K's Apartment

The Big Move!

2009-06-30T16:47:00.006-04:00

YAY! An internet connection! Now I can upload photos! I won't be able to write much of anything about our move because Javi and I will be getting ready to go to bed soon. The move has really tuckered us out, and we are still adjusting to the commute and having to prepare dinner and doing laundry when we get home. Still, we have our own house and our own washer and dryer! Woohoo!

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's get back to the actual move...

For the rest of the move, join us on my new blog at http://kishome.blogspot.com! See you there!

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-28T16:15:00.002-04:00

One of the few setbacks of moving is having to live without an internet connection. Moving to a new place makes you realize just how dependent you are on wireless technology. The good thing is, I still have my Blackberry to keep me connected (phew!).

I mentioned in my previous post that I would document the whole move with my camera. I did manage to take some pictures, but not very good ones since the sun wasn't out in Manhattan (hence, not very good lighting for photos), and Javis SLR had been packed away. Oops.

Regardless of the lack of photos, we still have a story to tell friends and family about the day of our big move. I'll expound on it once I have an actual keyboard to type with, but suffice it to say that Murphy's Law happened over and over again yesterday morning that I nearly got into a fistfight with a girl, and if it hadn't been for our friends Eileen and Vic around to help us out, Javi and I would probably still be conked out this afternoon from all the obstacles we had to endure. Boy oh boy!

Still, we are done, and had our first dinner with our friends. I cooked the "Javi Meal" (picture of this to follow). This morning, I woke up to a symphony of birds chirping, which was suddenly (but endearingly) interrupted by a duck quacking. It was the cutest, funniest thing.

I also went out into our back yard and counted that we have 12 trees. TWELVE trees! Growing up in Virginia, I was used to seeing nothing but trees, with an occasional red fox running through the woods. So going back to suburbia to live in a house of my own with my husband is such a dream come true for me.

I cooked breakfast, too- turkey bacon and eggs with "sinangag" (fried white rice with garlic, aka. Garlic rice).

Now, we are on our way back to the apartment to clean it up and pick up any other small items that may have been left behind. There's really no rest for us until Thursday, since we have Friday off for 4th of July weekend. Thank goodness for that!

Tomorrow, we return the keys to the apartment, thereby closing another chapter in our lives. But we're not quite onto the next chapter just yet! I still have to upload pictures of the move for my 50th and last entry!

Homeowners!

2009-06-22T22:56:00.005-04:00

Last Friday, Javi and I played hooky from work (well, not really, but it's nice to think we did) for our Closing - ie, the part of the homebuying process when you sign several documents until your lawyer gives you a copy of your DEED, deeming that you are officially a homeowner.

And so, June 19, at about 3pm, the "deed was done!"
(I know - I'm corny like that sometimes :D)

Below are pictures of our new house. For security purposes, I didn't post a picture of the front of the house, but you're welcome to take a look at the pictures that the seller's realtor took of the inside.

My friend, Patti, gave me a brilliant idea of documenting the whole move in B&W photos. I'd like to try to do it so the photos can later on be shown to our kids and we can tell them, "this is the day we changed our lives so we could have you" :)

I think it's a fantastic idea also because I've been thinking of doing something special for this blog. Now that I own a home, I can't still have a blog entitled "K's Apartment." So I'll be moving on in the blogosphere as well, to a new and improved blogsite.

So here's the deal: my 50th entry will be a farewell to this blog, featuring a documentation of our move to a new life, new house, and to a new blog. No longer will I feel transient and without a home... Javi and I have bought a house, and in time, we will be able to make it our home.

Our Apartment, Revisited

2009-06-20T16:06:00.007-04:00

Some more never-before seen shots - this set, of our apartment while we were moving in.

These were taken on my Blackberry (I never got to upload them), the day of the move. It looks so nice and clean here, without all the clutter. Soon, it will look this way again (with slightly less shiny floors!)

San Francisco!

2009-06-18T21:53:00.023-04:00

Christmas on the West Side

I never got to post the pictures from our San Francisco trip here. I think it was because for a while, Javi banned me from using the computer at home because I had gotten so addicted to surfing Realtor.com for hours! And then when I was allowed to go online again, the excitement of having gotten back from SF had faded, until I totally forgot that we even went. Oops! I guess it wasn't that much of an exciting trip, then! But San Francisco certainly has a lot of character!

Still, it was great to have been able to leave the apartment and go on a vacation together. More importantly, Javi and I got to go to the West Coast during Christmas, when it becomes very lonely for us since we don't have family here, and most of our friends go home to the Philippines for the holidays.

Out of loneliness, I was bawling in front of the computer one evening in early December, and on a whim decided to book us tickets to San Francisco - Javi's birthplace, and also where his cousin currently lives. It's also somewhat of a joke among Filipinos who migrate to San Francisco - because of the large Filipino population in this city, we always say it's as if they aren't really going anywhere far from home.We also took a city sightseeing tour bus and went around downtown San Francisco and saw the famous Transamerica building.

Below: Transamerica

The clocktower at the Ferry Building:

Aside from touring the sights and eating local food, what else do tourists do? SHOP! So Javi took me to someplace he was quite familiar with - Union Square (the San Francisco version).

With two cameras handy, we took several pictures, so I won't narrate the whole trip. What I will say, though, is that I enjoyed the movie tour the most, while Javi enjoyed our trip to the aquarium. If I'm lucky, I'll find the videos we took of a stingray smiling at him ;)

Another highlight of our trip: Alcatraz!

The tour guide locked us up in this pitch-black cell!

Gar and Carina (Javi's cousin) at the Crab House.

Oh, their food was soooo gooood!

Of COURSE we had to see the Golden Gate Bridge!

San Francisco victorian row houses: "Post Card Row"

Which one belonged to Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen's character in Full House??

A photo from atop the tour bus.

I wonder if those clothes are part of the artwork?

Dimsum time!

Below:

Jim, one of our tour guides, shows us the alley where they filmed "The Pursuit of Happyness"

Which is also where a fortune cookie factory is located.

So obviously, you know that this is the part where we are in Chinatown! ;)

A cafe near Fisherman's Wharf

The F-line street car... which leads to the famous Castro District

Javi and Carina at the train station

Little Italy (aka North Beach)

The Financial District

Aquarium of the Bay

And here you go - I found that video!

Momofuku NYC

2009-06-16T19:46:00.007-04:00

As a continuation of our farewell to Manhattan, Javi and I decided to go to one of our favorite Asian restaurants one Sunday. The weather was gorgeous, and this restaurant was only a walk away from our current apartment, so off we went to order our favorite chicken buns at Momofuku!

Now before I talk about Momofuku's chicken buns, let me tell you why these are so important to Javi and me. Pork buns, chicken buns, even beef buns, are really originally from China, but the Philippines adopted it as its own and called it the Siopao. (In Chinese: Sio=Hot, Pao=Bun).

Most Chinese take-out places will sell you the American version of the pork bun (using bread as the outer shell), while only a few will sell you the kind with authentic dough.

Momofuku, on the other hand, gives you the yummy nummy dough, with an Americanized twist to the stuffing that goes inside it - instead of just shredded beef or chicken with sauce, Momfuku adds (in this case), fried chicken skin and cucumber slices - making it a refreshing, yet sumptuous dish!

This restaurant, which name actually means "lucky peach" in Japanese, aims to cater to a wider audience by adding special dishes, such as the ravioli, below:

There are also several branches within the city, such as the Momofuku Milk Bar a few blocks away from where we finished our pork bun + ravioli lunch (they actually went well together!).

At this milk bar are the most delicious deserts - and they taste like they just came straight from Mom's oven!

Above: the Banana Crunch cookie - it gets more banana-er in the middle of the cookie! YUM!

Javi and I will definitely miss enjoying the Village on weekends. Just take a look at the view outside the Momfuku Milk Bar - what a building with character! There are so many buildings like this around Manhattan. Still, I am also excited to move to the 'burbs... no more ambulance sirens in the middle of the night, or rushing to the subway to get away from the strong gusts of wind coming from the river during winter.

And as long as Momofuku stays in town, Javi and I will always have a reason to come back to NYC - for those steamed buns!

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-06-15T22:04:00.005-04:00

By Audrey Niffeneger

First of all, credit is due to my other future sister-in-law, Celine, for sending me the link to one of the most anticipated movies by those of us who love romantic narratives. Thanks, Celine! After a crazy day at work and an even crazier evening taking care of personal items, seeing this trailer lifted my mood!!! *I'm so excited!*

I wrote a short book review about The Time Traveler's Wife back when I was still using my Multiply account, so here's an excerpt:

The two main reasons why I like this book: there are so many themes to analyze, and the book is so awesome to study from a narratological standpoint.

The novel is based upon the premise that some humans, such as its protagonist, Henry, have a chronological disorder that causes them to time travel in (or, to) times of stress or despair.

To be honest, I am only halfway through this narrative, but I find it extremely intriguing as to how the author has managed to spin the tale of Henry's two different lives (his present self and his self as a time traveler), along with that of his wife, Clare. Henry, at around 40, travels back in time to when Clare is 6, where she meets him for the first time. Does her meeting him at such a young age change her future completely in such a way that 40 year-old Henry predetermined the fact that they would later on get married? If 6 year-old Clare had not accidentally seen 40 year-old Henry, would she have been as keen to see him when she was 20 and he was 28?

It's an interesting premise, and I'm sure Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana will do the novel justice in their movie. Check out the trailer here:

Batter-Up!

2009-06-06T00:14:00.005-04:00

Yankees vs Orioles 5.21.09

Since Javi and I will be moving to NJ soon, I requested that he take me to a Yankees game while we're still official New Yorkers. Thanks to the help of his friend Michelle, who is a BIG Yankees fan, Javi was able to get us reasonably-priced seats at a really good spot... especially for someone who has never been to a baseball game before!

I never thought green grass could be so breathtaking!

And in this stadium, as long as you're a Yankees fan, you're considered part of the family.

Above: I think this was taken right before Swisher hit one of the two home runs in the same inning. It was definitely an exciting game! 3 homers in one game!!! Go Yankees!!!!

We stayed for the whole game because I didn't want to miss a second of it! Now I understand why baseball is called "America's favorite pasttime" - more than the actual sport itself, ball games are a venue for people to get together to root for the same team, and for families to spend time together while eating peanuts and cracker jacks. And if their team wins... well, that's certainly a bonus ;)

Manhattan Tour : Week 1

2009-05-03T18:22:00.016-04:00

Just a quick post while Javi and Kim play Tekken 5 and I'm waiting for everyone to get hungry for Mom's Sinigang.

Javi and me at Riverside, 113th St.

It's been a week since the two ladies arrived, and so far we have taken them to the East Village, up and down 5th Ave, Rockefeller Center, 53rd and 6th, the NYU area, K-Town, Columbia University, and all the way down Riverside Drive by bus.

East Village

For Kim's birthday, Javi and I bought the two of them tickets to see Wicked! I was able to get them partial view tickets, which were still awesome seats, according to them. They were so happy that evening, and as soon as we got back to the apartment, they crashed on their bed - all tuckered out from a long but eventful day.

St. Mark's Place

We still have a lot of days left for them to cover the other places that even Javi and I haven't been to - including an Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto up in the Bronx... who would have thought??? I hope that they've enjoyed their little tours around Manhattan so far. Maybe the pictures will clue us in on that:

David's Bagels (there's nothing quite like a New York City bagel!)

New York Public Library meets the bookworm from Manila

Lunch at 53rd and 6th. The best street meat in the world!

A build your own muppet workshop at FAO Schwartz

Grand Central Terminal. All aboard!

At Columbia University

Enjoying the view along Riverside Drive

Blame the Kids

2009-04-11T22:49:00.011-04:00

Yeah, I knew that title would get your attention. The results of an 8-year study came out last week saying that if you are stuck in an unhappy marriage with kids, guess who's to blame? The kids!

The study may be scientifically accurate, but in my book, scientific studies such as this should never be conducted to begin with. Granted, they may have been expecting different results, but still... I think that the release of this study will bring about a lot of hesitation in married couples to procreate.

I did, however, like the reaction of one person who was interviewed on the news about this subject - he said that while the results may be true, some people are willing to forego that happiness in exchange for being able to bring a new life into this world. I totally agree.

What I haven't been talking about at all in this blog is that back when I had just graduated and didn't really know what job or career path I should take, my mom suggested I try teaching in a preschool. So I applied and got a job as a nursery school teacher, and boy oh boy did I love it. In spite of tons of snot, a lot of crying, and even a little bit of biting, it was a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. I have to acknowledge my co-teacher, Teacher Victoria, here as well, whom I believe taught me how to be more patient with our nursery kids, and more creative with the activities we would come up with for them.

I still remember all of my kids, but here are descriptions of just a few of them:

Carina - who never wanted to let go of her blankie, no matter where she went

Migs - the sweet one, who always made sure to stuff his roll of bread in my mouth - that was his way of sharing

PJ - our student with Down's Syndrome, and was ever-so-sweet as well. I once bumped my knee on the table really hard, and he wouldn't stop patting it to make it feel better

Lia - always came in early, while I was still prepping for class and asked me "Teacher, wasscha dewin?"

Chrissy - never said a word, but after a few weeks of encouraging her to "use her words," the first full sentence T. Victoria and I heard come out of her mouth was "I made poopie!"

Audrey - knew all of our dance moves and lyrics for their graduation and would yell "Teacher!!!" out of fondness, even though her face was only a few millimeters away from yours

Darryl - hated me so much because I took her away from her mom and nanny and cried for two weeks. I made her "teacher's helper" to distract her, and after that, she wouldn't let go of me

Sean - always made sure that he had the right shoes on the right feet, and always rushed me to open his bottle of Yakult. That kid could drink 6 bottles of those straight and not blink.

And then there are the hilariously memorable times - like when I taught my toddlers class "empty and full" with grape juice. I'd fill their cups "full," they'd drink it, then say "empty." After the third refill, Darryl said "Cheers!" and they all clinked their plastic cups together and drank the wine- I mean, grape juice. Then there was that time when T. Victoria and I made wigs with cartolina, and had the kids run around the play area with them on - they all looked ridiculous... and cute!

So how can people possibly blame their unhappiness on kids? I just don't understand. Perhaps these couples should see their kids as their refuge or form of spontaneous entertainment from a long day at work, more than as a responsibility or burden. Kids are your opportunity to remember your childhood, and how sweet and innocent it was. And if you didn't have a fun childhood, make it fun for them. As a teacher, no matter how tired I was, or how many problems I had in my personal life, there was nothing that could ruin my day when I saw my kids smiling, realizing that I helped make them feel happy and feel better about themselves :)

Tickets to a Show, and the Corner Bistro

2009-04-04T23:18:00.013-04:00

When we got a notice from FedEx Friday evening that said we had a package we had to sign for, Javi and I got really curious to find out what it was. One of the conveniences of living in an apartment building where you can trust the other tenants on your floor is the ability to have packages left in front of your door without having to worry about someone stealing it.

So where could this package have come from? Javi had a cousin flying in from Manila, so if his parents had sent anything, it would have been through his cousin. And my mom and sister were coming soon as well, so they weren't about to send a package if it was going to arrive about the same time they would! I hadn't bought anything online, and our house people (we're in the process of buying a house) know better than to ask to have a package signed for upon delivery.

The good thing was, the note said we could pick it up at a nearby FedEx office on Saturday. This forced us to get out of our almost too comfortable apartment and trek over to the West Village in gorgeous Spring weather.

For those of you who haven't been to Manhattan, the Village (aka Greenwich Village) certainly has a lot of character. It's also where you'll find the famous Bleecker St., cute botique shops of brand name items (Coach, Ralph Lauren, Juicy Couture), as well as Hollywood celebrities if you're lucky. Definitely a must if you're a first-time tourist and are in the mood for a nice stroll down cobblestone streets. But you have to be sharp enough to appreciate what you see. Take the following picture, for example:

Only in NY can you find a bent telephone booth, with a guy STILL trying to use it!

When we arrived at the FedEx office, it took a while for the lady to ge the package. So while we waited in utmost curiosity and anticipation, I took a few shots.

After these shots, I didn't mind the wait. I'm really glad I forced myself to bring my camera with me at all times.

So we finally got the package - the typical thin FedEx cardboard envelope that hardly told us what was inside. But the mystery was finally solved when Javi opened the envelope to reveal the title "Ticketmaster."

They were the U2 tickets we ordered!!! Wahoooo!!!

So mystery solved! And after making sure that the tickets were kept safe in my bag, we started thinking of where we should have lunch. Javi had been promising to take me to a place called Corner Bistro, but always forgot about it when we were actually in the Village. This time, he remembered, so off we went.

Corner Bistro is an old establishment with relatively cheap drinks and food, and pretty good burgers. I tried the Cheeseburger, while Javi tried the Chiliburger. The star of this restaurant, however, is the Bistro Burger, but I think we both wanted to be rebels and each order something else.

I couldn't take a photo of Javi's Chiliburger because he inhaled it even before I had the chance to take the camera back out, but I did get the chance to take a shot of the interesting tabletop.

I wouldn't die if I couldn't come back here, but I also wouldn't hate having to come back to this neighborhood watering hole again. Seeing as I don't drink alcohol, that should be a reasonable conclusion to have come from me. For those of you who DO drink, and love a good burger and greasy fries, then I definitely recommend you give this place a shot. ;)

Old Photos

2009-03-30T22:27:00.011-04:00

At the airport with Javi

Well, they're not really old... just photos I looked through after having just remembered that I still have a Multiply site. Most of these photos are from 2 and a half years ago, when I had just arrived from Manila. I suppose I've been a little more sentimental and getting homesick more often lately since I found out that my sister and mom are coming to visit (unfortunately, my dad has to stay at home and take care of business).

Lately, I've been searching for NYC tours and recalling how I first felt when I was being taken around the city by Javi. It has been 2 years since Kim and my mom have been here, and they only stayed in NY for a few days, so I'm guessing they will have the same feeling of excitement and amazement as I did 2 and a half years ago.

I'm so excited!!!

Greely Square - my very first day in Manhattan! Javi took me shopping for fall clothes - including a thicker jacket!

Columbus Circle / Fordham University - I wanted to see where I was supposed to have given my talk on Children's Fantasy Lit.

Dylan's Candy Shop - of course Javi had to show me this place... I remember how he enjoyed being here more than I did ;) I just liked all the colors!!!

Meeting an Old Friend in Woodside, Queens

2009-03-22T21:27:00.011-04:00

Ah, Jollibee. This is the fastfood joint where Filipino kids are not afraid to go up to an 6ft orange and yellow bee to give it a hug and thank it for its deliciously sweet spaghetti with hotdogs (yes, that's the way we like it) and savory fried chicken. More popular than McDonald's, but authentically local as the sari-sari store around a Manila street corner, Jollibee is the place kids dream of having their birthday parties, and where families spend their Sundays after Mass.

Javi and I had heard of a Jollibee opening in Woodside, Queens but had also heard about how Filipinos actually line up just to be able to get a taste of a Yumburger or The Champ. We figured we'd wait until after it was too much of a novelty before venturing out to go all the way to Queens, but today, Javi felt like eating really good Thai food at the famous Sripraphai - only two blocks away from where Jollibee supposedly was.

So we figured, ok, let's check out Jollibee on the way to Sripraphai, not really quite sure of how we'd find it. After getting out from the subway station, we walked a little bit, and before we knew it, there it was... our old friend, Jollibee.

Walking by it, you could smell the Chickenjoy, and we were very much tempted to line up ourselves.

But another time, we agreed - maybe when other Filipino friends were with us. See, the thing about Filipinos and eating (as you'll come to realize if you read my first few entries) is that we see eating as an opportunity for getting together to talk, discuss and have fun. While other cultures enjoy chatting over a cup of coffee or engaging in dialogue over a few glasses of wine and slices of cheese, the heart and soul of Filipino cameraderie and togetherness is FOOD... and Jollibee.

Subway Strings

2009-03-21T20:00:00.006-04:00

It has certainly been a while since my last entry - 4 months, to be exact! My, how time flies! I can't say that I've been having all fun - on the contrary, things at work have been insane. Hence, the reason for my blogging absence.

But I plan to be back now, and have come to the realization that even though I haven't been anywhere exciting lately, or nothing really interesting has been happening in our lives, that I can still post here while staying true to the theme of this blog: my becoming a New Yorker.

Javi and I caught the Out of Towners playing on TV this morning - that movie with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin, where they travel to NY from Ohio, only to end up in the most compromising predicaments throughout their whole trip. Steve Martin's character said something that I think is beginning to hold true for me now as well: that New Yorkers can't see all the great things about this city because they're jaded - New Yorkers take for granted so many things that make this city great because they see it day in and day out. And that's when I started to think of my first few weeks in NY - back in 2006, and how amazed I was at the energy that this great city had (and still does!).

So from now on, my goal is to have my camera handy at all times, so I can capture the "energy" that everyone is talking about but can't quite describe. To start off, I've posted videos of something that is truly characteristic of Manhattan - subway musicians!

I was about to put my camera away after having filmed this guy, when I heard another set of stringed instruments playing in another part of the subway platform. I followed the sound and came across these guys:

Out of courtesy to the musicians for having filmed them for so long, I gave them cash and picked up a business card from the violin case on the floor. I must apologize to the violinst in this video, because I didn't know that the business card only mentions the cellist - Tim Rusterholz. Sorry, violin guy, I can't mention your name here. Maybe some other time? Or maybe someone who knows him will find this blog and enlighten me? Here's to hoping! But for now, let's have a listen to Four Seasons by Vivaldi. ;)

Till my next entry... which should be soon!

A Place Called HOME for Refugees

2008-11-10T21:50:00.011-05:00

My blog entries are usually about the latest things I have discovered as a Filipino living in the United States. I often feel displaced, still not quite certain of where it is I truly belong. Hence the name "K's Apartment" - it's the only place where I can link my two homes in one space - in my apartment.

My feeling of loneliness or longing for a place I can call home, however, pales in comparison to what refugees face. Because of war, families are plucked from their homes in order to escape death or torture, only certain of one thing: they cannot look back.

The cause and effect of war.

As a literature student, I was required to read The Honey, The Locusts by Philippine author Lina Espina-Moore. The novel talked about the difficulties of war during the Japanese invasion in the Philippines, and how innocent civilians were forced to participate in war themselves - not because they wanted to, but because they had to in order to survive.

Just recently, I also watched the movie Persepolis, which tells the tale about a young girl and the circumstances she had to undergo during the Iranian revolution. In order to escape all the turmoil, her parents send her to study in Austria, where she learns to become independent and strong, but still longs for her chance to return to Iran - her home.

Lately, I have been reading about the state of refugees in different countries. To be honest, I didn't know where to begin when I started thinking of what exactly I should write about. Sadly, there are too many refugees out there. There are too many displaced individuals. Too many people who are forced out of their homes and into the worst of living conditions all because of war. I continued to dig deeper in order to find something more specific to write about, and finally decided to write about something that is always in the news for one big thing or another: the war in Iraq.

Search for the issues.

If you try to do a Google search on the Iraq war, you will get casualty reports, the cost of the war, the latest news on military strategies, and the latest development projects. But nothing about Iraq refugees or displaced Iraqi citizens shows up. While people talking excitedly about the most recently developed armor, or the newly deployed military vehicle, the underlying issue is unfortunately forgotten. Have we all forgotten why the US claims it set foot in Iraq to begin with? Bush called it "nation-building" efforts in 2001. What good is a nation, though, if all of its citizens are displaced?

It is only if you dig deeper that you find stories about Iraqi refugees who have turned to prostitution, and about Iraqi translators who flee to the United States in order to avoid persecution only to be turned away by the US government.

Time to wake up, people!

Refugees International calls this issue "the largest humanitarian

and displacement crises in the world."

I was trying to look for pictures of Iraqi refugees in order to strengthen my point here, and came across this website called The WE. Now I haven't read through this website enough to say whether I agree with everything in it, but the site posts several newspaper articles with their corresponding photos. It is definitely something for all of us to read through in order to get a better understanding of what exactly is happening to the people of Iraq as a result of this war.

To illustrate briefly:

What can we do about it?

The truth is, there are actually a lot of things you can do help refugees all around the world. It all starts with getting to know the facts. Once you have educated yourself, find one cause that you can see yourself committing to. Look for organizations, see what initiatives they're taking to alleviate the situation, and find out how you can contribute.

To get everyone started, take a look at the following sites:

Refugees International
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/

UK Refugee Services
http://www.redcross.org.uk/TLC.asp?id=81617

Lutheran Refugee Services
http://www.lirs.org/

Aotearoa-New Zealand Refugee Services
http://www.refugeeservices.org.nz/

United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrant Children
http://www.refugees.org/

Church World Service Immigrant & Refugee Program
http://www.churchworldservice.org/Immigration/index.html

Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children
http://www.womenscommission.org/

Additional Links/Resources

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/protect?id=3b8265c7a

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statelessness

Any questions or suggestions?
Please do not hestitate to leave me a comment, here... in my home.

-Kk

Apple Picking in Granite Springs, NY

2008-11-02T08:55:00.019-05:00

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that there was another Filipino in my office - and one who graduated from the same University as I did! Eileen and I never met in college because she is two years my junior, so it was definitely fortuitous that we met at work in New York City, of all places.

A few months ago, Eileen and I brought our husbands to a small get-together, and Vic (Eileen's husband) and Javi hit it off instantly. Even if they had only met, it was as if they grew up together in the same neighborhood in Manila.

So the four of us have been going out to a few places - Momofuku in Manhattan, a tour of their neighborhood in Scarsdale and White Plains, and the latest one - Stuart's Fruit Farm in Granite Springs, NY!

