Stargazing

Who says you can only see stars by looking up? Why don't you try looking down sometimes then tell me what you see.. :)

11.24.11. Makati City

Writer's Block

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More than just coffee…

After dinner the other night, a girlfriend and I decided to transfer to a coffee shop to continue playing catch-up with each other – we actually work in the same company and see each other at least once a week but it’s been a long time since we last had a non-stop, no-holds barred repartee. We were joined by another girlfriend after a while.

Within four hours and 30 minutes…

Someone had to resort to eating out instead of having dinner at home because she couldn’t eat at home because… Basta! Basta di sya makakain sa bahay nila hehe..

Someone introduced her suitor (without the guy knowing he's the suitor) to her friends. That someone is now wondering if she should encourage the suitor to suit her (ansabe???). 

Someone was jealous of a girlfriend for no valid reason at all.

Someone was caught in the politics between an old friend and a new “friend”. 

Buildings were bought and sold.

My salary increased to Php100,000/month.

We went to Australia and our salaries were charged with 40% tax.

New employees were hired and, to someone’s surprise, one of them will be her new boss who will be on board next week (di pa ako ready!!!).

The population grew exponentially and someone had a nosebleed.

A tarsier got stressed, jumped off a tree and bashed its head on the ground.

Someone missed Jollibee and another missed Dakota.

We went to Puerto Galera and cried over a lost friend.

Someone said goodbye and came back after four years to complicate someone else’s life.

Someone got married and someone else cried.

We fell in love, dreamt of settling down, then got our hearts broken. Only to fall back in love again.

It’s amazing how a cup of coffee could go a long way…

And then I saw Starbucks’ logo and saw myself and my girlfriends’ reflections… three sirens coming out at night to sing (chat) their lungs out and live the mysteries of life and love. Easily done over a good cup of coffee J

I love Touch & Heal!

Image courtesy of Touch & Heal FB page.

I have this friend who, when she’s tired, wishes that she could just close her eyes and be at her place at the instant she opens them. I used to laugh at her when she says that. But now I understand her and, sometimes, I make the same ridiculous wish.

Those times are, most of the time, after I get my massage at Touch & Heal.

Full body Swedish or shiatsu massage, back massage, head massage, lying down or sitting up, one hour or 30 minutes – as long as with peppermint oil – any of these has the same relaxing (which is an understatement) effect on me. They turn me to gel-o. As if my bones are suddenly gone like when Professor Gilderoy Lockhart magically vanished the bones in Harry Potter’s arm. Good gel-o.

Having tried several wellness spas in Makati area, this is the one that I go back to even if I’m too tired to walk – it’s around 15 to 20 minutes walk from my office – or  even if it’s late at night, and even if it’s still a few kilometers away from where I live (and I had to drag myself home after each massage or wish I could just sleep and someone would just carry me home). I could even afford cutting short night outs with my friends just to get my dose of Touch & Heal pampering.

I’m not an expert but I think the therapists are well-trained in that (1) they have this aura of professionalism that you would feel safe and comfortable, without having to worry about them comparing notes (I hope) on, say, the client’s body shape, size and features. (2) Same professionalism seems to discourage over-familiarity with the client, in turn going back to #1 above. (3) I don’t know how they do it, but it’s as if a special massage equipment is massaging me and not a therapist. No sense of physical contact with another individual. Which is good. (4) The staff are courteous and friendly in their own quiet ways. (5) They are neatly dressed and groomed. (6) They don’t loiter about and stay in their quarters. And even in their quarters they are quiet, helping maintain the restful atmosphere in the spa. (7) No matter who the therapist assigned to me is, same delightful massage is given.

Added delight to the experience is the simple and cozy interior of the spa, quality and well-maintained facilities, therapeutic scents, subdued lighting, soft music and, of course, reasonable pricing.

Having said that… Touch & Heal is perfect for me. Highly recommended. And thanks to Luisa and her colleagues for the superb accommodation.

I just had my massage a while ago, so… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

I wanna run to you...

I thank the Lord for a wish granted. 


Just a few weeks ago, I was longing for a get away and longing to forget all the stress, heartaches (sniff… sniff..) and pressures city life (and life in general) brings. I go on out of town trips with friends average twice in one year and the second one is usually towards the end of the calendar – when all of the above have piled up and have started taking their toll on our tired mind, heart, body and soul.

I've had my third trip (love, love, love) though - and we're still at the 3Q of the year - when what I thought was a silly conversation unexpectedly materialized last weekend and took me to Laiya White Cove Beach Resort just around 2 ½ hours drive south of Manila (minus the traffic). It is just how it looked like in the pictures... 

