First Dampa Experience: Super Wok 01212015

An uncle and his wife visited from Hong Kong and I learned about it just last Tuesday night when my sister was asking me if I could join them for dinner. Of course I'd say yes! I was going to give them some pasalubong for my cousins back in HK!

My family already chose Super Wok Restaurant in Macapagal Blvd. near SM Mall of Asia. I was super excited (even though I feel fatigued after not having rested fully after Pulag) since it was my first time and I LOVE seafood a LOT. So imagine my brimming happiness which almost brought me to tears as I laid eyes on lobsters and prawns and fish.

lobster costing P2000/ kilo... (I can't afford!!!)

prawns... my fave!

fish be with me... FOREVAH!

these huge ones cost around P4000/ kilo (okaaaay I really do want to cry again as I type...)

 After purchasing seafood at the marketplace, we headed back to the restaurant to weigh everything and give cooking instructions to the waitress. I'm glad my mom ordered for halaan soup, perfect for a cold night. This came after the pancit canton. And then one by one our orders came: sotanghon with crabs, calamares, baked scallops with cheese, steamed lapulapu, shrimps in spicy sauce, fried rice, pan fried salmon, and hot tea.

the place

my plate with sotanghon and crab and calamares, two of my favorite things

calamares

baked scallops with cheese

shrimps in spicy sauce... YUMMY!

steamed lapulapu in mild soy sauce... a WINNER!

I loved everything! But knowing how much we spent for just one dinner is quite debilitating. I wouldn't want to shell out that much money just for a meal. On second thought, it was all worth it since the seafood was fresh and everything was well-cooked, except perhaps for the salmon. Mom does a better job of cooking it.

Will I go back? For the lobsters, yes! I will have to be extra thrifty from now on though. Maybe I can start saving P20 per day and then after 130 days I will have saved enough for a lobster treat. But considering the distance, I'll probably just end up looking for a dampa place nearer to home.

First 2015 Adventure: Double Mountain

The first half of the month has been wonderful. I was able to secure a slot to Mt. Pulag at the last minute through a new-found friend whom I met in Dolores, Quezon last year. Since late last year I was already planning to go up Mt. Pulag again, I made sure to take advantage of Uniqlo's sale and was able to buy a Heat Tech turtleneck and a pair of padded pants. Just the very clothes I need to conquer the cold in Benguet since the first time I went there last year I shivered uncomfortably all throughout the night and was not able to sleep comfortably.

Last January 15, I reported to the office very early in the morning so I had my early out then headed to Makati to meet someone. It was a quick meeting but because commuting in Metro Manila sucks, I had to rush home to get my bag which I fortunately had prepared two nights prior.

The trip organizer booked me for Baguio, the bus expected to depart at 8PM and yet I left home at 7PM. Not a very good idea. It also didn't help that mobile communication was made difficult because of Pope Francis's arrival in the Philippines. As communicated by both Sun Cellular and Smart, there will be difficulty in sending SMS and in calling for security reasons. Oh well. This country really needs to care more for the common masses. So anyway, I couldn't send out my message that I was already on my way. Buzzer beater as always as I arrived at 7:40PM whew! Close call.

hanging bridge at the back of Jangjang's Eatery

 I was the only isolated participant in our group but I made good use of it by grabbing a hot siopao from Hen Lin (2/F Victory Liner Terminal) and by charging my phones at 7-11. Then when the rest of the group arrived exactly an hour later, we all boarded two jeepneys. Bumpy road again yet I still was able to fall asleep!

We visited Jangjang's Eatery. I was grateful for the free soup (which a friend called "sabaw na pusa" but which is actually pork broth). We waited until the sun's rays kissed the earth and we went at the back of the eatery to see a hanging bridge.

view from the foot of Mt. Pulag

 We spent a long time at the Rangers Station due to the large number of hikers on a Friday! It seems that many adventurous spirits would rather heed the call of the mountains than suffer the suffocating crowds at Luneta as people await the mass to be said by the visiting Pope.

view from the foot of Mt. Pulag

 It was already late, around 10:30am when we started to climb up Mt. Pulag. The ascent took 3 hours and a half. I could have done better but I chose to wait for a climbing buddy who tires easily. Anyway, all was well because I was able to observe and look at the different plants while he was resting.

plants in Pulag (couldn't name them though...)

By late afternoon, I was dismayed when our plan to reach the summit was cancelled because a companion collapsed and had to be carried to the campsite. Since I was with a rescue team, we naturally had to attend to her and make sure she was alright. The porters were telling us she should be brought back to town lest something happens to her in the very cold night of Pulag. Stubborn as she was, the group decision prevailed and she was brought back down in a makeshift hammock.

At night we feasted on canned goods and wheat bread. I myself brought my favorite Uncle George Multigrain Bread, canned tuna, and canned sausages. One of the organizers cooked chicken sinigang and shared it with us so it was still a happy meal. So grateful for the hot soup.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this... taken while hiking as we were nearing the campsite

Before we went to sleep, the elder of the rescue team gave a lecture on focusing on important life matters. I was surprised when he emphasized over and over again the importance of prioritizing one's family. He also advised that single people travel as much as possible because once one ties the knot, one must be ready to sacrifice for the new family. This struck something in me since my parents and sisters have been complaining a lot because I am almost always never home. And I would always tell them they wouldn't even go on adventures with me so what do I do, imprison myself at home?

the sea of clouds on the second day... finally!

