Captain America

Next movie up on our holiday watch list--Marvel's big budget version of Captain America: the First Avenger!  Now there was that feeble attempt to create a show during the eighties (two TV movies starring Reb Brown), and then a more decent 1990 Albert Pyun screen version (starring Matt Salinger) came along, but this 2011 version is a definitely a true blockbuster.  Cinematography was meticulously made to show a believable Second World War backdrop, and the actors were topnotch (Stanley Tucci projects a kind grandfatherly image, Hugo Weaving delivers a megalomaniac's Oscar, while Tommy Lee Jones is a natural as a gruff army general).  The comic book was first launched by Jack Kirby in the early 1940s a moral booster for the American forces, and in the Silver Age of comics (early sixties), Captain America enjoyed a new round of popularity as the head of The Avengers--the A Team of the Marvel Universe.  

I can't wait to see the next Marvel presentation, "The Avengers." as the protagonists (The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America) team up to fight a bigger enemy.

As they say, stay tuned to the same bat-time and bat-channel!  Oooops.... wrong universe.... hehehe.....

Cars

Spent some holiday time watching movies and one of these that we picked was Cars 2, which tells of the adventures of not only Lightning Mc Queen (voiced by Owen Wilson)  but also his best friend Mater the Tow Truck (Larry the Cable Guy).  As Lightning competes on the Japanese and European circuits, his best friend gets caught up in some international espionage, and of course, the fireworks begin!  I've had a soft spot for the series, as the first movie had lots of what I call the "possibilities, pride & redemption" phases in a storyline.  Young rookie speedster has the possibilities for greatness, but pride takes control, bringing him down.  But he finally realizes the really important dimensions in life--friendships, loyalty and giving--and thus ultimately finds redemption in the eyes of his friends and his girlfriend.  You can find more of this theme, though lighter in tone, in the second installment--Lightning Mc Queen thinks his best friend is an idiot but realizes the mistake when the unseen espionage becomes apparent.  I'm an absolute sucker for redemption stories!  As I watched the movie, another thing crossed my mind--the wonder of digital animation!  The views of the racing circuit (Tokyo, Italy and London) are captured in such a life-like fashion, that I could have sworn this was a live action film!  You must see it to enjoy the digital artistry of Pixar at work!

The Atlantic Foundation

Chuck Feeney

Yesterday, I read a news article with a sense of awe.  After the kilabot feeling we experienced upon hearing about the flash floods in Cagayan De Oro, Iligan and Dumaguete, reading this news article did a lot to uplift our spirits.  This story tells about the anonymous donation of US$350 million to Cornell University, and the startling philosophy of billionaire Chuck Feeney, who founded Duty Free Shopping chain of retail stores (sold later to the LVMH group of luxury brands).  Apparently, Mr. Feeney was already worth US$2.5 billion in the mid-1980s, and despite his riches, always travelled coach (economy section), still wears a US$15 watch, and does not own a house nor a car.  Already in his eighties, his goal is to become a pauper when he dies, leaving the Atlantic Foundation, a professional managed organization, to receive his estate and administer the disposition of his wealth to worthy causes that he has identified.  When asked why, he simply answered "I decided I had enough."

Hats off!

Vargas Kitchen

The Vargas Kitchen has three branches located at the Rustan's outlets in Makati & Rockwell, and at South Supermarket in Alabang.  Vicky was lucky to have been gifted a giant VK butter cake and I must say that while I am more of an ice cream & gelatin person than a cake & pastry person, I truly enjoyed this butter cake.  It was soft and very flavorful; when you open the box you can actually smell the rich aroma it exudes.  In fact, if you take a look at the picture on the left, you can see that we had already finished around three fourths of the cake before I remembered to take a picture!  Actions speak louder than words--what more can I say?

Jack's Loft

I realized that Jack's Loft was the sister restaurant of My Thai when the bills came--there was a separate food bill coming from My Thai and the drinks (beer) were billed by Jack's Loft.  I guess that it made business sense to keep the alcohol license with just one entity, rather than having to pay 2 annual fees for 2 sister companies.  We decided to chit-chat a bit more and from the My Thai restaurant at the ground floor, we went up to the 2nd floor where Jack's Loft was located.  The cool December wind felt a bit like the Tagaytay breeze, and we didn't mind the open-air layout of the the place--really much like a loft.  We had a few alcoholic drinks and coffee, but didn't get a chance to taste the desserts that the place was known for--they had a display full of chocolate cakes, caramel cakes and cheesecakes, and from what the waiters were telling us, some patrons take desserts as the counterpoint to their alcoholic beverages.  Maybe next time!  In all, good place to "chill" as the youngsters put it...

