Phantom of the Opera

We watched it last week!

Okay, okay, I have to admit that this was an American-Idol-influenced decision (contestants sang Andrew Lloyd-Webber compositions). But Javi and I were really planning on watching Phantom a long time ago but decided to wait until it got warmer. Honest! :)

Naturally, no one was allowed to take photos during the performance, but I managed to get a few shots of the stage before and after the show, as well as during intermission.

The famous chandelier

Jennifer Hope Wills as Christine Daae

The cast

Howard McGillin as the Phantom

(Tim Martin Gleason as Raoul in the background)

Sigh! What a show! For those who haven't watched it yet, you cannot miss it! I just have two tips for you:

1. Make sure you don't get a row past J - otherwise, you end up under the mezzanine and can't see the chandelier when it gets brought up at the beginning of the show.

2. Always look out for the Phantom - he shows up when you least expect it!

Enjoy the show!

From my Sister's Camera

How could I have forgotten to post a picture of one of the major reasons why I was so excited to visit Manila? Nugget!

I got this lovable imp of a dog for my sister on her 9th birthday, and he has managed to be the center of our family's conversations time and time again. This cute and lovable, stretched-out ball of black fur has a stubbed tail - verifying that he is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi (by the vet!).

We decided to name him Nugget for two reasons:

1. His original owner (the dog breeder) named him "Nog-nog" (which is somehow a shorter version of sunog, which means "burnt"). Apparently, he was the only puppy in his litter with a black body and white paws - his siblings were white with black paws. Awwwww.

2. Kim's favorite snack at the time? Chicken nuggets.

Speaking of Kim, here are pictures of the young lady and I in Dunkin' Donuts.



This set of pictures reminds me of those old Photo-Me booths!

Spring Time!

Back in New York, let's take a break from all the food and check out the New York Public Library along 5th. You can imagine how crowded the sidewalks get with tourists in this area during the warm seasons! Javi and I were lucky enough to get a few shots in between being bumped into by one person or another.

Photos taken Friday, April 18, 2008. The weather was perfect for walking around and enjoying the sites!

FAME at Chelsea

Patti has been my best friend since high school, and we ended up working at Ayala Museum with Christy and Olan. None of us work at the Museum anymore, so I came up with the acronym, FAME (Former Ayala Museum Employees).

I requested that we all eat at Serendra, a residential community with thriving restaurants as hang-outs for its dwellers. One of Serendra's better restaurants (as I'm told) is Chelsea - made to look like a New York City deli/bakery. Honestly, Javi and I think it looks even better than most bakeries in NY!

See for yourself!

Photos courtesy of Patti.

Granny Smith Apple Shreds and Gorgonzola

French Duck Leg Confit and Chorizo Bilbao

Absolutely DELICIOUS!

Herb Walnut Encrusted Chilean Seabass

L-R: Mango Cheesecake, Chelsea's Famous Chocnut Valrhona Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough NY Cheesecake, 4 Layer Toblerone Torte

A favorite of mine and Patti's: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough NY Cheesecake!

Our favorite drink and the BEST watermelon shake in town:

Perfetto!

Dinner Buffet at The Heat in Edsa Shangri-La

Edsa Shangri-La is a five star hotel with an awesome buffet restaurant called The Heat.
Javi and I had dinner with our parents and Kim at this fabulous place!

The pictures explain the restaurant way better than I can!

Seafood bar

Our Moms getting salad.

This is what should happen to all the pigs in our country (I speak in a metaphor!). This is the traditional way of serving roasted pig - too bad they had already taken out the apple from the pig's mouth when I took the shot.

Onto desert, shall we?!

Truffles and cakes and pastries, oh my!

Pistachio treats!

Look at Javi's eyes, all lit up with sugarbliss!

Happy and full!

Jatujak in Megamall

They say the Filipino and Thai food are very similar, especially when it comes to two fantastic ingredients: bagoong and green mangoes! This is why Thai food is so good in Manila - especially when the restaurant serves Bagoong Rice!

Javi and I had lunch with two of my good college friends, Rissa (my future sister-in-law) and Danes at this restaurant called Jatujak in Megamall. Great find, Javs!

Being the epitome of efficiency, Rissa orders for us. Danes looks at her cellphone. Waiting for a text from Dean, maybe?

Bagoong rice! Bagoong, eggs, sour green mangoes, and a little bit of onions. YUM! Check out the Chicken Satay in the background, too! Bagoong = shrimp paste

Pad Thai (sorry - we had already gotten from it before I remembered to take a picture of it)

Fried egg rolls with spicy sweet and sour sauce

Max's Fried Chicken - Sarap to the Bones!

Another Filipino favorite, Max's fried chicken is known for its Spring Chicken - a small chicken with big flavor! That's why Max's tagline is "Sarap to the Bones!"

Sarap = delicious

Max's chicken absolutely has to be eaten with banana ketchup.

Chicken, rice, and lumpiang sariwa (fresh summer roll) with peanut sauce. New Yorkers can see what this tastes like at Saigon Grill in University Place (Union Sq.) and at Amsterdam & 90th.

Me with bread rolls, chicken, and pancit

Pancit = glass noodles with vegetables

Brunch at Josephine's

Tagaytay City is about 2 hours from the heart of Metro Manila. It is the home of Taal Volcano, which is known for 2 things:

1. It's the world's smallest active volcano (small but terrible)

2. It is situated in Taal lake, and has a lake inside it (a lake within a volcano within a lake)

One of the better-known restaurants in the city is Josephine's - a great place for brunch buffets with family and bibingka! Too bad I got too distracted with the rest of the food that I had forgotten to buy bibingka! Check out the buffet!

Filipino rice pastries sans the bibingka.

For a full description and picture of bibingka, check out this Flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/santos/37911195/

Adobo rice and fried rice. Filipinos typically get the sauce of their dish (in this case, Adobo) and add it to white rice while it's in the frying pan.

Here's what I got - I really enjoyed the buttered vegetables and the salted egg with tomatoes!

Pancake House in the Subic Bay Freeport

After a relaxing trip to Club Morocco, a resort a few km's away from the former US military base, we headed back to Manila but stopped for breakfast at Pancake House (the iHop of the Philippines).

A shot of the Club Morocco pool from our veranda.

Regular favorites are the Filipino BangSiLog and the original Pancake House Taco. Oh, and Pancakes, of course!

Bangus (marinated milkfish), Sinangag (fried rice), Itlog (egg) = BangSiLog

Javi mashed his taco to make it a taco salad. See his pancakes waiting for him??

Javs and Me

Opa!! Cyma in Shangri-La

Cyma on Click the City:
http://guides.clickthecity.com/metro/?p=1114

Cyma is a favorite in Boracay - one of the best beach spots in the Philipines.

In late 2006, Cyma opened a branch in Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong, and is as much as a favorite of mall-goers as it is of beach-goers.

The food was very rich in flavor - a little too much, for my taste. Then again, you have to consider that I had been on the plane for 21 hours... my palate had gotten used to bland plane food!


Kim ordered the Flaming Cheese, as you can see her working on it.


We also ordered a Spaghetti Bolognese - I split that with Kim, while Mom and Dad split the Osso Bucco.

Me and Dad: