightest stars in philippine cinema. my most memorable and most favorite movie of his was inday bote with maricel soriano. read more...

sixteen years after we first met, i found myself contacting him for the first time, asking him if he's willing to do a personal interview for biyaheng pinoy's new segment, usapan. without any hesitation, he immediately said yes.

biyaheng pinoy: can you tell us about yourself, christopher?
christopher: i’m a 32 year old programmer analyst and i currently live in las pinas city.
biyaheng pinoy: how many members are there in your family?
christopher: i have 2 sisters living in the us with my mother, and a father (laughs). i live with him.
biyaheng pinoy: any family member from the same business?
christopher: one of my sisters appeared in a movie (lost command) with ramon bong revilla jr. when she was still young where she played one of the held captives by a group of npa. lala montelibano played the role of her mom.

biyaheng pinoy: did you take any drama lessons prior to acting?
christopher: no, i didn’t.
biyaheng pinoy: how were you discovered?
christopher: ayun, i think i was just 3 years old then. me and my mom went to broadcast city in old balara (now known as the rpn 9 station) to watch a pepe pimentel and nova villa show. we were sitting on front row when pepe pimentel invited me to come on stage for a quick interview. he asked me if i could sing, i said yes.
biyaheng pinoy: what did you sing?
christopher: imelda papin’s taksil. then he asked me what i would like to be when i grow up. i told him i wanted to be a movie director. they liked me because i was smart and responsive. after the program, the show’s director asked me to stay for a talk. he offered me a role in a tv drama program called “gulong ng buhay” (book 2 of the defunct drama program “gulong ng palad”) with romnick sarmenta. i was earning p50 an episode.
biyaheng pinoy: what was your screen name then?
christopher: it was always christopher paloma. i was never given a screen name because no one asked me to use one. there were times when it was misspelled to palomo or palma, but it had always been christopher paloma.

biyaheng pinoy: what came after “gulong ng buhay”?
christopher: i appeared in an episode of “balintataw” and “kulit bulilit” coinciding with smokey manoloto and lea salonga.
biyaheng pinoy: were you close with lea salonga?
christopher: yes. i remember when we were little, she was much older than i was, and she had this really long hair down to her waist and i would make fun of her and pull her hair. i made her cry because of that. i still feel bad whenever i think of it.

biyaheng pinoy: why did you leave showbiz?
christopher: i never really quit. i was in my teenage years and getting a part for a movie was so difficult because of my age. either i was too old for a child part, or i was too young for an adult part. so i would never say i left showbiz. it's just that the movie offers stopped coming in. and i would never say that everything was over, because if given the chance, i would do it again.
biyaheng pinoy: so you wouldn't really say that you've made a good or a bad decision?
christopher: yes, since i never made any decision. i just continued my studies until i finished college.

biyaheng pinoy: how many movies have you done and can you name the biggest starts you've worked with?
christopher: i think it was around 21 movies. i've worked with fernando poe jr., maricel soriano, ramon revilla sr., ramon bong revilla jr., eddie garcia, rudy fernandez, robin padilla, philip salvador, charito solis, paquito diaz, roderick paulate, nova villa, dennis padilla, manilyn reynes, tito vic & joey and more.

read the complete version of the christopher paloma interview . view more photos of the interview by clicking here.

kasadya art exhibit

2010-03-21T16:36:00.019+08:00

negrense colors by aki cortes

more than forty beautiful artworks from the art association of bacolod–negros are currently exhibited at the gsis museum in pasay city. “kasadya”, the exhibit's title, which means festive in bacolod dialect, features paintings from twenty nine bacoleño artists who have produced works about the masskara festival, the environment and their recent arte kalye as part of the month-long celebration of the arts last february. read more...

we were able to meet four of the artists who are participating in the exhibit.

joan Honoridez, or joan of art, was the overall curator who gave us a glimpse of their story. she is a graduate of bachelor of law and worked as a legal researcher. she lends her legal background to help out aab-negros, as their secretary, the group that caters to her passion for painting. her subject is mostly of everyday people, dancers and landscapes. she is also keen on using the latest media for painting like the one she has come across: water-soluble oils. she uses her maiden name to give honor to her parents from who she inherited her innate artistic talent from.

sony Golez took up fine arts at the philippine women’s university and practiced interior design. she has now gone back to her first love, painting, and is an active member of the aab-negros as the vice president. sShe does mostly impressionist landscapes and human figures, using basically paint media but infuses some other materials.

mark maquimay is a graduate of fine arts in la consolacion college in bacolod city. he joined the aab-negros in 2007 and has since been actively sharing his works with the group. hHis artworks are mostly abstract and surrealist in oil and acrylic.

bea ivanica mocorro is the youngest active member of the association. sShe developed her creative gift by emulating her mom, joan honoridez, and made use of pencils, pastels, watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, everyday objects, even woodcarving and, recently, printmaking. She has been actively painting and exhibiting since she was 9 years old, not only in bacolod but also in cebu and manila. she is now 12 years old. in september 2009, she and her mother held a mother-and-child show entitled "mag-iloyu" (mag-ina) in makati.

kasadya exhibit will be the first of its kind in the history of aab-negros, under the the very able leadership of nune lucio alvarado, exhibiting their members’ artworks outside their province. his heart has always been for the development and exposure of the bacoleno artists, to a wider audience as they deserve. this show is the beacon of alvarado’s dream. this has been made possible with the help of the national commission for culture and the arts. their honored guests for the ceremonial ribbon cutting are ms. kimee santiago, daughter of the late cartoonist ely santiago, also was a member of the association; ms. mylene narciso-urriza of the ncca and ms. antonia aracama-delos santos, 1986 miss bacolod.

the show will open on march 22, monday, at 6:00pm and will run until april 12. you may contact this number for inquiries: (0928) 521-3190. everyone is invited to come.

we would like to thank joan honoridez for our exclusive coverage of their event's preparation. this blog post is dedicated to her and to all the talented artists of bacolod city.

update: march 23, 2010. congratulations to aab-negros' successful opening last night at the gsis museum. not as many expected people came, but there were enough to make the event fun and exciting. thank you for the kasadya catalogue that was given to us. we will soon feature that on our blog. click here to view more photos of the exhibit.

march 24, 2010. a photo from this blog was featured in today's issue of the visayan daily star. this was shared to us by joan honoridez. thank you joan. we're so honored.

bacolod chicken parilla

2010-03-11T15:52:00.028+08:00

bacolod: just a smile away by vena samson

“papano nangyari yun?” (how could that happen?). of course, this can’t really happen. but from a food enthusiast’s point of view, eating at bacolod chicken parilla is already as good as visiting a bacolodnon household. it’s because they serve a wide variety of their native dishes and grilled concoctions (“parilla” is a spanish word for barbeque grill; “parilya” is our derived tagalog word which we thought could be the origin of their name). all the staffs are visayans (except for one), therefore you can expect and experience bacolod's trademark service. read more...

this is the 2nd branch of bacolod chicken parilla, owned by some young bacolod entrepreneurs. their main branch is located along scout reyes in quezon city. the restaurant is just one tricycle ride away from barangay concepcion, marikina. however, if you are coming from outside the city, all you have to do is find a jeepney or fx going to marikina, particularly sss village. drop by concepcion or meralco, then ride a tricycle from there. the restaurant has a minimalist interior set-up as of to date, but we were informed that improvements are already being conceptualized, concentrating on wall decorations and characterized interior lightings. as of the exterior, especially during night time, the place is so vibrant, because its lighting effects are perfectly matching with the warmth of the surrounding community. talking about their food, we are priviledged to pick and taste some of their offered menu and the result was quite promising. just read on...

