YOODLOO-LE-EEYO, YOODLOO-LE-EE-II, Life in the country is the life fer me..

 This is probably one of my favorite ditties in Sesame Street.

In the 70s, Dad would take us on weekend trips to his hometown in  Santa Maria Bulacan. He'd be in the driver’s seat, my  Mom making small talk beside him and their 4 little brats “behaved” in the car seat behind them.  I recall playing this ditty in my head as  the vista outside the car window changed from paved highways and buildings to rice fields , coconut trees, cows and stray chickens. Hehehe. I’m such a nerd!

Bye Y'all!

Sound of Music, Hi-Ro Cookies, Jam Morales and a Lecherous Capt. Von Trapp!

One of the world’s most beloved movie musical just happens to be one of Oprah’s favorite things. That’s why it was such a treat to watch her swoon over the cast of The Sound of Music as they celebrated the film’s 45^th anniversary in her TV show. And true to Oprah’s well-meaning but grandiose generosity (remember “you get a car… and you get a car…?) she flew the whole cast to her Harpo studios, the first time the Von Trapps got together since they premiered the film in 1965.  And you know what? I could not help but feel the same way I felt when I first saw the movie on betamax in 1985. You know what I mean, that warm fuzzy feeling on the inside that immediately evokes warm milk and Hi-Ro chocolate cookies, afternoon Bugs Bunny movies, Six Million Dollar Man lunch boxes and the lyrics of the Jam Morales pop ditty “A Smile of The Heart”.    The  actors that played Von Trapp children are so much older now, even the little girl that sang “the sun has gone and so must I…”. One even  became a Playboy model!   The Captain (Christopher Plummer) came across as a bit stand- offish, even admitting to once calling the film The Sound of Mucus. But redeemed himself to the studio audience when he eventually acknowledged that it could be “one of the best cinematic version of a musical” .  That said, he then managed to  be  a creepy lecherous old man when it was revealed to him during the interview that the actress who played Leisl, Von Trapp’s sixteen-year old daughter, had a crush on him during filming. To this he said “where was your room?” Ugh.  Ms. Julie Andrews of course remains as the light and spirit of the lot. The world’s favorite nanny (Mary Poppins and Sound of Music were made within a span of one year and has remained to this day one of her most memorable roles) has lost her singing voice because of a botched throat operation. But her writing collaborations with her real life daughter has enabled her to find “a new voice”, co-writing children’s books.  Watch the interview (in three parts) in YouTube.

Goldilocks New Logo



Out with the old...



..and in with the new.



The Goldilocks of our childhood has succumbed to the demands of global economics. The most obvious indicator is the company's decision to modernize its logo.  They've retired the freckled Pipi Longstocking-esque (who incidentally reminds me of that bratty contravida of Melissa Sue-Anderson's version of Little House on the Prairie in the late 70s' ) to a rendering of their company name in today's font-of-the-moment. Which is kind of odd because in my humble opinion, the market relates so much to the brand's ability to evoke nostalgia,old fashioned and white picket fence values through its fresh from the oven goodies.  Sayang.  





Fried Prawns in Cereal!

My first experience with Fried Prawns in Cereal was in a street market in Kuala Lumpur. I've never had privilege of trying that dish again. There are not too many restos in Manila that serves it so my taste buds watered ( nag water-water ako) when I read this review. Would love to try it soon.



http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/food/food/view/20100603-273492/Peking-Duck-fried-prawn--in-cereal-2-way-chicken-good-Chinese-cuisine-comes-to

World Embraces Charice

Please allow me one more post about Charice. I chanced upon this You Tube post about the diminutive singer from these isles. Maybe a few months before her Glee debut. Its a love fest of international proportions with Oprah, Justin Timberlake, Ellen Degeneres, Patti LaBelle, Michael Buble, David Spade, Leno and other marquee names from around the world singing praises to, whom I will know christen as P-4 (Pintt-sized Pinay Pipe Princess).  Watch and let your inner Pinoy swell with pride.

Sunshine Rains on Rachel's Parade!

The Philippines' "pride of the moment" Charice debuts in the first episode of GLEE Season 2. The little lady with the big voice delivered the goods. Especially during the audition sequence where members of New Directions cheered her delicious performance while resident diva stewed and simmered in her own insecurity. The episode's twist? - Charice gets pirated by New Direction's arch nemesis - Vocal Adrenaline.

Very High End Mooncakes I'm Sure!

http://www.raffleshotelmooncakes.com/index.php

Would You Sell Your Mother-In-Law To Check In Here?

Lobby of the Peninsula Hongkong

What is it about grand heritage hotels that fascinate people like me? Is it the lure of nostalgia? The fond remembrance of a gentler, more noble past? A longing for simpler times when a great divide separated humanity and technology. When time was quantified in days and years and months, not milliseconds. When people labored on perfecting their manners as well as their penmanships. When Sunday’s Best meant dressing up for Mass and when men wore dapper suits, tipped their hats and offered a ready arm for the ladies to hold on to while strolling along open aired paseos and tree-lined boulevards.


