Malabon to Escolta

For some reason tonight I feel like blogging. Probably because the net is okay and we seldom get that. Scanning the many photos I have taken in just three months since the beginning of 2015, I can say there definitely is a lot of work to be done.

Early in January, I revisited Malabon, for the third time this time, with a fellow Wiki workshop participant. (Unfortunately he decided not to do anything during the certification period so he didn't become a certified volunteer.) He was willing to accompany me though and I'm happy about that because I would need an architect to help me with determining architectural styles since most houses are tricky.

We met at San Bartolome Church on an early Sunday morning. Since mass had started, I decided to hear mass first before looking for him. Since Malabon is dear to me, I still take a lot of pictures of my favorite finds. What makes my visit then extra special was that we got to enter an ancestral house where we spent some time talking about the windows, the ceilings, the floors made of wooden planks... It's what I love most when traveling, getting to know the local flavor through the people, the food, and the old structures. I wish I can go on doing this.

retablo of San Bartolome Church

Facade of San Bartolome Church

near the wet market

Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish

drawing on a tile displayed outside a house

interiors of an ancestral mansion

because I rarely get inside an ancestral house: obligatory photo!

After walking around in Malabon, I went straight to Escolta where I was to meet with my family for Sunday lunch. It brought me back to where it all started. Living in Manila during my childhood, I was highly selective on where we hear mass and would only be happy when we heard mass in Binondo Church. Later on during my college days, I took great solace in walking on the streets of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, and Binondo like an annual pilgrimage of sorts. Would you not feel the magnificence of these old buildings which withstood the test of time? Does your heart pound not at the sight of these wondrous architectural styles? They invoke in me a sense of wonder, stirring my soul, inspiring my whole being...

Don Ramon Santos Building (a.k.a. BPI Escolta Building)

Regina Building

UNO Seafood Wharf Restaurant housed on the ground floor of Calvo Building

Read about my first Malabon experience here

My second Malabon experience was just mentioned in passing HERE

December

The last month of the year 2013 was spent without any travel to far away place. My officemates and I had planned to spend Christmas eve in Pangasinan but it did not push through. And we had planned to spend our first Christmas eve away from our families and in an island where we would camp and cook our own food.

December is one month I dread the most. I always get depressed on the last few days of November which usually lasts until the early part of January. I dread my birthday. I dread Christmas. I dread New Year's Eve. Maybe it's because my mind always withdraws back to the past, waxing nostalgic about my childhood, my highschool life (which I considered the happiest phase of my life because of my innocence and naiveté), my fall-after-enlightenment in college, my turbulent post-college years... The last days of November would always urge me to open my diaries, where I recorded most of my teenage years. It's both amazing and weird at the same time how I was able to write that much back then and how I even had the time to record SMS to me by people who mattered a lot then. And I am thankful that the younger me was that addicted to keep memories for posterity's sake so it's easier to see where I went wrong in some aspects of my life.

December 2013's important highlights:
1. Lots of food trips but the ones I enjoyed most were the ones with my highschool friends and the one with my ex-officemates. I'm glad to be reconnecting with those people. It's very seldom when I meet people whom I truly care for. (Being nice to everyone doesn't mean I truly care for everyone.)

2. I won a scholarship to a learning institution and might be studying again anytime soon but there are no definite plans yet.

3. Attended Handel's "Messiah": A Christmas Concert at UP Theater and was treated to a night full of wonderful music. I especially loved the UP Madrigal Singers for their extraordinary skills in mimicking animal sounds. Really wow! (On the downside, I was reminded of how I was discouraged to continue my music lessons... I could have been a musician... Boo!)

4. Shopped for clothes. The last time I did so was in December of 2012. I very rarely shop unless needed. My wardrobe looks pitiful compared to my sisters'. Also, that day was another sisterly date. I just love eating out with my sisters (coz they're always the ones to foot the bill...)

5. First time to interact with the Heritage Conservation Society-Youth (HCS-Y). I found the people really knowledgeable and very friendly. I might consider volunteering more. The project was to tour students from UP Visayas who are currently staying in UP Diliman following the disasters in the region. We visited Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin, Manila Collectibles, Casa Manila, and National Museum Art Gallery.

6. Disposed a lot of useless things from the shelves in our bedroom. Less trash, more useful space, which means, I can finally have space for my books. (Don't tell my sisters!!!)