inasal chicken (p80/order). their house specialty. we tried what is called the pa-a, or the leg and thigh part of the chicken. unlike in other inasal restaurants, where the chicken is cooked very well done and almost dried up, here you can enjoy a leveled-up piece obtaining the same inasal taste yet still oozing with juiciness. they are also serving the customary chicken inasal parts such as the pe-cho (breast), pak-pak (wings), atay (chicken liver) and baticolon (gizzard). preparation time: 7-10 minutes

spare ribs (p120/order, good for 1-2 persons). we definitely won’t regret that we’ve chosen this dish. this grilled pork spare ribs marinated and brushed with a neither somewhat hickory nor barbecue sauce really melted in our mouths and it’s a dish we’d want to try over and over again. why? it is perfectly tender. the meat separates easily from the bone that you need not to exert too much effort on it. this makes eating pleasurable and not a torture like most of my experiences when eating ribs. and the flavor goes evenly all the way through the meat. no plain spots. tempting, isn’t it?! preparation time: 5-7 minutes

sizzling pork sisig (p110/order, good for 1-2 persons). a common “pulutan” that’s why at first, i wasn’t interested of trying it anymore. i thought that it was just another serving of cholesterol. but upon listening to wencel’s convincing power, i agreed to have it as one of the food line-up for tasting. well, you know what? my impression was absolutely wrong. their sisig was great! the salty, spicy and soury tastes blended all together just right. you need not to put anymore additional seasonings to it. although we questioned the cook a li’l bit on the lack of the “sizzle effect” when it was served, it didn’t matter anymore when it touched our tongues…i swear, i am drooling again while writing this. preparation time: 8-10 minutes

sinugbang longganisa (p45/order, good for 1 person). “sinugba” is an ilonggo word meaning “grilled” or “inihaw” in tagalog. and we never thought that grilling longganisa will make its taste more potent and enticing due to smoked effect on the sausage. a very cheap dish (p45 each) which i believe will perfectly match with “sinangag” (fried rice), scrambled eggs and fresh tomatoes. adding up a cup of “kapeng barako” (brewed coffee) on the side will surely give you a breakfast engrande. by the way, as per their staff they are using longganiza from davao. preparation time: 7-10 minutes

kilawin tangigue (p130/order, good for 1-2 persons). we are talking about really chunky pieces of tanigue fish which is soaked just right in specially mixed tangy vinegar. the chopped veggies (tomatoes and onions) made a harmonious blend with the fish making it more like a salad that you want to consume generously without thinking of your diet. preparation time: 10 minutes

blueberry cheesecake (p65/serving). their cheesecake which they proudly told us to be a homemade recipe is made up of a distinctive buttery mixture sandwiched in crusts sprinkled with powdered graham crackers then topped with a spoonful of blueberry preserve. this dessert is more like a very nice reward after having all the hot and heavy meals. your “bundat” (bloated) feeling will surely subside upon having a serving. preparation time: 3-5 minutes

the black sambo (p65/serving). unimaginably simple yet one of the best desserts we’ve tasted so far. the restaurant’s signature dessert dish is a two layer gelatin drizzled with rich chocolate syrup. the syrup’s taste is somewhat familiar like a famous chocolate syrup from my childhood days. the gelatin is not the ordinary jiggly wiggly gelatin, but a slightly chewy gelatin wherein the base (black part) is a little chewier than that of the top (white) part. this is what made this dessert unique aside from its having just the right level of sweetness. just a piece of advice...do not leave the restaurant without trying this. preparation time: 3-5 minutes

aside from that, they are also serving other ilonggo/bacolod native dishes such as the "kansi" or the ilonggo's bulalo, "kbl" meaning "kadyos, baboy, langka", "laswa" and "apan-apan". they also have various "pancit" dishes and pulutan, like crispy pata, and various grilled seafood (blue marlin, squid and tuna belly). they are also serving beer at a very reasonable price.

in conclusion, bacolod chicken parilla is one restaurant that can serve all, any time of the day: families who want to dinner out, students on their lunch time, barkada hang-outs and gatherings, and most especially the ilonggos and bacolodnons who crave and truly miss their home. better taste it for yourselves.

bacolod chicken parilla is located at the extension of c & b cirle mall along liwasang kalayaan st., marikina heights, marikina city, with contact number (632) 3811199. click here to see more photos.

blessed flying balloons

2010-03-03T02:06:00.032+08:00

blessed flying balloons by delia hilario

the hot air balloon festival is an anticipated event for many. Last year, i intended to go but due to lack of companion, i've let it slipped away. then a friend, mharc, sent me a message thru yahoo messenger: “hot air balloon festival in clark, pampanga on valentine’s day, wanna join?" she tried to convince me and somehow, i committed myself to it. it would be a great reunion for me and my friend since we didn't see each other for about 6 to 7 years. then the thought of hot air balloon... wow, let's see! i've put everything on schedule and invited another friend to join us. read more...

we agreed to meet at 3:00 in the morning on saturday, february 13, 2010 at starbucks at crossing edsa. i arrived at the meeting place earlier than expected. i've tried to call my friend and they were coming in a little late, so I got my mint mocha. the crossing area which I knew was full of pickpockets and snatchers, is now well-lighted and has many surrounding establishments. crossing, as they called the area along shaw boulevard, was a place i was so scared of to go. the presence of the bpo building and call center offices made the area safer to the public.

it wasn't a long wait until my friends arrived. we waited for my friend's sister too! she had a car and we rode on it.

we were so late that my friend's sister had to drive 120 or 130kph. "whaaa..." i thought. i’ve put on my seat belt though. it was a frightening ride although i was somehow used to it because of some travel experience with some maniac drivers. my friend's sister was a cool driver as long as she's not deprived of her favorite coffee, starbucks frappe. it kept her awake although she just arrived from a flight from brazil and seemed quite jet lagged. we made it to the event just so in time. it's a good thing mharc bought our tickets in manila, which saved us from the very long line.

the excitement began. hot air balloons, so many of them! we had so much fun with all the activities – the wondrous flight of all the balloons at sunrise, the colorful candaba birds fly-in, the breath-taking paragliding exhibition, the thrill of flying kites, and the exhilarating sky diving exhibition. the hot air balloon night glow ended the day with fun-filled activities. many people were witnesses to these exciting and colorful events of hot air balloon festival. it was an all-singles' pre-valentine treat to remember, both for me and for my friends.

thou shalt not steal

2010-02-11T23:38:00.023+08:00

i was browsing the internet this afternoon when i saw this article "85% of marikina businesses resume operations" at the official marikina goverment website. i thought it was a a short yet interesting subject. very good news indeed. but wait. hmmm, something doesn't seem right. i moved my eyes closer to my monitor and i was devastatingly surprised to see this. what is my photo doing in this website? read more...

i should be honored right? i should be jumping for joy to know that a goverment website like the official marikina website would use a small-time blog's photo and post it on their page. i should be running and screaming inside my room for getting noticed.

NOT. i am not honored, i am not jumping for joy, and i am not running and screaming inside my room for that. because i feel that i was robbed, disrespected, belittled, and awfully betrayed by some big-time web developers that cannot come up with his own photos. some of you might think that it was not really a big deal because they never took out my name on that photo, but it was. they never bothered to email me and ask for my consent. they never even bothered to mention the photographer's name or the blog where they took that photo from.

i already wrote to them after seeing the photo. i just hope that the moderators of the said website would read this and write me an explanation on their take on this matter. this post is dedicated to all the photographers who have been robbed and disrespected.

update: february 18, 2010, i visited the office of the mayor to present my complaint letter. i also presented a copy of the same letter to councilor donn favis, the head of the marikina management information systems. i will continue my fight no matter what.

march 23, 2010: finally, i've received a formal apology letter from a mr. ramil nafarrette, one of the web developers of the said website. although, i still didn't feel comfortable reading about his opinion on fair use of copyrighted materials, which i thought was PURE CRAP because this was all about disrespect, i thought that his words were somehow sincere and apologetic. may this occurrence serve as a lesson to every artist out there to be vigilant and protective with your creations. don't let anyone step on you, and always put up a good fight when they try to hurt you.

the day that i want to forget (part 5)

2010-01-01T18:38:00.027+08:00

notice: this is the 5th and last part of the blogger's journal on the recent devastation of typhoon ondoy (ketsana) on september 26-27 2009. though based on actual event, some of the people's names, locations, and places were changed to protect their identities. read more...

(continuation from part 4) we've tried all banks everywhere to withdraw money but it seems that everyone's doing the same thing. we've also tried getting money from sm marikina but we were just unlucky. we drove along jp rizal street and saw thousands of marikenos running here and there. they were carrying all sorts of dirty things like clothes, furnitures, and even dirty pets. we saw mud everywhere. traffic was heavy and it took us ages to get to our destination. cars were rolled around.

the following days were hard. we barely had slept because there was no electricity, the water both for drinking and washing was hard to obtain, streets were still filled with smelly mud and debris, and grocery stores were flooded with panicking buyers. it was even more difficult for people who had no money to buy them. we were just lucky that we had some extra money on our pockets on the day of the flood. we didn't have to rely on relief goods for our hunger.

because of what happened, my grandmother, my sister, and ning moved to my grandparent's apartment. but the tenants were still occupying the place, so my grandmother had to live in a cramped room near the apartment for the time being. the room didn't look good but i would still say that they all had lived like princesses. they had this little stove where they can cook their meals, a bathroom with clean water, a single bed, and also electricity for an electric fan and a small tv. it wasn't really much, but it sounded alot to me who had nothing.

my parents decided to stay in our house and look after our things. they're afraid that burglars would take advantage of this occurance and break in our house at night. my brother who's living in los angeles had no job at that time so he couldn't send much to my parents. on daytime, my parents worked non-stop, gathered water from a manual water pump, cleaned the house and washed clothes. on nighttime when it's hard to work because it's dark, only then they stopped working and rested.

me and robin decided to rent a small apartment while waiting for things to get back to normal. edlynn, a friend from church helped us find that apartment. the place was just enough for two people; non-furnished. it had a small living room with a cute window, a small bedroom with a built-in cabinet, too high for a midget, a small kitchen, and a small bathroom. i wasn't really excited about the place but we'd survive, i thought. in the morning, i'd come over to my parents to help them clean up the house and i'd come back to the apartment by nightfall to rest.

things never went back to normal since the flood. life seemed harder. my family was never complete and we never ate together on a single table. finding a good job seemed impossible and endless. 2009 was a tough year for our family. on the night of new year's eve, i looked out our window and gazed longingly at the wonderful fireworks. i asked myself, "what are these people celebrating about?" i was bitter for a minute. then i remembered all the people that helped us during our predicament and realized how lucky we were. then i knew, things will be better for us.

to those who have been following my ondoy stories, thank you. if you noticed, i haven't been posting any photo of the ondoy incident. i preferred not to take any photo and totally forget about the whole thing. it was both sad and scary to photograph. thanks to leon bedista for the photo posted above. you may read my entire ondoy story by clicking here.

i would like to thank all the people that helped us: robin yu, margarette and jeronne francisco, kristine guzman, rhaymond zamorro, christopher lafontaine, tapia family, vega family, melay bagamasmad, kit maza, tolentino family, tuazon family, church members of sumulong and midtown congregation, dennis moya, laura moya, ben rondollo, and to the ihooked katipunan staffs.

the day that i want to forget (part 4)

2009-12-17T22:33:00.050+08:00

notice: this is the 4th part of the blogger's journal on the recent devastation of typhoon ondoy (ketsana) on september 26-27 2009. though based on actual event, some of the people's names, locations, and places were changed to protect their identities.

(continuation from part 3) i went out our balcony to check how big the water was. it could be at least 25 feet of water or maybe even higher. i was getting myself ready for the worst. it seemed like everyone was busy: my sisters were crying, my aunt was worried, my dad was so nervous, our neighbors were panicky, and my grandmother was confused. "so what am i going to do?" i've asked myself. and just like what other despairing people would do, i prayed. it was the longest prayer that i've ever done in my life. to be honest, i never really believed in miracles, but i should tell you, on that very day, i started to believe in it. minutes after i prayed, the rain weakened and the water started to recede very slowly.

0600pm. it was getting dark already and every one was silent. our neighborhood that used to be filled with happy people became an instant ghost town. while we realized how wearisome that day was, we soon felt hunger. my mom looked for our gas tank and she asked our neighbor if they have a small gas stove. she also looked for a small cooking pot and some rice. i also gave my mom 4 packs of noodles which me and robbie bought 2 days ago from a korean grocery store. read more...

0800pm. it was already dark when we started to cook. i went outside our balcony and i noticed that there was a group of young people standing right on top of our balcony's railing. they said they're not really from our area and they were just visiting a friend when they got stucked because of the flood. they've been standing on the railing for almost 6 hours straight. everybody was busy, especially my mom who was cooking the soup. our food wasn't enough for everyone but a hot and spicy soup might help ease off our hunger. it kept on raining but the water also kept on receding very slowly. it was down to my ankle on our 2nd floor. our feet had been soaked in the water for hours and some started to complaint about the itchiness. most of us were standing and some were sitting on chairs. my grandmother got tired from hearing all the commotions and finally doze off. i decided to just put all my throw pillows on the floor so my family could sit on it and rest. it all felt like a very bad dream and waking up will not solve it. we had no electricity, it was very dark, our feet and clothes were wet, we had not enough food, our entire house was flooded with so many people, we're tired, no place to sit or lie down, it was a total disaster. they all tried to rest and maybe take a nap, but not me. i wanted to be awake the entire time. i had to be ready and watchful at this kind of event. it was only 8pm yet it felt like i've been awake for 2 days straight. it's going to be a very long night.

sept 27, 0400am. finally, the water on our street has decreased. it was only waist deep, i guess. so i decided to come downstairs and check our things. i wasn't ready for what i was about to see. with the help of my cellphone's flashlight, i came down the stairs. it was filled with thick brown smelly mud and it was very slippery. you had to hold very tightly on the handrails if you want to live. i remember seeing my favorite sandal on the mud, also my sisters shoes, and also ning's pillow. i saw broken glasses on the floor, our fridge was standing upside down, tables were slammed against the bathroom door, spoons and forks were scattered in all places, our chandelier fan looked like a melted chocolate, and there was no place to walk. i felt like i was in a film location of a horror movie, and it was really scary.

0430am. most of us were already resting. the water was only ankle deep and people living near the river were starting to evacuate. they were bringing all their things that they could carry. a few minutes later, a family started to warn everyone, "save yourselves! leave this place if you all want to live! they will be releasing water from the dam soon and the water will be bigger!" my sister heard part of it and asked me what it was. i told her it was just nothing, that it was just a prank. then other people started to yell the same thing. then everyone started to panic. the next thing that i know, our neighbors, our relatives, and my family were panicking. my sister got really scared and she wanted all of us to leave our house. robbie also wanted us to evacuate but it was really hard to decide at that time. my grandmother could hardly walk, and all our neighbors were busy saving themselves so no one would be able to carry her out of our house. our first floor was all covered with debris so there was no way out. we had to leave but we couldn't because of my grandmother. my sister couldn't leave because of my parents, robbie couldn't because of me, and parents couldn't because of my grandmother and so did i. it was a very tough decision. i adviced my sister, ning, and robbie to leave without us. i told them that we would all be safe and would not get hurt, that i'd call them on their phones. my father, out of desperation cried help to our neighbors. i couldn't do anything but give him a hug and tell him that everything would be alright. somehow, that helped him calm down. it wasn't raining anymore yet people were scared of the water. my aunt and her kids left the house already and there was nobody in our house except for me, my parents, my other sister, and my grandmother.

0530am. we've decided to stay home. i looked out our balcony and i've witnessed a glorious daybreak right after a big flood. the sky was perfect. a little bright, with blue and some touch of orange. it was so beautiful and i looked at it for a few minutes. i knew right then that nothing bad would happen again and that this great adversity had finally come to an end. but it was really just the beginning of it. it was the aftermath that was harder to deal with. i've endlessly texted robbie and my sister to check on them. they said they were on a safe place and we were adviced to leave the house because they've been hearing that there was a confirmation from the police that there was a scheduled releasing of water from the dam. i told them that we're perfectly safe and that there's nothing for them to worry about. we had to stay home and look after my grandmother.

0900am. apple, ning, and robbie finally decided to come back home after realizing that they have been tricked. it was just a rumor, and it all scared us to death. we've decided to go out and get some cash from the bank for emergency. we also had to buy some things for cleaning like soaps, tissue, and some disinfectant. we also had to buy food and water. after we left our place, only then we saw the real magnitude of the flood. it caused tears into my eyes. rich and poor people, both walking on the streets of marikina, all covered in dirt and mud. it was so heartbreaking. (continue...)

the day that i want to forget (part 3)

2009-10-19T22:39:00.039+08:00

notice: this is the 2nd part of the blogger's journal on the recent devastation of typhoon ondoy (ketsana) on september 26-27 2009. though based on actual event, some of the people's names, locations, and places were changed to protect their identities.

(continuation from part 2) angrily, i went up to our balcony to look for my mom. i thought that she could convince my grandmother to move up to my room. there were so many people in my parents' balcony already and everyone seemed so busy looking at the great water. i called out my mom's name twice. she didn't seem to hear it. i called her name again two more times. still, she didn't hear it. it really upset me that the neighbors in our balcony didn't seem to care that i was screaming my lungs out, calling out for my mom. or maybe they didn't seem to hear me or see me. their anxiousness made me invisible. one more time, i took a very deep breath and called out my mom's name for the last time. "maaaaamaaaaaaaaa!!!!," i yelled. it nearly broke my ears. then my mom came running. "what???" she asked. "i've been trying to convince lola to move up to my room, but she doesn't seem to listen. please talk to her to convince her" i begged. "alright," my mom agreed. we both ran to my grandmother's room. "nanay, we have to take you up, you're not safe here" she told my lola. "what do you mean i'm not safe. i am safe" grandma said. immediately, my mom went to her window and opened her blinds. "look outside, ma" she told my lola. "wow, ang galing, look at the people getting all excited" lola said. "mom, not the people on the roofs" my mom said "look down at the water." my grandmother looked down, and then with great shock and disbelief, her very small eyes turned big. "nanay ko po! dalhin n'yo na ako sa taas!" she exclaimed. now, the harder part. how were we going to carry my grandmother up to my room? she weighed at least 400lbs. we might need at least four men to carry her up to my room. my mom called mang jose and two more male neighbors. i would help also. "how are we going to move her up," my mom asked. "we will use her wheelchair," i said, "but we have to get rid of these things blocking the way." so we started clearing the way. i've asked ning to get some of lola's clothes from her closet. "do you have your money?" i asked my lola. "it's fine, it's fine. hmm, actually, i have no money" she said. then i grinned. read more...