My Thai

Going Thai seems to be the popular thing these days, and my friends set some business discussions at the My Thai restaurant along Wilson St. in Greenhills.  We arrived at around 7:30 pm; parking was easy and aside from another couple, we were the only ones in the place, which was a pleasant surprise--even though it was a weekday, we had expected the Christmas rush to set in. We started off with catfish salad and quickly moved on to the viands--green chicken curry, stir fried squid, shrimp pad thai (noodles), sauteed kang kong--with lots of bagoong rice.  I found the food portions on the small end of the spectrum though, but I had no complaints as the food was tasty and was delivered fresh and hot.  The cook also heeded our request for mild spice, and for some dishes, the chili peppers were served on the side.  For dessert, we had taco (coco pandan pudding) and sticky rice with mangoes.  Quite reasonable at P500 per head, exclusive of drinks, which came in from their sister restaurant, Jack's Loft.

Chicken List

Talking about the family's top 10 chicken list, here it is folks, in no particular order (it's really difficult to grade and rank them):

1.    Aristocrat's Honey Chicken (as differentiated from their chicken BBQ);

2.    Max's

3.    The Original Savory or The Classic Savory (different owners, same chicken recipe)

4.    Chooks To Go

5.    S&R

6.    Bugong

7.    Shakey's Golden Fried Chicken with Mojos

8.    Country Chicken (the one along Quezon Boulevard, not the one in Australia)

9.    Sincerity (Monique insists this should be included--her favorite!)

10.  Chicken Bon Chon (I think the serving portions are small, but Monique loves the taste)

Some chicken stores that have closed shop would have been on the list--Kobe Chicken (the store with the glass enclosed rotisserie, not the chicken raised in Japan), Chicken Benedict (they had great chicken bottoms), Popeye's (the one in Binondo, not the one in Louisiana), Chi's pugon-baked paprika chicken in Sucat and last but not least, Myradel in Paco (brings back the memories of booze time with Vicky's brothers).

Max's

The second Max that I write about is a specialist in fried chicken and has been in the business since right after the Second World War.  Started by a teacher, Max Gimenez, the restaurant first catered to the GIs stationed in Quezon City, and subsequently grew to become "the house that fried chicken built."  While the restaurant is famous for its chicken (the claim is that it's "tender, juicy and crispy, delicious to the bone!") the menu also includes a lot of Filipino favorites--crispy pata, pancit canton, kare-kare, and halo-halo.  At today's prices, average spend for a good meal is around P300 per head.  Last Friday afternoon, Monique and I found time to have a quick snack at the Max's branch in the basement of the Shangri-la Mall, and we had that devilish grin when we asked the food server to bring out a whole spring chicken for the both of us (the exact chicken is pictured below)!

The main Max restaurant along Scout Tuaxon certainly brings back so many memories, and two events are foremost in my mind--in the seventies, the family had dinner there to celebrate my graduation from grade school, and in 1997, we celebrated Pipsy's first birthday there too, complete with games and prizes!  Gwama and Kong have also entertained friends  at the main restaurant (last time was when Uncle Yachts came to town).  Food is good and reasonably priced; without a doubt, their chicken will always be on my top 10 chicken list!

Max Brenner

Chocolate by the Bald Man... Max Brenner launched his first Philippine chocolate shop along the street curb at the Makati Avenue side of Greenbelt maybe some 10 years ago.  The original location is now occupied by the Hermes store, and the chocolate shop has been transfered to the ground floor of Greenbelt 5.  The new shop is a much smaller place, but has a nice garden view.

The menu covers the whole range of chocolate delights, from cakes, desserts, ice cream, shakes, hot and cold drinks.  I had the Ecuadorian hot chocolate, served in a cup with no handles (you have to hold it with both hands--it's hot at first but you get used to the heat after a while), and it was nice and thick.  If you take some pastries and drinks, expect to spend something like P400 per head.