Here's a map of Javi's and my route to Scarsdale, where we met Eileen and Vic, and then our route to Granite Springs:

The scenery on the way was quite beautiful! This was definitely another great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as spend time with great friends.

When we finally got to the Farm, we were greeted by bushels of apples:

We all joked about how we would just buy these (above) so we wouldn't have to exert any effort in actually picking the apples!

But the four of us were there for a purpose! To PICK apples! So off we went, up a pretty steep hill, to get to the trees.

However, true to the nature of being Filipino, Eileen and I stopped to take pictures first!

Ok seriously, we knew had to get to work! So here is Vic, trying to pick his first apple:

Did it pass Eileen's inspection??? ;)

Here's Javi, picking one, too:

I took a shot of a kid trying his luck at his own juicy red:

And Javi took one of another kid trying to get her own apple:

How many apples are in this picture? Can you tell me?

After a few hours, we were finally able to fill our 1/2 bushel bags, and headed back down that hill. Here's a picture of the two long-lost friends before our descent:

Back at the shop, Javi bought dressing, while Vic bought cider for his mom and brother:

While Eileen was also buying her microwaveable popcorn on a cob, I took a few more shots of the farm:

I will end this string of photos with what I believe is the most picturesque of all of them:

If only, Eileen and Vic, and Javi and I can live in a town like this while working in Manhattan. With a beautiful setting like this, and great neighbors like Eileen and Vic, who wouldn't enjoy getting up in the morning everyday?

Presenting: Noel's Movie Trailer!!!

2008-10-26T10:13:00.003-04:00

Hello, All! I am still alive, but have not been wanting to look at a computer screen whenever I get home - hence, the hiatus. But since I have very exciting news for everyone, I MUST make an entry.

My amazingly talented brother-in-law can finally show us the trailer of the movie he has been working on for the past 2 years. And I am more than proud to present it here in my blog!

Noel did the backgrounds, the 3-headed monster, and the Mom. Check-it-out!

And here is the movie's website: http://www.therpgmovie.com/. Click on the arrow on the notebook, then click on each character, and you'll see them come to life!

The website isn't complete yet, and the movie isn't set to come out until next year, so Javi and I have a few more months to wait in suspense before it finally comes out. When it does, I'm throwing some sort of celebration!

Holly Makes a Change

2008-09-04T19:42:00.010-04:00

I've mentioned my friend Holly in this blog several times before, mainly because she is the inspiration for me starting a blog in the first place! So now it's time to devote an entry to her and use this as an opportunity to promote her blog, Gonna Make a Change.

It isn't very often that I meet someone for the first time and know that the two of us are going to get along. (Case in point, Patti ;) ) But the minute I met Holly, I already knew she was cool!

Perhaps it's because both of us love Literature, but I honestly believe it is more because this is the impression Holly makes with everyone she meets. Holly is extremely personable, and she definitely goes out of her way to make the people she is with as comfortable as possible. This is what I've observed of her, whether it be engaging in a meaningful discussion with high-level speakers at a conference, or chatting with a bunch co-workers over lunch.

And now, Holly is using her fantastic personality to make a difference.

She established her blog earlier in the year in order to share her experiences with a non-profit called Mayan Families Guatemala. She and her husand Michael visited Guatemala shortly after publishing her first few entries, where they met the two young ladies they are sponsors of.

The couple fell in love with Latin America, and Holly was so enthused to return that she made plans to go back within less than a few months! This time, she wanted to be prepared, and had "blog cards" made (I refuse to call them business cards because business connotes office work... blah!).

Holly knew she would meet fellow travelers, and was excited about the prospect of making friends with them and promoting the work that must be done to help the less fortunate. Her second trip to Latin America took her specifically to Tlaquepaque, which is an enthralling town that excites the eye with its vibrant colors, and lures the traveler in with its rich culture...

... not that I've ever been there! ;-)

But Holly's ability to painstakingly write every interesting detail about the places she's been and experiences she's had makes her readers feel as if they were actually there themselves.

Holly is also a very thoughtful person. Javi and I had just moved into a new apartment when she visited Guadalajara. So when she came across a little store that sold household decorations, she was kind enough to buy us a precious little housewarming gift.

The crafts shop in Guadalajara

All the way from Guadalajara, Holly's thoughtful present made it to our New York City kitchen ;)
And now, everytime I see it, I not only look forwad to the opportunity to make it to Guadalajara myself someday, but am also reminded that every day, in some way, we can all make a change.

http://gonnamakeachange.blogspot.com/

Notes:

Guatemala is a Latin American country, separate from Mexico.
Guadalajara is a city, and Tlaquepaque is neighboring a village. They are both in the state of Jalisco, in Mexico.

Labor Day Weekend at Port Jefferson

2008-09-02T20:13:00.019-04:00

Sipping a smoothie at Toast Coffee House

What do you do on the last long weekend of summer? Javi and I had been searching online for out-of-state travel options, but couldn't seem to find the right place that would also fit within our budget. It's a good thing, though, that Holly suggested we go somewhere within New York, but outside of the city. Great idea, Javi and I thought... why hadn't we thought of that?? Why go far when there is so much to discover in our own state?!

So Javs and I looked for places that we could travel to without a car, and came across the website of Danfords Hotel and Marina in Port Jefferson, Long Island. The hotel looked promising on the website, and the reviews on TripAdvisor were pretty good, so Javi and I booked an overnight stay.

Javi and I left for Penn Station Sunday morning, boarded the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road), and rode until the last stop (Port Jeff). We had to switch trains halfway through, but the whole train ride took a total of only 2 hours. Once we arrived at the Port Jeff train station, all we had to do was cross the street to Island Wide Taxi.

The taxi ride consisted of 5minutes driving down Main Street, and as we got farther away from the train station, more and more little shops started to pop up. The busier the village got, the closer we were to the marina. Before we knew it, we were right in front of the Danfords Hotel.

The front porch of our hotel

Below: The hotel lounge room at night

We arrived at Port Jeff at about 12:00 noon, so naturally, we were hungry for lunch! Here's a view of the port from the Steamroom:

What is the Steamroom, you may ask? It is a casual restaurant that serves cheap and delicious seafood! Here are a couple of shots of Javi with his oysters and lobster:

If you're going to check-in to the Danfords, keep in mind that check-in time is at 4pm. Since Javi and I had about 3 hours to go before we could actually see our hotel room, we decided take a better look at Main Street on foot.

What we saw was a quaint little town of artisan shops that sold everything from religious decorations, to pet accessories.

I was able to even buy my sister a locket at a shop called Pattern Finders (picture below). The lady at the store was such a sweetheart, and took so much time and effort into fixing the locket neatly into its box, and then tying a purple ribbon around it.

I wasn't the only shutterbug on this trip. Below are a few photos of sites that caught Javi's eye:

Below: Port Jefferson Village Center, where they hold art exhibits, car shows, and even weddings. Mary Anne was the nice lady who gave us a brief background on the town, including information about the Dickens Festival, which is held every first week of December.

Here's a video I found featuring the Dickens Festival:

Finally, after having walked through Main Street AND East Main Street, it was 4pm. We checked in and because we were so exhausted from walking in the heat, Javi and I took a little nap in the room. When we woke up, it was time for dinner!

During our day walk, we had noticed a Spanish restaurant called Costa de Espana. Although its main entrance was along another street, we decided to enter through the more interesting way (to the left of the picture, where the trees are, there's a stairway that goes down to the restaurant):

Javi was so excited because he loves Spanish food and always has to see if the cooking is at par with the food his family would have when they used to have dinner with his Abuela. A particular favorite of his is the Paella at the old Alba's restaurant in Manila. So as expected, Javi had Paella Valenciana (seafood), while I had Pollo al Ajillo (chicken with garlic).

When asked if Costa de Espana's paella met his expectations, he replied "It's okay... but I still miss Alba's." Yeah, okay... he tells me this after he practically finished the entire casserole that night! :P

Here we are after dinner. Special thanks to the waiter who insisted that he get the poster behind us as a background!

So to end this entry, here are 3 comments on our overall experience:

1. Port Jeff is a lovely village with friendly people and a lot of history. It reminds me of how the fictional vilage, Stars Hollow, is depicted in the TV series, Gilmore Girls.

However, unless you have a car, you can't really explore the rest of the county, which they say is quite scenic. If you don't have a car, a day trip is most recommended, as you can explore the town (the important part of it, anyway) in even half a day.

2. There is a ferry that offers to take folks to Bridgeport, CT. I was told by a colleague of mine who lives several minutes away from Bridgeport to NOT go there, as Bridgeport is not at all safe, nor is it a scenic place to explore.