 On the second day, after gulping down two mouthfuls of lambanog to somehow counter the extra chilly winds, I joined the others in hiking up the summit, headache and all. In my desire to warm my body I sacrificed my sober mind. Still the beautiful sights I took in at the top made that seem insignificant. All pains go away at the sight of beauty. We may not be rewarded by the beautiful sunrise but we did get the sea of clouds plus bonus cloudfalls.

what I call the "cloudfalls"

 We stayed at the summit for hours, not wanting to leave the marvelous sights. But like all wonderful things that come, they must go. Or rather, we must depart and go back to civilization. I was the last one to leave the campsite. Still sleepy and hungry for a hot rice meal, I decided to descend straight, stopping very little, while the others rested and chatted. In the end, I reached the town first from our group, and I did so in just one and a quarter of an hour or so.

That night I decided to go with the rescue team to save on accommodation expenses since one of them has a relative in Baguio. We had dinner at a bulalohan somewhere on the way to Crystal Cave. I was ultra happy to finally eat rice and bulalo for only P70. Take note, we skipped lunch!

view from Mt. Cabuyao (now more popularly known as La Preza)

 On Sunday, we went up Mt. Cabuyao, now popularly known as Sitio La Preza due to the TV series Forevermore. Lots of people are visiting the place and so we had to hike all the way up, making me even happier since who could resist a nice long walk on a beautiful day?

When we got down, we were extremely hungry. Unfortunately, 50s Diner near Leonard Wood was still full of people even at 2PM so we settled for its neighbor Backyard Diner. It's my second time there so this time I had chicken a la kiev and rice. I wish I had gone for their burgers though because the chicken isn't that flavorful. I was expecting a lot of cheese oozing out after every bite but that was just destined to be in my dreams only.

late lunch at Backyard Diners: chicken a la kiev with veggies and rice

 After lunch, we visited White Laperal House. In my trip to Baguio last year, we only passed by this and failed to see the bamboo exhibit.

bamboo exhibit inside the White Laperal House

Boarded Victory Liner bus to Cubao at 7PM. My seatmate was a handsome looking guy who climbed Pulag on Saturday and didn't see any of Pulag's beauties. Anyway, I'm glad to have chatted with him because he seems like a nice guy who's gone off to many mountains. He even tells me his misadventures in Pico de Loro on a stormy day where he and his only hiking buddy almost got lost.

Which reminds me... I have never been to Pico de Loro... (smiles)

Got home at 1:15AM because the bus driver takes very long breaks. @.@

Prinsipe Munti @CCP

The first time I heard about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novella "The Little Prince", I was already in college. It was always the book being read by French language majors and whenever a French prof asks what our favorite book is, at least one will say "Le petit prince". Because of its enormous popularity, I was a bit hesitant to read t until I saw a Spanish version in my favorite bookstore. At that time, I would buy every Spanish book I could get hold of, mainly to practice my Spanish. Then eventually I would find it in original French. No more hesitations, I was quick to make the purchase!

I did read both versions and I was amazed at how simple the story is but how it carries deep truths about the way we lead our lives. It bashes the superiority of adults and raises the innocence and the sense of wonder of children to great heights. It disarms us and leads us to ponder on important issues like relationships, more than glory, fame, and fortune.

So when I heard that a play based on the novella will be staged in Tanghalang Pilipino in CCP, I of course wanted to see it. Because of Typhoon Ruby, a falls trek was cancelled so I was free to go to the last day the play will be shown in theater.

The play is a mix of shadow play and musical so it was fun to watch. I have to admit that I cried from start to finish, but it was not because I was blown by the performance itself. There's something lacking in the whole play that I couldn't quite point out. I cried more so because of sudden insights into love and relationships, on relationships, basically. At this point in life, I still feel the pain of being let go of far too easily, the pain of loving and giving too much of myself that it was too late when I realized I left very little love for myself, that despite having given up a lot for a person's sake, you are left behind, forgotten and abandoned. On that note, I can very well relate with the Rosas as well as with Munti.

Whenever Munti sings, my heart constricts and memories of happy days gone bad fill my mind. Thoughts of fair-weathered friends, of friendly users, of liars who say one thing and mean the other, arise. I have, time and again, told myself to always open my heart, to always keep the hope up that one day I will find my real family, a group which can truly understand me and help me grow as a person. It's just so hard to navigate through life with so many unnecessary relationships which suck the life out of one so innocent and so trusting and so naive.

I am touched by how Munti does everything for Rose, how despite Rose's inability to understand him he still does his best to show how much he loves her. Those scenes remind me of how I can be Munti, someone who gives his all for a beloved and at the same time, like Rosas, someone who demands a lot of proof of one's love. I cried when Munti no longer understands Rosas and decides to leave her.

I loved how Munti learns from Alamid, how Alamid would tell him that what is important cannot be seen by the eyes, among other lessons on relationships. 

It was painful, that scene wherein Munti realizes that there are many roses in Planet Earth which are very much like his Rosas back at home. But Alamid's words on how investing time and effort in a beloved makes that beloved special and unique. This is not just love but also a responsibility as the Alamid would always tell him that he must be responsible for the things he tames. Taming after all, is the act of establishing meaningful ties and this take time. The other characters who are so engrossed in their own little world cannot see beyond themselves and are too self-centered to give attention to Munti. (This reminds me of how superficial friendship has become especially in today's digital world where people are just SO BUSY they don't have time to catch up with you.)

Realizing that he left his beloved alone in his planet, Munti wants to go back and is tricked by a serpent who promises to send him home with one bite. The fatal bite renders him lifeless as the pilot whom he befriends in the desert mourns for his demise. 

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Clearly I have no intention of writing about this play, but the emotions they provoked in me were so strong and I know I can only be restless if I don't do something about it. Pardon the crappy writeup filled with rants. :(