A giant vat of hot chocolate!

The Bald Man?  He's part of the staff, but alas, he's not Max Brenner...

I lingered a bit after the fast business meeting, enjoying the last few drops of my cup.  It was a Thursday afternoon and we had the place all to ourselves.  Somehow, I missed the hustle and bustle of the old place, it was a bit livelier, but maybe you could attribute that to seasonality--Vicky and I would go to the old place on weekends, early evenings and for that after dinner cup of hot choco!

Mexicali

I had to kill time yesterday along Ayala Avenue, and I found myself wandering around the RCBC Plaza at the corner of Buendia Avenue.  The Food Court area was full of people and I found myself sitting at the first available table at Mexicali.  This chain has been around for quite a while, and I distinctly remember that Monique went crazy over their burritos and cheese enchiladas when she was in grade school.  We went to Mexicali every other weekend, and that routine went on for around 3-4 months!  Fast Mexican food--burritos, chili con carne, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos--you name it, we had it!

I had a simple snack of burritos (regular size) which was less that P100.  Their El Gordo serving portion went for around P350 and when I saw the size of that burrito, I wondered if I could finish the burrito in one sitting--well, maybe I will try it one day, only after a hard workout!

  

Interiors a very colorful and filled with prints made by Mexican artists.  I like the rustic appeal of the chain, and food is tasty, serving portions are enough and reasonably priced.

Melona

Gwammy just raves about this!

Have you tried the latest Korean craze that's hitting the Philippines?  It's called Melona "creamsicle" (that's ice cream shaped like a popsicle) and it's quite inexpensive (retailing at around P25 - P35 each).  These ice cream bars come in 4 basic fruit flavors--melon, banana, mango and strawberry.  If you will note, the melon flavor is actually the honeydew variety (green in color), and not the Spanish cantaloupe (which is orange in color).  The creamsicle is manufactured by the Binggrae group, a company that distributes Korean ice cream all over the world.  Go to your nearest Korean store (you can find them all around Metro Manila) and pick up a bar!  I'm not too sure if the company has started to distribute outside Metro Manila, but if the sales trend will continue, I'm sure that the Korean-Filipino importers will consider spreading to other major cities in the archipelago.

Bangkok Cafe

Had a Christmas luncheon get-together with Vicky's Animo classmates at a Thai restaurant called Bangkok Cafe at the Ortigas Center.  Located at the ground floor of the Pearl Plaza along Pearl Drive (the University of Asia and the Pacific is right across the street), this restaurant opened just last October.  The interiors were neat and simple, and the kitchen area is visible via a large glass window (somehow I warm up very well to restaurants with open kitchens).  While the restaurant is usually closed on Sundays, we were lucky that one of Vicky's friends was able to make arrangements for us to hold our get-together there on Sunday lunch (perfect--easy parking).  Menu was very well planned and the taste of the the contrasting viands complemented each other--Tom Yum soup, prawns in coconut cream, spicy pomelo salad, crispy-wrapped prawns, togue & tofu combination, red chicken curry, steamed fish, beef strips and stir-fried kangkong.  We specifically asked for mild chili pepper (the kids can't take the heat) and the food came with just the right touch of spice, adequate to give the Thai zing, yet still be considered friendly to the local palate.  After lots of banter and light conversation, we had Takoh (coconut cream gelatin) and red apulid (water chestnuts) in shaved ice for dessert, in time to finish up by 2:30 p.m.  A super treat at around P700 per head, inclusive of drinks.

Roshan

Vicky came home the other night with a surprise one her hands--a client had given a Christmas present in a simple wooden box marked "Roshan."  She told us that she had heard of Roshan's home bakery from friends, but we've never actually tried her products before; so we were rushing though dinner in order to open the box of Food for the Gods.  And we were so delighted--the bars did not disappoint!  Soft, moist, chewy, packed with plenty of dates (which I love) & chopped nuts, the bars had absolutely the right amount of sweetness which had me drooling for more!  I understand that the word Roshan means "Light" or "Brightness" in Sanskrit and I can say this was an absolutely yummy treat!  Oooh La La!

Buffalo

Eddie was in town this week and since we were transferring a large for volume of computer files, I had to purchase a 1TB external hard disk for the purpose.  To my chagrin, the price of these hard drives have doubled up over the past few weeks, from an average of P5,000 to the prevailing prices at P10,000 each!  My last hope was to go to the Park Square Mall in Makati--the place is literally a techie's beehive.  Luckily the Hub had a few remaining units of Buffalo hard drives, and I was able to purchase one at old stock prices.  Apparently, the latest price increases are a backlash from the flooding in Bangkok--several HD plants were forced to shut down, and the stocks have dwindled severely.  The forecast is that it will take till August 2012 for the situation to normalize. Coming home, I was thus musing about the prices of tech gadgets, and how volatile the supply and demand situation can be, which is both a good and bad thing, depending on which side of the fence one is situated in.  External HD prices went up, conversely, we've seen price drops too.  Cellphones, can be had for a song--Hua Fei has cell phones retailing for as low at P499.  The Fujitsu Lifebook with an Intel i5 processor and pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home, can be obtained for as low as P27,000.  China-made 6" tablets go for as low at P3,500, and branded 8" Android tablets like Coby retail at P8,000.  It's a competitive techie market, and even the big boys can falter--Research in Motion, the makers of the Blackberry phone, recently announced a delay in the launch of their new models, from early 2012 to late 2012, and some analysts are predicting the demise of this big player.  If you recall, Motorola might have invented the cell phone, and Nokia made the cellphone a household toy, but the cheap smart phones are starting to gain ground these days.

I started off with a Sharp portable BASIC programmable in 1981 and a Commodore 64 in 1982, and look at the computers we have today!

Food Channel

Monique had a long breakfast meeting yesterday with some friends at the Greenhills branch of Mickey D's, and by the time she finished, it was already lunchtime.  We headed off to roam freely at Shoppesville, and after some shopping, we decided to drop by our favorite shawarma store for a quick bite.  Food Channel, located right at the side of the old Greenhills theater, has been around for some years now, and as you walk past the place, the roasting aroma of beef will fill the air!  Literally a hole-in-the-wall, you probably won't even notice the place, but as far as I'm concerned, their shawarma, especially when covered in their garlic sauce concoction, is simply amazing.  The price of the basic shawarma cost a bit more (around P100) than that of other fast food stores, but Food Channel claims to serve only sirloin beef, which probably accounts for the the price difference.  Comes with a free glass of gulaman too!

Herman

I just received a text message that an grade school classmate had passed away from a bout with the Big C.  As our classmate Figaro had put it, Herman was a gentle and kind soul, and his pleasant disposition will be truly missed.  I last saw him a couple of years ago when we learned of his illness; some old classmates got together to offer mass for him.  I was particularly close to him in Grade 4--my oh my, flashback time--and his shy boyish smile is forever etched onto my memories.  He managed his family's bed manufacturing business in the early nineties, and I understand he lived in North America for a few years before coming back to the Philippines to start a business in coffee and coffee flavorings.   Walk with God my friend...

Felix

Celebrated our anniversary at Felix in Greenbelt 5.  A lot of debate went on as to where we would eat, and right after Vicky & Monique took their time looking at the bags of Nicole Sheker, they agreed that Felix was the nearest and most convenient choice.  This restaurant is run by Chef Florabel Co (I read somewhere that Felix is the name of her father), and is located right across the garden from the Greenbelt Chapel.  When we got in, we were amazed at the actual size of the interior--from the outside, it looked like there was room for only a few tables.  The menu was filled with catchy names for the dishes, and we took some time to order (the restaurant carries almost a full line of Western & Filipino foods to choose from).  As it turns out, I was a bit disappointed at the Malunggay soup; it didn't carry the distinct flavor of the leaves.  Vicky however, enjoyed her Caesar's salad, while Monique & I started off with our Rockafeller Chicken.

The fish and pork dishes were quite good, although I balked at the richness of the sauce--it's quite hard to lose weight if I go on this eating spree!  The Sans Rival dessert was an added treat which Monique enjoyed.

Overall service was good.  The place is a bit on the high end of the totem pole, though--prepare something in the vicinity of P1,000 per head.