3. For those of you who are interested in visiting Port Jeff for a day or two, check out the Port Jefferson Village Center website at http://www.pjvillagecenter.com/, as they normally have weekend events. Case in point: next Sunday, they're having a car show!

All in all, it was a great experience to get away from the city for a couple of days. Because of its small-town charm, Javi and I may go back again for a day trip this time, or maybe join in on the Dickens Festival this year... I just wonder how weird Javi and I would look in those costumes!

Home Away from Home

2008-08-24T17:51:00.011-04:00

I was assigned to go to San Diego for work last week, and we were set up in a swanky hotel called the Westgate. And because we are in the business of producing conferences, my colleagues and I were able to feast on the hotel's fantastic lunches in an outdoor terrace. One lunch menu, for example, consisted of Greek Salad, NY Strip Steak, and Apple Strudel. The food was not only delicious, but it was also great to have been waited on like that after working hard for a conference.The hotel was absolutely gorgeous. I'm not one to compliment, but I had never said the word "lovely" so many times in a day before! Downtown San Diego on its own is a fantastic place with perfect whether, but once you step into the Westgate, you feel like you are in the French Renaissance, and you feel like any minute, you'll meet the Three Musketeers or something.

After a long day of talking with delegates and speakers, my colleauges, Joanna and Jonathan, and I decided to have dinner. We ate at a tex-mex restaurant at the far end of the Gaslamp Quarter (I've forgotten the name). The food was pretty good, but nothing out of the ordinary, really.What caught Joanna's attention after dinner, though, was a newly-opened ice cream store called Chocolat. Their display of goodies and treats was outstanding! We were having a hard time choosing which flavor we wanted for our scoop! I was particularly torn between their Rhum Chocolat and Hazelnut Chocolat. It's a great thing that Jonathan noticed how the servers were allowing people to get two flavors for one scoop, so I got half Rhum and half Hazelnut!

Click the picture above for their menu in pdf format. Come on! You know you want to!

Tuesday was the last full day I was going to be there, so after the conference, I was able to tour the Gaslamp Quarter a little more. It's a quaint shopping and dining area, probably a quarter of the size of Midtown Manhattan, and is walking distance from the Westgate. For a New Yorker, going through every Avenue and Street is a very easy feat. And I did in fact want to go through everything, but when I took a look at the map before I headed out, I realized that the only real activity existed along 5th Avenue.

So up and down 5th Ave I went, where I saw a vintage car dealership called Bevery Hills Cars -something I know the Cortes men would have loved to have seen, a Ghirardelli chocolate shop, and a few other interesting stores - some as common as Starbucks, while some local like a pajamas store called Bubbles Botique.

All in all, going up and down this 5th Avenue is quite different from its NY counterpart. Here, the pace is much slower, people are more laid-back, and the weather is in no way oppressive. If San Diego's 5th Avenue were any longer, and my pockets were deeper, I wouldn't mind strolling up and down and buying little trinkets in every cute shop I'd pass by.

I even spotted a Philippine Library and Museum, which I attempted to go into, only to find out that it was closed. Unfortunately. So with Manila on the brain now, I ended up going into the souvenir shop next door, where I bought shirts and caps for my sister, Dad and Lolo (Grandfather) back home.
At this part of my short trek, I had reached pretty much the end of 5th Avenue, so I decided to head back to the hotel. On the way back, though, I decided to check out Westfield Horton Plaza, which is a mall that looks very similar to some shopping complexes in Manila - Alabang Town Center, Eastwood City, and The Fort (short for Fort Bonifacio Global City). The funniest thing, too, was that while walking around Horton Plaza, there were at least 3 Filipino families that I came across who were speaking to each other in Filipino. It was at this point that I knew I was quite fond of San Diego for its similarities to my hometown, but I was also starting to feel very homesick...

Homesick... which home, though?

Back-to-Back Edition

2008-08-24T01:29:00.003-04:00

This entry's a two-for-one because you really can't talk about one person without talking about the other. This entry, I speak of my Brother-in-law and his girlfriend and my good friend, Rissa.

Noel and Rissa at MA Humanities Graduation

I've mentioned how Noel is an animator, but I haven't told you about his being a musician, or how I met him for that matter. Like his brother, we were in one class together (Theology with Fr. Bernal), and he hung out at Le Chuck's a lot as well. We were also both part of a small school organization called CODA (Cultural Organization for the Devlopment of the Arts), where he was a guitarist, and I was a singer. We ended up in the same band somehow, so I got to rehearse and perform with him a few times. Later on, he found out I had a crush on his brother, so he gave me a little chat about making sure I don't break his brother's heart and stuff. Awwww.

That's Noel for you- if he likes you, he will always look out for you, as he did his brother that day. He's also a great brother - I asked him and a few other friends to perform "Love of My Life" by Carlos Santana and Dave Matthews for our Engagement Party, and he rehearsed until the very last minute to get his guitar solo just right. (This performance was a surprise for Javi, so Javs was wondering why the heck Noel kept playing the guitar when he should have been getting ready for the party!)

The original version of Love of My Life

His girlfriend, Rissa, is another sweet and thoughtful person. They are indeed a perfect match. I had the priviledge of getting to know her better when I went back to school to get my Master's Degree. As it turned out, she and I were going to be in the same classes for the next two years! The first few classes I went to, I felt a little akward because I was older than most of them (Reese is 2 years younger than me), but she made me feel so welcome by introducing me to all her friends as her "sister-in-law," and always saving me a seat in class (I'd always come in late because I'd rush to get to class from work). As our friendship grew, we ended up just calling each other "sis" ;) It was only fitting because she and I had a lot of the same interests - mostly literature, and Corteses!

When Javi left for the US, and I stayed behind, Rissa and Noel were there to keep me company, to give me advice, and to offer me solace for the times that I missed Javi so much. I truly felt like we were already one family because of the love and care they showed me, and there is nothing Javi or I wouldn't do to reciprocate that love and thoughtfulness toward them. ;)

-Sis/Ate

PS. I'll try to post some of Noel's artwork if I can get them from him and he lets me post them here.

Segue to my next post

2008-08-19T12:01:00.005-04:00

I often take a look at the Philippine Daily Inquirer to read news from the Philippines, and I came across an interesting article about a Filipino animator at Pixar. It is particularly interesting to me because my brother in law, Noel, is an animator at a studio in Manila. His work is phenomenal, and a lot of people see his potential to become a great animator for a much bigger studio oversees. But before I get into too much detail about him and his girlfriend, Rissa, here is the article:

Happy reading!

A Pinoy at Pixar

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:08:00 08/19/2008

LOS ANGELES, California—Chris Chua, 29-year-old Filipino-American animator at Pixar Animation Studios, makes things look easy.

When we interviewed him at Pixar’s sprawling Emeryville office, Chris casually rattled off things about his career. Unintentionally, he made his rise in the animation world sound simple—which, of course, was not.

“I went to California Institute of the Arts in Valencia for college, joined DreamWorks, transferred to Pixar and then got assigned to do my first Pixar movie, which is ‘Wall-E,’ ” he said.

He added, “I always look forward to coming to work because the people I work with here are just so passionate about everything.” And so is Chris.

“It’s great working here,” he stressed. “Everyday, no matter how tired I am, I always look forward to coming to work.”

Loving it

“Work” for Chris means doing what he loves, donning casual clothes everyday, or riding a bike, scooter or rollerblades around the office. In his “free time,” he may take some “enrichment” courses at Pixar University.

“Wall-E,” the latest film from Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”), is about the last robot left on earth to clean up the trash that mankind has left behind. It is a very timely and relevant movie about the environment.

Chris, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2-D Animation from Cal Arts, explained the look of “Wall-E,” which is unlike other Pixar movies: It is monochromatic at times and has almost no dialogue in some scenes—an animator’s dream, or nightmare.

“Some animations are bleak and have a doomsday feel to them,” Chris said. “For ‘Wall-E,’ I think there are moments when it is very colorful and entertaining. For me, it is totally a dream project because, as an animator, you are taught that pantomime comes first. All the great scenes happen when you turn off the volume and you know exactly what is going on even without sound coming from the characters’ mouths. The visuals take center stage. We do not have to deal with voices. Just the fact that these emotions can come from this little robot with simple eyes is fulfilling—you can do so much with so little.”

Chris, who got married last year, joined the Pixar team last November as a fix animator for “Wall-E.” He takes shots from the films that have already been animated and polishes them up for final use.