Guide for a Day 07142013

Last month, a group of around 30 Chinese students came to visit the Philippines and my sisters and I participated in touring them around. One of the stop was Luneta Park which now has undergone a major renovation. In my youth my parents used to bring us there on Sundays. When I was a bit older, I remember not liking the place much because the place stinks due to garbage being thrown indiscriminately, not to mention the place gaining a reputation as a hotspot for snatchers.

group picture taken by me

At the entrance to the Chinese Garden

fountain with lights

This reminds of the the linked coaches in The Bund, Shanghai

It amazed me how different Luneta Park is from what it used to be. My new-found Chinese friends commented at how beautiful Luneta Park is. I was just fighting the urge to tell them that Shanghai's Century Park is even more beautiful. We need to be proud of Philippine tourist spots, too. And given how impressed I was at the improvement, I just nodded my head in agreement.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines: one of my favorite places  in Metro Manila

After touring Luneta Park, we headed to SM MOA for a game of bowling and lunch at Mang Inasal afterwards. Just the day before I also had lunch at Mang Inasal somewhere in Laguna. On both days I consumed two and a half cups of rice. (I'm a growing kid!)

After lunch, we did a little shopping. My "babies" and I mostly window-shopped since they seem to be quite miserly, too, like me. I do hope they enjoyed being with me even though I was such a lousy mall guide. I made a mental note back then to at least somehow familiarize myself with fashion brands.

Then off to Eton Centris in Quezon City for a game of laser tag. I was so tired and sleepy by then that I passed on the chance to play the game. After that, my sisters and I had our spontaneous date there.

March 2013

Compared to February, March this year is pretty lax as I am made more aware of my financial conditions following my many travels in such a short period of time. My Hong Kong trip last February ate up most of my savings. This was followed by my trip to Vietnam which is much cheaper, but which nevertheless contributed to more expenses. It’s still a good thing I was on duty on Holy Week as this may help in my finances.

I finally experienced sleeping over at a friend’s house last March. That was my first. My parents never allow me sleep at a friend’s house despite the many invitations I got. It was fun, I got to peek at my friend’s manga and DVD collections. It was just unfortunate that I didn’t consider bringing my 1TB external HDD; I could have procured copies of series and movies.

Before we got to her house, we spent some time at Timezone in Glorietta. It had been a long time since I was there, the last was when I was in my third year in college and a friend treated me to some games there. Prior to that, my last was way way back when I was a kid. I just can’t bring myself to spend money on something so trivial. I’d rather buy a book or spend on food, thus the rare visits to arcades. We then headed to Mercato Centrale in the Fort. It was my first time there, and also my first time to take the bus shuttle from Ayala Station. I used to get off at Guadalupe and just take a jeep. There are many weird foods there and the prices are not as steep. I love the flower-shaped nachos, strawberry basil ice cream, Chef Anton’s turkey, and the buffalo wings. Salmon and cheese paella, and Japanese Wagyu paella are not bad either. My friend told me about the ostrich meat which is a must, but it was getting late and we everybody was tired so we didn’t wait for it anymore. This experience reminded me of that one night when my officemates and I went to UP-Ayala Technohub Mezza Norte where I first experienced a weekend food market. The concept is awesome and it just beats dull food court fare in malls.

Because this month I bought a new laptop (Fujitsu), I need to find ways to save money and shun temporarily theatrcal performances. To somehow recuperate from my overspending, I seek entertainment in books, animé and movies. I finally watched X, an animé I have been putting off for so long. Also, I continue to watch My Date with a Vampire, easily the best Asian drama ever (so far). These days, ever since I quit school, I seem to have distanced myself from books, as I find myself taking too long to finish a book. This month, I’m determined to finish the extra verbose novel Lempriere’s Dictionary by Lawrence Norfolk which is not an easy read at all as it includes classical mythology aside from the convoluted mystery plot and dizzyingly beautiful historical references that one is inclined to suspect the book of being pretentious but anyway, it’s rare to find beautiful prose these days. And reading on, I became interested in the author himself so I checked his website and also read how he conceived Lempriere’s Dictionary and his other works which I plan to read should I find them in Booksale. [Maybe I ought to switch back to non-fiction.]

As for physical activity, I am embarrassed to admit that it has ceased suddenly perhaps owing to the fact that I became engrossed in non-physical activities. Brisk walking has been a quotidian activity but I would rather increase my activities to burn more fats (hopefully). Early this year I planned to take up dance lessons but the plan has not materialized yet.