0200pm. my grandmother's room is somewhere between the 2nd floor and the 1st floor. it's right above our garage. so in order for her to come up to my room, she had to come down the stairs and then come up to my room. it was only 2pm but the light outside could hardly penetrate inside her room. the water in our 1st floor was already neck-deep and since there was no electricity, it was a little hard to see. i told my grandmother to keep her arms inside the wheelchair and place her hands on top of her lap to avoid hurting herself. we readied ourselves for a minute, then we started to carry my grandmother, while she's sitting on her wheelchair. two guys held by the wheels while mang jose, carried her by holding on the left hand grip. i felt my hands falling asleep from carrying the big tv so i just helped carrying my grandma by placing one of the wheelchair's hand grips on my left shoulder. it took us 10 minutes to carry her up. i rested for only 1 minute then i came back down to my lola's room to get her tv. she would last for an entire day without food or water, but without her television, she would die, seriously. gelly and ning were also getting the same things they've moved from downstairs up to my grandmother's room: shoes, clothes, bags, documents, etc. the water was already touching the floor of my lola's room when i remembered that the big tv was still on the floor. i quickly called on gelly and ning to help me put it up to the kitchen sink. "start lifting on the count of three," i said, "one, two, three, urgghhhh!" then we lifted it. we decided to leave everything else in my grandmother's room. we were so darn tired to carry more. the water in the first floor had already gone up to 8 feet and so we all decided to come up to my room. i've asked robbie to give the room and the bed to my grandmother so she can rest. "it's okay," robbie said kindly.

0230pm. filled with awe, our neighbors gazed at their flooded houses right from our balcony. some said they could still see the roofs of their houses. some said their houses were completely underwater. the rain wouldn't stop and the water kept on going higher. "what is happening to this planet?" i whispered. i'm a very good swimmer so the water didn't scare me. it was the terror on the people's faces, it was the thought of losing my loved ones right before my eyes, and it was the feeling of helplessness that actually scared me. the water has entered my grandma's room and it was starting to crawl up to my room. we just put some of our valuable things on top of our tables. just getting ready just in case the water got higher. we were preparing for the worst. for 10 minutes, things stopped moving. everybody was just staring at the flood as it got higher and higher. we were all vigilant. maybe we were all thinking of the very same thing. maybe we were all thinking that we're going to die that day. my dad kept looking at the water on our stairs. we wanted the water to go down but it kept going higher. then it happened, it started to enter my room.

0300pm. some of us were sitting on the floor just hoping that the water wouldn't come up to my room. then robbie was startled. he felt the water coming in and it wet his pants. we all stood up and looked at the brown water entering my room. my grandmother was lying comfortably in my bed, not knowing what was happening. our neighbors started to panic again. they were worrying about their kids' safety. each family quickly made their own improvised floatation device. they've used empty water containers and some old plywood and tied them up together. it looked like they were so used to this kind of situation. while my family has never experienced it. my dog ash, was also scared with all the commotion. even if he was just a dog, he knew something was not right. he was crying and trying to grab my attention as if he was telling me "you have to get me out of this doghouse." the bed where my grandmother was lying on has double mattress and one of them was already wet. i was running out of ideas. "where are we going to move my grandmother when the water gets higher?" i've asked to myself. everyone was busy saving their own family and we did not have enough family members to carry her. i went back to my room to check on my lola "has the water gone up to your room?" she asked. "no, not yet. we're very safe here" i lied. i tried not to show her any sign of fear. "you see, we're safe. stop scaring me, son" she told my father. my father looked so worried and terrified. then i told him, "we're going to fine, dad. i promise." (continue...)

the day that i want to forget (part 2)

2009-10-12T21:24:00.044+08:00

(continuation from part 1) i've observed the water closely for a minute as it slowly came in through our front door like a shadow of a robber at night. i wasn't moving. i really wanted to panic, but i couldn't. "we're not ready for this," i said to myself.

1230pm. everyone was panicking. there were people running to our porch, mostly neighbors. i saw mothers with their children, babies, lots of babies, and also really old people. i didn't know we had this many neighbors. as they were busy salvaging their things, i was also busy salvaging ours. so many things to save, yet very little time. i thought i was doing everything, though i wasn't doing much. "what should i save first?" i've asked myself. "computer, i have to save my sister's computer!" i exclaimed. i called my sister, gelly, and asked her to disconnect all cables from the back of the computer. then i told her to bring the computer up to my grandmother's room, one by one. i took the microwave oven, toaster, rice cooker, 2 electric fans and an electric grill up to my room. we had a small boom box and a videoke player, but both of them weren't working, so i've decided to leave them. the flood was only ankle-deep and was still about 20 inches away from our enormous television set. "i'll do that later," i said. ten minutes later, the water was already knee deep, and we're still busy salvaging our things. "make sure you get your clean clothes, shoes, and blankets," i told my sister. "wait, i have to check my parents," i said to myself. in my parents' house, more people were coming in. everyone was sitting on the chairs, on the table, the kitchen sink, on the stairs. they're everywhere. i've noticed that my mom's television set was still downstairs and no one cared to take it up. so i grabbed it and took it up to the 2nd floor. my parents didn't have much but i guess they were too busy helping others. read more...

0100pm. i came back to our house after i've checked on my parents. then i came up to my room to tell my student friend, robbie, that the water already entered our house. he seemed confused with what's really happening but i didn't want to scare him. so i told him that everything's okay and that he didn't have to worry about a thing. before i left my room, i've noticed that there was still electricity. "what the..." i yelled. "we're not gonna die from drowning, but we're going to die from electrocution!" ning heard me and she was so brave enough to go the main switch and pull it down to turn it off. the water was only a few inches away from our television. i remembered it being so heavy so i've asked my sister and ning to help me carry it to my grandmother's room. we're running out of time and the water was almost touching the bottom part of the tv. it was hard to take up to my lola's room. the stairs were slippery and it was kind of dark. everyone was exhausted, thirsty, and grasping for air, but we had no choice but to keep on moving. it was so damn heavy, too tiring. i had to save my strength for others, but it felt like i couldn't go on any further. it seemed never-ending. my grandmother got a little upset because ning and my sister's things were crowding her room. her constant nagging made things more complicated for us. we told her that the flood was getting higher and that we had no time to explain things for her. ning and my sister went back down again to get more clothes. ning stood up on a chair and tried to shove up her clothes to a small cabinet, right above our kitchen sink. "why the heck are you putting your clothes up there? get all of them and bring them up to my room!" i ordered. "do you really think that the water would get that high?" ning asked. "we can never be sure, the water has never gone up this high since we've moved here. so please, take them all up before we run out of time to decide." without any hesitation, ning obeyed and brought her things up. gelly was running down the stairs, telling me that she forgot her school diplomas. "oh my word, not your diplomas!" i said worryingly. i checked on robbie again to see if he's doing okay. he seemed fine, i think, just a little worried. i came down again to check on my sister. i only had a minute to check if we've saved everything we need. the electric fans, yes, i had to save them too. so i did. the furniture were too big and heavy so i just had to leave them where they were. the water was already waist-deep and all i could see was panic and fear. i was going to check on my parents' house to see if they're safe, so i went to our door. i thought the door was locked. but i've checked again, it really wasn't, yet the door still wasn't moving. i tried to push much harder and the door opened. maybe the pressure was causing the door not to move. i went out our house and i was greatly surprised. the water on the street was at least 8 feet high. there was no current, although the water kept rising at such a fast rate. it's still raining really hard as i was checking on my parent's house. they've closed their doors and windows but i wanted to go in to check on them. a neighbor opened the door for me and as i've entered the house, strong water also came in with me. "hurry, come in fast. we have to keep the doors and windows closed," my mom said. inside the house, i saw lots of things floating. i saw plates, plastics, papers, door mat, even cups. it felt like i was in a scene of the movie "titanic." it was so terrying.

0130pm. my family seemed fine up in the second floor of our house. they were busy helping the other neighbors. they were making sure they were dry and unharmed. then i remembered. my grandmother was alone in her room and the the water was only five feet away from her room. without wasting a minute, i quickly rushed to her room to check on her. i thought she was a little scared, although she wasn't showing it. her big, fat, fragile body deprived her from moving. she couldn't even see what's happening out the window. i felt that my lola would ask us to do things for her whenever she felt scared and confused and that would make her feel better. "lola, we have to move you to my room." i told her. "what do you mean move me to your room? i'm perfectly safe here. the water will not get that high," she said stubbornly. "lola, the water is getting really high and it is only 5 feet away from reaching the floor of your room. we have to take you to my room for safety." i've explained to her. "i'm safe here and there is no way that i'm going to leave this room," she replied. her obstinacy was making things more difficult. i was quite overwhelmed with urgency and anxiety. i was already starting to lose hope. (continue...)

the day that i want to forget (part 1)

2009-10-11T22:19:00.040+08:00

notice: this is the 1st part of the blogger's journal on the recent devastation of typhoon ondoy (ketsana) on september 26-27 2009. though based on actual event, some of the people's names, locations, and places were changed to protect their identities.

sept 26, 0500am. it was just a typical saturday morning. the noise that my stomach's making woke me up, so i've decided to get up and check the fridge. there was nothing but cold water. it was pouring rain since last night. "i need to eat something hot," i told myself. i got out of my room and headed to my parents' house next door and knocked. it was already bright outside though the skies were still murky from the dark heavy clouds. my mom was already up. "what are we having for breakfast? i'm starving," i said. "we haven't bought anything yet," she replied. so i gave her a hundred pesos and asked her to buy things for soup. "soup is nice on a rainy morning," i've told myself.