He explained his job further: “Mainly, I assist the animator. For example, you have an animator who has Wall-E going left and right on the screen, but he wants him to go a little slower. So he would come to me and ask me to make Wall-E slow down. I already have the main scene going on in front of me. I just need to adjust it. Sometimes it is very easy, like they will say, ‘Okay, add one blink here.’ Other times, it is more involved and they will completely change everything. I will have to do those changes as well. Then I get them approved by my supervisor. If it’s a bigger change, then the director has to see it since it’s his movie.”

The animator, born in Manila to a Chinese father and a half-Filipino mother, moved to the US at age 10. He said he’s the only artist in the family. Dad William is a banker while mom Juliet was a secretary.

It was during high school that Chris discovered his love for drawing. “I loved to draw and enjoyed watching cartoons and movies,” he recalled. “My teacher told me that I could do this for a living. She said that there is a school in Southern California called the California Institute for the Arts. I think it was right before high school ended when I saw ‘Toy Story.’ That changed everything for me. That was when I set my goal of becoming an animator. Once I had seen more Pixar films, I got more convinced.”

Asked if it was hard for him as a Filipino-Chinese to break into Hollywood, Chris replied, “In this profession, especially animation, it’s not so much about race. There is no real race barrier. It is just about how much work you put in.”

Previous work

Prior to joining Pixar, Chris worked as an animator at DreamWorks Animation on various projects, including “Sinbad,” “Shark Tale” and “Flushed Away.” In the Bay Area, he had a short stint at LucasArts working on the video game project, “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.”

“Wall-E” is his first Pixar movie.

He recently got promoted as animator on Pixar’s latest film, “UP” which will be directed by Pete Docter (“Monsters Inc.”) and is due out next May. He and wife Joy recently moved from Emeryville to North Berkeley where they just bought a house.

Asked how it was working with director Andrew Stanton, Chris said, “Andrew knows what he wants. He may feel things out a couple of times as he will see it and say, ‘That’s not what I want, let us do this.’ But a lot of times, he has a good eye for filmmaking and detail. With him, a movie almost feels like a live-action film just with the way the camera moves.”

As for the Pixar culture, Chris exclaims, “It’s great!” He added, “The movies they make here are ‘director-driven’ as opposed to ‘public-driven.’ In the same way that I am more passionate when something comes from the heart. You feel like when it comes from the director’s soul, you feel like it comes across. That, more than anything else, is what makes Pixar great.” Nepales

Meet Patti

2008-08-19T01:57:00.005-04:00

All right, so it's been a while (again) since I've made an entry. But I'm back to continue my "I Love My Friends!" series. I realize, though, that I'd have an awful lot of friends to feature if I were to make sure to not leave anyone out, so I've decided to make each testimonial a little bit shorter than the one I made for Javi.

So let me introduce you to my best friend, Patti. Who, by the way, was told to pose like so by a group of friends. She is not in the least bit the type to walk around her one hand on her hip, and that's what is so great about her - she is very down-to-earth and straightforward. You have to respect her for her candor because one thing she absolutely hates is BS.

But back in our Freshman year of high school, the one thing she hated was ME.

Patti and I were classmates then, and we didn't get off to a great start. We ended up being partners for the Swing (yes, the dance) for Freshman PE class, and we hated each other so much that we kept tugging on each others' arms. Oh boy. Those were the days.

Eventually, we got over ourselves and started talking about things we actually had in common - like our fascination with The Cutting Edge (Moira Kelley and DB Sweeney), writing, listening to music, and a certain boyband that never quite made it to the US market ;) But in our defense, they were quite popular in England! Honest!

College passed, and we began working together at the Ayala Museum. This is where I saw how amazing Patti was at doing her job. I mean, I was her classmate and seatmate even for two years, so I knew she was efficient and well-organized, but seeing her actually at work made me so proud of her... and so honored to be her best friend. She certainly puts all her heart and soul in a project if she feels it is actually worth her time. As a person, that is how she handles herself - she commands respect from the people around her, but is also very eager to please you if she knows you are worthy of her respect.

Now, Patti is a Communications Specialist at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, as well as a freelance consultant, where she has completed jobs such as the PR campaign for the Peninsula Manila (yes, right before it got smashed into by a military personnel carrier) and has gone to India for a client project. Her job and projects have the fantastic perks of schmoozing with the uppercrust of Manila and traveling to fantastic cities, and I believe she truly deserves it. Patti is creative and hardworking, but is most importantly a wonderful friend!

P, here's to you and to more travels around the world! May one of your projects lead you in the direction of New York City!

Kk

Jo Koy Part 2

2008-08-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

Here's another one about his mom :D Hilarious!

Meet Pinoy Comedian Jo Koy

2008-08-03T23:53:00.002-04:00

While I'm working on my next "I Love My Friends!" feature, here's a great Filipino comedian named Jo Koy for your entertainment. He is so hilarious when he talks about his mom. (My Mom and Aunts should get a kick out of this!)

And Holly, you should enjoy the 2nd half of this video ;) Enjoy, folks!

I love my friends!

2008-08-01T23:33:00.011-04:00

Wow - it has been two weeks since my last entry! My Aunt and Uncle were here for a visit last July 16th, and then last weekend was the housewarming! Unfortunately, Javi and I were enjoying our guests' company so much that we had completely forgotten to bring out the camera! It probably would have been an akward photo session though ;) I often have to remind myself that I am not with my high school mates, who have learned the art of spotting a camera and jumping to the front of the group for the best exposure possible. Well, then again, my friend from high school, Cara, was there last Saturday.

The housewarming was ok, I guess. I suppose our guests would have to be the ones to say how it went because I was pretty much busy making sure that everyone was picked up from the lobby and that the food would not burn to a crisp. ;) But I did love the little presents we got - candles, gorgeous plates, and a cute Mexican handicraft for the kitchen.

I also definitely enjoyed the company! Although most of the couples had never met each other before, I want to mention that they were the ideal group of friends to have warmed up our new home. So for those of you who came, THANK YOU! And please feel free to let us know when you're downstairs at the lobby again! You are all welcome, anytime! ;)

So speaking of friends, old and new, I have decided what to do for my following blog entries! With their permission, I will feature each of my favorite friends on this blog in order to let the world (ie, the few who know that this site exists!) know what wonderful friends I have.

I want to acknowledge how terrific they are because they have all influenced people's lives in positive ways, and I would like to share how they have done so in this blog.

To start off, here's a picture of my group of friends back in high school:

Top, L-R: Jon, John, Rob / Bottom, L-R: Marie, Patti, Eloisa, me, Kim, Ryan

This was taken at my house, during Kim's birthday party. Awww... Kim looked so young and angelic then!

So my first feature is someone who I can say is my best friend for life. Yup, you guessed it - my husband, Javi. (Don't worry, Patti, you're coming up next!)

Javs and I met in college, where we both used to hang out at this restaurant called LeChuck's in between classes. We were introduced by common friends, and became really good friends right away as well. He was the funniest, sweetest guy in the group - always on the verge of cracking a joke, but also always asking to see if you are ok. (I'm not exaggerating here - we watched Star Wars, and he would ask me every 10 minutes if I was ok).

So that's Javi for you - a real sweetheart. He has been there for so many of his friends, always being the one to listen or give advice, or the one to cheer you up with one of his corny jokes or silly antics. He gained my best friend's approval the very first minute they met when he immediately offered her a about baseball-sized mass of oreo filling, wrapped in foil (the LeChuck's owner gave him the filling because she was only using the actual cookies for her cheesecake).

Javi is also a great intellectual (he just refuses to admit it). He can talk at least one hour with a person he has never met before about politics, history, business, or even interesting trivia he found out about while watching the Discovery Channel. Javi has a great mind and is a great friend, with a big heart. His compassion for those who are less fortunate than him put me to shame, and this is one of the many things I love about him... he has taught me to be more thoughtful and giving. He reminds me that in a world where a lot of people are selfish and individualistic, one can still be noble and kindhearted. He has shown me how to avoid judging people based on their appearance. He has taught me (as well as many others) how patience, compassion, kindness, and even humor, can be our own way of making this world a little better. ;-)

Almost Done with the Move!

2008-07-15T00:07:00.004-04:00

I am happy (and relieved) to say that the grey moving boxes have been completely emptied-out! They are ready for pick-up, and now all Javi and I have to do is sort out and stow away the stuff that was in them in an organized fashion. My Aunt and Uncle are visiting this weekend, so Javi and I have a goal to make the place look marvelous before they arrive :D I know for sure we can do it! Javi and I make a great team!

By the way, for those of you who are moving, we strongly recommend Movers not Shakers. They are reasonably-priced and are very efficient. We felt very safe with the movers. They took excellent care of our stuff. Kudos to Richard Hughes and to Akbar and his team!