In order to somehow cushion the financial blows following my monthly travels, I decided to go on budgetarian mode, making sure I have packed lunch for work or if not, just have veggies since these are not only cheaper but also healthier. I even bought promo canned goods in case there's no food for lunch. Still, my food lust is difficult to satiate as I found myself buying restaurant vouchers from Metrodeal. I availed Barbara's dinner buffet with dance performance with a post-graduate friend and Marina Restaurant's oyster promo with my sisters.

Barbara's buffet dinner was a bit disappointing as there are very few dishes and most fall below expectations. Chicken soup with shrimp head is so-so. The pancit bihon is surprisingly good. Chicken barbecue becomes hard when cooled. Beef caldereta unfortunately does not have veggies like carrots and potatoes. Fish fillet is too covered with bread crumbs. Grilled tanigue is bland. The desserts are a welcome treat in comparison to the main dishes, most especially the brazo de mercedes which melts in mouth with a hint of lemon. The brownies are chewy and moist and chocolates oozes out of it, thereby delighting the senses. But I guess what we really look forward to here actually is the dance performance. I am reminded of the breathtaking performance at Las Casas de Acuzar. 

Marina's red hot oysters are heavenly. I just love the cheese and the spices are just right. Alongside the promo, we also ordered bagoong rice and pinakbet Truth be told, we found the food extra pricey when we couldn't find anything special in it.

For my brother's birthday, we had dinner at Uncle Cheffy (Eton Centris). Food was disappointingly sad though service was okay. Among the food that we ordered, I love only Spaghetti Alejandrino (red sauce with Spanish chorizo). Beef steak is okay,too, but the serving is too small. Asian fried rice doesn't taste Asian to me, but my sisters loved it.

I couldn't believe that I would be assisting in an excavation this year, I thought I had zero chance since I am no longer an archaeology student. I was informed of the AIA near Sta. Ana Church and on March 17, I went there to assist in accessioning the collected artifacts. I miss digging!!! What is bad in urban archaeology is that you go home after a day's work and work is not that continuous compared to excavation in far flung areas. During lunch break, I walked around the area and took pictures of the church, something which I have been putting off for so long. We went back to UP afterwards and my friend and I shared an order of pasta at Friuli's, my first time to try the restaurant.

Top: Santa Ana Church
second row (from left): plaza fountain, test pits, Chinese temple
third row (from left): Santa Ana Market, preserved tree inside Savemore, preserved trench in Savemore showing walls made of adobe

Working from home during Holy Week, I was finally able to clean our room and arrange my books things and to throw away garbage that occupy too much space. Yes, I am a clutterbug and the four-day holiday was too short to ever do the things I wanted to do for our bedroom.

A Day in the Life of a Cochero

Last March 22, my friend and I roamed the streets of Binondo in search of a cochero. She needed it for a project whereas I saw it as an opportunity to once again ride a calesa and have a Manila tour.

We met Mang Toto and his horse Petra. Although it has a name of a female, Petra is actually a male. I even joked with Mang Toto and told him he should have named the horse Pietro.

Mang Toto has been earning a living as a cochero since 1980. He used to earn P500 before but due to the increase in the number of tricycles in downtown Manila, at present he earns P300 on average. This daily earning is too small considering he sends to school six children, two of which are still in grade school. On lucky days though, he earns more when tourists abound.

His daily routine involves leaving the stables located in Caloocan City at 9:00 am. He travels for half an hour to get to Binondo. Once there, he waits for customers. At 12nn, he eats his lunch. Sometimes he has packed lunch with him and other times, he eats at an affordable carinderia. At 3pm, he takes his merienda break. He goes home at 5pm.

Mang Toto mixes Petra's food: palay husk, water, and sapal (soybean pulp)

water with palay husk, clean water, and sapal

Mang Toto feeds Petra.

Curious about horseshoes, I asked him what he thinks about these. Is it painful for Petra? He answers no, and that the nails should come out to the other side of the hoof otherwise it can pierce the horse's flesh. How much does a horseshoe cost? P30 apiece without the nails. Does every foot have a horseshoe? No, only the front hooves have them. Does Petra eat carrots and sugarcubes? Mang Toto gives him honey instead, and says that Petra likes grass.

It was nice to know Mang Toto and Petra. I wish them all the best.