0700am. my mom was starting to prepare the soup, when my little cousins came to visit with their mom, maring. they live in this small house only a few meters away from ours. i told them about this one movie that i saw online called earth and how much i would want to show it to them. it's really a good film documentary about animals in different continents and how the climate change messed up their lives to a very noticeable degree. really an eye-opening film. i turned on the computer and watched the movie online. it was really a good and fun morning. we were watching a good film while eating a bowl of hot creamy soup. read more...

0900am. rain continued to pour and checking my facebook account was getting kind of boring. i was actually expecting that there would be a power interruption today. there was nothing much to do. it was a little flooded outside and we couldn't go anywhere. i've checked my phone and got a message from my church friend floyd, asking me how we were. i said we're doing fine, and replied to him and asked him how they were. i've waited for an answer but he didn't reply.

1100am. i've got a message from floyd. he said, "please call the marikina emergency hotline, the flood is getting high, and it already went inside our house. please send us some help." i thought he was just fooling around, so i asked him, "are you dead serious?" and he said "yes." i came down to my grandmother's room and grabbed her wireless phone, hoping that it wouldn't be too late to get help. i was about to dial the number and "dang!" i thought, "i do not know the number to contact." i've asked everyone in the house for the right number to call but no one seemed to know it. quickly, i thought of checking the official marikina city website. i came up the stairs and headed for my computer. "dang!" i thought again. there was no internet. leaving me no other options, i thought asking my father would be the best thing to do at that time. i came down the stairs and got out our front door. first thing i've noticed was the flood on the street. it got a few inches higher and its color wasn't clear anymore. it was brown. i thought that the montalban dam had already opened and released water. i've tried asking my dad for marikina's emergency hotline, but unluckily, he didn't know it either. it's funny how nobody in our family knows the number to call for an emergency like this. floyd texted me again and said that the 1st floor of their house was already under water and that the water had almost reached their 2nd floor. i couldn't do anything but to guiltily focus on my own family's freedom from danger.

1130am. the flood continued to rise and the rain kept pounding. a slight commotion in our neighborhood started to build up as the water got deeper. this water was unusual and it looked so mad. i immediately checked on my parents' house and told them to bring up all the important things to their second floor; television, cellphones, computer, radio, anything that might break when immersed in water. i've looked at the flood on the street again. it was already chest deep and there were some guys running and swimming in the unclean water. an old guy living in front of our house started to carry his 80-year-old mother on his back and jumped into the murky water and swam to our porch for safety. they were followed by another family, and another family, and another family. my aunt maring wasn't lucky enough to get clean clothes from their house for her kids. her husband, luis wasn't present at the time. then i realized, we have our own house to save. i came back inside our house and i saw our helper, ning, trying to save my other aunt's things from their already flooded room. ning's a very slender lady but seeing her carry my aunt's television, clothes, and bags, made me think she could also be a very strong person. she took everything from my aunt's room and told my tiny cousin to put everything on our couch.

12nn. everything happened so fast, but i had to be calm and attentive. our street was completely covered with water, and so was our entire community. the water went up to our front porch and it was only 2 inches away from our door. we've been living in this city for more than fifteen years, but never had the water gone this high. i thought it was going to be a really bad day. my sister was hurrying to salvage her clothes, books, and her things for school. her motorcycle was left in our garage and she had no other choice but to leave it. ning was also salvaging her clothes. i've told them that they keep their money and their cellphone. i've also moved the water jugs up to the stairs so they would not get contaminated. i had to make sure we had enough food to eat and water to drink in case the flood goes higher. then the unwanted thing happened. the water started to enter our house. (continue...)

real, quezon province

2009-05-07T03:35:00.041+08:00

we left manila around 6 in the morning, hoping that everything would be okay, despite the typhoon that we're hearing from the news. we decided to take the other route to quezon province via antipolo city, which i've never taken before. i wasn't really expecting that i would be excited, but i did. read more...

although i was very upset that we left manila too late, i felt better after seeing all the nice views along the way. we took the sumulong highway from marikina city, passed by antipolo city, then to the provinces of teresa, morong, tanay, and laguna. the feeling of being in an unfamiliar territory left me feeling thrilled, forgetting about the dismay that i had earlier. i looked out the window of our van and saw only greens. green fields, green trees, green plants, greens, greens, and more greens. three hours later, we've reached our destination, long beach resort, real, quezon province.

the resort was very simple. they only have huts with tables basically for eating, nothing fancy. they have no place to take a nap, or lie down. the only thing that I've noticed was that there were dogs everywhere. at first, i liked it that there were so many dogs, that we didn't have to throw away our food's leftovers, that we only had to throw them to the dogs and have them eat it. soon, i've realized that they would cause such uneasiness, as they all watched us as we ate our brunch. they were under our tables, our chairs, even near the beach. i hope that the management would do something to make them go away.

the good side of this trip was that there was no sun. no worries of getting a sunburn. it was actually kind of cloudy, with a little strong wind, which i didn't mind at all. i was so excited to see the beach, that i ran to the shore as soon as i finished my food. when i looked at the ocean, all i see was debris: plastic, leaves, woods, you name it, it's all in there. the water was so unclean, i was actually expecting to see a dead chicken floating in the water. i do remember seeing a measuring tape in the water. i know, i might sound too harsh, but i am telling you, all i saw was dirt.

the waves were really powerful and at times, fearsome. it kind of reminds me of the beach we went to during a trip of my family to la union province, several years ago. despite the killer waves, we all jumped into the water, thinking that it wouldn't hurt us, or at least kill us. besides, the only reason i came here was for the sea water, which i heard was very good for the skin. so not-swimming would never be an option. i really had to swim.

without the waves, our swimming trip would be such a bore. it made us quite busy with running, swimming, diving, and even smashing through it. i couldn't count the numbers of times that it hit my back so hard, my face almost hit the bottom of the water. i even remember it was so hard, it nearly broke my leg. hurtful as it may sound, but it was actually fun. lunch was served around 1pm. we've had seafood, shrimp with soup and pork adobo. we're not really scared to get swine flu. personally, i wasn't really happy with the food.

i was not so inspired to take photos that day. nothing much to take pictures of, aside from my family. maybe we just came at a bad time, and we saw the place in such a bad state. there were trash everywhere. i don't remember seeing a lifeguard around the beach. it was raining, so i couldn't take lots of photos.

despite my thousand complaints, the trip was enjoyable. i got to be with my family, take pictures of them, enjoy the filthy water, eat not so good food, and just hang out with them. maybe that's what i've learned from this trip. that no matter how things get worse, there would always be a good side to it, especially when your family is with you.

the best of : biyaheng pinoy (2006-2009)

2009-04-25T09:39:00.022+08:00

three years had passed since I started running biyaheng pinoy, and still running. i am quite surprised to myself that i have lasted this long. after all these years, i've realized that it is very easy to create a blog. it is the maintaining part that is the hard part. i've been to so many places in the philippines since I was a kid, but never have I thought of documenting them. biyaheng pinoy started in 2006, as a personal blog, an online journal of my travels in the philippines. making sure that all of my trips were never forgotten and never missed. i also wanted this to be my way of sharing them to my friends and family living far from us.

sometimes, i would receive comments from people that I did not know, which i thought was really odd at that time. they would say really nice things about the photos that i took and the videos that i made, making it sound like compliments coming from my friends. it took time for me to get used to receiving compliments from strangers.