Chateau 1771

Vicky & Monique had an enjoyable Sunday morning at the beauty parlor, and as a treat to cap the feeling of well-being, we decided on having lunch in Makati.  Chateau 1771 at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5 was a well-received suggestion, and we found ourselves dining on a 2-hour family-style feast, complete from starters to dessert!  We over-ordered in fact, and had to carry some food home.  We started with raclette and French Onion soup, just enough to whet our appetites.  We were so charmed, that as soon as the first two dishes came in--Prawns in Cheese Sauce and Hunter's Chicken, we were fast busy eating that I even forgot to take a snapshot!

The dishes you see pictured above came in a bit later, when we were already in a calm mood (only then did I remember to bring out my camera)--from the top, Pork in Mustard Sauce, Rigatoni with Prosciutto, and Linguini topped with Tenderloin Beef Cubes.  The desserts below were quite good--the house specialty Lemon Meringue and the ever-present Coffee Pie.  We figure that you should allot around P1,000 per head to enjoy the menu.

The restaurant is the flagship of the group, which includes Sentro (Filipino Food in Serendra), Sidebar (bar & lounge at the Ortigas Center) and the Hotel Pontefino  in Batangas.  The group is operated by the Gutierrez family, which started bed and breakfast operations in the late eighties along Adriatico St. in the Malate area, and gradually moved into restaurant operations by opening the Portico restaurant at the second floor of their pension house.  I just loved the interiors of their restaurant--the warm Tuscan yellow color of their walls, and the expanse of glass windows outlined in solid wood and black grills.

Chuck

Monique just loves for the television series Chuck, which tells the story of computer-geek-turned-international-spy Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi).  I managed to watch a few Season 4 episodes last week and it turns out that the series has loads of funny situations, light romance and even kung-fu action, all told with witty conversation (reminds me a lot of television in the late seventies).  The simple story line revolves around how Chuck starts his career as a spy, when the Intersect, the database of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, somehow gets embedded in his brain.  Veteran agents John Casey (Adam Baldwin) and Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) are assigned to initially baby-sit and later on provide support to Chuck as he learns the ropes of the spy trade.  What actually amazes me is the depth of the stars who have had guest roles on the show--Timothy Dalton (James Bond 007), Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), Brandon Routh (Superman), Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), Carrie-Ann Moss (Matrix), Summer Glau (Firefly), Stone-Cold Austin (WWF) and veteran actors Chevy Chase, Armand Assante, Richard Chamberlain, Morgan Fairchild, Bruce Boxleitner, Gary Cole, Richard Burgi and Dolph Lundgren.  After watching a couple of episodes, I must say I am hooked!  Now, I too have a soft spot for the gentle spy Chuck, and it's a real pleasure to point out to Monique all the famous guest stars on the TV show, and to explain to her their previous work from 30 years ago. 

Krispy Kreme

I first encountered Krispy Kreme around 10 years ago, when Mikaela came back from Los Angeles with several cartons of the doughnut.  At that time, I was simply amazed at how she managed to hand-carry the stuff all the way from the United States--and I asked her why she took all the trouble to do so.  Her answer was that she wanted us to taste the product, as it remained soft and delicious even if left at room temperature for several days.

Around 5 years back, I understand that Max's Fried Chicken Restaurant was able to negotiate the Philippine master franchise, and today, there are several Krispy Kreme stores all over the country (11 at last count).  I understand that Krispy Kreme executives approved the franchise when they realized that visiting Filipinos would bring boxes back home to the Philippines as pasalubong (exactly like my sister)!  Doughnuts are soft but some versions are slightly too sweet for my taste.  I had a meeting at one of their branches with some colleagues last week, so I had my original glazed with black coffee and it was just right!  Doughnuts come to somewhere between P25 - P45 each, depending on the variety and if you purchase by piece or by the dozen (come out much cheaper).

