Ay Abaw!

Lazy Carbonara

2012-01-28T21:54:00.001+08:00

Dinner for lazy me tonight.

To make one serving:
Pasta (There was some spaghetti left from Christmas.)
one egg yolk
olive oil
salt and pepper
hard cheese - pecorino or parmesan (I used queso de bola - semi-hard baby edam - from Christmas too!)

1. Boil pasta til al dente. Drain.
2. Dump egg yolk in. Mix.
3. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

No cream allowed.

Some people like to do the whole fry bacon-pancetta and garlic thing. Up to you. But for me, I'm just so lazy tonight. And we didn't have bacon in the fridge.

So.

Enjoy with a glass of red.

Choss.

PS Daddy nangawat ko wine mo. hihihihihii

Pamahaw sang Ambishosha

2012-01-02T11:46:00.000+08:00

Clockwise from the top: Marca Pato queso de bola on penny roll, Castello Blue on wheat crackers, saging on brie on Skyflakes, Queensland mantequilla on panettone, and vintage cheddar with coconut syrup on wheat crackers.

Ambishosha lamang.

Have a great year ahead of you!

Gurameya

2011-09-22T21:22:00.002+08:00

You know you've reached a sensitive age when news like R.E.M calling it quits moves you to write a blog post, which you haven't done in 65 months.

I love this song and I love R.E.M. Thanks to NU107.

These are my two favorites, aside from well, the anthem of discohan at Tivoli when we were in third year high school ==> This one goes out to the one I looove...

Watsdafrequency Kennet isho!

Nanani na na na neeee! I've got my spine, I've got my orinj crush!

And ob cors. Da faboreyt!

FA YAAAAAAAAAAAA-HAAAAA!

Shore na gid

2011-09-14T22:19:00.000+08:00

You're all invited. Kilig ever.

Afternoon Songs

2011-07-23T12:47:00.001+08:00

There are some songs you really just can't sing or listen to in the evenings or the moment you wake up. This song for instance, it's for afternoons, when the electric fan can't do a 180 anymore, or it's a Saturday and you're eyeing a stack of books by your nightstand and indecision sets in and finally you decide to sleep til 6 in the evening.

Fine, fine afternoon for Dave Matthews.

Or this swabe but awkward version for girls (Hike up your shirt a little more...SHIRT! asdafjlkl!)

Sigh.

Confeermed

2011-06-29T22:52:00.001+08:00

Got my confirmation from Mother Earth just now.

I AM shutting up.

Time to let go and allow a new way of doing things.

Love and gratitude.

Calling a Foul

2011-06-29T22:00:00.000+08:00

Oh how I'd love to blow the whistle.

I see it coming from 65 miles out. Disaster. At the expense of poor, unfortunate, clueless souls, wrought by poor, unfortunate, clueless pseudo-gods.

I wonder what Mother Earth will say to my emergency email.

What is letting go? What is unhooking from a potentially co-dependent situation? What is joyful detachment?

Shut up. Shut up, Glorette. Shut up.

Oh how I'd love to blow the whistle, but I must resist the urge.

Relaxxx

2011-06-26T10:42:00.001+08:00

Time out anay kay masako pa si Manenay.

Akin siya

2011-06-02T07:20:00.000+08:00

To all the nonstens, the non-believers. Hello, this is proof. We really are getting married, okay?

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Time Out

2011-05-26T23:54:00.000+08:00

Went out with Maria Elena and Madam C and her hubby-to-be Jimmy Boy at Roys' place tonight. On the menu tonight:

There will always be a little nugget of guilt at the back of your mind if you chose to cheat just to be with whoever you're with now.
Ergo, if he did it with you, he's going to do it to you. Unbreakable, non-negotiable law of the universe. Meaning, Boy and Girl 1 were together but cheated on Girl 1 just to be with Girl 2. You can be sure Boy will cheat on Girl 2 with a Girl 3 or 4 or 65...someday, somehow.
My true friends will always stay loyal to me and even feel more strongly about people who did me wrong than me.
There's always value in waiting...for the right guy, for the right time, for the right choice, etc.
People change and they will surprise you with their choices.
Sometimes, it's okay to ask for signs.
Re the RH Bill - You cannot legislate conscience.