It may also stem from an interest in colonial history. Most of Southeast Asia’s grand residences were built under the watch of occupying masters. The Grand Dame of Manila, The Manila Hotel was built during the American occupation. The Raffles Hotel of Singapore and Peninsula Hongkong where protectorates of the mighty British empire. I’m not too sure about the 130-year old Bangkok Mandarin Oriental. But isn’t Mandarin Oriental a Chinese/ British company? That said, these hotels must have been a showcase for the colonial administration to show off their achievements to the watching world. Like showing off the best silver and china when you have friends over for dinner. “See what we’ve done. We’ve civilized the natives . Educated them. Built roads and bridges.. and nice hotels.”

The Author's Lounge, The Oriental Bangkok

Drawing Room, Raffles Singapore

Champagne Room, Manila Hotel

Despite that, these are legacies worth keeping. All, except for The Manila Hotel have maintained their standing. It is my hope that I will get to experience them. Sooner than later I hope.

A Loaf of Bread, A Container of Milk, And a Stick of Buttah!

Hehehe.  Mommy, Mommy I remember!!!!  But when I was young, I always thought it was " a loaf of bread, POTATO AND MILK, and a stick a' butter." Harhar!

5 Minutes of Fame For Those Sentenced 5 Years to Life

Hardened criminals turned into You Tube celebrities. Petty and professional crooks in the southern island of Cebu became the toast of the internet world after their "Thriller" production number became the novelty act of 2008. Quick to capitalize on the death of Mr. Jackson, Hollywood flew to the island and made this video which they plan to include in a commemorative album for the "Gloved One". I just hope the Gringos paid the city government enough to better the living conditions in the Cebu pentitentiary. The Philippines as a whole has uber deplorable jail system. Here's hoping something positive comes out of this stunt.

Last night, my company participated in the world-wide observance of Earth Hour. This entailed diligent coordination with our Operations, Engineering and Housekeeping departments. We turned off our lights from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Customers had to endure very minimal lighting for an hour but its all good because they know it was done for a great cause. This event was replicated by several households, companies, communities, municipalities and cities around the Philippines, and is also being implemented in major cities around the planet. It's a call for awareness and decisive action against climate change. We sent out advisories to our tenants asking them to switch off their lights on the appointed time. Our lobby and guest hallways went dark. The only source of light were solitary candles in the hallways. Beside each candle was a tentcard with the earth hour logo with an explanation of why our company is supporting this effort. One of our function room was set-up with a projector, a giant screen and sofas where people can lounge and watch Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth". I sat through it and got a chill up my spine. Mr. Gore's movie is a warning to us all. Humanity's greed for power and profit is taking its toll. We are on the verge of environmental havoc and demise of our civilization if we do not take action. I wish for our leaders and our children to see this so we get off our bed of complacency and take part in restoring our planet back to health.

Hotttttt!

I do not remember a summer that's hotter! I am in my room right now bearing the heat. It's 10:30 pm but it feels like 12 noon. I have two electric fans running currently. One fan is blowing air at me, while the other one has the job of circulating a tepid breeze in my room. The national weather agency says to brace for higher temperature, like 40 degrees. Room temperature right now is 35 degrees. Arrgh!! This must be what hell is like.

My friend has cancer?

What does one say or do when a close friend is diagnosed with cancer? I got a text message from an old college friend. She said one of the girls in the gang just went through a mastectomy. True to her quiet, unassuming nature, this particular friend went through the procedure without telling any of us.Had it not been for a friend of a friend, we wouldn't have known about the operation.

Once a upon a time, about twenty odd years ago we were a tight-knit group of 18-year olds enrolled in pre-med vying to be the next doctors of the land. We were inseparable bonded not only by our dreams and our course cards but also because we had common interests. We all dealt with stress of college life by laughing at each other's jokes, and spending our parent's money watching movies at Harrison Plaza, playing Where in the "World is Carmen San Diego?" in the computer store across our campus and eating in restaurants that stretched our meager allowance. Once, we ate in this Chinese restaurant in Roxas Boulevard. For the life of me, I do not remember how we convinced ourselves to eat and order up a storm knowing the limitation of our individual budgets. We ended up counting pennies (literally) just to pay the bill. It was such an embarrassing moment especially when the other patrons of the restaurant saw us emptying our wallets of coins to pay up a visibly annoyed and impatient waiter. We went through crises big and small. Crushes, annoyances, intrigues, back bites, snub fests and the like but we managed to grow and accept each other's idiosyncrasies and grew up together. Through the course of finding our individual selves some, like me, found out that my calling was not in medicine but in arts and communications. I left the circle and charted a different course. Most of them remained on track and enriched their lives further in medical school, residency, love, marriage, and career specialties. Through it all we remained in touch. And as we evolved from building our careers to building relationships and families we kept in touch knowing that our bond of twenty-years or so will always keep us at arms reach for hugs and understanding.

The suddeness of cancer makes me think about these things. The randomness of who it chooses to afflict scares the hell out of me. She was one of the prettiest, humble, the most unassuming of us. I pray and hope for the best.