"it's not about the hits," i would say and would always have (talking about my videos in youtube). it is about the number of people reacting positively to your videos. some people think that the more hits your videos get, the more famous you become. personally, i do not think it is true. read more...

here are my most favorite biyaheng pinoy posts, in random order:

surviving sagada. this video has the biggest place in my heart. it shows that i was overwhelmed with sagada's majestic beauty, the freshness of the waters, the blueness of its skies, and the warmth of the people. it was a great challenge to me to show all these in a video. having no formal training in video making, i found it so hard to do it. it opens with a small girl's sweet distinct singing voice with no other musical instrument. she's singing about the beauty of her town and also about the anniversary of the anglican church in sagada. showing sagada in daybreak, with the crowing of a rooster, and the chirping of the small birds in the background, it shows the beautiful mountains surrounding the old demang village.

daisylyn bayang sang this beautiful song so perfectly, it sounded like a chanting song from heaven. so many people liked this video, particularly because of the music, so i should give conyap (her igorot name) much credit for this. the video showcases the stunning waterfalls, the green rice terraces, landscapes with nice formations, the happy children, and the peaceful town of sagada, mountain province.

rehiyon rehiyon festival. this festival really caught me by surprise. i knew we had this festival in marikina city, but i didn't know that it was such a big event. i realized that i didn't have to come far, just to see a great spectacle. event was held right on my birthday, every 8th of december. the parade started from riverbanks mall at 7 in the morning. people started to crowd the streets while waiting for the parade to come. it took about 30 minutes before the parade reached baranggay sto. nino. it was lead by our city mayor, hon. maria lourdes carlos fernando and her loving husband, mmda chairman, engr. bayani fernando.

the street parade lasted for two hours, and they headed to the marikina sports complex. it's where they held the main dance competition. the spectators were scorched by the sun, but it didn't stop them from watching the show. besides, who would want to miss this grand show?

masskara festival 2007. i remember vividly, going to this festival was only a dream that i would dream for the rest of my life. well, not anymore. because i finally came to bacolod, the city of smiles.

it was my biggest wish to be part of the masskara festival in bacolod city, negros occidental. i was so excited to get there so i made sure that i get a plane ticket to negros, three months before the event. if that wouldn't guarantee my trip, then i don't know what i was going to do. i took a lot of photos, shot videos, wrote a very long narrative about my trip and made lots and lots of friends. it was the most colorful day of my life and i will remember this as long as i live.

biyahengpinoy's 100th post

2009-03-27T01:16:00.018+08:00

i am so proud to say that i have survived my blogging life. since this will be my 100th post, i decided to change my blog header. while i was deciding on how my blog header would look like, i came across this artwork online. it was made by a young man named jed and he called it biyaheng pinoy. yes, i know what you're thinking, what a coincidence! read more...

so i thought of doing something different, which is to feature another artist's work in my blog. without any hesitation, i emailed jed and asked if i can have his permission to use his artwork as my blog header, providing that i would give him proper credit and acknowledgment. surprisingly, he replied to me in minutes, and had willingly given me rights to feature and use his work. he even allowed me to do some modifications to his work to make it fit my blog.

jed dumawal is a 21-year old multimedia artist, living in paranaque, and working in an advertising company called lowe worldwide. he dreamed of having his own graphic novel someday. he also plays the guitar and is currently into sports like frisbee and table tennis. you may contact him thru email at jed_dumawal@yahoo.com.

marikina city: a bikable city

2009-03-05T15:54:00.004+08:00

it was only twenty years ago when i was trying to learn to ride my first bike. during that time, it was quite hard to learn it. the roads were either too narrow, too muddy, or too rough, it wasn't safe, and there were motor vehicles everywhere.

just recently, i realized that our city isn't like that anymore. because now, we can freely run, play, and ride our bikes right along the river. sidewalks were cleared and bicycle lanes were alloted to most streets in marikina. fifty-two kilometers of bikeways were constructed within the city to date.

a brief history: the lemon pie house

2009-01-17T02:57:00.009+08:00

the sagada lemon pie house is owned by joseph daoas and katrina daoas. it was joseph's mother, elena daoas, a native from candon, ilocos sur (married to bartolome daoas, originally from poblacion, sagada) that started it all. it was her original recipe and was passed to joseph that later improved the recipe to make it taste even better. read more...

it took 12 years for joseph to perfect the recipe. he experimented to get the right amount of flour for the crust and the right texture for the filling. it was 2 years ago when the lemon pie reached its greatest improvement. but of course, it didn't end there.

the couple opened the sagada lemon pie house to the public for the first time, but it wasn't a hit. so katrina decided to bring her lemon pies to the public market, downtown poblacion, to get better sales. soon, more and more people buy their pies, and the rest is history.

nowadays, you can taste some of their lemon pies in local stores and restaurants in sagada. just ask where the sagada lemon pie house is and anyone from town can tell you where it is. they also serve fresh brewed coffees, egg pies, and even pastries.

the sagada lemon pie house is located in atey, daoangan, sagada. click here to see their promotional video.

an outcry to filipino music

2008-12-26T04:43:00.035+08:00

i would like the readers to know that i have felt so disgusted and appalled by these filipino artists who have been making revival albums. they are very talented singers, with really nice voice, but are making money out of others' work. anyway, i felt like i could not hold it in anymore and that i should say something about this matter, once and for all. below are the opm artists that i would like to exemplify:

aiza seguerra - i believe that this kid has the sweetest voice in the philippines today. from a child superstar to a gifted musician, aiza sequerra has made her crowd love her.

she surprised the filipino people when she came out with her first ever adult album, "pagdating ng panahon" in 2001. the first single, an original composition by moy ortiz and edith gallardo, "pagdating ng panahon" was an instant hit and was played on the local radio for months.

except for some original songs like "pinakamamahal," "akala mo," and the current hit "para lang sa iyo," she has been singing only revival songs. her latest album entitled, "open arms" is a beautiful compilation of old familiar songs. she did a very good job and really impressive renditions in this album. however, i thought that her talent's wasted on revival songs. my advice for her is that she has to make an all original album for once. i expect so much from her. read more...

nyoy volante - he is both a singer and a composer. most of the songs in his first album which he collaborated with his band, mannos, were original. that cd's one of my greatest possessions and also my most played. i like his songs "what do i do?," you're my you," because of your love," and my personal favorite, "nasaan."

after his debut album, he started singing old songs like "lost in your eyes," in my life," "dreaming of you," and "(they long to be) close to you." don't get me wrong because his voice is really soothing. it's just that i thought that it was pretty gay that he is singing girly songs and they're all revival.

kyla - there is no doubt, kyla rules, she is the r&b princess, and that she can sing. i remember calling a local radio station before just to get her name after hearing her first song called "hanggang ngayon." i was very impressed with her vocal technique and that the songs in her album were all original.

two years after her first album, she released "kyla," with original songs. in 2003, she released another album called "i will be here." this time, she had a duet with the mr. pure energy himself, gary valenciano and sang an old song entitled, "sana'y maulit muli." when her album "not your ordinary girl" came out, she started singing covers like, "'til they take my heart away," "if the feeling is gone," and "make me whole," which she made them her own.

her last two albums, "heartfelt" and "heart 2 heart" were a disappointment. they both have revivals, and some songs were kind of irritating. and because of that, i've decided not to buy those albums; not worthy of my money. kyla may not be selling as many albums as the other female singers but making this kind of albums is not an option. she had recorded so many albums so she doesn't have to prove anything anymore. so again kyla, i'm telling you, i am very disappointed.

nina - the "soul siren" is still new to the music business but everyone knows how good she sings. she makes a lot of money from all the albums she's sold and most local radio stations in the philippines are playing her songs. her first songs, "2nd floor," "jealous," and "first kiss" were beautifully composed with colorful and meaningful words.

her sophomore album, "nina smile" didn't make money as much as her first album despite the original compositions. it might have prompted warner music philippines to make nina's first live album, "nina live." it worked for nina, and for months, she reigned the local charts. she made another hit in 2007 for her song, "someday."

recently, nina released "nina featuring the hits of barry manilow" which failed to establish the same impact as her other albums. it served her right for making another revival album.

m.y.m.p. - this band is the worst filipino band ever. after their first hit song, "get me," i don't remember them making another original song. they have covered all songs possible and the worst thing is, they have come up with 5 full albums already.

i don't have any personal grudge with the band members. as a matter of fact, i think that she has a nice distinct voice, but i think that what they're doing is not right. they are making money out of other fellow musicians' work. yeah, we have to admit, filipinos love revivals but how long are we going to let them fool us by stealing our money with songs that were not theirs? they're such a disgrace to all the filipino musicians.

disclaimer: everything expressed in this blog was only the blogger's opinion. it's not generalizing what all people would say or think. one's entitled to his own opinion. you may think differently but i will firmly stick to mine.

apo hiking society

2008-12-16T03:14:00.013+08:00

danny, boboy, and jim, also known to everyone as the apo hiking society will be this year's featured artist at the marikina year-ender concert, that will be held at the riverbank amphitheater, on december 30th. it is a yearly free concert sponsored by the marikina goverment headed by the hon. mayor lourdes fernando. program starts at 7pm and the feature show starts at around 9pm. it is rumored that at least 25,000 people will attend this event the free concert which will be concluded with a grand fireworks display. thanks to mr. sammy samaniego for all these info.

sagada dap-ayan's remember your children

2008-12-06T21:19:00.009+08:00

due to insisting public demand, i've made another sagada dap-ayan video. this song is called "remember your children." most part of the song was written in english; later part was written in kankana-ey, which is the igorot native dialect.

headed by robert pangod, sagada dap-ayan group has a bright future ahead of them. this video was recorded on may 21st, 2008 at the sagada lemon pie house. photos used in this video were also taken by me in various locations in mountain province like kalinga, bontoc, and sagada. i will post more in the future so just keep on checking this blog.

update: 12/07/08 - this is the updated version of the video. lyrics have been added to this video for those who would like to sing along. enjoy.

why filipinos love to curse?