A Medley of Events

2008-07-12T01:06:00.000-04:00

There are just too many things I haven't been able to post, so below is a summation of everything that has happened since the move to today. I plan on setting this up so that when you click on each of these pictures, you'll be led to the album that shows all pictures of that particular event.

Holly's Going to Mexico!

First, let's start with a "Bon Voyage" to Holly! My colleague and good friend is going to Mexico. She was there with her husband, Michael, last March, but fell in love with it so much that she is going back for another exciting trip.

Specifically, Holly will be in Guadalajara for all of next week. Honestly, a few of us at the office are jealous ;) But if there's anyone who is most-deserving of her "me-time," it's her!

Make the most of your trip, Holly! Just don't drink too much tequila! Ole!

Fourth of July Weekend in Washington, DC

After an evening of watching fireworks along FDR Drive, the three of us went home to eat dinner and get some rest for the next two days' activities. John had never been to DC, so he asked if we could take him around. Saturday morning, we hopped onto a bus, and after almost 5 hours of our stomachs grumbling louder than the bus engine, we finally ended up in Ben's Chili Bowl!!!

Having devoured a jumbo beef dog each, we set out for our hotel.

Here's a tip if some of you are planning a trip to DC: in spite of the rooms and the mediocre service, the Hilton Garden Inn on 14th and H is a good place to stay at because of its price and location. It is walking distance from a lot of the DC tourist spots (if you're used to NYC walking), and is also very close to the famous Old Ebbitt Grill (featured below).

After our pit stop, off we went to tour the area. Here are a few pictures of our walking tour:

So obviously at this point, we knew we had to stop and rest :) Plus, we had to get back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for our dinner reservation at Old Ebbitt Grill!

As it says on its website:
Old Ebbitt Grill is just steps from The White House and museums in downtown Washington. Established in 1856, it was a favorite of Presidents Grant, Cleveland, Harding and Theodore Roosevelt and is still a popular meeting spot for political insiders, journalists, celebrities and theater-goers.

Here's a shot of John with his STEAK!

And here's my Firecracker Chicken!

And this was Javi's desert - The Butterscotch Blondie Sundae!

Whatta monster!

As a whole, our DC trip was a lot of fun! (Sans the trip back home which I refuse to talk about in this blog because I never want to remember it ever again!)

We hope John had fun being the tourist. We sure had fun being his tour guides ;-)

Back in NYC

Another restaurant Javi and I felt we absolutely had to take John to was Max Restaurant in Alphabet City. For those of you who want to check it out for yourselves, I shall warn you: the servings are HUGE, and the food is RICH. So come with a companion and a completely empty stomach, because everything on the menu is SUPERB!

Some of our favorites...

Insalata Di Barbabietole Con Caprino

beet salad with goat cheese and avocado

O Polpettone "E Mamma"

mom's meatloaf with potato pancetta gratin

Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

homemade gnocchi with tomato sauce, basil mozzarella

Ok then! I think I'll have lunch now!

From Brooklyn to Manhattan

2008-07-11T18:29:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! New blog template, new apartment, and it's Friday at last!

I haven't been able to write an entry since my conference because right after I got back from DC, Javi and I had to start packing our things for the move to our new apartment!

As we were packing, I realized how many things you can collect while you're in one place for over a year. I remember when we first moved to Brooklyn, we only used 10 storage bins to move, and this time, we were using 30! I wonder how many we will have to use for the next move?

It's also strange how all the material contents of your life can be contained in plastic, grey containers. I also thought about how we can choose to either take with us or leave behind these material posessions, but our memories, knowledge, and wisdom... that stuff we keep forever.

So July 1st, Javs and I migrated from Brooklyn to Manhattan. In half a day, the movers had been able to transport everything from one apartment to the next. So even if I felt that I had to be at least a little sentimental about leaving our very first apartment together, I knew I didn't have to. I may have been leaving behind a physical representation of the beginning of our life together, but I was in no way about to let go of the memories that were brought forth from living there. Below is a picture of the Brooklyn apartment before we moved in all our stuff.

Now here's a picture of our new apartment! It's still a bit disorganized, but I'm excited to show all of you how much nicer the new one is compared to the old one!

After the move-in, Javi and I went back to work for Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday evening, our friend John arrived from Seattle. John has been a friend of Javi's since they were in high school. I am told that John was the valedictorian of their class, and that he was very much into Arnis (Philippine stick fighting) in college. If i'm not mistaken, it was a year or so after college that John decided to join the US Navy, and wherever he was stationed, he would make sure to call Javi to catch up on how things were going back home.

Now that John is a civillian, he spends time with his Filipino friends whenever he can. Last Fourth of July weekend, he decided to visit NY once again and stay with us. John is not a stranger in this blog, by the way. He has appeared here in the entry where I feature Anton and our trip to the Wine Library.

John arrived late Thursday evening, and we all decided to just stay in because the three of us were just so darn tired, and we were saving our energy for Friday's activities. Javi and I wanted to take him to Old Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where tourists go to eat delicious pizza at Grimaldi's, then enjoy desert at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

Javi's hands, with dripping ice cream. Sorry, Javs!

After consuming all those calories, John wanted to see what it was like to cross the Brooklyn Bridge, so off we went a-walking...

After taking five shots for every footstep we'd take, we finally made it over the bridge! :) Below are John's and Javi's looks of relief as soon as they sat down at a bench in front of NY City Hall.

The weekend before a conference

2008-06-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, I produce training conferences for the government and military. This requires me to be in the VA/DC area for 3 to 4 days at a time in order to actually meet the speakers I've invited, network with the delegates, and make sure that the conference itself is running smoothly.

I'm actually at one of my conferences right now, but before I tell you how it's been so far, let me start from Saturday.

Saturday is usually a lazy day for Javi and I. We stay in, sleep in, and watch whatever we haven't watched on the DVR. But the Saturday before a conference always has to be activity-filled. So this time, Javi and I began the day by venturing out to our favorite brunch place. We had toast and jam and other good stuff that felt like homemade cooking (only without me having to worry about the 'cooking' part).

After brunch, we decided to check out a futon place in the upper west side to see if it was wise to buy one for our guests who are to sleep over at our new apartment. Here's a tip for everyone: no matter how good it looks online, always, always check it out in person! The futon looked decent enough to me on the store's website, but when I saw it at the store, I was majorly disappointed!

It looks pretty decent here, right??? Ah well. It was also a little too small anyway. An airbed has more space than this one, too, so it obviously wasn't meant to be bought by Javi and I. (And believe, me, an airbed that costs about $30 is pretty darn comfortable!)

As we stepped out of the store, feeling a little relieved to not have to shell out another $300 for our new apartment, we came across a bicycle store. Uh-oh! So much for saving that futon money! Well, the truth is, one of the main reasons why I was so happy to be able to move to that new apartment is because I love biking. I'm not a pro, mind you, but I grew up with the freedom to ride my bike around our neighborhood and to and from my friend's house every day. And I've been longing for the opportunity to have that freedom again since I moved to Manila back in 1990!

So now that Javi and I can safely bike around town (especially since NYC has dedicated bike paths during the summer), we believe that bikes are a great investment. If you think about it - how much do you spend on gym membership every month? I'd rather cancel my gym membership, buy a reasonably-priced bike, and enjoy the real outside air instead of breathing stuffy gym air that, if you think about it, is actually everyone's evaporated sweat. Gross, right?

Anyway, onto the bikes!

Javi and I are considering foldable bikes for transportability. At first I was skeptical about it, but then I saw a guy on the getting off the train from NY to DC last Sunday, and was impressed by how he casually stepped off the train with his foldable bike in hand, popped everything into place, and started riding it off into the distance. Pretty cool.

Economically, though, I'd much rather go for the Schwinn Cruiser:
It was pretty warm that Saturday, so although we wanted to walk from the 90's to the Union Sq. area (we love walking around that much on a good day), we absolutely couldn't. So we decided to just take a bus in order to kill two birds with one stone: get to a train that would take us back home, and enjoy the rest of the city without passing out from dehydration.

Javs and I took the bus up to Bryant Park, where we decided to stop and enjoy an ice cream at the park. People were reading, men and women were sunbathing (this was when Javi and I pretended not to be married to each other. ;), kids were on the marry-go-round - it was just a nice, relaxing environment.

But before long, we felt way too warm again, so we decided to look around for an interesting shop to go into. Thankfully enough, we did! Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore that began reaching out to its client base in Rock Center. Recently, they opened this branch near Bryant Park, which includes art books ranging from Ancient Greek Art to Contemporary Fantasy Art.

I found a book that I thought my brother in law would be interested in (he does 3D Animation) and was so excited to show Javi, that I ended up dropping this 7lb. book on my foot! Normally, in these instances, I psychologically train myself from thinking that I'm hurt, but when the corner of a heavy book drops on the vein of your foot, there's no way you can tell your brain to think that you're fine! Nooooo way!