As for me, the essentials remain the same. So google up, hacendero:

Who is the true hero of South America? Simon Bolivar or Che Guevarra?
What is the capital of Bolivia?
Who is Lech Walesa and what did the Solidarity Movement do to inspire the downfall of the USSR and the splintering of Eastern Europe?

And yes, impeccable English is a must.

Unqualified applicants need not apply.

India I: Intro

2011-05-26T16:57:00.005+08:00

We encountered many setbacks while we backpacked but always, they turned out to be serendipitous and always again, we met kind people who either rescued us out of the pits or showed us a fresh perspective of each place we went to.

And so, this series of posts on India and Nepal: First, to thank the people who made the trip an experience of a lifetime. Second, to tell prospective backpackers about India and Nepal. Third, to tell the world horror stories about India are simply just that - stories. Sooo not true - well, except for Immigration, but more on that in the next few posts.

This is paying it forward.

The Group

We were six backpacker friends in all. All six did Nepal and Agra, and four of us went on to Rajasthan.

Itinerary

We were working on a 17-day time frame. No, we didn't have any tour guide nor did we have any travel agent craft the IT for us. This was 100% DIY.

This is a list of all the airlines we took and places we went to:

Day 1 Manila, Philippines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (via Cebu Pacific)

Day 2 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to New Delhi, India (via Air Asia)

Day 3 New Delhi, India to Kathmandu, Nepal (via Spice Jet)

Day 4 Kathmandu, Nepal to Pokhara, Nepal

Day 5 Pokhara, Nepal to Lumbini, Nepal

Day 6 Lumbini, Nepal to Kathmandu, Nepal (via Buddha Air)

Day 7 Kathmandu, Nepal

Day 8 Kathmandu, Nepal to New Delhi, India (via Jet Lite)

Day 9 Agra, India

Day 10 Jaipur

Day 11 Udaipur

Day 12 Udaipur

Day 13 Jodhpur

Day 14 Pushkar

Day 15 New Delhi

Day 16 New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur (via Air Asia) to Singapore (via Jet Star)

Day 17 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (via Jet Star) to Manila (via Cebu Pacific)

And the places we went to:

POKHARA

World Peace Pagoda
Devi's Fall
Lakeside View
Lake Phewa

LUMBINI

Buddha's Birthplace
Various Buddhist sects' temples (Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc.)

KATHMANDU

Kathmandu Durbar Square
Pashupatinath Temple
Thamel Markets
Nepali Chulo

AGRA

Taj Mahal
Agra Fort
Marble Crafts Shops
Fahtepur Sikri

RAJASTHAN PROVINCE

JAIPUR

Amber Fort
Palace of the Winds
Jal Mahal
Kishan Lassiwalla

UDAIPUR

City Palace
Lake Pichola
Lake Palace
Jag Mandir/Jag Niwas
Jagdish Temple
Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal
Bagore-Ki-Haveli
Ghats - Ganghaur Ghat
Markets

Ranakpur

Jain Temple

JODHPUR

Jaswant Thada
Mehrangarh Fort
Hanuman Temple
Umaid Bhawan
Markets

PUSHKAR

Ghats - Gandhi Ghat
Brahma Temple
Markets

NEW DELHI

India Gate
Karol Bagh Market

SINGAPORE

Orchard Road
Hawkers
Esplanade
Merlion
Fullerton Hotel

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Petronas Towers

MALACCA, MALAYSIA

Christchurch
Ruins of St. Paul's Church

Packed IT, nice and tight, I know. But it was worth it.

20 Bands I LOVE!

2011-05-23T02:25:00.000+08:00

Since it's one of those trending topics I like.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stone Temple Pilots
Pearl Jam
Eraserheads
Smashing Pumpkins
Counting Crows
Live
Better Than Ezra
Lemonheads
Crash Test Dummies
Gin Blossoms
Tears for Fears (band sila?)
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Kings of Leon
The Script (band man ni gyapon)
The Corrs
U2
The Beatles
Weezer
Oasis

I love you, Mom!

2011-05-23T00:14:00.001+08:00

Protracted

2011-05-19T22:58:00.000+08:00

Mother Earth, she texted me just now:

"It is dawning upon me that I'm no longer an Iloilo resident."

Siempre ako naman, I want to bawl and freak out all over the house but my parents and the dogs are sleeping na. So emote-emote na lang ako on mute.

It's just so terrible, this sadness. I am so sad, still sad as the morning when I got her Easter message in my freezing box of a room in Kathmandu, "BAGUIO COMMUNITY is my new assignment! Our response to this call together to 'LET-GO' & 'MOVE BEYOND' will contribute to Fuller Life for All! Love & Gratitude!"

In an instant, I was in denial. Siempre, with all kachuchuhan, I texted back, "Om." HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!

I feel like Bella in extreme moping mode, calling out to Alice, "It's like a hole has been punched through my chest."

And I do, I really feel like that. Like I lost a mother. That's why she's Mother Earth ganeeeeh.

I'll get over this. I told her I won't miss her. I won't.

I love you mom. Lala kama gogo. L+G!

I heart Zooey, pramis!

2011-05-17T22:20:00.000+08:00

And yes, I really, really like Zooey Deschanel (but not in a freaky way, pramis!). So now, I'm thinking of breaking our five-year TV abstinence and calling the cable people soon.

I HAVE TO WATCH THIS SHOW!

And the Best in Crayola Award goes to...

2011-05-16T20:44:00.000+08:00

Me!

Hay nako. Total wreck.

I'm on the last D in DABDA. I just want to cry and cry forever.

Wala pa catharsis. Relax. Mahibi ko anay. *reaches for the Kleenex*

Here's what

2011-05-07T16:46:00.000+08:00

Hi, I'm back. Will get back to blogging as soon as I finish uploading 65 thousand kodaks on facebook.

BRB. Pramis.

Marry Brown

2011-04-20T02:37:00.000+08:00

If we Pinoys have Jollibee, Malaysians have Marry Brown.

Back when I was young and stupid, it was at Marry Brown where I learned that ayam is Malay for chicken and ikan is fish. Anyway. Private joke.

Chicken Joy!...este, Nasi Marry Brown!

Nepalese Mo Mo

2011-04-20T02:31:00.000+08:00

Siomai lamang.

Spelling and Geography

2011-04-15T20:17:00.001+08:00

5 days, three countries so far.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malacca, Malaysia

New Delhi, India

Kathmandu, Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal

Tomorrow, nine hour bus ride to Varanasi, India.

Woohoo!

Sama-sama!

2011-04-13T03:22:00.001+08:00

Just arrived in KL. We had biometrics or immigration, even at the low-cost terminal. Such!

Now having chicken a la Marry Brown, Malaysia's Jollibee.

We're proof that "when you want something so badly, all the universe will conspire to help you achieve it."

Later, Malacca!

And we're off!

2011-04-12T01:33:00.000+08:00

Baboosh!

Rape!

2011-04-10T16:13:00.000+08:00

If you care about your children and your children's children, please read this.

US firm Shell Horizons peddling endangered Philippine corals

By Tonyo Cruz Apr 09, 2011 5:09PM UTC

A growing number of Filipinos are protesting the reported wholesale harvesting and selling of coral reefs from the Philippines by Shell Horizons whose company website proudly peddles its seemingly illegal and irresponsible business.

The website of Shell Horizons, which claims to have been viewed 10 million times since 1998, describes itself as “US Largest Wholesaler of Seashells and Seashell Products, Finest Quality Seashells and Souvenirs Since – 1976.”

“This is horrible. Boatloads of corals are taken away, including tritons,” said Filipino netizenDave Ryan Bauron, who tweets about Philippine tourism and current events, referring to photos of corals featured on the Shell Horizons website.

In its online product catalog, Shell Horizons boasts of selling corals and seashells, among hundreds of products, purportedly from the Philippines.

Shell Horizons features photos of newly-harvested corals, purportedly from the Philippines. Photo from the Shell Horizons website.

Natural resources-rich Philippines bans harvesting and trade of corals, and is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Republic Act 8550 and Presidential Decree 1219 explicitly ban coral harvesting and trade.

Shell Horizons claims it is a company based in Clearwater, Florida, but a check with the website of Florida’s Department of State Division of Corporations online facility revealed that no online record for any “Shell Horizon Inc.”

US, top importer

An article in the Harvard Environmental Law Review reveals that:

Reefs in the Philippines are being decimated by activities such as harvesting for export. Currently the United States is the main importer of stony corals from the Philippines as curios, even though legislation such as the MPRSA [Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act] bans the collection on our own reefs. More than half of the Philippines’ exports of ornamental coral and exotic reef fish are sent to the United States.

In 2009, US authorities arrested and prosecuted a German national engaged in trade of Philippine corals.

Much at stake

If Shell Horizon’s questionable business goes unchecked, the Philippines stands to lose an immeasurable, important and beautiful natural resource:

The Philippines forms the apex of the Coral Triangle and is the world’s second-largest archipelago. Within this exquisite region sits 7107 emerald isles fringed by 27,000 square kilometres of coral reef. These aren’t your typical coral reefs, mind you.
This region has been hailed by globally-renowned coral expert and Corals of the World author Dr. Charlie Veron as ‘the centre of world marine diversity’ – an area so implausibly productive that a single square kilometre can keep on producing over 40 metric tonnes of fresh snapper, grouper and other forms of seafood year on year. With proper protection, these coral reefs can eradicate Asian poverty and feed billions – a coral-coated cornucopian horn unlike any other.

Coral trade, bad for the Philippines

According to a briefer from Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources:

Coral reefs are the habitat, breeding, nursery and feeding grounds of fish and other marine organisms. They buffer wave action and protect coastlines and provide areas for tourism and recreation. Likewise, they serve as a rich source of medicinal products.
It has been estimated that healthy coral reefs in the Philippines can supply as much as 35 tons/km/year of edible and economically valuable fish and invertebrates (assuming that ecologically sound fishing methods are used).

Coral reefs are important to archipelagic Philippines where a considerable number of people depend on fishing for livelihood:

The Philippine’s coral reefs have many economic, cultural and environmental benefits. The structure of the reefs protects the coastline from the eroding action of the ocean by acting as wave breakers. During typhoons and hurricanes, the reefs act as buffer zones that protect the coastal communities.
Majority of the villages on the coast depend on the reefs for their daily living, mainly through fishing. The beauty of the reefs also draws many divers and tourists eager to experience them first-hand through dive and snorkeling tours. These tourism activities support many communities directly and indirectly through adjunct services.

Early this year, the government said that coral reefs are in a truly sorry and endangered state:

We have very rich marine resources compared to other countries yet our marine resources are now in a “sorry” condition. We have only 25% of mangroves left and about 5% coral reefs are in excellent condition”, Director Mundita Lim of Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) said. Our coastal resources are threatened because of dynamite fishing, siltation, pollution, coral bleaching, and population explosion at the coastal areas consisting of 62%.

The continued trade of Philippine coral reefs by Shell Horizons runs counter to efforts to save them in many parts of the country, like Southern Leyte and Tubbataha Reef National Park.

RAPE!

2011-04-10T16:09:00.000+08:00

If you care about your children and your children's children, please take time to read this.

US firm Shell Horizons peddling endangered Philippine corals | Asian Correspondent

2011

2011-04-09T11:06:00.000+08:00

Snuck in after they fixed the seats.

Stand firm in faith.I like that version better, without the article.

Go, bloom where you are planted.