2008-11-15T12:27:00.023+08:00

i've first heard the cuss word "putanginamo" from my grandmother when i was little. when my mother was so mad because of the bad things i did, she cursed. so i've learned how to curse. so why do filipinos love to curse? ambeth r. ocampo, wrote about that in his book "aguinaldo's breakfast." read more...

"i believe that pagmumura (or cursing) isn't as negative as it's made out to be, since it is a way to get things off one's chest, to release pent-up anger. thus, it keeps a filipino sane, and at times keeps him or her from becoming physically violent."

now my question is, why does my grandmother curse all the time? she would curse when she is happy, she would curse when she's mad, and she would curse when she's sad. i remember asking my grandmother for my allowance before i went to school, and then she said, "wala akong pera. eto, bulbol ko, pagbuhul-buhulin mo" (i've got no money. here, play with my pubes). at that time, i couldn't understand that, but i thought it was quite funny. another instance was when she came to our house and saw the lock on our door was broken and said, "bakit ayaw pumasok ng pinaka-titi nito?" (why is the dick not going in?).

"some people say that the use of foreign curse words instead of one's native language is a way of distancing oneself. 'son of a bitch' will rarely elicit the violent reaction that putanginamo will. many people interviewed for this article were of the opinion that 'mas bastos sa pilipino.' (it's more obscene in filipino)."

i think that cursing is a lifestyle. you will know one's identity and culture by simply learning all their bad words. you will hear that in the movies, in music, and even poetry. most conservative people might find it quite offensive and taboo, but personally, it's not. it's one way of expressing one's anger, thoughts and feelings, without the violence and gore. so let me ask you this, how much do you love to curse?

ambeth r. ocampo was born in manila in 1961. studied primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in ateneo de manila, obtained a BA and an MA in philippine studies from de la salle university, and has taught at the university of the philippines (diliman), san beda college, and dela salle university.

sagada dap-ayan's salidummay

2008-10-20T20:43:00.006+08:00

this song, "salidummay" was performed by the sagada dap-ayan on march 21st, 2008 during the soft launching of the sagada lemon pie house, owned by mr. joseph daoas. headed by robert pangod, this 7-man band is now making lots of good local and indigenous music. watch this clip to know more about them and their music. click here to see their other videos.

the new sagada lemon pie house

2008-10-02T08:56:00.008+08:00

it was only about in may of this year when i, together with the staff of the sagada lemon pie house thought of doing something different with their shop. with an artistic and professional help from mr. oly sese, the sagada lemon pie house was transformed from just your regular pie shop, into one nice cozy hangout, which later became another tourist attraction in sagada. this slideshow was long overdue. however, please watch the video slideshow to see.

estela's goto

2008-09-30T08:10:00.004+08:00

you are not from marikina city if you haven't tried estela's goto, located at #478 villalon street, sto. nino.

their goto is the best one that i've had so far and it only costs p15 per order. you should also try their fried lumpia, fresh lumpia na hubad, and also tokwa't baboy. you will have a full stomach for only p50 or less.

biyahengpinoy says "thank you"

2008-09-03T19:29:00.023+08:00

i must admit that i have been very lazy and was a procrastinator for these past few months, and i am saying sorry for all you readers.

anyway, as most of you already know, my blog biyahengpinoy has been nominated for best travel blog at the philippine blog awards 2008. i would like to thank everyone that supported me throughout my blogging years. let's all just hope that biyahengpinoy will be included in the short list of nominees for that category.

i was asked to submit my five (5) most favorite posts. i thought i should share them to you all and here they are, in random order: read more...

the lemon pie house
rehiyon rehiyon festival 2007 (part 01)
isla del fuego
bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. (part 01)
surviving sagada

biyahengpinoy's post "an old letter from tuguegarao" was also nominated as best single post in the travel category.

UPDATE:

biyahengpinoy is now officially a finalist to the best blog travel category at the 2008 philippine blog awards which will be held at one esplanade, roxas boulevard.

do you want to watch pba2008 but did not register? you can watch the live video streaming of pba2008 tomorrow, september 21st at exactly 5:30pm. you can also chat while watching it. just check it at "my video streaming" section located at the right side this page or simply click on this link to watch.

grand launching: lemon pie house

2008-05-03T07:50:00.011+08:00

after the lemon pie house's very successful soft launching day, they will finally have their grand launching day on may 3rd, 2008 at 5pm.

they will be inviting some local performers to join them and serenade you with their beautiful and enchanting music. hope to see you there.

the philippine blog awards 2008

2008-04-21T01:17:00.013+08:00

nominations for the philippine blog awards 2008 started on april 16th. you can now nominate your favorite filipino blogs in 36 different categories.

you can also vote for my blog, BIYAHENGPINOY for best travel blog. click here to start voting or you can also click on the image above to know more about the mechanics.

sagada video collection

2008-04-02T09:23:00.011+08:00

finally, my first ever sagada video collection. these are video essays of my visits to sagada over the past year. the dvd contains 10 videos with different themes all taken from my biyahengpinoy blog. now, i can share them with you, not just over the internet, but also right on your televisions. email me to get a copy.

video tracks: surviving sagada, how to prepare pinikpikan, return to sagada, saggas vs sega soccer match, sumaguing cave, sagada fiesta 2008, lemon pie house, begnas 2008, and sagada dap-ayan jamming

sagada's begnas 2008

2008-04-02T09:11:00.007+08:00

video was recorded, edited, and directed by wencel angeles

video was shot in demang village in sagada, mountain province. this is the biggest event in sagada that a lucky tourist like could attend to. men of sagada, both young and old walk barefoot, wearing native costumes called "bahag" or commonly known as a g-string or loin cloth, and head to their "dap-ay", a place where the council of elders usually meets and community matters and affairs are decided.

sagada dap-ayan's kordilyera eeyah

2008-03-28T13:02:00.008+08:00

the sagada dap-ayan group from sagada, mountain province, headed by mr. robert pangod, performed during the lemon pie house's soft launching on the 21st of march, 2008. it was the best treat that tourists and locals could possibly have on that day, as they've all witnessed the best talents in sagada. know more about the lemon pie house by clicking here.

lemon pie house soft launching

2008-03-23T17:09:00.022+08:00

we would like to thank all the people that supported us during the soft launching of the lemon pie house on the 21st of march, 2008. we would also like to thank some special people that made that event possible:

mr. & mrs. Oly Sese
mr. & mrs. borja
delia hilario
louie montalbo

it was a night of music. the sagada dap-ayan group, led by robert pangod, performed traditional songs, which were accompanied by ethnic instruments. it was the best day at the lemon pie house for mang joseph daoas, owner of the pie shop. we will soon put a video and some pictures of the event in this blog. soon, the place will be a venue for artists and alike. once again, thank you all for your support.

sagada annual fiesta

2008-02-26T15:25:00.019+08:00

this was my first time to attend sagada's annual fiesta, held on february 1-3. i arrived in sagada on january 30th so i can take pictures of the fiesta preparation. she looked so different during fiesta. there were so many people in town, everyone was busy, no one was sitting, and everyone was moving around. i took a deep breath and said to myself, "welcome to sagada."

first day of the celebration. i've witnessed their street parade which started from demang, up to the town proper, poblacion. mostly children, and some were faculty members from sagada national high school, and saint mary's school. some were wearing their school uniforms, some were wearing the mass demonstration costume, and some were on their traditional costumes. it was only 7am and the street was half filled with people joining the parade. i even saw a group in their native costumes with two guys walking infront wearing cabbages and eggplants. everyone thought that it was funny. everyone proceeded to the basketball court in poblacion for the cultural presentation.

the cultural presentation was really both educational and entertaining. my eyes feasted with everything that i've seen. i've had my friends with me to explain to me all the rituals which were being staged. i looked around and i saw people everywhere and no one was sad. i've also noticed that igorots have great sense of humor because it showed in their presentation. it was a great day both for me and my camera.

saggas played soccer againts the other guiding association, sega. saggas won scoring 6-3. click here to watch the video. read more...

second day of celebration. i heard that there were some sports events held in poblacion but i was so caught into rice planting.

third day of celebration. i went to poblacion in the afternoon to watch the tug-of-war game. it was really fun watching it. as a matter of fact, it was the most amusing program/game they've had in the entire fiesta celebration. sometimes, i would get hungry and i''d go run to katrina's stall. there is nothing more rewarding than to have a hot cup of brewed coffee and a slice of katrina's her egg pie on a cold cloudy sunday afternoon in sagada.

the sagada lemon pie house

2008-02-23T19:55:00.019+08:00

video was recorded, edited, narrated, produced, and directed by wencel angeles

the lemon pie house is planning to hold a soft launching on good friday, at 5pm, on the 21st of march, 2008. guests are invited to see some of sagada's local performers singing songs from their albums, listen to some poetry readings, chat with other guests, sit on the floor, while eating pies, and drinking teas and coffees on their NEW small tables. they've also added some new decorations and attractions to the shop.