So that pretty much ended the day for me and Javs... my arm around him to support me, as we slowly limped off into the sunset ;)

Wow! That was just Saturday!
I definitely need to write some more SOON! :)

Why I Blog

2008-06-19T23:05:00.000-04:00

Staying connected

I've had so many different profile pages in the past - from Friendster to Facebook, I've done them all. And the major reason why I joined these social networks was really to keep in touch with friends I never would have contacted otherwise. Because of these sites, I was able to find a good friend I had in high school who moved to San Francisco, and was even able to find my best friend from elementary school! (As it turns out, she lives in NY as well!)

Still, I found these certain websites to be a little too tedious to work through - it was hard to upload photos, people had to create user profiles before they could see my photos, I couldn't write a blog while showing photos and vice versa, so I longed for a more straightforward way of sharing my thoughts and photos via the internet.

I had heard of blogs and was definitely interested in making one, but was always intimidated at the thought of making it look nice and having to maintain it. And then a friend of mine, Holly, showed me her blog at http://gonnamakeachange.blogspot.com

Wow! In her blog, she shares so many things about herself to her readers... things that I would have never known about if not for this fantastic and new medium of communication.

This is not to say that blogging is a substitute for face to face communication and socialization. Blogging is a way to enhance one's ability to socialize and communicate with others. And was this not my reason for joining these social websites to begin with, anyway?

So having been inspired by Holly to write my own blog, I tinkered around with the blogger.com interface (which I find to be easier than expected!). I had just gotten back from Manila that time, so I excitedly uploaded my pictures from our trip to Manila. Success! I had a blog!

So now, what?

I post updates about myself and Javi to communicate to others, but there must be some sort of a structure to it, right? And why did I call it "K's Apartment"? Again, this is a way for me to let you, the reader, into my "apartment," as I share with you my extracurricular activities (usually having to do with food, btw), thoughts, and dreams.

This is also my way of sharing my experiences as someone who grew up in both the US and Manila, and is now independent of her parents (a big thing among Filipinos), married, and working in one of the greatest cities of the world.

This is why I write.

I write in the hopes that perhaps the things I share with all of you make you laugh, make you think, or inspire you to do something for yourselves that you never would have done before (even if it's something like parting your hair a different way!).

And this is certainly not a one-way conversation. Please leave me comments or send me your experiences that I can post here if you want to share them. OR, create a blog of your own so that we can create a dialogue!

-K

Anton's trip to the Wine Library

2008-06-10T23:20:00.000-04:00

Sara's and Jim's reception brought about a reunion among the PAREF Southridge boys. Anton, being a resident of California, insisted that we visit NJ's Wine Library. So here he is, ecstatic to be in front of this store full of alcohol. To his right: Honey. To his left: his girlfriend, Pat.

Below: Look at how he cradles that bottle.
Javi bought desert wine ;)

John's trying to break Jack Daniels' neck. The new Mrs. Garcia! :)

Jim and Sara's Reception

2008-06-10T22:14:00.000-04:00

Our friends Sara and Jim got married in Tuscany, but honored their friends with a reception at Churrascaria Plataforma, located in West Midtown. Here are a few pictures from their lunch, as well as a few pictures we took afterwards when we hung out at Tomkins Square Park in Alphabet City. Photos taken Sunday, May 25th.

The cute couple!

Half of the party

Poveda girls (Poveda = our high school) Julia, Krista, and I (R-L) went to the same school, but I think we're each a year apart from one another.

Southridge boys. They look like a boyband. Hehe.

Jim!

Javi!

L-R: Don, Jim, John

May 3 in Maryland / DC

2008-06-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

I had conferences on Military Antennas and Military Radar to take care of last May, so Javi and I took the opportunity to spend time with Tita Em and Uncle Hamid in Maryland.
(Yes, I know, this entry should have come before Tita Em's trip to NYC. Oops!)

Javi and I usually arrive at their place right before lunch time, so Tita Em and I agreed that we would just have lunch and spend the rest of the day in their apartment so all three of us (Uncle Hamid was at work) could relax. Below, are some pictues of our *fancy* lunch ;)

Cutting up the lettuce for our sandwich!

The masterpiece! Salami, cheese, tomoatoes, green bell peppers.

Javi's share of the sub

My share of the sub. THANK YOU, Tita Em! It was delicious!

In the afternoon, Unkie came home from work, and took us to Ben's Chili (Javi had been requesting that we go there since it was featured on a Food Network show a few months ago).

Ben's Chili is a classic diner located on U and 14th, and is accessible by the Metro. Back in the 80's, this neighborhood was notorious for its crime rate.

Today, you actually still feel a little uneasy walking around this area as the sun sets. It's as if the area reminds its visitors and inhabitants that it once was a place that cabbies dared not drop off a passenger - it reminds people of what it once was.

But as the final rays of the sun hide behind newly built condominiums along such a diverse street, it allows people to realize what it is today - an area of potential and future gentrification.

Now...

Back to the Chili!

Everyone in line has to see the dogs on the fryer.

Everyone's waiting to get a bite out of their hotdogs!

Check-it-out!

Eating unhealthy has never felt this good!

The place at night.

Tita Em in NYC

2008-05-11T22:02:00.000-04:00

My aunt, aka Tita Em, went to New York for Mother's Day Weekend. She stayed over at her friend's house, Tita Tina, and Javs and I took them out Saturday morning for brunch.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Our favorite brunch place in NYC?

TEA & SYMPATHY!

Stopping for a picture along 2nd Avenue.

The famous FULL MONTY!

Tita Em and her breakfast

Moi!

Javi and his English Tea. Very dain-tea!

You forgot to put your pinky up, Javs!

Tita Tina

Apple Rhubarb with Custard

Bananas and Custard

Tita Em enjoys her desert.

Tita Tina & Tita Em outside of Tea and Sympathy.

The two Titas were scheduled to watch the matinee that Saturday, so Javi and I took them to Times Square.

They had about an hour to kill before the show, so we posed as tourists and Javi shot his camera away!

Waiting for the walking man.

I like my hat :) Thanks, Javs!

My favorite shot.

Hope you had fun, Tita Em! We'll take you out some more next time!

Phantom of the Opera

2008-04-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-30T20:06:00.000-04:00

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!

2008-04-20T21:39:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-19T16:55:00.001-04:00

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

2008-04-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-19T14:25:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-04-19T14:03:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-19T13:21:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

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:

Family Feast at Italianni's

2008-04-19T11:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Totoy

Italianni's is a restaurant known for singing to its guests who are celebrating their birthdays. Coincidentally, Noel (Javi's brother) had just recently celebrated his birthday, so his brothers (Miggy and Javi) came up with the perfect plan to have the waiters sing to him.

When asked what name they should put on the "cake," they gave a fake name that the waiters understood to be "Totoy" - a Filipino term for someone who's supposedly still wet behind the ears.
Here are Javi and Noel in uncontrollable laughter as they wait for the waiters to sing "Happy Birthday, Totoy" to the birthday boy.

Mom and Pop (Javi's parents)

My Mom and Dad

Miggy and Celine

2008-04-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

Manila, I'm Comin' Home... to EAT

Every Balikbayan* knows that when s/he comes home to Manila, there is an overabundance of food. True enough, my trip with Javs to Manila consisted of continuous servings of food!
*balik = return / bayan = country (ie, as a noun, it means someone who returns to his/her country)

So here is an account of our FOOD TRIPs, as we call 'em in the Philippines.
(See? We even have a term for it!)

Dinner with Patti and Christy - Zuni at Greenbelt 5

Photos courtesy of Patti

Cute little dinner rolls to start off with

Warm, soft and yummy! These rolls served as good appetizers, as they gave us a special sauce to dip them into. Too bad P didn't get a shot of the sauce, though. Next time, P!

Patti's Mushroom Foie-Gras Ravioli

Patti had an interesting experience with this dish afterwards when she was driving home. Let's just say that those were some mushrooms! It's a good thing P got home safe... in spite of her hallucinations!

Christy's Baked Norwegian Salmon in Filo Pastry

I don't know how C liked the salmon, but I honestly wasn't too fond of it, perhaps because of the lack of sauce or flavor. Also because I'm not too much of a salmon fan! I'm a Tilapia advocate!

My Roasted Fatless Rack of Lamb in Herb Crust

This was absolutely delicious! It was cooked just right - juicy and tasty enough, but the herbs and sauce did not overpower the taste of the lamb. Very DROOLWORTHY, I tell you!

Coffee Crunch Souffle
This little piece of heaven was unfortunately too small for the three of us! What a little tease it was!