The fine white sand, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the warm night breeze that carries with it the scent of the salty sea paired with ice-cold drinks and a goofy company (namely Dhona, Tin, Choi and E) that kept me awake up to 3am of the following day… all a soothing balm to my tendered soul. The following morning was greeted with the rustic sound of walis tingting on the sand, the smell of kapeng barako, fresh fried fish and sunny side-ups preparing me for a lovely day. And I wasn’t disappointed. 


Capping it all was the splendid accommodation of the resort’s staff, especially Kuya Greg, who looked after us and added a personal touch to every assistance he provided us with; he even gave me his last piece of antacid when I needed it.

It was a short get-away but, all in all, it was exquisite and comforting. Refreshed, I am now, again, ready to say bring it on! I’ll just ‘run away’ again if I feel the need to :)

(Thank you, too, to Sir Jimmy C. for the company and indulgence.) 

I’m not interested in food. Not just.

Last Saturday (September 17) I went to the finals of My Sunday’s Best Recipe contest, a cook-off for aspiring chefs, organized by San Miguel Purefoods Culinary. I have been invited to a lot of events before but I was able to come up with different excuses to spare myself from what I thought were boring activities – I used to work in an advertising company so I thought I’ve seen “everything”. But when I received an invitation to the cook-off, it took me less than 24 hours to confirm attendance (which is a record-breaker considering I am fickle-minded) and I even promoted it to my friends. Because Rob Pengson was the special guest was my primary motivation. Y

I don’t exactly know how to cook. I have no idea how to make adobo taste adobo. Up to now I have a hard time distinguishing kare-kare from pinakbet. I can fry but there are still times when I am not sure if the fish/meat I’m frying is already cooked. Besides, I’m afraid of the tumitilansik na mantika (waaaaa!!!!) that I have to hold a pan’s cover for my shield with the sianse as my weapon. Okay, so I can’t put ingredients together to come up with a proper-tasting dish. And I am not willing to even make prito the isda or baboy. Hence, I either eat straight from the can or go to/order from a nearby fast food or restaurant just to get by.

But Rob (oo, close kami) and the cook-off made me realize something. That I love him… eheste... I love chicken-spaghetti-rice pig-out at McDonald’s topped with large glass of soda. At lunchtime, in the office, there’s always the pahingi-ng-rice and patikim-ng-ulam-mo (si Ate Hope nagluto nyan?) scene. Kain-tayo-ng-masarap night-outs is customary and is occasionally preceded by victory parties and birthdays that are usually celebrated with pancit puti, palabok, bila-bilaong chicken lollipop and California maki, pizza, lasagna, pichi-pichi, barbecue, ice cream, cake, etc. etc. etc. There were even days these (night and merienda pig-outs) were preceded by S&R lunches. And by lunch, I mean pizza, roasted chicken, two cups of rice and very tall cup of soda. Oh, don’t forget cinnamon churros for appetizer and dessert!

No, I’m not interested in food. Who said that? So why have I watched Rob’s cooking show series and went to this event? Why did I keep the recipe book my best friend gave me and bought three more, out of which only one dish was tried by moi? And why would I brag about the spicy tuna risotto with parmesan cheese that I tried preparing (coupled with fear that I might poison myself) which, by the way, my housemate said was scrumptious?

No, I’m not interested in food. Not just. I love food.

First Taste

I remember writing about the digital divide when I was in college. How technology would separate the savvies from the traditionals who prefer their crisp broadsheets, their books fresh (almost) from the press and all those older-than-thou media. But by the looks of it, technology has, in its faster-than-the-blink-of-an-eye way, rallied mergers instead of creating borders. There are still those who prefer the print/radio/tv (like moi) and there are those who, on the other hand, prefer the virtual encyclopedia. Nothing wrong with it. What’s of the essence is the sharing that takes place, making the world smaller and the people closer. There have been a lot of times when I felt like I was halfway across the globe, enjoying the wide expanse of wheat fields, when in fact I was inside my room which is only slightly bigger than a matchbox. Or laughing out loud with my cousin, who is hundreds of miles and oceans away, sharing banters of ancient times. I have been to places relying on the directions shared by a virtual friend and nakakarating naman ako sa destinasyon ko, sa awa ng Diyos… Blogs, Facebook, Twitters and what-have-yous – all bridging the gaps. And I want to do my share in that, so here goes… anything and everything from my side of the world…