they're thinking of making the lemon pie house an alternative place to those who want to eat light and live life artistically. i hope to see you on that special day.

the lemon pie house is located in atey, dao-angan, sagada, mountain province.

sagada again and again

2008-02-17T14:31:00.043+08:00

this was my third time to visit sagada in a span of a year. i would always leave my heart in sagada and that could be why i've kept on coming back. this time, i've decided to do less trekking and do more talking to the locals. i've met new friends and saw new things to explore.

sagada lemon pie house. i've always visited mang joseph's lemon pie house in dagdag for a slice of his famous lemon and egg pie, combined with their home-made freshly brewed coffee. i've realized it is time for everyone to know where the lemon pie house is. i've dropped by mang joseph's place to talk to him about my proposal. i wanted to make a video clip about him and his business and feature him in biyahengpinoy and clickthecity. i've told him that i was willing to do this project at no cost. all i wanted was his cooperation and willingness. i am currently making their video and i hope that it would help them with the business. read more...

here's a list of things we did:

✓ cleaned the store and the garden

✓ rearranged the store's furnitures and woodworks
✓ fixed the store's lightings
✓ took pictures and videos of the garden and the store
✓ interviewed joseph and katrina daoas
✓ made a lemon pie house blog

ug-uggo souvenirs, store's name used to be johngansmackay prints, named after their kids, until just recently, the store owners, andrew pekas and safe pekas, decided to change the name to ug-uggosouvenirs. we've been good friends ever since my first visit to sagada. it's only a 2-minute walk from george guests inn, where i've stayed at last year. the couple were so nice and warm, always smiling. i've visited their store many times to surf the internet and buy souvenirs.

rice planting. planting rice could be very exhausting but it was actually fun, well, maybe just for a day. but i've planted rice in sagada twice and it was a very fun time for me. getting into the mud wasn't hard, but staying in the mud for hours was a major torture. instead of getting out of the mud, after long hours of work, my body started to feel heavy, and so i found myself resting my elbow on top of my knee. i've never thought that it would be such a relaxing position. you think that's bad? let me tell you what's worse. i forgot to bring a spoon to use for lunch and my hands were full of mud. i couldn't find clean water around to wash off my hands so i've decided to use the water coming down from the water supply off the rice terrace. the tips of my fingers were all full of mud so i ate right on my palm. i wouldn't forget that day.

i am not sure if this would be appropriate to tell (and i'd tell you anyway) but the warts on my fingers and on my toe which i've had for more than 3 years just vanished. i've had them surgically removed a long time ago but still some of them came back. i couldn't tell if it was the cold climate, the minerals in the caves, the food i ate, the water i drank, or the mud on the rice fields that cured it. "isa itong himala!"

jamming with tebag. it was the last day of the fiesta and i've thought of wondering around poblacion. i was checking one stall after the other, making sure that i wouldn't miss anything. then i saw jackson bayang (a tebag member), playing his guitar and singing with robert pangod, a representative from an organization called the montanosa research and development center. their song sounded so familiar. soon i realized that they were singing songs from the albums "tebag" and "malinggis." they saw a few songs which i've enjoyed so much. after singing "dam," robert invited me to come back later that night and maybe join them in their jamming, and so i did. watch their jamming video, soon.

saggas versus sega

2008-02-16T15:39:00.015+08:00

video recorded in sagada, mountain province
music: moonpool & caterpillar's "hear"
video was produced, edited and directed by wencel angeles

saggas (sagada genuine guides association) played soccer against sega for the first time and it was held during the town fiesta of sagada on the 3rd of february, 2008. saggas was victorious and scored 6-3. to the saggas men, congratulations to you. that was a very good game.

biyahengpinoy guestbook

2008-02-09T05:14:00.015+08:00

i have decided to make a blog guestbook so you, viewers can tell me how you like the blog and what needs to be done to improve it. if you think that your message has nothing to do with a certain post topic, then maybe it would perfectly fit my blog guestbook. please feel free to sign in my guestbook. thank you to those who will leave their messages. keep on supporting my biyahengpinoy blog.

you may also follow this blog by becoming a fan of biyahengpinoy's fan page in facebook. you will need to be a registered facebook user to become a fan. click here to become one.

clickthecity features masskara & pagudpud

2008-01-24T17:21:00.005+08:00

clickthecity is now airing my masskara video and my pagudpud video was just uploaded today. you can check them now.

masskara festival is celebrated every third week of october in bacolod city. this video was recorded during last year's visit to negros occidental. to know more about my masskara festival experience, please click here.

pagudpud beach is the boracay of the north. many foreign and local tourists come to ilocos norte just to swim in this beautiful resort. fine white sands, clear sparkling sea water, and fresh winds are just some of the reasons why you should visit this place. pagudpud beach is a 2-hour bus ride from laoag city, ilocos norte. click here to see my pagudpud video and photos.

sumaguing cave

2008-01-21T00:42:00.004+08:00

video clips were recorded in sumaguing cave, sagada
music: madonna's "ray of light (ultra violet mix)"
videos were produced by wencel angeles and abster ramos
edited and directed by wencel angeles

i would like to give my biggest thanks to those people that helped me with this video. thank you gareth for all the help you've given. you've offered me help and i will be forever grateful to that. also special thanks to the kids, ervine and joven, for the additional assistance and lightings. i am so honored to finally meet some of the saggas members: oscar, jeff, perry, lester, ben, john, and steve. i will never forget that night we did the group shots. i've had so much fun doing it. i hope that i will meet the rest of you all. to all the igorot friends i've made during the making of this film, i will never forget you.

meet the men of saggas

2008-01-20T10:38:00.008+08:00

from left to right: oscar, jeff, perry, lester, ben, john, gareth, and steve

it's time to meet the men of saggas (sagada genuine guides association). they've been around for almost a year, founded by john magwilang in 2007, now headed by gareth likigan. they're all residents of sagada, mountain province. they're tough and highly-trained, yet the friendliest guys from the north. they've helped me with some of my projects in sagada, and the latest was my sumaguing cave video. i've made their profiles so you'd get to know more about them.

gareth likigan, 23 years old, saggas president, a leader, a dictator (based on his own opinion). he was the personal advisor of the former saggas president, john magwilang. he was later elected to be the group's leader after john left for taiwan. his hobbies are cave exploration, football, and volleyball. he is very knowledgeable about sagada, and its geography. a great friend. very honorable. read more...

steve solang is the father of the group. he is 46 years but still manages to stay fit. he is a volleyball fanatic. he is also a gardener in sagada. a soft-spoken, you might be surprised to know that he is the kagawad in dagdag, sagada. he loves sagada so much that he tells all the tourists not to leave anything inside the cave, just footprints. i really loved his humor. this guy is crazy, never a dull moment.

john justo likes to mountain hike. he is a natural athlete and loves to play baseball. he is a local from ambasing, sagada. what you see is what you get. do not under estimate him with his boyish looks. he is a very good guide and also a reliable one. his brother joven justo is also a potential sagada guide. john says, "if others can do it, why can't i?" he was born on the 13th of january, 1984.

benjamin calpi, also known as ben is a very athletic guy. he plays basketball and baseball. he also likes to mountain hike. he was also born on 1986, which is the year of the tiger, in the chinese calendar. living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect. that's what he is. his favorite sayings are, "come let's share with the glory of the lord," and also " no guts, no glory." he is 21 years old.

lester tom tao-ey likes trekking, target-shooting, and reading books. don't let his bad boy looks fool you because underneath it all is a very smart person. he has these history books about sagada and the igorots and he had read all of them. mister bookworm was born on the 2nd of december, 1986. his message to the tourists: "come and visit sagada, our shangri-la."

perry golocan is a 22-year old sagada guide, born on the 4th of july, 1985. he is known for always wearing an old-school leather jacket and a cap. his favorite past time is playing baseball. perry is a very friendly guide that can rock your world. he assures you that you and your valuables are secured when with him. he is a very religious and warm-hearted person.

jeff baniaga was born on the 20th of may, 1986. his parents are joseph and katrina daoas, owners of the lemon pie house, only a 15-minute walk from brgy. poblacion, the town proper. he loves to play football. he believes that first impressions last. with his great personality and masculine igorot features, many thinks that he is the total sagadian heartthrob.

oscar magwilang is local resident from brgy. demang, sagada, mountain province. he is the younger brother of the saggas founder, john magwilang. oscar believes that for most tourists, sagada is a home away from home. oscar is a kind of shy but shows some good humor just to break the ice. he spends time in the rice field planting rice when he is not guiding.

these are just some of the members of sagada genuine guides association. if you would like to know more about their group and their guiding rates and other services, you can visit their blog by clicking here. email them at sagadagenuineguides@gmail.com for other inquiries.