Kopi Tiam

There's a small restaurant along Councilor Benitez St., near the junction of Horseshoe Village and Santolan Avenue called Kopi Tiam.  This restaurant, while affiliated with the North Park group, serves the Chinese dishes that North Park is known for, but the  concept and menu offering have been tweaked a bit by the owners, the siblings Rafael and Gabriel Soon.  Instead of the straightforward & spartan interiors of the noodle houses, the place is a much cozier cafe which was built around a remodeled residence.  The wood-lined glass panels all over the split-level house actually made me think the house would have been a great mountain retreat, or would have been perfect atop a cliff fronting the sea.  In addition to serving coffee concoctions, the place is also home to a bakery that sells Taiwan-style breads and pastries.  While the kopi tiam phenomenon in Singapore & Malaysia is usually associated with toast, soft boiled eggs & kaya, the brothers have steered clear of the typecast, and several pan-Asian dishes have been added to beef-up the menu (e.g. Korean hot pot).  I got to our business meeting a bit late, but was in time for dessert--their version of halo-halo!  Reasonable prices--have a full course for around P500 per person.

Pippi Longstocking

Pippi Longstocking is the prime character in a series of children's books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author who first published the series in 1945.  This girl has grown in popularity and the books have spawned several cartoon features, a TV series and even a movie.  Pippi has superhuman strength, and usually reserves her anger and in-your-face behavior for the worst unkind adults.  Like Peter Pan, she does not want to grow up.  She is one of Vicky's favorite fictional character's and today, when Andi's hair was braided in similar fashion, we all remembered Pippi Longstocking!  After all, aside from the braided hair, Andi is also the girl with fast hands, super strength (can demolish anything in her grasp), and also remains a little girl & doesn't grow up!

Aberdeen Court Cafe de Chine

We held an advanced Christmas party over the weekend with members of Gwammy's clan, and we decided to get together at the Cafe de Chine of the Aberdeen Court along Quezon Avenue.  This restaurant is part of the Great Eastern Hotel, which is a standard-class hotel famous for providing wedding banquet packages at very reasonable rates.  This restaurant has been around since the early eighties, and was once a sister restaurant of the famous Kowloon House group (I think the family members have gone their separate ways in business partnership).  They have a Chinese buffet for only P275 per head, and the spread has a lot--2 kinds of soup, garden salads, siopao & siomai (which Monique liked), pancit canton, fried rice, various kinds of vegetables, fried chicken, roasted chicken, roasted asado, steamed fish, beef with broccoli, sweet-sour pork, fish balls, chicken feet, beef in oriental sauce, gulaman, buko pandan salad, buchi, and as an Italian dessert variation--tiramisu balls!  The package also came with free-flowing iced tea!  Truly a very reasonable package for large family gatherings.

Homejoy

There's a type of popcorn that very few have ever seen.  This popcorn is completely popped but the shape of the corn kernel is retained! Take a closer look at the picture on the left--the popped corn is kernel-like in shape!  I'm not to sure if this is due to the cooking process or if this is inherent to the genetic properties of the corn hybrid, but it sure is a wonderful thing to pop in one's mouth, and Vicky's colleagues just love it!  It's not expensive, around P100 for a 250 gram pack, and it's available in a lot of groceries and supermarkets.  The best thing is that it's locally manufactured so it's readily available anytime!  Now ain't that great?

Truffles Fantaisie

I'm not too happy with the sweet chocolates (e.g. Whitman's and See's) but I'm a true fan of semi-sweets and darks.  After a long meeting with an old client, Vicky received a gold tin foil package of super delicious melt-in-your-mouth chocolates labelled as Truffles Fantaisie, which we opened an enjoyed yesterday.  Coated with powdered chocolate, the truffle pyramids were perfectly sugared, and the bitterness of the chocolate was just enough to make my eyes roll up in delight!  The foil package carried no description of the chocolate, however, and I had to search the internet for information.  I understand it's made in France by Chocolatier Mathez and comes in various types of packaging (the picture above is only one of them).  I haven't found a web picture to match the gold tin foil version we got though, and my only complaint to this volume packaging is that the truffles became misshaped, due to handling and heat.  Chocolates are definitely better and more presentable when individually packed and furthermore, in the case of truffles--refrigerated.

Chatime

The tea shops seem  to have sprouted all around the Metro from out of the blue and these shops have almost supplanted the coffee shops in terms of patronage and popularity.  This new  tea shop along Wilson St. that Vicky & Monique like is called Chatime, which, I understand, has around 500 branches all over the world.  The tea drinks come in various flavors costing something like P100 a glass, and their favorite is still chocolate mousse--imagine that, the cake flavor is now a tea drink!

Deogracias Catering

Over at the 8th Floor of the Ayala-FGU Building along Ayala Avenue in Makati, I discovered a cozy executive dining lounge called Deogracias Catering that serves a weekday lunch buffet for P295, which is such a steal!  I understand the company specializes in outside catering (e.g. weddings, baptismal parties & corporate events), and that the lounge actually serves as the taste test center for catering clients.  Every day, the dining theme changes--Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Western, Thai, Filipino, BBQ, and the like.  The meal spread is inclusive of soup, salad, dessert, and as a bonus, a glass of iced tea is included in the package.  When my group was dining the place was around 70% full, which probably means that one wouldn't need to call in for reservations to have a seat.  Interiors are well appointed, and the place has two function rooms for small corporate meetings.  Very accomodating staff and has a nice view of Ayala Avenue.  Two thumbs up!

Fr. Joe Cruz, S. J.

I had a dream last night that I was with some of my college friends.  As I woke up, I don't know why my thoughts suddenly turned to one of my best professors during my time in college, Fr. Jose A. Cruz, S. J., who passed away some years back.  I enjoyed his Philosophy class very much, it was so much fun that it didn't seem like studying at all.  We were practically exchanging views on life (e.g. "Love cannot be defined, it can only be explained as a movement from a lower value to a higher value."), and he was very father-like (as in father & son, not father-priest) in guiding us students.  He was the only professor to have given me an "A" for a grade (i.e. "A question that cannot be answered is no question at all.")--not that I'm bragging, but he did, and I consider that as my best achievement in my college years.  He was the president of the Ateneo De Manila University during the tumultous years of martial law, and was heavily criticized by some faculty members, and even some priests, for discouraging students from participating in mass demonstrations and rallies against the Marcos dictatorship.  I was sure he had his reasons for doing so--student safety was paramount in his mind.  He was full of personal stories & anecdotes about his experience as a young seminarian during the war years--in fact he explained that the name of the so-called ESCOPA area between Loyola Heights and Blue Ridge Subdivision arose from the settlers comprising "E Signal Corps of the Philippine Army."  He was most humble.  When I met with him years years after I graduated, he was then the designated principal of the Grade School and was marvelled at his nonchalance at the seeming demotion (for a time he was even assigned to teach in the provinces).  He was all smiles when he explained to me that the Jesuit vows are designed to humble men--today you can be one of the most powerful priests in the order, and tomorrow, you can be flung into some quiet, obscure post, probably precisely because you could raise awareness levels and bring the obscure into the mainstream.  He told me that there was no organizational ladder to climb, there was only service in mind.  My last meetings with him was when we took out of town trips to inspect some prawn farms owned by other alumni--he was helping me out by introducing me to other businessmen in the agri field, as his belief was that the Philippines should strengthen its agricultural capabilities.

What a wonderful mentor, and a dear friend.  I miss you already.

Traincha

This is one lady that sings oh so beautifully!  Traincha is the singing sensation from Amsterdam.  She has worked with a lot of jazz artists, and is most popular for her collaboration with Burt Bacharach on a series of albums recreating new twists to his wonderful songs.  I got her album "The Look of Love" on a weekend sale, and I think I stumbled onto a gold mine!  One may argue that it is difficult to step into the shoes of Dionne Warwick, who imprinted Bacharach's songs with her distinct cocky but playful mood--but this young lady has a crystalline voice; her phrasing brings out a pleasant tempo that will make the Bacharach fan proud.  Truly a great find!

Taylor Swift

Such a graceful and charming young lady with wonderful talent--Taylor Swift!  The American singer-composer is a worldwide sensation, and at the age of 22, has remained the simple country girl despite all the glitzy trappings that stardom has brought her.  On the last leg of her Speak Now Tour (around 80 playing dates, all sold-out), she invited her best friend Selena Gomez to sing onstage at the Madison Square Garden, the first time ever that the two stars share a stage.  The BFF (Best Friends Forever) sang a duet on Selena's hit song "Who Says.

On the same concert show, the country star called out and introduced the legend himself--James Taylor--who sang his famous hit song "Fire and Rain" on a duet with Swift, and who played the guitar to accompany Swift on her hit song "Fifteen."  It may seem obvious, but for the record, Taylor Swift was named after James Taylor!